The digital revolution and religious fact in the context of lockdowns linked to the coronavirus

ABSTRACT

The acceleration of the transformations brought about by digital technology is profoundly disrupting society and the established economic models. This chapter analyzes the impact of lockdown on the spiritual lives of believers and the innovative contribution of digital tools for the maintenance and renewal of religious practices within communities, subject to strong restrictions of individual and collective freedoms imposed by the public authorities. Religion is the set of beliefs, feelings, dogmas and practices that define the relationship of human beings with the sacred or a deity. The concept of confinement in the religious sphere has been closely linked to the history of religious practices since the beginning. In Europe, during the Spanish flu epidemic in 1918-1919, when the mechanisms of contagion were already well known, France severely restricted religious services. The tools most used during the Covid-19 lockdown were ultimately quite similar in both the professional and private spheres. © ISTE Ltd 2022.