Preserving and transforming the ritual

Abstract

In this article, we analyse how Communion as a religious ritual is perceived in rapidly changing circumstances. As a case study, we examine the views of Finnish Lutheran ministers and parishioners regarding online Communion and use empirical data (N = 333) collected during the COVID-19 pandemic. Instead of focusing on the pandemic period per se, we treat Communion as a religious ritual that is under renegotiation during a time of change. We ask whether there are differences in the stances of pastors and lay people, and in what ways do similarities and differences occur among the respondents. We identified two main stances towards online Communion – preservers and transformers. For preservers, adherence to canonized ritual was most important, whereas transformers were keen to create new ritual practices and consider ritual objects anew. However, the majority of respondents held quite a negative stance regarding online Communion. Ministers and lay respondents had similar arguments about online Communion regarding practical, church ordinal, and doctrinal perspectives, while divergent views emerged on authority and lay agency. It seems that for the vast majority, preserving a key religious ritual serves as a means of maintaining stability in unstable times.