The Experience and Correlates of God’s Silence among Christians

• Main Authors: Jacek Prusak, Jakub Wasiewicz
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-07-01
• Series: Religions
• Subjects: God’s silence; religiosity; spirituality; DSES; divine struggles; depression
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/12/7/532

The aim of the study was to find out if Christians experience God’s silence and if so, what are its correlates during the COVID-19 pandemic. The second purpose of the study was to identify the connections between the experience of God’s silence and depressive mood disorders and the impact of God’s silence on other spiritual experiences. The study was conducted online on a group of 771 people, mostly Christians. The experience of God’s silence was declared by 82.1% of the respondents. This experience does not depend on the sex of the respondents, but correlates with their age. The experience of God’s silence is commensurate with the joy that comes from having a relationship with God through daily spiritual experiences. Additionally, the conducted research shows that experience of God’s silence resembles a state rather than a permanent feature with a visible ending, which is associated with a change in the image of God. The consequences of experiencing God’s silence need not to be negative. The conducted research shows that the most frequently mentioned effect of this experience is the strengthening and consolidation of faith.