Gilead Sciences, which has raised hopes of a drug to treat coronavirus with some early signs of success in clinical trials, is named after an ancient salve used in Bible times.
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(REVIEW) At a time when the planet is gripped by a pandemic, science and faith have again come into conflict. That nagging age-old question about good versus evil and the role of God and Satan in our lives is the focus of a new book about an Italian priest who went on to become the world’s best-known exorcist.
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Indian Muslims are being targeted in different parts of the country following reports that there was an outbreak of COVID-19 at a mid-March gathering hosted by a Muslim missionary society.
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(OPINION) A chance to attend an online multi-day silent retreat during the coronavirus lockdown helped this Buddhist author use a time of crisis for greater spiritual growth, self-care and inner joy.
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Combining Buddhism, Haiku poetry and meditative photography, Tyler Knott Gregson offers insight into coping with chaos, loss and isolation experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic through his experiences struggling with autism. He shares his artwork and his journey with more than 350,000 Instagram followers, self-identified “Chasers of the Light.”
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Tanzania is one of several East African countries still allowing religious gatherings, while this Easter weekend marked the steepest rise in confirmed coronavirus cases so far. Churches have been a foundation of trust between communities and government officials, and some say they are the key to disseminating prevention tips like good handwashing practices. But others are teaching that the virus cannot infect a godly person.
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(OPINION) Since last year’s church attacks in Sri Lanka, persecution of Christians around the world has only gotten worse. With the spread of coronavirus, this Easter is unlike any other we’ve seen. But there is hope.
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(OPINION) As social distancing restrictions tighten, church hierarchies and their parishioners are struggling to reconcile with what is being sacrificed for public health and order.
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With a long-trending decline in the number of Americans who identify as Christian, stay-at-home orders are testing churches’ ability to maintain connections with followers or lose more of their flocks. During Holy Week, many churches report higher views online than can fit in their sanctuaries. Some are even hosting virtual activities like an Easter egg hunt to engage kids.
Read More(OPINION) After a candlelight Shabbat dinner over Zoom with his wife’s family, Dave Schechter finds hope and encouragement amid the global Coronavirus outbreak.
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The 27-year-old San Antonio Express-News reporter hopes her dedication to her profession didn’t expose her to the coronavirus.
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(OPINION) Many churches and mosques in Africa are continuing to hold religious gatherings, some with government approval, despite the imminent threat of the novel coronavirus.
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(TRAVEL) With most of the world’s population stuck at home in an effort to stem the spread of the coronavirus, travel has come to a standstill. Springtime, and the approaching summer, are typically a time to take a flight and explore another part of the world.
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When the Jewish people were slaves in Egypt, God sent ten plagues to trouble Pharaoh, each one more horrible than the last. The last plague was the worst of all — a disease that felled the firstborn of every family, except in Jewish families who marked their door with lamb’s blood. This year, many Jews will rewrite the Passover story from the Book of Exodus to include an eleventh plague — COVID-19.
Read More(OPINION) Stranded on opposite sides of the U.S./Canada border, Paul Marshall and his wife united in prayer.
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(OPINION) One researcher suggests that pastors would do well to engage congregants who attend services occasionally but step up their participation during this crisis.
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(OPINION) While Italy’s newspapers have always covered news through a partisan lens, COVID-19 has led to lots of strong journalism as well as coverage of plenty of religious angles. Newsrooms across Italy have closed — with editors working from home — while reporters in the field have reported on the national lockdown’s disruption of daily life and how the contagion has ravaged communities and families.
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More than 24 people who attended a Sunni Muslim gathering earlier this month in Delhi have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the health ministry. Some of the ruling Hindu nationalist party’s leaders and supporters have taken to social media to blame Muslims for the inevitable spread of the virus in the nation of 1.3 billion people.
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A recent poll found that two-thirds of evangelical pastors say their tithe incomes have fallen in the past two weeks, since the spread of coronavirus hit the U.S. Churches are responding with salary cuts, temporary layoffs and reorganizing budgets while filling food pantries for those stuck at home without work.
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(OPINION) During this pandemic, people will have to learn to do without rights that once seemed inherently given. Those include the right to assemble as millions of Americans are asked to shelter in place. What does that mean for freedom of religion?
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