A church in St. Paul, Minn., distributed food obtained through a USDA program in December 2020.
Michael Siluk/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
A public monument, a place of memory and a crumbling testament to how far we’ve come. A centuries old church in windy Suffolk, England, is a world away.
Church closures were among the most contested measures brought in to fight COVID-19.
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Public health officials and religious conservatives fought over church closures. Data now shows that those who attended worship more frequently in the pandemic reported higher rates of the virus.
Attacks on houses of worship are increasing, as part of a trend of growing global violence. The aftermath of these attacks often includes interfaith dialogue and community support.
The Rev. Philip Dinwiddie sings to a pre-recording of mass at St. James Episcopal Church in Grosse Ile, Michigan.
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A team of scholars have been documenting the sound of worship for six years. Since the lockdown, they have heard a different form of religious expression.
A multimedia technician wipes down audio equipment at a church in Brooklyn.
AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews
Images of religious buildings being used to treat the sick shouldn’t come as surprise. The practice has a long tradition, dating back to the Middle Ages.
As the pandemic continues with Easter on the horizon, physical distancing means that many churches are closed and in-person religious ceremonies are paused.
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In up-and-coming neighborhoods, old churches are often converted to apartments or offices. But what about the vacant or underused churches in areas that aren’t attractive to developers?
Voodoo believers walk during the annual Voodoo festival Fete Gede at Cite Soleil Cemetery in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery
Voodoo is often seen as a practice involving magic. In Haiti, Voodoo is a religion born out of the struggle of slaves. And today, it is used as a form of healing and protection.
Honduran migrant Vicky Chavez with her daughter Issabella on May 31, 2018 in the First Unitarian Church in Salt Lake City, where she sought protection from deportation in late 2017.
AP Photo/Rick Bowmer
Mario Garcia, University of California, Santa Barbara
The number of migrants living in churches has spiked recently in anticipation of threatened immigration raids, but churches have long protected refugees in an act of faith-based civil disobedience.
Billboard outside St Andrew’s Presbyterian, Murwillumbah, NSW 2018.
Louise Moana Kolff
Originally designed to display service times or bible quotations, church signs are becoming a site of political commentary, tackling everything from pill testing to refugee rights.
Justice Anthony Kennedy swears in Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
AP Photo/Susan Walsh
The National Council of Churches, which represents 38 Christian denominations, has long been the voice of progressive religion. But over the years, its influence has waned.