A professor of homiletics explores the different personas Black preachers wear in the public sphere and how this has often been misunderstood.
Some church members have no problem wearing masks; others say it’s an unconstitutional mandate.
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A Florida minister and a conservative lawmaker filed suit against a county law mandating mask wearing, saying it violates the freedom of religion. A constitutional law professor says they’re wrong.
Zapotec farmers return from their ‘milpa,’ the garden plots that provide much of the communities’ food, in Oaxaca, Mexico.
Jeffrey H. Cohen
The Zapotec people of southern Mexico have always relied on each other to solve problems when the government can’t, or won’t, help. That’s proving to be a pretty effective pandemic response.
COVID-19 is changing how people go on pilgrimages.
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The pandemic has inspired new forms of pilgrimages – some do-it-yourself, in which people are walking in their backyards or nearby spaces and finding meaning.
A 1970 image of prisoners in cell blocks at Rikers Island Prison.
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Infection rates of COVID-19 have soared among prisoners in the US. An expert on penal policy considers what is ‘unjust and disproportionate’ punishment at this time.
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.
Buddhist monks pass packs of water after their devotees donated water to a temple in Bangkok.
AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit
A commission set up by the US Secretary of State says religious freedom and property rights should be elevated above other rights. It has prompted concern from faith-based and secular critics alike.
Pope Francis observes a minute of silence for the victims of Hiroshima at the city’s Peace Memorial Park.
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As Pope Francis becomes the first pontiff in the nuclear era to call for total disarmament, all of us – whether secular or religious – can engage through creative and proactive moral responsibility.
A scene from Giovanni Boccaccio’s ‘The Decameron’ – sales of which have reportedly risen during the pandemic.
John Waterhouse/Lady Lever Art Gallery
Narratives throughout history illustrate how pandemics make people grapple with their faith, leading them to deepen religious beliefs or reject them altogether.
Worshippers wearing protective face masks and gloves offer Eid al-Fitr prayers in Teheran.
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Muslims throughout the world will celebrate the holiday of Eid al-Adha, or Festival of Sacrifice, beginning at sundown on July 30, but the coronavirus has changed many things.
Matfre Ermengaud’s ‘Temptation by Lechery’ from a 14th-century manuscript.
The British Library
Stories featuring demons and sex date back to early Judaism and Christianity. They inspired the witch craze and continue to be believed by many conservative Christians in America.
Weekend in the Islamic world usually means Friday and Saturday.
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For many people, the standard weekend is Saturday and Sunday. That’s not true for Muslims in some Islamic nations.
A demonstrator heads to an anti-violence protest in Chicago, which has struggled with gun violence for decades, July 7, 2018.
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Gun violence has killed hundreds of Americans, including kids, this summer. There are proven ways to bring peace to city streets, says an expert in violence prevention – but someone has to pay for it.
Christian fundamentalists like Ken Ham, CEO of the evangelical group that owns the Creation Museum, believe dinosaurs were among the animals rescued on Noah’s Ark.
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A Kentucky museum tells the history of the universe according to the Bible in an effort to debunk evolution. Its owner, the Christian group Answers in Genesis, promotes right-wing political causes.
Mosaic in San Vitale Basilica, Ravenna, Italy.
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The first Muslim prayer in 86 years was held on July 24 inside Hagia Sophia, recently reconverted to a mosque. For over a millennium, this grand monument has wielded enormous power.
The 18th-century Catholic missionary Junipero Serra at work in California.
Lawrence OP/flickr/St. Casimir’s church in Baltimore
Statues of the Spanish missionary Junípero Serra have been toppled by protesters in LA, San Francisco and Sacramento. Californians are questioning whether Serra was a saint or a colonizer – or both.
People wearing masks and social distancing at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes on May 30, 2020.
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Coronavirus is causing religious communities to rethink ways of expressing their faith. In the spirit of finding innovative ways to continue rituals, the pilgrimage to Lourdes was conducted online.
Priests in Taiwan perform a ritual for the souls of the dead.
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Taiwan’s death rituals come from multiple spiritual sources. A Taiwanese-American scholar explains what changes for those who make their home in the US.
Kashmiri commuters at an Indian military checkpoint in the city of Srinagar, July 17, 2020.
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People in the disputed Indian territory of Kashmir had already been living under a 24-hour curfew for eight months when the coronavirus hit, bringing new depths of fear and confinement.
John Lewis linked arms with religious leaders, including Dr. Martin Luther King, while marching from Selma to Montgomery in 1965.
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From the earliest days of the civil rights struggle, Black religious leaders have infused the fight for justice with spirituality. Rep. Lewis and Rev. Vivian are no exception.
Painting depicting transfiguration of Jesus, a story in the New Testament when Jesus becomes radiant upon a mountain.
Artist Raphael /Collections Hallwyl Museum
Recent protests on racial justice have also questioned the portrayal of Jesus as a white man. An art historian explains how this image appeared and came to be marketed worldwide.
Indian health workers doing health checks in Mumbai, June 17, 2020.
AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool, File
Nicole Hassoun, Binghamton University, State University of New York
The high cost of pharmaceuticals often means only the richest patients get lifesaving medicines. As coronavirus drugs emerge, it will require hard, creative work to ensure they’re available to all.
A New Jersey minister welcoming members of the KKK into his church in 1923.
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