Covering Religion

“We landed in Ireland at about 7 a.m. Sunday and were greeted by typical Irish fog and a spraying of light rain. Though the class was low on sleep, spirits were high.”

by Emma Paidra & Refael Kubersky

Read more about our first day reporting in Dublin:
coveringreligion.org/2024/03/10/day…

No Atheists in the Foxhole
by Neha Mehrotra

"But to those who proclaim religion’s obsolescence, the Coronavirus pandemic sweeping the world has foregrounded a different reality: Far from being obsolete, religion has adapted to the need of the times, and in the process, has succeeded in proving its own dynamism and continued relevance. Amongst the younger generation too, religion — if once seen as static dogma — is now appreciated for its reflexive, reflective timelessness."

Photo: Robert Harding/Getty Images

No Atheists in the Foxhole – Covering Religion No Atheists in the Foxhole Neha Mehrotra | [email protected] Robert Harding / Getty Images It’s Thursday, April 8, the beginning of the Jewish holiday of Passover, and Hillel, the Center for Jewish student life at Columbia and Barnard, is hosting its annual Seder – traditionally a time to gath...

“We are participating through watching Mass online; watching Mass on television,” da Silva-Prado said. “But the physical Mass, I thought that I could attend forever and ever and ever — till kingdom come — is canceled.” // by Ricardo Da Silva SJ

You can Zoom a Mass, but Confirmation will have to wait – Covering Religion You can Zoom a Mass, but Confirmation will have to wait Ricardo da Silva, S.J. | [email protected] Rev. Paul Rospond presides at the Good Friday liturgy from the Church of St. Paul the Apostle in Manhattan, New York, streamed online. Since the beginning of February, a small group of Roman Catholic...

The waqf-e-nau journey begins in the womb, when pregnant mothers offer their unborn child to Allah. This is not a metaphorical pledge but an actual one. // by Neha Mehrotra.

— As published in Religion Unplugged —

Pledging your life to Allah, the Ahmadi way Suman Amara Ahmad has always known that her future was not hers to chart. The journey of a waqf-e-nau begins in the womb, when a mother pledges her unborn child to God. At age 15, Amara continued the pledge. “I could be sent anywhere in the world,” she says. “It’s all up to the Khalifa.”

With the whirlpool setting off, the pastor enters a hot tub set up in the center of the church stage. One-by-one members, dressed in cotton tee shirts and athletic shorts, enter the tub for their baptism. // by Kate Cammell

http://coveringreligion.org/2020/04/02/baptism-during-covid-19

Even the Hindu Gods have been forced to bend their backs to this modern-day pandemic. While Christian churches have managed to adapt to this unforeseen series of events by bringing the communion to the homes of the worshippers through technology, small-scale Hindu temples find themselves struggling to cope. // by Meenketan Jha

“It’s like faith has lost one of its legs” – Covering Religion “It’s like faith has lost one of its legs” Meenketan Jha | [email protected] The BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha brings its community together through an online congregation conducted via their website. / Photo by Meenketan Jha It wasn’t meant to be like this, Swami Satyanand says. In fact, sinc...

With her emphatic voice, Rev. Ronda Kingwood said that the origins of the pandemic came straight from the pits of hell and pleaded the blood of Jesus over the virus.
“Your name is higher than Covid-19!” Kingwood proclaimed. // by Kelly Davis

Photo: Danita Delimont/Getty Images

‘Your Name is Higher Than Covid-19!’ – Covering Religion ‘Your Name is Higher Than Covid-19!’ Kelly Davis | [email protected] Danita Delimont/Getty Images WICHITA, KS. – Seemingly undaunted by an empty church, the worship leader stands at the altar and belts out gospel classics, enthusiastically encouraging the congregation to clap and sing along...

I am not in Good Shepherd Chapel, where Trinity Grace holds service—I’m in my parent’s living room in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, watching Pastor Michael Rudzena on a flat-screen TV. Instead of wine and bread, I have coffee and a piece of a chocolate chip pancake.

by Madeline Simpson
Photo: Jill Brady/Portland Portland Press Herald via Getty Images

Sometimes the Body of Christ is a Chocolate Chip Pancake – Covering Religion Sometimes the Body of Christ is a Chocolate Chip Pancake Madeline Simpson | [email protected] Jill Brady/Portland Portland Press Herald via Getty Images Associate Pastor David Gungor opens Trinity Grace Church’s service with worship songs. He plays an acoustic guitar, his wife plays the violin,...

Attending church online was not a new concept for me. Many of the mega churches back home would conduct online services with the option to stream via their websites or Facebook. Even my church home, Russell Street Missionary Baptist, a relatively small Detroit based church with a congregation of about 50 adults over the age of 65 and their grandchildren, would stream service through Facebook live for members to tune into from the comfort of their homes.

However, what was new to me was the need to tune into service frequently.

by Esohe Osabuohien
Photo: Adam Bettcher/Getty Images

Community Never Dies, it Just Evolves – Covering Religion Community Never Dies, it Just Evolves Esohe Osabuohien | [email protected] Adam Bettcher/Getty Images Attending church online was not a new concept for me. Many of the mega churches back home would conduct online services with the option to stream via their websites or Facebook. Even my church ho...

On a rainy Wednesday morning, just days into the COVID-19 outbreak in New York, a Native American leader and her husband left the city by car for a serene village upstate that is surrounded by farms, rivers and streams.

“Mother Earth wants us to take a break,” said the woman who is known as Little Owl. “We figured that this is the perfect opportunity for us to be close to the land.”

by Rita Omokha
Photo: Robert Alexander/Getty Images

‘It’s a Wake-Up Call’ – Covering Religion It’s a Wake-Up Call Rita Omokha | [email protected] Robert Alexander/Getty Images On a rainy Wednesday morning, just days into the COVID-19 outbreak in New York, a Native American leader and her husband left the city by car for a serene village upstate that is surrounded by farms, rivers and str...

This Sunday is not like any other. There is no singing and dancing, no coming together and hugging at the United Pentecostal Church in Harlem. Instead, Pastor Michael Grattan is alone in his office, preaching on Facebook Live, while comments pour in: “I’m watching from Wisconsin,” says one, many just send “Amen,” another one just says “I made it!” // by Zoé Chevalier

Preaching in the times of Corona – Covering Religion Preaching in the Times of Corona Zoé Chevalier | [email protected] picture alliance / Getty Images Contributor This Sunday is not like any other. There is no singing and dancing, no coming together and hugging at the United Pentecostal Church in Harlem. Instead, Pastor Michael Grattan is alone in...