As church services in many states are put on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic, church leaders are looking for creative ways to hold services. One unique way is using a movie drive-in.
Ultra-Orthodox Jews make up about 12% of Israel's population — but account for many of Israel's COVID-19 cases. This week a senior rabbi finally urged his followers to obey government lockdown orders.
The community of Lakewood is experiencing a very high rate of infections as well. Police have broken up numerous gatherings recently, despite a stay-at-home order from the governor.
Bart Ehrman says the ideas of eternal rewards and punishments aren't found in the Old Testament or in the teachings of Jesus. His new book is Heaven and Hell: A History of the Afterlife.
St. Charbel is revered for his healing miracles. "He gives us faith and strength, especially in this time of sickness," says a pilgrim visiting his tomb. "He is the only cure, in my opinion."
NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro talks with Mike Yonkers, a chaplain at University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle. He's counseling patients with COVID-19, their families and hospital staff.
The new Netflix series was inspired by Deborah Feldman's best-selling memoir about ending her arranged marriage. In the TV adaptation, the young woman leaves her home in Brooklyn and moves to Berlin.
The "Urbi et Orbi" blessing is normally delivered at Christmas and Easter. The delivered his homily against the dramatic backdrop of an empty St. Peter's Square, glistening in the rain.
The Erie Diocese, identified by the Pennsylvania attorney general as a place where clergy sex abuse was widespread, is said to have spent nearly $12 million on its victim compensation program.
The Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility for the attack, which targeted members of the Sikh religious minority in the Afghan capital Wednesday.
The priest had left Facebook's augmented reality feature turned on. Viewers saw video of the clergyman superimposed with an astronaut helmet, sunglasses and sparkles.
The tougher restrictions were announced after criticism from officials, including Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, following scenes over the weekend of friends and family thronging an airport parking lot.
Father Scott Holmer sits on a chair in the parking lot of St. Edward Church in Bowie, Md., and parishioners confess from the front seat of their cars. The drive-thru lane is open seven days a week.
NPR's Michel Martin speaks with three faith leaders about coronavirus and how it's impacted their congregations and work: Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld, Imam Rizwan Ali and Pastor Thomas McKenzie.
"Islam doesn't permit practices that would put human life in danger," said the head of religious affairs in Turkey, one of a host of Muslim-majority countries to curtail gatherings at mosques.
"This trial, too, shall pass," Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I said. "But our lives will have changed forever." He asked parishioners to stay home for their own safety and the safety of others.
Using advanced techniques such as scanning electron microscopes, a team of researchers concluded that all 16 scroll fragments at the Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C., are modern forgeries.
Harris made history and broke centuries of precedent when she became the first female bishop in the Anglican Communion in 1989. She was known for speaking out for gay rights in the church.
The decision of whether to cancel worship services depends on health considerations, government orders, and maybe even political leanings. Smaller churches face bigger problems.
Once viewed as a refuge by members of the Muslim minority group, Turkey has detained Uighurs and told them to hush criticism about the Chinese government. Some have already been deported.
