Coronavirus
Survey: UK teens are more likely than millennials to believe in God
By Jack Jenkins — December 29, 2020
(RNS) — The number is up from January, suggesting some may have embraced a belief in God during the pandemic.
Faith leaders and religion influencers who died in 2020
By Adelle M. Banks — December 29, 2020
(RNS) — Losses in the religion world included people known for their contributions to preaching, civil rights or music.
Our best religion stories from a terrible year
By RNS staff — December 28, 2020
(RNS) — The RNS stories that captured moments of resilience and perseverance, and even a few moments of celebration, in this dark time.
Jewish health system accused of vaccine violations is a case of solidarity gone wrong
By Brad Hirschfield — December 28, 2020
(RNS) — The real moral hazard they've fallen into is building a faith identity or communal solidarity on otherness, victimhood or grievance.
Indoor worship is now allowed in LA County, but some parishes and dioceses are waiting
By Alejandra Molina — December 24, 2020
LOS ANGELES (RNS) — ‘Rushing too quickly to in-person and indoor worship does not exhibit care for our families and those who are most vulnerable in our community,’ said one pastor.
5 nurses share their pandemic holiday plans — and their hopes people take the virus seriously
By Lyra Walsh Fuchs — December 24, 2020
(RNS) — ‘It pains me because I think when this all dies down and we get back to Mass, there will be a lot of empty pews,’ said one nurse, who has worked at a hard-hit nursing home throughout the pandemic.
When worship becomes entertainment is it really essential?
By Kenneth L. Woodward — December 23, 2020
(RNS) — When civil authorities, faced with a killer virus and the responsibility to contain it by limiting large gatherings, see humongous churches fashioned like theater auditoriums, no one should be surprised if they analogize houses of worship and treat them accordingly.
For hospital chaplains, being vaccinated first brings a mix of emotions
By Jack Jenkins — December 23, 2020
(RNS) — ‘I felt such a sense of joy — like Christmas really was here,’ said Daniel Russell, a hospice and hospital chaplain in Los Angeles.
As California’s hospitals fill, Kirk Cameron hosts another unmasked Christmas caroling event
By Alejandra Molina — December 23, 2020
(RNS) — The event took place at the parking lot of a mall with largely unmasked crowds of people singing in close proximity to one another.
Despite COVID-19, economic downturns, religious charities working overseas keep the faith
By Bob Smietana — December 22, 2020
(RNS) — With declining numbers of volunteers and donors, global faith-based aid organizations are looking beyond their traditional sources of support.
‘No man is an island,’ wrote John Donne on a grim Christmas amid a pandemic
By Andrew McGowan — December 22, 2020
(RNS) — These famous few lines suggest a kind of compassionate solidarity, a sense of deep connection when others die, or might die. But Donne’s real point is not just compassion for others, even during a plague, but the necessity of attention to the self.
Pandemic cooking and Jewish food rituals offer comfort in times of sickness
By Hanna Tervanotko and Katharine Fitzgerald — December 21, 2020
(The Conversation) — Food preparation makes the intangible aspects of culture and religion tangible.
Jentezen Franklin, Trump adviser and prominent Georgia pastor, tests positive for COVID-19
By Emily McFarlan Miller — December 21, 2020
(RNS) — The announcement comes days after Franklin attended a Christmas party at the White House, though a spokesperson for Free Chapel said his illness had no connection to the White House event.
Concern among Muslims over halal status of COVID-19 vaccine
By Victoria Milko — December 21, 2020
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Questions about stabilizers that use pork products — banned by some religious groups — have raised concerns about the possibility of disrupted immunization campaigns.
Yule traditions new and old wish good riddance to 2020 at the winter solstice
By Emily McFarlan Miller — December 19, 2020
(RNS) — The symbolism of the solstice resonates at the end of a dark, difficult year punctuated by a pandemic, political protests and a presidential election.
