Law and Religion Headlines
Thursday, 9 April 2020
Haywire immune response eyed in coronavirus deaths, treatment
(Joseph Walker and Jared S. Hopkins, The Wall Street Journal)
Maths can help you thrive during the COVID-19 pandemic
(Susan D'Agostino, OUPblog)
The experts lied to us about masks
(Kyle Smith, National Review)
The left's ugly reaction to hydroxychloroquine
(David Harsanyi, National Review)
North Korea: Coronavirus, missiles, and diplomacy
(Ambassador Joseph Yun; Frank Aum; Paul Kyumin Lee, United States Institute of Peace)
Trump’s aggressive advocacy of malaria drug for treating coronavirus dvidesmedical community
(Peter Baker, Katie Rogers, David Enrich and Maggie Haberman, The New York Times)
Interfaith leaders push back on effort by state legislators to life "safer at home" order for holy days
(Milwaukee Independent)
Indian religious leaders urge faithful to follow Covid-19 rules
(UCA News)
Churches ring bells, start interfaith prayer against coronavirus
(ABS CBN News)
Religious Communities can play a huge role in fighting the pandemic--but not by gathering for services
(Lata Nott, Freedom Forum Institute)
Indian Christians experience “brief respite from violence” over Easter due to corona measures
(Alliance Defending Freedom)
Some churches confront virus restrictions on Easter services
(Curt A, Associated Press)
No halt to culture wars during coronavirus outbreak
(Mark Sherman and Jessica Gresko, Associated Press)
Iran’s supreme leader suggests mass gatherings may be barred through the holy Muslim fasting month Ramadan amid pandemic
(Associated Press)
COVID-19 lockdown not a threat to religious liberty, archbishop says
(Christopher White, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Baptists cry out for federal intervention against scapegoating
(Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists, Russia Religion News (Stetson University))
For some churches, SBA’s paycheck protection program is better than bingo
(Peter J Reilly, Forbes)
Israeli-Bedouin students left behind over coronavirus
(Danny Zaken, Al-Monitor: Israel Pulse)
Shops reopen in Bahrain as government rolls back restrictions
(Elizabeth Hagedorn, Al-Monitor)
Millions of Egyptians out in the streets despite coronavirus lockdown
(Doaa Fareed, Al-Monitor)
Khamenei blames Western culture, atheism for coronavirus response failings
(Al-Monitor: Iran Pulse)
COVID-19 crisis threatens to double Turkey’s unemployed
(Mustafa Sonmez, Al-Monitor: Turkey Pulse)
Turkish pandemic plan raises concerns over citizens' digital rights
(Diego Cupolo, Al-Monitor: Turkey Pulse)
Kachin IDPs risk their health for work during coronavirus epidemic
(Olivia Miller, International Christian Concern)
'We do not grieve like those who have no hope,' Pence says of pandemic during Easter
(Michael Foust, Christian Headlines)
Catholic groups call for ethical healthcare triage in coronavirus pandemic
(Catholic News Agency)
Outreach just as 'essential' as abortion, say pro-life advocates
(Matt Hadro, Catholic News Agency)
‘It’s a trauma for our children’: How the pandemic is impacting foster kids
(Mary Farrow, Catholic News Agency)
Vatican thanks Chinese groups for donations to combat coronavirus
(Catholic News Agency)
Cloud of doubt surrounds coronavirus figures reported by Iraqi government
(Mustafa Saadoun, Al-Monitor: Iraq Pulse)
Wednesday, 8 April 2020
The eleventh plague: Passover in the time of coronavirus
(Kimberly Winston, Religion Unplugged)
With Passover, Easter and Ramadan looming, clergy scramble to create holidays at a distance
(Sarah Pulliam Bailey and Ruth Eglash, The Washington Post)
Religious services navigate coronavirus restrictions
(Elliott Davis, US News & World Report)
Hospitals brace for a surge of coronavirus patients, but how accurate are the projections?
(David Able, The Boston Globe)
USCIRF condemns the stigmatization of religious minorities during COVID-19 pandemic
(U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom)
5th Circuit: Texas elective abortion ban during COVID-19 emergency is upheld
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
Texas can enforce abortion ban during coronavirus pandemic, federal appeals court rules
(Emma Platoff, The Texas Tribune)
Canada’s Trudeau administration using COVID-19 money to fund ‘reproductive rights’
(Cassy Fiano-Chesser, Live Action)
42 Thai returnees from Indonesia found to have coronavirus
(Tassanee Vejpongsa and Edna Tarigan, Associated Press)
A few churches are defying bans on large gatherings. That could be bad for religious liberty.
(Daniel Silliman, Christianity Today)
Kansas legislature strikes down governor's directive limiting size of religious gatherings
(Zack Budryk, The Hill)
Josh Hawley was ahead of the curve on federal aid for religious nonprofits
(Alexandra DeSanctis, National Review)
U.S. coronavirus restrictions create split among religious liberty advocates
(Lawrence H, Reuters)
Tanzania’s leader urges people to worship in throngs against coronavirus
(Nicholas Bariyo and Joe Parkinson, The Wall Street Journal)
How isolation will change religion as a public presence in Australia
(Andrew West, ABC News Australia)
Iraq’s PMU throws weight behind countering COVID-19
(Tamer Badawi, Al-Monitor: Iraq Pulse)
Courts would likely uphold gob't closure of churches during pandemic, ADF attorney says
(Michael Foust, Christian Headlines)
Catholic non-profit highlights dignity of people with disabilities amid coronavirus
(Catholic News Agency)
Tuesday, 7 April 2020
WEBINAR ANNOUNCEMENT, 7 April 202, 5 pm UK time: Human Rights in the Time of Coronavirus: Does England’s Lockdown Violate Human Rights Law?
(Strasbourg Observers)
German courts tell Easter churchgoers, not this year
(Deutsche Welle)
Turkey's state religious body undermines anti-coronavirus efforts
(Pinar Tremblay, Al-Monitor: The Pulse of the Middle East)
Landlord changes locks after California pastor vows to continue church services amid coronavirus pandemic
(Jason Lemon, Newsweek)
‘All hands on deck:’ Middle East embassies inundated with citizens stranded in US
(Elizabeth Hagedorn, Al-Monitor)
Jordanians cope with lockdown through humor, empathy and solidarity
(Osama Al Sharif, Al-Monitor: Jordan Pulse)
Monday, 6 April 2020
WEBINAR EVENT, 6 April 2020: The COVID-19 Crisis: Taking Stock of Religious Responses
(Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs, Georgetown University)
Brazil’s Church leaders warn about threat to prisoners posed by COVID-19
(Eduardo Campos Lima, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
SBA says churches and other religious organizations are now eligible for SBA loans
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
SBA clarifies eligibility of faith-based organizations to participate in paycheck protection and economic injury disaster loan programs
(Press Release, U.S. Small Business Administration)
Police in Nepal falsely charge pastors with violating coronavirus lockdown, sources say
(Morning Star)
Dutch health minister urged to guarantee abortion pill access amid corona restrictions
(Dutch News)
Doctors facing 'temptation of euthanasia': French medic warns of terrible decision facing staff in coronavirus hit care homes while Spanish doctors are 'ordered to stop using ventilators for patients older than 80'
(Harry Howard, Daily Mail)
Israeli leader announces lockdown over Passover holiday
(Ilan Ben Zion, Associated Press)
Pandemic, border crackdown hamper Catholics’ aid to migrants
(David Crary, Associated Press)
Nicaraguan officials stop church program to prevent COVID-19
(David Agren, Catholic News Service)
How evangelicals in Brazil are spinning COVID-19
(Thomas Milz, Deutsche Welle)
Angry preachers fight 'shelter in place.' #NEWS Major religious groups follow rules? #SOWHAT
(Terry Mattingly, GetReligion)
Coronavirus crisis reveals gap between news media pros and and many people of faith
(Bobby Ross Jr., GetReligion)
Ryan Burge asks that question, again: Are politics, or doctrines, shaping COVID-19 responses?
(Terry Mattingly, GetReligion)
Why Brazil’s churches closed, even though President Bolsonaro disagrees
(Maurício Zágari and the Assciated Press, Christianity Today)
Saturday, 4 April 2020
Remote control: Coronavirus is changing how Ireland is governed
(Jennifer Bray, The Irish Times)
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Update: FDA Provides Updated Guidance to Address the Urgent Need for Blood During the Pandemic
(Director - Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) Peter Marks M.D., PhD., U.S. Food & Drug Administration)
New coronavirus limits bring new religious freedom tension
(Elana Schor, Associated Press)
Pope Francis addresses Italy in recorded message
(Associated Press, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
Chief Rabbi says virus response proving to be religion’s ‘finest hour’
(Jewish News)
The Americans defying Palm Sunday quarantines: 'Satan's trying to keep us apart'
(Michelle Conlin, Rich McKay, Reuters)
With coronavirus infections linked to religious gatherings, debate rages over worship amid pandemic
(Jack Jenkins, Religion News Service)
Friday, 3 April 2020
Infographic: The History of Pandemics
(Shai Kuritzky, BabaMail)
How will humans, by nature social animals, fare when isolated? Covid-19 will harm people’s mental health
(The Economist)
Monitoring COVID-19 contagion growth in Europe
(Arianna Agosto / Alexandra Campmas / Paolo Giudici / Andrea Renda, Centre for European Policy Studies)
How did covid-19 begin? Its initial origin story is shaky
(David Ignatius, The Washington Post - Opinions)
Johnson and Kidd: Responding to COVID-19 would be a lot harder without churches and Christian groups
(US Action Team, Religious Freedom Institute)
How the pandemic will impact the Trump-backed lawsuit against the Affordable Care Act
(Jacqueline Thomsen, The National Law Journal)
New Jersey's COVID-19 ban enforced against religious life-cycle events
(Howard Friedman, Religion Clause)
15 charged in Lakewood, N.J., after attending Orthodox Jewish funeral in violation of governor’s ban on large gatherings
(Julie Shaw, The Philadelphia Enquirer)
Mosques stay open in Pakistan even as virus death toll rises
(Kathy Gannon, Associated Press)
After ignoring warnings, Israeli ultra-Orthodox hit by virus
(Ariel Schalit and, Associated Press)
Virus lockdown changes how Hindus celebrate holy period
(Biswajeet Banerjee and Gary Fields, Associated Press)
Florida pastor arrested for holding services, other congregations meeting in defiance of COVID-19-related orders
(Don Byrd, Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty)
Asia’s top cardinal: China’s ‘criminal negligence’ responsible for coronavirus pandemic
(Nirmala Carvalho, Crux: Taking the Catholic Pulse)
New podcast: Will preachers fighting 'shelter in place' rules create a church-state disaster?
(Terry Mattingly, GetReligion)
New PHE advice for safe funerals
(David Pocklington, Law & Religion UK)
Religious groups clash over US government giving virus aid to houses of worship
(Eric Cortellessa, The Times of Israel)
Religious institutions and the CARES Act: A closer look
(Nathan Adams IV, Jason Havens, Kelly Hellmuth, JD Supra)
Coronavirus: Islamophobia concerns after India mosque outbreak
(BBC News)
Thursday, 2 April 2020
Many Americans are praying and staying away from religious services in response to coronavirus: More than half say they have prayer for an end to the spread of the virus
(Pew Research Center: Social and Demographic Trends)
Released from quarantine into social distancing
(Thomas Reese, RNS Column: Signs of the Times)
Addiction in the age of Covid-19
(Brian J. Grim, Religious Freedom & Business Foundation)
Higher attendance, lower giving: New survey shows how churches are responding to COVID-19
(Emily McFarlan Miller, Religion News Service)
Surviving April
(Max Lucado, Religion News Service)
Saudi official urges Muslims to delay hajj plans over virus
(Aya Batrawy and Jon Gambrell, Associated Press)
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