Items

• 
  April 5, 2020

  LOVE in the pandemic

  showing both the sad and happy parts of the pandemic; showing the stereotypical lonely images that oversaturated social media, and then showing a loving family to counteract these images
• 
  2020-03-21

  The Day the Call to Prayer Changed in Cairo

  If there's one thing you can count on in the Muslim world, it's the call to prayer (adhan) audibly marking the sun's path through the sky, and everyone's route to a mosque, five times a day. It might sound a little different in various regions, a little more musical in Egypt, a little less practiced sometimes in Kyrgyzstan, but it's always the call to prayer, and has been for over 1000 years. But across the Muslim world in March 2020, as mosques closed because of the coronavirus pandemic, the call to prayer was adapted. Instead of saying, "Come to prayer, come to salvation" it said in Egypt, "Pray in your homes, pray on your travels." The wording had been changed like this a few times in the past when mosques were closed because of war or plague or weather, but I honestly never thought I'd hear it myself. The call to prayer seems constant and unchanging, part of the highly sensory experience of Muslim prayer, so this adaptation made the pandemic more present for everyone in Egypt. I'm not Muslim myself, but I talked with Muslim friends all over the world about the change in the adhan. One woman in Kuwait said, "It just sounds so... ominous.. especially at maghrib prayer, it's sunset and getting dark, and the voice over the loudspeakers is saying to stay home... also because I have never, ever heard them change it like this before. Ever. It's like I'm waiting for an eclipse, and the flocks of birds flying away, animals fleeing, etc." I took this video during the last prayer of the day on 21 March 2020 at a mosque near our apartment in Cairo, Egypt. If you're not familiar with the adhan, you obviously won't notice anything different, but this rendition is beautiful even if you don't understand it. If you do, the new wording begins at 1:13. The beginning of the video is a little bumpy while we were getting to the right spot, but then it settles down a bit.
• 
  2022-04-29

  My Experience of The COVID-19 Pandemic

  Give a written account of how the COVID-19 pandemic affected my mental health, religious beliefs and personal relationships.
• 
  2022-04-29

  Religion and COVID-19: Effects on Public Life

  At the start of the pandemic, I became hyper-aware of the changes happening around me, specifically regarding religion. Unfortunately, many of the changes I witnessed were regarding death. Death is a concept most often associated religiously, for example, someone's soul or spirit going to some otherworldy peaceful place, or reincarnation. On a personal level, there is a catholic church across the street from my house. I had a front-row seat to the trauma and sadness the pandemic brought forth. In recent years, the church was fairly lonely, with only large crowds during big holidays or religious events. During the pandemic, not once did I see the church unoccupied. Whether for a funeral service, blessed sacrament adoration, prayer, liturgy, or confession. The image of the coffin and funeral service serves the purpose of relating to this specific effect on a personal level. When my family lost a child during the pandemic, I experienced how even my non-religious family members or friends offered to join in prayer with my family. Not only the catholic community, as well as other religious communities sought to spread the importance of prayer to the public during the difficult times. With services becoming more widely accessible such as live-streamed on TV for the public. Overall I realized how the pandemic may have affected the public sphere by connecting more identities together, no matter race, religion, or gender.
• 2022-04-29

  College & Religion ft. COVID-19

  When I was in the second semester of my freshman year at ASU studying Computer Science, we had started hearing word of a virus slowly spreading around the world. Halfway through that semester, it had reached a point where my universities had shut down in-person sessions and ASU had announced initially a 2-week online period, which then quickly ended up being the rest of the semester. For someone who was extremely to get the full college experience, it was very disheartening to have to cut out a decent chunk of our college life. However, with time and acceptance of the current world situation, I was able to quickly adapt and thrive with the new fully-online learning environment. Although, amidst being able to adapt to the new university online life, it was a very different story when it came to my religion. As Muslims, we are very accustomed to being a close-knit community. It is an obligation to attend a group prayer on Friday afternoons on a weekly basis. This is something I have been attending ever since my parents had taught me this at a young age. However, with the way the virus was spreading and considering how crowded mosques tend to get at Friday prayers, they were forced to close down. This had a major affect on many Muslims as it is a big part of our daily routine. On top of that, when the month of Ramadan had come around, mosques could not stay open for the late-night prayers that everyone was so accustomed to attending on a daily basis. With a little more time and a lot of prayers, this year mosques has opened at full capacity for weekly Friday prayers and nightly prayers at the mosque for the month of Ramadan. From a religious perspective, COVID-19 had taught a lot of us to develop more patience than we were initially used to and have faith in our religion that at the end of the day, whatever happens in this world always has an underlying reason.
• 
  2022-04-28

  COVID-19, Religion, and Public Life Reflection

  The COVID-19 pandemic has created a one-of-a-kind situation for our generation, causing many countries to go into lockdown and many people to lose their jobs, loved ones, and social life. The pandemic affected people of all races, religions, and genders and continues to do so. Businesses, schools, and job offices around the world were forced to close, store shelves were emptied of canned food and toilet paper, and people were limited to the amount of food they could purchase. Covid forced me and many others to work and attend school from home via Zoom, which was a new and interesting experience for me because I was accustomed to having a daily routine, such as waking up in the morning and getting ready to go to work and school. During covid, on the other hand, all I had to do was roll out of bed, fix my hair, and attend a zoom meeting in my pajamas. I'd have to say that physically separating myself from people I cared about, such as friends, family, and coworkers was the most difficult part for me. Another effect of Covid was the cancellation of religious activities and in-person services all over the world. Family members who died as a result of covid-19 had their funerals virtually streamed on zoom, which was especially difficult for many people because they couldn't go pay their respects to the deceased and loved ones. Many debates erupted about whether covid is real or not during this time period, and the issue quickly devolved into a religious/political one. People began to align with various political parties and religious leaders, and the power and opinions of these politicians and religious leaders exerted a strong influence over their followers. In terms of religion, one of the most noticeable effects of covid on me was that it weakened my religious faith, whereas it strengthened the religious faith of others. I lost a sense of joy and support that came with participating in prayer and holiday services because I couldn't attend them. Even though covid is still affecting people all over the world, we're learning how to try to return to life before covid. It may never be the same, but we can hope it just gets better.
• 
  2021-10-06

  Life with Covid-19 United in Isolation

  I had a few other objects I could have used for my story but I decided to use this one because it is the one that has meaning to me. This pandemic affected several areas of my life, as it did for most people in the world. After considering all of the relevant memories that impacted my life, like working from home, and switching from in person classes to online and zoom meetings, I decided that the area that impacted my life the most was not being able to see my family for over a year. My family is very united, we meet for special events, birthday celebrations, holidays, and for any other reason we come up with just to get together. None of us ever imagined how difficult it was going to be to be isolated from one another for such a long time and the impact it was going to have in our lives. At first it was ok because we didn't know for how long it was going to last, and how bad things were going to get in such a short period of time. We definitely did not think that Christmas of 2019 was gonna be the last time we would see each other in over a year. This photograph reminds me of the feeling of isolation that we were all feeling as a family. I could tell that this situation was difficult for all of us. It was taken in the summer of 2020, everyone was pretty scared. We were all trying our best to stay healthy, one thing that I remember hearing over and over again was "We have to stay apart in order to be able to stay healthy and see each other again". No one is to be missing next time we gather. Most members of my family were raised with Christian values. This was definitely an important factor for most of us, prayer and religious encouraging words and bible quotes were common on our group chats. Many of my family members live in Mexico and to this day they are not able to cross. During the worst days of the pandemic, prior to the vaccine, life changed 100% for all of us, but this screenshot is a perfect example of how we managed to stay together even when w e were so far apart. Social media and technology kept us united. We were able to see each other exactly one year later on Christmas of 2021, we followed recommended guidelines and celebrated outdoors, with masks as well as social distancing. This experience really changed the way we lived our lives in more than one way, one thing is for sure is that we stayed united through it all. This screenshot of a zoom meeting with my family will always be a reminder of what we endured at the beginning of the pandemic, a global event that we will never forget.
• 
  2020-07-17

  Finding Peace Through Religion

  This is a photo of a part of the mosque I attend. This was significant to me because of the impact that religion has on my personal life. I feel as if I have always referred back to religion in my times of need, so when the world was in a very difficult spot, I turned to the thing that always seemed to help me. COVID has turned the world on its head since its arrival, and there seems to be no answer for it. It took countless amounts of lives and left so many others in bad shape. It created a sense of unpredictability for everyone around the world, not knowing if they, or someone they loved, would be infected with it. At the end of the day, it has been something we have learned to live with. As I mentioned earlier, my religion has always proved to be a relieving factor in my life. I would turn to it in my times of need when I felt uncertain of what could happen. In the times we have gone through, my religion has allowed me to voice my concerns and find comfort where I couldn’t find in other places. I always felt as if it was something that I could turn towards. This photo shows a Munara, as we say in Bosnian. It is a pilar that typically sits in front of mosques and allows Imams to call for prayer. When this call is heard, people are reminded to give some of their time to worship. I feel as this pilar can also represent what religion meant for me during the pandemic we were living through. When I see it, I would get reminded to pray and connect myself with God to seek answers for my problems. This would allow me to alleviate my stress and gain peace of mind through prayer. Each person would find comfort in different ways during this pandemic, for me, it was hearing this pilar call me back to something I could not forget about.
• 
  2020-09-19

  PHOTOS: How The World Is Reinventing Rituals

  This article captures images of the continuations of and changes in rituals around the globe during the pandemic.
• 
  2021-02-01

  The play

  My new puppy My new life Exciting but i miss My space Slept good last night Traveled to a place far away This morning sunshine blinding My way Thoughts are jumbled best way to explain Forgot my prayer to start my day
• 
  2021-04-19

  Faith Guided Man to Make 1200 Face Masks for Community

  I remember vividly on March 12, 2020, when I told my students that school might be canceled next week because of Covid-19. At that moment, I was confident that we won’t be coming back to school the following week because of the events that were occurring around the world and the scenes that we have never seen before that were happening in our own backyard. The shortage of food and essential items were something that I have never imagined would occur in our local store. It was a horrible feeling of uncertainty and a feeling of being powerless about what to expect. My parents, brother, and I have underlying health issues thus living this year has taken a toll on the way we interact with other people from outside of our household. We feel like we are living on an island. In April, CDC had a constant voice in what we should do and recommended that we should wear face masks with two layers of fabric, wash our hands and be socially distant. At that particular moment, I was stressed out because how in the world will I get face masks when almost everything in the store is gone. I then told my mom about this and my mom said that there is a sewing machine under the stairs that I can use to make face masks. As a 6 foot latinx man, my parents didn’t have any issue with me using or learning how to use a sewing machine. In a Mexican household, only women can use the sewing machine, but in my household, my parents have embraced the new identity of America, and believe why would there be a problem in me doing things that are normally done by females? I used faith to guide me in understanding how to use the 1960’s sewing machine. I prayed and said that I have good intentions of helping my family and community to be safe from this virus so please help me financially and physically in making face masks. That same week, I received a check in the mail, and with that money, I purchased a lot of fabric and materials to make facemasks. I created a universal design that uses less material and in some way helps the environment and I created about 1200 face masks. I also found a way to create 50 face masks per hour and that helped me a lot. Even though many people feel reluctant to wear face masks, it breaks my heart that few don’t care about the people who have underlying health issues. They may be asymptomatic to covid, but wearing a face mask is a moral thing to do, and a thought that comes to my mind is, “Father, please forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” For a whole year, my family and I were protected from contracting Covid-19, and the first week of April of 2021, we got our vaccine. I truly believed that my prayer was answered because God knew my intentions and in some way protected my family and me for doing basic things to help us not to get this horrific virus.
• 
  2021-04-14

  Social Distance Powwow - Prayers for All Nations

  Social Distance Powwow is a Facebook page created so Indigenous Peoples can virtually powwow together. Bear Cadman, a member of Dine Nation, submitted this photo of him and wrote "Prayers for all nations. Prayers for peace and healing. Love will win. Prayers for all of you the 5 finger nation."
• 
  2020-05-11

  Faith in a time of crisis

  Many people wonder about the benefits religion may or may not have during times of crisis. Is religion a crutch; or, is religion a legitimate way for people re-orient their lives and perspectives during times of crisis? This article from the American Psychology Association answers these questions. Depending on the person and their perspective of their religion, religion can be either positive or negative, perhaps even both at different times. As a result, the answer to the question is not a simple yes or no. However, even for the agnostic or the atheist, as the article describes, there are many religious and spiritual rituals one can engage with (e.g. yoga, meditation, etc.).
• 
  2021-03-31

  Prayer Lodge Stops Line 3 Pipeline

  Prayer Lodge Stops Line 3 Chaos 7 Natives from 5 nations took direct action to defend our Mother with love and selflessness. Surrounded by people of faith, by allies with strong hearts, we sang, prayed, and sat with our ancestors in an Anishinaabe lodge in the midst of Line 3 destruction. 27 Water Protectors were arrested that day. Afterwards, police cut up the lodge and kenneled, strip searched, and shackled us for misdemeanors. This is Anishinaabe treaty territory — Enbridge is committing trespass, not us. To land defenders everywhere, we stand as one ✊🏽❤️ Support the legal fund here: ProtestLaw.org/Line3 & please find your bravery to stand with us or use your voice to contact President Joe Biden, Gina McCarthy, Deb Haaland to #StopLine3 #ProtectTheSacred #PrayersIntoAction #7thGeneration
• 
  2021-01-19

  A Covid Litany

  I am studying to become an ordained Deacon in the Episcopal Church. I wrote this litany and shared it with friends and the congregation of my church. We prayed this prayer together as a church weekly for many months.
• 
  2020-05

  Fighting Pandemics: Inspiration from Islam

  In this article, various Muslims outline how their faith has guided them through the pandemic. For many, faith and religion have been their guidance through the COVID-19 crises. Unfortunately, the pandemic has restricted how Muslims have been able to practice their faith. While this article is specifically written with practicing Muslims as the target audience, one need not be of the Islamic faith to learn and appreciate how the faith can aid in our understanding of the world during the pandemic.
• 
  2021-01-25

  statistics

  There have been 97.7 total Covid 19 cases in the world. One of those cases was my uncle. Near thanksgiving he wasn't feeling well so he instinctively got a Covid test. About 2 days later he got a call that said he had the virus. This effected our family greatly. We were all worried sick and were praying that he healed. The funny part was, he said it only felt like a regular cold. He did eventually get better and we were thankful to God.
• 
  2021-01-20

  Native Nations Lose Elders, Maintain Hope

  Scrolling through social media, I have been bombarded with innumerous posts that tell the now familiar tale of the passing of tribal elders due to COVID-19. Angry, sad…crushed – My entire being is blitzed with many emotions as I sit here reflecting on the recent news of the death of yet another elder from my own Nation, the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California. Being made up of just over 1400 enrolled tribal members, the Washoe Tribe of Nevada and California, like many other Native Nations, has come upon a time of extreme crisis. It has been stated by many that losing a tribal elder is the equivalent of burning down a library. This analogy is sufficient for many Native Nations although when considering the current state of language and culture for “smaller” Nations, this does not suffice. Every Washoe tribal elder that is taken from this world prematurely could be equated to the burning down of an entire country as our language has been designated as an extinct language by linguistic anthropologists because of the low percentage of fluent speakers remaining. This catastrophe has called for champions, for warriors. Warriors are those who sacrifice for the greater good, for the betterment of the collective. Washoe warriors have once again become numerous. Women and men, younger and older have taken up our positions to defend what we have left. This mobilization is reflective of the wide variety of skills and experiences Washoe people maintain. A foundational principle in Washoe culture, yeyelu, demands that we stand together. Seeing many Washoe upholding our traditions of protection offers me hope. Scrolling has become a task, one wrought with trauma and heart ache but more importantly of hope. HOPE. In prayer, Patrick DéɁileligi Burtt (Red Burtt from Wa She Shu St)
• 
  2020-09-18

  Jewish Melbourne: Rosh Hashanah Services at TBI

  Due to the Melbourne lockdown, synagogues were unable to host services in-person for Rosh Hashanah. Temple Beth Israel livestreamed their services instead.
• 
  2020-11-09

  Covid-19 and Religious Observance

  Religious observance was one of the many aspects of daily life affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In my home country of Bahrain, congregational prayers were prohibited in mid-March, in an effort to slow the spread of the virus. The Friday prayers were restricted to only a single mosque, Bahrain’s largest. Under normal circumstances, Muslim congregants would stand shoulder to shoulder in prayer. This was no longer the case as seen in the photo, social distancing and mask wearing was enforced. The Islamic call prayer (the Azan) was altered, the normal line summoning the faithful to prayer “come to prayer, come to good deeds” was instead replaced with the line “pray in your homes” (as seen in the attached video, which I recorded in Bahrain on). It was surreal hearing this for the time. The Covid-19 pandemic was the first event, at least in my lifetime, where this was done. Historically, this had precedents in times of plague. Moreover, the Muslim Hajj pilgrimage, which draws millions to the city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia every year, was this year limited to a symbolic 1,000 pilgrims. Having attended the Haj myself a decade earlier and been in the midst of the human masses that descend on Mecca, it was very strange to observe the images of the few socially distanced pilgrims which undertook the Hajj in late July 2020.
• 
  2020-10-08

  Jewish Melbourne: Caulfield Shule Pre-Shmini Atzeret “Abridged Yizkor Service”

  "Go online with Caulfield Shule's Rabbi Ralph and Chazzan Dov Farkas this Yom Tov for a Pre-Shmini Atzeret “Abridged Yizkor Service” Thursday Night, 8th of October, 8.00–8.20pm"
• 
  2020-10-08

  Cursed year, Covid era 2020

  I would say its pretty safe to assume that the majority of us were unfazed the very first time we heard of a virus breakout in wuhan, even though having played the mobile game Plague Inc. you would know that because of the dense population distribution china & india are two of the best places for a virus to start from. I would say other than the zombie movie like “leaked” videos that surfaced on social media no one really took it seriously until about march. That’s when I want to say the real pandemic fear started to creep in, there were multiple new cases showing up everywhere around the world, this is when things really started to get crazy, to begin with there was a weird shortage of toilet paper worldwide, not only that but grocery stores were a nightmare, it was the prepare for an apocalypse. People lost all sense of rational thinking & started hoarding food in a very animalistic selfish way. For a whole month everytime you go grocery shopping the shelves were almost empty, drinking water was scarce ,finding toilet paper was almost impossible. Personally as a 20 year old fit healthy male that wasn’t surrounded by any family or elders in the area I couldn’t care less If I got it, I was naïve& selfish for thinking that way, I had just suffered the lost of close friend to a car accident so I wasn’t in the best headspace. months go by… and I received news that three of my uncles & aunts got it, it was during that time that school was turning to online classes & terrible would be an understatement for my academic performance at the time, I was very busy & too into my head that a couple days went by & I got a follow up news that my uncles actually passed away, he was one of the kindest souls to me & I cannot think of one bad memory of him, yet I felt a void , I wasn’t sad nor that I cried & that in a way did more damage , It was just the countless deaths around me this year that had me completely numb emotionally, it just all felt so unreal, more than that is the long distance & not being able to travel back to comfort my dad through his hardship was the hardest part. To God we belong and to God we shall all return إِنَّا لِلَّٰهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ‎, On a more positive note my cousin said on her birthday “I am not counting this year in my age because I didn’t use it”.
• 
  2020-04-09

  Jewish Melbourne: 'Police raid ultra-Orthodox prayer group above store in Ripponlea'

  report in The Age, by Paul Sakkal: "Police raided an ultra-Orthodox Jewish prayer group in Melbourne’s inner-east on Thursday morning where a group of at least 10 men were praying in contravention of social-distancing rules. Just after 11am, about 10 police vehicles swooped on an apartment above an IGA store in Glen Eira Road, Ripponlea."
• 
  2020-04-07

  Jewish Melbourne Passover 2020

  Missing the Seder with friends...the story, songs, prayers, food and children squirming waiting for dinner.
• 
  04/01/2020

  Unknown Consenting Pastor Oral History, 2020/04/01

  Chelsea interviews a California pastor about how services were altered in their church during the COVID-19 pandemic and also about his thoughts what COVID was and how it changed life. He discusses how he thinks COVID was an answer to prayer to find time with family and pay attention.
• 
  2020-05-22

  Can You Gather With God Over Zoom?

  This article describes how several Quaker meetings (including the one my family attends), which involve mostly silent, communal contemplation, have altered their practices for social distancing.
• 
  2020-05-24

  'The strangest Ramadan ever:' Ottawa Muslims celebrate Eid with drive-in prayer

  This article relays photographs taken and interviews conducted at an Ottawa mosque during physically distanced Eid al-Fitr services.
• 2020-05-24

  Upbeat ‘cancer dancer’ lifts souls

  A story about a cancer patient who uses the internet to post hip hop dances from the hospital in order to chear people up during the COVID crisis. A bit of fresh air during a very difficult and fearful time. We could use more of this.
• 
  2020-05-18

  Go Back to Normal!!!

  I have learned in this quarantine that is you want to do something and not be lazy, then you must attack it head on and just go for it. The hardest part of accomplishing something is definitely starting. If you can start the thing you want, then you are more motivated to finish it because you have already spent time and effort trying to accomplish the thing you want. Even when I get out of this quarantine, I am going to try to apply this to my daily life. I really wonder when things are going to get back to normal, or if things will go back to normal. This might be the new normal which is a scary thought. I hope this is not the new normal because I had a plan for my future. Well kind of, but this is definitely not what I had planned. I am trying to remember that it is not about what I want for my future or what I think is supposed to happen in my life. It is about God’s plan and what he wants to happen in my life. *Original text in Creator: Nicole Dumitrascu #LSMS #NSD
• 
  2020-04-01

  “I think it's probably... I guess made it stronger..."

  “I think it's probably... I guess made it stronger and sometimes it's hard to think that there is a greater purpose for all this but at the same time I think having faith has kept me grounded and it's also given me a source of community and kind of like a sense of peace during this time.”
• 
  2020-04-01

  "Um... to be honest with you uh coronavirus did affect my faith and beliefs..."

  "Um... to be honest with you uh coronavirus did affect my faith and beliefs to the god um with all the disaster things happening around the global many thought that this week prayed really is going to help us anymore so that it made me doubt that kinda thing so however I still believe still believe my religion I trust my trust my god."
• 
  04/01/2020

  Three Participants Oral History, 2020/04/01

  An interview for REL101 between three people. As they do not name their selves they are labeled as three different interviewers in the transcript.
• 
  2020-04-01

  “Being a Muslim, I believe faith is an important part of my life."

  “Being a Muslim, I believe faith is an important part of my life. It gives me a lot of comfort and relief. I think it is important to have faith and that this pandemic will be resolved as soon as possible.” “No, all of the mosques and religious centers are closed at the moment. Basically, I have been praying at home instead and I have not been able to attend my local mosque in weeks.” “Yes, they are. My local mosque has been asking for donations to help the homeless and poor. These people that are given food and supplies so it is necessary to get them some sort of assistance especially during these hard times.”
• 
  2020-04-01

  “Well I feel like its strengthened my faith and my beliefs..."

  “Well I feel like its strengthened my faith and my beliefs because we've learned through our readings of the Bible and our studying that the Bible speaks about the end times being similar to what we're facing now and also through this we’ve seen our local assembly... people draw closer to God through this. We've seen people get the Holy Ghost over the phone through this pandemic. We’ve seen a lot of people just really get closer to God during this so I feel like personally for me it's strengthened my faith and my belief in God and it's just shown me that when the Bible speaks of end times it's exactly what we're dealing with going on now.”
• 
  2020-04-01

  “Overall, I would say it hasn't affected my faith in a negative way."

  “Overall, I would say it hasn't affected my faith in a negative way. I've heard from a lot of people. They have different opinions on why this situation is happening. For example, I've heard people say that it's God's judgement.I've heard people say it's kind of a wake-up call to help us recognize how we should be living differently but.. I don't think... I mean both of those are probably valid in anyone's beliefs but personally in mine I think it's just a good way to recognize how we can work together through this and grow from this and kind of put ourselves in a better perspective rather than worrying about daily things.”
• 
  2020-04

  “Personally, it has not affected my faith or my belief."

  “Personally, it has not affected my faith or my belief. I've always had a very strong faith and I've always had strong faith because I'm a person who has pretty much knocked at death’s door more than once. I've been on life support so I look at covid-19 as another stumbling block and with my faith it's just something that I can crawl over like before.”
• 
  2020-04-01

  “It really hasn't affected my faith or beliefs in any way particular."

  “It really hasn't affected my faith or beliefs in any way particular. I still am able to read my Bible and pray and do all the same things I would do at church just from my home. My beliefs haven't changed everything that I feel and believe has stayed the same especially with like Easter that just happened. We were still able to celebrate that holiday as a family although we weren't like all together and at church but the point of the holiday is our beliefs so essentially we were still able to celebrate that from home.”
• 
  2020-05-12

  Perspective of a First Generation Pakistani American University Student: The benefits of a campus and the difficult transition to the "Virtual Classroom"

  #CSUS #HIST15H
• 
  2020-04-01

  "I have found it a little difficult because we can't have our regularly scheduled church services."

  "I have found it a little difficult because we can't have our regularly scheduled church services. However, I have pretty much still been going to church as scheduled because I am the head worship leader of the church so we do our live church services like our online church services so I am a big part of that."
• 
  2020-04-01

  “So far it hasn't really had any affect."

  “So far it hasn't really had any affect. If anything, it's just made connection stronger with Jehovah. I find myself talking to him and praying to him more often than I usually would. So, so far it's just been positive changes in regards to me and my religious beliefs and practicing them and putting them into practice.”
• 
  2020-04

  “Covid-19 hasn't affected my faith in a negative way..."

  “Covid-19 hasn't affected my faith in a negative way but it does make you think about stories that we read in the Bible where God has sent us… you know I feel like maybe God is trying to send us a message for us to open our eyes with things going around in the world. It does wanna make me think.”
• 
  4/29/2020

  Ramadan in Quarantine

  Ramadan began on Friday April 24th, in the middle of a pandemic. Muslims around the world are used to congregating at the mosque every night for the duration of the month. They gather to pray together and listen to the recitation of the Holy Qur’an. This year’s Ramadan experience is very different. Although we miss going to the mosque and praying with friends, this month is truly special because the quarantine is allowing us to focus on our relationship with God, with no distractions. It’s a blessing that we are safe and healthy, at home with family, and still able to fast and worship. In this picture, my brother, who has memorized the Holy Qur’an, is leading my family in prayer. One verse he recited on this night can be translated as: “But God is your protector, and He is the best of helpers (3:150).” This was a beautiful reminder to trust in God during these difficult times, as He is the One who provides and cares for us.
• 
  2020-04-28

  Waiting to Return #1

  When the school closed, it was unlike any other closing. Teachers left up the bulletin boards and projects were still hanging from the ceilings. Do we take down the maps and put away our figurines on our desk to keep from dust? When will we return? It's only March. The school year isn't over yet. A month later, the classrooms are still wondering. The teachers are still hoping. The students are still asking.The wishers are still wishing. The prayers are still praying.
• 
  2020-04-27

  REL: Catholic Prayer Groups During Coronavirus Pandemic

  I recently had the chance to observe a Catholic prayer group, done remotely due to COVID-19. The meeting lasted about an hour. The group was made mostly of women and they performed the rosary, as a devotion to Mary. After this was complete the women went into discussion. What I found was that many of these women were struggling due to recent events. Unemployment, anxiety, and sickness were all cited as problems for them. They asked each other to pray for them. This sort of group therapy, creates a sense of security, belonging, and hope. Many expressed how important the meeting was to them, as they needed an outlet to express their fears. The talk therapy, coupled with the ritual of rosary, helped these women during a difficult time. It is a testament to how many religious people may cling to their faith in times of distress. Karl Marx famously called religion “the opium of the people”. This experience showed me that in a way this is true; it did place these women at ease with their situation. Marx expressed this in a negative light, but what I saw was a necessary attempt to seek out community amidst an ordered isolation. To these women, it seems not an opium but rather a medicine for mental and spiritual well-being.
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  2020-03-17

  Iranian police disperse crowds from shrines after Covid-19 closures

  The article talks about how Iranian police are forced to break apart crowds of people who're forcing themselves into shrines which are normally used for prayers around the clock. It also states that COVID has affected mainly important festivals. The Article also talks about how Italy has opened private prayers and confessions. Europe and the US churches mosques and synagogues have been suspended for public celebration as well. It also talked about how 2/3rds of the confirmed cases of the virus inMalaysia can be linked back to an Islamic conference attended by about 16,000 people.
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  2020-03-22

  Where Is God in a Pandemic?

  writer and priest James Martin grapples with the "problem of suffering" during the worldwide coronavirus pandemic. He poses the question of why does God allow such suffering and tribulation to plauge the world. He comes to the conclusion that it is impossible to know and that the faithful must be able to keep their faith even when they don't understand the actions of their God.
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  2020-03-15

  A Sunday without Church: In Crisis, a Nation Asks, 'What is Community?'

  The parking lot at a large church sits empty, and volunteers explain to anyone who tries to enter that all services will be held online in order to decrease the risk of spreading COVID-19. Regular church attendees are currently having their sense of community challanged. This is because their relgious practice routines have been disrupted.
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  2020-03-26

  Muslim and Jewish paramedics pause to pray together. One of many inspiring moments in the coronavirus crisis

  This article is about a Muslim and Jewish paramedic who work together in Jerusalem, a land of so much conflict. Despite general tension between the two religious groups, both men find time during the day to pray together, in their own ways. The picture of the paramedics is powerful because it shows how both men have faith in God, respect for each other, and the desire to be of service to their community.
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  2020-04-25

  Observations on Catholic Prayer Groups

  I recently had the chance to observe a Catholic prayer group, done remotely due to COVID-19. The meeting lasted about an hour. The group was made mostly of women and they performed the rosary, as a devotion to Mary. After this was complete the women went into discussion. What I found was that many of these women were struggling due to recent events. Unemployment, anxiety, and sickness were all cited as problems for them. They asked each other to pray for them. This sort of group therapy, creates a sense of security, belonging, and hope. Many expressed how important the meeting was to them, as they needed an outlet to express their fears. The talk therapy, coupled with the ritual of rosary, helped these women during a difficult time. It is a testament to how many religious people may cling to their faith in times of distress. Karl Marx famously called religion “the opium of the people”. This experience showed me that in a way this is true; it did place these women at ease with their situation. Marx expressed this in a negative light, but what I saw was a necessary attempt to seek out community amidst an ordered isolation. To these women, it seems not an opium but rather a medicine for mental and spiritual well-being. #REL101
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  2020-04-20

  Sober Living

  I am residing in a sober living house following rehab for alcoholism. My sober date is Feb 14 - and I have been living in a house of ten ASICS in recovery now for 6 weeks. I will say after 40 plus years of drinking, and now one day at a time, lessons learned in rehab and recovery are coming in very handy. We start every day with a 7 am iremote 12-step meeting, and since being under ‘house arrest’ have had plenty of time to meet informally, prepare meals, and walking - my primary exercise now. I notice the overflowing recycle bins when walking - had I not sought treatment for my alcoholism I would no doubt be living a bottle 24x7 during the last month or so, since my work has ground to a halt. I think we were deluded in thinking we used to know what tomorrow and the future would bring. Know we know we don’t have a clue, and never really did. It’s out of our control! I am a huge fan of the serenity prayer, and recommend it to all - including my agnostic friends! God, Give me the serenity to,accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, And the wisdom to know the difference. One day at a time! I with you peace and serenity!