worshippers

12 Stories

Christian College Becomes Ground Zero for Viral 'Revival'

Thousands flock to Kentucky's Asbury U in TikTok-driven prayer event that's lasted more than a week

(Newser) - Early on Feb. 8, a routine chapel service took place at Kentucky's Asbury University, a small Christian college in Wilmore. "I would call it unremarkable," the school's president, Dr. Kevin Brown, tells NBC New s of the gathering in the 1,500-seat Hughes Auditorium. What's...

SCOTUS Hands Down Split Decision on COVID Church Ban

Court rules California can't bar church services, but it can still ban singing, chanting

(Newser) - The Supreme Court is telling California it can't bar indoor church services because of the coronavirus pandemic, but it can keep for now a ban on singing and chanting indoors. The high court issued orders late Friday in two cases where churches had sued over coronavirus-related restrictions in the...

2019 Was a Bad Year for One Kind of Killing

From Burkina Faso to California, houses of worship came under deadly fire

(Newser) - On Dec. 1, a band of assailants opened fire on worshippers at a small-town Protestant church in Burkina Faso, an impoverished West African country where the Christian minority is increasingly a target of attacks. The victims included the pastor and several teenage boys; regional authorities attributed the attack to “...

Day After UN Warning, a Deadly Mosque Bombing

Dozens killed in mosque explosion in Afghanistan's Nangarhar province

(Newser) - An explosion rocked a mosque in eastern Afghanistan as dozens of people gathered to offer Friday players, causing the roof to collapse and killing at least 60 worshippers, provincial officials said, per the AP and New York Times . Dozens of others were said to be injured. Attaullah Khogyani, spokesman for...

Women Enter 1K-Year-Old Building for First Time

Mosque's wooden carvings, architecture have long enchanted its male worshippers

(Newser) - For the first time in its 1,000-year history, one of India's oldest mosques opened its doors to women. Thousands of Muslim women flocked to the religious site in Kerala on Sunday, reports the Times of India , making their way into the Thazhathangady Juma Masjid to view its historic...

Crosses to Be Removed From San Diego Hillside

Officials received complaints about monuments on public property

(Newser) - It could be the end of days for a few crosses outside San Diego. The California Department of Transportation plans to remove three long-standing crosses from public property after receiving complaints about them, reports the San Diego Union Tribune . The large monuments have stood just east of a state highway...

Julia Roberts Flick Bars Indian Worshippers From Temple

Villagers none too happy with actress, who was previously considered 'Hindu-friendly'

(Newser) - She may be America’s sweetheart, but villagers in India are not feeling the love for Julia Roberts after the actress caused them to be barred from their temple—at the beginning of a religious celebration, no less, the Telegraph reports. Ironically, Roberts—and her 350-member security team, derided in...

Holy Hell: Churches Squeezed by Economy

(Newser) - The hallelujahs are strained in US churches these days as donations plunge at the same time demand for aid is skyrocketing, reports the Wall Street Journal. Congregations across the nation are slashing budgets and even laying off staff, including pastors. Churches and synagogues usually weather downturns well, but not this...

Hue-Changing Frog Worshiped as God in India

(Newser) - A frog that changes colors from white to green to gold is being worshiped as a god in India, reports the Telegraph. The creature was discovered in a flower garden and has drawn hundreds of worshippers to its home in western India. "It seemed like a miracle to me...

Christians Secretly Target Converts in North Africa

Islamic leaders oppose 'unethical' tactics

(Newser) - Islamic leaders in north Africa say they are incensed by the tactics of Christians bent on secretly converting their followers, Reuters reports. Religious authorities gripe that missionaries in Morocco and Algeria are using “unethical” methods, such as spreading false information and preying on the weak. “People respond positively...

Catholics Now No. 1 in Britain
Catholics Now No. 1 in Britain

Catholics Now No. 1 in Britain

Anglicans second to Catholicism for first time in 400 years

(Newser) - For the first time in 400 years, Catholicism has more adherents than the Church of England in Great Britain, the Sunday Telegraph reports. Immigrants from Eastern Europe and Africa have filled the pews of Catholic churches, while attendance at Anglican Sunday services has dipped 20% since 2000, according to a...

Russians Flock to New Religions
Russians Flock to New Religions

Russians Flock to New Religions

Followers of the 'new' Jesus head to Siberia to build a town

(Newser) - Is a former traffic cop named Sergei Tropov really the reincarnation of Jesus? Five thousand devoted followers of the Church of the Last Testament believe so, and they've relocated to a remote corner of the Siberian wilderness, where they are constructing a new town founded on the 18-year-old religion. The...

12 Stories