Some COVID-19 and Religion Issues

There have been many stories in the news lately about the impact of COVID-19 on religious activities, and I wanted to share some of them with you because they inform us about what is happening today in the world of religion.  However, I will not consider this blog entry required reading for now, so you do not have to read it if you do not want to.  If I decide to make any of the material in this blog entry required, then I will notify you.

This article here examines the differences across states in the religious exemptions in their COVID-19 stay-at-home orders.  Religious exemptions allow a religious group to operate some or all of its activities.  California's religous exemption status is labeled "unclear" by the article.  The California stay-at-home order (see p. 11 here) specifically lists religious groups broadcasting religious services as an essential service, though it does not provide further details.

This article here discusses the increase in interest in software specifically designed for broadcasting church services online.  We see how the COVID-19 impacts some profit-maximizing software companies.

Finally, because earlier blog entries have already mentioned online church, I thought I'd share this article here, which provides a list of some prominent American churches that will be offering online Easter services.