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PeakMetrics / Fact Checks

Religion & belief fact checks

Explore claims publishers have checked about religion & belief. Read their original ratings and follow the evidence.

3,371 published reviews in this topic

Vishvas NewsReligion & belief

কোলাজটো শ্বেয়াৰ কৰি, ব্যৱহাৰকাৰীসকলে দাবী কৰে যে য়োহানিয়াক ভাৰতলৈ স্বাগতম জনোৱাৰ বাবে দিল্লী বিমানবন্দৰত ৪.৫ লাখৰো অধিক লোক উপস্থিত হৈছিল আৰু তেওঁক উপহাৰ দিছিল।

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

FACTLYReligion & belief

“ಅಫ್ಘಾನಿಸ್ತಾನದ ಬೆಳವಣಿಗೆಗಳಿಂದ ಹತಾಶೆ ಮತ್ತು ಇಸ್ಲಾಮಿನ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಅಸಹ್ಯ, ಕಳೆದ 2 ತಿಂಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಸುಮಾರು 5000 ಮುಸ್ಲಿಂ ಹುಡುಗಿಯರು ಹಿಂದೂ ಹುಡುಗರನ್ನು ಮದುವೆಯಾಗಿದ್ದಾರೆ” – ಅಖಿಲ ಭಾರತ ಮುಸ್ಲಿಂ ವೈಯಕ್ತಿಕ ಕಾನೂನು ಮಂಡಳಿ ಅಧ್ಯಕ್ಷ.

Publisher’s rating: MISLEADING

FACTLYReligion & belief

Video of Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi getting baptized

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

The claim concerns a video circulating on social media that was said to show Charanjit Singh Channi, then Punjab’s chief minister, being baptized. FACTLY examined the man shown in that particular video rather than relying only on the accompanying post’s description. The review reports two checks against the identification: it compared an image of Channi with the man in the video and found no resemblance, and it listened to the pastor’s words during the baptism. At about 0:30, the pastor pronounces the person’s name as “Simranjeet Singh.” Those findings identify the person in the clip as someone other than Channi. FACTLY says it could not establish the video’s exact context. It also notes that no reports of Channi being baptized were found, but the review’s direct evidence is the visual comparison and the name heard in the video. Taken together, those checks do not support the post’s identification of the man as Channi.

FactcrescendoReligion & belief

যোধপুর বিমানবন্দরে বাবা রামদেব বিক্ষোভকারীদের রোষের মুখে পড়ে পালাতে বাধ্য হন

Publisher’s rating: MISSING CONTEXT

The claim attached to the circulating video presents the protest at Jodhpur airport as a recent event. The review says the video shows Ramdev near an exit gate, surrounded by security personnel as a crowd chants against him; he eventually moves back inside the airport. Its investigation concludes that the footage is old and that presenting it as a recent protest is misleading. (The review’s conclusion is supported by its statement that the video is from 2017 and was being circulated as a recent event.) The review describes how it investigated the video: it split the footage into frames and conducted reverse-image searches, which did not yield suitable information. It then searched relevant keywords and found that Janta Ka Reporter’s official Facebook page had posted the same video on September 27, 2017. The review therefore identifies the footage as documenting an earlier incident, rather than the recent event implied by the post. For further details, the review says it searched using information from that Facebook post and found a report by Amar Ujala. According to the review’s account of that report, Ramdev was travelling to a hotel in Jodhpur’s Chopasni area on September 25 for a private event concerning Patanjali products when Congress workers stopped him outside the airport. He tried to reason with the protesters, then returned inside when that did not resolve the situation. The evidence thus supports that a protest and Ramdev’s return into the airport are depicted, but dates the incident to 2017—not to the recent period claimed in the post.

FACTLYReligion & belief

Video showing changes made to the definition of ‘God’ and ‘Godparent’ in the oxford dictionary by Andhra Pradesh government

Publisher’s rating: MISLEADING

The post claimed that the Andhra Pradesh government had changed the Oxford dictionary entries for “God” and “Godparent” in dictionaries supplied to students through the Jagananna Vidya Kanuka scheme. It further alleged that the Oxford dictionary had been changed into a Christian dictionary by Chief Minister Jagan. The review’s central check was whether the government-supplied dictionary differed from the market version.

FACTLYReligion & belief

Photo of YV Subba Reddy’s wife holding the Bible in her hand.

Publisher’s rating: MISLEADING

The post presents a photo of YV Subba Reddy’s wife, Yerram Swarnalatha Reddy, holding a Bible as evidence about her religious beliefs. The review traced the image to a 2020 book-release function for ‘Naalo Naatho YSR’ at Idupulapaya, Andhra Pradesh. It reports that the image was taken out of that setting when shared online. [S1: “The photo was taken during a book release function of the late YS Rajashekhar Reddy ‘Naalo Naatho YSR’ in 2020.”; “This incident happened at the book launch of ‘Naalo Naatho YSR’ at Idupulapaya in Andhra Pradesh.”] The review describes a reverse-image search that found a YouTube video containing the same photo. It says the still image shows Swarnalatha Reddy holding the Bible, but the video at an earlier point shows YS Vijayamma, mother of YS Jagan, handing her Bible to the woman standing behind her—identified as Swarnalatha Reddy. A separate TV9 Telugu video is also cited as showing Vijayamma handing the Bible to the woman behind her. [S1: “When reverse image search is done on the photo, a YouTube video with the same photo was found.”; “However, at 0:41 timestamp, it is clear that YS Vijayamma, mother of YS Jagan gave her bible to the woman standing behind her, who is YV Subba Reddy’s wife, Yerram Swarnalatha Reddy.”; “Another video from TV9 Telugu YouTube channel also shows that YS Vijayamma was handing her Bible to the woman behind her.”] This video context changes what the photograph establishes: it captures Swarnalatha Reddy holding a Bible that Vijayamma had just handed to her, rather than independently showing that the Bible belonged to her or establishing her beliefs. The review separately notes that Subba Reddy said in a TV9 interview, “I was born a Hindu and I will die a Hindu”; that statement concerns Subba Reddy, not his wife. [S1: “In 2019 there was a controversy over the religion of YV Subba Reddy when he was being appointed as the Chairman of the TTD trust board.”; “but he replied in an interview to TV9 saying, ‘I was born a Hindu and I will die a Hindu.’”]

Vishvas NewsReligion & belief

ছ’চিয়েল মিডিয়াত ভাইৰেল হৈ থকা এটা পোষ্টত এটা ভিডিঅ’ দেখা যায়, য’ত কমলা আৰু নেমুৰে এটা ভগৱান গণেশৰ মূৰ্তি প্ৰস্তুত কৰা হৈছে। পোষ্টটো হ’লেণ্ডৰ গণেশ উৎসৱৰ এটা ভিডিঅ’ বুলি দাবী কৰা হৈছে।

Publisher’s rating: FALSE

Boatos.orgReligion & belief

A ONU DECLARA-SE INIMIGA DA IGREJA CRISTÃ: “A ONU afirma que a igreja cristã é inimiga dos direitos humanos. A ONU comunica que se tornará uma religião mundial e imporá leis humanitárias

Publisher’s rating: Falso

The claim reproduces a circulating message alleging that the United Nations considers Christian churches enemies of human rights and plans to impose a worldwide religion called “Onuísmo.” The review identifies the message as part of a broader conspiracy narrative, which also alleges that the UN’s ID 2020 project would target Christians and reduce the population. It notes that the message itself links to a UN page as supposed proof of the allegations. The review says it examined that linked UN page and found that it did not announce a new religion or declare opposition to Christianity. Instead, the page referred to a UN member’s remarks that religious beliefs should not be used to justify religious intolerance; the remarks did not single out a particular faith. The review states that the page contained no proposal for a single religion or population reduction. As additional support, the review reports that Africa Check found no official UN document saying the organization would become a religion or create “Onuísmo,” and that Check Your Fact pointed to the UN’s defense of religious freedom as contrary to the claim of a mandatory single religion. The review concludes that the message distorts its linked source and is a false claim about a UN declaration.