Is the Solar Eclipse a Message From God?

Tens of millions of people across the United States are preparing to look skyward next Monday as the moon passes between Earth and the sun and, for a few brief moments, daylight turns to darkness. For many, the solar eclipse is one of nature’s greatest spectacles, a magnificent demonstration of what can happen when celestial objects align.

For others, its magnificence is of a different kind.

Some religious groups and institutions are anticipating the eclipse through the lens of faith. A religious perspective provides certain tools for encountering natural wonders, adding a few extra layers to the experience. It can turn the eclipse into something other than just , and into a reminder of heavenly wonder, an opportunity to proselytize, or as an omen "an original communication" from God about alien contact.)