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Religion News

2020-01-31T17:17:04-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Can U.S. students pray in school?

Last updated on: January 31, 2020 at 5:17 pm By Richard Ostling

THE QUESTION: Can students pray in U.S. public schools? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: The Trump Administration’s education and justice departments, after work with government attorneys, issued policy guidance to public schools January 16 on this emotional-laden and oft-misunderstood issue. The answer is well settled in American law and agreed upon by a very wide range of religious and public education organizations. Yes, depending. Yes, if a student initiates prayer and does not disrupt classes. Students also enjoy other religious rights... Read more

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2020-01-17T15:46:53-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Why is the large United Methodist Church splitting up?

Last updated on: January 17, 2020 at 3:46 pm By Richard Ostling

THE QUESTION: Why is the large United Methodist Church preparing to split in May? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: One of 2020’s major news events occurs May 5-15 when delegates in Minneapolis decide whether and how to break up the large United Methodist Church (UMC). The simple answer to why is that long-running conservative-vs.-liberal differences proved irreconcilable when it comes to sexual morality in general, and homosexuality in particular. But there’s much more to be said. The stakes are high, since... Read more

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2020-01-08T11:51:12-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

What is Judaism?

Last updated on: January 8, 2020 at 11:51 am By Richard Ostling

THE QUESTION: What is Judaism? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: How are we to comprehend the series of attacks on American Jews during the holiday season? Why were there 1,879 anti-Semitic incidents in the U.S. during 2018, by Anti-Defamation League count, which was double the 2017 total and the third-worst year on record? Whatever the explanation, the related three words above were the headline and subject of an online article just before the recent repellent events. See www.dennisprager.com/what-is-judaism Author Dennis... Read more

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2019-12-17T11:57:00-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

What were the sources for the Bible’s accounts of Jesus’ birth?

Last updated on: December 17, 2019 at 11:57 am By Richard Ostling

THE QUESTION: What were the sources for the Bible’s accounts of Jesus’ birth? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: If it’s Christmastime, we expect the media will look around for material to deconstruct cherished church traditions. One 2019 example is a series of December articles about Jesus’ Nativity on this very interfaith site (www.patheos.com/blogs/messyinspirations) from a Catholic “channel” contributor who for some reason wants anonymity and calls himself “fellow dying inmate.” The “inmate” is correct to debunk some sentimental Christmas folkways. Typical... Read more

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2019-12-06T14:28:54-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Bible trivia time: What is a cubit? A shekel? An ephah?

Last updated on: December 6, 2019 at 2:28 pm By Richard Ostling

THE QUESTION: Bible trivia: How long is a cubit? What does a shekel weigh? How much does an ephah contain? THE GUY’S ANSWER: Readers of the Bible, particularly those wedded to the revered King James Version from four centuries ago, will keep running across esoteric words for weights and measures in ancient times. Many editions today help out by providing modern equivalents in the text or footnotes. But don’t take those equivalents too literally. Specialist Marvin Powell’s advice is that... Read more

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2019-11-25T12:38:22-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The New Testament texts were handed down across centuries, so are they reliable?

Last updated on: November 25, 2019 at 12:38 pm By Richard Ostling

THE QUESTION: Can we rely upon New Testament texts that were copied and recopied over centuries? THE GUY’S ANSWER: It’s hard to think of any question more central for the Christian faith than that. The Catholic Church’s Second Vatican Council and subsequent catechism proclaim that the New Testament books provide “the ultimate truth of God’s revelation.” The church “unhesitatingly affirms” that they “faithfully hand on” the “honest truth about Jesus” and the history of his words and deeds. Yet consider... Read more

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2019-11-08T11:24:24-05:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Should Catholicism allow married priests? Women deacons?

Last updated on: November 8, 2019 at 11:24 am By Richard Ostling

THE QUESTIONS: Reviving big Catholic issues: Should priests be married? Should women be deacons? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: Those two epochal changes in Catholicism are posed to Pope Francis in the final report from an October synod for Catholic delegates representing South America’s Amazon region. Francis expects to issue his formal response in a pronouncement by the end of the year. Catholics in that region can go for months, even years, without seeing a priest due to a severe shortage... Read more

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2019-10-25T12:01:24-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Democrats’ surprise 2020 issue: Should religious groups that oppose same-sex marriage lose tax exemption?

Last updated on: October 25, 2019 at 12:01 pm By Richard Ostling

THE QUESTION: Should U.S. religious groups that oppose same-sex marriage lose tax exemption? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: At CNN’s recent “Equality Town Hall” for Democratic presidential candidates, co-sponsored with the LGBTQ advocacy group Human Rights Campaign, anchor Don Lemon prodded Beto O’Rourke on whether “religious institutions like colleges, churches, charities” should “lose their tax-exempt status if they oppose same-sex marriage.” O’Rourke (who identifies as Catholic) immediately answered “yes,” because “there can be no reward, no benefit, no tax break, for anyone,... Read more

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2019-10-11T15:36:50-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

What should college grads, and high school grads, know about religion?

Last updated on: October 11, 2019 at 3:36 pm By Richard Ostling

THE QUESTION: What should U.S. college graduates, and high school graduates, know about religion? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: A Gallup poll for the Bible Literacy Project 15 years ago found only about a third of U.S. teen-agers knew about Islam’s holy month of Ramadan or that the Quran is the religion’s holy book. The youths generally did better on Christian questions, though only a third could identify the significance of the “road to Damascus” and a tenth couldn’t say what... Read more

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2019-09-27T19:39:53-04:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Campaign 2020 raises this one: What does Christianity teach about cussing:?

Last updated on: September 27, 2019 at 7:39 pm By Richard Ostling

THE QUESTION: A four-letter topic raised by campaign 2020: What does Christianity teach about cussing? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: The vulgar lingo associated with military barracks, so tiresome and over-used in movies, cable TV shows and pop music, is filtering into U.S. politics. Several candidates this campaign have gone potty-mouth, but it’s a specialty of “Beto” O’Rourke. He dropped the f-bomb in his Texas Senate concession speech last November and promised to “keep it clean” when a perturbed voter complained,... Read more

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