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Religion News

2019-09-13T15:19:53-04:00

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.

What is the future of religion? Does it even have a future?

Last updated on: September 13, 2019 at 3:19 pm By Richard Ostling

THE QUESTION: This cosmic theme is raised by a British Broadcasting Corporation article under the headline “Tomorrow’s Gods: What is the Future of Religion?” THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: In its early history the BBC (born in 1927, the year of the U.S. Radio Act) was nicknamed “Auntie” for its comforting, old-style tone. But The Beeb goes futuristic in a current online series that takes “the long view of humanity.” An August article offered the forecast about religion: www.bbc.com/future/story/20190801-tomorrows-gods-what-is-the-future-of-religion Writer Sumit... Read more

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2019-08-30T08:56:17-04:00

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 is “fundamentalism”?

Last updated on: August 30, 2019 at 8:56 am By Richard Ostling

THE QUESTION: What is (and is not) “fundamentalism”? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: One of The Guy’s weekly memos for getreligion.org recently proposed that “fundamentalism” has become such an abused and misunderstood label that maybe we media folk should drop it altogether. The Guy was provoked to go public with this heretical idea when The New York Times Book Review assessed a memoir of life among Jehovah’s Witnesses. The reviewer, who teaches at Harvard Divinity School, said repeatedly that Witnesses are... Read more

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2019-08-16T11:10:22-04:00

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.

Is it OK to pray for President Trump’s defeat?

Last updated on: August 16, 2019 at 11:10 am By Richard Ostling

BRAD ASKS: I think Trump is a bad president. Is it right of me to pray for his defeat? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: Or turn Brad’s question around. Will it be proper for others to pray for the defeat of the Democrats’ 2020 nominee? The President has provoked the most ferocious pro-and-con political emotions in our lifetimes, so prayers inevitably result. That’s because prayer is a virtually universal phenomenon. We all know the phrase ‘foxhole religion” about desperate... Read more

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2019-08-21T18:04:48-04:00

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 is “purity culture”?

Last updated on: August 21, 2019 at 6:04 pm By Richard Ostling

THE QUESTION: What is “purity culture,” and why is it in the news? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: A particular U.S. Protestant campaign born in the 1990s sought to urge teens and young adults to follow the age-old Christian (also Jewish, Muslim, etc.) teaching against sexual relations before marriage. Outsiders and opponents called this the “purity culture” movement, and it’s currently in the news and the subject of intense online debate. That “purity” label is confusing because critics of the phenomenon... Read more

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2019-07-22T20:52:11-04:00

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.

#MeToo 3,000 years ago: Should King David or Bathsheba get the blame?

Last updated on: July 22, 2019 at 8:52 pm By Richard Ostling

It’s the most notorious sexual encounter of ancient times. In a remarkably candid account in the Bible (2d Samuel chapters 11 and 12), the great King David impregnates Bathsheba when both were married to others. In the 21st Century, and especially with the recent rise of the #ChurchToo wing of the #MeToo movement against sexual harassment, there’s vigorous debate in print and online about whether Bathsheba intended to lure the king’s attentions, or the two shared equal blame for adultery,... Read more

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2019-07-04T17:05:12-04:00

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.

Was Christian Communion celebrated during the moon landing 50 years ago?

Last updated on: July 4, 2019 at 5:05 pm By Richard Ostling

(With the 50th anniversary of U.S. astronauts’ moon walk on July 20, The Religion Guy here repeats some material from “Religion Q & A” for December 18, 2014.) DAVID’S QUESTION: Do you know if it’s true Christian Communion was celebrated during the first moon landing? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: Yes, though this was top-secret at the time. Something about such momentous events makes mere mortals reach for transcendent themes. For example, media coverage of last month’s 75th anniversary of the... Read more

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2019-06-25T16:47:39-04:00

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.

Is the Crown of Thorns rescued from the Notre Dame Cathedral fire authentic?

Last updated on: June 25, 2019 at 4:47 pm By Richard Ostling

THE QUESTIONS: About the Crown of Thorns rescued from the Notre Dame Cathedral fire in Paris: Is this the actual crown that Jesus Christ wore at the Crucifixion? Does authenticity matter? What’s the role of such relics? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: Before Jesus Christ was crucified, the New Testament records, Roman soldiers “stripped him, and put a scarlet robe upon him, and plaiting a crown of thorns they put it on his head, and put a reed in his right... Read more

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2019-06-01T11:44:21-04:00

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 do U.S. religious groups teach about abortion?

Last updated on: June 1, 2019 at 11:44 am By Richard Ostling

THE QUESTION: What do U.S. religious groups teach about the contentious abortion issue? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: Remarkably, the abortion issue is as contentious as when the U.S. Supreme Court liberalized law 46 years ago, with new state restrictions injecting it into courtrooms and the 2020 campaign. The following scans significant teachings by major religious denominations. The Catholic Church, the largest religious body in the U.S. (and globally), opposes abortion, without exceptions. A Vatican Council II decree from the world’s... Read more

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2019-05-20T10:39:40-04:00

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.

Should Protestants have women pastors?

Last updated on: May 20, 2019 at 10:39 am By Richard Ostling

THE QUESTION: Should women be pastors or preachers in U.S. Protestant churches? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: The above issue erupted in recent days among U.S. evangelicals (more on this in a moment). In the interest of full disclosure, the (Protestant) Religion Guy’s personal opinion on this is yes, and in fact his own local congregation has its first female pastor. But as usual “Religion Q & A” intends to provide a non-partisan journalistic survey. Let’s first note that Catholic and... Read more

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2019-05-03T15:06:24-04:00

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.

What religions oppose vaccination, and why?

Last updated on: May 3, 2019 at 3:06 pm By Richard Ostling

THE QUESTION: In light of the recent measles outbreak spreading from certain enclaves of U.S. Orthodox Jews, does their religion, or any other, oppose vaccination? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: The current epidemic of highly contagious measles is America’s worst since 2000 when the federal Centers for Disease Control proclaimed the disease eradicated. At this writing there are 704 known cases of the disease, three-fourths of them in New York State, but no deaths yet. The epidemic apparently originated with travelers... Read more

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