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Religion News

2015-05-17T10:10:18-04:00

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 will result from the increase of non-religious Americans?

Last updated on: May 17, 2015 at 10:10 am By Richard Ostling

JOSHUA’S QUESTION: Ed Stetzer suggests the rise of the “nones” — the religiously unaffiliated — is a dual trend. On the one hand, the more nominal “cultural Christians” are no longer self-identifying as Christians, and on the other hand the more theologically conservative Christians are becoming more robust. What are the political consequences? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: Following Joshua’s posting, the Pew Research Center issued an attention-getting “Religious Landscape Study” of the U.S. that appears to support such a scenario.... Read more

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2015-05-05T12:28:03-04:00

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.

How — and why — did John the Baptist baptize Jesus?

Last updated on: May 5, 2015 at 12:28 pm By Richard Ostling

GERALD’S QUESTION: When John the Baptist baptized Jesus, what would the baptismal formula have been? “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” wasn’t used until the 2nd Century. THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: Even a highly skeptical scholar like John Dominic Crossan considers it historical fact that Jesus inaugurated his public ministry with baptism performed by his cousin John the Baptist, who was “preaching in the wilderness.” There’s also wide agreement that John would have used full immersion in the waters of the Jordan... Read more

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2015-04-27T11:35:27-04:00

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.

500 years later, how do Protestants and Catholics view each other?

Last updated on: April 27, 2015 at 11:35 am By Richard Ostling

GORDON’S QUESTION: Is the divide between Protestants and Catholics growing or shrinking? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: “Will Pope Francis Break the Church?” The Atlantic attached that overwrought headline to a sober analysis of internal Catholic tensions written by New York Times columnist Ross Douthat. No, Francis won’t, despite weighty issues the article surveyed. But a dramatic “break” did actually happen, beginning in 1517 when Martin Luther posted what history calls the “95 Theses.” The German Catholic priest protested sales of indulgences to... Read more

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2015-04-17T12:00:07-04:00

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.

Are tattoos OK for Jews and Christians?

Last updated on: April 17, 2015 at 12:00 pm By Richard Ostling

JACOB’S QUESTION: Christians and Jews — Is it OK for them to get tattoos? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: Quick summary: Many if not most Jews say no (as do Muslims). With Christians, it’s complicated. There are obvious pros and cons with getting a tattoo because it’s a social signifier and permanently so, unlike hair styles, attire, and other expressions of individuality. But as a religious matter the issue is whether to observe the Bible’s commandment in Leviticus 19:28: “You shall not make... Read more

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2015-04-07T12:54:31-04:00

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 are America’s biggest Christian groups?

Last updated on: April 7, 2015 at 12:54 pm By Richard Ostling

RACHAEL’S QUESTION: What are the major Christian denominations in the U.S.? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: Numbers. Numbers. The Pew Research Center snagged some headlines April 2 with projections on world religions as of 2050 that are worth pondering. Among other things, we’re told high birth rates will make world Islam almost as large as Christianity, India will surpass Indonesia as the nation with the biggest Muslim population, Muslims will constitute 10 percent of Europeans, and will surpass the number of religious... Read more

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2015-03-29T19:38:32-04:00

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 did Jesus mean in his Good Friday saying to the “daughters of Jerusalem”?

Last updated on: March 29, 2015 at 7:38 pm By Richard Ostling

KRISTYN’S QUESTION: I’m having trouble discerning what Luke was trying to communicate when he referred to the women of Jerusalem on Jesus’ trek up to Golgotha [in Luke 23:28-31]. If this is exactly what Jesus said, I have no idea what he meant. Can you shed some light on this? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: Thanks to Kristyn for something Christians might ponder during the Holy Week season of sorrow that precedes Easter joy. Jesus’ saying was poetic prophecy that, yes,... Read more

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2015-03-25T13:57:49-04:00

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.

How will the gay marriage OK affect the Presbyterian Church (USA)?

Last updated on: March 25, 2015 at 1:57 pm By Richard Ostling

DUANE’S QUESTION: What do you think will happen to the Presbyterian Church (USA) now that it has voted to officially sanction gay marriage? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: Maybe not much. The Presbyterian Church (USA) announced March 17 that a nationwide referendum among regional bodies (“presbyteries”) has redefined marriage as “between two people, traditionally a man and woman” so same-sex couples can wed in church. This historic change will be very upsetting for a sizable minority but eruptions could be muted,... Read more

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2015-03-17T11:17:36-04:00

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.

666!!: What should we make of the Bible’s scariest number?

Last updated on: March 17, 2015 at 11:17 am By Richard Ostling

WESLEY’S QUESTION: Does it really matter if it is 666 or 616? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: Hold that 616 for a moment. The Bible’s scariest number — 666 — occurs in Revelation 13:17-18, a famously perplexing passage in Scripture’s most perplexing book. (If you’re superstitious, note that’s in chapter 13.) “The International Bible Commentary” recounts that assorted preachers have identified 666 as the Pope, Muhammad, Muslim warrior Saladin, King Charles I, Charles’s enemy Oliver Cromwell, King George III of American Revolution fame,... Read more

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2015-03-13T22:07:57-04:00

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.

Did Paul write all 13 letters the Bible credits to him?

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 10:07 pm By Richard Ostling

RACHAEL ASKS: What is the debate about the authorship of Paul’s letters to the early church? THE RELIGION GUY ANSWERS: The New Testament includes 13 letters (“epistles”) from Christianity’s first decades that name the apostle Paul as the author, or Paul with colleagues Silvanus, Sosthenes, or Timothy. The earliest is 1 Thessalonians, written just a couple decades after Jesus’ crucifixion. In the traditional view, Paul produced the others during the next 15 years or so before his execution. As early... Read more

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2015-03-13T22:07:58-04:00

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.

How should we understand the three “Abrahamic” religions?

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 10:07 pm By Richard Ostling

NIHAL ASKS: Why aren’t the three Abrahamic religions (Christianity, Islam, and Judaism) one main religion? THE RELIGION GUY ANSWERS: Nihal posted his query while preparing a 9th grade school report, and unfortunately this response comes too late to help. On the specific question of”why” these three faiths exist the way they are the best a mere journalist can say is “God only knows.” However the interrelationships, overlaps, and differences among these great religions are certainly worth pondering, and not just... Read more

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