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Religion News

2015-03-13T22:08:13-04:00

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.

Does God hear prayers from just anyone?

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 10:08 pm By Richard Ostling

ROBERT ASKS: Do you think God hears, listens to, prayers of anyone? THE GUY RESPONDS: Nobody should care what a mere journalist like The Guy thinks on matters like this beyond his spiritual pay grade that are better left to pastors or theologians. However, the topic is important so here are a few notes. This assumes we’re talking about “petitionary” prayer that asks for things, not prayers of adoration or thanksgiving. As part of this, the questioner asks whether God hears only... Read more

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2015-03-13T22:08:13-04:00

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.

(Almost) everything you always wanted to know about baptism

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 10:08 pm By Richard Ostling

LINDSEY ASKS: All Protestants practice baptism by immersion — true or false? THE GUY ANSWERS: False. Protestants are divided over many tenets and that includes baptism. Churches that rarely or never fully immerse candidates’ bodies in water include the Lutheran, Methodist, Anglican (or Episcopal), Presbyterian, Reformed, etc. On the opposite side, immersion is mandatory with Baptists and many others. Also, churches in the second category believe candidates must be able to profess personal faith, ruling out infant baptism which they say was not Christianity’s... Read more

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2015-03-13T22:08:14-04:00

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.

Latter-day Saints: What’s in a name?

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 10:08 pm By Richard Ostling

ROYCE WONDERS: (Paraphrasing) What’s the origin of Mormonism’s official name, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and do those two “of” phrases mean Saints are on equal footing with Jesus, or that Jesus was Mormon, or what? THE GUY RESPONDS: The founding Prophet Joseph Smith Jr. originally called his group “the Church of Christ.” The scriptures that Smith added to the Bible say that in an 1831 revelation God pronounced this to be “the only true and living... Read more

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2015-03-13T22:08:14-04:00

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.

Does help for communities justify churches’ tax exemption?

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 10:08 pm By Richard Ostling

GORDON ASKS: (Paraphrased) Secularists challenge tax exemptions for houses of worship, saying this denies valuable revenue to communities that get little or nothing in return. True? THE GUY ANSWERS: False, judging from new scholarly research. Putting money aside for a moment, those knowledgeable about troubled urban neighborhoods will especially shudder to think what local conditions might be like if taxation forced financially strapped congregations to disband. Even small, struggling flocks that lack the money for professional social services provide their members (according... Read more

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2015-03-13T22:08:14-04:00

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.

Sex without marriage: What does the Bible say?

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 10:08 pm By Richard Ostling

ANNE ASKS: Do we have to get married to have sex? What does the Bible teach? THE GUY ANSWERS: The questioner lives outside the U.S., reminding us this affects all devout Christians and Jews (also adherents of Islam and other non-biblical faiths) coping with the “new morality” promoted in entertainment media and western society more generally. The discussion typically treats “premarital sex” among teens and young adults, but Anne is a “mature woman” who believes the Bible teaches sex without... Read more

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2015-03-13T22:08:15-04:00

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 do Christians view mental illness?

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 10:08 pm By Richard Ostling

ERIN ASKS: What are the attitudes toward mental illnesses in different Christian congregations? THE GUY ANSWERS: There may be trivial exceptions but The Guy sees hardly any difference on this among Christianity’s various branches. The Catholic Church’s approach was well defined in a 1996 speech by Pope John Paul II that encouraged professionals who treat mental illnesses. His major theme was that “whoever suffers from mental illness always bears God’s image and likeness in himself, as does every human being,”... Read more

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2015-03-13T22:08:15-04:00

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 “Mainline” Protestants sideline that label?

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 10:08 pm By Richard Ostling

BOBBY ASKS: Who are the “Mainline” Protestants today? DOUGLAS LIKEWISE ASKS: (Paraphrasing) What do we make of proposals for “Mainline” Protestants to drop that label for themselves? And where does that leave me, an “evangelical” who remains in the Episcopal Church “as a grain of sand in the oyster”? THE GUY ANSWERS: The dictionary definition of “mainline” signals mainstream prestige, so “Mainline” Protestantism’s decline over recent decades could mean this designation has long since outlived its usefulness. Douglas considers it “adjectival mayhem.” The discussion has... Read more

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2015-03-13T22:08:15-04:00

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 “New Atheism” any different from old atheism?

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 10:08 pm By Richard Ostling

BETH ASKS: Are there any substantive differences between traditional atheism vs. what is called “New Atheism”? Or is the term used just to describe a bunch of popular books (Dawkins, Dennett, Harris, etc.) coming out at once? Who coined the term “New Atheism” and can it be described as a new philosophical movement (or reframing of an old one)? THE GUY ANSWERS: The “New Atheism movement” originated, or at least gained wide currency, with a 2006 article by Gary Wolf... Read more

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2015-03-13T22:08:15-04:00

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.

Does Sunni-vs.-Shiite = Catholic-vs.-Protestant?

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 10:08 pm By Richard Ostling

RACHAEL ASKS: A lot of people compare the differences between Sunni and Shiite Muslims with differences between Protestants and Catholics, but are these even in the same category? THE GUY ANSWERS: There’s some validity there, though religious comparisons are dicey. The obvious similarity is that both are divisions within great world religions. However, Islam is basically divided in two whreas Christianity has four segments, adding in Orthodox churches and indigenous churches in the developing world that are independent of western... Read more

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2015-03-13T22:08:16-04:00

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 to become a Catholic

Last updated on: March 13, 2015 at 10:08 pm By Richard Ostling

JESSICA ASKS: What would I need to do to become [a Catholic]? Some guidance would be great! THE GUY ANSWERS: Jessica was baptized a Methodist, later attended services off and on with her Catholic father, has now reached “a new-found happiness in the Catholic Church” and is engaged to marry a Catholic. Apparently she has not yet consulted her parish priest or officials with the local diocese, so here’s a summary of what she’ll learn when she does: Jessica can... Read more

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