How Might U.S. Evangelicalism Emerge from the Trump Era?

July 19, 2024 By Richard Ostling

THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: Hard to say. But important, since evangelical Protestants are the largest and most dynamic sector of American religion amid the challenges of growing secularization. Also the most complicated sector. So let’s sketch some intriguing discussions about an evolving cultural crisis. In recent weeks, two outside observers who specialize in Christian-Muslim relations wrote articles exploring this. Asma Uddin is a visiting law professor at Catholic University writing in Salt Lake City’s Deseret News. Shadi Hamid of The... Read more

Might the Supreme Court OK school Ten Commandments displays?

July 6, 2024 By Richard Ostling

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THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: A controversial new law in Louisiana requires all public school classrooms – from kindergartens through universities – to display the Ten Commandments. That defies a 1980 U.S. Supreme Court ruling against posting this revered biblical text from 3,000-plus years ago. Similar bills have been proposed in other states, and Oklahoma’s education chief just mandated school Bible instruction that specifically includes the Commandments. Nine Louisiana families immediately filed a federal lawsuit protesting that displays violate the Constitution’s... Read more

What’s the role of America’s patriotic songs and symbols?

June 22, 2024 By Richard Ostling

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THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: To thrive, the United States needs, yes, to be “united,” which is a challenge this polarized July 4th. The population’s hugely varied array of backgrounds has always meant unity grows from shared democratic governance and ideals rather than ethnic bonds or a single religious heritage. In troubled times, this uniquely complex nation has sought to uplift shared symbols of freedom and fellowship, often with a religious flavor. That instinct presumably underlies this week’s new law in... Read more

How should Christianity relate to politics and culture?

June 7, 2024 By Richard Ostling

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THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: The moving 80th commemoration of D-Day occurred six days after the barely-noticed 90th anniversary of the Barmen Declaration, one of the past century’s most important religious documents. This anti-Nazi protest by German Protestants addresses the vital question of how churches should respond when dangerous social currents arise. The Declaration’s authors could not have imagined that, as Britannica.com puts it, the coming decade would bring the “deadliest and most destructive war in human history” and, with it,... Read more

How should antisemitism be defined?

May 24, 2024 By Richard Ostling

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THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: The Antisemitism Awareness Act that passed the U.S. House by a 320–91 vote this month is stalled in the Senate as of this writing. The bipartisan bill is a rapid response to increasing and alarming harassment against minority Jews at colleges and K-12 schools. It says the Department of Education “shall” investigate whether incidents with “antisemitic intent” at a school warrant denial of federal funding under anti-discrimination law. This legislation reflects the broader dispute over how... Read more

Will religious beliefs on abortion affect 2024 U.S. vote?

May 11, 2024 By Richard Ostling

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New York abortion protest. “All”? “Most”? / Katie Godowski @ pexels.com THE RELIGON GUY’S ANSWER: Yes, but perhaps not much. Starting with the news, the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) announced a poll showing 64% of Americans think abortion should be legal in “most or all” cases. However, dig into the internals and only 29% said “all” cases while 35% said “most,” indicating some restrictions. Meanwhile, Gallup found 51% want abortion “legal only under certain circumstances” with 34% favoring all... Read more

Is belief in God “good for you”?

April 27, 2024 By Richard Ostling

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THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: Yes, according to a large and growing body of scientific research this past generation. But as with most things regarding religion, the following sketch of the discussion will indicate things may not be quite so simple. Three recent articles neatly focus matters: “Some Mental-Health Benefits Are Linked to Going to Church” (Clare Ansberry, Wall Street Journal, April 16), “The True Cost of the Churchgoing Bust” (Derek Thompson, theatlantic.com, April 3), and “What Really Happens When Americans... Read more

Why does the Catholic Church oppose gender transitions?

April 13, 2024 By Richard Ostling

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THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: Talk about timeliness for a church pronouncement. On April 8, the Vatican’s doctrine office issued a broad-gauged “declaration,” approved by Pope Francis after five years of work, that contained new moral denunciations of what it called “gender theory” and resulting “sex change” treatments. The very next day, science weighed in, as British medical journals reported such devastating research findings that the National Health Service has halted gender transition treatments for children and teen-agers. There’ve been other... Read more

Why so many splits in the Latter-day Saints tradition?

March 30, 2024 By Richard Ostling

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THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: History was made this month when The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (“LDS”) paid a rival denomination $192.5 million to purchase the faith’s first temple in Kirtland, Ohio, along with other properties and sacred manuscripts. The buyer and seller are the two largest among 68 branches that have emerged from U.S. Prophet Joseph Smith, Jr.’s latter-day revelations between 1830 and 1844. The Utah-based LDS church (which rejected its familiar “Mormon” nickname in 2018) is... Read more

What do U.S. churches believe on “recreational” marijuana?

March 16, 2024 By Richard Ostling

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THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: All the buzz after President Biden’s State of the Union address ignored his boast about “directing my Cabinet to review the federal classification of marijuana.” Since 1970, the federal government has designated marijuana, a.k.a. cannabis, as a dangerous Schedule I drug alongside ecstasy, heroin, and LSD, therefore outlawing manufacture, distribution or possession, except for qualified research. But prodded by the President, the Health and Human Services department in 2022 launched a review and last August 29... Read more