THE QUESTION: Do beards symbolize good or bad character? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: Any self-respecting Santa Claus will have actual or artificial paunch, a red suit and, perhaps most important, that luxuriant white beard. Yet notwithstanding shopping-mall Santas and St. Nicholas, the bearded but skinny 4th Century original, some fear that beards symbolize questionable character. Take the New York Yankees. Please. In 1973, boss George Steinbrenner was perturbed by a player’s sloppy appearance during the National Anthem and ever since... Read more

THE QUESTION: Is U.S. Christianity becoming two separate religions? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: If the question above seems off the wall, at least look why it has arisen. Two years ago, The Guy wrote that he was quite astonished by some survey research reported in “The Twentysomething Soul” (Oxford University Press) by Tim Clydesdale of the College of New Jersey and Kathleen Garces-Foley of Marymount University. Young Americans age 30 and under, quizzed about religion, were asked how they think... Read more

THE QUESTION: What was the biblical “thorn in the flesh” that so plagued St. Paul? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: We’ll never be sure. But the question is perennially fascinating. “Thorn in the flesh” is one of many commonplace phrases we take from the Bible. It appears in 2 Corinthians chapter 12, where St. Paul writes that he knew “a man” — modestly referring to himself — who was “caught up into Paradise and heard things that are not to be... Read more

THE QUESTION: How do Latter-day Saints view the polygamy in their faith’s past? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (which seeks to abolish its former “Mormon” nickname) was founded in 1830 by the Prophet Joseph Smith, Jr., who later began practicing and advocating polygamy (the faith prefers the term “plural marriage” and in past times spoke of “the Principle.”) Smith wanted this kept secret but dissenters inside his flock revealed the controversial teaching, which... Read more

THE QUESTION: Is the COVID vaccine the biblical “mark of the beast”? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: Many odd anti-vaccination rumors with murky origins are floating around social media, alarming healthcare workers as they combat a virus that has killed 720,000 Americans and counting. Take the “mark of the beast” claim. The Guy can confidently answer “no” to this question, based upon the strong consensus among Bible experts, both those who take the Bible portion at issue — Revelation chapter 13... Read more

THE QUESTION: When Does Life Begin? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: Those four words are regularly posed in the current abortion debate, so let’s scan the lines in pregnancy that have been drawn. Pre-scientific cultures spoke of “quickening,“ typically between 16 and 18 weeks, when the mother first feels the unborn child moving in her womb. A famous example involves the unborn John the Baptist in biblical Luke 1:41. Some ancient Jewish authorities in the Talmud, and Roman and Greek philosophers,... Read more

THE QUESTION: What religious groups oppose vaccination — even during epidemics? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: Judges and public officials will be coping with the issue of vaccination mandates that President Biden, states and employers are imposing to counter spread of the stubbornly contagious and virulent COVID-19 virus. This again raises the issue of religious-liberty claims for exemption from required vaccination. Pastor Greg Locke of the independent Global Vision Bible Church in suburban Nashville, Tennessee, has just been permanently banned from... Read more

THE QUESTION: What are the do’s and don’ts on religion in U.S. public schools? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: As U.S. public schools cope with in-person learning in the midst of another COVID-19 upsurge and argue about “critical race theory,” let’s remember some good news. Divisive past disputes about how schools handle religion have been substantially settled. Debates continue on certain church-and-state issues but most deal with religious schools and taxpayer funding, not public education. There’s widespread agreement on what federal... Read more

THE QUESTION: One more time: What is an “evangelical”? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: Last month the Public Religion Research Institute reported that its latest polling shows white U.S. Protestants who identify as “evangelical” are now outnumbered by whites who do not do so. That upended the usual thinking on numbers, and analysts raised doubts. The discussion led Terry Shoemaker of Arizona State University, writing for theconversaation.com, to again mull the perennial question of what “evangelical” means. In the American context,... Read more

THE QUESTION: Where is Islam heading in the U.K. (and what about the U.S.)? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: As in the United States, the Muslim minority population is growing steadily in the United Kingdom, up 107% since 2001 to exceed 3 million — even as participation in many Christian churches declines. British society will be reshaped by the inner workings among followers of the world’s second-largest religion. That underscores the importance of the new book “Among the Mosques: A Journey... Read more