MARY’S QUESTION: Is a belief in God essential to morality? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: Many online articles carry that above headline so Mary’s question is a classic, one seen in this little incident: A traditional Nativity scene is being moved away from Nebraska’s state capitol for Christmas week 2015 to make way for atheists’ “Reason This Season” display. A sponsor explained the purpose: “It’s meant to communicate that atheists are not bad people; we can be good without God.” Some... Read more

JOHN (the perfect name for this question) ASKS: I thought the John of Revelation was the Beloved Disciple. The sermon today tried to disabuse me of that notion. What do we know about this? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: One cherished Christmas tradition is dramatic presentation of the story of Jesus via Handel’s “Messiah,” the most-beloved, most-performed musical setting of Bible verses ever composed.  This 1742 oratorio concludes with a stirring chorus taken from the Book of Revelation 5:9,12-14 in the... Read more

AN EPISCOPALIAN ASKS: Can you tell us something more about the presiding bishop of our [Episcopal] Church? I’ve heard only upbeat things about him from people who have met and heard him. Will he be a Marco Rubio — a very effective speaker who can connect with people? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: Perhaps so. Here’s some information about the personable Michael Bruce Curry, 62, who was installed this month as the new presiding bishop of America’s troubled Episcopal Church. Some U.S.... Read more

With Islamic State claiming responsibility for the Friday the 13th massacres in Paris, the Religion Guy is re-posting the following answer from February 21,2015, and calls attention to the link below to “Who speaks for Islam in a time of terrorism?” DAVID ASKS: Where is the Muslim peace movement? Put another way, if Islam is a peace-loving religion where are the Muslim voices for peace? THE RELIGION GUY ANSWERS: “Islam is a religion that preaches peace,” U.S. President Barack Obama... Read more

RUSSELL’S QUESTION: Since Donald Trump brought Ben Carson’s religion to the forefront, can you tell us more about the Seventh-day Adventist Church? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: Presidential candidate Trump contrasted his own “middle of the road” Presbyterian Church (USA) with Carson’s Seventh-day Adventist Church as a religion “I don’t know about.”  That suggested the SDA denomination is not just lesser-known but on the cultural margins and possibly suspect. This born-in-America faith is indeed distinctive. It’s also a notable success story... Read more

GORDON’S QUESTION: What do various faiths say about cremation vs. burial of remains? I know in some places like the United Kingdom cremation has become very common, maybe even surpassing ground burial. THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: Cremation (high-temperature burning that turns a corpse into ashes and bone fragments) is indeed by far the majority practice in the U.K. today. It’s also on the upswing in the U.S., where the National Funeral Directors Association posts these statistics: As recently as 2005,... Read more

LISA’S QUESTION: What does it mean to be agnostic?  Are there people who actually consider it to be a religion? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: In Pew Research’s much-mulled 2014 religion poll of 35,000 U.S. adults, 3.1 percent defined themselves as “atheists” (compared with 1.6 percent in a similar 2007 survey) while a somewhat larger faction of 4 percent called themselves “agnostics” (versus 2.4 percent in 2007). Pew grabbed headlines by combining them with the far larger numbers who said their... Read more

GENE’S QUESTION: How ought Christian believers conduct themselves as public office-holders? To what extent should they promote biblical principles in the context of a democratic society? What grounds should they cite? Are some biblical principles too idealistic for a secular society? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: Gene posted this fourfold query before Kentucky county clerk Kimberly Davis won headlines by briefly going to jail rather than authorize same-sex marriage licenses that violate her Christian belief. As religious liberty advocates argued, the... Read more

EVA’S QUESTION: Are there any Christian denominations that accept the legality of abortion? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: Yes.  To make things manageable the following discusses only Christianity in the U.S. in the era of the Supreme Court’s 1973 decision to legalize abortion nationwide. Although some predominantly white “mainline” Protestant churches are officially neutral or opposed, five major denominations of this type provide significant support for abortion choice in various situations. Representative policy statements: Episcopal Church:  The 1976 General Convention opposed abortions... Read more

DALE’S QUESTION: I am no longer sure which Bible to use. I currently have the New American Standard Bible. How accurate is this? What are your thoughts on the New English Translation? [This is a direct response to our immediately preceding Religion Q and A for August 16, 2015, “Why were some verses removed from the New Testament?”] THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: There are so many different English translations in today’s alphabet soup of a marketplace that Dale’s dilemma is... Read more