MADDIE ASKS: How much of … eastern and western religions have had an influence on the [atheistic Chinese Communist] Party’s ideology? THE RELIGION GUY ANSWERS: Not much, on the surface, but there’s obvious affinity with Confucianism that the Communist authorities don’t admit. However — Is Confucianism a “religion” or a mere humanistic philosophy, since it lacks defined gods and supernaturalism? Dr. G. Wright Doyle, director of the scholarly Global China Center (www.globalchinacenter.org), is currently in China researching Maddie’s issue and has... Read more

LISA ASKS: Do all religions teach separation between church and state? If not, which ones, and why? THE RELIGION GUY ANSWERS: Separation of church and state (the usual phrasing though “of religion and state” is often more accurate) is an achievement of modern politics and by no means a universal one. Among world religions, after long struggle Christianity helped create the concept and broadly favors aspects of it in most countries.  Islam stands at the opposite end of the spectrum, often considering it alien... Read more

SANDRA ASKS: Can common ground be found to unite the Ukrainian-speaking and Russian-speaking regions of Ukraine [and could the harmony across church lines] during the Maidan protests point the way? THE RELIGION GUY ANSWERS: Possibly. But this troubled nation with a declining population of 45 million has excruciating religious and political history to overcome. It is blessed and cursed by geography, with rich farmlands and mineral resources yet perennially caught between East and West. Now that Russia has seized power... Read more

MICHAEL-ANN ASKS: How well do you think [the current “Heaven Is For Real” movie] addresses communicating out-of-body spiritual experiences? AND ART ASKS: [Regarding the “countless books” on near-death experiences such as “Heaven Is For Real”]: Is there any legitimate connection between these and Christian views of the next life? THE RELIGION GUY ANSWERS: Since maybe a few folks out there haven’t bought this best-selling book, or seen the movie, or read about the book or the movie, here’s a summary: In... Read more

MICHAEL’S QUESTION: As a “religious pluralist,” Michael needs to “somehow make sense of the seemingly (in many other instances) peace-loving and merciful Muhammad simultaneously being involved in what in all honesty appears quite atrocious.” He refers to Muslims killing 400 to 1,000 Arabian Jews after winning the pivotal Battle of the Trench in 627 (C.E.). THE RELIGION GUY RESPONDS: April’s mass kidnapping of Nigerian schoolgirls by Boko Haram has alarmed multitudes. These insurgents claim to champion true Islam, but leaders of... Read more

BRAD ASKS: [Regarding the U.S. Supreme Court’s new Greece v. Galloway ruling that allows prayers before town council meetings]: Is the door being nudged open for an ugly discourse on separation of church and state? THE RELIGION GUY ANSWERS: Brad fears this pro-prayer decision might stir up ugliness, but The Guy thinks there’s be more of it if the Court had instead barred invocations like those in Greece, New York. Americans generally like prayers to solemnize civic occasions from inauguration of... Read more

JIM ASKS: Conservative commentators ridiculed [Pope Francis’s decree Evangelii Gaudium] for its criticism of the free market system. But how different, really, is Francis’s thinking from his predecessors? THE RELIGION GUY ANSWERS: The Catholic Church is experiencing Hurricane Francis, the early phase of what may become the most liberal pontificate in a half-century. The new pope’s eyebrow-raisers including his words on economics. An April 28 Twitter feed from Francis (or his handlers) said “iniquitas radix malorum,” (“inequality is the root... Read more

DAVID SAYS: (Regarding the feature film “Noah”) I would love to read your personal reaction. THE RELIGION GUY ANSWERS: Personally? The Guy is no fan of science fiction or slam-bang special effects. Those hulking stone monsters with flashing light bulbs for eyes didn’t thrill and otherwise Hollywood’s puzzling ark-aeology seemed, so to speak, all wet. But who cares about The Guy’s taste in movies? “Noah” is a conversation-starter so let’s survey the conversation. Preliminaries: There are well-known literary parallels between... Read more

JANET ASKS: What is your opinion on the historicity of the ancient text mentioning Jesus’ wife? What are the implications for the Christian faith? THE GUY ANSWERS: To decide what to make of this text, which has one word that apparently says Jesus was married, it’s all-important to know when it was written. So www.christianitytoday.com takes the prize for funniest religious pun of the month if not the year with its headline: “How to Date Jesus’ Wife” The quick journalistic summary for Janet ... Read more

ARTHUR ASKS: Christians observe that the Son of God died to atone for human sins. But St. Paul says (Romans 1:4) that Jesus was “declared … to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead.” So apparently Jesus wasn’t divine when he died (or before). How then does atonement work? THE RELIGION GUY ANSWERS: A timely inquiry as Christians reflect on Jesus’ death and resurrection, and also due to the clash between two new scholarly books, “How Jesus Became... Read more