THIS QUESTION doesn’t come from a “Religion Q and A” reader but a headline in The Record, the daily newspaper in the New Jersey county that’s hosting a certain athletic event: “Does God care who wins the Super Bowl?” THE GUY (who lives in that county) ANSWERS: You gotta be kidding. Spiritual suffering, physical and mental illness, anxiety and loneliness, natural disasters, oppression, wars, terrorism, kidnapping, senseless murders, broken families, kids without dads, homelessness, addiction, materialism, privation, pestilence, prejudice, impossible decisions that... Read more

GRETCHEN ASKS: (Paraphrasing) She attended a fund-raising event for an unnamed organization where a slide show began by saying that “on the 8th day God created” this group and then presented its purposes. She found that “arrogant and self-serving” and it “bothered me beyond belief. Am I being overly sensitive?” THE GUY ANSWERS: In The Guy’s eyes, yes, you are. Still, religious offenses are in the eye of the beholder and fund-raising is well worth some examination. The late Henri Nouwen... Read more

MICHELLE ASKS: What is faith? THE GUY ANSWERS: This is the simplest yet perhaps most difficult question in the brief history of “Religion Q and A.” Not the sort of thing journalists usually write about, but The Guy can at least report on what some thinkers have said about this. Start with Merriam-Webster definitions: 1) “strong belief or trust in someone or something.” 2) “belief in the existence of God: strong religious feelings or beliefs.” 3) “a system of religious beliefs.” ... Read more

DUANE ASKS: Are there different versions of the Quran or just different interpretations of the one version? THE GUY ANSWERS: Since early in the history of Islam, only one Quran text in the original Arabic language has been fully authorized. However, as with most religious matters, the story is complicated. The religion teaches that the Quran existed eternally in heaven before angels gradually revealed the words little by little to the Prophet Muhammad between the year 620 C.E. (“Common Era”) and his... Read more

THE GUY EXPLAINS: Nobody posted a “Religion Q and A” item on the new year’s theme so here’s his own chosen topic, aspects of time’s passage in world religions. The commonly observed times have notably religious origins. Years (e.g. 2014) are counted from an ancient and inaccurate guess on when Jesus Christ was born. Non-Christians often designate years as C.E. (“Common Era”) instead of A.D. (“Anno Domini” meaning “Year of the Lord”). Our Gregorian Calendar is a reform ordered by... Read more

DUANE ASKS: There are many different versions of the Bible: King James, New International Version, New Revised Standard Version, etc. Which is considered the closest to the earliest available manuscripts? THE GUY ANSWERS: Folks shopping for Christmas gift Bibles are well aware of the countless editions on sale, those aimed at Moms, teens, substance abusers in recovery, ESL students, and the like, and all the useful study Bibles with marginal notations, explanatory articles, timelines, maps, and indexes. However, Duane isn’t asking... Read more

MARY ASKS: What happened to saying “Merry Christmas”? Is the move to saying “Happy Holidays” instead a good thing? THE GUY ANSWERS: On the hit CBS-TV drama “The Good Wife” we’re in the offices of Illinois’ governor-elect as his top aide scans a hallway and angrily barks a Yuletide order: “Holiday decorations! Not Jesus! Holiday!” Bruce Tinsley’s satirical comic strip “Mallard Fillmore” carries this TV announcement: “The following Christmas special actually mentions Christianity. Viewer discretion is advised.” Another “Mallard” strip... Read more

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

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