LOU (no location posted) ASKS: What does the word “again” mean in the Apostles’ Creed when we say “he rose again from the dead”? THE GUY ANSWERS: Lou isn’t alone in head-scratching over this word in a creed regularly recited by untold millions of English-speaking Christians. Catholicdoors.com lists this under “frequently asked questions.” Does “again” mean Jesus Christ had risen once before and then rose “again,” as though Easter celebrates a second resurrection? A Californian who posed Lou’s question to... Read more

EYTAN IN MARYLAND ASKS: What do Unitarian Universalists believe about Jesus? THE GUY ANSWERS: All sorts of things. Jesus is a perennial puzzlement for the 221,000-member Unitarian Univeralist Association (www.uua.org), which was formed by a 1961 merger of two liberal denominations. The 19th Century forebears unhesitatingly identified as Christians, though they rejected orthodox belief in Jesus Christ worshipped as the one savior from sin and God the Son in the Trinity. By today’s standards it’s hard to believe that the... Read more

ROBERT IN NEW JERSEY ASKS: Is Allah the Father of Jesus? THE GUY RESPONDS: The Christian-Muslim confrontation is one of our era’s major global themes, and the theological discussion is as central as the politics. In 1964, the world’s Catholic bishops at the Second Vatican Council answered Robert with a yes, stating that the plan of salvation “includes those who acknowledge the Creator. In the first place among these there are the Muslims, who, professing to hold the faith of... Read more

TYLER IN MARYLAND ASKS: Where are the largest Muslim populations in the U.S. located? Is there a reason Muslim-Americans tend to flock to one area over another? THE GUY RESPONDS: We have good current information thanks to “The American Mosque 2011” survey and head researcher Ihsan Bagby of the University of Kentucky (a Muslim and onetime United Methodist). Not all ethnic Muslims join, but mosque locations provide our best indicator of population dispersal since the U.S. Census does not ask... Read more

JOSEPH IN MARYLAND ASKS: Why do most Muslims view Jesus as a prophet of Islam when he is the cornerstone for an opposing religion (Christianity)? THE GUY ANSWERS: In Islam, high reverence for Jesus as a great prophet is required by God in the holy Quran revealed to the Prophet Muhammad, therefore not only for “most Muslims” but for all. Further, the Quran assesses other world religions by stating that Christians are “the closest in affection” to Muslims (Quran 5:82).  Admittedly,... Read more

PAUL IN VIRGINIA ASKS: Many people refer to themselves as “Evangelical Christians” to distinguish them from others. What is The Guy’s definition? THE GUY ANSWERS: In Latin America and Europe, “Evangelical” usually means simply “Protestant” of all types. Thus the following pertains only to the U.S., where Evangelicalism is an important, potent, and distinctive force within Protestantism, united by conservative belief but complicated in organization. This network or movement consists of conservative denominations, traditionalist factions within other denominations, seemingly countless non-denominational... Read more

JOSHUA IN ILLINOIS ASKS: (Regarding this 1988 Forbes magazine quote from management expert Peter Drucker): “The pastoral megachurches that have been growing so very fast in the U.S. since 1980… are surely the most important phenomenon in American society in the last 30 years.” Do you agree? THE GUY ANSWERS: No, not if Drucker really thought they were the single most important U.S. phenomenon since 1958. The Guy would immediately note, for instance, the personal and societal gains in African-American... Read more

BRAD IN NEW YORK ASKS: Did Jesus have a personal theology? When did he change from Jew to Christian (if indeed he was a Christian)? THE GUY SAYS: Thanks a heap, Brad. Just kidding. Religion Q and A loves to get mind-boggling — or should we say mind-blogging — puzzlers. A few points on a highly complex topic: The Guy posed this query to a relatively liberal Catholic, John P. Meier at the University of Notre Dame, author of A Marginal Jew:... Read more

KAYLIN (no location posted) ASKS: Why don’t Quakers celebrate religious holidays? THE GUY ANSWERS: For a couple centuries, avoidance of common Christian observances such as Easter and Christmas was as distinctive a tenet among the Quakers (a.k.a. Friends) as their famed pacifism. There are exceptions but that’s largely in the past, especially with Christmas. The Friends General Conference explains that “traditionally Quakers did not celebrate any religious holidays because all days are ‘holy days’,” but today “most Quakers celebrate a low-key... Read more

EYTAN IN MARYLAND ASKS:’ Are there any [Bible] passages that explicitly condemn same-sex marriage? THE GUY ANSWERS: This involves the hottest and most important biblical debate of our time, on which the following can provide mere glimpses. The simple answer here is No, not in so many words. Marriages or other acknowledgments for same-sex couples are never addressed, presumably because the idea wouldn’t have occurred to the Bible’s Jewish writers. Eytan’s question further noted that “there are numerous points throughout... Read more