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

TYLER IN MARYLAND ASKS: (In light of U.S. Supreme Court cases) which congregations in America are the most accepting when it comes to same-sex marriage? THE GUY ANSWERS: Timely topic. As with public opinion generally, some U.S. religious groups have shifted toward accepting marriage or other recognition for same-sex couples in recent times. They are far outnumbered by groups that oppose same-sex behavior, a moral tenet that Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and other faiths agreed upon till the late 20th Century. Some... Read more

TYLER (listing no location) ASKS: Should atheism be viewed as a religion? Do atheists view themselves as being part of a religious group? THE GUY SAYS: May seem like asking, Is the Pope Protestant? But this is actually a complicated matter. Tyler notes the Merriam-Webster definition of atheism as “a disbelief in the existence of Deity.” More important, what is “religion”? The American College Dictionary says it’s “the quest for the values of the ideal life, involving three phases: the ideal, the... Read more

ERIN IN MARYLAND ASKS: What does a new pope mean to the Muslim community? THE GUY ANSWERS: Erin posted this great question just before Pope Francis was elected. At this early stage we know nothing about what his policy toward Islam might be or how the Muslim populace will view him. If Muslim relations had been important, presumably the cardinals would have picked a pope from Africa, the venue for continual Muslim-Christian conflict, whereas Islam is rare in Francis’ Latin... Read more

(Once again The Guy offers a quick news posting without waiting for a question): The voting cardinals of Roman Catholicism achieved a surprisingly rapid decision on a new pope: Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The big news is that he is the first pope in history from the Western Hemisphere, as well as the first in a millennium from outside Europe. Bergoglio, who took the papal name Francis, was generally reported to be the runner-up in... Read more

PATRICK (no location posted) ASKS: From a newspaper marketing perspective, is it good business to publish bad, one-sided journalism on religion?… When somebody writes something full of egregious errors are they disciplined? Accountable?… THE GUY ANSWERS: Obviously Patrick is among America’s serious-minded news consumers who are deeply disappointed these days, disappointed by sloppiness and unwanted slant, and in this instance by the quality of religion coverage. He offers no specific gripes but YOU RELIGION Q & A READERS OUT THERE are... Read more

DUANE IN NEW JERSEY ASKS: Picking up on your comments on denominations, (a Gallup poll indicates) Americans still have a religious bent but that more folks don’t associate themselves with a particular denomination. Why? THE GUY ANSWERS: For perspective, note that in 1776 only a fifth of the population belonged to a church. Americans have always tended to be cussedly independent and indifferent toward the niceties of religious doctrine. American Christianity from the start has been fissiparous — The Guy has always... Read more