THE QUESTION: Why do images of the Prophet Muhammad so deeply offend Muslims? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: This issue has erupted unexpectedly at Methodist-related Hamline University in Minnesota. Last October, adjunct art teacher Erika Lopez Prater showed an online class two medieval paintings in which pious Muslims had portrayed the Prophet Muhammad receiving Quran revelations from the angel Gabriel. Lopez Prater warned Muslim students in advance so they could avert thir eyes. Nonetheless, the president of the Muslim Students Association... Read more

THE QUESTION: How should worn-out Bibles or Qurans be disposed of? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: Due to occasional news about Muslim riots when a copy of the Quran is believed to be mistreated, you’re probably aware that Islam takes very seriously the way its sacred book is handled, about which more below. But The Guy has rarely if ever heard of such discussion about a printed Bible and therefore was intrigued this past week when Joe Carter (a GetReligion alumnus)... Read more

THE QUESTION: Why do 21st Century Christians favor, or oppose, same-sex marriage? THE GUY’S ANSWER: Just before Christmas, a top Trump-loving conservative on New York City talk radio professed disbelief that some Americans persist in opposing same-sex marriage because of some book (unnamed) written ages ago. So The Guy again realizes that journalism has important work to do explaining the basics on Christian thinking, both con and pro. The teaching against gay and lesbian relationships stood essentially unquestioned for 2,000... Read more

THE QUESTION: What are America’s biggest local Protestant churches? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: Through American history, Catholic parishes tended to have large memberships while local Protestant congregations were relatively small, with a few prominent exceptions. But beginning in the 1970s, the U.S. has entered a remarkable era with by now at least 1,750 Protestant “megachurches,” typically defined by average (pre-Covid) weekend attendance of 2,000 or more. These flocks often say they’re simply “Christian,” but The Guy insists the “Protestant” label... Read more

THE QUESTION: What’s signified by shepherds and wise men worshipping the newborn Jesus? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: The world’s most-read and most-recited narratives are quite likely the two independent and contrasting accounts of Jesus’ birth that begin the biblical Gospels of Matthew and Luke. A particularly striking difference is that Matthew has a Jewish flavor yet features Gentile “wise men from the East” of high status and Luke, aimed at a Gentile audience, tells us of humble Jewish shepherds. Intriguingly,... Read more

THE QUESTION: Unending Debate: Should Christians Baptize Babies? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: Yes or no, depending what church is answering the question. A quote posted in August by Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary says this “debate over baptism has raged in the church for millennia” and “all sides argue passionately for their view.” Jesus’ evangelism command to his followers in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19) directed water baptism for church membership as observed in all types of Catholic, Orthodox, and Protestant groups... Read more

THE QUESTION: “Why Do Catholics Pray for the Dead?” THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: A Catholic News Agency feature for All Saints’ Day with the above headline was written by senior Rome Correspondent Hannah Brockhaus. One of The Guy’s colleagues immediately critiqued that wording because Eastern Orthodox Christians likewise pray for the dead, although in a different mode from Catholics, as we’ll see. Perhaps the appropriate question should instead be: Why don’t Protestants pray for the dead when these other Christians... Read more

THE QUESTION: What do world religions believe on polygamy, pro and con? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: With religion, age-old issues such as polygamy vs. monogamy never disappear, and just last week a Jerusalem Post article discussed Jewish practices, which we’ll examine below. First, some terminology: What’s called “polygamy” occurs in two ways. “Polyandry” means one woman with more than one husband, a rare form found among, for instance, some Buddhists in Tibet where the husbands are commonly brothers. The familiar... Read more

THE QUESTION: As Iran protests persist, what women’s clothing does Islam require? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: The facts are these. On September 13, Iran’s morality police arrested 22-year-old Mahsa Amini for violating the legally required Muslim dress code for women. She was wearing the mandatory head scarf (hijab), but apparently it did not correctly conceal all of her hair. Three days later, Amini died while still in police custody. The government blames a heart attack, but suspicions that she was... Read more

THE QUESTION: What does biblical religion teach about forgiving loan debts? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: President Biden’s pre-election executive order to limit or erase college students’ loan debts is back in the news this week. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office issued its “highly uncertain” estimate that the plan will cost at least $420 billion, the first federal lawsuits filed against it argued that only Congress can legally enact spending, and the Department of Education scaled back the numbers who get... Read more