Ethics and Religion Talk
Ethics and Religion Talk: How Do You Address Suffering?
by (Rabbi David J.B...)
Submitted 02-14-2022 under OPINION
Imam Kip Curnutt, Director of Religious Education and Associate Imam of Masjid At-Tawheed in Grand Rapids, responds: “As humans, we all experience suffering at times. It is part of the nature of this world that we are tested with both ease and...
Ethics and Religion Talk: Should racist comments by teenagers affect their adult lives?
by (Rabbi David J.B...)
Submitted 02-07-2022 under OPINION
Imam Kip Curnutt, Director of Religious Education and Associate Imam of Masjid At-Tawheed in Grand Rapids, responds: “I think this issue boils down to how we deal with moral responsibility and forgiveness. In Islam, as soon as someone reaches...
Ethics and Religion Talk: Should a Court Override Religious Beliefs?
by (Rabbi David J.B...)
Submitted 01-31-2022 under OPINION
Regarding a 2013 case in which an Amish girl’s parents stopped chemotherapy in favor of ‘natural medicine’ which they say is equally effective if it is God’s will. A judge sided with the parents, but an appeals court sided...
Ethics and Religion Talk: Is It Ethical to Erase Memories Using Electroconvulsive Therapy?
by (Rabbi David J.B...)
Submitted 01-24-2022 under OPINION
From The Atlantic: “ECT (electroconvulsive therapy) is now being used to alter and destroy memories. It may sound like fiction, like something out of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, but a recent study published in Nature...
Ethics and Religion Talk: Should an Employee be Fired for Religious Beliefs?
by (Rabbi David J.B...)
Submitted 01-18-2022 under OPINION
Is is OK to fire a Muslim limo driver for not helping to carry a package containing wine? Is it OK to fire a Jewish cook for refusing to cook pork? Is it OK to fire a Christian caregiver hired to help a new mother and her six month old child for...
Ethics and Religion Talk: Should Five-Year-Old Children Make Medical Decisions?, part 2
by (Rabbi David J.B...)
Submitted 01-10-2022 under OPINION
Last week, we presented responses which argued that no, five-year-old children should not be asked to make such decisions. This week, in part 2, we see responses which argue that in cases such as this one, parents should honor their child’s...
Ethics and Religion Talk: Should Five-Year-Old Children Make Medical Decisions?, part 1
by (Rabbi David J.B...)
Submitted 01-03-2022 under OPINION
This week, we present responses which argue that no, five-year-old children should not be asked to make such decisions. Next week, in part 2, we’ll see responses which argue that in cases such as this one, parents should honor their child...
Ethics and Religion Talk: Is God the "Grand Puppeteer?", part 2
by (Rabbi David J.B...)
Submitted 12-29-2021 under OPINION
Jim V. asks, “If God is all-powerful, does that mean that He/She is the “Grand Puppeteer” and brought this pandemic upon us? If so, then why? Or as some say, God doesn’t bring bad things upon us, but allows bad things to just...
Ethics and Religion Talk: Is God the "Grand Puppeteer?", part 1
by (Rabbi David J.B...)
Submitted 12-20-2021 under OPINION
Jim V. asks, “If God is all-powerful, does that mean that He/She is the “Grand Puppeteer” and brought this pandemic upon us? If so, then why? Or as some say, God doesn’t bring bad things upon us, but allows bad things to just...
Ethics and Religion Talk: Does Your Tradition Require a Certain Set of Beliefs?
by (Rabbi David J.B...)
Submitted 12-13-2021 under OPINION
The Rev. Rachel J. Bahr, pastor of Plymouth UCC, responds: When people join Plymouth Church, each commit to following Jesus as the Center of our lives. What follows is a life lived by the ethic of LOVE. We commit to regular worship and education. We...