ethics
Ethics and Religion Talk: Was Jesus a Communist?
by (Rabbi David J.B...)
Submitted 07-28-2019 under OPINION
Tanner S writes, “I've always been fascinated by the parallels between the teachings of Jesus Christ and Communism. The allegory of the good Samaritan, loaves and fishes, and the beating of bankers comes to mind, as do the frequent tirades...
Ethics and Religion Talk: Accepting and Questioning One's Religion of Origin
by (Rabbi David J.B...)
Submitted 07-22-2019 under OPINION
Ty Silzer, a former pastor in the Presbyterian Church in America, responds: “I heard a comedian who lost his faith refer to it like this (I paraphrase): ‘I had all these beliefs. They were like pieces of furniture that had been placed in...
Ethics and Religion Talk: Sabbath Practices
by (Rabbi David J.B...)
Submitted 07-15-2019 under OPINION
[Note: I have a lot to say about Sabbath observance, but due to space constraints, will have to wait for another opportunity.] Fred Stella, the Pracharak (Outreach Minister) for the West Michigan Hindu Temple, responds: “As it stands, there is...
Ethics and Religion Talk: Healing From Religious Trauma, part 2
by (Rabbi David J.B...)
Submitted 07-08-2019 under OPINION
This week, we present a second set of responses to a very important question raised by Lorri R.: “How should a person find healing if they were traumatized during early childhood religious experiences either by sexual abuse in the church, by...
Ethics and Religion Talk: May One Allow One's Pacemaker Battery to Die?
by (Rabbi David J.B...)
Submitted 07-01-2019 under OPINION
From Jim V: There is an elderly patient under hospice care with a pacemaker, stable, not in distress or expected to die in the near future, lucid and oriented cognitively, and ambulatory without aid of a walker or wheel chair. His pacemaker’s...
Ethics and Religion Talk: Healing From Religious Trauma, part 1
by (Rabbi David J.B...)
Submitted 06-24-2019 under OPINION
Here is one set of responses. I’ll have a second set of responses in a couple of weeks. Fred Stella, the Pracharak (Outreach Minister) for the West Michigan Hindu Temple, responds: “I would certainly recommend counseling, but I’d...
Ethics and Religion Talk: What Does it Mean to be a Part of a Religious Community?, Part 2
by (Rabbi David J.B...)
Submitted 06-17-2019 under OPINION
The Reverend Colleen Squires, minister at All Souls Community Church of West Michigan, a Unitarian Universalist Congregation, responds: “I often hear people say ‘I am spiritual but not religious.’ The statement seems to be...
Ethics and Religion Talk: What Does it Mean to be a Part of a Religious Community?, Part 1
by (Rabbi David J.B...)
Submitted 06-10-2019 under OPINION
The Rev. Sandra Nikkel, head pastor of Conklin Reformed Church, responds: “Being a part of the Church comes with the realization that something wonderful and beautiful is happening to us. 1 Peter 2:5 tells us that we, ‘like living stones...
Ethics and Religion Talk: How Should We be Inclusive of Persons with Disabilities?
by (Rabbi David J.B...)
Submitted 06-03-2019 under OPINION
Linda B. asks, “How do religious institutions show themselves to be open to folks with disabilities both visible and not visible?” Rev. Ray Lanning, a retired minister of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America, responds:...
Ethics and Religion Talk: May One Choose Service Providers based on Politics?
by (Rabbi David J.B...)
Submitted 05-28-2019 under OPINION
Jim V, asks, “If a business owner on moral grounds can refuse to provide a service such as baking a cake for or catering a same-sex wedding, should consumers then have the right to know the moral and political belief of the...