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Ethics and Religion Talk: Infant Circumcision: Pro or Con?

Submitted 07-11-2022 under OPINION

The question: Although medical groups tend to be positive or neutral regarding circumcision, there are an increasing number of organizations and voices devoted to anti-circumcision legislation. Does your tradition have a position on a circumcision...

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ZZ Top Energized Crowd At Meijer Gardens

Submitted 07-08-2022 under OPINION

Benjamin Dakota Rogers, who opened for ZZ Top at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park on Thursday, July 7th, might have stepped out of a sepia-toned postcard from Appalachia. He wore old-fashioned clothing, had tuned his guitar like a fiddle...

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Sheryl Crow Brought Nostalgia, Novelty To Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park

Submitted 07-05-2022 under OPINION

Opening for Sheryl Crow on July 3rd, Allison Russell played with a joyfulness that, given her early history, struck me as nothing short of triumphant. Placed into foster care by a mother who suffered schizophrenia and postpartum depression, Russell...

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Ethics and Religion Talk: May 'Cremains' be Scattered Widely?

Submitted 07-05-2022 under OPINION

Rev. Ray Lanning, a retired minister of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America, responds: “This panelist has a bias for burial of the dead, because that practice is at least as old as Abraham, ‘the father of all them that...

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Ethics and Religion Talk: Is Twitter Responsible for Speech On Its Platform?

Submitted 06-27-2022 under OPINION

Imam Kip Curnutt, Director of Religious Education and Associate Imam of Masjid At-Tawheed in Grand Rapids, responds: “Free speech is an interesting concept to tackle from a religious perspective. It is historically a rather recent phenomenon...

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The Play That Goes Wrong Kills

Submitted 06-20-2022 under OPINION

There's a difference, of course, between a bad play and a spectacularly bad play. You know you're watching one of the former when you find yourself wondering how much time's left until intermission, and whether anyone will notice if you...

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Ethics and Religion Talk: How Do I Know What My Religion Should Be?

Submitted 06-20-2022 under OPINION

Fred Stella, the Pracharak (Outreach Minister) for the West Michigan Hindu Temple, responds: “Speaking as someone who was raised in one tradition but adopted another later in life, I would encourage anyone on a spiritual search to use an...

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Ethics and Religion Talk: Gas for a Steal or Stealing Gas?

Submitted 06-13-2022 under OPINION

Read the original story. Rev. Ray Lanning, a retired minister of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America, responds: “The American marketplace operates under the principle of Caveat emptor, ‘Let the buyer beware.’ We all...

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Ethics and Religion Talk: Is Your Messiah the Same as My Messiah?

Submitted 06-06-2022 under OPINION

Father Kevin Niehoff, O.P., a Dominican priest who serves as Judicial Vicar, Diocese of Grand Rapids, responds: “The word ‘Messiah’ literally means ‘anointed.’ According to Oxford Languages online, ‘Messiah...

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Ethics and Religion Talk: What If There Were No Second Amendment

Submitted 05-31-2022 under OPINION

[Note: This panelists submitted their responses over a month before the tragic murder of 19 fourth graders and two teachers. The murderer legally bought two AR15-style rifles for his 18th birthday. Perhaps legal gun ownership should begin at age 21...

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