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Ethics and Religion Talk: Where does Morality Come From?

Submitted 04-27-2020 under OPINION

Chris Curia, the Director of Youth Ministries at Fairway Christian Reformed Church, responds: “The American Psychological Association defines morality as the belief or value system(s) that pertains to right conduct and distinguishes acceptable...

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Ethics and Religion Talk: Are Heaven and Hell Based on a Merit System?

Submitted 04-20-2020 under OPINION

Dr Sahibzada, the Director of Islamic Center and Imam of the Mosque of Grand Rapids, responds: “Everything is created by the Creator therefore Heaven and Hell exist for those who believe in God and follow His discipline of life. Worldly life...

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Ethics and Religion Talk: Is Divorce OK?

Submitted 04-13-2020 under OPINION

Rev. Ray Lanning, a retired minister of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America, responds: “ ‘OK’ is hardly the right word for divorce.  The prophet Malachi lived in a time when many thought that divorce was ‘...

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Ethics and Religion Talk: Addressing Fears in the COVID-19, Crisis, part 2

Submitted 04-06-2020 under OPINION

Here are four more panelists sharing words of encouragement and hope. Father Kevin Niehoff, O.P., a Dominican priest who serves as Adjutant Judicial Vicar, Diocese of Grand Rapids, responds: “I find a life of social distancing is quite scary...

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Ethics and Religion Talk: Addressing Fears in the COVID-19 Crisis

Submitted 03-30-2020 under OPINION

This week and next, the Ethics and Religion Talk panel shares some words of encouragement and hope to address the uncertainties and fears of living under the shadow of the novel coronavirus pandemic. In the Jewish community, some of the anxiety...

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Ethics and Religion Talk: Is Marriage Divine?

Submitted 03-23-2020 under OPINION

[Note: Next week, we’ll address the consequences of Vaughn’s question as it related to the dissolution of marriage.] The Reverend Colleen Squires, minister at All Souls Community Church of West Michigan, a Unitarian Universalist...

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Art in the Time of COVID-19: Scalia/Ginsburg at Opera Grand Rapids

Submitted 03-16-2020 under OPINION

Late last week, the dominoes began to fall. To help prevent further spread of the novel coronavirus - or at least to slow its spread - local organizations began canceling events, the symphony and ballet among them. In an act of inspiration that must...

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Ethics and Religion Talk: Where does Mortality Come From?

Submitted 03-16-2020 under OPINION

Fred Stella, the Pracharak (Outreach Minister) for the West Michigan Hindu Temple, responds: The sacred Hindu writ, the Vedas, say that when the Primal Unique (God) expanded from transcendence into the spacial-temporal universe. It produced ‘...

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Rethinking youth drug education

Submitted 03-12-2020 under OPINION

During my freshman year, my health class spent multiple weeks learning about lots of different drugs and that information ended helping me out more than I thought it would. One of my best friends at the time had been acting differently for a few...

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Still Scary After All These Years: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at Broadway Grand Rapids

Submitted 03-12-2020 under OPINION

Let's be honest: Charlie might be in the title, but it's Willy Wonka that we love. Sure, he's a little crazy, maybe a lot crazy, and he could stand to be more responsible, in the sense that he doesn't appear to care much if the...

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