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Opinion

 

Ethics and Religion Talk: Is God Really in Control?

Submitted 08-14-2023 under OPINION

Father Kevin Niehoff, O.P., a Dominican priest who serves as Judicial Vicar, Diocese of Grand Rapids, responds: The Roman Catholic Church teaches, “the overwhelming misery which oppressed humans and their inclination toward evil and death...

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Starting Over

Submitted 08-11-2023 under OPINION

The COVID-19 pandemic acted as a catalyst in creating a surge of new beginnings for a large number of people in the workforce. For some, there were layoffs. For others, working from home became the norm. Then came The Great Resignation - where large...

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Ethics and Religion Talk: Do Evil Souls Suffer Eternally or Do They Simply Cease to Exist?

Submitted 08-07-2023 under OPINION

Father Kevin Niehoff, O.P., a Dominican priest who serves as Judicial Vicar, Diocese of Grand Rapids, responds: I know of no theology that indicates a soul ceases to exist when death occurs other than the teachings of atheism. The Roman Catholic...

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Ethics and Religion Talk: Are There Unforgivable Sins?

Submitted 07-31-2023 under OPINION

Linda Knieriemen, a retired pastor of the Presbyterian Church (USA), responds: A definition of the “sin against the Holy Spirit” has been a debate among Biblical scholars and theologians from Origen to Augustine to Calvin and beyond!...

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First Aid Kit Makes Grand Rapids Debut At Meijer Gardens

Submitted 07-25-2023 under OPINION

In 2008, a slightly grainy video appeared on YouTube. In it, two teenage girls, one holding a guitar, are sitting in the woods. The one holding the guitar says, “So, um, this is for you, Fleet Foxes. It’s a little gift from us. OK, here...

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Ethics and Religion Talk: Is It OK to Borrow Another Tradition's Spiritual Practices?

Submitted 07-24-2023 under OPINION

Linda Knieriemen, a retired pastor of the Presbyterian Church (USA), responds: Syncretism, that is the borrowing of one religions tenets or practices into the life of another, can be beneficial. It certainly is how religions have developed over the...

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Ethics and Religion Talk: Does Your Religious Community Feel Under Attack?

Submitted 07-18-2023 under OPINION

The Reverend Colleen Squires, minister at All Souls Community Church of West Michigan, a Unitarian Universalist Congregation, responds: Sadly, random, and targeted violent acts have become commonplace in our society. I am concerned for the...

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Pippin Comes Of Age

Submitted 07-13-2023 under OPINION

A woman in the audience turned to her companion and said, not disapprovingly: “It’s borderline nudity!” From the next row over, a man responded: “Have you been to the beach lately?” It’s true: the cast of Pippin (...

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Jenny Lewis Draws From Rich Catalog At Meijer Gardens Performance

Submitted 07-11-2023 under OPINION

Talk about star power: the video for Jenny Lewis’s song “Just One of the Guys” features Anne Hathaway, Brie Larson, and Kristen Stewart. All three actresses have been nominated for Academy Awards, and two (Hathaway and Larson) have...

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Ethics and Religion Talk: Must a Congregation Always Be United in Agreement with its Leader?

Submitted 07-10-2023 under OPINION

Imam Kip Curnutt, Director of Religious Education and Associate Imam of Masjid At-Tawheed in Grand Rapids, responds: Unfortunately this is an all too common occurrence in many religious communities. In the history of Islam we see that it was this...

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