Religion
Questions 111-120
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THE
QUESTION:
RE120: Why do members of some Christian churches seem to not
care when informed their church performs gay weddings? Are these
people aware that this practice is supposed to be against their
faith, or do they not care?
POSTED DEC. 9, 1998
Elizabeth, Christian female, 22, St. Louis, MO
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THE QUESTION:
RE119: Do most religions still teach "Spare the rod, spoil the
child" when it comes to discipline? Or have most Christians become
"kinder and gentler" in that regard? What about other religions
(Jewish, Muslim, Mormon, Buddhist, Hindu, Pagan, etc.)? What effects
do you think this has had on the state of today's youth?
POSTED DEC. 7, 1998
Jack, 28, agnostic, male, Irvine, CA
ANSWER 1:
Most pagan parents I know rarely or never spank their
children. There is an oft-stated opinion (mostly among pagans who
aren't parents) that this does not result in enough discipline. While
I am not entirely opposed to spanking in all circumstances, I think
the root of the problem is that "inflicting pain" and "discipline"
have been so confused. Spanking does not by itself develop good
discipline, nor does discipline require spanking. But understanding
and establishing discipline through other means seems to be too
rarely grasped.
POSTED DEC. 11, 1998
Catherine H., ex-teacher, witch
<tylik@eskimo.com>,
Woodinville, WA
FURTHER NOTICE:
I'm not sure about all religions, but the Catholic Church,
once famous for its in-school beatings, has completely backed off
child violence. It seems that the emphasis is now on parental
patience and self-dicipline. While a strict upbringing is still
valued, value has also been placed on the ability of adults to deal
with misbehavior in a non-corporal way.
POSTED DEC. 11, 1998
D.M.M., 24, white Catholic
<donikam@hotmail.com>,
Charleston, SC
FURTHER NOTICE 2:
I think Christians have come to realize that this verse
does not encourage child abuse/beating, but rather disciplining
children. Discipline does not require corporal punishment, and in
fact is most effective when very little is used. Sadly, I am aware
that there are some fundamentalist groups that still use rods (or
paddles, or branches) as part of their discipline, even in church
schools. But for the most part, Christians have gotten away from the
literal interpretation of that verse. I think in America that's
attributable to people like James Dobson, who have written books on
parenting from a Christian perspective that teach disciplinary
methods that do not rely on corporal punishment.
POSTED FEB. 16, 1999
Cathy, 29, Evangelical Christian
<gwalchmai@tenforward.com>,
WA
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THE QUESTION:
RE118: It seems to me as though the majority of atheists in
the United States had a Catholic upbringing. Is this accurate, and if
so, why?
DEC. 7, 1998
Mike S., 24, male, atheist
<christDenied@yahoo.com>,
Philadelphia, PA
ANSWER 1:
When I left the Catholic Church, I became an atheist. In
retrospect, I believe I found so much wrong with the church that I
even doubted the existence of God. Now I am agnostic.
POSTED DEC. 9, 1998
Nancy S., 44, ex-Catholic
<ranebow@iname.com>,
Butler, PA
FURTHER NOTICE:
Roman Catholics are the largest single religious group in
the United States. Since most atheists were brought up in some
religion, a large percentage (though not the majority, by any means)
are bound to have been raised Catholic. I do not believe a
disproportionate number of atheists are ex-Catholics, but I do
believe a disproportionate percentage of the outspoken, vocal
atheists are ex-Catholics. Why? Because a child raised in a liberal
Protestant Church or in a Reform Jewish community had far less to
rebel against. If a teenage Reform Jew or Unitarian suddenly
concludes there is no God, he'll simply drop out of his religion and
forget about it, because it never made a deep impression on him, and
never made any "oppressive" demands of him. But the Catholic Church
(and the fundamentalist Protestant churches) make many demands of
their followers, and make a huge impression on their members, both
positively and negatively. Thus, an ex-Catholic atheist or an
ex-Baptist atheist has much more resentment and anger against his
former religion. An atheist ex-Catholic will continue ranting and
raving against the Church decades after leaving, while an atheist
ex-Episcoplian doesn't even think about the church he left behind.
That may give the impression there are more ex-Catholic atheists than
there really are.
POSTED DEC. 9, 1998
Astorian, Irish-American Catholic male, 37
<Astorian@aol.com>,
Austin , TX
FURTHER NOTICE 2:
I am an athiest and don't believe most were brought up
Christian. I feel that most were kids who were either forced into the
church setting and did not like it, or were kids who educated
themselves about other religions and theories and chose what was most
factual to them, not just because they were brought up Christian
POSTED DEC. 9, 1998
Rachel K., Daytona Beach , FL
FURTHER NOTICE 3:
I don't know if the majority of atheists had a Catholic
upbringing, but certainly their are many adults who were raised in
Catholic households who now reject religion. I think the strictness
of the Catholic faith often turns people off. I find it to be a
religion that mandates a person to feel guilty for being human. I was
sent to 12 years of Catholic school which I think made me resent
organized religion. I do believe in God but I think religion is a
private and personal matter between you and your God.
POSTED DEC. 9, 1998
Nicole, 22
<ngebhart@hotmail.com>,
N.J.
FURTHER NOTICE 4:
While Catholicism certainly has its fair share of
defectors, I can't say that my experience as an athiest has been the
same. Most of my athiest friends are either ex-Christian or ex-Jew. I
think the key factor in relating the number of people rejecting a
religion is how rigid and controlling the religion can become. It is
not surprising that the autocratic control and hierarchal nature of
the Catholic church would turn off more independent thinkers.
POSTED DEC. 9, 1998
J. Smith, 36, Caucasian, Louisville, KY
FURTHER NOTICE 5:
It is true for me. Maybe because I feel Catholicism is the
least plausible of the religions floating around, and being forced
into such a rigid, authoritarian system makes one reflect on it a
little more than a looser, more welcoming faith.
POSTED DEC. 9, 1998
Lynda, 29, CT
FURTHER NOTICE 6:
To counter Lynda: I feel it is very uninformed to say that
Catholicism is one of the least plausible religions to follow. All
religions can be traced back to nearly the same time, regions (i.e.
the Middle East) and the same basic beliefs (a main paternal god
figure, prophets, icons, commandments ... an endless list).
Catholicism has many faults, and I would not dare try to argue
otherwise, but as for being rigid and authoritarian, I feel
Catholicism is the most forgiving, open and adaptable of religions.
It may not be perfect, but to compare it to rigid religions such as
Islam, Judaism, Hindu, etc., is laughable.
POSTED DEC. 21, 1998
Liam, 22
<Liam.Hanrahan@nuigalway.ie>,
Ireland
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THE QUESTION:
RE117: It is my understanding that some Christian
denominations teach that the wafer and the wine at communion are not
merely a symbol of the body and blood of Jesus, but undergo a miracle
called transubstantiation, in which they actually become the body and
blood, etc., of Jesus. Do Christians who believe these teachings
actually believe that if you took the wine and wafers to a lab and
had them tested, the analysis would come back as human flesh and
human blood? Wouldn't that then be cannibalism? Or am I being too
literal, and is it considered a spiritual, rather than physical,
transformation?
POSTED DEC. 4, 1998
Marcia, Jewish female, NY, NY
ANSWER 1:
Having been raised Catholic, I can tell you that the
Church teaches the transformed wafer and wine are treated as the
actual body and blood of Christ. It is called transubstantiation, is
particularly a Catholic doctrine and has been a bone of contention
with Protestants for a long time. I don't believe a laboratory
analysis would reveal human tissue in the bread and wine; it is more
of a spiritual transformation than a physical one. As for the issue
of cannibalism, I have heard that point brought up by critics of my
faith. The only response I can make is that, at the Last Supper,
Jesus told his disciples the bread and wine were his body and blood,
and that they were to remember him whenever they broke the bread and
drank the wine. The mass is basically a reenactment of the Last
Supper, and therefore Catholics break bread and drink wine as the
body and blood of Christ, and they do it in remembrance of him. I
hope that helps explain your question.
POSTED DEC. 7, 1998
Stephen S., 31, Catholic/Episcopalian, San Antonio, TX
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THE QUESTION:
RE116: Why do Mormons have large families (four or more
children) when most parents nowadays are having fewer children?
POSTED DEC. 4, 1998
J. Sin, 18, white male, GA
ANSWER 1:
Mormons have large families as part of their religion.
Because of Biblical scripture (i.e. "Multiply and replenish the
earth"), they do not believe that God condones the use of birth
control. They also believe in a pre-existence where their family was
formed, and that it would be a sin to stop having children before all
the members of their family could be born. They believe that the
children will stop coming when it is time. If you are interested in
this aspect of the Mormon religion, they have a movie (and play)
called Saturday's Warriors that does a very good job of
expaining it.
POSTED DEC. 22, 1998
Amie, female, raised Mormon, 21
<socwomgirl@hotmail.com>,
Las Vegas, NV
FURTHER NOTICE:
To Amie: Isn't starvation due to overpopulation also
against Mormon teachings? There are too many people in this world.
People need to slack off on the breeding. Hunters use the logic that
if deer and other animals are allowed to breed unchecked, they would
run out of food and the others would die of starvation. Why do humans
think they are exempt from this natural occurance? Look at Ethiopia
and other starving countries. They keep popping out babies. If they
would practice birth control, they would probably eventually have
enough food to go around. China has the right answer: Limit families
to one or two children. Better yet, reward those of us who choose not
to breed.
POSTED FEB. 12, 1999
Sidna, child-free by choice, Fort Worth, TX
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THE QUESTION:
RE115: My father was a biology teacher. I learned a lot about
evolution. I am a born-again Christian. Is it wrong that I believe
that God allowed evolution? Is it a metaphor that Adam was created
from dust? Could that mean that Man evolved from micro-organisms?
POSTED NOV. 30, 1998
Marc, 26, white male
<roth.marcus@emeryworld.com>,
Columbus, OH
ANSWER 1:
I also believe God allowed evolution, and that it is one
of His greatest works. I believe the story of Creation in the Bible
is indeed a metaphor. Both the Old and New Testaments contain many
metaphors, allegories and parables, and the stories were written this
way to explain things as complex as the creation of humanity to human
minds that had not yet developed a scientific way of thinking. Maybe
God did not reveal evolution to humans 5,000 years ago because they
were not ready to understand such a concept. Or maybe He did, and the
writers who took down the information He gave them expressed the
ideas in words and language they knew their fellow humans could
understand.
POSTED DEC. 1, 1998
Stephen S., 31, Catholic/Episcopalian
<SAScheidt@aol.com>, San
Antonio , TX
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THE QUESTION:
RE114: Jewish history is replete with Divine interaction. I'm
curious what the Orthodox Jewish stance is on God in light of the
last 2,000 years, with apparantly no clear interaction - no prophets
or temple, or temple sacrifices.
POSTED NOV. 27. 1998
Dario, 33, Christian
<ballpeen@mailexcite.com>,
San Carlos, CA
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THE QUESTION:
RE113: I love my family, friends and neighbors. I live
joyfully, honestly and peacefully. I am not a Christian. Do
Protestant Christians believe I am going to hell? Does my choice of
faith damn me regardless of my decency?
POSTED NOV. 23, 1998
M.P.B. <CISMPB@aol.com>,
Medford, NJ
ANSWER 1:
I'm sorry, but according to the Bible, the only way you
can reach heaven it believing in Jesus, and that he died for our
sins. John 3:16: "And he so loved the world that he gave his only
begotten son, that whosoever beleiveth in him shall not parish, but
have everlasting life." You can either be on Jesus' side or the
devil's; there is no middle ground. As good as you may be, it is
imperative you believe in Jesus.
POSTED NOV. 27, 1998
Ler1
FURTHER NOTICE:
It depends on whom you ask. The standard answer is that
you must have Jesus as your Savior to go to heaven; that He is the
Way, the Truth and the Life, and no one comes to the Father but by
him. In my experience, I have come to understand this differently.
Jesus commands us to love God, and to love our neighbor as we love
ourselves. The Bible also says that love is from God, and everyone
who loves is born of God and knows God. He that does not love does
not know God. I have come to understand that the Way is following the
example of Christ - to love and respect others, to do good with no
expectation of return, to live honestly, to help those in need and to
treat others with respect and compassion. Many people echo this in
near-death experiences. So, to summarize, I believe there are those
who know God better than his followers, and aren't even aware of it.
It sounds to me like you have already found your place on heaven by
creating it on earth.
POSTED NOV. 27, 1998
Craig, Christian (raised Lutheran), 35
<cmorris@loft.org>,
Minneapolis, MN
FURTHER NOTICE 2:
Loving your family, friends and neighbors and living
joyfully, honestly and peacefully does not damn anyone to Hell.
Although God wants you to do those things, none of them will get you
into Heaven. People go to Heaven for one reason and people go to Hell
for one reason. Those who go to Heaven are those who have accepted
Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Those who go to Hell are those who
have rejected Christ. It's as simple as that. This is what I mean by
accepting Christ: Realizing you are a sinner (Romans 3:23) and that
because of your sin you are going to die one day (Romans 6:23); and
knowing that Christ paid your sin debt when He died on the cross in
your place (Romans 5:8). Once you know and understand that, confess
to God that you are a sinner and that you believe that Christ died
for you, ask Him to forgive your sins and save you (Romans 10: 9-10).
That is the only way to heaven. John 14:6 states, "Jesus saith unto
him, I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the
Father, but by me." Believe, receive and ask God to lead you to a
good church where you can learn and grow spiritually.
POSTED NOV. 27, 1998
Heaven-bound believer, Newport News, VA
FURTHER NOTICE 3:
Decency isn't the criterion of going to heaven or hell.
Romans 3:23 says "For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory
of God." Every human being deserves separation from God eternally. In
other words, we all deserve to go to hell. Romans 6:23 says that it
is God's gift to us to give us heaven. "For the wages of sin is
death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our
Lord." Titus 3:5 "Not by works of righteousness which we have done,
but according to his mercy he saved us..." It only matters what the
Bible says, not what believers or non-believers may say. The Bible
teaches that if we accept God's gift, admitting that we don't deserve
heaven, and agree that only Christ's death will get us to heaven,
that heaven is assured to him/her who claims it. I may have won the
lottery, but unless I make my claim, I don't collect.
POSTED NOV. 27, 1998
Ronald V., Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
FURTHER NOTICE 4:
As a Christian, it is not for me to judge whether I think
someone is going to Heaven or not. My faith tells me that my route to
Heaven is through acceptance of Jesus Christ. For me, it would be the
ultimate (and possibly damning) arrogance to say "I'm such a good
person that I don't need a savior to die for my sins." For others of
different religious faiths or no religious faith at all, that may not
be the case. The Lord works in mysterious ways. Having confidence in
our understanding of the word of God as expressed in the Bible,
Christians feel an obligation to make that truth available to others,
but this evamgelizing should not be interpreted as a condemnation of
other belief systems.
POSTED NOV. 27, 1998
Mark, Protestant, 31, Alexandria, VA
FURTHER NOTICE 5:
I am a Catholic/Episcopalian, and my answer to your
question is "No." You are not necessarily damned if your faith
differs from your neighbor's. If this were so, then only one of the
200 or so denominations of Christianity would have to be correct and
all other believers in Christ (as well as the non-believers) would be
damned. I know some Christians do believe this way - that their
particular interpretations are the only way, but do not think they
represent all of Christianity. I believe all of us are on a journey
to God and we are just taking different roads. To sum it up in a
paraphrase of something I read somewhere: The Israelites are the
"chosen" people of God, but God is God for all of humanity and no one
is excluded from him.
POSTED NOV. 27, 1998
Stephen S., 31, Catholic/Episcopalian, San Antonio , TX
FURTHER NOTICE 6:
I was raised Roman Catholic. I don't know that my opinions
are shared with other members of my faith, but I think that no matter
what type of "higher being" you believe in, as long as you are a good
person, yes, you will go to Heaven. Why would you be forced into
eternal damnation just because you don't go to this church or that
church? As long as you live your life as a good person, you will be
rewarded in the afterlife.
POSTED NOV. 27, 1998
Jen, 28, white female, Madison Heights, MI
FURTHER NOTICE 7:
There is no umbrella church organization for Protestants
that dictates or controls beliefs or doctrine. There are dozens of
major Protestant denominations, and probably hundreds of minor
Protestant denominations. If you polled these churches, you would get
a very wide spectrum of responses to many questions of theology and
morality. In some denominations, there is even great variety from one
region to another, or one pastor to another.
POSTED NOV. 27, 1998
B. Hale, United Methodist
<halehart@aol.com>,
Hartford, CT
FURTHER NOTICE 8:
The basis for the Christian religion is basically the
Bible and mainly the New Testament. The New Testament says over and
over again that you do not go to heaven by your "works." It says that
you get to heaven by accepting Jesus as your savior. Once you do this
your sins are forgiven. It doesn't mean you can then go out and do
whatever you want because you are "saved," because if you wanted to
do that then you haven't really accepted Christ as your savior. It
also says in the Bible that to God "your best works are nothing but
filthy rags" if you haven't accepted Christ. The bottom line is that
your sins have to be paid for somehow (you're still a sinner even
when you are "good") and Christ is that way. He died for you so you
could go to heaven. You only have to accept and believe this and then
try to live your life the best you can. The Bible is very clear that
if you do not believe in Christ you will go to hell, no matter how
good a person you think you are.
POSTED NOV. 27, 1998
Rowan, 29, white, Baptist, Warren, MI
FURTHER NOTICE 9:
You are saved by the grace of a God, who is bigger and
more merciful than any of us could ever imagine or express with
language.
POSTED NOV. 27, 1998
Jeff, Christian
<JBermel@aol.com>, San
Antonio, TX
FURTHER NOTICE 10:
Why do you feel the need to seek approval from another
religion? Just do what makes you feel good!
POSTED NOV. 27, 1998
Nancy, Jewish
<lanancy@aol.com>, Los
Angeles, Ca
FURTHER NOTICE 11:
The Christian religion says yes, if you do not accept
Jesus as the savior and as your salvation, your soul is in peril.
Christianity, as well as most orgainzed religions, is based on faith
and choosing to believe. Non-believers as a result are damned to
Hell. This is what I have always been taught, anyway.
POSTED NOV. 27, 1998
David, Presbyterian, 29
<dash@netside.com>,
Columbia, SC
FURTHER NOTICE 12:
To some people, yes. But to others, they believe that all
roads eventually lead to the same destination. And, to answer your
question with another question: If I got a bunch of people to
say/believe that we turn into ants when we die, does that mean it's
going to happen?
POSTED NOV. 27, 1998
Chris, Dallas, TX
FURTHER NOTICE 13:
No one can tell you whether you are going to Hell or not.
That is not for us (Prostestant Christians) to judge. However,
Christians firmly believe that nothing good that we have done will
get us to Heaven and nothing bad that we have done will get us to
Hell. It is a fact of whether people personally accept Jesus Christ
as Lord of their life or not.
POSTED NOV. 27, 1998
Adrian, 30, Christian
<aroyce@powerup.com.au>,
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
FURTHER NOTICE 14:
Your question and the resultant answers, already given by
others, are the reason I am still searching for a religion I can
embrace. As you can see, most of the answers say that you are damned.
Any child who dies before reaching the age when they could make the
conscious decision to "accept Jesus as their own personal savior" is
damned under this premise. Difficult to swallow. But it also appears
to me that all Christian religions are based on selective
interpretations of various versions of the Bible. Each sect or branch
endorses its own version. There are some others that have a softer
approach. My advice is to move on with your own life and disregard
those who feel the need to condemn you.
POSTED DEC. 3, 1998
Rick B., 41, Vernon, CT
FURTHER NOTICE 15:
The twisted logic of the Bible-thumpers should be a clue
that they have no credibility on this issue. There's something
seriously (and demonically) wrong with a theology that condemns a
good man to hell. You are confusing religion with spirituality. I
believe the former is a set of arbitrary rules and cockeyed ideas
that people subscribe to because they think it's what God wants. The
latter is one's personal connection with the Infinite; those who
manage to attain it are the ones who are truly "saved." The rest,
benighted by their delusions and perversions of reason, can count
themselves among the devil's brood.
POSTED DEC. 4, 1998
J.C. <cortese@pdq.net>,
Houston, TX
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THE QUESTION:
RE112: What is the largest religious group in the
Philippines?
POSTED NOV. 17, 1998
D. Price
<abqteachr@netscape.net>,
Albuquerque, NM
ANSWER 1:
Catholicism is by far the largest religion. The
Philippines is Asia's only majority-Christian nation. Cardinal Jaime
Sin is a very prominent figure in Filipino society. However, the
previous president, Fidel Ramos, was a Protestant. The southern
Philippines, especially on the island of Mindanano, is home to a
large Muslim population.
POSTED NOV. 19, 1998
Mihir, Indian, 25
<mishah@vt.edu>, Skokie,
IL
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THE QUESTION:
RE111: Does anyone know where the phrase "seventh heaven"
originated ?
POSTED NOV. 16, 1998
A puzzled woman
<cchurch@portup.com>,
Marquette, MI
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