Ethics and Religion Talk
Ethics and Religion Talk: Is God the "Grand Puppeteer?", part 1
by (Rabbi David J.B...)
Submitted 12-20-2021 under OPINION
Jim V. asks, “If God is all-powerful, does that mean that He/She is the “Grand Puppeteer” and brought this pandemic upon us? If so, then why? Or as some say, God doesn’t bring bad things upon us, but allows bad things to just...
Ethics and Religion Talk: Does Your Tradition Require a Certain Set of Beliefs?
by (Rabbi David J.B...)
Submitted 12-13-2021 under OPINION
The Rev. Rachel J. Bahr, pastor of Plymouth UCC, responds: When people join Plymouth Church, each commit to following Jesus as the Center of our lives. What follows is a life lived by the ethic of LOVE. We commit to regular worship and education. We...
Ethics and Religion Talk: How Do We Solve the Problem of Violence?
by (Rabbi David J.B...)
Submitted 12-06-2021 under OPINION
Linda Knieriemen, Senior Pastor at First Presbyterian Church in Holland, responds: “Violence and corruption will always be a part of this created world. Always have been, always will. Humans have free will, are prone to selfishness, and...
Ethics and Religion Talk: Do we Need Blue Roses?
by (Rabbi David J.B...)
Submitted 11-30-2021 under OPINION
Should we be creating blue roses? Father Kevin Niehoff, O.P., a Dominican priest who serves as Judicial Vicar, Diocese of Grand Rapids, responds: “One need not look further than Pope Francis’s encyclical, Laudato Si. Pope Francis very...
Ethics and Religion Talk: This Thanksgiving, What are You Grateful For?
by (Rabbi David J.B...)
Submitted 11-22-2021 under OPINION
Father Kevin Niehoff, O.P., a Dominican priest who serves as Judicial Vicar, Diocese of Grand Rapids, responds: I am most grateful for scientists and public health officials who demonstrate a strong desire to respect human life as we struggle...
Ethics and Religion Talk: Are Monkey-Human Hybrid Embryos Kosher?
by (Rabbi David J.B...)
Submitted 11-17-2021 under OPINION
Colleen writes: “For the first time, U.S. and Chinese scientists have created embryos that are part human, part monkey, in an effort to find new ways to produce organs for transplants. As a faith leader what are the ethical concerns based on...
Ethics and Religion Talk: Does Tolerance Demand Moral Relativism?
by (Rabbi David J.B...)
Submitted 11-08-2021 under OPINION
Fred Stella, the Pracharak (Outreach Minister) for the West Michigan Hindu Temple, responds: “I believe the questioner is referring to what we call ‘moral relativity.’ If that is the case, I see both a positive and negative side to...
Ethics and Religion Talk: Who Needs Doctors When You have God?, part 2
by (Rabbi David J.B...)
Submitted 11-01-2021 under OPINION
John wrote: “I read something you talked about use of medicine. To me, God is able to heal without medicines. I live without any medicine and whenever I get sick, I pray to God and He answers my prayers, including a non-curable disease that He...
Ethics and Religion Talk: Who Needs Doctors When You have God?, part 1
by (Rabbi David J.B...)
Submitted 10-25-2021 under OPINION
“I read something you talked about use of medicine. To me, God is able to heal without medicines. I live without any medicine and whenever I get sick, I pray to God and He answers my prayers, including a non-curable disease that He healed me...
Ethics and Religion Talk: Cost of Religion
by (Rabbi David J.B...)
Submitted 10-18-2021 under OPINION
Kathleen asks, “There is clearly a cost of adhering to a religious tradition (in the Jewish tradition, the cost of keeping the dietary laws comes to mind). The question is how much should the economic cost of following one’s religious...