ethics
Ethics and Religion Talk: Is it ethical to 'spend down' to qualify for Medicaid?
by (Rabbi David J.B...)
Submitted 01-08-2018 under OPINION
Should a religious tradition be able to address any and all questions of modern life? Several times in the past months, I have sent out questions to the panel and received responses suggesting that such a question not well-suited for a column on...
Ethics and Religion Talk: Is the issue of purity important to your faith?
by (Rabbi David J.B...)
Submitted 01-02-2018 under OPINION
The Reverend Colleen Squires, minister at All Souls Community Church of West Michigan, a Unitarian Universalist Congregation, responds: “Purity is not a concept found in Unitarian Universalism therefore it holds little to no importance....
Ethics and Religion Talk: Should a child have three parents?
by (Rabbi David J.B...)
Submitted 12-27-2017 under OPINION
It raises a number of ethical questions, including whether the government should sanction the creation of genetically-modified humans. Several prominent critics who oppose any human testing of the approach, arguing that it could be a slippery slope...
Ethics and Religion Talk: Is sex in virtual reality cheating? Part 2
by (Rabbi David J.B...)
Submitted 12-18-2017 under OPINION
Ty Silzer, a former pastor in the Presbyterian Church in America, responds: “For me, this is pretty simple ‘no,’ but let me share a few stories, and circle back to God and scripture. “I was watching a show sometime in the...
Ethics and Religion Talk: Is sex in virtual reality cheating? Part 1
by (Rabbi David J.B...)
Submitted 12-11-2017 under OPINION
The Reverend Colleen Squires, minister at All Souls Community Church of West Michigan, a Unitarian Universalist Congregation, responds: “Unitarian Universalism is a covenantal faith. At our core, as a faith community is our promise to journey...
Ethics and Religion Talk: What do religions think of each other? Part 2
by (Rabbi David J.B...)
Submitted 12-04-2017 under OPINION
Over the years I've heard some Muslims refer to Christians as polytheists. Then we have Christians, who to the best of my knowledge, consider Hindus as polytheists. I would love for you all to shed light on this for me. My response: Judaism, as...
Ethics and Religion Talk: What do religions think of each other? Part 1
by (Rabbi David J.B...)
Submitted 11-27-2017 under OPINION
"Over the years I've heard some Muslims refer to Christians as polytheists. Then we have Christians, who to the best of my knowledge, consider Hindus as polytheists. I would love for you all to shed light on this for me.” The Reverend...
Ethics and Religion Talk: Do human rights come from God or from the government?
by (Rabbi David J.B...)
Submitted 11-20-2017 under OPINION
Note: We welcome two new panelists this week, the Reverend Ray Lanning (Reformed Presbyterian) and The Reverend Colleen Squires (Unitarian Universalist). Rev. Ray Lanning, a retired minister of the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America,...
Ethics and Religion Talk: Is natural healing God's only will?
by (Rabbi David J.B...)
Submitted 11-13-2017 under OPINION
Her parents argued that the chemo made her sick, and also that "Our belief is the natural stuff will do just as much as that stuff if it's God's will.” If the parents were members of your faith, how would you counsel them? Father...
Ethics and Religion Talk: Is companionship enough without sex?
by (Rabbi David J.B...)
Submitted 11-06-2017 under OPINION
“I was married for 40 wonderful years. My husband died six and a half years ago. I met a Church of Christ Christian. He is a widower after 48 years of marriage. I am very religious and prayed about having sex and read the Bible. I...