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30 June 2004: The Bible, Corporal Punishment and Human Guilt – Part 3
In the most deeply patriarchal part of our male-dominant Western history, women were also considered to be fit subjects for corporal punishment at the hands of their husbands. This exercise of power was carried out with the full approval of both State and Church. In that day a husband could beat his wife whenever the …
Q & A:
I recently heard retired Bishop Paul Barnett of Sydney attacking you on radio here in Australia. He said, "All John Spong does is rehash Michael Goulder's midrash line which R. T. France and others demolished years ago." Would you comment on that?
23 June 2004: The Bible, Corporal Punishment and Human Guilt – Part 2
The physical abuse of children under the guise of “proper discipline” has been practiced in western history so frequently as to be thought of as normative. It has had the approval of those recognized sources of cultural value – tradition, Bible, Church, School and family. It found expression in popular novels written by such noteworthy …
Q & A:
What is your understanding of the Judgment? Are those who are not Christians to be damned?
16 June 2004: The Bible, Corporal Punishment and Human Guilt – Part 1
“He who spares the rod, hates his son; but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him. (Prov. 13:24).” “Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you beat him with a rod, he will not die. If you beat him with a rod, you will save his life from Sheol (Prov. 23:13,14).” “Folly …
Q & A:
What do you consider the Bible to be? Is it uniquely inspired by God? Is it different from other literature? Is it authoritative? If it is not all authoritative, how do you determine the parts that are? If the Bible is not divinely inspired, where do moral truths come from? Are moral values eternal and universal for all cultures?
9 June 2004: The Ultimate Source of Anti-Semitism – The Circumstances That Brought Judas Into the Jesus Story
I return today to a subject that I have covered before. It is essential however, to this series on the sources of anti-Semitism, so I ask my reader’s indulgence while I once again bring Judas into focus. My request to you is a simple one. Suspend for a moment your critical faculties, as well as …
Q & A:
Can I use some of your statements, without attribution, in my attempt to expose the message of hate being put forth by my state senator here in Minnesota in an effort to stop her attempt to get a constitutional amendment adapted to ban gay marriage?
2 June 2004: Questions from the Readers: The War in Iraq
Dear Friends, Recent columns on the Iraq war have elicited great volumes of mail. I have picked representative samples of that mail and my response to them for my column this week. I welcome your responses, including those that are in opposition. I do not speak with any divine imprimatur. I am only one proud …
Q & A:
Your piece on Iraq was a strong argument and well-said but what would you offer in its stead? John Kerry? Withdraw and surrender to those 7th-century wackos? If we stay the course and prevail, can we not begin a process which will bring democracy and potential stability to a part of the world with the hope, and yes the prayer, to deter and prevent a base from which the insanity could blossom? Why not learn from our mistakes and formulate a policy to secure a stable government, friendly to our goals in the entire region. If we don't win here and win now, do we not let loose upon ourselves another Hitler or Lenin, who once secure in a government base, would be able to make 9/11 a daily reality? What do you offer?
26 May 2004: Unmasking the Source of Christian Anti-Semitism – Part III
When I was a child attending an Evangelical Episcopal (Anglican) Sunday school in North Carolina, I was taught that it was OK to hate Jews. If I questioned this teaching the Bible was quickly quoted to validate that negativity. I was never introduced to a good Jew in any of my prepared Sunday school material. …
Q & A:
Why do most of the writers whose questions you answer come from Australia? Are the Australians the majority of the questioners? Or do they ask the more interesting questions?
19 May 2004: The Yankees, Iraq and Patriotism
Bob Shepherd is the resonant Voice of the New York Yankees, heard over the public address system welcoming fans to Yankee Stations and to the YES Network. He exhorts the faithful at Yankee games to a moment of 7th Inning silence while we remember those who have died in Iraq “to protect our freedom and …
Q & A:
How can we keep the Church without having to keep all the doctrines, dogmas and creeds of the religious past? How can we encourage that minority of people who remain inside the Church's fundamentalist majority to stay there? How can we encourage the "Church Alumni Association" members to return, if what they have to come back to is the very thing that made them want to leave?
12 May 2004: Unmasking the Sources of Christian Anti-Semitism – Part 2
Intolerance and bigotry seem to be written into the very fabric of religious life, causing people to act in ways that are diametrically opposed to what they say they believe. A tremendous need for certainty that overwhelms our rationality appears to be part of our very humanity. It is visible in the excessive claims that …
Q & A:
The Lord's Prayer seems to assume a theistic definition of God. How would you describe Jesus' relationship with God if you suggest theism is no longer a compelling way to envision God?
5 May 2004: The Disaster of Iraq – Enough is Enough!
I have reached the point when I can no longer tolerate the Iraqi War. The final straw was the abuse of Iraqis in the prison camp at Abu Ghraib and the deceptive way it was handled by both the Bush Administration and the military leadership. I had questions as the build-up to this war developed …
Q & A:
How can you on the one hand treat the words in Mk 14:50, "All the disciples forsook him and fled," as literally true and the other accounts of Jesus' death and burial as not true?
28 April 2004: Unmasking the Sources of Christian Anti-Semitism – Part 1
“His blood be upon us and upon our children (Mt.27: 25).” The darkest, most disillusioning side of Christianity is revealed in the way that Christians have treated Jews throughout history. Anti-Semitism has been a terrifying prejudice for the Jews to endure. It has also distorted the very essence of the Christian message. Christianity was born …
Q & A:
I have been having a problem of conscience lately, having to say the Nicene Creed during service at Eucharist. I do not believe what I'm saying and don't know how to approach this with honesty without standing there just idly waiting for it to be over with. What can you tell me about how to approach this?
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