<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
	xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
	>

<channel>
	<title>Religion Q &amp; A</title>
	<atom:link href="https://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionqanda/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionqanda/</link>
	<description>The Ridgewood Religion Guy answers your questions</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Fri, 05 Jun 2026 14:32:28 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<language>en-US</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>
	hourly	</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>
	1	</sy:updateFrequency>
	<generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1</generator>
	<item>
		<title>Should Prostitution Be Accepted?</title>
		<link>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionqanda/2026/06/should-prostitution-be-accepted/</link>
					<comments>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionqanda/2026/06/should-prostitution-be-accepted/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Richard Ostling]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 05 Jun 2026 14:32:28 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ACLU]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Covenant House]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Prostitution]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Salvation Army]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sex workers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Thomas Aquinas]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionqanda/?p=6137</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: The sardonic jest designates this as “the world’s oldest profession” and indeed sex for sale is as ancient as the Bible, which lauds the converted Jericho prostitute Rahab who protected Israeli spies  (Joshua 2) and lists her in the family tree of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1). In recent years, attitudes have [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionqanda/2026/06/should-prostitution-be-accepted/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>At #250, Is America a &#8220;Christian Nation?&#8221;</title>
		<link>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionqanda/2026/05/at-250-is-america-a-christian-nation/</link>
					<comments>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionqanda/2026/05/at-250-is-america-a-christian-nation/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Richard Ostling]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 22 May 2026 16:55:50 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA["In God We Trust"]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA["One Nation Under God"]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[America 250th]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American Christianity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christian nationalism]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionqanda/?p=6098</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: Yes and no. Understanding of that answer builds from five numbers: 62%, 17%, 43%, 38%, and 60%. The Five Numbers A survey of 35,000 Americans for the Pew Research Center’s 2024 Religious Landscape Study found that 62% identify as Christians of whatever sort, down from prior times but still substantial. That [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionqanda/2026/05/at-250-is-america-a-christian-nation/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>What&#8217;s New With Famed Christian Convert Ayaan Hirsi Ali?</title>
		<link>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionqanda/2026/05/whats-new-with-famed-christian-convert-ayaan-hirsi-ali/</link>
					<comments>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionqanda/2026/05/whats-new-with-famed-christian-convert-ayaan-hirsi-ali/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Richard Ostling]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 08 May 2026 11:23:51 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[atheism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ayaan Hirsi Ali]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Islam]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Niall Ferguson]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[religious conversion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[women's rights]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionqanda/?p=6047</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: Former Muslim Ayaan Hirsi Ali was once the most celebrated female ally of the male “Four Horsemen” leading the militant “New Atheism” movement. But in 2023 she posted a surprising column on unherd.com headlined “Why I Am Now a Christian,” echoing Bertrand Russell’s 1927 booklet “Why I Am Not a Christian.” [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionqanda/2026/05/whats-new-with-famed-christian-convert-ayaan-hirsi-ali/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Did Paul Write the 13 Biblical Letters? Did He Even Exist?</title>
		<link>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionqanda/2026/04/did-paul-write-the-13-biblical-letters-did-he-even-exist/</link>
					<comments>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionqanda/2026/04/did-paul-write-the-13-biblical-letters-did-he-even-exist/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Richard Ostling]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 24 Apr 2026 15:12:02 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Apostle Pau]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[New Testament criticism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[St. Paul's epistles]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionqanda/?p=5999</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: These questions will strike most people as absurd, but they’re taken seriously in a heterodox assessment of the great Christian Apostle by staff writer Adam Gopnik in the April 20 New Yorker magazine. In amusing asides, Gopnik likens Paul’s style to that of Leon Trotsky, the Communist founder assassinated by order [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionqanda/2026/04/did-paul-write-the-13-biblical-letters-did-he-even-exist/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>What Is Christian Zionism and Why Is It So Complex?</title>
		<link>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionqanda/2026/04/what-is-christian-zionism/</link>
					<comments>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionqanda/2026/04/what-is-christian-zionism/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Richard Ostling]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 10 Apr 2026 15:03:04 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[antisemitism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christian Zionism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Israel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Palestinians]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Zionism]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionqanda/?p=5964</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: As with “Christian nationalism,” this is a rather slippery term that can be used to browbeat religious and political opponents. The relation between Christianity and Israel is vastly complex, and this article can merely try to clarify a few aspects. Merriam-Webster defines Zionism as “an international movement originally for the establishment [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionqanda/2026/04/what-is-christian-zionism/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Dying at Easter, How Does a Former Senator Contemplate Life?</title>
		<link>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionqanda/2026/03/dying-at-easter-how-does-a-former-senator-contemplate-life/</link>
					<comments>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionqanda/2026/03/dying-at-easter-how-does-a-former-senator-contemplate-life/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Richard Ostling]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 27 Mar 2026 13:36:53 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ben Sasse]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cancer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Easter]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[eternal life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Resurrection]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionqanda/?p=5917</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[What Does Dying Sasse Believe? THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: Ben Sasse is dying. In fact, doctors thought the 54-year-old former U.S. Senator from Nebraska might already be dead by now after he was diagnosed before Christmas with stage four pancreatic cancer, beyond surgical help. Yet he gets to celebrate another festival of eternal life thanks [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionqanda/2026/03/dying-at-easter-how-does-a-former-senator-contemplate-life/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>How Did Muslim Radicals Gain Power Over Iran?</title>
		<link>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionqanda/2026/03/how-did-muslim-radicals-gain-power-over-iran/</link>
					<comments>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionqanda/2026/03/how-did-muslim-radicals-gain-power-over-iran/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Richard Ostling]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 16 Mar 2026 16:53:25 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ayatollahs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Carter Administration]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Islam in Iran]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ruhollah Khomeini]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Shah of Iran]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionqanda/?p=5887</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: With the American-Israeli war on Iran monopolizing the news – and driving up prices at the gas pump – the full context requires understanding of the surprising 1979 Islamist revolution when the nation lurched from tyranny under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (and his father before him) to tyranny under the Ayatollah [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionqanda/2026/03/how-did-muslim-radicals-gain-power-over-iran/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Would the Existence of Space Aliens Threaten Christianity?</title>
		<link>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionqanda/2026/02/would-the-existence-of-space-aliens-threaten-christianity/</link>
					<comments>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionqanda/2026/02/would-the-existence-of-space-aliens-threaten-christianity/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Richard Ostling]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 27 Feb 2026 14:22:52 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[C S Lewis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[extraterrestrials]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[space aliens]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Space travel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UAP]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UFO]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionqanda/?p=5851</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[An intriguing religious issue is raised by an odd space-age colloquy in mid-February between Barack Obama and Donald Trump. Out of the blue, political podcaster Brian Tyler Cohen asked Obama, “Are aliens real?” He immediately replied, “They’re real, but I haven’t seen them” and he knows of no proof that extraterrestrials exist. In the ensuing [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionqanda/2026/02/would-the-existence-of-space-aliens-threaten-christianity/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Should Religions Have Rituals Such As Baptism for Infants?</title>
		<link>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionqanda/2026/02/should-religions-have-rituals-such-as-baptism-for-infants/</link>
					<comments>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionqanda/2026/02/should-religions-have-rituals-such-as-baptism-for-infants/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Richard Ostling]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 13 Feb 2026 19:01:49 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Baptists]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Circumcision]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Infant Baptism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Islam and Circumcision]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jewish Circumcision]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sikhism and Circumcision]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionqanda/?p=5824</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: This question might seem absurd, since religious birth rituals are so universal. But Christian baptism of infants is being assailed by a prominent (though alienated) Catholic, Mary McAleese, who was the president of Ireland from 1997 to 2011. The headline on a January 11 (paywalled) article she wrote for the Irish [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionqanda/2026/02/should-religions-have-rituals-such-as-baptism-for-infants/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Why Are There 3 Versions of the Lord&#8217;s Prayer?</title>
		<link>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionqanda/2026/01/why-are-there-3-versions-of-the-lords-prayer/</link>
					<comments>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionqanda/2026/01/why-are-there-3-versions-of-the-lords-prayer/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Richard Ostling]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 30 Jan 2026 15:47:53 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jesus]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lord's Prayer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Luke 11:2-4]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Matthew 6:9-13]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[prayer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sermon on the Mount]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionqanda/?p=5767</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[THE RELIGION GUY’S ANSWER: Christians’ most beloved prayer occurs in Matthew 6:9-13 as part of Jesus’s “Sermon on the Mount,”  perhaps the most memorable speech in human history. (What competitors can you think of?)  The New Testament also contains a second, briefer version of the great prayer, in Luke 11:2-4 (on which more below). In [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://www.patheos.com/blogs/religionqanda/2026/01/why-are-there-3-versions-of-the-lords-prayer/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
	</channel>
</rss>
