In Theory: Are cell towers a part of God's call?

Churches have long been places where people have communicated with God, but these days cellphone companies are hoping to use them to make communicating with your friends and family easier. In the constant battle to expand cellphone coverage without facing potential battles over placing ugly towers...

In Theory: An Italian priest's divisive words

An Italian Catholic priest is under fire for a Christmas message he made that apparently blames women for domestic violence. Perio Corsi's text, titled "Women and femicide -- healthy self-criticism. How often do they provoke?" contains the lines, "How often do we see girls and mature women going...

In Theory: God, guns and country

Glendale City Councilman Rafi Manoukian is pushing a ban of gun shows at Glendale Civic Auditorium. Mayor Frank Quintero is backing Manoukian's proposal, saying, "I think the time has come for this country to reexamine easy access to guns."

In Theory: Finding peace after a difficult year

Many consider this to be the season of peace and hope. Reflecting on 2012, what has given you peace? What are your hopes for the coming year?

In Theory: Have Christians retreated from the world?

Writing in on the Huffington Post, Phil Cooke claims that Christians' voices are being drowned out because of a love/hate relationship with the media, a relationship that is driving Christians to retreat to safe zones instead of engaging with the wider culture. He says, “From the Web, to...

In Theory: Should secessionists succeed?

More than 750,000 Americans have signed a petition to let their states secede from the U.S.A. since the Nov. 6 election, including people from Alaska, Maryland, Texas, Iowa and Vermont. And many of them, or at least their leaders, are claiming they're demanding secession on religious grounds.

In Theory: Could Christians do more?

Some 46 million Americans are classified as poor, a figure that's risen slightly in the past few years. Although programs such as Social Security, tax credits and food stamps are helping, low-wage jobs and the rising cost of living are holding many back.

In Theory: Religious right, heal thyself

With the dust settling after the Nov. 6 elections, one group is looking like the biggest losers of all — Christian conservatives.

In Theory: President Obama

With President Obama reelected to a second term, what are your hopes -- or fears -- for the next four years?

In Theory: Preachers share their oratorical methods

“Hi, my name is Average Christian, and I am bored in most church services because the preaching is boring.” So writes Michael Greiner on the blog “Preaching As War” in part one of a series of posts called “Boring Preaching.”

In Theory: Do Christians have an obligation to vote?

Whether it's because they disagree with the candidates' views on abortion or healthcare, they view President Obama as not Christian enough, or are put off by Mitt Romney's Mormon faith, some religious people are finding it difficult to vote for either of this year's presidential candidates and...

In Theory: What makes exorcism-type movies so popular?

Almost 40 years after “The Exorcist” terrified moviegoers, possession films are still being released, including a slew in recent years such as “Paranormal Activity,” “The Last Exorcism,” “The Exorcism Of Emily Rose” and “The Rite.” While...

In Theory: Can the Taliban's violence be stopped?

Malala Yousafzai, a 14-year-old Pakistani girl who has been advocating education for Muslim girls in Pakistan, recently was shot and severely wounded by the Taliban as she sat on a school bus.

In Theory: Should church have banned yoga class?

A Catholic priest in Southampton, England, has banned a yoga class from using a church building because he says it's a Hindu spiritual exercise and thus is incompatible with the Catholic faith.

In Theory: Should churches be able to support candidates?

Many pastors are going to take to the pulpit today to give political sermons to challenge the Internal Revenue Service. The annual protest, called Pulpit Freedom Sunday, is designed to dispute the federal government's restrictions on pastors' political endorsements.

In Theory: Would beliefs change if Jesus had been married?

There has certainly been a great deal made of the beliefs that Jesus was surrounded by only male disciples and was thought to be unmarried and celibate. Would it make a substantive difference in the beliefs of hundreds of thousands of Christians if these traditional beliefs were shown to be untrue?

In Theory: Should gravestone information go high-tech?

Gravestones offer the basic information about the deceased — name, date of birth, date of death and perhaps a Bible verse or poem. But a British company is now offering a way to bring memorials into the social-media age.

In Theory: Can a Muslim be a superhero?

DC Comics, the publisher of hit superhero stories featuring Batman and Superman, recently introduced a new comic-book hero to its ranks and found itself under fire for doing so.

In Theory: Should creationism be taught in schools?

Respected scientist and TV host Bill Nye, better known as “The Science Guy,” has caused a stir by appearing in a video criticizing creationism and calling for children to be taught only the theory of evolution. The video, titled “Creationism is Not Appropriate for Children,”...

In Theory: Do megachurches provide a better experience?

Megachurches are loved by some and derided by others, but a new study from the University of Washington claims that people who attend services at these huge churches can experience a change in brain chemistry that researchers are calling a spiritual “high.”

In Theory: Do the newest war games go too far?

Video game company Electronic Arts is drawing criticism with its latest entry in its “Medal Of Honor” series. The games have attracted bad press in the past for hyper-realistic violent content, fetishizing weapons and being a bad influence on youngsters. But this time, it's the marketing...

In Theory: Can America be called a Christian nation?

More than 80% ofAmericans identify as Christian but a new survey of evangelical leaders has come up with a surprising figure: 68% of them don't believe the U.S.A. is a Christian nation.

In Theory: A pastor fumbles a difficult situation

A Mississippi church is coming under fire for blocking an African American couple from getting married there two days before the ceremony was due to happen.

In Theory: Does life exist elsewhere in the universe?

The NASA rover Curiosity is due to touch down on the surface of Mars on Aug. 5 after a journey of some 130,000,000 miles and a cost of $2.5 billion. Part of its mission is to see if Mars ever was, or even is, capable of supporting life. To do this, it will dig below the surface of the planet looking...

In Theory: Should we break the law to feed the homeless?

A Christian group in Philadelphia is putting its mission above a ruling that bans feeding the homeless in the city's parks. Although a judge has suspended the ban for 120 days, Chosen 300 Ministries is planning to continue feeding the homeless outdoors when it comes into effect. The ministry is...

In Theory: Follow Jesus, or stick with church?

A recent cover story in Newsweek magazine has called for Americans to forget the church and follow Jesus. Andrew Sullivan claims that organized religion, especially the Catholic and mainstream Protestant, have either lost moral...

In Theory: Is the Bible a suitable game show subject?

How well do you know the Bible? Do you know it well enough to win money for charity on a television game show? Game Show Network officials think there are people who know it pretty well, and the network will premiere its latest quiz, “The American Bible Challenge,” hosted by Jeff...

In Theory: How can we lower the rate of military suicides?

In the first 155 days of 2012, 154 service members have killed themselves, a rise of 18 percent over last year. These numbers mean 50 percent more troops committed suicide than were killed in Afghanistan.

In Theory: Does the budget need a dose of morals?

Religion pervades government in America. It's evident in the debates on abortion, religious freedom, gay rights and a host of other topics. But now a Christian leader is arguing that religion needs to be inserted into the one area where it isn't mentioned: the federal budget.

In Theory: Can the Catholic Church restore its image?

The image of the church recently was further battered with revelations that Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York authorized payments of up to $20,000 each to priests accused of sexual abuse as "motivation" not to contest being defrocked.

Clergy gather in support of La Crescenta youth

The challenges facing the youth of La Crescenta fueled prayers by local leaders and clergy who spoke on their behalf at the first ever Crescenta Valley Town Council Prayer Breakfast on Tuesday.

In Theory: Is America becoming less civil?

America is becoming more rude. That's the opinion of several writers and bloggers, and they're backed up by a Rasmussen Report survey that says 76% of Americans believe the nation is becoming less civilized.

In Theory: Should Lowes have pulled its ads?

Q. Home improvement store Lowe's has pulled its advertising from the TLC reality show “All-American Muslim” because of a campaign by the conservative Florida Family Assn. The FFA claims that “'All-American Muslim' is propaganda that riskily hides the Islamic agenda’s clear...

Personal and private lives

A recent poll by the Public Religion Research Institute has revealed that religious Americans think a financial scandal is worse than a sexual one.

In Theory: Have you questioned your faith in God?

Q. A recent posting on CNN's Belief Blog discusses how people can lose faith when faced with traumatic events. The article relates former First Lady Laura Bush's experience after being involved in a fatal car accident in 1963. Bush missed a stop sign and hit a car driven by a friend, killing him. In...

In Theory: Leaving 'under God' out of the Pledge

Q. The NBC television network has come under fire for omitting the words “under God” from a broadcast of the Pledge of Allegiance shown before the U.S. Open golf championship. The video montage of patriotic images including the American flag was dubbed with children...

In Theory: Should we be allowed to choose to die?

Q. British author Sir Terry Pratchett recently presented a BBC documentary called “Choosing To Die,” about assisted suicide. Pratchett, the bestselling author of the “Discworld” series of fantasy novels, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2008. He is a patron of...

In Theory: Could same-sex marriage become legal?

Q. A recent Gallup poll has revealed that, for the first time, a majority of Americans support gay marriage. According to the figures, 53% of Americans say they believe same-sex marriage should be recognized by the law as valid; in 1996, the figure was around 30%. Most of the increase in support...

In Theory: Should holy books be distributed in schools?

Schools in White County, Tenn., have agreed to stop allowing the Gideons to distribute Bibles in classrooms after the ACLU threatened a lawsuit. The Gideons entered a classroom at Doyle Elementary School in Doyle, about 100 miles east of Nashville, and invited students to take a Bible if they wanted...

In Theory: Sage advice for today's graduates

Q. It’s that time of year again, graduation season, when many of our youth are getting ready to leave the nest to live away from home for the first time in their lives.

In Theory: Can we disagree, still maintain standing?

Q. A study released June 9 by the Public Religion Research Institute: “Committed to Availability, Conflicted About Morality, What the Millennial Generation Tells Us about the Future of the Abortion Debate and the Culture Wars.”

In Theory

Q. A study released June 9 by the Public Religion Research Institute: “Committed to Availability, Conflicted About Morality, What the Millennial Generation Tells Us about the Future of the Abortion Debate and the Culture Wars.”

Closure and the death of bin Laden

Q Osama bin Laden, the mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks that killed almost 3,000 people, was killed last week by U.S. Special Forces at a compound in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad. He was shot to death in the raid and then buried at sea.

In Theory: Is the idea of heaven and hell 'toxic'?

Q. A new book has attracted a hail of criticism on the Internet. “Love Wins: Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived” by Pastor Rob Bell, the leader of the Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, Mich., questions the traditional view of heaven, hell and damnation, which...

Should BYU's Davies have been suspended?

Brigham Young University recently suspended its star basketball center, Brandon Davies, for violating the college's strict Honor Code. Davies admitted to officials that he'd had pre-marital sex with his girlfriend, an Arizona State University freshman. Although he currently remains a student,...

In Theory: Is atheism on the attack?

Q. With the recent publication of books such as "god [sic] Is Not Great," "The God Delusion," "Letter To A Christian Nation" and "The End Of Faith" by so-called "New Atheists" like Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris, atheism seems to have gone on the attack. Labeled...

In Theory: Free speech or abuse?

In the wake of the Jan. 8 shootings in Tucson, the Arizona state legislature has passed emergency legislation to prevent the Westboro Baptist Church from picketing victims' funerals, including that of 9-year-old Christina Taylor Green. The church's leader, Fred Phelps, has posted a video in...

In Theory: Can Islam and democracy coexist?

Q. The pro-democracy uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt have resonated around the world, with even the Wall Street Journal going so far as to headline one column, “The Arab World's 1989?” Hosni Mubarak's resignation from his position as president of Egypt has resulted in the installation...

Is secularism a threat to religious freedom?

Q. A Mormon leader recently made a speech, in which he claimed religious freedom in America is under assault from secularization and a growing gay rights movement.

In Theory: Can Americans reconcile with Islam?

Q. A leading Islamic cleric has begun a tour of America urging American Muslims to help shape the religion’s relationship with the USA. Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf says Muslims should depoliticize their faith and that they should aim to make Islam be seen as an American religion, not an alien...