God

God bestows upon His children peace and joy. What are the meanings of these two gifts? If we look at the definition for peace in Philippians 4:9, “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me — put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” The word for peace here in Greek is “shalom.” This signifies “wholeness.” I Thessalonians puts it another way: “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through.

Jews are most likely to marry outside their religion, while Mormons are least likely, according to the results of a 2010 survey of interfaith marriage . The study found that the rate of interfaith marriage in America is around 42%. But, says writer Stanley Fish, many couples of different faiths who decide to marry don't know what they're getting into. "Interfaith couples tend to marry without thinking through the practical implications of their religious differences. They assume that because they are decent and tolerant people … they will not encounter difficulties being married to someone of another faith," he says.

S ome religious groups, such as the National Coalition of American Nuns, are calling for followers to refrain from drinking bottled water. They say a God-given resource such as water is not something to be packaged and sold while access to drinking water is so scarce in the poorest regions of the world. Water should be free for all, they say. Bottled-water advocates say targeting bottled-water companies is misguided, given the many products that use water, and will not lead to solutions to resource scarcity in poor regions of the world.

Prayers are never offensive Mr. Irv Rubin, for 63 years I've been Jewish. I do not wish to have the words spoken by someone of another faith silenced. I wish to digest those words that will strengthen me spiritually. To pray is to reach out with warmth and caring. It is not some evil means to cause us to abandon our faith. There are many roads paved with wonderful words, leading to God. We are the captains of our ships and no one has a right to obstruct our travel.

Johann Christoph Arnold In the days following the terror attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, even very young children are asking questions like, "Why does God allow so much suffering in the world? Why does he allow poverty, war, and evil? Is God powerless? Is the devil stronger than God?" Although such thoughts may never even occur to some children, they will cause considerable worry to others. Make time to talk with your child whenever you sense the slightest insecurity.

God is good, but life is hard. This phrase keeps coming to my mind today as I prepare to write this column. People question God from time to time in life, due to difficult life circumstances. I have always believed that God is present and working when life is tough, but that is almost impossible to explain to some who are suffering. Why would God allow pain? Again: God is good, but life is hard. Many feelings have permeated my heart this week — thoughts of people doing evil against others, thoughts of Christians turning away from God and thoughts of people destroying their families with bad choices.

o7What are your thoughts on a federal court judge's ruling last week that the "under God" reference in the Pledge of Allegiance" is unconstitutional? f7 "In God We Trust" is our national motto. It is on our currency, in our National Anthem, and is expressed in our Declaration Of Independence as the rationale for our existence as a nation of equality. "In God We Trust" is part of our DNA as Americans. It demands no particular denominational allegiance, nor does it command particular individuals to rightly bow before its divine referent.

I have been pondering the concept of redemption. Certainly we are all sinners. If not for the salvation that God offers us through Christ's sacrifice on the cross, none of us would experience salvation. How can we begin to understand God's design for the redemption that man is so desperately in need of? For us to be redeemed means that we are released from our sin. But for this to take place, there must be a payoff. Redemption is God's way of reuniting sinful man to Himself. It is the means by which we are forgiven and able to fellowship with God and receive salvation.