HeyJaredAsk Isabel: Advice for the Spiritually Perplexed or Vexed
Let's get real about religion, spirituality, and the part they play in our relationships, communities, pasts, problems, and hopes.
- Indexed issues, last 90 days
- 6
- Latest publication
- Sep 30, 2026
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- Jul 8, 2026
Latest issues
Sharia Law: Should I Worry? (opens the original)
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Dear Isabel,I keep reading about sharia law and how it’s a threat to religious freedom. I am generally a tolerant person and I have no hostility toward Muslims, but I’m not sure what to believe when friends share stats like “Forty to fifty percent of Muslims support sharia law”—which sounds scary. Are we in actual danger of a theocratic takeover?Not Sure What to ThinkSubscribe nowDear Not Sure,It sounds as if you, and the friends who say they are worried, could u
What’s this in my Easter basket? (opens the original)
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Dear Isabel,My son R. is friends with a little boy from school whose parents invited R. along to their church for their Easter egg hunt. Both boys are seven. My husband and I know that this church is not our style (we don’t go to church ourselves), but Easter egg hunts are fun, and we didn’t see any harm in this friendly offer from his friend’s parents. They even picked him up and dropped him back home.He had lots of candy in his basket, no surprise. What was a surprise was the plastic egg with
Just rewards . . . ? (opens the original)
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Dear readers,Due to a technical error, this column didn’t run on August 18, as I intended. I’m sorry to have left you in the lurch! We are now back on track.IsabelDear Isabel,My roommate and I are having an argument. I say good people are rewarded with heaven and bad people are punished with hell. He says if we’re only good to get a reward, or to avoid punishment, we’re not really being good. What do you think?Hoping for Heaven<p class=
Christmas without Christianity? Bah, Humbug! (opens the original)
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Dear Isabel,My spouse and I have a baby on the way, our first. I thought we weren’t going to raise our child to be either Jewish (my background) or Christian (my spouse’s) since neither of us believes in the faiths of our ancestors. But lately we’ve been dreaming aloud together about what it will be like raising our child, and my spouse surprised me the other day by fantasizing about a traditional Christmas: Christmas tree, wreath, carols, presents on Christmas morning. I said I thought we weren
Hypocrisy is a Dirty Word (opens the original)
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Dear Isabel,I’m an atheist, and sometimes I just go along with prayer or a religious ceremony for the sake of other people, people who do believe. Is this hypocritical? Do other atheists do this?--Hope I’m Not a Hypocrite<div class="
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