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FINDING BALANCE IN OUR VIEW OF RELIGION by Dr. Ron Newman --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
My study of psychology began at West Virginia University, a "secular" university where I had gone to study computer science. After a powerful conversion experience at the end of my first year of college, I considered transferring to a Christian Bible school. I did not do that because of a deep conviction that God's message to me was to "bloom where you are planted," which for me meant to stay at West Virginia University. My journey has taken me through "secular training" (BA in Psychology at West Virginia University; PhD in Psychoeducational Processes at Temple University) and "Christian training" (AA in Practical Theology from Christ for the Nations Institute; MA in Counseling Psychology from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School). I have also worked in Christian settings (Zion Christian School; The Christian Counseling Institute) and "secular" settings (V.A. Hospital; Cumberland County Guidance Center; Bridgeton Hospital MHU; Atlantic Mental Health). I am a member of both secular and Christian professional organizations, and continue reading journals and going to conferences to educate myself in both areas of expertise. Throughout all of my experiences since my first year at WVU, I have maintained a strong commitment to the Christian faith and have been active in Christian ministry. It seems that I have been in a unique position that is not so unique. On the one hand, I have witnessed the hostility of some mental health professionals against people with strong religious beliefs and commitments. While this hostility is often subtle and indirect, it is clear non-the-less. Often, I have found that it can be misdirected and overgeneralized anger that is justifiable toward specific religious beliefs and/or practices that have been described as "toxic faith". The term "fundamentalist" has become a demeaning and negative term describing narrow-minded bigots, rather than a term describing people with a deep religious commitment to the fundamental principles of their particular faith. On the other hand, I have also struggled continuously with those in the Christian community who have reacted in a hostile or paranoid manner toward psychology. Many authors and preachers have spoken out in overgeneralized ways about the field of psychology, and some have denied that it is even possible to be both a Christian and a psychologist. Much of the speaking I do within the Christian community is geared toward helping them find a greater sense of balance in their view of psychology. Now I find myself writing to those in the mental health field to help them find a greater sense of balance in their view of religion, with a special focus on the Christian faith. II. HOSTILITY OF MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS TO RELIGION Ever since Sigmund Freud wrote that religion was the "universal obsessional neurosis", the rift between psychology and religion has been clear. Albert Ellis has perhaps been the most vocal opponent of a conservative Christian faith, with his own attempts to "rationally oppose a strong religious commitment. While each of these individuals have contributed significantly to our study and understanding of the human mind and behavior, their INTERPRETATIONS of what they observed often revealed a hostility to the Christian faith. This has contributed in a significant way to the reaction by the Christian community against psychology and the mental health profession. Many pastor's have a fear that Freud's interpretations and Ellis's hostile attacks on a person's religious beliefs will damage their parishioners and undermine their faith. This has led to a major barrier between hurting individuals and the mental health professionals who may be able to provide some alleviation of their suffering. Statistics have shown a much larger percentage of people in the field of psychology are atheists or agnostics than the general public. In general, the public is quite religious in their beliefs and values, if not in their practices. Research has also shown the fallacy of "values free" counseling, and the reality that we all bring our biases into the counseling setting and seek to influence our clients in ways that WE think are healthier for them. A personal example of this hostility was when I worked at a different "secular" agency (although I dislike separating the "secular" from the "sacred", as to me it is an artificial separation). It was approaching Christmas, and I was running music therapy groups for the seriously mentally ill. A social worker/colleague insisted that I NOT play Christmas carol's, and her argument was that it violated the separation of church and state (false interpretation of the constitution which was to prohibit the ESTABLISHMENT of any particular religion by the state) and was not sensitive to non-Christians (even though there were many other options for activities, if someone objected - which none did, and even though the majority of clients WANTED to sing Christmas carol's). It was an effort to restrict anything "Christian" from a "secular" agency. I have heard over and over again from clients who have been told by other mental health professionals that they "cannot discuss religion" with them. In at least two agencies, it was presented as the agency policy that religious issues not be discussed. I propose that this is culturally insensitive to the vast majority of clients we serve, and encourages the growth of the chasm between religion and the mental health profession. (I should add that I have no problem with an individual clinician telling a client they cannot address certain religious issues, as that may be the only ethical response in many situations. My concern, however, is with agency policies that would artificially separate religious or spiritual issues from other issues in a person,s life.) III. HEALTHYMINDED RELIGION VERSUS UNHEALTHY RELIGION William James in his Varieties of Religious Experience wrote about healthyminded versus unhealthyminded religion. Healthy religion involves the concepts of grace and love which are central to so many different faiths. Gordon Allport researched religious commitment and prejudice, and found that it was those with an extrinsic faith that were prejudiced (versus an intrinsic religious commitment). Extrinsic faith is where it is used as a means to an end, while intrinsic faith is seen as an end in and of itself. Toxic Faith by Steve Arterburn describes many negative beliefs and habits of specific religious individuals that are quite hurtful rather than helpful. For example, being judgemental or legalistic in approach is not helpful. No one would deny that religion in general has done a tremendous amount of harm through the centuries. But neither can anyone deny that it has done a tremendous amount of good. Who would say that Mother Theresa has not done good? It becomes clear that we must recognize the complexity of the issues and avoid the danger of overgeneralizing and throwing out the baby with the bathwater. IV. THE COMMON QUEST FOR TRUTH Psychology as a "science" has attempted to be objective, yet it has gone into areas that were reserved for clerics and the religious community in the past. For example, therapy has become a means for people to "confess their faults and mistakes and seek absolution from their guilt. It is a necessary overlap of functions, however, as psychology makes an effort to help people, and a notable mission of most religions is to help and give hope to people. It is notable that people who study either psychology or religion
are seeking after "truth". Most religious people, with
reflection, will agree with the maxim "all truth is God's truth".
It is the cornerstone of those of us who are "integrationists"
and believe in the integration of psychology and theology, yet feel
we can do so without compromising our faith. (Note that the word
"integration has now been demonized by some in the Christian
community, as they claim it is Psychology as a science continues to seek the "truth" about what is most helpful for people. Psychology is broad in scope, but ultimately most would agree that there is hope that the "truth" they discover will somehow help individuals in some way.
Psychology has power, just as religion has power. This power has been used for good, and it has been used for evil. It has been used to heal, and it has been used to hurt. Ethics in psychology have been established to guide clinicians in practices that will help and heal (what is in the best interest of the client). Religion, particularly the Judeo-Christian faiths, have been built on the great commandments to "love God" and "love one another". This is the essence of the proper use of power, which is all God-given (according to most people of faith). Many in the field of psychology fear the abuse of the therapists position through "proselytizing" or "evangelizing" of clients. Indeed, this occurs in some counseling settings, but no more frequently than clients are "evangelized" by atheists who attack and undermine a person's faith. There are many religiously committed professionals in "secular" settings who practice out of a desire to care for individuals ("love one another"), who see it as their calling from God ("love God"), and desire to simply bring healing to those who are hurting (see the parable of the good samaritan). VI. A CLOSER LOOK AT THE "SELF" According to Paul Vitz, psychology has become its own religion, a "cult of self-worship". Many people with strong religious beliefs oppose psychology on this basis, that God is left out of the picture while selfishness and narcissism are encouraged. The culture of the USA is one of the most individualistic (vs. collectivist) societies in the world. This trend has led to many negative social consequences. In the realm of counseling psychology, this appears to encourage potential client,s to fear dependency on the therapist. An increasing aversion to long term therapy may be an outgrowth of these factors. Understanding different theological perspectives on the "self" may be helpful to clinicians. Are we seen as having a soul and spirit within us, with the capability of relating to God at a level that is not simply cognitive in nature? Is our nature basically tripartate (body, soul, and spirit), or are we a duality (inner person and outward person)? Is our nature basically good, created in the image of God? Or is our nature primarily selfish and evil, in bondage to sin? Differences in theology will affect our psychology and approach to counseling. VII. A WHOLISTIC VIEW OF THE PERSON A. SPIRITUALITY is being acknowledged more and more, although it is often more narrowly defined. Conservative Christian spirituality has historically been viewed more negatively by mental health professionals, although that is changing with increased research in the field that is helping people to see how mulitdimensional the issue of religion and spirituality can be. Drug and alcohol programs often incorporate calling upon your "higher power", but many react negatively to a Christian perspective and calling that higher power "the Lord Jesus Christ. This is changing with an increase in Christian recovery programs. B. MEANING is part of the function and consequence of religious forms of thought. Victor Frankl's work is insightful on the importance of religion in our quest for meaning in life, and the importance of meaning to our well-being. The need to give and receive love seem to be our primary human needs, and it could be argued that all other needs can fall in place under these two broad categories. Again, this is a major emphasis in the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Christian religion, and is based on the teachings of the Torah as well. C. FAITH has been studied at length by Herb Benson, a cardiologist
from Harvard, and others. Its relationship to health cannot be denied,
and this includes our mental health. What has been known as the
placebo effect is in large part been attributed to this issue of D. HOPE is a key factor in optimism, as noted by Martin Seligman. Optimism and health have been linked as well, which Seligman documents. The loss of hope is a central dynamic in depression, and recovery of health can be helped or hindered by this ingredient. E. LOVE is a theme spoken of by countless authors who recognize its importance to the human condition. Leo Buscaglia, M. Scott Peck, Bernie Siegel, Deepak Chopra and many others have studied and written on this subject. Love clearly has an impact on the clients we serve, and that impact even on their immune system is notable. F. COMMUNITY and our need for social support are key factors to life and health as well. Community is the natural development of relationships wherein love is practiced. Relationships are central to happiness in life, and central to a Christian understanding of fellowship and witness to the world. G. THE NEW AGE movement and philosophies have opened the door to
discuss spirituality and counseling, but have also led to even greater
alienation of many conservative Christians from the mental health
profession. The teaching that "even Satan can disguise himself
as an angel of light" is applicable here, as many Christians
fear being H. PRAYER in its many forms has also been researched and shown to be helpful to people, which includes physical health benefits. More research is needed into the different types of prayer and their usefulness in different clinical settings. I. FORGIVENESS is now being studied and shown to be important for the healing of souls. Again, this is a key factor in learning to love one another, central to the beliefs of many people with different Christian faiths. VIII. RELIGIOUS RESEARCH Research is helping clarify the multidimensional and complex nature of how our beliefs and religious practices affect our health. While this is a relatively "young" field, much rich information is available and explodes the myths previously perpetuated by psychologists like Freud, Skinner, and Ellis who turned many students of psychology against religious faith. Religious commitment tends to be healthy according to the data, although we must be cautious not to overstate our case since there certainly are toxic forms of religious commitment. IX. WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN? There are many individuals in our community who have strong religious beliefs, and for various reasons, they fear going to a "secular" mental health professional for help. This creates a barrier to service for a significant number of people. This "market" of individuals (usually accessed via clergy or their religious community) WANT to know that their religious beliefs - usually conservative Christian - will be respected and even incorporated into the helping process. They fear being influenced to accept beliefs that go against their own faith, but they want to find resolution to their conflicts in ways consistent with their faith and religious beliefs. Often this includes the belief that the Bible is the Word of God and contains God's revelation for how people are to live and relate to God and one another. Referring to Biblical principles can be very helpful to many who are skeptical (at best) of psychology and the mental health profession. (Note: those who do NOT hold to the Bible as the Word of God usually have less difficulty accepting help from the "secular" mental health system, thus there is less of a barrier.) The Christian counseling movement was born out of a recognition that this "barrier" existed, and an awareness that something needed to be done to reach this group of individuals. From a public relations standpoint, this was an "untapped market". It was clear that a separate program was needed so that the community could be educated about the availability of professional "Christian" counseling (counseling consistent with their Christian worldview/belief systems). The desire of Christian counselors is to address the specific needs of a special population of individuals who WANT counseling to incorporate their Christian (Biblical) beliefs, with an acknowledgement of Christ as Lord. It is a ministry of love to people who need healing. We attempt to provide good psychotherapy to people suffering distress in various areas of their lives, and in the process, seek to utilize their faith as a resource in their own healing. Our theology lets us know that we all "see through a glass darkly", thus we do not presume to have a total grasp of all truth. We are acutely aware of our own shortcomings, which is also in keeping with our theology of sin and the imperfection of us all. But we do desire to love God and one another, including our clients, and believe that God receives glory in the process as we seek to excel in what we do. |
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