On 24 Oct 2001, at 10:35, James Guinee wrote: > There is a difference between respecting someone else's beliefs and allowing > them to preach to you in a public forum
My last comments, I promise: 1. Mike and others are absolutely correct -- preaching the merits of (or denouncing the evil of) a religion is clearly inappropriate in this forum. 2. But there is a difference beteen clarifying a religious teaching (i.e., "this is what religious people think") and evangelizing that teaching (i.e., "this is what YOU should think"). I would think that it is appropriate in a public forum to clarify, but not to testify. If I have conflated the two, I apologize. > especially if the root message is, > "You are basically an evil person who will go to Hell unless you believe as I > do." 3. This IS an impolite message, as well as unbiblical. No religious person can speak with absolute assurance about another person's eternal destiny, only his/her own. And while I have removed the bible verse, please note the conspicuous use of "my people" and "my name." The SUBJECT of that bible verse (despite Falwellian shenanigans) is people IN the church, not OUTSIDE of it. = For the record, I don't feel attacked. Most people have been very respectful. I've seen a few comments I thought were unfair, and perhaps mischaracterizations of religion. In those instances I will assert my right to join in the debate, and from now on, will be more careful to separate explaining a religious point of view from pushing it onto someone else. To me psychology has great tools to examine the subject, but instead it occasionally gets trod upon, or more often, completely ignored. William James, for instance, wrote insightfully about "The Varieties of Religious Experience." And Gordon Allport, the originator of individual psychology and a past president of APA, coined the terms "intrinsic" and "extrinsic" religiosity, to describe individuals whose religious beliefs were "an end in themselves" or "a means to other ends," respectively. But the variable of religious beliefs is dreadfully underutilized in psych research. Given that a smaller percentage of psychologists are religious (in the traditional sense) then the general public, is this a reflection of personal views -- if one thinks a variable is meaningless, one doesn't examine it. Allen Bergin once talked about the treatment of religion by psychologists in this way: he compared it to being like an entomologist who ran across an insect he couldn't classify. Growing increasingly exasperated and frustrated, he finally put the insect down on the ground and stepped on it. ************************************************************************ Jim Guinee, Ph.D. Director of Training & Adjunct Professor President, Arkansas College Counselor Association University of Central Arkansas Counseling Center 313 Bernard Hall Conway, AR 72035 USA (501) 450-3138 (office) (501) 450-3248 (fax) "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent" -Eleanor Roosevelt ************************************************************************** --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
