On Thu, 1 Mar 2001, Mike Scoles wrote:
Is it possible to keep this "Jesus is the only way" perspective out of a
counseling
relationship? I have heard good Christian counselors say, "There is no way
I could
deal with a gay client." (Well, I suppose that the person *might* be able
to deal
with a gay client if the client wanted to be saved and go straight.)
To which Robin Pearce added:
I wonder about this myself. How could a Biblically-literal Christian even
bring him- or her-self to treat a nonbeliever? If you believe someone will
be tortured forever for not believing in the right way, isn't helping them
to be better-adjusted here on earth a major case of rearranging the deck
chairs on the Titanic?
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My response:
It seems it might also be difficult for an agnostic or atheistic counselor
to feel any empathy for a christian client when the counselor thinks that
the client is believing in religious delusions and the client is, by his
very beliefs, nonverbally condemning the counselor to Hell.
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Mike Scoles wrote in response to Jim Guinee's (Jim's comments in >):
Is it difficult to see just how offensive this is to people of other faiths?
> Christians should not view themselves as
> better than non-Christians (although this is a common problem), just
> reconciled with God.
And, that this is equally offensive to atheists? What a crock, "I'm not
saying that I am *better*, just reconciled with God. I mean golly, don't
take it so personally."
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My question is: if the whole idea of religious belief is such a ludicrous
delusion, why would anyone feel insulted or condemned? I wouldn't feel
insulted if a psychotic individual held the delusion that I was going to
burn in Hell unless I performed a solo tango at midnight (everyone knows
this is a delusion since it obviously takes two to tango). I would just
consider the source. I guess people are just more easily offended today.
If I believe that there are many people around the world tonight who will
die by tomorrow from starvation and exposure to the elements, does it make
me hateful or condescending to believe that I will not suffer the same fate
tonight. Of course, it would show a lack of compassion if I did nothing to
attempt to reach out to help those that were condemned to die. And my belief
about their sorry state certainly wouldn't translate into my hatred of them
although some of them might think my efforts condescending or even
Euro-centric.
But what about Galileo and the Inquisition, you ask? Let's leave that for
another time.
Rick
Dr. Richard L. Froman
Psychology Department
John Brown University
Siloam Springs, AR 72761
e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.jbu.edu/sbs/psych/froman.htm
