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What is the role of religion in our society
Importance of religion in society
Importance of religion in society
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Religious faith is important to most Americans, with approximately 95% of Americans reporting belief in God and about 50% being active in church organizations (Gallup & Castelli, 1989). Despite the widespread prevalence of religious beliefs in society, some researchers have maintained that religion and religious beliefs are often neglected in psychological research (Jones, 1994; Plante, 1996). This neglect stems from a couple of different factors. First, it is difficult for psychologists to overcome the fact that believers in many religions claim to have unique access to the truth. Secondly, truly theological questions such as the existence of God or the nature of an afterlife are often ignored by scientists. This may be in part a hesitation to face politically sensitive and philosophically difficult issues, or the methodological limitations of modern research techniques.
At the same time psychological researchers are avoiding the fusion of religion and psychology, so are religious organizations. Religion once feared psychology's tendency to view God as "nothing but" the projection of the idealized father (Ciarrocchi, 2000). Many religions hold that divine acts can override laws of nature, a view that is usually seen as incompatible with scientific belief. Although some researchers find that the relationship between religion and psychology is not receiving enough attention, others believe that combining the two is important. If the explosion of research publications on religion and spirituality by the American Psychological Association (APA) is any indication, psychologists cannot seem to read enough on the topic (e.g., Donahue & Benson, 1996; Pargament & Park, 1996; Graham-Pole, Wass, Eyeberg, & Chu, 1989). Overall, bot...
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... they are probably forgetting that they are social creatures.
Even one of the most eminent thinkers of our time, Albert Einstein, would agree that religion and psychology can work together. "Religion deals only with evaluations of human thought and action: it cannot justifiably speak of facts and relationships between facts. A conflict arises when a religious community insists on the absolute truthfulness of all statements recorded in the Bible, but science can only be created by those who are thoroughly imbued with the aspiration towards truth and understanding. This source of feeling, however, springs from the sphere of religion" (Einstein, 1945, p.10). Science encompasses psychology and even Albert Einstein agrees that there is a need for union between the two. "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind"(Einstein, 1945, p.363).
This is David Entwistle 2nd edition book published in 2010 by Wipf and Stock in Oregon. Entwistle is a Christian and a licensed psychologist; he has affiliations with Molone University in Canton, Ohio serving as chair of the Psychology Department and has taught courses related to his licensed field. This book clearly is not written for any newcomers to religion. However, it was written for those interested in the integration of science and religion. The authors’ purpose for writing this book was to define the relationship between psychology and theology. There are three specific areas this book touched upon to help readers’ better approach psychology and Christianity in a personal and more professional manner: The context of philosophical issues and worldview, to help the readers become aware of assumptions or beliefs- making the reader a more critical evaluators, and to introduce and familiarize the reader with five paradigms for integrating psychology and theology.
This paper will be reviewing the book “Integrative Approaches to Psychology and Christianity: an introduction to worldview issues, philosophical foundations and models of integration, by David N. Entwistle. As the title states, this book discusses how to integrate psychology and theology. It also dives into to why it is so important to be able to integrate the two. Entwistle explains that just because the two are different does not mean they should be separated and that we have to use both our worldviews. “Weaving together perspectives from psychology and Christian theology can help us understand and appreciate humanity more fully than we could either perspective alone.” (p.3)
In the first chapter of Psychology in Christian Perspective by Harold W. Faw the author talks about psychology as a subject, the different aspects of the subject and how psychology fits into the Christian world. Faw begins the chapter by describing what others think psychology and his views on psychology as well. He describes that “psychology can be described as a systematic attempt to understand human behavior and conscious experience” (Faw, 1995, p. 12). He then goes on to describe the many different types of specialties of psychology which include, neurobiological, behavioral, cognitive, humanistic, and psychoanalytic. These specialties are then integrated into the Christian worldview. They are all different so they all fit into
People then view this as psychology and Christianity as being incompatible (Entwistle, 2015). But Entwistle states for the reader “Integration involves identifying key Christian commitments that shape how we understand human beings, and it requires a firm grasp of the theories, methods and findings of psychology” (Entwistle, 2015, p. 15). This statement proposes that throughout history both theologians and scientists have examined ways to better understand human beings, but never fully looked to see why science and theology could never be integrated. Looking at the term integration would suggest that both scientists and theologians would have to make an effort to build the connections between psychology and theology but over the years they have always been dis-integrated. For the reader Entwistle points out that integration can be both a noun and a verb and that while people may disagree with the outcome that integration may be possible, Entwistle (2015) states that if both sides were to look at the historical relationship between psychology and Christianity in a broader spectrum and by seeking the philosophical underpinnings for finding knowledge and truth both sides could see that there are correlations between science and faith (Entwistle,
The Neutral Parties model views that psychology and Christianity are independent from each other and there is no need for integration of the two disciplines. Finally, the Allies model views that there is a “unity of truth” and that all truth comes from God’s therefore both psychology and Christianity are legitimate, but under God’s sovereignty (Entwistle, 2010, p. 182). After considering the evidence from all of the various models of integrations discussed above, it seems that the allies model of integration best presents the relationship of psychology and Christianity and is a preferred approach for the integration of
of each other. Regardless, there are still Christian counselors or therapists that use (or in a
Western psychology is concerned with the investigation of understanding the negative aspects of human behavior, emotions and the mind, and to some extent, with changing them. The Buddhist approach to the investigation of the mind is unscientific, as defined by the science of Western Psychology. It is not concerned with laboratory conditions, control groups, or ‘objectivity’ in the sense of the experimenter being separate from and impartial to the subject (Nettle, 2005). In Buddhism, the person conducting the experiment and the subject are the same. Buddhists seek truth, as do scientists. Science, for the most part, sees the world as something external, which can be observed and understood as truth. Psychology involves understanding the human experience through the study of the mind and how perception governs behavior. Buddhism sees perception as internal and of one’s experience of the outside world as a fundamental part of understanding the truth within our self.
84% of the people on earth claim to be religious.(2) One third of the world claims to be Christians, 1.6 billion people in the world claim to be Islamic, (3) and one out of five people in the world claim to be spiritual but not religious. (1) Spirituality and religion are often thought to be synonymous, but it’s important to understand the differences between the two. The two have been around for ages, but even though they contrast; they are not the same. One could be described as an outer look on acts and laws, the other more as an internal look of oneself.
I for one, think that religion is an indispensable and integral part of human sociology; furthermore, I believe understanding this relationship would lead to social development. Are science and religion mutually exclusive? If not, how do they overlap? The relationship between science and religion has its magnificence and it’s like no other. The necessity of establishing and understanding this relationship is vital to our survival.
It’s interesting studying Psychology from the perspective as Jesus Christ being the Chief of all psychology. It is already known by Christians that Christ is the Co-Creator of humankind. Genesis 1:26 (NKJV) states, “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all of the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth”. However, the Christian’s outlook regarding this passage of Scripture is usually very limited only considering the exterior creation of mankind. When God made humanity, He also created the mind of man. Who can better give instructions to the people which walk this earth other than its Creator? Eric Johnson emphatically shares, “God created all things and continues to hold them together by the word of his power” (pg 46). Nothing was made without Him, including the mind which exists in man. It is crucially necessary for psychologists who profess a relationship with Jesus Christ to also consistently be in prayer to have the mind of Christ while being responsible for their areas of professions.
In Sigmund Freud’s, The Future of an Illusion, he studies religious foundations and the influence of religion on civilization and social principles. As he explores the psychological depths relating to religion, he also portrays a scientific and rational civilization. In turn, he reveals his hope for an ideal world where humans surpass their feelings of helplessness and insignificance to live in an improved civilization based on reason and the increase of knowledge. Through his analysis and ideas, Freud is able to incite feelings of doubt surrounding religious beliefs and their validity.
Religion can be defined as a system of beliefs and worships which includes a code of ethics and a philosophy of life. Well over 90% of the world 's population adheres to some form of religion. The problem is that there are so many different religions. What is the right religion? What is true religion? The two most common ingredients in religions are rules and rituals. Some religions are essentially nothing more than a list of rules, dos and don 'ts, which a person must observe in order to be considered a faithful adherent of that religion, and thereby, right with the God of that religion. Two examples of rules-based religions are Islam and Judaism. Islam has its five pillars that must be observed.
84% of the people on earth claim to be religious.(2) One third of the world claims to be Christians, 1.6 billion people in the world claim to be Islamic, (3) and one out of five people in the world claim to be spiritual but not religious. (1) Spirituality and religion are often thought to be synonymous, but it’s important to understand the differences between the two. The two have been around for ages, but even though they contrast; they are not the same. One could be described as an outer look on acts and laws, the other more as an internal look of oneself.
Kutcher, E., Bragger, J., Rodriguez-Srednicki, O, & Masco, J., (2010). The role of religiosity in
Throughout the semester we learned that people have different opinions about religion and hold different beliefs about what really happened during the time of Christ. Many question whether he truly exists. We briefly discussed a famous individual named Sigmund Freud, who held a much different belief about religion than most. By comparing his views to catholic, Thomas a’ Kempis, we can see exactly how different his views were. Freud’s beliefs about our personality and our death drive are important to understand in order to know how he felt about religion. Some of Freud’s theories of religion relate to mastering the Oedipus complex, a reaction to infantile helplessness, and a universal obsessional ritual.