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- Nichols and
Swartz. 2001. Family Therapy: Concepts and Methods.
pp.328-329.
It has been my observation in Shasta
County that spirituality in the therapy room is
increasing, but not in the Christian worldview. Some in
our community feel very comfortable utilizing New Age
and Eastern Philosophy in their therapy. Certainly this
is ethical if this is what the client is seeking. If
Christian philosophy represents the single largest
category of citizens, it is equally ethical to use, and
equally ethical to teach in graduate programs. I hear
reports and have read articles that the bias against
Christian counseling in the academic circles is
pervasive across the United States.
On November 30, 2014, Psychology
Today published
an article on their web page on the subject of
mindfulness and its association with Buddhism. The
proponents of mindfulness view their approach to
psychotherapy as being a gateway into the Buddhist
philosophy. In their own words:
“Right mindfulness is the seventh aspect
of the eightfold path of Buddhist awakening…
Promoters of “secular” mindfulness avoid
using the loaded words “Buddhism” or “religion,” and may
even steer clear of mentioning “spirituality” or
“meditation.” But
the practice is essentially similar to
that taught in many Buddhist basics classes. And the
hope, expressed by certain key leaders in the secular
mindfulness movement, is that introductory classes …
(provide) at least some of them with a doorway into
deeper, explicitly Buddhist meditation.”
Coming from a publication that largely
represents secular psychology today, this statement
reinforces the prejudice that favors eastern mysticism
and philosophy but holds Christianity at arms length to
say the least.
Prior to the middle of the 19th century,
most counseling in the western world was based upon a
Christian philosophy. With the advancement of
rationalism, secularism, modernism, and post-modernism
over the past 150 years, Christian philosophy and
counseling continues to fall more and more out of favor
because in academic circles the idea that absolute truth
even exists is deemed as prejudice against subjective
truth. But we must ask: Is society improving? Is
emotional health improving? Are families doing better?
Granted, there has never been a perfect world, but are
we moving closer or further away from a healthier and
more stable life?
Prior to the 19th century, the Bible held
a prominent place in understanding psychological health.
The word “psyche” appears 105 times in the Greek New
Testament. It is translated mostly as “soul,” “life,”
and “heart.” The Bible is a psychology book, teaching
us about love, life and emotions, and has been used for
thousands of years. Is secular or eastern philosophy
making improvements over centuries old approaches to
understanding life? If not, isn’t it time to reconsider
the unnecessary biases against Christian counseling, and
at the very least use a Christian worldview for the
25-49% of our population that desire it? And shouldn’t
it at least be incorporated into our graduate programs
as an orientation that is as effective as any other
secular or eastern view?
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