The student needs to post 2 replies of at least 250 words for each thread students must support their assertions with at least 1 scholarly citation in current APA format. Each reply must incorporate at least 1 scholarly citation in current APA format. Acceptable sources include the textbook, the Bible, etc.
Reply 1 Joshua B
I find it difficult to reconcile modern psychology with Christianity. In each case that I attempt bring them together I find that I am using the biblical view and not the world view. One example, as I think about the creation and logically consider opposing view such as evolution, I have attempted to converge the two together but I am unable to support my own argument with any proof because I find myself relying upon the basic belief that creation exists and that it was an act of God. In an attempt to use a different psychological view, I expanded upon the idea of creation's seven days (six days and one for rest) by stating that we could not measure time in the Bible and therefore creation "days" or rather "days" in God's time were not 24 hours but millions of years. The benefit of such an un-defendable belief is that makes is plausible to believe both creation and the science of evolution. The problem of such a belief is that it forces us to accept things which Biblically are not true about the creation of man. Since, psychology is a set of beliefs, the world view and Christianity require belief systems to exist...and therefore, I see contradictions between them.
However, I am comforted by the ideas from our readings in Creation Regained (Wolters, 2005) when he quotes Psalms 119:105 which says, “Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path”...But the path must nevertheless be found in the specific experience of my life, whatever my “walk of life.” To me this passage from the text helps me to remember that my experience with the world, where we find information, and what we believe are subjective. The subjectivity of our lives gives me the space to create my own beliefs which include Christianity while using psychology. I often find that some psychological techniques (e.g. reframing) are useful for explaining certain Christian ideas in a way that "translates" the concepts and feelings to people who may not have experienced them or learned about the Bible while growing up. In fact, growing up as a Christian we were told that we had to have "blind faith" which more or less mean that we had to accept the Bible as written with virtually no discourse or dialog. I abandoned the "blind faith" concept long ago, but truly I may be exhibiting some self-denial behaviors because I wasn't present at the resurrection or there when Ten Commandments were given and what relics of historical significance that do exist, we have to accept them as such without any true means to prove their validity (e.g. consider the shroud of Turin - the cloth which wrapped Jesus' body).
The thoughts I have expressed here represent my own struggle with psychology and Christianity, my struggle with world views and Biblical views, my inability to bring them together and therefore, I wonder...is one of them wrong? The goals of both psychology and Christianity are to influence. Truth in science is something we can recreate or repeat. However, I still cannot find the source of gravity or where it began and why it continues? Nor can I explain the laws of motion which basically allow an object to continue infinitely when no resistance is offered, where does the energy come from? Beyond Christianity, I have looked at Judaism to help explain the Bible. I discovered volumes and volumes of literature, ideas, debates and great explanations for the Old Testament...none of them could be proved and thus, I had to either accept them as ancient wisdom or dismiss them as fabrication. With all this in mind, I have come to the conclusion that Faith is a unique psychological phenomena.
References
Wolters, A.M. (2005). Creation Regained (2 ed.). Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing.
Reply 2 – Gina
For many years, I did not believe modern psychology and Christianity could seamlessly fit together until I started reading the Bible and studying Christianity in general. Prior to studying the Bible, which started this year, I would hear one of the ten commandments or a passage from the Bible and would say, that makes complete sense because that is how individuals in society should behave or think but I never really put two and two together or maybe I did and did not accept it. An individual close to me started assisting me with putting the pieces together and that made me dive deeper into this understanding.
Human beings need guidance in order to make sound decisions and behave properly which can be obtained from the Bible, but many individuals obtain this guidance from other areas which can cause issues in their lives. At times, when an individual feels lost or makes mistakes throughout life, they may ask for guidance from a psychologist or someone similar in the field, someone who is trained in human behavior to assist them with managing behavior and emotions. These individuals may not have an understanding on why they behave in certain ways or commit sin. The Bible lays the foundation for individuals to understand how to decipher what is right or wrong but when an individual does not know the Bible, psychology may assist with these same behaviors.
Paul of the Old Testament Scriptures (Rom. 15:4), stated, “Everything that is was written in the past was written to teach us.” When I read this, I believed it to be such a simple verse but has so much power and truth in it. The Bible teaches us how to be our best selves and psychology does the same, but both are done in different ways. Later in the same passage, Paul uses the term, “renewal of the minds,” to further explain how to obey God’s will in our lives. The renewal of the mind could be considered the same as transforming your mind which can be done with the Bible and with psychology or together as one. What better way to grow as an individually, than to utilize Scripture and psychology hand in hand? As human beings we are influenced by our worldview and what beliefs we hold onto, but this should be tested with Scripture and revisited often (Wolters, 2005).
I wholeheartedly believe that we can utilize both to assist individuals with any struggles they are having in their lives. This is partly because I have seen it make changes in my life just from the short time, I have started reading the Bible and really attempting to understand Scripture. I know there are individuals who do not believe religion and science can work together and maybe I sort of thought that too, only because of what I heard from society throughout life, but now I know this is not true and we can use both. I have utilized psychology in my life for years and much it worked but it was not until I added in God’s word that I felt more whole, and I have heard the same from others as well.
References
Wolters, A.M. (2005) Creation Regained: Biblical Basics for a Reformational Worldview (2nd ed.). William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.