Mickel Hoback

Religion in Social Work

While sitting in class this week I could not help but sit back in my seat and think to myself about my own values and beliefs and how they have impacted my life. The issue of talking about religion and one’s own values and beliefs when working with clients was discussed and the answers given were many and wide. The common answer was that “we” would not discuss religion when we were working with clients and would not bring the topic up in counseling sessions. That our own values and beliefs were to be left at the door before the session and we are to be totally objective. Whether we like to admit it or not our values and beliefs will play a role in what type of worker we are. As I sat there and listened I could not believe how easily individuals would give up their own values and beliefs just to say what was expected of them and to chase the old mighty dollar. The Bible repeatedly warns us not to place too much confidence in our own abilities.
I guess my thoughts and beliefs are somewhat different than most as I would have no problem discussing religion with a client if the conversation ended up there. I’m not saying I would impose my religious thoughts on the client but I would not shy away from them if the topic came up. Counseling and religion share some similarities in that people turn to both when faced with hardships in their lives and seek guidance in how to “fix” their problems.
As a social worker we are taught to advance human rights and social and economic justice and to understand the forms and mechanisms of oppression and discrimination. We are told in engage in policy practice and address the social and economic well-being of others and to advocate for policies that advance social well-being. Now I may be wrong here but one of the largest groups in the world that suffer from oppression and discrimination are people rooted in their religious beliefs. In today’s world you can’t say a prayer in a public school or wear anything on your shirt that pertains to your religious beliefs. If we try and hold prayer at a local football game the ACLU will instantly arrive here in town and sue someone. I remember seeing a case back in 2008 in which a Christian relationship counselor was fired after refusing to give sex advice to gay couples. Do you not think it’s odd that we can discuss sex, drugs and everything else under the sun but not religion?
As stated in Chapter two of the text, Bertha Reynolds advocated for social justice at a time when it was not common nor allowed. She knew she would lose her job and that her reputation would forever be tarnished but she continued anyway and today as we sit here we follow the model that she attempted to employ all those years ago. The text stated that social developments change how we look at things and that in order for things to change someone has to take a stand.
The six core values of our chosen profession relate to service, social justice, dignity, worth of a person, the importance of human relationships, integrity and competence. Seeing as how Southern is a university that is grounded in its values and belief’s maybe a social worker from here needs to advocate on behalf of all the Christian people who have lost their rights to pray when and where they want to. This would be a good project to work on concerning social justice. It’s a sad day when we worry so much about liability that we are afraid to do our jobs. This is the real injustice to our clients.