even if I don't have the cajones to put this on Myspace like I want

I can still put it here......YAY-UH! Makes me think of people I used to work with....

Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Diana Butler Bass: The Real Danger of Bad Religion

Last Sunday’s New York Times reminded me that fundamentalism is, indeed, dangerous. What story underscored this point? Something about religion in the upcoming elections? Religious violence in the Middle East?

No, what caught my attention was the New York Times Book Review. Only two religion books made last week’s list: Sam Harris’ Letter to a Christian Nation and Richard Dawkins’ The God Delusion. Both Harris and Dawkins attack Christianity, arguing that all religion is bad (not just that bad religion is bad) and that faith is a significant source of evil.

While Dawkins revives a scientific argument against the existence of God, Harris takes a slightly different tact. He argues that all forms of Christianity are intellectually, morally, and politically suspect—with “extremism” being the worst offender. He writes that, “Christians have abused, oppressed, enslaved, insulted, tormented, tortured, and killed people in the name of God for centuries.” Accordingly, the best thing that could happen for civilization is the eradication of religion.

Many people are alarmed about the dangers of extremist religion, especially of the Religious Right—afraid of dogmatism, inquisitions, theocracy, and violence. I worry about crusades, pogroms, and terrorism as much as the next person. But I confess to a different worry: the effects of religious fundamentalism on religion.

Harris and Dawkins go to the heart of my concern. When bad religion becomes the primary way people define faith, the opposite result will not necessarily be good religion—the backlash is often no religion.

Modern atheism was birthed in the late seventeenth century. After a century of religious warfare following the Protestant Reformation, many Europeans opted out of faith. Instead of finding peace in God, they found peace by concluding that no God existed. The option proved comforting, and, for next century, European Christianity struggled to regain both intellectual credibility and popular support.

In the late nineteenth century, during America’s fundamentalist/modernist controversy, agnostic Robert Ingersoll made a career attacking Christianity. Ingersoll’s skepticism fuelled the rise of popular secularism, thus leading to a general decline of church membership in the early twentieth century.

History reveals that bad religion often results in no religion. That books like Harris’ and Dawkins’ should gain traction at this time should come as no surprise. Religious fundamentalism leads those of tender conscience, doubters, and freethinkers to view all people of faith as crazy extremists. Harris, for example, implies that the difference between suicide bombers and religious progressives is merely one of degree.

Thus, the beauty of faith—its compassion, mercy, and love—is obscured in a haze of extremism. In this chaotic age, the potential exists that a weary public will turn not to God’s goodness as a way through our problems but will turn away from God altogether. The bestseller status of both Harris and Dawkins should worry moderate and liberal Christians. The Religious Right has succeeded in resurrecting Christianity’s main intellectual competitor: atheism.

I have nothing against secularism or questioning faith, and I agree with Harris and Dawkins that Christians have done many horrendous things. Despite the fact that some Christians practice Christianity badly, I remain a Christian. Not a “crazy extremist” one, but one that tries to imitate Jesus and follow his teachings—and one who believes those teachings can create a more peaceable world. The greatest danger of religious fundamentalism, with its narrow intellectual and political vision, is not to American society, but to Christianity itself.

Diana Butler Bass (www.dianabutlerbass.com) is an independent scholar and author. Her new book is Christianity for the Rest of Us: How the Neighborhood Church is Transforming the Faith, from Harper San Francisco.

unrelated but prominent thoughts

a) I am so frustrated with this one woman I'm working with. She's one of my pt's daughter and admittedly she's probably had a hard life. Her mother appears to be some sort of crazy and she's either taken it upon herself or it's been put on her to be her mother's caretaker. So she needs to vent, and unfortunately, as much as she wants my help and is appreciative, I get to be the target of her frustration. Not me personally, but I get to hear all about how SHE'S overworked, not enough is being done for HER, blah blah blah. Now fortunately, I understand that none of this is about me. She's frustrated and overworked but she played a role in getting herself into that positi0n. And while I may not have done everything perfectly, I was far from negligent. And I can only be SO wrong and then she has to pony up and take some responsibility. Even though, she never has to make that acknowledgment to me--BECAUSE I KNOW IT'S TRUE. AND THAT'S ALL THAT MATTERS! :) And that gives me a lot of peace, that and my mental shield that I have up when talking to her. Still if I could find a Bozo the Clown doll with her picture on it, well.....

b)Acceptance is really a magnificent thing. There's a lot of talk & worry around the office about the company opening up a Georgetown office and eventually developing an individual team to serve that area. The whole purpose is to remain a presence in Williamson County/Georgetown so as not to lose what's sure to be a growing business population to other hospices. So the thought is that they're gonna take 2 social workers for that office. Now we'd still be able to work out of the main office but what may end up happening is that the social workers for that area would have pt's primarily in Williamson County. Since I have so many Georgetown pts, it's probably a given that I would be one of the "reassigned" social workers.

I've had my qualms with this arrangement. First, develop a plan before you make an announcement that's going to upend a lot of people's routines and workstyles. Second, Georgetown, although ~close to where I live, is still a commute for me. And when I move again I plan to head back in towards town where I lived previously. So that means that down the road, my commute will get longer.

But, in processing my feelings/concerns with the Lead Social Worker, I've come to a conclusion/had some insights. It's likely that once clinicians are moved up to this office/team, their case areas would be redrawn. So even if I had a bunch of Williamson County (and no further), I'd likely lose a lot of or all of my outer Travis County areas (Lago Vista, Jonestown, Leander, etc), which would make things easier on myself. And secondly, since so much of this is poorly executed speculation, it's pointless to worry too much about what ifs that haven't even come to pass.

And that's what I've decided to do. I don't want to move to a new team but it's not a done deal yet. And if I did move to that team, at least one of my "equal" social workers on the team I'm currently on would likely be going too. And she's cool, so at least I'd have one cool fellow team member. And Dr. Fred would likely go too. And she's awesome.

So we'll just see, but for once it's nice to not be overly worried about it. The serenity prayer is a good thing :)

From time to time

I come across stuff that just makes me say "Whatever!"

I'm all for people being idealistic and positive but at some pt, I think you have to realize that we don't live in a perfect world and not everyone ascribes (or should ascribe) to this coombayah philosophy of life and interacting with people.

And if your only way to approach things is to be staunchly positive and deny the fact that you might have to compromise and work with people that you don't like, well I think you set yourself for a bumpy ride.

That's how I feel, anyway.

Thoughts prompted by a myspace blog.

Note to self

It might not be the best idea in the future to listen to Little Earthquakes when you're PMS-ing. Mr. Kitty eventually tires of you trying to hug him.

I'm just sayin....

Finally a place where I don't have to be political

I know, who'd of thought that I wouldn't want to be political?! ;)

Before I say anything else, I've been impressed with my emotional maturity on this whole issue today.

I had my 6 month evaluation and got an increase. Yay!

And the review went well. My team leader, like a typical Gemini, is quite chameolonic and today it was nice to see a more personable, approachable side to her. Usually it's words and affect are incongruent, but that's a whole other issue.

One of the comments she put in my evaluation was that I sometimes communicate defensively with other team members. I'll be honest and say that unfortunately this is not the first time I've recvd this feedback, in this job or others. In my defense (sort of) I'm not aware of acting defensively. I think part of the problem is also in the eye of the beholder (i.e. whoever feels I'm being defensive).

I've improved over the time that I've been at my job and I give myself credit for that. I discussed this issue appropriately in the meeting with my supv, but I also asserted my experience that I am talked defensively to by team members as well. (One RN in particular). She (my supv) was open to that feedback and admitted that as far as all the team goes, good communication is a work in progress.

The only thing I wish I would have done differently is to actually SAY this RN's name. Maybe my supv. was able to ferret out who I meant. Part of me didn't say it out of an old habit of weaker self-assertion and "trying to be nice". But I realized after it was all done that I think I'm done doing that. Not to say that I'm gonna be a troublemaker or instigator but seriously. Whoever brought this up, and I'm pretty sure I know who it was, didn't have any qualms about saying my name so why should I pussy-foot around and not say hers if she's equally culpable?

And even though my supv stated (maybe true, maybe not) that more than one person has had that feedback for me, I don't like this one RN and I don't like how she interacts with hardly anybody on the team. And maybe I'm scapegoating her but she's earned a good part of it.

But, here's where I'm proud, this didn't stick in my craw all day. Partly bc me and a few of the other social workers had our own impromptu venting session. But I recognize part of how I'm feeling differently as some personal growth, and I pat myself on the back for it.