I think there is an important distinction which needs to be made
nowadays between the difference of Christian faith and Christian
worldview. Let me explain. These days, one can run into many people who
will claim they "love Jesus" and attend church; however, if one were to
probe deeper into this person's affection for Jesus, oftentimes one will
discover the person's worldview to be completely at odds with
Scripture. The individual will affirm and endorse homosexuality,
same-sex "marriage", relativism, "all roads lead to God" notion, people
are good and other ideas that do not coincide with a biblical framework
of reality.
I do not doubt that there are genuine
followers of Christ who happen to be completely ignorant of what it
means to cultivate and develop a biblical worldview. The church and
parents are mostly to blame for that. What one doe snot see very often
is a follower of Christ who has trusted Jesus for his salvation after
recognizing his own sinfulness and gradually crafting an outlook of
reality that is explicitly biblical.
Cultivating a
Christian worldview means behaving and thinking in such a way that
aligns with what the Triune God of Scripture commands and teaches. If
God says "...a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to
his wife and they shall become one flesh," then that excludes any
relationship which wants to be deemed marriage as unacceptable. That is,
any relationship falling outside the boundaries of a man and a woman is
not marriage. Yet it is not uncommon to find self-identifying
Christians which will not hold fast to this biblical teaching. They will
jump on board with the world and promote the redefinition of marriage
to include homosexual relationships.
It seems the root
issue for some Christians is the authority and inspiration of
Scripture. If one believes the Bible is full of errors, contradictions,
etc. then one will not take seriously what it proclaims about the world.
However, for the faithful follower of Christ who believes God has
spoken to His creation through special revelation, they ought to be more
intentional about developing a Christian worldview. For those doubting
the authority of the Bible, I suggest they read books and articles by
men of faith who have dealt with this issue a long time ago (e.g., James
White, Greg Bahsnen, among many).
It is extremely
vital for Christians not to be sucked into the deception and foolishness
of the world. When one listens to the news of current events which are
happening within our very nation, it is truly disheartening. Animals
valued more than humans; babies being killed within a mother's womb;
indoctrination within colleges and K-12 schools; the list goes on. As
Christians, let us read the Bible and think deeply how what we read
carries over into our society today. Granted this is not always easy but
it is sure worth the effort.
Friday, December 6, 2013
Friday, November 22, 2013
Real Life Examples of Social Work Prejudice and Bias
While coming to the end of my first semester in my MSW program, I've encountered numerous examples of violations of the NASW Code of Ethics (the field's Bible for social work practice) by professors, workers in the field and current MSW students. Here are just some:
1. During a visit with a supervisor, political affiliation became alluded to. The supervisor said, "If you're a Republican, I'll kill you." She said this in a joking manner, displaying her dislike of Republicans.
2. Hardcore feminist professor deliberately misrepresents the views of those she disagrees with and expresses disbelief at how anyone would be a Republican.
3. Same feminist professor exclaims no one can use Fox News as a source for an assignment (because they are one of the very few non-leftist news organizations).
4. Professor writes "conservatives, military, police and capitalism" on white board and tells class to rank from 1-4 which are most responsible for racism, sexism and some other "ism" in society. The implication being all these ARE responsible but just rank which are MOST responsible.
5. Textbook says something to the effect that people sometimes hold to irrational beliefs. Then the textbook gives an example of a sick woman who declines medicinal help because she believes God is punishing her. The textbook declares this woman's belief irrational.
6. During a class discussion, topic of same-sex marriage came up. A young handicapped man from Africa expressed his cultural/religious belief that marriage is to only be between one man and one woman. Several of his classmates couldn't hold their tongue and told him not to bring his cultural beliefs into the discussion.
These are just some examples; I haven't listed them all. For a profession that is so adamant about "multiculturalism," "pluralism," "tolerance," and being nonjudgmental and non-biased, I cannot recall a time where I have seen so many prejudiced, biased and intolerant individuals in one room. The hypocrisy of these individuals is risible yet disheartening at the same time
1. During a visit with a supervisor, political affiliation became alluded to. The supervisor said, "If you're a Republican, I'll kill you." She said this in a joking manner, displaying her dislike of Republicans.
2. Hardcore feminist professor deliberately misrepresents the views of those she disagrees with and expresses disbelief at how anyone would be a Republican.
3. Same feminist professor exclaims no one can use Fox News as a source for an assignment (because they are one of the very few non-leftist news organizations).
4. Professor writes "conservatives, military, police and capitalism" on white board and tells class to rank from 1-4 which are most responsible for racism, sexism and some other "ism" in society. The implication being all these ARE responsible but just rank which are MOST responsible.
5. Textbook says something to the effect that people sometimes hold to irrational beliefs. Then the textbook gives an example of a sick woman who declines medicinal help because she believes God is punishing her. The textbook declares this woman's belief irrational.
6. During a class discussion, topic of same-sex marriage came up. A young handicapped man from Africa expressed his cultural/religious belief that marriage is to only be between one man and one woman. Several of his classmates couldn't hold their tongue and told him not to bring his cultural beliefs into the discussion.
These are just some examples; I haven't listed them all. For a profession that is so adamant about "multiculturalism," "pluralism," "tolerance," and being nonjudgmental and non-biased, I cannot recall a time where I have seen so many prejudiced, biased and intolerant individuals in one room. The hypocrisy of these individuals is risible yet disheartening at the same time
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Think Twice Before Considering MSW Degree
I'm currently in my first year in a MSW program. I'm having serious second thoughts about continuing on with the program. Let me explain some reasons why.
1. The pay stinks. I knew beforehand that social workers typically do not make a lot of money. I didn't think I would enter this field and come out making a 6 figure salary years down the road. With that being said, I also did not realize how little of an increase in pay there is after years in the field. After talking to people in the field, graduates of MSW programs and looking online, I've fully realized that even after working the field for 10, 15 or 20 years one might still be making $50k. That's horrible. I'm not saying this is the case for everyone but I think it is for most social workers, excluding those with dual degrees (e.g., MBA, JD, MPA, etc.)
2. MSW degrees are typically very expensive. The school I'm currently attending charges around $40k for a two year MSW degree (i.e., in tuition only). I know schools like USC charge around $80k for the degree. That's unbelievable. Some people will tell you you have to go to a well known school to make more money and build better connections. That's bull. Don't listen to them. They'll be working in the same jobs as those who graduated from a cheaper state school except the state school graduates won't be in debt almost $100k. The degree is costly though and as mentioned before, the earning potential for social workers is very low especially for someone who has a graduate degree. I would advise people not to go for the MSW unless they are receiving a significant amount of scholarship and/or their job is paying for the degree.
3. The field is dominated by leftists (or as Star Parker calls them, "The enemies of God"). Every course I've taken thus far has had a leftist professor and textbook. You'll hear nonsense like, "Families don't need fathers," or "Homosexuals just want marriage equaliuty and they are "oppressed." One of my teachers is a hardcore feminist and constantly alludes to it throughout her lectures. You'll hear only one side of most social issues and if you dare bring up the fact that you're conservative or Republican, you'll be ostracized and ridiculed. You won't gain an education from attending most MSW programs I suspect. You'll be indoctrinated with leftist dogma and never hear another side to any issue unless you actively seek out other opposing views on your own time.
4. Many jobs out there in the world that only require a bachelors degree or less are available and pay the same or sometimes more than what MSW graduates make. One could go to a community college, complete a year long program and become a massage therapist making roughly around the same amount of money as many MSW graduates make. Others can go learn a trade at a technical school, complete it in a lot less time than a bachelors and MSW degree take and come out making the same or more money than MSW degree holders.
5. Even after getting your license (e.g., LSW, LCSW), you have to pay to take courses every year or so in order to keep the license valid. These continuing education courses are not cheap and you have to take several of them. Social workers already make little money yet the state requires that you do this in order to keep your license. How ridiculous! Plus, still after getting these licenses your pay does not significantly increase.
These are just some of the thoughts that come to mind and that have caused me to seriously reconsider pursuing this degree. I'm not sure that it is a worthwhile investment but to each his own.
1. The pay stinks. I knew beforehand that social workers typically do not make a lot of money. I didn't think I would enter this field and come out making a 6 figure salary years down the road. With that being said, I also did not realize how little of an increase in pay there is after years in the field. After talking to people in the field, graduates of MSW programs and looking online, I've fully realized that even after working the field for 10, 15 or 20 years one might still be making $50k. That's horrible. I'm not saying this is the case for everyone but I think it is for most social workers, excluding those with dual degrees (e.g., MBA, JD, MPA, etc.)
2. MSW degrees are typically very expensive. The school I'm currently attending charges around $40k for a two year MSW degree (i.e., in tuition only). I know schools like USC charge around $80k for the degree. That's unbelievable. Some people will tell you you have to go to a well known school to make more money and build better connections. That's bull. Don't listen to them. They'll be working in the same jobs as those who graduated from a cheaper state school except the state school graduates won't be in debt almost $100k. The degree is costly though and as mentioned before, the earning potential for social workers is very low especially for someone who has a graduate degree. I would advise people not to go for the MSW unless they are receiving a significant amount of scholarship and/or their job is paying for the degree.
3. The field is dominated by leftists (or as Star Parker calls them, "The enemies of God"). Every course I've taken thus far has had a leftist professor and textbook. You'll hear nonsense like, "Families don't need fathers," or "Homosexuals just want marriage equaliuty and they are "oppressed." One of my teachers is a hardcore feminist and constantly alludes to it throughout her lectures. You'll hear only one side of most social issues and if you dare bring up the fact that you're conservative or Republican, you'll be ostracized and ridiculed. You won't gain an education from attending most MSW programs I suspect. You'll be indoctrinated with leftist dogma and never hear another side to any issue unless you actively seek out other opposing views on your own time.
4. Many jobs out there in the world that only require a bachelors degree or less are available and pay the same or sometimes more than what MSW graduates make. One could go to a community college, complete a year long program and become a massage therapist making roughly around the same amount of money as many MSW graduates make. Others can go learn a trade at a technical school, complete it in a lot less time than a bachelors and MSW degree take and come out making the same or more money than MSW degree holders.
5. Even after getting your license (e.g., LSW, LCSW), you have to pay to take courses every year or so in order to keep the license valid. These continuing education courses are not cheap and you have to take several of them. Social workers already make little money yet the state requires that you do this in order to keep your license. How ridiculous! Plus, still after getting these licenses your pay does not significantly increase.
These are just some of the thoughts that come to mind and that have caused me to seriously reconsider pursuing this degree. I'm not sure that it is a worthwhile investment but to each his own.
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