Geoffrey W. Sutton PhD, Psychology and Culture

  Evolving 2023 Geoffrey W. Sutton & Bing AI Evolution, Psychology, and Christianity Irreconcilable Differences Barriers and Bridges The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection was published 24 November 1859. Scientists have built on the solid foundation laid by Charles Darwin 165 years ago. New discoveries have refined the theory and expanded our understanding of the evolution of life. For example, we know a lot more about genetics than scientists did in the 1800s. As is commonly known, Christian leaders have denounced evolution and fought the teaching of evolution in American public schools for more than a century. Clearly, the evolutionary explanation of the origins of life, including human beings, is not compatible with traditional Christian teaching about the creation. Evolution explains the diversity of life through such processes as natural selection, mutation, and genetic drift. All species evolve and those that survive to reproduce pass along their gen...

  Christmas Couple 2023 by Geoffrey Sutton & Image Designer   Now it came to pass one snowy Christmas Eve, that Will invited Cate to join him at church where Amelia, his much younger sister, was to shine as an angel. Will and Cate had become close friends as they worked together on High School physics projects. Both were brilliant students who shared a passion for science and perhaps for each other. Cate was more of an independent thinker with a bold openness to new experiences, but she knew she wanted to be a gynaecologist* and already had a university scholarship. Will saw the world in a more conventional way. He was an agreeable and conscientious lad who did not poke holes in the status quo. His parents had paved the way for him to attend a church affiliated college where he would major in physics. Will’s career path was about to change.   Will was in a reflective mood as he watched his sister manage her wings with their mother’s help. Logs burned brightly in...

  Oral Roberts University/Google images On a hot and humid 1950s Sunday afternoon, I sat amongst the crowd of white-shirted, perspiration-soaked men and paper-fan waving Sunday-hat-covered women at a tent crusade in Southeastern Pennsylvania. After preaching salvation, the dark suit jacket came off. Holy hands touched one after another. I watched a line of broken people approach a healing stage and leave with a testimony. Everywhere, white and black hands reached upward as organ tones bolstered songs of praise. (Sutton, 2021, p. 79)   As I was writing Counseling and Psychotherapy with Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians , I was struck by the transitional figure of Oral Roberts who blended faith healing and a nascent Pentecostal theology, which eventually led to a grand attempt to integrate medical science and faith.   Oral Roberts   Oral Roberts was born 24 January 1918. The next month, four waves of a flu pandemic killed off about as many as died i...

  I have found hints that vaccinated people may not transmit COVID-19 to others but there are no large scale studies documenting the level of risk of infecting others (See BBC review of evidence 3 Feb 2021 ). Irrational Belief #2: Vaccinated people cannot transmit COVID-19 to family, friends, and others. Rational Belief: As of February 2021, the evidence is not available to determine the risk of transmission following vaccination therefore, keeping a safe distance from others and wearing a multilayered mask is rational behavior. When it comes to science, new findings can change best practices. Even scientists are dependent on what specialists believe is best based on their analysis of their data. Links to Connections Checkout My Website     www.suttong.com    See my Books    AMAZON             GOOGLE STORE   FOLLOW me on    FACEBOOK     Geoff W. Sutton ...

  Expect irrational talk and behavior to persist even after most people in any given nation who want to be vaccinated for COVID-19 get vaccinated. People created and propagated so many false stories about COVID-19 during the 2020 pandemic. Now that vaccines are becoming more available, the vaccines are part of false beliefs. What’s particularly striking is the harmful beliefs infecting the minds of Americans—a nation where leading scientists were a part of developing effective vaccines and exercising caution in approval. Vaccine Claims The scientists do not claim that their vaccines are 100% effective nor do they claim there will be no side-effects. The data reveal amazing statistics for protecting the vaccinated from serious COVID-19 symptoms and death. So I’m all in for getting my jab when it’s available. The results of clinical trials revealed different rates of effectiveness for those vaccinated. That means the vaccines were NOT effective for every person. Irrational ...

  QAnon offers a religious worldview, that has won the minds of some conservative American Christians. Katelyn Beaty ( 2020, August 17 ) opines “Once the fascination of far-right commentators and their followers, QAnon is no longer fringe.” Argentino calculates a huge increase in QAnon content ( 2020, July 8 ). I have been researching the QAnon movement since 2018. Based on my most recent social media analysis, QAnon has seen a 71 per cent increase in Twitter content and a 651 per cent increase on Facebook since March 2020. New Religious Movements (NRMs) used to be called cults, but behavioral scientists have dropped the term cult because of its negative connotation. Religious scholars remind us that at one time Christianity was considered a cult. QAnon appears to be an NRM with a strong attraction for some evangelical Christians concerned about their faith and their country. Hypotheses about the growth of QAnon are not in short supply . Pastor Jon Thorngate of Wiscons...