A CONSTRUCTIVE RELATIONSHIP FOR RELIGION WITH THE SCIENCE AND PROFESSION OF PSYCHOLOGY - PERHAPS THE BOLDEST MODEL YET

This article goes beyond O'Donohue's (1989) ''(even) bolder model'' of the psychologist as metaphysician-scientist-practitioner to call for an explicit and constructive relationship between psychology and religion. Psychology's previously noninteractive stance toward religion was premised on an outmoded understanding of science and an overly narrow professionalism. Contemporary philosophy of science breaks down the radical demarcation between science and other forms of human knowing and action, including religion. Science and religion are different, but they cannot be categorically separated or viewed as mutually exclusive. A proposal is developed for how religion could participate as an active partner with psychology as a science and as an applied professional discipline.