SOCIAL WORK: EXAM #2 STUDY GUIDE
questions and answers passed
1. The Religious Roots of Social Welfare
The desire to help someone is not, as far as we know, instinctive. The very desire to help others,
and, therefore, the beginning of social welfare, seems to have developed as a part of religion.
Almost all religions have obligated their followers to engage in acts of charity, sometimes only to
members of their sect and sometimes to anyone in need.5 All major religions have, to some
extent, stressed responsibility for one's fellows, kindness or justice to the needy, and self-
fulfillment through service.
2. Early Egyptian Roots
Egyptian civilization is the oldest culture to have left a substantial written record. It is, therefore,
used here to illustrate the early development of religious injunctions regarding social welfare.
Morris points out that a similar evolution was taking place in Assyrian, Mesopotamian, and
Chinese societies.6 The early Egyptian holy book, called the Boo - correct answer ✔✔Chapter 8:
The Religious Roots of Social Welfare
1. The Religious Roots of Organized Social Work
The philosophical basis for social welfare is largely found in religious teachings, so it is not
surprising that the earliest forms of organized social work all had religious progenitors. Even
before the rise of modern European states, the church was providing social services of a
primitive sort. The earliest organized social welfare activity of the Christian church was the
formation of burial societies, followed closely by provision of alms to the poor, shelter for the
homeless, and care and comfort for the sick; monasteries often served as all-purpose social
service agencies, acting as hospitals, homes for the aged, orphanages, and travelers' aid
stations.24 As discussed in Chapter 3, however, it was not until the onset of industrialization and
urbanization, when the informal helping systems of the church and family began to break down,
that organized social welfare s - correct answer ✔✔Chapter 8: The Religious Roots of Organized
Social Work
1. Should the Church Be Involved in Social Work and Social Welfare?
, There are those both in the church and in the social work profession who do not feel that the
church should be involved in social welfare. From the perspective of the church, this is an issue
that assumed more importance in the past than it does now. The major argument is that the
church should be concerned with saving souls, not with redeeming society. The colorful 19th-
century evangelist Billy Sunday is quoted by Marty as having said, "The road to the kingdom of
God is not by the bathtub or the gymnasium [two common services provided by social welfare
agencies of the time], nor the university, but by the blood red hand of the cross of Christ."
Sunday criticized Christian social welfare agencies of the time, such as the YMCA, because "they
have taken up sociology and settlement work but are not winning souls to Christ." He was
overheard by a reporte - correct answer ✔✔Chapter 8: Should the Church Be Involved in Social
Work and Social Welfare?
Conclusion
Religion and social work have a long and closely intertwined history. They are natural allies and
collaborators, both being concerned with the well-being of people, justice, and problems of the
oppressed, as well as many other mutual interests. But as social work has become more
secularized and more tolerant of "atypical" behavior, and as conservative religion has become a
more powerful force in society, and more closely aligned with conservative politics, the
potential for problems between these old allies has increased.
How great have these problems actually proved to be? Because it has been only in the past few
years that many people have even perceived the potential for conflict, we really do not have
much data on which to base a firm conclusion. However, the data that are beginning to come in
indicate that the relationship between religion and social work is not presenting as great a
problem as feared - correct answer ✔✔Chapter 8: Conclusion
1. Who Are the Poor?
In this section we present a statistical picture of the population in the United States who live
below the poverty line. Two types of pictures are presented. The first is the traditional means of
describing this population based on statistical data gathered mainly by the Census Bureau as
part of its series of Current Population Reports. This is the source of most of the figures you see
on the evening news and that are referred to in statements by lawmakers and interest groups.
This type of information has been referred to as cross-section or snapshot data: It provides a
series of statistical pictures at certain points in time, but it does not tell us much beyond a
general description of the situation at that time. Poverty statistics show, for example, that the
level of poverty in this country is fairly stable, running between 11 and 15 percent each year,
questions and answers passed
1. The Religious Roots of Social Welfare
The desire to help someone is not, as far as we know, instinctive. The very desire to help others,
and, therefore, the beginning of social welfare, seems to have developed as a part of religion.
Almost all religions have obligated their followers to engage in acts of charity, sometimes only to
members of their sect and sometimes to anyone in need.5 All major religions have, to some
extent, stressed responsibility for one's fellows, kindness or justice to the needy, and self-
fulfillment through service.
2. Early Egyptian Roots
Egyptian civilization is the oldest culture to have left a substantial written record. It is, therefore,
used here to illustrate the early development of religious injunctions regarding social welfare.
Morris points out that a similar evolution was taking place in Assyrian, Mesopotamian, and
Chinese societies.6 The early Egyptian holy book, called the Boo - correct answer ✔✔Chapter 8:
The Religious Roots of Social Welfare
1. The Religious Roots of Organized Social Work
The philosophical basis for social welfare is largely found in religious teachings, so it is not
surprising that the earliest forms of organized social work all had religious progenitors. Even
before the rise of modern European states, the church was providing social services of a
primitive sort. The earliest organized social welfare activity of the Christian church was the
formation of burial societies, followed closely by provision of alms to the poor, shelter for the
homeless, and care and comfort for the sick; monasteries often served as all-purpose social
service agencies, acting as hospitals, homes for the aged, orphanages, and travelers' aid
stations.24 As discussed in Chapter 3, however, it was not until the onset of industrialization and
urbanization, when the informal helping systems of the church and family began to break down,
that organized social welfare s - correct answer ✔✔Chapter 8: The Religious Roots of Organized
Social Work
1. Should the Church Be Involved in Social Work and Social Welfare?
, There are those both in the church and in the social work profession who do not feel that the
church should be involved in social welfare. From the perspective of the church, this is an issue
that assumed more importance in the past than it does now. The major argument is that the
church should be concerned with saving souls, not with redeeming society. The colorful 19th-
century evangelist Billy Sunday is quoted by Marty as having said, "The road to the kingdom of
God is not by the bathtub or the gymnasium [two common services provided by social welfare
agencies of the time], nor the university, but by the blood red hand of the cross of Christ."
Sunday criticized Christian social welfare agencies of the time, such as the YMCA, because "they
have taken up sociology and settlement work but are not winning souls to Christ." He was
overheard by a reporte - correct answer ✔✔Chapter 8: Should the Church Be Involved in Social
Work and Social Welfare?
Conclusion
Religion and social work have a long and closely intertwined history. They are natural allies and
collaborators, both being concerned with the well-being of people, justice, and problems of the
oppressed, as well as many other mutual interests. But as social work has become more
secularized and more tolerant of "atypical" behavior, and as conservative religion has become a
more powerful force in society, and more closely aligned with conservative politics, the
potential for problems between these old allies has increased.
How great have these problems actually proved to be? Because it has been only in the past few
years that many people have even perceived the potential for conflict, we really do not have
much data on which to base a firm conclusion. However, the data that are beginning to come in
indicate that the relationship between religion and social work is not presenting as great a
problem as feared - correct answer ✔✔Chapter 8: Conclusion
1. Who Are the Poor?
In this section we present a statistical picture of the population in the United States who live
below the poverty line. Two types of pictures are presented. The first is the traditional means of
describing this population based on statistical data gathered mainly by the Census Bureau as
part of its series of Current Population Reports. This is the source of most of the figures you see
on the evening news and that are referred to in statements by lawmakers and interest groups.
This type of information has been referred to as cross-section or snapshot data: It provides a
series of statistical pictures at certain points in time, but it does not tell us much beyond a
general description of the situation at that time. Poverty statistics show, for example, that the
level of poverty in this country is fairly stable, running between 11 and 15 percent each year,
