Society’s View of Religion is Just Plain Wrong

The Case

Joseph Nussbaumer is a licensed clinical Christian psychologist. He founded Groveland Family & Crisis Counseling back in 1990 and has provided services to hundreds of court-mandated participants in Florida’s Batterers’ Intervention Program since its beginning in 1995. The curriculum he uses is based on a “biblical view of domestic violence.”

However, it seems that now the state does not want counselors using what they are calling “faith-based ideologies” in their counseling. They are insisting on some kind of religion free content. The Florida Department of Children and Families has now denied him certification to participate.

Nussbaumer took this to court saying his 1st Amendment rights were violated in not certifying him. First a federal district court backed up the state, and now the 11th  U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has also rejected his claims. At this point, he is banned from any longer participating in the program as long as he uses his Christian based materials. (You can read about this case at: https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/local/state/2025/09/05/florida-wins-lawsuit-faith-banned-in-domestic-violence-programs/85989739007/?taid=68bb4f88ffc10f00011532ab&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter)

Personally, I don’t know where these people get this kind of reasoning. There is no such thing as religion free content. Nussbaumer is a Christian and he looks to the Bible as the source of his values and principles to help people through their family crises. The question I have is, “What is the source of the values and principles that the state and the courts think is acceptable to use?” They come from somewhere, and wherever it is, it is a religious source.

The Possibilities

The source these government entities seem to find acceptable absolutely come from some set of worldview beliefs. So, just what are the possibilities?

1. Theistic Beliefs

One possibility is that they accept theistic beliefs. This would include principles that come from various religions such as Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Mormonism, and others that believe in a transcendent God. This wouldn’t be acceptable as it is what the courts have just struck down.

2. Animistic Beliefs

Another possibility is that they accept animistic beliefs. This is the belief that there are spirit beings in nature that humans interact with in a symbiotic relationship. Religions such as Japanese Shinto, Native American religions, Wicca, and the like fall into this category. In that case, the counselor would have to somehow interact with the spirit world to discover how to deal with family problems. Well, that obviously would not be acceptable either, as this would involve some kind of religious input.

3. Far Eastern Pantheistic Beliefs

A third possibility would be to accept Far Eastern Pantheism. This approach asserts the existence of an ultimate impersonal life force that directs the course of reality. Faith systems such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and the like fall into this category. To get at the proper way to deal with family matters based on this belief, a counselor would have to somehow discern the principles that govern the operation of karma. Again, based on their bias against religions, obviously not an acceptable way according to the court.

4. Naturalistic Beliefs

This brings us to naturalistic beliefs. Naturalism is the belief that the natural universe, operating by natural laws, is all that exists. In other words, it is atheistic. Those who lean this way assert that since they don’t believe in God and don’t attend religious gatherings or participate in religious rituals, they don’t have religious beliefs. But nothing could be further from the truth. Whether the state workers or the judges who ruled on Nussbaumer’s case realize it or not, they used some set of principles and values to make their determination, and the only possibility for counselors would be to know what these government workers believed about the proper values and principles of counseling and to use those – and whatever that is, it is based on some set of religious beliefs.

The Fact of the Matter

So, if atheistic Naturalists don’t believe in a theistic or animistic understanding of God, and they don’t believe in accepting religious values based on karma, then where do they get their principles and values? There is only one possibility. They get them from their own personal opinion about what it right and wrong, true and false, good and bad.

Then the question becomes, “What makes their personal opinion better or more right than anyone else’s?” Why should their personal opinions be the basis for counseling people on how to manage a family’s crisis? The truth is, the state and those judges are wrong, and they have no business dictating to counselors how to counsel.

This does, of course, leave a messy state of affairs. When you allow free speech and freedom of religion, the more pluralistic a society becomes, the messier the situation. But there is a way to deal with this. Rather than policing people’s speech, look at results. That is, is the counselor’s work producing an outcome that helps to end domestic violence? There is no doubt that is a hard judgment to make and, again, it is messy process. But better that than the government dictating what people can and cannot believe. 

Believe it or not, that approach follows Christian worldview beliefs. That doesn’t mean everyone has to use a Christian counselor or Christian materials (though that probably would lead to better outcomes). What it does mean is that the responsibility is put on the individual and not government overlords. Let individuals choose the kind of counseling they want, and let the government simply oversee the process to make sure they are getting a good outcome. That is a Christian worldview approach.

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Freddy Davis is the president of MarketFaith Ministries. He is the author of numerous books entitled The Truth Mirage, Rules for Christians Radicals, Liberalism vs. Conservatism, and his latest book Shattering the Truth Mirage and has a background as an international missionary, pastor, radio host, worldview trainer, and entrepreneur. Freddy is a graduate of Florida State University with a BS in Communication, and holds MDiv and DMin degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a popular speaker, particularly on the topic of worldview and its practical implications for the Christian life. He lives in Tallahassee, FL, with his wife Deborah.

You may also contact Freddy at Leadership Speakers Bureau to schedule him for speaking or leadership engagements.

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