Progressing Toward Inclusion? Exploring the State of Religious Diversity‪.‬

Although the social work profession has a proud tradition of celebrating diversity and inclusion, these topics remain contentious professional issues. Religious discrimination in social work has been an issue of controversy for at least a decade, as evidenced by an exchange between Amato-von Hemert (1994) and Clark (1994). In a manner analogous to gender and race in former eras, Amato-von Hemert argued that religious perspectives are largely omitted from professional discourse, fueling the adoption of prejudicial attitudes toward religious populations. In response, Clark stated that Amato-von Hemert had assumed--not proven--discrimination and called for research to ascertain the existence of discrimination in social work forums. Given Clark's (1994) call for research, this article explores perceptions of religious discrimination in social work educational programs. Social work education, in particular, plays a foundational socializing role. The educational milieu fosters the adoption of attitudes that tend to shape future social workers' thoughts and actions throughout their careers (Cnaan, Wineburg, & Boddie, 1999). Consequently, it is critical that research identify potentially discriminatory patterns in the educational process.