Autism In Church Analysis

Imago Dai—the Bible tells us that we are all made in the image of God. And if so, why is it that people who are perceived as “different” are judged and persecuted against among the Christen tradition? It is hard to fathom a life lived in the grips of autism, constantly in sensory overload and not being able to effectively communicate. When families go to church, they want to celebrate the life God has granted them, but because of the often-disruptive nature of autism, families with autistic children are not always so welcomed among the congregations. It is a touchy subject on both sides; how the church views autism versus how the families view the church. There is, however, a guiding light, a cluster communities throughout the world dedicated bridging the gap between autism and religion.
Autism in Church
To fully understand this essay, one must have an idea of what autism is like. Autism is defined as “a group of complex disorders of brain development. These disorders are characterized, in varying degrees, by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal …show more content…
In Aristotle’s philosophy, there are 3 types of friendship; friendships based on pleasure, utility, and virtue (Wadell, 27). L’Arche enacts all of these in one. Friendships of pleasure are obvious; they take place all day long throughout the community. The friendships of utility are found in L’Arche’s workshops. People working together to create things like baked goods, wood works and other labors of the hand. Then there are the friendships of virtue, which are the most crucial. These are the friendships that are deep, meant to better each other and it is the act of love for love’s sake. There is nothing and everything to be gained from these relationships all at once. God commands us to love your neighbor as you love yourself. This is the central idea of Eudaimonia. L’Arch challenges the notion that the disabled and abled cannot be