I ran into one of my residents who was going to an extreme pro life club that was calling fetuses (because that's what they are) Pre-Borns and spreading a bunch of awful lies about pro choice supporters, and he's such a nice guy, but I'm struggling with it, honestly. How do you just deal with and put aside when your residents have *extreme* beliefs?
Oh lord. That’s a hell of a situation. I think the best thing to do might be to sit down and have a conversation. Lying about other people is an issue, no matter what their believes, and having a conversation about respect seems like it could be really important. If you feel uncomfortable on your own, you could reach out to your Area Coordinator (or equivalent) first and see if they can help you come up with a way to address this.
Different believes are one thing, but spreading lies about people is not alright. And if you have that conversation, make sure you address the part about respect more than their beliefs. Dialogue is important.
And honestly, you just have to remind yourself they’re people too and resist the urge to tear them a new one. (I have to resist the urge to pull down every trump sign I see still. I get really close some days)
Your beliefs are probably seen as extreme to them, so keeping that idea of respect people no matter what is really important. And if they start making threats, that’s probably a conduct issue that you can take to a higher level because people could fear for their safety. (You need to check your own school’s handbook though because policies change from school to school)
Also, if you or someone else feels safe doing so, a conversation about science probably couldn’t hurt. People can be prolife and still respect the science that exists on the matter.