WHAT MOTIVATED THE ABOVE QUESTIONS
My teaching of Religious Education particularly began to develop in 1997, when I coordinated Year 10 Religious Education and instituted Community Service. I discovered that the overall effect was positive in breaking down one barrier existing between children and Christianity - the perceived irrelevance between Faith and Life.
However, many other similar barriers exist. My Religious Education Teaching philosophy entails identifying these barriers and attempting to break them down, together with my students. These barriers are reflected in the questions utilised in this survey AND the strategies employed with my Year 11 CONTROL GROUP, whose results compare to the overall Year 11 student results. Please note that the information in the Existing Counter Measures column relates to my personal experience and discussions with teachers' methodology and to the various teaching resources available to teachers. The Result of Counter Measures column details my experience with students who have a poor theological background, due to a variety of factors and highlights the need for Religious Education teachers to be fully aware of Church teaching and Practice, ready to clarify complex theological content.
The barriers are:
| BARRIERS | CONCEPT WHICH THUS APPEARS IRRELEVANT FROM THE START | EXISTING COUNTER MEASURES ADOPTED BY TEACHERS | RESULT OF COUNTER MEASURE
Particularly with students with a poor theological and devotional background. |
| - belief in indisputable credibility of Evolution and the Big Bang (out of nothing) and other theories - without God | Creation of the world by God
with design and purpose Credibility of Scriptures |
Explanation of the true
Church teaching on the Creation stories and the nature of
'myth' as revealing a deeper truth Theologians tolerate various theories as long as God begins all 'It is Faith. You can't prove it." |
Confusion - what about
Original Sin, the Catechism understanding of our 'first
parents'? Bible is seen as just a book Creation appears to be just as much a theory as Evolution from Ape-Man is. Often, teachers feel at a loss to deal with student questions regarding the mainstream secular and anti-Christian scientific explanations. At times, seminars I have attended, which educate teachers, have instructed teachers to rationalize the existence of angels, miracles etc., as figures of speech or symbols. (Basically, the application of current literary concepts to Biblical and revealed truth, forgetting that the same principles do not apply) All this has resulted in confusion and has contributed to a loss of faith. The saying 'You can't prove it, we just believe' is read by students as a cop out. |
| BARRIERS | CONCEPT WHICH THUS APPEARS IRRELEVANT FROM THE START | EXISTING COUNTER MEASURES ADOPTED BY TEACHERS | RESULT OF COUNTER MEASURE |
| Notion of freedom as
subjectivism. "I can do what I want, if I want to.
It is my choice." (Often without any consideration
of the consequences) ____________ Perceived moralistic attitude of Church and Commandments and Church keeps people in slavery. "You can't do this and you can't do that." |
An understanding of the
freedom willed for us by God. Acceptance of Church teaching and respect for the authority of the Church. Altruistic attitudes and beliefs |
An explanation that the
Commandments are not to enslave us but to set us free A close look at what 'TRUE freedom' is |
Very effective to show
students that there are different types of freedom and
that Jesus wishes to set us free as we really want down
deep inside. Yet, many students seem not to be aware of this OR it is not reinforced over the years. |
| BARRIERS | CONCEPT WHICH THUS APPEARS IRRELEVANT FROM THE START | EXISTING COUNTER MEASURES ADOPTED BY TEACHERS | RESULT OF COUNTER MEASURE
Particularly with students with a poor theological and devotional background. |
| Jesus never existed and
His miracles didn't either ___________ No proof of his existence |
- Belief in Jesus as Saviour and hope in his presence and in power of prayer | An explanation of what the
Bible tells us about Jesus. Teachers sometimes share personal experience of Miracles in their own lives. Miracles are explained in context of faith and the need for them in Early Church. Miracles and experience of God in lives of people are presented to students |
For some,
this is not enough. Often it is difficult for teachers to
speak about a personal belief in Jesus or love for him,
with students. Students are not Church people generally.
The question often arises, "Why doesn't God perform
miracles today and intervene?" This is a valid
question but teachers are often not equipped to respond
to it. Often they themselves may not know of any miracles
that exist as the mainstream media does not speak of them.
"Where is the historic proof of Jesus". Often, the mainstream media provides a very biased look at miraculous occurrences, presuming them to be false. The people accept this without question. Not ALL miraculous occurrences are false. We need to judge them according to Church criteria and by their fruits. |
| BARRIERS | CONCEPT WHICH THUS APPEARS IRRELEVANT FROM THE START | EXISTING COUNTER MEASURES ADOPTED BY TEACHERS | RESULT OF COUNTER MEASURE
Particularly with students with a poor theological and devotional background. |
| Truth is relative; a
literary construct. ____________ People can make their
own truth and choose their own religion. ___________ New
Age movement and power of seances etc. (My students
have admitted to participating or knowing of those who
participate) Incomplete understanding of ecumenism. |
Belief in absolute truth
revealed by Jesus. " I am the Way, the Truth and the
Life." Evil exists and is harmful. Catholic Christianity harbours ' the fullness of truth.' Ecumenism does not mean accepting all different religions as equal to Catholicism and Christianity. |
Definition of truth and
Jesus' words Use of conscience, existence of evil and free choice Exploration of the Ecumenical movement Exploration of the main religions in Year 8 and Year 11 The whole notion of seances etc., (which students ARE involved in) is not generally discussed. |
Students are confused about how
different Christianity is to other religions and
why it would make a better choice to other religions. (One
other teacher stated how this led a student to join
another religion in her other school. Their Curriculum
had given students the impression that all religions are
equal. Why not become a Buddhist then?) A significant influence on contemporary teenage and 'daring' culture - music idols such as 'Marilyn Manson', rock music, popular music, heavy metal music, the occult and so on - need to be critiqued as students are swayed by them. (Over half of the Year 8's I teach raised their hand to my question, " How many of you know of someone who has been to a seance or used the ouija board?") |
| BARRIERS | CONCEPT WHICH THUS APPEARS IRRELEVANT FROM THE START | EXISTING COUNTER MEASURES ADOPTED BY TEACHERS | RESULT OF COUNTER MEASURE
Particularly with students with a poor theological and devotional background. |
| An attitude which exalts
tolerance over virtue and 'good feeling' over self-control __________ Sin, is relative. ___________ Poor understanding of conscience |
An understanding which calls
for self-control. An understanding that sin exists and that it is something which we struggle with and seek to overcome. |
A non-confrontational
approach to sin, which is good, and the guidelines
support this. Good explanation on conscience. A year 10 unit on it in particular addresses it. Some teachers find it difficult to speak about sin and consider it a non-topic. |
Lack of sensitivity to sin,
perhaps motivated by a fear that students cannot cope
with it. This has resulted in desensitization to sin and
its effects. Many teachers do not feel comfortable
talking about it and there is confusion about the nature
of sin, original sin, mortal and venial sin and the
Sacrament of Reconciliation. The third Rite of
Reconciliation has, at times, been used as a substitute
for the first or second rites in some cases. Teachers seem to be taught different things about Conscience from different sources. |