One of my students.. approximately nine years old.. told me he didn't believe in God.
He fulfilled all the requirements to pass my class.. so.. he passed.. but he told me he didn't believe in God.
I wanted to talk to my priest about it.. I wanted advice from the Religious Education Director.. I wanted advice from my priest.. i wanted advice for the Pastoral Associate..
No one wanted to help me.
The kept telling me that he was too young to understand. He's got his entire lifetime to figure it out. He's young. He's just trying to get attention. It doesn't really mean anything.
Now.. let me ask you this..
If it were one of your children that had said it.. what would you do?
I consider these students my own children. I don't have children of my own.. and so I take my student's catechesis very seriously. I want to see them grow in their faith and I understand that at the age they are in.. believing in something so profound can be overwhelming. Children need things materialized for them.. they need to see things sometimes to believe them..
Christ cannot materialize himself and come and visit my classroom. So I have to do my best to explain it all to them.
I know it could go over some kid's head. I know that some kids won't be able to understand at that specific moment. I know that it can be a tough subject to grasp.
But to blatantly tell your religious education teacher that you don't believe in God.. how is that going to make the teacher feel? Of course it will raise concern.
Why was I the only one concerned?
I got no help from my parish's religious education department. In fact, they told me not to get our parish priest involved. I wasn't going to get him involved completely.. I just needed advice!
It's RELIGiOUS EDUCATION!!! I'm not allowed to ask for spiritual guidance.. from a PRIEST!?!?!
Again.. I say to you.. if it were YOUR child that said that.. what would YOU have done???
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2 comments:
I think their comments were right. He is young, and might have done it for attention. Some people like to always stand out, for better or worse.
One becomes a believer on his/her own terms. You did what you could. Did you ask him why he didn't believe in God? In the future, perhaps you should do it, in a nonchalant/non-confrontational way of course. His answer would tell you if he was really sincere. If he in fact was, then his answer might show you how you could strengthen your teachings, or maybe his cause of doubt would be addressed in another class.
And if it were my child, I would just hope he would eventually become a believer. It is a matter totally up to him and God; there is only so much a parent (or teacher) can do. If you push him too far, you will have the opposite effect than you intended to have.
"Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord. Fathers, do not embitter your children, lest they become discouraged" (Colossians 3:20-21)
The good news is when I was nine I didn't believe in God eoither. I was a proud atheist. I believed in science. Don't worry God won't let go of him. He never left go of me.
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