I had that problem. You don’t need more smarts, you just need practice with public debate. What you outlined is factually correct but it’s unwieldy from a debate standpoint. Here’s how to win in three easy steps.
Step 1. When you correct a teacher in public, do so humbly. Even if you know that they’re totally clueless, be charitable about it or you’ll end up fighting their pride. When you interrupt, address them as though they’ve made a minor slip up so they have a chance to save face. It also serves as a headline to grab the attention of the rest of the class. Here’s some punchy headlines:
- No, not hell, purgatory.
- No, indulgences don’t help with hell, they help with purgatory.
- Indulgences do not get people out of hell – they get people out of purgatory.
- Actually no. Indulgences remit the temporal effects of sin. They have absolutely nothing to do with getting out of Hell.
Remember to speak slowly. When you shout a long distance you have to shout very very slowly. The same thing applies to addressing a classroom, especially if you don’t have a wall behind you. Speak slowly or you won’t be understood.
**Step 2. **Now it’s back in their court. Either they accept what you said and move on, dismiss it as irrelevant and move on, or disagree with you.
If they accept what you said and move on, let them. But next time, come up with a more interesting headline so you can draw them into a real discussion.
If they dismiss your claim as irrelevant, you have to explain why the distinction is real. This is the trickiest because it’s so easy for modern man to tune out the finer points of Theology. Dumb down your response so that it doesn’t ‘look’ technical. The goal is to make it so blatantly obvious they can’t pretend to miss the point. Making it simple enough to understand is not good enough. If you get ignored too much, try saying something more aggressive like “Not true!” or “Incorrect!” to get a rise out of them.
You can also hold your tongue and wait for them to bring up an example where the the distinction is important.
You could also try saying that since the point is so minor, what’s the harm in using the correct word?
If they disagree, congratulations! You have a shot at teaching the faith. Go slowly. They’ll get tired of learning before you reveal all of Catholic Faith to them so there’s no sense in rushing. Just teach them point by point until they’re full.
Step 3. Smile the whole time.
God bless!
