Catholic Schools: Misleading/Mistaken memes?

[Cake_or_Death]

Forgive me if I posted this within the wrong section, but I wasn’t sure which appeared most suitable.

A few days ago I attended a parents evening at a Catholic elementary school on behalf of a relative who wasn’t able to make the appointment. It’s been some time since I attended as a student so perhaps my memories are rather dulled but sat admits swaves of students work upon the walls and various posters with bright cheery slogans relating to Catholicism I did take the effort to read some of them.

I can only hope nobody takes this as a personal attack because it is not but I must say I found the choices rather peculiar, if not misleading. One poster I saw several times throughout the building echoed various feel good statements; God loves everyone, one day we’re all going to be in heaven. I’m sure many of you know of these sorts of thing. Jesus is your best friend, God loves and accepts everyone. A heroic disney character for want of a better description with a very strong universalist bent.

I’m just wondering what you as parents feel about this. I know from my personal experience that as a child moving on to later grades the impression of Jesus I had gained stood at odds to the figure I would later see in my theology lessons (then again I attended a private Catholic High School known for being ultra-conservative so perhaps that is not a good comparison). I can’t really speak so much for other faith schools so perhaps this is normal. Do you think it has any impact, positive or negative on a childs faith/formation? I’m rather curious.

 

[MaryT777]

 

[grannymh]

Speaking as an older than dirt CAF member, I have already seen various thread battles over the adult version of
“One poster I saw several times throughout the building echoed various feel good statements; God loves everyone, one day we’re all going to be in heaven. I’m sure many of you know of these sorts of thing. Jesus is your best friend, God loves and accepts everyone.”

While God does love everyone, we need to add that going to heaven is not an automatic candy bar.

While God loves and accepts everyone, not everyone accepts God as a best friend.

 

[Dorothy]

In many schools and CCD classes the “feel good” stuff has been inserted gradually. I do see a lot of good and promising things as well. Keep praying and forming Rosary groups at home as well as at church after and before Mass!

 

[Richard_White]

Well one thing which is unfortunately evident in society and which I actually just saw a short clip of Father Robert Barron discussing yesterday on EWTN is that many people see Jesus as simply a teacher or some type of hippie preacher rather than Who He is: God the Son, come to earth to redeem man from their sins and teach us the Way to everlasting life.

May God, the Holy Trinity, bless us abundantly now and forever!

 

[godisgood77]

Let’s remember that a good percentage of the students at these schools are not yet to the age of reason… As such I think positive statements about God’s love and mercy should be the focus, not fire and brimstone. After first confession and maturing more focus can be placed on sin, morality and our ability to make choices which bring us closer to God or separate us from Him.

Ultimately, My two children attend Catholic school and I prefer that their sense of what sin is comes from home and is reinforced by the school.

 

[Book_Worm]

I teach first-grade CCD, and while I do talk about our duties toward God, I do emphasize His love for all of us.

If you don’t first love God, you won’t want to learn about Him and obey Him. It was God’s love for us that caused Him to send his Son to die for our sins. What greater message could there be than that?

I really don’t think many people would be moved to create a poster showing souls burning in hell with the caption “this will be you if you don’t attend Mass,” even though may be true. It’s not exactly the appropriate medium for the message.

 

[PietroPaolo]

I really don’t think many people would be moved to create a poster showing souls burning in hell with the caption “this will be you if you don’t attend Mass,” even though may be true. It’s not exactly the appropriate medium for the message.

Or “this will be you if you leave the Church founded by Christ for Lutheranism” (cf. Lumen Gentium, 14).

 

[Patti_M]

Or “this will be you if you leave the Church founded by Christ for Lutheranism” (cf. Lumen Gentium, 14).

Ouch.

 

[Cake_or_Death]

Speaking as an older than dirt CAF member, I have already seen various thread battles over the adult version of…While God does love everyone, we need to add that going to heaven is not an automatic candy bar.

While God loves and accepts everyone, not everyone accepts God as a best friend.

Indeed, and although I would usually quibble about God in the Catholic viewpoint accepting everyone this is not what appears to be presented within Catholic schools in my country at least. I can only talk about Catholic schools, I have no idea how Methodist or Evangelical schools operate so if they have similar methods of instruction I am sadly ignorant.

I asked a few of my relatives who have children at various grades within Catholic schools if I could take a peek at their old work or recent Religious Education homework and I found much the same, the highest grade I looked through being a 14 year old boys notes.(not itself the best source of information but I’m assuming the handout sheets were true enough to the teachers words).

Let’s remember that a good percentage of the students at these schools are not yet to the age of reason… As such I think positive statements about God’s love and mercy should be the focus, not fire and brimstone. After first confession and maturing more focus can be placed on sin, morality and our ability to make choices which bring us closer to God or separate us from Him.

Ultimately, My two children attend Catholic school and I prefer that their sense of what sin is comes from home and is reinforced by the school.

I fully understand what you say here, I daresay were children presented with the Hellfire treatment previously known in schools here about twenty years ago we’d put children off Christianity for life in this age.

While children are not at the age of reason (seven I believe?) they appear to by this stage have formed the concept of what I will call “Disney Jesus” and don’t appear to be presented with anything challenging that notion until they hit mid teenage years. Certainly hell may get a passing mention and all children get the “Supporting Same Sex Marriage, Abortion and Divorce are the worst things you can do” drilled into them so sin isn’t an alien concept but (and I must say I see this with children from other denominations too) “Disney Jesus” doesn’t appear to vanish from their minds.

While it is nice, and comforting I can’t help but feel at this early stage we (I say we in sense of Christians, Lutheran Sunday Schools and Anglican private instruction are equally guilty) are setting a foundation that will undermine later advancement.

I know myself from when I teach undergraduate theology there is always at least three, sometimes four but rarely more freshman students that usually transfer within the first few weeks (not always Catholics, it’s no insult) who react to the Summa with “This can’t be right, God is love”.

God is Love, but if my instruction had solely been from faith schools I daresay I would have been totally ignorant of the fact he is also a God of vengeance, wrath, jealousy and judgement according to more traditional theologies.

I’ve not got any better proposals, this isn’t my usual area but I can’t help but feel it is a problem, not one shared by Catholics alone but other Christians too. I know it is something I am having to consider as I have been gathering material for instruction for younger children attending my chapel and haven’t got a solution for yet.

Or “this will be you if you leave the Church founded by Christ for Lutheranism” (cf. Lumen Gentium, 14).

Cute. I’d of course argue I haven’t left the Church of Christ at all, but that is a debate for another time