For Protestants, would you want your child to learn about monastic life in the 800s?

[leonie]

I’m in a nondenominational homeschooling co-op. I am going to teach a six week class combining art, music and food around a central theme. I was really excited about my idea to do one lesson on monastic life in the 800s–teaching about Gregorian Chant, serving monastery food, and probably looking at illumination.

(I’d rather do Icons, but I’ve all ready been warned off teaching anything about Icons.)

I heard a talk once in which a priest said he was doing research into singing the psalms like the ancient Israelites did and a Hebrew scholar told him it would have sounded much like Gregorian chant. So, I was interested in that angle, too.

But, my Catholic friend in the co-op has been in the group for over a decade compared to my year and a half. She says that teaching a lesson on Monastic life would be considered too “Catholic” and we would have problems from some of the members.

What do you think? The class would be for first through fourth graders–so very impressionable.

Would you be worried about your children learning about monastic life in the 800s esp. if a Catholic was teaching it? Be honest. I’m pretty tied into my Catholic worldview and it’s sometimes hard for me to see a more Protestant one.

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

 

[KevinAK]

I’m in a nondenominational homeschooling co-op. I am going to teach a six week class combining art, music and food around a central theme. I was really excited about my idea to do one lesson on monastic life in the 800s–teaching about Gregorian Chant, serving monastery food, and probably looking at illumination.

(I’d rather do Icons, but I’ve all ready been warned off teaching anything about Icons.)

I heard a talk once in which a priest said he was doing research into singing the psalms like the ancient Israelites did and a Hebrew scholar told him it would have sounded much like Gregorian chant. So, I was interested in that angle, too.

But, my Catholic friend in the co-op has been in the group for over a decade compared to my year and a half. She says that teaching a lesson on Monastic life would be considered too “Catholic” and we would have problems from some of the members.

What do you think? The class would be for first through fourth graders–so very impressionable.

Would you be worried about your children learning about monastic life in the 800s esp. if a Catholic was teaching it? Be honest. I’m pretty tied into my Catholic worldview and it’s sometimes hard for me to see a more Protestant one.

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

Since Protestantism didn’t arise until the 1500’s I don’t think there would be a problem.

There are Protestant monks also:
prayerfoundation.org/brief_history_protestant_monasticism.htm

 

[Rightlydivide]

I’m in a nondenominational homeschooling co-op. I am going to teach a six week class combining art, music and food around a central theme. I was really excited about my idea to do one lesson on monastic life in the 800s–teaching about Gregorian Chant, serving monastery food, and probably looking at illumination.

(I’d rather do Icons, but I’ve all ready been warned off teaching anything about Icons.)

I heard a talk once in which a priest said he was doing research into singing the psalms like the ancient Israelites did and a Hebrew scholar told him it would have sounded much like Gregorian chant. So, I was interested in that angle, too.

But, my Catholic friend in the co-op has been in the group for over a decade compared to my year and a half. She says that teaching a lesson on Monastic life would be considered too “Catholic” and we would have problems from some of the members.

What do you think? The class would be for first through fourth graders–so very impressionable.

Would you be worried about your children learning about monastic life in the 800s esp. if a Catholic was teaching it? Be honest. I’m pretty tied into my Catholic worldview and it’s sometimes hard for me to see a more Protestant one.

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

Let me ask it this way, and perhaps that will answer your question:
What biblical support do you have for a monastic lifestyle?

 

[bpbasilphx]

<<What biblical support do you have for a monastic lifestyle?>>

Let me ask YOU a question, Rightly Dividing?

What do you actually KNOW about the monastic lifestyle?

Not what you THINK you know, but what you have actually learned in reading monastic literature and in speaking with monastics?

You can start with Hebrews 11:

**37They were stoned[f]; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.

39These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. **

There you see some OT precedents and precursors of the “monastic lirestyle” and asceticism.

BTW–I’ve been a monk for most of my adult life.

So, I repeat my question: What do you actually KNOW about the monastic lifestyle?

 

[DDClark]

I think it would be a great subject to study.

I think that the different aspects of life you’d be covering would bring balance to your “Catholic worldview” Art, music, food - and history. All perfectly acceptable (and interesting).

 

[Sabda]

If you can find this book in your local library check it out and read it. This book appears to be written by a non-Catholic. I couldn’t find anything online about the author. I found it to be a very good book for children on the monastic life.

The book starts out talking about St. Benedict’s rule. It then goes into how this was implemented. Has pictures of monastic life that were drawn back then. Talks about the life of a monk and how the lifestyle progressed though the medieval era. The last few pages talk about the Plague and greed of the nobility for monastic lands in the latter part of the that era. I felt this was an excellent book for children. The only draw back to the book was it did not talk about the nuns.

 

[KarenNC]

I’m in a nondenominational homeschooling co-op. I am going to teach a six week class combining art, music and food around a central theme. I was really excited about my idea to do one lesson on monastic life in the 800s–teaching about Gregorian Chant, serving monastery food, and probably looking at illumination.

(I’d rather do Icons, but I’ve all ready been warned off teaching anything about Icons.)

I heard a talk once in which a priest said he was doing research into singing the psalms like the ancient Israelites did and a Hebrew scholar told him it would have sounded much like Gregorian chant. So, I was interested in that angle, too.

But, my Catholic friend in the co-op has been in the group for over a decade compared to my year and a half. She says that teaching a lesson on Monastic life would be considered too “Catholic” and we would have problems from some of the members.

What do you think? The class would be for first through fourth graders–so very impressionable.

Would you be worried about your children learning about monastic life in the 800s esp. if a Catholic was teaching it? Be honest. I’m pretty tied into my Catholic worldview and it’s sometimes hard for me to see a more Protestant one.

Thanks in advance for any feedback.

Well, speaking as a Neopagan homeschooler, sounds like a lot of fun, but then I love Gregorian chant and am a serious geek about the Middle Ages . I am currently working on the Middle Ages with my second-grader and we have had a lot of fun with making illuminated letters, listening to medieval music, looking at clothing, reading books about the time period including the Catholic Church. When I was still trying to be a Protestant Christian, I would still not have had a problem with it.

My position is that this is history. It existed this way, not some other, so deal with it. (I take the same tack with lots of folks who seem to have rather fanciful or odd notions about various time periods)

Overall, it will have a lot to do with the make-up your particular co-op. A lot of homeschoolers I know would think it was great, some would run screaming into the night at the idea that their children were made aware that anything even slightly different than themselves and the way they do things existed in the world.

 

[HannahLisa]

I think it would be very interesting. I wouldn’t have any objection at all.

 

[Syele]

I’m a Protestant homeschooler… I think it sounds like a great class. I would wish I could come too… Can I?

My Daughter is only getting Drawing and Voice in Co-op this semester. She was hoping for more.

 

[Rightlydivide]

<<What biblical support do you have for a monastic lifestyle?>>

Let me ask YOU a question, Rightly Dividing?

 

[leonie]

The monastic life seems like it fits the model in Acts the best

Acts 4:31-33

32All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. 33With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all.

Of course, celibacy:

Matt 19:12

12For some are eunuchs because they were born that way; others were made that way by men; and others have renounced marriage[a]because of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it."

 

[leonie]

So, probably I should include some scripture that supports the monastic life?

What about the monastic life might some Protestants object to besides communal living and celibacy?

 

[bpbasilphx]

Why don’t you answer my question first?

Et reliqua.

In other words, Rightlydivide, you took a lot of words to say something very simple–you don’t know what you’re talking about.

 

[leonie]

bpbasilphx, it sounds like that would be a great thread–monastic life explained to Protestants.

But, if you want to discuss it with Rightlydivide, could you do it in a way that helps me with my problem?

I’m just selfish with my threads that way!

 

[KarenNC]

Let me ask it this way, and perhaps that will answer your question:
What biblical support do you have for a monastic lifestyle?

Why should Leonie require a biblical support for a monastic lifestyle to teach a history class that acknowledges that the monastic system had a great impact on Europe in the Middle Ages? It is simple historic fact, not advocating that the children should go out and become monks or nuns as an ideal life, at least not that I read in her post.

 

[Publisher]

Why should Leonie require a biblical support for a monastic lifestyle to teach a history class that acknowledges that the monastic system had a great impact on Europe in the Middle Ages? It is simple historic fact, not advocating that the children should go out and become monks or nuns as an ideal life, at least not that I read in her post.

Exactly!!!

 

[leonie]

I think maybe I’ll just save the lesson for my Catholic co-op.

In fact, it might be kind of cool to do a whole six week class just on monastic life. We could even visit a couple of monasteries. That would be fun!!

For my nondenom. co-op, maybe I’ll just stick to secular themes.

I was just excited about my idea. But, the some of the families in my co-op are somewhat prejudice about Catholicism and I am finding that the Catholic families tend to lay low.

 

[inthecloud]

Rightly Divide, please do not highjack tread with your fundie questions.
As a semichristian I found historical monasticism very interesting.

 

[Rightlydivide]

Rightly Divide, please do not highjack tread with your fundie questions.
As a semichristian I found historical monasticism very interesting.

The OP is interested in how other homeschoolers would view this. As a fundamentalist, which many many homeschoolers are, I would think my opinion would be germaine.

 

[ralphinal]

The OP is interested in how other homeschoolers would view this. As a fundamentalist, which many many homeschoolers are, I would think my opinion would be germaine.

In a way, I agree with Rightly on this (man, those words look strange ). The question was specifically to Protestants.

Anyway, my answer to that would be that to ignore history, even that which is related to faith, is to create ignorance.