The dropout age in Canada is 18 and i dropped out last year and i am not over 18 right now. I did not like school that’s why i dropped out. If i do not go to school witch is not obeying the Goverment law will God be upset at me? I do not think school is for me. I never liked it and i am 100 % sure that i would just be sitting in class waiting for the legal age to come.
Disobedience to any law that is rational and consistent with the will of God is a sin, not always a serious one, but a sin. Why? Because legitimate laws have legitimate authority and Catholics are to obey legitimate authority.
Regarding the mandatory age for dropping out is another question. The age is pretty random. In some states in the USA it’s 16 and in others it’s 18. The age doesn’t seem as important to me as the fact that God gives us all a place in the universe, especially in society.
Catholics have an obligation to prepare themselves to take up a responsible role in society, especially in the political arena. That arena is really for the lay person. How can a lay Catholic argue intelligently about issues such as abortion, same-sex marriage, unjust labor practices, unjust economic laws, human rights, healthcare for children and senior citizens, capital punishment, just war, international cooperation between nations, the proper use of resources, the equitable distribution of wealth and many other such issues where the Gospel is often over looked and violated, if they are poorly educated to do so?
Every Catholic has a moral duty to be a well informed and well prepared citizen to lead his country toward peace, justice and moral perfection.
Without a proper education one is often at a disadvantage in the face of those who speak and write better than we do, but say things that are damaging to a nation and to the souls of those who make up the nation.
The best way to ensure that our nations serve God and the Gospel is to lead rather than follow. This requires influence. History has proven time and again that the most powerful influence comes from either those who have money or those who have good education. This influence has not always been good. Good influence requires that one be prepared to enter the world with something to offer and to defend what is right with intellectual and material resources.
That’s my case for academic education, artistic education or technical education.
Fraternally,
JR
