I Don't Believe In God!

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dhgray

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“I DON’T BELIEVE IN GOD!!!” was the statement two of my students said to me. Two young ladies, 14 and 17 are in a RCIC (RCIA for Children) class I was assigned to teach. These two ladies are “being forced” (as they put it) by their parents to take my class.

I could use help here. Does anyone have any Ideas and or references or games (etc). that I could use to reach these two? I understand that 1) they are young and 2) they are mad because they are there. However, it is my job to try and reach them. Any Ideas?

Thank you in advance.
 
Wow. You have a job on your hands. Did you ask them why they dont believe in God? Did they say they were atheists or are they into something else?
It would help to know what they do believe in first, then take it from there I guess.

I will pray for those girls and you. This is so sad. :crying:
 
ask them if they realize the consequences of God not existing
i.e. no real purpose in life (despite that strong instinct to have purpose in life) no heaven (despite the instinct and desire to happy forever etc.

many times people do not understand exactly what it means when they say they do not believe.

God Bless!
Mordocai
 
dhgray said:
“I DON’T BELIEVE IN GOD!!!” was the statement two of my students said to me. Two young ladies, 14 and 17 are in a RCIC (RCIA for Children) class I was assigned to teach. These two ladies are “being forced” (as they put it) by their parents to take my class.

I could use help here. Does anyone have any Ideas and or references or games (etc). that I could use to reach these two? I understand that 1) they are young and 2) they are mad because they are there. However, it is my job to try and reach them. Any Ideas?

Thank you in advance.
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Pray for them. Only the Holy Spirit can draw a person to God.

Also, try to reason with them that since they are forced to be in the class, they might as well make the most out of it.

Encourage them to pay attention and participate the discussion, to either prove their point or to receive new information with an open mind.

They are not going to get anywhere with a resisting attitude, but if they are challenged to participate, they could be reached with the help of the Holy Spirit and your teaching.

God bless!
 
Amy Wellborn has a book series for teens called “Prove It.” One is specifically on the existence of God.

Also, I love the tape series by Matthew Pinto called Faith FAQs that can be purchased at St. Joseph’s Communications. The beginning of the tape set deals with the existence of God.
 
When I encounter this, I usually go down the route of explaining God as love. Now tell me, does love not exist? When you feel that unconditional bond, like between a parent and child you are experiencing God.
 
Point out that God believes in them!!!

And I agree - try to show that, since they have to take the class anyway, they might as well use this to learn what the Church is about. They can think of it as an intellectual pursuit (I know, I know…teenagers. But still. Appealing to their intellect might be enough of an ego stroke to encourage them to be pleasant without having to claim a belief they don’t possess.)

What happens at the end of the class cycle if they still profess a non-belief? They are not brought into the Church when they claim to not believe, are they?

Rhonda
 
dhgray said:
“I DON’T BELIEVE IN GOD!!!” was the statement two of my students said to me. Two young ladies, 14 and 17 are in a RCIC (RCIA for Children) class I was assigned to teach. These two ladies are “being forced” (as they put it) by their parents to take my class.

I could use help here. Does anyone have any Ideas and or references or games (etc). that I could use to reach these two? I understand that 1) they are young and 2) they are mad because they are there. However, it is my job to try and reach them. Any Ideas?

Thank you in advance.
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Hmmm… sounds to me like that’s just a cop-out. :rolleyes:
They don’t want to be there because mom and dad are making them go… and they know the right words to say to try to get out of this situation… plus teenage hormones are fun to deal with!.. but sometimes you can use that to your advantage. Hormonal girls are emotional girls… can you tug at their heartstrings somehow?
Maybe try some class meditation exercises (like examination of conscience exercises?.. not sure where you’d find something like that, though!)…

What’s the age range of your class?

Good luck, God bless… and definitely ask the Holy Spirit to help you through this process… you’re doing good work!
 
RNesin said:
What happens at the end of the class cycle if they still profess a non-belief? They are not brought into the Church when they claim to not believe, are they?

Rhonda
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I’m praying that the Lord reaches them before then. But if it comes to that, I’ll bring it up to the RCIA leader.
 
Em_in_FL said:
Hmmm… sounds to me like that’s just a cop-out. :rolleyes:
They don’t want to be there because mom and dad are making them go… and they know the right words to say to try to get out of this situation… plus teenage hormones are fun to deal with!.. but sometimes you can use that to your advantage. Hormonal girls are emotional girls… can you tug at their heartstrings somehow?
Maybe try some class meditation exercises (like examination of conscience exercises?.. not sure where you’d find something like that, though!)…

What’s the age range of your class?

Good luck, God bless… and definitely ask the Holy Spirit to help you through this process… you’re doing good work!
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If I were a teen again and forced to go, I might likely say the same thing. Actually, the RCIA for teens where I live will not take the teens into the class unless it is the teens asking for it. But, since they are there, treat them as adults, because in their minds you know, they think they are (remember?). But love them like children.
 
dhgray said:
13 - 18
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Okay… so they’re not children… like calchiquita mentioned, teens think of themselves as adults… (I totally remember being like that!)… so they will want to be treated like adults.

I think it would be wise to steer clear of any “games” per se… that would turn off an average teen as childish.

Can you get any “adult” materials from the RCIA director… that may reach them better than “teen” material, which can sometimes tend to be childish, do you know what I mean?

God bless…
 
It’s sacriligious to force someone to receive the sacraments against their will so if they aren’t convinced by the end of the class, you’ll probably have to speak with their parents and explain that.
 
Em_in_FL said:
Okay… so they’re not children… like calchiquita mentioned, teens think of themselves as adults… (I totally remember being like that!)… so they will want to be treated like adults.

I think it would be wise to steer clear of any “games” per se… that would turn off an average teen as childish.

Can you get any “adult” materials from the RCIA director… that may reach them better than “teen” material, which can sometimes tend to be childish, do you know what I mean?

God bless…
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I will look into the RCIA program material…also, I’ve called on the Youth Minister for assistance. I think one of the girls was going more for the “Shock the teacher” answers.
 
Many times the teens just want to vent, particularly in any situation when they feel powerless and resentful. I’ve had very good results just asking them “why?” very quietly and listening. Once they have all their stuff out, they’re usually in a position to listen. I also don’t always offer the answer right away, even if I have it. (I’m always quietly praying to the Holy Spirit “please give me the heart, the words, the actions I need to have with this person”). Sometimes if they’re spoiling for a fight, the worst thing you can do is give them one. Once the bile is out, and I haven’t argued with them (which chances are others have) they start asking me questions. That’s when teaching can begin. If they asked questions before, I answer them. The worst thing you can do with a teen is a power struggle. They’ll tune you right out. Sometimes the most vocally opposed are also the ones who are searching the most (even if they don’t know it yet).
 
Great advice crmcfl!

Often with teens it’s more emotion/relation than apologetics. Be real with them; be honest (even with the stuff that’s unflattering, or about your own experience) – teens can spot fakeness easier than adults can. I’d say your first goal is to gain their trust, and get them talking from their heart. Once you do that, they might start listening to you for real.

Remember that it’s the Holy Spirit calling them; it’s His job. But you’re in a great position to be used by God.

It’s really nice to be in a position to evangelize. Not many get in a situation that we can talk to atheists periodically about God.

You and they will be in my prayers.
 
Try getting your group passionate about ONE thing, just One thing. Pro-life issues like Abortion are a GREAT starting point. Often times, when you get them passionate about something, they are very receptive to Catechism because they see the link between life and God. They’ll subconsciously acknowledge that what makes them passionate is better informed WITH a knowledge of God. And this may lead to their conversion.

But, don’t worry if they are not receptive at this time to God. It’s not your job to bring about a conversion, it’s the Holy Spirit’s work. What’s important is that they are engaged in what you are saying, though they don’t believe it. They are THINKING about God.

A true example: a group of pro-life students were showing images of what takes place at an abortion on a campus in Canada. And as expected there were many people who showed up screaming at them and swearing at them for what they were doing. One young woman present was absolutely angry with what was going on as she believed in a woman’s “right to choose” as pro-choicers often exclaim.
In any case, months later, she became pregnant. She wrote a letter to the pro-lifers soon after telling them that though she was planning on an abortion, just the knowledge of being on campus that day, and seeing those images, got her THINKING about what she was about to do (abortion) and started asking herself, “what if that is a human being?” Though she did not believe so before seeing the images on Campus. Those pro-life images are not there for people who are pro-life, but for those who are ardently against life. The BEST thing we can do as Christians is to get people THINKING.
So, there you have it. In your Catechism class, the BEST thing you can accomplish with someone who does not want to listen to the truth is to get them to THINK. It could be the very thing that could save their soul. Godbless.
-Alison
 
So, there you have it. In your Catechism class, the BEST thing you can accomplish with someone who does not want to listen to the truth is to get them to THINK. It could be the very thing that could save their soul. Godbless.
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Thank you all, This is the approach I’m taking. All I have is the truth. I’m also inviting guests into my class, starting with the Youty Minstry leader…she too once questioned. Pray for us.

Thank you all…
 
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