Immoral books in school

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In school we are currently reading (and have read in the past) books with a lot of immoral behavior and racy scenes. As a Christian I don’t want to read this, but I have to if I want to do good and pass the class. What should I do? If I read them only to get a good grade, is it a sin? Thanks in advance for any responses! 🙂
 
Hello,

I’m a high school English teacher, and a practicing Catholic. May I ask what books you are having to read in your classes, and what grade you are in?
 
sshepeck said:
Hello,

I’m a high school English teacher, and a practicing Catholic. May I ask what books you are having to read in your classes, and what grade you are in?
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I’m in an AP Literature class for 11th and 12th graders. We just got done reading One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey, that wasn’t all that bad. Right now we’re reading Beloved by Toni Morrison.
 
kmcbridehp said:
In school we are currently reading (and have read in the past) books with a lot of immoral behavior and racy scenes. As a Christian I don’t want to read this, but I have to if I want to do good and pass the class. What should I do? If I read them only to get a good grade, is it a sin? Thanks in advance for any responses! 🙂
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It would help if you told us what, exactly, is in these books that’s objectionable. After all, there is a lot of immoral behavior in the Bible. Are you saying these books glorify the immoral?

P.S. You don’t want to do good. You want to do well. “Good” is an adjective which must modify a noun or pronoun. “Well” is an adverb which modifies the verb “do.” Just telling you so you will do well 🙂 in your English class.
 
Well, part of reading is applying critical thinking. What is the author trying to convey, what’s their point? Even if they’re pushing some concept or idea you disagree with or find objectionable, you can consider their point. That should prompt you to consider why they are wrong, or at least the way the concept or idea is presented is wrong. Realize, authors can portray objectionable acts for the very purpose of demonstrating the consequences of immorality.
 
I understand where you are coming from. Once something is in your mind it is hard to get it out, especially a vision from a show or a book. I think as someone else said they are probably written to expose immoral behaviors but that doesn’t make it any easier to read.

Is there a way you could speak to your teacher and explain how you feel? I know that might not be possible. Another suggestion would be to pray a Hail Mary before reading the books.

God bless.
 
Did the School Districts ever stop including in the curriculum that awful novel by an Englishman about a group of stranded English Public Schoolboys killing each other on a tropical island?
 
I’ve not only read both books the OP mentioned (“Beloved” and "One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest), I’ve also I’ve taught one of them. The study of literature, especially novels, involves the study of human conflict. It is inescapable that immorality - in whatever form it may appear, and that is a HUGE spectrum - forms a basis for conflict. What about Shakespeare? Certainly, the murders and suicides in “Romeo and Juliet” are immoral, but the thematic emphasis is on the human conflicts which led to these acts. Shakespeare did not write this play for the purpose of luridly exploring immorality for its own sake; rather, ti is a tragic by-product of the conflicts. Likewise, “To Kill A Mockingbird” contains plenty of immorality, but it serves to emphasize the themes of injustice and innocence. The same holds true for “Beloved” and “Cuckoo’s Nest”. Are there novels (and movies, music, etc.) which simply exploit and glorify immorality in an offensive way? Yes. But a Catholic can take care to discern such things and read literature which contains immorality without risking the sin of scandal.
 
sshepeck said:
Are there novels (and movies, music, etc.) which simply exploit and glorify immorality in an offensive way? Yes. But a Catholic can take care to discern such things and read literature which contains immorality without risking the sin of scandal.
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May I also add that if you’re too squeamish to explore the immorality discussed in fiction, how can one expect to handle it should they ever witness it firsthand?

Pardon my signature bluntness but do you really want kids growing up thinking they’re in a moralistic vacuum/bubble?
 
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