RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Evening Star, Issue 20196, 8 June 1929, Page 6

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

[By Forward.] “lie who would determine the destiny of a race must help establish the ideals of the race.” AIMS FOB, WEEK DAY SCHOOLS OF RELIGION. No more pressing task confronts workers in religious education than a definition of the aims of week day instruction in religion. These are a part of the more general aim cf religious education as a whole. They arise from two sources which are, in the end, but,two aspects of one single situation: (1) The personal needs of the individual in his spiritual growth and ethical development; (a) the religions needs of society as expressed in its present institutions, activities, and relationships. . The fundamental aims of weekday religious education will include the following:— (1) To meet the universal needs and increasing demand for religion to act against the widespread deterioration of ethical standards characteristic of the present. 2. To give religion its rightful place in the whole* scheme of the child’s development and education, and so insure its presence as a working principle in later life and character. 3. To secure the time and frequency necessary for lodging the religions information, lor training the religious attitudes, and for establishing the religious habits and _ skills required to vivify and spiritualise the ethical virtues hy religious motives. 4. To secure for the teaching of icligion such educational standards as will command the respect of the pupil and place the religions aspect of his education on a par with other phases. 5. To bring under the influences of religious instruction many who arc at presend untouched hy the agencies of the church. 6. To build into our community hie and ideals the basic Biblical and ethical concepts underlying Christianity and commonly accepted by all denominations as the foundations of Christian character and good citizenship. 7. To unite the churches in a great common task, thereby helping to break down the barriers of extreme dcnoivunatioualism and disunity, which interfere with religions work ami progress. 8. To help the church to sec if it is to fulfil its destiny it must change its emphasis and become a teaching instead of a preaching church. y. To join hands with all other educational agencies of the church, seeking to correlate aims and activities at everv point possible to the end that, though the agencies may be many the programme of religious instruction offered the child by the church shall in the end be one.—George H. Befls. WORLD-WIDE SUNDAY SCHOOL WORK. At the Los Angeles Convention last year some very interesting lads vcie reported witli regard to S.S, work throughout the world. The report showed that there are 356..1AG Sunday schools, containing 29,411,435 scholars and 3,603.517 teachers and officers. Surely it is worth while belonging to an organisation containing over thirtythree million members.

HAWAIIAN S.S. The.well-tried, long-established forms of religious education are being used with tiie necessary adaptations to the local situation in the Hawaiian Islands. HI the churches have Sunday schools, not only at the churches themselves, but also branch schools in various parts of the community. The total number of teachers and scholars in these is 27,000. In several of the important centres of the islands schools of week-dav religious, education are conducted, with im enrolment of I.OUU. During the two months of summer vacation daily vacation Bible schools, enrolling ‘idDO, roach _ many children who do not attend the Sunday schools. Decau.se of the foreign parentage of the children the beginners and primary classes must be taught through their native tongue. Children irom the junior grade up, having been required by Jaw to attend ihe public school, can be reached through the English language. The necessitated use of two or more languages complicates the task. As the children grow older and enter junior high school and high school groups the religious education task enlarges considerably. Jt is not simply a matter of instructing these young people in the truth ot Christianity, but they must also he helped to work out new adjustments of life. Their life at homo in their family groups is for the most part dominated by ancient Oriental habits and' customs. Their life in the community is thrown into contact with modern American ideas and practices. How shall these young.people, pioneering in a new pathwV, adjust themselves to this complex situation?

S.S. AMONG REFUGEES IN GREECE. There are still 10,000 refugees irom Turkey in Dergbouty, Greece. During the past seven years a Sunday school lias been maintained there under the general leadership of students Irom the School of Religion located in Athens. The success of the S.S. is largely due to the strenuous efforts of thirty local lady teachers. There are six departments, extending Irom the cradle roll to the home department; the pupils total tJTo. Teachers’ meetings are held regularly. One of the leaders writes; “ Our aim lias been to appeal to every alert person to take a deep interest m various Sunday school activities, so that each teacher may possess the power ol originality, creativcncss, ami leading ability. And through- tins gift the leacner may inject into the Hearts and minds of her class the spirit of goodwill and a right attitude towards life, and prepare the children 111 aiieh a way that they may cope with all kinds of difficulties in their lives, adjusting themselves to the conditions of new environments. We are glad that we have the opportunity of conducting a S.S. among these refugee children. We esteem it a great privilege to go there every Sunday and assist those thirty local lady teachers whose sacrifice and service we esteem very highly. We feel that the main work is theirs, and we go there only as helpers. Although we are burdened with our studies in the school, yet it is with joy that we go to Bethel every Sunday during the winter.” During the summer there was a daily vacation Bible school there, with five teachers and 165 registered students.

S.S. FACTS FROM SYRIA ANO PALESTINE. At the meeting of the Executive Committee 6f the Union, held in Nazareth, it was unanimously voted that the name of the union should hereafter be “The Bible Lands Sunday School Union for Religious Education.” Its aim is to organise and develop Sunday schools, yoinig people’s societies, vacation daily Bible .schools, the servants nf the Near East, etc., and to a ill in -all possible ways in the field of religious education. Since the war several na-

tional and regional- S.S. conferences and conventions have been held in both Syria and Palestine. Four Sunday schools are now definitely following the JoO point standard school plan. Students in the class in religions education in the school of religious workers (Beyrouth) are required as part of their work to teach a S.S. or Bible class each week. Outlines are prepared in advance and criticised by the instructor, Rev. George H. Scherer, and reports are handed in after the class meets.