RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

Evening Star, Issue 23864, 19 April 1941, Page 6

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION

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HOME AND THE CHILDREN. Tlie liunio ia thi! most important educational institution. Ini' siirjia-»in" ml others in iu influence upon the lives of growing 1)0j> mill girls. This fact Ims boon recognised in a more or less undefined fashion thiuiighont tile centuries, but within recent years careful studies have set it forth so dearly, and organisations and writers have spread it abroad so widely that the wayfaring parent cannot escape it. lie comes upon it in the popular magazines, he reads it in the columns of the newspapers, he hears it over the radio, ho listens to it in political speeches. What is the Church doing about this fact? That (ho ancient Jewish Church recognised it. is evidenced by the solemn injunction: “These words which 1 command thee this day shall be upon thy heart, and thou shall teach them diligently unto thy children, and thou shall talk of (hem when thon sitlost in thy house ami when ihou walkest by the way, and when thon liest down and when thon risCst up.” An elaborate' system of religions education within the Church and of character education within (ho public school give Hie impression, at least, that the presen (-day Protestant churches have not expected the home to be the primary educational institution in tho field of religion. But this situation is changing. The Christian Church is awakening to the fact that it cannot, if it would, relieve the family of it's primary responsibility in this field. Wrought into the very warp and woof of family life are those experiences which aro determining what tho child thinks of God, how he responds to Jesus, how he feels and acts in his relationships with those about him. And this is true whether there bo any formal religious activities going on in that family or not. Activities, it has been discovered, do not have to be labelled religious to have profound religious influence. Tho attitude of tho adults within the family towards ono another, the discussions at the family table, the treatment accorded servants, the evidences of mutual affection and confidence which abound or which are lacking, conversations about money, the fashion in which promises are made and kept, the occasion and tho manner of inflicting punishment—experiences of this type, the Protestant churches are now recognising, are actually determining to a large extent the children’s point of view about God and about their follow men.

I Let parents submit themselves to the rigour of serious self-examination.. It may hurt. Many of us find it unbearable. But it is good for us. It compels us to ask such questions as these Have I over studied the inner mental mechanism of my child as carefully as I have my car, my tractor, or my animals? When my boy has a “ temper tantrum ” do I know what to do as well as when my horse has the colic? How much time do I give to my children? To what extent arc the successful things about the rearing of my children accidental, unplanned, and to mo unaccountable? To what extent are the qualities now revealed in (hern as they have grown, planned for, and expected? How much have I ever read or heard on childlifc, child psychology, or child training? What books on home making do I know? Many parents do not understand -what is happening, and they have never been given any guidance which will enable them to make of their family associations opportunities for developing an abiding and satisfying religious faith. They must have this help. They must bo helped to find both the ‘inspiration and the skill necessary to make family life reflect the ideals of love and mutual help which Jesus taught. They must be helped to know how to make specific religious teaching vital and meaningful and beautiful to their children. For m no other setting can this teaching have such large values. Parents must join with the Church in a common enterprise. The Church must make parents, feel that their interest and their suggestions for improvements in Sunday school work are really wanted, and the Church must plan and carry though her work in closest co-operation with the parents. A TEACHER’S PRAYER. At Thy feet we kneel, Thou great Teacher of Life. Our need is not for words to be put into our mouths, but rather wo pray that the fire of Thy love may be kindled into a living blaze in our souls, purifying, consuming, undying. Make our love for our pupils the controlling passion of our lives. May it impel us to joyous faith in them, and aspiration for them. Give us broad sympathy. Through it let us bear the tidings that Thou dost care for one and all. Spurred by the fire of love within, mav wo teach fearlessly, aware that Thou dost stand beside us; convincingly, for Thy Word is truth; trustingly, that Thou wilt make us instruments for Thy good; joyously, for wo toll of the saving Christ. —S.S. Journal.