Why People Can't Believe
By Brian Greenfield
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 I was sitting in an assembly at the high school
where I teach. I teach ethics to Juniors in high school. All the ethics teachers
follow the same academic curriculum. We are currently teaching the kids about
sexual ethics. To foster what we are teaching them in the classroom, we decided
to have a couple come in and speak to them about sex and the churches teachings.
It is difficult to teach about sex in this society, it is even tougher to teach
it to teenagers, it is an added difficulty to teach it to a group of teenage
guys. I watched as the couple attempted to make an impact in the thinking of the
young men we were addressing. I also looked at the students. They were trying
their best to concentrate, even though the murmurs under their breath and the
looks on their faces showed their disagreement and lack of interest.
I was in the crowd and, in between listening to what
was being said and trying to keep the students focused, I began to think about
why are some of the teachings of the church, which are logical if you think them
through, so difficult for people to accept. I thought maybe it was the approach
that different people have in conveying the message. I thought maybe it was the
pride that some people have. That pride that says, "I don't have to listen to
anyone because I know what is right and wrong." It is probably a combination of
a lot of things and I'm not attempting to address them all. One root problem
that I did see is that we skip over the steps in educating others in the Faith.
There has to be an initial desire for the knowledge
or else it is like throwing your pearls before swine. I have a cousin and for
the longest time my uncle and I have been trying to get him to play football
like we used to play. He has never seemed to latch onto it. Now it would be
pointless for me to start instructing him on the rules of the game and how to do
certain blocks and plays, because he has no desire to play football in the first
place. This is a simple image of what goes on at times with catechesis. We teach
people rules without them having the desire to know them. I'm not saying that we
stop teaching the rules because people don't want to know them, what I am saying
is that we need to give people a complete knowledge of who God is, not only what
God says. If we focus solely on what God says, it is pointless because people
won't care. If there is no initial relationship, God's words become meaningless
in the hearts of possible believers.
People will find a desire to know how to be a better
believer and what God teaches, when they have a relationship with God. Until
there is a personal relationship with God, where God is more than just a divine,
powerful Judge Judy, the rules of God will always be seen as tyrannical, close
minded, demands, instead of a source of joy and freedom. This is more than
education; it is complete, personal, formation. This formation has to be tackled
on many levels, by many groups in order to be successful. It has to be addressed
by teachers both clergy and lay, who need to both inform and inspire their
students. It has to be addressed by the various campus ministries or youth
groups, who have to both challenge the youth or young adults to actively live
out their Faith boldly without fear and intimidation, and form their hearts to
love God above all things and love others out of there love for God. Finally, it
has to be addressed by family, especially parents. If the parents show no
respect for a relationship with God, and the rules of God, then the children
will most likely follow suit and it will be a lot harder for them to break out
of the influence of the parents.
Our society puts so much emphasis on "freedom", a
freedom that lies outside of the influence of the "rules" of an all powerful
God. This notion of "freedom" infects our thoughts and serves as a blockade to
true freedom, which is found in the will of God. It has subtly taken a strong
grasp on society. It will take a massive effort to remedy this disease. It can
not be a voice in the wilderness kind of effort, it has to be the army of God's
people fearlessly and lovingly banding together as a family, with a singular
goal.
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