Religion classes in school - Megathread

About 5 out of 22 kids don't even show up, and religious studies always takes up the first period here.

In our local school district, about two out of every twenty-one students don't participate in religion class. On Thursdays, they have their final period free to head home early, but on Mondays, they stay for a second period alongside the teacher...
I am referring specifically to the second grade, though this has been the trend since first grade. There is one boy who follows a different faith, and as for the other student, I am not entirely certain of his background...

My son is currently enrolled in religion classes... but I’m planning on pulling him out starting in fifth grade... if I can manage to make that happen.
My daughter starts school this fall, and while filling out her enrollment forms, I made sure to check "No" for religious studies.
It feels like they aren't teaching anything truly meaningful; honestly, it just seems to confuse the kids more than anything else.
Besides, I don't want to force her into it when she clearly has no interest in attending.
I suppose if she has the right to choose her own cell phone provider, she should also have the autonomy to opt out of these classes.
My husband is a believer, but I’m not... as things stand, I know two of our children won't be participating, plus my youngest, so that makes three... and there might be more later on.

Back when my son was in first grade, only one other student opted out.

Just saw the news—some priest out in the Midwest isn't going to let three kids take communion with the rest of the group tomorrow because they have special needs.
They’re being told to just stand off to the side...

Honestly, this is grounds for the death penalty. I am absolutely livid.

Tyler Ruiz502 said:Based on what you guys have seen, how many kids actually skip out on religion classes?

I’m honestly not sure if I’ll be the only one sitting there alone. Also—is it even possible to opt out once they hit second grade?

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy using Reddit

In our district over in Cleveland, about 16 kids attend while 12 don't. Since the school has a dedicated classroom for it, the ones participating head out to that room, while the rest stay behind to watch cartoons or just hang out outside.

Yeah, you can pull them from the program in any grade level.

I've got a soft spot for the river 🙂

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy A31 using Reddit

I've got kids in 1st and 5th grade, and they aren't attending (out of the first two students, two aren't going, and out of the four 5th graders, just mine is sitting this one out). Most of the families around here live near the border with Canada, and the principal is a religious studies teacher who—if you ask me—would much rather be running a private Catholic school. A lot of parents actually don't want their kids enrolled, even though they aren't particularly religious themselves, but since everyone else is doing it, I went ahead and signed my kid up too... mostly because of what people might say. You know how it is with those local busybodies; they'll complain about everything from the curriculum and the homework to the cost of First Communion and Confirmation...

Nathan Diaz54 said:I've got kids in 1st and 5th grade, and they aren't attending (out of the first two students, two aren't going, and out of the four 5th graders, just mine is sitting this one out). Most of the families around here live near the border with Canada, and the principal is a religious studies teacher who—if you ask me—would much rather be running a private Catholic school. A lot of parents actually don't want their kids enrolled, even though they aren't particularly religious themselves, but since everyone else is doing it, I went ahead and signed my kid up too... mostly because of what people might say. You know how it is with those local busybodies; they'll complain about everything from the curriculum and the homework to the cost of First Communion and Confirmation...

Kudos to you👍

The parents who enroll their children just because "everyone else is doing it" are 👎, and honestly, they should just deal with the consequences and stop whining about the mess they helped create by following the pack...

Amanda Hughes37 said:Just saw the news—some priest out in the Midwest isn't going to let three kids take communion with the rest of the group tomorrow because they have special needs.
They’re being told to just stand off to the side...

Honestly, this is grounds for the death penalty. I am absolutely livid.

Does anyone ever actually talk about kids with special needs in Sunday school or religious education classes? How does the Church really view them—where do they actually "fit" in?

Are students allowed to bring this up in class tomorrow? Like, can they ask about how the priest or the bishop is handling this whole situation, or will the teacher just stick strictly to the lesson plan and ignore it to save time?
Personally, I think since this guy messed up so badly, there should be an actual conversation held with the kids. 🥳

(Or maybe I'm just being naive 🙂)

You might be being a bit naive here, but 🤣
There is just no way they are going to discuss that... ☕
At least our own poor situation won't be brought up...

It really just comes down to the professor, same as any other class.

People here are talking about it a lot, especially since we’ve got seven kids with special needs making their First Communion this year, so it’s a big topic in our community right now.

coppermarlin14 said:You might be being a bit naive here, but 🤣
There is just no way they are going to discuss that... ☕
At least our own poor situation won't be brought up...

Hey!

coppermarlin14, I checked "no" too—so if you haven't moved away (not since you had 😉 ), mine isn't going anywhere either

That whole thing with the priest—man, I won't even go there because I don't want to get banned for being too blunt, but it’s absolutely sickening.
It's tragic, honestly. And the worst part? There's plenty more where that came from; it just hasn't hit the mainstream news cycle yet. Poor kid, and man, his mother... if he were my child, I think things would have gone a lot differently. I doubt there isn't a single TV station or newspaper in the States that hasn't picked up on this. When I saw that footage, my heart just broke. It was like seeing someone who serves the devil instead of God.👎

I've got a question...
If I don't sign my kid up for religious ed classes at school, can they still take communion and do their First Communion or Confirmation later on?
Because when I see this kind of filth happening, I lose all desire to be involved, but at the same time, I am a believer and I'd still love for my kid to go through those milestones just like I did.

Harold Cook2 said:That whole thing with the priest—man, I won't even go there because I don't want to get banned for being too blunt, but it’s absolutely sickening.
It's tragic, honestly. And the worst part? There's plenty more where that came from; it just hasn't hit the mainstream news cycle yet. Poor kid, and man, his mother... if he were my child, I think things would have gone a lot differently. I doubt there isn't a single TV station or newspaper in the States that hasn't picked up on this. When I saw that footage, my heart just broke. It was like seeing someone who serves the devil instead of God.👎

I've got a question...
If I don't sign my kid up for religious ed classes at school, can they still take communion and do their First Communion or Confirmation later on?
Because when I see this kind of filth happening, I lose all desire to be involved, but at the same time, I am a believer and I'd still love for my kid to go through those milestones just like I did.

Just let them grow up and decide for themselves what they want to do. 😉

Harold Cook2 said:That whole thing with the priest—man, I won't even go there because I don't want to get banned for being too blunt, but it’s absolutely sickening.
It's tragic, honestly. And the worst part? There's plenty more where that came from; it just hasn't hit the mainstream news cycle yet. Poor kid, and man, his mother... if he were my child, I think things would have gone a lot differently. I doubt there isn't a single TV station or newspaper in the States that hasn't picked up on this. When I saw that footage, my heart just broke. It was like seeing someone who serves the devil instead of God.👎

I've got a question...
If I don't sign my kid up for religious ed classes at school, can they still take communion and do their First Communion or Confirmation later on?
Because when I see this kind of filth happening, I lose all desire to be involved, but at the same time, I am a believer and I'd still love for my kid to go through those milestones just like I did.

Someone please correct me if I’m wrong, but my understanding is that they have to attend both the school-based programs and the parish classes if they want to receive First Communion and Confirmation. That is, assuming they want to stay on track with their classmates, of course. From what I've gathered, you can't really have one without the other.

Supposedly some schools allow you to do it separately, but in my district, religious education happened both at school and at the church. We had choir practice on Saturdays and Mass was always at 8:00 AM on Sundays—just so nobody slept in too late. That was the routine for First Communion and Confirmation, too.

It all comes down to how well the local school district and the parish coordinate. In our area, they were clearly on the same page.

Susan James said:Does anyone ever actually talk about kids with special needs in Sunday school or religious education classes? How does the Church really view them—where do they actually "fit" in?

Are students allowed to bring this up in class tomorrow? Like, can they ask about how the priest or the bishop is handling this whole situation, or will the teacher just stick strictly to the lesson plan and ignore it to save time?
Personally, I think since this guy messed up so badly, there should be an actual conversation held with the kids. 🥳

(Or maybe I'm just being naive 🙂)

When you get into the whole debate about kids with special needs, the real sticking point is whether we should be handing out sacraments like Communion or Confirmation to children who can't fully grasp what's happening.
I mean, look, it’s obvious to me that nowadays kids are basically just doing Confirmation to score a thousand-dollar gift from their relatives, and it's plain as day that many self-proclaimed "Catholics" don't have the slightest clue what their faith is actually supposed to teach them, but even so—I still remember bits and pieces from my own religious ed back in the day (which I don't follow anymore, so I'm not speaking from a Catholic standpoint here)—that the requirement for receiving Holy Communion was supposed to be some level of actual understanding.

So, if you ask me, that priest only caught heat from his superiors because of the media circus surrounding everything; the news outlets just jump on these stories because they don't know anything about the subject, other than the easy headline that the Church is the bad guy.

What is the actual point of having a child make a confession when they don't even comprehend what is taking place?

Why would you think they don't get it?

Speaking from experience training kids for stuff like this in our local churches, I’m telling you—they are totally capable of confessing what they recognize as "bad" behavior. Their ability to understand that stuff grows over the years after communion, both for kids with special needs and those hitting typical milestones.

You need a solid youth mentor and a good priest for a meaningful confession and a quality First Communion experience. But shouldn't all other kids have access to that kind of guidance too?

Karen Richardson3 said:When you get into the whole debate about kids with special needs, the real sticking point is whether we should be handing out sacraments like Communion or Confirmation to children who can't fully grasp what's happening.
I mean, look, it’s obvious to me that nowadays kids are basically just doing Confirmation to score a thousand-dollar gift from their relatives, and it's plain as day that many self-proclaimed "Catholics" don't have the slightest clue what their faith is actually supposed to teach them, but even so—I still remember bits and pieces from my own religious ed back in the day (which I don't follow anymore, so I'm not speaking from a Catholic standpoint here)—that the requirement for receiving Holy Communion was supposed to be some level of actual understanding.

So, if you ask me, that priest only caught heat from his superiors because of the media circus surrounding everything; the news outlets just jump on these stories because they don't know anything about the subject, other than the easy headline that the Church is the bad guy.

What is the actual point of having a child make a confession when they don't even comprehend what is taking place?

I think you might have missed a detail there—he actually wanted them to receive communion, he just didn't want them standing up at the altar with everyone else, maybe because he thought it wouldn't look right or something like that...

Besides, the child has Down, and they attend school with an aide—do you really think they have no idea what's going on?

People with Down aren't mentally incapable; they understand way more than you'd think, and honestly, they are often much more sincere in their faith than a lot of "devout Catholics" out there...

Karen Richardson3 said:When you get into the whole debate about kids with special needs, the real sticking point is whether we should be handing out sacraments like Communion or Confirmation to children who can't fully grasp what's happening.
I mean, look, it’s obvious to me that nowadays kids are basically just doing Confirmation to score a thousand-dollar gift from their relatives, and it's plain as day that many self-proclaimed "Catholics" don't have the slightest clue what their faith is actually supposed to teach them, but even so—I still remember bits and pieces from my own religious ed back in the day (which I don't follow anymore, so I'm not speaking from a Catholic standpoint here)—that the requirement for receiving Holy Communion was supposed to be some level of actual understanding.

So, if you ask me, that priest only caught heat from his superiors because of the media circus surrounding everything; the news outlets just jump on these stories because they don't know anything about the subject, other than the easy headline that the Church is the bad guy.

What is the actual point of having a child make a confession when they don't even comprehend what is taking place?

Maybe confession isn't necessary🤣 🤷
if a person hasn't done anything wrong, then there's no need for Confession, and they can receive Communion. You don't go to Confession every single time before Communion unless you've actually sinned. The goal isn't to sin just so you can confess; it's to live without sinning. That's how I was taught growing up in the church. 🧐 🙂)

If a priest views the sacrament the way you described, then that little boy probably shouldn't have been participating in First Communion at all—maybe even religious ed classes if he doesn't grasp the lessons. The real question is why he was allowed to participate until now? Why was he permitted to receive the sacrament if he doesn't understand it?