Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/248536
11 News maltatoday, SUNDAY, 26 JANUARY 2014 exam, doesn't make them a good Christian. It's themselves they are fooling, just like the devil tried to fool Jesus.' Of course, I went and gave her a piece of my mind then... my daughter was only 10 at the time." Ethical expectations Other atheist parents have raised similar concerns. Krista Ellul Sullivan has a five-year-old son who hasn't even started formal religious instruction. "Yet he already knows who Baby Jesus is and how to make the sign of the cross," she said. "I'm not happy about this. I wasn't even consulted as to what religion I practice or if I wanted my son taught any of this." She now looks forward to the introduction of an ethics programme independent of any one religious faith. "I want my son to have a general knowledge about religion and a critical mind, so that he questions what he is told rather than accepts blindly. I was very concerned until I heard about the ethics class and I'm hoping it will be installed ASAP." Public consultation on the new ethics programme is now at an advanced stage, and the new policy is expected to be in place later this year. But to date it remains uncertain whether it will be introduced only as a substitute for religion in schools; and even then, whether it will be geared exclusively for the children of the non-religious, or of adherents to other religions apart from the majority Catholic faith. Even with the new syllabus in place, there remains a possibility that the sheer pervasiveness of religious culture and imagery in schools may be influencing young minds outside the confines of the classroom. As Andreana Dibben points out, "religion in schools" is by no means limited to RS lessons alone. "The problem as I see it with schools is not so much the teaching of religion but the way that religion is infused in everything, from the singing of hymns and prayers in the daily assembly, to the prayer before lunchtime, to all the different rituals such as spiritual exercises in Lent, statues of the Virgin Mary set up in October and in May… the Virgin Mary has even hijacked Mother's Day celebrations... so if I had the option I would have sent my kids to a school that was secular. I don't mind that kids learn about religion. I am not against religious celebrations at all…" 'A total waste of time' In the meantime complaints have recently surfaced regarding the existing RS syllabus in its present form. Some parents argue that the subject focuses too heavily on purely doctrinal matters: including 'mysteries of the faith' which are deemed intensely complicated even for adults (as was recently illustrated by public reactions to a Church questionnaire on theological issues). Carmel Gafa, a practising Catholic, has two children aged nine and 13. Both attend Church schools and catechism lessons at the MUSEUM, and their parents would like them to be raised as Catholics. But Gafa describes the current religious studies curriculum as "a total waste of time". "It does not expose the kids to ethical questions whatsoever and is not a catalyst to enhance moral values," he told this newspaper. "It is simply a number of questions that children have to learn by heart in order to get a tick in the box. I was often tempted to stop the kids from attending this specific class, but I do not want then to be marginalised…" Gafa strongly supports the introduction of ethics as an independent "I want my son to have a general knowledge about religion and a critical mind, so that he questions what he is told rather than accepts blindly" – Krista Ellul Sullivan subject in its own right. "I feel that children should be taught moral values that reflect the ethical scenarios present in 2014. Learning a list of items that can be found in the Church does incite children to become the men and women of tomorrow with the values that are compatible with the teachings of the Church, and other religions for that matter." Dibben concurs with this assessment. "RS is all about studying for the exams. The concepts are often way beyond the moral and intellectual developmental stage of the children. So it's merely reciting like a parrot... I can still remember one particular statement that my daughter had to learn by heart: "Alla m'ghandux bidu u lanqas tmiem. Alla kien minn dejjem u jibqa' ghal dejjem. Hu qieghed fuq kollox, fuq kulhadd u kullimkien." ['God has no beginning or end. God has always existed and will always exist. He is above all things, above all people and he is everywhere'.]: My daughter was eight when she had to learn that. Can you imagine how an 8-year old child can understand such an abstract concept, even if her parents were the most fervent Catholics?" Questions have been in fact been raised about whether Religious Studies succeeds even within the terms of its own mission: i.e., to educate children on matters of Catholic doctrine. An examiners' report on last May's religious Studies O-Level examination revealed a dramatic decline in proper understanding of Catholic doctrine, causing the examiners to ask whether, "we are losing our sense of sin". Students have "a distorted idea of what constitutes mortal and venial sin", examiners noted, adding that some of the candidates lacked "the very basic of religious knowledge" to the extent that "many candidates do not know that there are seven sacraments and cannot even distinguish between sacraments and commandments". Examples from examination replies suggested widespread confusion between 'God' and 'Jesus', possibly arising from exposure of children to difficult tenets such as the Holy Trinity at too young an age. Not just for Catholics Fr Charles Mallia, the Malta Archdiocese's delegate for Catholic education, defends the emphasis on doctrine in RS, but concedes that there is room for improvement. The syllabus is in fact being revised. "Human knowledge may be of two kinds: knowledge of the mind and knowledge of the heart. In the context of religious knowledge this may be termed as theology or doctrine (the mind) and personally experiencing God through Jesus (the heart). Both are essential for us humans to discover truth and meaning in life. Any religious education needs to integrate these two dimensions." But Fr Mallia acknowledges that there may be problems with the existing syllabus: "Like the rest of society, as a Church, we are on a learning curve in this respect. We are more than willing to explore new ways how to offer a more integrated approach to Religious education. We are grateful for the concrete initiatives that are being proposed all the time in our schools and our programmes. Obviously we need to keep on going further." Nonetheless he maintains that the syllabus in its present form is still beneficial, and may also provide benefits for non-Catholics. "Religious studies provide a suitable moral foundation for many, especially Catholics. However there may be people who may hold some or a few values which do not flow from Catholic religious studies. "By definition, since Religious Studies in Maltese state and Church schools is Catholic Religious Education, the moral foundation that is such an integral part of RS necessarily reflects Catholic religious belief. The Catholic Faith, based as it is on the universal teachings of Christ, proposes a moral vision that is addressed to the good of all humanity and not just Catholics. Of course, non-Catholics are free to adopt or reject this morality." As such, Fr Mallia expects the proposed ethics course to similarly address issues the Church believes are central to the good of humanity. "I think the course should focus on both universal values such as: truth, love, justice, solidarity, respect for self, others, environment and values that are part of our local culture and heritage, such as: spirituality, sense of what is sacred, monogamous and faithful marriage, sacredness of life from its first moments, dignity of the weak, rights of the child, dignity of women, democracy, rule of law, and so on."