Give a Reason for What You Believe

Our Arguments for the Existence of God lesson starts with a simple question: are you a ‘God is Nowhere Person’ (i.e. you don’t believe that God exists), or are you a ‘God is Now Here Person’ (i.e. you do believe in God). We ask the students to write what they believe on a post it note, and one reason they have for that belief. Our first lesson of the series at Nicholas Breakspear Catholic School had a student meeting this question with one of their own: ‘How could someone be a God is Nowhere person if they chose to go to this school?’. It seemed impossible to him that someone could attend a Catholic school and not believe in God. And to be honest, this was a crucial question for me as I continued in these lessons. Are we simply talking to a whole group of students who agree with every belief and viewpoint we have? And, even more importantly, what if we are?

Of course, this first question is quite silly. Even within a group of Christians you will inevitably find vastly varying viewpoints, and scopes (or maturity) of belief. Additionally, the number of ‘God is Nowhere’ post it notes that were handed back at the end of the lesson proved that this wasn’t a class of all identically-thinking young Catholics. But even more than this, the God is Now Here post it notes that were handed back blank struck me. So many young people gave no reason for what they believed.

Reflecting on these lessons, I am reminded of the Parable of the Sower and the importance of growing deep roots. A belief shared by parents may easily be strangled by the worries of life, or dismissed by distraction and peer pressure, if this belief does not have deep roots. And how do we grow these roots? We firstly need to understand what we say we believe. And from there comes a desire to grow: to learn, investigate, defend. Our time in school is worth it if we simply start with young people reflecting on what they already believe. I hope that many young people with faith ended that lesson equipped with strong arguments to support their faith.

The biggest joy from this lesson series came in a time of sharing that emerged from a discussion on religious experience. After me worrying that the class moved through the first half of the lesson quickly and without many questions, God instead used that spare time for an extended period of personal sharing. Most classes when asked about religious experiences bring up distant relatives who have survived accidents or other miracles of healing, however in this group, one after another of the students shared about how God had comforted them after the death of a loved one. Students either shared stories of comfort shown through animals and nature, or types of premonitions that brought warning and clarity to what may have otherwise been a shock. Out of this, Chris was able to read from the Beatitudes: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted”. Young people weren’t just pointed to intellectual or scientific arguments for why God exists, instead they were reflecting on how a relationship with God is so deeply personal. And for those who shared, it was a time of catharsis, and of mourning together.
                 
This was my first full lesson series since joining Step and it reminded me of so many important things: we are in schools for young people with no faith; we are in schools for young people who do have faith; we are there to teach and inform; but we are also there to simply listen.

Maddie