School is Confusing

I’ve been puzzling recently over one of the most substantial cultural differences between Northern Ireland and the U.S. An experience from a couple weeks ago serves as an illustrative anecdote. At one of my programs a leader asked the children to recite the Lord’s Prayer together. After stumbling through the 2000-year-old words, a boy raised his hand and complained, “I don’t even know the Lord’s Prayer!” The leader, somewhat surprised, responded, “What? Didn’t you learn it in school?”

A Northern Irish reader will find nothing unusual in that question, but an American reader will likely understand my bewilderment. Public schools in the U.S. are for learning about biology and reading books. But a lesson about the Lord ’s Prayer would be a manifest violation of the separation between church and state. I’ve read news stories about children being suspended from school for accidentally saying “Amen” at the end of a minute of silence. That takes the issue to an extreme, but it’s true that I would never expect to be taught any prayers or bible lessons in school. That’s why I went to Sunday school. Older children could perhaps have a class on historical and global religions, but that is very distinct from the Christian education programs at churches.

In Northern Ireland, Christian education for young people seems to be a collaboration between churches and schools. Local pastors often come as guests to schools to speak at assembly. School boards would often include a pastor from the community. As Easter approaches, Whitehouse Presbyterian is preparing to host groups of schoolchildren for an interactive tour of the Stations of the Cross. At assembly the children may watch their principal stand up and say that Easter demonstrates how much God loves each of them. High school children learn and discuss Christian ethics in the classroom.

I’ve interrogated students and teachers, hoping to understand the logic of the Northern Ireland structure for religious education. Primarily I wonder about the growing non-Christian population in Northern Ireland. Are those children alienated from their school experience when Christian values and beliefs are normative? The people with whom I have spoken assure me that the classes are tolerant and inclusive, presenting Christian beliefs without being forceful. Curricula for older students includes global religions. Some kids have even expressed frustration that they are learning about non-Christian religion when they still have so many questions about their own tradition, a valid thought although it confused me.

The differences are occasionally confusing, but also instructive. I recognize that the separation of church and state education in the U.S. is not complete. Our cultural value system always informs the way we educate our children. In Oklahoma, a wild debate rages about how the AP curriculum presents American history. Some conservatives maintain that the history we teach children should emphasize the positives, like our innovative democracy and our scientific imagination. Similarly, it seems to me that “American” values, as taught in schools, are implicitly “American Christian” values. The confusion of Christian devotion and patriotism is unquestionably widespread.

I suppose my point is, a truly objective education system is a fantasy. Schools and churches educate according to their system of values. In Northern Ireland, schools are unafraid to present Christian narratives to children. In the U.S. schools teach without any explicit mention of religion. It’s not my purpose to say which is better; that’s not even a helpful question. But I do think it is helpful to recognize the system of values that underscores our beliefs about religion and education. How else can we be better teachers, pastors, and youth leaders?

Those of you who work in education may have more coherent thoughts, which I would love to hear!

Come back soon for a brief account of my holiday with the Masseys.