From the mouths of babes
I give a religion quiz to the 7th and 8th graders in our parochial school each Friday. Usually it is just writing out their hymn stanzas assigned for memorization that week, along with identifying some terms and multiple-choice questions on Bible stories or doctrines.
We’ve been working our way through the Te Deum, and we had learned what “the noble army of martyrs” means. From there, we were comparing the evils of our age to those that the martyrs faced. So, just for kicks, I wanted to see what my kids would do with a surprise short-answer question: “Explain in your own words why abortion and euthanasia are right or wrong.” Here are three of their answers, exactly as written:
Student T.M. -
Abortion is wrong because it is the taking of a poor, innocent baby’s life. God forbids us from killing except for punishment by law or self defense. Euthanasia is also taking a person’s life, which is wrong.
Student N.W. -
Euthanasia is wrong because it’s murder and it is breaking the 5th commandment. You can’t play God and decide when a life ends. The worst part is that there is no difference commiting murder against a child and commiting abortion, but for some reason in the eyes of people it’s ok.
Student D.H. -
I believe that abortion and euthanasia are wrong. Let’s start with abortion. Abortion is killing a child befor it is born. God says we are made in his image so none of us do not “deserve to live” as some mothers think. So say it’s just a fetus not a baby so it doesn’t matter if it’s dead or not. But it is a baby before it’s born and it’s alive so it is wrong to kill the baby. Euthanasia is wrong because there is nothing “good” about putting someone down. God has a plan for our whole life and he doesn’t want that to end. Killing a person or animal before it is or he is dead is wrong no matter what. That is my reasons why it is wrong to do abortion and euthanasia.
That’s why we have a school.
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Amen.
Train up a child in the way he should go. . .
If they learn the truth now, they can defend it when they’re older–even if the new atheists say that teaching children about Christ is “child abuse”!
Reading this is like seeing a shimmer of light in the midst of darkness…
On a recent visit, one of your teachers, perhaps somewhat discouraged by some recent events, was asking my wife, “What makes us a Lutheran school?”
You have your answer. Share it with your staff. Share it with your congregation. Thanks for sharing it here. And thanks to your teachers for sharing the faith with these children.
-Andy Smith
Speaking of the new atheists, I’ve been reading alot of Dawkins, Dennett, and Singer lately. Absolutely intriguing stuff. Though if forces one to agree with the words of Marcus Aurelius “How paltry is the estate of man, how feeble his reasonings.”