This reminds me of a show that was old when I was young. That show was hosted by Art Linkletter and was called “Kids says the darndest things.” In that show, Mr. Linkletter would ask questions of children and would wait for the inevitable faux pas that some child or other would make. Art Linkletter’s favorite question was, “What did your mother tell you not to tell me?” And, on almost every rerun that I saw, some incredibly embarrassing revelation would come from one of the children. One of my favorites was the child who said that his mother had told him not to say that she was pregnant, at which point a scream came out of the audience.
I have heard from many a Sunday School teacher that catechizing children can have the same results as that old show. If a child is young enough, s/he is not yet socialized and acculturized enough to know that there are certain questions that should not be asked and certain sentences that should not be said. Thus a child is much more likely to make a simple and innocent remark that, nevertheless, cuts to the quick of a subject. Catechism Class or Sunday School is a place where such questions are likely to be asked.
If a Sunday School teacher is good, then they will use those questions to guide the children into maturity. However, a bad Sunday School teacher will be horrified and will silence the child. Why is the Sunday School teacher a bad Sunday School teacher? Well, not for the reason you might think. It has nothing to do with any emotional repercussions on the child. Rather, because children have not been socialized and acculturized, they will ask questions that we have been “trained” not to ask. Thus, while many children’s questions are not fully logical, nevertheless, many other of those children’s questions are the result of their seeing a discrepancy that we have been trained not to see.
A good Sunday School teacher will realize that the child is asking a question that brings into play what the Sunday School teacher himself/herself believes. If the Sunday School teacher is a good teacher, s/he will quickly examine his/her own beliefs in order to ensure that they will not make a serious doctrinal error. I must admit that this type of teacher is rather rare. May Our Lord grant us more Sunday School teachers who are open to listening to the innocent questions of children.
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