Opinion • February 15 2004

Enforcing religious observance in schools

Peter Farrugia takes a swipe at whoever decreed that students should be forced to attend mass and realises that while religion can be taken to us, we do not necessarily take to it

Spirituality and religion, we are coming to realise, are two very different things. While spirituality is the honest, earnest desire for connection with the Divine and thus with the holiness within ourselves, religion has become a euphemism for the parochialism so prevalent in mainstream faith.
When the lines are blurred, a world of extreme beauty is created, in which ‘God’ can be perceived not through abstraction or dumb-ed down simplicity, but as a guiding force present in the daily flow of life.
Unfortunately, this is rarely the case. More often we see the majority of worshippers in this country ‘going through the motions,’ turning the entire mass into some complex psycho-drama at best or, at worst, a necessary Sunday evil. If there is belief then you’ll find yourself drawn to the Church and its promise of everlasting salvation; if you don’t then perhaps you should put a stop to all this hypocrisy and have a lie in.
However, there are times when our own beliefs and way of life are not of primary concern. The authority of the majority overshadows our individuality and strikes an often destructive compromise. In return for the democratic liberty allowed us as mature adults, we must pledge our allegiance to the conventions of the populus during childhood. From infancy till youth, when the first inkling of doubt leads us into a more fertile world of intellectual (as well as spiritual) choice, we are bombarded with the moral integrity so proudly flouted by the Church as not only infallible but inviolate. Made in His image, God is not satisfied to leave us roam the Earth with the certain knowledge our inner goodness will vanquish evil; the Supreme Creator requires teachers, priests and an ever present crucifix to keep us from daily temptations.
While it might sound whiny and ‘terribly liberal’ to say that the celebration of Mass in schools is thrust upon us, the plain fact of the matter is that most, if not all, students are not there because they desire to ‘further their relationship with God.’ God is not on their minds during the indeterminate period between hymn and communion. Which lessons are being missed, who said what to whom and the tedium of it all often are. For those who feel drawn to furthering their love of God, there is ample time outside of school in which to do so. At the end of the day that single ceremony, that affected canticle we’ve heard innumerable times since birth, does little to augment our closeness with Christ. What it does do is alienate students who no longer feel drawn to Christianity, or those who were never Christian to begin with.
Malta is a Catholic island. While I cannot honestly understand which valley, hill or beach is in fact ‘Catholic’ it is plain to see that schools have taken this statement to heart. Steadfast values, discipline and the rigorous honesty that compliment the growth of decent, upright citizens go part and parcel with this mystical ‘Catholic upbringing’. These morals do, of course, exist outside of our island; outside of the Catholic faith. Beyond the walls of Christianity are not scores of godless heathens, but people who, perhaps, have more of a claim to call themselves righteous than any presupposing Sunday Christian.
The purpose of this article is to show just how vulgar the enforcement of mass attendance is, anywhere, but more over at schools and colleges. When we have come to the age of reason, be it 7 or 17, we can decide upon every facet of our lives. Even more so for the college student, who is paving his way forward in the world. This is not to say that all Maltese colleges follow suit - but for those that do, those who cling to the archaic notions that communal faith can instil anything more than resentment, there will be only a hollow regret when the realisation comes that you can take a man to religion, but not teach him spirituality.
Man has searched for the truth. Blessed with consciousness, through evolution or God, he has created a series of intricate rituals and formulae with which to guide his every step. In his fight for identity he has built culture upon culture and now, in 2004, we are come to a crossroads: whether it is better to end or change, and if so, what this metamorphoses entails. Life is constant evolution, a transformation from one form of being into another. Perhaps it is about time that religion changed also, not in doctrine but in the simple, every day application that should have such an affect on our religious awareness. Our spirituality.