The sacrament formerly known as ...
PLANS to tell teachers to drop terms such as "Holy Ghost" and "Old Testament" from religious education lessons have been postponed after they were branded a move too far in political correctness.
Guidelines drawn up for schools in Norfolk listed a host of terminology and images, which were to be banned for fear of frightening children, or portraying offensive images of various religions.
Under the recommendations, communion bread and wine would no longer be referred to as the "body and blood of Christ", to avoid "cannibalistic" connotations.
The phrase "Holy Ghost" was said to imply "a trivial and spooky concept" and so should be substituted with "Holy Spirit", said the guidelines.
And the Old Testament should not be referred to, as it made the Bible sound out-of-date.
The guidelines were drawn up by the Norfolk Agreed Syllabus conference, which described them as "a useful thing to help teachers prevent making mistakes".
But last night, Norfolk County Council said it was reviewing the policy after it was met by a barrage of criticism.
Maybe they can get a marketing consultant to change the name of the Old Testament as in the case of used cars becoming pre-owned cars. Maybe the "Classic Testament", "Oldie-but-a-Goodie" Testament, or "God's plan: Volume 1." Possibly they could hype it as a prequel to the New (and improved!) Testament.
Not referring to the body and blood of Christ in a religious education class is unbelievably stupid. What passes for religious education must be incredibly vapid if what they teach about the Eucharist makes it hard for children to differentiate between what first century Pagans accused the Church of doing. What in the world were they going to refer to it as?
The guidelines also warned against linking Islam with terrorism and violence by showing "photographs of Muslims holding swords and Kalashnikovs".
Mr Seaton said it was patronising to young people to assume they could not distinguish between pictures of sword-bearing gods, and people practising the religion in everyday life [Source]
Always good to know that someone brandishing a Kalashnikov is "practising the religion in everyday life".
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How does one teach the second-graders about their First Eucharist when one can't explain that the consecrated host & wine is "The Body and Blood of Christ"? How do we teach our children about the Real Presence?
The "body and blood of Christ" reminded me of when I was in the second grade and my mom was trying to help me with CCD homework. I made that same accusation ("ew! that's cannibalism") and my mom pointed out to me that that's what the people who didn't believe in Jesus said. It's not some new complaint or anything.
And I didn't know that "Holy Ghost" was still being used -- I never heard Holy Ghost in any of my religion classes (1990>>).
I've read "Hebrew Bible" as a gloss for OT among those who view "two covenants" as being un-PC. This leaves the deuterocanonicals in an odd place, though. "Septuagintal Books" could be a conceivable gloss, I suppose, as would "Hebrew Bible and its Greek-But-Still-Jewish Friends (Also The Bible)". You could shorten it to Hebibangrebustijewfralthebib, or just HBGBSTFAB.
I makes me shudder to think of the untold billions of people who have learned the wrong terminology over the course of nearly a score of centuries. How many nightmares must have occurred from singing, "Come, Holy Ghost"!? How many of us have been irreparably damaged by referring to the Hebrew scriptures as the Old Testament! And think about the Christ-centric use of dating, e.g., A.D. and B.C.
Far better to get out the scissors and the felt and make "Jesus Loves John" communion banners, and the crayons to color the pictures of that always smiling Bert Parks of a Jesus in religion classes, or to watch Ligourian Happy Time films.
Good that we have sensitive modern thinkers in our midst, no?
I looked in vain for the "RotoReuters" tagline. Is nothing too stupid for these people?
The guidelines also warned against linking Islam with terrorism and violence by showing "photographs of Muslims holding swords and Kalashnikovs"
Do the guidelines say anything about showing Muslims in airplanes?
Sylvia writes the following
" How does one teach the second-graders about their First Eucharist when one can't explain that the consecrated host & wine is "The Body and Blood of Christ"? How do we teach our children about the Real Presence?"
Thats just it Sylvia.You can not.That is the idea behind such dictats!
Do not think that this anti-Christian secular mindset is limited to Europe.It has crossed the Atlantic and has touched down in the US already.
What's everyone fretting about?
This article has nothing to do with Catholicism, but with Anglicanism.
It's got nothing to do with serious religion. What's with all the fuss?