Family

...and belief in God

Do our families play a role in influencing our religious self?

“Give me the boy till the age of seven;And I will show you the man...”

- Jesuit Priest

How will he be influenced?

Manners Likes

DislikesPersonality

Religion?

How can religious upbringing affect your belief in God?

• The key features of a Catholic upbringing• Why these could lead to belief in God• How they could turn you away from belief in

God

Catholic Upbringing:

• The sacraments (baptism, communion, confirmation)

• Learning to pray• Being read stories from the Bible• Going to a Catholic school • Going to Church• Going to children’s liturgies

Sacraments

• Baptism is what brings you into God’s family – in the baptismal vows, parents promise they will take their children to Church, and teach them about Catholic faith

• Communion – through receiving the body of Christ, we are becoming one with him; this massively contributes to your religious self

• Confirmation – you’re old enough to confirm your beliefs for yourself

Prayer

• Catholic parents should teach their children how to pray to God – this helps the child build a relationship with God, and deepen their faith

• If a child sees an adult praying – aren’t they likely to believe in its power more?

Bible...

• Through being read stories from the Bible, children will understand God’s will

• In the stories of the Bible, good will always triumph over evil – this is a good message for children

• They get to learn more about Jesus’ life – as it was recorded in the New Testament

Catholic School...

• You will have assemblies, with prayer focus

• In your RE lessons, you will learn about the Catholic faith

• God and Christianity would be a normal feature to school life

Going to Church

• If you go to Church (and stay in the Mass) you can see adults worshiping, praising and praying to God – this will assure their own beliefs

Going to children’s liturgies...

• You get to learn about the Gospel in child friendly terms

• You get to socialize with other children who also have a belief in God

• You get to share your faith with people your age

A valid analogy... • You are still a child, you’re 9 years of age• Your parents fight almost every night – the

other (quiet) nights are when your dad isn’t in• Surely, this will shape your adults self...

Either:• It will make you a violent person, too OR• It will encourage you not to be like that –

because you didn’t like witnessing it

Plenary:

• From what you have learned in todays lesson, describe your understanding, or try to explain the Jesuit saying...

“Give me the boy until the age of seven, and I will show you the man.”