Teach children about religion

INTERVENTION

Teach children about religion

They may be more perceptive than you think


BINA THOMAS


Religion is indeed a very sensitive issue. And for some, especially the cosmopolitan liberal, it is a exceedingly personal issue. It is either not right or appropriate to discuss it in any informal gathering. And for the same reasons we try and keep away from discussing it with our children.
Or maybe we think our little ones are too young to understand the complexities of the issue. But the fact is religion is the most important source of identity for millions of Indians. Thus, the knowledge of the religious diversity in this country and the need to be sensitive and tolerant to the teachings of every religion and, most importantly, the need to coexist in peace and harmony with all are integral learning exercises for any child.
It is not that children don’t wish to know. They are curious. Right from the time they join a school and mix with other children, they want to know why certain festivals are important to some and not to all. Why do objects of worship differ from home to home? Why do some bury their their dead, while others cremate them? Questions on ‘my God’ and ‘your God’ are a part of their identity. One need not be a regular at a temple or mosque for the child to grow curious about these matters. The school and playground are adequate to set the child thinking on what for others are ‘intellectual’ musings.
As responsible parents and teachers, it is important that we explain religion to the child. Let’s teach them young, even before the ‘rewritten’ history textbooks get to them. Preferably with love and reason. Such an exercise also makes it easier for a child to analyse why then if ‘all Indians are my brothers and sisters’ should people live in fear of being hacked to death one day simply because he or she belongs to a different religion?
We cannot shield our children from these doubts forever. And why should we? It’s not being harsh on young minds at all. They get to know of it anyway. In between shifting channels or flipping through newspapers, they learn about the world around them. They have seen the damage caused in Gujarat. The older ones may have even read articles or watched news clippings with tears in their eyes. There would be many wanting to know what we mean by words like ‘fundamentalism’ or ‘communal harmony’.
Why should we be reluctant to address these queries in the same spirit of humanity that we render to issues of the drought or earthquake-affected? Are we scared to teach or children to love the ‘other’ because there is so much hate among ourselves? Or is it as plain as not wanting to learn from or listen to our own respective religious texts? As educated citizens, it’s time we equip ourselves with answers for such ‘personal’ questions. Children are more perceptive than we give them credit for. Sometimes they are more perceptive than adults.

The writer is an archaeologist, working with Bodhigram, a Pune-based centre for alternate education