Beyond the blue

Subjects

1.1 Creation

1.2 The foundation of the Christian belief

1.3 A spiritual person

1.4 The objectives of Christian education

1.5 Educational implications in relation to teaching and learning in the religious life world

1.6 Synthesis

1.1 Creation

Human existence and conditions of life — namely, space, time, emotions, and many experiences — give birth to a faith or religion, hence the belief that there is God.

There are a number of faiths or religions. Amongst them are Judaism, Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, and so on.

* Judaism is a belief in God, the Creator — the living, the faithful, and the righteous God. Jews strongly believe that God speaks and listens at the same time. They declare, 'The Lord our God is one Lord.' The law of God, Torah, is captured in the first five books of the Bible, which regulates the conduct of every Jew.

Hinduism maintains that all people are able to move closer to God. In the process of getting nearer to God, man is led to the ultimate goal — that of the soul reuniting with the supreme reality. On the whole, Hinduism is characterised by the following outlook:

* They worship some visible form of the divine for help.

* Theirs is the religion of incarnation; the worshipper has a mental picture of the one he worships.

* They believe in a personal god. Their god, who is personal, is spoken to and listens when they pray. Hinduism also asserts that the true god is unlimited in the sense that he never changes and is available at all times.

* Islam is a way of life. Islam is the driver/pilot of every aspect of life in the social, economic, political, ethical, and aesthetic world. The Islamic creed proclaims that 'there is no other god but Allah'. Mohammed is the prophet of Allah. Allah has power over all things and is a compassionate and merciful god. Faith in Allah, the creator, means a total submission to his will.

* In Christianity, Christians believe in God, the Creator, and that God revealed himself through Christ, who alone is the way, the truth, and the life.

In order to minimise the scope of this text and to facilitate a mellow understanding of religion, Christianity will be used as a point of reference.

God created heaven and earth. Man became the climax of his creation and inherited his image (Genesis 1:1, 27). The inheritance of the image or the likeness of God established a special relationship with him and makes man a reasoning, moral, and creative creature.

Creation was completed in six days. John Taylor (Alexander and Alexander 1973: 127) gives a summary of the perceived sequence of events as follows:

Day 1: Light and darkness (day and night) were created.

Day 2: Earth's atmosphere was created.

Day 3: Dry land (plants and trees) and seas were created;

Day 4: The sun, moon, stars, seasons, days, and years were created. Day 5: Sea creatures and birds were created.

Day 6: Land animals and mankind were created; creation was completed.

Day 7: God took a respite and reflected on the whole creation. In his reflection and evaluation, God was satisfied by the orderliness and simplicity of how he created everything, and he declared that he will continue with the maintenance and sustenance of his creation.

God is a spiritual being, super- and extrahuman. This is the god, the creator, and the sustainer of the universe, whom all mankind believe in. The belief of mankind and his views are based on a supreme value, God. The entire human way of life is determined by faith. Faith is based on trust in God. Our reliance in God is the belief and hope that God is trustworthy and will fulfil his promises.

1.2 The foundation of the Christian belief

Christianity is based on these beliefs:

* Man is a moral being.

* The voice of conscience is a reflection of internalised and external moral laws.

* God reveals the divine truth through his Son, Jesus Christ.

* Man is destined for life beyond the grave; his life is a preparation.

* God is omnipresent; he is present everywhere at the same time.

* God is omnipotent; he has unlimited power, great power.

* God is omniscient; he knows everything (Redden and Ryan 1956: 181).

The power of God to see and know (in advance) all that happens or will happen, good or bad, demonstrates that God is the alpha and the omega. David testified to this fact by saying, 'You saw me before I was born; the days allocated to me had all been recorded in your book, before any of them ever began' (Psalm 139: 16).

Apostle Paul corroborates and points out that man has been elected and predestined to eternal life long before the foundation of the world was laid. Man has been chosen to be his through his union with Christ (Ephesians 1:4–5).

1.3 A spiritual person

'Spirituality is a way of being and experiences that comes about through awareness of a transcendent dimension characterised by certain identifiable values in regard to self, others, nature and life' (Elkins et al. 1988: 10).

A spiritual person is identifiable by the following characteristics:

* He endeavours to make life meaningful because he understands and knows that he exists for a purpose.

* He is visionary and committed to social justice.

* He believes that life is infused with sacredness.

* He believes in botho. He is his brother's keeper.

* He can appreciate material things, such as money and possessions, but does not seek satisfaction from them.

1.4 The objectives of Christian education

The objectives of Christian education, amongst others, are to produce true Christians. A true Christian is a person whose aspects of life are driven and based on the belief that God revealed himself to us through Jesus Christ, who alone is the way, the truth, and the life.

Christianity is a way of life to be lived and is a work of authority, a work of love, following Jesus Christ as an example.

Christian churches carry the command of preaching the gospel to all mankind and are therefore dominated by sermons, penitence, the fear of

God, faith in Christ, the righteousness of faith, comfort, prayer, the cross, and so forth.

Finally, Christianity aims at producing a community, society, and church whose thoughts are dominated by:

* bearing one another's burdens

* correcting one another

* comforting

* edifying one another

* togetherness

* humility

* a softened heart for the poor and afflicted

* worshipping with other believers.

These, with God on our side, will lead to the ultimate or desired goals of Christianity.

1.5 Educational implications in relation to teaching and learning in the religious life world

1.5.1 The need for religion in the educational milieu of the adolescent child

A child needs religion, a belief that he can accept, and observances that are meaningful and helpful to him. A child needs a religion that gives him faith in life, a faith to live by, and a faith that can help him learn to withstand the conflicts and doubts he sometimes have.

1.5.2 The value of religion to the adolescent child

Religion touches the heart and directs and moulds life in one or more of the following ways:

* Religion is a moral, philosophical, and social institution.

* A child who rates religion as being important shows a high level of religious commitment as well as commitment towards religious institutions.

* Students meet the academic and social expectations of the school more than non-religious students do (Mathunyane 1992: 48; Lerner and Spanier 1980: 66; and Santrock 1984: 536).

1.5.3 Changes in religious interest and effects on behaviour

As children grow older, they begin to question religious concepts and beliefs in their childhood. Religious doubt or religious questioning will emerge.

Religious doubt involves the following:

* There is confusion and uncertainty and a decrease in religious observances.

* This gradually develops into a religious awakening that leads to a reconstruction of religious beliefs and attitudes. Many boys and girls decide to dedicate their lives to serve their church and become extremely enthusiastic about religious activities.

Reawakening influences changes in religious beliefs and attitudes. The child may adopt one or any combination of the following:

* There is less interest in religion and religious observances.

* In the main, the adolescent is likely to retain the faith of his childhood (family faith).

* In the extreme, the adolescent is likely to adopt another faith that is different in most respects from that of his parents (Mathunyane 1992: 50).

1.6 Synthesis

God is a spiritual being; he is the creator and sustainer of the universe. The entire human way of life is determined by faith and the belief of the omnipresence, omnipotence, and omniscience of God.

A spiritual person is a person who believes in a transcendent dimension of life, knows the purpose of life, believes in the sacredness of life, and lives a life full of love.

The next chapter will deal with man, the moral being, and his life world.

MAN AND THE LIFE WORLD

Subjects

2.1 Man, the moral being

2.2 Religion and morality

2.3 Special attributes, ethics, and values

2.4 Educational implications for teaching and learning in the moral development of the adolescent child

2.5 Synthesis

2.1 Man, the Moral being

The pure creation produced an immortal being, a human being. It is God's will that even today, the world is blessed with newly born souls. This is an indication that we live by the will of God, and therefore, no one is allowed to kill or to take his life.

It became unfortunate when man violated God's instructions and ended up with the introduction of death. This was the birth of a mortal being (Psalm 78:39). Jesus Christ alone is immortal.

In order to save the world, God displayed his love by sending his only Son, Jesus Christ, who has revealed immortal life by ending the power of death (2 Timothy 1:10). Man has no share or role in the action of being saved but through faith alone. This faith is the foundation of the belief that man is a moral, the voice of conscience, a reflection of internalised and external moral law.

2.2 Religion and morality

Religion consists of two elements — namely, a faith which is based on the individual's beliefs and, secondly, practices or religious observances in common with others of the same faith.

Morals are standards of right or wrong. This exposition suggests that moral education and religion are inseparable.

2.3 Special attributes, ethics, and values

2.3.1 Special attributes

Only human beings can differentiate between right (good) and wrong (evil) on the basis of an ethical position are free and therefore need to act responsibly, and are capable of faith, the only beings that exist in relation to God, self, other people, and the world. In all these relationships, God gave human beings a law, that of love.

2.3.2 Ethics

In the attributes mentioned, it is said human beings differentiated between wrong and right based on an ethical position. Ethics are based on certain basic principles, namely:

* The only thing that is intrinsically good is love.

* Christians' decisions are guided by love.

* Love and justice are inseparable.

* Love is extended to one's neighbour.

* Love influences decisions in various situations.

This love has been demonstrated by God in that he so loved the whole world that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life (John 3:16). God continued to say that he is love and those who abide in love abide in him as he abides in them (1 John 4:16), and he concluded by saying, 'Love your neighbour as you love yourself' (Roman 13:9). Loving one's neighbour equates to botho.

Botho is a social contract that originates in the individual family and spreads to the entire community as an extended family network. Motho ke motho ka batho means that 'a person is a person through other people within his specific community'. 'I am because you are, you are because we are' (compare Keeley 1982: 287; Van Deventer and Kruger 2003: 71).

2.3.3 Values

Rokeach, Kluckhom and Von Bertalanffy (Bergh et al. 1999: 192–194) define value as 'an enduring belief that a certain mode of conduct is personally or socially preferable, and also defined as an implicit or explicit conception of the desirable, which influences behavioural choices'. Also, values are functional in one of the most activities of humans, that of creating a symbolic world.

For illustration purposes, an example of a set of values is presented as:

• self-discipline: persevering in achieving goals and being able to control behaviour,

• healthy lifestyle: taking care of yourself and avoiding anything harmful and refusing the use of drugs

• respect: taking care of the needs, beliefs, and feelings of others

• kindness: exhibiting care and concern for your fellow man

• responsibility: taking responsibility for your actions

• honesty: being truthful and trustworthy

• commitment : being good in the service you render to people

• courage: standing firm to your values in the face of challenges (Engelbrecht et al. 1996: 297).

In everyday life, situations vary, and a consistent application of these values is imperative. Therefore, the changing world demands versatility (without compromise) in facing challenges that emerge as a result of developments in the social, political, economic, and cultural fronts.

2.3.4 Moral values in human development

Interactions which demand the application of moral values include, amongst others, fun and situational, authentic, and convenient (free to all) encounters (Gerdes et al. 1981: 149–150).

* Fun encounter is a situation where one is not seriously committed to the relationship, and a person tends to become too casual and careless with no intended results,

* Situational encounter is the judgement of a situation according to your own standards.

* Authentic encounter is an encounter that aims at producing people's dignity, identity, and self-confident personalities.

* Hedonism is acting without following any standard in terms of choosing what is pleasurable now irrespective of the long-term results.

2.4 Educational implications for teaching and learning in the moral development of the adolescent child

2.4.1 Moral development

Moral development concerns rules and conventions about acceptable behaviour often in relation to a person's interactions with other people.

There are three basic approaches — namely, cognitive, affective, and social approaches — employed towards understanding moral development.

The cognitive view of moral development focuses on moral reasoning and considers cognitive development to be a necessary stimulant for changes in the stages of moral development.

The affective perspective on moral development focuses on the role of empathy, sympathy, and guilt, which are thought to be influenced by socialisation (Santrock 1984: 524).

The social perspective views morality as linked primarily to friendship experiences and the related sense of togetherness (Rogers 1985: 161).

A fully developed individual's morality is identifiable by singling out the following observations:

• The person is able to recognise the sensitivity of issues in a given social situation.

• The person is able to determine what ought to be done in a given situation.

• The person stands firm to his values, and his actions are always influenced by such values.

• The person has the ability to execute the implementation of moral actions, involving behaviour that is consistent with the realisation of one's goals (Conger 1991: 466–467).

2.4.2 Factors influencing the adolescent's morals

2.4.2.1 Parental influence

The adolescent learns what is regarded as right and what is regarded as wrong from his parents. Adults interpret for him the moral codes of the community and punish him when he violates them. Once parents believe that the adolescent has already learned the major principles of right and wrong, they will frequently neglect to teach him the relationship between the specific principle learned earlier and the general principles that are essential for control over behaviour in adult life.

The fact that parents assume adolescents know what is right explains their tendency to punish what they regard as intentional misbehaviour (Mathunyane 1992: 45; Hurlock 1973: 248; and Hurlock 1980: 243).