A question about what my (college) students are saying - help would be appreciated. [View all]
Obviously, I have no close familiarity with what is being taught in churches these days, so admit I'm perplexed about the following.
I teach history. Naturally, the topic of religion comes up and often - usually in the survey US history classes - when we turn to discussing the Reformation (sometimes it doesn't pop up until we're discussing the Puritans/Separatists) a student will say something like:
"But Catholics aren't Christians, are they?"
The first time I heard it I was gobsmacked. Since then, I've learned how to address the question; how to explain it in a way that they understand (or at least accept). What I am curious about is WHY they believe this?
Usually, I will gently probe to see if I can determine if the student is ignorant of all religion or has been raised in a particular faith - sometimes they'll volunteer the information. Broadly, it appears that most of the students' who believe this come from one of the more modern (in historical terms) Protestant denominations. I don't recall ever having a student who was not religious ask the question - nor a student who professed belonging to one of the "original" Protestant denominations ask the question.
Does anyone have any insight into why some of these young people (they are always traditionally aged students - late teens to very early twenties) would believe this?
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