Religion examiners say teens have ‘distorted idea of sin’

Most candidates sitting for the religion Ordinary Level exam have "a distorted idea of what constitutes mortal and venial sin", an examiners' report on last May's session reveals.

According to the report, the answers given by candidates were an "eye-opener" for all those involved in the pastoral care of youths. But these replies could also reveal changing social trends, with many being brought up in families where attending mass is no longer considered an important aspect of religiosity.

The report notes that blaspheming and missing mass on Sundays are wrongly considered as venial sins - sins considered to be "normal occurrences" - while only "murder, stealing and abortion" are considered to be mortal sins.

Many believed that venial sins were forgiven with blessed water or a simple prayer, something that prompted the examiners to ask: "are we losing the sense of sin?"

Catholic doctrine is a compulsory subject in Catholic schools, but not as a matriculation exam.

According to the examiners, some of the candidates lacked "the very basic of religious knowledge" to the extent that "many candidates do not know that there are seven sacraments and cannot even distinguish between sacraments and commandments."

A number of candidates are also confusing the terms God and Jesus, exposing the difficulty posed by theological concepts like that of the Trinity, a central tenet of the Catholic faith.

The report states that it was common to find candidates writing that Jesus helped the Jews during the Exodus - the Old Testament book documenting the Hebrews' departure from Egypt - or that Jesus himself was the author of the Bible. The concept of "the Church as the Body of Christ" was also found to be "a confusing issue".

When asked to state two dogmas of faith or titles attributed to Our Lady, some candidates mentioned devotional titles such as "Madonna tal-Gilju" or "Madonna ta' Lourdes."

Candidates confused the Book of Exodus with Genesis, and few knew what the word "incarnation" meant:  some referred to Jesus' death, resurrection and transfiguration and others said that incarnation was "a kind of reincarnation".

Some candidates even added details not found in scripture when asked to describe a miracle performed by Christ: most referred to the healing of the blind man and the healing of the 10 lepers. While in the Gospels, Jesus mixed spittle with dirt to make a mud mixture which he placed in the blind man's eyes, many students claimed that Jesus cured the blind man using soil, dust or sand and then sent him to the river. Even the ten lepers were "often sent to wash in the river".

In a question on Adam and Eve and the apple, one candidate referred to God "depriving them of their clothes" as a punishment.

When asked about the similarities between the Pascal lamb and Jesus, most Paper B students had no idea that this referred to the act of sacrifice to redeem humanity. Some even put down silly answers like "The lamb is white and Jesus also used to wear white clothes" or "the lamb is a docile and calm creature like Jesus".

When asked about the afterlife, many candidates described purgatory "as some kind of waiting area where they have an opportunity to repent from their sins and if not are sent straight to hell".

The examiners' report fails to raise the question whether the teaching of religion in schools is missing the wood for the trees, by focusing on doctrinal, rather than basic ethical principles.

In one of the few questions on social issues, the report notes that the understanding of the concept that work can strengthen solidarity among workers was very limited. "For many candidates solidarity only means charity and an ability to work with others."

Most candidates mentioned vices like smoking, drinking and sex and bad content on the internet and TV  as the greatest obstacles to living a Christian life.

Only one question focused on the environment, with the report noting that very few candidates "referred to man as God's administrator of creation".

Speaking to MaltaToday, a religion teacher at a government school expressed his disappointment with the content of the report, noting that the major shortcoming is not the replies of the students, but the questions which they are being asked.

"Rather than focusing on the students' failure to grasp abstract theological distinctions, which are best understood by actually living the gospel, it should have focused on the absence of topics like migration, racism and social justice, themes which are constantly emphasised by the current Pope and by many priests working in the community, but not raised in the exam paper."

According to the religion teacher, who refused to be named (as teachers of religion still need the approval of the Maltese Curia to be able to teach) students look at religion as an easy exam where they are only expected to tell examiners what they like to hear, with many doing this in an "infantile way".

"The situation is completely different in class where some students not only openly question the relevance of the Church, but also express the most non-Christian sentiments on topics like migration," the teacher said.

The teacher also proposed a change in the syllabus and a greater synergy with the new ethics subject, which will soon be thought to students who opt out of religion classes.

"It would have been interesting to interrogate students on whether tax evasion, land speculation and racism are grave sins rather than asking students abstract questions on the distinction between venial and mortal sins."

Despite the shortcomings in the answers given, a majority still managed to pass the exam.

Only 2.4% of the 3,798 candidates sitting for this exam got a Grade 1, while 63% passed the exam. 

The report notes a great difference between candidates sitting for the more difficult Paper A and the easier Paper B. In fact, while only 11% of those sitting for Paper A failed the exam, 64% of the 1,587 students sitting for Paper B either got an insufficient Grade 6 or Grade 7 or failed.