Sir, - Angela MacNamara (Feb 3rd) takes issue with an article I wrote in Education & Living (The Irish Times, January 26th). I too recognise that there is an art to teaching morality without being judgmental. Nowhere do I say or even suggest that it is fidelity to Christian ideals that causes difficulties for religion teachers, school chaplains and teachers involved in RSE. What causes problems are the dual standards that arise from the beliefs that traditional values are fixed and do not have to be defined.
Almost 25 per cent of children entering school do not come from two-parent families with married parents. That is a fact. A large number of parents have different lifestyles and hold values that do not reflect church teaching. Young people mirror their beliefs, attitudes and values. The ethos of a school is created by all the pupils, parents, teachers and management, by those who accept church teaching and those who do not.
It is ineluctable that behaviour that is considered morally right at one time may be judged differently at another time. For example, Catholic Church teachings on contraception, slavery and usury are among the most salient cases where teaching has altered. Moral norms change because our value systems change. The theologian Sean Fagan says: "Morality is based on reality; reality itself changes and our understanding of reality likewise changes, so inevitably there will be cases where what we discern as morally right may be judged differently as we change."
Teachers who lay down the law and demand obedience to traditional church teaching succeed only in alienating pupils. That approach simply does not work. I accept that Angela MacNamara sets out to present objective moral ideals in a sensitive and caring way. She appears to believe that moral values are constant and unchanging. It is obvious that they are not.
The suggestion that I fail to teach Christian values and encourage young people to embark on a sexually active life is both hurtful and offensive. I challenge young people to discuss the consequences of sexual behaviour they consider appropriate. This is an effective way of encouraging them to make morally responsible choices.
Challenging them to see for themselves the long-term results of behaviour that can hurt them physically, emotionally and spiritually and lead to pregnancy or fatal sexually transmitted diseases is a respectful and powerful way of changing attitudes. It brings students to understand and accept specific Church teaching on moral matters. As a teacher of RSE in Catholic schools Angela MacNamara will recognise that my approach to teaching RSE is in accordance with the Vatican II ideal of people "who will be lovers of true freedom, who form their judgements in the light of truth, direct their activities with a sense of responsibility, and strive for what is true and just in willing co-operation with others." - Yours, etc., Carmel Wynne,
Ashton Avenue, Dublin 16.