Religion Lessons and Existential Questions of Children at the Early School Stage. Case Study of a Gifted, Asynchronously Developing Child
Religion Lessons and Existential Questions of Children at the Early School Stage. Case Study of a Gifted, Asynchronously Developing Child

Summary/Abstract: In a dynamically developing world, undergoing continuous cultural, social, economic and political changes, people for centuries now have been looking for answers to basic questions relating to the human lifecycle of birth – existence – death. Children, who are in the identity-shaping phase, experience even more acutely than adults lack of a well-established structure of thinking in terms of the continuity of their being, the meaning and purpose of life, their own death and that of those close to them. They should, therefore, be given an opportunity to find their own way in this respect during school catechesis. This article presents the importance of school catechesis in the search for answers to existential questions posed by primary school children. The presented research was based on a case study of an 8-year-old boy, a second-grade student, whose existential functioning in the period of two years of schooling was determined by school catechesis. It is characterized by continuity in the questions posed by the child as well as a change in experiencing the sense of the lack of meaning and purpose of life, death, searching for and evaluating the elements of good and evil. In the first year of catechesis, the boy “eased” his fear of the end of human life, and in the second year he realized that the source of answers to the questions bothering him were values, principles and examples promoted in the Catholic faith and the community of God.

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