James Pauley asks how we can assist in the recovery of wonder at the Christian faith in a technological age.
In the United States National Directory for Catechesis, the U.S. Bishops make an interesting point about the effects of the entertainment industry upon our young people in their capacity for growing in Faith. While the media certainly presents many opportunities for evangelization and catechesis, there are some important challenges which arise as well, especially when today’s generations are as ‘plugged in’ as they are.
Every catechist who teaches people who are more and more under the influence of television, the Internet, and other communications media knows this challenge very well. Certainly there is nothing inherently evil in these various technologies, but a strong case can be made that the more time people today spend in a ‘virtual’ world of instant messages and entertainment, the less of an attention span they have. After all, what kind of an effect does a high number of hours a day on the Internet or in front of the TV have on our capacity to think, to imagine, and to wonder? What effect does it have on our interest in the mysteries of Faith? How does it impact our capacity for meditation and contemplation?
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