I’m still trying to figure out Study Hall classes in High School.  Back in my day, (yes…I realize that phrase is used by old people and I’m slowly coming to grips that I’m morphing into my father) Study Hall classes were full of students doing just that…studying.  It wasn’t a choice for us.  It was a mandate from the teacher.  Today is much different.  The largest number of students I’ve had in a Study Hall is five.  I’m told that students now have many more options of places to be during this time.  They can choose to participate in computer labs or tutoring sessions or any number of other extracurricular activities.  Or maybe they just find out that they have a substitute for Study Hall and simply blow it off.  Whatever the reason, I applaud their ambition.

The most recent Study Hall I supervised had only two students in it.  One student whipped out a magazine to read.  The other pulled out a plastic baggie of GORP.  You remember GORP, right?  Granola, Oats, Raisins and Peanuts?  I thought this was just a snack for 6-year-old campers, but apparently it’s making a comeback as a snack for older kids too.  I saw this time as a nice break in the day and pulled out my iPad to catch up on some reading.  I had no sooner opened up my book when the GORP-eating student spoke.

“What are you reading?” he asked.

“It’s a book called ‘Stuff Christians Life’ by Jon Acuff,” I said.  (Side note: If you haven’t read this book yet, pick up a copy.  It is by far one of the best books I have read in years and every page is laugh-out-loud funny.  Whether you’re a Christian or not, you will be able to appreciate this book.)

“You’re not allowed to read that in here,” he continued.

“Why not?”

“Because it’s a religious book and there are rules against that kind of stuff.”

“It’s OK.  I’m not a real teacher.  I don’t think these rules apply to me.”

He laughed.

“Besides, you’re not going to tell on me, are you?”  I asked.

“No.  I just don’t know how you can read that stuff,” he said.

“What kind of stuff?” the other student asked.

“You know, an invisible God living in the sky.  Sees everything.  All that nonsense.”

“Just because you can’t see something doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist,” replied the other student.  This answer made me cringe a little bit.  I agree with the logic, but it just seems like it’s the go-to line whenever someone questions God’s existence.  I think it’s time someone came up with a better response.  Maybe I’ll make that my next writing assignment.  I’ll keep you posted.  Anyway, the two went back and forth for a few minutes and it became obvious that one student was a devout Christian and the other was a confident atheist.  They each solicited my opinions throughout the conversation on different topics.  I was honest in my answers but also never discredited another’s viewpoint.

Common misconceptions were cleared up on both sides of the fence.  The atheist explained that he didn’t hate God and other Christians.  He just didn’t believe that God existed.  The Christian explained that he wasn’t a crazy right-wing fanatic and that he was not nor would he ever be a snake handler to prove his faith.  A lot of the talk was comical, but it became clear that neither student really had a clue what the other truly believed.

When the bell to end class finally rang, there were no grand revelations.  The Christian did not denounce God.  The atheist did not find Jesus.  But I had the pleasure of watching two teenage boys discuss their faith or lack there of in a mature and respectful manner.  This discussion stayed with me for weeks and I couldn’t figure out why it had been so impactful.  Then it finally dawned on me.  And it dawned on me in the form of one word: Refreshing.

It was refreshing to see two individuals share their drastically opposing views on something as significant as religion and not succumb to pettiness.  And this would have been pretty easy to model.  Just take a look around at how most adults interact with one another when vastly different agendas are in play.  Christian vs. Atheist, Conservative vs. Liberal, Republican vs. Democrat.  Too often, adults lose sight of having a conversation about their differences and possible common ground and resort to either looking down their noses at the opposing party or simply making fun of them.  I don’t know how we got here, but we did.  Too often, one group won’t even take time to talk to, or more importantly, listen to another group’s stance.

Please don’t misunderstand the point I’m trying to make.  I’m not talking about being wishy-washy in what we stand for and trying to prove that everyone is correct to some degree.  Conviction in what we believe is vital.  I’m simply talking about being respectful and engaging in mature conversation with someone with whom you may not fundamentally agree.  And this blog is not singling out Christians.  And it’s not singling out atheists.  I personally know and love folks in both camps.  If any demographic is being singled out, it’s adults.

I watched the two high school students debate God’s existence, somewhat heatedly at times, and then head to lunch together as friends.  Their viewpoints were completely opposite, but that did not interfere with the way they felt about each other.  I’ve said it before, but it’s worth repeating.  We can learn so much from kids.  As we become adults, not all behavior we learn is constructive.  Sometimes it’s beneficial to retrogress and model the behavior of kids.