On Education & Certainty

"I believe in Christianity as I believe that the Sun has risen—not only because I see it, but because by it, I see everything else.” In his charming witticism, C. S. Lewis underscores the need for faith in all that we do. He specifically applies his call for religion, however, to activities that “bring things to light” and allow us to see. Such is education.

Without the benefit of religion, education ventures into a study of the unknown without the paramount certainty afforded by faith, as it provides answers for the unanswerable and rationale for the irrational. “Faith is the substance of things to be hoped for, and the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Without it, the scope of education is necessarily limited, and its foundation is faulty.

In high school, I learned physics from a surly man with exceptionally deep knowledge and outstanding teaching ability. His gruff demeanor was daunting to most of my classmates, but I never feared him. I was, however, very often frightened by things he said in tangents to his lessons. He taught his science with authority, but unfortunately preached atheism equally well. He deftly delivered disastrous sermons of skepticism.

Although he had an extraordinary mind and a talent for teaching, my year of physics resulted in an impoverished worldview. I had built up an immense depot of knowledge, but without understanding. Indeed, that May, it became evident to me how deep is the difference between knowledge and understanding.

Without question, the responsibility for providing a faith-based education for children falls upon parents, the primary educators. Parents are pivotal in the sanctification of their children, as they live “a conjugal life in the Christian spirit” and teach faith by personal example (CCC 902). In this way, children receive fundamental training in faith before applying it to academia, where they may find teachers—even in Catholic schools—who subvert the mission of the Church to spread the Good News.

Lewis’ words are a shrewd admonition against endeavors that lack the support of faith. I have unfortunately experienced the dangers of godless studies, under the guise of secular “academics,” but I have learned that truth can only be known with certainty in union with the Truth. There is more to education than facts, figures, and physics; without the light of faith, education is empty. “And the light keeps shining in the darkness, and darkness has never overcome it” (John 1:5).