Shorter VS Children's Catechism
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Wayne
Tempus faciendi, Domine.
The common wisdom is that the youngest children aren't going to comprehend what they are memorizing, and that it isn't necessary or expected that they will comprehend.
The point is to get the information stored away for future use. It will be unpacked over time. On that basis, I'd side with moving straight over to the Shorter Catechism.
Young kids are little memory machines and with some work, a child can easily memorize the entire WSC by the time they are five or six.
Never make the mistake of forcing the work, however. Don't let it become legalistic or a hateful thing. God forbid you should drive them from the faith by becoming an onerous taskmaster.
The point is to get the information stored away for future use. It will be unpacked over time. On that basis, I'd side with moving straight over to the Shorter Catechism.
Young kids are little memory machines and with some work, a child can easily memorize the entire WSC by the time they are five or six.
Never make the mistake of forcing the work, however. Don't let it become legalistic or a hateful thing. God forbid you should drive them from the faith by becoming an onerous taskmaster.
jawyman
Puritan Board Junior
My children are 7 and 5 years old. I started them both with the children's catechism, but when my daughter turned 7 I started using the shorter with her. Evan (5) is still learning the children's, but I will use the shorter with him when he turns 7 as well. It is a matter of knowing your children. Using the shorter with your children from the start can be beneficial for the whole family.
ericfromcowtown
Puritan Board Sophomore
I started using the Children's Catechism with my 2 1/2 year old because answer #1 is simply "God." He can handle that, and very short answers (we're on question #6 I believe), but he isn't up to memorizing the larger answers of the Shorter Catechism. At some point we'll switch over as he gets older.
ericfromcowtown
Puritan Board Sophomore
Phil D.
ὁ βαπτιστὴς
Thanks, Eric. Can someone give me a little info on its history (who wrote it; when; etc.)
ericfromcowtown
Puritan Board Sophomore
The copy we use is from Great Commision Publications, the publishing house shared by the PCA and OPC. Here's a .pdf of the first few pages. On page 2 there is a brief history of the catechism, which first appeared in 1840 as a simplified introduction to the Westminster Shorter for young children.
Children's Catechism
Wayne
Tempus faciendi, Domine.
Phil:
Now you're in my part of town. I would have to do some work to access this, unless it is on-line somewhere (Internet Archive: Digital Library of Free Books, Movies, Music & Wayback Machine), but this may be the original document:
The children's catechism: or, An help to the more easy understanding of the doctrine taught in our confession of faith, and catechisms, larger and shorter.
Humbly offered for instructing the young and ignorant.
Author: John Muckarsie
Philadelphia: Printed by R. Aitken, bookseller, Market-Street, three doors above the coffee-house., 1780. 24 p.; 17 cm.
There is also this:
A short catechism for young children.
Author: John Brown
Morris-town, N.J. : Printed for Peter A. Johnson, 1818. 23 p.; 14 cm.
Now you're in my part of town. I would have to do some work to access this, unless it is on-line somewhere (Internet Archive: Digital Library of Free Books, Movies, Music & Wayback Machine), but this may be the original document:
The children's catechism: or, An help to the more easy understanding of the doctrine taught in our confession of faith, and catechisms, larger and shorter.
Humbly offered for instructing the young and ignorant.
Author: John Muckarsie
Philadelphia: Printed by R. Aitken, bookseller, Market-Street, three doors above the coffee-house., 1780. 24 p.; 17 cm.
There is also this:
A short catechism for young children.
Author: John Brown
Morris-town, N.J. : Printed for Peter A. Johnson, 1818. 23 p.; 14 cm.
Wayne
Tempus faciendi, Domine.
Here's a list of the resources currently available at the PCA Historical Center [hint: always looking for donations of things we don't yet have]
PCA Historical Center : Research Library holdings on the Westminster Confession & Catechisms
Scroll down to near the end of that list to see the small collection of children's catechisms. From the look of that list, Joseph P. Engles may have been the author of the PCUSA published catechism. But one caution--the editor or agency head was often the sole name attached, and may not be the author.
I'll check further when I get back in the office.
PCA Historical Center : Research Library holdings on the Westminster Confession & Catechisms
Scroll down to near the end of that list to see the small collection of children's catechisms. From the look of that list, Joseph P. Engles may have been the author of the PCUSA published catechism. But one caution--the editor or agency head was often the sole name attached, and may not be the author.
I'll check further when I get back in the office.
ericfromcowtown
Puritan Board Sophomore
The Great Commision's version that I have lists Joseph P. Engles as the original author.
Romans922
Puritan Board Professor
Also, if you decide on the Shorter Catechism, I recommend NOT using the Shorter Catechism in Modern English. It loses a lot and moves commas, semi-colons around to give a different rendering, and it loses a lot in the actual language.
Have your kids memorize it as it was first made and teach them the meaning in time. You can also teach them history in the process, history of the Church, of language, etc.
Have your kids memorize it as it was first made and teach them the meaning in time. You can also teach them history in the process, history of the Church, of language, etc.
I recommend the Chldren's catechism simply because the questions and answers are so much shorter and easier for a young mind to process. Compare the questions: What is God? Children's catechism: God is a spirit and does not have a body like a man. Shorter catechism. God is a spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness and truth.
Which of these answers might my two-year old son understand? The shorter catechism questions and answers are relatively long when you have a child who is still learning to piece together complex sentences. Of course, and argument could be made that this would spur the development of the child, and it probably would to a degree, but I prefer to have something I can explain to my toddler.
Which of these answers might my two-year old son understand? The shorter catechism questions and answers are relatively long when you have a child who is still learning to piece together complex sentences. Of course, and argument could be made that this would spur the development of the child, and it probably would to a degree, but I prefer to have something I can explain to my toddler.
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