Our Parish, like many others, has a youth group. I have been told that Michelle runs the best youth group in the diocese. I haven't seen quite so many youth groups in action but Michelle does run a good youth group. It's got a good balance of work and play with the kids learning something and enjoying themselves. The kids are great though and while they can get roudy at times they always quiet down for prayers.

This week Michelle was talking to the kids about how the youth group is a year old now and suggested thinking about apologetics as a topic for the new year. We got some classics. The following is accurate as best as I can remember, it's not the whole conversation, just the funny bits...

Michelle: Where do we Catholic's get our traditions from?
Kid 1: Is it the Saxons?
Kid 2: No! It's the Normans!
Kid 3: It's Vikings!
Kid 4: Is it other religions?

Michelle: What would you do if somebody attacked your faith?
Kid 1: Tell 'em to shurrup!
Kid 2: Karate Chop 'em!
Kid 3: Crucify 'em!
Michelle: I think you're being a bit medieval!

Michelle: Can you name the two parts of the Bible?
Kid: Fiction and Non-Fiction

Michelle: Can anybody name some books of the New Testament?
Kid: Genesis
Michelle: What about the four Gospels?
Kid 1: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
Kid 2: But they are in the wrong order!
Kid 1: Oh yeah! Mark wrote his first and then Matthew copied it.
Kid 4: Plagiarised it. They told us at school.
Kid 1: Yeah, we learn loads at school now because Fr Stephen teaches us.

Michelle: Over the next year we're going to be working through the Bible
Girl: Can we do a play?
Boy: Can we not!

That last exchange neatly sums up why men don't go to Church anymore.