Anthroposophy/Waldorf and Catholic Homeschooling

This is absolutely interesting. I have two friends (they don't know each other) who send their kids to Waldorf and they're proud of it. In fact one of them mentioned Anthroposophy to me. I have forgotten about it, but I'm reminded of it by this article. You can read more about that philosophy here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthroposophy

Johnnette Benkovic
(Photo from Catholic Family Conference)

Johnnette S. Benkovic, Founder and President of Women of Grace writes about 'Anthroposophy/Waldorf and Catholic Homeschooling':

Having said that, I can now state without a moment's hesitation that Catholic homeschoolers should have nothing to do with Rudolf Steiner, anthroposophy or the Waldorf education system.

Thinking we can "pick and choose" parts of Waldorf methods that seem "safe" is a perfect example of the trend among many Catholics to apply subjective reasoning to assumptions about whether or not something is okay (i.e., how they feel about it) rather than on objective realities (Church teaching, science, etc.). This problem has also resulted in many Catholics walking around with improperly-formed consciences even though they claim to "personally feel okay" about violating Church teaching in their personal lives. Read more...

The author, Johnnette Benkovic, is a prominent personality in EWTN. I have reason to believe she has the faith and morals of the Church in mind with this article. Let us indeed stay clear of what the Church has condemned.

However I would prefer to go slow on condemning what the Church has not explicitly condemned. My reason for that is what Pope John Paul II has written, 'The Holy Spirit Acts in All Creation and History'. In it, the Pope said in paragraph 2 (emphasis mine):

2. Moreover, the Second Vatican Council, focusing on the Church's mystery and mission in the world, offered this breadth of vision. The Council holds that the Holy Spirit's action cannot be limited to the institutional dimension of the Church, where the Spirit also works in a unique and full manner, but should be recognized outside the visible frontiers of Christ's Body as well (cf. Gaudium et spes, n. 22; Lumen gentium, n. 16). For its part, the Catechism of the Catholic Church recalls with the whole of Tradition: "The Word of God and his Breath are at the origin of the being and life of every creature" (n. 703). And a meaningful text of the Byzantine liturgy says: "It belongs to the Holy Spirit to rule, sanctify and animate creation, for he is God consubstantial with the Father and the Son.... Power over life pertains to the Spirit, for being God, he preserves creation in the Father through the Son" (ibid.). Thus there is no corner of creation and no moment of history in which the Spirit is not at work.

Because of this, while the Church condemns anthroposophy as a belief system, or as a prism through which we see the truth, especially the truth that Jesus Christ has laid down, the philosophy is suspect only up to the point where it is seen to propagate heresy. This was where Theosophy ran afoul with the Church. But outside of that, the Church does not impose itself.

(Note: This is completely abhorrent to a few Catholics who do not subscribe to the declarations of the Vatican II. If you're reading the news, you would have heard of the Society of Saint Pius X, an absolute traditionalist group who openly opposes Vatican II on many counts, including the one I just described. We, of course, throw our loyalty to Vatican II teachings on matters of faith and morals, especially in these changing times. But this is another story.)

Yes, it would be safe to stay clear of Waldorf because, as laity, we are not well-versed in all the intricacies of faith and morals (not all priests are, by the way). But let's go slow in condemning the Waldorf educational system in its entirety. For as long as we stay clear of the philosophical entanglements that can derail us from our faith, there are elements in their system that are useful.

What we should do is open our hearts and minds and pray for the Holy Spirit to guide our individual judgment, all the time, everywhere we go, in close consultation with the Church.

P.S. My wife and I have enrolled our kids in Catholic Filipino Academy. It's where the Holy Spirit has guided us, not out of fear of anything, but simply out of joy of being here.