The difference between maths and religion

This week I observed a maths exam in a year 7 class I was coving for another teacher.

For some students, it looked like torture.

They squirmed.

They groaned.

They held their head in their hands.

If I were their maths teacher I would have been concerned.

Downtrodden even.

It was clear that some students knew very little.

The whole experience made me think of the difference between a school subject like maths and religion.

As a maths teacher, the farrowed brow of lostness is a bad thing.

The stress of not knowing the answer is problematic.

This need not be the case with religion.

Religion should welcome questions.

Religion should embrace those who are lost and searching.

These are not the signs of failure.

If anything, the complete opposite is true.

A smug confidence is something to be cautious of.