HIS-Press-Service, 1977 (2. évfolyam, 5-8. szám)
1977-12-01 / 8. szám
HIS Press Service No.8. December 1977 Page 8 clergy should instead spend more time with the parents so that they can then pass on the truths of the faith to their children. As for the evangelization which takes place within the framework of the liturgy, the standard of the sermons given at the Sunday Masses has been criticized not only by members of the faithful, but also by priests themselves, as being most ineffectual in meeting the needs of the faithful. RELIGION BOOKS, VISUAL AIDS FOR RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION, CATHOLIC BOOKS AND PRESS PUBLICATIONS, RADIO AND TV The changed structure of religious instruction destroyed the usefulness of the religion books used up to that time, since they had been written for class-based religious instruction. At the Bishops Conference in 1968, it was announced that proposals for new religion books adapted to the changed circumstances would be accepted for review. The initiative proved especially popular among the younger priests, who then founded several work groups to compile these books. The first of these books, which appeared in 1970, was called "Our Heavenly Father Loves Us" and was intended for the 3-6-year-olds. In 1971 the "Religion Book for First Communicants" was published; in 1972 came the book ''Christian Life" for the 9-10-year-olds. The best book is "Our Faith and Our Life," which was published for the teenagers in 1975. Finally, in 1976 the book"The History of Salvation,"in which a small booklet of liturgical songs was included, was published for the 12-14-year-olds. A new 30,000 copy edition of these religion books appears every two years (whereby there is a yearly need for 30,000-34,000 copies). The authors were confronted with an entire series of problems in compiling the new religion books. The publication of a history of the Church, for example, was not allowed by the State agencies. The chapter on the religious orders and their activity was censored, since a propagation of the orders is out of step with present times in Hungary, it was said. A problem typical for the Hungarian situation has come up in the publication of a teacher's handbook. To date, there are four different handbooks for the first three religion books. These handbooks, all mimeographed, have appeared in small printings. Since each of them is considered an individual publication, however, they have helped increase the problem involved in the already very small number of new publications allowed by the government agencies each year. The price of the books has caused another problem, since it cannot help but seem unproportionally high in comparison with state-subsidized prices of non-religious books. Another disadvantage is the fact that almost no visual aids exist for religious instruction. Foreign aids, such as colored slide series, are not allowed, and to date no Hungarian-made series exist.
