As a former Protestant, I would be so very cautious about this Bible study.  Since I only have a four month old, I definitely lack the child rearing experience to back up my thoughts.  However, as someone who has been on both sides of the fence, so to speak, I’ll give my opinion. 
I personally might let my child go to a Protestant Bible study, IF they were solid in their faith.  A 10 year old who is still in confirmation prep is so young and impressionable.  A 15 year old who has had years of solid formation and is developing more critical thinking skills is a different story. 
The other red light I see is the church’s website.  “New Age Spirituality” sends out a huge red flag.  “New Age” is definitely a buzz term, but it does not seem to constitute a place that adheres to the Truth, as a Catholic would see it.  New Age may mean that this place mixes some New Age concepts in with teachings from the Bible; it may mean this church has adopted the view that other religions are also following the same God, but in a different way.  No matter what, it seems dangerous.
I think that I would contact the people leading this Bible study and have a frank conversation with them about its content.  Then your questions would be answered.
No matter what, I personally think that extreme caution should be exercised.

I would by no means allow it, unless as Andrea both child and father were solid in their knowledge of the Bible and how it backs up Church Teaching.  If they are not, perhaps starting a Bible study at the parish would help both.  There are many good tools available, notably from the St. Paul Center http://www.salvationhistory.com/  While many may urge it being ok in the light of ecumenism, the father’s first responsibility is to his son’s soul.  The Bible was compiled by the Catholic Church, and it makes no sense to go outside the Church—to a group founded by a man—to learn about it.

Another former protestant here.

I wouldn’t allow my 10-year-old to go to this, nor any other child who has not yet been confirmed or is not well-versed in why the Church teaches what she teaches.

It’s not just the new-age thing, which is definitely a red flag. Even without that, there is concern. Many of these protestant churches use kids’ Bible studies as a way to get an entire family to convert from Catholicism to the protestant religion. They start with the kids because the kids are easily swayed, and they deliver a lot of misinformation about Catholicism (I know this because I worked with the youth group at our church, and I was instructed to do so…in the guise of it being a “mercy” to the family in the long run.)

An older child who has asked a lot of their own questions and has come to a thorough understanding would be a different story. I’d send that kid. But not my 10-year-old. My son is almost 10 and even though he is very bright and quite devout in his faith, I wouldn’t put him in that situation…because I’ve been the adult on the other side of it, and I know how confusing—intentionally confusing— it can be for the kid.

I like your suggestion about talking to the parish pastor and the director of religious education.  I also feel that 10 is still a very tender age and that he is still being formed in the Catholic faith.  I am almost certain that his friend does not use the same bible.  Catholic bible has 73 books and the King James Version (other bibles) have only 66 books if i remember correctly.  But more important I think is the foundation that is still continue to be laid throughout faith formation activities (ie.bible study groups) needs to emphasize not only scriptures which came from God but also the authorities that has been delegated to His Church to lead and serve through missions and sacraments! (which also came from God).  That part he will not get from any other group except catholic.  Or if he does I fear that it will be eskewed or at least not the whole truth as many truly misunderstood what the Catholic Church believes in.  Another red flag for me is the term “New Age Spirituality”.  Many New Age beliefs and teachings contradict Catholic faith. I know going with a friend is fun and you are trying to be open minded.  If I am in the same situation I would ask myself if my son is strong and deeply rooted in his catholic faith enough to be involved in other churches teachings without losing his catholic identity?  My son at the tender age of 10, would not be.  Pray to the Holy Spirit for discernment.  Perhaps, this is a call to start your own catholic youth bible study group if you do not already have one in your parish. Peace be with you.

The term “New Age Spirituality” should be a show stopper.  Even a mainstream or evangelical Protestant would tell you that. 

With that said, my answer is it all depends.  If you and your family have a very strong background in the difference between the Protestant and Catholic Bible AND have an excellent understanding of the theological differences and can defend them, then the answer is yes.  It sounds like you don’t so the answer for you and many Catholics would be no.
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I’d also steer away from a Bible study that is associated with a specific church.  There are Bible study groups out there that are “non-denominational.” My experience is that they know that there will be differences in interpretation and acknowledge that up front.  However, my advice would be the same.  If you are not very solid in your Catholic knowledge then steer clear.

Yes, my children have been invited to Bible Study, Awana and Break-Out (youth group). They do not attend. They do not need to learn Pastor X’s interpretation of Scripture and they will be targets for conversion. Even if your child is a champion apologist being ganged up on by multiple children and adults is a difficult and awkward situation.
Add to it all the ‘fun’ aspect of Protestant youth groups and it is a tool to put seeds of doubt into a young person.

I agree with all of you.  In my experience with other Christian denominations, even those that are more mainstream, tended to want to convert me or argue with me, even when I was too young to really know why.  I am much more educated in our faith now, but at the time, I really didn’t know why Catholics did or said certain things.  A ten year old, no matter how bright, simply doesn’t know the answers to the key questions and the rhetorical strategies that others might use to pursuade him.

Have you thought about having your son invite his friend to a Catholic youth meeting?

I was raised in the Evangelical tradition, and became Catholic in 1994. Since that time there has become a greater “tolerance” within some denominations for the Catholic perspective ...

The trouble is, even within those denominations you have “snipers.” People (often former Catholics) with an ax to grind, and are only too willing to “grind” on your family. (Always with “charitable” motivations, of course: to make sure you have a “personal relationship with Jesus” and have “received Christ” and are “sure you are going to heaven one day”.)

I have a good friend who happens to be Quaker. They have family movies at their church, and the kids and I attend from time to time—together. Bottom line: I would not permit my child to attend any non-Catholic religious event without going along. It’s one thing for questions to arise organically from conversation with their friends. It’s another thing altogether to allow a child to be systematically catechised in a tradition that possesses less than the fullness of the truth. As it is, our kids don’t pick up 100% at first ... why dilute it further?

The New Age stuff is a no-brainer. Stay away.

I like what people have been saying. I think the healthy skepticism regarding the protestant Bible study is necessary. I am a revert, which means, I was raised Catholic, left the Church for roughly seven and a half years, tried more flavors of protestantism than Baskin Robbins could throw at me, and slowly unlearned my back into the Church. I really want to affirm Karen’s comments for being clear and concise.

Protestants, God love them, are wonderful people with wonderful aspirations and often times mostly innocent intentions to help all fellow humanity grow in their relationship with Christ. The only problem is that they don’t have the fullness of truth, which was entrusted to the Church by Christ himself at it’s establishment (cf. Mt. 16:18).

I would like to simply say two things at this point. 1) Protestant Bible studies can be really wonderful things, and that still doesn’t mean that Catholics (and especially Catholic youth) should participate. I personally have an undergraduate degree in biblical & theological studies from a well known protestant liberal arts university, with a minor in religious studies; I also have a master’s degree in Sacred Theology from Ave Maria University. I enjoy participating in Bible studies of various denominations, but in recent years, I have chosen not to do so because I have found myself more and more disenchanted with the constant individualistic interpretations which are made, often with the seal of the “guidance of the Holy Spirit” behind them, made by all flavors of protestants. As much as we can appreciate what protestants are doing with Scripture, and believe me, I know some of the brightest biblical scholars, unless these people are faithful to the Church which Christ established, all their attempts at constructing an accurate biblical hermeneutic will unfortunately be left wanting.

2) Our youth are so incredibly impressionable. As a young person, I was attracted to the protestant denominations because of the high energy, high intensity, feel good experience that accompanied being part of the group. I let my guard down, and started to distrust prior understandings of my faith due to this feel good experience being coupled with “seeds” being planted that kept making me question such teachings without any real substantial alternative. See the problem for me was that I was being taught watered down individualistic “sola fide” and “sola Scriptura” notions without a prior understanding of the ramifications of such teachings. Youth generally are not in the know when it comes to the bigger picture of why Catholics believe every little thing that we believe. Hence, when major world view questions are brought up, and attractive, and dare I say even “sexy” explanations are brought up as an alternative to the beliefs that many hold without understanding, the seeds of doubt start to bloom.

My suggestion:

Go ahead and talk to that pastor, go ahead and pray about it, go ahead and have your son invite his friends to a Catholic faith event, and then ask yourself this question: If your job is to get your family to heaven, and to bring as many people with you while you’re at it, will sending your son to this event help him more than it will cause opportunity for harm? If your conscience tells you that it will truly be beneficial, then at least consider attending with your son, and perhaps taking a recording device if permitted, so that if you don’t know the answers to the tricky questions that will come about from the night, you can seek counsel from a priest or spiritual advisor.

God bless you and your family, and may you continue to be filled with a great conviction about the well fare of your son throughout all the rest of his formational years and beyond.

I am also a former Evangelical Protestant now turned Catholic.

I would definitely NOT allow my child to go to this particular bible study in the example above.  Furthermore, I am very, very hesitant about ever letting any of my children go to an Evangelical Bible Study of any kind.  There will most certainly be an effort to change the child’s heart regarding the Catholic faith.  In addition to which, there are basics of the faith that are substantially different between the Church and other churches that are founded on “sola scriptura.” 

This becomes very difficult to navigate when family members are the ones inviting the child, and I do not have any family “rules” set as of yet (my children are still very young), but I suppose, to avoid hurting anyone’s feelings, I may have to consider never allowing them to go to a Bible study (outside of the ones we approve for them at our local parish, or whatever) at all until later in their teen years.

I don’t think *I* would be comfortable attending a Protestant Bible study!  I agree with Karen that they’ll get Pastor X’s interpretation of the Bible which will most certainly differ from the Catholic interpretation.  While I admire this father’s appreciation for ecumenism, I don’t think this is the place for it.

I too like what has been posted.
I’m involved with our youth ministry/Confirmation program.  One of our former teens attended everything we offered: retreats, Catholic youth conferences, Steubenville weekends, workcamps.  He even attended a couple of our Archdiocesan retreats for young men discerning the priesthood.  He was a communion minister.  Attended Catholic school from Kindergarten through highschool He was one who I thought “got it”.  A relative of his who is not Catholic invited him to a bible study.  He went because he wanted to learn more, and sadly our church did not have a bible study for teens.  He is now a sophomore in college.  To my knowledge, he no longer attends Mass and is very active in his relative’s church.  I pray that he finds his way back to the Church and the Sacraments.

Daughter of Protestant minister (now Catholic)typing here. I would NOT send any of my children no matter how old they are to a Protestant bible study. Bad idea. I second the suggestion to instead invite the friend to the parish for a social function. Even if my teenager were thoroughly schooled in Catholic apologetics, has read books written by Protestant converts, has studied the catechism and is on top of most major hot-button issues, I still wouldn’t send my child without me. I grew up going to bible studies, praise nights, revival nights, bible camps, and other Protestant church functions. Please, please tell this father to be creative and find another way to support his son’s friendships. And yes, there is a difference between Protestant and Catholic bibles and even more importantly, there is a difference between how a Protestant and Catholic interprets their own bible!

As a teenager, I had Pentecostal and Baptist friends.  I did attend a couple of Pentecostal services, but it didn’t take me long to realize how anti-catholic they were, and also how totally fixated they were on one thing.  Being saved.  It seemed that they talked of little else, and well, once I decided to “have a personal relationship” with Jesus, as they put it, I wanted more.  I was grounded enough in the Catholic faith to realize that it was a bad idea to leave the church, but there was no Catholic youth group where I lived, so I did end up in a Baptist Youth group, which was a lot of fun, and in which we talked about more than just “being saved”.  Also, they never tried to convert me.  I used to go to Sunday mass and Wednesday night service at the Baptist Church.

10 is pretty young though.  And like everyone else, I don’t like the New Age bit.

I would never let my children attend a non-Catholic bible study.  They aren’t inviting your child to have them extol the wonders of the Catholic Church; they are inviting him to try to convert him, and possibly your family.  A bible study (depending on the topic and format) usually is not the proper place to debate doctrine.  All your child would be getting is a particular pastor’s or leader’s interpretation of Scripture, which could be great or very mistaken.

They have the best and kindest of intentions, but they do not have the fullness of faith.  The only effect I can see this having is to confuse your child.

A personal story:  A very dear friend of mine came from a lovely Catholic home.  The local parish had a terrible youth program; what events they did have were full of error and void of enthusiasm.  So, this friend was allowed to attend the local Protestant youth group.  This friend then attended a Protestant college and guess what?  They are no longer Catholic.  And this friend opened the door for their other siblings to leave the church.

I don’t think the social interaction and opportunity for ecumenism is worth it.  I say leave the ecumenism to the adults.  Show your child the treasures of the Church.  And if you parish’s programs for youth are lacking, then you will have to find creative ways to make up for this.  Your child’s faith depends upon it!

Here’s an interesting twist….As a young child, I was invited to visit a CCD session with my best friend. I was allowed to attend and during that class,  I learned that “the Catholic church was the very first church on earth….” (It was the most interesting class I had ever sat through!)After returning home and telling my parents all about what I had learned, I was never allowed to attend again. I was confused by my parent’s reaction and it caused hard feelings between my friends family and mine for awhile, which was not good.
I’m a huge advocate of parents teaching their children the faith. We parents need to know it ourselves and live it; even if it means learning right along side our kids. There are no guarantees, but that is our best shot at keeping our kids Catholic.

As a former evangelical protestant, I too agree with many of the comments people have already made.
 
I would not allow my children to attend a bible study outside the Catholic Church during the critical formation years (basically until they are adults and are capable of making their own informed decisions). We need to make sure our kids our properly “armed” with the Faith before they are exposed to any influences that would attack that Faith. The differences between the Catholic and Protestant Christian faiths eventually come to light and there will be questions that require a solid understanding of the faith to explain, defend, and support those differences.
 
Our Faith depends on so much more than what is written in scripture (even the Catholic Bible).  The Magesterium includes writings of Church fathers, Papal Encyclicals, documents of church councils, etc. Scripture is the main source of faith for Protestants and most are not willing to accept anything not written in the Bible. This is not the mindset to which we should expose our children.
 
If this father becomes concerned about hurting the friends’ feelings or feeling like he is condemning the other child’s faith, an appropriate response would be to invite the friend to a different (non-religious) activity to continue to foster the relationship but decline any further association with any activity that might directly come in opposition to the Catholic faith such as a bible study, church service, etc that he doesn’t also attend with his child.
 
Ironically, if we want to learn from the Bible what to do about this situation we can see from the strict rules that God set forth for the Israelites in the Old Testament. Gentiles were people of other nationalities and faiths that were off-limits (so to speak) to the Israelites because God knew they were still being formed by Him as his Holy people. When the Israelites disobeyed and associated with the Gentiles, they usually fell away from God’s teachings and began adopting those of the nations around them, thus establishing the cycle in the Old Testament of generations of Israelites who knew and loved God and with those who did not. It wasn’t until the New Covenant established by Jesus Christ, in which the fullness of the Truth was revealed to the nations, that God felt they were truly ready or “formed” to bring the Gentiles (all the people of the world/non-Jews) into God’s family without also being influenced by their pagan ways.
 
So in conclusion, I am not saying that other Christian faiths are always pagan, but they do not have the fullness of the Truth. Therefore, we should treat our children the way that God treated the Israelites in the Old Testament by protecting, gaurding, and forming their faith until such a time that they are fully capable of taking on the responsibility themselves.

I enjoyed reading this site but my question is: I am an adult Roman Catholic; growing up we did not read the Bible and I would like to start ~ what Bible should I get; there are soooo many and I am confused.  Thanks, I am 66, retired, would like a big print.  Because of the area, I attend an Angelican Catholic Church which uses the King James Version but my heart lies with the Roman Catholic but the Angelicans say it is so much like the Roman…Thanks for any information you can give me.

My children aren’t old enough to be dealing with this yet, but as the wife of man who has been working in the Church for a long time, and as a still relatively young person who vividly remembers those years, I would have to agree with the majority on avoiding this Bible study.  I grew up in the “Bible belt” where Catholics were often the target of Protestants trying to convert - especially the lukewarm and those who were in the process of being grounded in their faith.  I see two major problems here.  The first is that no church outside of the Catholic church has the fullness of truth, and sending an impressionable mind into a situation of partial truths is confusing.  It is especially confusing due to an impressive Protestant use of Scripture to prove their points, right or wrong.  A child is not equipped in apologetics enough to handle a situation like that.  Secondly, and here’s the kicker, let’s face it!  For the most part, the Catholic churches are not offering things that are as “attractive” to young people as Protestants are.  Please don’t take offense anyone, this is coming from someone whose husband has and continues to work in the Church!  We tend to focus more on Sacraments, which is great!  However, there isn’t that “cool”/“fun” factor that the Protestants have really done a great job at.  This element alone has pulled away many young people that I know personally and it is a great danger to our young Catholics!
My suggestion is to persist in faithfulness and understanding within the realm of Catholic teaching, and steer clear of other teachings which look innocent but can easily lead one astray.  It is *essential* for young people to have Catholic friends and be around other Catholic families.  Should that be their exclusive experience, no!  But, knowing they aren’t the only one on the block who does the sign of the cross with grace, the only one who says family Rosaries, the only one who has holy days of obligation other than Sundays, etc. is important for those in their formative years.
Great topic!

I don’t think we should endanger our children by allowing them to be cajoled, enticed, or possibly even bullied or peer-pressured into another religion. I agree with Karen (post #6). Even if my child is completely well-grounded in their Holy Catholic Faith, why allow them to go to a place whose sole purpose is to recruit members of a different religion? In addition to this, the Protestant bible is very different from the Holy Catholic Bible. Martin Luther threw out the books he didn’t agree with, and the later translations became freer and freer with the Word of God. We should definitely cultivate more Catholic-based use of Scripture…based on the teachings of Our Holy Mother the Church.

I was raised in a pretty conservative, fundamentalist Baptist home (I was looked down upon because I went to public school and wore pants), and I converted to Catholicism in college.  I’ve been to Protestant Bible studies.  And even as a member of the church, there was a lot of pressure put on me to conform to the study’s idea of Christianity.  It made me uncomfortable even as a member of the church!

I’m pregnant with my first child (praise the Lord!), and if the situation should arise, I would have to tell my child no.  At least at that age.  I would, however, explain to my child *why* I was saying no.  It’s not that I think this Bible study is evil or anything, but it’s important for my child to have a better understanding of our faith before trying to compare it with other faiths.  And it does *not* mean my child couldn’t be friends with people of other denominations, of course!

I agree with everyone who said you need a solid foundation of faith first.  I felt that way even as an adult converting to the Church!  If I’d been studying other faiths in college while converting, I think it would’ve made things quite a bit more complicated!

For those interested in an excellent Bible study to get you on your way in reading and studying the Bible, the Great Adventure Bible Timeline by Jeff Cavins is an INCREDIBLE place to start. It’s is such a wonderful explanation of our Catholic Christian faith. Upon completion of the study, you will have read almost every book in the Bible and have an understanding of how they all fit together to explain the story of God’s plan of Salvation for the world. For more information, visit their website at http://www.greatadventureonline.com/

I have a 10 year old who has been invited to Awana by a friend, who is actually Catholic, as well. We do not allow her to go. It’s confusing enough to figure out the one true faith; there’s no need to expose our children to any doubt, regardless of the fellowship they would gai n.

Maybe the Catholic Church could provide a Bible study series for children? One big part of Awana and other groups is evangelization, and starting at a young age, at that. Spreading the beauty of the Gospels is important, and bless them for doing it, but I’d rather my children hear the Gospel from the source!

To Patty D, #18:
I like the NAB (New American Bible), Catholic version.  I believe it is the version that the daily and Sunday Mass readings come from.  A priest and Biblical scholar once recommended the NRSV bible, but I didn’t like the translation as much.

I try to read the Mass readings every day.  I’ve heard that if you do that, you will have read most of the bible in a 3-year period, since the Church readings are on a 3-year cycle (A, B, and C).  Also, I’ve had friends recommend bibles that are designed so that you read the bible in a year.

I am a convert from a fundamentalist background and my older children are now adults and I would NOT allow a ten year old to attend a Bible study like this one.

The main purpose for getting kids invited by their friends to these studies is to give them access to attempt to convert them out of the Catholic Church by planting questions and by using Bible verses out of context so as to imply that the Catholic teachings are un-Biblical.

It is not a place for a youngster or an adult who is not well trained in the faith and in apologetics.

As for the person who asked about Bibles.  I like the RSV-CE put out by Ignatius press and recommend it. 

There are some really wonderful Catholic Bible study materials out now, some that are in nice booklet forms put out by Ignatius with all sorts of historical notes.

Scott Hahn is part of a group that has put out a set of textbooks for Catholic studies, I have the one on Scripture and it is wonderful and interesting.

Under no circumstances should any Catholic, child or adult, attend a Protestant Bible study.  Their interpretations of the Bible would be Protestant, not Catholic.  This is simply another way they recruit people into their church.  Catholic should not attend their services.  The only thing that would be okay is an ecumenical prayer service where there is a priest present.

We have 3 problems here:
1)  Forgive me, but no small number of Catholic parishes have non-orthodox teachers in leadership positions, leading to superficial, maybe heterodox, Catholic teaching that our children are smart enough to pick up on.
2) In public, and even in Catholic schools, the children of many Christian (or, Mormon) parents are often much better companions in terms of moral upbringing than kids formed from pop culture and merely culturally-Catholic homes.
3)  Ecumenism, while it has been grand and come a long way, doesn’t equate with being one in Truth.

So… it leaves no small number of Catholic parents with limited options unless you are lucky enough to have a community or parish of orthodox Catholics with children of the same ages as yours…. you may be quite tempted out of loneliness or last-resort to attend these Bible studies.

As a revert who has gone to these Bible studies and has a few children….(and experienced some isolation being in a very unchurched area of the country)
I doubt many children under the age of 18 are really ready for apologetics and evangelization.  (Jesus didn’t start public ministry until age 30.) Your children WILL encounter anti-Catholic ideas and even worse, they are not always overt.  But
it is inevitable when the choice is between being your own Biblical interpreter or relying on the Magesterium.

So… though I’ve been tempted to send my children for social reasons,  we have enough missionary work to do in the Catholic church we go to where the audience is at least tenuously connected to Catholic teaching.  I don’t think they are mature enough yet to tackle their parish, the secular world,  AND evangelical Christianity.  It’s kind of like Algebra; it takes time for the abstract concepts to truly assimilate.  I think it’s best to prep them now and not “test” them until they have come to a more mature understanding of the faith.

kc.  I agree with your three points.  It has poised a big challenge for us and our teen sons.  And when you live away from extended family and there are no local friends who are trying to live a faithfilled life, it is hard to know what to do with these teen boys.  And if your parish activities are lukewarm at best, and the kids there tease your kids for being ‘homeschooled mama’s boys’ and the teens in the youth group seek you out - the parent - and challenge you as to why won’t you let your kids go to school, why don’t you let him go to…  well, you do feel like you have no options.  Our 3rd son has gone to social events with his one friend, a baptist, with their youth group.  And I’m grateful for the influence and friendship of this boy,  But a Bible study would be out of the question.  Pray for our youth, especially those who have no support system in their parishes and no catholic or even Christian friends to support them in their faith.

Don’t know if this will help but when our Catholic Bible Study was using a protestant guide I bought a Protestant Bible but Catholic chapter tabs. All the missing books—I put all the tabs together at the end. It helped us spot what was missing. (We always used at least 3 translations.)

I would not allow my children to attend non-Catholic Bible study or worship. I believe it is considered a sin against faith under the first commandment. Is there anything in the Catechism regarding this?

Wow, these are some incredible comments!  I commend all of you for your faithfulness in protecting your children. I have worked with high school youth for 10 years and found it very rewarding.  As Catholic parishes on a tight budgets, we were always concscious of the mega-church next door and their youth group.  We did our best to provide access to retreats and other events outside of our area.

My suggestion to this father would be to start something on his own initiative.  Maybe a Kids for Jesus club?  Or invite famlies over for a potluck & rosary so he could meet other kids?  Also, look for special events in other cities.  I would willingly drive my child 2 hours to a Catholic event (retreat, family convention, etc.) just to show him or her that there ARE other Catholics out there!

Also, many parishes have seen the need to offer middle school youth ministry for grades 6-8.  Students in that age range are increasingly facing more problems.  Perhaps the father could locate such a youth group when his son was old enough.  My youth group frequently had teens from other parishes that did not have a strong youth program. 

Keep the faith!!

This conversation is fascinating to me.  I do not live in a heavily Protestant area of the country, in fact, I don’t know many Protestants at all.  However, my son is 13 and has many Jewish friends.  Would you send your child to a Bar Mitzvah?  He’s already attended one this year at a reform temple.  I didn’t have a problem with it.

I was a young adult who attended other Christian churches and youth groups out of curiosity. Although I went to Catholic school K-12, I was not active in our parish. The other kids in the high school youth group had known each other for years and went to school together; I was the outsider who went to an all girls school. But I was happy to hang out at friends’ youth groups from time to time. In college I had friends of many different Christian faiths. I visited a lot of their churches and participated in non-denominational Bible studies. All of these served to solidify for me why I am Catholic and provided an opportunity to begin apologetics.
While this was fruitful for me, I would hesitate to allow a child of mine to do the same (especailly at so young an age). Remember that some Protestants are vehemently anti-Catholic. I wouldn’t want to let my child to face that assault on his/her faith.

I’ve written a post which touches on this very topic - and discusses the lack of viable, similar programs within the Catholic realm:
http://cheekypinkgirl.blogspot.com/2009/03/dead-silence-of-catholic-enrichment.html

I also born into Catholic family, attended St. Alfonso church. did not learn a thing!!! Till my family was invited to a Sunday service at a christian church. We read from the same bible that I had received from my catholic Godparents. Most Christians churches don’t read Protestant bibles. We believe in one God our Father. I still read from it. But as a parent you must do your own evaluation for the safety of your child’s future. Give it just one Sunday of your child’s life. Even a child deserves his opinion!