Sunday school lesson.

[SapphireSeptember]

Hello all, my lesson for tomorrow is 'obedience'. And guess what, I have to tell these kids to always obey their parents. How do I fit in the caveat that sometimes it's okay not to? (RE abuse?) I was thinking along the lines of telling them if anyone ever tells them to do something that feels wrong or makes them uncomfortable, they don't do it and tell someone they trust to help them. Anyone got any other ideas?

[mathsmum314]

Sorry no answer: would be interesting to see how you square the circle, because obviously children should NOT always do what adults tell them, even if they are their parents.

[semideponent]

Hmm…Christ as the definitive interpretation of the 10 Commandments summarised them as (something along the lines of) "Love the Lord your God and love your neighbour as yourself."

So that a) guides interpretation of the commandment to honour parents and b) trumps that commandment in certain situations (e.g. abusive ones when a parent is not acting in a way that honours God and neighbour).

That's one angle. Possibly the more interesting one is Christ's model of obedience to the Father, which is also the way he fully explores his own identity…a journey that carries him into situations that involve suffering, conflict with the established authorities, ultimately death.

[Lovelydiscusfish]

What did you do in the end, OP?
Too late now, but I would have approached this was obedience to God's plan for us (however you understand that), rather than obedience to actual people.

[user1471552005]

It;s up to you. You are already corrupting young minds being a Sunday school teacher and indoctrinating kids. Obedience is part of the deal.
Go for it.

[JemimaMuddledUp]

Not sure Philosophy/Religion is the right board for you user

[SapphireSeptember]

I went with telling them that sometimes some children have horrible parents that try and get them to do things that are wrong, and if that happens they don't have to obey and they can tell a teacher or the police. One of the girls in my class said something along those lines too, so I assume her school or parents have also talked about it. (These are pretty young kids, so I didn't want to go with anything too complicated.)

mathsmum The manual we use was published in 1995! So it's a bit out of date and we know more about child abuse now. But I agree that children don't have to obey adults absolutely. (Though it would be nice if they sat down and stayed quiet once in a while. )

semi Thank you for your suggestion, I'll use that if I ever teach older kids. I don't think my lot would understand that! They just want sweets and colouring sheets!

Thanks user, I'll bear that in mind. While I'm trying to teach this lot while they run riot I'm missing my own classes! The adults get Sunday school too. (And sometimes sweets.)

[user1471552005]

jemima why do you say that?

[thegreenheartofmanyroundabouts]

Sunday school material dates really quickly and stuff published in the 90s may need a lot of work to bring it up to date. There is good recent stuff out there which makes the job of a Sunday school volunteer so much easier. My previous church used Roots as we follow the lectionary and the children often came up with really interesting takes on the reading of the day.

[Lovelydiscusfish]

User...whatever number you are - low and behold - turns out obedience isn't in fact part and parcel of 'Indoctrination", as you would see it.
Here I am, a feminist, a Marxist, a Christian - not indoctrinated by anyone, IMHO, or obedient to anything other than the Gospels, which to my mind mean pure goodness. And I challenge you to find any dissimilar argument in them.

[mathsmum314]

SapphireSeptember - probably the only answer you could give!"

How do you teach the same children than just because a priest tells them its gods will, doesn't mean it is? That is what worries me more than abuse from parents!