Category: Kids/Padawans

• “20 To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to gain Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though I myself am not under the law) so that I might gain those under the law. 21 To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (though I am not outside God’s law but am within Christ’s law) so that I might gain those outside the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, so that I might gain the weak. I have become all things to all people, that I might by all means save some.” (Apostle Paul, 1 Corinthians 9:20-22)

Have you ever wondered whether Santa Clause exists, or whether it’s just one big conspiracy to trick children into behaving? How common are conspiracies? Conspiracy expert Dr. Michael Shermer says of conspiracies:

• “Many are sane & true (tobacco, pharma, MKUltra, COINTELPRO, etc.)”

Brainstorm your own conspiracy, including what you want to trick people into believing and why you want them to believe that.

What types of questions should you be asking about the news you are reading online?

Decode this puzzle for a clue to the answer!

Check out this article, from a religious source. It argues younger Americans aspire to build a world marked by love and justice. But they don’t see much of that in church.

Organize the material from this article into a web/mind map.

You need to be careful watching preachers on TV asking for money. Ask yourself, are they wanting your money for good reasons? If they really have a direct line to God, couldn’t God give them the money? Watch this clip and dot-jot 2 examples of where televangelists are being questionable:

Climate change is an important issue, but could being religious affect how important you think climate change is. Today on Fox News:

• The hosts of Fox & Friends Sunday were discussing Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy’s pledge to be guided by faith if he wins in 2024, noting how religion is often referenced more by Republicans than Democrats. Co-host Rachel Campos-Duffy took that a step further, saying liberals only see Earth as the endgame while conservatives look beyond. “For them, where we live right now, this place, Earth is it,” she said. “So everything’s on the line here for them. They think, as you said, they can perfect this Earth. Those of us who have faith don’t believe that, and we believe how we act here determines where we go after. And so we got to behave.”

It makes sense, if the afterlife is the ultimate end in life, this world becomes less of a concern. Which is scary if you are not religious!

Was America founded as a Christian nation?

That question has served a variety of political causes since July 4, 1776, from legalizing persecution and aiding runaway slaves to fighting Nazis and Communists.

The scholars in the article have spent years reflecting on the intersection of American religion and nationalism. Their answers to the question invite us to examine the motivations behind the controversy: Why do so many people think the country’s Christian history is so important? READ HERE!

Come up with a list of commands for an imaginary religion that members of its church probably wouldn’t obey…

Once one of the most influential and powerful organizations on earth, there are increasing signs the Catholic Church may be entering its twilight. Read this article and brainstorm some ideas about why people are leaving the Catholic church.

CNN reports that an attempt by some Texas lawmakers to put the 10 Commandments in every classroom has failed. The Republican-controlled Texas State House failed to advance a controversial bill on Tuesday that would have required public schools to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom.

• (ABOVE) Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who was then state Attorney General, attends a press conference celebrating a U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing a Ten Commandments monument to stand outside the State Capitol in 2005 in Austin, Texas.

QUESTIONS:

1. Is it wrong to mandate the scripture of a religious tradition in classrooms?

2) Would it be appropriate to display The Golden Rule, which has appeared in many religious and non

religious contexts throughout history?

3) Instead of banning the ten commandments in classrooms, would it be a better idea to display it

along with the moral codes of many other world religions and secular sources? They are an

influential part of our history …