Alternate Activity 3: Adam and Eve Revisited (10 minutes), Session 1: Introducing Amazing Grace: Exploring Right And Wrong, in the Amazing Grace Program
Materials for Activity
- Story 1, “Adam and Eve”
Description of Activity
If you have a bit of extra time to fill at any point, consider returning to the story of Adam and Eve and adding to the discussion with ideas like these:
Hymn 207 in the Unitarian Universalist hymnal Singing the Living Tradition, is called “Earth Was Given as a Garden.” The second verse asks that people be given a chance to see the original garden again, and concludes with these words: “Then once more will Eden flower.” Does this hymn show that all Unitarian Universalists believe in the story of Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden?
Some people find God’s punishment of Adam and Eve too harsh. If your parents told you not to eat something and you ate it anyway, would your parents punish you? How? Would they throw you out of the house forever? Why do you think the story says God was so rough on Adam and Eve when all they did was to eat an apple?
Some people interpret the stories in the bible as literal truth: they happened exactly as described. Others see the stories as more allegorical, meaning they are symbolic. The characters do not so much represent actual people, but ideas or certain human traits. Aside from a literal interpretation, how else might people analyze this story? If responses are few, consider adding these questions:
What do you think about the bible? Are all the stories really true? Or are they just stories that are meant to teach us something? Is it good to know these stories even if you do not think they are true? Can you name some bible stories that you like?
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Last updated on Wednesday, October 26, 2011.
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