Session 3: Being Good, Being Bad

Beautiful orange sunset over a deep blue ocean. — Tapestry is Sunsetting

The UUA is no longer updating Tapestry of Faith programs.

Part of Amazing Grace, 6th Grade: Exploring Right and Wrong

In This Section

Introduction
From Amazing Grace

The third session of Amazing Grace: Exploring Right and Wrong asks youth to consider the nature of virtuous and sinful lives. It begins with the youth concocting a story of a personal day made awful by the presence of sin. They then try to conceive of pure virtue and pure sin, and make abstract…
Session-at-a-Glance
From Amazing Grace

ACTIVITY MINUTES Opening 10 Activity 1: An Awful Day – Round-Robin Story 10 Activity 2: Drawing Pure Virtue and Sin 15 Activity 3: Story and Discussion – Heaven and Hell 12 Activity 4: Ethics Play 15 Faith in Action: Group Strength Applied 30 Closing 3 Alternate Activity 1: Free Will by Age 15…
Spiritual Preparation
From Amazing Grace

In the days before you present this session, think about heaven and hell. When and how did you first hear about them? Did you ever believe in them as real, potential destinations after death? Do you believe in them now? How have your ideas about heaven and hell changed through the years? When did…
Opening
From Amazing Grace

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Conundrum Corner poster/banner A cardboard sword Chalice and matches Recording of “Amazing Grace” and music player Optional: Newsprint, markers and tape Optional: Nametags and markers Optional: Decorative cloth for Conundrum Corner Preparation for…
Activity 1: An Awful Day Round-Robin Story
From Amazing Grace

Activity time: 10 minutes Description of Activity Ask your group to create a round-robin story featuring ways that small sins or wrongdoings that people commit mess up sixth-grade lives. If your group is large, you might want to divide it and create two stories, with one leader assisting each group.
Activity 2: Drawing Pure Virtue and Sin
From Amazing Grace

Activity time: 15 minutes Materials for Activity Drawing paper, two sheets for each youth Oil pastels Cleanup supplies Music player and recordings of background music Optional: Tacks, painter’s tape, or other supplies needed to display completed paintings Preparation for Activity Gather supplies …
Activity 3: Story and Discussion - Heaven and Hell
From Amazing Grace

Activity time: 12 minutes Materials for Activity Cardboard sword in Conundrum Corner (see Opening) Story 1, “Heaven and Hell” Preparation for Activity Read through the story “Heaven and Hell” Photocopy Story 1, “Heaven and Hell,” one for each participant. Description of Activity Youth react to a…
Activity 4: Ethics Play
From Amazing Grace

Activity time: 15 minutes Materials for Activity Two dice (extra large, if possible) of different colors Ethics Play role nametags Ethics Play Scenarios (Session 1, Leader Resources 2-7) Optional: Masks, costumes, and wigs for roles Preparation for Activity If you are or your group is new to Ethi…
Closing
From Amazing Grace

Activity time: 3 minutes Materials for Activity Copies of Taking It Home, one for each participant Preparation for Activity Create a handout from Taking It Home that is specific to the activities used in this session. Description of Activity Briefly summarize what you have done in this session….
Leader Reflection and Planning
From Amazing Grace

Meet with your co-leaders after the session to reflect on how it went. How was your mix of discussion and action? Have you talked about religious concepts such as heaven and hell without giving youth the impression that you are telling them what to believe? If not, how can you correct that? What…
Faith In Action: Group Strength Applied
From Amazing Grace

Activity time: 30 minutes Materials for Activity Newsprint, markers and tape Any material your group needs for continuing Faith in Action projects Twenty-five small sticks, wooden craft sticks, or pencils Preparation for Activity Collect and bring in any information that may be helpful to the gro…
Alternate Activity 1: Free Will By Age
From Amazing Grace

Activity time: 15 minutes Materials for Activity Two signs on newsprint, one saying NONE OR NEARLY NONE and the other saying AS MUCH AS THEY WANT Optional: Painter’s tape or tacks to attach the signs Preparation for Activity Hang or place one sign on one wall and the other sign on the opposite wall.
Alternate Activity 2: Covenant Making
From Amazing Grace

Activity time: 15 minutes Materials for Activity Newsprint, markers and tape Description of Activity Invite participants to create a group covenant to guide them in their work. Ask the group to work together to construct a group covenant. Inform participants that a covenant is a promise, an…
Alternate Activity 3: Acting Out "Heaven and Hell"
From Amazing Grace

Activity time: 20 minutes Preparation for Activity Decide how to divide the youth into skit groups. Description of Activity Ask participants to act out their ideas of heaven and hell. Say they should divide into two teams (or three or four if your numbers are large) and talk about how to act out…
Taking It Home: Being Good, Being Bad
From Amazing Grace

To different minds, the same world is a hell, and a heaven. — Ralph Waldo Emerson IN TODAY’S SESSION… We made up a group story about an awful day. We talked about whether we could have a day with just good acts and no wrongdoing—or the reverse. We tried to imagine what pure virtue and pure sin…
Heaven and Hell
From Amazing Grace

Long ago in Japan, a samurai—a warrior of those ancient times—went to visit a monk named Hakuin. The samurai was elaborately dressed in armor, and by his side swung a gleaming, sharp sword. He was a big, proud fellow, used to getting whatever he wanted. “Hakuin!” The samurai bellowed at the…
Find Out More
From Amazing Grace

Dawkins, Richard. The God Delusion (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2006). Says that all religions are equally bad and absurd. Harris, Sam. The End of Faith: Religion, Terror and the Future of Reason (New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2005). Warns against the threats of modern religions and calls…