Faith Curriculum Library: Tapestry of Faith: Amazing Grace: A Program about Exploring Right and Wrong for Grade 6

Taking It Home: Uus In Action

Part of Amazing Grace

[T]he making of justice does not define our faith. Rather, our faith calls us to work for justice.

— Rev. William G. Sinkford

IN TODAY’S SESSION… We heard about some of Jesus’ ideas about right and wrong, and we talked about UU social action projects. We shared our beliefs by moving between two walls. We talked about the scales of justice and we did Ethics Play.

EXPLORE THE TOPIC TOGETHER. Talk about…

  • Your ideas about Jesus. Do you think he was the son of God? Or a regular human who was also a great teacher?
  • Balancing acts and the scales of justice. Have you ever had trouble deciding what was right or wrong? Or about what should happen to somebody who has done something wrong?
  • The situation your group did in Ethics Play. What do family members and friends say the Star should do?

EXTEND THE TOPIC TOGETHER. Try…

  • Finding a social action your family can do together: maybe it is working at a soup kitchen; maybe it is working on a political campaign for a candidate you support; or maybe it is going to a demonstration and holding a sign about something you believe in.
  • Attending a UU conference as a family. It might be for all the congregations in your UU district. It might be a summer program at a retreat center, or it might be a retreat for just the members of your own congregation. At the conference, find out more about UU ideas of right and wrong and about social justice activities.
  • Visiting some other churches of different faiths. Look at their bulletin boards to find out about their social justice work.

MYSTERY AND ME

Take some personal quiet time and think what you do to help make the world a better place. Is it a social action project you do through your church, something at school, or something you do on your own? If you are journaling, write what the activity is and how you feel about it. You can also write about an action you would like to take in the future.

A FAMILY RITUAL

Talk each day about the right and wrong you have experienced. Did you each do something good you want to share? Is there somebody in the family you want to thank for a virtuous act? Is there something you wish you hadn’t done that you need to talk about? How can you make tomorrow a better day?

A FAMILY GAME

Have a family competition. See who can come up with the longest list of things you can do at home to help the environment or improve some other area of concern.

FAMILY DISCOVERY

Find out about the social justice work of your friends and relatives. Are any of them doing something unusual, something you want to do, too? Are any of them doing something you feel is wrong? If so, what tells you the action is wrong?