Faith Curriculum Library: Tapestry of Faith: Riddle and Mystery: A Program on the Big Questions for Grade 6

Introduction

Don't believe everything you think. — Bumper sticker

Big Question: How can I know what to believe?

"We teach children that all big questions have many answers, and that it is their duty to search responsibly for the answers that feel right to them." That statement comes from Welcome: A Unitarian Universalist Primer, a small book published in 2009 by Skinner House Books. But how will youth know what answers feel right to them?

Most sessions of Riddle and Mystery begin with a big question and then move on to stories and activities that illuminate the question. This session reverses the order, beginning with a fictional treatment of a real event and then inviting the youth to discover the big questions it raises. An art activity reveals that youth differ in what feels right. WCUU involves a group of detectives sharing ideas about finding answers that feel right philosophically. In WIT Time, youth consider which Sources mean the most to them.

Goals

This session will:

  • Pose the Big Question "How can I know what to believe?" and explore Unitarian Universalist responses
  • Demonstrate that life events open big questions
  • Demonstrate that different answers work for different people
  • Show that we can best rely on reason, science and observation for answering some questions; we need subjective feelings to answer others; and sometimes we use a mix of reason and feeling to find a satisfactory answer.

Learning Objectives

Participants will:

  • Identify big questions raised by an imagined but realistic event and explore answers to those questions
  • Understand that reason, science and observation provide answers most UUs accept
  • Consider how individual feelings and personalities lead UUs to different responses to some questions
  • Explore various sources for ideas and beliefs
  • Identify Unitarian Universalist Sources that resonate for them.