Session # 5: pages: Chapter 6 pages 77-90

Reminders

Remind the kids to register for the upcoming "Mogs and Wogs" Rally! They all should have gotten a flyer in the mail. They can register right on this web site.

Materials Needed

1. Read the whole chapter. If there is time left in your lesson, you can then summarize the parts that this lesson doesn't touch upon.
2. Read the whole lesson plan so that the process flows more smoothly.

Background Main Objective

We are moving from introductory material into "ism's", or what makes us-us. Our faith has a context and this session is about setting the Catholic faith in human history. Visit this Timeline for some insight. Homo-sapien (us) appeared about 130,000 years ago. Organized, formal written religion is about 5,000 years old. The earth has always been the source of religion. Elements like fire, air, wind and water are critical in world religions, ours too.

Starter/Lesson

Have the kids read the 'Paradise Lost, and Paradise Found section.

• Ask kids if they believe the five statements.
• Take note of who is in which camp. Divide the group into two parts, those that agree with them and those that don't. If kids are undecided force them to chose. You can also split the more outspoken kids into opposing sides.
• Give the kids time to prepare a debate. They must defend or attack each of the five statements but they must be able to prove their point.

For example:

Pro-side:

"We believe that creation has a master plan, it has meaning because all people strive to make sense of their lives, to give it purpose."

Anti-side:

"We believe that creation does not has a master plan, it has no meaning because cause of random evil and violence in the world"

They should be able to come up with many reasons for their side on all of the questions. [I've done this before and if you separate them into to working areas where they can't hear on another it works well.]

Give them as much time as they need, then bring them together to debate. To do this

1. Tell each side they should take notes about what the other side is about to say.
2. The pro-side reads all their responses (proofs) to question 1 [the anti-side can not respond] then
3. The anti-side read all their responses (proofs) for question 1 [pro-side can not respond] then
4. Switch it-begin with the anti-side and then the pro-side on question 2 continue until all of the five questions have been discussed. then
5. Give each side time to look at their notes and come up with a rebuttal. Your job in all of this is to keep them on track and civil, you know the usual.

The rebuttals can be fun. Try and let as many different people give their opinions as possible.

This often takes the whole class time. The purpose of this exercise is that our faith grapples with big questions like this all the time both from history and with new issues in the present day, ie Homosexuality etc.