Author: D. Sader

RS 25: Tuck Everlasting Assignment

  1. Explain how this movie (story) is a parable.  What specific characteristics does this story have that meet the criteria of a parable? Be as specific as possible and discuss all the characteristics of a parable.
  2. What is the surprise that caught your attention in this parable movie?  In other words, what is the “twist”?
  3. What is the “truth” being taught by this parable story?  Could the main teaching of this parable movie be, “Don’t be afraid of death, be afraid of the unlived life. ” What does Angus Tuck means by an “unlived life”.  Explain. Reading the poem, An Unlived life might be helpful.  ”John 10:10 say about the purpose of life?  (Use Oremus Bible Browser)  What does Colossians 3:1-17 say about how to live life this way?

The rubric used to grade this assignment can be found at the pages on the right.  The rubric page is titled, Video Study Assignment Rubric

RS25: Tuck Everlasting Reflection

Answer the following question.  The rubric page titled, Reflection Rubric will be used to grade this reflection.

Use the following to answer the question

Angus Tuck takes Winnie out onto the lake and tells her the following:
“Look around you, it’s life. The flowers, and trees, and frogs, its all part of the wheel. It’s always changing. It’s always growing. Like you, Winnie, your life is never the same. You were once a child, now you are about to become a woman. One day you’ll grow up. You’ll do something important. You’ll have children maybe, and then one day you’ll go out. Just like the flame of a candle. You’ll make way for new life as a certainty. It’s the natural way of things. And then, there’s us. What we Tucks have, you can’t call it living. We just are. We’re like rocks stuck at the side of the stream. Listen to me, Winnie, you know a dangerous secret. If people find out about the spring, they’ll trample over each other to get that water. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about people: Many people will do anything. Anything not to die. And they’ll do anything to keep from living their life. Do you want to stay stuck as you are right now, forever? I just want to make you understand.”

 

  1. Tuck clearly as an idea about what life should be.  Explain Tuck’s vision of life in your own words.   Do you agree with Tuck?  There is a Scottish Proverb which says, Be happy while you’re living, for you’re a long time dead. Is this proverb trying to tell us the same thing as Tuck is?  Explain.

RS 25: Who is Jesus? (Assignment Two)

Directions:  What follows in bold is the verses from a parable found in Matthew 21:28-31.  Under each verse are some questions which are intended to help you understand the parable’s message and to relate it to your world today.  Address the questions that follow.

Activity one: The Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 13:44)

“The kingdom of heaven [God] is like treasure hidden in a field…”

Name those things that you consider “treasure” — those things you would truly long to have.

“which someone found and hid…”

What would be an example of something so wonderful; so desirable; so valuable that someone would want to hide it from everyone else?

“Then in his [her] joy…”

What would truly bring you joy, happiness and fulfillment in your life?  Be honest!  Explain why this would bring you the happiness that you think it will.  Does it bring happiness to others who have it?

“He [she] goes and sells all that he [she] has and buys that field”

Would you be willing to give up absolutely everything (all possessions) for something that would bring you true happiness?  Is this a radical thing to do?

Activity Two: Parable of the Two Sons (Matt 21:28-31)

“A man had two sons; he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today’…”

Name some of the responsibilities you have been given by your parents.  As a person raised a Christian, what responsibility have you been given?

“He answered, ‘I will not’…”

Have you ever blatantly refused to do something that your Mom or Dad asked you to do?  Why did you refuse?   Have you refused to do what your faith asks of you?

“but later he changed his mind and went…”

Have you ever blatantly refused to do something that your Mom or Dad or your faith asked you to do and then changed your mind?  What made you change your mind?  How did you feel because of it?

“The father went to the second [son] and said the same; and he answered, ‘I go, sir’; but he did not go”

Have you ever told your Mom or Dad that you would do something that asked you to do when you knew you had no intentions of doing it?  Why would you say you would do something when you knew you would not?  Did your decision make you feel guilty?  Why or why not?

“Which of the two [sons] did the will of his father?”

Which of the two sons did the will of his father?  How would you answer this question?  Which of the sons would your parents approve of most?

Which son did the right thing?  Explain your answer.

RS 25: Who is Jesus? (Assignment One)

Lets review what has been learned in class.  You are expected to know this.

Kingdom of God:  What was Jesus Talking About?

Central to Jesus’ identity, his life, his mission and message, and all of his words and actions is the notion of the Kingdom of God.  In fact, Jesus told his listeners to “strive first for the Kingdom of God” (Matt 6:33).  His prayer and life experiences led him to identify himself as the proclaimer and possessor of the Kingdom.  His parables pointed to and described the Kingdom, and his miracles were signs of its presence in the people’s midst.  Let’s explore what Jesus meant by the Reign of God.

The Greek word for kingdom is basileia, denoting “royal power”.  Kingdom of God is the sphere of God’s rule.  The word kingdom, which is used most often in scripture, can sometimes get in the way of our understanding what Jesus meant when he preached about the Kingdom of God.  For us, the Kingdom of God can automatically imply a place or region.  When discussing Jesus’ teachings, a better reference might be the Reign of God or the Rule of God.

Parables

What are parables? Parables are like fables. A fable is a pretend story or tale, intended to instruct or amuse; a fictitious narration intended to enforce some useful truth or teaching (such as a moral).  Consider the following fable.

Parables are stories that allow us to catch a glimpse of something that is too big for words.  The word parable comes from a Greek word parabole meaning “comparison”.  It usually builds from a literary device called a simile.  In a simile, two very different things are compared to one another in order to illustrate a point.  The word like often (but not always) joins the two parts of the comparison.

Thus, we can define a parable as a brief, concise story that illustrates a moral or religious lesson. It differs from fable in excluding animals, plants, inanimate objects, and forces of nature as actors that assume speech and other powers of humankind.  Parables often have a surprise twist at the end.

The basic story elements in Jesus’ parables grew out of the land, culture, and family life of his people:  farming and shepherding, children playing and adults working at their trades and crafts.  Thus, knowing something about the land and daily life (culture) of the Jewish people of Jesus’ time is essential to grasping the meaning of Jesus’ teachings.  When we read the parables today, it is often helpful to find parallels between our experiences and those of the people Jesus was directly addressing.  That is, we can translate the parables into familiar language.  Even better, we should try to see ourselves in the parables.

ASSIGNMENT
Task: select one of the following parables, read it carefully,  and then answer the three questions below. You can use oremus Bible Browser to help you do this.

  • The Parable of the Lost Coin  (Luke 15:8-10 or Matt 15:8-10)
  • The Parable of the Lost Sheep  (Luke 15:1-7 or Matt 18:10-14)
  • The Parable of the Prodigal and His brother (Luke 15:11-31 or Matt 15:11-32)
  • The Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16)
  • The Three Parables (Matt 13:44-50)

Questions:

  1. Why might the parable have surprised or caught the attention of Jesus’ listeners?
  2. What is being compared in the story?  (The “Reign of God is like…” Or “heaven is like…”)
  3. What does the story say about the “Reign of God,” or the way God rules?

RS 25: Jesus is Central to the Christian Faith (Key Teachings)

Central to Jesus’ teachings is Love.  Jesus did not actually use the word love all that much.  He spoke more often of the results or expressions of love:  service to others, compassion, forgiveness, and reconciliation.  According to the teachings of Jesus, love of God cannot be lived out apart from love of our fellow human beings.

Key teachings of Jesus

To understand the words, sayings, and stories of Jesus, we must keep in mind the vehicle by which they come to us, that is, the Gospels.  The Gospels are the faith community’s reflections upon and expressions of Jesus’ life and message.  In other words, we do not find Jesus’ everyday, casual conversation in the Gospels.  We have, rather, his most significant thoughts and ideas – expressed through the words of those who heard him.  In most cases, these words were passed on orally for many years before finally being recorded in the Gospels.

ASSIGNMENT

Below are listed some of the key teachings of Jesus as found in the canonical Gospels.  Read the texts below and summarize the teaching.  You can use oremus Bible Browser to help you do this.

  1. Golden Rule (Matt 7:12 or Luke 6:31)
  2. The Greatest Commandment (Mark 12:28-34 or Luke 10:25-28 or Matt 22:34-40)
  3. Love Enemies (Matt 5:43-48 or Luke 6:27-28, 32-36)
  4. Retaliation (Matt 5:38-42 or Luke 6:29-31)

Reflection: Consider, for a moment, how the world might be a different place if all people chose to follow these four teachings.  Set aside any thoughts of, “that will never happen” or  “People would never do that”.  Just imagine what the world would be like if everyone did. Write a reflection consisting of one or two paragraphs describing how the world would change if everyone chose to follow just these four teachings.  Use examples to support your reflection.

Enter your response on your blog, print it and hand it in.  The rubric used to grade this reflection is called Reflection Rubric, found on the pages at the right

RS 35 Reflection Question: Does Religion Benefit You?

Directions: Answer ALL of questions below.  The Reflection Rubric will be used to access this reflection. When finished, print off your response and hand in or email it to Mr. S.

1)  Read the following three articles.  The articles are The Benefits of Church, Health Benefits of Religion, and Spirituality & prayer relieve stress.  Tell me your reaction to these articles.  Are we better human beings when we are partaking in  religious or spiritual practices?  Defend your view.  Remember, your opinion has no credibility unless it is supported with concrete facts or examples from the articles and/or other sources.

2)  Read the article Is the Internet Bad for Religion?  Do you agree that the internet is to blame for the decline in the number of people associating with a religious or spiritual practice? Why or why not?  Remember, your opinion has no credibility unless it is supported with concrete facts or examples from the article and/or other sources.

How do you Cite Resources Properly?

Here is a cool website called Citation Machine.  You can use this website to cite resources correctly.  It doesn’t matter whether you use a website, book, or any other resource.

Here is its mission:

Citation machine helps students and professional researchers to properly credit the information that they use. Its primary goal is to make it so easy for student researchers to cite their information sources, that there is virtually no reason not to — because…

How to Use:

  1. To use, click on APA and then hit “submit”.
  2. Select what type of resource you used (print or non-print).
  3. Put in the required information, then click “submit”.
  4. Then copy and paste the corrected cited resource.

RS 35: Reflection: Is Our Future in Good Hands?

Read the following two excerpts.  What is your reaction?  Are you concerned by some of these survey results?  Some say, “The survey results do prompt concerns about teens’.  Reflect by answering the above questions. Your reflection must include a discussion about conscience in terms of what you’ve learned in class.   Serious and thoughtful comments only please.  The rubric which will be used is called reflection rubric.

Today’s teenagers say they are confident in their ability to make ethical business decisions. And if it takes lying and cheating to get to the top … oh, well.

Nearly half of students polled in a Junior Achievement survey said they think it’s OK to lie to their parents, and more than a third of them think they need to break the rules at school to succeed.

The survey of 750 students ages 12 to 17 was conducted by Deloitte, a global accounting and consulting firm.

Eighty percent of students surveyed think they will be able to make ethical decisions when they enter the work force. On the other hand, 38 percent think that in order to succeed, rules must be broken. Forty percent think it is acceptable to lie to their parents, and 61 percent of them say they have done so in the past year.

In what the survey sponsors called a troubling sign, only 54 percent said they look to their parents as role models. The other students said they have no role model at all, or look to their friends.

“There is a troubling incongruent between the degree to which teens feel ethically prepared to enter the work force, and the unethical behaviors in which they engage,” said David W. Miller, director of the Princeton University Faith and Work Initiative.

“The survey results do prompt concerns about teens’ future workplace behavior and forecast serious challenges to businessmen around how they will need to prepare and train these future leaders.” (Full article)

[Note:  This article is based on an American survey]

Teens agree with their parents’ values. A nearly unanimous 98 percent of those surveyed said their parents had set a good example of right and wrong. When we asked teens how their own attitudes about right and wrong compared with their parents’, 70 percent said “pretty much the same.”

One of our most disturbing findings concerned the problem of cheating in school. Seventy-four percent told us that teens “in general” think it is usually or sometimes okay. When we asked individuals if they personally thought that cheating is “usually okay, sometimes okay or never okay,” a still surprisingly large 38 percent said it was usually or sometimes okay.

Teens polled expressed a strong sense of responsibility for their fellow man. Eighty-three percent considered it essential to “take action to help” if they heard someone screaming or saw them being attacked. Seventy percent of our teens felt it essential to report a crime they had witnessed. Even more encouraging, our poll showed that teenagers have a strong foundation in faith and morals. Nearly three out of four (71 percent) report they believe in God; 18 percent of those polled go to a house of worship once or more a week. We also asked teens what they would do if they found themselves “unsure of what was right or wrong.” The majority, 43 percent, said they would try to do “what would be best for everyone involved.” Only one in ten would take the self-serving path of “doing what would help me to get ahead.”  (Full article)

[Note:  This article is based on a Canadian survey]