Most young children do not fully grasp the concept of death. They
do, however, feel the
terror of fear, of separation from loved ones,
of anger directed at them. They also know
what it feels like to be
angry, and to struggle with self-control. You can easily teach
children
the words, “Thou shalt not kill,” but for them to learn how to obey
the Sixth
Commandment, it might be wise to first teach them about
dealing with emotions, and
practicing the self-discipline that goes
into getting along with others, and with God.
If children have been
taught to love their heavenly Father-Mother God, who takes care
of
us, they will gladly obey the Ten Commandments. To help them, we must
point out
the qualities of thought and action which might lead to
the breaking of the Command-
ments. This is especially true of the
Sixth Commandment. We can teach our children
how to develop the attitudes
and discipline that will prevent them from killing and
murdering in
the various forms they take – physical, moral, and spiritual.
If you
are a parent or Sunday School teacher wishing to teach the Sixth Command-
young people in question-and-answer
format, and includes discussions on the Sixth
Commandment.
Jesus taught
that being angry is just as bad as actually killing, so we want our
children
to learn that anger and other emotions, such as hate, envy,
jealousy, and greed, are
bad qualities we want to subdue or control.
We also want to learn how to express
humility rather than self-will,
which insists on getting its own way, “or else”! The toddler
attitude
of “I want what I want when I want it” can grow into the kind of temperament
that would strike back at someone to harm, if it is thwarted in its
efforts to indulge its
wants or whims.
Below are a few more ideas
to use in classes or one-on-one moments with children,
to expand their
understanding of the Sixth Commandment and how it might be applied
in
daily life. These ideas are loosely grouped into age categories, which
are to be used
only as guides.
For Very Young Children and Up:
Hands
are not for hitting. You can turn this into a game of sorts, by telling
the children
that our hands are not for hitting or hurting. This would
make God unhappy (not to mention
the poor person or animal on the receiving
end!). Ask them to tell you what good things
they can do with their
hands instead of hitting. Have them show you and the others in
class.
For instance, hands are for helping. Have the children show one way
they can use
hands to help. Maybe they can open up the Bible
or hymn books in a loving way. Hands
are for hugging. Have everyone
share a hug! Hands are for holding. Can everyone hold
hands, or hold
up a useful item. Hands can clap, draw, steer a tricycle, pull a wagon,
brush someone’s hair, play piano, cook and eat! Let them use their
imagination. End
the game with a reminder that we are not to hit or
hurt with our hands. A hand that
strikes another person might end
up hurting them, or even killing them. And that would
break the Sixth
Commandment. If we are unhappy, we try to use soft words and
patience
to express what we need to communicate. They can also learn to pray
to ask
God for what we want, and be willing to accept His answers.
Perhaps you can combine
this game with a lesson on angels, who can
protect us with the messages they bring to
us from God.
We do not hurt
or kill insects or animals for fun. While there may be a need to
defend
ourselves against certain insects or wild animals, at times, children
can be
taught not to torture or kill helpless animals for amusement.
They are to be gentle with
puppies, kittens, and other animals, as
well as using wisdom around them so that
the animals do not bite back
trying to defend themselves. Have the children consider
what they would
feel like if someone much, much larger than they did the same thing
to
them. Would this meet with God’s approval? Would it break the Sixth
Command-
ment?
Sibling rivalry. Teach that learning to get along with
our family members is a good
place to learn the self-control that
will protect us from hurting others. We may some-
times feel like our
parents love our siblings better, but show them what happened in
the
Bible when Cain became jealous of Abel. Also, read to them parts of
the story of
Joseph, whose brothers were jealous of him and sold him
into slavery. Later, Joseph
could have had them killed, or denied them
food, but he forgave them. Both stories
can be found in Genesis.
Beatitudes. The
lovely spiritual attitudes taught by Jesus in the opening of the
Sermon
on the Mount, provide protection from the animal instincts that could
develop
into murderous actions. The
Beatitudes on meekness, mercy,
and peacemaking
especially apply to the Sixth Commandment.
The Golden
Rule. “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” No
one
wants to be injured, harmed in any way, or murdered. If children
can be taught the
Golden Rule, and develop empathy for what others
might feel, they will be safe from
the self-will that thinks only of
its own wants or needs. It would be rare for a person who
has embraced
the Golden Rule in his or her heart to ever consider murder or killing
as a solution or reaction.
For Older Children and Up:
Bullies. There
are a number of books and articles available offering practical help
on
how to deal with bullies. Children need to know there are options
to dealing with bullies
that do not including fighting back with violent
behavior. More importantly, they need to
learn not to become bullies
themselves, and to learn the power of Love. Often, it is said,
children
who are bullies have become that way due to being mistreated by others
at
home. There is a need for healing all around. Children can help
to spread Christianity
by using love and wisdom in dealing with those
who would terrorize them at school or
in the community. They need to
learn that “You shall not hit or get revenge” is practice
for learning
“Thou shalt not kill.” Mary Baker Eddy tells us: “Love is the liberator.”
(S&H 225)
Violent video and computer games, movies, and television. Studies
have shown
that there is most likely a connection between the violence
found in these sources and
the pronounced aggressiveness found in
some children and teens today. This may not
be true for all of them,
but it makes sense that a steady diet of violent images can
desensitize
a mind to the dangers of real-life violence. One of the Commandments
of
God, the Second, tells us “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven
image.”
By filling young minds with gruesome images of death, torture,
and violence, the
media industry is usurping the life-affirming qualities
of morality and spirituality, which
are the natural expressions of
God’s children. Today’s children are having their
innocence stolen,
and are being set up as avenues of violence and aggression.
Parents
must monitor what their children watch, and older children can learn
to make
better choices. If they understood how these violent images
work like poison in their
mental atmosphere, robbing them, killing
them, breaking the Sixth Commandment,
they might stand up to this
onslaught, and protect themselves. Do they really find
pleasure in
watching animated or movie images of violence? Convince them that
there is no real lasting satisfaction in this pastime, when the consequences
are taken
into account. What seems like harmless entertainment
could be sapping their soul.
Ask them to consider if they like
the idea of their money going to support an industry
that glorifies
killing, and is therefore breaking the Sixth Commandment of God.
When
they find themselves in harm's way one day, who will they pray
to: God or the game
makers? Who is going to answer them?
Revenge. Have your children study the story of Jacob and Esau in the
book of
Genesis. Esau certainly had reasons to take revenge and kill
his brother Jacob, but
through Jacob’s prayer, revelation, and redemption,
Esau was protected from
breaking the law of God, and Jacob’s life
was spared. Mary Baker Eddy tells us
“Revenge is inadmissible.” (S&H
22) Teaching our children about the joy and
value of forgiveness,
as opposed to revenge, will save them from the possibility of
breaking
the Sixth Commandment.
Pre-Teens and Up:
David. Have your
children study the life story of David, the Shepherd Boy and King
of Israel. Study the times when he showed mercy when he might have
killed, and those
times when he broke the Sixth Commandment. What were
the consequences that he
suicide breaks the Sixth Commandment, and would have consequences,
since suicide
does not bring oblivion or true freedom, but merely
sends us into another realm of
consciousness and probation. It leaves
behind horrendous grief and sorrow, and may
have to be punished and
repented of. Giving your children and students an under-
standing that
we are in reality spiritual beings, and are not mere bodies made from
matter
and controlled by matter, may help alleviate depression and suicidal
tendencies.
Learning about man as Love’s image and likeness, our students
may see that one
antidote to depression is expression. Allowing ourselves
to express love for others can
lift us out of the magnetic pull of
self-absorbed thinking that leads to depression or
suicide.
War.
Using the articles written by Mrs. Eddy found in my
previous essay as
a
starting off point, discuss ideas on how to be peacemakers in today’s
world. Open
your kids’ eyes to the various motives that are often
found lurking in the shadows of
war, such as the industries or governments
that want to profit from war, the politicians
who may seek personal
gain in it, and racial or cultural prejudices. They can learn how
to pray for peace and goodwill for the whole world. For those who
may be interested,
“The Story of Christian Science Wartime Activities
1939-1946,” is a book filled with
marvelous testimonies of spiritual
healing and protection during World War II.
Crucifixion, Resurrection,
and Ascension of Jesus. You might want to take this on
as a class
in-depth study to explore what Jesus accomplished that helps us understand
the
concept of death today. He not only raised himself from the dead,
but he was able to
show his disciples the mental nature of body and
substance when he walked through
walls, disappeared and reappeared
at will, provided fish at breakfast without a net,
and so on, during
the period before his ascension. Read the story of the ascension and
get
your pupils’ ideas about what they think happened. Find citations
in Mrs. Eddy’s
writings that explain these events to use in discussion.
By understanding fully what
Jesus proved in this outstanding demonstration
of Life, our children might be able to
understand the divine law behind
the Sixth Commandment – why God does not want
us to kill, why we cannot
really be killed, and why we cannot kill others. Life is the only
fact to be proved, and Life is Spirit and eternal, as Jesus proved.
Alcohol and drugs. Mrs. Eddy writes in Science and Health: “It
need not be
added that the use of tobacco or intoxicating drinks is
not in harmony with
Christian Science.” (S&H 453) While there
are many reasons behind this, such
as the fact that practicing Christian
Science requires clear thinking, and we do not
want to sacrifice that
holy atmosphere to the momentary pleasure of addictions, the
reason
I bring up the subject under the Sixth Commandment is so that teens
can be
taught that using alcohol and drugs can impair their judgment
to such an extent they
may end up as unintentional killers. A car
can be turned into a deadly weapon by a
teen driving under the influence
of drugs or alcohol. An otherwise loving and caring
person can suddenly
find themselves in jail for manslaughter by making the unwise
decision
to “drink and drive.” No matter what punishment is handed down by
the
judicial system, the guilt from knowing that one has killed an
innocent person may
linger a long time. Christian Science does teach
that such guilt can be healed with
the total destruction of the sin
that brought it on, but these experiences do not have
to happen in
the first place.
That's it for now. If you have any ideas
on teaching the Sixth Commandment to
children that you would like
to share, please feel free to
contact me, and I'll see if
it can be
added to this page. Thank you!
by
Vicki Jones Cole
