the 10 commandments...
my discussion board question for this week in theology 2 was about the commandments...they are posed in mostly negative statements -- 'thou shalt not...' the line of questioning goes like this -- what is the benefit of negative v. positive? how do we 'spin' (my word) the 10 in a positive way? and what impact does the use of +/- terminology have on teaching children faith? great thoughts...i was thinking that when we teach the 10, we try to get at the spirit of the commandment -- why it's given, how it impacts a life of faith, and how it makes life and relationships work better if they are understood and applied. a quote i love from c.s. lewis goes something like this...'God doesn't want simply adherence to a set of rules, but rather people of a particular sort...' thinking of the 10, isn't that the point? do you all think God just wants us to follow the rules, or is He more interested in the effect of these things in our hearts and lives and how they might serve as guidelines to living in relationship w/ God and others? how do you explain these to your kids -- in the 'don't do this, cuz it's bad' way, or from the 'this is what it means, this is maybe why God wanted it so, and this is how life will be better if it's put into practice'? which is more effective in your opinion?
read: exodus 20:1-17
2 comments:
Maybe it's age, or maturity, or maybe I'm just starting to bend more...but it seems we (Christians) work very hard to make our faith and all that goes with it more palatable. We don't like to think that God just wants to lay out the don'ts or that he does or has done things we find cruel or mean (think baby Egyptian boys on the first Passover). We prefer to focus on the grace, love, and beautiful creation. We don't like to think of Jesus causing a stir in the temple "marketplace" but prefer the image of him holding and talking with the children. Perhaps if we focused more on the big God that he is...the judge, the disciplinarian, the decision maker...maybe then we'd better understand and appreciate the power and strength behind all that love and grace. Yes, I like to present the rules in a positive light. Is that because for the kids it goes down easier, or because I seem less authoritative and more lovable? I don't know. But when the kids aren't listening and I need their attention and obedience, I don't mince words or sugar-coat them. I tell them to stop! Maybe God just knows when to stop trying to coax us and when it's time to stop us in our tracks. js
I like the way you called it 'the 10'..funny. Anyway-I tend to be an analytical thinker and like to dig down to the bottom of things. It's not unusual for my kids and me to get into conversations (which happen mostly in the car for some reason)trying to dig down to the underlying motivations of Gods commandments. What I want them to know is that the God of all creation knows us best and that all of the commandments come down to matters of the heart. Each one, should we not follow it, hurts someone else and/or ourselves.
Why God chooses to state them the way he does - I don't know. Maybe because He knows there has to be consequences attached. One of my favorite pieces of scripture comes from Proverbs, "Fear of the Lord is the BEGINNING of wisdom." So, even though we have forgiveness, praise God, there has to be earthly pain involved for the two-year-old who disobeys his parents and touches the hot stove anyway or the person who chooses to drink and drive and ends up killing another human being. It's serious stuff, really, and I don't fool around when it comes to letting my kids know that when it comes to certain things-if you don't suffer enough natural consequences for your rebellion, I'll make sure you do. Because, yes, we do serve a jealous God, who loves us mightily. So, I have to be a jealous parent, who is not going to let society teach my kids right and wrong, but will decidedly follow God's ways and love them mightily at the same time.
JM
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