This document summarizes a Christian living session that discusses the 10 Commandments and how Jesus summarized them as loving God and your neighbor. It also analyzes two short stories, "The Alligator River" and "The Window," and discusses themes around ethics, values, sin, and the Commandments. Participants were asked to consider how the stories relate to the Commandments and rank characters in the first story. The session closes with rewriting the 10 Commandments as ways to love and a prayer.
3. The 10 Commandments
- The first 3 -
1 You shall have no other gods before Me.
2 You shall not make idols.
3 You shall not take the name of the LORD
your God in vain.
(Duty to God)
4. The 10 Commandments
( the remaining 7 )
4 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
5 Honor your father and your mother.
6 You shall not murder.
7 You shall not commit adultery.
8 You shall not steal.
9 You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
10You shall not covet.
(Duty to neighbor)
5. What did Jesus say about the Law?
(BCP p.324)
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,
and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the
first and great commandment. And the second is like
unto it: Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On
these two commandments
hang all the Law and the Prophets.
6. What do you value ?
If your house was on fire, what
10 items /possessions would you rescue?
7. Alligator River
Best to Worst Ranking
Abigail _____
Gregory _____
Sinbad _____
Ivan _____
Slug _____
8. Was Abigail justified?
Should she have accepted Sinbad’s conditions?
Should Gregory have accepted Abigail in spite of her actions?
If he were a Christian, would his reaction have been different?
Was Ivan’s unwillingness to get involved acceptable?
Is there any justification for Sinbad’s actions
Why do you think Slug accepted Abigail? Were his actions
justified when he beat up Gregory?
10. What was your initial reaction? Were you shocked? Surprised?
Angry?
What was Mr. Wilson like? What kind of man does he appear to
be? Do you like or dislike him?
What about Mr. Thompson ? Like/dislike -
Why do you think Mr. Wilson did as he did? (motivation)
Was Mr. Wilson lying? Was he creative/imaginative?Unselfish
concern for Mr. Thompson? Cruel? Envy producing?
Anything else?
Did Mr. Wilson do anything wrong?
11. Why did Mr. Thompson’s mood change from enjoyment to and
appreciation to resentment?
Was his resentment justified?
Did Mr. Thompson murder Mr. Wilson?
Who was guilty of the most serious wrong? Wilson or Thompson? Why?
Who was most responsible for Mr. Wilson’s death? Why?
Would both have been better of w/o Mr. Wilson’s description of the
outside?
If you were Mr. Thompson how would you have felt after looking out the
window.
12. Is it a sin to fantasize?
Is it a sin to exaggerate when it doesn’t hurt
anyone?
Where does one draw the line between fantasy
and imagination?
13. Values and the Commandments
Thinking about the 10 Commandments and
The Summary of the Law how are they relative
to our two stories?
