Aim

For children to appreciate the difference between sin and crime.

Preparation

Before lesson photocopy one worksheet for each child. (The answers are also available.)

Lesson

Begin lesson by asking the children to define 'crime'. What actions are considered 'criminal'? Who decides?

Ask the children to complete the worksheet in pencil, circling only those actions which they believe to be against the law.

Discuss their responses, using the answer sheet to correct any errors which may be suggested. Raise the issue of 'thought crimes'. Are the children's thoughts their own?

Now ask the children to rank the crimes they have identified in order of seriousness, writing the appropriate number within the circle. Ask the children to compare their answers in pairs before sharing them with the rest of the class.

Did Adam and Eve commit a crime? If so, what was it?

Christians believe that Adam and Eve did not break a law made by men. They broke a law made by God. Christians call breaking the laws of God, 'sinning'.

Ask the children to draw a rectangle around those actions which they believe Christians would consider to be 'sins'.

Discuss their responses. You may need to point out the difference between being tempted to do something and doing that thing in one's mind.

Hopefully, in the course of the discussion, they should make some realizations.

• There are more ways to sin.
• The majority of crimes are also sins. (How come?)
• Christians believe that people are accountable to God, and to Him alone, for their thoughts.

What do the children think of this last point?

Now ask the children to rank the sins in order of seriousness, writing the appropriate number between the edges of the rectangle and the circle.

Discuss their responses, before informing them that, according to Christians, God considers all sins to be equal. For example, it could be argued that day-dreaming about hurting someone, saying hurtful things to someone and physically hurting someone, all come from the same desire to hurt.

What do the children think of this idea? What would the victim of a mugging think?

Conclusion

Conclude lesson by informing children that next week they are going to be thinking about the consequences of both crime and sin - punishment.

Teachers' Notes

There is much debate amongst Christians as to what does or does not constitute a sin. The refusal to wear proper school uniform is a grey area and an examination of the dissenter's motives would be necessary before declaring the action to be sinful or not. For the purposes of this exercise, I have called his/her motives into question and have marked the answer sheet accordingly.