“What is the answer to the dilemma that surrounds us? The answer is to love our Founders, our country, our founding document, and the God that gave them to us. We must teach that love to our children, pray for our leaders and plead for help. The answer is to get involved.”
- Pam Openshaw, author of “Promises of the Constitution”
Study/Learn1 – If you didn't last fall, see if you can memorize the Preamble to the US Constitution. This “School House Rock” song makes it easy. The song left out one phrase. Tell us what it is.
2 – Read the Constitution of the United States of America. You can find it online here, or here. There is a plain text version that you can print here. Once you are finished reading it, go here and test your knowledge. If you don't know the answers to some of the questions, go back and find them out.
3 – Read: “Promises of the Constitution.” Chapter 11. Write one or more sentences at the end of each mini chapter that summarizes the main point.
4 – As you are reading the Constitution, make a list of the words you don't know the meanings of. Make a list of at least 20 words and write a short definition of each one. Choose one of the words from your list and do a word study on it. 5 – Try to understand the Constitution as best you can. You never know when that information may come in handy. ;)
Know/Understand
Choose 3 of the following to think about and journal on for 15 minutes each:
- Why do you think God cares about governments?
- Because freedom of religion was placed first in the Bill of Rights, this would indicate that religious freedom was of greatest importance to the Founding Fathers and the people. Why was freedom of religion so important to the people back then and why is it important to us now?
- What can a US citizen today do to make his opinions known to the local and national government?
- George Mason, one of our Founding Fathers, said that the best way for any government to enslave its people is to disarm them. Why does he compare disarmament to enslavement?
- Look up synonyms for “enslave” and determine if you can find similarities between enslavement and not being able to defend oneself.
- There are some people who believe that we have no need for privacy if we are doing nothing wrong. Do you believe this is true? Why or why not?
- If a person is guilty of committing a crime, why should he still have the right to be heard, treated fairly and receive justice?
- US citizens have the ability to prevent power-hungry individuals from usurping our rights. Three ways to do so include voting on Election Day, expressing your opinions to your local representatives, and staying informed. Describe how each of these three actions can prevent our rights from being usurped.
- Should government compel – or force – a person to do what is right? Why or why not?
Become/Serve
(If you are doing more than 1 level of class this week, just choose ONE Become/serve for the whole week.)
“Like other early settlers of America, many of the Founders governed their lives according to the 'Good Book'. Its pages gave them their basic education, their spirituality, and their common reason. Bible study guided their everyday actions and provided instruction and practical application in such matters as their use of time and the conduct of their relationships.”
(from “Promises of the Constitution vignette 1.2)
How does the Bible influence your life? How often do you read it? Should/could you be reading it more often? Evaluate your use of the Bible in your every day life and set a goal to read and think about it more often.
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