Saskatchewan Christian Ethics 90 topic 5.2 Be Obedient: Why should I obey my parents?

1. Christian Ethics 90
Unit 5, Theme 1

2. What is obedience?

 Brainstorm ideas defining and connected to
“Obedience”
 Label each idea “+” if it has a positive view of
obedience and “-” if it has a negative view

3. 
Infant
• No
authority
Child
•Authority
over
belongings
Teenager
• Limited
authority
over younger
children
• Growing
authority
over own
decisions
Young
Adult
•Authority
over self
• Limited
authority
over children
and
adolescents
Parent
• [shared]
authority
over
children and
family
What’s authority?

4. The Fourth Commandment

Honor your father and your mother,
that your days may be long in the land
which the Lord your God gives you.
 What does it mean to “honor” someone?
 Complete Handout “What Must I Do?”

5. This is Obedience

 The word “obey” comes from the word “to listen”
 Obedience is about listening well to authority
 “Legitimate authority” means those who deserve to
be listened to and followed.
 Authority depends on the rightness of the relationship
 Parents and other authorities have duties and
obligations to those in their care.
 The 4th commandment enforces these duties, not
relieving them.

6. The Family

 Christian family is a communion of faith, hope, love
 Jesus obeyed his parents (Luke 2:51).
 What goes on in families shapes all of what goes on
in society as a whole.
“What can you do to promote world peace?
Go home and love your family.”
-Saint Teresa of Calcutta

7. “Need I Obey?”

Assignment:
 For each of the scenarios, identify what the young
person(s) should do, according to the Fourth
Commandment. Your statement must be specific
and concrete, and you must show how your
statement meets each criteria listed on the handout.
 Hand in when completed: this is the assessment for
the theme.