Material from the 2nd Spiritist Educators'Seminar, held at the Spiritist Society Seeds of Light, in Ft. Myers (FL), on January 31st and February 1st, 2015.

1. Teaching About Spirituality
Through Stories
Presentation by Bernadete
Leal

2. Purpose of a Story
 Entertain
 Inform
 Provide vicarious insights
 Help solve problems
 Stir to action
 Change attitudes
 Present high ideals of leadership
 Develop a positive attitude to life

3. Connecting with the Story
When you engage Biblical (and other) stories through literature and
poetry, film, video, music and visual art, as well as excellent
scholarship, the stories become newly alive, and you begin to make
the connections between sacred, archetypal stories and your own.
Ask these three questions:
What is happening in
the story?
How is this story taking
place in the world
around me? Younger
children have a smaller
world, home, family
How is this MY story?
Encountering a story in this way calls you into deeper exploration of self.
By William L. Dols PhD. – Awakening the Fire Within

4. Teaching Stories
They are snippets of life designed to show effective ways of
defining and responding to common life experiences.
Spiritist
Books Biographies
Spiritist
Speakers
Do you remember any story told by
your parents/grandparents or
someone that taught you a lesson?

5.  Children and teens will more
likely learn and remember about
spirituality/spiritist teachings if it is
“disguised” in the context of a
story.

6. Story “Calm down, Tommy”
Tommy was being bullied by John at school. Tommy got angry and
hit John. Both were suspended. A week later Tommy was teased
and he was about to loose his temper again. Rick, his best friend,
decided to talk to him and helped him to calm down. Rick also taught
Tommy about prayer and how it can help in the moments of stress.
Spiritual
How prayer gives
you the support
you need and
connects you with
the Creator
Moral
Learning about
being patient and
how to control
your anger.
How to support a
friend and help a
friend in need.
Functional
Dealing with bully
and fight at school

7. Important Points
 Story doesn’t need to be too long to
covey a message.
 In a language that children/teens
can understand and enjoy.
 Hero or role model
 It has a message
 Story for young children should be
repeated many times.

8. Stages
Early Childhood (3-
5yrs) :
Familiar Images
Family
Animals
Middle Childhood (6-
8yrs) :
Fairy stories
Tales
Fables
Old Testament
Later Childhood (9-
11yrs):
Bible stories
Adventures
Action
Daring
Folklore
Early/later Adolescence
(12-17yrs) :
Biography
History
Relationships

9. Variety of Story activities
 Create Your own stories (What’s your
goal?)
 A picture based story – use a big picture
so everybody can see and they all help to
create a story based on that.
 A group story – who , when, what where,
why, theme
 A problem solving story – choose a
problem or challenge related to the group
or age, discussion how the problem may
be solved.
 Puppet skits

10. Jesus was a master
storyteller
About one third of Jesus’ recorded
teachings are in the form of parables.
Generally speaking, a parable is a fictitious
tale, although usually realistic.
Derived from the word “paraballo,” the
word
“parable” signifies a comparison between
two objects.
Jesu
s
The normal purpose of Bible parables
was to convey a higher, spiritual truth.

11. 24.New and Old Treasures - Matthew 13:52
25.New Cloth - Matthew 9:16; Mark 2:21; Luke 5:36
26.New Wine - Matthew 9:17; Mark 2:22; Luke 5:37-39
27.Net of Fish - Matthew 13:47-50
28.Official who Refused to Forgive - Matthew 18:21-35
29.One Coin - Luke 15:8-10
30.Renters of a Vineyard - Matthew 21:33-46; Mark 12:1-12;
Luke
20:9-18
31.Shepherd and His Flock - John 10:1-18
32.Workers in Vineyard - Matthew 20:1-16
33.Wedding Banquet - Matthew 22:1-14, Luke 14:16-24
34.Persistent Widow - Luke 18:1-8
35.Pharisee and Tax Collector - Luke 18:9-14
36.Rich fool - Luke 12:16-21
37.Rich man and Lazarus - Luke 16:19-31
38.Salt and Light - Matthew 5:13; Mark 9:50; Luke 14:34-35
39.Servant's Duty - Luke 17:7-10
40.Sheep and Goats - Matthew 25:31-46
41.Sign from God - Matthew 12:38-42; Luke 11:29-32, Mark
8:12
42.Two Debtors - Luke 7:41-43
43.The Farmer - Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23; Mark 4:3-20; Luke
8:4-15
44.The Lost Son - Luke 15:11-32
45.Ten Servants - Luke 19:11-27, Matthew 25:14-30
46.Two Sons - Matthew 21:28-32
47.Ten Talents - Matthew 25:14-30, Luke 19:12-27
48.Ten Virgins - Matthew 25:1-13
49.True Vine - John 15:1-17
50.Unprepared Builder - Luke 14:28-30
51.Weeds Among Wheat - Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43
52.Wise and Foolish Builders - Matthew 7:24-27; Luke 6:47-
49
1.Alert Servants - Mark 13:33-37
2.Barren fig tree (Repent or Perish) - Luke 13:6-9
3.Bread of Life - John 6:31-38
4.Children - Matthew 11:16-19; Luke 7:31-35
5.Dishonest Manager - Luke 16:1-13
6.Divided Kingdom - Matthew 12:24-30; Mark 3:22-27 Luke
11:14-23
7.Evil Spirit - Matthew 12:43-45; Luke 11:24-26
8.Faithful and Unfaithful Servants - Matthew 24:45-51, Luke
12:35-48
9.Feast Invitations - Luke 14:12-14
10.Friend at Midnight - Luke 11:5-13
11.Good Samaritan - Luke 10:25-37, Matthew 22:34-40, Mark
12:28-31
12.Great Banquet - Luke 14:15-24, Matthew 22:1-10
13.Great Physician - Matthew 9:10-13; Mark 2:15-17; Luke 5:29-
32
14Growing Seed - Mark 4:26-29
15.Hidden Treasure - Matthew 13:45-46
16.How to be a Guest - Luke 14:7-11
17.Jesus and Fasting - Matthew 9:14-15; Mark 2:18-20; Luke
5:33-35
18.King's War - Luke 14:31-33
19.Lamp on a Stand - Matthew 5:14-16; Mark 4:21-23; Luke
8:16-18
20.Leaven - Matthew 13:33; Luke 13:20-21
21.Lesson from a Fig Tree - Matthew 24:32-35; Mark 13:28-32;
Jesus’ Parables

12. Teenager
s
Learn and benefit from Jesus’
parables.
Comparison
Analysis
Reasoning
Read between
the lines
Discussion
Apply to real life
Apply Spiritist
teachings
Challenge

14. Stories have power. They
delight, enchant, touch, teach,
recall, inspire, motivate,
challenge. They help us
understand. They imprint a
picture on our minds.
Consequently, stories often
pack more punch than
sermons. Want to make a point
or raise an issue? Tell a story.
Jesus did it. He called his
stories ‘parables’. — Janet
Litherland