Opening Prayer
First: please tell the children the story called Make good use of life.
Second: please ask the children: How are you making good use of your life? Please write down the answers on the board.
Third: please split the children into small groups and distribute a puzzle, which should enable them to find out two words on it: THE TRUE SPIRITIST.
Click here to find the puzzle.
Fourth: please write on the board the words found on the puzzle; please ask them to say what these words mean.
True: the one who says the truth; real; authentic; who doesn’t pretend; who is sincere.
Spiritist: the one who follows the Spiritism; doctrine based on the belief of reincarnation, plurality of inhabited worlds, communication between incarnate and disincarnate spirits.
Fifth: please ask one of the children to read this passage from The Gospel According to Spiritism: The true Spiritist can be recognized by their moral transformation and by the efforts they employ in order to overcome their bad instincts. (Chapter 17. - BE PERFECT, item 4). The spiritist teacher should write it on the board and ask the children to write it down on their notebooks.
Sixth: please distribute the questions below – one for every two children. Please ask them to read and comment on it. They should later on tell the entire group their conclusions. The spiritist teacher should add any necessary comments too.
Click here to find the suggested phrases.
Click here to find resources for the spiritist teacher.
Seventh: please tell the second part of the story Make good use of life to the children.
Eighth – please question: How should the true spiritist make good use of life? They should come to conclusion that he needs to learn and progress in this life, by selecting his interests and activities around this goal. The spiritist teacher should reflect back into the answers given by the children in the beginning of the class; please make use of the positive examples given by them.
Ninth - please question: How should the young spiritist make good use of life? We have written here below some of the answers we got back from the children and the spiritist teacher.
*By not disseminating bad news, or bad/immoral jokes;
*By welcoming everyone with no prejudice;
*By searching for the truth at all times; not judging anyone or anything;
*By not lying ("it is easier to forgive the worst truth than a lie");
*By behaving with honesty at all times;
*By exposing your ideas; not imposing;
*By collaborating if necessary;
*By talking only what is useful/beneficial to one another;
*By not using alcohol or other drugs;
*By offering good advice when requested;
*By using prayer for your own benefit and for the benefit of others;
*By not gossiping;
*By following the true meaning of charity: benevolence, forgiveness, indulgence;
*You should try to put into practice what we learn at spiritist education classes everyday.
Obs.: please remind them that it’s not necessary to be of a certain age to be a true spiritist; it relies on our personal effort and will to change.
Tenth: please distribute the Test Good Spiritists so the children can answer it individually. Please note each question could have more than one answer.
Please make sure you give them some time to answer the questions. After this activity is completed, the spiritist teacher should read and comment on each question and answer given by the children. They won’t need to say their answers out loud, but only reflect on their attitudes. Please remind them we should only compare ourselves to how we were some time ago; not to others. If you run out of time, you could use this material as a complementary resource to this class.
Closing Prayer
Class suggested being suitable for: 3rd cycle (11 to 12 years old).
Translation: Carolina von Scharten, London, Sir William Crookes Spiritist Society linked to BUSS - The British Union of Spiritist Societies.
