Activity 2: God Talk
Activity time: 20 minutes
Materials for Activity
- Leader Resource 2, God Sources
- Leader Resource 3, Godly Words
- Optional: Common pins or transparent tape
Preparation for Activity
- Copy Leader Resource 2, cut the items apart, and place in various and accessible points in your meeting space.
- Copy Leader Resource 3, cut the terms apart, and prepare them by following ideas in the activity description.
Description of Activity
This two-part activity asks youth to use motion to share ideas about God.
Part 1: Asking about God - Ask participants to think about the best people to ask about God's existence. Introduce it with ideas like these: "Most of us do not develop our spiritual and religious ideas all by ourselves. We find that it helps to know what other people think. If you want to know if God exists, who is the first person you would ask?" Point out the choices you have posted around the room, and ask participants to choose one and stand near it. Invite comments about their choices. Continue by removing the sign that was chosen by the most participants, and then ask everyone to choose again. Again, invite comments. Continue as long as the group is having a valuable discussion.
Part 2: Godly Words - This activity asks participants to match terms and definitions associated with the idea of God. Each youth will need one term or one definition from Leader Resource 3; prepare a total number of terms and definitions equal to the number of youth in the group. Choose the terms at the top of the list first; these are most important. If you have an odd number of youth, a leader can participate. Explain that you will pass out a term or a definition to each youth. Then everyone will move around in silence until they find the term or definition that goes with their term or definition.
Consider adding interest by taping or pinning the terms to youths' backs without the youth first seeing what they are. Then tell the group that they need to work in silence to help bring appropriate pairs together.
When all have found their match, review the terms and definitions. You might mention that the original Unitarians were people who felt that God was one, not a trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost (or Spirit), as Trinitarians believed.
Say that the mix of words the youth have just considered show that there are many different ideas about God. This is true all around the world. That is why there are so many different religions and faiths, with many different ideas about God. There can be many different ideas within some religions, too. That is especially true of Unitarian Universalism, as today's story will show.
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