Article June 27, 1983 Issue

"First lessons" in moral and spiritual law (Part II)

JON GIB HARDER

Prepared for the Church Activities Department of The Mother Church. Fourth of eight articles.

For Sunday School children, learning what the "first lessons"^{ See Mary Baker Eddy, Manual of The Mother Church, Art. XX, Sect. 3.} actually say is an important step toward grasping their meaning. The letter does need to be learned. Yet memorization is only a tool, and not an end in itself. Here is what Mrs. Eddy had a member of her staff write in response to a letter on this subject:

"When our Leader gave the By-law on 'Subjects for Lessons' in the Sunday School, it was not her intention to limit Sunday School instruction to the routine of memorizing the letter of the designated portions of the Scripture. She meant that the children should be taught the meaning of the Ten Commandments, the Lord's Prayer and its Spiritual Interpretation, and the Beatitudes. These spiritual fundamentals should be so set forth by means of practical illustrations and every-day examples of love, obedience, and good, that the child will catch their spirit, understand them, and as a result be interested in them.

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