Saturday, January 26, 2008

Got teens in the house? Lead them to truth. CS-1

Any Way Saturday
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Case studies are tools that can bring biblical principles to life. Today, Saturday, I am going to give a sample case for you to read and review and think about. Tomorrow, Sunday, I will have another Case for you to study. It will be the first in a series of such studies which I will present on subsequent Sundays. Various topics will be covered.

If you use these in a family setting with teenagers, be aware of certain dynamics that develop. Girls will see and think about things very differently than will your boys. When using these, someone should first read the Case aloud to the others. Then the questions can be discussed.
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Fitting in with the events of this past week, today's topic is: Abortion

Update FYI addition: Linda and Jerry in this case are High School seniors.
When Linda told Jerry she was pregnant he was stunned. He felt horrible. He felt responsible and really didn't know what to do. His options weren't very attractive.

You see, Jerry had been waiting for weeks to tell Linda that he didn't love her and that he wanted to break off their relationship. He simply didn't know how to tell her. He had lingered in the relationship because he had felt so guilty about their sexual promiscuity and Linda's dependent, almost helpless attitude toward him. Jerry knew Linda would probably follow any advise he gave her concerning the pregnancy.

Since Jerry wanted out of the relationship, the easiest thing to suggest was abortion. He could even offer to pay for it. Adoption or keeping the baby would only complicate and confuse the situation.

Jerry's conscience gnawed at him because before this happened he was definitely opposed to abortion. Now he wasn't sure.

1. What would you say to Jerry?

2. Is the Christian answer to marry and try to work out the relationship? Why or why not?

3. What would be Linda's options if Jerry broke off the relationship?

4. What can people do to prevent situations like this one from happening?
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Now, get ready for tomorrow when we'll try it again.
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Cases Originally Copyrighted by Jim Burns 1987 - permission granted to use in work with teens.

7 comments:

Buddhist, RN said...

We don't really "train" teenagers, just try to help them find truth. But since I don't have anyone to discuss this with who is younger than me, I'll give my opinion here.

No, he should not marry her. I'd rather the child grow up with someone who loves him/her and not with a dad who doesn't want the baby. Get him to pay some child support, maybe he'll come around someday, or put the baby up for adoption depending on the situation of the girl.

And I quote my best friend's husband: If you do the deed, expect to breed. Seriously, people. Either keep it to yourself, or use protection (yes, I know what the church says about that, I don't agree, I'm a big contraception advocate).

uncle jim said...

Em,

Your comment on train v lead is great; I'm changing the article Title from "...house? Train them." to "...house? Lead them to truth."

I agree that marriage is not the magic answer. When I hear things like, "What's love got to do with it?", I think the whole point is that love has everything to do with it.

In so far as leading to the truth, it is one thing to know 'what' the Church teaches, and quite another to know the 'why' of what the Church teaches. So our effort needs to be towards teaching and leading teens [and others] the 'why' of the 'what'. That is a lot harder - most of us don't take the time or make that deep of an effort - part of our human nature, I think.

Adrienne said...

It would help if we knew the ages of Linda and Jerry. (At least it would help me.)

Melody K said...

We have a niece who was in a similar situation. She chose to keep the baby. The father pays child support and has the little boy for visitation every other weekend and alternate holidays. He is included in the other holiday gatherings on her side so that he can be with his son. She has a job and the support of her family, which is a big advantage. I think there is still hope that the mom and dad of this little boy could get together if they worked out some issues. But who knows?
As for the contraception issue; contraception is wrong because it violates the marriage covenant. If there is no marriage covenant, then would it be any more wrong to use non-abortifacient contraception; using a little prudence in a massively imprudent situation? Not saying that's how it should be, just thinking out loud.

uncle jim said...

adrienne,
I made an Update FYI addition to the above case. Linda and Jerry are High School Seniors.
I'll try to make some reference in later cases as to the participants' ages.
Though, for practical consideration, you may presume all to be in their middle teens to early 20's unless I specifically note otherwise. The cases are written for teens to consider, so the case characters are generally 'around' their age range of 16-21 - or we could say 11th grade through 14th.
.............
melody,
Some of these situations are very emotionally charged. It is good to hear of some that seem to be working out and maintain a viable life for the child.
As for the contraception issues, it is so important to learn the real issues involved in the teachings of our church, and even deeper, the truth of God, which we'd like to believe are the teachings of our denominational church.

Buddhist, RN said...

I've heard the contraception argument before, melody, and I've chosen to think otherwise, and I believe the church is wrong. The church isn't always right, which in itself makes me non-Catholic. I choose not to follow church teachings in which I do not believe, I'd never respect someone who followed something they didn't agree with morally. I promote contraception to anyone engaging in sexual activity regardless of religion.

Melody K said...

Emily, I'm not trying to judge anyone. In my comment above I'm saying that I question that a non-abortifacient form of birth control makes the sin of non-marital sex any worse. It goes without saying that it shouldn't be happening in the first place. Within marriage, as Jim said, it is important to know the real issues involved in the teaching of the church.