Ten Commandments

This year I'm teaching a early morning (7:35-8:50) class for the youth in our church who are in the 9th - 12th grades. We call it Seminary. In states with a big LDS population, the school district authorizes 'release time' seminary. In Idaho our church has a building right by the high school where classes are held all during the regular school day. 'Release time' seminary classes are a part of the student's regular school schedule. Here in Oregon there is also 'release time seminary' but because of the smaller number of students there is only one class scheduled and students just walk across the street to our church building for a class period. Other churches are starting to ask for release time religious instruction for their youth also. I think that is great!

In other parts of the world, high school age students can attend 'early morning seminary' which is held before school either in a church building or in a home. Sometimes these classes start at 6:00 a.m.!!! George and his siblings did 'early morning seminary' in Chicago when they were growing up. With Spain's late night life style, seminary in Barcelona happened from 9:00 - 10:30 at night 5 nights a week. I just couldn't imagine my teenagers coming home on school nights at 11:00 so our kids participated in the 3rd option - 'Home study' seminary. They worked on their own from materials supplied by the church and we sometimes got together with a couple of other families for a lesson.

This is my first time to be a seminary teacher and I love it! One of the goals is to have the students memorize 25 scriptures from the Old Testament and one of those is the 10 Commandments. I just was taught this clever, rhyming way to remember the commandments in order. I think it makes remembering them so easy....I decided to share it.

Commandment#1

Think of sun

Son of God

Thou shalt have no other Gods before me

Commandment #2

Think of

Zoo

Big lion statue in front

No graven images

Commandment #3

Think of

Leaves on a tree have veins

Don’t take the name of God in vain.

Commandment #4

Think of

door – the chapel door – Sunday

Keep the Sabbath Day Holy.

Commandment #5

Think of

Hive –

a family of

bees

Honor thy father and mother

Commandment #6

Think of

If you hit someone with a stick you might kill them.

Thou shalt not kill

Commandment #7

Think of

You can’t get to Heaven if you commit adultery

…not commit adultery

Commandment #8

Think

Steel Gate

Thou shalt not steal

Commandment #9

Think

Billboards signs

They can tell lies!

Thou shalt not bear false witness

Commandment #10

Think

Mother Hen covets her chicks & wants them under her wings.

Thou shalt not covet.