So I’m suscribed to this email thing for curriculum ideas for teachers. Most of the time they are at least decent, but once in a while someone submits something utterly fucked up. For example, someone submitted this idea for teaching kids about the meaning of easter:
EASTER STORY COOKIES
To be made the evening before Easter.
You need:
1 c. whole pecans
1 tsp. vinegar
3 egg whites
Pinch salt
1 c. sugar
Zipper baggy
Wooden spoon
Tape
Bible
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F Place pecans in zipper baggy and let children beat them with the wooden spoon to break into small pieces.
Explain that after Jesus was arrested the Roman soldiers beat him. Read John 19:1-3.
Let each child smell the vinegar. Put 1-tsp. vinegar into mixing bowl. Explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross he was given
vinegar to drink. Read John 19:28-30
Add egg whites to vinegar. Eggs represent life. Explain that Jesus gave His life to give us life. Read John 10:10-11.
Sprinkle a little salt into each child’s hand. Let them taste it and brush the rest into the bowl. Explain that this represents the
salty tears shed by Jesus’ followers, and the bitterness of our own sin. Read Luke 23:27.
So far the ingredients are not very appetizing. Add 1-c. sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of the story is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know and belong to Him. Read Ps. 34:8 and John 3:16.
Beat with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes until stiff peaks are formed. Explain that the color white represents the purity in
God’s eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus. Read ISA.1: 18 and John 3:1-3.
Fold in broken nuts. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper covered cookie sheet. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb
where Jesus’ body was laid. Read Matt. 27:57-60.
Put the cookie sheet in the oven, close the door and turn the oven OFF. Give each child a piece of tape and seal the oven door.
Explain that Jesus’ tomb was sealed. Read Matt. 27:65-66.
GO TO BED! Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven overnight. Jesus’ followers were in despair when the
tomb was sealed. Read John 16:20 and 22.
On Easter morning, open the oven and give everyone a cookie. Notice the cracked surface and take a bite. The cookies are hollow!
On the first Easter Jesus’ followers were amazed to find the tomb open and empty. Read Matt. 28:1-9.
HE HAS RISEN!
Wow is that disturbing…I knew there was a reason I wasn’t Christian.
I will be praying for you and the children that you teach.
sorry, I messed up the e-mail address earlier.
A Christian –
Keep your prayers to your pretend god.
Sorry to hear some of you feel the way you do. We are a Christain family and have done this recipe for several years. It has become an annual tradition in our home on the night before Easter. What a wonderful and hands on way to learn the greatest story every told. I’ll pray for those who can’t appreciate the activity!!!!!
THERE ARE SOME SICK PEOPLE OUT THERE, THIS WORLD IS MADE UP OF MANY TYPES, BUT!!!! THIS IS A REALLY SICK PERSON..I WILL PRAY FOR YOU! YOU ARE MOCKING GOD AND HE DOESNT LIKE THAT, YOU KNOW?????????
Uh, yeah. Grow up people. Just because you think that the Christian god is the real one, doesn’t give you the right to try to force feed your beliefs down the throats of children of other religions.
Personally, I think this would be an interesting thing to do with my children, but even as a Christian if a public school teacher tried to make my child do this, I would be disgusted.
It’s people like you who give Christianity a bad name. I side with the teacher who submitted this to our attention.
This sounds like a highly effective multisensory, interactive way to teach children the story of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Obviously, it would not be allowed in the public school system.
As for giving Christians a bad name…I do not believe you can make a Christian through force or condemnation. However, it is our duty as Christians to spread His word. Use this recipe in good conscience to teach at home, in Sunday school, or at a Christian school. It’s clever, and the children will remember it.
As for me, I choose to believe. Consider Pascal’s Wager:
If you believe in Christ and everlasting life, and, in the end, there is no God, what have you lost? You have lived a good life–just as good as those who choose to believe. (There are exceptions on both sides of course.) If you choose not to believe in Christ, and, in the end, there is a God, you lose eternal happiness.
I choose to believe (blind faith, some say) that there is a God. What do I have to lose? Something to consider. The choice and consequence will always be your own. I will be praying for you, as I pray for myself. God knows, we all need as much help as we can get.
Respectfully Yours,
A Christian-school teacher
I fail to see how this idea is “fucked up”, as you put it. Are you simply saying so because you are not a believer of the Christian faith yourself?
I’ll tell you what, instead of publically criticising it, how about coming up with something yourself? Yes, maybe come up with a cookie recipe for Athiests or something, in fact, I can help you with the ingredients:
1x picture of a tasty cookie (looks good, but has no substance)
That is all.
This is hilarius
Christians debating over a cookie recipe and how it shalt be learned from children!
hahahaha!
Vigrond, I don’t see any Christians “debating” here - I certainly haven’t done anything of the sort anyway. But is Christians debating so bizarre anyway? We’re still human; we’re not robots programmed to think exactly the same way. I’m absolutely positive that if I witness or overhear a fellow Christian teach or preach something that is theologically or fundamentally flawed, I’m going to question it, but perhaps not so aggressively.
Anyway, my personal gripe here is that someone has decided to publically criticise an educational activity that is both creative and inspiring. Yes, it so happens that this activity is contextually Christian, but should that matter? Even if the “critisizer’s” beliefs do not pertain to the Christian faith, it’s still quite difficult to understand why this idea is “fucked up”.
Fine, you’re not Christian, and fine, you don’t happen to like this idea - don’t use it then! I certainly would not expect any non-Christian teacher to use this particular lesson, “To each their own” after all.
That’s just the way the cookie crumbles.