DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

9A:

• Do you think there is such a thing as right and wrong? Why?
• Do you think morality changes from one culture or country or religion to another?
• Do you think human beings are free? Do you think people can change?
• What other ideas or questions strike you from this part of the film?

9B:

• Where do people get their moral values from? What influences them?
• Who has been the greatest moral guide or inspiration in your life?
• Do you think we need moral guidance from the bible or elsewhere, or can we work out everything for ourselves?
• What other ideas or questions strike you from this part of the film?

9C:

• What would you like to achieve in life?
• What would you like to be remembered for?
• When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
• What other ideas or questions strike you from this part of the film?

KEY PASSAGES FROM THE FILM

9A – “Is there such a thing as right and wrong?”

Christians believe in freedom. They also believe in an objective morality. Not everything is relative. There are some fundamental human values that all people have in common. Why? Because we all share a common humanity, and some things help us to live a good life, they lead us to a genuine fulfilment, and other things can damage that.

Christians believe that a core set of values has been accepted by most people in most societies. They’re expressed in the Ten Commandments of the Jewish-Christian tradition and many other similar codes.

Life is often very complicated and messy. But the knowledge that there are some guidelines and boundaries is actually a huge gift, rather than a burden. And trying to follow them actually helps to set us free.

9B – “Where can we find moral guidance?”

Sometimes we just know, very clearly, that something is wrong. But lots of the time we are just unsure about what the best way forward is. Here are some tips.

First, you can stop and think.

Second, you can talk. It’s so important to have one or two people you really trust and look up to.

Third, you can pray. Especially to the Holy Spirit, that he will give you wisdom and guidance.

Fourth, you can look to the bible. The moral teaching of the bible is a sure guide for life.

And finally, you can look to the teaching of the Christian Church over many centuries.

9C – “How do you discover your true identity?”

You can discover a truth about your deepest identity, that comes through knowing the love of Jesus Christ. It’s to discover that you, personally, are loved by God. That you are his beloved son or daughter. That your life has meaning and purpose, even if you can’t see the whole picture yet.

It is such a gift to know that Jesus wants to forgive us, and that with his help we can make a new start.

It’s to be filled with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God comes into our hearts and changes us from the inside. He gives us the ability, the power, to do things that simply wouldn’t be possible through our own efforts alone.

Our deepest identity is actually to live a life of holiness, to be a saint. The saints have learnt to love deeply, truly, passionately, joyfully, often at great cost. But they are the happiest people on earth.