How Can I Be Sure What’s Right and Wrong?

Chris Morphew

Ages 8-12

Can I be certain of right and wrong? Is it all subjective? Should God tell us how to be good, or can we figure it out ourselves? What about when there is no right answer or when we disagree on the best course of action?

Chris Morphew, a Christian Studies teacher and school chaplain, guides 9-13-year-olds through morality questions in this lively book. He argues that there is right and wrong and that God provides solid answers.

Question 1 - Why doesn’t it work for us to just decide on our own or with a group what is right and what is wrong?

Discussion Guide - Discuss how our beliefs will always clash with the beliefs of others and the beliefs of a certain society or group will change from one generation to another. If right and wrong are based on the beliefs of each person or group, then right and wrong aren’t actually real. They are just based on emotions (preferences).

Question 2 - On page 36, the author says, “Before you can figure out whether someone is a ‘good’ person or a ‘bad’ person, first you need to know what a person is for - what our purpose is. How would the idea of being a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ person change if being strong and dominant was a human’s purpose versus being a person who loves God and others?

Discussion Guide - Discuss how the first belief would lead people to focus on themselves, trying to put others down, while the second belief would lead to people seeking what was best for others.

Question 3 - After reading pages 46-48, ask, “How does believing that humans deserve equal rights line up with or contradict different worldviews?”

Discussion Guide - Discuss how this belief aligns with the teaching that all humans bear God’s image. Yet, it contradicts the belief that humans have no purpose and got here accidentally.

Bonus Question - If your child has gone through Foundation Comparative Worldview Curriculum or Foundation Careful Thinking Curriculum, ask, “What is the difference between claims made about pineapples not belonging on pizza and claims made about whether or not to let an infant live?”

Discussion Guide - Discuss how the first statement is a subjective (preference/feeling) claim while the second one is an objective (truth) claim.

Join the Foundation Worldview Book Club

Each month we provide recommended reading with discussion questions for you and your child. Don't miss next month's recommendations from Foundation Worldview!