Week 9: Honesty and Integrity

Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness.

Exodus 20:15–16

CLICK HERE for this week's lesson from LDS.org

Ideas from Lindsey:
Play 2 truths and a lie
Share a story with your family about a time you chose to be honest
Study the 10 commandments together, focussing on not stealing and not bearing false witness. Remind your family members that the reason we do that is because its all about the first two commandments.
Watch the video "Stay Within the Lines"

Ideas from Bishop:
Watch Video:
https://www.lds.org/youth/video/honesty-you-better-believe-it?lang=eng

Story from Elder Faust:

“A friend related this experience her husband had while attending medical school. ‘Getting into medical school is pretty competitive, and the desire to do well and be successful puts a great deal of pressure on the new incoming freshmen. My husband had worked hard on his studies and went to attend his first examination. The honor system was expected behavior at the medical school. The professor passed out the examination and left the room. Within a short time, students started to pull little cheat papers out from under their papers or from their pockets. My husband recalled his heart beginning to pound as he realized it is pretty hard to compete against cheaters. About that time a tall, lanky student stood up in the back of the room and stated: ‘I left my hometown and put my wife and three little babies in an upstairs apartment and worked very hard to get into medical school. And I’ll turn in the first one of you who cheats, and you better believe it!’ They believed it. There were many sheepish expressions, and those cheat papers started to disappear as fast as they had appeared. He set a standard for the class which eventually graduated the largest group in the school’s history.’”⁴

Quote from President Howard W. Hunter:

"Do you think you can be alone when you commit a dishonest act? Do you think you can be unobserved when you cheat in an examination, even though you are the only person in the room? We must be honest with ourselves. If we would have the companionship of the Master and the Spirit of the Holy Ghost, we must be honest with ourselves, honest with God, and with our fellowmen. This results in true joy. Think of what an act of dishonesty will do to you. It does not make any difference whether it is great or small. First, it may affect your whole life. You will have a hard time living it down. It will be difficult for you to forget about it because it will be engraved upon your conscience. Secondly, it will affect others in many ways. The injury is far-reaching. Its malignancy extends to your friends, your relatives, your loved ones, and persons you may never see. Thirdly, it affects your relationship to the Savior. It closes the channel of communication and shuts out light from your life."

Activity for kids:

Make some puppets with paper sacks. Act out situations where someone has a choice between being honest and being dishonest. Use the examples below or create some of your own:

· You broke a dish and your mother asks who did it.

· You are helping pick up some money that has spilled, and you are tempted to take some.

· You ate two cookies after your father told you not to. Your father asks if you ate the cookies.

· Have the children take turns using the puppets and telling what they should do in each situation.

3. Use simple puppets, such as sock or paper bag puppets, to act out situations where someone has a choice between being honest and being dishonest. Use the examples below or create some of your own:

• • You broke a dish and your mother asks who did it.
• • You are helping pick up some money that has spilled, and you are tempted to take some.
• • You ate two cookies after your father told you not to. Your father asks if you ate the cookies.
• Have the children take turns using the puppets and telling what they should do in each situation.