3FN21 – Social Studies – Freedom of Religion

How do FreeNode lessons work?

FreeNodes are instructor-led schooling lessons with a unique approach, granting you the freedom to independently teach using a personalized lesson plan. This autonomy enables you to tailor your lessons to suit students’ individual needs, learning styles, and interests.

To use a FreeNode, read the provided class outline & follow the formatting provided for each class. Make sure to touch on the Theocratic Connection in each class. Follow the outline closely so it is aligned with our main at-home curriculum.

How Do I Use the FreeNode?

Read this lesson plan before class to familiarize yourself with the ideas and concepts you’ll be teaching the students. You may print this page out if you need to use it as a reference point during live classes.

This lesson is a guide, but feel free to expand on the content or decrease/increase what you teach depending on the learning levels of the students in your class or the amount of time you have to cover the material.

Can I show videos in FN classes?

Yes, feel free to include additional material to supplement the class lesson material. Videos, Physical Objects, Games, Activities, etc. are okay to share in live classes.

Videos should have no advertisements or logos and should be viewed by you before showing them to the students to ensure no offensive or questionable content is included.

The video should make up only 1-3 minutes of the live class and should not take the place of instructor-led instruction. Videos should be supplementary only.

How do bookmarks work?

Bookmarks help you keep track of lessons you’re going to teach in future live classes. The bookmarks you see are for all your bookmarked lessons across all grades.

You can bookmark a lesson by visiting the lesson you want to bookmark and clicking the “bookmark” button in the bookmark section.

You can remove a single bookmark by visiting a lesson you’ve bookmarked and clicking the “bookmark” button again to unbookmark it.

You can clear all of your bookmarks by clicking the “clear all bookmarks” button. Be careful, this will erase all of your bookmarks.

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Class Lesson Plan

Objectives:

  • Students understand why humans feel a need for religion.
  • Students recognize the importance of religious freedom.
  • Students learn how Jehovah’s Witnesses use their rights to practice and share their faith.

Materials:

Whiteboard
Visual aids (historical examples of religious migration, JW.org resources)
Interactive online resources such as videos and games (optional)

Introduction (2 minutes):

Ask students, “Why do you think people feel the need to worship something?” Explain that humans have an innate desire for worship and that freedom of religion allows people to express this. Introduce the lesson: “Today, we’ll learn why people need religion, why religious freedom is important, and how we use this freedom to worship Jehovah.”

Theocratic Connections:

Discuss how Jehovah placed the desire to worship in humans (Matthew 5:3). Emphasize that freedom of religion allows us to fulfill this desire and honor Jehovah. Reference Hebrews 10:25, highlighting the importance of gathering for worship and the freedom to do so.

Activity 1 – Why Do People Need Religion? (8 minutes):

Explain:

  • Worship is part of human nature, placed there by Jehovah.
  • Even non-religious people devote themselves to something (e.g., celebrities, money, science).

Discuss historical examples:

  • The Puritans migrating to North America for religious freedom.
  • Jehovah’s Witnesses using their rights to worship despite challenges, like Paul’s example in Acts 22:25-29.

Optional: Ask students to think of ways people worship things other than God in today’s world.

Activity 2 – Why Is Freedom of Religion Important? (8 minutes):

Define freedom of religion:

  • The right to practice any faith without persecution.
  • Its connection to other rights (e.g., freedom of speech, press, property).

Highlight its importance to Jehovah’s people:

  • Enables Kingdom preaching and worship.
  • Provides opportunities to defend our beliefs in court, sharing the Christian message with officials.

Discuss examples of Jehovah’s Witnesses standing up for their religious freedom, such as overturning bans and defending their rights in court.

Optional: Role-play a scenario where students explain the importance of religious freedom to someone unfamiliar with the concept.

Activity 3 – How Do We Use Our Right to Religious Freedom? (8 minutes):

Explore how Jehovah’s Witnesses utilize their rights:

  • Right to property: Building Kingdom Halls, Bethel facilities, and Assembly Halls; using personal land for worship activities.
  • Freedom of press: Publishing materials, creating digital resources, and maintaining JW.org and JW Library.
  • Freedom of speech: Preaching, participating in meetings, standing up for beliefs in daily life and legal settings.

Encourage students to share examples of how they use these freedoms to serve Jehovah.

Optional: Show videos or examples from JW.org illustrating these rights in action.

Conclusion (4 minutes):

Recap the key points:

  • Humans have an innate desire to worship, placed there by Jehovah.
  • Freedom of religion is essential for worshiping Jehovah and sharing his message.
  • Using our freedoms responsibly to honor Jehovah brings him joy and strengthens our faith.

Ask students: “What’s one way you can use your freedom to praise Jehovah this week?”

Assessment:

Evaluate students’ understanding through class discussions and their ability to explain why freedom of religion matters and how it’s used in their faith.