Global terms: Religion and Worldviews

Beyond the ‘Proof Text’: Analysing Islamic Texts at GCSE

Karen Steele | 02 November, 2021

It took just moments to decide the focus of my project for the Edge Hill RE Subject Knowledge Summer School. I’ve always loved teaching Islam and enjoyed the challenge of developing my subject knowledge for the 2016 specification. The support of people like Zameer Hussain with Shi’a Islam has been greatly appreciated. However, at times my lessons felt a bit plodding and superficial. I recognised immediately the Ofsted Research Review[i] reference to the use of ‘proof texts’ in GCSE. I’ve been guilty of that. Although I had included some textual analysis and scholarship into my lessons, I still felt I could do better. I knew straight away, therefore, I wanted to develop my confidence with Islamic texts and consider how to deliver the content in a more memorable, engaging and meaningful way. After attending the Summer School, I developed a student anthology with carefully selected and sequenced readings, clearly linked to the specification content.

Day 1 of the Summer School included an inspiring session on text and story by Mary Myatt. She reminded us of something we all know, but too often forget when preparing students to sit exams: humans love stories and stories matter. Daniel Willingham claims ‘our brains privilege story’[ii]. RE has an abundance! Text and story are a wonderful way into learning about the Islamic traditions and can be used to enhance our GCSE. That’s what I set out to do.

Islamic texts are daunting: the many collections of Hadith, the varied commentaries and interpretations. Even as an RE specialist, I worried about my ability to get it right. This is why Edge Hill’s offer is so important. Surrounded by specialists including RE teachers and academics, I could ask questions, share ideas and consider feedback. The very patient Dr Harith Ramil supported me with my project, answering my endless questions, offering suggestions and critiquing my work. If only every RE teacher had opportunities like this.

The ‘final product’ is by no means final. Like the tradition of textual interpretation in Islam, it will continue to evolve. Not everyone will agree with my selections and the interpretations I have offered. However, I’m now able to justify my choices and engage my students in a deeper dialogue about the ways texts and story are used in the tradition. The anthology includes 7 texts from the Qur’an and Hadith, chronologically covering key events in the early development of Islam.

Back in the classroom I have proudly issued Year 10 with their anthologies. Together we have analysed and annotated Al-Fatihah (Surah 1:1-7) and an Al-Bukhari Hadith narrating the Night of Power. I can see Year 10 already have a strong foundation for investigating the Islamic understanding of God and the importance of the Qur’an. They are instinctively referring to the texts they have studied to support their claims rather that ‘sticking in a quote’. Will this have the desired impact? Time will tell, but the early signs are good; students are showing a richer and more contextual knowledge.

Edge Hill will put my resources on their website soon. I have included a list of the many resources I discovered and notes for each text designed to help busy teachers.

I feel privileged and grateful to have had this opportunity. If you get the chance to apply to the Summer School, I recommend you go for it.

[i] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/research-review-series-religious-education/research-review-series-religious-education

[ii] Https://www.marymyatt.com/blog/using-stories-in-the-curriculum

About

Karen Steele has taught RE in secondary schools for over 20 years. She is a senior lecturer at the University of Worcester, where she leads the secondary RE PGCE. You can link to her other blogs which are full of recommendations to improve subject knowledge. https://missevareteacher.wordpress.com/blog/

See all posts by Karen Steele

Boxing, Activism and Nation of Islam: the amazing life of Muhammad Ali

| 05 October, 2021

Would you start an RE lesson with a boxing match? By that we mean a lesson about a famous boxing match, not a re-enactment in the classroom! To celebrate Black History Month we present a set of four learning sessions (suitable for Key Stages 2- 4) on Muhammad Ali, one of the world’s all-time greatest boxers. Ali was also a conscientious objector, antiracist activist and devoted Muslim. All these aspects of his life are intertwined, as our multiple worldviews are. As well as a contribution to teaching resources for Black History Month, these lessons are also an example of what worldviews can look like in the classroom.

Pupils might be confused to learn about a famous fight in RE, although some would absolutely love it. During his career as a boxer Ali fought in and won several iconic fights. His sporting career illustrates how he constantly challenged preconceived ideas about how a black athlete should behave in public. In our lessons, we present Ali’s actions inside the ring as just as important to an understanding of him as those outside. In a worldviews approach, the strands of someone’s life and context cannot be separated.

Ali was once called the most famous Muslim in America. Like most people Ali sometimes had contradictory beliefs and his Islamic interests shifted over the years. In our lessons we trace Ali’s path from Nation of Islam to Sufi Islam, to Sunni Islam. Pupils will consider Nation of Islam in historical and political terms, as well as religious.

After he had won the 1964 match, Cassius Clay announced to the world the name he now wanted to be known as: Muhammad Ali. He had always been interested in Islam. At high school he wanted to write an English paper on black Muslims (Nation of Islam), but was not allowed to. Muhammad Ali first saw Malcom X, one of the most influential black figures of his time when he spoke at a Nation of Islam rally and the two became friends. Malcom X watched Ali’s 1964 match with Sonny Liston match from the side-lines. The next day as the world was still in shock over Ali’s victory, with Malcom X by his side, he announced he was a Muslim and that he had a new name. He said ‘Cassius Clay is a slave name, I didn’t choose it and I don’t want it. I am Muhmmad Ali, a free name – it means beloved of God, and I insist people use it when they speak to me’.

Incredibly Ali visited the town of South Shields in 1977 to have his marriage blessed in the mosque there. The Al-Azhar Mosque serves the Yemeni community of South Shields, who had settled in the area around the First World War to work for the Merchant Navy. A short documentary details this moment, showing footage of Ali and his wife in South Shields and the pride of the local Yemeni community to welcome this dazzling figure to their mosque. In our lessons we give a link to this documentary, created by photographer and artist Tina Ghavari.

A worldviews approach to learning about Ali, whether in a lesson or at a lunchtime or whole-school event, means his antiracist struggle or his devotion to Islam is not separated from his whole life. Ali was an athlete, a campaigner, a public figure, a conscientious objector, a husband and father and a Muslim. All these strands make up the man. We hope you enjoy exploring Muhammad Ali with your pupils, you can find the resources on RE:ONLINE here.

Kate Christopher, part-time in a Secondary school teacher in East London and independent RE adviser

Lynn Revell, Faculty Director of Research, Canterbury Christ Chuch University

About

Ramadan Reflection by a Muslim from the Shia tradition

Zameer Hussain | 21 April, 2021

“O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may develop God-consciousness.” (Quran 2:183)

Every now and then, a notification will pop up on our phones. It will ask us to complete a software update so that the applications, functionality and performance of our devices will work to its optimum level. I would like to think that the month of Ramadan is the ‘software update’ for our souls where the one who fasts, once the month is over, can perform to his or her optimum level for the rest of the year.

Contrary to what many may perceive, both within and outside the Muslim community, Ramadan is not about food and drink. The aim of Ramadan, as the Quran verse mentions, is God-consciousness. If I don’t feed my pet for a day, it has fasted. If I do similar, I would ask myself if I am better than this pet of mine when in reality, Islam teaches me that the human being is the highest of God’s creation. When I fast, I am aiming to defeat my animal nature and tap into the divine nature that God breathed into us. This is what fasting aims for – defeating the animalistic desires (food, drink, sex, anger etc.) and realising the divine nature through becoming God conscious.

Here I will explain 3 levels of fasting using familiar language:

Grade E Fast

If I was to get an E grade for one of my A-Levels, I would have passed but in all honesty, it may not open the door to many opportunities. An ‘E-grade fast’ is where I simply abstain from food and drink for a day. However, I may not change any vices I may have such as anger, bad language etc.

Grade C Fast

If I was to get a C grade for one of my A-Levels, I have more than passed and it will open the door to some opportunities. A ‘C-grade fast’ is where I do not just abstain from food and drink for a day but my ethics become virtuous too. Whilst usually I may road rage when someone is driving slow in front of me, whilst fasting I remain calm. I remove my vices and transform them into virtues.

Grade A* Fast

If I was to get an A* grade for one of my A-Levels, I have reached the peak of my subject area and it will open any door for me. An ‘A*-grade fast’ is where I quash my animalistic desires, become virtuous but also activate my divine nature in some form of union with God. Union with God means that I would do everything that God is pleased with and avoid what He is displeased with. My will becomes the same as His where He is pleased with me and I am always pleased with Him.

Imam Ali, the first Shia Imam (whose death anniversary is also mourned by Shia Muslims this month), summarises these levels of fasting well: “Some people get nothing from fasting except hunger and thirst.” Every Ramadan I always aim to achieve an A* with my fasting. It is a struggle and there are days where I achieve an E or C grade. However, I know that if I do achieve the A* one day, I will have the best of software upgrade for my soul that will help me function properly all year around.

About

Zameer has been involved in Religious Education and interfaith work since 2013. This has included leading RE departments and supporting teachers nationally with subject knowledge.

See all posts by Zameer Hussain

Inspired by…Bringing historical methodology into GCSE teaching of Christian beliefs

Thomas Breakwell | 26 January, 2021

In my teaching of AQA GCSE RS Christian beliefs I have found one aspect perplexing, namely the paradoxical role of scripture. On the one hand, the new GCSE Religious Studies places a greater emphasis on every RE teacher’s favourite buzz words, ‘sources of wisdom and authority’ and yet pupils spend very little, if any time at all, actually engaging with scripture in any meaningful way. Instead, engagement with biblical scholarship seems to begin and end with cutting a few quotes from the synoptic gospels or John or the letters of Paul and simply pasting them in an exam answer without any engagement with the history, audience or purpose of the biblical texts.

The result is that I often find pupils asking me fantastic questions such as ‘who is Mark?’, ‘who was Luke writing for?, ‘what is a gospel?’, ‘what was life like at the time of Paul?’, ‘did Jesus actually exist?’. These are all excellent questions, and questions that pupils should be asking, and yet I felt that these questions were often ill-served by the current GCSE specification.

In response, this academic year, I did something different. I taught a lesson that was completely removed from the specification. The aim of this lesson was for pupils to gain a greater understanding of the historical Jesus and importantly how New Testament scholars use historical methods to ascertain if events contained in the gospel narratives can be considered to be historical. The lesson went something like this:

I started by briefly explaining to pupils the audiences and purposes of each of the synoptic gospels and John. The aim of this being that my pupils would begin to appreciate that the gospel texts they have been studying where written by authors to particular audiences and therefore these texts, like any other text, have a purpose and sit within a historical and social context.

Following this, I Introduced to pupils three main criterion which are often used by scholars in the study of the historical Jesus: the criterion of dissimilarity, criterion of embarrassment and the criterion of multiple attestation. The criterion of dissimilarity is simply a method that considers if the events in Jesus’ life (for example his baptism) are distinct from the teaching of 1st century Judaism or the early church. If they are, it reasons that it is more likely to be historical. The criterion of embarrassment considers if the event in Jesus’ life would have been considered embarrassing for the early church. If it would have been embarrassing for the early church it seems unlikely they would just make it up! Finally, and most importantly, the criterion of multiple attestation which focuses on if the event in Jesus’ life occurs in multiple different Christian and non-Christian sources. If an event in Jesus’ life such as the crucifixion is referenced in both Christian and non-Christian sources, such as the writings of Josephus, then it is more likely to be historical.

After my explanation, my pupils got to work. As a class, pupils read the baptism of Jesus (along with some information about baptism in first century Palestine). Then using the three criteria, I modelled step by step how each criterion could be applied to the baptism of Jesus. The benefit of modelling the first example as a whole class allowed me to reiterate what I expected my class to do and address any questions or misconceptions they had.

After scaffolding and modelling the first example, it was now time for my pupils to practice on their own with pupils applying the same criteria to several of the miracles of Jesus such as the exorcism of the blind and mute man and the raising of Jairus’ daughter. I found that my higher attaining pupils went one step further and even considered the limitations of using the criterion of embarrassment, multiple attestation and dissimilarity to study the miracles of Jesus. To end, we discussed as a class their views on if the events ascribed to Jesus in the gospels are historical and if such a question matters for Christians today.

Overall, I think my off-specification adventure helped some of my pupils to begin to think a little bit more deeply about biblical texts and historical methodology. I hope this blog provides a little bit of inspiration to go a bit beyond the specification and get your GCSE classes to delve a little deeper into the rich world of the texts they are reading. Not only would engagement with historical methodology enhance our teaching of Christianity, but other worldviews might also benefit from an appropriate form of this approach.

About

Thomas is a Subject Lead for Religious Studies at Colmers School & Sixth Form College, Birmingham.

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How I… promote religious literacy about the Jewish worldview tradition through my curriculum

Ria Searle | 05 January, 2021

Over the last year, I have had the opportunity to build my department from essentially scratch, shaping our Key Stage 3 (KS3) curriculum in line with my vision for RE. After exhausting the Locally Agreed Syllabus, I went about ascertaining ‘priority’ topics for our pupils. Prior to the re-sequencing a student could complete secondary education spending only one one hour studying Judaism. Exploring Judaism was then my priority. However, I was stuck as to how to do justice to this extremely rich and diverse religion and tradition. Luckily, a PGCE peer came to my aid and allowed me to borrow her Scheme of Work (SOW), from which I drew much inspiration, adapting it to suit our school and pupils.

To promote religious literacy, we begin examining the notion of identity, particularly diverse identities within the Jewish tradition. The ‘Do Now’ starter task invites pupils to note what makes them, them; exploring their own identities. It is really important to start the SOW exploring the multiplicity of identities within the Jewish tradition, because if pupils’ have any knowledge of Judaism prior to the unit, it is overwhelmingly based on overgeneralized, single-lensed stereotypes, often images of Haredi Jews. Many are simply unaware that there are varied identities within Judaism and believe they do not know anyone who is Jewish, which isn’t true; they just didn’t know any Haredi Jews as they believe all Jewish people to be like.

We look at Orthodox, Liberal, and Secular identities and expression in daily and yearly life. I try to stress that Liberal and Orthodox Jews are no less ‘devoted’ or believe any less, but simply express faith differently. This provides a sustained reference point throughout the SOW. While exploring Kosher, Shabbat and Passover we refer back these and how expressions are varied in divergent Jewish tradition communities. For example, with observance of Shabbat, we suggest Orthodox Communities may avoid all work: light switches, cars, and mobile phones. Whereas some Liberal or Reform Jews may observe in adapted, often more modern ways, such as using cars to drive to Synagogue, allowing some electrical appliances (ovens, kettles) or, as one student offered from her own life observing when with Grandparents and using her phone (Instagram!) throughout.

Most effective for religious literacy is drawing on those with personal experience. I was fortunate to have Jewish pupils who offered their worldviews and traditions. This enabled students to connect ideas to varied interpretations and individuals they knew, bringing their learning to life and allowing them to interact positively with various worldviews. In addition, we invited in our local Liberal Rabbi to speak to the whole cohort about her faith, worldview and traditions. This was an incredible experience! It shocked the pupils to learn that, as part of her Liberal Jewish identity, she did not ‘keep kosher’ – for she could not then eat and celebrate with non-Jewish neigbours, and that she had had a scientific career in the traditionally male-dominated field of Chemistry prior to becoming a Rabbi, another traditionally male-dominated vocation. They were full of questions about her experience as a female faith leader: the reaction of Orthodox Jews to her position as Rabbi, her favourite parts of Shabbat – community worship, foods, time to pause and reflect on life, the week, and faith – and her experiences of Anti-Semitism. In particular, her family’s connection to the Holocaust and the inspiring journey of her Grandmother across Europe during the War, including liberation at Mauthausen in 1945 and her return to Prague, where she had fled 6 years prior. These personal experiences held the key to unlocking my pupils’ religious literacy about the multiplicity of Jewish traditions and worldviews, how lived faith was so different to the strict, traditional and ‘textbook’ religion many had expected from a Rabbi and leader in their local Jewish community – shamefully, far greater than I could achieve teaching in the classroom.

I understand this is not possible for all schools in all areas, my hometown wouldn’t have such a luxury of a nearby Liberal Rabbi however there are many websites and services online that would willingly engage in a dialogue, whether it be a prerecorded Q&A session, or even a live virtual meet, as we have all become accustomed to since the start of the pandemic! However, with certainty I say it was by far the best way of promoting religious literacy around the multiplicity of lived Judaism and real-life Jewish worldviews. I would advise starting with the basics – bust the myths, dispel stereotypes and open eyes to the diverse identities within the Jewish tradition, this will allow for more effective personal dialogue further into their learning.

About

Ria is Curriculum coordinator of RE and PSHCE in the London Borough of Hillingdon.

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Inspired by….the spirituality of Shia poetry

Zameer Hussain | 20 October, 2020

In the Shia tradition, arguably the most important commemoration is on the Day of Ashura (certainly emotionally), the 10th of Muharram. This was the day the Battle of Karbala took place in 680 where Imam Hussain, grandson of Prophet Muhammad, was brutally massacred alongside his family and followers by the controversial caliph; Yazid ibn Muawiya regarded by Shi’a Muslims and many Sunnis as a tyrant. Since this happened, devotees from different cultures mourn this tragedy annually in various ways. One of the most common ways that all cultures use is poetry, which is one of the original methods of expressing grief for Ashura and in line with the ancient Arab tradition of poetry.

In Shia teachings, the role of the poet is rather special, particularly a poet who writes or recites about the virtues and tragedies of Prophet Muhammad and his family (the Ahl-al-Bayt). It is difficult to compare the role to a similar one but perhaps akin to a Chazzan in the Jewish tradition. The job of the historian and journalist is to transmit the facts of what took place. However, the poet brings emotion and imagination lending to creation of hagiography. In Shia Hadith corpus, the divinely appointed Ahl-al-Bayt command poets to recite about what happened to Hussain on Ashura and also state that the one who makes people weep for Imam Hussain through poetry is guaranteed eternal Paradise. In Shia spirituality, crying and showing grief for Imam Hussain is a sign of the softness of the heart and is a means to atone for sins.

This brings me to Bassim Al Karbalai, an Iraqi reciter of poetry and a master of the art. He is referred to as the “Voice of Zahra” (in reference to Prophet Muhammad’s daughter, Fatima) as he transmits the tragedies that took place on the Ahl-al-Bayt through his recitations. He may not be a household name to many but has status of royalty amongst reciters and considered to have the greatest voice of all time by many. I have listened to his voice daily for most of my life, both externally and internally through my conscience. Although most of his poetry is written for him by poets, it is his voice that brings them to life and paint a picture in our minds of what took place to the Ahl-al-Bayt. Even though I cannot fully grasp the Arabic language, I understand what he is saying through the pain in his voice. I believe the language of Ashura is universal since grief is a common language all of humanity shares.

I have had the pleasure of listening to Bassim recite live in the last couple of years when he has come to London which was a dream come true in itself. However, I had the honour of meeting him recently through the kindness of someone who works with him. I got to meet the voice I listen to every single day, thank him and kiss his forehead (a customary way to honour someone). It remains the greatest moment of my life and inspired me to serve Imam Hussain further, the same way Bassim has for his whole life. Serving the cause of Imam Hussain is serving God, since Imam Hussain calls towards God. I choose to serve God through educating young people to practice wisdom and develop curiosity.

One of the 10 Obligatory Acts (Furu ad Din) in Shia teachings is Tawallah (to show nearness, love and devotion to the Ahl-al-Bayt) which is best done by remembering and honouring the memories of saints who have passed. Bassim is my means to performing this action daily – remembering the sacrifice of Imam Hussain which is what gives me life and motivation to educate others. Bassim inspires me because he delivers to me the beauty of Imam Hussain.

About

Zameer has been involved in Religious Education and interfaith work since 2013. This has included leading RE departments and supporting teachers nationally with subject knowledge.

See all posts by Zameer Hussain

How I… teach about the Bahá’i Faith without an artefact box

Debbie Tibbey | 16 March, 2020

Bahá’i visitors to schools are often asked if they have artefacts which can be used in RE lessons about the Bahá’i Faith. There are not many things which could be put into a conventional artefact box: there is no specific Bahá’i item of clothing, no Bahá’i statues or icons, and no rituals which are linked to certain objects.

Some Bahá’is use prayer beads for their daily invocation, ninety-five utterances of “Alláh’u’ Abhá!” – “God is Most Glorious”- but although the verse is a requisite, the beads are not.

A photograph of Bahá’u’lláh – Founder of the Faith – exists but is viewed only on pilgrimage to the Bahá’i Holy places in Haifa, Israel. Most Bahá’is will have a picture of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (Bahá’u’lláh’s son, regarded as a ‘Perfect Example’) but again, this is not compulsory.

One of few items of specific significance is the Bahá’i burial ring – a simple ring bearing the inscription, “I came forth from God and return unto Him, detached from all save Him, holding fast to His name, the Merciful, the Compassionate.” Just how appropriate it would be to show to a Reception class would have to be the teacher’s decision!

The focus, then, becomes the teachings and scriptures themselves rather than artefacts. Bahá’u’lláh wrote thousands of passages on spiritual and social matters, and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá wrote many more. Copies of Bahá’i prayer books, illustrated and suitable for young children, make a tangible resource.

What else could be used to give a visual representation of the spiritual teachings? Though not artefacts in the usual sense, certain objects can help to illustrate some key Bahá’i concepts:

Gemstones

“Regard man as a mine rich in jewels of inestimable value. Education can, alone, cause it to reveal its splendours.”

According to the Bahá’i teachings, every one of us has talents and faculties innate within us which must be drawn out by identifying, recognising and practising ‘virtues’ – qualities such as kindness, honesty and compassion. For one lesson, I covered a large many-faceted glass gemstone with mud. After discussing virtues and the need to practice them with the children, we polished the gemstone until it shone, drawing parallels with the soul, potential, and treasures within.

Flowers

“Ye are all fruits of one tree, the leaves of one branch, the flowers of one garden.”

One of the key teachings in the Bahá’i Faith is that of the unity of mankind, and specifically, unity in diversity. The metaphor of flowers of many colours, shapes and forms is found in many Bahá’i passages.

“Consider the flowers of the rose garden. Although they are of different kinds, various colours and diverse forms and appearances, yet as they drink from one water, are swayed by one breeze and grow by the warmth and light of one sun, this variation and this difference cause each to enhance the beauty and splendour of the others.” – ‘Abdu’l-Bahá

A well-known children’s song amongst Bahá’is is “We are Drops of One Ocean”, an easy one to share, and which teaches this principle of the oneness of humankind: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsDHH5T5B5M

Lamp

Light is a central image in most religions. One of the simplest Bahá’i prayers for children says, “O God! Guide me, protect me, make of me a shining lamp and a brilliant star. Thou art the Mighty and the Powerful.” (‘Abdu’l-Bahá)

There are many layers of meaning to be explored with the use of light: light is used to refer to the Almighty, and the Divine Educators are likened to perfect mirrors. It is used as a metaphor for the soul, for goodness, for love.

The sun is the life-giver to the physical bodies of all creatures upon earth; without its warmth their growth would be stunted, their development would be arrested, they would decay and die. Even so do the souls of men need the Sun of Truth to shed its rays upon their souls, to develop them, to educate and encourage them. As the sun is to the body of a man so is the Sun of Truth to his soul. (– ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks)

Glass lanterns can illustrate the ‘light within’ with young children: talk about the need to keep the glass clean to allow the light to shine out; sit in near-darkness, save for the light of the lamp, and reflect on the feelings evoked by having a light to reassure, guide and comfort us.

These are just a few examples of themes in the Bahá’i faith which can be easily included in RE lessons and made accessible to even the youngest children.

About

Debbie Tibbey is a tutor and learning mentor for young people with extra needs on a care farm in rural Dorset.

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Who was The Good Samaritan? What was his religion, and does it still exist?

Dr Kevin O'Grady | 16 March, 2020

Teaching about the parable of the Good Samaritan is standard practice in RE, and for good reasons. It encapsulates essential elements of Jesus’ teaching in a memorable and adaptable story. That’s why pupils are often asked to show their understanding of it by making the Good Samaritan into a modern-day character, but sometimes the process misrepresents the parable. More attention is needed to who, exactly, the Samaritans were (and are), and this is where research helps. The differences between Jews and Samaritans were religious. The Samaritans accept only the Pentateuch as authoritative, have their own version of it and did not accept Jerusalem-related traditions (they have a commandment to build an altar on Mount Gerizim, near modern-day Nablus). The open-access journal Religions has a 2020 special edition on the Samaritans, prompted by the fact that despite the fame of the parable, people tend to know little about them. We’ve reported one of the articles on Research for RE. [i] Let’s turn to its key findings. Part of the interest is that some of them are very unexpected.
  • The Samaritans of today are a community of about 810 people split between Mount Gerizim, their holy place near Nablus (West Bank) and Holon (Israel).
  • According to them, their name comes not from the province of Samaria from which they originate, but from the Hebrew word Shômrîm, which means “the keepers” and, by extension, “the keepers of the Law.”
  • The researcher, Fanny Urien-Lefranc, states that although there is debate over their origins, Samaritans are now considered Jews by the Israeli state.
  • Kyriat Luza, their village on Mount Gerizim, attracts more and more tourists each year, particularly on the Samaritan Passover, during which about fifty sheep are sacrificed. The ceremony brings together Palestinians, Israelis, and many foreign tourists curious to attend a ritual supposedly representing a centuries-old heritage.
  • ‘Cultural entrepreneurs’ make full use of this: there is a market in ‘authentic’ Samaritan foods, amulets, texts, music, etc.
  • There are now about 300 Brazilian ‘entrants’ into Samaritanism (there is no concept or method of conversion). This movement began in 2015. Many members have Jewish links and seek an authentic, pure, ancient form of Judaism.
  • Migration is not a part of this spreading of Samaritanism out of its historical / geographical roots: it tends to be fuelled by the internet, e.g. a way of identification is to post a Facebook photo of yourself holding a laminated amulet containing a verse in Samaritan Hebrew.
How might you make use of these findings in classroom teaching? Well, they don’t add up to a lesson plan, unless you particularly want to teach a lesson about the Samaritans. They’re more likely to give you ways to refine teaching about the Good Samaritan parable, bringing your teaching into line with what is known about Samaritans.
  • Use the findings to explain to pupils the religious differences between Jews and Samaritans.
  • If you are adapting the parable to a modern-day setting, or asking pupils to do so, make sure that the religious differences are those reflected. Generic enmity (e.g. supporting a different football team) doesn’t really capture the point. Focusing on the real differences will help develop religious literacy.
  • Explore with pupils why Jesus would champion outsiders. Are there other cases where he is an outsider himself? Pupils may be able to identify these, as links with previous learning, or you could supply them. [ii]
  • Later, open up more general questions on the basis of learning about the Samaritans. Should religion be a form of tourism? [iii]
  • And: are pupils surprised to find Samaritanism spreading in Brazil – or religion moving via the internet, in ways that don’t relate to countries of origin, or people physically migrating from one part of the world to another? Are there clues about the future of religion here?
  [i] The Good Samaritan: what was his religion and does it still exist? The original article is Fanny Urien-Lefranc, From Religious to Cultural and Back Again: Tourism Development, Heritage Revitalization and Religious Transnationalizations among the Samaritans: Religions 2020, 11, 86, available open-access at https://doi.org/10.3390/rel11020086 [ii]E.g. John 1:46, Luke 6:20-26, Luke 9:58-60. [iii] See e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDxy795P_gU, which also provides a visual stimulus on Mount Gerizim. Youtube has a range of video materials on Samaritanism.  

About

Dr Kevin O'Grady is Lead Consultant for Research at Culham St Gabriel's Trust.

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How can sacred texts inspire action and what does it mean to work without reward? Gandhi and the Gita

Dr Kevin O'Grady | 01 March, 2020

Planning to teach about Hinduism, Gandhi, sacred texts and their authority and influence, ethics or British imperial history? Let’s look at some very recent research by Karline McLain of Bucknell University, USA that spans all of these areas. We’re first reminded how the Bhagavad Gita is a scripture in which the god Krishna imparts lessons to the warrior prince Arjuna about sacred duty (dharma) and the path to spiritual liberation (moksha). By the 19th century it had come to be regarded as a core text, even the core text, of Hinduism. Under British rule, it was sometimes interpreted as a call for armed resistance, but Gandhi read a nonviolent message into it. The research then shows how there is more to know about Gandhi and the Gita. Here are some of the main findings.
  • Firstly, it is clear that Gandhi sought to find the meaning of the Gita in practice, and through life in a community.
  • For Gandhi, the battlefield scene of the Gita was an allegory of the duel between good and evil in the heart.
  • For good to win, the heart should be disciplined; people must be prepared to sacrifice themselves for what is true and right.
  • For over 40 years, when Gandhi was not in prisons, he was living on back-to-the-land communities (ashrams) that he founded in South Africa and India. They tried to live out the Gita’s message.
  • In 1906 Gandhi took a vow of celibacy, to practice the Gita’s principle of self-sacrifice; he would lessen his attachments to his possession of a wife and four sons and treat all ashram members as co-equals.
  • On the morning of the Salt March in 1930, Gandhi insisted that only ashram members prepared to be killed, and who had taken vows of celibacy, should join him. They were allowed to take no food or drink, only a copy each of the Gita.
Do read the research (it’s free and very rich; access details are given at the end). You can certainly use it in classroom teaching. Different ways to do so will present themselves, but here are some suggestions. 1.Introduce the Gita to the class. Focus down on some of the most read verses, e.g. 47: “Set thy heart upon thy work, but never on its reward. Work not for a reward, but never cease to do thy work.” (The Bhagavad Gita [trans. Juan Mascaro] Penguin 1962, p.52.) With this verse – arguably the essence of the Gita – organise students in small groups, to come up with examples of people who deliberately work without seeking rewards. When some of these examples are fed back in plenary, discuss why these people do this, whether it can even be possible to do so, why it is held up to be good and whether it is a good rule. 2.Tell the story of the Salt March to the class. The relevant clip from Richard Attenborough’s 1982 film ‘Gandhi’ may help. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WW3uk95VGes 3.The film clip adds a visual element to the research, but the research adds depth and detail to the film clip. Draw on it to set up a follow-up role play task. Back in their groups, students act out the meeting on the morning of the Salt March. One plays Gandhi, insisting that only those ready to be killed should join him, only those who have taken vows of celibacy, none are allowed to bring food or drink, and all are required to bring a copy of the Gita. The others play ashram members, asking questions they imagine would have been asked at the time. As the role play is debriefed, students can be asked about how the ashram members would have felt and why they chose the questions they asked in role. Finally, the class as a whole can discuss whether the Salt March case counts as an example of working without reward. 4.Different homework or extension tasks could follow. Students could carry out their own research into life and ethics in Gandhian ashrams, drawing comparisons with communities of which they are members themselves and evaluating how people benefit from different kinds of community membership. This research could be presented at the start of the next lesson. 5.Alternatively, students could follow up the Salt March investigation made in class, by writing a newspaper article for (say) American readers at the time – they could imagine themselves as the American journalist shown in the YouTube clip, accompanying Gandhi on the Salt March. They could use the knowledge and understanding gained through the various classroom activities to report what happened, why it did, how Gandhi prepared the ashram members, the motivations and emotions of all involved and to explain how the events were linked to the Gita’s teaching of work without reward.   The original article is Karline McLain, Living the Bhagavad Gita at Gandhi’s Ashrams, Religions 2019: 10 (11), 619. Religions is a freely available online research journal. The article is available there, open-access at doi:10.3390/rel10110619 We’ve reported the research in RE:ONLINE at Living the Bhagavad Gita at Gandhi’s Ashrams

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Dr Kevin O'Grady is Lead Consultant for Research at Culham St Gabriel's Trust.

See all posts by Dr Kevin O'Grady

Can a Jain way of life provide a solution to the environmental crisis?

Dr Kevin O'Grady | 23 January, 2020

If you teach about Jainism, the research included in this blog will be useful to you; if you teach about religion and the environment, or environmental ethics in general, it gives a good case study. It’s by Michael Reading of Mt. St. Mary’s University, Los Angeles. The research summarises how Jainism has been pointed to for its eco-friendly example. Jainism proclaims the equality of all life forms, emphasises nonviolent behaviour (ahimsa), and encourages limiting one’s possessions (aparigraha). Within this setting, the research looks at the Jain-inspired Anuvrat Movement, founded in 1949 by Acharya Sri Tulsi. The main findings are these.
  • Jain beliefs and practices, e.g. ahimsa (non-violence to all beings) are highly relevant to ecological problems.
  • A further ideal, aparigraha, refers both to the physical limiting of one’s possessions, as well as one’s achieving a general state of spiritual detachment, also a highly eco-friendly stance.
  • The Anuvrat Movement, launched in 1949 by Acharya Sri Tulsi, revolved around what he perceived to be a moral deterioration within Indian society. To remedy this, he encouraged all people to take a set of vows (not only Jains but also Hindus, Muslims, Christians and Sikhs have participated).
  • The vows are based on traditional Jain and Yoga vows, and also include one (the eleventh) of particular ecological relevance: I will do my best to refrain from such acts as are likely to cause pollution and harm the environment. I will not cut down trees. I will not waste water.
  • There are others of relevance, e.g. the seventh enjoins limiting one’s possessions – and 42% of greenhouse gas emissions is caused by consumer goods production.
The full article is fascinating and freely available (access details are at the end), and you can use it to develop your knowledge of Jainism. As for teaching, it offers useful, challenging discussion questions. You could: 1.Begin by watching the short clip at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWhZN9fiLSM , then asking the class what they noticed most, which is likely to prompt discussion of the gauze face masks and thin white robes worn by the Svetambara monks. This can lead into explanation of ahimsa and aparigraha. 2. You could then introduce a power-point presentation based on the other three key research findings above, checking that students understand and can themselves explain such points as the link between aparigraha, greenhouse gas emissions and consumer goods production. 3.Underline how Tulsi placed emphasis on individual conduct. Ask students to discuss in pairs: to what extent are we responsible for environmental problems? How important or difficult are the lifestyle changes needed? How effective can vows be, and to whom or what might a non-religious person vow? 4.Finally, ask the students to write individual summary statements for brief plenary sharing. The researcher says that Jainism gives a solution to environmental problems. Do you agree or disagree? The task is to write as much as you can with as many reasons as you can in ten minutes.   The original article is Michael Reading, The Anuvrat Movement: A Case Study of Jain-inspired Ethical and Eco-conscious Living, Religions 2019: 10 (11), 636, available open-access at https://doi.org/10.3390/rel10110636 We’ve reported the research on RE:ONLINE at Do Jain teachings solve the ecological crisis?

About

Dr Kevin O'Grady is Lead Consultant for Research at Culham St Gabriel's Trust.

See all posts by Dr Kevin O'Grady