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A consideration of the meaning, purpose and gender of Power, looking at Hinduism

For 8-12 year olds. Originally written by Sushma Sahajpal. Updated in April 2019.

Learning outcomes

Emerging

• Explain why female deities are revered in Hinduism as well as male
• Offer a response in discussions of gender and power

Expected

• Explain, using at least two pieces of information, what is celebrated at the festival of Navratri
• Explain the nature and role of Durga in Hindu belief
• Offer a view as to whether power can or should be linked to gender

Exceeding

• Explain the meaning of the three archetypes
• Offer your response to the idea of balance in the universe

Key words and concepts

Divine: In the Hindu context this refers to the Benevolence that transcends normal human comprehension.

Shakti: Raw Energy that moves through all matter in every existing world (denoted as feminine comparable to the Yin/Yang concept in Chinese Philosophy).

Devi: Divine Force or Power at work in the world – feminine aspect (note: depicted as female), often translated as ‘Goddess’ but this is a confusion with popular perception of Greek/Roman Mythology.

Deva: Divine Will at work in the world – masculine aspect (note: depicted as male), often translated as ‘God’ but this is a confusion with either the Abrahamic entitlement in the singular or in the plural with popular perception of Greek/Roman Mythology.

Divine Consort: Each named Devi is depicted as the Consort (Marriage Partner) of a corresponding Deva. This teaches that Divine Intervention or Agency is the co- operative union of benevolent, transcending Will/Intention (masculine) and Power (feminine).

Trimurti: The collective reference for the three main Divine Forces at work in the world (i.e. Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva).

Tridevi: Tridevi is a collective reference for their three Consorts (Saraswati, Lakshmi and Durga).

Saraswati: The Devi who embodies the Power of Pure Knowledge, the ability to understand it (learning), explore it (science) and express it, both creatively (Arts and Music) and verbally (True Speech). Consort of Brahma (Divine Creative Intention).

Durga: The Devi who embodies the Power of Explosive Transformation. Her stories tell of fierce battles killing demons and protecting the righteous. She can manifest when needed with the supreme power of the entire universe. She is the Consort of Shiva (Divine Transformative Intention).

Lakshmi: The Devi who embodies the Power of Material Resource, such as Wealth, Health, Beauty and Good Fortune. She is the Consort of Vishnu (Divine Sustaining Intention).

Navaratri or Navratri: Name of the Hindu Festival celebrated twice a year (March and October) at two points of transition between Seasons. Sanskrit meaning literally ‘Nine Nights’ which are dedicated to Durga in some states and to the Tridevi in others.

Raas Garba and Dandiya: Two folk dances originating in the Indian state of Gujarat which are specifically danced during Navratri and are linked to the themes of the festival. (Worth a go!)

Learning activities

The learning is based around the Navratri festival. Find images or videos of Navratri being celebrated such as on the BBC schools service, You Tube or True Tube.

You will also want to find images of three female deities: Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati for later in the activities.

Basic information about this festival:

• Navratri is celebrated twice a year.
• Navratri celebrated at harvest (October) is dedicated to the goddess Durga
• Durga represents the power of the mother or the female
• Navratri lasts for 9 days
• Hindus ask for a good harvest, for peace and prosperity and celebrate the fertility and bounty of feminine power

Lakshmi and Saraswati are also honoured; together Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati are three different representations of cosmic power.

Explain that pupils are going to learn about the Festival of Navratri when Hindus celebrate the Divine Power they believe is available to all of us (not just Hindus) in whichever form is best for us, in the way a loving mother helps her children. This will help them explore what people think about types of power in themselves and the world and question what role gender plays and what power as a force for good might look like.

Remind them that Hindus believe that God is neither male nor female but is everywhere in everything and everyone. Thus they believe God can intervene to support righteous living (meaning for universal good) at anytime in any form including as a man, woman, child, animal, river, etc. Explain the forms that are celebrated at Navratri are three Mothers.

Ask the pupils to think of words they may use to describe a mother. List these up on a Now ask them to think of activities/actions that they think mothers do. Again capture these on the board. Now consider mothers from the animal kingdom (hunting, fighting off predators, etc.), does this bring forth any more adjectives or verbs?

[N.B. The three archetypes are:

1. Provider – supplying material well-being and nourishment: Lakshmi;
2. Protector/Powerhouse – fighting off predators / pure strength: Durga;
3. Teacher – teaching / explaining / advising: ]

Deepen and widen the discussion to get a good spread of words through as many different ‘forms’ of mothering as possible. Some words like ‘helper’ can be unpacked into types of help.

Ask pupils to work in groups with three very large pieces of paper per group. Ask the groups to write ‘Provider’ in large letters in the middle of the first sheet, ‘Protector’ in the middle of the 2nd and ‘Teacher’ in the middle of the 3rd. Their task then is to write or draw around the key aspects the ideas, actions, tools and questions they associate with those roles. Encourage the pupils to consider the differences between the three aspects.

You may need a fourth sheet (Other) for characteristics that are either more human than divine such as ‘Cranky’ or ‘Bad-tempered’ or don’t fit into the archetypes.

Reviewing the fourth sheets may offer up a potentially very useful broader discussion.

Introduce the images of the three female deities (or ‘Devis’); either handing them out or showing them on the whiteboard, one at a time. Explain that each picture represents a different form of Divine Mother. Explain that Hindus believe that all the power needed to succeed comes to human beings through Divine Mothers providing the three lists of things already discussed, that is, Knowledge (Power of Understanding), Personal Strength (Raw Transformation Power) or Material Abundance (Power of Physical Well- Being). Before exploring the images in detail, give the pupils a chance to examine carefully for themselves the symbols and colours of each picture and see if they can suggest which image goes with which of the archetypes they have defined.

Now go through each deity engaging the pupils’ questions and ideas in considering what each deity is sitting on, holding and wearing. Explain that it is possible to take these definitions literally, i.e., as supernatural beings that may manifest in the world, but that it may also apply to our lives here and now in terms of wanting more of the resources the Mothers offer to be in our lives. Clarify, that just like a human mother, the Divine Mothers do not ‘take over’ and do things ‘for us’. Hindus believe that they assist us in finding the skills and strengths we need inside ourselves.

Put the Lists of words about mothers that the pupils have already compiled on the board below each Deity and ask pupils to add some more words to their sheets that they think Hindus would associate with each of the key aspects.

Ask pupils what sorts of situations might people feel the need for wealth, wisdom or strength. Aim for concrete examples of each of these in their own lives and list them on the board. Who would many Hindus pray to for help with each of these? Go through each ‘need’ and ask How might a Hindu feel those prayers might be answered. Does strength have to be physical? Does physical well-being have to mean money?

Explain that, in the Christian Bible, God is often presented as a ‘Father’ figure (although there are some female metaphors) but that, for many Christians, prayer for help in times of trouble is often directed to holy people called ‘saints’ and there are many male and female saints. This is not because they think the saints are divine or equal to God, but because the saints lived such good lives that they are very close to God and thus have power to ask God to help those who pray to them. Many Christians in the Orthodox, Catholic and Anglican traditions pray to Mary, who, as the mother of Jesus (who is believed to be ‘God and man’), is in the best position to intercede with God to request his help. Can they see this is different from how Hindus relate to the Devis? [Highlight how the female figures in Christian traditions are loving intercessors with God rather than God themselves.]

Ask pupils to list some words that a Christian might use to describe God as Father. What words might they use to describe Mary? Ask pupils to compare her qualities to the three Hindu Deities we have looked at [Highlight similarities, e.g., loved as a mother, as well as differences, e.g. ‘holy not divine’] and to say how they are each thought to make a difference to believers’ lives.

Invite pupils to link things that are important to them, e.g. who helps them, with the way we might offer to help other people, and different kinds of help; physical and mental / spiritual. Encourage them to think about who they might turn to in their own lives. What sort of skills would the person they turn to, need to help them and what form would that help take? How might they help someone who was confused, for example unable to do their homework? or had less money or was physically weaker and being bullied? [This could be a very worthwhile drama lesson with some interesting role-play activities about what they feel is appropriate assistance/relationship with someone with less power / advantages than themselves.]

Broaden the discussion into thinking about how wealthy or powerful countries treat those with less. Ask pupils to say when they think aid or trade are most appropriate. What about Fairtrade? If powerful nations used the qualities of the Tridevi how might that affect their foreign policy?

By now the children would have a good understanding of the three Devis. Hindus remind themselves of this relationship with female divinity twice a year during Navratri. What does this festival look like?

Play the video clips you have found as well as any images you would like to display.

Explain that during Navratri many Hindus fast during the day and then feast and dance in the evening time on traditional festival food. During the fast Hindus only eat foods that can be eaten very simply and with minimal process such as fruit, nuts etc. This is to encourage them to take time out from focussing on their material appetites and wishes but instead to focus on their spiritual goals of personal discipline and following divine guidance rather than personal desires. Ask pupils to identify what it might be good for them to give up for a week even though they might find it difficult to (such as a television program or chocolate) and give reasons. Consider asking them to actually try doing this for parts of the day (or a week!) and perhaps be sponsored for each day they succeed in doing so as a charity fundraiser. Journal their thoughts and feelings if they do it or make up an imaginary journal of someone their age trying to do so.

Explain that once the fasting days and dancing nights are completed (this varies across regions and families, but typically on the 8^th or 9^th day), a special feast is prepared and offered to young girls. This is to celebrate and reflect on the Divine Contribution of females in families as Mothers, Sisters and Daughters, Creators of Life, Bringers of Love and Good fortune into men’s lives. The nine nights are dedicated as three nights for each of the three divine forms. Thus femaleness has a very special place in Hindu Spiritual life. Can the pupils think of other religions that have special female images [e.g., Christian Saints, Mary, Mother of Jesus, etc]; Are there any powerful females that you look up to or turn to in times of trouble? Why might it be important for some people to turn to women for help?

Ask pupils whether Hindus would traditionally think men or women are more powerful in the family? [No right or wrong answer to this – just a discussion point about who if anyone, might be ‘in charge’?] Who has most ‘say’ in the home? What do the pupils think themselves? Does it matter if it’s Father or Mother? Ask pupils to give reasons for their answers and compare across the class.

Provide pupils with a printed version of the Deities; Lakshmi, Durga and Saraswati. Ask them to work in pairs/small groups to recall aspects of each Deity, labelling the different items with key points about what Hindus believe is being illustrated/symbolised.

Encourage pupils to discuss the details of the pictures in their pairs/groups and then to share ideas on the most important aspects for them. Prompt their thinking by asking whether they can tell which figure represents what sort of Divine Maternal help and whether they can work out why each Hindu Deity is sitting on such a different symbol?

Ask pupils to then add their own labels saying what they think is good about each of the Female Deities symbolic gifts, e.g. ‘The lute plays music’, ‘The sword is powerful’, ‘The book is for wisdom’. Provide pupils with some of these words to help them. [Of course the symbolism goes deeper than this; the idea is to start pupils thinking about how worshipping the different Female Deities helps believers in a variety of ways.]

Now divide the class into three groups. Assign a deity to each group. Ask each group to note what form of ‘Blessing’ their Female Deity represents (Protection/Strength, Provider/Well-being, Wisdom/Understanding). Ask pupils to imagine three (or more) situations that a child or adult might find themselves in when being blessed by their Deity would help. Have one example prepared for each Deity in case they get stuck! Pupils can work out their ideas in smaller groups, type them up on a computer as three separate sheets, then compare across the group. Ensure that the deity’s name is NOT on any of the papers! Collect in all nine situation sheets, shuffle them up and number them 1 to 9. Hang onto these for the next activity (below).

Explain that you would now like them to work out the role and meaning of the Female Deities in a range of situations. Divide the class into nine groups. Provide each group with one situation sheet made earlier. Ask each group to read the situation and to record their answer of which Deity’s power would be most helpful on a piece of paper next to each Situation number – give each group just 3 or 4 minutes for each situation. They then pass their situation on to the next group and so on till all groups have considered all the situations. This might be easier to share electronically so pupils can all consider all the situations at their own pace in pairs on computers. Share and discuss the answers across the class. What advice might pupils give if they were being appealed to for advice about these situations?

Tell pupils the story of how Durga vanquished the Demon.

The gods (Devas) are always in conflict with the demons (Asuras). The army of the buffalo demon, Mahishasura, defeats the gods. The gods are cast out of heaven. They appeal to Vishnu and Shiva for help. These two produce a light from which Durga is born.

She enters into battle with the demon army, slaying every last one. Durga has rescued the gods and achieved victory over evil.

This is the central story of Navratri.

Ask pupils to write their own ‘metaphorical’ story with a character needing to call upon each of the three Deities turn by turn to help him or her through the challenges within the story. The challenges need to be such that each needs the particular blessing of each Deity to overcome the problem. The story should include questions that the main character asks about their dilemmas and how what the consequences might be of following or ignoring the help of the Deities.

An investigation into how feminism has led to different interpretations of the Bible.

KS4&5. Originally written by Bob Bowie. Updated in April 2019.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Emerging

• Offer an argument based on evidence as to how Christianity/ the Bible could be seen as sexist
• Explain two different interpretations of the Fall

Expected

• Using a feminist framing, critique a biblical text
• Set out and compare two contrasting interpretations of the Fall, referring to text
• Offer a supported answer to the question; ‘what can be learnt from feminist interpretations of the Bible?

Exceeding

Compare and contrast two different feminist interpretations of the Fall

Key words and concepts

Hermeneutics: How we read, understand and handle texts, especially those written in another time or in a very different life context.

Biblical Hermeneutics: The process of understanding the Bible using doctrinal, historical and critical approaches.

Biblical Criticism: Making sense of the Bible through a better understanding of the history and culture of the times.

Demythologizing the Bible: An approach to understanding that sought to remove the other-worldly outdated understandings in the Bible to find what was thought to the essential ethical understanding.

The Fall: the event in the Garden of Eden where Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate from The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Gen. 2 and 3).

Feminism: Movements which aim to establish women’s equal rights. A feminist is an advocator or supported of the rights and equality of women and so can be male or female.

Christian feminism: This movement seeks to understand the equality of men and women in terms of morality, society, spirituality and Christian leadership. One major area of work is in the reinterpretation of Christian doctrine. Another is in the movement for ordination.

Feminist theology: A movement found in several religions that reconsiders religion from a feminist perspective, reinterpreting existing interpretations of religion, which have tended to be exclusively or largely made by men.

Feminist theory: Thinking that seeks to understand gender inequality examining women’s social roles and lived experience.

Patriarchal/Patriarchy: A system that puts and keeps women in submissive and/or subservient role to men.

Reader response: Making sense of the Bible through personal prayer and meditation and reflection on words from the Bible and life experience.

Sexism: Beliefs, attitudes and actions that see women as second class to men.

Inequality: A basic value position that gives more recognition and importance to one ‘kind’ over and against ‘another’.

Women’s liberation: a movement that opposes inequality, patriarchy and sexism in an attempt to secure equal rights in all areas of life.

Women’s ordination: This practice of some religions and some Christian denominations is an area of dispute both across religions and within Christianity.

Learning activities

Explain to the students that they are going to conduct two investigations to work out what can be learnt from feminist interpretations of the Bible. Each investigation has a focus statement and some ‘tabloid headlines’. The headlines are used to characterise the learning investigation at each stage but could also be a template for producing media accounts of the examinations.

The investigations should enable students, working in small teams, to produce TV style interviews with characters in the stories examined and with the Feminist commentators in the Resource. Newspaper stories can be written to reflect sexist interpretations of the stories, in the style of tabloid revelations, with follow up denials and alternative accounts of what really happened, generating the sense of the interpretation.

Learning investigation 1: Christian comments on women and feminist comments on Christianity 

Tabloid Headline: SEXIST RELIGION OR RELIGION MADE SEXIST?

Introduce the students to some of the controversy surrounding women and Christianity. Explain that they are going to investigate why some people might think the Bible, or Christianity, is sexist and to examine the thinking of some feminist theologians who in different ways respond to the question of sexism in the Bible or Christianity.

Give the following quotations. Ask students to find three challenging or unexpected quotes. Encourage them to decide in small groups: which of the quotes are most striking to them and to write a written response.

Tertullian (about 155 to 225 CE):

“Do you not know that you are each an Eve? The sentence of God on this sex of yours lives in this age: the guilt must of necessity live too. You are the Devil’s gateway: You are the unsealer of the forbidden tree: You are the first deserter of the divine law: You are she who persuaded him whom the devil was not valiant enough to attack. You destroyed so easily God’s image, man. On account of your desert even the Son of God had to die.”

Augustine of Hippo (354 to 430 CE). He wrote to a friend:

“What is the difference whether it is in a wife or a mother, it is still Eve the temptress that we must beware of in any woman……I fail to see what use woman can be to man, if one excludes the function of bearing children.”

Thomas Aquinas (1225 to 1274 CE):

“As regards the individual nature, woman is defective and misbegotten, for the active force in the male seed tends to the production of a perfect likeness in the masculine sex; while the production of woman comes from a defect in the active force or from some material indisposition, or even from some external influence.”

Martin Luther (1483 to 1546):

“If they [women] become tired or even die, that does not matter. Let them die in childbirth, that’s why they are there.”

Matilda Josyln Gage, et. al, “1876 Declaration of Rights” on the rights of women

“…we declare our faith in the principles of self-government; our full equality with man in natural rights; that woman was made first for her own happiness, with the absolute right to herself – to all the opportunities and advantages life affords for her complete development; and we deny that dogma of the centuries, incorporated in the codes of nations – that woman was made for man – her best interests, in all cases, to be sacrificed to his will. We ask of our rulers, at this hour, no special favors, no special privileges, no special legislation. We ask justice, we ask equality, we ask that all the civil and political rights that belong to citizens of the United States, be guaranteed to us and our daughters forever.”

Pope John Paul II (1995)

“Woman’s identity cannot consist in being a copy of man, since she is endowed with her own qualities and prerogatives, which give her a particular uniqueness that is always to be fostered and encouraged… To all in our age who offer selfish models for affirming the feminine personality, the luminous and holy figure of the Lord’s Mother shows how only by self-giving and self-forgetfulness towards others is it possible to attain authentic fulfillment of the divine plan for one’s own life.”

Statement by “Christians for Biblical Equality” a conservative Christian organization

“…the Bible, properly interpreted, teaches the fundamental equality of men and women of all racial and ethnic groups, all economic classes, and all age groups, based on the teachings of scripture as reflected in Galatians 3:28: ‘There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.’ ”

Jerry Falwell

“Most of these feminists are radical, frustrated lesbians, many of them, and man-haters, and failures in their relationships with men, and who have declared war on the male gender. The Biblical condemnation of feminism has to do with its radical philosophy and goals. That’s the bottom line.”

Randall Terry, head of Operation Rescue

“…make dads the godly leaders [of the family] with the women in submission, raising kids for the glory of God.”

Anon, “Why women need freedom from religion,” pamphlet

“The various Christian churches fought tooth and nail against the advancement of women, opposing everything from women’s right to speak in public, to the use of anesthesia in childbirth…and woman’s suffrage. Today the most organized and formidable opponent of women’s social, economic and sexual rights remains organized religion. Religionists defeated the Equal Rights Amendment. Religious fanatics and bullies are currently engaged in an outright war of terrorism and harassment against women who have abortions and the medical staff which serves them.”

Ask students to write a newspaper column under this headline:

SHOCK REVELATIONS. EQUALITY HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION INVESTIGATES ACCUSATIONS OF SEXIST DISCRIMINATION IN SO CALLED COMPASSIONATE RELIGION

Alternatively, they could produce a report on an investigation into what Christianity is really all about, identifying aspects of the Christian tradition that seem sexist.

Now introduce some responses to misogyny in Christian thought. For example search online for ‘Mary Daly quotes’. Other Christian feminists are Daphne Hampson, Elisabeth Schüssler Fiorenzaand Phyllis Trible. Search You Tube for modern Christian feminist posts and videos.

Can students define the term ‘thealogians’ (with an ‘a’ instead of an ‘o’)? Teach that the Greek word for Goddess is Thea or Theia, rather than Theos (the masculine ‘God’). Are Christian feminists Thealogians?

Thealogians argue the job of Feminist Thealogy is to:

• Correct mistaken patriarchal interpretations of the Bible;
• Search the Bible for anti-patriarchal sources;
• Provide a better ethical framework to change Christian understanding of all creatures;
• Reinterpret religion from a feminist perspective based on women’s experience and not tradition;
• Move away from religion as something which upholds patriarchal systems.

Make the ‘Five Feminist Theologians/ Thealogians’ Resource into separate cards for each of the five thinkers. Divide students into small groups and issue each group with one card. Ask them to express in a single sentence or two how their thinker has responded. This could be done with groups looking at the information on their card and responding initially to what they seem to be saying. For example, instruct them to ‘read the card with the information on your thinker and try to agree with your group on the three key things your person is saying’. So students might suggest, for example, ‘I think she is saying ….’

In a plenary session, ask each group to report on their three key things to the whole class, listen to each other’s reports and then give some initial responses. [Until the students have sought to apply these interpretative perspectives that the thinkers have, it may be difficult to for them to see the implications of these perspectives but this provides an opportunity to ask the class, ‘how do you think each of these women might view x or y?’ for some hypothesis work.]

Ask students to write a magazine column under this headline: WE TALK TO FOUR INSIDERS WHO REVEAL THE TRUTH ABOUT CHRISTIANITYʼS SEXISM! Here, the article author (or news item presenter) interviews four of the feminist thinkers capturing their beliefs about Christianity and their feminism.

Learning Investigation 2: Adam and Eve

Part A: Tabloid Headlines:

SULTRY TEMPTRESS SEDUCES ADAM AND LOSES EDEN FOR ALL OF US! WAS IT ALL EVE’S FAULT?

Ask students to apply the different kinds of feminist thinking introduced in Investigation 1 to interpret the Adam and Eve text, and to evaluate some questionable representations of Adam and Eve and the ideas they convey.

Read, with students, the account of the creation of Eve in Genesis 2:4-25 and her role in the Fall in Genesis 3. It is important to read the actual text and begin there, in a suitable translation, instead of beginning with an enactment or video impression of the account for example, as these inevitably involve interpretation.

Ask the whole class for their thoughts on the following questions:

• Why do you think this story is so important in Christian tradition? [Some reference to the place of the creation story in wider Christian belief could be made if they are unfamiliar with it: that it is commonly read from at Church; that some Christians believe it to be the literal account of the creation of the world; that others see it metaphorically or symbolically as having meaning but not actually happening as if it was history.]
• What is meant by ‘The Fall’? [It is essential that the doctrinal importance of the Fall is understood. If women play a key role in the fall then their status is affected for all time. Theologically, the Fall is the reason for the corruption in the world as we experience – the fallen world is a terrible place with all of its imperfections. Christians say that people need saving from this place but there was once a time and a place when life was good, back in the garden of Eden.
• Is it important to believe that the Adam and Eve narrative reflects an historic event that really happened? [Many Christians see the story simply as an expression of the Jewish people trying to understand the world as they saw it, and trying to find a reason for life being hard while at the same time believing in a creator God.]
• Which parts of the story appear to support the authority of men over women, i.e. patriarchy?

Ask students then to work in pairs or threes to consider briefly the following ‘unpacking questions’:

1. How and why is Eve made, according to the text?
2. What is the role of Eve in this account?
3. How is she punished? What do you think about that?
4. What questions does this story ask about the place of women in Christianity? Is it their fault?

Gather feedback. Ask students to discuss then suggest interpretations of the myth of Eve.

Part B. How is the story of Adam and Eve depicted in medieval pictures? Tabloid Headline:

DODGY ARTISTS BESMIRCH HONOURABLE EVE WITH ‘PAGE 3’ PAINTINGS OF GENESIS!

Move students’ focus to how some Christians in medieval times interpreted and depicted this story. This will show how it was interpreted in different times and places.

Explain that in medieval Christianity no one really questioned the existence of Adam and Eve or the Garden of Eden. The depictions of the story in paintings of the time provide an impression of what artists thought about the Creation story. Within these depictions certain attitudes and interpretations can be perceived. [Students may well have engaged with the idea of propaganda in history which could be drawn upon for comparison.]

Show the students a selection of mediaeval depictions of the creation story, such as:

• Adam and Eve, from the ‘Stanza della Segnatura’:
• Adam and Eve – Lucas Cranach the Elder:
• Adam and Eve – Hans Holbein:
• The Temptation of Adam – Masolino:
• The Fall of Adam – Hugo van der Goes:

Explain that the pictures chosen here are an example of one of the things feminist thinkers are concerned about so they illustrate the problem. Ask students to look at these images alongside the text and (a) pick out any ideas that appear to have been placed into the story and (b) decide whether the artist was reading other things into the account or was he revealing the implicit messages in the text itself?

Explain that this discussion is a key question for feminist theology – is it that the interpretation is wrong, or is it the source itself that is the problem? [These could be looked at together as a class or in groups if the images are printed. These could be compared with traditional easily available images on Adam and Eve which do not so clearly reveal elements that feminist thinkers are concerned about.]

Encourage students to write down their answers to the following questions:

• What messages might the artists be trying to convey in these images?
• Why might it be argued that these images reflect patriarchal or sexist images of God?

Ask all the students to then produce their own caricature of the Genesis account emphasising the text and the interpretation. They could use a tabloid-style headline such as, “IT WAS EVE WHAT DONE IT!” with a by-line such as, “While the Bible just says she offered the fruit to him, insiders speak out in our exclusive report to reveal she was starkers at the time and the serpent was her sister”

Part C. How might Christian feminists respond differently to these images and texts?

Give pairs 5 minutes to sketch or write ‘Genesis 3 from Eve’s point of view’ in four frames, images or sentences. Share ideas. Is the story changed?

Ask students for their reflections on the Genesis accounts so far: are the stories in themselves sexist or is it the interpreters throughout history (usually men) who are sexist in their interpretation? Are they in need of reinterpretation or do they need to be rewritten?

Return to quotes or texts from the Christian feminists studied previously. Using these views, work in pairs to evaluate the myth of Eve: what is the main message, what is its purpose, what is its value?

Break the students up into small groups made up of individuals who had been studying different feminist thinkers so all are represented in the groups. Supply them with very large sheets of paper with the Genesis text inserted in the middle and some of the mediaeval Adam and Eve images round the outside. Ask each group to build an ideas map of feminist interpretations of the creation story by writing in notes on the interpretations of the feminist thinkers around the key phases of the story and next to the images. What might each thinker say, at each point? These could be highlighted in different colours. Students should demonstrate where the different feminist thinkers might agree or disagree about the interpretation of each significant part of the text by making connections on the sheets. The groups should aim to depict the possible interpretations of the story.

Once the ideas maps are complete, students should share their findings with the rest of the class.

A final report on their investigations will then enable students to demonstrate their ability to analyse and evaluate the biblical text in relation to feminist and other points of view. Ask them to compile their reports under the key question: What can be learnt from Feminist interpretations of the Bible? Ask students to include in their reports (which could be presented in a variety of ways) the following features:

• their own research into sexism in the Bible, with comments on methods used;
• different interpretations of the story of Adam and Eve in different times and places;
• personal views on the importance of feminist interpretations of the Bible

An investigation into the Jewish concept of Tzedakah

KS1. Originally written by Mary Myatt. Updated in April 2019.

Learning Outcomes

Emerging

• Explain what it feels like to give and receive
• Give a reason why it might be good to give

Expected

• Use the word ‘Tzedakah’ correctly showing understanding of its meaning
• Explain why two different type of things can both be given as gifts
• Explain the purpose of Tzedakah in Judaism

Exceeding

• Make a link between conversations about giving and receiving and a Jewish stimulus (artwork or story) studied
• Explain why Tzedakah is important in Judaism

Key words

Judaism: Judaism, the religion of the Jews, traces its roots back to Abraham, and most of its laws back to the time of Moses. It is a worldwide religion with around 15 million followers. The vast majority of Jews live in Israel and the United States of America. Many of the words here are Hebrew in origin, though some variations come from Jewish communities who lived throughout central and eastern Europe, and elsewhere.

Tzedekah : This is an act of charity and literally means, ‘justice, fair action’ or ‘righteousness’. Jewish people traditionally give 10% of their income to charity and it is an important religious duty to give assistance and money to those in need.

Mitzvot: This means ‘Commandment’, that is, what God commands that people do or don’t do. The Torah – the first five books of the Hebrew Bible – contains 613 Mitzvot.In practice, Jews should do mitzvotevery day.

Torah The Torah is the first part of the Jewish bible. It is the central and most important document of Judaism and has been used by Jews through the ages.

Learning activities

Set the learning activities in the context of a key question:‘What does it mean to give?’

Show a picture of Julie Wohl’s Tzedekah (found on the link below, if broken, search Google for the painter and title: https://www.pinterest.pt/pin/92394229825353634/)

Ask the children to spot 10 things in the painting.

Can they make a link between two or more items and something in their own lives?

Introduce children to some stories about giving, e.g., A Thread of Kindness (ISBN 1-929628-01-3) or Ten Tzedekah Pennies (ISBN 1929628196) and ask the children to say what things in the story might be special to Jewish people.

In order to help children understand what it is like to give something away they could try this exercise: Each child could be given some Play Doh (or similar modelling clay) to make into a ‘gift’. When they have made a gift, ask them to give it to their neighbour. Ask them to talk about what it feels like to give something away. Is it a difficult thing to do?

With separate pieces of Play Doh ask them to make something which represents something that doesn’t cost money but would be good to give to someone else. This could be a shape which represents friendship, a smile, good wishes. They could be asked ‘Are there other things which we can give as gifts which don’t cost money?’

Engage children in thinking about what they like to give and receive. Ask them such questions as: ‘What is the best present you have ever given to someone?’ ‘Why do you think they loved it?’ ‘What do we value that doesn’t cost money?’

Ask, ‘When we give something away, do we sometimes get something back?’

Explain that Tzedekah tells Jewish children something important about how to live together: that it is important to give to people in need: that we enjoy things which people give to us: that gratitude is important: that there are things apart from money which we can give to other people. Children could ask one another whether they enjoy giving or receiving – reflecting on when they might have been given something which is exciting and that they had wanted. How does it feel to give something, e.g., a picture, or something they have made such as a cake, to someone in their family?

Ask the children to think about whether they should share some of the things they have been given, and to talk to a partner about things that should be shared. Gather some ideas from the class as a whole.

Encourage children to ask their own questions about giving and receiving. What questions would they ask Julie Wohl about the gifts in her painting?

Provide the children with some boxes with Tzedekah written on them and ask them to create pictures of people in need within their own community, e.g., someone looking lonely. Give the children tokens to put in the boxes. As they put the token in the box they could say why Jewish children might want to help that person. Ask them to say whether children from other religious groups might want to help those people and to give a good reason for their answer.

The children could have a blank box where they reflect quietly on who they think might need help in their school and family and what the token could do for them. Provide large circles of paper to act as ‘tokens’. On the token, ask children to complete the sentence ‘I think they are in need because… and ‘This is what could be done to help them: …’ When they have finished, ask them to fold their tokens and put them in the Tzedekah box. Ask the children whether they think the tokens should be read out, or be kept secret. What reasons can they given for their answer? What other questions can they think of about giving and receiving?

Remind the children of the big question: ‘What does it mean to give?’ and of the main resource, the Tzedekah Artwork by Julie Wohl. Show children pages from the Islamic Aid, Christian Aid and Comic Relief websites and explain that all sorts of people of different religions and beliefs try to help people in need. Ask them to describe things on the websites which seem similar and some things which seem different, e.g., The Christian Aid site may show crisis appeals; The Islamic Aid site may show current projects; the Comic Relief site may show comedians and Red Nose Day. All the sites may show people in need, how to give money, etc.

An investigation into how different artistic and musical forms inspired by Biblical texts have been used to express Christian beliefs about peace, including the idea of divine.

For 7-11 year olds. Originally written by Rachel Woods, updated in April 2019.

Learning Outcomes

Emerging

• Offer a meaning of the word ‘peace’
• Make a link between Christian belief and the idea of peace with reference to a piece of Christian art or music

Expected

• Show understanding of two Christian concepts, such as forgiveness and justice, through talking or writing
• Identify an aspect of a painting and explain how it links to a Christian idea

Exceeding

• Make a link between a Christian idea or belief and a biblical text read
• Suggest, with reference to Christian art or music, why these pieces were created

Key words and concepts

The Peace of God: In the book of Genesis, in the Bible, all the creatures are described as being in harmony with one another and at peace with God. Before the temptation of Adam and Eve, Adam is described as walking with God in the cool of the day. As a result of the falling of Adam and Eve into sin in the Garden of Eden, after they had eaten the fruit from the tree of knowledge of Good and Evil, Christians believe that all humans failed to be obedient to God, and so were separated from God’s love. A core belief in Christianity is that Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross for the sins of every human being, enabled all people to receive the peace of God, through restored relationship with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, and with other people.

Reconciliation: The belief that situations, relationships between people and God can be put right.

Restoration: The belief that God, through Jesus death and resurrection, offers healing, wholeness, justice, peace in people’s lives.

Inspiration: Here, referring to an uplifting influence or feeling (that some believe could be divine) that motivates or qualifies a person to communicate moral or religious ideas or truths in a creative way. People who observe the results of that creativity may in turn be ‘inspired’ to change their life in some way, or look at life differently.

War and Spiritual battle: War may be understood as the opposite of peace, both in military and relationship terms. That there is a constant spiritual battle between life and death, good and evil is a core belief in Christianity. Christians believe that Christ’s death on the cross was the ultimate victory over sin and death, making it possible for people to be at peace with God and in relationships with one another.

The Trinity: Christianity is a monotheistic religion which teaches that God has three ways of being. These are the Father, Jesus the incarnate and the Holy Spirit working in the world. The Trinity is held to be one God working in harmony in three different ways.

Incarnation: The doctrine that God took human form in Jesus Christ. It is also the belief that God in Christ is active in the Church and in the world.

Christ/Messiah: The anointed one. Messiah is used in the Jewish tradition to refer to the expected leader sent by God, who will bring salvation to God’ s people. Jesus’ followers applied this title to him, and its Greek equivalent, Christ, is the source of the words Christian and Christianity.

Pacifist: a person who believes in pacifism or is opposed to war or to violence of any kind.

The Parables: g., The parable of the prodigal, or lost son. Jesus communicated about the Kingdom of God, and God’s relationship with people through stories, using everyday situations and objects.

Ritual: The Peace: a part of some church services where people offer one another a sign of peace, by shaking hands, or greeting with a kiss on the cheek.

Ritual: Eucharist: A service celebrating the sacrificial death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, using elements of bread and wine (also known as Holy Communion).

Learning activities

The learning activities below are based around art and music expressing Christian beliefs. A full table is given. These pieces of art and music should be easy to find online, but you will want to identify them before you start teaching.

Explain to the pupils that amongst the most powerful ways of expressing important ideas are the use of art and music, and that as a class you are going to look at how different artistic and musical forms inspired by Biblical texts have been used to express Christian beliefs about peace, including the idea of divine peace.

As a class, create a mind map harvesting all that the pupils know about peace in Christianity and comparisons with other religions. Remind them, for example, that peace – ‘shalom’ – is an important idea in Judaism and that peace – ‘salaam’ – is in the root of the word ‘Islam’.

Explain that ‘peace’ is one of the main themes of the Bible (it appears around 250 times) and that many artists and composers have tried to communicate its importance. Remind the pupils that the Bible was written down over several hundred years and ask them why they think peace might have been such an important idea over this length of time. Is it still an important idea for us today? Encourage pupils to share their ideas on why this might be so. Explain that one way of gaining insights into this big idea is to investigate artistic and musical expressions and to think of how this might inspire us today.

Arrange the pupils into groups of three and give each group one key text from the Christian Bible and examples of the following visual art, music, and songs (including lyrics).

Old Testament

New Testament

Working with art

Show the class the following pictures: Jan Breughel – ‘Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden’, Paul Hobbs – ‘Three in One,’ Raphael – The Mond Crucifixion, Craigie Aitchison – ‘Crucifixion’, ‘Rembrandt – Return of the Prodigal Son’, Charlie Mackesy – sculpture The return of the Prodigal Son’ (NB without the pupils seeing titles and descriptions)

Ask the pupils to describe what they see in the works of art and to consider the idea that ‘peace’ is not just ‘the absence of war’.

Give them the titles of the works of art and ask them to match these with the pictures. Encourage them to say how the title might help to understand more about the theme, and where or how they see Peace communicated in these works of art? [Remind them about of the idea of peace being a great theme of the Bible – see above.]

Ask them what they know about Christian ideas of forgiveness, reconciliation, justice and restoration and whether these ideas appear to feature in the artworks. How might these ideas help us understand what these artists were communicating about the Christian concept of ‘the Peace of God’? How might they help us go further than thinking of peace as more than just the end of a conflict?

Encourage pupils to record any views, observations, and comments they have about peace and the different ways in which the works of art express it, and add them to a working wall display.

Now arrange the pupils into groups of four and ask each group to comment on the works of art under three headings – subject, atmosphere and message. Ask them to write any questions the work of art raises, what they agree with and what they disagree with.

Each group then meets up with another group and compares works of art. They could then try to answer one another’s questions and explain what they agree and disagree about. Ask them to describe and interpret the meaning of:

• the ideas they notice in each individual work of art;
• the similarities they notice between any two or three of the works of art;
• the differences they notice between any two or three of the works of art.

Each group can then feedback to the whole class and pupils can be encouraged to research any unanswered questions. Any new ideas can be added to an ongoing ‘Ideas about the Art of Peace’ record.

Conduct a vote for the work of art that pupils think most effectively communicates Christian beliefs about peace. The results and reasons given can be added to the working wall display.

Explain that to get further insights into how the idea of peace can really make a difference to us today, it is worth examining the Bible texts that inspired the different works of art. Provide pupils with the Bible texts: Genesis 1 and Matthew 26 v 32- 66 or a children’s version and ask them to search for evidence or make inferences and deductions about the Christian beliefs about peace from the texts.

Lead a short period of reflection, encouraging pupils to think about how the texts and works of art might inspire people to search for peace in their own lives.

Following the reflective time, ask each group to write a label for the works of art, describing their response to them, and about how the content of the Bible text might be reflected in the artwork.

Ask them to further consider what difference these art works could make to a Christian believer’s understanding of peace, and what response they might inspire from a believer and non-believer. What are their own reflections on the ‘search for peace’? What would life be like if more people looked for this kind of peace? Encourage them to add to the ‘Ideas about the Art of peace’ working wall display.

Extend pupils’ understanding by introducing them to the examples of sacred music, both orchestral choral and solo pieces inspired by the same Bible texts, as the different works of art. [See above for samples.]

Ask the pupils such questions as:

• Why have the pieces of music been given these titles?
• What do you think the composer or song writer believes about peace?
• What do you think the composer or singer believes about God?

Ask the pupils to work in pairs to either create a piece of art, or write their own song lyrics responding to the stimulus ‘Finding Peace’, using the artwork, texts and music as stimuli. Encourage pupils to choose their own titles, to feature Christian ideas about ‘the Peace of God’ in their responses and to provide some accompanying notes to explain the ideas that they present.

When the pupils have completed their work give them an opportunity to present a selection to the whole class. Ask them to say which religious groups they think might share these ideas or think differently. Are there any groups’ ideas they think have not been represented in the pupils’ creative reflections? What might those groups think?

Encourage them to add any last questions and answers about what peace might mean to Christians, themselves and others to the ‘Ideas about the Art of Peace’ working wall display.

As a further assessment activity pupils could be asked to choose the content, artwork and design for a website homepage on the theme of inspiring others to explore how Christian and other ideas about peace are communicated through different art forms.

A consideration of forgiveness in relation to Christianity.

KS2&3. Originally written by Mary Myatt, updated in April 2019.

Learning outcomes

Emerging

• Retell the story of the Prodigal Son, explain one meaning of the story
• Explain at least two aspects of the story and what they may symbolise

Expected

• Explain the story of the Prodigal Son through two different viewpoints
• Give an account of what the story tells readers about forgiveness
• Answer the question, with evidence; ‘how hard is it to forgive? What is it like to be forgiven?’

Exceeding

• Make a connection between the story and modern examples of forgiveness

Key words and concepts

Parable: a short story with something for people to think about in their own lives.

Prodigal: wasteful, extravagant or foolish.

Forgiveness: letting go of anger and resentment.

Redemption: rescue from sin.

Reconciliation: restoring of respect between people who have hurt one another.

Love: affection, kindness, compassion.

Mercy: forgiveness and kindness.

Jealousy: negative thoughts of fear and resentment.

Selfishness: personal concern regarded as higher than concern for other people.

Pride: an inflated sense of personal importance.

Greed: wanting more than is needed.

Parable: this comes from the Greek, meaning comparison or analogy. Many Christians refer to the parables Jesus told as ‘earthly stories with heavenly meanings’.

Redemption: – this means to ‘buy out’ and originally meant buying freedom for a slave. For Christians it means that through dying on the cross, Jesus bought freedom from sin for all people.

Forgiveness: – this means to give up resentment or to grant pardon. For Christians, it is an important idea – as people ask forgiveness from God for their wrong doings they are also expected to forgive those who have done wrong to them.

Grace: – the unconditional love which Christians believe God has for humans.

Reconciliation: – the restoring of good relationships after a break up. For Christians, Jesus’ death on the cross reconciled human beings to God.

Learning activities

This lesson planning is built around the story of the Prodigal Son from Luke 15: 11-32. Later in the learning process pupils will read this biblical text but start by introducing the story through a video or animation, or through a graphic bible. Your first task is therefore to locate the story of the Prodigal Son in a format suitable for your pupils.

As preparation for watching the video ask pupils to complete the following stems:

• The times I want my own way are when …
• I realise I’ve made a mistake when …
• It can be hard to say sorry when …
• It can be hard to forgive when …

Explain to the pupils that they are going to be watching a video about the story of the lost, or prodigal, son. Prodigal means wasteful, extravagant or This is a story Jesus told.

Remind pupils that Jesus told parables as a way of helping people understand what God wants them to do with their lives. Some people say that parables are an earthly way of telling a heavenly story.

Jesus had been telling a number of stories or parables to help people understand what God is like. Some of the people Jesus was talking to were tax collectors and sinners and others were important people in the Jewish community called scribes and Pharisees. They were not happy that Jesus was talking to sinners as well as to people who lived within the law.

Ask each of the pupils to look at the video through the eyes of either the father, the ‘good’ son or the lost (prodigal) son.

At the end of the video ask each pupil to spend a few minutes drawing a fortune On a sheet of A4 the vertical axis is marked on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 is sad, worried, anxious and 10 is happy, exhilarated, joyful). The horizontal axis is marked 1 to 10 to represent different stages of the story. This shows what the character in the story was thinking or feeling at different stages in the story. Once pupils have completed the fortune graph ask them to compare notes, i.e., those who had looked at the story through the eyes of the father to talk together, the good son and the lost (prodigal) son groups to work together.

Bring the groups together as a class and draw out the main themes of the pupils’ findings. How do these compare with the findings from the question stems which the class did before watching the video? Who do the pupils think Jesus meant the characters in the story to represent? What might Jesus have wanted his followers to think about in their own lives? E.g. When might they have acted like the father? Are their times in peoples’ lives when they might have acted like the good son and at other times like the lost (prodigal) son?

What questions could pupils ask about the decisions which each of the characters in the parable made? What might have happened if the father had acted differently? What if the good son and the lost (prodigal) son had acted differently?

Now read the story from the Bible (Luke 15: 11-32) with pupils.

Divide the story into sections: the father giving his sons his fortune: the younger son leaving to explore the world: the hard times for the younger son: the homecoming. Ask pupils to work in pairs on one of the sections. Encourage them to discuss their ideas on the most interesting or puzzling aspects of their section of the story. What are the two or three things that they think are most important about this section of the story? Ask them to choose one key point to explain to the other groups – i.e. what the key point is and why it is significant?

Ask pupils to think about a time when they have made a mistake and been forgiven. Ask them to create a paper chain. On one side of each paper chain, ask them to write the key words for what it felt like to be forgiven.

Now ask pupils to think about a time when they have forgiven someone for something which has hurt them. How hard was it? What did it feel like? On another paper chain, ask them to write the key words for forgiving someone else. Is there a difference between the two types of paper chain? Create a wall display with the heading: ‘The Forgiveness Project’

Ask pupils to research another Biblical reference on forgiveness: Colossians 3 v 13 ‘Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another’. Ask pupils to summarise the reference and think of two questions they would want to ask a Christian about the Biblical quotes.

Ask pupils to create images in pairs representing ‘forgiveness’: and ask them to say how these images relate to the parable of the lost (prodigal) son.

Consider some examples in the world today where forgiveness has made a Ask pupils in groups to look at one of the following examples where the principles of forgiveness have been at the heart of the work:

• Corrymeela
• Foundation for peace
• The Iona community
• The Taizé community
• Truth and reconciliation in South Africa

Ask pupils to work in pairs to research one of the examples above. They should find out the answers to these questions: What is the main focus of the work in this organisation? Why does this organisation exist? Why would someone get involved in this organisation?

As each group feeds back to the rest of the class, ask them to collect the main ideas on a grid. [For a sample grid download the pdf of this resource at the bottom of the page.]

Ask pupils to fill a backpack with heavy items which represent carrying heavy burdens e.g., resentment, hurt, bitterness, anger, revenge. Using examples from the accounts on the websites above, ask them to describe what it feels like to carry the heavy burden from the point of view of some of the people they have researched.

Ask them to write a song/poem or create artwork which shows what it is like when that is removed. Make links to the idea of forgiveness.

Final personal reflection:

• This is what I set out to do …
• This is what I found hardest …
• This is what I learned from doing this work …
• If another group were going to explore this, they could also think about … and this would make it even better: …

The role of the Hindu Deity Shiva investigated through an audio-visual exploration of his iconic symbols and a meditational Mantra.

An investigation into how reflection on the image of Shiva and the Mahamrityunjaya mantra might help cope with different life-changes.

KS2 & 3. Originally written by Sushma Sahajpal, updated in April 2019.

Learning Outcomes

Emerging

• Talk about endings that are good and bad, and explain why they are good or bad
• Explain the meaning of two aspects of Shiva

Expected

• Explain what Shiva does for humanity in Hindu belief
• Describe and explain two aspects of Shiva worship; music, words, images, etc
• Describe two things that Hindus do on the festival of Shivrata

Exceeding

• Offer a view as to why we find endings hard
• Create an argument for why Shiva is an important deity in Hindu culture

Key words and concepts

Divine: In the Hindu context this refers to the Benevolent agency that transcends normal human comprehension.

Iccha: Will (or Desire) the motivating engine for all directed processes in the world.

Shakti: Raw Energy inherent in all matter in every existing world (denoted as feminine comparable to the Yin / Yang concept in Chinese Philosophy).

Deva: Divine Iccha (Will) at work in the world – masculine aspect (note: depicted as male), often translated as ‘God’ but this is a confusion with either the Abrahamic entitlement in the singular or in the plural with popular perception of Greek / Roman Mythology.

Devi: Divine Shakti (Force or Power) at work in the world – feminine aspect (note: depicted as female), often translated as ‘Goddess’ but this is a confusion with popular perception of Greek / Roman Mythology.

Murti: Form. The image or deity used as a focus of worship. ‘Idol’ should definitely not be used, and ‘statue’ may also cause offence.

TriDev / Trimurti: The collective reference for the three main Divine Agencies at work in the world (i.e. Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva).

Brahma: The Deva who embodies Divine Creative Intention (Conceives blueprints).

Vishnu: The Deva who embodies Divine Sustaining Intention (Supports development).

Shiva: The Deva who embodies Divine Transformative Intention (The All-knowing / witnessing Consciousness that facilitates timely completion / transition).

Divine Consort: Each of the TriDev is depicted with a corresponding Devi as a Consort (Marriage Partner). This teaches that Divine Intervention or Agency is the co-operative union of benevolent, transcending Will / Intention (masculine) and Power (feminine).

Tridevi: Tridevi is a collective reference for the three Consorts (Saraswati, Lakshmi and Parvati / Durga – more about them in the Navratri resource).

Parvati: The peaceful form of the consort of Shiva. Representing divine energy in benevolent balance and universal flourishing.

Durga: The fierce aspect of Devi Parvati who embodies the Power of Explosive Destruction / Transformation. Her stories tell of fierce battles killing demons and protecting the righteous. She can manifest when needed with the supreme power of the entire universe (Adi-Shakti). She is the Consort of Shiva (Divine Transformative Intention).

Vedas: The ancient Sanskrit Scriptures, some of which are used in Hindu Worship.

Mantra: This Sanskrit word has passed into English to mean any phrase that takes on an affirmational significance but for many Hindus it is used with its original meaning of a precisely composed combination of Vedic syllables with a powerful, beneficial impact on the listener in terms of both meaning and sound.

Devotee: A person who strongly believes in a religion or god and loyally puts their beliefs into practice.

Learning activities

WARNING: the subject of this resource, ‘change’ or ‘endings’, is one that needs treating with great sensitivity. Although subjects like death and suicide are not specifically raised in these activities, some pupils may experience such thoughts. It is a good idea to ensure that parents are aware that this sequence of lessons is included in the RE programme and that there are opportunities to raise any concerns with the school. If you are aware that individual pupils have been bereaved, or are particularly worried about being so, it will be important to make a careful judgement, with pupils and parents, about the timing of these learning activities.

This teaching and learning is based on the singing of the Mahamrityunjaya Mantra (from the Rig Veda). First find a clip of this on YouTube, such as the mantra being sung by Shankar Sahney (108 times!).

The learning will be further supported if the class can look at images of Shiva, as well as Shiva worship on Google images or videos of Shiva worship on Youtube.

Here is a transcript of the mantra with its translation:

OM Triyambakam Yajāmahe Sugandhim Pushti-Vardhanam, Urvārukamiva Bandhanān Mrityor Mukshiya Māmritāt.

We pray to All-seeing Lord Shiva who nourishes all beings, as the ripened fruit releases from its stem in perfect, timely separation, so may our endings be, freeing our energy to move endlessly on.

Explain that pupils are going to learn about how many Hindus deal with situations when it is time for something to end or irreversibly change. Explain that Hindus believe that there is Divine help available to all of us, not just Hindus, in the way a loving parent might want to help all his or her children. This help would be in whichever form is best for us and the situation we are dealing with. This will help them explore how Hindus and others react when things end and question whether endings are good or bad and what using powerfully destructive ability as a force for good might look like.

Remind them that Hindus believe that God is neither male nor female but is everywhere in everything and everyone. Thus they believe God can intervene to support righteous living, meaning ‘for universal good’, at anytime in any form including as a man, woman, child, animal, river, etc. Sometimes the intervention might be to facilitate new beginnings. [Can they think of examples? e.g. bringing forth 10 Commandments to Moses, or similar faith-founder stories.] Hindus believe that divine intervention can be just as crucial to bring things to an end, to make way for what needs to come next.

Explain that the class is going to look at Endings and that these can sometimes be very painful times, particularly if it’s the end of a life or of something special to us. Explain that when people are upset by change and endings they can get support to help them through difficult times.

Ask the pupils to think of endings that they they’ve been glad to have happen. [These might be unpleasant like uncomfortable journeys or activities / films they didn’t enjoy, an illness they recovered from or horrible neighbours that moved away, etc.] Notice whether this was hard or easy for them to come up with, and capture these in a list. Can they explain why they were glad for these to end?

Explain that we are next thinking about endings that we are not so pleased about.

First ask them to think of activities / events that they expect to end at set times but wish they didn’t. [e.g parties, day trips, the holidays, a favourite lesson or school year]. Again capture these in a separate list.

Ask the pupils to now think of endings that they can think of that might be difficult and unexpected. List these on a board. [These are typically loss of pets, occasionally grandparents, moving house, friends moving away, loss of favourite clothes, toys, books.]

Thirdly ask them to think of situations where they have had to be the ones to end / stop something or cause a big change. [e.g. decide to give away outgrown possessions, change a habit, rearrange their furniture, report something bad to a teacher / parent, stand up to defend someone from bullying, ]

Explain that the three types of challenging ‘endings’ listed here can be linked with aspects of the symbolism in a Hindu murti that they are going to see later [Shiva]:

1. Involuntary and predictable: time related (symbolised by the moon; accepting seasons)
2. Involuntary and unpredictable: event related (symbolised by the snake; we react)
3. Voluntary and self-determined: situation related (symbolised by trident; we act)

Encourage the pupils to add as many examples of these three challenging types of ending as possible.

Ask pupils to work in groups with three very large pieces of paper per group. Ask the groups to write ‘Seasonal Endings’ in large letters in the middle of the first sheet, ‘Unexpected Endings’ in the middle of the 2^nd and ‘Chosen Endings’ in the middle of the 3^rd. Their task then is to write or draw around the key aspects in a circle, the ideas, actions, tools and questions they associate with those scenarios. Encourage the pupils to consider the differences between the three.

[You may need a fourth sheet (Other) for endings that are neither Seasonal nor unexpected and don’t fit into the archetypes. Reviewing the fourth sheets may offer up a potentially very useful broader discussion around other ending experiences.]

For each piece of paper, outside the circle of actions and ideas, encourage pupils in their groups to consider and capture the consequences if these endings did not occur. [If no-one died, just aged, if we did not outgrow our favourite toys, were permanently stuck in summer or Year 3, ]

Explain that part of flourishing and well-being – which is the stated purpose of divinity in Hinduism – is ensuring that things that are stuck, stagnant or not serving growth, do come to an end to make way for fresh new growth and opportunities.

Introduce the image of Shiva; either handing it out or showing them on the whiteboard. Explain that whilst he has many aspects, the picture represents in a human-like form one of the three main roles (Trimurti) of Divine Intelligence according to Hindus. Explain that many Hindus believe that meditating on this form offers support for people when they are challenged by endings, including death. Indicate that many of the artefacts in the picture all relate to the themes we have discussed. Before exploring the image in detail, give the pupils a chance to examine carefully for themselves the symbols and colours of the picture and see if they can suggest which symbols might go with which type of endings we have defined. [Note Shiva iconography has many complex metaphysical meanings, this banquet focuses on some specific, age-appropriate, theme-supporting aspects]

Next go through the picture engaging the pupils’ questions and ideas in considering what the deity is sitting on, holding and wearing. Explain that it is possible to take these definitions literally, i.e., as supernatural beings that may manifest in the world, but that it may also apply to our lives here and now in terms of wanting more of the skills and strengths he represents (such as wisdom and insight as symbolised by the open third eye) to be in our lives. Clarify, that just like a human ‘parent’, the Hindu Deities do not ‘take over’ and do things ‘for us’. Hindus believe that they assist and inspire us in finding the skills and strengths we need inside ourselves.

Now introduce the Mahamrityunjaya Mantra. Explain that this is the primary prayer for Shiva and that it is therefore important to show respect for people’s deeply held beliefs and practices. Show them the translation of the mantra and emphasise that many Hindus use it especially at times of change, to ask for divine help in moving on to a new phase of life.

Play the clip you have identified of the mantra being sung and ask pupils to say what images they noticed in the film and what they think Hindus might think was most important about the mantra, the music and the images.

Put the lists of ideas about the mantra and the images of Shiva that the pupils have suggested on the board below his image and ask them to add some more words to their sheets that they think describe what the different parts of the picture might mean to Hindus. What is special about Shiva that might help people at times of big change (what qualities does he have?)

Point out that two of Shiva’s qualities that might help people cope with big changes, when something ends and a new phase of life begins, are wisdom and inner strength. Ask pupils to think of examples of change and to identify which quality is most needed in each situation: wisdom or strength? Aim for concrete examples of each of these and list them on the board.

Go through each situation and ask what might lead a Hindu to believe that a prayer for wisdom and / or strength had been answered. Do they think that every ending / change simply has to be accepted? Bring out different points of view.

Invite pupils to link things that are important to them, e.g., who helps them to let go of things that need to end such as ending a play-date or sleep at the end of the day at bed- time, and ask them for examples of help can we give others with ending things -physical and mental / spiritual. What sort of skills would the person they turn to, need to help them and what form would that help take? For example, how might they persuade someone to donate unused favourite old toys to charity? [This could be a very worthwhile drama lesson with some interesting role-play activities about what they feel is appropriate assistance / relationship with persuading someone to give up a bad habit.]

Broaden the discussion into thinking about how people hoard things in attics and homes. Why do they do that? Why do people resist change? How could praying to Shiva help? How could their well-being improve by deciding to give some things away? What questions would they like to ask a person who prays to Shiva and recites the Mahamrityunjaya Mantra about the benefits of their beliefs and practice? What do they think such a person would say in reply?  [By now the children would have a good understanding of the themes of Shiva. Hindus remind themselves of these ideas during Shivratri. What does this festival look like?]

Explain that during the festival of Shivratri many Hindus fast during the day and then feast and dance in the evening time on traditional festival food. During the fast Hindus only eat foods that can be eaten very simply and with minimal process such as fruit, nuts etc. This is to encourage them to take time out from focussing on their material appetites and wishes but instead to focus on their spiritual goals of personal discipline and following divine guidance rather than personal desires.

Ask pupils to identify what it might be good for them to give up for a day even though they might find it difficult to (such as a television program or chocolate) and give reasons. Consider asking them to actually try doing this for parts of the day and perhaps be sponsored if they succeed in doing so as a charity fundraiser. Journal their thoughts and feelings if they do it or make up an imaginary journal of someone their age trying to do so.

Encourage pupils to work in pairs or small groups and to use their imagination and what they have learnt about devotees of Shiva to make a list of different ways in which they show their beliefs.

Ask pupils whether Hindus would traditionally think endings are a good or bad thing? [No right or wrong answer to this] Is it better to resist change to preserve traditions for example, or to let old-fashioned things go and bring in new ways? What do the pupils think? Ask pupils to give reasons for their answers and compare across the class.

Provide pupils with a printed version of Shiva [See web links above for images of Shiva]. Ask them to work in pairs / small groups to recall aspects of the Deity, labelling the different items with key points about what Hindus believe is being illustrated / symbolised.

Encourage pupils to discuss the details of the pictures in their pairs / groups and then to share ideas on the most important aspects for them. Prompt their thinking by asking whether they can tell which aspect of change and endings is being represented by different symbols.

Ask pupils to then add their own labels saying what they think is good about each of the symbolic gifts, e.g. ‘The drum plays music’, ‘The trident is powerful’, etc. Provide pupils with some of these words to help them. [Of course the symbolism goes deeper than this; the idea is to start pupils thinking about how worshipping the different Deities helps believers in a variety of ways.]

Working in pairs or small groups again, remind pupils of the translation of the Mahamrityunjaya Mantra and ask them to work on a short mantra that might be used by Hindus to pray to Shiva at a time of great change and hardship. Ask them to write down their ideas and add some appropriate symbols from the film of the Mantra. Encourage them to add brief explanations of the symbols they have used.

Tell pupils the story of how Shiva drank the poison that is the central story of Shivratri:

The demi-gods (Devas) and demons (Asuras) fought and churned the oceans. A dark mass was created that was poisonous. A nectar of immortality was also created. To protect the universe from the dark mass Shiva swallowed it and held it in his throat. It burned and bruised his throat which turned blue. In holding the poison he saved all living things.

Deepen their understanding with questions such as: Where did the Poison come from? [Created by the same process that produced Divine Nectar] Why did Shiva offer to drink it? [It would have killed all living things otherwise.] What does this story explain about Shiva? [His Divine will contains and keeps the balance (neither swallowing nor spitting out) that prevents destruction.]

Ask pupils to write their own ‘metaphorical’ story with a character needing to call upon divine will to end something to meet a challenge for the benefit of our world. The challenges need to be such that each ending makes way for the particular blessing of something new beginning to overcome the problem. The story should include questions that the main character asks about their dilemmas and what the consequences might be of following or ignoring the help of a Deity.

An investigation about prayer from a Muslim perspective.

For 8-12 years. Originally written by Abdullah Trevathan, updated in April 2019.

Learning Outcomes

Emerging

• Compare and contrast verbal and non-verbal communication
• Offer a supported view as to what sort of communication prayer is

Expected

• Explain, with examples, the purposes of verbal and non-verbal communication
• Use a passage from the Bible or Qur’an to explain the purpose of prayer in Christianity, Islam or both
• Answer the question, with evidence’ ‘why do people pray?’

Exceeding

• Offer a supported view as to how far prayer is a religious form of communication
• Using information about Christian and Muslim prayer, contrast prayer in the two religions

Key words and concepts

communication: the exchange and sharing of information, ideas and feelings through different means such as speaking, writing and reading

non-verbal communication: communicating without words

body language: the deliberate, conscious or unconscious use of the body in conveying meaning to others through gestures, postures and actions

interpretation: the act of understanding and explaining that understanding to others

symbolic: a thing which represents something else

Orthodox Church: An early established yet extant Christian church and community located mainly in Southeastern and Eastern Europe as well as Egypt and Syria

Minaret: the tower attached to the Mosque used fr the purpose of calling people to the prayer : the adhan

Adhan : the call to prayer

salah: the name of the muslim prayer performed five times a day

Wudhu: the ritual abulution before the prayer

Rak’ah: one cycle of movement within the prayer. Different prayer times have a different number of cycles

Qiblah: the direction of Mecca to which a Muslim faces during the salah

body language (in prayer) – the use of the body to communicate through symbolic physical movements or positions whilst in prayer

non verbal communication (in prayer) – this refers to aspects of the prayer generally that focuses that involve the body to the exclusion of verbal aspects

salah (muslim prayer) consisting of takbir, qiyyam, rukhu, sajdah and taslim; which are the names of the different positions in the prayer, each having their own symbolism.

Learning activities

The following activities are structured in a manner which is heavily scaffolded for the teacher initially but later tapers off. In this way, while the first and second sessions are laid out in more detailed form, to be used, discarded or adapted as required; by the third session there is less session detail and more content.

One integral aspect to all of these activities is the emphasis on getting the pupils to try and interpret. An essential aspect of RE is that it should help pupils in learning how to make meaning out of things – and interpretation is an aspect to this. It must be stressed to them that it is not important whether their answers are the correct ones held by people of the given faith but that they have made meaning out of what is before them. The faith interpretation can be provided afterwards. Strangely, more often than not the pupils’ interpretations are connected to and sometimes enrich the faith interpretation.

The following breakdown of activities is suggested:

1. Philosophy for Children discussion around verbal and non-verbal communication and its relation to the act of prayer.
2. Activity based session on non-verbal and body language.
3. Sketching and discussing different Muslim prayer movements, learning further information about the call to prayer and aspects of the mosque associated with prayer in Isla.

Session 1

Aims

1. To bring pupils to have some understanding of communication as a means of expressing information, ideas, thoughts, signals, feelings and emotions to others.
2. To bring pupils to have some understanding that communication can be verbal or non-verbal, (or a mixture of both).
3. To bring pupils to understand that non-verbal communication can be as effective as verbal communication.
4. To bring pupils to understand that prayer is also a type of communication and can be both verbal and non-verbal.

In this initial session pupils are asked through the medium of philosophy for children to distinguish the act of communication. There are many things which people do, but they do so unconsciously and part of philosophy is to distinguish and highlight such things to build awareness, consciousness and depth to such human activities. Children are as capable of this as adults.

In this first session the teacher should try to mediate and steer, (but most importantly not dominate) a conversation allowing the pupils understanding that communication is a process of exchanging information, ideas, thoughts, signals, feelings and emotions. In the process of communicating the ‘sender’ uses a type of communication to a ‘receiver’.

Explain that there are basically two types of communication – verbal and non-verbal – and that praying is a form of communication that has verbal (sound, words, speaking and language) and non-verbal forms (gestures, touch, body language, posture, eye contact and facial expression). Non-verbal language can be extremely effective and in fact research shows that 80% of inter-personal communication is through body language.

Activity 1

Have some Marcel Marceau and Jerome Murat clips set up for pupils to watch. Ask pupils to make up three implicit questions about what they have seen, stressing that implicit questions are different than explicit questions. Implicit questions arise from seeing the mime, (i.e. more universal questions; ‘Can people communicate without words?’). Explicit questions are about the mime, (i.e. How does the mime artist make it seem as if there really is a wall?’) If the teacher considers it necessary provide a few examples? Try to steer the questions towards questions like the following :

• How can people communicate?
• Why do people communicate?
• Who do people communicate with?
• What do people communicate with?
• Is communication only through using words?
• Can you communicate without words?
• How could you communicate without words?
• Write the questions on the board and get the pupils to vote on two questions to discuss. Start the discussion by asking the pupils who posed these questions why they asked these questions. Then open the discussion to others, teacher may have to interject from time to time to steer the discussion towards the aims set out.
• After some time try to conclude the discussion by summing up the conversation and writing the summary of this on the board.
• Split the class into groups. Then show the pupils a picture of someone praying, or in a contemplative moment in a place of worship or outdoors. Issue pupils with three of the following questions below per small group. Ensure a mix of questions, so that each group has questions about prayer as well as general communication questions. Ask them to agree a response to each question in their group and to say what they think a religious believer might answer, especially in terms of how they think a that person might benefit from certain forms of communication and certain forms of prayer:
• Why do people pray?
• Is praying communicating?
• Who or what do people think they are communicating with when they pray?
• Can you be not religious and pray?
• Can you be an atheist and pray?
• Is prayer a very serious matter?
• Is praying just another way of asking?
• Could someone pray without words?

Session 2

This session is about getting pupils to be aware of how they can communicate without words by using their bodies. The class should be split into different groups of about 4 – 5 pupils each. A series of activities could be set up in the classroom and the different groups move around the room engaging in these for approx. 10 minutes each.

Aims

1. To further develop the idea for pupils that body language and non-verbal communication can be as expressive, (if not more) than verbal communication
2. To get the pupils to apply some of their gained experience of body language and non-verbal aspects of idea of prayer.

Activity 1

Pupils work together to list different ways of expressing feelings in non- verbal ways. Point out that at least some of these will be offensive but all can be very powerful, so need to be used with care!

Activity 2

Teach pupils how to play ‘Charades’. After the rules and format of the game are quickly explained ask pupils to choose one of the following quotations from the Qur’an, (paraphrased for easier comprehension) and start acting them out:

‘…surely by remembering God the hearts are made peaceful’ (Quran 18: 28)

‘…be patient with what people say against you, and pray constantly to God… so that you may have joy’ (Quran 20:130)

‘And be regular in prayer at the two ends of the day and at the approaches of the night: because good things takes away bad things’ (Qur’an 11:114)

‘..there are those who think about God standing, and sitting, and lying on their sides’ (Quran 3:191)

‘…give to the poor and bow down your heads with others who bow down in prayer’ (Quran 2 : 110)

Activity 3

Have 8 different ‘tableau’ scenarios written down. Examples :

1. People showing a variety of reactions when suddenly coming upon someone praying by a busy roadside.
2. A group of people who are looking for something lost with one of them very happy and thankful at suddenly finding it.
3. A football player falling to the ground on his knees after scoring a crucial goal.
4. A mother and father with their reluctant children, telling them to pray.
5. A group of people begging someone in authority on some urgent matter but who is rather haughtily ignoring them.
6. A group of people who have just received something special with only one very thankful person amongst them.
7. A playground scene where a fight is just about to break out with someone begging his friend not to get involved while others are egging him on.
8. A car scene with onlookers where one driver is very angry and the other is admitting having committed an error and is saying sorry.
9. A person asking forgiveness from someone whose feelings they have hurt with a crowd of people around them

Each group must pick one of these and make the scenario, freezing in their position. Use a digital camera to make a photo of each

After this get the whole class together, show the tableau photographs and get them describe their reactions, demonstrate some of the charades sequences,

Remind them of the discussion concerning the type of communication in prayer. Ask them in their groups to think of some of the things they have seen which shows a prayerful attitude through the body positions. Ask the children to think up words that believers might use to describe these positions and expressions and what types of prayers the positions might resemble?

Prayer in Islam

Show an image or video of the prayer positions in Islam. Using all the questions and ideas generated about the nature and purpose of prayer, and the nature and forms of communication, talk about what each position seems to be saying or symbolizing.

Sketch each position, labelling it to explain what each action communicates.

Learn about aspects of the mosque that enable prayer, such as:

• The minaret to call from
• The Adhan, or call to prayer
• The washing area so Muslims are spiritually clean before they pray
• The show rack to store shows which are removed for prayer
• The collection of prayer mats or large carpeted floor, to ensure the floor is clean for those wishing to pray
• The mosque angled towards Mecca, called Quibla, the direction Muslims face to pray all over the world

Listen to the Adhan, there are many clips on you Tube.

Look at images of Mecca in Saudi Arabia, birthplace of Islam and home of the Hajj, where all Muslims face and they pray.

Prepare a brief amount of information on each aspect of the mosque. Ask groups to conduct further research and make explicit links between their aspect of the mosque and how it aids prayer. Create a class collage entitled: The Mosque: a House of Prayer

Filmed to coincide with the 400th Anniversary of the commission of the King James Bible, this documentary was shown on BBC 1 in February 2011. Jointly produced by Jerusalem Productions and BBC Religion and Ethics, the programme follows Adam Nicolson as he discovers how around fifty scholars from Cambridge, Oxford and London created this astonishing translation of the Bible into English, looking in particular at the seven years from the commissioning of the bible in 1604 to its printing in May and considering the technological, political and cultural circumstances which drove and shaped it.

Resources designed for KS2 (8-11), KS3 (11-14), KS4 (15-16) and KS5 (17-18)

In order to use these resources it is necessary for students to have watched the entire film. In addition sections may be re-shown in relation to each topic. The topic ‘Programme Outline & Synopsis’ contains the timings for each part of the film.

Teachers can select all or any of the resources and activities as suitable for the course they are pursuing. Although closely related to the film there are additional ‘Stretch and Challenge’ topics as well as cross-curricular materials.

There are additional resources on the Bible and Christianity together with The Quest for the Holy Grail.

Additional versions of resources are included:
• Dyslexic (D) wherever appropriate;

Many of the materials are also suitable for
• SEN – Special Educational Needs;
• EAL – English as an Additional Language

This documentary, produced by Twenty Twenty in association with Jerusalem Productions, and shown on BBC 1 in October 2011, follows two young women in their journeys to becoming nuns. Filmed over 6 months, this intimate documentary gives a unique insight into a rarely seen world, challenging stereotypes and exploring what convent life can still offer modern women.

In order to use the below resources it is necessary for students to watch entire film. In addition sections may be reshown in relation to each topic. The topic Programme Outline & Synopsis contains the timings for each part of the film.

Teachers can select all or any of the resources and activities as suitable for the course they are pursuing. Although closely related to film there are additional ‘Stretch and Challenge’ topics as well as cross-curricular materials.

Additional versions of resources have been created:
• Dyslexic (D) wherever appropriate;

Many of the materials are also suitable for
• SEN – special educational needs;
• EAL – English as an additional language.