The nature of story / parable

As with all parts of the Bible, it is important to appreciate the nature of the material found in the Book of Ruth. It is a narrative true to life as it was then, rather than necessarily literally true. It contains a relevant message about God, wrapped up in this story of tragedy and joy. Those who read it originally would look for the meaning rather than attempt to identify Ruth or Boaz. Parables can be interpreted at various levels and in different ways and that explains why the rabbis see Ruth as the perfect woman because of her obedience and the modern feminists regard her as independent!

Questions

1. Writing is often interpreted differently by different people and at different times. What are the implications of this?
2. Why do people interpret narratives in different ways?
3. How can you judge whether an interpretation of a text is 'right'? Are there some interpretations that are less valid than others?
4. How can an 'untrue' story be a 'true' one?

What religion is - and isn't!

There is a great deal of misunderstanding about the nature of religion. Religious people are often criticised because they appear to be hypocritical in their behaviour when it falls short of what might be expected of them. This tends to distract people from seeing what religion really is about. It would be helpful if pupils could be encouraged to understand the following points which relate to the parable of Ruth:

• Religion is not primarily about keeping a lot of negative laws which result in a deprived life where nothing can be enjoyed! Religion is about a devotion to a God which expresses itself in all aspects of a person's life - the type of person they are; their attitude towards others and their involvement in the needs of others.
  
  
• Religion is not about being 'holier-than-thou' but about getting involved with life and others in all its complications and frustrations.
  
  
• Religion does not produce a problem-free existence. It does guarantee that God will be present to support and guide a person through what comes their way, both good and bad.
  
  
• Religious people are not perfect! They are aware of their shortcomings when assessed against God's standards and try to improve their lives accordingly. There should be no place for arrogance or superiority. Rather there is recognition of the 'sinner' within themselves.
  
  
• Worship of God is not limited to synagogue or church services. True worship of God will express itself in a variety of ways - in meditation, service of others, through study, careers, talents etc.. Everything can be accomplished 'to the glory of God' and 'in the name of God'. True worship comes from the genuine motive and sincerity of the person in diverse situations.
  
  
• Worship is often expressed through set rituals and words. While these are excellent for communal worship and for focusing on God, familiarity can lead to their meaning being overlooked.
  
  
• Set patterns of worship help to preserve traditions but their spirit can be lost in the repetition of words unless the mind and heart are engaged. It is easier to perform actions rather than change hearts! Rituals are aids to worship not worship itself. Rituals are symbolic in many respects and for the outsider who has not been initiated into their meanings, they easily appear strange and unrelated to life. It is important that pupils appreciate that they cannot expect to understand religion and worship without understanding key concepts and symbols. Just as a game of rugby is incomprehensible until you understand the rules and the reasons for them, so it can be with religion.
  
  
• Worship of God can be considered obsolete in the 21st century. But belief in God involves acknowledging a higher authority than human beings. It takes a person away from self-centredness, focusing them on something 'beyond' the human dimension and leads them back into service of others. The desire to worship seems to be a human need. If God is not worshipped, something else may be, with varying consequences.
  
  

Questions

1. What evidence is there to justify the claim that people are worshipping beings?
2. What are people devoted to nowadays? What might be the consequences of such worship?
3. In what differing ways do people express their worship of God? ( music; architecture etc.)
4. What might be the benefits of communal worship in an individualistic society?

God's purposes

Pupils need to grasp the concept that the universe either has a purpose or it doesn't. Neither belief can be proved, and each needs to be accepted as a reasonable interpretation of the way things are. As a religious interpretation of life is sometimes treated with ridicule or disdain, it is important for pupils to realise that both views need to be respected. In a secular society it is easy for the non-religious view to be promoted at the expense of the other. It could be argued that as almost everything else in the universe has a purpose, it is odd if the universe itself does not!

Israel had misunderstood her purpose as God's chosen people, understanding this to mean God wanted her to cut herself off from others. God wanted Israel to set the example to other nations by living in God's way and spreading God's way and will to others, not hiding it from them.

Questions

1. Does your experience of life lead you to identify an overriding purpose to the way things are?
2. Do any experiences make you feel there cannot possibly be a purpose to life? If so, which?
3. Religion, like many other human behaviours, is sometimes the object of ridicule. In what ways and where does this happen? How justified is it?
4. What evidence is there for believing that God's purposes might be being worked out through people and situations? Why might he work in this way?

The challenges of racial differences and sharing territory

With the 'shrinking' of our planet through communications and travel, you might expect race relations to be a problem of the past. By now we might be enjoying a global community, where respect for our differences is taken for granted. But that has not happened. Indeed, the world is in danger of breaking up into nationalistic groups who are unable to accept the legitimacy of others to share land and space on the earth; even in some cases, to be anywhere on earth. So the problem of racial difference is still present and always topical.

In the story of Ruth relationships cross over race boundaries and people relinquish home territory for another land and are accepted into that foreign community. The book encourages people to beware of limiting God's will in a nationalistic, small-minded way. All human life is equally valuable and acceptable to God. The Book of Ruth shows how through the mixing of blood labelling no longer works. The mixing of blood has increased enormously since biblical days but the labelling still goes on.

Questions

1. Why do you think the human race finds such difficulty in accepting its rich variety?
2. What causes people to be so tied to their territory and culture? Where do we get our nationalistic views from?
3. Why is it increasingly important for people to explore their own racial prejudices?
4. What makes human beings value some people more highly than others?
5. Why is labelling and stereotyping of people still so widespread?

Purity / Holiness

These are goals for people who take religion seriously. They believe they have a responsibility to become more holy in imitation of God. They achieve this through a variety of ways e.g. prayer, silence, meditation, will-power, reading the scriptures of their religion. Some Jews after the exile believed they would achieve purity through isolation, cutting themselves off from anything considered impure. They believed foreigners were impure but should have focused rather on their own internal purity of heart. So it is important to establish the real sources and influences of impurity.

Questions

1. Does the spiritual growth that is to be developed in school involve allowing pupils to encounter what it means to be holy? What might 'encountering what it means to be holy' look like in practice?
2. What do you consider to be the experiences and influences that can have a detrimental effect on pupils in today's schools?
3. In what ways might education itself be seen as a good or bad influence on pupils?
4. What do you see as an ideal balance between training the brain and affecting the heart in education? Is this balance reached in schools?

Redemption - Restoration

These are words which may not be used widely in our society. However, the concepts are universal. Judaism and Christianity both focus on the need for redemption and restoration in order that people should be freed to become who they are and what they should be, without being weighed down by guilt and hostilities.

The religious person is seeking redemption from God after forgiveness for falling short in their lives and for the relationship with God to be restored. In a secular society it is important to consider how the non-religious person copes with their shortcomings and the emotional consequences. It is a crucial area to explore with pupils.

Questions

1. How does the non-religious person cope with their shortcomings and guilt? Do you have to be religious to have a conscience, or to have feelings of guilt healed?
2. Are 'religious' people more or less likely to experience breakdown of human relationships (of whatever kind)? What consequences follow the breakdown of relationships? Are they more or less difficult for believers or non-believers?
3. How might belief in God help in restoring relationships?
4. People often have an ambiguous feeling about forgiveness as both 'soft' and yet admirable. Revenge and retaliation are also seen ambiguously as both 'natural' and yet unacceptable. Why is there this ambiguity? What views on the subject can be found in Christianity and Judaism?