BIBLOS - Teaching the Bible

Teaching the Bible

MOSES:
THE TEN PLAGUES

Key Questions

Questions for Discussion and Reflection

The Biblical Material

Older pupils can have very simplistic ideas about historical truth and they will be at a disadvantage in their understanding unless teachers begin to open up at an early age the difficult and different ways in which people process their records. So young pupils need to be introduced to the complexities of historical truth as soon as possible, initially in a simple form e.g. getting pupils to see how events in their family or school life are reported differently from different people involved with different perspectives. This basic concept requires constant reinforcement and development.
Pupils should come to appreciate that people hold different world-views and these affect the way they understand everything. A religious view of the world interprets everything in the light of a God dimension. A secular view of the world interprets the world on the basis of its chance factor. So the same event or series of events can be interpreted differently by people.
The Israelites' faith in God meant they interpreted everything that happened to them by reference to God. So it is not very surprising that the Bible does not contain 'pure' history - if indeed there can be such a thing - but rather a history that is theological history with the Israelites' experiences and beliefs in God interwoven.
When this has been grasped, it will be understood that it is not possible to say, 'Is this historically true?' The way the Israelites have written up their history is true to their experience of believing in an active God.

Questions

What makes people think that historical events can be described as 'true' or 'false'?
Why do the opposing countries in a war write up its history differently? Is one country right and the other wrong? Why or why not?
Why do the witnesses of an accident not all agree on what happened?
How might the Pharaoh record the plagues and Israel's escape?
Do religious people still interpret the events of modern history differently from non-believers?
Why is it more important to understand what the Israelites understood by the plagues than to hear what a scientist might have to say about them?
What strands might get woven together in the 'stories' of pupils in school?

Pictures of God

The very definition of God implies that human beings can never know and understand God completely. Judaism and Christianity believe God can be known because God has revealed himself gradually to people.
But in the early years of God's revelation, Israel understood God more as a war God, fighting on their side. He was not the God of everyone. This partial understanding of God's nature colours the records of the role God plays and the way he plays it in the early history of Israel.
Pupils need to have this pointed out because otherwise their perceptions of the Jewish and Christian God will be partial and distorted. They can understand, for example, that it takes a period of time to build up a friendship and learn what the other person is like. In the early days it is easy to misjudge or misunderstand the character of the person. But over time their full personality will be discovered. The Israelites went through the same sort of 'getting to know God' process. Early on they really did not have a clear picture of God's nature. Hence they portray God as something of a warlord, ready to punish and kill.
Just as the Bible finds difficulty in presenting God to people without it leading to misconceptions, so Religious Education has difficulties too. In a secular society, people are unlikely to develop any understanding they have of God once they leave school and RE. Society can be seen as increasingly 'religiously illiterate' and certain 'religious gaffs' made by people in high office reinforce this view.
This means that there is a responsibility in schools to ensure that pupils do not have an undeveloped view of what religion is about because they are in danger of spending the rest of their lives with those views. God in particular, is likely to remain as the blood-thirsty warlord or a holy form of Father Christmas, with the long white beard, sat on the cloud surveying all below! These pictures might have been placed in the young child's mind in school and there they firmly remain.
The use made of the Bible in the class-room influences young children. It is vital that right from the start teachers have an awareness of the picture of God that is being portrayed by the material they use. They need to explore this with pupils and develop it, so that pupils' concept of God does justice to the God of Judaism and Christianity and does not parody him and these religions.
This means teachers must themselves research interpretations of God, open up discussions about the nature of God with children and take continuity and progression seriously in their syllabuses.

Questions

Where do images of God as a war-lord or on the cloud come from? What is wrong with them?
Can primary school teachers be held a little responsible for God's unpopularity among adults? How far are they likely to miss the mark theologically in their teaching? If so, what can most helpfully be done about it?
Are they leaving too much to secondary school teachers? Or is it too late then to move pupils on in their theological thinking?
Is there a difference in teaching RE and other subjects in relation to the possibilities of misleading pupils? Is it more difficult or easier than other subjects? What are the implications of your answer?
In what ways might 11 September have raised the importance of the need for good RE teaching?

Describing God - Biblical Language

In the early parts of the Bible, God might be said to be described in 'user-friendly terms'. This refers to transferring the language used of human beings to God ('anthropomorphic'). So God has physical limbs (hands, fingers), emotions (anger, pleasure) and actions (walking, resting). This of course is linked to early understanding of the nature of God (see above under 'Pictures of God') and has the effect of bringing God down to the human level.
Great care needs to be given in helping pupils to distinguish between literal and symbolic language, according to the context. When symbolic language is taken as literal it becomes very misleading. You can end up with a concept of God where God is made in humankind's image, rather than humankind made in God's image! This symbolic use of language contributes to pupils' misunderstanding about the nature of God.

Questions

How early can pupils understand symbolic language? What difficulties do they have in distinguishing it?
Does this problem occur in other subjects? Which? How?
Why is symbolic language necessary sometimes?
What is meant by creating a God 'made in humankind's image'?

Monotheism

In the Bible, the purpose of the plagues was understood to be to present God to the Pharaoh as the only God, superior to all other gods and powerful over all nations and in all situations.
There are three religions which originated in the Middle East. They are all related and are identified as the monotheistic faiths - emphasising the oneness and uniqueness of God - namely, Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
Eastern religions have different origins. Hinduism which is often considered polytheistic ('believing in many gods') does in fact express belief in one God whose aspects are expressed in a variety of ways and so is misunderstood as polytheism.
Pupils should be guided by teachers to recognise similar features in religions and to note ways in which they differ. However, this is not intended as a means of comparing and assessing the worth of different faiths. That is not the role of RE. Teachers should discourage pupils from evaluating religions in a critical way. It is not for people who do not practise a particular faith to assess it in an arbitrary way. Pupils are studying religions to learn about them and gain understanding of what it means to a believer who takes that particular religion seriously. They are not studying them to judge their validity or otherwise.
Some religions claim to be exclusive, but others accept the existence of other religions. Religions are working together much more these days and the Inter-Faith movement is growing.

Questions

What is the consequence of believing in one God?
Why is it tempting to want to judge aspects of religions sometimes? Why are teachers and pupils not in a position to pass judgements on religions?
Why is it important for pupils to learn to respect different religions?
Why have different religions developed?
Why might the Inter-Faith movement have an increasingly important role to play these days?

Miracles

The concept of miracles is always topical. In spite of advanced scientific knowledge, people still claim a 'miracle' cure has taken place or a 'miracle' drug has been developed. Of course, sometimes what is meant is that someone has unexpectedly recovered from an illness or some major and wonderful pharmaceutical breakthrough has been accomplished. Such descriptions do not necessarily imply divine intervention.
In whatever way the term 'miracle' might be used, certain points need to be considered:
- People who believe in God regard the whole of existence as miraculous because God did intervene and created the cosmos. As God is believed to be all-powerful, then anything could be possible.
- Religious believers believe that God works through people in the world. This means they believe God's hand is at work for example in hospitals and pharmaceutical laboratories, as well as in the unexpected, but ordinary encounters and events of daily life.
- Religious believers might detect God's intervention in their lives and world at a particular point or in a particular event, whereas non-believers might view an unexpectedly favourable event as a stroke of good luck. It all depends on the individual's world-view and therefore, their interpretation of what happened.

Questions

As scientific knowledge increases, will 'miracles' disappear?
How far do people live in hope of miracles? How might religious believers explain an absence of miracles, especially when they have been prayed for?
How far is the environment controlled by fixed laws?
Why do people so easily ignore the 'miraculous' in their very own beings and bodies?
How might a look at the stars at night make a person reconsider the notion of the miraculous?

Denial of God

Pharaoh refused to accept the existence of the Israelite God because he himself claimed to be a god, and no one was going to rival him in power. Eventually the Pharaoh had to accept God's power, having seen the proof of it in action, and even asked for his blessing.
People in biblical times did not so much deny the existence of a deity but they limited themselves to their own local god; other gods were powerless. However, the opposite happened to the Israelites. They denied their God by not taking him seriously enough, preferring to trust other nations' gods. They were always being disloyal to their covenant relationship with God, doing their own thing and pursuing false gods.
Nowadays, atheism and agnosticism can appear to be taking over from religious belief in western secular society. Modern society has problems believing in God in a scientific and technological age. People demand proof of God because they are only able to accept what can be scientifically checked out. Interestingly, after 11 September 2001 people flocked to church and began to read the Bible. Their bubble of self-delusion had been pricked. Their self-confidence had been shaken; their vulnerability was exposed; where could they turn to for help? New circumstances were making them take stock and re-assess their values and priorities.
Teachers should help pupils to see that there are a variety of world-views to which people adhere. Religious faith is one of these.

Questions

What leads some people to believe that there is an absolute gulf between science and religious belief? What are the arguments for and against this view?
What are the negative views about religion that can be found in western societies today? What are the consequences of them?
What leads people to feel they have no need of God or to accept chance as the basis for life?
How receptive are young children to belief in God?
How might children pick up the idea that religion and science oppose each other?
What might be understood by 'spiritual insight'?
What might hinder spiritual development?

Blessings

The concept of blessings can still be found in the priest or minister's blessing at the end of church services. God is called on to bestow his presence and power on people and to accompany them in their everyday lives.
The blessing of the bread and wine in the Eucharist sanctifies these symbols.
The grace before meals thanks God for the provision of food and asks for his blessing on it and the participants.
The blessings in 'Good-bye' and 'God bless you' call upon God to protect and accompany that person. Sometimes 'God bless you' is said when someone sneezes, but that is more of a habit, even a superstition to ward off the evil spirits who were considered responsible for the developing cold, rather than a serious plea to God. Some say that it comes from recognising sneezing as an early sign of the Black Death plague.
In largely secular societies, it is not surprising that the concept of blessings has dwindled. If there is no belief in God, arguably there is no one to call on or to thank.
Some Primary Schools still 'say grace'. Is this a good idea or might the practice leave pupils with the idea that God is only relevant to infants, as they are unlikely to come across it later in life, unless they take religion seriously?
The Jewish practice of using blessings throughout the day before certain actions, symbolises the taking of the ordinary and, by asking for God's blessing on it, making it sanctified and sharing in God's holiness. The ordinary becomes extraordinary.
Pupils of all ages can research and discuss this concept. It could be the basis for personal exploration and creative work. The Beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-13 might be interesting to study in order to develop pupils' understanding of this Jewish concept.

Questions

Do religious believers still take blessings seriously? What do they understand by blessings now?
What is believed about curses, nowadays?
Can people live without blessings? What are they missing? What purpose might blessings serve in a modern society?
What is meant by 'counting your blessings'?
What effect might grace before meals have on the participants? Is anything lost by not 'saying grace'?
What blessings might people need especially, nowadays? Has anything taken the place of blessings?