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Exam board: Eduqas

Watch Azeen practise and describe a rak’ah – the positions that Muslims perform during prayer.

Component 1: The study of religions: beliefs, teaching and practices – Beliefs and teachings - Islam - Salah and its significance: how and why Muslims pray including times, directions, ablution (wudu), movements (rak’ahs) and recitations; salah in the home and mosque and elsewhere; Friday prayer: Jummah; key differences in the practice of salah in Sunni and Shi’a Islam, and different Muslim views about the importance of prayer.

Area of Study 3 – Islam Section 1: Muslim Beliefs - Salah as one of the Five Pillars, including reference to Surah 15: 98–99 and 29: 45: the nature, history, significance and purpose of Salah for Sunni and Shi’a Muslims, including different ways of understanding them; how Salah is performed including ablution, times, directions, movements and recitations, in the home and mosque and Jummah prayer."

Component Group 1–Practices - Islam - Public acts of worship - Salah as direct communication with Allah - Component Group 1–Practices - Islam - Public acts of worship - Salah as direct communication with Allah. The importance of practices - Islam as a way of life, lived in total submission to Allah • The importance of the Five Pillars of Islam to Sunni Muslims • The meaning of the Five Pillars: •• Shahadah: sincerely reciting the Muslim profession of faith •• Salat: performing ritual prayers in the proper way five times each day •• Zakat/Zakah: paying an alms (or charity) tax to benefit the poor and the needy •• Sawm: fasting during the month of Ramadan •• Hajj: pilgrimage to Mecca • The analogy of the house and pillars

2.1 Unit 1 PART A - Part A Islam - Core beliefs, teachings and practices - Practices - The Five Pillars of Sunni Islam -Prayer/ Salat  Adhan call to prayer, praying at mosque and Friday Jummah prayer (Qur'an 15:9899, 29:45)  Praying at home, private prayer (Du'ah)  The preparations and intention for prayer: wudu and niyyah  The significance and symbolism of the different prayer positions that make a rakat (sequence of prayer) Obligatory Acts  Shahadah: the Muslim profession of faith in Allah and the prophet Muhammad; occasions when the Shahadah is recited, e.g. aqiqah ceremony, conversion to Islam  Zakat: paying an alms (or charity) tax to benefit others, what zakat tax may be used for, and additional charity (saddaqah)  Sawm: Fasting during the month of Ramadan. How and why Muslims fast during Ramadan and rules about halal and haram diet (Qur'an 2:183)

2.3 Component 3 (Route A) - Option 3: Islam - The Five Pillars of Sunni Islam: practices in Britain and elsewhere - Salah: the practices of prayer in Islam in the mosque and at home, including Jummah prayer: Qur'an 15:98-99, Qur'an 29:45

Holy Cribs – Prayer Positions

Azeen:    Salah the duty to pray five times a day. We could do it anywhere as long as we've done a wudu and the place we're in is clean and we've got the space to do the movements I'm about to show you. In the prayer hall of a mosque. The carpet is often marked with rectangles for people to stand in or lines across a floor, so everyone has enough space to pray and do the movements without bumping into the people around them. At home I just use a prayer mat. When we pray, we must face the direction of the Ka'bah, which is a cube shaped holy building in the center Makkah in Saudi Arabia. This direction is called the qibla and in a mosque you could tell the qibla by facing the mihrab, which is an archway in the wall at the front of the prayer hall. We pray five times a day. And as well as saying the words in Arabic, we also show our devotion to Allah. First, I should have the intention to pray, which is called the niyyah. So I focus and get myself into the right frame of mind. Then I say Bismillah and the prayer begins. I raised my hands and then lowered them while I say Allahu Akbar. This is called takbir. I'll stand and this is called qiyam. Then I bow from the waist. This is called ruku. Then comes sujud or sajdah, when I kneel down and put my forehead on the floor. This is called prostration in English. I return to the kneeling position called jalsa. Then I prostrate again. And finish in the kneeling position. And that series of movements is called a raka'ah. I'll stand and do more rak'ah's and the number depends on which prayer I'm saying. Each of the positions goes a bit further in showing total submission to Allah. When the prayer is finished and I'm kneeling at the end of the final rak'ah I turn to my right and then my left to say, salam. Peace be with you. After the prayer in Arabic. I can also say my personal prayers in English. And this is called du'a.

 

Islam: Prayer Positions

Video length - 02.55
Published date - Mar 2023
Keystage(s) - 2, 3 and 4
Downloadable resources

Before Muslims pray, they should always perform a special wash called wudu. Watch Azeen as he demonstrates and describes how he does it.

Component 1: The study of religions: beliefs, teaching and practices – Beliefs and teachings - Islam - Salah and its significance: how and why Muslims pray including times, directions, ablution (wudu), movements (rak’ahs) and recitations; salah in the home and mosque and elsewhere; Friday prayer: Jummah; key differences in the practice of salah in Sunni and Shi’a Islam, and different Muslim views about the importance of prayer.

Area of Study 3 – Islam - Section 1: Muslim Beliefs - Salah as one of the Five Pillars, including reference to Surah 15: 98–99 and 29:45: the nature, history, significance and purpose of Salah for Sunni and Shi’a Muslims, including different ways of understanding them; how Salah is performed including ablution, times, directions, movements and recitations, in the home and mosque and Jummah prayer."

Component Group 1–Practices - Islam - Public acts of worship - Salah as direct communication with Allah. The importance of practices - Islam as a way of life, lived in total submission to Allah • The importance of the Five Pillars of Islam to Sunni Muslims • The meaning of the Five Pillars: •• Shahadah: sincerely reciting the Muslim profession of faith •• Salat: performing ritual prayers in the proper way five times each day •• Zakat/Zakah: paying an alms (or charity) tax to benefit the poor and the needy •• Sawm: fasting during the month of Ramadan •• Hajj: pilgrimage to Mecca • The analogy of the house and pillars

2.1 Unit 1 PART A - Part A Islam - Core beliefs, teachings and practices - Practices - The Five Pillars of Sunni Islam -Prayer/ Salat  Adhan call to prayer, praying at mosque and Friday Jummah prayer (Qur'an 15:9899, 29:45)  Praying at home, private prayer (Du'ah)  The preparations and intention for prayer: wudu and niyyah  The significance and symbolism of the different prayer positions that make a rakat (sequence of prayer) Obligatory Acts  Shahadah: the Muslim profession of faith in Allah and the prophet Muhammad; occasions when the Shahadah is recited, e.g. aqiqah ceremony, conversion to Islam  Zakat: paying an alms (or charity) tax to benefit others, what zakat tax may be used for, and additional charity (saddaqah)  Sawm: Fasting during the month of Ramadan. How and why Muslims fast during Ramadan and rules about halal and haram diet (Qur'an 2:183)

2.3 Component 3 (Route A) - Option 3: Islam - The Five Pillars of Sunni Islam: practices in Britain and elsewhere - Salah: the practices of prayer in Islam in the mosque and at home, including Jummah prayer: Qur'an 15:98-99, Qur'an 29:45

Holy Cribs - Wudu

Azeen:    When Muslims pray, we do a special wash called wudu as a symbol that we are pure and ready to speak to Allah. We wash our hands, face and feet three times, but it's done in a particular way, in a particular order. We sit here in front of one of these taps because if possible, we prefer to do our wudu using running water so we're not washing ourselves in water that someone else might have washed in. First I say Bismillah, which is a short prayer in Arabic. In English it goes in the name of Allah, the compassionate, the merciful. I'll wash my hands thoroughly. First, the right three times. Then the left three times. I rinse out my mouth three times. I rinse my nose by snuffing water into my nostrils and blowing out three times. I wash my face three times, all of it from the bottom of my chin to my hairline. Starting with my right arm. I wash from the wrist to the elbow three times. And then I'll do the same with my left arm. I run my wet hands over my hair. Then wipe my ears inside and out. And then the back of my neck. Then I wash my right foot three times up to the ankle. And my left foot three times. Finally, I say the Shahadah, which is another short prayer in Arabic. In English it goes. I bear witness that there is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah. And now I'm ready to pray.

Islam: Preparing to Pray

Video length - 02.49
Published date - Mar 2023
Keystage(s) - 2, 3 and 4
Downloadable resources

The View from the Classroom – Gender – What is gender? Is it something people are born with, or something they choose? How does someone’s gender affect their lives and choices? Students from Key Stages 4 and 5 in schools all around the country give us the view from the classroom.

Advice for young people who are thinking about gender identity can be found at the following sites:

Childline

Brook

TrueTube films are designed for use in a number of ways. Some ideas of where this film could link to your curriculum are below:
AQA
Component 2: Thematic studies: Theme A: Relationships and families:Sex, marriage and divorce Families and gender equality - Gender roles, Gender equality, Gender prejudice and discrimination including examples.
Edexcel
Area of Study 1 - Beliefs in action – Religion and Ethics: Marriage & Family - Varying religious and personal attitudes towards gender and gender rights.
OCR
Component Group 2–Religion,philosophy and ethics in the modern world from a religious perspective - relationships and families - religious teachings about the nature and purpose of families in the 21st century, sex, marriage, cohabitation and divorce. Issues related to the nature and purpose of families; roles of men and women; equality; gender prejudice and discrimination.
WJEC
PART B- Theme 1: Issues of Relationships - Issues of equality: gender prejudice and discrimination
Eduqas
Component 1 (Route A):Religious, Philosophical and Ethical Studies in the Modern World : Theme 1: Issues of Relationships:Issues of equality: gender prejudice and discrimination

The View from the Classroom – Gender

I am female and I do like being a female.

I'm male.

Male.

I identify as a female.

I'd say my gender is a male.

I am a woman, and I like being a woman because I don't know, I just like it and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I'm a male.

It's my own gender is female.

Yeah, I like being female. I think that's the way I'll stay.

Gender. Ah, there's different genders like male, female and transgender. Is it a type of gender?

Someone's gender is the way they identify themselves.

Maybe a boy that feels they're more of a girl, or the girl feels more they're a boy.

They could identify as something else, like non-binary, where they don't identify as either gender. They're just themselves.

I think someone's biological sex is like what they were born as, but then someone's gender identity is what they choose to be.

There is a difference in what you're born with and regard yourself as. But the question is, should we accept that? And is what you think more important than your physical body?

In my opinion, there's only two types, right? If you're born a man, you're born a man. If you're born a woman, you're born a woman.

We have things in our bodies that determine what we are.

It's easier to go the male or female based on their, like, sexual organs, really.

My personal belief is that there are only two genders. There's nothing else other than that.

I'm not exactly the most masculine guy, but I'm still a male in with my gender. I don't need to identify as anything other just because I'm not the stereotype.

I think some people do view it as not good and going against God's wishes, I guess, but it's kind of none of their business. It's if that person doesn't feel comfortable and doesn't feel as if they know themselves in that skin and they don't want to be themselves, it's their choice.

They're not harming anyone else, so why discriminate against them for it?

I think people should be able to change their gender because if they don't feel comfortable in their body, then if it makes them happy to change gender, that's better for them.

I think men are better at some jobs, like the hard labour jobs like building, because they have like more muscle and strength, while women, they're pretty good at doing like makeup and like nail salons and stuff like that. I know I'd be judged if I went into like the nail business and stuff.

You do get men where they are involved in makeup, hairdressing, stuff like that, and it is frowned upon by some people, but by others, they see it as them embracing their own what they are doing, what they love. And you can't stop that, because if they love what they're doing, then they should carry on doing it.

People do get bullied for like not doing things that are stereotypical for their gender. I think that's because most girls and boys are brought up like the same way, so they think they can only do certain things. But as you get older, you become more independent and you realise that, um, you can do anything you want to do.

Well, I know a few boys that do want to go into like hair and beauty and stuff like that, and they're doing quite well, to be quite honest with you. But you do get the stereotype that you are, um, gay and stuff like that because you're doing something a girl would normally do, which isn't the case. And I think that's kind of wrong that people do stereotype.

I believe gender is a social construct due to representation in the media. So for example, as simple as adverts for toys with children, we are presented with the ideas that boys like construction and girls like makeup.

I think your upbringing, like the toys you get, can affect it because a lot of girls clothes or toys have things on, like be pretty and stuff like this, where on boys it's always be strong and all of this. So it kind of teaches girls from a really early age that girls can't be strong and girls can't do this and can't do that, and boys can't.. That boys can't cry, for example, and boys can't be emotional.

I think if you're a girl and in society they mostly like girly stuff like unicorns and makeup, so bringing them up like that shouldn't really make that much of a difference. I think boys should also be brought up, as in having toy cars and stuff, because that's what you're going to do in the future, most likely.

I was brought up in like Guiding and Brownies and stuff like that, and then I went into Scouting and enjoyed that a lot more, but because I was a girl, my mum put me into brownies first. And I think a lot of people do that with children.

I think kids should be free to choose what they want to play with or what they want to wear, as it depends on how they feel really. They may not want to be in the girly stuff if they're a girl.

The gender pay gap is where on average, females tend to earn a certain percentage less than males for doing the same role in a job.

I think being a male gives me many advantages in life.

If it's a male and female who have the exact same ability, which is really top calibre, then they deserve the same pay despite the gender, because they do, they fulfil that same role.

At the end of the day, if we're both doing the same job, why is someone else getting paid more than I am? I just don't think that's right. And if you're putting it down to my gender, that's even worse. Because what's different?

Females aren't inferior to men, so they shouldn't be earning less.

People are starting to widen their horizons and people are just making new rules for themselves.

We are all just humans. So if a girl wants to be strong and pretty and all of this at the same time, she can do that, like a boy shouldn't have to sit there and hold all his emotions in and keep it all inside of him.

We should all just accept who someone is, like, we're here to be loving. We're not here to judge people and decide that this is wrong and this is right.

I just say let people be what they want to be. You shouldn't have to live by a set of rules that have been in place for hundreds of years and haven't been updated.

The View from the Classroom – Gender

Video length - 06.37
Published date - Oct 2019
Keystage(s) - 3 and 4
Downloadable resources

Hijab & Me – Three young Muslim women called Ambar, Ilhan and Athena give their personal (and very different!) opinions on what it means to wear hijab, and the status of women in Islam.

A film by Kim Roden

Created in collaboration with the Advocacy Academy

Shortlisted for Best Short Form Documentary at the Broadcast Digital Awards 2020.

Nominated for the Educational Film Award at The Learning On Screen Awards 2020.

Nominated in the Children’s Broadcasting category at the Sandford St Martin Trust Awards 2020.

Nominated for the Content for Change Award at the Children’s BAFTAs 2019.

TrueTube films are designed for use in a number of ways. Some ideas of where this film could link to your curriculum are below:

 

AQA

Component 2: Thematic studies:Theme A: Relationships and families- Sex, marriage and divorce - Islam - Gender roles, Gender equality, Gender prejudice and discrimination including examples.

 

Edexcel

Area of Study 1 -Section 2: Marriage and the Family -Islam - Muslim teaching about the equality of men and women in the family: divergent Muslim beliefs, teachings and attitudes about the role of men and women in the family with reference to the Qur’an, including Surah 4 and the time of Muhammad.

 

OCR

Component Group 2–Religion, philosophy and ethics in the modern world from a religious perspective - relationships and families - religious teachings about the nature and purpose of families in the 21st century, sex, marriage, cohabitation and divorce. Issues related to the nature and purpose of families; roles of men and women; equality; gender prejudice and discrimination.

 

WJEC

PART B- Theme 1: Issues of Relationships - Issues of equality: gender prejudice and discrimination - Diverse attitudes within Islam toward the roles of women and men in worship and authority  Teachings: Qur'an 2:228, 40:40, 4:1

 

Eduqas

Component 1 (Route A):Religious, Philosophical and Ethical Studies in the Modern World : Theme 1: Issues of Relationships:Issues of equality: gender prejudice and discrimination

Hijab & Me

Ilhan        I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

Ambar     Sorry. Yeah.

Athena    Okay. Should I start now?

Ambar     A hijab, literally is an Arabic word, meaning curtain or barrier. Um, but for a lot of people it means lots of different things.

Ilhan        A lot of people do see it as the covering of a woman's hair.

Ambar     So for me, for example, to wear the hijab would be to dress modestly. So this could be interpreted as wearing the hijab.

Athena    But the real hijab is meant to be the one that covers your whole body. What I'm wearing today is a jilbab, which is the orange colour, and the niqab is anything that covers the face.

Ambar     We come in all different shapes and sizes. We dress different ways. Lots of women think different things about hijab, and that's because the ground is open to interpretation.

Ambar     And tell the faithful women

Athena    To cast down their looks

Ilhan        and to guard their private parts,

Athena    to make their outer garments.

Ambar     Hang low over them.

Ilhan        So as to be recognised and not insulted.

Athena    I interpret the verse about the hijab as the covering from the opposite gender. Normally girls wear it outside in public, if they were to come across men. If you're at home with other girls or with your family, you don't have to wear hijab. But if you're on camera, then hijab is something that you have to wear.

Ilhan        For me, it's not about I'm not going to look at me because really and truly, if men wanted to look, even if you're wearing a bin bag, they are going to look.

Ambar     It doesn't say in the Quran that women have to cover their hair specifically.

Athena    It's something that I believe we have to do as believing women. And if you don't wear the hijab, you do gain a sin from it.

Ilhan        One of the reasons I like to wear it is it's kind of a religious tradition. It's something that's been done for many years. It's always inspired me ever since I was a little girl. So these are my four sisters.

Ruqiya     I want to do it myself. My name is Ruqiya.

Ilhan        When you're a child, your mum usually puts on the small pull on ones, but when you start to get a bit older, you wear the wrap ones. And at first it is hard to wrap it so that it looks nice on you.

Ilhan        It's messy. Maybe fold it a bit, at the front.

Ilhan        It makes you feel more grown up. It's quite an exciting experience. Set, go.

Ilhan        I feel like we're all part of one massive community of Muslim women all over the world who also wear it. It makes me feel empowered.

Athena    When I first wore my jilbab, I felt like a princess, like, I'm not going to lie, I felt like a princess because jilbab just made me feel modest and happy and girly, and I'm a very, very girly person. Growing up, I had a huge crisis in who I was as a person, because my parents didn't want me to wear the hijab. I would do my hair in different ways, my makeup in different ways. Modesty is a very important factor of your religion, and it was something that I wasn't practising, and it felt like that was the one thing that was keeping me back. So on my 17th birthday, I decided that I would start wearing the hijab. I remember spending two hours trying to play with it and putting the pins in the right place. I went downstairs and I told my mum and I told my dad, I'm going to wear this. My dad was like, how am I going to take you to school? It was a time when I was getting ready to basically come out and say, this is who I am, and whether they accepted me or not was something that I would have to face. Every person has their identity of what they like. It could be how they choose to dress or what brands they like. For me, and for majority of Muslim girls, our identity is Islam. We want people to know we're Muslim, to dress the way I'm dressing, it's hard, but we want to do it.

Ilhan        I was always around other people who were wearing headscarf. However, being a black Muslim, I would sometimes look at my black community and see how hair is a big part of the culture. Braids, weaves, extensions.

Athena    As a woman, you want to appear attractive. You want to do your hair. You want to do your makeup. It's natural. You'll find that we have hair straighteners. We do keep up with the latest makeup trends. We still do these things, but we just don't do it in public.

Ambar     I only wear the headscarf when I'm praying or when I'm reading the Qur'an, so when I'm praying, I'm obviously praying towards God, and the same with when you're reading the Qur'an, because it is the word of God that's been passed down all the way from the time of the prophet. It's a symbol of me showing respect, but I don't feel like I need to wear it all the time to show that, it's only in those specific circumstances.

Athena    What I would tell a Muslim woman who chooses not to wear the hijab, is that ideally we should try and wear the hijab, but her prayer may be better than mine, her character may be better than mine. So we are told not to judge other Muslim women.

Ilhan        When it comes to prayer. Men and women are separated as a way of making sure that your focus is on the prayer, rather than looking around at who's in the room.

Athena    For example, for having a wedding, we're told to have it so that men and women don't mix because we believe that they might have lustful thoughts about one another.

Ilhan        Because I'm Somali, we like to wear these kind of, like, dresses, that are actually quite see through. It's okay that they're see through, because it's just women in the room, so it just makes it more fun.

Ambar     I know a lot of Muslims think that splitting off men and women is something that should happen, but I don't agree with that at all. And I think that the emphasis that some Muslims give within the community on not being attracted to the other sex or not being attracted to the same sex, even. It can be so dangerous for young Muslims who are going through this period in their life, and they have questions about themselves, about their body, about their sexuality. Young Muslims need to be able to talk about it without feeling that they're doing something wrong, because it's not. It's quite normal.

Ilhan        A lot of people assume that it's only Muslim women who have to observe hijab. The Qur'an actually addresses the men's hijab, before the women's hijab. Men are encouraged to cover their awrah, which is from their belly button to just below their knees. Even though the Quran does talk about men and women's hijab, a lot of pressure is put on the girls to make sure that they're covering up properly.

Ambar     Some Muslim men, the way that they're interpreting the Qur'an, they are purposefully cherry picking the passages that give rights to men and just ignore the rights of women. I think that is the main issue. Um, and until we actually tackle that, then it's going to remain an issue for a while.

Ilhan        Because I wear a headscarf, people can see that I'm Muslim. You do face some Islamophobia.

Ambar     The Qur'an was being revealed 1400 years ago in a time that was very different to us. Women were told to cover up those parts of their body, to protect them from the kinds of things that were going on at the time. And I think given the current society with what's going on, there are Muslim women who are being identified as wearing the hijab, wearing the niqab, and they're being attacked because of it. So as a form of garment that was initially introduced to protect them, it's now actually having the opposite effect.

Ilhan        My grandma's always being like, be careful, there's people out there that don't like Muslims. Imagine your grandmother having to tell you to be careful, because there are people who don't like you specifically because of what you choose to believe. It's like very specific to you as a person and you and your beliefs. And so, yeah.

Athena    I do have a YouTube channel. Hateful comments always come with YouTube and so do positive ones. Some girls told me that I have to cover my eyes, or that I'm drawing too much attention to myself by being online in the first place. So, for them, Muslim women shouldn't be online. They should be hidden, they should be at home. And then you get the other spectrum. Why are you covering your face? Why are you covering your hair? Especially as women, we always get people telling us what to wear, how to dress. You have to learn to be confident in who you are as a person.

Ambar     I think some of the things that people get wrong about Muslim women specifically is that we're oppressed.

Athena    Whatever form of hijab you choose to wear is oppressive.

Ilhan        To me, what I see as more oppressive is people trying to, like, plant ideas into my mind that I must feel uncomfortable, but really, it's them feeling uncomfortable.

Athena    I don't get pressure from my family. I don't get pressure from my husband. For me, my main thing that empowers me is my religion and being able to practice my religion freely.

Ambar     Women have Quranic rights that are drawn out in the Qur'an, and whether or not people pay attention to that is one thing, but nonetheless they are there.

Athena    Before Islam came, girls were being buried alive, they were either sold off or married off to people that they didn't know.

Ilhan        After Islam came about, women started to have the rights to education,

Ambar     the right to marry, to choose who they could marry. They had the right to divorce.

Athena    Having a voice,

Ilhan        the right to inheritance, and the right to ownership of property.

Ambar     It was a liberating religion.

Ilhan        One of the women that I find really inspiring is Khadija, who was the Prophet Muhammad's first wife.

Athena    Khadija was a businesswoman.

Ambar     She was the one who bankrolled the religion, essentially.

Ilhan        She even asked for the prophet's hand in marriage.

Ambar     And she was also the first person to actually believe him when he was saying that he was getting these verses from God.

Athena    The great women of Islam, they give us an example of how we should be.

Ambar     What I want people to understand about women in Islam is that, hmm, that's a tricky one.

Ilhan        Even though the hijab does hold great importance, it is just a piece of fabric. It is just a cloth that is around my head.

Ambar     You are from a different background, different culture, and, but that doesn't mean you're an alien.

Ilhan        If you are able to see us as normal people, who live our lives and are struggling just as much as everyone else, I think that would be great.

Hijab & Me

Video length - 09.29
Published date - Sep 2019
Keystage(s) - 3 and 4

The View from the Classroom – Abortion – What is an abortion? What does the law say about abortion? What are your opinions about it? Students from Key Stages 4 and 5 in schools all around the country give us the view from the classroom.

Advice about pregnancy and abortion can be found at the following sites:

Childline

Brook

Marie Stopes

NUPAS (National Unplanned Pregnancy Advisory Service)

TrueTube films are designed for use in a number of ways. Some ideas of where this film could link to your curriculum are below:

 

AQA

Component 2: Thematic studies:Theme B: Religion & Human Life - The origins and value of human life - Religious teachings, beliefs and attitudes about abortion, including situations when the mother’s life is at risk.

 

Edexcel

Area of Study 1 - Section 4: Matters of Life and Death - Implications of the religious teachings about the value and sanctity of life for the issue of abortion.

 

OCR

Religion, philosophy and ethics in the modern world:Freedom of expression • Freedom of practice • Equality in society • The value of human life •Self-determination - Potential clashes between religious teachings and scientific development in medical ethics, including: • abortion

 

WJEC

PART B -Theme 1: Issues of Life and Death - The origin and value of human life

 

Eduqas

Component 1 (Route A):Religious, Philosophical and Ethical Studies in the Modern World: Theme 2: Issues of Life and Death: The origin and value of human life.

The View from the Classroom – Abortion

An abortion is a removal of a foetus.

A foetus is a developing unborn child.

So the law says about abortion that you have to have two doctors approval.

An abortion is only legal up to 24 weeks.

Personally, I believe it should be more like 5 to 10 weeks because, sort of at 24 weeks, the child's already started to properly develop into a person.

If a pregnancy is 40 weeks and then 24 weeks is just a bit over halfway, then a baby who's after that point will have developed most of the way and could be seen as a person.

I think it should be lengthened a bit because it's a really big decision. It's life changing and to me, 24 weeks in the grand scheme of things is nothing. So I think it should be lengthened to give people more time to think about what they really, really want and to consider different options.

But if it was longer, it might be more difficult for the person who is having the baby and it could hurt them more. The operation and stuff could be more difficult to do.

Well, at the core of it, just deciding that I don't want the child is essentially murder in a sense of that, you just deciding that you want to end the life of this child because it'd be an inconvenience to you.

I don't think abortion is murder as such. It's more like the baby hasn't been born, so if it can't survive out of the mother's womb, then you can't really be murdered, can it? Because the baby would die. Like anyway.

If you define as being life, I suppose you'd have to consider it being the same as a full a fully grown human. So I don't go as far as say it's murder, but it's, to me, you'd have to consider it to be the same thing.

I don't see it as killing personally, because it hasn't lived, it's not, it won't remember because the memory isn't developed then. So no, I don't see it as killing.

Well, but in the pregnancy, the baby is moving and you can kick and stuff, so it kind of is alive.

Is a foetus in the womb, a living thing, or is it, does it become alive when it's born?

Personally, I believe life starts when a baby is born.

I think life begins when, like the child is born, when it comes into the world.

That's when you can see the the child, hold the child, and then you can realise that that child is yours and then has its own rights.

I think really the life starts after you're born.

I think life begins when you have a heartbeat. Just because you're not born yet doesn't mean that you're not alive.

I think that life begins when, if, when the baby can survive without the mother's help, so it could, it could be born early and it could be like, maybe put in, like an incubator and it could survive.

I definitely don't think life starts right at conception where the sperm meets the egg. I think it's probably when the baby becomes self-aware and starts sucking its thumb.

If it can kick, that means it's alive.

To me, when that sperm touches the egg that is a baby, to me, that is a life to me already. Like, I believe in, like the body and the soul as two separate things, so that is a soul in there already, to me.

I believe life begins when the sperm meets the egg.

Even though it's not really breathing and everything on its own. It's still alive and it's still growing. And that's the living thing.

I think it's still life because you're still being created. You're in the process of becoming someone.

What makes the difference between a minute before it's born and a minute after it's born?

I would think a religious person would say that it's, it's a God's choice who's born and who's not. So, I can't just change God's decision.

Catholics believe sex is for procreation, and if you are to have sex, then you should allow whatever the outcome is. And have an abortion means that you're stopping, like, God's way.

Playing God is like someone does something and, like, it's like they're doing something that's not natural.

To me life comes from God, and he puts people on the Earth for reasons, to help other people, to make the world a better place.

We shouldn't get the choice to choose who lives and who dies, because ultimately it isn't up to us.

It's linked in with the sanctity of life. In essence, that life is so precious to us.

God created children like babies for a reason, and he created everyone for a reason.

What I believe is that life has a meaning behind it.

When we were growing up, we were taught that God is the one that gives us life, and God is the one that takes away life.

Islam thinks that abortions are murder most of the time. However, if it's for the greater good, for example, if the mother was to be ill, if she had the child, then it's allowed to have an abortion.

Usually Sikhs are pro-life and they would say to, go to not, um, abort.

Pro-Life is when someone believes that the woman should not have the choice to have an abortion because-

the foetus has the right to live.

Pro-Choice is when you think that a woman should have a decision in whether she has a child or not.

Abortion shouldn't be used as a form of contraception because there's already a living life form, whereas contraception is used to prevent a living life form from being created.

I feel like if you don't want to get pregnant, then try not to get pregnant. Don't just be like, oh, I'll have an abortion.

If a teenager or someone in a relationship get pregnant unplanned and they abort it, it's bad because they should have planned ahead instead of killing the, like, baby that's not even been born yet.

I think, like, abortion shouldn't be allowed. If you can't take care of your baby, then you should put them up for adoption.

I think it's a bit selfish for you to decide that you're going to abort a child just because you don't want it.

I think it's fundamentally wrong because it is killing a new life, and I don't think, I don't think that's okay, except in some cases you need to.

Such as in the cases of, um, incest, rape, or in the case of when the child will be born, it will either result in the death of the mother or the child.

I think it depends on the situation. Like if the, like, mother was too young or wasn't healthy to give birth, then it should be allowed to have an abortion.

I think that a woman should have the right to decide whether she wants to abort.

I think that abortion should be totally the woman's choice, because it's her that's going to have to carry it, her that is going to have to actually give birth to it.

I think most of the time, yeah, it should be the woman's choice because she's the one giving up her body and she's the one going through all these changes. And although a man might say that they can understand it, they really can't, and even other women can't understand it until they've been through it themselves.

I don't think anyone should be able to stop someone from doing it, because it's their decision and it's their body.

You shouldn't choose if other people should have an abortion. If you're against it, don't abort your own children. Simple as that.

The View from the Classroom – Abortion

Video length - 07.07
Published date - Sep 2019
Keystage(s) - 3 and 4
Downloadable resources

The View from the Classroom – Euthanasia – What is euthanasia, and what do you think about it? Students from Key Stages 4 and 5 in schools all around the country give us the view from the classroom.

TrueTube films are designed for use in a number of ways. Some ideas of where this film could link to your curriculum are below:

 

AQA

Component 2: Thematic studies:Theme B: Religion and life:The origins and value of human life -Religious teachings, beliefs and attitudes about euthanasia. Religious teachings, beliefs and attitudes about euthanasia.

 

Edexcel

Area of Study 1 - Beliefs in action– Religion and Ethics- Matters of Life and Death - Implications of religious teachings about the value and sanctity of life for the issue of euthanasia.

 

OCR

Religion, philosophy and ethics in the modern world:Freedom of expression • Freedom of practice • Equality in society • The value of human life •Self-determination - Potential clashes between religious teachings and scientific development in medical ethics, including: • Abortion

 

WJEC

PART B -Theme 1: Issues of Life and Death --The origin and value of human life

 

Eduqas

Component 1 (Route A):Religious, Philosophical and Ethical Studies in the Modern World: Theme 2: Issues of Life and Death: The origin and value of human life. Theme 3: Life and Death:Death and the afterlife.

The View from the Classroom – Euthanasia

Euthanasia is ending your life because you have an illness or a medical condition which you do not want to live with.

Euthanasia means assisted suicide. Um, when times are tough, maybe when the quality of life isn't great.

I know it's used a lot in vets. When an animal is in a lot of pain, or simply just won't live for long, rather than prolonging the pain, they'll just injection and done.

A terminal disease is when you're going to die from it in the end anyways.

Someone who's terminally ill might want euthanasia, because they won't get better, so they see it as, I can't do these things that I would like to do, and it's too much pain to live, so they choose to die instead.

Active euthanasia is where someone has used something to help a certain patient die. So for instance, a lethal injection would be active euthanasia.

In England it's not legal, I know that. Usually most people go to Switzerland.

And then passive is where-

people are allowed to die. So maybe switching off the life support machine, um, when they're suffering or very ill, they're not going to recover.

Voluntary euthanasia is where you know what's going to happen to you and you say that you want this happening.

And non-voluntary euthanasia is where another person made the decision for them, for them to die. So, for instance, a doctor or family member.

I don't really agree with it, because I think that you shouldn't end your life just because of like maybe if you're paralysed then you could still live maybe 40 years.

Quality of life is when you have a good life and you feel like you can do the things you want to do and capable of doing those things.

If the quality of life isn't good, I'd want them to have, um, you know, a nice ending to their life. Instead of being in pain, suffering.

Dying with dignity, is like, they want to go to euthanasia because they want to die before they get to a stage where they're no longer able to do things themselves, and they have to have other people to do it for them. So say, if you couldn't even, like, wash yourself and stuff like that, maybe that's classified as not being dignified.

Some people, they can't walk, some people can't do normal, everyday things that people take for granted.

If you have your family support and it's not, you're not undignified, are you? Because they're just looking out for you and helping you come through, like, your illness.

I think euthanasia should be allowed because it's their life, so they should be able to choose when they die.

I think that you're kind of wasting your life just because you want to end it, because it's too hard. But I think there's a lot of things that, like you could, that could help that, there's like groups that you go to. I think that going to euthanasia is kind of just taking the easy option.

I believe in the sanctity of life.

Sanctity of life is like how some Christians and Muslims believe God gave you that life, and only he has the right to take it away.

I think God gave us life, and we are not the ones that should be taking away our own lives.

In the Quran it says that you shouldn't. Only God has a decision to take a life and I'm not God.

This is where I will say I'm not a true Buddhist because when it comes to my religion, killing is very bad and especially when you kill yourself, that is the worst thing you could possibly do. But personally I believe it is your choice.

I think that people should let God decide when they die. He created us, that means he's gonna decide when he ends our life, because if you've been good all your life, Christians believe that you will go to heaven. Um, but if you decide to commit suicide or get assisted suicide you're gonna go to hell.

Euthanasia shouldn't be allowed, because, I'm a religious man, in the law of God, like you are still taking your own life, so it's classed as murder. So if you was to commit euthanasia, you wouldn't really have much to look forward to, because that's probably the biggest sin.

Well, it's not full out murder because they want to die and they're not living the life that they want to live.

If a cure was found after a person had had euthanasia, it wouldn't be so great because the family would be in more grief. They'd be thinking that the person would still be there with them when they've wasted their life. So that wouldn't be great in my opinion, that would be one of the negatives to euthanasia.

I think euthanasia should be allowed, but it should definitely be be their choice.

It's going to be checked by psychologists and people who know about that. So it's going to go through a series of tests to know if the person is mentally well for that. So it's not going to just be a spur of the moment thing.

If they're not mentally stable, then the choice should be going to their closest family member.

It should be taken with caution because it might just be a split second decision. So I think one day you apply for euthanasia and in a month they ask you again, if you still want to end it, then you should be allowed to have that choice. But of course, multiple doctors should confirm that you are definitely going to die. There's no way around it.

I think that there's other alternatives to euthanasia, like hospices, because they, um, you can go there for like end of life treatments. That could be a lot easier on the family as well, because at least then they've got time to take in what's going to happen. And they know that eventually the family member is going to die, but then they're dying in a nice way and not just ending it by killing themselves.

Well, I think a hospice is is a really good thing, because if you're have a terminally terminal illness and you're going to die anyway, you want to be around people, or you might want to be around people, who know what you're going through, and who understand you and are doing the best that they can to try and make your death, I guess, as smooth as possible and as comfortable as possible. And they're just trying to do what is best for you.

The View from the Classroom – Euthanasia

Video length - 06.18
Published date - Sep 2019
Keystage(s) - 3 and 4
Downloadable resources

A Day in the Life of a Buddhist Monk – Say hello to Manapo. He’s a Buddhist Monk, and TrueTube followed him around with a camera to find out what he does all day.

TrueTube films are designed for use in a number of ways. Some ideas of where this film could link to your curriculum are below:

AQA 

Component 1: The study of religions - beliefs, teaching and practices: Buddhism - Human destiny - A ‘perfected person’ (Arhat) and Bodhisattva ideals, Buddhahood and the Pure Land. Buddhahood and the Pure Land - Buddhahood and its relation to Pure Land Buddhism. Meditation, the different aims, significance and methods of meditation - The visualisation of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.

Edexcel 

Area of Study 1 – Buddhism - Section 3: Living the Buddhist Life - Meditation: the nature, purpose and significance of meditation in Buddhism; the different types of meditation: samatha (concentration), metta bhavana (loving kindness) and vipassana (insight); meditative practices, including mindfulness breathing and zazen, divergent understanding of the nature and importance of visualisation of the Buddha and Bodhisattvas, including Amitāyus Meditation Sutra; how the different practices are used by Mahayana and Theravada Buddhists and the benefits from their use. Chanting: the nature, purpose and role of chanting in Buddhism as a devotional practice and to gain mental concentration, including Dhammapada 1–2, confidence and joy; the divergent understandings of the importance of chanting in Buddhist life today with reference to Theravada Buddhism, including Tiratana: Dhammapada 190, and Mahayana Buddhism, including Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. Mantra recitation: divergent understandings of the nature, purpose, role and importance of mantra recitation with reference to Theravada Buddhism, including Namo Buddhaya (‘Homage to the Buddha’), and Mahayana Buddhism; the nature and purpose of using sacred syllables, devotional articles, offerings and mala beads and why they are used in different schools of Buddhism.

OCR 

Component Group 1 -Buddhism-Beliefs and teachings & Practices - Buddha and Enlightenment • The life of Buddha •• The early life of Buddha •• The Four Sights •• Defeat of Mara •• Enlightenment •• Nibbana • Issues related to the life of Buddha, including the importance of Buddha for Buddhists in the modern world • Common and divergent emphases placed on the life of Buddha by different Buddhist groups •Different interpretations and emphases given to sources of wisdom and authority by different Buddhist groups

WJEC 

2.2 Unit 2 PART A - Christianity - Core beliefs, teachings and practices Beliefs –Practices - Special Places  Significance of a place of worship (Hebrews 10:24-25; Matthew 18:20)  Purpose of pilgrimage, places, activities, experiences in Wales and elsewhere e.g. Holy Land, St. David’s, Bardsey Island, St. Non's Well

Eduqas

Component 3 (Route A) - Option 1: Buddhism - Practices -Buddhist places of worship in Britain and elsewhere ➢ The importance of features and functions of temples and viharas; statues, shrines, stupa and meditation area. Mahayana and Theravada Buddhist temples in Britain compared to those in countries where Buddhism is widely practised. ➢ Offerings: food, light, flowers, incense, offerings of food to monks (dana)

A Day in the Life of a Buddhist Monk

Manapo  My name is Manapo, Manapo Bhikkhu, and I am a Buddhist monk.

Manapo  A bhikkhu is a fully ordained Buddhist monk. The word literally means one who depends on alms, not these kinds of arms, but alms as in gifts of food. A typical day will begin at 5:30, so a bell, big bell will be rung at 5:30, and then hopefully everybody gets up, and then at 6 a.m., there is what we call morning puja, and that is an hour of chanting followed by meditation.

Manapo  (monks carrying out puja)

Manapo  Buddhist meditation is a combination of samatha and vipassana. Samatha means calming, stilling the mind, making it peaceful and most importantly, clear. Vipassana means insight and this is the goal of Buddhism, so we are developing a concentrated mind that is able to see things clearly and then let go.

Manapo  Then at 7:30, we have chores and these go on for an hour. An important part of the monastic discipline is looking after the place in which you live. You would usually find monasteries to be very clean and well kept places. Then at about 8:30, I will have a period of personal time.

Manapo  Enlightenment is when we fully understand the Four Noble Truths. The first noble truth is that this ordinary life of ours involves suffering. The second noble truth is that our suffering is caused by our craving and our desires. The third noble truth is that this suffering can be ended by letting go of craving. And the fourth noble truth is the Noble Eightfold Path, the Buddha's teachings which lead to the ending of suffering.

Manapo  Then at 11, we eat our one meal of the day and we have to eat that before 12, and that is a ceremony. So, we monks have to formally receive the food so we don't just go and help ourselves. It's all given to us. I've been a Buddhist monk for almost 17 years and I haven't had any money during that time, not even a penny. So that means that we are completely dependent upon the generosity of others. As a monk, being dependent on what people give to me, I am grateful for whatever food is offered. However, I choose to be a vegetarian. A central teaching in Buddhism is, is compassion, wishing all living beings to be free of suffering. In the process of producing meat, there is obviously an enormous amount of suffering in the animal world, and so we want to help animals by stopping eating meat.

Manapo  As a Buddhist monk, I don't have many possessions. There are eight basic requisites which we are supposed to have, which includes three robes, there is the alms bowl, there is a water filter, a razor, a belt, and the needle and thread. Buddhist monks robes are usually yellow or orange or brown, and in ancient India, yellow was the colour of renunciation. The word renunciation means to leave behind, so when we wear this, this yellow robe, it's the same colour as a leaf that's about to fall from a tree. It signifies that we have left behind the so-called ordinary life, the rat race. So we leave behind our money, our wealth, our family and an and relationships. We also leave behind our hair and our normal clothes. I shave my head for the same reason that I wear the robe, so it's another symbol of renunciation. Hair is often closely connected with vanity. People spend an awful lot of time on their hair and their appearance by shaving off our hair. We're saying that physical appearance and beauty are not important when it comes to the pursuit of of real happiness.

Manapo  On the day that I became a novice monk, I was given the name Manapo. Manapo is a Pali word, so Pali is the, the language of the ancient Buddhist texts. It means, the likeable one, so whether my teacher found me likeable or whether it's something I need to work on, I'm not quite sure.

Manapo  During the late afternoon. We have time to ourselves and it will be similar to the morning period, so walking meditation, sitting meditation, perhaps some private study, reading of Buddhist texts. Walking meditation is very similar to sitting meditation in that we focus on just one thing. So we we have a number of paths, a number of walking paths around the monastery, and they're just straight paths, and we walk back and forth and as we walk, we focus very carefully on the soles of our feet touching the ground.

Manapo  As a bhikkhu, I am not married, I don't have a girlfriend or a partner, and I am not allowed to get married.

Manapo  So at 8 p.m. we have evening puja, which is more or less the same as morning puja, but the chanting is a little bit different.

Manapo  (monks chanting)

Manapo  After evening puja, we have personal time again, and then I go to bed, usually between 11 and 12. So as a monk, I don't get as much sleep as most people. I do get more than what the Buddha actually recommended, he recommended four hours. And the reason why we don't need to sleep as much is because meditation practice, in part fulfils the function of of sleeping and dreaming, because it can be a very restful activity. The thing I find most rewarding about being a bhikkhu is that it gives my life a purpose. One of the most difficult things I've found about life before, was the sense that it had no purpose. I realised that I'd been born, I was going to live a bit and then I was going to die. What's the point in that? But as a monk, I've given my life a purpose, and that purpose is to reach enlightenment, which means to free my mind from all greed, hatred and delusion. I might be some way off, but at least I have a purpose.

A Day in the Life of a Buddhist Monk

Video length - 08.46
Published date - Sep 2017
Keystage(s) - 3
Downloadable resources

To Life – Tanwen’s father Gareth died when she was 19 years old. He was suffering from Motor Neurone Disease which was gradually taking away his ability to move, to speak, to swallow. And yet he remained positive until the end, and sincerely wanted Tanwen to continue enjoying life to the full. Tanwen talks about how her father died and how she dealt – and still deals – with her grief. He died before his time, but Tanwen now feels that it was the best thing that could have happened – that he died while he still had his dignity.

A film by Adam Tyler.

Nominated in the Factual category of the BAFTA Children’s Awards 2017.

To Life

Video length - 08.38
Published date - Jun 2017
Keystage(s) - 3, 4 and 5
Downloadable resources

Church History in Ten Minutes – How do we get from Jesus to the great big church – all the great big churches – we have today? Well, it’s a long and complicated story, involving emperors, crusaders, popes, castration and a lot of arguments. Here it all is in just ten minutes, so hold on tight.

TrueTube films are designed for use in a number of ways. Some ideas of where this film could link to your curriculum are below:

AQA 

Component 1: The study of religions: beliefs, teaching and practices - Christianity - Introduction /pre-work

Edexcel 

Not required for exam board

OCR 

Not required for exam board

WJEC 

PART B -Theme 1: Issues of Life and Death -Beliefs about death and the afterlife – Christianity-  Christian beliefs and teachings about life after death, including soul, judgement, heaven and hell: John 11:24-27, 1 Corinthians 15: 42-44  Diverse Christian beliefs about the after-life: Heaven, Hell, Resurrection, Purgatory  How Christian funerals reflect beliefs about the after-life  Humanist funerals in Wales as reflections of beliefs about death as the end of life

Eduqas

Component 2 (Route A) Study of Christianity - Practices - Christianity in Britain and the Church in the local community - The role of the Church in the local community; a place of worship, social and community functions

Church History in Ten Minutes

Right, so what you need to know is how we get from Jesus here, to the great big church, all the great big churches we have today. No problem.

So Jesus Christ, in parables, miracles, love your enemies, death and resurrection amazing. He had lots of followers or disciples, but these 12 guys were specially chosen by Jesus and he made Peter their leader. When Jesus went up to heaven this lot, well, one was replaced, another story. This lot continued to spread Jesus' teaching, but not everyone was happy about it. The Romans, for a start, who had already crucified Jesus and felt that should have been an end to it. And the Jewish authorities employed people like Saul here to stamp out the new religion. But then Saul had a vision and heard Jesus. Why are you giving me a hard time? What's your problem? So Saul changed his name to Paul and spent the rest of his life spreading the new religion instead. Paul and Peter and the rest of the 12 are known as the apostles, which is Greek for messengers. The people who believed the apostle's message began to meet together, and someone in Antioch came up with a nickname for them, Christians, because they followed Christ. Paul and Peter and a few others wrote letters to these groups of Christians called churches, and you can read some of them in the Bible.

Around about now, the first book about Jesus' life was written. It's called Mark, and you can read that in the Bible, too. In the following 50 years or so, the books of Matthew, Luke, and John appeared, all with a slightly different take on Jesus' life. Most Christians believe that Peter became the very first Bishop of Rome, a dangerous place to be. Fire destroyed most of the city, and rumours spread that the Emperor Nero had started it to clear the land for a massive palace. He needed someone else to blame, so he picked on the Christians. No one liked Christians. Everyone thought they were superstitious because they didn't follow the Roman religion or even the Jewish one. They were probably criminals because their leader, Jesus, had been executed and they were cannibals because they ate bodies and drank blood. They didn't, it was the bread and wine of the Lord's Supper, of course. All a misunderstanding, but the upshot was that thousands of Christians were persecuted and killed. Nero used them as human candles, and many more met gory deaths in the circus. Not that kind of circus, that kind of circus! Peter and Paul were probably executed around now, the story goes that Peter was crucified upside down and Paul was beheaded. The other apostles were all killed too, apart from John, who was the only one to die of old age.

But Christianity continued to grow. The churches were run by bishops, and the first ones, along with other Christian thinkers of the time, are known as the Church Fathers. Most of them were killed as well. Right from the start, Christians argued about what to believe and how to behave. One of the Church fathers, a man called Origen, even castrated himself because he wanted to live a pure life, but it didn't catch on. In Britain, Christianity probably arrived with Roman converts trying to escape the persecution, some hope. One of the first British Christians we know about, a man called Alban, was beheaded, for being a Christian. Then a general in the Roman army, called Constantine, became emperor, and he'd recently converted to Christianity, or so he said. His story was that he'd had a vision of a Christian symbol called the Chi Rho, the first two letters of Christ in Greek. He heard the words by this sign conquer, so he got his soldiers to paint it on their shields, beat anyone who fancied a fight, and became emperor. But his conversion might have been a crafty political move, Constantine wanted everyone to work together, but the Roman religion got in the way because different people worshipped different gods. He saw Christianity, a religion in which everyone worshipped the same god, as a good way to unite the empire. Little did he know how things would turn out.

Constantine passed a law that allowed Christians freedom to worship without persecution. This meant that the bishops could get together to decide exactly what they all believed. They drew up the first draft of the Nicene Creed, a statement of their beliefs that churches still use today. This big bishop-y get together was called an ecumenical council, and there were seven in all because the arguments went on and on, mainly about Jesus. Some people believed he was just a man. Some people believed he was God and had disguised himself as a man. Some people believed he was two beings, God and man in one body. The councils eventually decided that Jesus was totally God and totally man at the same time.

Christianity was made the Roman Empire's official religion by the Emperor Theodosius, who also split the empire in two, and despite the bishops efforts to keep everyone together, the church was beginning to split up as well. The Nestorians left at the Council of Ephesus because they believed that Jesus was just a man, and God's Spirit had come to live inside him. More people, known today as the Oriental Orthodox Churches, left at the Council of Chalcedon. They didn't like the Council's description of Jesus, of one substance with the father, and at the same time of one substance with man, because they thought it sounded too much like what the Nestorians had said. They also didn't like how powerful the Bishop of Rome was becoming.

For a long time now, the Bishop of Rome, also called the Pope, had been gaining power partly because he'd inherited the authority of the Apostle Peter, but mainly because those guys in Rome were really good at organising everyone. The Western church and the Eastern Church was slowly drifting apart. They just didn't talk anymore. Most people in the West spoke Latin. Most people in the East spoke Greek, and the East didn't like having to do what the Pope said all the time. And then the West added some words to the Nicene Creed without asking the East. They were living separate lives. For a while, the Eastern Church was more powerful than the West, which had to cope with marauding vandals, the fall of the Roman Empire and the Dark Ages. By the time the West had sorted itself out, the East had challenges of its own, as a new religion called Islam spread out from Arabia. In the West, Charlemagne was now ruling well, most of it, he gave himself the title Holy Roman Emperor and got the Pope to crown him. This gave the Pope even more power, because from now on you couldn't be emperor unless the Pope said so.

Finally it happened. The Great Schism. The church split in two. The Eastern Orthodox Church in the East, obviously, and the Roman Catholic Church in the West. The Roman Catholic Church became more and more powerful, while the Eastern Orthodox Church began to feel more and more squeezed out by the rise of Islam. This is where the Crusades come in. The Pope sent thousands of soldiers to the East to claim Jerusalem for Christianity, but the so-called Crusaders left a trail of destruction across Europe, before they got anywhere near a battlefield. The Muslim leaders fought back, and over the next 150 years, there were six more big crusades while the two sides struggled for control of the Holy Land. Eventually, the Crusaders gave up and went home. But the fact that the Pope now had the power to send soldiers to war shows that something, somewhere had gone very wrong. Even your local priests were getting too big for their boots. Church services were in Latin and the Bible had been translated into Latin. But by now only educated people, like priests, could understand Latin. So everyone else had to trust that what they said, the Bible said was what the Bible really said. Some priests had seen an opportunity here and had started to charge people to forgive their sins, placing themselves firmly between God and everyone else like holy bouncers.

A professor at Oxford University called John Wycliffe argued that it was time for the church to clean up its act to be reformed. He translated the Bible into English so that everyone could read it for themselves and make up their own minds. It didn't go down well with those in charge and his Bibles were burnt. It took a long time for an actual reformation to kick off, but eventually a German priest called Martin Luther wrote a list of 95 theses, things he thought were wrong with the church, and nailed them to the door of an actual church in Wittenberg. The Pope sacked him, which Luther didn't mind because priests couldn't get married, and if he wasn't a priest anymore. A group of nuns had written him some fan mail, so he smuggled them out of their convent in herring barrels and married one of them, after she'd had a long bath. The people who protested against the church and its teachings became known as Protestants. Other big names included John Calvin in France and Ulrich Zwingli in Switzerland, but they argued forever about what to believe instead. So, very soon there were different groups of Protestants protesting. England remained officially Roman Catholic, and it was dangerous to be anything else. William Tyndale made himself so unpopular with his Protestant ideas that he had to leave the country. He translated the New Testament into English, and copies were smuggled back home to help Protestant feelings grow.

Then King Henry the Eighth decided to marry Anne Boleyn, but he was already married to Catherine of Aragon. Divorce was out of the question back then, so Henry asked the Pope to annul his marriage instead, which would mean that the marriage had never been a real marriage in the first place. The pope said no, but Henry had met a friendly English priest called Thomas Cranmer and made him Archbishop of Canterbury, so Thomas was more than happy to annul Henry's marriage to Catherine and marry him off to Anne. The Pope was very cross, so Henry left the Roman Catholic Church and made himself head of a new Church of England. The Roman Catholics realised they had to do something before everyone became a Protestant, and so the Counter-Reformation began.

Catholic bishops got together for the Council of Trent, where they decided to keep their traditions, but made rules to stop priests conning people out of their hard earned cash. The Church of England was still very like the Roman Catholic Church, just without the Pope. But when Henry died, his nine year old son became King Edward the Sixth, and he allowed Thomas Cranmer to make the Church of England more Protestant. Cranmer wrote a list of 39 articles which spelt out what the church stood for and stands for today, and wrote the Book of Common Prayer, which some churches still use.

But the fiercely Roman Catholic Queen Mary the First, reunited England with the Pope and had lots of Protestants burnt at the stake, including our friend Thomas Cranmer, earning herself the nickname Bloody Mary. Then Mary died. Elizabeth the first became queen, and she made England Protestant again. Next came James the First, who was the first monarch of England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland. He was a big fan of Protestantism, and even published his own translation of the Bible. As European empires spread throughout the world, so did Christianity, and churches sent out missionaries to convert people in those hard to reach places. The Protestants continued to, well, protest, and there have been various offshoots over the years, from churches like the Quakers and Methodists, who have fairly mainstream beliefs, to groups like the latter day Saints of Jesus Christ, known as Mormons and the Jehovah's Witnesses, who have more distinct beliefs of their own.

In 1962, the Roman Catholic Church held a council known as the Second Vatican Council or Vatican Two, which brought in some big changes. Church services, which had always been in Latin, were now to be in the language of the people. And so we continue to the present day, with churches of all different kinds all over the place, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Oriental Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and ever increasing numbers of Protestant churches, Lutherans, Calvinists, the Church of England, Methodists, Quakers, Baptists.

You have to wonder what Jesus would say about it all.

Church History in Ten Minutes

Video length - 10.26
Published date - May 2017
Keystage(s) - 3 and 4
Downloadable resources

Shia // Sunni – What are the differences between Shia and Sunni Muslims? When Fatimah (a Shia Muslim) stops to help Abubakr (a Sunni Muslim) recover from his asthma attack, they get talking. Then the argument begins.

TrueTube films are designed for use in a number of ways. Some ideas of where this film could link to your curriculum are below:

 

AQA

Component 1: The study of religions: beliefs, teaching and practices –Key beliefs - Islam - Sunni and Shi’a core beliefs - The six articles of faith in Sunni Islam and five roots of Usul ad-Din in Shi’a Islam, including key similarities and differences.

 

Edexcel

Section 1: Muslim Beliefs - Islam -The six Beliefs of Islam: their nature, history and purpose including Kitab al-iman 1: 4; how they are understood and expressed in Sunni and Shi’a Muslim
communities today; the importance of these principles for Muslims.

 

OCR

Component Group 1 - Islam - The importance of practices • Islam as a way of life, lived in total submission to Allah • The importance of the Five Pillars of Islam to Sunni Muslims • The meaning of the Five Pillars: •• Shahadah: sincerely reciting the Muslim profession of faith •• Salat: performing ritual prayers in the proper way five times each day •• Zakat/Zakah: paying an alms (or charity) tax to be nefit the poor and the needy •• Sawm: fasting during the month of Ramadan •• Hajj: pilgrimage to Mecca • The analogy of the house and pillars • The importance of the Ten Obligatory Acts to Shi’a Muslims • The meaning of the Ten Obligatory Acts: •• Salat Prayer •• Sawm: Fast •• Zakat/Zakah: similar to Sunni Islam, it applies to money •• Khums: an annual taxation of one-fifth of gains in a year •• Hajj: Pilgrimage •• Jihad: Struggle •• Amr-bil-Maroof: commanding what is good •• Nahi Anil: Munkar forbid what is evil •• Tawalla: expressing love towards good •• Tabarra: expressing disassociation from evil

 

Eduqas

Component 1 (Route A) Religious, Philosophical and Ethical Studies in the Modern World - Theme 2: Issues of Life and Death - Beliefs about death and the afterlife - Diversity of views between Shi’a and Sunni Muslims regarding worship at graves. Theme 1: Issues of Relationships -Relationships - Diversity of beliefs between Shi’a and Sunni Muslims regarding temporary unannounced marriage Component 3 (Route A) Option 3: Islam -Beliefs and teachings - Angels (Malaikah) ➢ The significance of angels in Islam: Qur’an 2:97-98,Qur’an 2:285 ➢ Diversity in belief between Shi’a and Sunni Muslims regarding angels and free will

 

Shia // Sunni

Fatimah   You need to sit up straight.

Abubakr  Salaam alaikum.

Fatimah   Alaikum salaam.

Abubakr  Forgot mine. Thanks.

Fatimah   No problem.

Abubakr  Oh, sorry.

Abubakr  Are you on your way to the mosque.

Fatimah   Yeah. We're gonna be late.

Abubakr  Oh, yeah. Oh.

Fatimah   It's okay, just wait.

Abubakr  I don't know you. What's your name?

Fatimah   Fatimah. You?

Abubakr  Abubakr.

Fatimah   Oh.

Abubakr  Wait. Are you Shia? You're Shia, innit? I'll see you later.

Fatimah   What?

Abubakr  I'm only messing with you, man.

Fatimah   What's your problem?

Abubakr  No, no, there's no problem. Hey.

Fatimah   If you've got something to say, then, then say it.

Abubakr  No, I mean, well, it's like you've all got chips on your shoulders.

Fatimah   What?

Fatimah   No, it's a chip on your shoulder, and I haven't.

Abubakr  You have.

Fatimah   I haven't.

Abubakr  So why are you all up in my face then?

Fatimah   You're always making out you're better than us.

Abubakr  Who?

Fatimah   Sunnis. You're always making out that Sunnis are better than Shias.

Abubakr  That's because we are better than you.

Fatimah   We're all Muslim. Just because there's more of you doesn't mean you're more right.

Abubakr  Well..

Fatimah   We do everything you do. We believe the Qur'an is Allah's words, we believe in the same prophets, we eat Halal, we give to charity, we fast during Ramadan, we say the five prayers every day.

Abubakr  Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, that is just so wrong that I can't even begin to explain.

Fatimah   What?

Abubakr  First of all- Man, I don't even know where to begin. First of all, Shias only pray three times a day. That's just wrong.

Fatimah   No we don't.

Abubakr  Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam said that we should be praying five times a day.

Fatimah   We say the five prayers, we just pair them up. We do dhuhr and 'asr together in the middle of the day and maghrib and isha in the evening. Sunnis are allowed to do that too.

Abubakr  Yeah, but that's totally different.

Fatimah   How is that totally different?

Abubakr  Because we don't do that all the time. We only do it when we miss one. And you do that thing with a brick.

Fatimah   What brick?

Abubakr  You know, the brick, the brick. The brick that you pray on. When we pray, we put our heads to the floor. You put your heads on a brick.

Fatimah   It's not a brick, it's a-

Abubakr  What?

Fatimah   Okay. Okay. It's a brick. But it's because Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam prayed on the ground and not on a carpet.

Abubakr  Yeah, okay.

Fatimah   Other than that, we pray exactly the same.

Abubakr  No you don't. We cross our arms whilst we pray. You guys just put your hands by your sides.

Fatimah   Right? Apart from that.

Abubakr  You fast wrong in Ramadan.

Fatimah   We fast wrong?

Abubakr  Yeah. Why do you always start a day after us?

Fatimah   Why do you always start a day before us?

Abubakr  The month of Ramadan starts, yeah, when we see the new moon in the sky, so it should be the same for every single Muslim.

Fatimah   Sunnis don't all start on the same day, some of you start when Pakistan says so, some of you start when Saudi Arabia says so. We always start when Iran says so.

Abubakr  Yeah, but what about at sunset? You know, when you're allowed to eat, you lot just take it a little bit further. What are you trying to prove, that you can fast longer than us?

Fatimah   No. We just want to make sure the sun is definitely set. We don't want to cheat.

Abubakr  Cheat? So I'm a cheat now am I? Getting a little bit personal? Are we? Why? Because you're losing the argument.

Fatimah   Oh, you're such a man. Not everything has to be a competition.

Abubakr  Okay, sister, whatever you say, yeah.

Fatimah   Don't sister me. I'm not your sister. And we're not children. I told you my name, so use it.

Abubakr  Okay, sister.

Fatimah   Stop it. Stop picking on me.

Abubakr  I'm not picking on you. It's just a bit of banter. Don't be a martyr about it.

Fatimah   That's not funny.

Abubakr  What? Woah!

Fatimah   I'm so sorry. Are you okay?

Abubakr  Do I look okay?

Fatimah   Come on. Don't just stand there.

Abubakr  Okay, where were we?

Fatimah   What? You need to go get dry.

Abubakr  If I go now, you've won. I can't let you win by pushing me into the pond.

Fatimah   I saved your life. No. Before with the inhaler.

Abubakr  How did you clock me as a Sunni, anyway?

Fatimah   Your name?

Abubakr  Oh, yeah.

Fatimah   You wouldn't be Shia with that name.

Abubakr  Oh, you want to go there, do you? Abubakr, Muhammad's best friend. Right.

Fatimah   Well...

Abubakr  No, no, no, no, no, we're sorting this out. Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam was the last and greatest prophet of Allah, right?

Fatimah   Yeah.

Abubakr  Yes, so when he died, the first Muslims had to decide on a new leader, right?

Fatimah   Yeah. But they-

Abubakr  No, no, no, hear me out. You pushed me into the pond, yeah? Now hear what I got to say, the first Muslims had to decide on a new leader, and they had to choose somebody who was good at it, somebody who was there from the very start with Muhammad. Abubakr, who ended up becoming caliph, the successor.

S1            But that's not what Muhammad wanted. He said that Ali should be the new leader after he died. Ali, what?

Fatimah   But that's not what Muhammad wanted. He said that Ali should be the new leader after he died.

Abubakr  Ali.

Fatimah   What?

Abubakr  You lot are all so obsessed with Ali. Like he's important, yeah, but he's not that important. He's quite important. But he's not the most important. He's important yeah but-

Fatimah   What are you talking about?

Abubakr  You think he was a prophet? That's just wrong.

Fatimah   No we don't.

Abubakr  Yes, you do.

Fatimah   Don't tell me what I believe.

Abubakr  You add his name to the call to prayer. It should be (says call to prayer in Arabic). What do you say?

Fatimah   The same.

Abubakr  And

Fatimah   (speaks in Arabic)

Abubakr  Exactly. That's just wrong.

Fatimah   It's not. Wrong. It's just different. Ali wasn't a prophet, but he was married to Fatimah, Muhammad's daughter. He was a son in law and his cousin, his closest relative. That's why Mohammed chose him to be the new leader. Abubakr took over, while Ali and the rest of the family were still at the funeral.

S1            Wrong. It's just different. Ali wasn't a prophet, but he was married to Fatimah, Muhammad's daughter. He was a son in law and his cousin, his closest relative. That's why Mohammed chose him to be the new leader. Abu Bakr took over, while Ali and the rest of the family were still at the funeral.

Abubakr  You make it sound like it was some sort of conspiracy theory, like it was our plan to cut Ali out, Abubakr was chosen. Yeah, because he was the best man for the job, end of.

Fatimah   Ali should have been the new leader. Mohammed chose him, end of.

Abubakr  No, he didn't.

Fatimah   Yes, he did.

Abubakr  He didn't.

Fatimah   He did.

Abubakr  He didn't!

Fatimah   Did!

Abubakr  But, Ali got to be caliph later anyway. So, what's your problem?

Fatimah   You murdered Hussein.

Abubakr  Oh, I haven't murdered anyone.

Fatimah   Hussein? Ali's son, Muhammad Alaihi Wasallam's grandson. He was murdered at Gobela by Sunnis.

Abubakr  That had nothing to do with us. The guy who killed him wasn't even Muslim. But you guys won't ever let that go. And every year on the day that Hussein died, you do that wailing and that grieving, whipping your own backs, cutting yourselves with razors. That's just crazy, man.

Fatimah   We don't all do that. I don't do that. Does it look like I do that? That's just.

Abubakr  That's what I'm saying.

Fatimah   Yeah. What? I'm not disagreeing with you.

Abubakr  Oh.

Fatimah   Aren't you cold?

Abubakr  No.

Abubakr  My granddad says when he first came to the UK, Sunnis and Shias used to live on the same streets and go to the same mosques. You don't call it a mosque, though, do you? What do you call it again?

Fatimah   Imambara.

Abubakr  Even though you're wrong-

Fatimah   I'm not.

Abubakr  You are. This has been good, right? I haven't had a proper discussion like this, like, ever. Never got this at Koran school. Man, them days were long. Coming home from school, running over to the mosque.

Fatimah   Learning the prayers, learning the Arabic, reading the Qur'an.

Abubakr  Over and over and over again.

Fatimah   I liked it. I thought it was pretty easy.

Abubakr  Yeah, you would, wouldn't you? Uh, okay. Uh, I should go.

Fatimah   Yeah. You're gonna get ill.

Abubakr  Yeah. My mate lives just there so I can get some clothes off him.

Fatimah   Good.

Abubakr  It was nice meeting you.

Fatimah   You too.

Abubakr  Thanks for saving my life. Yeah.

Fatimah   No problem. You have to sit together. Asthma sufferers.

Abubakr  Salaam alaikum.

Fatimah   Alaikum salaam.

Abubakr  I gave you your inhaler, didn't I?

Fatimah   Yeah, yeah. Thank you. I better head off to mosque. I'm gonna be late.

Abubakr  Which way are you going?

Fatimah   That way.

Abubakr  Oh, I'm going that way.

Fatimah   Right then.

Abubakr  Yeah.

Shia // Sunni

Video length - 9.30
Published date - Sep 2016
Keystage(s) - 3 and 4
Downloadable resources
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