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Choosing Your Faith: Scientology – How did you choose your new faith? Peter’s life was turned around when he joined the Church of Scientology. He believes that the practical advice it gave was responsible for his success in business, and that Scientology is the path to happiness.
Courtesy of 4thought.tv
Christian Marriage – Emily’s mum recently got married, and it got her thinking: what does marriage mean for Christians? So with the help of her mum, her new step dad and the vicar who performed the ceremony, Emily talks us through the wedding video.
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 - The nature and purpose of marriage.
Edexcel
Area of Study 3 – Section 2 - Living the Catholic life - Christianity - The importance and purpose of marriage for Catholics: the significance of marriage in Catholic life; Catholic teachings about marriage, including Not Just Good, But Beautiful by Pope Francis; divergent Christian, non-religious (including atheist and Humanist) attitudes to the importance of marriage in society, including the sanctity of marriage, a lack of importance, cohabitation and the Catholic responses to these attitudes.
Area of Study 1 – Section 2 - Family life - Christianity - The importance and purpose of marriage for Christians: Christian teachings about the significance of marriage in Christian life; the purpose of marriage for Christians including Mark 10:6–9; divergent Christian and non-religious (including atheist and Humanist) attitudes to the importance of marriage in society; including the sanctity of marriage, a lack of importance, cohabitation and Christian responses to these attitudes.
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 - Relationships
Eduqas
Component 1 (Route A) Religious, Philosophical and Ethical Studies in the Modern World - Christianity - Theme 1: Issues of Relationships - Relationships -The nature and purpose of marriage as expressed through Christian marriage ceremonies in Britain and teachings: Mark 10:6-8 and the Church of England Synod
Christian Marriage
Emily Hi. I'm Emily. Last week my mum got married at our local church. It was a great day. I was a bridesmaid and got to wear an amazing long, like, dress. But I want to find out what the ceremony really meant and why marriage is important for Christians like my mum.
Emily I've come to speak to my mom and stepdad to ask them questions about why it was important for Christians to get married.
Katrina We wanted to show our commitment in front of God, our friends and family.
Emily Were you nervous before the wedding?
David I wasn't nervous. I wasn't nervous at all.
Katrina He was nervous.
David I was nervous. You keeping me waiting for 25 minutes, didn't make me nervous at all.
Emily What was your favourite part about the wedding?
David Walking down the aisle together.
Katrina Yeah. Yeah, I think that-
David On the way out
Katrina I think that was nice actually, being because we were separate to begin with, and then we combined and walked down the aisle ourselves. So yeah, I quite enjoyed that.
Emily This is the church where my mum got married. Traditionally, the bride walks up the aisle to meet the groom who is waiting with the vicar and the best man.
Penny Sawyer My name is Penny Sawyer. I am the vicar here at Saint Albans Church in Dagenham.
Emily After the vicar welcomes everyone, we say a prayer and sing a hymn.
Penny Sawyer In the presence of God, father, Son and Holy Spirit, we have come together to witness the marriage of David and Katrina.
Emily Why is it important for Christians to get married?
Penny Sawyer Christians look to the Bible as their, sort of, the text that teaches them how to do things, and if you remember right at the beginning of the Bible in the book of Genesis, God creates Adam, and Adam is very lonely, so God creates Eve to be a partner and and a helpmate and to go through life together. So, that's really the foundation of family life that a man and a woman come together and they live their lives faithfully together.
Emily After the prayers, the vicar stands here and tells us a little bit about what marriage is.
Penny Sawyer It enriches society and strengthens community. No one should enter into it lightly or selfishly, but reverently and responsibly in the sight of Almighty God.
Emily I know usually brides get married in white, but my mum got married in red. Does that matter?
Penny Sawyer That doesn't matter at all. The most important thing is that you have the man and the woman who wants to be married, and you have two witnesses. So actually all you need is five people minimum, but you had a big family wedding, didn't you? With lots and lots of people.
Emily After that there is a Bible reading. My uncle read a passage which talks about how people should behave when they're in love, and how they should treat each other.
Emily's Uncle Wives, understand and support your husbands by submitting to them in ways that honour the master. Husbands, go all out in love for your wives. Don't take advantage of them.
Emily Then the vicar gives a sermon. Penny talked about love and marriage.
Penny Sawyer Marriage is a gift from God to all of us. Couples are intended to find delight in each other.
Emily Now we move on to the really exciting bit. The vicar turns to the couple and asks them to hold hands and vow that they love each other and will look after each other.
David I, David Vincent Humber.
Penny Sawyer Take you, Katrina Anne Emerson.
David Take you, Katrina Anne Emerson.
Penny Sawyer To be my wife.
David To be my wife.
Katrina I Katrina Anne Emerson.
S4 Take you, David. Vincent. Tumba. Thank you. David. Vincent. Thank you. To be my husband.
Penny Sawyer Take you, David Vincent Tumba.
Katrina Take you David Vincent Tumba.
Penny Sawyer To be my husband.
Katrina To be my husband.
Emily Why do Christians use wedding rings?
Penny Sawyer Just because it's traditional. You don't have to have wedding rings, and sometimes just the bride will have a ring, not the groom. Um, it's quite symbolic because it goes round and round and round forever, so it's a sign of everlasting love. Heavenly father, by your blessings. Let these rings be to David and Katrina, a symbol of unending love and faithfulness.
Penny Sawyer Katrina. I give you this ring.
David Katrina. I give you this ring.
Penny Sawyer As a sign of our marriage.
David As a sign of our marriage.
Emily They are pronounced husband and wife, and they normally kiss.
Penny Sawyer In the presence of God, and before this congregation. David and Katrina have given their consent and made their marriage vows to each other. They have declared their marriage by the joining of hands and by the giving and receiving of rings.
Emily When the ceremony is over, family and friends got together to have a party. Often speeches are made and there was a wedding cake, but today I've learned that the most important thing is that God is there to blessing the couple and their love for each other. For me, it's great because I have an even bigger family.
Christian Baptism – Some Christians will baptise babies, but others believe that a person should only be baptised when they are old enough to choose for themselves. Anna visits an Anglican Church and a Baptist Church to find out what happens at the different kinds of baptism and why.
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 - The role and meaning of the sacraments:the meaning of sacrament, the sacrament of baptism and its significance for Christians; infant and believers' baptism; different beliefs about infant baptism
Edexcel
Area of Study 3- Section 3: Living the Christian Life - Christianity - The role of the sacraments in Christian life and their practice in two denominations:
the role of the sacraments/ordinance as a whole; the nature and importance of the
meaning and celebration of baptism.
Section 3 - Living the Catholic life - Christianity -The sacramental nature of reality: Catholic teachings about how the whole of creation manifests the presence of God; the meaning and effects of each of the seven sacraments, including Catechism of the Catholic Church 1210–1211; the practice and symbolism of each sacrament; how sacraments communicate the grace of God; divergent Christian attitudes to sacraments, including reference to Orthodox and Protestant Christianity.
OCR
Component Group1 - Christianity - Practices - Sacraments• The meaning of the word sacrament • The role and meaning of the sacraments •The role of Baptism and Eucharist in the life of a Christian •Common and divergent attitudes towards the practice and meaning of Baptism by different Christian denominations •Common and divergent attitudes towards the practice and meaning of the Eucharist by different Christian denominations •Common and divergent attitudes towards the Sacraments, including which practices are considered by different Christian denominations to be a sacrament •Different interpretations and emphases given to sources of wisdom and authority by different Christian denominations
WJEC
2.2 Unit 2 PART A : Christianity - Core beliefs, teachings and practices - Practices Life’s Journey: Sacraments and key acts of worship: Baptisms (Mark 1:9-11); Infant and Believers' Baptism; reasons and rituals Eucharist/Communion (1 Corinthians 11:23-26): diverse Christian interpretations and associated practices
Eduqas
Component 2 (Route A) Study of Christianity: Practices: Sacraments ➢ Diverse beliefs regarding Sacraments ➢ The role, meaning and celebration of Baptism and Eucharist: John 3:3-6 ➢ Diverse interpretations of Baptism and Eucharist with reference to the beliefs of the Catholic and Protestant Churches Forms: Component 2 (Route B) Applied Catholic Theology : Theme 3: Life and Death: Artefacts: How Christian beliefs in the resurrection are expressed by the paschal candle as it is used in the Easter Vigil and during Catholic Baptism
Christian Baptism
Anna I'm Anna and I was baptised when I was 13, in a Church of England or Anglican church. Some churches baptise babies to welcome them into Christianity. Others only baptise people when they're old enough to make the decision for themselves. When I was a baby, instead of baptising me, my parents decided to give me a service of dedication, which means they said they'd bring me up in a Christian home and tell me about what they thought of God, but that they'd leave it to me to decide whether I believed and wanted to live by that faith or not. As I grew up, I asked a lot of questions, and I came to the conclusion that I did believe that it was true. So when they were doing baptisms at church, I thought it would be a good opportunity to make a proper and public commitment to God. It's very common in Anglican churches to baptise infants. I've come to Saint John the Evangelist Church to talk to the associate vicar, Rachel Hawes, and find out more.
Rachel While all religions have ceremonies, we call them initiation rites, which mark people's entry into the religion. And so baptism for Christians, is the important ceremony or initiation rite into the Christian faith, and it has been from the very beginning of Christianity.
Anna So what happens in a typical Anglican infant baptism?
Rachel We do it in the main service, and the parents will all come to the font with the baby, and the font is the name for whatever we put the water in. And this which we're standing by is our font. So the first thing that happens in baptism is that we have a series of promises. Now when adults are baptised, they make these promises for themselves. But when a baby is baptised, obviously they're too young to make the promises. So their parents and their godparents make the promises on their behalf.
Rachel Will you pray for her? Draw her by your example into the community of faith. And walk with her in the way of Christ.
All With the help of God we will.
Rachel In baptism, this child begins her journey of faith. You speak for her today. Will you care for her and help her to take her place within the life and worship of Christ's Church?
All With the help of God we will.
Rachel Then the second very important picture or image in baptism is the signing with the cross. So we have holy oil, and so the priest will take the oil and dip their thumb in it, and sign the baby on the forehead and say, Christ claims you for his own, receive the sign of his cross. We offer the oil to all the parents and godparents, so that they, too, can dip their thumb in and sign the baby on the forehead. Then we come to the water, and water is obviously central to the service of baptism, and we pour the water into the font at that point. And, and usually here we ask one of the parents or godparents to pour the water in so that everybody can see it going in, and then the priest will bless it.
Rachel Now sanctify this water, but by the power of your Holy Spirit, they may be cleansed from sin and born again.
Rachel And then they will use it to baptise the child.
UU Yeah. I baptise you in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Rachel So at the end of the service, we will call the parents up to the chancel. That's where the altar is. And we will light a special candle for the baby from the candles on the altar, and we will give it to the parents for the baby.
Anna So obviously a baby is too young to understand what's going on. Um, could you tell me why a parent might choose to have their baby baptised?
Rachel We believe that baptism is not just something we do, it's something that God does. So we believe that God is present at the baptism and is working in it, and Christians believe that as the baby grows, God is present with them and in their lives, and that they will come to understand what has happened to them in baptism.
Anna Some churches don't allow infant baptisms at all. They wait until the person is old enough to choose for themselves. This is called a believer's baptism.
Kenneth As a church, we practice believer's baptism, and that's different than some churches like the Church of England or the Roman Catholic Church. We believe baptism is for someone who consciously commits themselves to being a disciple of Jesus Christ.
Anna So how does baptism work in a Baptist church?
Kenneth Um, well, normally when people want to get baptised, they come to see me. That's usually anyone from sort of early teenage years and over, and so all, all ages. They'll come and we have a baptism class, we'll take them through three sessions and explain what baptism is and what it means for them as a Christian, and what it means for their, commitment to, commitment to the church. And then there's a time scheduled for baptism. Sometimes it's one person, sometimes there's a group, and it will happen here. This is the baptistry. And what will happen is on a on a Sunday morning, we'll have a congregation here. And at the end of the service the person will be asked to come up. They'll give what we call their testimony, they explain how they became a Christian, why they want to get baptised, what it means for them.
Oluwatoyin Learning to trust in him and state my life and forever.
Kenneth And then the person will come into the pool. So, they'll come up over here and down into the pool, there will usually be me or one of the other leaders of the church.
Kenneth And I'll ask them a question at that point.
Kenneth In your baptism, do you profess repentance towards God and faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour? And upon your profession of repentance towards God and faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, we baptise you in the name of the father, and of the son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Kenneth Baptism means partly that you identify with Jesus and His death and resurrection. And the Bible speaks about how someone whose trust in Jesus dies with Christ and his death on the cross is for them. And how he rose again, and there his resurrection is for them as well. And baptism is a very powerful picture of that, when you're immersed in water, going down into death, coming up into life.
Anna So as you can see, baptism can take many different forms, but ultimately it's about forgiveness and renewal.
Bat and Bar Mitzvah – When does someone become an adult? Emily recently had her Bat Mitzvah at an Orthodox Synagogue and is now a Daughter of the Commandment and responsible for her own actions. She talks about the ceremony and compares it to her friend Ben’s Bar Mitzvah.
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 - Judaism – Practices - Family life and festivals - Rituals and their significance: • Ceremonies associated with birth including Brit Milah; Bar and Bat Mitzvah.
Edexcel
Area of Study 3 -Section 3: Living the Jewish Life -The importance of ritual for Jews today: the nature, features and purpose of the Bar and Bat Mitzvah ceremonies
OCR
Component Group 1 - Judaism - Practices- Rituals • The meaning and importance of rites of passage • The form and meaning of Jewish birth ceremonies including: •• The welcoming of a baby girl •• The connection between Brit Milah and the covenant with Abraham •• The circumcision •• The roles of the father •• Mohel and Sandek •• The importance of birth rituals for the community • The form and meaning of Bar/Bat Mitzvah including: •• The preparation •• The nature of the service •• Subsequent preparations •• The meaning and nature of Bat Chayil
WJEC
.2 Unit 2 PART A - Judaism- Core beliefs, teachings and practices Beliefs –Practices -Jewish identity Symbols: the mezuzah and Magen David Brit Milah ceremony and symbols (including the roles of the mohel and sandek) Bar/Bat Mitzvah as ceremonies marking Jewish identity; Ceremony, significance and symbols The use and importance of the tallit, tefillin and kippah; symbolism and significance of each Festivals and commemorations: Yom Hashoah, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Pesach; significance, preparation and celebration of these festivals (Exodus 12:14)
Eduqas
Component 3 (Route B) Study of a World Faith: Judaism: Practices : Rituals ➢ The role and importance of Brit Milah: Covenant, identity, features of the ceremony ➢ Bar Mitzvah: Law and personal responsibility, features of the ceremony
Bat and Bar Mitzvah
Emily Here's a question for you. At what age do you think we become an adult?
Passer-by I think at the age of 18.
Passer-by 16.
Passer-by Uh, 18.
Emily Different people think different things. Yes. At 21, you can become a member of parliament. Hello. At 17, you can drive. You can drink alcohol when you're 18. For Jewish people, the answer is simple. When Jewish boys are 13 and Jewish girls are 12, we have to take responsibility for everything we do. So as far as our religion is concerned, we are adults and we have a special ceremony known as a bar mitzvah for boys and a bat mitzvah for girls.
Emily My name's Emily and I'm 12. I had my bat mitzvah last month. This means I am now, according to Jewish tradition, an adult. Girls have their bat mitzvah one year earlier than boys, as it is believed that girls mature slightly faster than boys. Bar means son and mitzvah means commandment, or rule, so bar mitzvah means son of the commandment, which basically means a son who must obey God's rules. Bat mitzvah means daughter of the commandment. We believe that before I became bat mitzvah'd, God would hold Mom and Dad responsible for anything I did. But now I'm old enough to take that responsibility for myself. Bye, mom.
Emily This is my synagogue where my bat mitzvah took place. My preparation began by learning a piece of Hebrew called the Eishet Chayil. For boys however, they have to learn from this. This is the Torah. It's precious to the Jews, as the New Testament is to Christians and the Qur'an to Muslims. During all bar mitzvahs, the boy will be expected to read from the Torah. The difficult thing is that we both have to read in Hebrew, which is the traditional Jewish language. I had to practice for weeks, but with the help of my rabbi, who is the leader and the teacher at the synagogue, I got there in the end.
Emily What's the importance of the reading?
Rabbi Yehuda The bat mitzvah girl will prepare reading the Eishet Chayil, a poem from the Bible, which explains the importance of a Jewish woman and what her ability can be, and what the bat mitzvah girl should strive to be. The Bar Mitzvah boy will read a Torah portion. The first Torah portion, which he can read, now that he is part of the congregation.
Ben (Ben reads from the Torah)
Emily This is what I wore on my bat mitzvah, but boys have to wear tallit and kippah. Hi, Ben. How was your bar mitzvah?
Ben Yeah, I was a bit nervous, and it, because there was a lot of people here, my family, my friends, and I was also very excited to have my big day. I stood on the bimah. I had to read from the Torah with the yad. I like to use the yad because I like to go through the Hebrew reading. It took me a year to prepare it.
Emily At the end of my Bat mitzvah, everyone threw sweets at me.
Ben Me too.
Rabbi Yehuda It is on a bar mitzvah boys day or a bat mitzvah girls day, that we want them to be showered with as many blessings as possible, and so to symbolise this, we throw sweets at them.
Emily And now it's party time when everyone comes together to sing, dance and celebrate becoming an adult.
Emily Who's had their bat mitzvah.
All I have.
Emily Did you enjoy it?
Friend 1 I really enjoyed mine because I had mine together with my brother, because we're a year apart. I don't feel that much different, but my parents definitely give me more freedom now, and they treat me a bit more like an adult, I think.
Friend 2 I was given a bit more respect and trust as well, to look after my sisters and to go out with my friends and everything. So that was good
Emily For Jewish people. The bar mitzvah and bat mitzvah are important events in a young person's life, and a celebration that we will always remember. This is because the bar mitzvah and bat mitzvah are about becoming a young adult, taking responsibility for themselves, maturing and continuing life's journey. And although the ceremony is about becoming an adult, we can still behave like children sometimes afterwards if we really want to.
The Magdalenes – Imagine if you were abducted and held prisoner against your will: if your possessions were taken, your hair was cut; you were forced to wear a uniform and answer to a new name. For women like Gabrielle O’Gorman who were sent to the Magdalene Institutions in Ireland, this was a reality. Gabrielle tells her story, and revisits the now-derelict Institution she was sent to as a teenager.
This film, made by Nick Carew, was funded by the University of Kent, and completed with the help of the Women’s Studies Centre at University College Dublin who led an Irish Research Council project on the Magdalene Institutions.
How Islam began in under ten minutes? Not a problem. The turbulent tale is told against the clock, with all the names, dates and events on a timeline. Animation by Ceiren Bell.
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, teachings and practices- Islam - Practices, Duties and Festivals. Tawhid - (the Oneness of God), Qur’an Surah 112 Hajj: the role and significance of the pilgrimage to Makkah including origins, how Hajj is performed, the actions pilgrims perform at sites including the Ka’aba at Makkah, Mina, Arafat, Muzdalifah and their significance.
Edexcel
How Islam Began – In Ten Minutes
How Islam began in under ten minutes. Not a problem. We've started. Okay, so travel back in time with me to a land far, far away. And long, long ago. Mecca and Arabia, but the year 570. Makkah is important for two reasons. One, the Kaaba is there, an ancient temple built to worship God, and two, Muhammad, peace be upon him, was born in Makkah. Now, problem, I can't show you Muhammad because it wouldn't be right. I'll tell you why in a bit, but in the meantime, here's his name in Arabic. Nice.
Back in the day, Makkah was a lawless place. The only way to be safe was to have backup. Lots of rich big brothers who'd beat up anyone who got in your way. So the place was ruled by the most powerful families who could do pretty much what they wanted. And religion didn't help. By this time, the Kaaba had been filled to overflowing, with 360 idols that did nothing to help anyone. So it was a tough place to grow up if, like Muhammad, you were a poor orphan and believed in just one God you couldn't see, like the Jews and the Christians. He called him Allah, the God, in Arabic there.
Muhammad's dad died before he was even born, and his mom died when he was just six. So he was brought up by his grandfather, Abdul Muttalib. And then when he died too, by his uncle Abu Talib, who had the respect of the city's ruling families, so Muhammad was safe, for the time being. Muhammed started out as a shepherd and then became a businessman, travelling about, buying and selling stuff for rich clients. When he did some work for a rich widow called Khadijah, she was so impressed by his honesty and skill that they ended up getting married, and for a while it looked like Mohammed was going places, well he was, but not how you think.
Every year in the month of Ramadan, different calendar, different names for the months, there was a big party around the Kaaba. When people made sacrifices to the idols, Mohammed hated it, so he'd get out of town and sleep in a cave he'd found on top of a nearby mountain. One night, Mohammed's praying to Allah when, wham, there's the angel Jibril, you might say Gabriel, standing right in front of him. 'Read' says the angel, but Mohammed couldn't read, no schools, you see, Jibreel keeps on at him. Three times he says 'read'. Then he grabs hold of Muhammad and wham! Again, it's like Muhammad's learnt the words off by heart. So he recites the message out loud, read in the name of your Lord, who created man from a drop of blood. Read, for your Lord is most generous. He who taught by the pen taught man what he did not know. It was a message from Allah. God was speaking to him just like he'd spoken to the prophets in the Jewish and Christian holy books, which meant he was a prophet too.
The messages continue for the rest of Muhammad's life. Allah gave him the words to say and the prophet recited them. The words were written down by his friends, and years later they were collected together and became the Muslim holy book, the Qur'an, which means recitation because Muhammad recited it, you see. Anyway, that was much later, so back to the night of power. Muhammad tells his family, then his friends, and eventually everyone about Allah that he's a one and only God, that he wants everyone to be treated fairly, and long story short, it didn't go down well with the ruling families of Makkah, who liked things just the way they were, thank you very much. You see, Islam means obedience to Allah and Muslim means someone who obeys Allah. And the ruling families didn't want anyone obeying anyone else but them. So the people who believed in Muhammad's message, the Muslims, were given a hard time. Some were even tortured and killed. A few of them managed to escape to Abyssinia, Ethiopia, but most were stuck in Makkah.
Muhammad also had to cope with the death of his wife, and then just a few weeks later, his uncle too. Feeling very down, he went to the carpet to pray to Allah one night. Then the weirdest thing happened. Jibril turns up, sits him on a winged horse called Al-buraq and flies him all the way from Makkah to Jerusalem. He prays with all the prophets who have ever lived. Then he's taken up to the heavens to chat with some of the prophets, and then into Paradise itself, where Allah tells Muhammad to pray five times a day and to stay strong. He's returned to Jerusalem, and then flies back to the Kaaba in Makkah. We call it the night journey, and Muslims still argue whether it was a real experience or a vision, but whatever. It gave Muhammad a much needed boost, and just as well, because there were more tough times ahead. So there was this other city called Yathrib. The people there heard about Muhammad and his message and invited him and his followers to join them. A few at a time, the Muslims left Makkah and made a dangerous journey across the desert to Yathrib. It's known as the Hijra, which means migration, you know, like birds do.
Muhammad and a few of his friends stayed in Makkah until everyone had got away, and then made plans for their own escape. But, the ruling families wanted to kill Muhammad while they still could, so seven sons, one from each family, was sent in the middle of the night to stab the prophet while he slept. But he was way ahead of them, and when they burst into the house, Muhammad was gone. Trackers were sent out to hunt him down. Muhammad and his best friend Abu Bakr took a roundabout route to try and shake off the pursuit, but the trackers were too good and slowly gained on them, so Muhammad and Abu Bakr hid in a cave and pray that no one found them. The trackers found the cave all right, but they didn't bother going in to search. There was no way Muhammad could be inside they thought. There was a spider's web over the mouth of the cave, and a nesting bird at the entrance. He must have given them the slip, so off they went, leaving Muhammad and Abu Bakr protected by a spider and a bird.
Muhammad made it safely to Yathrib, which was renamed Medinat-ul-Nabi, the city of the prophet, but most people just call it Medinah, but Muhammad's worries weren't over yet. There were three big battles between the Muslims and the Meccans. First, the Battle of Badr, when Muhammad and just 313 men faced 1000 Meccan soldiers. Miraculously, the Muslims won. Then, there was a battle of Uhud, which didn't go so well. Some of Muhammad's men disobeyed his orders, and ran off during the battle to evade the Meccans camp, and so the Muslims were outmanoeuvred. Then, there was the battle of the trench. Medinah was protected on three sides by mountains, so when the Meccan forces advanced in the city, the Muslims just dug a deep trench. The Meccans made camp, but the weather was terrible. Pouring rain put out their fires and howling winds blew down their tents. Eventually they gave up, and went back to Mecca. It was all a bit embarrassing. They were losing the respect of the local tribes who were flocking to join the Muslims. So a peace treaty was signed at Hudaibiya, but it wasn't long before the Meccans broke it. Muhammad decided that enough was enough. By now he had over 10,000 men, so he led them across the desert to Makkah. The ruling families realised they'd made a huge mistake, but it was too late. All they could do was surrender and hope that the Muslim army killed them quickly. But Muhammad said there should be no more fighting. He rode into Makkah and went straight to the Kaaba. He circled it seven times anti-clockwise and smashed all the idols, rededicating the Kaaba to Allah, and that's why I'm not going to show you Muhammad. The Muslims wanted to make it totally clear that they only worship the one unseen God, so they didn't have any pictures of Muhammad in case anyone thought he was an idol and they didn't have any pictures of Allah because he's like nothing on earth, so it would be impossible to draw him anyway. So there you go, how Islam began in under ten minutes. How did I do?
The Problem of Evil – If God is all-powerful, all-knowing and he loves us, why do bad things happen to good people? Here’s a very general introduction to the various complicated ways in which different religions have attempted to solve the Problem of Evil.
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 -Religious, philosophical and ethical studies in the modern world: Theme E - Religion, crime and punishment- The problem of evil/suffering and a loving and righteous God: the problems it raises for Christians about the nature of God, including reference to omnipotence and benevolence, including Psalm 103; how the problem may cause believers to question their faith or the existence of God; the nature and examples of natural suffering, moral suffering. Good and evil intentions and actions. Good and evil intentions and actions, including whether it can ever be good to cause suffering.
Religious, philosophical and ethical studies in the modern world: Theme C - Evil and Suffering as an argument against the existence of God.
Edexcel
Section 1: Christian Beliefs Section: The problem of evil/suffering and a loving and righteous God: the problems it raises for Christians about the nature of God, including reference to omnipotence and benevolence, including Psalm 103; how the problem may cause believers to question their faith or the existence of God; the nature and examples of natural suffering, moral suffering. 2: Crime and Punishment - teachings about good, evil and suffering: Teachings about the nature of good actions, how they are rewarded, and the nature of evil actions; non-religious attitudes (including atheist and Humanist) about why people suffer, including believing in religion.
OCR
Component Group 1 - Beliefs and teachings - Islam - Jihad - Judaism -Nature of G-d - The Question of G-d - Key philosophical and ethical concepts: • The nature of G-d in Judaism • The problem of the existence of evil •Human suffering - Buddhism - The Question of Ultimate Reality (dhamma) Key philosophical and ethical concepts: • The nature of Ultimate Reality in Buddhism • The existence of evil in the world •Human suffering - Hinduism - The question of deity Key philosophical and ethical concepts: • The nature of deity and Ultimate Reality in Hinduism • The existence of evil in the world •Human suffering - Christianity - The problem of evil and suffering and a loving and righteous God.
WJEC
PART B - Theme 2: Issues of Good and Evil - Crime and Punishment PART B - Theme 2: Issues of Good and Evil – Forgiveness PART B - Theme 2: Issues of Good and Evil- Good, Evil and Suffering
Eduqas
Component 1 (Route A) Religious, Philosophical and Ethical Studies in the Modern World -Christianity - Theme 3: Issues of Good and Evil - Good, Evil and Suffering ➢ Philosophical perspectives on the origin of evil: Original Sin (free will) and 'soul-making' (Irenaeus and John Hick) ➢ Philosophical challenges posed by belief in God, free will and the existence of evil and suffering.
Component 1 (Route B) Foundational Catholic Theology- Theme 1: Origins and Meaning - Theme 2: Good and Evil - Good, Evil and Suffering ➢ Catholic perspectives on the origin of evil: Original Sin and evil as a “privation”, with reference to St Augustine, The Enchiridion (3.11) ➢ Alternative Christian and non-Christian views on the nature and origin of evil and the difference between moral and natural evil. ➢ Catholic beliefs about the relationship between God’s goodness and the goodness of the created world ➢ Philosophical and non-religious challenges posed by belief in God’s goodness, free will and the existence of evil and suffering ➢ The meaning of suffering and Catholic ambivalence towards it, with reference to the significance of Christ’s suffering and death and Isaiah 53
The Problem of Evil
Religions say that God loves us completely. They also say that he's omniscient, which means he knows everything and he's omnipotent, which means he can control everything. This is a problem. Every day bad things happen to good people. So if God loves us and he knows about these bad things that happen, and he could stop them from happening, why doesn't he do something about it? This is known as the problem of evil.
Let's take a look at what the word evil actually means. There are two types of evil. First, there's moral evil, and these are things that people choose to do, such as murder, stealing, kidnapping. And second, there's natural evil, these are things that nature does, like tsunamis, earthquakes, and hurricanes. Different religions have come up with various explanations to help their followers understand why a loving God would let evil things happen to them. The attempt to solve this problem is known as theodicy, and here are a few examples of them.
If God controlled everything we did, we'd be just like puppets on a string. Most religions believe that rather than keeping us as puppets, God set us free by allowing us to choose our own path and make our own decisions. And this is called free will. So you can use your free will to do whatever you want, and some people use it to do good things like helping other people. You dropped this. Oh, thanks very much. Unfortunately, other people use it to do bad things. Oi! Some religions, like Judaism, Christianity and Islam, see life as a test. When we come to the end of our life, we'll be judged. God will look at all the good things we did and all the bad things we did, and decide if we deserve to go to heaven or to hell. By giving us free will, God will be able to see whether we chose to do good or chose to do bad.
Okay, so this might explain moral evil, but it doesn't explain why natural evil happens, like earthquakes and tsunamis, which kill thousands of people. Some people believe, however, that this is part of the test and gives people a chance to prove that they are morally good by helping and responding to those people in need.
Earthquake appeal!
Other religions such as Buddhism, Sikhism and Hinduism believe that rather than going to heaven or hell when you die, your soul will be reborn into a new body, and this is called reincarnation. These religions believe that people who do evil things could be punished in the next life, and that's known as karma.
Shh!
So if something bad happens to us, it's because we did something bad in the past or even in a past life. Might even be something as small as killing a fly. These people believe that all life is valuable, which is why a lot of people who believe in karma are vegetarians. These people also believe that natural evil is caused by human actions. So if we don't learn to take care of the planet, we'll be punished through things like earthquakes and tsunamis. With the law of karma, good is rewarded and bad is punished.
Some Christians believe in the idea of original sin. This comes from the Bible, when Adam and Eve are in the Garden of Eden, and Eve disobeyed God by eating fruit from the forbidden tree. Because Eve did this evil act, and she's the mother of all mankind, it means that each of us has a little bit of evil in us and sometimes do bad things. It also explains why sometimes people need to be punished through things like natural disasters. The final group we're going to look at is atheists. For atheists who don't believe in a god, there is no problem of evil. Atheists are scientific and rational in their view of the world, and because they don't believe in a God, they look for other reasons as to why people do bad things. These reasons might include problems in society, a person's background, or even their biology.
Now, people who don't believe in God often use the problem of evil to support their argument. If God is all loving, omnipotent, and omnipresent, then why do injustices happen in the world such as war and famine, tsunamis and earthquakes which kill thousands upon thousands of innocent people? Atheists often say that the easiest way to explain this is that there is no god. No god, no problem.
The problem of evil, bad things happening to good people is something that people have thought about for hundreds and hundreds of years. But what's going on here? Is it free will? Punishment? Original sin? Karma? Or perhaps you believe there is no God, maybe you've got another explanation of your own. It may be difficult to come to an exact answer, but it does make for a very interesting discussion. So why do you think there's evil and suffering in the world?
Oh, I think it's...
Passover: Read All About It! – Moses made the headlines for the whole of his life… or he would have done if they’d had newspapers 3500 years ago. So here is the story of the Passover as told by the headlines of the day. Animation by Ceiren Bell.
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 - Judaism - Family life and festivals - Festivals and their importance for Jews in Great Britain today, including the origins and meaning of Pesach.
Edexcel
Area of Study 2 - Section 3: Living the Jewish Life- Jewish festivals: the nature, history, purpose and significance of Jewish festivals; the origins and meaning of specific festivals, including , Pesach, divergent understandings of why festivals are important different forms of Orthodox and Reform Judaism today.
OCR
Component Group 1 - Judaism - Practices - Festivals • The origins and importance of Rosh Hashanah, including Teshuva, the Shofar, symbolic foods, the synagogue service and Tashlich • The origins and importance of Yom Kippur, including the connection to Rosh Hashanah, the Book of Life, Kapparah, the rules of Yom Kippur, the importance and nature of fasting, the synagogue services and Neilah •The origins and importance of the Pilgrim Festivals, including the story of the Exodus, the importance of chametz and the Seder meal • The origins and importance of Sukkot, including the building of sukkah and the four species • The origins and importance of Hanukkah • The origins and importance of Pesach
WJEC
2.1 Unit 1 PART A - Judaism - Core beliefs, teachings and practices -Practices -Jewish identity - Festivals and commemorations: Yom Hashoah, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Pesach; significance, preparation and celebration of these festivals (Exodus 12:14)
Eduqas
Component 3: Study of a World Faith - Option 4:Judaism - Beliefs and teachings - Festivals: practices in Britain and elsewhere ➢ The origin, meaning and celebration of the following festivals among different Jewish communities in Britain ➢ Rosh Hashanah ➢ Yom Kippur ➢ Pesach: Exodus 12:14
Passover: Read All About It!
Fears of a slave revolt are sweeping across Egypt, after census figures revealed that the Hebrew population is growing at an alarming rate.
They breed like rabbits.
Said Mrs. Imhotep in Thebes.
Coming over here doing our jobs for us, something needs to be done.
Pharaoh has unveiled radical plans to deal with the slave problem.
We can't have our country overrun by foreigners, even if we did enslave them and bring them here in the first place. Until further notice, all male babies born to Hebrew slaves will be killed.
Surprise greeted the announcement that Pharaoh's daughter is celebrating the arrival of a baby boy. The princess has named the child Moses and firmly denies rumours that she found him floating in a basket on the Nile. However, some members of the press have noted that the baby.
Looks a bit Hebrew.
Prince Moses wowed the crowds when he arrived to see the completion of a new pyramid, destined to become Pharaoh's final resting place.
I'm sure my grandfather will be very happy here, although hopefully not for many years yet.
Moses has shrugged off gossip about his true parentage to top polls as most popular royal ever.
Prince Moses is wanted for questioning in relation to the murder of Mr. Marina-bay, a slave driver from Thebes. The victim's wife made an emotional appeal for witnesses.
He was only doing his job, but they're saying he was done away with by that Moses standing up for his Hebrew brothers. Cos it's all come out, he was a Hebrew all along, and if his real mother had done the decent thing and had killed him at birth, my hubby would still be whipping slaves.
It is believed that Moses has fled the country and is heading for Midian. Moses, 40, was recently revealed to be of Hebrew descent. As a baby. He escaped the slave cull when his mother hid him in a basket and sent him drifting down the Nile in a desperate attempt to save his life. He was found and adopted by the princess, who unwittingly employed Moses mother to nurse him.
I feel such a fool.
Said the princess.
Today's top of the odd comes from Midian, where a shepherd has returned from Mount Sinai with reports of an ever burning bush in the desert.
It was on fire, but it wasn't burning up, and I heard God talking to me from the flames. He gave me a mission to free all the slaves in Egypt.
Good luck with that.
Moses 80. The disgraced prince who left Egypt following the murder of a slave driver has been sighted in the Hebrew settlement at Goshen.
It's unlikely we'll be pressing charges, said Inspector Ankhesenpepi. It was 40 years ago and our only witness is long dead.
Rumours suggest that Moses is trying to gain support for a Free the Slaves campaign.
Moses met with Pharaoh yesterday for talks about Hebrew rights. However, negotiations quickly broke down after Pharaoh refused to consider even a short holiday for the slaves. The palace issued the following statement.
The economy just will not stand any slackening in production at present. In fact, the slaves work quotas are due to rise in the coming weeks.
A Palace insider reveals weird goings on in government. Moses proved his claim to be on a mission from the Hebrew god by turning his staff into a snake, but Pharaoh just ordered his court magicians to perform the same trick.
The floor was alive with snakes, but Moses snake ate all the others and then turned back into a staff, wild.
Moses warned that if Pharaoh refuses to free the slaves, they'll be horrible consequences for Egypt.
The River Nile has turned blood red, baffling the boffins.
In fact, all bodies of water have turned red and smelly.
Said a health official.
We are advising people to dig new wells and drink only from them until further notice.
A plague of frogs has infested Egypt. Millions of the foul amphibians have oozed out of the Nile to fill the streets and invade people's homes.
Lice are on the loose and the whole country is scratching. Doctors advise a daily bath in asses milk.
It stops the itching, but you might smell a bit cheesy.
As flies buzz all over Egypt. Hygiene inspectors are warning people to check their food for maggots. Only the Hebrew Quarter in Goshen has escaped the recent plagues, fuelling rumours that they are signs from the God of Moses.
Following the unexplained death of all livestock, farmers have appealed to Pharaoh for help.
It's time he listened to us.
Said Mr. Menkheperraseneb.
You go down to Goshen, where the Hebrews live. Have their cows died? No. Have their sheep died? No. That Hebrew God is punishing us because Pharaoh won't free the slaves. Well, we've had enough.
The palace declined to make a statement.
Health officials have issued the following advice to deal with the present epidemic.
Don't squeeze your boils, it will only make them worse. Just dab them with crocodile dung. And when they burst, try not to pick the scabs.
In the worst weather since records began, a violent hailstorm has flattened all the crops that were due to be harvested, but farmers are remaining upbeat.
That's all the barley and flax gone. But we've still got the wheat harvest to come.
The wheat harvest has been destroyed by a swarm of locusts. Only Goshen remains unaffected by current events, leading to further calls that Pharaoh should free the slaves before Egypt starves.
The royal astronomers are at a complete loss to explain why it has been dark for the last three days.
We are at a complete loss to explain why it has been dark for the last three days.
Moses emerged from another unsuccessful meeting with Pharaoh today and went straight to Goshen. There he joined the slave community, who have all returned to their homes for a religious ritual. A Mrs Benjamin described what happened.
Moses told us that every family should kill and cook a lamb. The bloods got to be painted around our front door. My husband can do that. Then we eat the meal together and stay indoors until after midnight. Very strict about that, he was.
Grief consumes Egypt. Every household awoke to discover that their first born son had died during the night from an unknown cause. Only Hebrew homes, identified by Lamb's blood around the doors, were untouched by the tragedy.
Bowing to increasing pressure, Pharaoh decreed yesterday that the Hebrew slaves were free to leave Egypt. However, more recent reports indicate that Pharaoh now regrets this decision. He is mustering an army to pursue the Hebrews and wreak a terrible revenge.
Pharaoh has died in a freak drowning accident, along with hundreds of charioteers, horsemen and foot soldiers. He led his army across the desert towards a Hebrew encampment on the shores of the Red sea.
I saw the dust rising in the distance.
Said Mr. Levi.
Pharaoh's army was coming right at us, and we had nowhere to run. But Moses gets up and waves his staff, and the sea just parts. There was this corridor between walls of water straight through to the other side.
The Hebrews made it across, but the pursuing Egyptians were still in the danger zone when the sea came crashing down, drowning every single one of them.
We're free at last. Just need to find this promised land Moses keeps on about.
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