Prayer and Portsmouth: Football and Religion

I heard a really interesting article on the news this evening; could it be that Portsmouth managed to come ninth because of the power of prayer? There is an interesting documentary on 1Xtra called "Praying for a Win" tomorrow; there are a number of Christian players and staff members, who regularly pray before games, in the laundry. They do make it clear that they are not simply praying that they will win, but it is interesting that they did better this year than last ... could the power of prayer at least make some of the players more confident in their own abilities, or less stressed, or change them in some way that makes winning somewhat easier? What do you think?

Radio 4 also mentioned the case of Marvin Andrews, who plays for Trinidad and Tobago and Raith Rovers; whilst playing for Rangers he suffered a cruciate ligament injury that should have been treated through an operation. However, he believed that God wanted him to pray and not have the operation: six weeks later he was playing again, and managed to help Rangers win the league that season.

What other sports people are Christians, or followers of other religions? Do you think prayer makes a difference? How, and why? Should people pray for their teams to win, or does that trivialise prayer?

Parable of the Sheep and the Goats

DivShare File - Parable presentation (parable_sheep_goats.mov)

I'm not sure if this is going to work ... it should be a short movie clip of the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats. Essential knowledge for all GCSE students!

(I've put in the link ... the embed function doesn't seem to work properly.)

An introduction to the disciples for Year 7

If this works ... then it's an introduction to the disciples for Year 7s, for the next unit of work.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter to you all! Click here for more information about Easter.

Christ has risen ... he has risen indeed!

Good Friday

I wonder if you have been to a Good Friday service today? I have, and find it a very moving service. The main aspect, perhaps, is the Veneration of the Cross, where the congregation process forward to kiss the feet of Jesus on the cross.

The Good Friday service, in the Catholic Church, is the middle part of one Mass, which begins on Thursday and ends on Saturday. The Mass begins on Thursday, and during that service there is the washing of the feet and the Lord's Supper is commemorated through the Eucharistic prayer and the Mass. That service has no Concluding Rite, and the congregation leave in silence. On Friday, there is no opening entrance hymn. The service begins in silence, moves almost immediately into the reading of the Passion narrative, and finishes in silence after communion (there is no Eucharistic prayer ... the Sacrament has been kept from Thursday). The congregation walks out in silence, and will come together tomorrow again at the Saturday Vigil to light the fire that will light the Paschal candle. More of that tomorrow, though!

For more information about Good Friday, you could read the BBC Religion & Ethics website.

Live Simply

If you have looked at the CAFOD site, you might have seen the Live Simply promises being mentioned. Have a look at the Live Simply webpage to find out more ... Is there a promise there that you could keep during Lent?

CAFOD Big Deal Homework Help

Another great site that will help you in loads of ways, with RE, Geography, Citizenship ... Click on the Big Deal Homework Help link and find out about CAFOD, Debt, HIV and AIDS, Trade, Fairtrade Fortnight, Conflict, Aid, Emergencies, the Environment ...

Ash Wednesday

It's Ash Wednesday today ... have you been to Church to receive ashes?

Shrove Tuesday

Find out more about Shrove Tuesday at the BBC website. Have you had your pancakes yet?

TV and Radio Listings

There are often very informative and interesting programmes about religious and ethical themes on TV and on the radio. Year 11s learnt a lot from the Beyond Belief discussion on conversion - there was an ideal answer to the question "In a multifaith society, people should not try to convert others to their religion." Do you agree?

In order to have a better idea of what's on TV and radio this week that might be relevant and interesting, click here. The RE Directory has compiled a short list of programmes for this week and the next. If you've missed something on Radio 4 (which I've mentioned before!) then you can often use their "listen again" service. Very useful.

Great Lives

Another great BBC Radio 4 programme. Unfortunately you'll have to listen to Great Lives quickly before it is replaced by another one! The reason I recommend this week's episode is because Ann Widdecombe has chosen Pope John Paul II as the "Great Live" to be discussed. His "life, character, charisma and holiness" is reflected upon in this programme.

Beyond Belief

I cannot recommend Radio 4 enough. Not only does it have a huge variety of informative and entertaining programmes, but many of these can be listened to again in order to help you understand religious and ethical issues better.

Beyond Belief is one of these programmes. Click on the link, then you can choose to listen to the Conversion programme if you are in Year 11, or the Ashura, Sunni and Shia programme if you are in Sixth Form. Or just choose any of the topics that interest you!

Martin Luther King

My Year 11 class has been set homework based on the life, beliefs and actions of Martin Luther King.

This homework is to be a substantial piece of writing, for example an obituary, a mindmap, a factfile, a eulogy, a speech, a letter, a newspaper report, a powerpoint, or perhaps something else that you can think of. (Check with me that it's okay.) I have looked up some relevant websites.

Remember, websites can be biased and may contain inaccuracies. It's always good to double check your facts!

The King Centre
Nobel Peace Prize Winner
Wikipedia
Time Magazine: 100 Most Influencial Leaders

And here's MLK's famous "I have a dream" speech:

Source - YouTube, "I Have A Dream"

Christian Denominations

I've just found this tree ... You can find out about the different branches of Christianity. Click to find out more about different Christian Denominations.

Cry, The Beloved Country

I came across this passage in the book, "Cry, The Beloved Country" by Alan Paton. It was written in 1948, and is set in South Africa. It is an excellent book, which I recommend. However, the passage I am about to quote reminded me of one of the GCSE questions, "Outline the problem of evil and suffering in Christianity" - or, more particularly, explain a Christian response to this problem.

"I have never thought a Christian should be free of suffering, umfundisi. For our Lord suffered. And I come to believe that He suffered, not to save us from suffering, but to teach us how to bear suffering. For He knew that there is no life without suffering."

Polish MPs want to make Jesus king ...

Polish MPs bid to make Jesus king

Another interesting piece of news from the BBC ... Any comments? Should Jesus be declared King of Poland?

BBC Religion & Ethics Site

• BBC Religion and Ethics

This is an excellent site for up to date issues.