andygoodliff

The Fundamentalists

The Fundamentalists was a channel 4 programme presented by Mark Dowd, exploring the rise and increase of religious fundamentalism in the world. He warned about the dangers of reading sacred texts without interpretation. It made sombre watching as I read earlier today Bush's latest rhetoric. It's repeated tonight (Wednesday morning) at 2.45am for those who are interested. It's so good to see intelligent programming like this. On Bush and 9/11, I'm still unsure how to respond to it. This Saturday, 7pm Tony Robinson presents The Doomsday Code, which will investigate the people with powerful political friends in the White House, who are trying to bring about the end of the world, as prophesied in the Book of Revelation.

I've also just finished reading Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke. It's a fantastic story, although it took me a while to get going. If you've not come across it, it's a story of two magicans living in the early 19th century as they try to return magic to England.

Tony on going to church

I’ve been to a few churches around town and they just annoy the **** out of me because they’re so fake, and the people look so lost, and the people on the stage just look so plastic and so charming and so seductive, and I just think ‘I don’t believe in these people’. These people are not an expression of faith. So, I’d much rather just slip into a church and sit there for 10 minutes and have a bit of quiet time, or pray at home. I don’t feel that you necessarily have to turn up at a certain place at a certain time dressed in a certain way to express your faith and live out your faith. I think there’s other ways of doing it.
                                                                                                        (Tony, The Monastery Revisited, BBC2, 7 June)

I thought Tony's words we both illuminating and disheartening. It certainly made me ask what kind of people Tony would encounter in the church I belong to. I find it brilliant that this guy Tony keeps returning to Worth Abbey because he's found a place for his christian faith to grow and be nourished. He's a man just turned 30, who through the experience of living at a monastery and being accountable to the monks and people he went with is now looking for his vocation, which is about giving of his self to others. It's just sad that so far the wider church has not been able to help him.

The Convent and the Monastery Revisited

Coming soon (starts 14 June) is The Convent - a sequel of sorts to last year's The Monastery, this time with four women in a convent for forty days and nights. Incidently the Monastery is back this week on Wednesday, 9-10pm, BBC2 for The Monastery Revisited:

A group of ordinary men took part in a unique experiment when they spent 40 days and 40 nights living with monks. 

Almost a year and a half on the five men reunite to reveal exactly what impact this unique experience has had on their lives.

The Monastery was a must-see last year, so hopefully the Convent will be as equally interesting.

Faith Schools - Yes or No?

Richard Dawkins tonight argued - Religion: the Root of all Evil? (C4) - that it was wrong to bring up  child in religious communities and especially was concerned about faith schools. He was using language like 'virus' and 'distorted' to argue that it is harmful to "indoctrinate" children in religious beliefs, mainly because he believe religious belief to be anti-rational. The question of faith schools, aside from Dawkin's concerns though, is an important one. A first point, made by many others, is that a non-faith-affliated school does not mean it is without a set of beliefs is to miss that secularism and atheism itself are a set of beliefs. Most schools are educating children to be secularists. Secondly, the entire education British system has it roots in British churches. Generally I don't think I have a problem with faith schools, in terms of CofE and Roman Catholic, because here the term 'faith school' reflects the ethos and the life of the school, rather than what is taught in lessons. I do have a problem with the kind of school that Dawkins visited in his programme which indoctrinates children into a narrow conservative evangelical worldview, where the Bible is taught for all intents and purposes to be read literally. Where education takes a back seat to the fundamentalist teachings of USA bible belt. Schools should be a place where we encourage the cultivation of wisdom in all its varied forms, and wisdom encourages the pursuit of truth. Schools should be a place where we encourage creativity - where children can creatively engage and question the world, arts, science and belief. 

The Story of God

On Sunday I watched the first episode in the BBC's new series called the Story of God. Presented by Robert Winston (not an immediately obvious choice) it is a 3-part look at how different religions conceive God  and where the roots in their differing theologies come from. The first programme was part introduction, part description of Hindu and Buddhist beliefs. This Sunday (7pm, BBC1) will look at the three great monotheistic faiths - Judaism, Christianity and Islam and the following week will look at how the rise of science has impact beliefs in and about God. I found it well made and certainly of potential use in the RE classroom. It will be interesting to look at how they present that which Jews, Christians and Muslims hold in common about God and that which they differ on.

Elusive Peace

Tonight I watched a new BBC2 series called Elusive Peace about the peace process between Israel and Palestine. It's been in the press, because in a later episode Bush tells someone (can't remember who) that he believed God told him to invade Aghastian, Iraq and everything else. Tonight's episode was about Clinton's failed attempt to broker peace between Barak and Arafat in 1999-2000. It was really interesting hearing what was going on behind scenes and how things got close and then someone got cold feet or intervened (e.g. first Sharon and then later Chirac) to ruin chances. After Christmas I'm looking at the whole question on Jerusalem with my year 8 class. So this is good preparation.

I wonder if the title 'elusive peace' will always be true about the situation or whether things will change and peace will be achieved. I'm not sure if it does whether it will be a real peace - a reconciliation between two enemies. I do wonder if everyone took their religion - whether it is Jewish, Islamic or Chrisitan - more seriously and found a way beyond buildings, peace could be made and Jerusalem could be light to the world in how to live with difference.