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Original poster

Calling all vicars!

35 replies

OhWesternWind · 28/11/2018 10:33

Would really appreciate some help from any vicars/ministers around on here. We are not a religious family and don't have any connections to the church, but my son has been given a homework exercise to ask some questions of a vicar/minister about the Messiah. If anyone could spare a few minutes to help with this, we would be very grateful.

Here is the homework . . .

^The Hebrew word Mashiach means anointed one, and refers to a mortal human being. Within Judaism, the Mashiach is a human being who will be a descendant of King David continuing the Davidic line and who will usher in a messianic era of peace and prosperity for Israel and all the nations of the world. The job description, as such, is this:

1 All of the people of Israel will come back to the Torah.
2 The people of Israel will be gathered back to the land of Israel.
3 The Holy Temple in Jerusalem will be rebuilt.
4 Israel will live among the nations as an equal, and will be strong enough to defend herself.
5 Eventually war, hatred and famine will end and an era of peace and prosperity will come upon the earth.

In view of the above, ask a minister or vicar:

1 What was the Messiah?
2 Was Jesus the Messiah?
3 Why did he not complete everything the Messiah was supposed to do?
4 Was the Messiah God?^

Thanks so much for your help.

OP posts:
steppemum · 28/11/2018 10:36

Blimey that's hard!

I am not a vicar, but have a theology degree and was a missionary for a few years. Would that do?
I might have to go away and think. I'll see if an actual vicar comes along in the meantime.

PlateOfBiscuits · 28/11/2018 10:39

Gosh those are some questions!

Is everyone in his class (year?) supposed to go and track down a vicar?

Puddlet · 28/11/2018 10:44

Most of the vicars I know would be delighted to help. Those are really interesting questions. I think your son should be doing the homework though rather than you researching for him.

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Philosophy & religion
Twickerhun · 28/11/2018 10:45

Gosh they are hard. The answers will depend on what flavour the vicar is (to an extent).

Innocentconglomeration · 28/11/2018 10:46

What would your son be expected to do if you were an atheist family? That homework is shocking, because not all families know a vicar. is it a church school or something?

PlateOfBiscuits · 28/11/2018 10:58

’What would your son be expected to do if you were an atheist family?’
Although not stating they are atheist, the OP has already said they are not a religious family and have no connection to a church.
You can learn about religion and be agnostic or athiest - you are learning about the beliefs, histories and cultures of others. And that can be of great interest and importance to a person without that person having to be religious themselves.

Innocentconglomeration · 28/11/2018 11:01

But Plate as an atheist, I don't know any vicars to go and ask - how would they be expected to do the homework? I believe this is indirect discrimination on the grounds of lack of religious belief. He can't complete the homework himself because, as a non-religious family, they don't know vicars. The school need to re-think the homework.

Original poster
OhWesternWind · 28/11/2018 11:11

Steppemum yes, I am sure that would do very nicely - thank you.

These are really interesting questions that open the doors to a whole debate on wider political issues and yes, the whole class has been given this homework so they will all be on a mission to find a friendly vicar to help out. It's a small community with a very limited number of vicars. We are an atheist/agnostic family Innocent which is why I'm asking on here - we were a bit stumped really about how to tackle this assignment as we wouldn't feel comfortable at all rocking up at the vicarage homework in hand :-)

OP posts:
SheepyFun · 28/11/2018 11:13

OP, could you give the age of your son? It would help any who can respond know what level to respond at (though I'm guessing KS3).

anniehm · 28/11/2018 11:13

Just asked the vicar and he was astonished that they asked that of a kid, he said they didn't even cover that at vicar school! We don't have a succinct answer I'm afraid

sonlypuppyfat · 28/11/2018 11:14

How old is your child?

Lexilooo · 28/11/2018 11:17

You don't have to be a practising Christian to know a vicar or minister, and it doesn't say that you have to ask someone you know so it isn't discriminatory.

My husband and I are both non-religious and have a very close friend who is a vicar plus a fairly distant cousin who is a vicar.

However if you don't know a vicar or minister personally there is nothing to stop the pupil contacting one they don't have a direct connection to either via a local church, youth ministry, chaplaincy, or mission. Most will be glad to talk to him. By the sounds of the homework it doesn't have to be CofE which also makes it easier.

Original poster
OhWesternWind · 28/11/2018 11:22

Plate my son is atheist but is taking RE as a GCSE option because he's very interested in how religious ideas shape society and history and the philosophy behind them, and he enjoys the debate that is part of this subject.

We are a rural and (unfortunately) very white British community and I would be extremely surprised if there were a homework to go and ask similar questions of a rabbi or imam, for example. I find it interesting that the only homework where the class have been asked to interact with a religious leader off their own bat has been to do with Christianity, and I feel that there are a lot of assumptions on the part of the school that lie behind this.

OP posts:
Original poster
OhWesternWind · 28/11/2018 11:25

Sorry, everyone, yes I should have given his age. He's 13 in Year 9.

Thanks everyone for replying.

OP posts:
Innocentconglomeration · 28/11/2018 11:26

OhWestern my DD did RE as GCSE and at A-level. I just think expecting kids to know a vicar or minister is discriminatory and also showing cultural bias, unconscious, I would hope, but still bias.

I don't know any vicars or ministers that we could ask. Neither would DD have known any at that stage in her school career. I don't know if she would now, she's at university and might know some I suppose, but I doubt it.

PoesyCherish · 28/11/2018 11:30

For those saying how can he know a vicar, it's discriminatory etc surely you know where the local church is? Most have a website or a Facebook page and he could message / phone them. Most church people would be happy to chat to somebody about their beliefs, especially when that person has chosen to take a GCSE in it.

Innocentconglomeration · 28/11/2018 11:33

The GCSE isn't in specifically Christian religion though, such as CofE, for example, is it? I mean, it's supposed to be all faith encompassing. This is the spec for AQA www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/religious-studies/gcse/religious-studies-a-8062/specification-at-a-glance

steppemum · 28/11/2018 13:03

OP - I'll write you a PM with my replies, but it will be this evening, is that ok?

To be fair, if you are a small community, then it is not unreasonable to think people might know the vicar socially.

My parents are atheists, but lived in a village, and they all knew the vicar (I imagine that she might have got a little fed up if a whole load of year 9s came and asked her the same questions though!)

Original poster
OhWesternWind · 28/11/2018 14:32

Thank you so much Steppemum

I'm imagining the poor vicar being bombarded by all these Year 9s, particularly as I suspect most of the class will have ended up going to the same person. It might have been better for the teacher to get a vicar in for a Q&A session.

Really appreciate all the replies on here - thanks all.

OP posts:
sonlypuppyfat · 28/11/2018 14:57

I'm really struggling with the idea that a child was asked those questions

steppemum · 28/11/2018 15:00

my ds is 15 and bright, and he engaged with similar questions in RE, and harder ones in terms of ethics.
Teenagers are able to delve deeper than we think!

PlateOfBiscuits · 28/11/2018 15:06

Here here steppemum.

PlateOfBiscuits · 28/11/2018 15:07

Or... is it hear hear? Oh ffs am I going to end up on the pedantry board.

DadDadDad · 28/11/2018 16:46

In the meantime, your son could read Luke Chapter 24 verses 13 to 32, to get an idea what Jesus said about these questions. (And I'm sure others could point to other New Testament passages for the church's earliest teachings about this).

steppemum · 28/11/2018 17:32

3dad
surely the point is not the theologically correct answer (I could give that according to my training in systematic theology)
But the diverse and possibly contradictory responses from actual people who believe?
And their interaction with those questions which are coming from a Jewish perspective.

If they only want the theology, then Wikipedia will do it!

I am guessing that feeding back their diverse replies will be part of the next step.

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