"Design your own god" homework

[AChickenCalledKorma]

DD2 is in year 8 and has been asked to design a god/goddess for RS homework. We are an active Christian family and she doesn't want to do it because the Bible says she shouldn't.

I'm interested whether other Christian, Jewish or Muslim parents (or any other faith that has a problem with idols) have had a similar issue arise and how you handled it. Part of me thinks she should just treat the homework as an interesting art project. It's not as if the teacher is asking them to worship what they invent (hopefully!!!). But the other part of me thinks that she has a point and it's good that she's made the connection between what she reads in the Bible and what she's being asked to do.

Allegedly, her older friend refused to do a similar homework and got a detention for it.

Yes, I don't think Justin Welby's God is particularly fragile.........

Would a loving, forgiving Christian God really get pissed off about a child completing some homework? If so, is that really something Christians want to associate themselves with? It's bollocks like this that makes me want to go totally agnostic.

I am a loving, forgiving parent, but it would make me feel hurt and sad if my daughters decided to try and design a different sort of parent. I wouldn't disown or condemn them, but it might affect our relationship for a bit.

For a believing Christian, that's my attempt at explaining something of what this feels like.

Anyway, to get back to re point, she has decided for herself that she will do the homework, that no-one is asking her to worship the thing she draws and that she understands why she's being asked to do it. So clearly she has a much more open and flexible mind set that some people on here have given her credit for.

Isn't that kind of natural stage for children though to a certain extent? "Soandso's mum let's them do xyz, why can you be like them, you're so mean!" is just part of growing up.
Not trying to pick on you OP, I just like a debate

Glad your daughter resolved the issue herself though

But how is imagining what a human's idea of a non-existent, non-Christian god could be like any more wrong than drawing images of actual non-Christian gods from existing non-Christian religions (which she may well do, when studying them)? Nobody is expecting her to think her own made-up god is real, never mind actually worship it. Presumably she could even design a 'bad' god - contrasting with her presumable belief in the goodness of her own Christian god.

Oops sorry - didn't see update. Very sensible decision!

LOL - you are quite right FlaviaAlbia. Maybe God continually feels like the parent of stroppy, argumentative teenagers. No wonder he's so "fragile" .

(Joke. Because in actual fact, I'm a fairly liberal Methodist, not a raving fundamentalist, and I'm not remotely afraid that he will smite me )

I am a loving, forgiving parent, but it would make me feel hurt and sad if my daughters decided to try and design a different sort of parent

Children do not need to be forgiven they have done nothing wrong.

Its quite normal for children to draw parents and give them 'god like powers'. I remember drawings of parents able to fly, grant wishes and become invisible, why would this upset anyone?

Likewise its normal for children to wish their parents were more like someone else, who let them stay up later, play longer on the computer or gave them more money. Again, why would this upset anyone and I certainly cant imagine it affecting my relationship with my DC.

I would find it a bit weird if someone expected their children to have them on a pedestal of perfection.

AChickenCalledKorma

Children do not need to be forgiven they have done nothing wrong.

LOL - my children are 15 and 12. They are normal, sometimes tempestuous adolescents and I can assure you they have definitely done some things that needed forgiveness!

I wouldn’t set this homework as I’m not sure what the purpose is - well you could maybe have an interesting discussion about similarities about most responses to the general concept of God - and I would assume someone would have a problem with it! I have been used to writing things like “draw or describe” if I think there are Muslim children, some of whom have not been allowed to draw people. I’d be very surprised if the teacher gave a detention if there was a parental note.

I work full-time, hate sport and am not a great cook. I can imagine being a bit sad if a dc wrote about their ideal mum as being a sahp who went to football with them while turning out pavlovas!

Why can't she just draw what god means to her ?

That's a good explanation achickencalled. Although I always credited God with better emotional intelligence than that!

Cue loads of atheists handing in a blank sheet of paper, surely?

It’s a confusing question, because if you already have your own god and believe it’s the only one that could ever exist, then it’s logically impossible to “design your own god”.

I can see why someone who believes “You shall have no other gods before me” (from the 10 Commandments) would be unwilling to design “their own”. I wonder whether RE students are ever asked to design their own recipe for a food their religion forbids, or to design their own outfit in a style they don’t believe should be worn.

I fully support learning about the world’s major religions, as I think it increases understanding and tolerance. However it could be better to use a question such as “what other deities do you think people might believe in, in the future?” or “What good qualities do you see in the deity you believe in, or that of another religion?”

Bit late to the discussion, but glad that she has found a resolution for herself.

I was going to suggest thinking about Aslan in the Narnia books, who is definitely an interesting exercise in creating an image of a god/the Christian God . . . . If she were going to write a book/paint a picture which highlighted the qualities of God in an allegory, what animal would she choose to depict her understanding of God?

I think that it's a great way to teach her an important lesson about being religious in a secular society. She doesn't get to put her own beliefs before what she is expected to get done in her public life whether that is at school, university or, the workforce. She needs to be able to find ways to assimilate her religious beliefs into the culture in which she lives. In this particular instance you could explain to her that it is a complete hypothetical and doesn't amount to idolatry because there is no idolisation involved. If she wants she could use this as an opportunity to explore her own religious beliefs maybe by creating a god that encompasses all of the things that she likes about the Christian God and omits all the things that she feels are wrong or false (baring in mind that the bible isn't wholly representative of Christianity and the portrayal of God found in the bible is often a bit different to the values that Jesus espoused hence the need for further exploration on a personal level).

I like the sound of this homework. I suppose it could be regarded as slightly subversive - perhaps that is why it appeals to me!

Sometimes it’s good to challenge your own ideas and presuppositions by considering alternative scenarios. So I think - be bold and be curious. You’ll develop a much better sense of the shape and extent of your beliefs through exploring what lies outside than through playing safe and always ‘colouring within the lines’.

Even if you opt to consider your notion of what God might be like exclusively within the tradition of Christianity and its ancient antecedents, there is sufficient diversity of thought for horizons to be expanded.

By Y8 I think you can definitely go beyond invisibility cloaks and bearded men in the sky territory and think more deeply about the characteristics of divinity.

For example, one question theologians ponder is whether God is totally omniscient (knows everything) or only inherently omniscient (holds back on knowing everything to preserve human free will, the ability to make real choices). If the latter is true, human beings are co-creators of reality.

What about answering prayer? Some Christians think that God can suspend scientific laws and tinker at will with earthly matters. Others think prayer is more about orienting themselves to God’s will.

The afterlife. One of the perks of Christianity – and most religions - is the promise of some form of continuity after death. But the Sadducees in the time of Jesus thought Yahweh didn’t provide an afterlife and in modern times there are many Jews who put little emphasis on it or don’t believe in it at all. Could a God who offers life but no afterlife lead to a ‘seize the day’ mentality or just feelings of hopelessness amongst the oppressed?

God and gender considerations. According to some scholars, the religion of the Israelites used to be polytheistic with Yahweh being one of a pantheon of gods presiding over different regions under the uber-god El. The goddess Asherah was the consort of El initially, evolving through time into the companion of Yahweh. Eventually Asherah was airbrushed out of the picture (by the patriarchy?).

Has Asherah’s absence from Judaism had a detrimental effect on the development of the Abrahamic faiths? Should God be considered as having masculine and feminine aspects, or is it wrong to think of particular attributes as belonging to a particular sex?

Lots to think about!

Cue loads of atheists handing in a blank sheet of paper, surely? 

I’m atheist and would enjoy this!

I would have been happy to draw my own mythical creature but design your own God is different. Christians believe a lot of trouble happens precisely because people do design their own gods.

But surely a god that is not your Christian God is a mythical creature?

My atheist children would have had a great time designing a God!

Christians believe a lot of trouble happens precisely because people do design their own gods.

But even Christians are guilty of designing their own version of god according to their own beliefs.* Christian A thinks god is cool with homosexuality whereas Christian B thinks god thinks it’s an abomination. Christian C thinks hell is literal, Christian D doesn’t.*

They can’t all have the right version of god yet every Christian thinks their version is the truest.**

If pushed I'd say I was agnostic but I'd feel it was a bit disrespectful if my children were labelling themselves athiests at school.

I wouldn't enjoy handing in a blank sheet of paper, I'd say that there is a Force, not a God and it's nature, biology, physics, chemistry and mankind and they're not all working together but if they do that'll be divine. People ask how god let their baby die but nature is just random and cruel and human pain is a part of that too. I hope one day humans respect the environment enough not to destroy it and scientists will be able to solve the issues that cause us the most pain. That would be divine harmony.

I would allow my son to hand in that, but I'd be ashamed of the lack of respect if he handed in a blank sheet and told the teachers at his faith school that he was an athiest! you have to respec the ethos of the school, up to a point?!

"If pushed I'd say I was agnostic but I'd feel it was a bit disrespectful if my children were labelling themselves athiests at school". Really? What if they are atheists? What should they say then?