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Original poster

DS's RE homework: "What do you think God looks like?"

81 replies

whippet · 19/06/2011 22:24

He is (of his own volition) a 'devout atheist' Grin.

I must admit, I am a bit Hmm about the homework (and dislike this particular evangelical teacher...) but I nevertheless think he should do some waffle about children thinking of an old man with a long white beard in the clouds, and some people believing God is like the air, ro light all around us, blah, blah...

He says he wants to hand in a blank piece of paper with just the title.... Wink

OP posts:
GrimmaTheNome · 20/06/2011 13:06

I inferred that the work was supposed to be written rather than drawing. If it was supposed to just be a picture, then the frame would be perfect. But if its meant to be a written description, he really does need to write something.

cordyblue · 20/06/2011 13:06

I had that homework myself when I was 9/10. I had forgotten all about it until I read your post. Every single other child in the entire class did a version of clouds/man with beard/sandals, apart from me who decided to do some jackson pollock inspired modern art paint splatter that of course then ended up on the damn classroom wall in amongst all the men with beards. I rather prissily told the teacher, headteacher and any visitors who asked about it (and they did) that I believed God was everywhere but was completely undrawable as he'd come down to earth as man 2000 years ago.
I was known as "that unusual child"....

Ihavewelliesbuttheyrenotgreen · 20/06/2011 13:09

I like the idea of a blank piece of paper. As a Christian I'm aware that I can't see God and I'm aware that he knows I can't see him so how an earth would I know what he looks like! FWIW as a child I thought that God looked like a skinny old man with a beard and a concerned expression and now I kind of have an image of him like a sunset or the sky (but I'm aware that this isn't actually what he looks like IYSWIM). If your DS wanted to come from a 'what Christians believe' perspective but in a clever way he could say that Christians see God in creation, trees, mountains, animals etc or that Christians see God in people in need. Or he could always use Jesus as this is the only time that people have actually seen God, but then we don't know what Jesus looked like.

GrimmaTheNome · 20/06/2011 13:11

The homework is 'What do you think God looks like', not what other people might.

Ihavewelliesbuttheyrenotgreen · 20/06/2011 13:16

I realise that Grimma but if the teacher is a Christian which from what OP says seems to be the case (correct me if I'm wrong), it might be quite clever of OPs DS to throw it back at the teacher by saying 'As an atheist I don't think that looks like anything because he doesn't exist but heres what a Christian might think...'. Essentially everybody religious or not is in the same position with this, no-one knows what God looks like.

iphonedrone · 20/06/2011 13:17

Print out and stick some pictures of richard dawkins

PotteringAlong · 20/06/2011 13:22

As an RE teacher I've set this homework and had a blank piece of paper back. The only time I've ever issued a detention for it (this is secondary level) was when there was no explanation with it (mine always have to say why too!) - I think a blank sheet of paper is perfectly fine as long as he says WHY he doesn't believe in God. "because I don't" won't cut it; a good explaination should be fien

cory · 20/06/2011 13:23

So what if he were a Muslim? Would the teacher be ok with a piece of paper stating that followers of the faith are not allowed to make images of Allah?

PotteringAlong · 20/06/2011 13:26

Cory - Just seen your post. I always give Muslim pupils an alternative task to tell me about Allah with no image being created. No RE teacher worth their salt would ever ask a Muslim pupil to create an image of Allah

GrimmaTheNome · 20/06/2011 13:27

Pottering: You can surely only insist that the atheist explains why he doesn't believe in God if you also insist, in this same piece of work, that the believers explain why they do. I wasn't quite clear from what you wrote whether this was the case.

The homework in the OP was stated with God as the default assumption, which is of course philosophically the wrong way round.

GooseyLoosey · 20/06/2011 13:30

Dd had a similar question over the half-term holiday. She had to take a photo of what God meant to her. She photographed an empty chair.

mungogerry · 20/06/2011 13:32

I think you should allow him to make the decision to hand in a blank piece of paper. It is a thought out decision.

When we educate our children we hope to inspire them to question, and challenge, and formulate their own opinions. In this instance, the challenge he is making is just, I feel, and if he is able to verbally articulate his reasoning when he is (no doubt) questionned as to the blank page - then he has learnt that it is okay to hold an opinion, this is an important part of education.

Blu · 20/06/2011 13:34

None of the people I know who believe in god think he looks like an old man with beard etc, but are confident that god is an unseeable entity.

A child able to describe himself as a devout atheist will be able to explain this...and leave the page blank.

Or else draw something which is his equivalent of what god means to those who do believe.

An image which represents his own conscience, perhaps?

sparks · 20/06/2011 13:49

I'm Jewish. If my dc were set this homework, I would be supremely offended and probably not let them do it.

If, as Pottering describes, the teacher set a particular homework for the Muslim/Jewish kids, different to everyone else's homework, I would also have a problem with that.

Luckily for my dc, I have never come across this. Probably would be emailing the head teacher if I did.

tabulahrasa · 20/06/2011 14:00

but again sparks, could your child just draw nothing, but explain their reasons why they can't show what god looks like?

sarahfreck · 20/06/2011 14:19

I seem to remember in the dim and distant past, as a naive NQT, asking my Year 4 children to write a description of what they thought God was like. This was writing though, not a drawing, so easier to convey abstracts such as loving etc rather than physical appearance. I seem to remember I was perfectly happy to accept "I don't believe God exists" type writing too though, as long as they could expand on it a bit and weren't just using it as a lazy way out!

I don't think that I would do this if I was teaching in schools these days though!

littleducks · 20/06/2011 14:22

I remember having a worksheet like this when I was in primary school.

It is so stupid! It upsets religious people and atheists.....not really great RE teaching imo

DiNammic · 20/06/2011 14:24

how can it UPSET someone?

really
they need more to be upset about. if you dont believe in god you jsut say. not get upset

MumblingRagDoll · 20/06/2011 14:27

He could say that there is no way of knowing as God takes on so many images...God is Buddah, God is the Green Man, Mother Earth...and others...he could add printout's of these Gods.

littleducks · 20/06/2011 14:29

If you belong to a religion that says you must not draw an image of God (muslims and jews mentioned so far, i think there are some Christians also) then you get pretty upset if your child is set a piece of work that breaks the rules of your religion. Probably even more so if the work is set by an RE teacher who is supposed to be knowledgeable about religion.

Atheists dislike it as it is a waste of time drawing nothing.

DiNammic · 20/06/2011 14:31

buddhists dont have a god.
how can thinking about htis be a waste of time?
suirely all religions teach tolerance so youd not get cross.
too much emphasis on being offended atm

AMumInScotland · 20/06/2011 14:31

I don't think the OP means it had to be a drawing - that's something that other posters are assuming, perhaps because they have younger children? I would assume that an 11yo is being asked to write a description rather than draw a picture. So if they are from a religion which forbids making an image of God, they can say so and describe God in other ways apart from physical appearance. And atheists can say it's a meaningless question and explain their point of view.

I don't think there's anything for people to be angry or upset about.

AliGrylls · 20/06/2011 14:32

What do you think God looks like could also be a descriptive piece (thought the atheists in their infinite wisdom might realise this because of course they are so much more logical and intelligent than people who have faith)

DiNammic · 20/06/2011 14:33

id write
" i dont think God exists so therefore think he looks like MOrgan Freeman quite a lot sitting in clouds eating philadelphia"

DiNammic · 20/06/2011 14:33

tbh most teenagers would write " my god i my mobile phone"