wisdom to live by: what do we do when life gets hard? can ......us feel stronger. we assume that god...

Sandwell SACRE + RE Today Services © / A Unit of work for Key Stage 3 / 2019

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Tegan, age 12, made: ‘Behind the mask’

“My piece expresses that no one is all good or evil

they are always different on the inside to the outside.

When you look at your friend or teacher or relative

what do you see, a confident character on the

outside and a shrivelled crying child on the inside or

horrible bully on the outside but every day she puts

flowers by her parents grave. We will never know

who they are. We should not judge a character.

During this work it has made me think how much our

world assumes. We assume that being fake is ok.

We assume that making others feel inferior will make

us feel stronger. We assume that God will not

forgive us if we do wrong. We assumed wrong. But

we need to start assuming right, and start taking off

the mask and showing who we really are, In the

Bible 1 Samuel 2:2 it states that ‘there is no one holy

like the Lord, indeed, there is no one besides you,

nor is there any rock like our God.’ This quotation

agrees with my piece: ‘there is no rock like our God’.

From www.natre.org.uk/spiritedarts

Unit 3.10, Year 8 or 9

Wisdom to live by:

what do we do

when life gets hard?

Can religion help?

Jewish, Christian,

Atheist

12-14 Year Olds

Sandwell SACRE

© 2019

http://www.natre.org.uk/spiritedarts


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Unit 3.10 Wisdom to live by: what do we do when life gets hard?

Can religion help? Jewish, Christian, Atheist Age Group: 12-14

About this unit: This non-statutory unit is offered to teachers as an exemplar for guidance in planning and delivering RE for 12-14s using the Agreed Syllabus.

The principal aim of religious education is to explore what people believe and what difference this makes to how they live, so that pupils can gain the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to handle questions raised by religion and belief, reflecting on their own ideas and ways of living.

The unit explores, using Jewish and Christian examples, the big idea that religions are sources of wisdom for all the circumstances of life, and that for believers the faith can be a big help when times are hard. Learners also explore the counter-arguments from atheists that religion is unhelpful, perhaps leading to repression or offering false home, or unreal views of the world. The unit poses and explores some key questions about wellbeing.

Some elements of this enquiry could be fully integrated with GCSE RS (which many schools teach from Year 9).

As well as being a legal requirement, it is important that schools plan quality in RE for all pupils. This unit intends t0 be a model for such planning.

The unit will provide these opportunities.

• Students have opportunities to consider a diverse range of views about wellbeing, life’s hard times don’t he concept of wisdom in two different religions

• From the study of sources of wisdom and authority within Jewish and Christian religions students will be able to examine and develop reasoned viewpoints and thoughtful evaluations of questions about wise living, hard times and the place faith has for some people in life.

• In this example, viewpoints from Judaism, Christianity and Atheism will be considered. Any school may plan to address the questions of the unit with reference to another religious tradition, taking account of the overall need for a balanced curriculum in RE KS3.

• Students will be able to think about their own views, the influences upon them, and the reasons why they hold them in relation to questions about wisdom and wellbeing.

• Experiences and opportunities provided by this unit include engaging with a range of views about human well being, wisdom and religion.

Estimated teaching time for this unit: 6-8 hours. Teach less, in depth, if you have less time – it’s not recommended to skate over the surface, but to engage with two or three worldviews in depth.

Where this unit fits in: This unit develops the role of philosophical thinking in RE by attending to questions about meaning and purpose in life. It provides opportunities to build upon work from earlier in key stage three by looking more deeply at the meanings of terms and the influences of religion and other ideas. The unit intends to give students the chance to develop their own philosophical and psychological understandings in relation to religions, contributing to learners’ ability to access cultural capital. KEY THEMES ADDRESSED BY THIS UNIT

▪ Beliefs and concepts: what do Jews, Christians and Atheists say in response to questions about meaning, purpose, wisdom and wellbeing? What can be learned from differing responses to humanity’s ‘hard times’?


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▪ Inter faith dialogue: what can people from different worldviews learn from sharing their ideas and visions? What similarities and differences can be explored? Can we learn how to think and argue reasonably and respectfully from different worldviews?

ATTITUDES FOCUS: Students will explore attitudes of: ▪ Self awareness by becoming more sensitive to the impact of behaviour and ideas about wisdom

and wellbeing on themselves and others; ▪ Open mindedness by distinguishing between opinions, viewpoints and beliefs with reference to

ideas about wisdom and wellbeing.

KEY STRANDS ADDRESSED BY THIS UNIT

• Beliefs, Values and Teaching

• Questions of Identity, Diversity and Belonging

• Questions of Values and Commitments

CONCEPTS: The core concepts from RE that this unit addresses are beliefs, values, meaning and purpose, commitments and diversity. Teachers should plan to enable learners to see the significance of these core ideas at every point. Contributions to spiritual, moral, social and cultural development of students

• Opportunities for spiritual development come from engaging with profound questions about wisdom and wellbeing in relation to human nature, reflecting on diverse philosophical ideas from different religious and secular sources and expressing their own views

• Opportunities for moral development come from asking and answering moral questions: can humans learn what is good and right from ancient texts and from religious practice?

• Opportunities for social development come from taking increasing account of the need to balance different visions of how we can promote human wellbeing and use the wisdom of humanity when our own lives are hard.

• Opportunities for cultural development come from taking increasing account of the varied accounts of wisdom and wellbeing found in a plural society.

Expectations: the work described in this unit intends to enable most 14 year olds to achieve these outcomes. Make sense of belief:

• Suggest varied meanings of religious concepts and texts from Jewish and Christian sources to do with wisdom, wellbeing and hard times in life

• Explain their ideas about meaning, purpose, wisdom and wellbeing with reasons and evidence.

Understand the impact:

• Give reasons and examples to explain a range of ways Jewish people, Christians and atheists respond to and are influenced by sources of wisdom

• Explain the varied impact of ideas about wisdom and wellbeing for different people

• Consider the arguments between religious people and atheists about ancient wisdom and modern insight into humanity’s needs.

Make connections:

• Respond to the challenges of religious and atheist examples of wisdom teachings in the world today

• Argue for their own views about wellbeing, wisdom and hard times in relation to their own lives, offering reasons and justifications for their responses.

Students do not need to achieve with reference to all the points above: teachers should look for the ‘best fit’ in describing students’ steps of achievement. Assessment for learning in RE is best when integrated into the activities of teaching and learning rather than set as separate assessment tasks.


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Wisdom to live by: What do we do when life gets hard? Jewish, Christian and Atheist responses What can we learn from Jewish and Christian wisdom about hard times? Texts and practices. The principal aim of religious education is to explore what people believe and what difference this makes to how they live, so that pupils can gain the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to handle questions raised by religion and belief, reflecting on their own ideas and ways of living.

Ideas and some content for learning: Teachers can select content from these examples, and add more of their own to enable students to achieve the outcomes.

Learning outcomes (intended to enable students to

achieve end of key stage outcomes) :

• Begin by listing some of life’s hard times – pupils could do this in pairs, and pool their ideas. Consider this idea: No life passes without sad days, depressions, broken friendships and some disasters – even though this is balanced by joy, fun, meaning and love. Religions offer their followers a community, some spiritual practices and some ancient wisdom to help on the toughest days of your life.

• Explore examples of some ways Jewish and Christian people use ancient wisdom to help and guide them in times of trouble and hardship.

• Text: A Jewish example: Read two Psalms with the class. Good examples might be Psalm 23, famously read at funerals, the very comforting idea that God is like a shepherd to humanity, and Psalm 22, a cry of despair in very tough times. Use the Jewish translation: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+22&version=CJB Consider these Psalms as poems, linking them to the English skills of your students and examining why it might be that Jewish people use texts like these to pray. What kind of experiences lead to these kinds of prayer? Find out about Jewish practice when someone dies: how is text, prayer and the comfort of the community made available to people who grieve?

• Text: A Christian example: Read and think about Jesus’ eight Beatitudes in Matthew 5:1-8: a kind of 8-step path to happiness, and really counter intuitive – a difficult passage to study. Connect this to St Paul’s advice to Christians, e.g. Romans 12: 9-21. The Bible teachings suggest that our happiness is found in the happiness of others and that the presence and blessing of God, in hard times, can reassure, strengthen or inspire Christian believers. What do the learners think of these ideas?

• Examples: Spiritual practice. Explore examples of some ways Jewish and Christian people use wise spiritual practice, community life, prayer and their spiritual beliefs to help and guide them in times of trouble and hardship. You could focus teaching on the practice of prayer and the pastoral role of Rabbis and ministers in the community. What do the two religions do to support people in hard in their communities?

• Ask students to give an example of each of these: a prayer that is comforting / a way a religious community supports a member / a kind of meditation or reflection that helps in hard times / two texts that show how people can apply belief to their ‘hard days.’ Ask them to rank these examples: which do they consider might be most helpful and why?

Teachers will enable students to achieve these outcomes, as appropriate to their age and stage, so that they can: Make sense of belief:




• Give reasons and examples to explain a range of ways Jewish people and Christians respond to and are influenced by sources of wisdom

Make connections:

• Respond to the challenges of religious examples of wisdom teachings in the world today


https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm+22&version=CJB


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Wisdom to live by: What do we do when life gets hard? Jewish, Christian and Atheist responses Atheist critiques of spiritual or religious practices, and alternatives. The principal aim of religious education is to explore what people believe and what difference this makes to how they live, so that pupils can gain the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to handle questions raised by religion and belief, reflecting on their own ideas and ways of living.


Learning outcomes (intended to enable

students to achieve end of key stage outcomes): • Explore atheist critiques of religious or spiritual practice and alternative non-religious views about how to cope with

hard times. Consider whether there are good arguments against practices of prayer and religious meditation.

• Note with learners that Atheism is not the only way to be non-religious, and involves a commitment to the idea / belief that there is no God. Which atheists do they know? There are helpful free resources from: https://understandinghumanism.org.uk/themes/?age=11

• Ask pupils to think through the ways in which Atheists might express their wisdom for when we encounter hard times, and then introduce these 6 views:

“We have one life, a mixture of ease and pleasure and hard times and pains. We should be realistic,

and live for the one life we have to max happiness and minimise pain.”

“Humans can help each other. This is a simple truth and ethical

atheists rely on human kindness and ‘doing to others as we would like them to do us’. This can make

life better for us all.”

“Human wisdom – for example the social sciences of psychology and sociology- can teach us lots more

about how to live together for the wellbeing of all that out of date

religious texts.”

“We know a lot from positive psychology about what makes

humans happier: good relationship, enjoying the natural world, a

sensed of purpose, living a life of love. This is what helps us in hard

times.”

“One way to reduce pain and suffering is to be realistic about the end of our days. If a person wishes to end their life because of great

pain and suffering in old age, they should have the right to

euthanasia.”

“Religion is a kind of illusion, as Karl Marx said: ‘the opium of the people.’ It offers false happiness. Face the fact: there is probably no God. Get on and enjoy your life.”

• Ask students to consider and rank these six ideas: which do they consider are wise, and why?

• Can an atheist visitor to school explain their ‘path to happiness’ and their approach to dealing weith hard times?

• What do students think of these two claims? How would Jewish or Christian people respond to these ideas? o ‘Atheism doesn’t offer hope beyond this life, but at least it is realistic, and doesn’t offer false

consciousness.’ o ‘Atheism challenges all religions to give up ancient myths and face reality as it is. It’s good to be rational.’




• Give reasons and examples to explain a range of ways atheists respond to and are influenced by sources of wisdom


Make connections:

• Respond to the challenges of atheist examples of wisdom teachings in the world today


https://understandinghumanism.org.uk/themes/?age=11


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Wisdom to live by: What do we do when life gets hard? Jewish, Christian and Atheist responses ‘Religions are at their best in hard times’ Are they? How and why? The principal aim of religious education is to explore what people believe and what difference this makes to how they live, so that pupils can gain the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to handle questions raised by religion and belief, reflecting on their own ideas and ways of living.


Learning outcomes (intended to enable students to achieve

end of key stage outcomes):

• Explore different ways people respond to the challenge of life’s hard times, for themselves and for others. Small groups of pupils might research and report on one each of these examples. o Jewish responses to the holocaust. A good example here would be the story of Rabbi Hugo Gryn,

who survived a concentration camp, where his father, also a Rabbi, celebrated Hanukkah in 1944, memorably telling his son: ‘we have gone three days with no fod, whole days without water, but I cannot live for three minutes without hope.’ How did Jewish spiritual life sustain people eve in the darkest places of the Nazi concentration camps?

o Jewish charitable and development work A good starting point here is that Jewish collective action against injustice through charity is a core of the faith. Learn more beginning here, for example. https://www.learnreligions.com/tzedakah-more-than-charity-2076098 Ask students how Jewish community life and charity are connected, and how this illustrates the idea that Jewish people have community and divine support, and are never alone in life’s hard times.

o Christian action against poverty, evils in modern society or other times of trouble. Take examples such as the leading contributions of Christians to foodbanks (The Trussell Trust), to homelessness charities (Emmaus or the Cyrenians) and to helping victims of human trafficking (Hope for Justice UK). In what ways are these groups putting their Christian faith into action? How is their work connected to Christian beliefs and the Bible’s teachings?

o Non-religious or atheist responses to evil and human hard times Note that many non-religious charities such as Save the Children or the Red Cross / Crescent are not atheist charities – they are plural. Also teach the class that some atheists, holding the idea that religion is bad for society, campaign and argue against religion, or its ‘dark side’. Individual atheists may be involved in all kinds of good causes because they believe in the individual liberty, dignity and worth of each human life, with no reference to God or religion at all. Discuss issues about the ways atheists explain pain and suffering and respond to it.

• Well being for all? From the class’s study of all these examples, issue a challenge: we all face hard times, but can we all make a positive difference to human pains and sufferings, no matter what our beliefs or worldview might be? If we can, then why do we often not do this? Can we do better? How?


• Refer to different worldviews in explaining ideas about meaning, purpose, wisdom and wellbeing with reasons and evidence.




Make connections:



https://www.learnreligions.com/tzedakah-more-than-charity-2076098


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Wisdom to live by: What do we do when life gets hard? Jewish, Christian and Atheist responses Debating and Philosophy for Children: arguing about hard times. The principal aim of religious education is to explore what people believe and what difference this makes to how they live, so that pupils can gain the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to handle questions raised by religion and belief, reflecting on their own ideas and ways of living.


Learning outcomes (intended to enable

students to achieve end of key stage outcomes) :

• The methods of philosophy for children, the community of enquiry and the formal debate have much to offer in the RE classroom. One part of this unit should be to give a lesson over to these kind of learning methods, focusing on speaking and listening much more than writing.

• Debate some of these issues, drawing on learning from sacred texts and other sources of wisdom. E.g. use debate statements such as:

o ‘THBT ancient wisdom from religions is still helpful today.’ o ‘THBT humans are on their own when they face pain, grief, death and other tough times.’ o ‘THBT reflective practices such as prayer, meditation and contemplation are like whistling in the dark: they

may make you feel better, but change nothing in the real world o ‘THBT considers that the world’s great religions have helped people with their wellbeing for many centuries

before modern psychology began, and can continue to do so.’ o ‘THBT that no one can recover from mental illness until they find what the ancient wisdom of religions has

always offered to their followers. (As Carl Gustav Jung said).’ o ‘THBT believes that religions have been replaced by positive psychology in terms of enabling people to live

for their own wellbeing and the wellbeing of all.’

• Prepare all students to take part in the debate, community of enquiry or discussion sessions that you plan, including by assembling arguments, evidence, reasoning, case studies and examples. Without this kind of preparation, pupils may be ‘pooling their ignorance’.

• If this session is to be good RE as well as good argumentation, then pupils may need sources of wisdom from Judaism, Christianity and Atheism to be provided at their fingertips., It is much easier to work with information like this than to develop a speech or argument from a blank sheet of paper.

• Sometimes it works well to have older students leading here: Are the GCSE or A level RS students in your school able to come and give opening speeches for and against hr motion, and to stay and support younger learners in their debating and enquiries? Ids it possible to film them?

• When the session is complete, it is usually enough to ask students to write up their learning for homework using these two simple questions:

o What happened in RE Today today? o What did you learn from this work?





Make connections:



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Wisdom to live by: What do we do when life gets hard? Jewish, Christian and Atheist responses Does religion make you happier? How and why, or why not? The principal aim of religious education is to explore what people believe and what difference this makes to how they live, so that pupils can gain the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to handle questions raised by religion and belief, reflecting on their own ideas and ways of living.


Learning outcomes (intended to enable students

to achieve end of key stage outcomes) :

• Consider some ideas about wellbeing from positive psychology (there is a link to mental health issues here, to be handled carefully and sensitively by teachers of course). How should we account for research that often shows that religious belief and practice makes people happier?

• In numerous research studies, religious people describe themselves as happier than the general population. A case can be made that ‘religions makes you happy’ or ‘religion contributes to human wellbeing.’ It’s not universal of course. Most of the evidence from psychology research can be found in Stephen Post: ‘Why good things happen to good people’, 2007 http://unlimitedloveinstitute.org/ More detailed academic papers are found in The Handbook of Positive Psychology, ed CJ Snyder and SJ Lopez, OUP, 2002 and the Oxford Handbook of Happiness, ed Boniwell et al, OUP, 2014. Explore this idea with students: why might it be? Are religious people deluding themselves? Does their belief in life after death make them happier (whether it turns out true or not)? Does God give happiness to those who follow their faith?

• Online magazine Aeon regularly has fascinating and thoughtful articles and short videos that are useful in RE. For example, this one on the effectiveness of classes for forgiveness: http://bit.ly/1wjsQrT More on forgiveness at http://theforgivenessproject.com/

• More ideas for exploring happiness in religion and secular life can be found in the section Is happiness the purpose of life? In Questions: Meaning, Purpose and Truth ed. Stephen Pett, RE Today 2012 and ‘Essential RE: Happiness’ ed. Stephen Pett, from RE Today, 2016.

• Ask learners to head a page: ‘Religion makes people happier? Really?’ In two columns they muster all the data, experiences, examples, reasons and arguments they can on each side of this case, and write an argumentative essay defending the conclusion they draw from their study.


• Use religious concepts and texts from Jewish and Christian sources to do with wisdom, wellbeing and hard times in life




Make connections:


http://unlimitedloveinstitute.org/

http://bit.ly/1wjsQrT

http://theforgivenessproject.com/


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Wisdom to live by: What do we do when life gets hard? Jewish, Christian and Atheist responses The principal aim of religious education is to explore what people believe and what difference this makes to how they live, so that pupils can gain the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to handle questions raised by religion and belief, reflecting on their own ideas and ways of living.



end of key stage outcomes) :

• Consider the idea that humans all search for wisdom by which to live and many religions provide the sources of wisdom people need. Assemble examples of the wisdom of different worldviews and consider them in response to the questions: what are my sources of wisdom? What wisdom do I choose and use to guide my life?’

• Select ideas from Jewish and Christian sources to connect to problems, issues and hard times in young people’s lives today. Teaching might present a contemporary study of what causes anxiety or stress to teenagers in the UK today. This site usually keeps teachers up to date: https://www.anxietyuk.org.uk/get-help/anxiety-information/young-people-and-anxiety/

• A Gideon Bible (available free from the Gideons UK national charity) has pages in the front which suggest Bible passages to consider when facing a wide range of problems and human experiences – ‘Where to find help when…’ This is a good example to show pupils of how religious wisdom ‘works’ for believers. The website of the Gideons has numerous case studies of lives changed by conversion to Christianity. Take a ‘both sides’ look at some of these examples, called ‘testimonies’ on the site.

• The 36 pieces of wisdom chart (see the final page below at the end of this unit plan) can be used to explore what the pupils think is wise.

o Invite them to select their top ten ideas from the page; o Ask them to suggest who might benefit from their ‘top three’ (friends? Family? Teachers!). o Ask them to write the opposite of several of these pieces of ‘wisdom’ (not everyone agrees

that the scriptures of Jews and Christians are wise). o Ask them to collect as a class many more pieces of wisdom from scriptures, songs, poems,

dictionaries of quotations and any other sources. o Make a sixty page class book to which each pupil contributes two pages of the wisest words

they have, illustrated, explained and bound together.






Make connections:



https://www.anxietyuk.org.uk/get-help/anxiety-information/young-people-and-anxiety/


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Wisdom to live by: What do we do when life gets hard? Jewish, Christian and Atheist responses Responding for myself. The principal aim of religious education is to explore what people believe and what difference this makes to how they live, so that pupils can gain the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to handle questions raised by religion and belief, reflecting on their own ideas and ways of living.


Learning outcomes (intended to enable students to

achieve end of key stage outcomes) :

• Write responses to the unit question, ‘What do we do when life gets hard?’ Answer from a variety of different perspectives, including Jewish, Christian and atheist responses. Weigh up how satisfying, persuasive or feeble each response is, giving reasons and evidence.

• Note that many people find wisdom to live by from other sources: people who are spiritual but not religious often quote songs, poetry, great thinkers, philosophers or even greetings cards to express their sense of the wisdom they need to live by. Ask pupils to collect examples. If they made a spotify playlist called ‘wisdom for life’ what would be the first 6 songs they would punt on this list and why?

• Can the pupils articulate their own ideas about wisdom, hard times and wellbeing creatively and thoughtfully? Use exemplification from the NATRE ‘Art in Heaven’ web galleries, asking your young people to select three wise pictures and texts from other young people like themselves, copy and paste them into a document and add their own comments about what they found here that was wise. www.natre.org.uk/spiritedarts

• Give young people the theme: ‘Wisdom for Hard Times’ and invite them to create a work of art to express what they have been learning and thinking. Encourage collaboration, and work with the Art department if possible on this – would it be well explained as ‘art therapy?’ Teach pupils more about this concept with some examples. Encourage them to create their artwork, and write a commentary on it to explore more about wisdom, religion, atheism and wellbeing.

• What conclusions do learners wish to draw from this study of wisdom, hard times and wellbeing? Ask for a piece of reflective writing from learners which answers three out of these six questions.

o In what ways do religious people get help from their faith in hard times? o Do atheists have effective arguments to use against religious ideas of wellbeing and happiness?

What are the best ‘arguments against religion? o What do you think helps humans most when they face pressure, depression, evil or even death? o If the point of religion is to give people a wise ‘guide to life’ why are some religious people in such a

mess? o If the atheists are right, and there is not God to help us and no point to praying, why are religious

people happier than others? o What are the best pieces of ‘wisdom for life’ you know? Select and explain 4+ examples.







Make connections:



http://www.natre.org.uk/spiritedarts


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(The whole unit: Summary page) Wisdom to live by: What do we do when life gets hard? The principal aim of religious education is to explore what people believe and what difference this makes to how they live, so that pupils can gain the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to handle questions raised by religion and belief, reflecting on their own ideas and ways of living.



end of key stage outcomes) :

• Explore examples of some ways Jewish and Christian people use ancient wisdom to help and guide them in times of trouble and hardship.

• Explore examples of some ways Jewish and Christian people use wise spiritual practice, community life, prayer and their spiritual beliefs to help and guide them in times of trouble and hardship.

• Explore atheist critiques of religious or spiritual practice and alternative non-religious views about how to cope with hard times

• Explore different ways people respond to the challenge of life’s hard times, for themselves and for others, e.g: o Jewish responses to the holocaust. o Jewish charitable and development work o Christian action against poverty, evils in modern society or other times of trouble. o Non-religious or atheist responses to evil and human hard times

• Debate some of these issues, drawing on learning from sacred texts and other sources of wisdom. E.g. use debate statements such as ‘THBT ancient wisdom from religions is still helpful today.’ ‘THBT humans are on their own when they face pain, grief, death and other tough times.’ ‘THBT reflective practices such as prayer, meditation and contemplation are like whistling in the dark: they may make you feel better, but change nothing in the real world.’

• Consider some ideas about wellbeing from positive psychology (there is a link to mental health issues here, to be handled carefully and sensitively by teachers of course). How should we account for research that often shows that religious belief and practice makes people happier?

• Consider the idea that humans all search for wisdom by which to live and many religions provide the sources of wisdom people need. Assemble examples of the wisdom of different worldviews and consider them in response to the questions: what are my sources of wisdom? What wisdom do I choose and use to guide my life?’

• Write responses to the unit question, ‘What do we do when life gets hard?’ Answer from a variety of different perspectives, including Jewish, Christian and atheist responses. Weigh up how satisfying, persuasive or feeble each response is, giving reasons and evidence. Can they articulate their own ideas about wisdom, hard times and wellbeing? What conclusions do learners wish to draw from this study of wisdom, hard times and wellbeing?








Make connections:




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“Love your neighbour as much as you love

yourself.”

“If you love money, then you can’t love God as

well.”

“Nothing outside will make you dirty. It’s what is inside that can foul up

your life.”

“Love does not get jealous, angry or rude.”

“Let your ‘yes’ mean ‘yes’ and your ‘no’ mean ‘no’.

Don’t pile up empty words.”

“If someone takes your coat, then offer him your

shirt as well. Give generously, then people will be generous to you

too.”

“Don’t worry about tomorrow – tomorrow will take care of itself.”

“Feed the hungry, care for the homeless, be kind to

the desperate. That’s what religion really

means.”

“Work for six days in the week, but rest for one out

of seven.”

“You’ll be happy if you are hungry and thirsty for

justice. One day it will be yours!”

“Don’t judge others and then they won’t judge

you.”

“People who are pure hearted are blessed. They

will get to see God!”

“Hate what is evil: hold on strongly to what is good.”

“Do not be proud, but be friends with those who

others leave out.”

“Keep all filthy and unkind talk out of your mouth.”

“If you forgive others, then they will forgive

you.”

“A generous person will prosper. If you refresh

others, you’ll be refreshed yourself.”

“Lazy hands make people poorer, but hardworking

hands gain wealth.”

“If I know the future and if I give my money to the poor, that’s all useless if I

don’t have love.”

“Do not be overwhelmed by evil. Instead,

overwhelm evil with goodness.”

“Live your life like this: do what is just. Love what is merciful. Walk with God.

Don’t be proud.”

“When you do something generous, don’t go on

about it. God sees every secret act of kindness.”

“Be happy while you are young and enjoy yourself

before you get old.”

“When you pray, don’t babble away! God hears in

secret, and will reward your secret prayer.”

“Wisdom is more precious than rubies or jewels. Nothing else you want

compares with wisdom.”

“One of the best things in life is when brothers and

sisters live together in unity.”

“Beware of the tongue! Like a little rudder on a big ship it can turn you

around. Speak carefully!”

“Be thankful whatever happens.”

“Love rejoices in what is right.”

“Don’t worry about money and possessions – look at the flowers that do no work. No one else dresses as beautifully as

them.”

“When troubles come ~ and they will ~ accept

them as if they were from God.”

“Humans look at the outside appearance, but

God sees what really matters – your heart!”

“Get rid of lies and speak truthfully because we are

all members of one body.”

“Good morals can be ruined by bad company.”

“Relying on people you can’t trust is like a

toothache when you’re in trouble.”

“There’s nothing better than a good friend who

always takes care of you.”

36 pieces of ancient wisdom from the Jewish and Christian scriptures

wisdom to live by: what do we do when life gets hard? can ......us feel stronger. we assume that god...

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