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| Britain |
| British Children To Be Taught About Jesus By Superman |
| 2006-02-11 |
| After three decades battling to save the Earth from invaders, Superman has a new mission. This time he must brighten up religious education as a modern-day model of Jesus Christ. RE teachers are being urged to make use of the fictional hero to give children an insight into morality and religious thinking. Research has shown that the use of films, including Star Wars, Saving Private Ryan and The Matrix, increases pupils' motivation and helps them to a better understanding of abstract concepts, says Helen Cook, of Sheffield Hallam University. "Teenagers visit the cinema and see films on television and DVDs so it's hardly surprising that their assessments of what is heroic and what is evil, possible or impossible, are partly based on what they watch," says Miss Cook, the head of post-graduate teacher training in RE. She sees many parallels between Superman and Jesus: • Both arrive on Earth in unusual circumstances after being sent by their fathers • Both move from relative obscurity to a prominent adulthood • Both are able to help the humans they are sent to live with • Both struggle to stand up for truth against injustice and evil |
| Posted by:Anonymoose |