Religious Studies, or Religion and Values, as it is referred to in Years 11 and 12, follows a spiral pattern with the students revisiting key issues each year with increasing complexity.
In Year 8, the Old Testament is studied with emphasis on the stories, characters and journeys of the ancient Hebrews with connections to life today. Concepts include God, creation, oral history, evil, religious leaders, sacred sites, sacrifice, substitutes, symbolic food, exile, law, special objects and the land of Israel. In Year 9, the students use the New Testament and Jesus for Today texts. The concepts studied in the previous year are revisited as the students study the life of Jesus, from childhood to teachings and miracles, parables and Passion Week. Year 10 continues with the study of the New Testament and history of Christianity. Lessons are integrated into chapel services where students help to bring topics to life with plays, songs and appropriate liturgy.
Students in Years 11 and 12 follow a Religion and Values course. Comparative Religion for Year 11 is based on an objective phenomenological model of criteria examining each world religion. With our increasingly multi-cultural student base, the subject is often brought to life by personal anecdotes as well as the exploration of cultural and religious practices within the family environment.
In Year 12, the emphasis is more personal and less objective. Apart from learning relaxation and simple meditation techniques, which are helpful in this busy final school year, students look in a more subjective way at what has helped to form their own beliefs and values and how these affect their opinions. The students also discuss some of the existential questions we often find ourselves pondering as we mature. Year 12 students have a major input into chapel services, with each house being responsible for at least one chapel service.
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