By Whose Authority? Learning Outcomes By the end of these lessons students should have a knowledge and understanding of: • Religious claims for authority • Power and authoritarian theocracy By the end of these lessons students should be able to reflect upon and evaluate: • The concept of personal authority • Decision-making skills The Magisterium Lyra’s Oxford, where HDM opens, is in the hands of a powerful and authoritarian church (the Magisterium). In Lyra’s world, the church are involved in assassination, have armed zeppelins, spies and secret police. They believe that they are right, and that dangerous heresies have to be prevented. Above all, they want to protect their position. There is a Ministry of Theology, and experimental theology is researched in Jordan College. We would call it physics. The story tells of how dangerous it is when power gets into the wrong hands, particularly when freedom of belief, thought and speech are threatened. It shows how dogma threatens both understanding and learning. Threats to the church are also threats to its status and wealth. This is an alternative world, not our world, where the Christian church has lost this kind of power. In our world there are examples of dominating power – we call it ‘totalitarian’ – when a dictator is in total control. Some have been responsible for the deaths of many millions of people (Hitler, Stalin and Mao). Such leaders only exist if others support them and keep them in power – the army, the police, the politicians, the people – even if only through fear. Freedom of Thought and Belief HDM then is about the importance of our freedom to work out our own beliefs. The object of belief in Lyra’s Oxford is The Authority. The ‘right’ beliefs, are compulsory. Where does this Authority come from? Questions about the existence of God have been discussed for many centuries. In HDM, the Authority is a being from another world who has been used by the church – in other words, his authority is a fiction. One of the plots of HDM is to kill the Authority with the subtle knife, so ending the church’s power. In fact, The Authority fades away willingly, leaving people to make their own choices. This marks the end of superstition and the beginning of reason. In HDM, there is another authority, the Alethiometer or ‘truth measurer’ which passes on both information and instructions. The alethiometer represents inner spiritual truth, based on knowledge and imagination: in the story this truth comes from Dust, the elementary particles of consciousness. Lyra knows how to work the device instinctively, but loses the skill when entering adulthood. After this time, the alethiometer requires a lifetime of study to combine imagination with reason. Task 4.1 Use Stagework Productions - His Dark Materials - Alethiometer . Discuss what in real life might be meant by “spiritual truth”. Religious Authority Religions today have different ideas of the authority on which we should base our decisions. For some there is an authoritative book, described as being ‘inspired’ or even dictated by God. For some Christians, decisions must be based on the Bible, and for Muslims on the Qur’an. For others, authority comes from experiences, from a personal relationship and specific communications from God. For others, people should learn, think, discuss and make up their own minds about issues that are important to human relationships and society based on values and informed reason. Religious belief should not mean the end of thinking. Disagreements should be viewed positively as contributions to understanding. There are no doctrines which are beyond investigation and inquiry. The object is for people to understand themselves, their community and their world more deeply. Task 4.2 Find out about the Qur’an and the account in Islam about how these verses were ‘revealed’ to Muhammad, from God through the angel Gabriel. (AT1) Write a list of five things about human life that you hold to be important. Discuss these lists in groups to produce a group list set out in order of importance. If you cannot get full agreement, take a vote. In the class afterwards, discuss the points on which you had most disagreement. (AT2) Siddhartha Gautama, known as “the Buddha”, the founder of Buddhism, taught that people should think, contemplate and meditate on the truth at all times, especially during work and normal activities. He taught his followers to work things out for themselves, and only gave them as a starting point “the four noble truths” – which basically state that we are unsatisfied with life because we have inappropriate desires based on what we think we want. If we come to terms with and control these desires, we can achieve peace. Task 4.3 Buddha taught that people should not be held back by complaints (he used a word meaning ‘unsatisfactoriness’). What would your list of unsatisfactory experiences be? What might you do to stop them bothering you? (AT2) Find out about the Noble Eightfold Path of Buddhism. What might you mean by the phrases ‘right understanding’ ‘right resolve’, ‘right speech’, ‘right action’ and ‘right livelihood’. (AT1) Who is right? The question of authority concerns all religions. Whose way is the right one? Can they all be right in some way? Or are they all wrong? Because people differ in their views on this, many feel that it is important for people with different beliefs to learn from each other, to find out where they agree and disagree. Sikhs have a teaching important to them: there are many paths to God. Task 4.4 Research: find out about the teaching of Guru Nanak the first Sikh Guru. Write a short life story and a summary of what he taught. The final sacrifice Just as in Christianity death and evil were defeated by Jesus sacrificing his life, in HDM, the same is achieved through Will and Lyra sacrificing their future life together. In the final scene, the window between their worlds is closed: they will never meet again. They each have useful lives to lead in their own worlds. They must in future meet only in their imagination, especially at midnight on midsummer’s eve when they would both sit on the same bench in their own world in Oxford Botanic Garden. Task 4.5 On Stagework go to Productions - His Dark Materials - The Botanic Gardens On Stage to see two scenes, that of their parting, and another when, aged about 20, they sit together but in different worlds. Discuss why they chose to part like that when in love. What other choices could they have made, and why did they reject them? Do you consider this to have been a responsible choice? Was it the right choice? Plenary Draw out from the class final points on good, evil and human responsibility and human rights. List points on the whiteboard. To finish the unit, Review what has been learned about thinking for ourselves. Background Notes for Teachers Buddhism and Islam For the Buddhism task, teachers can consult the short guide. This contains an explanation of the four noble truths (summarised above) and the Noble Eightfold Path. The students’ task is to discuss what might be meant (in their own terms) by “right” understanding, resolve, speech, action and livelihood. There are no right answers! Teachers do not need to have an in-depth knowledge of Islam for this unit because the discussion is at a general level. For those who wish to, Malise Ruthven, Islam, A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-285389-9) provides a good introduction. For Sikhism, see E. Nesbitt, Sikhism: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-280601-7). Extension Activities Look up, write and explain the Greek myth about Pandora’s box, about the coming of evils into the world. (AT1). What do you think this says about human experience? (AT2) Invite in a Christian, Buddhist and/or a Muslim as a visiting speaker to talk about their beliefs about good, evil and the afterlife. (AT1) Discussions could include drama/role play: if so a flexible classroom will be needed. (AT2) Discuss examples of good and bad behaviour from TV programmes, cartoons and current affairs. (AT2) Useful web sites | 
