Reflections

Wikispace is something new that has been introduced to us & in my opinion, it's quite different. I have never done a Religion assignment like this before. Researching this has enabled me to have a greater understanding of Buddhism, even though I am a Buddhist myself. Although I find it difficult to navigate myself around wikispace, since i'm not so familiar with this site. It can also be very annoying and frustrating at times because when we have class times to work on this, the internet at school loads very slow & sometimes when you insert an image, it never goes to the position you want it in. Overall, I'm quite pleased with the result so far. :)   Jesus and Dialogue in the Gospels  The Canaanite Woman’s faith //Matthew 15: 21-28// In Matthew’s Gospel, there is a story about a woman asking for help from Jesus to heal her daughter. ‘Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon’ (Matthew 15:22)
 * ​ Dianne**

Jesus went to the district of Tyre and Sidon when a Canaanite woman came out and started shouting ‘Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon’ Jesus did not answer her and his disciples urged him to send her away as she was shouting at them. Jesus answered, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel’ But the woman knelt down before him and begged, ‘Lord, help me’. He replied with ‘It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs’. The woman said, ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table’. Then Jesus answered her, ‘Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish’. And her daughter was healed instantly.
 * A brief summary of the story:**

This story has dialoguing between Jesus and the Canaanite woman and also Jesus with his disciples. Some examples of this is when Jesus’ disciples urged him to send the woman away as she was shouting at them but he simply replied ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel’ The woman seeking Jesus’ help to heal her daughter that was assumed to be possessed by a demon, ‘Lord, help me’. This shows that even though Jesus did not answer the woman at first, he was still listening to her which is a good illustration of dialoguing within the gospel story.

The story demonstrates humanity in many different ways. Jesus responding to the woman displays humanity. Although the woman is not a Jew and Jesus is, he still treats her with equality. At first, he did not respond to her as he was testing her faith but the woman persisted and past the test. Jealousy for Jesus’ disciples also shows humanity as jealousy is part of human nature. ‘Yes, Lord, even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table’ referring to the ‘dogs’ also known as the non-Jewish people/gentiles. Unfortunately, this demonstrates discrimination even though it’s not the best thing to do; it is still part of ‘humanity’.

The whole story was based on Prayer. The woman came to Jesus alone, knelt down before him and pleaded for his help. Furthermore, when the woman said ‘Have mercy on me, Lord’, this statement can be classified as ‘prayer’ as it’s like having a conversation or a request with God, or in this case, Jesus. Faith was shown in the story by Jesus testing the woman’s trust in him and passing it. Jesus was pleased with her and answered, ‘Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish’

The movement towards peace and goodwill in this story is when Jesus healed the woman’s daughter despite the fact that the woman was a gentile, creating peace among the Jews and non-Jews. The Canaanite woman and her daughter have changed because she wasn’t scared for her daughter’s life anymore & the daughter was changed because she was no longer ‘tormented by demons’ and was healed. Jesus has changed because he was willing to risk being rejected from other Jews because he helped a gentile. The disciples are changed for they have seen something they haven’t before and it shocked them.

One the 29th of July, we had a R.E incursion. An Aboriginal man named Boori came in to talk to us about Aboriginal Spirituality. He talked about the way people used to treat him back when he was at school, and the Aboriginal side of the story such as the settlement of the English in 1788. His stories were amazing and quite entertaining; I had a good laugh listening to them. Meeting Boori changed my attitude towards Aboriginals because before meeting him, I never really considered things from their point of view. People don’t make it that obvious and known to the world for everyone believes that the Aboriginals are inferior since they are ‘different’ compared to us but they’re not.

Today I searched for information on my aspect which is Sacred Stories. The stories I found based on Buddhism have really interesting morals that really get to you. For instance, the story "The worm" really made me realise that you need to be good in this life in order to give yourself a better life in the next. Other than that, I found so many Sacred Stories which give a different moral each time which made it really fascinating to research as an aspect. 01.09.09 Today since i finished my aspect, I decided to add a few more pages that isn't on the criteria sheet but still relates to Buddhism in a strong manner. The subject I researched are the 4 Noble Truths. This plays a strong part in Buddhism as i realised. Each Noble Truth also contains alot of meaning which is explained clearly. But the main thing about the 4 Noble Truths would probably be about suffering which I found helpful when I ever come across hardships again because there isn't a single person on Earth who has lived a life without going through any suffering so it's not all bad. 02.09.09 Today I decided to add another page related to Buddhism, which is Karma. When I first hear the word Karma, I immediately think of Newton's Third Law which is, "For every action there is a equal and opposite reaction". The reason why this comes to my mind first is because it's basically what Karma is. Therefore, I believe that Karma plays a very important role in our life, for example in the Karma page there is an example that says " If we like to have something expensive, but we cannot afford it, it becomes very tempting to steal." This is what I believe makes us strong enough to not make the wrong decisions in life. 03.09.09 Today I decided to add a fun page which is all about meditation. Meditation in Buddhism is believed to be a very relaxing technique so I decided just for fun I'll base a page on it. It's very interesting how I found that there are so many types of meditation. The one that appealed to me most was the one about eliminating the past and future. The meditation states " Rest the hands, palms down on the legs and watch the breath - When the mind wanders off to thoughts of the past, gently tap your left leg - When the mind wanders off to thoughts of the future, gently tap your right leg - Whenever a thought arises, mentally note "memory" or "fantasy", then return to the breath. " and I wondered can your mind really just wander off to thoughts of the past or future or have flashbacks. These are all just something I think would be hard to do. 04.09.09 Toady since I finished everything I needed to do, I thought I might as well just go over everything I did and everyone else's page. After all this, I have learnt alot about my religion that I didn't already know. But for most of it, for example Karma and the 4 Noble Truths, I learnt more than I already know.  14.10.09 Jesus and Dialogue in the Gospels // Matthew 15 : 21-28 The Canaanite Woman's faith //
 * Leanne**31.08.09

The Canaaite woman seeks help from Jesus. "Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon" (Mathew 15: 22)

The story is of a Canaanite woman from the distrit of Tyre and Sidon who seeks help from Jesus. She begs him to cure her daughter as she is sick. Jesus's disciples urged him to send her away as she is a gentile, not of the jewish faith. Jesus decides to test her faith, he answers her request by saying that it isnt fair to take food from the children and give it to the dogs. But her faith does not stop her, she replies that even dogs need food. With this, she had passes Jesus test and he is aware of how much faith she has in him and cures her daughter instantly.

In this, Jesus is interacting with the Canaanite woman and his disciples. He is listening to her request, and she replies with meaning. His disciples interact with Jesus but with the meaning of sending her away. This is how dialogue with Jesus and another is shown in the passage.

The story demonstrates that humanity in the way that Jesus is testing the Canaanite woman, how his disciples show jealously and discrimination. It shows prayer by the Canaanite woman praying by saying "Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David" (Matthew 15: 22). It shows faith by Jesus testing how much faith she has in him in which is passes the test.

The movement towards peace and goodwill is when Jesus heals the Canaanite woman's daughter, it shows good will. When Jesus doesn't back out on helping the gentiles just because they are non-jewish, shows peace. The result of these actions causes every character to change. Jesus has proven that he is willing to risk being rejected by his people in order to save others.

On the 15th of September, we had an R.E excursion to learn about all the different faiths. But one particular one that taught me something new, and definitely changed my attitude towards people of that faith was when we had the guest speaker in the small hall talk to us about her experiences. She was of the Islamic faith. She talked about the way people treated her throughout her whole entire life. It made me see it as really unfair how people can judge others on such small matters that don't concern them one bit. The way people see every Islamic person as a terrorist, the way that they see one terrorist on TV that they assume all are capable of being terrorist. But she showed us that's just not the way it works. She told us that even people of the same religion of those terrorists show hatred towards them for giving their religion such a bad name for others. She told us of one time she wrote a letter to the newspapers. It was published and one couple in particular who was extremely touched by it, came looking for her. She explained that if you want the world to know about something you believe, newspaper is the best way to go.

**Anna** Wiki spaces is a very different way of working especially on an assignment. This is probably because our school and the teachers want to reach out to us by using technology, though i do still like the old posters done in groups. Wiki spaces does let us use our teamwork, but it is too easily changed by the members, which can cause annoyances in others. Its a new experience, but because of the many different functions its a bit confusing and time consuming. Its an educational experience about the internet, starting your own site and on the religion your researching on but its also an excuse for the students to get distracted in class because of what this assignment is asking us to do, like recording an audio of our conversations. Though that was mostly complaints and observations, this assignment is teaching myself a lot more of what I don't know about Buddhism and how it works and all the beliefs and symbols i never picked up while going to the temple. i also finally know why Buddhist people put themselves through torture.

- //Matthew 15: 21-28 The Canaanite Woman’s Faith//
 * Jesus and Dialogue in the Gospels**

Jesus and his disciples go to the district of Tyre and Sidoh because Jesus said that he was sent to the lost sheep of Israel. A Canaanite woman then comes out shouting to Jesus and his disciples that her daughter is possessed by a demon. But Jesus didn’t do anything and his disciples were telling him to send her away. She then asks Jesus again to help her but he instead tests her on her faith. She showed her faith and Jesus then healed her daughter instantly.

This showed Jesus having dialogue with another because he was talking to a Canaanite woman who isn’t Jewish and isn’t of the same religion.

This Gospel passage demonstrates humanity by showing us how Jesus helped another person, despite being asked to not help her because she was of different faith. Faith is shown when Jesus tells the Canaanite woman ‘It is not fair to take children’s food and throw it to the dogs’ which is telling her that she is a dog and not as superior. But she answers back with ‘Yes Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table ‘which says that even though she is a dog she acknowledges it, which shows her faith no matter what status she is. Prayer is shown when the Canaanite woman comes out shouting ‘ Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David’

The movement of goodwill and peace is shown in this passage when Jesus talks and helps the Canaanite woman even when his disciples urged him to ignore her for she wasn’t Jewish. At first Jesus ignored her but once he had tested her on her faith, he didn’t hesitate to help her at all. This shows both goodwill and peace because Jesus is helping another despite their background and other people’s judgement on him, and he is bringing other religions together by showing that he is willing to help her because she is a Canaanite woman.

When I started year 5 a new teacher had come to take us for the year. She was very friendly and played a lot of games with us throughout the year, which the classed loved but we found it strange because we all thought it was just a way to get liked by the class easily. Around the middle of the year when we asked her why all the games, she answered it was a sure definite way of improving skills we already had and is a much more effective way of learning, which we realised was true because all of our test results had improved especially my friend’s because his maths skills weren’t all that great until year 5. It also got us really wanting to work and get outside to play sport because she would make little competitions to motivate us.

This taught me that motivation and willingness to learn comes from finding the positive parts of the situation. If it’s boring, change it slightly to make it a bit more fun; like with chores or homework, I have to add a beat to whatever I’m doing or i turn it into a game in my head. Makes life more fun and happy, when I’m not tired.  
 * Diana**

//Matthew 15: 21-28 The Canaanite Woman’s Faith// Jesus has left a town and travelled to another in Tyre and Sidon where woman were at the bottom of society, lower than dogs. There, a Canaanite woman met him and cried for help, seeking hope and the healing for her daughter. Her faith and desperation had made the decision to make a trip to a strange place but Jesus did not reply to her prayer. He ignored her like she didn’t even existed and his disciples wanted Jesus to send her away because she was rude and did not take no for an answer. The Canaanite woman then acknowledged Jesus’ identity in front of the disciple who wished her to leave. She refused that Jesus’ mission was to Israel first and that her status is lower than the Israelites. Nevertheless, she believed Jesus will have more than enough power left over from what Israel does not need or want. Jesus responded to such strong faith. Jesus has enough food for Israel, but plenty of crumb remains for others. God can only be approached through faith, since the Canaanite woman passed the test, her daughter was healed immediately.

Jesus interacts with the Canaanite woman directly, teaching the people faith. Through dialogue, Jesus tested the strength of the woman’s faith. The woman shouts to Jesus ‘Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.’ She was in need of help from him but Jesus acts if he does not hear. His disciples then urged him to ‘send her away…’ They did not want Jesus to help her but Jesus risked his followers disbelieving him and cured her. This taught the disciples to not discriminate others from the lower class in society. Jesus then answers, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’ Telling the Canaanite woman this would have put her off but her beliefs told her to continue what she’s doing. She speaks, ‘Lord, help me.’ He answered, ‘It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.’ She said, ‘Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table. He answered her heart, and the disciples attitude should have changed because she was a non- follower but believed in him and followed his teachings more than they did. At the end, Jesus praised her, ‘Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.’ The woman would have learnt that her striking faith is what a religious person should obtain.

‘The Canaanite Woman’s Faith’ reveals humanity through interaction with others; there are many things to learn. People’s attitude and behaviour like discrimination and jealousy is naturally formed or influenced by many environmental factors and is difficult to change but it is possible. Interaction with people demonstrates positive traits such as persistence, courage faith, can gradually change another individual’s beliefs.

The Canaanite woman addressed Jesus through prayer ‘Lord, Son of David…’ The woman was not a follower, but she requested the favour politely at first and called him like all Jews were called. Beginning with a prayer meant what she is about to say is something that does not leave her heart at peace.

The whole passage is an illustration of Faith. To Jesus’ disciples, the woman’s faith may seem like an outsider’s faith but it cannot be compared to the disciples. They may also have faith in Jesus, but their attitude is not what Jesus teaches. The Canaanite woman had given an act of faith when she refused to take no for an answer to a desperate need that no one else could help.

As a leader, Jesus was able to bring peace and goodwill when his disciples pushed him to send the Canaanite woman away. He displays justice by testing the poor woman in front of the disciples of what true faith is even though she was a non-Jew. Jesus has left that place because he needed to rest and teach his disciples were a journey only to Israel. So when his disciples told him to send the woman away as his disciples urged him to, he realized that his journey could have been greater if he assisted the woman and so he did.

The woman was able to be persistent when she was looked down upon by the disciples and when Jesus ignored her like she did not existed. She had no choice but to turn to Jesus who was the only one that could have helped her and believed Jesus would

The disciples showed signs of jealousy when they wanted the Canaanite woman to leave. This was a lesson that teaches them not to discriminate others and according to what Jesus displayed, it was how the disciples should have reacted to the situation.

Since I was little, I regularly went to the temple and believed in Buddhism. It all turned around when I began to make my transition from kindergarten to prep and encountered Catholicism during interaction with my fellow classmates and participation in religion classes and church. That was when I began to believe in Jesus and the stories involved in Catholicism.

Jesus and dialogue in the Gospels – Mathew 15:21 – 28 21 Jesus left that place and went away to the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22 Just then a Canaanite woman from that region came out and started shouting, ‘have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David: my daughter is tormented by a demon.’ But he did not answer her at all. And his disciples came and urged him, saying, ‘send her away, for she keeps shouting after us.’ 24 He answered. ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’ 25 But she came and knelt before him, saying, ‘Lord help me.’ 26 He answered, ‘It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it too the dogs.’ 27 She said, ‘Yes, Lord, yet even dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.’ 28 Then Jesus answered her, ‘Woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.’ And her daughter was healed instantly. Jesus leaves to the district of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite woman comes to Jesus and shouts, ‘Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon.’ Jesus doesn’t answer the woman and his disciples insisted that they’d send her away. Jesus says that he was only sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel but the woman knelt in front of him saying, ‘Lord, help me’ then Jesus say that it’s not fair to take children’s food and throw it to the dogs. The women answers Jesus by accepting that it was true and then explain that even dog have to eat the crumbs that fall from their masters table. Jesus then tells her that she has great faith, and her daughter was healed immediately. Jesus dialogues with the woman who was a non Jew and his disciples. The woman comes to Jesus seeking for help, she says “Have mercy on me Lord, Son of David; my daughter is tormented by a demon” but Jesus does not answer her, he acts as if her does not hear her and continues to talk to his disciples, the woman was determined to have her daughter healed and did not take Jesus silence for an answer, the woman’s daughter was eventually healed because the woman proved to him that she had great faith in her. Jesus healed her daughter knowing that it would give him a bad name angering many Jews because he had just help a woman who was a not a Jew and non Jews were known as “dogs”, Jesus wanted the people of Tyre and Sidon to understand that he was capable of doing anything and that status in the world didn’t matter to him, Jesus’ intentions were to change the district of Tyre and Sidon into a happy and humble place. When Jesus approves to the woman’s answer and tells her that he has great faith, his disciples could have felt a little jealousy toward the woman because she was a woman and because his disciples saw the woman as a dog and had wanted to send her away but didn’t get the chance to. This story demonstrates that in humanity people everybody is unique in their own ways and you should prejudge people because of what they believe in, there racial backgrounds, skin colour or their sex, everybody should be treated that way you, yourself would liked to be treated, the story was a also demonstrated as a prayer when the Canaanite woman address Jesus as “Lord, son of David…..” and politely request that he’d heal her daughter and faith was demonstrated in the Canaanite Woman when she called Jesus by “ …Son of David… ”, although she wasn’t a believer she was had realized that Jesus wasn’t a fake, she had faith and believed that he would heal her daughter in the end which he did, she had also realized that Jesus was the chosen one by God before his disciples. Jesus brought the district of Tyre and Sidon peace and goodwill, because to them he was a leader and he showed this quality when he helped to Canaanite woman, and when he did this his disciples would wonder, why would he help a non Jew? And he wanted people to learn from him and other people’s mistakes his will to help to Canaanite woman, knowing that it might even give him a bad reputation, but his action make people ask question and he want people to learn from him, his disciples had probably change from what they saw Jesus and would probably have more respect to non Jews. The Canaanite woman would have started believing in Jesus’ religion after what his done for her daughter. <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">On the day of our excursion to different place of worship, a guess speaker had come into our school and talked about all the hardships that she had experienced, just because of what the media had said about people with the same background as her (Islam). She had told us how people had acted towards them as if they were blaming her for what had happen. This guess speaker changed my views about Islamic people and I know that I shouldn't blame random people just because another person of their racial background did something bad.
 * Thu**


 * Sally**

Wikispace is very different from any other religion assignments I've ever had. It is pretty fun because it is similar to a blog but