The sacred among the secular

In years gone by most communities understood implicitly what was sacred in their own society. But what is considered sacred - or profane - today? Gordon Lynch, lecturer at the University of Kent, has spent the past few years finding out, and with TES partner TrueTube has developed a series of short films for the key stage 3 classroom.

Lynch observes that even in our secular society there are “moments in social life that are highly morally charged” and that “the moments of greatest moral certainty are also the moments of greatest moral blindness”. The films are fascinating and explore how the sacred can be both profound and problematic. Lynch gives the example of the sanctity of human life. When 911 threatened this, the reaction was to establish the controversial Guantanamo Bay detention centre.

The films are accessible for a teenage audience, juxtaposing humour with the voices of ordinary people, each focusing on a particular area of the RE or citizenship curriculum.

For all links and resources visit www.tes.co.ukresources022.