TMA Students Engage Brilliantly with Inter-Faith Panel

On Wednesday 12th July 2023, students at The Macclesfield Academy were introduced to four faith leaders, each representing a different religion: Buddhism, Islam, Christianity and Hinduism and afforded the opportunity to take part in a question and answer session. 

Mr Galvin opened the assembly, attended by students in Year 8, 9 and 10, with a short talk on the importance of engaging in conversation with individuals from different backgrounds, cultures, faiths and so on, to better understand the world around us, while ensuring a consistent underlying level of respect for each other and our differences. 

Each member of the panel firstly introduced themselves, before students were given the floor to ask their questions. The first question:

"What happened to make you first believe in your religion?"

prompted a range of responses from each leader, from those who were "born into faith" and grew up around their religion, to those who found their faith later in life or had experiences that confirmed their belief. 

Students listened carefully and spoke clearly as the questions continued, curious about the 'rules' that may be followed in each religion - again receiving varied answers and a general response of each faith being incorporated into a "way of life". Answers varied from vegetarianism in Hinduism, doing no harm to your body in Islam, treating all living creatures with loving kindness in Buddhism and following Jesus' example in Christianity. 

The event was a fantastic opportunity for all involved to share their experiences and for our students to learn about the different faith groups within our local community. 

Well done to all students who attended the inter-faith assembly and displayed inquisitiveness, while participating with maturity and respect.