Spirited Arts Competition: YR 8 – Does God Exist?
The year 8s have just finished studying an ‘Introduction to Philosophy’ unit where they explored a series of ultimate questions. During ‘no pens’ day, students enjoyed debating whether or not our world is special enough to point to the existence of a divine creator. The students even enjoyed using the analogy of Paley’s Watch in their debates.
Students were given the challenge of creating a piece of art work or poem which demonstrates why they believe whether God does or does not exist. The RE department were blown away by the entries.
1st – Phoebe B
Phoebe clearly and carefully planned how to ensure her work would meet the success criteria and it was her intricately detailed explanation which blew the judges away. She gives a range of evidence which truly goes above and beyond. Quotes from her work that we really liked are, “The bee is also buzzing in a love heart shape and that shows the love that is constantly around us.”
This was followed by, “The tree there with the bird, the hedgehog and the fox, show how much life one single tree can house, this can’t have happened by chance” Overall, we thought this was a clear, first place winner.
2nd – Eva M
All the judges were in awe of the deep messages portrayed by Eva’s poem. Eva is a very talented poet as her stanzas flow together beautifully. Her work demonstrates dedication and it is evident that a lot of hard work and thought has been put into it.
3rd – Jenna K
Jenna was awarded third place as her work stood out from the crowd. Jenna’s work looks in depth at both aspects of science and religion. It is clear that she has spent time researching to form a deeper understanding of the different religious links to sentence. Her work finished with a powerful, compassionate statement which fits the idea of choosing ‘solutions not sides.’ “Science cannot prove that God does not exist anymore than religious believers can prove that he does.”
4th – Rosie Y
We picked this as fourth place because Rosie went above and beyond to complete a poem and art work that complements each other. Her use of imagery helps to portray the deeper meaning of the poem. This piece of work is of a high standard, as she has demonstrated a clear understanding of an A-level theory.
5th – Lily S
This particular piece combines a unique piece of art with a well thought out explanation. The real-life examples added to Lily’s work made it extra meaningful. We loved the missing chunk out of the world in her art work. This was a fantastic visual representation of the world’s imperfections.
Miss Brooks
Teacher of Religious Studies
