Heroes and Heroines Aim: To know and understand what makes a hero in religion and to know and understand the life of a hero in religion.

What / Who is a hero?

What is a hero? Hero ‘A person noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose, especially one who has risked or sacrificed his or her life’

Heroes in the Media Many people are called heroes who are shown in the media.

Heroes in the Sporting World Often sportspeople are called heroes.

Heroes in Religion Many religious leaders are called heroes. Often the saints in the Christian Church are called heroes.

What qualities make a Hero? Lets make a list of heroic qualities

Ghandi Many people see Ghandi as a religious hero. He helped India gain independence. He used non violent methods to persuade both Muslims and Hindus to work together.

Desmond Tutu Desmond Tutu lived and worked in South Africa. He worked with both the whites and the black to bring racial harmony to the country. He did this in a peaceful manner working within his role as bishop.

Mother Teresa Mother Teresa was born in Skopje on August 27 th, At the age of 12 she felt strongly called to God. At the age of 18 she left home and joined the Sisters of Loreto, an Irish community of nuns with missionaries in India. After just a few months of training she was sent to India. On May 24 th 1931 she took her initial vows as a nun.

School She taught in a school that overlooked the slums of Calcutta. She was so horrified by what she saw so she applied for permission to go and work in the slums. She opened an open air school for the poorest children.

Missionaries of Charity In 1950 Mother Teresa was given permission to open her own order, the missionaries of charity. Her aim was to help those that nobody else cared for. She was determined that no one should be unloved. She worked with lepers and the poorest of the poor.

She was given no money and relayed on donations. She believed that God would keep her and her missionary safe. She worked with lepers who no one else would touch. Mother Teresa gave throughout her life for others, many believe she is a heroine.

Mother Teresa died in 1997 and asked for a simple funeral.

Martin Luther King Jr. In America black and white citizens were treated very differently. Black people were made to drink from different water fountains, go to different schools and shop at certain stores. Blacks were made to sit at the back of the bus and if a white person wanted to sit down then they were made to give up their seats.

Rosa Parkes was a black lady who had sore feet, when a white man asked her to stand so he could sit down she refused. This led to an outcry. Blacks boycotted the bus system. At the time Martin Luther King Jr was a Baptist preacher who believed in non violent protests. He made a famous speech, called ‘I have a Dream.’ He led the country in becoming a unified country. Blacks and whites were given equal rights. He was led by Jesus’ teachings.

I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.

He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1964 for his work as a civil-rights leader and an advocate of nonviolence. He was assassinated on 4 April 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee.

What do these heroes have in common? Who are the heroes in our daily lives? How can we be heroes in our daily lives?

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