Songs and Music Activities: There'll Be Peace
Objective:
To provide an uplifting ending lesson for a comparative religions study or a good stand-alone lesson to inspire students to work for world peace and healing. To help students see the connection between the need for peoples of various religions to have respect for one another and peace in the world.
Materials:
Music and lyrics for There'll Be Peace, a guitar and/or a piano
Lesson:
Teach students the song There'll Be Peace.
Have students imagine and discuss what it would look and feel like if there were peace among the nations.
Why does the song say there will be peace among the nations when the faiths become united? Discuss examples of times when religion has led to or contributed to conflict. What would have to be different for religious conflicts to be avoided?
Do you think that the person who wrote this song meant that religions should be united to make one religion or that they should be united around shared values? What words in the song lead you to the answer to this question. (When faiths become united, in love and respect, and we care about each other, no matter what the sect.)
What needs to be healed on earth?
Ask students to explore how they might be a part of helping faiths become united and/or healing the earth. Be sure to emphasize "one small step at a time." Individual growth in terms of learning to respect and appreciate others who are different from them is a very important step. If it is appropriate, this might be a good time to introduce students to interfaith work in your area, resources available from the United Religions Initiative.
Written by Jack Lundin and performed by Monk Heng Sure.
There'll Be Peace:
By Jack Lundin
There’ll be peace among the nations when religions make it so.
There’ll be harmony to spare when peaceful seeds we sow.
When faiths become united, in love and respect
And we care about each other, no matter what the sect.
When religions are united in justice and in love There’ll be peace among all peoples in the spirit of the dove.
There’ll be justice for all people when religions make it so.
There’ll be healing for the earth when peaceful seeds we sow.
When faiths become united, in love and respect And we care about each other, no matter what the sect.
When religions are united in justice and in love
There’ll be peace among all peoples in the spirit of the dove.
Follow-up/Assessment:
Sing the song as part of a ceremony or special occasion. Have students write about their vision of a peaceful world. This could be done as poems or song lyrics or entries in learning logs or journals.