Belief and Ethics

Autumn

Spring

Summer

Area of study:

Christian Beliefs and Teachings

Theme A: Relationships and Families

Christian Practices

Theme B: Religion and Life

Theme D: War, Peace and Conflict

Theme E: Religion Crime and Punishment

What should they know?

Understand Christian views about the nature of God including the following:

God as omnipotent, loving and just, and the problem of evil and suffering the oneness of God and the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Understand different Christian beliefs about creation including the role of Word and Spirit.

Understand different Christian beliefs about the afterlife and their importance, including: resurrection and life after death; judgement, heaven and hell.

Understand beliefs and teachings about: the incarnation and Jesus as the Son of God. The Crucifixion, resurrection and ascension.

Sin, including original sin the means of salvation, including law, grace and Spirit.

The role of Christ in salvation including the idea of atonement.

Be able to explain contrasting beliefs on the following three issues with reference to the main religious tradition in Britain (Christianity) and one or more other religious traditions:

• Contraception.
• Sexual relationships before marriage.
• Homosexual relationships.

Understand and reflect on issues of sex, marriage and divorce through the study of the following

• Human sexuality including: heterosexual and homosexual relationships.
• Sexual relationships before and outside of marriage.
• Contraception and family planning.
• The nature and purpose of marriage.
• Same-sex marriage and cohabitation.
• Divorce, including reasons for divorce, and remarrying.
• Ethical arguments related to divorce, including those based on the sanctity of marriage vows and compassion.

Understand and reflect on issues surrounding families and gender equality

The nature of families, including:

• the role of parents and children
• Extended families and the nuclear family.
• The purpose of families, including:
• procreation
• Stability and the protection of children
• Educating children in a faith.

Contemporary family issues including:

• same-sex parents
• polygamy.
• The roles of men and women.
• Gender equality.
• Gender prejudice and discrimination, including examples.

Understand different forms of worship and their significance including the following:

• liturgical, non-liturgical and informal, including the use of the Bible
• Private worship.

Understand prayer and its significance, including the Lord’s Prayer, set prayers and informal prayer.

Understand the role and meaning of the sacraments including:

• The sacrament of baptism and its significance for Christians: infant and believers' baptism; different beliefs about infant baptism
• The sacrament of Holy Communion/ Eucharist and its significance for Christians, including different ways in which it is celebrated and different interpretations of its meaning.

Understand the role and importance of pilgrimage and celebrations including:

• Two contrasting examples of Christian pilgrimage: Lourdes and Iona
• The celebrations of Christmas and Easter, including their importance for Christians in Great Britain today.

Understand the role of the church in the local and worldwide community including:

• The role of the Church in the local community, including food banks and street pastors.
• The place of mission, evangelism and Church growth.
• The importance of the worldwide Church including: working for reconciliation
• how Christian churches respond to persecution
• the work of one of the following: Catholic Agency For Overseas Development (CAFOD), Christian Aid, Tearfund.

Be able to explain contrasting beliefs on the following three issues with reference to the main religious tradition in Britain (Christianity) and one or more other religious traditions:

• Abortion.
• Euthanasia.
• Animal experimentation.

The origins and value of the universe

The origins of the universe, including:

• religious teachings about the origins of the universe, and different interpretations of these
• the relationship between scientific views, such as the Big Bang theory, and religious views.
• The value of the world and the duty of human beings to protect it, including religious teaching about stewardship, dominion, responsibility, awe and wonder.
• The use and abuse of the environment, including the use of natural resources, pollution.
• The use and abuse of animals, including:
• animal experimentation
• the use of animals for food.

The origins and value of human life

• The origins of life, including:
• religious teachings about the origins of human life, and different interpretations of these
• the relationship between scientific views, such as evolution, and religious views.
• The concepts of sanctity of life and the quality of life.
• Abortion, including situations when the mother's life is at risk.
• Ethical arguments related to abortion, including those based on the sanctity of life and quality of life.
• Euthanasia.
• Beliefs about death and an afterlife, and their impact on beliefs about the value of human life.

Be able to explain contrasting beliefs on the following three issues with reference to the main religious tradition in Britain (Christianity) and one or more other religious traditions:

• Violence.
• Weapons of mass destruction.
• Pacifism.

Understand and reflect on issues of religion, violence, terrorism and war including the following:

• The meaning and significance of:
• peace
• justice
• forgiveness
• reconciliation.
• Violence, including violent protest.
• Terrorism.
• Reasons for war, including greed, self-defence and retaliation.
• The just war theory, including the criteria for a just war.
• Holy war.
• Pacifism.

Understand and reflect on issues surrounding religion and belief in 21st century conflict

• Religion and belief as a cause of war and violence in the contemporary world.
• Nuclear weapons, including nuclear deterrence.
• The use of weapons of mass destruction.
• Religion and peace-making in the contemporary world including the work of individuals influenced by religious teaching.
• Religious responses to the victims of war including the work of one present day religious organisation.

 be able to explain contrasting beliefs on the following three issues with reference to the main religious tradition in Britain (Christianity) and one or more other religious traditions:

• Corporal punishment.
• Death penalty.
• Forgiveness.

Good and evil intentions and actions, including whether it can ever be good to cause suffering.

Reasons for crime, including:

• poverty and upbringing
• mental illness and addiction
• greed and hate
• opposition to an unjust law.
• Views about people who break the law for these reasons.
• Views about different types of crime, including hate crimes, theft and murder.

The aims of punishment, including:

• retribution
• deterrence
• reformation.

The treatment of criminals, including:

• prison
• corporal punishment
• community service.
• Forgiveness.
• The death penalty.

Ethical arguments related to the death penalty, including those based on the principle of utility and sanctity of life.

What should they be able to do?

• apply knowledge and understanding of two religions
• apply knowledge and understanding of key sources of wisdom and authority including scripture and/or sacred texts, where appropriate, which support contemporary religious faith
• understand the influence of religion on individuals, communities and societies
• understand significant common and divergent views between and/or within religions and beliefs
• apply knowledge and understanding in order to analyse questions related to religious beliefs and values
• construct well-informed and balanced arguments on matters concerned with religious beliefs and values set out in the subject content.
• develop their knowledge and understanding of religions and non-religious beliefs, such as atheism and humanism
• develop their knowledge and understanding of religious beliefs, teachings and sources of wisdom and authortiy, including through their reading of key religious texts, other texts and scriptures of the religions they are studying
• develop their ability to construct well-argued, well-informed, balanced and structured written arguments, demonstrating their depth and breadth of understanding of the subject
• reflect on and develop their own values, belief, meaning, purpose, truth and their influence on human life
• reflect on and develop their own values, beliefs and attitudes in the light of what they have learnt and contribute to their preparation for adult life in a pluralistic society and global community.

Key vocabulary

Omnipotence

Omniscience

Benevolence

Trinity

Incarnation

Crucifixion

Resurrection

Ascension

Sin

Original Sin

Salvation

Atonement

Creation

Contraception

Heterosexual

Homosexual

Blended family

Nuclear family

Extended family

Cohabitation

Polygamy

Sanctity of life

Liturgical worship

Non liturgical worship

Sacrament

Baptism

Holy Communion

Eucharist

Pilgrimage

Evangelism

Reconciliation

Awe

Evolution

Big Bang Theory

Sustainable development

Conservation

Abortion

Viability

Ensoulment

Euthanasia

Quality of life

Weapon of mass destruction

Pacifist

Just war

Lesser Jihad

Greater Jihad

Holy war

Jihad

Reconciliation

Terrorism

Corporal punishment

Capital Punishment

Community Service

Retribution

Reformation

Deterrence

Assessment

Each unit will be assessed using a knowledge check and a skills check. The knowledge check will consist of a range of one mark multiple choice and two mark simple answer questions. The skills check will use GCSE 4, 5, and 12 mark evaluation questions to assess student understanding.

Autumn

Spring

Area of study:

Islam Beliefs and Teachings

Islam Practices

What should they know?

Understand key beliefs including:

The six articles of faith in Sunni Islam and five roots of Usul ad-Din in Shi’a Islam, including key similarities and differences.

Tawhid (the Oneness of God), Qur’an Surah 112.

The nature of God: omnipotence, beneficence, mercy, fairness and justice/Adalat in Shi’a Islam, including different ideas about God’s relationship with the world: immanence and transcendence.

Angels, their nature and role, including Jibril and Mika’il.

Predestination and human freedom and its relationship to the Day of Judgement.

Akhirah (life after death), human responsibility and accountability, resurrection, heaven and hell.

Authority

Risalah (Prophethood) including the role and importance of Adam, Ibrahim and Muhammad.

The holy books:

Qur’an: revelation and authority.

The Torah, the Psalms, the Gospel, the Scrolls of Abraham and their authority.

The imamate in Shi'a Islam: its role and significance.

Know the different ways Muslims worship including:

Five Pillars of Sunni Islam and the Ten Obligatory Acts of Shi’a Islam (students should study the Five Pillars and jihad in both Sunni and Shi’a Islam and the additional duties of Shi’a Islam).

Shahadah: declaration of faith and its place in Muslim practice.

Salah and its significance: how and why Muslims pray including times, directions, ablution (wudu), movements (rak’ahs) and recitations; salah in the home and mosque and elsewhere; Friday prayer: Jummah; key differences in the practice of salah in Sunni and Shi’a Islam, and different Muslim views about the importance of prayer.

Know the duties carried out by Muslims and festivals they celebrate including:

Sawm: the role and significance of fasting during the month of Ramadan including origins, duties, benefits of fasting, the exceptions and their reasons, and the Night of Power, Qur’an 96:1-5.

Zakah: the role and significance of giving alms including origins, how and why it is given, benefits of receipt, Khums in Shi’a Islam.

Hajj: the role and significance of the pilgrimage to Makkah including origins, how hajj is performed, the actions pilgrims perform at sites including the Ka’aba at Makkah, Mina, Arafat, Muzdalifah and their significance.

Jihad: different understandings of jihad: the meaning and significance of greater and lesser jihad; origins, influence and conditions for the declaration of lesser jihad.

Festivals and commemorations and their importance for Muslims in Great Britain today, including the origins and meanings of Id-ul-Adha, Id-ul-Fitr, Ashura.

What should they be able to do?

• apply knowledge and understanding of two religions
• apply knowledge and understanding of key sources of wisdom and authority including scripture and/or sacred texts, where appropriate, which support contemporary religious faith
• understand the influence of religion on individuals, communities and societies
• understand significant common and divergent views between and/or within religions and beliefs
• apply knowledge and understanding in order to analyse questions related to religious beliefs and values
• construct well-informed and balanced arguments on matters concerned with religious beliefs and values set out in the subject content.
• develop their knowledge and understanding of religions and non-religious beliefs, such as atheism and humanism
• develop their knowledge and understanding of religious beliefs, teachings and sources of wisdom and authortiy, including through their reading of key religious texts, other texts and scriptures of the religions they are studying
• develop their ability to construct well-argued, well-informed, balanced and structured written arguments, demonstrating their depth and breadth of understanding of the subject
• reflect on and develop their own values, belief, meaning, purpose, truth and their influence on human life.
• reflect on and develop their own values, beliefs and attitudes in the light of what they have learnt and contribute to their preparation for adult life in a pluralistic society and global community.

Key vocabulary

Sunni

Shi’a

Immanence

Transcendance

Tawhid

Qur’an

Adalat

Usul ad-Din

Akhirah

Predestination

Risalah

Shahadah

Salat

Jummah

Wudu

Rak’ahs

Sawm

Zakat

Hajj

Ka’aba

Khums

Id-ul-Adha

Id-ul-Fitr

Ashura

Obligatory

Assessment

Each unit will be assessed using a knowledge check and a skills check. The knowledge check will consist of a range of one mark multiple choice and two mark simple answer questions. The skills check will use GCSE 4, 5, and 12 mark evaluation questions to assess student understanding.