Why do we do RE?

Is studying RE relevant today?

To examine WHY we study RE.

Lesson Objectives

By the end of the lesson I will: Know and understand some reasons why we

study RE. Assess the different reasons why we study RE Be aware of how religion is all around us in

our daily lives.

Starter - The NewsRecently the news has frequently included items about people motivated

by religious beliefs. These people have affected

the lives of lots of people

These are Muslim ExtremistsHowever their beliefs are not the same as other Muslims

Can you think of any stories in the news that have been related to

religion?

Understanding other people

Studying RE helps us to understand other people’s beliefs,

Why they do the things they do

What their beliefs and values are

Past Events

60 years ago World War II ended. Many of the atrocities committed during this war e.g.

the Holocaust (killing of Jews) were

committed because ONE MAN convinced

others that his VALUES and

BELIEFS were right

Studying RE helps us to decide what values are

important to us and why.

It also helps us to understand why other people hold different beliefs or

values.It might also help us to challenge

other people who want to destroy our society

Finding out about other beliefs

Magazines often run articles about celebrities

who have adopted religious beliefs e.g. scientology whose

followers include Tom Cruise,

Or Kabbalah a Jewish sect whose followers include Madonna and Britney

Spears

RE helps us to think about our own beliefs as well as

looking at alternative belief systems we might want to find out about in

the future.

Ultimate questions Is there a God? Is there life after

death? What is the purpose

of life? Why does God allow

suffering? What is God like?

RE helps us to think about big questions which

people sometimes ask about life.

We can look at some of the answers

philosophers have come up with over the

last five thousand years

The wider curriculum

Our society is based on Christianity, so in order to understand

Politics History Art English literatureYou need to have an

understanding of religion – they are all connected

You will probably look at the history of the church and

Islamic civilisations in History,

you may come across references to Christianity, or other religions, in literature or study symbolism in Art.

Inspirational PeopleHistory is full of people who

have influenced or changed the world because of their beliefs

Jesus, Buddha Aristotle Confucius Martin Luther Martin Luther King Oliver Cromwell Karl Marx John Locke Lenin William Wilberforce

RE gives us the chance to look at the lives of

inspirational people and think about their

contribution to society

Task 1

1) Cut out the reasons for studying RE.2) Discuss the importance of each with

your partner.3) Stick them into your book in order of

importance.4) Write two paragraphs explaining why

you think you should do RE at Bedwas High.

RE is all around us!

Look carefully at the picture on the next slide and see if you can identify evidence of RE. There are 10 pieces of

evidence in total!!!

RE is all around us!

NamesMany names are Biblical

names or religiousleaders e.g. Mary, Matthew, Muhammad.

Jewellery

Celebrations

Rules

Art and MusicDress

Street namese.g. Church lane

Buildings

Charities

Rites of passagePlaces of interest

Food

Task 2

Create a spider diagram explaining how RE is all around us. Give some examples

for each type of evidence.

Can you think of any ways in Which religion is all around us!!!

HomeworkDraw or use ICT to produce a poster explaining why

we do RE. Use the reasons we have looked at in the lesson plus any of your own.

The poster should have the caption RE is important because….

OrCreate a collage that illustrates how religion is all

around us. Include the title Religion affects many areas of life.

Finally How many words of three letters or more can you make from the term

RELIGIOUS EDUCATION