Religion & Philosophy - Year 8

Religion & Philosophy Overview

Term 1: Diversity between Religion and Worldviews: focus Hinduism (Theology & Social Science)

Students will learn about the Hindu Creation Story and compare it to Genesis. Students will also learn about: some of the Hindu Gods, Hindu beliefs in life after death and the cycle of life, important Rites of Passage and Hindu Festivals.

  1. Students will be assessed on their knowledge and understanding of Hinduism and will have to explain the impact beliefs have on Hindus lives today.

Brahman

the one God in Hinduism.

Trimurti

the three main gods in Hinduism.

Dharma

duties to live by.

Karma

the law of consequences.

Moksha

breaking the cycle of rebirth.

Samsara

the cycle of rebirth.

Reincarnation

rebirth of your soul into a new body after death (continuing to exist after death.)

  • Spiritual
  • Moral
  • Social
  • Cultural
Develop the individual:

Awareness and understanding of different religions.

Create a supportive community:

Respect and tolerance of those with different beliefs.

Term 2: Diversity between Religion and Worldviews: focus Buddhism and Sikhism(Theology & Social Science)

Students will explore how Buddhism, and Sikhism originated and how the early beliefs and practices are seen in modern day worship. They will analyse the context in which the religions were started and how they developed into the religions we see today.

  1. Students will answer a series of questions assessing different skills to show the link students can make between Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism (the religions studied so far this year).

Buddha

An enlightened being.

Enlightment

A state of perfect knowledge or wisdom, combined with infinite compassion.

Meditate

Think deeply, especially about religion

Pilgrimage

A journey made for religious reasons

Khalsa

means 'pure'. Joining the Khalsa is a sign of commitment in Sikhism.

  • Spiritual
  • Moral
  • Social
  • Cultural
Develop the individual:

Awareness and understanding of different religions.

Create a supportive community:

Respect and tolerance of those with different beliefs.

Term 3: Drawing from Special Texts (Theology)

Students will learn what the Bible, Torah and Qur’an teach about will happen at the end of the world. Students will focus on Christian beliefs and teachings from scripture on heaven, hell, judgement and purgatory, and discover what the idea of a soul is. Students will start to develop their own opinions about what happens after death and their ability to explain making reference to scripture.

  1. Students will be asked to create a poster that demonstrates their knowledge and ability to quote scripture to support points about life after death. Students will be asked to evaluate all three Abrahamic religious beliefs about life after death.
Death

The end of physical life.

Soul

The spiritual aspect of a human being that does not die.

Resurrection

The rising from death to new life of Jesus Christ

Heaven

A joyful place or state of being with God after death.

Hell

A place or state of suffering without God’s presence after death.

Eternal

Outside of time/ never ending.

The afterlife

Continued existence after physical death.

Judgement

The idea that after death God will decide who is worthy of heaven or hell.

Akhirah

Life after death (Islam)

Paradise

A word for heaven often used by Muslims.

  • Spiritual
  • Moral
  • Social
  • Cultural
Develop the individual:

Create a supportive community:

Term 4: Scientific and religious views about the origins of the Universe? (Philosophy)

Students will explore thoughts, opinions and arguments regarding the origins of the universe. Students will learning about design and causation arguments and explore these alongside scientific reasoning such as the big bang theory and theory of evolution. Students will also learn about literal creationists and why some people maintain views like this.

  1. Students will evaluate different philosophical theories that support the idea of God as creator and form an opinion as to how scientific theories support, supplement and sometimes contradict religious thinking.
Religion

A way of thinking about reality by reflecting on sacred texts and the experiences of religious people, like prophets or saints

Science

A way of thinking about the world by using observation and experimentation

Numinous

A sense of awe and wonder that comes from observing the created world.

The Universe

The whole of the observable, created world, including galaxies.

The Big Bang Theory

The idea that the Universe came into being at the same moment as space and time.

The Design of Argument

The idea that the world shows evidence of being deliberately made by a higher power for life to exist and develop.

Evolution

The process of change in all living creatures over billions of years from simple organisms to more complex forms

Theistic Evolution

The idea that God designed evolution to work in the way it does.

Creationism

The idea that God created everything without the use of evolution.

Atheist

Someone who holds that God does not exist.

Theist

Someone who believes that God does exist.

  • Spiritual
  • Moral
  • Social
  • Cultural
Develop the individual:

Create a supportive community:

Term 5: Prejudice and Discrimination (Theology, and Social Sciences)

Students will study what prejudice and discrimination are, with reference to Jesus’ teachings. Students will study key religious spokespeople who have changed the world and religion as we know them today. Students will independently reflect on how they hope to increase tolerance, understanding and stop discrimination.

  1. Students will be asked to explain what prejudice and discrimination are and demonstrate secure knowledge about ways to reduce discrimination in society today.
Diversity

A group of different people with different tastes, ideas, appearance and backgrounds.

Prejudice

Making a judgement about someone or a situation before you know all the facts.

Discrimination

Treating someone differently because of their race, gender, age, sexuality, religion or disability.

Good Samaritan

A story told by Jesus against prejudice and discrimination.

Anarchy

A state of lawlessness and disorder (usually resulting from a failure of government).

Community

A group of people who work for each other’s good.

Segregation

A policy that separates people, usually based on race, so that they cannot use the same schools, hospitals, restaurants etc.

  • Spiritual
  • Moral
  • Social
  • Cultural
Develop the individual:

Create a supportive community:

Term 6: Human Superiority (Theology and Philosophy)

Students will evaluate religious and non-religious views on human rights, animal rights, the aims of punishment, capital punishment and what is the most effective ways to protect society. Students will also learn more about what we mean by social responsibility and consider whether religious people have a particular role to play in reducing poverty. This will link to our ongoing work considering courageous advocacy and stewardship.

  1. Students will be assessed on everything they have learnt this year in an end of year exam.
Human rights

Moral or legal entitlements that all humans should have.

Ten Commandments

Laws given by God that guide people’s relationships with God and each other.

Retribution

A punishment that makes the person suffer and pay for what they have done, and to show that the law must be obeyed.

Reform

A punishment to try to change the course of a person’s life so that they will not want to commit crimes in the future.

Deterrence

A punishment to put the person off committing any crimes in the future, and to make an example of them so that others will not commit crime.

Protection

An aim of punishment to make society safer by removing criminals from public life.

Capital Punishment

A death sentence as the penalty for committing a crime.

Stewardship

Looking after the Earth so that it can be passed onto the next generation undamaged.

Zakah

A religious duty for Muslims that calls on them to give a fixed proportion of their savings each year to help the poor.

Langar

A meal at a Sikh Gurdwara (temple) to which anyone is invited.

  • Spiritual
  • Moral
  • Social
  • Cultural
Develop the individual:

Create a supportive community:

New time: New title

New Description

  • Spiritual
  • Moral
  • Social
  • Cultural
Develop the individual:

Create a supportive community:

New time: New title

New Description

  • Spiritual
  • Moral
  • Social
  • Cultural
Develop the individual:

Create a supportive community: