to grant pardon for a wrongdoing; to give up resentment and the desire to seek revenge against a wrongdoer

making up and rebuilding relationships between two groups/sides after disagreement

an approach to justice that focuses on repairing the harm caused by wrongdoing through dialogue and understanding

Christian attitudes to forgiveness

Religious education

Christianity and crime

Christianity and the aims of punishment

Christianity and types of punishment

Christianity and the death penalty

Christian teachings about good and evil

Christianity and suffering

Muslim attitudes to forgiveness

Islam and the death penalty

In this unit pupils will study ideas of crime and how Christians and Muslims may view crime is caused. From that, they will examine different ideas of punishing crime and treating criminals focussing especially on a case study of the death penalty and ideas of forgiveness.

Issues of Good and Evil

Subjects which particular individuals may be sensitive to, eg, adoption, migration, bereavement or death, divorce, poverty, deprivation.

Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

letting go of resentment and choosing not to seek revenge

Some Christians support restorative {{}} to help repair harm after wrongdoing.

Jesus taught his followers to forgive not just seven times, but {{}} times.

Why did Eva Kor choose to forgive the Nazis?

pressure from other people to forgive them

her Christian faith and wanting to let go of hate

fear of what might happen if she did not forgive them

What helped Gee Walker choose to forgive her son’s killers?

true – all Christians find forgiveness easy

false – Christians are not taught to forgive

false – some Christians still struggle to forgive

True or false? Forgiveness comes naturally to all Christians because it is part of their faith.

What is a key Christian teaching about how we should treat others?

The {{}} Commandments are an ancient set of laws from the Old Testament to help Christians live a moral life.

to help people change and make better choices

to make people suffer permanently for what they have done

What is one aim of punishment in Christianity?

crimes hurt others and go against God’s teachings

Why do Christians believe people should **not** commit crimes?

What did Jesus say is the most important commandment?

This lesson will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Christian attitudes to forgiveness

Lesson outcome

Content guidance

This lesson will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.