The free will defence
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain the free will defence, with reference to the Christian teachings on the creation of humans.
Key learning points
- The book of Genesis describes God creating humans to have free will, and the first humans misusing their free will.
- Many Christians believe Adam and Eve's disobedience and misuse of their free will introduced evil into the world.
- Some Christians believe that humans have inherited Adam and Eve's tendancy to sin; this is known as original sin.
- Most Christians agree that evil continues in the world today because humans often misuse their free will.
- God allows free will for the greater good and many Christians defend God's nature through the free will defence.
Keywords
Free will - being able to choose between different actions
Genesis - the first book of the Torah and the Bible, containing the story of creation
Original sin - the idea that all humans are born with a tendency to sin because of Adam and Eve's disobedience
Common misconception
If God was all loving, all powerful and all knowing, he would not allow humans to make harmful choices.
Many Christians would argue that God gave humans the gift of free will because a world with free choice and evil is better than a world without free choice; true love and goodness can only come through free choice.
Teacher tip
You may wish to remind students of the story of creation, and the difference between moral evil and natural evil prior to this lesson.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Depiction or discussion of peer pressure or bullying
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
5 Questions
Q1.The opposite of good and a cause of suffering is called .
Q2.Christians believe that God is omnipotent. This describes God’s .
Q3.What is the inconsistent triad used to show?
Q4.What do some Christians believe about the devil?
Q5.The devil is as powerful as God.
Assessment exit quiz
5 Questions
Q1.The first two humans created by God in Genesis were Eve and .
Q2.What does ‘original sin’ mean for many Christians?
Q3.What kind of evil is explained by the misuse of free will?
Q4.Which of these is an example of natural evil?
Q5.If God is all-loving, powerful, and knowing, he wouldn’t allow evil.
To help you plan your 8 religious education lesson on: The free will defence, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 8 religious education lesson on: The free will defence, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 religious education lessons from the Suffering: Can Christian theology overcome the problem of evil? unit, dive into the full secondary religious education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.