Sanctity of life
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain the concept of the sanctity of life and analyse Christian teachings on it, comparing them with non-religious views.
Key learning points
- The sanctity of life means life is sacred or intrinsically valuable.
- The value of life can be viewed absolutist or with consideration of extrinsic factors like suffering or autonomy.
- The Bible teaches that humans are created in God's image and emphasises the importance of preserving life.
- Catholics and Anglicans believe life is sacred because it's created by God, Quakers emphasise the divine in everyone.
- Humanists value life for its potential, while sentientists focus on the capacity to feel pleasure and pain.
Keywords
Intrinsic - something is valuable just because it exists, regardless of its usefulness
Sanctity of life - the belief that life is sacred/special because it was created by God, or because we are each unique individuals
Value - the worth, importance, or usefulness of something
Common misconception
All Christians see the sanctity of life as a moral absolute.
Different denominations and individuals may have varying perspectives on whether extrinsic factors such as dignity or well-being impinge on the sanctity of life.
Teacher tip
For Task B 2), students could continue by writing a paragraph of reasoned arguments to support a different point of view and refer to non-religious arguments.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
5 Questions
Q1.A common criticism of the theory of evolution from religious groups is that ...
Q2.Which scientific discovery challenged traditional religious views on the origin of life?
Q3.What do fundamentalist Christians believe about the origin of life?
Q4.The book of the Bible that describes the creation of life is called ...
Q5.Some Christians believe that God initiated the Big Bang, a belief known as evolution.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What does the term 'sanctity of life' mean in religious teachings?
Q2.Which Bible verse is often used to support the idea that human life is sacred?
Q3.What is one key difference between Catholic and Anglican views on the sanctity of life?
Q4.The belief that life has value simply because it exists is known as ...
Q5.Christians believe that human life is sacred because it was created in the image of ...
Q6.The view that moral decisions should be made based on love and compassion is called ethics.
To help you plan your 11 religious education lesson on: Sanctity of life, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 11 religious education lesson on: Sanctity of life, 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 4 religious education lessons from the Religion and life unit, dive into the full secondary religious education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.