Reasons for war
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain reasons for war, such as self-defence and retaliation, and show how Christians respond to these reasons.
Key learning points
- There are many different reasons a person, nation or religion may choose to enter into a conflict.
- These reasons include greed, self defence and retaliation.
- Some people, religious and non-religious, find some reasons more acceptable than others.
- Many Christians believe that going to war for greed is wrong because of Matthew 19:24.
- There are different opinions on war for retaliation based on interpretations of Exodus 21:23-27.
Keywords
Self-defence - protecting yourself or others when under attack
Retaliation - fighting back after being harmed or attacked
Justification - the reasons given to explain or defend something
Common misconception
All Christians believe in retaliation because the Bible says ‘an eye for an eye’.
Many Christians interpret this as an instruction to keep punishments fair and stop them going too far. Instead of justifying retaliation, it was about justice being equal to the harm done.
Teacher tip
When discussing reasons for war, remind students that neither Christians nor non-religious people all think the same. Within each group, there are different interpretations and arguments.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
5 Questions
Q1.Which of the following is a negative outcome of war?
Q2.Matthew 5:9 is part of the .
Q3.The Qur’an commands: 'Do not limits'.
Q4.Both religious and non-religious people believe conflict should be seen as ...
Q5.What does “an eye for an eye” mean in Christian interpretations?
Assessment exit quiz
5 Questions
Q1.Which of these is not a reason a group may enter into a conflict?
Q2.Greed, self-defence and are three reasons for war.
Q3.Who may find self-defence more acceptable than greed as a reason for war?
Q4.Matthew 19:24 warns Christians about the danger of .
Q5.What is the Christian debate over the teaching “an eye for an eye” about?
To help you plan your 11 religious education lesson on: Reasons for war, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 11 religious education lesson on: Reasons for war, 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, peace and conflict unit, dive into the full secondary religious education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.