Christianity and the death penalty
I can explain different Christian and non-religious views on the death penalty.
Christianity and the death penalty
I can explain different Christian and non-religious views on the death penalty.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.
These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- The death penalty is state execution. It is banned in the UK but used in China, Iran and some US states.
- Some non-religious people support it to deter crime, others reject it as inhumane.
- Most Christians oppose it, citing “Do not kill” (Exodus 20:13) and Jesus’ message of mercy.
- Jesus taught love and forgiveness, not revenge (Matthew 5:43–45, 5:39).
- A very small minority of Christians support it, using “Eye for eye” (Exodus 21:24) to justify justice through punishment
Keywords
Death penalty - capital punishment; the execution of a criminal which is sanctioned by the state
Forgiveness - letting go of blame against a person for wrongs they have done; moving on
Justice - what is right and fair
Common misconception
Most Christians support the death penalty because the Bible says “Eye for eye, tooth for tooth.”
Most Christians reject the death penalty because they agree with Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 5:38–39 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person.”
To help you plan your year 11 religious education lesson on: Christianity and the death penalty, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 11 religious education lesson on: Christianity and the death penalty, 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 Issues of Good and Evil unit, dive into the full secondary religious education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
Loading...
