Censorship and freedom of religious expression
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain Christian teachings and responses to freedom of religious expression, censorship and extremism.
Key learning points
- Freedom to express religious beliefs is a legal right recognised in many countries.
- Censorship controls what people are allowed to access or express in public life.
- Extremist views often threaten others' dignity and safety by rejecting their rights.
- Christians believe in sharing their faith freely and usually reject extremist behaviour.
- While Christians may back censorship to reduce harm, they oppose it when it unjustly targets religious expression.
Keywords
Censorship - when an authority such as the government or a media company controls or limits what people can see, read, hear or say
Extremism - holding radical views that reject others’ rights or promote hatred
Freedom of religious expression - the right to freely practise religion without discrimination or punishment; e.g. being allowed space or time to pray in the workplace
Common misconception
Religious freedom means Christians never face challenges or restrictions today.
Religious freedom is protected by law in the UK, but in the worldwide community and the UK Christians can still face censorship, legal cases, or public pressure.
Teacher tip
Use short, factual case summaries regarding restrictions to freedom of religious expression both worldwide and in the UK to help students see that this topic is not just historical.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
Loading...
Prior knowledge starter quiz
5 Questions
Q1.Personal conviction is a deeply held that influences actions.
Q2.According to Christian teaching, the law should be followed unless ...
Q3.Many Christians believe conscience helps them make decisions.
Q4.What did Bonhoeffer do in response to Nazi rule?
Q5.Some Christians believe that faith may require civil when laws are unjust.
Assessment exit quiz
5 Questions
Q1.Match each key term to its meaning.
is when an authority controls or limits what people can see
holding radical views that reject others’ rights or promote hatred
is the right to freely practise religion without discrimination
Q2.The freedom to express religious beliefs is a recognised legal in many countries.
Q3.Censorship may involve ...
Q4.What is a danger of extremist beliefs?
Q5.Despite legal protection, some Christians may still face ...
To help you plan your 11 religious education lesson on: Censorship and freedom of religious expression, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 11 religious education lesson on: Censorship and freedom of religious expression, 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 Human Rights unit, dive into the full secondary religious education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.