Christian views on sex and contraception
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain different Christian teachings and views on contraception and family planning.
Key learning points
- There are ethical questions to ask when considering the use of contraception and family planning.
- Christians may use different sources of authority and teachings to answer these questions, which leads to diverse views.
- Some Christians use situation ethics to work out the most loving decision and/or look to Bible teachings.
- Roman Catholic Christians may use Humanae Vitae and use an absolutist approach to Natural Law for these issues.
- Social science methods help to find out people’s views on these issues, including the use of surveys and interviews.
Keywords
Absolutist - someone with the belief that there are certain actions that are always right or always wrong
Contraception - precautions taken to prevent pregnancy
Family planning - regulation of births; planning when to have a family and how many children to have by using birth control and /or contraception
Procreate (procreation) - having a child; seen as a duty in many religions
Situation ethics - an ethical theory which argues that the most loving action should guide decisions in each situation, rather than following fixed rules or laws
Common misconception
All members of a Christian denomination follow all its teachings.
Christians may use their conscience to decide which teachings to follow or not.
Teacher tip
Students need to remember to use a source of authority in their answers, so using quizzes can help pupils to remember and retrieve these.
Licence
Lesson video
Loading...
Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.What is the name of the Christian belief that God became human in the person of Jesus?
Q2.Which Christian celebration focuses on the resurrection of Jesus?
Q3.Jesus taught his followers how to pray. It has become known as what?
Q4.What does the Christian belief in the Trinity mean?
Q5.Jesus taught the importance of loving your as yourself.
Q6.Christians believe Jesus performed to show God’s power.
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which Christian teaching encourages having children?
Q2.Why do some Catholics reject contraception based on Natural Law?
Q3.Some Christians accept contraception because they believe in love, which means selfless care for others.
Q4.Which Christian ethical approach focuses on love as the most important factor?
Q5.The Catholic Church permits the method as a natural form of family planning.
Q6.All members of a Christian denomination follow all its teachings.
To help you plan your 11 religious education lesson on: Christian views on sex and contraception, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 11 religious education lesson on: Christian views on sex and contraception, 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 Relationships unit, dive into the full secondary religious education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.