Is studying RE relevant today? Why do we do RE? Is studying RE relevant today? To examine WHY we study RE.

Lesson Objectives By the end of the lesson I will: Know and understand some reasons why we study RE. Assess the different reasons why we study RE Be aware of how religion is all around us in our daily lives.

Starter - The News Recently the news has frequently included items about people motivated by religious beliefs. These people have affected the lives of lots of people Can you think of any stories in the news that have been related to religion? These are Muslim Extremists However their beliefs are not the same as other Muslims

Understanding other people Studying RE helps us to understand other people’s beliefs, Why they do the things they do What their beliefs and values are

Past Events 60 years ago World War II ended. Many of the atrocities committed during this war e.g. the Holocaust (killing of Jews) were committed because ONE MAN convinced others that his VALUES and BELIEFS were right

Studying RE helps us to decide what values are important to us and why. It also helps us to understand why other people hold different beliefs or values. It might also help us to challenge other people who want to destroy our society

Finding out about other beliefs Magazines often run articles about celebrities who have adopted religious beliefs e.g. scientology whose followers include Tom Cruise, Or Kabbalah a Jewish sect whose followers include Madonna and Britney Spears

RE helps us to think about our own beliefs as well as looking at alternative belief systems we might want to find out about in the future.

Ultimate questions Is there a God? Is there life after death? What is the purpose of life? Why does God allow suffering? What is God like?

RE helps us to think about big questions which people sometimes ask about life. We can look at some of the answers philosophers have come up with over the last five thousand years

The wider curriculum Our society is based on Christianity, so in order to understand Politics History Art English literature You need to have an understanding of religion – they are all connected

You will probably look at the history of the church and Islamic civilisations in History, you may come across references to Christianity, or other religions, in literature or study symbolism in Art.

Inspirational People History is full of people who have influenced or changed the world because of their beliefs Jesus, Buddha Aristotle Confucius Martin Luther Martin Luther King Oliver Cromwell Karl Marx John Locke Lenin William Wilberforce

RE gives us the chance to look at the lives of inspirational people and think about their contribution to society

Task 1 Cut out the reasons for studying RE. Discuss the importance of each with your partner. Stick them into your book in order of importance. Write two paragraphs explaining why you think you should do RE at Bedwas High.

RE is all around us! Look carefully at the picture on the next slide and see if you can identify evidence of RE. There are 10 pieces of evidence in total!!!

RE is all around us! Food Celebrations Rules Charities Art and Music Names Many names are Biblical names or religious leaders e.g. Mary, Matthew, Muhammad. Food Celebrations Street names e.g. Church lane Jewellery Rules RE is all around us! Art and Music Charities Dress Places of interest Rites of passage Buildings

Task 2 Create a spider diagram explaining how RE is all around us. Give some examples for each type of evidence.

Can you think of any ways in Which religion is all around us!!!

The poster should have the caption RE is important because…. Homework Draw or use ICT to produce a poster explaining why we do RE. Use the reasons we have looked at in the lesson plus any of your own. The poster should have the caption RE is important because…. Or Create a collage that illustrates how religion is all around us. Include the title Religion affects many areas of life.

Finally Religious Education How many words of three letters or more can you make from the term RELIGIOUS EDUCATION Religious Education