The RE Podcast

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In this episode I unpack Theme F: Religion, human rights and social justice Students should study religious teachings, and religious, philosophical and ethical arguments, relating to the issues that follow, and their impact and influence in the modern world. They should be aware of contrasting perspectives in contemporary British society on all of these issues.
They must be able to explain contrasting beliefs on the following three issues with reference to the main religious tradition in Britain (Christianity) and one or more other religious traditions:
Status of women in religion.
The uses of wealth.
Freedom of religious expression.

Human rights
Prejudice and discrimination in religion and belief, including the status and treatment within religion of women and those in same sex relationships.
Issues of equality, freedom of religion and belief including freedom of religious expression.
Human rights and the responsibilities that come with rights, including the responsibility to respect the rights of others.
Social justice.
Racial prejudice and discrimination.
Ethical arguments related to racial discrimination (including positive discrimination), including those based on the ideals of equality and justice.
Wealth and poverty
Wealth, including:the right attitude to wealth
the uses of wealth.

The responsibilities of wealth, including the duty to tackle poverty and its causes.
Exploitation of those living in poverty including issues relating to:fair pay
excessive interest on loans
people-trafficking.

The responsibilities of those living in poverty to help themselves overcome the difficulties they face.
Charity, including issues related to giving money to those living in poverty
We also look relate this to key exam questions;
06.1 Which one of the following best expresses the religious ideal that everyone should get what they deserve?
A Tolerance.
B Prejudice.
C Justice.
D Compassion.

06.2 Give one example of what religious believers would see as exploitation of those living in poverty. 
unfair pay
4-marker
Explain two different beliefs in contemporary British society about the right of freedom of belief. In your answer you should refer to the main religious tradition of Great Britain and one or more other religious traditions.
Some Christians believe it is right to give people freedom of belief today because that is what God has given humans
In Genesis, God gave Adam and Eve free will over whether to obey his rules or not
However, fundamental Christians do not agree with giving people freedom of belief as it is not always a loving action
This is because they believe people will be condemned if they choose the wrong religion

6 marker. 
Explain two religious beliefs about the status of women in religion. Refer to sacred writings or another source of religious belief and teaching in your answer.
Some Christians believe women have equal status to men in religion as all humans are equal in the eyes of God
This is because the Bible says ‘there is no male, there is no female, we are all one in Christ.
This verse says that gender doesn’t matter as we are all the same in Jesus so men and women have equal status
However, other Christians think God made man and woman separately and differently so have di
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Religion, crime and the causes of crime
Good and evil intentions and actions, including whether it can ever be good to cause suffering.
Reasons for crime, including:poverty and upbringing
mental health problems and addiction
greed and hate
opposition to an unjust law.

Views about people who break the law for these reasons.
Views about different types of crime, including hate crimes, theft and murder.
Religion and punishment
The aims of punishment, including:retribution
deterrence
reformation.

The treatment of criminals, including:prison
corporal punishment
community service.

Forgiveness.
The death penalty.Ethical arguments related to the death penalty, including those based on the principle of utility and sanctity of life.

Which one of the following expresses the religious idea that one aim of punishment should be to encourage people not to commit any more crimes?
A Reformation.
B Protection.
C Deterrence.
D Reparation.

 4 marker f
Explain two different beliefs in contemporary British society about the death penalty for murder. In your answer you should refer to the main religious tradition of Great Britain and one or more other religious traditions.

Some Christians disagree because of the sanctity of life which is a belief that all human life is sacred as we were made in God’s image  
Therefore we shouldn’t kill anyone, even a murder as a punishment for their crime 
However, some Christians think that the death penalty for murder is a loving action because it makes society safer 
This is because there are less murderers in society if they are executed. 
6-marker
Explain two religious beliefs about breaking the law in order to get a bad law changed. Refer to sacred writings or another source of religious belief and teaching in your answer.

Some Christians agree with breaking the law in order to get a bad law changed because that is what Jesus did.
In the Bible Jesus healed someone on the Sabbath which was against the law at the time.
This shows that Jesus thinks doing the right thing is more important that following the law
As such Christians like Martin Luther King were willing to break segregation laws as they were unjust.
However, other Christians think it is always wrong to break the law even if it is bad
This is because they believe Christians should follow the law as all authorities are from God
Therefore, if they want to change a bad law, they should do it legally.

12-marker ‘Corporal punishment can never be justified.’
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This week I go through the main content and exam questions needed for GCSE AQA Paper 2 Theme D: Religion, Peace and Conflict
In theme D we should study religious teachings, and religious, philosophical and ethical arguments, relating to the issues that follow, and their impact and influence in the modern world. We should be aware of contrasting perspectives in contemporary British society on all of the issues. 
Our three special topics are Violence, weapons of mass destruction and pacifism. For these we must be able to explain contrasting beliefs with reference to the main religious tradition in Britain (Christianity) and one or more other religious traditions:
The specification is separated into two sections as are the other themes. The first section is Religion, violence, terrorism and war and the second section is Religion and belief in 21st century conflict.

Give one way in which religious believers help victims of war. 
Raise money
4-marker
Explain two different beliefs in contemporary British society about weapons of mass destruction. In your answer you should refer to the main religious tradition of Great Britain and one or more other religious traditions.
One Christian belief is that weapons of mass destruction should be owned but not used.
This prevents war therefore saves human lives which is important because they believe in the sanctity of life
A different Christian belief is that they should not be used because they go against the Just War Theory
This states that war should be proportional and using nuclear weapons is not proportional

6 marker
Explain two religious beliefs about forgiveness. Refer to sacred writings or another source of religious belief and teaching in your answer.
One Christian belief about forgiveness is that it is an important part of being Christian as it is what Jesus did
This means that in a war, Christians must forgive the enemy
This is shown in the Bible when Jesus said ‘forgive them father for they do not know what they do’.
This shows that like Jesus forgave those who tortured and killed him, Christians must forgive people who kill in a war
Another belief about forgiveness is that it can lead to peace and prevent war
This is because if you have forgiven someone, you will not want to fight them.

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In this episode I will unpack; 
3.2.1.3 Theme C: The existence of God and revelation
Philosophical arguments for and against the existence of God
The Design argument, including its strengths and weaknesses.
The First Cause argument, including its strengths and weaknesses.
The argument from miracles, including its strengths and weaknesses, and one example of a miracle.
Evil and suffering as an argument against the existence of God.
Arguments based on science against the existence of God.
The nature of the divine and revelation
Special revelation as a source of knowledge about the divine (God, gods or ultimate reality) including visions and one example of a vision.
Enlightenment as a source of knowledge about the divine.
General revelation: nature and scripture as a way of understanding the divine.
Different ideas about the divine that come from these sources:omnipotent and omniscient
personal and impersonal
immanent and transcendent.

The value of general and special revelation and enlightenment as sources of knowledge about the divine, including:the problems of different ideas about the divine arising from these experiences
alternative explanations for the experiences, and the possibility that the people who claimed to have them were lying or mistaken.

https://www.lourdes-france.com/en/antonietta-raco-72nd-lourdes-miracle/
Explain two different beliefs in contemporary British society about visions. In your answer you should refer to the main religious tradition of Great Britain and non-religious beliefs.
Most Christians believe visions are a valid way that God reveals truth to his people.
This is because there is evidence of visions in the Bible for example when Mary saw a vision of an angel who told her she would give birth to Jesus
However, most non-religious people do not think visions are a valid way of understanding what is true
This is because there is no proof of that vision happening and the person's account may be unreliable
Explain two religious beliefs about miracles. Refer to sacred writings or another source of religious belief and teaching in your answer.
One Christian belief is that miracles demonstrate God’s omnipotence which means he is all powerful.
This is because only an all powerful God could perform miracles
An example of a miracle that shows God’s power is the resurrection of Jesus in the Bible
This shows the miracle of Jesus coming back to life after death which could only be done though the power of God
Another belief is that miracles show God’s omnibenevolence which means he is all loving
This is because an all loving God would want to heal people as an expression of that love.

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Last year, Ofsted published it's new inspection framework and the word that weaves through everything is INCLUSION. It is now a separate area of inspection. And the list of students we need to include is broader than before.
So how do we help ALL students in our classrooms to achieve, belong and thrive - the three words in the back of every Ofsted Inspectors mind.
Surprisingly, very little research has been done into how to support SEND in our mainstream RE classrooms.  Luckily, the answer isn't as difficult or as time consuming as you might think.
'If we get it right for vulnerable students, we get it right for all' This quote by Sir Martyn Oliver sums up the message in this episode.  Quality First Teaching is what helps ALL students, particularly those with barriers to learning.
In this episode I give the current stats on SEND student, look at the areas in the renewed Ofsted guidelines that are relevant to inclusion, look at how to plan for SEND students, how to resource for them, design powerpoints for them, support them with the right pedagogy and when to give bespoke support.  I also look at how you can create an atmosphere in your class that promotes students with poor mental health.
And I give specific examples of what that might look like in RE.
I really hope this is a practical episode which positively impacts your RE classrooms.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/200-million-landmark-send-teacher-training-programme

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/68b9a6b8b0a373a01819fe4b/Schools_inspection_toolkit.pdf
https://news.sky.com/story/how-children-with-send-from-poorer-families-are-being-left-behind-at-school-13450800

EEF Blog: Five evidence-based strategies to support high-quality teaching for pupils with SEND
EEF Blog: Supporting pupils with SEND – 3 key messages for schools

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7dcb85ed915d2ac884d995/SEND_Code_of_Practice_January_2015.pdf

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/access-arrangements-for-gcse-as-and-a-level-2024-to-2025-academic-year/access-arrangements-for-gcse-as-and-a-level-2024-to-2025-academic-year
https://www.kialo-edu.com/p/470f6228-2213-467d-bbdb-dcb915057db8/356549

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