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SavannahYear 8
← Religion & Worldviews
Religion & WorldviewsNon-religious worldviews and big questions25 min★★ difficulty

Humanism, atheism and agnosticism

Non-religious does not mean having no worldview. Humanism is a positive position with its own claims about knowledge, ethics and meaning.

Lesson overview

What you'll learn in this lesson

Compare religious and non-religious worldviews

Key learning points

  • • Three distinct words
  • • Where humanists and religious believers agree
  • • Where they differ

This lesson at a glance

  • 25 minutes
  • 16 parts to scroll through
  • 4 quick checks
  • Marked quiz at the end
  • Gentle pace: short sittings with pauses

Words to know

religiousnon-religiousworldviewsdistincthumanists

Scroll down — the lesson carries on below

Part 1 of 16 · Discover6%
1

Watch & discover

Part 1 of 16

Watch first

Humanism, atheism and agnosticism

An English teaching video on this topic from A World Without. Watch it, then scroll down for the lesson.

In a nutshell

Compare religious and non-religious worldviews

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Learning cycle

Part 2 of 16

Learning cycle 1 of 2

Part 1 · Three distinct words

A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.

3

Explore the idea

Part 3 of 16

Learn

Three distinct words

An atheist holds that there is no God. An agnostic holds that we cannot know. A humanist holds a broader position: that this life is the one we have, that evidence and reason are the best guides to truth, and that ethics comes from human welfare rather than divine command.

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Explore the idea

Part 4 of 16

Learn

Where humanists and religious believers agree

Compassion, honesty and fairness appear across worldviews. Many humanists and religious believers work together on the same causes. Disagreement is usually about the foundation of ethics, not the content of everyday moral behaviour.

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Quick check

Part 5 of 16

Quick check

What does an agnostic hold?

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Quick check

Part 6 of 16

Quick check

Where do humanists say ethics comes from?

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Reset break

Part 7 of 16

Pause

That's sitting 1 of 2 done

Stretch, get a drink, look out of the window. There is no timer and nothing is counting down — your place is saved, so you can come back in five minutes or tomorrow.

Stop here for now
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Learning cycle

Part 8 of 16

Learning cycle 2 of 2

Part 2 · Where they differ

A short piece of teaching, then a check to make sure it has landed.

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Explore the idea

Part 9 of 16

Learn

Where they differ

Sources of authority differ: sacred text and tradition on one side, evidence and reasoned argument on the other. Views on life after death differ sharply, which shapes ceremonies — humanist funerals celebrate the life lived rather than a life to come.

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Quick check

Part 10 of 16

Quick check

What is a fair statement about agreement?

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Quick check

Part 11 of 16

Quick check

What does a humanist funeral typically focus on?

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Explore the idea

Part 12 of 16

Worked example

Worked example: a comparison paragraph

Both Christians and humanists teach that helping others matters. Christians usually root this in the teaching to love your neighbour and in belief that people are made in God's image. Humanists root it in shared human welfare and the observation that cooperation reduces suffering. The behaviour can be identical while the reasoning differs — which is exactly what a comparison should show.

13

Challenge round

Part 13 of 16

Game · Sort it

Which of these are true?

Drag each card into the right column. Tap a card first if dragging is fiddly.

True

Not true

14

Challenge round

Part 14 of 16

Game · Fill the gaps

Finish the sentences

Choose the word that belongs in each gap.

Compassion, honesty and fairness appear across ____.

Many humanists and ____ believers work together on the same causes.

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Mastery quiz

Part 15 of 16

Marked quiz

End of lesson quiz: Humanism, atheism and agnosticism

4 questions, marked with the reasoning shown. No timer.

  1. 1. What does an agnostic hold?

  2. 2. Where do humanists say ethics comes from?

  3. 3. What is a fair statement about agreement?

  4. 4. What does a humanist funeral typically focus on?

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Lesson round-up

Part 16 of 16

Lesson round-up

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Do the work

Your written work for this lesson

This is the part you'd do in your book at school. Pick the pieces below, write here or on paper, and photograph anything you draw or work out.

Source

Two teachings on forgiveness

In Christian teaching, Jesus is asked how many times a person should forgive. He answers not seven times but seventy-seven — meaning forgiveness should not be counted at all. The Lord's Prayer links the two directions together: forgive us as we forgive others.

In Islamic teaching, one of the names of God is al-Ghaffar, the Ever-Forgiving. Muslims are taught that God's mercy is greater than any wrong a person can do, and that those who pardon others are closer to God than those who take revenge.

Both traditions distinguish forgiving from forgetting. A person may forgive and still expect justice, and may seek safety from someone who has harmed them.

Original paraphrases written for Good Learning Co.

Reading questions

  1. What does each teaching say about how far forgiveness should go?
  2. Explain how a believer might use one of these teachings after being hurt by a friend.
  3. "Forgiving someone means letting them off." Give two views on this and say which is stronger, with reasons.

  • Reading and response

    Reading

    Read the lesson text again — especially any scripture, story or quotation — then write what it teaches and how a believer would use it.

    2 paragraphs (PEE)

  • Extended writing

    Writing

    Answer the lesson's big question as an exam answer would: a clear view, a reason, a teaching or example as evidence, and a different view weighed against yours.

    250–350 words

  • Belief in your own words

    Writing

    Explain what this belief means and give one example of how it changes what people do.

    8–10 sentences

  • Different views

    Writing

    Write two different views on this question and say which you find stronger, and why.

    2 paragraphs

  • Symbol or belief diagram

    Diagram

    Draw the symbol, place of worship or idea from this lesson with labels explaining what each part means, then photograph it.

    1 labelled drawing

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Part 1 of 16 · Watch & discover

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