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SavannahYear 8
← Religion & Worldviews
Religion & WorldviewsFaith, doubt and belonging25 min★★ difficulty

Doubt, questions and losing faith

Doubt is not the opposite of religion — it appears inside every tradition, in sacred texts and in people's own lives. Understanding it explains why two people raised the same way can end up believing very different things.

Lesson overview

What you'll learn in this lesson

Explain how religion is lived differently by people within the same tradition

Key learning points

  • • Doubt inside the texts
  • • Why belief changes
  • • Practising differently

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

religiondifferentlypeoplewithintradition

Scroll down — the lesson carries on below

Part 1 of 16 · Discover6%
1

Watch & discover

Part 1 of 16

Watch first

Doubt, questions and losing faith

An English teaching video on this topic from Miacademy & MiaPrep Learning Channel. Watch it, then scroll down for the lesson.

In a nutshell

Explain how religion is lived differently by people within the same tradition

2

Learning cycle

Part 2 of 16

Learning cycle 1 of 2

Part 1 · Doubt inside the texts

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

3

Explore the idea

Part 3 of 16

Learn

Doubt inside the texts

The Hebrew book of Job argues with God about suffering. Psalms ask why God feels absent. Some Buddhist teaching actively encourages testing claims rather than accepting them. Traditions have made room for hard questions for thousands of years.

4

Explore the idea

Part 4 of 16

Learn

Why belief changes

People describe leaving or joining a tradition for reasons such as suffering they cannot square with a loving God, science answering questions they were told needed religion, moving away from a community, a powerful experience, or friendship with believers. Life events and thinking both play a part.

5

Quick check

Part 5 of 16

Quick check

The book of Job is often used in RE to show that

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Quick check

Part 6 of 16

Quick check

'Lived religion' means

7

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
8

Learning cycle

Part 8 of 16

Learning cycle 2 of 2

Part 2 · Practising differently

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

9

Explore the idea

Part 9 of 16

Learn

Practising differently

Within one mosque, church or gurdwara you will find people who attend weekly, people who attend at festivals, and people who keep the ethics but not the ritual. Sociologists call the official version 'teaching' and the everyday version 'lived religion'.

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Quick check

Part 10 of 16

Quick check

Which is a reason people give for losing faith?

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Quick check

Part 11 of 16

Quick check

Two members of one tradition practise differently. The best conclusion is

12

Explore the idea

Part 12 of 16

Worked example

Worked example

Two cousins are both Jewish. One keeps kosher strictly and walks to synagogue on Shabbat; the other eats out anywhere but hosts a family Friday meal every week. Are they living the same religion? A good answer says both draw on the same tradition but weigh law, family and identity differently — so 'Jewish practice' has to be described in the plural.

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.

Within one mosque, church or gurdwara you will find ____ who attend weekly, people who attend at festivals, and people who keep the ethics but not the ritual.

Sociologists call the official version 'teaching' and the everyday version 'lived ____'.

15

Mastery quiz

Part 15 of 16

Marked quiz

End of lesson quiz: Doubt, questions and losing faith

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

  1. 1. The book of Job is often used in RE to show that

  2. 2. 'Lived religion' means

  3. 3. Which is a reason people give for losing faith?

  4. 4. Two members of one tradition practise differently. The best conclusion is

16

Lesson round-up

Part 16 of 16

Lesson round-up

Ready when you are

Quiz score

Not sat

Games

Not played

Points this lesson

0

Best run

0 in a row

Luna: 0 out of 4 on the practice checks. Only if you feel up to it — one more?

Ask Luna

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

Saved as you type.

Part 1 of 16 · Watch & discover

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