Religion & WorldviewsEthics, suffering and meaning30 min★★★ difficulty

Suffering, meaning and purpose across worldviews

Why is there suffering, and what makes a life meaningful? Different worldviews answer differently, and the answers are usually connected to their deeper beliefs about reality.

Lesson overview

What you'll learn in this lesson

Explain responses to suffering, meaning and purpose across worldviews

Key learning points

• Why suffering is a problem
• Religious responses
• Non-religious responses
• Where meaning is located

This lesson at a glance

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

Words to know

responsessufferingmeaningpurposeacross

Scroll down — the lesson carries on below

Part 1 of 19 · Discover5%

Watch & discover

Part 1 of 19

Watch first

Suffering, meaning and purpose across worldviews

An English teaching video on this topic from RE Beck. Watch it, then scroll down for the lesson.

In a nutshell

Explain responses to suffering, meaning and purpose across worldviews

What you already know

Part 2 of 19

Before we start

What you already know

You should already know core beliefs from at least two religious traditions.

Recap: Building and evaluating ethical arguments

Key words

Part 3 of 19

Key words

Words you'll need today

Theodicy: An attempt to justify belief in God despite suffering.
Free will: The capacity to choose between actions.
Dukkha: The Buddhist concept usually translated as suffering or unsatisfactoriness.
Humanism: A non-religious worldview locating meaning in human life and reason.

Learning cycle

Part 4 of 19

Learning cycle 1 of 2

The problem of suffering

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

Explore the idea

Part 5 of 19

Learn

Why suffering is a problem

If a deity is all-powerful, all-knowing and wholly good, the existence of severe suffering appears inconsistent. This is the problem of evil, and it is a genuine philosophical challenge rather than a rhetorical one. How a tradition answers it reveals what it believes about God, humanity and the purpose of life.

Explore the idea

Part 6 of 19

Learn

Religious responses

Some Christian responses argue that free will makes moral evil possible, or that suffering can develop character. Jewish thought includes lament and protest as legitimate responses within faith. Islamic teaching emphasises trust in God's wisdom and the moral test of this life. Hindu and Buddhist traditions relate suffering to karma, attachment and rebirth.

Quick check

Part 7 of 19

Quick check

The problem of evil questions how suffering fits with a God who is...

Quick check

Part 8 of 19

Quick check

A free will response argues suffering follows from...

Reset break

Part 9 of 19

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

Learning cycle

Part 10 of 19

Learning cycle 2 of 2

Finding meaning

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

Explore the idea

Part 11 of 19

Learn

Non-religious responses

Humanists generally argue that suffering has natural causes rather than cosmic purpose, and that this makes reducing it a human responsibility. Some argue the scale of suffering counts against belief in a good God. Others hold that meaning does not require external purpose, and that relationships, work and contribution supply it.

Explore the idea

Part 12 of 19

Learn

Where meaning is located

Traditions locate purpose differently: in relationship with God, in liberation from cycles of rebirth, in obedience to covenant or law, in service to others, or in the flourishing of this one life. Comparing them fairly means asking what each is trying to explain, and judging responses by coherence rather than by whether we already agree.

Quick check

Part 13 of 19

Quick check

Dukkha is a concept from...

Quick check

Part 14 of 19

Quick check

Humanists typically argue that reducing suffering is...

Common mix-ups

Part 15 of 19

Common mix-ups

Things people often get wrong

People often assume all religions explain suffering the same way. Responses differ sharply between traditions.
People often assume non-religious worldviews have no account of meaning. Many locate it in this life and in others.

Challenge round

Part 16 of 19

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

Challenge round

Part 17 of 19

Game · Fill the gaps

Finish the sentences

Choose the word that belongs in each gap.

If a deity is all-powerful, all-knowing and wholly good, the existence of severe ____ appears inconsistent.

How a tradition answers it reveals what it believes about God, humanity and the ____ of life.

Some Christian ____ argue that free will makes moral evil possible, or that suffering can develop character.

Mastery quiz

Part 18 of 19

Marked quiz

End of lesson quiz: Suffering, meaning and purpose across worldviews

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

1. Theodicy means...
2. Lament and protest are recognised responses within...
3. Karma relates suffering to...
4. Some argue the scale of suffering counts as evidence...
5. Meaning without external purpose is usually located in...
6. Comparing worldviews fairly means judging by...

Lesson round-up

Part 19 of 19

Lesson round-up

Ready when you are

Quiz score

Not sat

Games

Not played

Points this lesson

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

What does each teaching say about how far forgiveness should go?
Explain how a believer might use one of these teachings after being hurt by a friend.
"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

Write your answer, notes or working here

Saved as you type.

Photos of paper work, diagrams or working outHow many minutes did the written work take?

Part 1 of 19 · Watch & discover

0 points