51ºÚÁÏ

AQA GCSE Religious Studies – Paper 1 Christianity: Beliefs (The Nature of God)

This lesson explores the problem of evil and suffering, a key philosophical and theological issue within Christianity. Students will revisit the core qualities of God—namely, omnipotence (all-powerful), omnibenevolence (all-loving), and omniscience (all-knowing)—and investigate how these beliefs appear to conflict with the existence of evil and suffering in the world. The lesson includes an introduction to the logical and emotional problem of evil, and allows students to evaluate Christian responses to the issue through theodicies, such as the free will defence and soul-making theodicy.

Learning Outcomes:

• Recall key qualities of God according to Christian belief.
• Explain how the existence of evil and suffering challenges those qualities.
• Explore and consider Christian responses (theodicies) that defend God’s nature despite evil.

What’s Included:

• Engaging and visually appealing PowerPoint presentation
• A starter activity recaps prior knowledge from scheme of work (SOW), helping students to connect new learning to what they already know.
• Video-based exploration of the problem of evil
• Throughout the lesson, **questioning activities **are used to promote discussion, check understanding, and encourage participation.
• Differentiated Student worksheet
• Students will complete a deliberate practice question to develop their assessment skills and apply their knowledge with scaffolding
• The lesson concludes with a final activity that allows students to consolidate their understanding and reflect on what they have learned.

Why Choose This Resource?
Directly aligned with AQA specification content
Breaks down a complex philosophical issue into accessible steps
Encourages critical thinking and debate
Supports both AO1 knowledge and AO2 evaluation skills

Includes all necessary materials for a complete lesson or revision session