Germany Jahrgangsstufe 8 Protestant Religious Education

1. Reformation: causes and consequences

The Reformation: causes and effects

• The Reformation and Catholic Reform: Causes and Effects – In the 1500s the single Western Christian church split. People were angry about the sale of indulgences and corruption, printing spread new ideas fast, and rulers wanted more power. Luther (1517), Calvin and the English crown created Protestant churches. The Catholic Church answered with its own reform (Council of Trent, Jesuits). Wars followed, then treaties that let rulers choose their state's religion.

2. Prophets and the question of justice

Prophets and justice

• Ethics: How to Decide What Is Right – Ethics (moral philosophy) asks what we ought to do and why. Values such as honesty, kindness, fairness and respect guide choices. Three main theories help: consequences (utilitarianism, Bentham and Mill: most good for most people), duty (Kant: act on rules you could want everyone to follow; treat people as ends, never only as means) and virtue (Aristotle: build good character; virtue is the mean between extremes). Conscience is our inner sense of right and wrong. Freedom brings responsibility. Meta-ethics asks what "good" means and whether values are universal or relative. Applied ethics deals with the environment, animals, work, friendship and peace.

3. The world as God's creation

The world as God's creation

• Ethics: How to Decide What Is Right – Ethics (moral philosophy) asks what we ought to do and why. Values such as honesty, kindness, fairness and respect guide choices. Three main theories help: consequences (utilitarianism, Bentham and Mill: most good for most people), duty (Kant: act on rules you could want everyone to follow; treat people as ends, never only as means) and virtue (Aristotle: build good character; virtue is the mean between extremes). Conscience is our inner sense of right and wrong. Freedom brings responsibility. Meta-ethics asks what "good" means and whether values are universal or relative. Applied ethics deals with the environment, animals, work, friendship and peace.

4. Me in time

Me and time

Coming soon

5. What do you believe? Diversity of faith

Diversity of faith and denominations

Coming soon