Year 8 - Religious education
Interaction between religious, philosophical and political belief
Religion and politics in the Enlightenment: How were they aligned?
Study Hub
Study Guides
This pupil-friendly study guide includes a unit summary, clear notes, common mistakes, and quick questions with answers.
Unit Summary
In this unit there is a choice. Through a social science lens, pupils consider how psychologists analyse the phenomenon of religion. Or they may study the flowering of philosophy at the time of the Enlightenment through a depth study of Hobbes and Rousseau and their ideas of religion and society.
Lesson Summary
You will learn to explain how Enlightenment thinking challenged Middle Ages views, focusing on empiricism, deism and the separation of Church and state.
Key Notes
- To understand religious and philosophical views from a different time period, context is very important.
- Enlightenment thinking was influenced by changes in approaches to the arts and by religious reform.
- Enlightenment philosophers used empiricism to challenge superstitious religious views.
- This made it possible to move away from the worldview of the Middle Ages. One example of this, was deism.
- The Enlightenment shifted to advocating for a separation of religion and politics.
Vocabulary To Learn
- deism: the belief in a creator God who does not intervene in the universe after creating it
- empiricism: the philosophical theory that knowledge comes from sensory experience and observation
- superstition: a belief based on fear or misunderstanding of the unknown, which goes beyond what is logical
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- The Enlightenment was a complete rejection of Christianity.
3 Quick Questions (With Answers)
1. Explain the lesson in two key points.
To understand religious and philosophical views from a different time period, context is very important. Enlightenment thinking was influenced by changes in approaches to the arts and by religious reform.
2. What does this key word mean in this lesson? 'deism'
the belief in a creator God who does not intervene in the universe after creating it.
3. Correct this common mistake.
Mistake: The Enlightenment was a complete rejection of Christianity. Correction: While it challenged traditional religious views, most people remained Christian, and many Enlightenment thinkers still believed in God, such as those who supported deism.
More Lessons In This Unit
Browse all guides in the Year 8 Religious education guide library.