Religious Education - Moral Dilemmas

Everyone will have the chance to explore ethical questions and decision-making.

Name:    Date:

Lesson Objectives

Instructions

For each scenario:

Write in full sentences.

Starter: What influences decisions?

List five things that influence what people choose to do.

Which of these is the most important and why?


Moral Dilemmas

The Burning Car

You can save one of two people from a burning car: your father or a famous cancer specialist close to a breakthrough. Who do you save?

Why might someone choose the opposite of you?

The Hat

Your mother is proud of a new hat you think looks terrible. She asks for your opinion. Do you tell the truth?

What could be good and bad about telling the truth?

Animal Testing

A medical breakthrough requires painful experiments on animals. What do you do?

What are the arguments for and against animal testing?

Survival at Sea

Three people are stranded. Two must eat the third to survive. What do you do?

Is it ever acceptable to harm one person to save others?


What is morality?

In your own words, what do you think morality means?

Key Ideas

Morality = ideas about right and wrong behaviour

Moral = something seen as right or good

Immoral = something seen as wrong or bad

Apply the ideas

For each situation, decide whether it is moral, immoral, or depends. Give a reason.

Situation Decision Reason
Telling a lie to protect a friend
Stealing food when starving
Donating money to charity
Breaking a promise to save a life

Organ Transplants

A family agrees to donate organs only if they go to white patients. Do you accept this condition?

Should personal wishes ever limit who receives help?

Concentration Camp Dilemma

A prisoner risks being executed unless he steals clothing from another prisoner. What should he do?

Can breaking rules ever be justified?

Conjoined Twins

Two twins are joined at birth. If separated, one will die but the other will survive. What should happen?

Is it right to sacrifice one life to save another?

The Railway Bridge

A worker must choose between saving his trapped son or stopping a train crash that would kill many people. What should he do?

Does family change how people make moral decisions?


Create Your Own Dilemma

Write a situation where someone must make a difficult moral choice.

Explain why both choices are difficult:


Reflection

Which dilemma was the hardest and why?

What have you learned about how people make moral decisions?

Write one question you still have: