England · Pearson EdexcelSyllabus
Religious Studies syllabus, dot point by dot point
Every dot point in the England Religious Studiessyllabus, with a focused answer for each one. Click any dot point for a worked explainer, past exam questions, and links to related dot points. Written by Claude Opus 4.8, Anthropic's latest AI.
New Testament and Developments (Paper 3)
Module overview →- How do scholars interpret the New Testament, and how do scientific and historical-critical challenges affect its authority?Paper 3 Ways of interpreting scripture and scientific and historical-critical challenges: source, form and redaction criticism, the Synoptic Problem, questions of authorship and purpose, and the impact of critical and scientific challenges on the authority of the text.16 min answer →
- What was the world of first-century Palestine, and how do the Gospels and scholars present the identity of Jesus?Paper 3 The social, historical and religious context of the New Testament and the person of Jesus: first-century Palestine, the titles and claims of Jesus, and the debate between Jesus as teacher, prophet and Son of God.16 min answer →
- What did Jesus mean by the Kingdom of God, and how do scholars interpret the meaning of his death and resurrection?Paper 3 Texts and interpretation of the Kingdom of God and the death and resurrection of Jesus: the parables and ethics of the Kingdom, its present and future dimensions, and interpretations of the crucifixion and resurrection.16 min answer →
Philosophy of Religion (Paper 1)
Module overview →- How strong are the design, cosmological and ontological arguments for the existence of God, and how have their critics answered them?Paper 1 Philosophical issues and questions: the inductive design and cosmological arguments and the deductive ontological argument for the existence of God, with the responses of Hume, Kant, Russell and Dawkins.16 min answer →
- How have atheism, secularism, science and psychology challenged religious belief, and how convincingly has belief responded?Paper 1 Influences of developments in religious belief: the rise of atheism and the New Atheism, secularism and secularisation, the challenges from science (evolution and cosmology) and the psychology of religion (Freud and Jung), and religious responses to them.15 min answer →
- Is religious language meaningful, and can a rational person believe that miracles occur?Paper 1 Philosophical language and the work of scholars: the verification and falsification debates over religious language, the via negativa, analogy and symbol, and the definition and credibility of miracles with Hume and Wiles.16 min answer →
- Does the existence of evil and suffering disprove God, and can religious experience provide evidence that God exists?Paper 1 Problems of evil and suffering and the nature and influence of religious experience: the logical and evidential problems of evil, the Augustinian and Irenaean theodicies, and the argument from religious experience with its challenges.16 min answer →
Religion and Ethics (Paper 2)
Module overview →- How do ethical theories apply to real issues such as war and medical ethics, and what do moral words like 'good' actually mean?Paper 2 The application of ethical theories and ethical language: applied ethics in war, sexual ethics and medical ethics, and meta-ethics including naturalism, intuitionism and emotivism.16 min answer →
- How do religious and ethical theories respond to beginning-of-life and end-of-life medical issues such as abortion and euthanasia?Paper 2 Medical ethics: beginning and end of life issues: the sanctity and quality of life, personhood, abortion and embryo research, fertility treatment, euthanasia and assisted dying, analysed through natural moral law, situation ethics and utilitarianism.15 min answer →
- What is the relationship between religion and morality, and does goodness depend on the command of God?Paper 2 Significant concepts in issues or debates in religion and ethics: the relationship between religion and morality, divine command theory and the Euthyphro dilemma, the autonomy of ethics, and concepts such as duty, virtue, conscience and the good.15 min answer →
- How do natural moral law, situation ethics and virtue ethics each decide what is right, and how convincing is each?Paper 2 A study of three ethical theories: natural moral law (Aquinas), situation ethics (Fletcher) and Aristotelian virtue ethics (Aristotle, Foot, MacIntyre), their key features, applications and criticisms.17 min answer →
- Should we judge actions by their consequences (utilitarianism) or by universal duty (Kant), and which is more convincing?Paper 2 Utilitarianism and deontology: Bentham's act and Mill's rule utilitarianism with later developments, and Kant's deontological ethics (the categorical imperative, duty and the good will), with applications and criticisms.17 min answer →
The Study of Christianity (Paper 4B)
Module overview →- What does Christianity teach about the nature of God and the human self, and how have these beliefs been understood and contested?Paper 4B Religious beliefs, values and teachings: Christian beliefs about the nature of God (Trinity, omnipotence, goodness), the human person (the soul, sin and the Fall, free will and grace) and life after death.16 min answer →
- How has Christianity responded to society, secularisation, gender, science and pluralism, and how have new theological movements reshaped it?Paper 4B Significant social and historical developments and religion and society: secularisation, gender and feminist theology, science, religious pluralism, liberation theology and new theological movements.16 min answer →
- What sources of authority guide Christians, and how do worship, sacraments and festivals shape and express Christian identity?Paper 4B Sources of wisdom and authority and key practices: the Bible, tradition and the Church, the interpretation of scripture, and Christian practices of worship, the sacraments, prayer and festivals.16 min answer →