Religious StudiesQ&A by dot point

The Christian Church: forms of worship, the festivals of Christmas, Easter and Pentecost, and the sacraments of baptism and Holy Communion.

The death of Jesus: the Last Supper, Gethsemane, the trials before the Sanhedrin and Pilate, the crucifixion, and Christian beliefs about salvation and sacrifice.

The encounters of Jesus with others: Jairus and the woman with the haemorrhage, the rich young man, and Zacchaeus, and what they reveal about faith, wealth and repentance.

The identity of Jesus: his baptism, the temptations, the titles Son of God, Son of Man and Messiah, Peter's confession at Caesarea Philippi and the Transfiguration.

The resurrection of Jesus: the empty tomb, the appearances of the risen Jesus, the ascension, and Christian beliefs about life after death and the significance of the resurrection.

The teaching of Jesus: the Kingdom of God in parables such as the Sower and the Mustard Seed, and teaching on forgiveness through the parables of the Lost Son and the Unforgiving Servant.

Developments in bioethics: Christian responses to fertility treatment (IVF), genetic engineering and cloning, and embryo and stem cell research, and the ethical principles such as stewardship and 'playing God' that shape them.

Matters of life and death: the Christian belief in the sanctity of life, Christian attitudes to abortion, Christian attitudes to euthanasia, and beliefs about life after death and how they shape these views.

Personal and family issues: Christian teaching on the purpose of marriage, attitudes to sexual relationships including sex before marriage, Christian responses to divorce and remarriage, and the importance of the family and the upbringing of children.

Prejudice and equality: Christian teaching against prejudice and discrimination, beliefs about the equality of all people, attitudes to wealth, poverty and the duty to help those in need, and the work of Christians for justice.

War and peace: Christian attitudes to war, the Just War theory, Christian pacifism and the example of peacemakers, attitudes to nuclear weapons, and teaching on forgiveness and reconciliation.

Arguments for the existence of God: the design (teleological) argument, the cause (cosmological) argument, the argument from religious experience and miracles, and the main objections to each.

Life after death: Christian beliefs about the resurrection of the body and the immortality of the soul, beliefs about heaven, hell and judgement, arguments used to support belief in life after death, and the main objections.

Experiencing God: ways believers claim to experience God, including prayer, worship, the numinous, conversion and miracles, what these experiences mean to believers, and the main reasons people question them.

The nature of God in philosophy: belief in God as omnipotent, omniscient and omnibenevolent, as transcendent and immanent, and as personal, and the questions these qualities raise.

The problem of evil and suffering: the difference between moral and natural evil, the challenge it poses to belief in an omnipotent and omnibenevolent God, and Christian responses including free will, soul-making and the example of Jesus.

Worship and festivals in Islam: the mosque as a place of worship and community, its main features, Friday prayer (Jumu'ah), and the festivals of Id-ul-Fitr and Id-ul-Adha and what they celebrate.

The Five Pillars of Islam: Shahadah (declaration of faith), Salah (prayer), Zakah (giving to charity), Sawm (fasting in Ramadan) and Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca), their meaning and how they shape Muslim life.

The nature of God in Islam: Tawhid (the oneness of God), the belief that God is the creator and sustainer, the rejection of shirk, the meaning of the ninety-nine names of God, and Muslim belief in angels (malaikah).

The prophets in Islam: the belief that God sent prophets (including Adam, Ibrahim, Musa and Isa), the special place of the Prophet Muhammad as the final messenger or Seal of the Prophets, the night of revelation, the Hijrah, and his role as a model for Muslim life.

The Qur'an and sacred writings in Islam: the belief that the Qur'an is the word of God revealed to Muhammad, its structure and language, the respect shown to it, its use in worship and daily life, and the place of the Hadith and Sunnah.