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Religious StudiesQ&A by dot point
A short Q&A bank for every England Religious Studies syllabus dot point. Each question and answer is drawn directly from our worked dot-point page, so you can scan key concepts before opening the long-form answer.
Christianity: Beliefs and teachings
- The doctrine of the Trinity as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and the role of the Word and the Spirit in the creation of the universe.0Q&A pairs
- The incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection and ascension of Jesus, and the beliefs about sin, salvation, atonement and grace that flow from them.0Q&A pairs
- Key Christian beliefs including incarnation, sin, salvation, grace, atonement and the role of these beliefs in Christian life and worship.0Q&A pairs
- Christian beliefs about life after death, resurrection, judgement, heaven and hell, and how these beliefs affect how Christians live now.0Q&A pairs
- The nature of God as omnipotent, loving and just, and the problem of evil and suffering this creates for believers.1Q&A pairs
Christianity: Practices
- The role and meaning of the major Christian festivals of Christmas and Easter, how they are celebrated, and why they are important to believers.0Q&A pairs
- Different forms of Christian worship including liturgical, non-liturgical and informal worship, private worship and prayer, and why Christians worship in these ways.0Q&A pairs
- The role of mission, evangelism and Christian charitable work, including the work of Christian aid agencies and reconciliation.0Q&A pairs
- The meaning and importance of the sacraments, focusing on baptism and the Eucharist, and the different ways Christian denominations understand and practise them.0Q&A pairs
- The role of the local and worldwide Church in the local community and the wider world, including outreach, food banks and street pastors.0Q&A pairs
Islam: Beliefs and teachings
- Akhirah (life after death), the Day of Judgement, resurrection, the importance of human responsibility and accountability, and Paradise (Jannah) and Hell (Jahannam).0Q&A pairs
- Malaikah (angels) and their roles, including Jibril and Mika'il, and al-Qadr (predestination) and human freedom and accountability.0Q&A pairs
- Risalah (prophethood), the roles of Adam, Ibrahim and Muhammad, and the holy books including the Qur'an, Tawrat, Zabur, Injil and the scrolls of Ibrahim.0Q&A pairs
- The nature of Allah including Tawhid, omnipotence, beneficence, mercy, fairness and justice (Adalat in Shia Islam), and immanence and transcendence.0Q&A pairs
- The six articles of faith in Sunni Islam and the five roots of religion (Usul ad-Din) in Shia Islam, and the place of Tawhid as the central belief.0Q&A pairs
Islam: Practices
- The origins and meaning of the festivals of Id-ul-Fitr, Id-ul-Adha and Ashura, how they are celebrated, and their differing importance in Sunni and Shia Islam.0Q&A pairs
- The meaning of jihad, the difference between greater and lesser jihad, the conditions for lesser jihad, and why jihad is often misunderstood.0Q&A pairs
- The Five Pillars of Sunni Islam and the Ten Obligatory Acts of Shia Islam, including Shahadah, Salah, Zakah, Sawm and Hajj, and their meaning for believers.0Q&A pairs
- The role and importance of the mosque, the features of worship including Salah, wudu and the call to prayer, and the place of Friday prayers (Jummah).0Q&A pairs
Theme E: Religion, crime and punishment
- The aims of punishment including retribution, deterrence, reformation and protection, and religious attitudes to the treatment of criminals.0Q&A pairs
- The causes of crime, different types of crime, religious attitudes to lawbreakers and to good, evil and suffering.0Q&A pairs
- Religious teachings on forgiveness and the treatment of criminals, and attitudes for and against capital punishment in Christianity and Islam.0Q&A pairs
Theme D: Religion, peace and conflict
- Religious teachings on peace, pacifism, the work of peacemaking and reconciliation, and how believers respond to the victims of war.0Q&A pairs
- Religious attitudes to violence, including violent protest and terrorism, and the reasons why conflict arises and why religions condemn or sometimes justify violence.0Q&A pairs
- The causes of war, the theory of a just war and the conditions for it, holy war, and religious attitudes to whether war can ever be justified.0Q&A pairs
- The nature of weapons of mass destruction, the arguments for and against their use as a deterrent, and religious attitudes to them.0Q&A pairs
Theme A: Relationships and families
- The nature and purpose of families, the role of parents and children, and religious teachings on gender equality, gender roles and prejudice.0Q&A pairs
- Religious teachings on the purpose and nature of marriage, cohabitation, same-sex marriage, divorce and remarriage in Christianity and Islam.0Q&A pairs
- Religious teachings on human sexuality, heterosexual and homosexual relationships, sexual relationships before and outside marriage, and the use of contraception and family planning.0Q&A pairs
Theme B: Religion and life
- Religious teachings on stewardship and dominion, the use of animals for food and experiments, and the duty to care for the environment and natural resources.0Q&A pairs
- Religious and ethical attitudes to euthanasia, the value of life, end-of-life care, and beliefs about death and life after death.0Q&A pairs
- Religious and scientific accounts of the origins of the universe and of human life, and whether they can be reconciled, plus the duty of stewardship over creation.0Q&A pairs
- The sanctity and quality of life, when life begins, and religious and ethical attitudes to abortion in Christianity and Islam.0Q&A pairs