← Religious, Moral & Philosophical Studies syllabus

ScotlandReligious, Moral & Philosophical Studies

Morality and Belief

5 dot points across 5 inquiry questions. Click any dot point for a focused answer with worked past exam questions where available.

When, if ever, is the use of force justified, and what do religious and non-religious viewpoints say about war, peace and pacifism?

Religion and Conflict: the causes of war, Just War theory and its conditions, pacifism, weapons of mass destruction and modern warfare, and religious and non-religious responses.
An SQA Higher RMPS answer on Religion and Conflict, covering the causes of war, Just War theory and its conditions, pacifism, weapons of mass destruction and modern warfare, and how religious and non-religious viewpoints respond.
13 min answer →

How should society respond to crime, and what do religious and non-religious viewpoints say about the aims of punishment and the pursuit of justice?

Religion and Justice: the nature and causes of crime, the aims of punishment (retribution, deterrence, protection, reformation, reparation), capital punishment, and religious and non-religious responses.
An SQA Higher RMPS answer on Religion and Justice (crime and punishment), covering the causes of crime, the five aims of punishment, the death penalty debate, and how religious and non-religious viewpoints respond to questions of justice.
13 min answer →

What do religious and non-religious viewpoints teach about relationships, sex, marriage, family and the issues that arise within them?

Religion and Relationships: attitudes to sex, marriage and cohabitation, divorce, contraception, and the family, from religious and non-religious viewpoints.
An SQA Higher RMPS answer on Religion and Relationships, covering attitudes to sex before marriage, marriage and cohabitation, divorce, contraception and the family, from religious and non-religious viewpoints, with the skills to describe and evaluate them.
12 min answer →

What do religious and non-religious viewpoints say about our duty to the environment and to the world's poorest people?

Religion, Environment and Global Issues: stewardship and dominion, climate change and pollution, the use of resources, global poverty and inequality, and religious and non-religious responses.
An SQA Higher RMPS answer on Religion, Environment and Global Issues, covering stewardship and dominion, climate change and pollution, the use of resources, global poverty and inequality, and how religious and non-religious viewpoints respond.
13 min answer →

What do religious and non-religious viewpoints say about medical ethics, from the beginning to the end of life?

Religion, Medicine and the Human Body: the sanctity and quality of life, abortion, euthanasia and end-of-life care, embryo research and reproductive technology, and religious and non-religious responses.
An SQA Higher RMPS answer on Religion, Medicine and the Human Body, covering the sanctity and quality of life, abortion, euthanasia and end-of-life care, embryo research and reproductive technology, and how religious and non-religious viewpoints respond.
13 min answer →