What does your chosen world religion teach about the nature of the divine, God or ultimate reality, and how does that shape the rest of its teaching?
The religion's beliefs about the nature of the divine, God or ultimate reality, and how those beliefs underpin its account of the human condition, the goal and the means.
An SQA Higher RMPS answer on beliefs about the divine in World Religion, explaining how a chosen religion understands God, the divine or ultimate reality (with Buddhism's non-theistic stance and the theistic contrast as the worked example), and how those beliefs shape the human condition, the goal and the means.
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What this dot point is asking
Alongside the condition, the goal and the means, the SQA expects you to understand your religion's beliefs about the nature of the divine: how it understands God, the gods, or ultimate reality, and how that belief underpins everything else. The 2024 course report makes clear that, for every world religion except Buddhism, candidates faced a question on the significance of beliefs about God, so this is a core, examinable strand. This page uses Buddhism's non-theistic stance as the worked example and contrasts it with theistic religions, because the contrast itself is illuminating and the SQA frames each option the same way.
How the religion understands the divine
State the belief precisely, using the religion's own categories.
- Theistic religions hold that there is one God (monotheism) who is the creator and sustainer of all that exists. God is transcendent (beyond and above creation) yet immanent (present and active within it).
- God is described with attributes: omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing), omnibenevolent (all-good) and eternal. In Christianity, God is also Trinitarian: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, one God in three persons.
- Buddhism is non-theistic: there is no creator God whose worship secures liberation. Devas (gods) may exist, but they too are within samsara and are not the source of awakening. Ultimate reality is better approached through nibbana, the unconditioned, and through the way things truly are (the three marks of existence).
Why beliefs about the divine matter
The examinable heart of this dot point is the significance of the belief: how it shapes the rest of the religion.
- In theistic religions, belief in a creator God who is good and just shapes the human condition (sin as offence against God), the goal (union with or obedience to God) and the means (worship, prayer, sacraments, obedience to divine law).
- In Buddhism, the absence of a creator God is itself significant: responsibility for liberation rests on the individual following the path, not on divine grace. This is why effort, ethics and meditation are central, and why the Buddha is honoured as a teacher and example rather than worshipped as a saviour God.
- So whether God is central or absent, the belief about the divine structures the whole religion, and the SQA rewards you for drawing that link.
How beliefs about the divine vary across religions
You study one religion, but the range is worth seeing. Islam stresses tawhid, the absolute oneness of God (Allah), and rejects any division of the divine. Judaism affirms one God, creator and giver of the covenant and the Torah. Sikhism teaches one God (Ik Onkar), formless and without rivals. Hinduism is diverse, with one ultimate reality (Brahman) expressed through many deities. Buddhism stands out as non-theistic. In every case, the SQA wants the belief described accurately and connected to how the religion is lived.
Try this
Q1. Give three attributes traditionally ascribed to God in a theistic religion. [3 marks]
- Cue. Omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing), omnibenevolent (all-good); also transcendent and eternal.
Q2. Why is Buddhism described as non-theistic rather than atheist? [2 marks]
- Cue. It does not deny gods (devas) exist, but it does not make a creator God the source of liberation; awakening comes through the path.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of SQA exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
SQA Higher 20248 marksDescribe the religion's beliefs about the nature of the divine or ultimate reality.Show worked answer →
The 2024 course report notes that, with the exception of Buddhism, the world religions were examined with a question on the significance of beliefs about God. An 8-mark "describe" question rewards accurate, developed knowledge of how the religion understands the divine.
For a theistic religion such as Christianity, describe God as one (monotheism), creator, transcendent yet immanent, omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent, and (in Christianity) Trinitarian. For Buddhism, explain that it is non-theistic: there is no creator God whose worship is central; gods (devas) may exist but are themselves within samsara, and ultimate reality is better understood through concepts such as nibbana, the unconditioned. Develop several points, defining terms accurately, to reach the top band.
SQA Higher 202410 marksHow significant are the religion's beliefs about God for its followers?Show worked answer →
A 10-mark evaluation needs argument on both sides and a judgement; "significant" is the issue to weigh.
Argue for high significance: in a theistic religion, beliefs about God's nature shape worship, morality (God as lawgiver and judge), the goal (union with or obedience to God) and the means (prayer, sacraments). For Buddhism, argue that the absence of a creator God is itself highly significant because it places responsibility for liberation on the individual following the path, not on divine grace. Then weigh limits: some followers focus on practice or community more than on doctrine about God; and within Buddhism devotional forms (for example Pure Land) give the divine a larger role. Reach a supported judgement that recognises both the doctrine and how it is lived.
Related dot points
- The religion's analysis of the human condition: the fundamental problem facing human beings, its causes, and why the religion sees it as the starting point for the spiritual life.
An SQA Higher RMPS answer on the human condition in World Religion, explaining how a chosen religion (with Buddhism as the worked example) diagnoses the fundamental problem facing humanity, its causes such as ignorance, craving or sin, and why this diagnosis is the starting point for the goal and the means.
- The religion's account of the goal: the ultimate aim of the spiritual life, what it consists of, and how it answers the problem set out in the human condition.
An SQA Higher RMPS answer on the goal in World Religion, explaining the ultimate aim a chosen religion sets (with Buddhism as the worked example), what nibbana, salvation or liberation consists of, and how the goal directly answers the diagnosis of the human condition.
- The religion's account of the means: the path, practices and disciplines by which a follower moves from the human condition towards the goal.
An SQA Higher RMPS answer on the means in World Religion, explaining the path and practices a chosen religion prescribes (with Buddhism and the Noble Eightfold Path as the worked example), how the means are organised, and how they move a follower from the human condition towards the goal.
- The Existence of God: the cosmological, teleological (design) and ontological arguments, the case from religious experience, and challenges from atheism and the problem of evil.
An SQA Higher RMPS answer on the Existence of God, covering the cosmological, design and ontological arguments and the argument from religious experience, the main objections, and the challenge from atheism, with the skills to evaluate them.
- Miracles: definitions of a miracle, the religious significance of miracles, Hume's argument against believing in miracles, and religious and non-religious responses.
An SQA Higher RMPS answer on Miracles, covering definitions of a miracle, their religious significance, Hume's argument against believing miracle reports, and how religious and non-religious viewpoints respond, with the skills to evaluate them.
Sources & how we know this
- Higher Religious, Moral and Philosophical Studies Course Specification — SQA (2025)
- Higher RMPS Course Report 2024 — SQA (2024)