Wales Β· WJECSyllabus
Religious Studies syllabus, dot point by dot point
Every dot point in the Wales 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.
Philosophy of Religion (Units 2 and 5)
Module overview β- How do atheism, the psychology of religion and secularism challenge belief in God?Atheism, the psychology of religion and secularism: types of atheism and the new atheists (Dawkins), Freud and Jung on the origins of religion, and the rise of secular humanism.14 min answer β
- Does the existence and order of the universe prove that God exists as its first cause?The cosmological argument: Aquinas' first three Ways (motion, cause, contingency), the Kalam argument, and the challenges of Hume and Russell.14 min answer β
- What is a miracle, and can it be rational to believe that miracles happen?Miracles: definitions (Aquinas, Hume, Holland, Swinburne), Hume's argument against belief in miracles, and the responses of Swinburne and others.14 min answer β
- Can the existence of God be proved from the very definition of God alone?The ontological argument: Anselm's two forms, Descartes' version, the challenges of Gaunilo and Kant (existence is not a predicate), and Malcolm's modal restatement.13 min answer β
- Can religious experience provide evidence or proof for the existence of God?Religious experience: types and definitions (James, Otto, Schleiermacher), mysticism and conversion, the principles of credulity and testimony (Swinburne), and challenges from naturalistic and psychological explanations.14 min answer β
- Is talk about God meaningful, and if so, how does religious language work?Religious language: the cognitive/non-cognitive debate, verification (Ayer) and falsification (Flew, Hare, Mitchell), and the positive approaches of analogy (Aquinas), symbol (Tillich) and language games (Wittgenstein).15 min answer β
- Does the order and apparent purpose of the universe show that it was designed by God?The teleological argument: Aquinas' Fifth Way, Paley's design argument, Tennant's anthropic and aesthetic arguments, and the challenges of Hume, Mill and Darwin.14 min answer β
- Is the existence of evil and suffering compatible with an all-powerful and all-loving God?The problem of evil: the logical and evidential problems, the inconsistent triad (Epicurus, Mackie), and the Augustinian and Irenaean (Hick) theodicies.15 min answer β
Religion and Ethics (Units 2 and 4)
Module overview β- What is conscience, and is it the voice of God, of reason, or of upbringing?Conscience: Aquinas' rational conscience (synderesis and conscientia), Freud's psychological conscience (the super-ego), and the implications for moral decision-making.13 min answer β
- What are the foundations of ethical thought, and how do divine command theory, virtue theory and egoism ground morality?Ethical thought: divine command theory (and the Euthyphro dilemma), virtue theory (Aristotle), and ethical egoism, with their strengths and weaknesses.14 min answer β
- Are we free and morally responsible, or are our actions determined, and how does predestination affect this?Free will and moral responsibility: hard determinism, libertarianism and compatibilism (soft determinism), religious determinism and predestination (the Calvinist view), and the implications for moral responsibility.14 min answer β
- How does Kant ground morality in duty and reason rather than consequences?Kantian ethics: duty and the good will, the categorical and hypothetical imperatives, the formulations (universal law, ends in themselves, kingdom of ends), and the postulates.14 min answer β
- What do moral words like 'good' actually mean, and are moral statements true or just expressions of feeling?Meta-ethics: ethical naturalism, intuitionism (Moore's naturalistic fallacy), and emotivism (Ayer, Stevenson), with their strengths and weaknesses.14 min answer β
- How does Aquinas' Natural Moral Law work as a deontological approach to ethics?Natural Moral Law: Aquinas' theory, the four tiers of law, the primary and secondary precepts, real and apparent goods, and the doctrine of double effect.14 min answer β
- How do ethical theories and religious teaching approach issues of sexual ethics?Applied ethics - sexual ethics: premarital and extramarital sex, homosexuality and contraception, and how Natural Law, Situation Ethics, Kantian ethics and utilitarianism apply to them.14 min answer β
- How does Fletcher's Situation Ethics use love as the single guide to moral action?Situation Ethics: Fletcher's theory, agape as the only intrinsic good, the four working principles and the six fundamental principles, with strengths and weaknesses.13 min answer β
- How does utilitarianism judge actions by their consequences for happiness, and does it work?Utilitarianism: Bentham's act utilitarianism and the hedonic calculus, Mill's qualitative and rule utilitarianism, and the strengths and weaknesses of the theory.14 min answer β
A Study of Religion: Christianity (Units 1 and 3)
Module overview β- What do Christians believe about the nature of God, and how do they understand the Trinity and creation?Religious concepts: the nature of God (omnipotent, omniscient, omnibenevolent, eternal), the Trinity, creation, and beliefs about human nature, sin and salvation.14 min answer β
- Who is Jesus for Christians, and how do Christians use the Bible as a source of authority and wisdom?Religious figures and sacred texts: the person and significance of Jesus (teacher, Son of God, liberator), and the Bible as a source of wisdom and authority, including questions of interpretation.14 min answer β
- How do Christians live out their faith, and how do faith, works and key moral principles shape Christian life?Religious life: faith and works in salvation, key moral principles (love, the commandments, the example of Jesus), discipleship, vocation, and the role of the Christian community.13 min answer β
- How do worship, the sacraments, festivals and pilgrimage shape Christian identity and practice?Religious practices that shape religious identity: worship (liturgical and non-liturgical), the sacraments (especially baptism and the Eucharist), prayer, festivals, and pilgrimage.13 min answer β
- How has Christianity responded to secularisation, religious pluralism and the challenge of science?Religious responses to challenges: secularisation and the decline of religious influence, religious pluralism (exclusivism, inclusivism, pluralism), and the relationship between Christianity and science.14 min answer β
- How have liberation theology and feminist theology developed Christian thought, and how have they changed practice?Significant social and historical developments in religious thought: liberation theology (Gutierrez) and its preferential option for the poor, and feminist theology (Daly, Ruether) and its challenge to patriarchy.14 min answer β