AQA A-Level Religious Studies (7062) Revision Flashcards

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering Philosophy of Religion, Ethics, and Christianity based on the AQA A-Level Religious Studies (7062) specification.

a posteriori

An argument based on observation or sense experience.

a priori

An argument based on reason or logic.

inductive

Reasoning that reaches a probable conclusion from evidence.

deductive

Reasoning that reaches a necessary conclusion from the premise being true.

contingent

Something that depends on something else and could have been different or not existed.

necessary

Something that must exist and must be true and cannot be otherwise.

theodicy

An attempt to defend the belief in God despite the existence of evil and suffering.

religious experience

An experience interpreted as an encounter with God.

Natural theology

A methodology that uses empirical observation rather than scripture to infer God’s existence.

William Paley

The scholar who created the Design (Teleological) Argument using the watch analogy.

in intellectu

A term used by Anselm meaning 'in the mind.'

in re

A term used by Anselm meaning 'in reality.'

Gaunilo of Marmoutiers

A critic of the Ontological Argument who proposed the 'perfect lost island' to show that defining something as greatest does not make it real.

aseity

A self-necessitating and self-existing being.

fallacy of composition

The error of assuming that since the parts of the universe have a cause, the universe as a whole must also have a cause.

brute fact

Bertrand Russell's term for the universe being 'just there, and that’s all,' needing no further explanation.

natural evil

Suffering caused by natural processes, such as earthquakes, disease, or genetic disorders.

moral evil

Suffering caused by free moral agents, such as murder, war, torture, or cruelty.

Logical problem of evil

The claim that the simultaneous existence of evil and the classical God is a strict contradiction.

Evidential problem of evil

The claim that the quantity and intensity of pointless suffering makes the existence of God highly improbable.

imago dei

The concept that humans are created in the image of God.

vale of soul-making

Hick's term for the world as a place where humans grow into God's likeness through struggle and moral development.

epistemic distance

The idea that God is not overwhelmingly obvious to allow humans a free and genuine response to Him.

Process theodicy

Griffin's view that God is not omnipotent in a coercive sense but influences the world through persuasion and co-creation.

corporeal vision

A vision seen in the physical world with the eyes; a sensory experience.

imaginative vision

A vision seen in the mind, often dream-like, and interpreted as divinely given.

intellectual vision

A direct non-sensory understanding or insight from God involving no image.

numinous experience

Rudolf Otto's term for an encounter with the 'wholly other' that invokes both awe and fascination.

mysterium tremendum et fascinans

A mysterious, awe-inspiring, and fascinating force encountered in numinous experiences.

ineffable

A mark of mystical experiences meaning they cannot be put into words.

noetic

A mark of mystical experiences meaning they provide knowledge or insight.

principle of credulity

Swinburne's principle that if it seems to a person that $X$ is present, they should believe $X$ is present unless there are 'defeaters.'

deontological

An ethical approach where the morality of an act depends on adherence to rules.

teleological

An ethical approach where the morality of an act depends on the outcome or purpose.

synderesis

A natural inclination in humans to do good and avoid evil.

primary precepts

Natural Moral Law rules: preserve life, reproduce, educate children, live in an ordered society, and worship God.

Doctrine of double effect

A principle where an action with a negative side-effect is permitted if the intention and telos are good, and proportionate reasons exist.

Proportionalism

The view that moral rules can be overridden if there is a proportionate reason.

agape

The selfless love that Fletcher argues is the only absolute and intrinsic good.

eudaimonia

The Aristotelian aim of life, translated as flourishing or living well.

phronesis

The practical wisdom to know how and why an action is effective.

sola scriptura

The Protestant tradition that scripture alone has final authority over church tradition.

Adoptionism

The belief that Jesus was born human and was adopted by God at his baptism.

High Christology

A view of Jesus as the Son and Word of God in the flesh carrying divine authority.

Low Christology

A view of Jesus as a primary moral, uniquely inspired teacher with human authority.

predestination

The belief that God has eternally chosen who will be saved, creating tension with moral responsibility.

justification by faith

The belief that salvation is God's grace received through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9).

jus ad bellum

The set of rules determining when it is legitimate to go to war.

dominion

The belief that humans have the right to rule over animals and the earth as authority figures.

stewardship

The belief that humans are caretakers of the world and are accountable to God for its care.