GCSE RS Paper 2 Key Terms (Themes)

All themes (A-F)

Human sexuality

how people express themselves as a sexual being

Heterosexual

attracted to the opposite gender

Homosexual

attracted to the same gender

Promiscuous

being with multiple people and not being loyal

Contraception

methods that couples take to prevent conception and/or the spread of STDs

Family planning

when couples plan to try and have more control over how many babies they have, the spaces between pregnancies etc.

Artificial contraception - these are made e.g. condoms or the pill

Natural contraception - behaviours to limit the chance to pregnancy such as withdrawal or the rhythm method

Permanent contraception - operations to prevent the production of egg or sperm e.g. sterilisation

Marriage

the legally or formally recognised union of two people as partners in a personal relationship

Cohabitation

the state of living together and having a sexual relationship without being married

Civil partnership

a legal union of same-sex couples. Has been legal in the UK since 2004

Same-sex marriage

a marriage between partners of the same sex. Became legal in England, Wales & Scotland in 2014

Divorce

legally terminating a marriage

Annulment

divorce by proving that the marriage wasn't valid to begin with

Family

a group of people who are related by blood, marriage or adoption.

Nuclear family

you ‘traditional’ family - a couple and their children

Blended / reconstituted family

where one or both parents bring children from previous relationships into a new household, forming a single family with step-siblings and stepparents.

Extended family

other relatives such as grandparents are included within the family. Extended families living together is very common in many non-Western cultures

Same-sex family

where same-sex parents raise children together

Single parent family

one parent with their own child or children, e.g. as a result of death, divorce, or the end of a relationship between the parents

Stepfamily

a family formed on the remarriage of a divorced or widowed person that includes a child or children

Niddah

a menstruating woman

Evolution

the process by which living organisms are thought to have developed and diversified from earlier forms of life during the history of the earth

Big Bang

a huge explosion that might of happened when the universe began. The idea that the universe began as a single point then expanded and stretched to grow as large as it is now (and is still expanding)

Creationism

the belief that the universe and living organisms originate from specific acts of divine creation, as in the biblical account.

Genesis 1

the biblical account that states that animals, and then humans, were created on the sixth day.

Genesis 2

the biblical account that implies that humans were created before animals.

Creationism

the belief that earth and all forms of life were created by God - a literal interpretation of the book of Genesis. Creationists don’t believe in evolution. Creationists believe that the world is around 10,000 years old.

Young Earth Creationists

creationists who adopt a method of biblical interpretation which requires that the earth be no more that 10,000 years old.

Old Earth Creationists

creationists who accept the scientific evidence for the age of the earth and the universe

Wonder

a feeling of amazement and admiration, caused by something beautiful, remarkable, or unfamiliar. A feeling religious people may experience from looking at God's creation

Awe

a feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder

Stewardship

the job of supervising or taking care of something. The duty of believers to take care of the earth.

Dominion

sovereignty or control. God gave humans dominion over earth in Genesis

Tikkun Olam

healing the world - being involved in god's work to sustain the world e.g. working to increase social justice or preserve the environment

Bal Taschit

a Jewish ethical principle that translates to 'do not waste' or 'do not destroy' - the principle of not wasting resources/food etc

Global warming

increase in the planet’s overall average temperature in recent decades

Climate change

a change in global or regional climate patterns, in particular a change apparent from the mid to late 20th century onwards and attributed largely to the increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide produced by the use of fossil fuels

Pollution

the presence in or introduction into the environment of a substance which has harmful or poisonous effects. Examples include air pollution, water pollution, soil contamination, noise pollution, plastic pollution, light pollution

Sustainability

avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance

Evolution

the process by which living organisms are thought to have developed and diversified from earlier forms of life during the history of the earth

Adaption

a process of change where an organism or species becomes better suited to its environment

Theistic evolution

the belief that God used the process of evolution to create and develop life on earth

Abortion

the termination of a pregnancy. The current law in the UK states that abortions can only be carried out if two doctors agree that the mother's life is at risk, there is a risk to the mother's physical or mental health, there is a risk that another child would put at risk the physical/mental health of existing children, or there is a substantial risk that the foetus is severely disabled. The mother also needs to be no more than 24 weeks pregnant (although there are some exceptional circumstances)

Doctrine of double effect

when a single action has both a positive, intended outcome, and an unintended, negative side effect e.g. pregnant women has cancer and needs treatment, but the treatment will kill the baby

Euthanasia

deliberately ending someone's life - painless killing for someone suffering from a serious / terminal / incurable illness

Assisted suicide

assisting someone in ending their life

Palliative care

type of medical care focusing on improving quality of life, relieving pain, etc

Hospice care

provides physical comfort and emotional, social, and spiritual support for people nearing the end of their life. Focus on quality of life and dignity

Design argument

the argument that god designed the universe because everything is so intricately made in its detail that it couldn't have happened by chance

Theist

someone who believes in god

Atheist

someone who doesn't believe in god

Agnostic

someone who isn't sure about whether they believe god exists - they believe there isn't enough evidence to know (aka on the fence)

First cause argument

the argument that there has to be an uncaused cause that made everything happen, otherwise there would be nothing now

Eternal

without beginning or end

Creation

the act by which god brought the universe into being

Miracle

a seemingly impossible event, usually positive, that can't be explained by natural or scientific laws and is thought to be the action of a deity.

Theists use the word miracle to refer to an event performed by God that a appears to break the laws of nature e.g. a cure from a fatal illness or people being saved from a freak accident. They argue that there is a purpose to miracles, for example to strengthen faith or show God’s love

Proof

evidence that determines truth

Faith

a commitment to a belief that goes beyond a requirement for complete proof

Moral evil

evil done by people e.g. murder, stealing

Natural evil

freak events which cause harm e.g. hurricanes, earthquakes

Revelation

God showing himself to believers; this is the only way anybody can really know anything about God.

Special Revelation

God making himself known through direct personal experience or an unusual specific event.

Vision

seeing or hearing something especially in a dream or trance that shows something about the nature of God or the afterlife. (Visions are considered a type of special revelation.)

Vision

a supernatural experience where a person believes they see or hear something divine, often during a dream, trance, or religious ecstasy, which is perceived as a form of revelation or direct communication from God.

Corporeal Visions

a supernatural or religious experience where a person sees/hears a figure or object with their senses as if it were a physical, external reality. Examples include Abraham, Moses, and Bernadette

Intellectual Visions

the realisation of a religious truth, for example reading Psalm 23, the moment a person understands the meaning of the Eucharist, or a saint’s vision where they grasp the essence of the Trinity, as described by religious figures like Teresa of Avila.

Imaginative Visions

aka ‘feeling G-d’. A spiritual experience perceived through the mind's eye, rather than physical sight, which may occur while awake or in a dream e.g. God appearing to Joseph in dream in NT.

Transcendent

the idea that God is beyond and outside life on earth and the universe

Immanent

the idea that God is present in and involved with life on earth and in the universe. For Christians, Immanence comes through Jesus - God has literally been on earth and walked among us. Immanence can also be seen through the Holy Sprit. In Judaism it’s felt through the Shekinah - when praying, in the synagogue, in a minyan, or at the west wall of the Temple

Personal

the idea that God is an individual or person with whom people are able to have a relationship or feel close

Impersonal

the idea that God has no 'human' characteristics, is unknowable and mysterious, more like an idea or force

Eternal

the belief that God has an unlimited existence and transcendence of time

Benevolent

all-loving, all-good

Omniscient

knowing everything

Omnipotent

almighty, having unlimited power

Peace

the absence of conflict which leads to happiness

War

fighting between nations to resolve issues between them

Forgiveness

showing mercy and pardoning someone for what they have done wrong

Justice

bringing about what is right and fair

Reconciliation

when individuals or groups restore friendly relations after a conflict or disagreement

Pacifist

a person who believes that war and violence are unjustifiable

Protest

an expression of disapproval, often in a public group

Violence

using actions that threaten or harm others

Terrorism

the unlawful use of violence, usually against innocent civilians, to achieve a political goal

Riot

an unplanned protest that descends into violence

Righteous anger

anger that has a just reason behind it

Nuclear deterrence

a strategy aimed at preventing war by maintaining the credible threat of nuclear retaliation against any attack

Nuclear weapons

weapons that work by a nuclear reaction. They devastate huge areas and kill large numbers of people

Weapons of mass destruction

weapons that can kill large numbers of people and/or cause great damage

Chemical weapons

weapons that use chemicals to poison/burn/paralyse humans and destroy the natural environment

Biological weapons

weapons that have living organisms or infective material that can lead to disease or death

Greed

can lead countries to invade others in order to control important resources e.g. oil.

Self-defence

defending way of life (eg UK fought against Nazi invasion) or fighting to defend other nations under threat

Retaliation

wars are sometimes fought in retaliation against a country that is seen to have done something very wrong, eg the US invasion of Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks, which was seen by some as prevention of more attacks, but by others as an unwelcome act of retaliation

Just war

a war which meats internationally accepted criteria for fairness, follows traditional Christian rules for a just war, and is now accepted by all other religions.

Jihad

a personal struggle against evil while following the way of Allah, OR the collective defence of the Muslim community

Holy war

fighting for a religious cause or for God, probably controlled by a religious leader