AQA GCSE Religious Studies key terms

Unfair treatment of someone because of their gender.

Equal rights, opportunities and value for people regardless of gender.

An unfair judgement about someone based on their gender rather than the facts about that individual.

An expectation about the responsibilities or behaviour of men and women in a family, religious community or wider society.

A fixed generalisation about the characteristics or behaviour expected of people of a particular gender.

A person who promises at a child’s baptism to support their Christian upbringing and pray for them.

The revelation given by Allah to Isa (Jesus), known in Arabic as the Injil.

God's freely given, undeserved favour and help, through which salvation is made possible.

A selfish desire to acquire more wealth, resources, territory or power.

A report of Muhammad’s sayings or actions; collections of these reports help Muslims understand and follow his example.

Jewish religious law, based on the Torah’s commandments and their interpretation and application.

Forbidden under Islamic teaching.

Eternal happiness in the presence of God.

Separation from God, understood by some Christians as a place of eternal punishment and by others as a spiritual state.

Sexual attraction towards people of the opposite sex.

The third person of the Trinity, understood by Christians as God active in their lives, guiding and strengthening them.

A war fought for a religious cause which those fighting believe has divine approval.

Sexual attraction towards people of the same sex.

The spiritual goal towards which a person works; in Buddhism, this concerns the path towards enlightenment and freedom from suffering.

A non-religious approach to life that uses reason and concern for human welfare to guide moral decisions.

Practical assistance intended to save lives, relieve suffering and protect people's dignity during a crisis.

Having a duty to make moral choices and being responsible for one’s own actions.

The ways people experience sexual attraction and express themselves as sexual beings.

A lack of understanding of the true nature of existence, which conditions the process leading to suffering in Buddhist teaching.

A Muslim leader of congregational prayer, who may also teach and guide the community.

The Shi’a belief in the divinely authorised leadership of the Imams, who preserve and explain religious guidance after Muhammad.

The Shi’a belief in the authority of divinely appointed Imams who lead and guide the Muslim community after Muhammad.