AQA GCSE Religious Studies key terms

Cessation, or ending; the Third Noble Truth teaches that suffering can cease through the ending of craving.

The intention behind an action, which Allah takes into account in judgement.

A person who is not taking part in the fighting, such as a civilian.

Reading a text as communicating meaning through symbolism or metaphor, rather than treating every detail as a factual description of events.

Challenging injustice without using physical violence, for example through peaceful demonstrations or boycotts.

Opposition to injustice through methods such as peaceful protest, boycotts and refusal to cooperate, rather than violence.

Prophethood: the belief that Allah chooses prophets to communicate his guidance to humanity.

Preventing an attack by making an opponent fear nuclear retaliation.

A couple and their child or children.

A weapon that releases energy from nuclear reactions and can cause destruction and loss of life on a massive scale.

Caring for and protecting a child while supporting their development.

The belief that the twelfth Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, is alive but hidden from ordinary human view until Allah wills his return.

Hebrew for ‘the world to come’; it can refer to life after death or the future Messianic Age.

The quality of being wholly good and all-loving.

Being all-powerful. Muslims believe Allah has supreme power over creation.

Being all-knowing. Muslims believe Allah knows every event, action, thought and intention.

The tradition of teaching that interprets the Written Torah, believed by many Orthodox Jews to have been given to Moses alongside it.

The formal process through which someone becomes an authorised religious minister, such as a Christian priest.

The belief that humanity inherits a fallen condition and a tendency to sin, traditionally traced to Adam and Eve’s disobedience.

The principled rejection of war as a way of resolving conflict, often accompanied by opposition to violence more generally.

Final or complete nirvana at the death of an enlightened being, with no further rebirth.

A founding male ancestor of the Jewish people. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are the Jewish patriarchs.

The absence of war and violence, together with harmony between people or groups.

Active work to prevent or end violence and resolve the disagreements or injustices behind conflict.

The ways Quakers put their commitment to peace into practice, from everyday relationships to resisting war and building peace internationally.

The understanding of Jesus’ death as taking the punishment for human sin on humanity’s behalf.

Recognising and interpreting what is experienced, drawing on previous experience.