AQA GCSE Religious Studies A key terms

A comparison between two things used to suggest that something true of one may also be true of the other.

The Buddhist teaching that there is no independent, permanent, unchanging self or soul.

A spiritual being created by Allah who worships Him, obeys His commands and carries out assigned tasks. The Arabic plural for angels is malaikah.

Rage or hostility that controls thoughts, words or actions; also called krodh.

Impermanence: the Buddhist teaching that things change and do not remain fixed.

The use of animals in scientific research, including studying diseases and testing possible medicines or the safety of substances.

The belief that animals have moral entitlements, such as protection from abuse; stronger versions include a right to life.

The wellbeing of animals, including their health, living conditions and protection from unnecessary suffering.

A Church ruling that a marriage was never valid, rather than the ending of a valid marriage.

To apply oil or spices to someone’s body; in Mark 16:1, the women intend to care for Jesus’ body as part of burial customs.

Applying oil to a person. In Mark 6:13, the Twelve anoint sick people with oil and heal them.

The sacrament in which a seriously ill person is anointed with oil to receive spiritual strength, comfort and healing.

The divine understood as the indwelling Lord, present within a person’s heart.

The system of enforced racial segregation and unequal rights in South Africa that ended in 1994.

Leaving or rejecting a religious faith.

Someone sent out with a mission. Jesus sent the Twelve to preach and heal.

A reported appearance of a religious figure, such as the Virgin Mary.

A ceremony in which a lighted lamp is offered before a deity and worshippers receive its blessing.

A Sikh prayer through which worshippers may give thanks and seek God’s blessings.

The argument that events which cannot be explained by natural causes require a supernatural cause, identified as God, and therefore provide evidence that God exists.

A ‘perfected person’ who has overcome greed, hatred and ignorance, attained nibbana and will not be reborn after death.

The sacred cupboard, usually called the ark, in which a synagogue's Torah scrolls are kept.

An object made or used by people. Buddhist religious artefacts include bells, images and symbolic objects used in worship or meditation.

Prosperity and material wellbeing, pursued through legitimate means.

One of the six foundational beliefs summarising Sunni Muslim faith.

The use of manufactured devices or medicines, such as condoms or the contraceptive pill, to prevent pregnancy.

Jesus being taken up into heaven after his resurrection.