AQA GCSE Religious Studies A key terms

The Shi'a obligatory act of showing love and allegiance towards the friends of Allah, especially Muhammad, his family and the Imams.

The Islamic belief that Allah is one.

A person employed to collect taxes. In Jesus’ setting, collectors of Roman taxes were widely distrusted because of their association with Roman rule and their reputation for overcharging.

Another name for the Design argument, which focuses on apparent purpose in nature.

Moderation: avoiding excess and not allowing appetites or pleasures to control one's life.

The central place of Jewish worship in Jerusalem, where sacrifices were offered.

The place where money offered to support the Temple in Jerusalem was collected.

An urge or pressure to do something wrong or turn away from God.

The Jewish scriptures, comprising the Torah, the Prophets and the Writings.

Fundamental commandments given by God to the Israelites at Sinai, recorded in Exodus 20 and concerned with duties towards God and other people.

The ten-day period beginning with Rosh Hashanah and ending with Yom Kippur, devoted to reflection and repentance.

The ten religious duties followed in Shi'a Islam: salah, sawm, zakah, hajj, jihad, khums, amr bil ma'ruf, nahi anil munkar, tawalla and tabarra.

The use of violence intended to create fear and pressure a population or authorities in order to advance a political, religious or ideological cause.

An account given by someone who claims to have witnessed or experienced an event.

Prayer that expresses gratitude to God.

Dishonestly taking someone else’s property without their consent, intending to keep it permanently.

Belief in the existence of God or gods.

A person who believes that God or gods exist.

The belief that God creates life through the process of evolution.

An explanation intended to show how a good, powerful God can allow evil and suffering.

A Buddhist tradition whose name means ‘school of the elders’. Its teaching on human personality emphasises the Five Aggregates and the absence of a permanent self.

A place where some people believe the boundary between heaven and earth feels especially close, helping them experience God's presence.

The grouping of the Eightfold Path into ethics (sila), meditation (samadhi) and wisdom (panna).

Three fundamental characteristics of existence taught in Buddhism: anicca (impermanence), anatta (no fixed self) and dukkha (suffering or unsatisfactoriness).

Ignorance, greed and hate: harmful mental attitudes that sustain craving, suffering and the cycle of rebirth.

Declarations of commitment to taking refuge in the Buddha, the Dhamma and the Sangha, known as the Three Jewels.

The principle of replacing animals with alternatives where possible, reducing the number used and refining procedures to minimise suffering.