AQA GCSE Religious Studies B key terms

Execution by fixing a person to a cross and leaving them to die; the Romans used this method to execute Jesus.

A church building or layout shaped like a cross.

The occasion when God judges people’s lives and determines their place in the afterlife.

The period of repentance beginning with Rosh Hashanah and ending with Yom Kippur.

Pope Benedict XVI’s 2005 encyclical, meaning ‘God is love’, which explains the connection between God’s love and the Church’s service of others.

Listening and talking across differences to develop understanding and find common ground, rather than simply trying to win an argument.

An area of the Church overseen by a bishop and containing local parish communities.

The reduction or removal of weapons, including efforts to eliminate nuclear weapons.

A follower or learner who seeks to follow a teacher’s example and teaching; in Christianity, a follower of Jesus.

The practice of following Jesus’ teaching and example, including commitment, service and willingness to make sacrifices.

Unfair treatment of people because of characteristics such as their ethnicity, religion or gender.

A person treated as unimportant, ignored or excluded by other people in society.

The Christian belief that the Holy Spirit guided the writers of scripture. Christians differ over how this guidance affected the writers’ words and interpretations.

The legal ending of a marriage by the civil authorities.

The Catholic understanding of the family as a small community where faith is taught and lived through prayer, love and service.

Prayer that uses actions and movement alongside words to express religious meaning.

The celebration on the night before Easter Sunday at which Christians celebrate Jesus’ Resurrection.

A worldwide gathering of Catholic bishops with the Pope to consider matters affecting the whole Church.

Immediate, short-term assistance, such as food, shelter and healthcare following a disaster.

A name meaning ‘God is with us’, used in Matthew’s account to express Jesus’ identity and significance.

A formal letter from the Pope teaching the Church, often about faith, morality or social issues.

A letter; the New Testament epistles give teaching and guidance to Christian communities and individuals.

The principle that all people have the same basic worth and deserve equal respect and fair opportunities.

Beliefs about the last things, including judgement, resurrection and the final fulfilment of God’s Kingdom.

Without beginning or end; not limited by time.

Lasting life with God, which the rich man asks Jesus how to inherit.

Christian worship involving bread and wine in remembrance of Jesus’ Last Supper. Christians differ over how Christ is present in this celebration.