Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies A key terms

One of the four Gospel writers: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

Wrongdoing or harm. Moral evil involves human actions, while natural evil describes harmful natural events rather than morally blameworthy behaviour.

The process through which populations of living organisms change over successive generations.

The view that one religion possesses the religious truth in a way that excludes conflicting claims made by other religions.

A Latin phrase meaning ‘out of nothing’, used for the Christian belief that God created without pre-existing material.

The driving out of an evil or unclean spirit from a person.

Knowledge gained through personal experience rather than only through information or reasoning.

Prayer spoken spontaneously rather than read from a prepared text.

A family including relatives beyond parents and children, such as grandparents, aunts or uncles, who may live together or nearby.

Trust in God and in Jesus Christ, rather than simply knowing that Christian beliefs exist.

Humanity’s turning away from obedience to God, described through Adam and Eve’s disobedience in Genesis 3.

An apostolic exhortation issued by Pope John Paul II in 1981 about the role of the Christian family in the modern world.

A movement that builds supportive, extended-family-style groups within parishes, welcoming people of different ages and family circumstances.

Planning whether and when to have children, and how many children to have.

Worship in which parents and children participate together, sharing prayer, praise and learning about Christianity.

A severe shortage of food affecting a population.

An obligatory action under Islamic law, such as required prayer or fasting; also called wajib.

Abstaining from food and drink for a religious purpose; Islamic daytime fasting lasts from dawn until sunset. Ramadan fasting is obligatory for Muslims who are required to fast; additional fasts may be voluntary.

A qualified scholar’s religious legal opinion responding to a question. It is generally advisory rather than a court judgement.

A religious observance that commemorates an important person, event or belief, often through shared ceremonies and practices.

Mary's willing assent to God's plan at the Annunciation; the Latin word means 'let it be done'.

Writing that uses invented characters or events to tell a story; it can communicate religious or moral ideas without claiming that the events actually happened.

Remaining faithful to a partner, including keeping an agreement to sexual exclusivity.

Providing food for a person in need, or its equivalent, for missed fasts where a Muslim is unable to fast and cannot make them up.

The Latin phrase meaning ‘and the Son’, added in Western Christianity to the creed's statement about the Holy Spirit proceeding from the Father.

Human understanding and interpretation of Shari’ah, developed through the study of Islamic sources.

An ultimate cause that does not depend on another cause for its existence or activity.