Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies B key terms

Worship following an established order, usually with set prayers, responses and readings.

The Church’s official public worship, especially the celebration of the sacraments, including Mass.

A community of Christians who meet in a particular locality for worship, support and service; the term can also refer to their place of worship.

A world or plane of existence within Hindu cosmology.

The prayer Jesus taught his followers, recorded in Matthew 6:9–13, which includes praise, requests for daily needs and forgiveness, and acceptance of God’s will.

Care and concern expressed through kindness, loyalty and service; in devotion, love is directed towards God.

A document of the Second Vatican Council, promulgated in 1964, which explains the nature and mission of the Church.

The Fourth Noble Truth: the path of practice leading to the ending of suffering.

The teaching authority of the Catholic Church, exercised by the Pope and bishops in communion with him.

A Buddhist tradition in which emptiness and the potential of all beings for enlightenment are important teachings.

The obligatory bridal gift given by a husband to his wife as part of an Islamic marriage; it belongs to her.

The figure recognised in Buddhist tradition as the future Buddha, who is said to have appeared to Asanga and given him teachings.

A strand of prayer beads used to count repetitions of a mantra or divine name.

The Arabic word for angels; belief in angels is an important Muslim belief.

Mental or emotional service, using understanding, knowledge or talents to help others.

A Hindu temple: a sacred building used for worship and regarded as a home of the deity.

A recommended action in Islam: performing it is rewarded, but omitting it is not punished.

A Buddhist discourse explaining the greatest blessings through qualities and actions such as respect, generosity, learning and wise conduct.

A person who is guided by self-centred desires rather than by God and the Guru’s teachings.

The food which Exodus 16 describes the Almighty providing for the Israelites in the wilderness.

A sacred word, sound or verse recited as part of religious practice.

An ancient Hindu text on dharma, also called the Laws of Manu, which includes teachings about courts, truthful testimony and the responsibility of judges.

Relating to marriage; Catholic teaching holds that sexual relationships belong within marriage between a man and a woman.

One of three characteristics taught in Buddhism: impermanence (anicca), suffering or unsatisfactoriness (dukkha), and the absence of a permanent, independent self (anatta).

A committed union between two people, understood in Sikhism as a spiritual partnership involving mutual love, support and responsibilities.

A person who dies rather than abandon their faith or the principles they defend.

The Catholic celebration of the Eucharist, in which the Church celebrates Christ’s sacrifice and believers receive Holy Communion.