Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies B key terms

A sacred Sikh composition or hymn recited or sung in devotion.

A Christian ceremony using water to mark entry into the Christian faith and Church; some churches baptise infants, while others baptise people who personally profess faith.

In Tibetan Buddhism, a transitional state; in death rituals, the intermediate state between death and rebirth.

‘Son of the commandments’: the status a Jewish boy reaches at 13 when he becomes personally responsible for keeping the commandments; also the celebration marking this.

The intermediate stage between a person’s death and resurrection for the Day of Judgement.

‘Daughter of the commandments’: the status a Jewish girl reaches, traditionally at 12, when she becomes personally responsible for keeping the commandments; also the celebration marking this, sometimes held at 13.

Jesus’ teachings beginning ‘Blessed are…’ in the Sermon on the Mount, describing qualities and circumstances associated with God’s blessing.

Baptism of someone able to declare their own faith in Jesus Christ, usually by full immersion.

Kindness, care and generosity towards others; Muslims believe Allah’s beneficence has no limits.

Goodness and concern for others; in the problem of suffering, divine benevolence means that God is wholly good.

Loving and caring towards others; used here to describe Allah’s care for creation.

The loss experienced when someone close to a person dies.

A Jewish religious court whose judges apply Jewish law to matters within its authority.

A Buddhist discourse in which the Buddha explains to Bhaddali why disciplinary action should take account of a monk’s response to correction and capacity to benefit from it.

A Hindu scripture in which Krishna teaches Arjuna about spiritual life, duty and paths towards the divine.

The divine as a supreme, personal and loving God who exists beyond the world and with whom a devotee can form a relationship.

A devotional song or hymn expressing praise and love for a deity.

Devotion to God; Hindu bhakti movements have included challenges to inherited caste barriers in religious life.

The path of loving devotion to a personal deity.

An ordained Buddhist monk.

A fully ordained Buddhist nun.

The scientific explanation that the universe expanded from an extremely hot, dense early state and has continued to expand and cool.

The scientific explanation that the universe expanded from an extremely hot, dense early state and cooled as it expanded.

A raised platform with a reading desk from which the Torah is read aloud in a synagogue.

A weapon that uses disease-causing organisms, such as bacteria or viruses, to cause illness and death.

Speech that curses or shows contempt for God or God's name.

A family formed when partners bring children from previous relationships into a new family unit; also called a reconstituted family.