Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies B key terms

The belief that life was directly created by God; in this debate, Muslim creationists reject human evolution where it conflicts with their reading of the Qur’an.

God understood as the source of the universe and all life.

A formal statement summarising a religion's central beliefs.

An action that breaks the law and can be punished by the state.

Execution by fastening a person to a cross; the method by which the Romans put Jesus to death.

A series of religious wars in the Middle Ages, fought between Christians and Muslims primarily over Jerusalem and other holy sites.

A Buddhist discourse in which the Buddha explains to Malunkyaputta why certain speculative questions remain unanswered, using the story of a man wounded by a poisoned arrow.

The fullest and definitive expression of something; Catholics believe God's revelation reaches its culmination in Jesus Christ.

A Buddhist discourse in which the Buddha teaches Cunda that purity depends on skilful bodily, verbal and mental actions rather than purification rituals.

A pattern in which poverty limits opportunities, making it harder to escape poverty and potentially passing disadvantage to the next generation.

An understanding of the universe as passing through repeated stages of creation, preservation and destruction.

A term meaning ‘oppressed’, used by many people from communities historically treated as ‘untouchable’.

Self-restraint or self-control; one of the virtues taught in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 5.2.

Charitable giving, including sharing money, food or other resources with people in need.

Literally a rod or staff; in Hindu teachings about government, the authority to punish wrongdoing and maintain order, as well as punishment itself.

The Jewish principle of the ‘ways of peace’, supporting good relations with non-Jewish neighbours, including helping their poor and visiting their sick.

Seeing a deity through its sacred image, or seeing a holy person, as an encounter with the sacred and an opportunity to receive blessings.

A collection of writings traditionally associated with Guru Gobind Singh.

The Sikh practice of giving one tenth of one's earnings to support others and community purposes.

The practice of contributing one tenth of one's earnings to religious or charitable purposes.

Compassion towards others, including animals.

The Islamic belief that God will judge people’s actions and hold them accountable after death.

The Ten Commandments, also called the Ten Utterances, set out in Exodus 20 and central to the covenant at Sinai.

A Sikh expression meaning ‘victory of the cauldron and sword’: a commitment to providing food and defending justice.

A divine being worshipped in a religious tradition, such as Rama, Krishna or Durga in Hinduism.

A branch of Christianity with its own organisation and distinctive beliefs or practices.

The teaching that things arise through causes and conditions rather than existing independently.