Eduqas GCSE Religious Studies key terms

A Christian celebration using bread and wine, instituted at Jesus’ Last Supper, which recalls his sacrifice and gives thanks to God. Also called Holy Communion or the Lord’s Supper.

The deliberate ending of a person's life to relieve suffering.

A Christian movement emphasising the authority of the Bible, personal faith in Jesus and sharing the gospel.

Sharing the Christian gospel with others with the intention of bringing them to Christian faith.

Serious wrongdoing or harm; in discussions of the problem of evil, the term includes suffering arising from both human actions and natural causes.

Change in the inherited characteristics of populations over many generations, which can lead to the development of new species.

A family including relatives beyond parents and children, such as grandparents, aunts and uncles, who may share a home and family responsibilities.

Believing in and supporting ideas very far from what most people consider correct or reasonable.

Treating people rightly and without bias or unjust treatment.

Adam and Eve's disobedience to God in Genesis 3 and the resulting breakdown of their relationship with him.

A group of people connected through relationships such as parenthood, marriage or kinship, who have responsibilities towards one another.

Deciding whether and when to have children, including the number and spacing of children.

A day or period of celebration, usually for religious reasons.

Compensation through feeding a person in need for a missed fast where a person cannot fast because of a lasting condition or extreme difficulty.

God’s judgement of humanity at the end of time, associated with Jesus’ return.

A Buddhist commitment to refrain from taking life.

The natural disposition with which humans are born, understood in Islam as an inclination towards recognising Allah and living rightly.

The five changing elements that together make up a human being: form, sensations, perception, mental formations and consciousness. Also called (s)khandas, meaning ‘heaps’.

The five articles of faith required of Khalsa Sikhs: kesh, kangha, kara, kachera and kirpan.

Five Buddhist ethical commitments: avoiding killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, false speech and intoxicants that lead to heedlessness.

The five Buddhist ethical training guidelines: avoid harming living beings, taking what is not given, sexual misconduct, harmful speech and intoxicants that cause carelessness.

Lust, anger, greed, attachment and pride: tendencies that Sikh teaching identifies as leading people towards wrongdoing.

A charity associated with ISKCON whose London project provides free vegetarian and plant-based meals to people in need.

A lack of reliable access to enough suitable food.

A marriage imposed without the free consent of one or both people.

Pardoning someone for wrongdoing by letting go of resentment and the desire for revenge.

The Buddhist teaching that suffering exists, craving causes suffering, suffering can cease, and the Noble Eightfold Path leads towards its cessation.