Eduqas GCSE Religious Studies (Short Course) key terms

A person who is spiritually liberated while still alive, free from the grip of selfish ego and connected to God.

God’s assessment of a person’s life and actions, associated with accountability, reward and punishment.

Judging and treating people rightly, holding them accountable for their actions.

Divine light; the presence of God that gives life its spiritual value.

Lust: uncontrolled sexual desire, understood in Sikhism as one of the five ‘thieves’ that distract people from a God-centred life.

A prayer praising God, recited by Jewish mourners as an expression of faith during bereavement.

Pleasure, desire and enjoyment; one of the four Hindu aims of human life.

Actions and their moral consequences, which influence the soul’s experience of rebirth. The Punjabi word karam means action or deed.

Compassion: concern for the suffering of others and a desire to relieve it.

The name used by Sikh women, commonly translated as ‘princess’, expressing dignity and an identity independent of a husband’s name.

Holiness: being set apart for a sacred or elevated purpose.

The Jewish marriage contract, traditionally setting out the husband's obligations towards his wife.

A representative or steward entrusted by Allah with responsibility on earth.

The community of initiated Sikhs established by Guru Gobind Singh at Vaisakhi in 1699, whose members commit to a disciplined Sikh way of life.

The sanctification or betrothal stage of Jewish marriage, which makes the couple legally bound under Jewish law.

The Arabic word for ‘books’; in Islamic belief, the holy books revealed by Allah to guide humanity.

Buddhist followers who are not ordained as monks or nuns.

The free community kitchen and shared meal open to everyone, expressing equality and supported by selfless service.

The four marriage hymns composed by Guru Ram Das, describing spiritual development through the imagery of marriage and the soul’s union with God.

God’s commands and moral teachings, which guide how people should live.

Reading a biblical passage as a direct, factual account of what happened or what God commands.

The return to Allah through resurrection and judgement after death; one of the five roots of Shi'a belief.

The path to the cessation of suffering, expressed through the Noble Eightfold Path.

The teaching authority of the Roman Catholic Church, exercised by the Pope and bishops.

A family of Buddhist traditions which emphasises the bodhisattva ideal of seeking enlightenment for the benefit of all beings.

A marriage gift owed by the groom to the bride.

Angels, who obey Allah and carry out tasks such as delivering revelation and recording human actions.