Religious Studies - keywords

Immortality of the Soul

The idea that the soul lives on after the death of the body.

Paranormal

Unexplained things which are thought to have spiritual causes, for example, ghosts, mediums.

Resurrection

The belief that after death, the body stays in the in the grave until the end of the world when it is raised.

Reincarnation

the belief that after death, souls are reborn in a new body.

Near -death experience

When someone about to dies has an out of body experience.

Abortion

the removal of a foetus of a womb before it can survive.

Sanctity of Life

The belief that that life is holy and belongs to God.

Euthanasia

The painless killing of someone dying from a painful disease.

Assisted suicide

Providing a seriously ill person with the means to commit suicide.

Non-voluntary euthanasia

Ending someone's life painlessly when they are unable to ask, but you have good reason for thinking they would want to do so.

Voluntary euthanasia

Ending someones life painlessly when someone in great pain asks for death.

Quality of Life

The idea that life must have some benefit for it to be worth living.

Prejudice

Believing some people are inferior or superior without even knowing them.

Discrimination

Treating people less favourably because of their gender/colour/ethnicity/class

Sexism

Discriminating against someone because of their gender.

Racism

The belief that some ethnic groups are superior to others.

Multi-ethnic society

Many different races & cultures living together in one society.

Multi-faith society

Many different religions living together in one society.

Community Cohesion

A common vision and shared sense of belonging for all groups in society.

Racial harmany

Different ethnic groups living together in peace.

Religious freedom

The right to practice your own religion and change your religion.

Religious pluralism

Accepting all religions as having an equal right to co-exist.

Interfaith Marriage

Marriage where the husband and wife are from different religions.

Agnosticism

Not being sure whether God excists.

Atheism

Believing that God does not exist.

Conversion

When you life is changed by giving your life to God.

Free will

The idea that human beings are free to make their own choices.

Miracle

Something that seems to break the law of science and makes you think that only God could have done it.

Natural Evil

Things which cause suffering but have nothing to do with humans.

Numinous

The feeling of a presence of someone greater than you.

Omni-benevolent

The belief that God is all-good.

Omniscient

The belief that God knows everything that happens and everything that is going to happen.

Prayer

 An attempt to contact God, usually through words.

Religious Experience

An experience that makes the person having the experience feel the presence of God.

Civil partnership

A legal ceremony giving a homosexual couple the same legal rights as a husband and wife.

Cohabitation

A couple living together without being married.

Nuclear family

A mother, father and children living as a unit.

Reconstituted family

Where two sets of children (step-siblings) become one family when their divorced parents marry each other.

Homosexuality

sexual attraction to the same sex.

Re-marriage

marrying again after being divorced from a previous marriage.

Adultery

A sexual act between a married person and someone other than their marriage partner.

Promiscuity

Having sex with a number of partners without commitment.

Faithfulness

Staying with your marriage partner and having sexual relationship with only them.

Procreation

Making life

Contraception

Intentionally preventing pregnancy from occurring.