RS

Bible

The holy book for Christians

Church

The community of Christians (with a small 'c' it means a Christian place of worship)

Conscience

An inner feeling of the rightness or wrongness of an action

Situation Ethics

The idea that Christians should base moral decisions on what is the most loving thing to do

Social Change

The way in which society has changed and is changing (and also the possibilities for change in the future)

Pressure Group

A group formed to influence government policy on a particular issue

Human Rights

The rights and freedoms to which everyone is entitled

The Decalogue

The ten commandments

Democratic Processes

The ways in which citizens can take part in government (usually through elections)

Electoral Processes

The ways in which voting is organised

Political Party

A group that tries to be elected into power on the basis of its policies, e.g. Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrats

The Golden Rule

Jesus' teaching that you should treat other people as you would like them to treat you

Global Warming

The increase in the temperature of the Earth's atmosphere (thought to be cause by the greenhouse effect)

Conservation

Protecting and preserving natural resources and the environment

Natural Resources

Naturally occurring materials, such as oil and fertile land, which can be used by humans

Creation

The act of creating the universe or the universe which has been created

Environment

The surroundings in which plants and animals live and on which they depend to live

Stewardship

Looking after something so it can be passed on to the next generation

Artificial Insemination

Injecting semen into the uterus by artificial means

Embryo

A fertilised egg in the first eight weeks after conception

Infertility

Not being able to have children

In-vitro Fertilisation (IVF)

The method of fertilising a human egg in a test tube

Surrogacy 

An arrangement whereby a woman bears a child on behalf of another woman

Organ Donation

Giving organs to be used in transplant surgery

Aggression

Attacking without being provoked

Exploitation

Taking advantage of a weaker group

Conflict Resolution

Bringing a fight or struggle to a peaceful conclusion

Reconcilliation

Bringing together people who were opposed to each other

The United Nations

An international body set up to promote world peace and co-operation

Weapons of mass destruction

Weapons which can destroy large areas and numbers of people

World Peace

The ending of war throughout the whole world (the basic aim of the United Nations)

Forgiveness

Stopping blaming someone and/or pardoning them for what they have done wrong

Just War

A war that is fought for the right reasons and in a right way

Pacifism

The belief that all disputes should be settled by peaceful means

Bullying

Intimidating/frightening people weaker than yourself

Respect

Treating a person or their feelings with consideration

Crime

An act against the law

Justice

The due allocation of reward and punishment. The maintenance of what is right

Law

Rules made by Parliament and enforceable by the courts

Responsibility 

Being responsible for one's actions

Sin

An act against the will of God

Deterrence

The idea that punishments should be of such a nature that they will put people off (deter them from) committing crimes

Reform

The idea that punishments should try to change criminals so that they will not commit crimes again

Rehabilitation 

To restore to normal life

Retribution

The idea that punishments should make criminals pay for what they have done wrong

Judgement

The act of judging people and their actions

Capital Punishment

The death penalty for a crime or offence

Addiction

A recurring compulsion to engage in an activity regardless of its bad effects