“You’re not going anywhere until you’ve answered these

5

Questions!”

Religious Studies

UNIT 3“Religion and Life”

UNIT 10 “Catholic Christianity”

PARENT/GUARDIAN PACK

How can you help?

  • Use this booklet regularly – this alone will make a big difference to your child’s knowledge and understanding as it contains all the essential information needed for the RS exams.
  • Ask AT LEAST 5 questions each day (try and get into a routine);
  • Before you allow them to go out
  • In the car
  • Before, during, or after mealtimes
  • Before they leave for their exam.
  • Check that you child has used all the revision resources available to them;
  • The published yellow revision guide
  • 2 A5 past paper question booklets - yellow for Unit 10 and white for Unit 3 (each question should have been completed at least twice)
  • Lunchtime revision sessions every day in L34
  • My Big Campus – usual school login. Go to Year 11 RS Heaven 2014 (students need to request to join online)
  • This booklet
  • Be interested and ask questions (even if you know the answer yourself!)
  • Be positive and encouraging – it is not too late for any pupil to fulfil their potential.
  • Encourage your child to put post-it notes, memory aides, and mind-maps around their room.
  • Allow your child to meet up with someone they can revise with but check regularly that their time together is used constructively.
  • Ask your child to teach you…the best way of learning and remembering is by having to explain it to someone else.

You or your child should not hesitate to contact their RS teacher or me (Mr Haselden) if we can do anything to help:

When are the exams?

Unit 3 (Year 11 content)

Monday 16th May

Morningin the School Hall

Unit 10 (Year 10 content)

Monday 23rd May

Afternoonin the School Hall

A final revision session will be offered from 8am on the day of each exam in L34

Please encourage your child to come along. They can bring their breakfast with them.

Unit 3.1 Believing in God

1)Give a definition of:

  • Conversion

when your life is changed by giving yourself to God.

  • Miracle

Something which seems to break a

law of science and makes you think

only God could have done it.

  • Numinous

The feeling of the presence of something greater than you.

  • Prayer

An attempt to contact God, usually through words

  • Design

when things are connected and seem to have a purpose e.g. the eye is designed for seeing.

  • Causation

The idea that everything has been caused (started off) by something else.

  • Atheism

believing that God does not exist

Moral Evil

actions done by humans which cause suffering

  • Natural Evil

things which cause suffering but have nothing to do with humans e.g. earthquakes.

  • Omnipotent

the belief that God is all-powerful

  • Agnosticism

Not being sure whether God exists.

  • Free Will

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

  • Omniscient

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

  • Omni-benevolent

The belief that God is all-good.

2)Give 4 features of a Catholic upbringing.

  • Children will be baptised and taken to worship with their parents. They will be taught to pray. They will go to first communion/confirmation classes. They will go to a Catholic school where many people believe in God.

3)Give 4 types of religious experience.

  • The feeling you get in a holy place / seeing great beauty (e.g. looking up at the stars) and feel in the presence of something greater than yourself ( numinous).
  • The feeling of God’s presence in your life which makes you more religious and changes your life (conversion).
  • Believing that a miracle has happened (miracle).
  • Having a prayer answered (prayer).

4)State how the appearance of design in the world (e.g. DNA, the design of the human eye) might lead to a belief in God.

The universe works according to laws (e.g. gravity).

  • A watch is complicated and must have a designer.
  • The universe is infinitely more complicated
  • Therefore the universe must have a designer.
  • The only possible designer of the universe is God.
  • Therefore God exists.

5)State how causation leads to belief in God.

  • Everything has a cause.
  • The universe has a cause.
  • Only God could be the cause of the universe.
  • Therefore, God must exist.

6)Scientific explanations of the world and agnosticism and atheism.

  • Matter is eternal and cannot be created or destroyed. Evidence for the Big Bang – the red shift
  • in light from other galaxies is evidence that the universe is expanding. Evidence for evolution – evidence of fossils shows new life forms coming into existence. Genetic research shows how life forms are similar.
  • Science can explain the universe/humans without God. God is not needed to explain why we are here. The scientific explanation of the world and humans without God is proof to such people that God does not exist – this can lead to atheism.

7)How Catholics respond to scientific explanations of the world.

  • Only God could have made the Big Bang at exactly the right micro second to form the universe.
  • Only God could have made the laws like gravity which the matter of the Big Bang needed to form solar systems.
  • Only God could have made the gases on earth react to form life.

8)Why unanswered prayers may lead to agnosticism or atheism.

  • Not feeling God’s presence when praying.
  • Prayers not being answered.

9)How Catholics respond to unanswered prayers.

  • Do not pray for selfish things, this could be why some prayers aren’t answered.
  • Prayers may be answered in a different way to what was expected.
  • God answers our prayer by giving us what we need rather that what we want.
  • God loves us – he will answer prayers in the best possible way.

10)State 5 reasons why some people believe in God and 4 reasons why some people do NOT believe in God.

Reasons why:

  • Religious upbringing.
  • Religious experiences.
  • The appearance of the

world.

  • The search for the

meaning of life.

  • The existence of other

religions.

Reasons why not:

  • Evil and suffering in the

world.

  • Miracles cannot be proved.
  • Unanswered prayers.
  • Science has all the

answers.

11)How might the presence of evil in the world make it difficult to believe in God?

  • Because an all-loving (benevolent) and all-powerful (omnipotent) God surely would not want humans to cause this suffering (moral evil) and could put a stop to it if he wanted. He would also stop natural evil for these reasons.

12)Give 4 ways that Catholic respond to the problem of evil and suffering.

  • Some Catholics believe that this life is a preparation for paradise – those who suffer now will find peace in heaven.
  • Only God knows the answer – Christians should pray for those who suffer and offer practical help where possible.
  • God gave humans free will – humans have abused this and brought suffering into the world. Evil is the fault of humans not God.
  • Service – Christians should help those who suffer by praying for them, becoming a nurse, working for CAFOD, etc.

3.2 Matters of Life and Death

13)Give a definition of:

  • Immortality of the soul

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

  • Resurrection

the belief that after death the body

stays in the grave until the end of the

world when it is raised.

  • Paranormal

Unexplained things which are thought to have spiritual causes, e.g. ghosts, mediums.

  • Reincarnation

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

  • Near-death experience

When someone about to die has an out-of-body experience.

  • Purgatory

a place where Catholics believe

souls go after death to be purified.

  • Heaven

a place of paradise where God rules.

  • Hell

a place of horrors where Satan rules

  • Abortion

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

  • Sanctity of Life

the belief 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.

  • Voluntary euthanasia

the situation where someone dying in pain asks a doctor to end his/her life painlessly.

  • Quality of life

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

  • Non-voluntary euthanasia

ending someone’s life painlessly when they are not able to ask, but you have good reason for believing they would want you to do so.

14)State 4 things Catholics believe about life after death.

  • When we die our soul live on and our body stays in the grave.
  • Our soul either goes straight to heaven if perfectly pure, or to purgatory to be purified.
  • If in purgatory we repent we will (with the help of prayers) reach heaven, if we fail to say sorry we will go to hell.
  • God will be the judge and at some point in the future Jesus will come again when a new heaven and new earth will be created (bodies will be reunited with their souls).

15)Other Christian attitudes about life after death.

  • Evangelical Christians believe that when people die their bodies stay in the grave until the end of the world. At this time, God will raise the dead and judge everyone. True Christians will go to heaven, everyone else will go to hell.
  • Many other Christians believe that the soul is immortal (cannot die) and when people die they go straight to heaven.

16)Non-religious reasons for believing in life after death.

-Near-death experience where someone is clinically dead for a short space of time then comes back to life and can remember what happened.

-Evidence of a spirit world – ghosts, mediums, Ouija boards

-Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists believe in reincarnation.

The Catholic Church rejects the evidence of mediums, ghosts, and so on, as superstitions which undermine the respect and love that we owe to God alone (Catechism).

17)Give 5 reasons why Christians believe in life after death.

  • Jesus rose from the dead
  • the Bible says that there is life after death.
  • the Churches and creeds teach that there is life after death
  • near-death experiences are evidence.
  • life after death gives life meaning and purpose.

18)State 4 reasons why some people do not believe in life after death.

  • no-one has returned from the dead.
  • science shows that when the body dies, the brain dies.
  • there is no place where life after death could take place.
  • if the brain dies, what could survive death?

19)Give 3 reasons why life is sacred according to Catholics.

  • God created the world and all in it – only he can take it.
  • We are made in his ‘image and likeness’.
  • God became human in Jesus – this shows how important human life is.

20)UK law on abortion

The law states that abortion is only allowed if two doctors agree;

  • The mother’s life is at risk.
  • The mother’s physical/mental health is at risk.
  • The child is likely to be born severely disabled.
  • There would be a serious effect on other children in the family.

Abortion cannot be carried out after 24 weeks of pregnancy, unless the mother’s life is at risk or the foetus had severe disabilities.

21)Give 4 different Christian attitudes to abortion.

  • Catholics: never acceptable (although the doctrine of double effect may be applied if the mother’s life is at risk.
  • Life begins at conception so it is taking a life – against the 10 commandments (Catholic).
  • Life belongs to God only he can take it away.
  • The Catholic Church teaches that adoption is better than abortion.
  • Church of England and Methodist: against abortion although in some circumstances it might be the lesser of two evils (rape, an unwanted child, an unloved child).
  • Evangelical Christians: never acceptable.

22)Give 4 reasons why Christians oppose Euthanasia.

  • life is sacred and only God can take it.
  • the Commandments clearly prohibit killing.
  • statements in the Bible say that life and death decisions are God’s alone.
  • Christians believe that doctors are required to save life, not kill. Allowing them to kill people would give rise to double standards.

23)State 3 reasons for the need for development.

  • In the world there are many developed countries; there are also many less economically developed countries (LEDCs).
  • If this is to be a fair world the LEDCs need greater help from developed countries.
  • It is in the interest of economically developed countries to help LEDCs as they need new markets for their products.

24)Give 5 causes for world poverty.

  • Many LEDCs are in areas where NATURAL DISASTERS happen frequently.
  • Many LEDCs suffer from WAR, often caused by corruption. Neighbouring countries can move from developing to less developed due to a large influx of refugees needing shelter and food.
  • All LEDCs suffer from DEBT – they have had to borrow money and pay large amounts of interest – money which could have been spent on development.
  • Many LEDCs try to make money by selling CASH CROPS. They land used to produce this is often the best land that could have been used to feed the starving population.
  • There are problems of HEALTH and LACK OF EDUCATION which prevent the country from developing.

25)State 4 attitudes to wealth in Christianity.

  • The New Testament says that wealth can be dangerous. It is easy to worship wealth and material success instead of God.
  • Jesus said that it is hard for the rich to enter heaven.
  • St Paul said that love of money is the root of all evil.
  • Churches teach that Christians should earn money only in lawful and moral ways.

26)State 4 attitudes to poverty in Christianity.

  • Wealth should be shared and used to help the less fortunate.
  • In the Parable of the Sheep and Goats Jesus teaches that in helping the less fortunate we are actually helping him.
  • It is our Christian duty to help those in need because everyone is our neighbour.
  • In the Parable of the Good Samaritan Jesus teaches that Christians must love their neighbour whatever their race or religion.

27)Name one religious agency that works to relieve world poverty.

  • CAFOD

28)State 4 ways that CAFOD works to relieve world poverty.

  • Raising funds through Catholic churches and Family Fast Days.
  • Providing emergency aid to deal with the effects of earthquakes, floods, etc.
  • Providing long-term aid to help developing countries.
  • Educating Catholics in Britain so they realise why there is a need to raise funds for the developing world.

29)State 4 facts about the work of a Catholic organisation that works to relieve poverty in

the UK.

  • Every Catholic diocese in the UK is involved in helping to relieve suffering and poverty in the UK.
  • Most parishes have a branch of the St Vincent de Paul Society (SVP).
  • They collect funds from parishes and distribute them to relieve poverty.
  • Their work is based on the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus and other Catholic teachings on helping the poor as a way of loving your neighbour.

3.3 Marriage and the Family

30)Give a definition of:

  • Civil partnership

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

  • Faithfulness

Staying with your marriage partner

and having sex only with them.

  • Procreation

Making a new life.

  • Cohabitation

Living together without being married.

  • Marriage

The condition of a man and woman

legally united for the purpose of living

together and, usually, having a family.

  • Premarital Sex

sex before marriage

  • Promiscuity

having a number of sexual partners

without wanting a relationship with

them.

  • Adultery

when you are married, having sex

with someone who is not your

marriage partner.

  • Contraception

preventing conception from occurring

  • Annulment

a declaration by the Church that a marriage never actually existed.

  • Divorce

the legal ending of a marriage.

  • Remarriage

marrying again after being

divorced.

  • Nuclear Family

mother, father, and children living

together.

  • Extended Family

children, parents, and

grandparents/ aunts and uncles

living together as a unit.

  • Reconstituted Family

where two sets of children become

one family when their divorced

parents marry each other.

  • Homosexuality

sexual attraction to the same sex.

31)How attitudes to marriage, divorce, family life and homosexuality have changed in the UK since the 1960’s.

Pre 1960’s people in the UK were expected to;

  • Have sex after marriage and marry young, in church, for life.
  • Families were usually made up of husband and wife and children (nuclear family).
  • Male homosexuality was a criminal offence.

How attitudes have changed;

  • Most people have sex before marriage.
  • Many couples live together (cohabit) rather than marry.
  • Most marriages do not take place in church.
  • Divorce is accepted as a normal part of life.
  • Society treats homosexual sex the same way as heterosexual sex.

32)Give reasons why many Christians believe that sex outside marriage is wrong.

  • Breaks the vow of faithfulness.
  • One purpose of sex is to have children and the best place for this is within a married relationship.
  • Sex should be between a married couple only, or at least a couple who are committed and loving towards one another.
  • The Catechism says that sex before marriage is wrong.
  • Adultery is banned by the 10 commandments.

33)State 4 purposes of marriage in Christianity.