Religious Studies

You should, if you: 

• have enjoyed the topics you have studied in RS or Ethics this year 

• are interested in understanding motivations behind people’s actions 

• enjoy learning about different cultures, ideas and belief systems 

• want to develop your reasoning skills and expressing your views about the world. 

• if you enjoy discussion, debate and crafting an argument 

• are interested in the ‘ultimate questions’, such as the purpose of our existence, if there an afterlife and can we justify war? 

The course is called Religious Studies and whilst a large part of the course is to do with beliefs and practices of religious people, we also do a great deal of discussion centred around non-religious opinions, scientific beliefs and the work of philosophers 

The following areas will be studied:  

• What is God like? 

• Why do people believe in an afterlife? 

• Does religion justify war? 

• How can we explain human suffering? 

• Can we justify the death penalty? 

• How should we spend our money? 

• Why is racism wrong? 

• Can we justify torture? 

Use a variety of sources and activities to discuss, interpret, evaluate and debate the various issues and information. The types of activities and materials that will be used will include:  

• Core Religious Texts (The Bible, The Qur’an) 

• The Works of Notable Philosophers (Karl Marx, Frederich Nietzsche) 

• Various forms of media- including YouTube debates on the nature of God. 

• Newspapers articles 

• Films.  

The course is 100% exam assessed. 

You will sit two exams, in which you will be expected to make reference to two religious beliefs, usually Islam and Christianity as well as a non-religious viewpoint.