Christians believe God is omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing), benevolent (all-loving) and just. God is also transcendent (beyond and outside the material universe) and immanent (involved in the world). A common mistake is forgetting God can be BOTH transcendent and immanent at once - this isn't a contradiction in Christian teaching.
God is one being in three persons: Father, Son (Jesus) and Holy Spirit. This is called the Trinity. Each person is fully God, not a third of God - students often wrongly write that each person is '33%' of God, which is incorrect doctrine.
Genesis 1 and 2 give two creation accounts. Genesis 1: God creates the world in six days and rests on the seventh (the Sabbath). Genesis 2: focuses on Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Some Christians read Genesis literally (creationists); others read it symbolically and accept scientific theories like the Big Bang and evolution alongside their faith.
Adam and Eve disobey God by eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This is 'the Fall' - humanity's fall from a perfect relationship with God. It introduces sin and suffering into the world. Original sin is the idea that all humans inherit this sinful nature from Adam and Eve.
Salvation means being saved from sin and its consequences. Atonement is God and humans being reconciled through Jesus's death. Two views: the 'ransom' view (Jesus pays the price for sin) and the 'sacrifice' view (Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice, ending the need for animal sacrifice).
Most Christians believe in judgement after death, leading to Heaven or Hell. Catholics also believe in Purgatory, a state of purification before Heaven. The exact nature of Heaven/Hell (literal place vs spiritual state) is debated between denominations - don't present one view as 'the' Christian view in the exam; show you know there is diversity.
Baptism marks entry into the Christian Church. Infant baptism (Catholic, Anglican) uses water sprinkled on the baby's head, godparents make promises on the child's behalf, and it removes Original Sin. Believers' baptism (Baptist churches) is for adults who choose faith for themselves, involves full immersion in water, and symbolises dying to sin and rising to new life (Romans 6). A common mistake is assuming all denominations baptise babies - Baptists specifically reject this, believing faith must be a personal choice.
Also called Mass, the Lord's Supper or Holy Communion. Christians share bread and wine to remember Jesus' Last Supper and his sacrifice on the cross. Catholics believe in transubstantiation - the bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Christ. Most Protestants see it as symbolic, a way of remembering rather than a literal change. Know both views clearly for exam questions comparing denominations.
The Lord's Prayer, taught by Jesus in Matthew 6, is the most important prayer and a model for all Christian prayer. Types include set/liturgical prayer (fixed words, used in services) and informal/extempore prayer (personal, spontaneous words). Prayer helps believers build a relationship with God, confess sin, give thanks and ask for help.
Liturgical worship follows set orders of service (Catholic and Anglican traditions). Non-liturgical (informal) worship is more spontaneous, common in Pentecostal and evangelical churches, often including modern music. Private worship (individual prayer/Bible study) is also important, especially for Quakers who have no set order of service at all.
A journey to a place of religious significance. Key sites: Lourdes in France (linked to healing, Virgin Mary apparitions to Bernadette in 1858) and Jerusalem/the Holy Land (sites from Jesus' life, death and resurrection). Reasons include deepening faith, seeking healing, thanksgiving and connecting with Christian history.
Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus (Incarnation). Easter is the most important Christian festival, celebrating Jesus' resurrection after his crucifixion on Good Friday - it comes after Lent, a 40-day period of fasting and reflection recalling Jesus' 40 days in the wilderness.
Churches support local and worldwide communities through food banks, street pastors and charity work. Reconciliation - restoring broken relationships between people and God, and between people - is a key mission, alongside evangelism (spreading the Gospel) at home and abroad through mission and street preaching.
Sunni Muslims summarise belief in Six Articles of Faith: belief in Allah, angels, holy books, prophets, the Day of Judgement, and predestination (al-Qadr). Shi'a Muslims use the Five Roots of 'Usul ad-Din instead, which overlap but stress Tawhid, 'Adalat (justice), Nubuwwah (prophethood), Imamah (leadership) and Qiyamah (last day).
Tawhid is the absolute, indivisible oneness of Allah — the single most important belief in Islam. Shirk (associating partners with Allah) is considered the one unforgivable sin. Allah has 99 names describing His nature, including al-Rahman (the Compassionate) and al-Rahim (the Merciful), which is why almost every surah of the Qur'an opens 'In the name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful'.
Risalah means the belief in prophets as messengers sent by Allah to guide humanity. Muslims believe there were many prophets (traditionally said to be 124,000, though the number is not fixed in the Qur'an), including Adam, Ibrahim, Musa (Moses) and Isa (Jesus). Muhammad is the 'Seal of the Prophets' — the final and most important messenger, sent to correct and complete previous revelations.
Muslims believe Allah revealed scriptures before the Qur'an, including the Tawrat (to Musa), the Zabur (to Dawud) and the Injil (to Isa). The Qur'an, revealed to Muhammad over roughly 23 years via the angel Jibril, is believed to be the final, perfect and unchanged word of Allah — earlier books are believed to have been altered by humans over time.
Akhirah is belief in life after death, including physical resurrection, the Day of Judgement (Yawm ad-Din) and eternal reward in Paradise (Jannah) or punishment in Hell (Jahannam). This belief motivates Muslims to live morally, since actions in this life are believed to be weighed and judged.
The Five Pillars are the core acts of worship every Muslim should carry out.
Muslims perform wudu (ritual washing) before prayer to be clean before Allah. Prayer can happen at a mosque or anywhere clean; Friday midday prayer (Jummah) at the mosque is especially important for Sunni Muslims. Sunni and Shi'a Muslims differ slightly - Shi'a Muslims may combine some prayers into three sessions rather than five.
Ramadan is the 9th month of the Islamic calendar. Fasting teaches self-discipline, empathy with the poor, and closeness to Allah. Exemptions apply to the sick, pregnant, travelling, elderly, and children - missed days should be made up later or fidyah (charity payment) given instead. Laylat al-Qadr ('Night of Power') falls in the last ten nights of Ramadan and marks when the Qur'an was first revealed to Muhammad.
Hajj takes place in Dhul Hijjah, the last month of the Islamic year. Key rites include wearing simple white ihram clothing (symbolising equality), walking round the Kaaba seven times (tawaf), running between the hills of Safa and Marwah, and standing at the plain of Arafat. Hajj ends with Eid ul Adha, the 'festival of sacrifice', remembering Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son.
Jihad means 'struggle', not 'holy war' - a very common exam mistake. The Greater Jihad is the personal, internal struggle to live a good Muslim life. The Lesser Jihad is the external struggle, which can include physical struggle but only under strict conditions (defensive, declared by legitimate authority, proportionate).
Don't confuse Sunni and Shi'a practice differences. Don't say Hajj is 'compulsory for everyone' - it depends on ability. Don't translate jihad simply as 'war'.
Most religions see marriage as a lifelong, exclusive commitment, usually between a man and a woman, made publicly (often in a religious building) with vows or promises before God or a higher power.
Christians point to Genesis 2:24 ('the two will become one flesh') and the marriage service, where couples promise fidelity 'for better, for worse... till death us do part'. Catholics view marriage as a sacrament and generally do not accept divorce, seeing it as indissoluble. Muslims see nikah (marriage) as half of a Muslim's faith and a strong social bond (mithaq, a solemn covenant), sealed with a mahr (gift from groom to bride).
Most religions teach sex is only for married couples, believing this creates stability for raising children. Cohabitation (living together unmarried) is increasingly common in the UK but is often discouraged by religious teaching, though views vary between liberal and traditional believers. Contraception is broadly accepted by most Christians (except the Catholic Church, which officially only permits natural family planning) and is generally permitted in Islam within marriage.
Divorce ends a marriage legally. In England and Wales, no-fault divorce (since April 2022) allows couples to divorce without blaming either party, after a minimum 20-week reflection period. Religious views differ: many Protestant Christians allow divorce and remarriage reluctantly as 'the lesser of two evils'; Catholics do not recognise divorce (an annulment declares a marriage never valid instead). Islam permits divorce (talaq) as a last resort, though 'of all permitted things, divorce is most hated by Allah' (hadith).
Traditional teaching often assigns complementary roles (e.g. husband as provider, wife as homemaker), though most modern believers support equality between men and women in marriage and society. Same-sex marriage has been legal in England and Wales since 2014; religious views split sharply, with some denominations (e.g. Quakers, Metropolitan Community Church) conducting same-sex weddings, while others (Catholic Church, most Muslim scholars) do not accept same-sex relationships as compatible with scripture.
A crime is an act that breaks the law of the land. Religious believers also think about sin (breaking God's law) and wrongdoing more widely - not everything sinful is illegal, and not everything illegal is a sin. Common causes of crime studied for this topic include poverty, upbringing, mental illness, addiction, greed and hatred (e.g. racism or homophobia).
There are four classic aims, and you must be able to define each one exactly:
Most Christians support reformation, citing forgiveness (Jesus told people to forgive 'seventy times seven', Matthew 18) and the idea everyone can change. Some support retribution using Old Testament justice. Most Muslims accept a mix of retribution and reformation; Shari'ah law sets fixed (hadd) punishments for specific serious crimes such as theft, but reformation and mercy are also valued, since Allah is described as 'Most Merciful'.
The UK abolished capital punishment fully in 1998 (it remains in some US states and other countries). Arguments for: retribution, protects society permanently, deterrence. Arguments against: risk of executing an innocent person, denies the chance to reform, sanctity of life (life is sacred, only God should take it), some religious teachings emphasise forgiveness over vengeance.