Religious Education: De nitions
Vital Leaving Cert Guidebook
Religious Education: Definitions
Paul McAndrew
ISBN: 978 1 897922 33 0
Copyright 2024
Aim
To provide an A-Z guide of the key terms and ideas from Unit 1 and Unit 2 of the Religious Education course; i.e. the Search for Meaning & Values, Christianity, World Religions and Moral Decision Making.
This resource will be helpful as understanding the topics in LC Religious Education and adapting what you know to the question being asked is the most important aspect of how this subject is assessed.
So, if you can grasp what this book contains, you can do very well in your exam!
Introduction from the author... SAMPLE
4 Noble Truths – in the Buddhist tradition; understanding these truths will help one end suffering in their life.
5 Pillars of Islam – these are the cornerstone practices of the Islamic faith; fasting, the declaration of faith, charity, pilgrimage and prayer.
5 Precepts – Buddhist “commandments”, also known as the “Pansil”.
8-fold Path – in the Buddhist tradition; the practices that will help you learn how to end suffering in your life and bring about Enlightenment.
10 Commandments – also known as the Decalogue; 10 laws given by the Jewish God to Moses.
613 Laws – Jewish laws, found in the Torah, that govern the actions of devout Jews.
AAbraham- in the Torah and Bible, Ibrahim in the Qur’an. One of the principle characters in the formation of monotheism in the major monotheistic religions of the world today. Namely, Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
Adhaan – the call to prayer in Islam. African Tradition Religions – are indigenous belief systems to Africa, which centre on ancestral worship, belief in the spiritual world/ supernatural beings and free will.
Allah – the name for the monotheistic God of Islam.
Allegory of the Cave – a story of Plato’s that tries to reveal the true nature of reality.
Amoral – is the state of the absence of morality.
Angel Gabriel, the – is a messenger of the monotheistic God of Islam & Christianity.
Anselm, St – tried to prove the existence of God using the “Ontological Argument”.
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Afterlife – a belief that there is a spiritual realm that one goes to after one dies.
Agnostic - is the belief that if something, for example God, cannot be explained by reason or science then it cannot truly be known and most likely does not exist.
Agape Love - unconditional & selfless love.
Aquinas, Thomas – a theologian who came up with 5 proofs of God.
i.e. the “Prime Mover” proof; which suggests that whatever moves is moved by something else. Consequently, there must be a First Mover that creates this chain reaction of motions. This is God. God sets all things in motion.
Atheism – the denial of the existence of God.
Attachment – the desire for material and other distracting things causes suffering in life from a Buddhist point of view. Attachment is also known as “ignorance” at times.
Authority – the power source with in a faith group/religious tradition.
i.e. the Transcendent of the faith.
Axial Age – from 800-200 BCE, when monotheism became firmly established. It was a time of prosperity, intellectual advancement and cultural development.
BBaha’i Faith – this New Religious Movement stresses the unity of all people and religions as its core teaching. It explicitly rejects notions of racism, sexism, and nationalism.
Baptism – a blessing with water in the Christian Church. It is a sign of being cleansed of one’s sin. Commonly performed on infants, when they are being initiated into the faith.
Bar/Bat Mitzvah – meaning son or daughter of the Law. At either 12 or 13 years old, young Jews are initiated into the faith. They are now full members and responsible for all of their actions from a religious point of view.
Behavioural norms - normal or typical practices within a faith/religious tradition; i.e. Muslim’s praying 5 times a day.
Benevolent – wanting the best for someone else in a kind manner. Considered a characteristic of God.
Bible, the – is the sacred text in Christianity. Contains the Old Testament and New Testament.
Old Testament; Jewish scriptures and the Torah. New Testament; the life of Jesus and the beginning of the Christian movement.
Big Bang Theory - is a model for the evolution of the universe that holds that all matter and energy in the universe were concentrated in one point, which suddenly exploded.
Subsequently, matter condensed to form atoms, elements, and eventually galaxies, planets, stars and our solar system.
Blocking the search for meaning –stopping or preventing one to finding purpose.
Brahman – the chief or all-encompassing god of Hinduism.
Buddha, the – see Buddhism.
Buddhism – is a religious tradition based around the teaching of Gautama Siddhartha (the Buddha). Their Dharma (teaching) states that all life involves suffering; however
there is a way to end suffering through their guidance and practices.
Buddhism is generally found in Southeast Asia. Nepal, Laos, Thailand and Cambodia are, considered to be, Buddhist countries.
CCamus, Albert – a humanist thinker who believed that people should celebrate the mundanity of life and cease each moment.
Celebrating Tradition – how faith groups/ religious traditions celebrate times and seasons of the year.
Challenges to Faith – in our contemporary world, being a person of faith can be difficult because society is based around a secular and non-religious understanding of the world.
Charter - is a list of rights, like Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Chinese Religion – is the indigenous religion of China.
Christianity – is a faith based on the teachings of Jesus, who Christians believed died a sacrificial death so that they might achieve salvation.
It is a global religion but it is concentrated in Europe, the Americas and sub-Saharan Africa.
Christian Unity – focuses on bringing together all the different denominations of Christianity.
i.e. joint celebrations of communion between Roman Catholic and Protestant Churches.
Christmas – a Christian festival celebrating the birth of Jesus.
Christology - seeks to address the question “but who do you say that I am?” which is a question Jesus asked his disciples.
Paul McAndrew has been teaching Religion for nearly 20 years, with majority of those in The Institute of Education, Dublin.
Paul also has a Masters degree in Theology and many of the resources available for Leaving Cert Religion have been written by him.
These include the “A little bit of...” series for Leaving Cert Religion and the Religious Education Coursework Guide 2024 and the upcoming 2025 version, with walk-through video aids.
Go to mcandrewbooks.com and 4schools.ie for more details!
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mcandrewbooks.com
Cover Design: LUCKY TEN