GCSE Religious Studies
Specification A: Catholic Christianity
Sources of wisdom and authority
Area of Study One: Study of Religion: Catholic Christianity
Section 1: Beliefs and Teachings
Content bullet Source of wisdom and authority
1.1: The Trinity The Nicene Creed says that God is a Trinity
of Father, Son and Holy Spirit
The Genesis creation account refers to God
the Creator, the Word, and the Spirit of God
CCC says that Catholics believe in God as a
Trinity
1.2: Biblical understandings of The three persons of the Trinity were present
God as a Trinity of Persons at Jesus’ baptism
God the Father called Jesus his Son and
Jesus saw the Spirit of God as a dove
1.3: Creation Genesis says that God created the heavens
and the earth
In Genesis God says that his creation is good
1.4: The significance of the Genesis says that God created humans in his
Creation account in understanding own image
the nature of humanity Genesis says that human should be fruitful
and multiply
In Genesis God came human dominion over
other creatures
In the story of the Fall Genesis says that
human beings are sinful
1.5: The Incarnation John’s Gospel says that Jesus, the Word, is
God
It says in John’s Gospel that the Word was
made flesh and lived among us
1.6: The events in the Paschal Luke says that Jesus’ followers found his
Mystery tomb empty
In Luke’s Gospel two men announce that
Jesus has risen
Luke tells us that the resurrected Jesus
appeared to his disciples on the road to
Emmaus/in the upper room
1.7: The significance of the life,
death, resurrection and ascension In John’s Gospel Jesus tells Nicodemus that
of Jesus for Catholic beliefs about he must die so that people can have eternal
salvation and grace life
The Gospels record Jesus tells Nicodemus
that those who believe in Jesus can be saved
and have eternal life
In Acts Peter that the power to heal comes
from belief in the resurrection of Jesus
In Acts Peter preaches that salvation can
only come from belief in Jesus
1.8: Catholic beliefs about In John’s Gospel Jesus tells Martha that he is
eschatology the resurrection and the life
In the Gospels Jesus tells Martha that those
who believe in him will never die
In his letter to the Corinthians Paul says that
our human bodies are only temporary and
Christians long to be away from the body
and with the Lord
Paul teaches that we will appear before the
judgement seat of Christ and be rewarded or
punished according to our actions
The Nicene Creed says ‘we look for the
resurrection of the dead and the life of the
world to come’
Section 2: Practices
Content bullet Source of wisdom and authority
2.1: The sacramental nature of
reality: The Catechism teaches that Christ instituted
all of the seven sacraments
The CCC says that the sacraments mark
stages in human life
The Catechism says that there are
sacraments of initiation, of healing and of the
mission of the faithful
2.2: Liturgical worship within In Lumen Gentium it says that the Eucharist
Catholic Christianity unites people with Christ and with each other
In the Gospels Jesus said his follows should
celebrate the Last Supper to remember him
2.3: The funeral rite as a liturgical Cardinal Vincent Nichols says that the funeral
celebration of the Church: rite reflects the Christian hope in the
resurrection
In ‘Preparing my funeral’ it says that funerals
can be a source of comfort for the bereaved
St Paul teaches that Christians should not
grieve for the dead like people who have no
hope
2.4: Prayer as the ‘raising of The CCC says that prayer is the raising of
hearts and minds to God’ the heart and mind to God
The Gospels say Jesus taught his followers to
pray to God in a quiet place
In Matthew’s Gospel Jesus teaches his
followers to pray to God as their father by
saying ‘Our Father in heaven’
2.5: The role and importance of
forms of popular piety In the Catechism the Catholic Church
teaches that Christians can express their
faith in acts of piety, such as saying the
rosary
The CCC calls such things as pilgrimages,
praying before statues and the stations of
the cross as acts of piety
Acts of piety extend the liturgy but must not
replace it, because the liturgy is superior to
all acts of piety (CCC 1675)
2.6: Pilgrimage
In the Catechism the Church says that
pilgrimages evoke our earthly journey
toward heaven
The CCC says that pilgrimages can be
occasions for renewal in prayer
Luke records in his Gospel that Jesus went
on pilgrimage to Jerusalem with Mary and
Joseph
2.7: Catholic Social Teaching
In the parable of the sheep and goats Jesus
says that the way people treat the poor the
sick and prisoners is how they treat God
In the parable of the sheep and goats
Matthew says Jesus singled out the poor, the
hungry and those in prison for special care.
In Evangelii Gaudium Pope Francis teaches
that Jesus became poor to be close the poor
and outcasts
In Evangelii Gaudium teaches that every
Christian is called to liberate and serve the
poor
2.8: Catholic mission and In Mark’s Gospel Jesus tells his followers to
evangelism go out and preach the Gospel to all people
According to Acts, after Pentecost the
apostles started to preach about Jesus to
many nations
In Evangelii Gaudium Chapter 5, Pope
Francis says that Jesus’ message brings
people joy and encourages Catholics to share
this joy with the world
Section 3: Sources of Wisdom and Authority
Content bullet Source of wisdom and authority
3.1: The Bible Old Testament: law, history, prophets, writings; and
New Testament: gospels, letters; including
divergent Christian understandings about which
books should be within the Bible
3.2: Interpretation of the Bible 2 Timothy 3:16 and Catechism of the Catholic
Church 105–108;
3.3: The magisterium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church 100;
Church
3.4: The Second Vatican Council Dei Verbum, Lumen Gentium, Sacrosanctum
Concilium and Gaudium et Spes
3.5: The Church as the Body of Romans 12:4–6 and 1 Corinthians 12;
Christ and the People of God
3.6: The meaning of the four Nicene Creed and the First Council of
marks of the Church Constantinople;
3.7: Mary as a model of the Luke 1:26–39 and Catechism of the Catholic Church
Church 963–975
3.8: Sources of personal and Matthew 5:17–24
ethical decision making
Section 4: Forms of Expression and Ways of Life
Content bullet Source of wisdom and authority
4.1: The common and divergent Catechism of the Catholic Church 1179–1181
forms of architecture, design and
decoration of Catholic churches
4.2: The different internal Catechism of the Catholic Church 1182–1186:
features of a Catholic church
4.3: The meaning and Catechism of the Catholic Church 1161
significance of sacred objects,
including sacred vessels,
sarcophagi, and hunger cloths
within Catholicism
4.4: The meaning and Catechism of the Catholic Church 2502–2503
significance of paintings, fresco
and drawings within Catholicism
with reference to two specific
pieces and Catechism of the
Catholic Church 2502–2503
4.5: The meaning and Catechism of the Catholic Church 2501
significance of sculpture and
statues with reference to
Catechism of the Catholic Church
2501
4.6: The purpose and use of Catechism of the Catholic Church 701
symbolism and imagery in
religious art
4.7: The meaning and Catechism of the Catholic Church 2567
significance of drama: mystery
plays, passion plays
4.8: The nature and use of Catechism of the Catholic Church 2641
traditional and contemporary
styles of music in worship
GCSE Religious Studies
Specification A: Judaism
Area of Study Two: Paper two: Study of Second Religion: Judaism
Section 1: Beliefs and Teachings
Content bullet Source of wisdom and authority
1.1: The nature of the Almighty
In Genesis 2 the power of the Almighty is
shown by his creation of the earth and
heavens
The Book of Genesis shows the goodness of
the Almighty when it says that God speaks of
the goodness of creation
The account of creation in the Torah shows
God’s wisdom in designing the universe to
produce food
1.2: The nature and importance
of Shekhinah In the dedication of the Temple (2
Chronicles) the divine presence is shown in
the form of fire
The divine presence is shown in 2 Chronicles
as a love which endures forever’.
1.3: The nature and purpose of
the Messiah Jeremiah says that Messiah will be from the
family of David
Jeremiah calls the Messiah ‘a King who will
reign wisely’
In the days of the Messiah Judah will be
saved (Jeremiah 23)
1.4: The Covenant at Sinai
Exodus says the Covenant at Sinai is based
upon the observance of commandments
The first commandment of the Sinai
covenant is to worship only the Almighty
(Exodus 20:2)
The Book of Exodus indicates that the Moses
represented the Jewish people before the
Almighty at Sinai
1.5: The covenant with Abraham
and his descendants Genesis says that as a result of the covenant
Abraham will ‘be the father of many nations’
In Genesis 17 the Almighty tells Abraham
that he will be the only God of the Israelites
‘The whole land of Canaan...I will give as an
everlasting possession to you’ (Genesis 17)
1.6: Sanctity of life
‘Anyone who destroys a human life is
considered as if he had destroyed an entire
world’ (Talmud 37)
Talmud Yoma says that Biblical laws can be
disregarded to save a human life
We did everything to save lives, despite
Shabbat (Leader of Jewish rescue mission to
Haiti)
1.7: Moral principles and the
Mitzvot In the Mishneh Torah Maimonides teaches
that the oral law is to be seen as an
explanation of the written Torah
‘This text will be a compilation of the entire
Oral Law, including also the ordinances,
customs, and decrees that were enacted
from the time of Moses, our teacher’
(Mishneh Torah Introduction)
The Mishneh Torah says the 613 mitzvot
were given to Moses on Mount Sinai
1.8: Jewish beliefs about life after The dust returns to the ground it came from,
death and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
(Ecclesiastes 12: 7)
Maimonides said that the righteous, even
when they die, are considered alive
Maimonides wrote about the dead being
revived at at a time chosen by the Almighty
Section 2: Practices
Content bullet Source of wisdom and authority
2.1: The nature and purpose of Psalms 116:12–19
Jewish public acts of worship
2.2: The Tenakh and the Talmud Perkei Avot 2
Deuteronomy 14:3–10
2.3: The nature and purpose of Psalms 55:16–23
prayer in the home and of private
prayer
2.4: The nature and importance Deuteronomy 6:4
of the Shema and the Amidah
2.5: The importance of ritual for Genesis 21:1–8
Jews today Genesis 17
Leviticus 12
2.6: The nature, features, history Exodus 31:12–18
and purpose of celebrating
Shabbat
2.7: Jewish festivals Leviticus 23 (Rosh Hashanah)
2.8: Features of the synagogue Proverbs 14:28
Exodus 27:20–21
Area of Study Three: Philosophy and Ethics – Catholic Christianity
Section 1: Arguments for the Existence of God
Content bullet Source of wisdom and authority
1.1: Revelation as proof of the
existence of God ‘In the past God spoke to our ancestors
through the prophets at many times and in
various ways’ (Hebrews 1:1)
The CCC says that it pleased God to reveal
himself and to make known the mystery of
his will.
In the Nicene Creed its says that God spoke
through the prophets.
1.2: Visions as proof of the
existence of God In Matthew’s Gospel it says the
Transfiguration helped Peter, James and
John increase their understanding.
The Gospels say that Jesus appeared to
Thomas after the resurrection which
removed his doubt
The CDF (Congregation for the Doctrine of
the Faith) teaches that visions help to
increase people’s faith in God (CDF Message
of Fatima)
1.3: Miracles as proof of the
existence of God “Unless you people see signs and wonders,”
Jesus told him, “you will never believe.”
(John 4)
The signs worked by Jesus attest that the
Father has sent him. They invite belief in
him. (CCC 548)
In the Summa, Thomas Aquinas taught that
miracles are divine in origin and proof of
God’s existence
1.4: Catholic attitudes towards
religious experiences and their The Catechism says that religious
use as philosophical arguments experiences help people live the Christian life
for the existence of God more fully (CCC 67)
Acts records that Paul had a religious
experience on the road to Damascus and he
became a believer
Cardinal John Newman taught that religious
experiences allow people to feel the presence
of God (quoted in CCC 2144)
1.5: Design argument
For since the creation of the world God’s
invisible qualities—his eternal power and
divine nature—have been clearly seen
(Romans 18)
The Catechism teaches that because God
creates through wisdom, his creation is
ordered (CCC 299)
Aquinas states, in the First Part of the
Summa, because the universe works in such
a way, one can conclude that is was
designed by an intelligent designer, God.
1.6: Cosmological argument
The Book of Genesis says that the earth was
a formless void and then God created the
heavens and the earth.
We believe that God created the world
according to his wisdom.141 It is not the
product of any necessity whatever, nor of
blind fate or chance. (CCC 295)
Thomas Aquinas' Second Way says: there
exists things that are caused. Nothing can be
the cause of itself so there must be an
uncaused first cause called God (Summa
Theologiae)
1.7: Issues raised by the
existence of suffering and God as Cursed is the ground because of you;
all-loving through painful toil you will eat food from it
all the days of your life (Genesis 3)
The Catechism says that no one can escape
the experience of suffering or the evils in
nature (CCC 385)
‘Illness and suffering have always been
among the gravest problems confronted in
human life. In illness, man experiences his
powerlessness, his limitations’ (CCC 1500)
1.8: The solutions offered to the
problem of suffering and a loving Psalm 119 teaches that God in his goodness
and righteous God within will relieve the suffering of people who call
Catholicism upon him
Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and
naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the
Lord has taken away; may the name of the
Lord be praised.” In all this, Job did not sin
by charging God with wrongdoing. (Job 1)
The Catechism teaches that as a result of
original sin, human nature is subject to
suffering and the domination of death but
God offers salvation in Jesus (CCC 418-420)
Section 2: Religious Teachings on Relationships and Families in the 21 st Century
Content bullet Source of wisdom and authority
2.1: The importance and purpose Not Just Good, But Beautiful by Pope Francis
of marriage for Catholics
2.2: Catholic teaching about the Catechism of the Catholic Church 2360–2365
importance of sexual relationships
2.3: Catholic teaching about the Familiaris Consortio, 36–85
purpose and importance of the
family
2.4: Support for the family in the Catechism of the Catholic Church 2226
local Catholic
2.5: Catholic teaching on family Humanae Vitae
planning and the regulation of
births
2.6: Catholic teaching about Catechism of the Catholic Church 2382–2386
divorce, annulment and
remarriage
2.7: Catholic teaching about the Catechism of the Catholic Church 2207
equality of men and women in the
family
2.8: Catholic teachings about Catechism of the Catholic Church 1938
gender prejudice and
discrimination
