Key Words
Topic 6 Religion in Human Relationships
General:
Artificial Contraception - Any method of contraception that uses a barrier like a condom or a chemical like the pill to prevent a sperm fertilising an ovum
Birth Control - Contraception
Contraception - Anything that prevents a sperm fertilising an ovum
Natural Contraception - Preventing a sperm fertilising an ovum without using a barrier or a chemical e.g. only having sex when a woman is unlikely to conceive
Sterilisation - An operation which prevents a woman becoming pregnant
Vasectomy - An operation that prevents a man making a woman pregnant
Christianity:
Anglican - Belonging to the Church of England
Annulled - It is agreed by the Roman Catholic Church that the marriage bond never really existed
The Bible - The Christian Holy Book
Church of England - A Protestant Church that is the main Church in England
Denomination - A branch of the Christian Church
Methodist Church - A Protestant Church founded in England by John Wesley (1703-1791)
Monogamy - A faithful partnership between one man and one woman
Protestant - A collective name for Christian denominations apart from the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches
Roman Catholic Church - A denomination of the Christian Church
Sacrament - A sign of something holy that is done by God and cannot be undone
Islam:
Allah - God
Hadith - A saying of Muhammad
'Iddah - A three month period of waiting once a divorce has been announced
Imam - A Muslim leader
Khul - A divorce obtained by a woman with her husband's consent
Mahr - A dowry (money given to the bride by the groom)
Qur'an - The Muslim holy book
Shari'ah - Muslim law which is based on the Qur'an and the example of Muhammad
Surah - A chapter of the Qur'an
Christianity:
Ascension - Going back up into heaven
The Bible - The Christian Holy Book
Conservative (or traditional) interpretation - The belief that the Bible is the reliable word of God although it contains different types of literature
Gospels - The first four books of the New Testament which contain the life, teaching, death and resurrection of Jesus
Kingdom of God or Kingdom of Heaven - Life when God reigns
Liberal interpretation - The belief that the Bible contains different types of literature and must be understood in the light of current scientific or historical knowledge
Literal Interpretation - The belief that the Bible is the exact word of God and cannot contain mistakes
Miracle - An event that changes the rules of nature so that people can have a glimpse of God's nature
Monotheists - People who believe in one God
Myth - A story that gives an important true message without necessarily describing real events
New Testament - The second part of the Bible which tells the story of Jesus
Old Testament - The first part of the Bible which is also the Jewish Scriptures
Omnipotent - All-powerful
Omniscient - All-knowing
Pilgrimage - A journey to a holy place
The Resurrection - Jesus rising from the dead
The Trinity - The belief that God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit
Vision - A religious experience in which a Christian sees a person or a sign from God
Hinduism:
Ahimsa - Harmlessness, non-violence
Amrit - The gods' holy drink that stops them from dying
Atman - The eternal spirit, or part of Brahman, that is inside every person
Avatar - an appearance of a god in the form of a person or animal
Bhagavad Gita - A popular sacred writing that is well known for its teaching about dharma
Brahma - the creator god often shown with four heads
Brahman - The one God who is the Supreme Reality
Brahmins - The priestly class
The Buddha - Siddharta Gautama, the ninth Avatar of Vishnu
Consort - A wife or girl friend of a god
Deities - gods and goddesses
Dharma - moral duty
Epic - A long story
Ganesha - The god of good fortune, the remover of obstacles, god of young people and education who is shown with an elephant's head
Gopis - Young women who looked after cows and goats
Gurus - religious teachers
Hanuman - The monkey god
Kalki - The tenth Avatar of Vishnu who has yet to come
Krishna - A popular god who is an Avatar of Vishnu
Kshatriyas - The warrior class
Lakshmana - Rama's brother
Lakshmi - the goddess of beauty and prosperity
Mahabharata - An epic that contains the Bhagavad Gita
Mythology - Stories about the gods
Radha - Krishna's consort
Rama - A popular god, an Avatar of Vishnu, the hero of the Ramayana
Ramayana - An epic tale telling of the triumph of good over evil
Ravanna - A demon who kidnaps Sita
Rishis - Wise people
Sanskrit - The Holy language
Shiva - The god of destruction and fertility
Sita - The wife of Rama
Smriti - "That which is remembered", less important sacred writings that are not connected with the Vedas
Sruti - "That which is heard", The Vedas and other sacred writings that interpret them
Supreme Reality - The one God Brahman who is behind and within and contains everything that exists
The trimurti - The three main parts of Brahman, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva
The Upanishads - "Sitting at the feet of the teacher", sacred writings that give interpretations of the Vedas
The Vedas - The oldest and most important sacred writings
Vishnu - The god who preserves the universe and comes to earth at times of trouble
Topic 7 Religion and Medical Ethics
General:
Abortion - When a foetus leaves the womb and dies before it is ready to be born
Active Euthanasia - Helping a terminally ill person to die by giving them an injection of strong drugs
Donor - Someone who gives their ovum or sperm to help another person become pregnant
Embryo - A developing baby
Euthanasia - Helping a terminally ill person to die quicker than they would have done naturally
Foetus - A developed baby in the womb
Hospice - A nursing home that cares for terminally ill people
IVF (In Vitro Fertilisation) - Bringing a sperm and ovum together in a laboratory
Involuntary euthanasia - Giving a terminally ill person help to die when they have not asked for it
Medical Ethics - Issues of right and wrong that arise in the context of health care
Miscarriage - When a foetus naturally leaves the womb and dies before it is ready to be born
Palliative care - Care given to make a dying person as comfortable as possible
Passive Euthanasia - Helping a terminally ill person to die by not giving treatment to prolong life
Procured abortion - A procedure which makes a foetus leave the womb and die before it is ready to be born
Suicide - When someone deliberately ends his or her own life
Viable - Being able to survive outside the womb
Voluntary euthanasia - Giving a terminally ill person help to die after they have asked for it
Christianity:
Agape - Unconditional love
The Bible - The Christian Holy Book
Double effect - Giving treatment to a patient with the intention of making them more comfortable even though the treatment will hasten their death
Ensoulment - The moment when a foetus receives its soul
Infanticide - Killing young babies because they are not wanted
Roman Catholic Church - A denomination of the Christian Church
Sacred - Holy, special to God
Sancity of life - human life is special to God
Islam:
Allah - God
Ensoulment - The moment when a foetus receives its soul
Hadith - A saying of Muhammad
Imam Al-Ghazzali - A Muslim leader who lived from 1085-1111 and distinguished between abortion and contraception
Iman - Faith
Infanticide - Killing young babies because they are not wanted
Khalifa - A deputy, viceregent or trustee
Lineage - Being descended from known biological parents
Qur'an - The Muslim holy book
Sacred - Holy, special to God
Shari'ah - Muslim law which is based on the Qur'an and the example of Muhammad
Surah - A chapter of the Qur'an
Zalim - Wrongdoing against Allah, other people or yourself
General:
Apartheid - The political system in South Africa that separated people on the grounds of ethnic origin
Prejudice - Being biased against someone
Racism - The belief that some people are better than others because of the colour of their skin or their ethnic origin
Segregation - Keeping black people and white people apart
Christianity:
The Bible - The Christian Holy Book
Convert - Someone who has become a Christian
Denomination - A branch of the Christian Church
Ecumenical Movement - Work done to bring different Christian denominations together
Evangelical - Sharing Christian beliefs with other people
Holy Communion - A service when Christians receive bread and wine
Trevor Huddleston - A white British priest who lived in South Africa and campaigned against apartheid
Martin Luther King - A black Christian leader who campaigned against segregation in America
Missionary - Someone who goes to another country to spread Christianity
Ordination - A ceremony to make someone a Deacon, Priest (Minister/Pastor) or Bishop
Parable - A story told by Jesus that has a special meaning
Pope - The head of the Roman Catholic Church
Priest - A Church leader who has been ordained and usually leads a local church
Protestant - A collective name for Christian denominations apart from the Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches
Roman Catholic Church - A denomination of the Christian Church
Sacrament of Reconciliation - Confessing sins to a priest and receiving God's forgiveness
Taize - An ecumenical centre in France
Desmond Tutu - A black South African Bishop who campaigned against apartheid
Islam:
Allah - God
Fitrah - The natural instinct to be a Muslim
Hadith - A saying of Muhammad
Muezzin - A man who calls people to prayer
Qur'an - The Muslim holy book
Revert - Someone who becomes a Muslim
Shari'ah - Muslim law which is based on the Qur'an and the example of Muhammad
Surah - A chapter of the Qur'an
General:
Big Bang - A massive explosion that made the universe
Cosmology - The study of the origins of the universe
Charles Darwin - A scientist who introduced the theory of evolution
Evolution - The theory that different species develop gradually and adapt to fit the environment
Extinction - When a species dies out
Natural Selection - The process where the strongest species survive and the weaker species die out
Christianity:
The Bible - The Christian Holy Book
Conservative (or traditional) interpretation - The belief that the Bible is the reliable word of God although it contains different types of literature
Creation - The belief that the universe was made by God
Creationism - The belief that God made the universe in six days exactly as described in Genesis
Genesis - The first book of the Bible
Liberal interpretation - The belief that the Bible contains different types of literature and must be understood in the light of current scientific or historical knowledge
Literal Interpretation - The belief that the Bible is the exact word of God and cannot contain mistakes
Myth - A story that gives an important true message without necessarily describing real events
Sacred - Holy, special to God
Soul - The part of a person that lives on after the body has died
Steward - A person who takes responsibility for the welfare of others
Hinduism:
Ahimsa - Harmlessness, non-violence
Myth - A story about the gods
Nasadiya Sukta - A hymn that talks about the origins of the world
Purusha Sukta - A hymn that says that the gods sacrificed a great "cosmic man" in order to make the world
Rebirth or reincarnation - Being born again into a new body
Vahana - A vehicle (animal) that a god or goddess rides on
Varnas - The social classes
Topic 4 Death and the Afterlife
Christianity:
The Apostles' Creed - A Christian statement of belief
Burial - Disposing of a dead body by putting it in the ground
Congregation - A group of people who worship God together
Cremation - Disposing of a dead body by burning it
Day of Judgement - The time when God will divide good people and wicked people
Denomination - A branch of the Christian Church
Eternal life - An eternity with God
Funeral - A service which takes place when someone dies
Heaven - Either a place of reward where good people go when they die or a poetic way of describing an eternity with God
Hell - Either a place of torment where wicked people go when they die or a poetic way of describing an eternity without God
Parable - A story told by Jesus that has a special meaning
Purgatory - In Roman Catholic teaching a state where souls go until they are free from sin
The Resurrection - Jesus rising from the dead
Roman Catholic Church - A denomination of the Christian Church
Sacred - Holy, special to God
Soul - The part of a person that lives on after the body has died
The Bible - The Christian Holy Book
Hinduism:
Atman - The eternal spirit, or part of Brahman, that is inside every person and is reborn after death
Burial - Disposing of a dead body by putting it in the ground
Cremation - Disposing of a dead body by burning it
Cremation Ground - A place where bodies are cremated
Crematorium - A place where bodies are cremated
Funeral pyre - A pile of scented wood on which a body is cremated
Funeral rites - ceremonies that are carried out when a person dies
Ganges - A river in India that is believed to be holy
Ghee - Melted and clarified butter
Law of karma - The belief that every action has consequences
Moksha - Release from the cycle of death and rebirth
Rebirth or reincarnation - Being born again into a new body
Samsara - The cycle of death and rebirth
Yama - The god of death