Cameroon GCE O-Level Religious Studies flashcards

33 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Number of Bible books

The Protestant canon contains 66 books: 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament, grouped into Law, History, Wisdom and Prophets, and Gospels, Acts, Epistles and Revelation.

Inspiration of Scripture

The doctrine that Scripture is God-breathed, written by human authors guided by the Holy Spirit, so that it is trustworthy and authoritative for faith and conduct.

General revelation

God's self-disclosure through nature, history and conscience, accessible to all people, as distinguished from special revelation given through Scripture and Jesus Christ.

Canon of Scripture

The authoritative list of books accepted as Scripture, determined by criteria such as apostolic origin, widespread church use and consistency with the rule of faith.

Imago Dei

Latin for 'image of God'. It teaches that every human being bears God's likeness, giving inherent dignity, moral responsibility and capacity for relationship with God.

Creation ex nihilo

The doctrine that God created the universe out of nothing, without pre-existing material, and remains distinct from creation while sustaining it.

Dominion and stewardship

The mandate in Genesis 1:28 for humans to rule creation, understood as responsible care and management of God-given resources rather than exploitation or destruction.

The Fall

The disobedience of Adam and Eve in eating the forbidden fruit, resulting in shame, expulsion from Eden, and the entry of sin and death into human experience.

Original sin

The inherited condition of alienation from God and tendency to sin that affects all humanity, contrasted by Paul in Romans 5 with salvation through Christ.

Protoevangelium

Genesis 3:15, where God says the woman's offspring will crush the serpent's head; Christians read it as the first promise of a redeemer.

Abrahamic covenant

God's promise to Abraham of land, numerous descendants and blessing for all nations, sealed by circumcision and recalled in Genesis 12, 15 and 17.

The Exodus

God's deliverance of Israel from slavery in Egypt through Moses, marked by the ten plagues and Passover, followed by the covenant at Sinai.

Davidic dynasty

God's promise to King David of an enduring throne and a descendant, a hope later applied to the Messiah in Jewish and Christian expectation.

The Beatitudes

Opening blessings of the Sermon on the Mount, pronouncing God's favour on the poor in spirit, mourners, meek, merciful, pure in heart and peacemakers.

Parable of the Good Samaritan

Jesus' story of a wounded traveller helped by a despised Samaritan, teaching that a neighbour is anyone in need and that love must cross social boundaries.

Resurrection of Jesus

The bodily rising of Jesus on the first day of the week after crucifixion, witnessed by women, disciples and Paul; the foundation of Christian hope.

Pentecost

The day the Holy Spirit descended on the disciples with wind and fire, enabling them to speak in other languages and marking the birth of the Church.

Fruit of the Spirit

Nine qualities listed in Galatians 5:22-23: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control, evidence of the Spirit's work.

Gifts of the Spirit

Charismatic abilities given for the Church's upbuilding, listed in 1 Corinthians 12: wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment, tongues and interpretation.

Marks of the Church

The four classical characteristics in the Nicene Creed: one, holy, catholic (universal) and apostolic, describing the Church's unity, purity, scope and continuity.

The Golden Rule

Jesus' teaching in Matthew 7:12 to treat others as you wish to be treated, described as the summary of the Law and the Prophets.

Greatest commandment

Love God with all your heart, soul and mind, and love your neighbour as yourself; Jesus names these as the foundation of all the Law and Prophets.

Sabbath commandment

The fourth commandment, requiring rest on the seventh day in remembrance of creation and deliverance, and honouring God through sacred time.

Servant leadership

A model drawn from Jesus, who washed his disciples' feet and taught that greatness comes through serving others rather than exercising domination over them.

Christian stewardship

The responsible management of God-given resources such as time, talents, money and land, exercised with accountability, generosity and care for creation.

Christian citizenship

The duty to obey lawful authority, pay taxes, respect the law and work for the common good, while giving ultimate allegiance to God.

African Supreme Being

Many African traditions believe in one creator God known by names such as Nyame, Nsi or Chukwu, often worshipped through divinities, ancestors and sacred specialists.

African diviner

A sacred specialist who diagnoses misfortune and reveals hidden causes through divination, often advising sacrifice, ritual or traditional medicine as remedy.

Ancestors in African religion

The 'living dead', honoured as guardians of family and morality who are remembered through libation, naming and burial rites, and believed to mediate blessings.

Five Pillars of Islam

Core Muslim duties: shahada (creed), salat (prayer), zakat (almsgiving), sawm (fasting in Ramadan) and hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca).

Religious tolerance

Respect for the right of others to hold and practise different beliefs, expressed through dialogue, freedom of worship and rejection of coercion or violence.

Biblical justice

Fairness and right relationship grounded in God's character, requiring honest courts, just wages and care for the poor, orphans, widows and strangers.

Christian response to HIV/AIDS

Compassionate care for the sick, rejection of stigma, education on prevention and support for affected families, grounded in the dignity of every person.