MSCE Religious and Moral Education flashcards

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

Trinity

Christian belief that one God exists in three co-equal, co-eternal persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - each fully God, yet not three gods.

Incarnation

The Christian doctrine that the eternal Son of God assumed full human nature in Jesus of Nazareth, who is therefore both truly divine and truly human.

Atonement

The doctrine explaining how Christ's life, death and resurrection reconcile humanity with God; theories include substitution, Christus Victor and moral exemplar.

Resurrection of Jesus

The belief that God raised Jesus bodily on the third day after crucifixion; 1 Corinthians 15 treats it as the foundation of Christian faith and hope.

Justification by faith

Protestant teaching, linked to Luther, that a person is made right with God through faith in Christ rather than through works of the law.

Believer's baptism

Baptism administered only to people who personally profess faith, usually by full immersion, practised by Baptists, Pentecostals and similar churches.

Transubstantiation

Catholic teaching that during the Eucharist the whole substance of bread and wine becomes the body and blood of Christ, while appearances remain unchanged.

Sacraments

Visible rites regarded as means of grace; Catholic and Orthodox churches count seven, while most Protestant churches recognise two: baptism and the Eucharist.

Liturgical year

The cycle of seasons ordering Christian worship: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, Easter, Pentecost and Ordinary Time, with Easter as its centre.

Pilgrimage

A journey to a sacred place undertaken for devotion, penance or thanksgiving; Christian examples include Jerusalem, Rome, Santiago de Compostela and Lourdes.

Just war theory

Moral framework developed by Augustine and Aquinas holding that war may be justified only with legitimate authority, just cause, right intention, proportionality, last resort and non-combatant immunity.

Situation ethics

Joseph Fletcher's approach judging each act by the love (agape) it shows in that particular situation, rejecting fixed absolute rules.

Natural law

Aquinas' theory that human reason can discern God-given purposes in human nature, grounding moral rules that apply universally and independently of consequences.

Liberation theology

A movement reading the gospel from the viewpoint of the poor, treating structural poverty as sin and calling for political and social transformation.

Pacifism

The conviction that war and violence are always wrong, grounded for Christians in Jesus' teaching on non-resistance; held by Quakers and Mennonites.

Tawhid

The Islamic belief in the absolute oneness and unity of Allah; its opposite, shirk, means associating partners with God and is the gravest sin.

Six articles of faith

Sunni summary of belief in Allah, his angels, his revealed books, his prophets, the Day of Judgement, and divine decree (qadar).

Qur'an

Islam's holy book of 114 surahs, believed to be the literal word of God revealed to Muhammad through the angel Jibril over about twenty-three years.

Qadar

Islamic teaching on divine decree: God knows and wills all that happens, while humans remain morally responsible for their choices.

Day of Judgement

Islamic belief in bodily resurrection, the weighing of deeds on the scales, crossing the bridge, and entry to paradise or hell.

Shahadah

The declaration that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his Messenger; sincere recitation before witnesses marks entry into Islam.

Salah

The five daily obligatory prayers at set times, performed facing Makkah after ritual ablution and consisting of prescribed cycles of bowing and prostration.

Zakah

The obligatory annual alms, normally 2.5% of qualifying wealth held for a year, distributed to eight categories of recipients named in the Qur'an.

Sawm

Fasting from food, drink and sexual relations between dawn and sunset throughout Ramadan, obligatory for healthy adults with exemptions and compensation rules.

Hajj

The pilgrimage to Makkah obligatory once for able Muslims, including ihram, tawaf, sa'i, standing at Arafat and stoning the jamarat.

Shari'ah

Islamic moral and legal framework derived from the Qur'an, Sunnah, consensus and analogy, guiding all aspects of a Muslim's life.

Riba

Interest or usury forbidden in Islamic finance; alternatives include profit-sharing partnerships and cost-plus sale arrangements.

Ummah

The worldwide community of Muslims bound by shared faith, transcending nationality and providing mutual support and identity.

Supreme Being

In African Traditional Religion, the one high God known by names such as Nyame, Olodumare or Mwari, often distant and approached through intermediaries.

Ancestors

The living-dead in African Traditional Religion: deceased relatives honoured through libation, naming and festivals, believed to guide and protect their descendants.

Divination

A sacred practice, such as Yoruba Ifa, used to discover the spiritual cause of misfortune and to prescribe remedies or sacrifices.

Utilitarianism

Consequentialist ethical theory holding that the right action is the one producing the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people affected.