Religious Studies

Course summary

There are three elements to Religious Studies. The first is a study of religion. At BHASVIC we choose to study Buddhism, partly because some feeder schools look at Buddhism at GCSE and also because it has been the most popular option when students have been asked each year. We will look at the foundations of Buddhist beliefs, history, different Buddhist groups and engagement with Buddhism in the wider world. This raises questions on identity, afterlife, our place in the world and how to live a good life. Secondly, we will look at philosophy of religion which looks at philosophical questions about God, the world, afterlife, evil and other areas. We will question the nature of God, whether God's existence can be proved and other philosophical questions about identity and existence. Finally, ethics looks at both religious and non-religious ways to work out what is moral and then applies these to different areas of life.