Religious Studies

Course summary

This course is like nothing you have ever studied before. It is nothing like your GCSE in Religious Studies. In this course we are concerned with looking at why and how the universe came into existence. We investigate the concept of good and evil and why bad things might happen. Do you ever find yourself wondering about things that are right or wrong? Do we all go through the same processes to come to these decisions? Are there any set rules for this or do we make them up as we go along? We all make decisions everyday of our lives. They can be simple or they can be highly complex and have a massive impact. Faced with the same situation twice we may make completely different and opposite decisions yet they might be correct on each occasion. We have to make moral choices about all kinds of things. This course will help you to do this. Paper 1: Philosophy of Religion • Philosophical Language and Thought (Ancient philosophical influences, Soul, mind and body) • The Existence of God (Teleological, Cosmological and Ontological Arguments) • God and the world (Religious Experience, Problem of Evil) • Theological and Philosophical Developments (The nature of God, Religious Language) • Religious language Paper 2: Developments in Ethical Thought • Normative Ethical Theories: Religious Approaches (Natural Law, Situation Ethics) • Normative Ethical Theories: Kantian Ethics, Utilitarianism • Applied Ethics: Euthanasia, Business Ethics • Ethical Language: Metaethics • Significant Ideas: Conscience • Developments in Ethical Thought: Sexual Ethics Paper 3: Developments in Religious Thought (Christianity) • Augustine’s Teaching on Human Nature • Death and the afterlife • Knowledge of God’s existence • The person of Jesus Christ • Living: Christian moral principals, Christian moral action • Developments: Religious pluralism and theology • Gender and society • Gender and theology • Challenges of Secularism • Liberation Theology and Marx