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Teacher Resource Bank
GCE Religious Studies
Explanation of Terms
Unit 1C: Philosophy of Religion
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Teacher Resource Bank / GCE Religious Studies / Explanation of Terms Unit 1C: Philosophy of Religion / Version 1.0
EXPLANATION OF TERMS
GCE Religious Studies Unit 1C: Philosophy of Religion
Term
Definition
agnosticism
A suspension of accepting or rejecting belief in God until there is
sufficient data to reach a conclusion. Modern usage also has the
meaning of regarding God’s existence and his non-existence as
equally probable.
atheism
c Positive (strong) atheism – a position that asserts that there is no
God; the explicit denial of all spiritual powers and supernatural
beings.
d Negative (weak) atheism – a position that asserts the lack of belief
in any God or gods, without a positive denial of the existence of
any god or gods.
anima
In Jungian psychology it refers to the feminine principle as present in
the male unconscious; the inner personality.
animus
In Jungian psychology it refers to the masculine principle as present
in the female unconscious.
Aquinas, Thomas
A key thinker and spiritual leader of Christianity. He was a
philosopher and theologian who adapted the philosophy of Aristotle to
Christian theology. He remains famous for his writings, especially his
Summa Theologiae, which contained a summary of five ways to
prove the existence of God (1225-1274).
collective
unconscious
In Jungian psychology it refers to that part of a person's unconscious
which is common to all human beings.
conversion
A process of religious change that alters one’s view of the world. It
can be a conversion from no religion to a faith; from one faith to
another faith, or from faith (believing) to faith (trusting).
cultural constructs
The idea that the characteristics people attribute to such social
categories as gender, religion and status of women are culturally
defined.
death of God
The phrase that referred to the view that the idea of a personal God
was outdated and irrelevant in a modern, technologically and
scientifically advanced society.
empiricism
The philosophical theory that all knowledge is derived from
experience. Experience always means sensory experience, i.e.
experience that depends on one or more of the five senses.
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Teacher Resource Bank / GCE Religious Studies / Explanation of Terms Unit 1C: Philosophy of Religion / Version 1.0
Term
Definition
evil
That which is contrary to God’s will; cause of suffering. Evil is often
divided into natural and moral evil although the distinction may be
blurred in cases where intentional human actions (e.g. knowingly
building on a fault line) exacerbate the effects of natural disaster
(earthquake):
• Natural evil – causes of suffering within the natural world including
disaster, disease, decay and death.
• Moral evil – intentional human action (commission) or inaction
(omission) that results in suffering, e.g. murder or arguably, failure
to have children vaccinated.
‘existence of God’
arguments
A number of classic arguments that attempt to prove the existence of
God.
faith
① A belief in something or somebody.
② Attitude of trust (faith in God).
③ Assent to unproved assertion (belief that).
④ A religion.
fallacy of
composition
The error that concludes that since the parts have a certain property,
the whole likewise has that property.
finite
Bounded in some way, e.g. space, time or magnitude.
first mover
That which is moved by no other, but is the initiator of all subsequent
motion.
‘God within’
The approach that internalises the idea of God and so rejects the
idea of an external objective God.
infinite
Unbounded in some way (e.g. space, time or magnitude).
infinite regress
An explanation that itself requires a further explanation, resulting in
seeking of explanation that is endless.
intellectual faith
A faith that is based on intellectual argument and reasoning.
living religion
A belief or faith that is lived out in everyday life.
mental health
The psychological state of someone who is adjusted both socially
and behaviourally.
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Teacher Resource Bank / GCE Religious Studies / Explanation of Terms Unit 1C: Philosophy of Religion / Version 1.0
Term
Definition
moral absolutes
Unchanging ethical truths.
mystical experience
A direct and intimate experience of God.
necessary being
A being that cannot not be.
neurosis
A psychological disorder. In Freudian psychology – an imbalance of
the forces of the id, ego, and superego.
Oedipus complex
In Freudian psychology – the sexual attraction of a boy to his mother
and simultaneous fear of his father.
Persinger’s Helmet
A helmet designed by Dr Michael Persinger, to stimulate the temporal
lobes with weak electromagnetic fields through the skull.
‘pick and mix’
The content of a religion a person chooses to follow which can be
formed by selecting and mixing any parts of any present day
religions.
philosophy
Academic subject devoted to the study of the pursuit of wisdom,
knowledge and truth.
philosophy of
religion
The study of the philosophical principles of the subject of Religious
Studies. This branch of philosophy examines the general
philosophical problems about religion and God.
postmodernism
A worldview that emphasises the existence of different worldviews
and concepts of reality, rather than one “correct or true” one.
psychology
The scientific study of the mind, mental processes, consciousness
and behaviour.
religious experience
c An experience of something spiritual.
d An experience in which the presence of the numinous is felt.
e Any experience that is given a religious interpretation.
‘religious
supermarket’
The choice available between different religions.
repression
In Freudian psychology – unwanted or taboo thoughts, desires, fears,
anxieties that get banished into the unconscious.
science
A branch of knowledge or study that is characterised by obtaining its
evidence through provable and repeatable experimentation and
observation.
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Teacher Resource Bank / GCE Religious Studies / Explanation of Terms Unit 1C: Philosophy of Religion / Version 1.0
Term
Definition
Self, the
In Jungian psychology – the unified consciousness and
unconsciousness of a person.
spiritual
Affecting the spirit or soul.
temporal lobe
epilepsy
A form of epilepsy which often has a sensory sensation before the
seizure.
theory of archetypes
In Jungian psychology an archetype is a universal unconscious idea,
pattern of thought, etc., inherited from our ancestors.
the shadow
In Jungian psychology it is part of the unconscious mind.
Visions
Something seen other than by ordinary sight, i.e. supernatural or
prophetic sight experienced usually in sleep or ecstasy – especially
one that conveys a revelation.
wish fulfilment
The secret hope of our greatest longings, satisfied.
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