The Nature of Belief: Religious and Non-Religious

How belief is studied

People across the world hold very different views about religion, and Religious Studies does not decide who is right. Instead it describes those views ACCURATELY and RESPECTFULLY, and studies WHY people hold them. ⭐⭐ Precise words are the tools of the subject. A THEIST is someone who believes in a god or gods. A MONOTHEIST believes in one god; a POLYTHEIST believes in many. These describe a position; they do not judge it. ⭐ Non-religious views are studied with the same care and given equal weight. An ATHEIST is someone who does not believe in any god. A HUMANIST looks to human reason, experience and shared values to live a good life without religion. An AGNOSTIC holds that it cannot be known whether a god exists. ⭐⭐ The subject asks WHY people hold these views: reasons such as upbringing, personal experience, reason, tradition or a search for meaning and purpose. Understanding a view, and giving reasons on more than one side, is the skill, not agreeing with it. This module is the vocabulary of belief and why people believe. The detailed teachings of particular religions have their own module. ⚠️ Carry one question the whole way through: which position is being described, and can I state it fairly without saying it is right or wrong?

The words for belief

A neutral map of positions people hold. Each is described, none is judged.

Tap the two neutral descriptions

Tap the TWO statements that DESCRIBE a belief position fairly, as Religious Studies should, rather than judging it.

• A theist is someone who believes in a god or gods.
• Humanists look to reason and shared values to live a good life.
• People who believe in a god are simply mistaken.
• Anyone without a religion cannot live a good life.

Naming a position fairly

Someone says: I do not think anyone can really know whether a god exists, so I neither claim there is one nor deny it. Which word best describes this position?

• Agnostic, because they hold that it cannot be known whether a god exists
• Atheist, because they have no religion
• Theist, because they mention a god
• Monotheist, because there is one god in the sentence

The vocabulary of belief

Six terms this topic turns on, each describing a position without judging it.

Pair each word with what it describes

Two true things about studying belief

Select the TWO statements that are true of Religious Studies.

• People hold their beliefs for reasons such as upbringing, experience, reason or tradition
• Non-religious worldviews are studied with the same care as religious ones
• The subject decides which religion is the true one
• Atheist and agnostic mean exactly the same thing

Writing about belief for top marks

The strongest answers use precise words, attribute every view, and give reasons on more than one side. ⭐⭐ ATTRIBUTE, DO NOT ASSERT. Write a theist believes, or humanists hold, rather than stating a belief as a plain fact. Attributing a view shows you are describing it, which is exactly what the subject rewards. ⭐ USE THE PRECISE WORD. Do not muddle atheist (does not believe in a god) with agnostic (holds it cannot be known), or theist with monotheist. The exact term earns the mark and shows real understanding. ⭐⭐ GIVE REASONS ON MORE THAN ONE SIDE. In an evaluation, set out why some people hold one view and why others hold a different one, then weigh them and reach a justified conclusion. A one-sided answer scores less than a balanced one. DO NOT DRIFT INTO ONE RELIGION IN DETAIL. The detailed teachings of particular religions have their own module; here, keep the focus on the categories of belief and why people hold them. ⚠️ A note on respect. Treat every view, religious and non-religious, fairly; do not present your own opinion as fact, and do not invent figures for how many people hold a belief. Keep the one question to hand: which position is being described, and can I state it fairly without saying it is right or wrong?

Order a balanced evaluation

Put the steps of a fair, balanced Religious Studies evaluation answer into a sensible order.

• State clearly what the question is asking
• Give one view, attributed, with a reason for it
• Give a different view, attributed, with its reason
• Weigh the strengths of each view
• Reach a justified conclusion referring to the reasons

Build a fair belief statement

Assemble one sentence that describes a view in the fair, attributed way the subject expects.

The nature-of-belief run

Five quick decisions about the vocabulary of belief. Three lives.

A field guide to the birds

Leave belief aside for a moment. Think about how a good nature field guide helps a group of birdwatchers who all saw the same garden. ⭐ The guide gives every bird a precise name, and a clear description of what it looks like. Because of that, when one watcher saw a small brown bird with a red front, they can say exactly which one it was, and the others know precisely what they mean. The name is a tool for describing accurately. ⭐⭐ Notice what the guide does NOT do. It does not say the robin is a better bird than the wren, or that the crow is wrong to be black. It simply names each one carefully and fairly, so that people can talk about them clearly without any of them being ranked or judged. That is the whole value of precise, neutral naming: it lets very different watchers describe exactly what is there, agree on what they are talking about, and compare notes, all without anyone deciding which bird is the right one to be. ⚠️ Hold that picture. Studying belief works the same way: precise words let us describe very different views accurately and fairly, so we can discuss them clearly, without ruling on which is right.

Finish each belief line

Someone who believes in a god or gods is a _____. Someone who believes in exactly one god is a _____. Someone who does not believe in any god is an _____. Someone who holds that it cannot be known whether a god exists is an _____. Someone who lives by reason and shared values without religion is a _____.

Three belief situations

Three situations are described. For each, choose the response that matches how Religious Studies works.

• In a class discussion, a student states as a plain fact that their own religious view is the only correct one.
• An answer describes only the religious view of a question and ignores the non-religious one entirely.
• A learner writes that an atheist is someone who is not sure whether a god exists.

Explain the nature of belief

Explain how Religious Studies approaches belief: define at least three positions (such as theist, atheist and agnostic), explain some reasons people hold religious and non-religious views, and explain why the subject describes views fairly rather than ruling on which is true. Attribute every view and invent no figures.

• Define at least three positions, such as theist, atheist and agnostic
• Explain that religious and non-religious views are studied with equal care
• Give some reasons people hold their beliefs
• Explain why views should be attributed, not asserted
• Explain why the subject does not rule on which belief is true