Study of a World Faith: Beliefs, Teachings and Practices

How to study a world faith

For this part of the course you study one world faith in depth. Whichever faith your school has chosen, the way you organise and revise it is the same, and that method is what this module teaches. Every study of a faith breaks into three connected parts: - Beliefs: what the followers of the faith hold to be true.\n- Teachings and sources: where those beliefs come from, such as a sacred text.\n- Practices: what believers actually do, from worship to festivals.\n\nThe skill is to link these together, to see how practices grow out of beliefs, and to write about it all accurately and with respect. This module works through that, using examples drawn fairly across several traditions rather than judging any one.

Words for studying a faith

Five terms you need before you use them. Learn what each one means.

Match each part of a faith to what it means

Beliefs against practices

Every faith study rests on the difference between what people hold to be true and what they do about it. Keep the two apart and your answers gain shape.

Which is a belief, not a practice?

When studying a faith, which of these would you record as a belief rather than a practice?

• The conviction that there is a single God
• Attending a weekly act of communal worship
• Fasting during a set period each year
• Travelling on a pilgrimage to a holy place

Tap the two examples of religious practice

Tap the TWO statements that describe a practice rather than a belief.

• Praying at set times through the day
• Sharing a special meal at a yearly festival
• Holding that life continues in some form after death
• Accepting that a particular text is sacred

Writing about a faith fairly

How you write about a faith matters as much as what you know. The exam, and simple respect, reward a careful, even hand. Present beliefs as held by followers, using phrases such as many believers hold that, rather than writing as though a religious claim were a proven fact or a mistake. Represent the faith as its own followers would recognise, and get names and terms right. Remember too that a faith is not one single voice. Followers of the same tradition often differ, and noting that fairly is a mark of a strong answer. Never mock a practice and never rule a belief right or wrong; describe, explain, and respect.

Pick the true facts about studying a faith

Select the TWO statements that are true.

• A practice often expresses an underlying belief
• Followers of the same faith can differ in what they believe or do
• A study of a faith should state its beliefs as proven facts
• Every follower of a faith believes exactly the same things

Order how to revise a world faith

Put the steps of organising your revision of a world faith in a sensible order.

• List the core beliefs the faith holds
• Note the sources those beliefs come from
• Set out the main practices and worship
• Link each practice to the belief behind it
• Note where followers within the faith differ

One idea, lived in many ways

Take a single idea common to many traditions, that people should show compassion, and see how differently it can be lived out. The shared idea: a great many traditions hold that people ought to care for those in need. Lived through giving: in some faiths this shows in a duty to give a set share of wealth to those who are poor. Lived through service: in others it shows in voluntary service, such as feeding visitors or strangers without charge. Lived through gentleness: in yet others it reaches out to kindness towards every living thing. One idea, and many honest ways of living it. When you study a faith, always ask not only what its followers hold, but how that shapes the things they do.

Complete the study-of-a-faith facts

Something the followers of a faith hold to be true is a _____. Something believers actually do, such as worship, is a _____. A written text a faith treats as carrying weight is a source of _____. A special day marking a key event in a faith is a _____.

Build a study-of-a-faith point

Choose the words that complete this statement about a strong answer.

The study-of-a-faith run

Five questions on how to study a world faith. Three lives.

Study the faith fairly

Read each writing decision and choose the fairest, most accurate approach, then think about why.

• You are asked to describe a practice of the faith you have studied. What is the best way to write it?
• Your notes show that not all followers of the faith agree on a particular point. What should your answer do?
• You want to support a point with a teaching from the faith. What is the respectful and accurate approach?

Explain how to study a world faith

A student in the year below does not know how to organise their study of a world faith. Explain how using what this module has covered.

• Explain the difference between a belief and a practice
• Explain what a source of authority is and give an example type
• Explain how a practice can express an underlying belief
• Explain why followers of one faith may differ from one another
• Finish by explaining how to write about a faith accurately and respectfully