Subject specific vocabulary - Key Component 2 faith terms for GCSE Religious Studies Spec B (8063)

Oct 20, 2026

Provides definitions for subject-specific vocabulary used in Component 2 of the GCSE Religious Studies Spec B (8063) specification, organized into Themes A, B, and C. Theme A covers faith terms related to religion, relationships, and families, including adultery, contraception, annulment, cohabitation, divorce, equality, marriage, prejudice, procreation, same-sex relationships, sanctity, and vows. Theme B focuses on peace and conflict, while Theme C addresses human rights and social justice, including key terms like forgiveness, justice, refugee, terrorism, pacifism, and human rights.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages9

Reading Time23 min

AccessFree to download

Theme A: Religion, relationships and families

Adultery

Artificial Contraception

Annulment

Cohabitation

Compassion

Discrimination

Divorce

Equality

Gender discrimination

Gender prejudice

Marriage

Prejudice

Procreation

Same-sex relationship

Sanctity

Vows

Theme B: Religion, peace and conflict

Bullying

Civilian casualties

Conflict

Conflict resolution

Forgiveness

Holy war

Human dignity

Injustice

Just war theory

Justice

Martyrdom

Nonviolent resistance

Nuclear deterrence

Nuclear weapons/war

Pacifism

Peace making

Radicalisation

Reconciliation

Refugee

Righteous anger

Terrorism

Torture

Violent protest

War

Weapons of mass destruction

Theme C: Religion, human rights and social justice

Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD)

Christian Aid

Dignity of all people/human dignity

Duty

Equality

Exploitation

Freedom of religion

Greed

Human rights

Subject specific vocabulary The following subject specific vocabulary provides definitions of key Component 2: Perspectives on faith terms used in our GCSE Religious Studies Spec B (8063) specification. Your learners should be familiar with, and gain understanding from, all these terms. Theme A: Religion, relationships and families Adultery A married person having a sexual relationship with someone other than their spouse. Artificial Contraception Precautions taken to prevent pregnancy and to protect against contracting or transmitting STIs (sexually transmitted infections), e.g. condoms, contraceptive pill etc. Annulment The declaration by the Catholic Church that there was no valid marriage in the first place, so it becomes null and void. Cohabitation A couple living together without being married/in civil partnership. Compassion Sympathy and concern for the suffering of others. Discrimination Actions that come from prejudice attitudes. Divorce The legal ending of a marriage. Equality Belief that everyone is equal in value and worth. Gender discrimination Acting on prejudices against someone because of their gender. Gender prejudice Negative thoughts, feelings or beliefs about a person or group based on their sex or gender identity. Commonly associated with beliefs about the differing status of men and women. Marriage The sacrament in which a couple pledge their love to each other for life by making vows. Prejudice Negative thoughts, feelings or beliefs about a person (prejudging them) based on a characteristic they have, e.g. their sexuality or ethnicity. Procreation Having a child; seen as a duty in many religions. Same-sex relationship Being in a physical/sexual relationship with someone of the same sex, commonly referred to as lesbian or gay relationships. Sanctity The belief that something is blessed by God and is holy/sacred. Vows Promises made during a marriage ceremony. Theme B: Religion, peace and conflict Bullying Seeking to repeatedly harm or intimidate someone using actions, words, threats etc. Civilian casualties People who are not part of fighting in a war (i.e. not part of the armed forces) who are killed during the conflict. Conflict Dispute between sides; can be between individuals, groups or nations. Conflict resolution Two or more parties working to find peaceful solutions to their conflicts. Forgiveness Letting go of blame against a person for wrongs they have done; moving on. Holy war Fighting for a religious cause or God, to defend the religion and belief. Believed to be sanctioned by God. Human dignity Being worthy of respect and honour; belief that all human beings deserve to be treated with dignity because they are part of God’s creation in his image. Injustice A lack of fairness or justice. Just war theory The Christian set of conditions that a war needs to meet before it can be justified. Justice Bringing fairness back to a situation. Martyrdom A person who is killed for their religious beliefs (martyr) and accepts death rather than renouncing their faith. Nonviolent resistance Working to achieve social change/public goals such as the end of conflict without using violence, e.g. protests. Nuclear deterrence Having nuclear weapons with the aim of deterring/preventing other states attacking for fear of retaliation and nuclear war (possibly leading to mutually assured destruction) . Nuclear weapons/war A weapon of mass destruction which causes widespread damage and loss of life. Nuclear war would be a war fought using these weapons. Pacifism The belief of people who refuse to take part in war and any other form of violence. Peace making Trying to get rid of the causes of tension that lead to conflict; working to bring about peace and reconciliation. Radicalisation Adopting extreme views on religious, social or political issues. Reconciliation Restoring harmony

FAQs

What is the purpose of the document’s subject-specific vocabulary list?

It provides definitions of key Component 2 faith terms used in GCSE Religious Studies Spec B (8063), helping learners understand the vocabulary across the themes.

Which topics are covered under Theme A?

Theme A focuses on religion, relationships, and families, defining terms such as adultery, contraception, annulment, cohabitation, divorce, marriage, prejudice, and vows.

Which themes cover peace, conflict, and human rights?

Theme B covers peace and conflict through terms like forgiveness, justice, just war theory, pacifism, and terrorism. Theme C covers religion, human rights, and social justice, including freedom of religion, human rights, and human dignity.

Oct 20, 2026

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