If you have an open and inquiring mind, then Religious Studies could suit you at A-Level. Religious Studies includes the study of philosophy, ethics and religion to give you a wide-ranging study of the nature of human experience. In this course, you will be introduced to the views of philosophers who have caused landslides in the way we view the world. In part, the course asks you to consider whether we can prove that God exists or whether the existence of evil succeeds in undermining such arguments. You will also study ethics. This entails studying the reasons why we choose to act as we do. You will examine major ethical theories as well as consider various responses to modern ethical issues such as abortion, euthanasia and animal experimentation. This course will also appeal to those students who wish to engage in an in-depth study of religion, learning more about key religious beliefs and concepts, and how religion has developed in response to the modern challenges of secularisation and feminism. An A-level in Religious Studies will broaden your horizons and help in the development of your independent, critical thinking. You will be encouraged to adopt an enquiring and reflective approach to your studies and will have an opportunity to develop your values, opinions and attitudes in the light of the topics we study. Component 1: A Study of Buddhism • Religious figures and sacred texts – including the life of the historical Buddha, key Buddhist scriptures and contemporary Buddhist teachers. • Religious concepts and religious life – including the Three Marks of Existence, karma, rebirth, the Four Noble Truths and the Eightfold Path. • Social and historical developments in Buddhism – including the development of key Buddhist traditions, and the response of Buddhism to the challenges of science and secularisation, and the relationship between religion and society. • Religious Practices that shape religious identity – including different forms of meditation, Tibetan Buddhist traditions, the Mindfulness Movement and Socially Engaged Buddhism. Component 2: Philosophy of Religion • Inductive and deductive arguments for the existence of God – including the classical cosmological argument presented by Aquinas; the teleological argument presented by Paley and F.R.Tennant; the ontological argument presented by St Anselm and developments by Descartes and Norman Malcolm. • Challenges to religious belief – including the problem of evil as presented by Epicurus and religious responses from Augustine and Irenaeus, and the challenges from psychology (Freud and Jung) and atheism. • Religious experience – including types of religious experience such as visions, conversions, mysticism, prayer and miracles. • Religious language – including a range of understandings of religious language as meaningless, analogical, symbolic or mythical. Component 3: Religion and Ethics • Ethical thought – including a study of Divine Command Theory, Virtue Theory, Ethical Egoism, Naturalism, Intuitionism and Emotivism. • Deontological ethics – including Aquinas’ Natural Law, John Finnis’ Natural Law, Bernard Hoose’s Proportionalism, abortion, voluntary euthanasia, immigration and capital punishment. • Teleological ethics - including Fletcher’s Situation Ethics, Bentham and Mill’s Utilitarianism, sexual relationships, animal experimentation and the use of nuclear weapons. • Determinism and free will – including the study of predestination, determinism, free will and libertarianism.