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This episode is sponsored by Reimagining Education https://reimaginingeducation.uk/

Over the summer, I recorded a series of episodes to support GCSE RE - specifically AQA Islam and Christianity.  Suppose you are a student of GCSE RE, or a teacher of GCSE RE who is new to teaching GCSE, or new to AQA, or you are a teacher from another subject teaching GCSE for the first time. In that case, I hope these episodes are beneficial to you in consolidating your learning, preparing for exams if you are a student, or helping you feel more confident if you are a teacher.

The first episode provides an overview of Paper 1 - Religious Beliefs and Practices, covering the exam structure, how to approach the various question types, and offering some top tips for the exam. Each subsequent episode will provide an overview of the main content and apply it to key exam questions. Last week I released one on The Nature of God, the oneness of God and the Trinity, different Christian beliefs about creation including the role of Word and Spirit (John 1:1-3 and Genesis 1:1-3) and last week was Jesus' incarnation crucifixion resurrection ascension

This episode focuses on one bullet points on the Christian beliefs spec;

• Beliefs and teachings about: 
  • sin, including original sin
  • the means of salvation, including law, grace and Spirit
  • the role of Christ in salvation including the idea of atonement

Sin

4-markers

Explain two ways in which belief in original sin influences Christians today.

Explain two ways in which belief in sin influences Christians today.

Belief in sin influences Christians to be more aware of their own actions and to not break God's laws.
This is because by committing sin, they are turning away from God and damaging the relationship that they have with Him.
Christians might pray to God to seek forgiveness.
This is because everyone has the ability to turn away from God, so they must repent and aim to become better people.

6-markers

Explain two Christian teachings about sin. Refer to sacred writings or another source of Christian belief and teaching in your answer.

Explain two Christian teachings about original sin. Refer to sacred writings or another source of Christian belief and teaching in your answer.

Many Christians believe that original sin was when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge.
This was the first act of disobedience against God.
In the Bible God said ‘you shall not eat the fruit of the tree that is in the garden, neither shall you touch it or you will die.
This shows that when God gave the instruction not to eat the fruit, that Adam and Eve disobeyed to cause original sin
Many Christians also believe that original sin is inherited by everyone from Adam and Eve, meaning people are born carrying sin with the ability to disobey God themselves.

Salvation

4-mark questions

Explain two ways in which belief in salvation through law influences Christians today.

Explain two ways in which belief in salvation through spirit influences Christians today.

Explain two ways in which belief in salvation through grace influences Christians today.

Explain two ways in which belief in salvation influences Christians today.

Belief in salvation influences Christians to give thanks to God.

This is because it's through God's all lovi

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Do your students get confused between these four events, or mention reincarnation?  Such a common misconception.  I hope this episode clarifies these key events in the life of Jesus, helps students understand the significance of them and apply them to 4 & 6 markers.

Over the summer, I recorded a series of episodes to support GCSE RE - specifically AQA Islam and Christianity.  Suppose you are a student of GCSE RE, or a teacher of GCSE RE who is new to teaching GCSE, or new to AQA, or you are a teacher from another subject teaching GCSE for the first time. In that case, I hope these episodes are beneficial to you in consolidating your learning, preparing for exams if you are a student, or helping you feel more confident if you are a teacher.

The first episode provides an overview of Paper 1 - Religious Beliefs and Practices, covering the exam structure, how to approach the various question types, and offering some top tips for the exam. Each subsequent episode will provide an overview of the main content and apply it to key exam questions. Last week I released one on Creation and the role of the word and the spirit in creation, including the two key quotes that must be learnt.

This episode focuses on two bullet points on the Christian beliefs spec;

Beliefs and teachings about:

• the incarnation and Jesus as the Son of God
• the crucifixion, resurrection and ascension

Explain two ways in which belief in the incarnation of Jesus influences Christians today.

So belief in the incarnation influences Christians to celebrate Christmas.

This event marks the birth of Jesus and is a chance for Christians to give thanks to God for sending Jesus to save them from their sins.

Christians will be encouraged to show forgiveness to others and this is because whilst on the cross, Jesus asked God to forgive those who put him there.

So Christians may wish to demonstrate forgiveness in their own lives.

Explain two Christian teachings about the crucifixion of Jesus. Refer to sacred writings or another source of Christian belief and teaching in your answer.

Many Christians believe that Jesus is crucifixion was the act of sacrifice which saved them from their sins.
Through Jesus' death, Christians can achieve salvation and go to heaven to be reunited with God.
Christians believe that the crucifixion is the ultimate act of love from God
This can be seen in the Bible when it says for God so loved the world he gave his only son.
This shows that God loves his creation unconditionally and wants to give them the chance to be saved.

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Welcome back to a new school year and a new season of the RE Podcast.  Over the summer, I recorded a series of episodes to support GCSE RE - specifically AQA Islam and Christianity.  Suppose you are a student of GCSE RE, or a teacher of GCSE RE who is new to teaching GCSE, or new to AQA, or you are a teacher from another subject teaching GCSE for the first time. In that case, I hope these episodes are beneficial to you in consolidating your learning, preparing for exams if you are a student, or helping you feel more confident if you are a teacher.

The first episode provides an overview of Paper 1 - Religious Beliefs and Practices, covering the exam structure, how to approach the various question types, and offering some top tips for the exam. Each subsequent episode will provide an overview of the main content and apply it to key exam questions. Last week I released one on The Nature of God, the oneness of God and the Trinity.

This episode focuses on one bullet points on the Christian beliefs spec;

• Different Christian beliefs about creation including the role of Word and Spirit (John 1:1-3 and Genesis 1:1-3).

Explain two ways in which beliefs about creation influence Christians today.
Christians could be influenced to worship God and give thanks.
This is because God is believed to be the creator of the universe and nothing would exist without him.
Christians could also care for the environment.
This is because earth is part of God's creation and they were given the responsibility by God to look after it as stewards of the earth.

Explain two Christian teachings about creation. Refer to sacred writings or another source of Christian belief and teaching in your answer.
Some Christians believe that the world was created by God in 6x24 hour periods with a day of rest.
This is because they interpret the creation story in a more literal sense and believe that the Bible provides an accurate account to explain how the world came to exist.
Many Christians believe that God gave humans a special status within his creation.
Unlike other living beings, humans were made in God's image, meaning that they have some of the same qualities of God.                                                                      This can be seen in the Bible where it says, 'God created man in his own image.' This means that Christians believe God created humans differently from other living things.

Explain two ways in which the role of the Word in creation influences Christians today.

The role of the word influences Christians to understand the crucial role of Jesus in creation.
By believing that Jesus was present at creation, it reminds Christians that without him nothing would exist.
Christians might also be influenced to believe that Jesus is eternal.
This is because Jesus' presence at creation shows that he existed before the universe existed and therefore has no beginning or end.

Explain two Christian teachings about the role of the Word in creation. Refer to sacred writings or another source of Christian belief and teaching in your answer.

Many Christians believe that the Spirit was present in creation and therefore has a necessary role in the existence of the universe.

This can be seen in the Bible where it states the Spirit of God hovered over the waters.

This shows that the Spirit played an active role.

Many Christians also believed that the Spirit breathed life

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Welcome back to a new school year and a new season of the RE Podcast.  Over the summer, I recorded a series of episodes to support GCSE RE - specifically AQA Islam and Christianity.  Suppose you are a student of GCSE RE, or a teacher of GCSE RE who is new to teaching GCSE, or new to AQA, or you are a teacher from another subject teaching GCSE for the first time. In that case, I hope these episodes are beneficial to you in consolidating your learning, preparing for exams if you are a student, or helping you feel more confident if you are a teacher.

The first episode provides an overview of Paper 1 - Religious Beliefs and Practices, covering the exam structure, how to approach the various question types, and offering some top tips for the exam. 

Each subsequent episode will provide an overview of the main content and apply it to key exam questions.

This episode focuses on two bullet points on the Christian beliefs spec;

Beliefs about the nature of God: Loving, powerful, and just

Beliefs about the oneness of God and the Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit

Copies of the exam questions used in the episode are below.

Explain two ways in which the belief in God as omnibenevolent influences Christians today.

Explain two ways in which the belief in God as just influences Christians today.

Explain two ways in which the belief in God as omnipotent influences Christians today.

Christians can be influenced to worship God, for example, by singing hymns or praying to Him.

This is because God is believed to be the most important being in the universe and the creator of everything; therefore, He is worthy of worship.

Christians could also pray to God in times of need to ask for help.

This is because God has the power to intervene and answer prayers to help them.

Explain two Christian teachings about God as loving and refer to sacred writings or another source of Christian belief and teaching in your answer.

Christians believe that God loves humans unconditionally through agape love.

This means his love is not dependent on the behaviour of humans or the choices that they make.

Christians also believe that God demonstrated his love through the sacrifice of Jesus.

This can be seen in the Bible where it says; ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only son’

This quote demonstrates God’s love for His creation through His willingness to make the ultimate sacrifice to save humanity.

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Welcome back to a new school year and a new season of the RE Podcast.  Over the summer, I have recorded a series of episodes to support GCSE RE - specifically AQA Islam and Christianity.  If you are a student of GCSE RE, or a teacher of GCSE RE who is new to teaching GCSE, or new to AQA, or you are a teacher from another subject teaching GCSE for the first time, then I hope these episodes are really helpful to you to consolidate learning, or prepare for exams if you are a student, or to help you feel more confident if you are a teacher.

This episode offers an overview of Paper 1 - Religious Beliefs and practices, looking at the structure of the exam, how to do the different exam questions as well as some top tips for the exam. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A COPY OF A NEW STYLE EXAM PAPER TO HAND

https://www.aqa.org.uk/subjects/religious-studies/gcse/religious-studies-8062/assessment-resources?secondaryResourceType=Question+papers%3BMark+schemes%3BAnswers+and+commentaries&limit=50&q=2026

Each episode after that will offer an overview of the main content and apply them to some key exam questions.

Copies of the exam questions used in the episode are below.

Give one Muslim belief about angels.  [1 mark]

Answer 1

Muslims believe that the angel Jibril revealed the Qur’an to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) on the night of power. 

Answer 2

They are made of light.  

Explain two ways in which the problem of evil and suffering influences Christians today. [4 marks]

Answer 1

One way is by trying to reduce as much evil and suffering through being good people.  This is because they believe evil and suffering is caused by humans. Another way is by being hopeful of an afterlife. This is because they believe that in heaven there will be no more evil and suffering.  

Explain two different ways in which Christians work for reconciliation 

Explain two different ways pilgrimage is experienced in Iona 

Explain two different religious practices Muslims could perform during Ashura 

Explain two different ways in which Muslims may perform Salah 

Explain two Christian beliefs about sin. Refer to sacred writings or another source of Christian belief and teaching in your answer 

[6 marks]

Answer 1: 3/6

Christians believe sin is bad for us. It affects people negatively. 

Christians believe original sin was the first time God was disobeyed. Adam and Eve ate from the tree. ‘The Lord God sent him out the Garden of Eden.  

Answer 2: 6/6

One belief is that sin damages the relationship between God and humans. By disobeying God, Christians get further away from God because sin separates God and humans. In the Bible it says; ‘The Lord God sent him out of the Garden of Eden’.  This shows the separation between God and Adam caused by his sin.

Another belief is Adam and Eve committed the original sin – eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil from which God had told them not to eat.  All Christians are now born with original sin. 

Explain two Muslim beliefs about prophets. Refer to sacred writings or another source of Muslim belief and teaching in your answer

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To finish off the school year in style, I am celebrating the recent Aulre and Areiac conference which took place in Exeter University on 26th and 27th June 2025.  We speak with Pat Hanan, Ruth Marx, and Katie Gooch about the history of the two organisations and the planning that went into the conference.  I then talk to delegates and speakers throughout the conference, and finally, Ruth, Katie, and Jan Maguire talk to us after the conference to celebrate the joys and successes of what was an incredible and rich two days.  We also start looking forward to next year's conference. If you have never attended an Aulre/Areiac conference, I hope this episode whets your appetite and encourages you to join us in Lincoln next year.

It's such a lovely episode to end the year on as it celebrates the RE community as well as the amazing research that is being undertaken to help us be even more brilliant in the classroom.

http://aulre.org/

https://www.areiac.org.uk/

Thank you for listening over 2024/5. Have a summer holiday full of relaxation, joy, laughter,  love and I'll be back in September.

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This weekend, 5th / 6th July (10th Muharram), sees many Shia Muslims all over the world mark the Day of Ashura.  A commemoration of the martrydom of Muhammad's grandson, Husayn who died standing up for justice. In 2025 this fight is still poignant. Zam Hussain has already done an episode on Ashura which if you haven't listened then please do.  But this week he joins us to tell us about his own personal pilgrimage to Karbala to visit the grave of Husayn. In his moving, human and deeply spiritual account of this pilgrimage. We discuss;

• What the pilgrimage is and what happens
• The history of this pilgrimage
• How it links to Shia teachings
• The challenges faced and what practical things were put in place to support the pilgrims
• Fun stories along the way
• The emotions at the grave
• The impact of completing this pilgrimage

Zam has recently had a tattoo relevant to this pilgrimage - listen to find out more!

Please also look at this incredible thread with pictures alongside the episode to get a sense of what it looked like as Zam speaks

https://x.com/MrZHussain/status/1830714068795355512?t=5nJ_45aNpWkWl9gi4cbMug&s=08

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This week, I speak with Alexandra Brown, RE Teacher, speaker, poet, and researcher.

Her unique intersection between race, gender, neurodiversity, and sexuality has caused many people to put up barriers as she attempts to put her research into practice.  At great personal cost, she has had to navigate these barriers.

Alex speaks to us with humility and passion, from a place of pain and triumph, about her journey.

And wait till the end for something deeply profound.

To find out more about the work Alex does;

Artistic collaboration (which she does not often get to share)- Entitled ‘ Pain and womanhood

https://magicalwomen.co.uk/project/facilitated-collaboration-for-black-lives-matter/
Below is the link to the artistic reflection Alex did about the initial piece 

https://magicalwomen.co.uk/project/alexandra-brown/

She also presented a paper entitled ‘A Black Queering of Encanto: Unearthing atmospheres of violence’
Reparative Queering of Religious Institutions | Queer(ing) Religion conference

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7D3Bd0Ypbis&t=1342s

Alex's section is from 22mins 28secs- 45mins 16secs

https://blackfeministcollective.com/contributor-alexandra-brown/

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If you are like me and really struggle to engage in and with REsearch, or know someone who does, then listen to this episode.  I have left in parts I usually edit out to give you a sense at how vulnerable I was making this episode, and you will here at the end my leg bouncing with nerves.  I have ADHD, so I really struggle to read things, remember things and organise new information.  Listen to how Culham St Gabriel have helped me overcome my barriers to research and create some research on those barriers. I really hope it inspires you.

It might also give you an insight into the ADHD minds of your students and explain how the poor behaviour they present is masking an internal struggle they can't articuate.

If you want to find out more about the Culham St Gabriel Scholarship Leadership programme, then click on the link below.

https://www.cstg.org.uk/scholarship-programmes/leadership/

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This year we lost an legend. Words will never be able to capture everything that Dawn was to the RE Community or to her friends and family. But I hope this episode goes some way to pay tribute to the incredible person who was Dawn Cox ,and to say thank you.

We hear written and spoken tributes from Rachael Jackson Royal, Katie Freeman, Nikki McGee, Claire Clinton, Matt Pitcher, Jen Jenkins, Ruth Marx, Richard Farnyfun, Sue Nurse, Saima Saleh, Alice Thomas and Wendy Dossett.

And I speak to Roy - he partner of over 20 years about this brutal loss.

Warning - there are moments of joy and laughter but also moments of sadness and grief.  

We will keep the legacy of Dawn alive in our hearts, minds and classrooms.

Here is a link to her blog;

https://missdcoxblog.wordpress.com/

Text and story in RE;

https://www.reonline.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Dialog.pdf

Her books;

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Books-Dawn-Cox/s?rh=n%3A266239%2Cp_27%3ADawn%2BCox

Her articles;

https://hwrkmagazine.co.uk/author/dawn-c/

Applying Rosenshine to RE;

https://my.chartered.college/early-career-hub/applying-rosenshine-to-religious-education/

Dealing with diversity;

https://www.retoday.org.uk/uploads/Publications/REtoday%20magazine/REtoday%20%E2%80%93%20Messy%20religion%20and%20belief/Dealing%20with%20Diversity.pdf

BBC coverage;

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgp422xljgo

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