RELIGION STUDIES
PAPER 2
GRADE 12
AMENDED SENIOR CERTIFICATE EXAMS
PAST PAPERS AND MEMOS
MAY/JUNE 2018

MEMORANDUM 

QUESTION 1 
NOTE: If no religion is mentioned or clearly implied in 1.1-1.5, no credit is given.  If more than one religion is mentioned, only the first religion is credited.  If a religion is mentioned only in any sub question, this religion is binding  in 1.1 -1.5.. 
Other relevant responses must be credited. 
1.1 EXAMPLE 1: ISLAM 

• According to the Qur'an, Allah created the universe in six phases. 
• Allah provides the energy and everything that the universe needs for  survival. 
• According to Islam, the existence of the universe is not accidental. 
• Life is not purposeless, but planned and purposeful. 
• The vast variety of plants and animals species in the world has important  roles in the ecosystem. 
• New forms of life are continuously being created and function according  to established divine laws. 
• The universe is not eternal but has a fixed timespan. (10) 

1.2 

• Islam believes in a universal God called Allah. 
• Belief in the oneness of Allah is the foundation of Islam. 
• Allah has other titles, which reflect His attributes. 
• He is the Creator (Khaliq) and Originator (Badi) of the universe,  continuing to create new forms of life and sustaining all of creation. 
• Human beings must affirm and acknowledge the existence of Allah and  live in accordance with His divine will. 
• The Muslim understanding of divinity is shaped essentially by the Qur'an. (10) 

1.3

• Humans are one of the many species that make up creation. 
• Humans in Islam are the highest form of creation. 
• They are vice-regents (khalifah) of Allah. 
• This places an enormous responsibility on human beings. 
• They are entitled to use the earth's resources for their own benefit. 
• They have to respect creation highly, and use resources responsibly and  efficiently. 
• They are accountable for their actions on the Day of Judgment. (10) 

1.4 Muslims fulfil their responsibilities because of the following reasons:

• Muslims take care of one another. 
• They have special offerings they give for the poor and strangers. 
• They are also farmers who look after animals and cultivate the land. 
• The destruction of environment is forbidden and there is condemnation of  pollution in Islam. 
• They live their life according to the Qur'an to demonstrate that they are  vice-regents of Allah.
  OR

They do not fulfill their responsibilities: 

• Some Muslims are involved in wars and use chemical weapons. This is  regarded as a war crime, e.g. Syria. 
• They recruit the youth to join extremist organizations to kill in the name of  Islam, e.g. ISIS. 
• In some Muslim countries, modern society is depleting valuable natural  resources. 
• They discriminate against non-Muslims, e.g. Egypt. 
• Civilian populations are not spared in conflict situations. 
• They use natural resources to create dangerous weapons to destroy one  another rather than benefitting humans. (10) 

1.5

• The sacred scripture of Islam is the Qur'an. 
• The Qur'an is the final message for humanity given to the Prophet  Muhammad through the archangel Gabriel. 
• The Prophet shared the revelation with his followers orally. 
• He could not read or write. 
• The Qur'an is regarded as the Word of God. 
• The Qur'an was revealed to the Prophet over a period of 23 years 
• The Qur'an was revealed in Arabic language. 
• Before the Prophet died, he had recited the entire Qur'an from memory. 
• His followers wrote the Qur'an in the lifetime of the Prophet. 
• The Qur'an cannot be translated without losing its meaning. 
• The message and the teachings contained in the Qur'an cannot be  separated from the language in which it is written. 
• The secondary scriptures in Islam are Hadiths. 
• Hadith refers to the sayings of Prophet Muhammad which were recorded  by his scribes and remembered by his companions. 
• The most famous compilers are Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim. (10) 

1.1 EXAMPLE 2: BUDDHISM 

• Buddhists believe that the world was not created at any point in time. 
• The world has been created millions of times every second and will  continue to do so by itself. 
• The world will break away by itself. 
• According to Buddhism, the world system always appears and disappears  in the universe. 
• The universe, in which we live, has existed for an enormous period of  time and possibly for endless time. 
• The explanation of the origin of the world is not a concern in Buddhism. 
• In the eyes of Buddha, the world is nothing but Samsara – the cycle of  repeated birth and deaths. 
• The beginning and the end of the world is within this Samsara. 
• Since elements and energies are relative and inter-dependent, it is  meaningless to single out anything as the beginning. (10)

1.2 

• Divinity is not a key belief in Buddhism. 
• Most forms of Buddhism accept that there are beings who are more  powerful and who live longer than humans. 
• They may be referred to as 'gods'. 
• The core Buddhist teaching that everything is impermanent implies that  even the gods in Buddhism are not immortal. 
• They may live for millions of years, but eventually will die and be reborn. 
• They did not create the universe, for they themselves are part of it. 
• Buddhists may pray to a local god, but they do not believe that the god  can help them become enlightened. (10) 

1.3 

• Buddhism sees being born as a human as rare and very precious, since  one can be born as so many other types of being. 
• Humanity is the only condition in which enlightenment is possible. 
• In Buddhism human reincarnation is very important. 
• The primary responsibility of every human is to become enlightened. 
• Humans must share the way of enlightenment with others. 
• Everything else is secondary and, anyway, impermanent. (10) 

1.4 Buddhists fulfil their roles because of the following reasons: 

• In Buddhism, most Buddhists use meditation for peace of mind and  enlightenment. 
• Buddhist communities are generally peace-loving, and accepting of other  religions. 
• They focus on a goal of self-improvement. 
• They also attempt to find harmony in life and in nature. 
• The Buddhist lives a life of detachment, and rethinks past life to enter  spiritual life. 
• Bodhisattvas delay themselves from entering nirvana out of compassion  for human suffering, in order to help other humans become enlightened. They do not fulfill their responsibilities for the following reasons: 
• Buddhism has historically not been good at practical efforts to fight  poverty, discrimination, diseases, as a way of enlightenment. 
• The Buddhist who emphasises that every person in the universe controls  his/her own destiny, leads people to be greedy and selfish. 
• In Buddhism a person's luck or misfortune, success or failure, is  determined by his/her deeds, and that leads to suffering for an unknown  past. 
• Buddhists are also involved in ethnic cleansing in their countries, e.g. in  Myanmar. 
• To get what they want, they are prepared not only to suffer themselves, but even to make others suffer. (10)

1.5 

• The sacred scripture is the Pali Canon or Tripitaka/Tipitaka. 
• The Tripitaka was written in the 1st century BCE. 
• It contains some of the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, founder of  Buddhism. 
• It is called Tripitaka because it was first written on palm leaves, which  were put in three different baskets. 
• It is sometimes called Pali Canon because it was originally written in the Pali Language. 
• In Theravada Buddhism, the very large canonical tradition goes back to  about the fifth century BCE. 
• It was transmitted orally for a few centuries before it was eventually  written down. 
• From its earliest time, it has produced an ever growing body of  commentaries on the canonical tradition. 
• The Tripitaka was transmitted in Pali, a language closely related to  Sanskrit. 
• Mahayana Buddhism has produced a voluminous body of literature in  Buddhist form of Sanskrit. 
• Of special importance is the Prajna-Paramita Sutras (the sutras about the  wisdom that has gone beyond). (10) [50]

QUESTION2 
2.1

• The theory of evolution explains the development of life from a simple  form to its most complex form today. 
• This development includes the evolution of humans through primitive  stages to modern humans. 

Darwin's theory consists of four ideas: 

• Species contain a great variety of differences. 
• Both the world and species change over time. 
• In the fight for survival, better adapted variation will be favoured while  those that are not fit will struggle to survive. 
• A species may gradually change its form and become more complex by  developing along a path of successful variation. 
• According to Charles Darwin humans evolved from apes. (10) 

2.2.1 CHRISTIANITY 
NOTE: If only the religious perspective is given, and is not linked  to Darwin’s theory, a maximum of FOUR marks may be awarded  for 2.2.1 and 2.2.2 

• Traditional Christians accept the literal interpretation of the  scriptures as written in the book of Genesis. 
• To these Christians, the word of God is the only literal truth. 
• Traditional Christians consider it impossible that humans  evolved from animals. 
• They believe that man was created in the 'image of God' 
• The theory of evolution is therefore rejected by conservative  

Christians. 

• The liberal Christians accommodate Darwin's theory and  understand the book of Genesis to be interpreted  symbolically. (8) 

2.2.2 HINDUISM 

• Hinduism has a more complicated theory of evolution than  Darwin's theory. 
• Their concept of evolution also involves spiritual evolution. 
• Hindus believe that one has control over both spiritual and  physical evolution. 
• Good life leads to gradual evolution to an advanced form. 
• Doing good deeds leads to better life, and bad deeds lead to  lower life in reincarnation. 
• Darwin's theory of evolution has some shortcomings because  it does not address spiritual life. (8)

2.3.1 

• The scientific theory of creation of the universe is called the Big  Bang theory. 
• What existed before the Big Bang is not known. 
• There was a big explosion in space and within seconds the  universe had appeared and expanded to an enormous size. 
• It happened about fifteen billion years ago.  
• Small temperature differences in the initial explosion led to  varying densities throughout the universe. 
• These eventually formed into clusters of matter and energy. 
• They formed vast collection of stars that we call galaxies. 
• Some galaxies condensed into a combination of stars and planets  called solar systems. 
• Our earth belongs to one of the solar systems. (12) 

2.3.2 EXAMPLE 1: ABRAHAMIC RELIGIONS. 

• Abrahamic religions believe in creation as narrated in their holy  scriptures. 
• They believe that the universe was created by a Creator called  God/Allah/Elohim. 
• The Creator is male. 
• At first only the Creator existed, and He then made the universe. 
• The universe is separate from the Creator. 
• God created the universe in six days. 
• The first two humans were Adam and Eve. 
• They were created in the image of God. 
• At the end of time, the universe that we see will be replaced by  something perfect after a judgement day./The universe is not  permanent.  

EXAMPLE 2: HINDUISM 

• To Hindus, the universe is the Creator. 
• The Creator has existed and will exist for all time. 
• The Creator has no limitation and therefore is not 'he', 'she or  anything. 
• The Creator exists in either an active or a passive state. 
• The passive state is a state of rest when nothing happens. 
• At rest, the universe has no form, and is undifferentiated. 
• After a long time, the Creator stirs and becomes active. This is  when some parts of the universe are different from other parts  and 'creation' begins. (12) [50]

QUESTION 3  
3.1
3.1.1 

• Secularism means a separation of power between state and  religion. 
• In the 16th century, Martin Luther set in motion certain changes  that led to the splintering of Christianity into Catholic and  

Protestant groups. 

• This led to decades of religious wars in Europe. 
• At the time, the Church was very influential, both politically and  socially. 
• Kings, emperors and nobility used the Church to establish their  power. 
• In return, religious leaders also influenced rulers to promote  their interpretation of beliefs. 
• All the warring parties thought that a society would be peaceful  if everyone shared the same beliefs. 
• People started to seek for a state where there would be  religious tolerance. 
• Intellectuals of the time came to a conclusion that religion was  divisive rather than uniting. 
• A government which was based purely on reasoning and on an  understanding of human nature was then the solution. 
• The Prince of Orange was one of the first persons to advocate  a split between church and state. 
• Thus government and morality were divorced from religion, and  secularism came into being. (12) 

3.1.2 EXAMPLE 1:  

• AGNOSTICISM 
• The word 'agnosticism' comes from Greek: 'a-' meaning  'without' and 'gnosis' meaning 'knowledge'. 
• This refers to uncertainty about God-knowledge. 
• Agnostics believe that it is not possible to either prove or  disprove the existence of a God/supernatural being. 
• Agnostics are sceptical of religious teachings. 
• They also argue that humans cannot comprehend such a thing  as a divine power. 
• They reject religious doctrine, especially religions that claim  they have spiritual knowledge. 

EXAMPLE 2: 

• MATERIALISM 
• As a secular worldview, materialism believes that matter is the  only reality. 
• Materialism teaches its followers that there is no supernatural  realm. 
• This worldview is opposed to the religious worldviews that are  based on the beliefs that affirm the existence of any form of  spiritual reality.
• Materialism propagates that nothing exists but nature. 
• According to materialism, any being that is viewed as beyond  nature is a creature of imagination. 
• Materialism forbids its followers to subject themselves to any  spiritual dependency. 
• New terms were developed from materialism, namely,  dialectical materialism and historical materialism. 
• In dialectical materialism matter is regarded as the  fundamental cause of everything. 
• Historical materialism: economics and the relationships  between workers and owners as the basic structure in the  community are referred to as historical materialism. 
• However, contemporary physicists and neuroscientists are  challenging materialist explanations of reality. (14) 

3.1.3 

• There is peace because all religions are recognised as being  equal. 
• There is no religion that is officially favoured by the state. 
• It promotes religious freedom. 
• It promotes religious tolerance. 
• In a secular constitution, all religions may practise and worship  in their own ways but must not infringe on the religious rights of  others. 
• In state functions, such as the inauguration of the president, all  religions participate. 
• Religion cannot dictate terms on the laws of the state. 

NOTE: Other relevant responses must be credited. (14) 
3.2 

• Clearest meaning. 
• Grammar and historical context. 
• Plan, purpose and context. 
• Meaning of words. 
• Figurative language. 
• Other sacred texts. 

NOTE: Any FIVE of the above responses must be credited. (10) [50]

QUESTION 4 
4.1
4.1.1 

• Lack of knowledge about sex and contraceptives.
• Family breakdown. 
• Peer pressure. 
• Low educational expectations. 
• Heightened sex-based messages in the media. 
• Barrier to access contraceptives including negative attitude of  health staff. 
• Low self-esteem. 

NB: Other relevant responses must be credited. (10)
4.1.2 

• The formal education of the teen mothers remains on hold during pregnancy. 
• They often do not complete their studies, owing to the  responsibilities of motherhood. 
• They drop out of school, resulting in fruitless expenditure by  the education department. 
• They then receive a child maintenance grant, which is further government expenditure. 
• Teenage moms can abandon their children, making them the  state's responsibility. 
• Teenage mothers lack family support structures, and often  become victims of abuse. 
• Teenage moms are more prone to committing suicide. 
• Teenage pregnancy can result in medical complications in both  the mother and her baby. 

NB: Other relevant responses must be credited (10) 
4.1.3 EXAMPLE 1: CHRISTIANITY 

• 'The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord,  and the Lord for the body.' (1Cor 6: 13). 
• This means that sex and sexuality must be within Biblical  teachings that forbid extra- marital sex. 
• 'The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.' (Psalm 23:1-6). 
• It means the youth must rely on God for their needs, and to  avoid sugar daddies/Blessers. 
• 'You shall not commit adultery.'(Exodus 20:14). 
• This commandment forbids pre-marital sex and extra-marital  sex. 
• Christians are taught to live a holy life, including abstinence from sex before marriage. 
• 'If a man seduces a virgin who is not betrothed and lies with  her, he shall give the bride price for her'. (Exodus 22:16-17). 
• This means that the man has to compensate her, thus  discouraging sex outside of marriage.

EXAMPLE 2: AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGION 

• Among the traditional Aka people, there are laws that are  meant to ensure that a woman maintains her virginity. 
• In some instances early marriage is encouraged to avoid teen  pregnancy. 
• Marriage serves as a sacred traditional stage to move from  childhood to adulthood. 
• According to African tradition no woman is allowed to get  married without having gone through puberty rites. 
• Every young woman has to remain a virgin prior to marriage. 
• The religion teaches followers about abstinence from sexual  intercourse before marriage (principle of Ubuntu, respecting  one's body and lineage). 
• Virginity testing is done by African women in order to fight  teenage pregnancy. 
• Amongst the AmaZulu, the Reed Dance festival promotes  maintenance of virginity among Zulu maidens. 
• If a Zulu man impregnates a lady outside wedlock he has to  pay compensation for that (ukuhlawula).  

NB: Other relevant responses must be credited (10) 
4.2 EXAMPLE 1: CHRISTIANITY 

• ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH 
• The branch sees itself as the original church. 
• God is made up of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. (The Trinity).
• They believe that everyone is born in sin, because Adam and Eve  disobeyed God's command. 
• The Holy Spirit comes from God the Father and the Son. 
• EASTERN ORTHODOX CHURCH 
• They believe that they are the rightly guided church. 
• They teach that the Pope does not have supreme authority over the  church. 
• They believe that the Holy Spirit comes from God only and not the Son.
• They believe that they are the original church founded by Jesus Christ. • PROTESTANTISM 
• They believe that faith is the key to salvation. 
• They teach that rituals are less important. 
• The Bible has more authority than the Pope. 
• Salvation is a gift given freely through the works of Jesus Christ. 

EXAMPLE 2: AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGION 

• AMAZULU 
• They believe and acknowledge the existence of a Supreme Being called  uMvelinqangi. 
• They believe that His status is so high that he cannot be directly  approached. 
• Communication with uMvelinqangi is done through the ancestors.
• They also believe in a ceremony called 'brought back'(ukubuyisa ritual),  where the living dead is established as an ancestor. 
• When there is illness or misfortune people consult either a diviner or a  traditional healer. 
• They believe in the princess of heaven called uNomkhubulwana, who is  associated with agriculture, rain and fertility. 
• AKA 
• The Aka believe in a creator spirit called Bembe. 
• They believe that Bembe retired after the act of creation. 
• They believe in the forest spirit called Dzengi. 
• They believe that Dzengi assists them in successful hunting. 
• Aka also have rituals directed to the spirits of ancestors and animals.
• They also believe that people and animals reincarnate within their species 
• YORUBA 
• They believe that Olodumare/Olorun is the creator spirit. 
• They believe that each human possesses a fate or destiny. 
• They also believe that life is cyclical. 
• The aim of reincarnation is spiritual improvement. 
• They believe that good spirits become one with Olodumare. 
• They believe that the cosmos has two levels – the sky and the earth.
• The Yoruba accept that after death a person enters the spirit realm and  joins the living dead. (20) [50]

QUESTION 5 
NOTE: If the area of conflict is a local conflict that can be verified, it must be  credited. 
5.1 EXAMPLE 1: CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC (CAR) 

• The conflict began approximately in 2003, when president Bozize seized  power in the country. 
• A number of rebel groups fought against the government in what is called  CAR Bush War (2003 – 2007) 
• These groups were called the Seleka (Union). 
• Peace talks between the rebels and government broke down in 2012. 
• The rebels accused Bozize of reneging on amnesty promises. 
• The Seleka captured a number of key towns in 2012. 
• They seized Bangui, the capital, in 2013. 
• The president fled the country in 2014. 
• Several unrests flared up in the absence of any effective government. (14) 

5.2 • In 2017, the renewed violence in CAR made many people to flee their  homes. 

• There is still relentless suffering. 
• Some became displaced within the CAR. 
• Others were forced to flee their country. 
• The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was planning to visit CAR in  October 2017 because of the ongoing turmoil. 
• In January 2018, Rodrique Ngaibona, known as 'General Andjilo', a  warlord who fought in anti-Balaka (anti-Muslim) was sentenced to life in  prison. 
• In February 2018, Armel Sayo, the president of the fearsome Revolution  and Justice Movement, urged all rebel elements to cease hostility and  support the programme of Disarmament, Demobilisation and  Reintergration. 
• There is now hope for peace in Central African Republic. (12) 

5.3 • This is not a religious conflict. 

• However, religion is exploited for political gain. 
• The main cause of conflict is political unrest. 
• The warring factions all want to have exclusive access to oil and diamond resources. 
• Both Christian and Muslim leaders showed support for African Union  peace keepers  
• Religious leaders are engaging with conflicting parties in dialogue. 
• They took care of the casualties of war. 
• They provided shelter to the victims of conflict. 
• They provided medical assistance. 
• They provided food to those who are needy due to the violence. 
• They repaired clinics. 
• They promoted mutual respect among the parties in conflict. (10)

5.4 YES 
Religion may be successful if the parties involved engage in dialogue:

• If they respect one another. 
• If they tolerate one another. 
• If religion displays a high level of impartiality. 
• If parties involved in conflict may understand the value of compromise.
• If the government supports the religious leaders. 
• If religion is objective in its approach to solving the conflict. 

NO 
Religion may not be successful if it is subjective in its dealing with  conflict resolution 

• Religion has to be impartial in its approach. 
• Failure to do so will mean that parties will not participate meaningfully.
• Sometimes religion is not credible when it is understood as being partial  and subjective when making decisions 
• Sometimes religions do not have a strong enough influence. 
• The parties in conflict must desire to reach a peace agreement – religion  by itself will not achieve it 
• This calls for co-operation of all stakeholders in order to be successful. (14) 

5.1 EXAMPLE 2: SUDAN 

• The conflict in Sudan has lasted more than 100 years. 
• The north of Sudan comprises mainly Arabic-speaking tribes. They are  largely Muslim. 
• Some tribes are animists. 
• Other tribes are Christians who live in the Darfur region and the south.
• There are also economic factors that play a role. 
• The economy of the north is better developed than the south. 
• The discovery of oil in the south (Heglig fields) has led to factional  conflict. 
• Khartoum tends to exert political control over the south (because of oil).
• When Khartoum imposed Sharia law on the whole country, it resulted in  an armed uprising against the government. 
• The Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) was formed and led the  attacks against the government. 
• SPLA split into different factions, and turned to against each other. (14)

5.2

• Although South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011 through  a UN referendum, little has changed. 
• Civil war erupted in South Sudan after the independence, and continues  today. 
• Armed groups have turned on each other. 
• The vulnerable civilians are the victims. 
• The peace agreement signed in August 2015 proved to be ineffective.
• There is still serious conflict between government and opposition parties.
• There is widespread abuse of human rights and war crimes are being  committed by the warring factions. 
• The healthcare centres are also vandalised. 
• In Sudan itself, there are sporadic uprisings against the government. 
• These are economic in nature. (12) 

5.3

• This is not a religious war. 
• Religion plays only a minor role in the conflict. 
• No attempt has been made by one religion to convert another religion.
• Muslims were also enlisted in the SPLA. 
• The imposition of Sharia law was therefore not the cause of the conflict.
• There was also evidence of infighting in the SPLA soon after it was  formed. The conflict was therefore not caused by religion. 
• There are numerous other divisions (economic, cultural and tribal) which  have continued, even after the independence of South Sudan. 
• Religious organisations such as Islamic Relief and the Catholic Agency  for Overseas Development provide humanitarian support. 
• This includes repairing schools and clinics, and providing food and water. (10) 

5.4 NO 

• People involved in civil uprising in Sudan are all Muslims. 
• There is no religious domination in South Sudan, and still the conflict  continues. 
• The warring factions in South Sudan comprise Christian, Muslim and  animists. 
• The splits are along tribal and economic lines, rather than religious lines.
• Religion, more often, is seen as favouring one side by the parties  involved. 
• Under the circumstances, religion does not have an influence over  politicians. 
• Religion generally relies on public donations./ Religion has very limited  funding. 
• The limited funding hampers the role of religion. 
• This also inhibits their role in any attempt to involve the conflicting parties  in brokering peace. 
• Religious organisations do not have the mechanism to enforce  agreements, for example, an army.

YES 

• Religion may be successful if the parties involved engage in dialogue.
• There is a greater chance of success
  • If they respect one another.
  • If they tolerate one another.
  • If religion may display a high level of impartiality
  • If parties involved in conflict may understand the value of compromise.
  • If warring parties have sufficient trust in religious organisation.
  • If governments can support religious organisation financially. (14) [50] 

 TOTAL: 150