MEMORANDUM

QUESTION 1
1.1 Causes of teenage pregnancy:

• Lack of parental supervision
• Sexual abuse by relatives
• Unclear teaching about menstruation and pregnancy
• Ensuring financial support
• Negative attitude of health-care workers
• Unprotected sex
• Early sexual debut (53% of boys and girls start at 16 years of age)
• High age difference between girls and their partners
• Forced sex by partners
• Rape by friends or strangers
• Hierarchical social power between boys and girls
• Inadequate knowledge and information levels about conception and contraceptives
• Desire for material things like cell-phones, weaves, airtime, clothes, etc.
  (Any other relevant responses must be credited.)(10)

1.2 Religious teaching on teenage pregnancy:
Example 1: ATR

• Ubuntu philosophy discourages sexual abuse, especially of teenagers.
• Sex before marriage is not allowed.
• Traditional disciplinary hearings are held to deal with teenage pregnancy.
• Teenage pregnancy is punishable by paying a certain number of cows.
• The principle of ‘my child is your child and your child is my child’ implies that all children are looked after by the whole village.
• Children are expected to respect all elders, not only their biological parents.
• Parents are expected to take good care of their children.
• Rituals like ‘Intonjane’ teaches and prepares teenage girls about their fertility and womanhood in general.
• Initiation schools for boys teach teenage boys about responsible manhood.
• Every family has a highly respected elder (intlabi) who presides over family matters.
• Grandparents assist the parents in looking after the children.
• The elders in the family are the custodians of community values and customs.
• ATR is a clan-based religion, where there are no orphans or illegitimate children.

Example 2: Christianity

• The Ten Commandments are the basis of a Christian lifestyle.
• Parents are obliged to educate their children about godly ways of living.
• Children have a responsibility to honour their parents.
• Parents have a responsibility towards the growth and development of their children.
• The Bible commands parents not to provoke their children.
• The greatest law is ‘love your neighbour as you love yourself’.
• This commandment emphasises the importance of building a caring community.
• Premarital sex is prohibited.
• Sexual abuse is forbidden.
• The human body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.
• Values of love, care, empathy, trust and respect are upheld.
• Christianity promotes better physical health.
• Self-discipline and self-control are encouraged.
• Lust is prohibited.
• Watching pornography is not allowed.
  (Any other relevant responses must be credited.)  (16)

1.3 Are religious organisations reducing the battle against this social problem? Motivate your answer.
YES

• Workshops are held by religious organisations to address teen pregnancies.
• Love Life is an NGO that is supported by all religious organisations to raise awareness about teen pregnancy.
• Teen pregnancy is part of the youth program in most religious organisations.
• People with specialised skills like teachers, nurses, doctors, are used to address teenagers.
• Social workers volunteer their services in their respective religious organisations.
• Some members of different religious organisations do show signs of character improvement.
• The number of teenagers who disagree with teen pregnancy increases.

NO

• The impact is not visible in society.
• The numbers of teen pregnancies in schools are still high.
• Teenagers continue to engage in careless sex.
• ‘Sugar-Daddy’ concept is still popular in some communities.
• Sexually transmitted infections are still reported in local clinics.
• There is still no agreement among religious organisations regarding the use of condoms and contraceptives.
• There is still disagreement between the government and religious organisations about Sex Education in primary schools.
  (Any other relevant responses must be credited.) (12)

1.4 Hermeneutical principles

• Grammar and historical context: This means one must use the rules of grammar and the historical facts to interpret the literal meaning of a text.
• Plan, purpose and context: A piece of writing should be viewed as a whole. What is the writing plan or structure? What was the author's purpose in writing the text? What is the context of the passage being looked at?
• Meaning of words: The meaning of words changes over time and in different places. Find out the original meaning of words as they were used in the normative source.
• Figurative meaning: Figurative and non-literal meaning must be taken into account.
• Other sacred texts: Sacred text may be used to interpret other sacred texts. (12)
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QUESTION 2
2.1
2.1.1 The nature of humanity, with reference to community and individual

• Christians believe that humans were created in the image of God.
• After creating Adam and Eve, God instructed them to look after the Garden of Eden and the whole of creation.
• As co-creator with God, humans are God’s representatives on earth.
• God has appointed them to look after His property, the world.
• Christians believe that human beings were created immortal.
• However Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s commandments.
• The penalty for this sin was death for the human race.
• After this condemnation, God still tried to liberate humanity from evil and death.
• After death, Christians envisage a new community that will be marked by love. (10)

2.1.2 Nature of life after death

• Christians believe that human beings were created immortal.
• Adam and Eve disobeyed Gods commandments.
• The penalty for this sin was death for the human race.
• After this condemnation, God still tried to liberate humanity from evil and death.
• After death, Christians envisage a new community that will be marked by love, sharing and caring. (10)

2.1.3 Nature of divinity

• God is the Creator of the universe.
• God is omnipotent which means that He is powerful.
• God is spirit’.
• God is caring and loving.
• God is understood as the Holy Trinity which refers to God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
  (Any other relevant responses must be credited.)(10)

2.2
2.2.1 Oral tradition

• Oral tradition in all religions serves as an effective way of passing the original message, from one generation to the other by word of mouth.
• Some religions lay more emphasis on oral traditions than their scared texts.
• Oral traditions still play an important role in some religions, e.g. ATR.
• Oral tradition provides more clarity than written text owing to narrative style.
• The chain of narrators is also important as it leads to the source.
• Oral tradition reflects local dialect and culture. It is therefore more easily understood in each culture.
• Rituals in many religions include oral traditions, e.g. Baptism in Christianity. (10)

2.2.2 Inspiration

• Inspiration is an important normative source in many religions.
• It is the true origin of all religions.
• Inspiration refers to the power or force of an extraordinary being, 'taking over' a chosen being.
• The founding figures of many religions were inspired by a higher power or wisdom.
• Such people felt that they received 'revelation' from an extraordinary being.
• Examples are Moses, Jesus Christ, Abraham, Prophet Muhammad, Buddha and Baha'u'llah.
• In ATR, mediums or diviners receive inspiration while they are in a trance.
• This inspiration is on-going, while that of the Abrahamic faiths did not go beyond their founders.
• Inspiration is a powerful motivation for the followers of a religion.  (10)

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QUESTION 3
3.1
3.1.1 Big Bang Theory

• The scientific explanation of Creation is called the Big Bang Theory.
• According to the Big Bang Theory, it is not known what existed before the Big Bang.
• The Big Bang Theory states that there was an enormous explosion and within a second the universe appeared and filled out to an enormous size.
• The Big Bang Theory states that the process of creation occurred within a second.
• According to the scientific account the Big Bang took place 13,7 billion years ago.
• Small temperature differences led to varying densities of matter throughout the universe.
• Those densites formed into clusters of matter and energy.
• The clusters continued to condense in a lumpy way and eventually formed the vast collection of stars called galaxies.
• Some galaxies condensed into a combination of stars called the solar system.
• Scientists believe that the universe is expanding at this moment.
• The scientific account does not mention any Creator.
  (Any other relevant responses must be credited.) (14)

3.1.2 Abrahamic religions/Middle East Religions

• The Creator is male.
• At first, only the Creator existed.
• The Creator made the universe from nothing.
• The process of creation took six days.
• Humans were made on the sixth day.
• There is one perfect God.
• He created the heaven and earth, and all that is in it.
• The first two humans were Adam and Eve. God made them from clay.
• God breathed His spirit into Adam, and he came to life.
• These humans lived in a perfect Garden of Eden. (12)

3.2 The attitude of religion towards evolution since the 19th century.

• In the 19th century, when Darwin’s Origin of Species was published, the response of the church was total rejection.
• It was seen as blasphemy.
• Today there are more liberal views in Christianity, as well as in Judaism and Islam.
• Liberal believers believe that there is common ground between religion and science.
• They re-interpreted part of their own tradition so as to accommodate evolution.
• They argue that at a deep level, teachings about nature in the holy books must be understood allegorically, or figuratively.
• For example, some Christian theologians have argued that the account of creation in Genesis must not be interpreted in the physical sense.
• Liberal believers say there is no conflict between science and religion, as long as one sees science as uncovering God’s laws.
• They also explain creation through the terms ‘creation science’ or ‘intelligent design’.
• These concepts incorporate evolution into the creation plans of the Supreme Being.
• That is, organisms were designed by God to be able to adapt to changing environments, thus leading to new species.
• The attitude of liberal believers of the Abrahamic faiths has definitely become more liberal towards the theory of evolution.
• Everything in scripture is equally timeless and eternal, and true in a literal sense.
• Creationism, as it is explained in the book of Genesis, is regarded as true, and in a literal sense.
• God created Adam and Eve who were the first humans.
• Adam and Eve were created perfect in the image of God.
• They did not evolve from other form of life, but were created as a unique species.
• They are above all God’s creation.
• Orthodox believers refer to the famous watch analogy of William Paley.
• Paley argued that the watch is a complicated piece of engineering, and couldn`t come into being by chance: there must have been an intelligent designer. As the universe is far more complicated, it too, must had an intelligent designer (God).
• Orthodox believers argue that God does not change His plans He is still in charge of creation.
• Therefore, the attitude of orthodox/fundamentalist believers has not changed at all. Religion deals with God and science deals with nature.
• However, other religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism, have always accepted the theory of evolution.
• Hinduism has no problem with evolution; they have a more advanced theory which incorporates spiritual evolution.
• The evolution theory did not create a conflict with Hindu thought and beliefs for it contributed to the understanding of evolution towards Moksha.
• Therefore, in these religions (Hinduism and Buddhism), there is no change in attitude.
• In African Traditional Religion, there has been no objection to evolution theory, as the universe is seen as interconnected parts.
• However, the status of man is clearly seen as above the rest of creation.(24)

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QUESTION 4
4.1 For the purpose of this marking guideline Sudan is discussed as an example.
4.1.1 Sudan, Sudanese Tribes, (Arabic speaking tribes, Fur and Masalit) (4)
4.1.2 Causes

• North Sudan comprises mainly Arabic speaking tribes.
• A number of tribes, some of whom were animists, while others were Christian, lived in the Darfur region and south.
• The conflict in Sudan has lasted more than hundred years.
• There are also economic factors that play a role: the economy of the north is better developed than that of the South.
• The Fur and Masalit tribes are farmers, while the Arabs are mostly nomads. This led to conflict of grazing.
• The discovery of oil in the south (Heglig fields) has led to factional conflicts, as well as greater effort by Khartoum to exert political control over South.
• 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.
• However, the SPLA soon split into different factions and turned on each other.
• These splits were mainly along tribal lines.
• Even after the South was established as an independent state in 2011, fighting has still continued.
  (Any relevant response must be credited.) (12)

4.1.3 Role of religion

• Religion plays only a minor role in the conflict, and therefore this is not a religious war.
• No attempt has been made by one religion to convert members of another religion.
• Muslims also enlisted in the SPLA.
• There was also evidence of infighting in the SPLA soon after it was formed.
• The conflict was therefore not religious.
• There are numerous other divisions (economic and tribal) which have continued even after the establishment of South Sudan.
  (Any relevant responses must be credited.) (14)

4.2 Types of rituals in religion

•  A ritual is a set of formal actions or behaviour with a ceremonial purpose performed at regular intervals within a particular environment.
  • Worship rituals: These are rituals which are performed frequently to express one’s feelings, e.g. daily or weekly worship.
  • Life-cycle rituals: These are rituals connected with different stages of an individual’s life e.g. initiation, marriage, illness or death.
  • Annual-cycle: These are rituals that take place at a particular time of the year: e.g. Christmas
  • Commemorative rituals: Rites of celebration and memorial.
  • Sacrificial rituals: Many religions include sacrifice as part of their rituals.
    (Any other responses must be credited)(10)

4.3 Roles of rituals
4.3.1 Psychological roles

• Rituals satisfy a part of being human that cannot be explained logically.
• Some put flowers on a grave.
• This is not done for people who have died, or for others to see, but it satisfies a deep personal need.
• The need for rituals in our lives seems to have its origin in the right side of the brain.(6)

4.3.2 Spiritual roles

• Such rituals are performed to strengthen the gap between people and the divine.
• When a priest in the Roman Catholic tradition performs Mas. The body and blood of Jesus is said to be one with the water and wine.
  (Any other responses must be credited) (4)

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QUESTION 5
5.1 World Views
EXAMPLE 1: Secularism

• Secularism has paved the way for the development of human rights.
• All religions are given equal status before the law, because of the ideas of secularism.
• It allows different religions to co-exist in harmony.
• Different religions, including minorities, participate in the formal activities of the state.
• All religions are given equal status and are free to observe their holy days.
• Secularism has minimised religious wars and general religious conflicts in the world.

EXAMPLE 2: Materialism

• This secular world view teaches that matter is the only reality and denies the existence of a spirit of supernatural realm.
• It developed in different areas in Europe and India during what is known as the Axial era (800–200BCE).
• Expressions of this philosophy can be found in ancient Indian philosophy, Buddhism and Confucianism.
• Karl Marx used the term ‘dialectical materialism’ which is a teaching that matter is the fundamental cause of everything.
• He also used the term ‘historical materialism’ which is a teaching that economics and relationships between workers and owners are the fundamental structure in the society
  (Any other relevant responses must be credited.) (10 x 2) (20)

5.2 Internal differences in any ONE religion
For the purpose of the marking guideline Islam is discussed as an example
5.2.1 Teachings in Islam

• Islam is divided into two major groups, namely the Sunni and Shi’a 

Sunni Muslim

• Sunni refers to following the Sunnah (example) of the Prophet Muhammad.
• The Hadith narrated by the companions of the Prophet have equal status to those narrated by his family members.
• The sect believes that all the teachings contained in the Books of Hadith are equally important.
• Sunnis follow the teachings of scholars of the 7th and 8th centuries.
• Sunnis do not accept that the caliph can come exclusively from the Prophet’s family.

Shi’a Muslim

• Shia means partisan or separate party.
• The hadith narrated by the companions of the Prophet have less significance than that narrated by his family members.
• The Shi’a follow the teachings and opinions only of a living scholar. (10)

5.2.2 Difference in Governance
Sunni

• There is no clergy in Sunni Islam.
• Any Moslem can serve on community boards.
• Governance is community based.
• Scholars of Islam and community members serve on governing boards of mosques and madrassahs and schools.

Shi’a

• Shi’a Muslim revere the descendants of the Prophet Muhammad and that they have the right to lead Muslims.
• They reserve the title ‘Imam’ for certain past leaders who are believed to have been chosen by God.
• The final word in any uncertainty about any religious or political issues lies with the representative of the Imam.
• Governance is in the hands of mullahs (priests) who rule by religious decree.(10)

5.2.3 Practices: Sunni

• Religious practices are strictly in accordance with the Sunnah of the Prophet as laid down in the Hadith.
• In Sunni Islam, an ‘Imam’ is simply a leader of a congregation.
• Muttah (temporary marriage) is forbidden.
• Imam does not denote formal training in Sunni Islam.

Practices: Shi’a

• They believe that the caliphate (the Prophet Muhammed’s successor) will come from his descendants.
• Imams are only descendants of the Prophet Muhammad who they believe to be divinely appointed.
• The shrine of Hussein in Karbala is an important pilgrimage for the Shia’s.
• Muttah (temporary marriage) is allowed.
• They practise self-mutilation, for example at the commemoration of the tragedy of Karbala.(10)

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TOTAL: 150