RELIGION STUDIES PAPER 2
GRADE 12
NOVEMBER 2020
MEMORANDUM
NATIONAL SENIOR CERTIFICATE

QUESTION 1
1.1
1.1.1 People between the ages of 15 and 29 commit suicide because of the following contributing factors:

• They indulge in the abuse of alcohol and drugs.
• During adolescence, they feel that they are in a state of confusion, desperation and lost in life.
• They become depressed and suicidal when they have not performed well during school examinations.
• They are often sexually or physically abused.
• They are often exposed to violence.
• They are unable to cope with failed relationships, and choose suicide to escape emotional pain.
  NOTE: Other relevant responses must be credited. (10)

1.1.2 EXAMPLE 1: BUDDHISM

• According to Buddhist doctrine a person cannot avoid suffering by taking his/her own life.
• One does not escape from the 'wheel of life' by committing suicide.
• The destruction of the physical body merely transfers the entity to other spheres of existence, not resolving the situations.
• Physical life is considered of great importance.
• It is only in the present life that the way to liberation can be followed; there is no liberation after death.
• Try to attain enlightenment which will be the liberation of your life from all suffering.
• Taking your own life is therefore a waste of opportunity.
• Remember the dogma of non-attachment: it will reduce your pain.

EXAMPLE 2: CHRISTIANITY

• According to the Bible life is precious.
• God has a plan for everyone (Jeremiah 29:11), including you.
• 'Thou shall not kill.' This means no one has a right to take life, not even your own.
• God is the giver and provider of life.
• Suicide is understood as a major sin, for which there is punishment in the hereafter.
• One needs to know that nothing they have done, and nothing that has been done to them can separate them from the love of God and His plan (Romans 8).
• One needs to know that nothing one can ever do is so bad that the only answer is suicide. Trust in God's mercy.
  NOTE: The learner may use different religions in 1.1.2 and 1.2. (12)

1.2
1.2.1 NOTE: The learner may use different religions in 1.1.2 and 1.2.
EXAMPLE 1: CHRISTIANITY

• Christians believe in the existence of a Supreme Being known as God.
• God manifests himself as three persons in one God – God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
• This doctrine is called the Holy Trinity.
• God the Father is the Creator of the universe.
• God the Son is the Saviour and Redeemer of humanity.
• God the Holy Spirit is the counsellor of Christians. (10)

1.2.2

• Christians believe that human beings were created immortal.
• After death, they will continue to exist in an immortal afterlife.
• Those who live a chaste life will live in heaven forever,
• Sinners will be banished to hell forever.
• Repentance for sins must be done in this world, as there is no repentance beyond the grave.
• Therefore, Christians will strive to lead a life according to the Bible, so that they can go to heaven.
• In this way, through belief in Jesus Christ, the Christian hopes to attain heaven in the afterlife.
  NOTE: Other relevant answers must be credited. (12)

1.2.1 EXAMPLE 2: TAOISM

• Taoism teaches that 'the Tao that can be told of is not the eternal Tao'.
• The Tao is eternal.
• It is impossible to completely describe divinity in Taoism.
• There is no clear nature of God in Taoism.
• Tao means 'the path of the universe'.
• Tao is the majestic way in which the universe works.
  NOTE: Other relevant answers must be credited (10)

1.2.2

• The Taoist point of view on death is that we should appreciate life in order to accept death.
• When one realises that what makes life wonderful is its cyclical processes, it becomes easier to accept that life.
• In this religion, death is simply a process of transformation in which one goes from one form to another.
• It means that one has been part of the universe from the start and will continue to experience both joy and sadness.
• In the Taoist view, one should not be afraid of death, one should make fun of it.
• In this religion, one does not need life after death in some kind of heaven or the kind of life after death that is found in Hinduism.
• Taoism pays little attention to the afterlife. One should live a good life, as an end in itself.
• One only gets transformed and ends up elsewhere.
  NOTE: Other relevant responses must be credited (12)

1.3
1.3.1

• Grammar and historical context means you must use the rules of grammar and historical facts to interpret sacred texts.
• The rules of grammar imply that you must look at the exact meanings of the words used in their most ordinary sense. (2)

1.3.2

• You need to view a piece of writing as a whole.
• What was the author's purpose in writing the text?
• Without the proper context, you would not know what the author was trying to explain. (2)

1.3.3

• The meanings of words change over time and in different places.
• Try to find out what the meanings of words were, when they were originally used in the normative source. (2)

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QUESTION 2
2.1
2.1.1 NOTE: A maximum of FOUR marks may be awarded if only ONE branch is discussed.
EXAMPLE 1: CHRISTIANITY
Roman Catholic Church

• The Roman Catholic Church practises a number of rituals called sacraments (such as the Eucharist).
• They practise the last rite before the death of a person.
• The last anointing of the body with holy oil prepares the soul for death and life hereafter.
• They also practise the burning of incense in their services.
• They confess their sins to a priest.
• They use the rosary in their prayers.
• The clergy are required to remain celibate (unmarried).

Eastern Orthodox Church

• They engage in the kissing of the images of saints, called icons.
• The Eucharist is combined with the “Cycle of Prayer.”
• These prayers are sung at sunrise and sunset.
• Personal prayer (including the Jesus Prayer) plays an important part in the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Protestantism

• They practise healing services.
• They have revival crusades.
• They regard charity as being an outward sign of inner grace.
  NOTE: 4 of the 14 marks are allocated to the naming of the two branches.
  Other relevant responses must be credited. (14)

2.1.2 NOTE: A maximum of FOUR marks may be awarded if only ONE branch is discussed.
Roman Catholic Church

• Catholics believe that everyone is born in sin, because Adam and Eve disobeyed God's command.
• They believe that the Holy Spirit comes from God the Father and the Son.
• They believe that they are the original church of Christ.

Eastern Orthodox Church

• According to the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Holy Spirit comes from God the Father only, and not the Son.
• They believe that they are the rightly guided church.
• They believe that no one has the power to change Christian teachings and traditions.
• They see the Bible as canonical.

Protestantism

• In Protestantism, they believe that rituals are less important than belief. (10)
• They believe that faith is the key to salvation.
• They believe that salvation is a gift given freely through the work of Jesus Christ, who died for sinners.
  NOTE: Other relevant responses must be credited.

2.1.1 NOTE: A maximum of FOUR marks may be awarded if only ONE branch is discussed.
EXAMPLE 2: AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGION

AmaZulu

• They burn incense during communication with the ancestors.
• When there is illness or misfortune, they consult the traditional healer or diviner.
• UNomkhubulwana (goddess) is approached through a pilgrimage to the mountains during natural disasters or drought.
• They practise a 'brought back' ceremony where the deceased is established as an ancestor after a year.

Aka

• They dance and sing in honour of Dzengi.
• When they go hunting they perform a ritual which involves animal slaughtering to communicate with the animal spirit.
• They consult ngangas (traditional healers) when taking difficult decisions.
• When there is illness or crisis in the family or community, the ngangas are consulted.

Yoruba

• Religious practices focus on Ori Orun/Olorun.
• Spiritual contact is made via various intermediaries, including Orisas (lesser divinities).
• Each town has its own oris and a temple dedicated to it.
• Sincere meditation and veneration strengthens one's links with the spiritual realm.
  NOTE: 4 of the 14 marks are allocated to the naming of the two branches.
  Other relevant responses must be credited. (14)

2.1.2 NOTE: A maximum of FOUR marks may be awarded if only ONE branch is discussed.
AmaZulu

• They believe and acknowledge the existence of a Supreme Being called uMvelinqangi.
• They teach that his status is so high that one cannot directly approach him.
• Communication with uMvelinqangi is done through the ancestors.
• The Amazulu also believe that there is a feminine goddess called uNomkhubulwane.

Aka

• They believe in a creator spirit called Bembe.
• They teach that Bembe retired after the act of creation.
• They believe in the forest spirit called Dzengi.
• They teach that Dzengi assists them in the successful hunting of elephants.

Yoruba

• They believe that Olodumare is the creator spirit.
• They teach that each human possesses a fate or destiny.
• They also teach that life is cyclical (reincarnation in human form).
• The aim of reincarnation is spiritual improvement.
• They teach that good spirits become one with Olodumare.
  NOTE: Other relevant responses must be credited (10)

2.2

• Bahá'i is a relatively new religion.
• It is governed by a uniquely democratic structure, which allows for differences of opinion. (4)

2.3 EXAMPLE 1: CHRISTIANITY

• In spite of differences in religious content, Christianity reveals the same pattern in the development of a written tradition as Judaism.
• Christianity accepted the Hebrew tradition encapsulated in the Tenach.
• Christianity re-interpreted it from its own religious perspective.
• This is called the Old Testament.
• It then compiled its own collection of texts, accepted as divine revelation (New Testament).
• The New Testament was first an oral tradition from the disciples of Jesus Christ.
• It was later written down and circulated to different Christian churches.
• Christianity was forced to define its boundaries against other views.
• The decision on a corpus of absolutely true and divinely inspired writings was taken.
• The inspired books were accepted as Christian canon, and referred as the Bible.

Related Items

EXAMPLE 2: BUDDHISM

• In Theravada Buddhism, the very large canonical tradition was orally transmitted for centuries.
• It was later written down.
• Buddhist scriptures are not seen as divine dictates.
• They are not necessarily considered to be divinely inspired.
• Theravada Buddhism has produced an ever-growing body of commentaries.
• These commentaries are based on the canonical tradition.
• Mahayana Buddhism also makes a distinction between primary scriptures (sutras) and secondary commentaries and philosophical interpretations (sastras).
• Sastras were often linked to individual scholars and schools.
• Oral tradition preceded sacred text, and had flexibility in meaning.
  NOTE: Other relevant responses must be credited. (14)

2.4 YES

• The sacred books are fixed, whereas oral traditions are fluid and can be easily manipulated.
• Written sacred books become yardsticks of measuring right and wrong.
• In the religions of the 'Book', sacred scriptures are central to their beliefs.
• They are seen as authoritative by adherents of these respective religions.
• The sacred books are canonical in nature.
• The Abrahamic religions do indeed regard their sacred books as their greatest source.

NO

• Other religions, such as Hinduism and Taoism, lay greater emphasis on practices rather than on sacred books.
• In such religions, sacred books are less important, or have no significance (e.g in African Traditional Religion).
• Sacred books may lose their original meaning when they are translated and interpreted over time.
• Teachings are transmitted orally.
• Such teachings are fluid, and readily adapted into local culture.
• NOTE: Other relevant responses must be credited.
  The candidate may offer a combination of YES and NO answers. (8)

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QUESTION 3
3.1 NOTE: If the candidate mentions the country of conflict even in 3.2 or 3.3 , credit must be given for the whole of Question 3.However, credit must be given ONLY for the first country mentioned.
EXAMPLE 1

Sri Lanka

• Since 1983, there has been war on the island state of Sri Lanka.
• Over the years more than 60 000 people were killed.
• The conflict was between two groups: the Sinhalese-speaking Buddhist community and the Tamil-speaking Hindus.
• Buddhists and Hindus had lived together for centuries harmoniously.
• They influenced each other's beliefs and practices.
• They worshipped some of the same deities and shared some common rituals.
• The tension between the two groups started when Sri Lanka became independent from British rule.
• Hindu families felt that the government favoured the majority Buddhist Sinhalese community.
• The government was accused of discriminating against the minority Hindus. (18)

3.2

• The main cause of this religious conflict was basically political in nature.
• Hindus claimed that, because they were in the minority, they did not have the same education and employment opportunities as the Sinhalese Buddhist community.
• The conflict was further aggravated by the government, by passing an Act in 1956 that declared Sinhala to be the only official language in Sri Lanka.
• The Act effectively excluded the Tamil-speaking Hindus from the Sri Lankan society.
• They believed that the main aim of the government was to establish Buddhism as a state religion.
• In essence the government used the religious differences for political gain. (10)

3.3

• There is some power-sharing in government.
• The current situation is calm but volatile.
• In February 2018, anti-Muslim riots broke out in the town of Ampara.
• Muslim citizens, mosques and other properties were attacked by mobs of Sinhalese Buddhists.
• The Muslim mobs then attacked Buddhist temples and Sinhalese citizens.
• The riots immediately spread to other districts of Sri Lanka.
• Sri Lankan government imposed a state of emergency and deployed soldiers to assist the police.
• Buddhist monks and many Sinhalese rallied to protect and help Muslims and their mosques in Sri Lanka.
• It is clear that religious tensions are still simmering in the country. (12)

3.4

• Inter-faith religious organisations need to engage the religions in conflict in dialogue.
• They must promote mutual respect of all religions.
• They need to promote religious tolerance between Hindus, Muslims and Buddhists.
• Religious organisations themselves must be impartial in their approach to this conflict.
• They must be mediators in this conflict and agents of peace. (10)

3.1 EXAMPLE 2

• Ayodhya in India.
• Over 500 years ago, a beautiful mosque was built in Ayodhya, in the province of Gujarat in India.
• Hindus always maintained that the site of the Mosque was the birth place of their revered god, Lord Rama.
• Hindus maintain that their temple was torn down by Muslims in order to build the Mosque.
• Today there is some archaeological evidence that this might be true.
• Over many years, there has been tension about the site between Hindus and Muslims.
• The tension exploded in 1992, when thousands of radical Hindus destroyed the ancient mosque.
• Muslims retaliated by attacking Hindus, and thousands of people died.
• The World Hindu Council announced that a temple in honour of Rama would be built on the site.
• In 2002, a train carrying Hindus who had visited the site was fire-bombed by Muslims.
• The courts in India banned any activity at the site until the matter was resolved. (18)

3.2

• Religion is indeed part of the conflict to a great extent.
• For many Hindus, Rama is the most important god, and Ayodhya is the holiest of all the cities in India.
• Devout Hindus see the destruction of the Babri mosque as a 'release' of the birthplace of Rama.
• The Viswa Hindu Parishad leaders had declared that they wanted the construction of the temple to start sooner.
• They also declared that no judicial verdict would be accepted by them if it was against their wishes.
• Leaders of the Babri Mosque Action Committee and Muslim Personal Law Board also declared that they were not prepared for any compromise about a plan to rebuild the mosque.
• They are prepared to fight those who do anything to the detriment of Islam, such as destroying a mosque. (10)

3.3

• The Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu National Baratiya Janata Party has been scaling up to build a Hindu temple in Ayodhya.
• Walls in the districts surrounding the site have been plastered with posters that show Lord Rama going to war.
• Other posters contain slogans that are essentially war cries against the inability by the previous government to get the temple constructed.
• The situation has prompted a sense of panic and fear among Ayodhya's Muslim residents.
• The Hindu National Baratiya Janata Party appears to be attempting to galvanise Hindus in Uttar Pradesh province along religious lines.
• The Supreme Court has awarded the land to the Hindus, and alternative land has been given to the Muslims. (12)

3.4

• Both Hindus and Muslim leaders must be committed to an everlasting solution in Ayodhya.
• They should construct a national monument for peace, love and inter-religious harmony on the site instead of their places of worship.
• They must welcome people of all faiths for prayer and meditation in that monument.
• Inter-faith religious organisations must choose a neutral mediator who will preside in every meeting.
• Terrorists from both sides must be handed to the law enforcement agencies.
• They must discourage political interference in religious conflict.
• The government should not be allowed to exploit religion for political gain. (10)

[50]

QUESTION 4
4.1
4.1.1

• In the 15th century, Martin Luther set in motion certain changes that led to the splintering of Christianity.
• This led to decades of religious wars in Europe.
• Various Christian groups fought for dominance.
• At the time, the church was very influential both politically and socially.
• Most countries were not democratic, as they were ruled by emperors, kings, queens or nobility.
• These rulers used the church to establish their power.
• In return religious leaders also influenced rulers to promote the interpretation of their beliefs.
• All warring parties thought that a society would be peaceful if everyone shared the same beliefs.
• Protestant reformers were not tolerant of religious diversity.
• Catholics and Protestants imposed their beliefs on each other.
• People began a quest for a state where there would be religious tolerance.
• The intellectuals concluded that religions were divisive rather than uniting.
• A government which was based purely on reasoning and understanding of human nature was then a solution.
• Thus government and morality were divorced from religion.
• Secular humanism was thus established.
  NOTE: Other relevant responses must be credited (12)

4.1.2

• The signing of the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648 settled most of the European religious conflict.
• The Treaty is important for Western political and religious history; because it was the first time that the nation state was recognised, independent of religion.
• Secular states have human rights and religious freedom at the heart of society.
• There are no religious wars in, or between, secular states.
• People in secular states are free to follow any religion of their choice.
• Religious leaders from different faith communities are forced by the constitution to work as equal partners on religious issues.
• As a result religions developed respect for and tolerance of each other.
• Different religions have developed their understanding of one another's beliefs and practices.
  NOTE: Other relevant responses must be credited. (12)

4.1.3

• Secularism is a belief that government and morality should not be based on religion.
• It does not reject religion, but does not give religion the final say on morality or government.
• Instead, secularism sees human intellect as the solution to all challenges.
• Secularism advocates ethics based on reasoning about human nature, without referring to God or gods.
• Secularism advocates freedom of speech, and freedom of religion.
• Secularism understands the universe without appealing to religious explanations, such as Creationism myths. (10)

4.2 ATHEISM

• Atheists reject the belief that divine or supernatural powers exist.
• There are different degrees of atheism.
• Soft or neutral atheists do not actively reject the existence of a supernatural being.
• Strong or positive atheists believe that, there is evidence to support their atheistic views.
• In some cases soft atheists reject both theism and strong atheism.
• This is because they feel both world views depend on proof to support their claims.
• Atheists often turn to science to explain the nature of the universe rather than relying on faith.

AGNOSTICISM

• This term was first used by a philosopher called T.H Huxley in 1869.
• Darwin's theory of human evolution challenged the idea of a supreme Creator.
• Agnostics believe that it is not possible to either prove or disprove the existence of God or a supernatural being.
• Agnosticism comes from Greek, 'a' meaning 'without' and 'gnosis' meaning 'knowledge'.
• This refers to uncertainty about knowledge of God.
• Agnostics are sceptical of religious teachings.
• They reject religious doctrine, especially religions that claim they have spiritual knowledge.

SECULAR HUMANISM

• This movement initially encouraged people to use their intellect to understand scripture.
• Later, it became secular, non-religious and atheistic.
• It teaches that supernatural beings are not a necessity for teaching right from wrong.
• Humans can work this out for themselves, using their reasoning skills.
• It rejects religious beliefs and the existence of the supernatural.

MATERIALISM

• This secular worldview believes that matter is the only reality.
• It denies the existence of a spiritual or supernatural realm.
• It is therefore incompatible with religious worldviews which are rooted in belief in a deity or spiritual reality.
• According to Karl Marx, the concept of materialism describes human history and economic activity.
• Dialectical materialism means matter as the fundamental cause of everything.
• Historical materialism means economics and relationships between workers and owners as the fundamental structure in society.
  NOTE: Other relevant responses must be credited. (16)

[50]

QUESTION 5
5.1
5.1.1

• The scientific answer to the question comes from Darwin's theory of evolution.
• It states that all forms of life are connected and go back to a common origin.
• Different types of life occurred in one single continuum.
• Life evolves in a process, leading from simple to complex.
• Organisms change gradually, to adapt to changing environments.
• Those that suit the environment best, become dominant.
• This is called 'natural selection'.
• The process started many millions of years ago, and is still continuing.
• Human beings also emerged over a long process, spanning millions of years, until 'modern' humans finally emerged about 100 000 years ago.
• The theory of evolution asserts that humans evolved from a common primate ancestor with apes.
  NOTE: Other relevant responses must be credited. (16)

5.1.2 CHRISTIANITY

• Christianity teaches that God is the Creator of the universe and all that is within it, including humans.
• Adam was created by God from the dust of the earth
• God breathed His Spirit into Adam and he came to life.
• Eve was created from Adam's rib.
• Adam and Eve were the first humans.
• All people are descendants from Adam and Eve.
• Furthermore, each person is created in the image and likeness of God, and, as such, is unique and deserving of human dignity.
• Humans represent the climax of God's creation and were put in charge to be stewards of creation, that is, to take care of it.
• Christian teaching about creation is found in the book of Genesis in the Bible.

TAOISM

• In Taoism, there is no concept of creation, but humans are merely a pattern of the universe.
• There is nothing special about the creation of man.
• Humans are a by-product of the interaction of Yang and Yin.
• Yin and Yang represent opposing forces of nature.
• These include light and dark, active and passive, and of course male and female.
• Taoism asserts that if the one could produce 10 000 things, then it could produce everything, including human beings.

HINDUISM

• According to Hinduism the universe is based on evolution.
• However, Hinduism believes it has a more advanced theory of evolution than the scientific view.
• The scientific view is based on observable facts. Hinduism provides a more comprehensive view because it includes the spiritual.
• Scientists see evolution as a process that happens by chance. Hindus believe that you have control over both physical and spiritual evolution.
• By the laws of karma, a good life leads to gradual evolution to a more advanced form.
• Ultimately, you achieve liberation from the physical (moksha) and become one with God.
• Hinduism does not have a problem with evolution because Darwin's theory is not in conflict with Hindu thought and belief.
• In fact, Darwin's theory contributes to the understanding of evolution towards moksha.
  NOTE: Other relevant responses must be credited. (24)

5.2

• The Big Bang Theory is currently the most popular scientific theory about the creation of the universe.
• This scientific theory maintains that before the Big Bang, it was not known what existed.
• After the Big Bang, the universe appeared and filled out to an enormous size.
• The Big Bang occurred about 15 billion years ago.
• Small temperature differences in the first explosion led to varying densities throughout the universe.
• These eventually formed into clusters throughout the universe. (10)

[50]
TOTAL: 150