The course opens by asking what religion is, how religion should be studied, which sources should be used, and what makes an experience religious. These introductory questions establish the academic method before students apply the three fundamental questions to each selected religion.
The Opening Questions
| Opening question | What students examine |
|---|---|
| What is religion? | Possible definitions of religion and whether religion can be distinguished from culture or ideology. |
| How do we study religion? | Insider and outsider approaches, including how an adherent's understanding may differ from an academic observer's interpretation. |
| Which sources do we use, and how do we interpret them? | Sacred texts, rituals, interviews, artifacts and secondary scholarship, including questions of authority, context and reliability. |
| What makes an experience religious? | Whether an experience becomes religious through its perceived source, interpretation, language or effect on the believer. |
Students also learn terminology such as sacred, ritual, myth, symbolism, metaphor, omnipotent and transcendent. This vocabulary allows religious claims to be described precisely without accepting or rejecting their truth.
After this introduction, every Part 1 religion is organized through three questions:
- What is the human condition?
- Where are we going?
- How do we get there?
These questions connect beliefs to lived behaviour. For example, Buddhism describes the human condition through dukkha or unsatisfactoriness within samsara, while the Noble Eightfold Path explains how liberation may be pursued. Different Buddhist branches must still be distinguished rather than treated as identical.
A common misconception is that the course begins by deciding which religion is true. It does not. IB World Religions requires an analytical, empathetic and academically objective study of how adherents understand and express their beliefs.
Exam Technique
In Paper 1, use these opening principles when interpreting a stimulus. Attribute beliefs to adherents, use accurate religious terminology, distinguish schools or denominations where relevant, and explain how the identified concept shapes practice rather than merely listing facts.