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WAEC Christian Religious Studies (CRS) 2016 Theory Past Questions

All 9 questions from the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) Christian Religious Studies (CRS) 2016 Theory paper, with the correct answer and a full explanation for each. Free, no signup needed.

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Christian Religious Studies (CRS) 2016 Theory — Question 1

SECTION A: THEMES FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT 1(a) Describe how Moses responded to God's call (b) State three reasons why people refuse to accept leadership roles

Model answer

(a) (Exodus 3:1-22; 24:1-17) While Moses was tending the flocks of his father-in-law, Jethro, he encountered God in a bush at Mount Horeb/Sinai. God told Moses that He had seen and heard about the afflictions on the Israelites in Egypt and had come down to deliver them. God charged Moses to go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of bondage to Canaan, the Promised Land. Moses was afraid. He said, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?" In response to Moses' excuse, God gave him the assurance that He would be with him. He also gave him a sign that he would bring the people back to Mount Horeb to serve Him. Moses asked God what he should say in case the people asked him about His name. God revealed His name as "I am who I am". In addition, God told Moses to tell the Israelites that the God of their fathers: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had sent him. God told Moses to assemble the elders and go to Pharaoh for a permission to worship their God/Yahweh in the wilderness as a three-day journey. Moses further complained that the Israelites would not listen to him nor believe that God had appeared to him. God acknowledged that Pharaoh would not let them go unless by a mighty hand. God gave Moses signs to perform and his hands becoming leprous when placed in his armpit. Besides, Moses should pour water from the Nile on the ground to become blood if the people would not believe the first two signs. Moses further complained that he was not eloquent and would not be able to respond to Pharaoh but God promised to be with his mouth since He was the one who created it. Moses gave up and told God to appoint another man and God approached Aaron, his brother, to be his mouth piece before Pharaoh. (b) Reasons why People Refuse to Accept Leadership Roles: i. Fear of criticism ii. Lack of confidence, lack of trust, fear of failure and low self-esteem iii. Lack of knowledge or expertise iv. Lack of vision or mission v. Lack of integrity, sincerity and honesty

Christian Religious Studies (CRS) 2016 Theory — Question 2

2(a) Recount the effects of the behaviour of Eli's children on Israel as a nation (b) What two lessons can be learnt by parents from Eli's attitude?

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(a) (1 Samuel 2:12-36; 3:2-8; 4: 10-22) Eli, a priest of Shiloh had two sons, namely Hophni and Phinehas. The following are the behaviour of Eli's children and their effects on Israel as a nation: i. Hophni and Phinehas treated the Lord's sacrifice with contempt. They also took raw meat instead of boiled meat. ii. They took a greater portion of the meat than they were supposed to take. iii. Eli's sons had affair with women at the entrance of the tent where the Ark of God was kept. iv. Eli failed to stop his children from their sinful acts in spite of persistent warnings. v. A man of God was sent to Eli to warn him about the children's behaviour and its consequences and God also told Samuel in a vision to pronounce wrath/doom on Eli and his household. vi. Afterwards, God sent the Philistines to fight Israel and Israel was defeated by the Philistines. About three thousand Israelites died in the war. vii. The Ark of covenant was also captured by the Philistines and Eli were killed. viii. Eli died when he heard that his two sons had died and the Ark was captured. ix. When Phinehas' pregnant wife heard about the death of Phinehas, her husband and that of her father-in-law (Eli), she gave birth to a child prematurely and she also died after. The child was called Ichabod (the glory has departed from Israel). x. The priestly position was taken away from Eli's family and was given to Samuel. (b) Lessons Parents can Learn from Eli's attitude: i. Parents should build in their children the fear of God. ii. Parents should teach their children to acquire good moral values. iii. Parents should mete out punishments to their children for disobeying God's commands. iv. Parents should reward and encourage good behaviour from their children. v. Parents should monitor the affairs of their children.

Christian Religious Studies (CRS) 2016 Theory — Question 3

3(a) Narrate the circumstances that led to the rejection of Rehoboam as a king of Israel (b) What three factors can lead to rejection of a political leader?

Model answer

(a) (1 Kings 12:1-17) After the death of Solomon, his son Rehoboam was made king by the tribes of Judah, in the South. He went to the North to be crowned king at Shechem by the Northerners, in order to unite the kingdom. Meanwhile, Jeroboam who had been in exile in Egypt heard of the news and returned home and led a delegation from North to meet Rehoboam. The delegation requested that the burden imposed on them by Solomon should be made light so that they would serve him but Rehoboam asked the Northern delegates to go and return on the third day for an answer. He sought advice from his father's elderly counselors about the type of response he should give to the Northerners. They advised him to pay heed to their request by reducing their burden so that they would serve Rehoboam. Rehoboam later consulted his peers or contemporaries. However, they advised him to tell the Northerners thus: "my little finger is thicker than my father's loins. Whereas my father chastised you with whips but I will chastise you with scorpions. This implied that the people would suffer under him than they did under his father. When the Israelites saw that Rehoboam was not ready to listen to their plea for reduction of their burden, they broke away from the United Kingdom, saying "We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse. To your tents, O Israel". Consequently, the Northerners made Jeroboam their king. (b) Factors that can Lead to the Rejection of a Political Leader: i. Lack of respect for elders ii. Lack of integrity iii. Authoritarian or autocratic leadership style iv. When the leader is corrupt v. Economic hardship

Christian Religious Studies (CRS) 2016 Theory — Question 4

4(a) Relate the story of Hosea's marriage to Gomer (b) Mention three factors that ensure a stable marriage

Model answer

(a) (Hosea 1;2;3) God instructed Hosea to take as a wife a woman of harlotry. This was to demonstrate or prove how Israel had forsaken the Lord and engaged in idolatry. Hosea took Gomer, the daughter of Dibiam, who gave birth to three children. The first child, a son was named Jezereel meaning God would punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezereel and would put an end to the kingdom of Israel. Gomer's second born was a female whose name was "Not Pitied". This meant that God would no longer pity the house of Israel. The third child was named "Not my people" because Israel was no longer the people of God nor was God their God. After the birth of these children, Gomer abandoned Hosea and ran after other lovers. Hosea, out of love, implored Gomer to come back but she refused. He sent his children to plead with her to return but she did not return. Despite Gomer's unfaithfulness and Hosea's disappointments, Hosea still loved her. Hosea's marital experience and love for his wife was a demonstration of God's love for Israel. (b) Factors Ensuring Stable Marriage: i. Mutual love, trust, respect and understanding ii. Effective communication and quality time with each other iii. Sharing responsibility iv. Financial security v. Faithfulness and commitment

Christian Religious Studies (CRS) 2016 Theory — Question 5

SECTION B: THEMES FROM THE SYNOPTIC GOSPELS AND THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 5(a) Highlight Jesus' call of the Twelve Disciples

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(a) (Mark 1:16-20; 2:13-17, Luke 5:1-11, Matthew 4:18-25) The story of the call varies slightly from each gospel. i. According to Luke, Jesus prayed throughout the previous night for divine guidance before choosing the disciples. ii. Furthermore, the disciples were into different professions - fishermen, tax collectors, politicians, etc. iii. According to Mark, shortly after Jesus' temptation, He passed beside the Sea of Galilee where He saw Simon Peter and his brother Andrew fishing, because they were fishermen. iv. Jesus commanded them, "follow me and I will make you fishers of men". They left their nets immediately and followed Jesus. v. Moving a bit farther, Jesus saw James, the son of Zebedee, and John his brother who were in their boat mending the nets. He called them and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants, and followed Him. vi. According to Luke, Jesus saw Simon and Andrew by the lake of Gennesaret. He got into Simon's boat and asked him to put out a little from the land. After teaching the people for a while, Jesus asked Simon to put out into the deep and let down their nets for a catch. vii. Simon lamented that they had toiled all night without a catch, but because of His words, he would cast the net. They had a great catch and the boat began to sink. Jesus calmed their fear and also told them they would soon be catching men. viii. Further on their way, Jesus saw Levi and called him to be his disciple. ix. Levi/Matthew heeded Jesus' call and later organized a feast for Jesus and His disciples and some tax collectors. x. The other disciples were Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, James, the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Cannean, Judas the son of James and Judas Iscariot.

Christian Religious Studies (CRS) 2016 Theory — Question 6

6(a) "And a young man followed him, with ...and run away naked." Trace the events which led to this incident in the life of Jesus. (b) Give four reasons why some people forsake their friends

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(a) Trace the Events Leading to the Fleeing of a Naked Person in Jesus' Life (Mark 14:32-52) i. Jesus and his disciples went to Gethsemane where He asked them to sit and wait while He prayed. ii. He went with Peter, James and John and was greatly distressed and troubled. iii. He told them "My soul is very sorrowful, even to death" and asked them to remain there and watch. iv. He moved further, fell on the ground and prayed asking God that if it were possible, God should remove the cup of suffering from Him, although God's will must be done. v. Jesus returned and found his disciples sleeping. vi. He accused them of not being able to watch at least for an hour. He told them to watch and pray in order to avoid temptation. He said "The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak." vii. He went to pray again asking God that if it were possible, God should remove the cup of suffering from Him. viii. On His return, He found the disciples sleeping again. ix. On the third time when He found them sleeping, He told them that it was enough, and the time had come for the son of man to be betrayed into the hands of the sinners. x. While He was speaking, Judas Iscariot came with armed crowd, the chief priest, the scribes and the elders. xi. Judas kissed Jesus to betray Him to the Sanhedrin. xii. They seized Jesus and a disciple cut the ear of the high priest's servant. xiii. Jesus asked them why they came with cudgels and swords. Did they take Him for a robber? xiv. Jesus asked them why they did not arrest Him while He was teaching in the synagogue. xv. All the disciples deserted Jesus and fled. xvi. Among those following was a young man with nothing but a linen cloth. They tried to seize him, but he slipped out of the linen and ran away naked. xvii. After this, Jesus was led to the high priest's house. (b) Reasons Why Some People Forsake their Friends: i. When they detect that their friends are in danger. ii. When there is some bad report about the friend. iii. The friend may be in serious need. iv. The friend may be sick. v. If the friend lacks integrity.

Christian Religious Studies (CRS) 2016 Theory — Question 7

7(a) Highlight the activities of Peter in Lydda and Joppa (b) Identify two ways by which some pastors are hiding behind miracles to cause havoc in the society today

Model answer

(a) Activities of Peter in Lydda and Joppa (Acts 9:32-43) i. Peter visited Christians outside Jerusalem in order to encourage them in faith. ii. Peter visited Lydda where he came across a man named Aeneas who had been bedridden due to sickness for eight years. Peter prayed for Aeneas and he was instantly healed. As the result of the healing, many people at Lydda and the nearby towns got converted to the Lord. iii. A disciple called Tabitha (Dorcas) died at Joppa. Dorcas was a very charitable woman, always doing good and helping the poor. The brethren at Joppa heard of Peter's miracle at Lydda, so they sent for him. iv. When Peter arrived he was taken into an upper room where Dorcas was laid in state. v. The widows were weeping and showing garments which Dorcas had made for them. vi. Peter sent all the mourners out, knelt down and prayed for Dorcas to come back to life. vii. Tabitha (Dorcas) opened her eyes. She saw Peter and sat up. Peter lifted her up and presented her alive to the disciples. viii. The miracle performed brought much joy and many who heard of it believed in the Lord. ix. Peter stayed in Joppa for some time with Simon, the tanner. (b) Ways by which some Pastors Hide behind Miracles to cause Havoc in the Society: i. Some pastors extort money from people under the guise of demanding huge amount of money for their services. ii. Some infringe on people's rights. iii. Some pastors have sexual affairs with people's wives. iv. Some pastors also curse their victims. v. Some pastors break homes apart through false prophecy.

Christian Religious Studies (CRS) 2016 Theory — Question 8

SECTION C: THEMES FROM SELECTED EPISTLES 8(a) Explain James' advice to Christians to be doers of the word and not hearers only (b) State two factors that hinder Christians from doing the will of God

Model answer

(a) (James 1:2-27, James 2:14-26) James advised Christians to live according to the word of God which they had heard. It would be of no use to hear the word and fail to put it into practice. If anyone is a hearer of the word and not the doer, he is like someone who sees himself in the mirror and turns away, and immediately forgets himself. James also said that he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and perseveres, being no hearer but doer of the word shall be blessed in his doing. James also said that if anyone thinks that he is religious but does not bridle his tongue, he deceives his heart and his religion is vain. Pure religion involves keeping oneself unstained by the world. It is of no use to have faith and have no work. According to James, if someone is poorly clothed and hungry and you asked him to go in peace and be filled without providing the clothing and food for them, you are not backing your faith with work. Faith without work is dead and useless. Abraham justified his faith by work when he was prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac. A person is therefore justified by works and not faith alone. Similarly, Rahab the prostitute justified her faith by work when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way. Faith should manifest itself in love of God and service to humankind and not mere expression of words. (b) Factors Hindering Christians from Doing the Will of God: i. Lack of faith or commitment to God ii. Worldliness and care for material things iii. Poverty and financial constraints iv. Unpleasant experience or sickness v. Fear

Christian Religious Studies (CRS) 2016 Theory — Question 9

9(a) Relate Peter's teaching on submission to Authority (b) State seven ways a Christian can be a good citizen

Model answer

(a) (1 Peter 2:13-17) i. Christians should be law abiding and have respect for constituted authority. ii. Christians should discharge their civic responsibilities or duties to all men. iii. A good Christian should submit to every human institution and respect such, including the authorities of the state. iv. It is God who appointed kings to punish wrong doers and to reward those who do good. v. Christians' good behaviour will put to shame the ignorance of foolish men. vi. Christians should live as obedient servants of God. vii. Christians should respect every man and love the brotherhood of believers. viii. Christians should fear God and honour the king and rulers. (b) Ways a Christian can be a Good Citizen: A Christian can be a good citizen in the following ways: i. By reporting criminal cases and activities to the police or security agencies. ii. Self-discipline and reorientation to doing what is right/having the right attitude to constituted authorities/being law abiding. iii. Teaching others good ethics/being role models/voting iv. Speaking/standing for the truth/what is the right always/maintaining integrity v. Obeying the laws of the land/respecting law court orders vi. Obeying road signs and traffic regulations vii. Paying taxes regularly viii. Teaching others good ethics/being role models

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