WAEC Christian Religious Studies (CRS) 2020 Theory Past Questions

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(a) God commanded light to appear on the formless, empty and dark earth. God separated the light from darkness and called the light day and the darkness night. God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above and called it sky. The water below the expanse was gathered at one place to create dry ground. God called the dry ground land and the gathered water, sea. God caused the land to produce vegetation of plants bearing seeds according to their kind and trees bearing fruits. Further, God created the seasons, days and years and lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth. God made two great lights: the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. This was followed by the creation of the creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing. Every winged bird was also created to fly across the expanse of the sky. The creatures of the sea and the birds were commanded to increase in number to fill the water in the sea and the earth respectively. Livestock, creatures that move along the ground and wild animals were also created. God then created man in His own image and likeness to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air. God blessed man to be fruitful and increase in number to fill the earth and subdue it. (b) Four ways humans abuse God's creation: Illegal mining; Overgrazing; Pollution of water, air and noise; Indiscriminate waste disposal; Over exploitation of natural resources/deforestation, overfishing, overhunting; Genetic engineering (cloning); Homosexuality/lesbianism; Bestiality; War/genocide/murder; Bush burning; Indiscriminate use of pesticides; Bleaching/plastic surgery.

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(a) God's instruction to Joshua on his assumption of leadership over Israel (Numbers 27:18-22, Joshua 1:1-9): When Moses was about to exit the leadership position of Israel, he prayed to God to provide a successor in order not to lead the people like sheep without a shepherd. The LORD ordered Moses to take Joshua, the son of Nun, a man in whom is His Spirit and lay hands on him. Joshua was to be brought before Eleazar the priest and the entire assembly to be commissioned. Moses did as he was commanded by the LORD and Joshua was brought before the Eleazar the priest and the whole assembly commissioned and laid hands on Joshua. God then promised to give Joshua every place the soles of his feet shall tread, the territories expanding from the wilderness to Lebanon and the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun shall be his territory. The LORD promised to be with Joshua and no one would be able to stand against him all the days of his life. Joshua was to be strong and courageous as he would lead the Israelites to the Promised Land of their fathers. Joshua was to be careful of the laws Moses gave him in order to be successful wherever he went. Joshua was to make sure the book of the law never departed from his mouth but he should meditate upon it day and night. Joshua was to apply the law in everything in order to be prosperous. Joshua was to be courageous and strong and not to be terrified or discouraged for the LORD would be with him wherever he went. (b) Three lessons political leaders can learn from Joshua's leadership: Political leaders should not impose successor but allow God to lead in making such a choice; They should help people to elect leaders who are goal oriented and people oriented; Political leaders should know when enough is enough and retire honourably; They should be interested in grooming people who can take power from them; Like Moses, they should show confidence in the authority and ability of their successors; They should know that they can only succeed when they observe God's instructions; They should be confident that with the LORD on their side, there is no need to be terrified or discouraged in difficult times; Political leaders should be patient as they wait to ensure leadership position and not dictate power through evil manipulations and force of arms; They should be courageous.

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(a) David resisted taking Saul's life in the wilderness of Ziph (1 Samuel 26:1-25): Saul received report from Ziphites that David was hiding on the hill of Hachilah. So, Saul went in search of David at the desert of Ziph with three thousand chosen men. Saul and his men made their camp on the hill of Hachilah which was beside the road on the east of Jeshimon while David stayed in the desert. When David heard of the presence of Saul, he sent men to scout the whereabouts of Saul and this was confirmed. With this information, David and Abishai went to the camp of Saul and saw him and Abner the commander of the Army, lying down, sleeping with the army encamped around them. Abishai said to David that the LORD had delivered his enemy unto his hand and that David should allow them to kill Saul. David rebuked Abishai because it is a sin to kill the LORD's anointed. David again said that Saul should be allowed to die in the hands of the LORD or in the battle but not in his hand/ the life of Saul was in God's hand. David then ordered Saul's spear which was stuck in the ground and his water jar to be taken away. When David crossed to the other side, he called to Saul and said that Abner has failed to protect the king and deserved to die. Saul then called out to David while David responded why was Saul pursuing him and what was his guilt. David wondered why the king of Israel should be pursuing him as a partridge in the mountains. Saul apologised to David and promised not to harm him because he had spared his life. David handed over Saul's spear and water jar to him and noted that the LORD rewards everyone for his or her righteousness and faithfulness. David ended by saying that the LORD had delivered Saul into his hand and he would not lay his hands on the LORD's anointed. Because I valued your life, may the LORD value my life and deliver me from all troubles. Saul blessed David and they both parted ways. (b) Four benefits of self-control: It is a sign of maturity/principle; It fosters harmonious relationship with others; It ensures well-thought out decision; It accords oneself respect and respect from others; It ensures peaceful resolution of disputes; It prevents tension, conflict, war/temptation; It builds trust; It promotes good, health and healthy living.

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(a) Solomon's prayer at the dedication of the temple (1 Kings 8:1-54): After the completion of the temple, Solomon assembled all the elders and heads of the tribes for the dedication of the temple. He had the ark of the LORD brought from Zion and placed within the wings of the cherubim situated at the most holy place of the temple. Standing before the altar of the LORD in front of the assembly with hands raised towards the heavens, Solomon acknowledged the supremacy of God and His faithfulness to His promise to David. Solomon urged the LORD to keep the promise he made with David that there will always be a man to sit before Him on the throne of Israel so long as his children are obedient to the LORD. Solomon requested of the LORD to open His eyes towards the temple day and night so that He would hear the prayer of his servant. "When thy people Israel are defeated before the enemy because they have sinned against thee, if they turn again to thee, and acknowledge thy name, and pray and make supplication to thee in this house, then hear thou from heaven and forgive the sin of thy people Israel and bring them again to the land which thou gavest to their fathers." If there is a drought or famine due to sin of our people and they come to you in supplication in the name of you or in your people Israel, forgive the sin of thy people and give them rain which you have given to your people as an inheritance. In times of disaster or disease when your people pray with their hands raised towards this temple, forgive and deliver them. When a foreigner comes to pray towards this temple, grant his request that all the people of the earth will know you. Take away all their woes at the temple. Even when Israel is taken into captivity due to your anger and pray unto you for forgiveness in the land of their captivity, hear their calls. (b) Three ways elders can use resources to advance the society: Producing social amenities; Avoiding corruption; Equitable distribution of resources; Education and training for all; Avoiding unnecessary war or conflict; Investing in projects and take into consideration generations yet unborn; Protection of women and children lives; Ensuring religious peace.

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(a) The circumstances under which the statement above was made (Luke 5:1-11): Jesus stood by the lake Gennesaret as the people gathered to hear the word of God from him. Jesus saw two empty boats and entered one of them belonging to Simon Peter. Jesus stood in the boat and talked to the people around. After the teaching, Jesus then instructed Peter to cast his net in the deep waters for a catch. Simon initially protested but later agreed to do as Jesus directed. After he threw the net, he got a great shoal of fish. His net was breaking and he had to request for assistance from his colleagues. They filled the two boats so that they began to sink. Peter was so much astonished that he begged Jesus to depart from him since he was a sinner. Peter was in the company of James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were also fishermen. Jesus then invited them to be fishers of men. Instantly, they left everything and followed Jesus. (b) Three ways money is overspent during funeral in your society: Buying special funeral cloth; Buying expensive coffin; Preparing special food for mourners to take away; Keeping corpse in the mortuary for a long time; Funeral announcements on the radio, TV, newspaper, billboard; Employing special undertakers, mourners, pall bearers; Preparing special graves; Expensive entertainment/hotels; Provision of souvenirs.

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(a) Jesus was condemned to death by the Sanhedrin and Pilate. Jesus was crucified between two robbers at Golgotha. He was crucified on the Preparation day, i.e. the day before the Sabbath. Joseph of Arimathea, a rich, righteous man was opposed to the Sanhedrin's condemnation of Jesus. On the evening of the crucifixion, Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Sanhedrin, went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate granted the request of Joseph and gave the body to him. Joseph wrapped the body in a linen shroud. The body was then laid in a tomb which had been shewn out of the rock. A stone was then rolled against the door of the tomb. The chief priest and the Pharisees requested Pilate deploy guards to secure the tomb of Jesus. According to them, Jesus had claimed to rise from the grave after three days. The women who had come with him from Galilee to the tomb returned and prepared spice and ointment. Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and some other women from Galilee were at the tomb to see where Jesus was laid. According to Matthew's account, Pilate ordered that guards should be sent to secure the tomb. All these were based on the assumption that it was alleged that the disciples were going to steal Jesus' body. (b) Three ways elders can use resources to advance the society: Producing social amenities; Avoiding corruption; Equitable distribution of resources; Education and training for all; Avoiding unnecessary war or conflict; Investing in projects and taking into consideration generations yet unborn.

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(a) Herod Agrippa joined the opposition to please the Jews. He had James the brother of John killed. After James was killed, he realised that the Jews were happy. In order to please them the more, he had Peter put in prison. Herod's decision was to have Peter killed after the Passover. As Peter was kept in prison, earnest prayer was made for him by the church. The night prior to the day Herod planned to kill Peter, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers bound with two chains. An angel of the Lord appeared to Peter and asked him to get up quickly and the chain fell off his hands. The angel commanded Peter to dress up and put on his sandals and follow him. Peter followed the angel and thought he was seeing a vision. When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. The gate opened for them of its own accord, and they went out and passed on through one street; and immediately the angel left him. And just as they went out, the angel left Peter and he realised that it was an angel of the Lord that came to rescue him. Peter went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark where the church was gathered praying for him. And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a maid named Rhoda came to answer. Recognising Peter's voice, she went into the house to announce his presence. However, the brethren did not believe her and thought she was mad. They insisted that it was Peter's angel. Peter continued knocking and when they saw him, they were amazed. (b) Three factors that can prevent people from becoming committed Christians: Lack of self-denial; Poverty; Lack of self-control; Unforgivingness/intolerance; Unwillingness to give up sinful habit; Wealth/materialism; Not praying regularly; Not reading the Bible regularly; Failure to abide by the word of God; lack of faith; Peer group pressure/bad company; Idolatry; Demonic/satanic influence.

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(a) Necessary requirements for responsible citizenship according to Peter: He said that Christians should be subject to every human institution for the Lord's sake, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors, as sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right. Peter stated that the behaviour of good citizens would put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. He said that the people in authority have been appointed by God to punish wrongdoers and reward those who do right. Peter stressed that the behaviour of good citizens would put to silence the ignorance of foolish men. He said that Christians who are good citizens have been liberated from the curse of the law. Hence, they should live as free men but should not use their liberty as pretext for evil. Instead, they should live as obedient servants to God. They should also respect everyone. They should love brotherhood. Furthermore, the good citizens should honour the emperor and all rulers. (b) Ways citizens can contribute to national development: Payment of taxes/rates/bills/dues; Avoidance of social vices; Protection of state property; Taking part in communal labour; Practicing good habits at the workplace/good work ethics; Reporting criminals to law enforcement agencies; Being good ambassadors of your country; Hardwork; Being patriotic/participating in political activities; Investing in the economy; Being law-abiding/respect for authority.

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(a) Peter's expectations of the people described above (1 Peter 2:9 and surrounding text): He compared anyone who doubts with the wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. James argued that any petition made to God must be backed by faith made in faith without doubting, for the doubter will receive nothing. James revealed that God is glorified when people pray for the right things; prayer should be made in accordance with the will of God. James urged Christians to exercise patience when they pray for God's will to be done. Furthermore, prayers must be made in humility to be effective. James also remarked that Christians must pray persistently till their prayers are answered. According to James, the fervent prayer of the righteous has great effect. He gave an example of Elijah who prayed fervently for no rain and there was no rain for three years. Elijah prayed again and it rained. James again said that if anyone was cheerful, he should sing hymns of praise. He further taught that if anyone was sick, the elders of the church should be invited to pray for the person, and the prayer of faith would heal the sick. (b) Three factors that prevent Christians from doing the will of God: Intolerance/ignorance/impatience; Discrimination/favouritism/unfairness; Egocentrism.