Questions and Answers
KCSE Christian Religious Education Paper 1
I. (a) How the learning of Christian religious education in secondary schools promotes the goal of national development
(i) Christian Religious Education encourages the learner to have a positive attitude towards work/hard work is encouraged/laziness is discouraged
(ii) Learning Christian Religious Education helps the learner to acquire virtues/moral values which promotes economic development
(iii) Christian Religious Education discourages vices which hinder national development.
(iv) Learners are equipped with knowledge/skills which lead to career development/employment
(v) Learners are taught their duties/responsibilities as human beings/the need to develop the environment/nation
(vi) Learners are taught the need to use their talents for the development of self/others/nation
(vii) Christian religious education stresses the importance of peace/love/ unity which contributes to a favourable working environment
(Viii) Learners are taught to appreciate their culture/the cultures of others for national cohesion.
(b) Meaning of the biblical accounts of creation in Genesis chapters 1 and 2
(i) God existed before creation
(ii) God is the sole creator of all that exists
(iii) Creation is by the will/power of God/not an accident
(iv) Creation is a continuous process/reproduction/multiplication
(v) Creation takes place in an orderly/systematic manner
(vi) God created everything for a purpose
(vii) Human beings are to rule over/be in charge of God’s creation
(viii) Human beings are created to live in fellowship with God
(ix) God is concerned about the wellbeing of all creation/provides/sustains
(x) Everything that God created is good
(xi) Marriage is ordained by God/ for companionship
(xii) Work / rest is ordained / willed by God
(c) Consequences of sin from the story of the fall of human beings in Genesis Chapter 3
(i) Human beings were separated /alienated from God/ chased out of the Garden of Eden.
(ii) Childbirth became a painful experience/woman to experience pain during labour/delivery
(iii) They became embarrassed / ashamed of their nakedness.
(iv) Death came into the world/human beings started dying
(v) It led to a distorted relationship among human beings/fear/mistrust/ misunderstanding
(vi) They became afraid of God / hid when God called them
(vii) The ground was cursed
(viii) The woman became subject to man/inferior
(ix) The snake was cursed to crawl on its belly/eat dust
(x) Enmity between human beings and the serpent developed
(xi) Human beings were to s6uggle/toil to meet their needs
2. (a) Commandments which guide on the relationships among human beings.
(i) Honour your father and your mother
(ii) You shall not kill
(iii) You shall not commit adultery
(iv) You shall not steal
(v) You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor
(vi) You shall not covet your neighbour’s property
(b) Lessons Christians learn from the incident when the Israelites worshipped the golden calf while at Mount Sinai
(i) Christians learn that they should worship God alone
(ii) Christians should lead righteous lives
(iii) Christians should not represent God in any kind of image/avoid any form of idolatry
(iv) Christians should intercede for others
(v) Christians should be firm in decision making/not to be swayed/misled easily/avoid peer pressure
(vi) Christians should have faith/trust God
(vii) Christians should repent their sins/ask for forgiveness/ forgive others
(viii) Christians should respect those in authority/appointed by God
(ix) Christians should be patient
(x) Christians should obey God’s instructions/teachings.
(xi) Christians should exercise self-control/ avoid anger
(xii) Christians should condemn evil.
(c) Forms of worship that were practiced by the Israelites in the wilderness which are found in the Christian worship today
(i) Obeying the ten commandments
(ii) Singing/dancing in church
(iii) Praying to God
(iv) Celebration of festivals/feasts
(v) The observing the Sabbath
(vi) Giving offerings/tithes
(vii) Building places of worship/ dedication/ conservation
(viii) Burning of incense.
3. (a) Factors which led to wide spread of idolatry in Israel during the time of prophet Elijah
(i) The foreign princesses married to Israelite kings brought with them idol worships/false prophets were brought to Israel
(ii) Israelites changed their lifestyle from pastoralism to agriculture when they settled in Canaan and this forced them to worship the god of fertility.
(iii) Israelites worshipped God/Yahweh and Baal gods on different occasions / syncretism.
(iv) The Kings built temples for Baal worship in the northern kingdom of Israel
(v) Israelites broke the covenant through inter marriages with foreigners thus adopted Canaanite way of life/temple prostitution.
(vi) Israelites felt that Yahweh had forsaken them after they were defeated in wars by neighbouring nations/turned to other gods.
(vii) The true prophets of Yahweh who were in Israel were being persecuted
(viii) The kings made festivals for the Canaanite gods to be on the same dates as those of the Jewish calendar hence Israelites were influenced to worship idols.
(ix) King Ahab made Baalism the official state religion.
(x) The rampant presence of visible idols compared to the unseen God.
(b) The incident in which prophet Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal at Mount Camel (1 Kings 18:19-41)
(i) Prophet Elijah requested king Ahab to send the prophets of Baal/all the Israelites to Mount Carmel
(ii) Elijah asked the people for how long would they limp on two different opinions/told the people to choose the lord God or Baal.
(iii) Prophet Elijah asked for two bulls, one for those who worship Baal and the other for him.
(iv) Each group was to offer a sacrifice to their god/the God that would send fire to consume the sacrifice is the true God.
(v) Elijah gave the prophets of Baal the first chance to prepare their sacrifice.
(vi) The prophets of Baal called on their god to send fire but there was no response (vii) Elijah mocked them to shout louder for their god to answer
(viii) The prophets of Baal cried louder/cut themselves with swords but there was no answer
(ix) Elijah repaired the altar with twelve stones/ made a trench around it
(x) He prepared the sacrifice/asked for water to be poured on it
(xi) Elijah prayed to God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel to reveal himself
(xii) Fire fell from heaven and burned up the sacrifice
(xiii) The people acknowledged the God of Elijah as the true God
(xiv)Elijah commanded the people to seize/kill the prophets of Baal
(xv) Elijah told Ahab to go and eat/prophesied the coming rain
(c) Reasons that may influence some Christians to turn away from God today
(i) Lack of faith / trust in God
(ii) Influence from non-believers/ridicule/discouragement
(iii) Peer pressure/critic influence/fear of other people
(iv) Quest for better economic power/pride/education/greed/ materialism
(v) Lack of role models in the society
(vi) Unemployment/poverty
(vii) Negative influence from the mass media
(viii)Emergence of different beliefs/cults/religious pluralism Lack of time/family responsibilities/work pressure Unanswered prayers/frustrations of life Permissiveness in the society/ moral decadence.
4. (a) Visions of prophet Amos concerning the judgement that would befall Israel
(i) Vision of the locusts
Amos saw God sending a great swam of locusts which was about to destroy all plants /food in the land. Amos pleaded with God to forgive the people. God forgave them.
(ii) The vision of fire
Amos saw a supernatural fire that had already burned up the water/ was about to consume the earth. God was going to destroy Israel by sending a supernatural fire. Amos pleaded with God and He withheld the punishment.
(iii) The vision of the plumb line
Amos saw God standing with a plumb line in his hands by a wall. The wall was crooked and God was going to punish the people of Israel. Prophet Amos did not plead for the people hence God was not going to forgive the Israelites. This time he would destroy the places of worship/ dynasty of Jeroboam.
(iv) The vision of a basket of summer fruits
Amos saw a basket of ripe fruits at the end of the fruit harvest. It showed that the time for the Israelites to be punished was ripe. Amos did not plead with God thus punishment was inevitable.
(v) Vision of the destruction of the altar
In this last vision prophet Amos saw God standing by the altar /He ordered the destruction of the pillars of the temple/all the worshippers were being struck. This showed that the wicked people would be killed/destroyed/none would escape death.
(b) Ways in which the rich oppressed the poor in Israel during the time of prophet Amos
(i) The merchants robbed the poor by overcharging them on goods/ services
(ii) The poor were sold for apiece of silver/pair of sandals
(iii) The rich grabbed land/grains/food belonging to the poor
(ix) The merchants used false/faulty weighing scales
(v) The rich sold goods that were unfit for human consumption to the poor /refuse
(vi) Poor people were paid unfair wage/underpaid for the labour provided to the rich
(vii) The poor were sold to slavery for being unable to pay the debts
(viii) They were charged high interest rates for the banked money
(ix) The poor were denied justice in law courts due to bribing of judges by the rich/the cases for poor was thrown out of courts
(x) The poor were persecuted/oppressed when they challenged the injustices done
(xi) The rich failed to return the garments taken as pledge/they used the garments as bedding in the temple
(xii) Wives of the rich pressured their husbands to exploit the poor to meet their luxurious lifestyles
(c) Ways in which Christians can help to reduce human suffering in Kenya today
(i) Christians can help to reduce human suffering in Kenya today by establishing medical facilities/providing medical care
(ii) By educating the public on their rights
(iii) By voting out corrupt leaders/exercise their democratic rights
(iv) Creating job opportunities for people
(v) By condemning social injustices/any act that can lead to suffering
(xi) By providing basic needs to the needy/relief aid
(vii) By advocating for just laws/fair disbursement/distribution of resources
(viii) respecting the laws
(ix) Praying for those suffering
(x) Offering guidance and counselling/advice to those suffering.
(xi) By preaching peace/ love/concern for one another
d. (a) Regulations that an expectant mother is required to observe in traditional African communities
(i) An expectant mother is supposed to eat special food/avoid eggs/fatty meat/alcohol
(ii) She is not expected to perform heavy duties /farm work/splitting of firewood
(iii) She is to avoid sexual intercourse
(iv) An expectant mother is not supposed to handle iron/sharp objects to avoid injury
(v) She is not supposed to speak face to face with her husband
(vi) She is expected to wear protective charms against evil eye/to protect her/unborn child
(vii) An expectant woman is required to return to her mother/parents’ home for delivery
(viii) She is supposed to be checked frequently/counselled by traditional midwives
(ix) An expectant mother is to be given special herbs to keep the health of the baby/unborn
(x) She was expected to offer sacrifices to appease spirits/ ancestors
(b) Rituals performed during the birth of a baby in traditional African communities
(i) Cutting of umbilical cord symbolizes the separation of the child from the mother.
(ii) Burying of the placenta/umbilical cord in a special place/banana plantation/farming shrine for continuity of life.
(iii) Shaving of the mother/baby’s hair signifies new beginning/casts off pregnancy stage
(iv) Treatment of the baby/mother with herbs/wearing of charms is done for protection.
(v) Ululations are made according to the sex of the baby to announce the sex of the child
(vi) Mother/ baby are secluded for a period of time to give the mother time to heal.
(vii) There is celebration/singing and dancing/feasting to welcome the new member of the community.
(viii) There is presentation of gifts to the mother/new born baby to celebrate them.
(ix) Sacrifices/offerings/prayers are made to God as a sign of thanksgiving.
(x) Rituals for purification are carried out to clean the mother from the process of child birth.
(xi) The baby is given a name for identity.
(xii) The baby is given sweet and bitter substances to symbolize good and bad experience
Factors that undermine the role of medicine men in Kenya today
(i) Introduction of western medicine/hospitals/new inventions/science and technology
(ii) Emergence of new religions which do not support medicine men
(iii) There is destruction of forests/herbs/deforestation
(iv) Lack of proper education by herbalists/professionalism /lack of proper dosage
(v) Herbal medicine is cumbersome to look for
(vi) low hygiene standards associated with herbal medicine
(vii) Certain chronic diseases cannot be treated by some herbs
(viii) Emergence of conmen/quacks who give wrong medicine
(ix) Urbanization/immigration from rural to urban centre
(x) Lack of awareness/education on herbal medicine by the public
(xi) Strict government policies /rules/regulation that control both herbal and modem medicine
