World Religion

1. Familiarize yourselves with its definitions for you to be able to understand the concepts being presented about religion.
Word Definition
Religion - is a set of beliefs and practices that is often focused on one or more deities or gods
Spirituality
- involves the recognition of a feeling or sense or belief that there is something greater
than myself, something more to being human than sensory experience, and that the
greater whole of which we are part is cosmic or divine in nature. (Dr Maya Spencer)
Worldview - is a collection of beliefs about life and the universe being held by people.
Theology
- is the study of religious faith, practice, and experience especially the study of God and
of God's relation to the world.
Eastern Belief - this includes the East Asian religions (Shintoism,
Shintoism, Taoism and Confucianism), Indian religions (Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and
Jainism)
(Wikipedia)
Western Belief
- religions that originated within western culture. The term Abrahamic religions (Islam,
Christianity, and
Judaism) is often used to refer to this. (Wikipedia)

2. Looking at the pictures below
which are related to faith, answer
the question “What are you
happy about your faith?”
Processing questions.
1. What are the things in my faith
that make me happy?
2. How does this happiness affect
my relationship with others?

3. BELIEF SYSTEM
It refers to a set of principles that help in
interpreting our daily reality.
These beliefs are shaped and influenced by different
factors such as:
How we know things
How we were raised
Peer pressure among others

4. RELIGION
It comes to the latin word religare or religio which
means “to die” or “to bind”. This signifies that
humanity and divinity can be joined together to build a
harmonious community that bounded by the
relationship between humans and the divine.

5. Worldview
is a collection of beliefs about life and the universe
being held by people. (The Free Dictionary 2014). This is
how every individual sees and interprets the world. For
a certain individual, social environment and upbringing
are critical in the development of a religious life. All
these factors influence how people organize their
beliefs and ideas while eventually creating a
comprehensive narrative through which they look at the
world and interrelate with it.

6. BASIC RELIGIOUS CONCEPT
 THEISTIC GOD
The concept of being purely spiritual, all good, all knowing,
and all powerful
 THEISM
Belief in the existence of the theistic God
 AGNOSTICISM
Neither belied nor disbelief in the existence of theistic God
 ATHEISM
Disbelief in theistic God.
Disbelief the existence of any divine being

7. TYPES OF THEISM
ANIMISM
POLYTHEISM
HENOTHEISM
DUALISM
MONOTHEISM
DEISM
PANTHEISM

8.  ANIMISM
The belief that inanimate objects have souls
 POLYTHEISM
The belief in a multiplicity of gods
 HENOTHEISM
A polytheistic belief that each nation or country
has its own God
 DUALISM
The polytheistic belief in two conflicting deities,
one good and the other evil.

9. MONOTHEISM
The belief in one GOD
DEISM
The monotheistic belief in a God who set the
universe in motion and thereafter left it alone
PANTHEISM
The monotheistic belief that God is identical
with nature as a whole

10. THE ORIGIN OF RELIGION
1. The Human Quest for Meaning
 Understanding our World and our Experience
2. The Quest of Purpose
 The motivation to live a life which promotes human
wholeness in accordance with the meaning discovered.
3. The Quest for Salvation
 The search to be free from the feeling of disharmony deep
within the human person.

11. THEOLOGY
Theology is the study of religious faith,
practice, and experience especially the
study of God and of God's relation to
the world.

12. CHARACTERISTICS
OF RELIGION

13. Most scholars agree that every religion has the same three basic elements:
1. Wisdom or Creed
A creed is a set of truths that must be accepted and agreed to by those
who wish to belong to the religion, those who choose to be a follower or
disciple.
Example: The Nicene creed, Laws of Manu, Ten Commandments
2. Worship or Cult
Refers to the way of worshipping, to the RITUALS that are practiced by
followers of the religion.
3. Works or Code
Refers to the ethical values and the system of moral practice directly
resulting from an adherence to the beliefs.

14. EIGHT
ELEMENTS OF
RELIGIONS

15. 1.BELIEF SYSTEM or WORLDVIEW
Many beliefs that fit together in a
system to make sense of the
universe and our place in it.

16. 2. COMMUNITY
The belief system is shared, and
its ideals are practiced by a group.

17. 3. CENTRAL STORIES/MYTHS
Stories that help explain the beliefs of a
group; these are told over and over again
and sometimes performed by members
of the group. They may or may not be
factual.

18. 4. RITUALS
Beliefs are explained, taught,
and made real through
ceremonies.

19. 5. ETHICS
Rules about how to behave; these
rules are often thought to have come
from a deity or supernatural place, but
they might also be seen as guidelines
created by the group over time.

20. 6. CHARACTERISTIC EMOTIONAL
EXPERIENCES
Most religions share emotions such
as awe, mystery, guilt, joy, devotion,
conversion, inner peace, etc.

21. 7. MATERIAL EXPRESSION
Religions use things to perform rituals or
to express or represent beliefs, such as:
statues, paintings, music, flowers,
incense, clothes, architecture, and
specific sacred locations.

22. 8. SACREDNESS
Religions see some things as sacred
and some not sacred (or profane). Some
objects, actions, people, and places may
share in the sacredness or express it.

24. Western Beliefs Eastern Beliefs
 MONOTHEISTIC - believe in one God.
 Share a similar view of the world and
concept because they both sprang from
Judaism (Islam and Christianity).
 Humans must enter an interpersonal
relationship with God.
 Morality is based on learning the will of
God, understanding, and living it out
individually and as a community.
 Time is viewed as Linear, from beginning to
end.
 The Bible (Christianity, Torah (Judaism), or
Qur’an (Islam) are the central books
studied and lived by.
 POLYTHEISM- belief in more than one god.
 Main concern is to live a good, happier,
and have better life.
 Creation contains god within it. All
elements of creation from plants to
animals have an animated spirit.
 Meditation is central to these faiths.
 Life is balanced.
 Holy books are not central to the belief
and practice.
 Time is viewed in cycles.
 There is a belief in reincarnations and
rebirth.
 Things can be made better or worse
through karma.

25. CONCEPT OF
RELIGION AND
SPIRITUALITY

27. SPIRITUALITY RELIGION
1. Spirituality is about connecting to your self, your
divine self and based on a quest to meaning.
Religion is based on precepts established by
founders, and one must follow them to be deemed
acceptable.
2. Its purpose is to develop inner guidance, question
beliefs and evolve through trust.
Its purpose is to instill fear & courage people to
follow a set of rules
3. Based on experience; you uncover meaning as you
experience life and connect to yourself.
Established belief system: you follow that’s been
paved by others who have authority.
4. Inclusive and based on the idea that we are part of a
whole, that we all share the human experience.
Exclusive, excludes anyone who doesn’t accept the
belief system.
5. One on one relationship: no once can define your
spirituality, you and only you decide what spirituality
means.
Relationship between a group of people and
what/who God is.
6. Open-mindedness: you don’t know everything and
know that as you go, you will find new information and
guidance.
Closed-mindedness: you know everything and all
that has to be known, you’ll only find within and
through your religion
7. Meaning, purpose & self-introspection are the main
motivators for being spiritual.
Fear, unwillingness to question, convenience can be
motivators for following a religion.

28. ARE YOU
RELIGIOUS OR
SPIRITUAL?

29. THEOLOGY
Theology is the study of religious faith,
practice, and experience especially the
study of God and of God's relation to
the world.

30. IMPORTANCE OF STUDYING RELIGION
Understand the difference and see similarities
between nations and culture both political and
philosophical.
Appreciate our own belief by seeing them
alongside those of others.
Work for Ecumenism through a meaningful
exchange of ideas between religious groups.

31. SIMILARITIES OF RELIGIONS (THE STRUCTURE OF RELIGIONS
• Belief in a power greater than humans.
• Holy places (Ex. Mecca, Vatican, Bodh Gaya, River Ganges).
• Set of religious symbols by which the religion is identified.
• Having a liturgy or observance of Holy Days.
• Having Sacred or Holy Writings and list of rules.
• Number of important people, founders, prophets,
missionaries, and historical people.
• Place of worship.
• Belief in the Golden Rule

32. RELIGIOUS DIFFERENCES
• Their idea of sin or evil
• Their idea of salvation
• Their idea of priesthood
• Their idea of a personal God

33. THE
END