WORLD RELIGION AND BELIEF SYSTEMS

RELIGION

Latin word: RELIGIO (n)

- something done with overanxious/scrupulous attention to details

Latin word: RELIGARE (v)

- to tie together, to bind

ELEMENTS OF BELIEF SYSTEM

Elements Description
Atheism Disbelief in/denial of the existence of god
Agnosticism Denial of the possibility for man to acquire
knowledge of god
Monism There is no real distinction between god and the
universe
Monotheism The doctrine/belief in one supreme god
Polytheism The belief and worship of many gods

NATURE OF RELIGION

Social Scientists View on Religion

Edward Burnett Tylor The belief in spiritual beings
James George Frazer A gaining of powers superior to man which are
believed to control and direct the course of
nature and of human life
Bronislaw Kasper Malinowski A body of self-contained acts being themselves the
fulfilment of their purpose
David Emile Durkheim A unified system of beliefs and practices relative to
sacred things

THEORIES ON THE ORIGIN OF RELIGION

Name of Theory Proponent Explanation
Animistic Edward Believe in animal/ soul
Theory Burnett Tylor
Helpful/ harmful

pray/ offer sacrifices/avoid

 Robert Henry Believe in mana – mysterious
Codrington force that inhabited all of nature

Destructiveness of mana can be

avoided by establishing taboos

Nature-Worship a) identified through observations

Theory the
Theory of Wilhelm forces of nature (different
Original Schimdt seasons,
Monotheism tides, phases of the moon, etc)

b) Personified their observations

Magic Theory James George
Frazer c) Created myths

d) Developed religions
Belief in one great god who
created the
world and father of many lesser
deities.

Due to difficulty to worship one

god,
religion was corrupted to
polytheism
a. Primitive magic – people
controlled the nature through
rituals

b. Religion – people implored

nature to cooperate

c. Science – people uses their

rational understanding about
nature

Wish Ludwig no gods

Fulfilment Andreas von
Theory Feuerbach People just could not cope with
the
difficulties of life
Wish Karl Heinrich a) Religion is the opium of the
Fulfilment Marx society.
Theory
b) Religion was developed to
control the masses and their
wealth.

c) The people were persuaded to

 accept poverty and be obedient to
inherit happiness in another life.

Wish Sigmund a) Religion originated from guilt

Fulfilment Freud and hate.
Theory
b) God as an image of a great
father

SPIRITUALITY

Latin word: spirare (v) to breathe

- Value of Life
- Is life accidental and meaningless?
- “Relating or affecting the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things”

Origin of World Religions

ABRAHAMIC RELIGIONS
- Judaism, Christianity, Islam

DHARMIC RELIGIONS
- Hinduism, Theravada and Mahayana Buddhism

DAOIC RELIGIONS
- Confucianism, Daoism, Shinto

Important Dates on the Origin of Religion

Date (circa) Significance

c. 2000 B.C.E. Time of Abraham, the patriarch of Israel
c. 1200 B.C.E. Time of Moses, the Hebrew leader of the
Exodus
c. 1100 – 500 B.C.E. Hindus compile their holy texts, the
VEDAS
c. 563 – 83 Time of Buddha, founder of Buddhism
B.C.E.
c. 563 – 83 B.C.E. Time of Buddha, founder of, Buddhism
c. 551 – 479 B.C.E. Time Confucious, founder of
Confucianism
c. 200 B.C.E. The Hindu book, Bhagavad Gita, is
written
c. 2 to 4 B.C.E. – 32 C.E Time of Jesus Christ, founder of
 Christianity
c. 32 C.E. The Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus
Christ
40 – 90 C.E. The New Testament was written by the
followers of Jesus
40 – 90 C.E. Time of Muhammad, who recorded the
Q’uran as the basis of Islam

Historical Foundation

The Patriarch Abraham

▪ Common origin/elemental figure of the monotheistic religions
▪ Paragon of extreme devotion

Judaism Islam Christianity

Forebear of the Israelites Ancestor of Arab through Father in Faith and
through Isaac and Jacob Ishmael Ancestor of Christians
through Jesus

The Patriarch Abraham

▪ Some commonalities of the monotheistic religions

▪ Veneration of one Supreme Being

Judaism Islam Christianity

Elohim, Adonai, Yahweh Allah God

▪ Beliefs on the role of the Prophets

Judaism Islam Christianity

48 prophets and 7 Muhammad is Seal of the Major Prophets and Minor
prophetess Prophets Prophets

The Patriarch Abraham

▪ Some commonalities of the monotheistic religions
▪ Divine Intervention/Revelation
▪ When Abraham sacrifice Isaac at Mt. Moriah
▪ When Moses received the Ten Commandments in Mt. Sinai
▪ When Jesus Christ was crucified and died at Mt. Calvary
▪ When Muhammad established his religion in Mt. Hira
▪ Choice between good and evil
The Indian Mosaic
▪India
▪one of the world’s oldest surviving civilizations dated at least 6500 B.C.E.
▪origin of four great religions ---- Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism.

▪Hinduism
▪No specific founder
▪Many sacred books
▪Innumerable gods and goddesses

“Museum of Religions”

During Vedic Period, religion became systematized as well as the society become stable

▪Buddhism
▪Buddha
▪Believe in Nirvana
▪Divided into Mahayana and Theravada
▪Spread far and wide

The Way of the Dao

▪Kung Fu Tzu and Lao Tzu

▪Kung Fu Tzu
▪Chinese government adopted his ideals and ethics
▪Meritocracy
▪Confucian Ideals – harmonize human relations and guide social behavior

▪Lao Tzu
▪Wrote Dao De Jing
▪Government archivist/record keeper

▪Kung Fu Tzu and Lao Tzu

Similarity
- Believe in Dao

Difference
- For Confucius, Dao is TRUTH or WAY
- For Lao Tzu, Dao is ROAD, PATH or WAY

Confucian DAO
concerns HUMAN AFFAIRS

Daoist DAO means

the WAY THE UNIVERSE WORKS
Shintoism
shen (Chinese) – gods
tao (Chinese) – way

“Way of the gods”

- loosely organized local belief highlights the superiority of Japan over other lands

Geography of Faith
The Western Frontier

Levant
Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Syria, Palestine

Arabian Peninsula
Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, UAE, Yemen, and Oman

- Its topography is characterized by vast areas of mountainous terrains.

Holy Mountains Location Significance

Mount Ararat Where Eastern part of Noah’s ark landed
Turkey

Mount Sinai Sinai peninsula in Where Moses received the

Egypt Ten
Commandments
Mount Jerusalem Known as the city of David
Zion/Mount and Temple Mount
Moriah

Mount Tabor Israel Site of transfiguration of

Jesus

Temple Mount
- one of the most sacred sites revered by Jews, Muslims, and Christians

Mount Moriah
- is the site of sacrifice of Isaac

Deserts and Seas are also significant in the origin of religion.

Yam Suph = Red Sea || Dead Sea || Sinai Desert

JERUSALEM
JEWS – First Temple and Second Temple and the Wailing Wall
CHRISTIANS – Church of the Holy Sepulchre
MUSLIM – Dome of the Rock
The Indian Subcontinent

- Ecological Setting in India gives a greater impact in the origin of its religion.
- Hindus revere the :
Sun (Surya)
Fire (Agni)
Water (Varuna)

The Eastern End

Seas – bordered in the east

Land – in all directions
Deserts and plateaus – dominates
the northern and western

- Alluvial plains, extensive fertile valleys and pleasant climate

- Huang He and Yangtze River

Cultural Milieu

Exclusive Religions Non- Exclusive Religions

Monotheistic in nature Polytheistic in nature
Judaism, Christianity, Islam Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism,
Taoism, Shinto

On Monotheism and Universality

- Trinitarian Creed vs. Unitarian Creed
- Universalizing Religions vs. Ethnic Religion

On the Concept of Dharma

Hinduism
- Dharma means duty, righteousness, and ethics
- believe in trimurti, the three forms of God

Buddhism
- Dharma means cosmic law and order or the teachings of Buddha and the truth
of the ways things are.
- do not believe in the existence of any god
On Natures and Ancestors

Confucianism and Daoism

- harmonious relationship between humankind and nature believe in heaven and
ancestor worship

Shintoism
- Divinities are linked to nature and natural forces
- Mt. Fuji, Mt. Tate, Mt. Haku

POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE EFFECTS

Positive Effects

Promotes Social Harmony

- Practices a set of rituals and ceremonious rites of passage of intensification

Provides Moral Values

- Provides a systematic model of universe, which effect determines organized human behavior
- One is able to distinguish right from wrong, good or evil

Provides Social Change

- Can be very effective in lobbying and campaigning for certain social issues using its own moral

Explain the Unknown

- Religion provides answers for phenomena and questions that the science or reason cannot
explain

Gives Positive Goal in Life

- People were inspired by the story of different prophets from their own religious affiliations
- People showed them were given important missions in life, and how they struggled to carry out
their respective missions

Give People a Sense of Belonging

- Religion provides people with personal identify as part of a group with similar worldviews,
beliefs, values, practices, and lifestyles

Negative Effects
Affirms Social Hierarchy

- Some religions affirm social hierarchy often favoring men as and result, perpetuate the notions
of class and gender discrimination and oppression

Causes Discrimination

- There are some who say that religion, after turning people against themselves, turn
people against each other

Triggers Conflicts and Fights

- Religion also has some aspects which make nit susceptible to be a source of conflict and
war

Serves as an Economic Tool for Controlling the Masses

- Bourgeoisie keep the proletariat in control through religion

Impedes Scientific Success and Development

- Throughout history, religion has proven to impede scientific development (e.g. taught that the
world is flat)

Obstructs the Use of Reason

- Many question the suitability of religious doctrine to the needs of the present and the
future generations

Historical Events Caused by Religion

Self- Immolation of a Buddhist Monk in Vietnam

- Killing oneself as a form of sacrifice

- Used as a form of political protest or martyrdom

Widows Burning Among the Hindus in India

- Also known as “Sati”

- Rajput women burnt themselves to death after their men were defeated in battles to
avoid being taken by the conquerors

The Inquisition
 - A response to large popular movements min Europe considered heretical or profane to
Christianity, particularly Catharism

The Godhra Train Incident 2002

- Inside the train were mostly Hindu pilgrims and activists returning from the holy city of
Ayodha after a religious ceremony at the disputed Babri Masjid site

Positive and Negative Effect of Religions

Positive effects
- you can socialize with new people in your community
- it brings people together
- also gives them something to believe in
- you all have something in common
- you all come together and pray for one God

Negative effects
- people may not understand your religion
- it can create wars and arguments

Some evidences that religion brought about an event in history

- Buddhist Burma
- Thuggee Murders
- Mountain Meadows Massacre
- The Inquisition
- The Witch Hunts
- Roman Persecution of Christians
- Aztec Human Sacrifice
- Islamic Jihads