World Religions and Belief Systems the belief that everything is god while panentheism is the belief that

everything is in god.
Belief is a mental state, a disposition or attitude about things, people, places, Another orientation toward God is atheism. This view denies the existence of a
or events. It does not necessarily require empirical evidence-that is, evidence god or gods. The disbelief is founded on the idea that there is no sufficient
gathered and verified through observation. basis or evidence to prove the existence of a god or gods.
Forming beliefs is one of the most fundamental and important features of the The third orientation concerning God is agnosticism. It tells that one can
mind and of religion as well. neither prove nor disprove the existence of a higher being named god or gods.
Religions have their set of beliefs, and these beliefs are important because (1) Agnostics use a skeptical argument to defend this position. Skeptics refer to
beliefs serve as a compass for people in choosing to behave the way they do; people who suspend judgment or have doubts on the existence of a god or
(2) beliefs help people see and/or make sense of reality; (3) beliefs form the gods.
values and character of a person; (4) beliefs move people to action; and (5)
beliefs are kinds of knowledge. INSTRUCTION: Read and understand the questions. Write your answers in a
separate sheet of paper.
Belief systems are systematically structured as a gauge to see the things that
make up reality. You operate within a system in order to integrate or make as a 1. Do you believe in God? Why or why not?
united whole all of what you perceive or sense. 2. What are your views on the people who doesn’t believe in God?
3. What values in your religion have you acquired so far? How do these values
A belief system has the following characteristics or elements: affect your interaction with other people?
1. Belief systems are value-laden. Religious belief systems are value-laden in a
sense that beliefs are aimed at developing values.These values are good and
considered basic to human life. These values are goodness, charity, love,
knowledge, faith, obedience, piety, mercy and compassion.
2. Belief systems are prescriptive. When a doctor prescribes medicine to a
patient, the latter ought to follow what the former has instructed. Belief
systems have the same degree of authority.
3. Belief systems are instrumental/purposive. The use or purpose of belief
systems is seen within the context of the goal of religions. Many religions
propagate the belief that salvation can be attained only by following its tenets.
4. Belief systems are communal. Religion is a social phenomenon because it is
a product of the social interaction among individuals of the same cultural,
historical, and geographical background.

There are at least three main dispositions or temperaments when it comes to

the belief in God: theism, atheism, and agnosticism. Theism is the belief in the
existence of God or gods. There are multiple variants of theism and common
among them are monotheism, polytheism, deism, pantheism, panentheism.
The difference between monotheism and polytheism is numerical.
Monotheism is the belief in god while polytheism is the belief in many gods.
Deism, does not involve any numerical view, as this is the belief that there is a
powerful or higher being who created the universe or the world but its
adherents do not believe that God intervenes in human affairs. Pantheism is
 HOLY CROSS OF CABURAN, INC. tremendum. The feeling of it may at times come sweeping like a gentle tide, pervading
Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental the mind with a tranquil mood of deepest worship.
Humanities 1 ● Paul Tillich (1886-1965; philosopher) – Religion is the “ultimate concern for the
Module 1 ground of being”
● William James (1842-1910; philosopher/psychologist) – Religion is “the feeling,
What is Meant by Religion and Belief System? acts, and experiences of individual people in their solitude as they stand in relation to
Most people if not all, belong to a religion. Perhaps, you belong in a family that whatever they may consider as divine.”
deeply observes religious practices regularly and believes in its teachings or doctrines. ● Viktor Frankl (1905-1997; neurologist/psychiatrist) – Religion is a “function of
For instance, most religions believe in a god and teach salvation and good moral the spiritual unconscious, which is the source of the will to meaning.”
conduct. Judaism and Christianity believe that there is only one personal God. Hindus ● Emile Durkheim (1858-1917; sociologist) – Religion is “a unified system of
though believe in many gods and goddesses. In moral conduct, all religions adhere to beliefs and practices relative to sacred things which unite into one single moral
the Golden Rule: “Do not do unto others what you don’t want others do unto you.” community all those who adhere to them.”
Moreover, all religions not only adhere to the Golden Rule, but also to the basic moral
laws such as the following: The definition given by various scholars and experts in the field of religion can be
● Honor your father and mother categorized into three: substantive, functional, and family of resemblances.
● Respect the properties of others ● A substantive definition excludes or limits the subject matter of religion to simply
● Do not bear false witness about beliefs, institutions, and practices. This definition is content-oriented, in the
● Protect and serve the poor sense that it only tries to look into the essential characteristics of religion.
There is no absolute, universal, formal, or official definition of religion. Why? First ● A functional definition accommodates other important ideas such as creeds and
not all religions share the same beliefs, rituals, and doctrinal teachings. For example, principles, which are common in religions. The functional definition does not specify
Christianity and Judaism believe in only one personal God, Christians believe in a necessary content or elements as conditions for qualifying a religion, unlike what the
Trinitarian God. substantive approach does.
● All religions, to use Ludwig Wittgenstein’s concept, belong to a family or
Some Definitions of Religion resemblances. Applying this to religion, there is no set defining characteristics but
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, religion is an “action or conduct there is a network of similarities overlapping each other.
indicating belief in, obedience to, and reverence for a god, gods, or similar
superhuman power; and the performance of religious rites or observances. This Relationship between Religion and Philosophy of Religion
definition emphasizes two essential components of religion: (1) the belief in a Philosophy comes from the greek words philos and Sophia, which together mean
supernatural being; and (2) effort or commitment. “love of wisdom”. It is the study that tries to critically examine the nature, meaning,
By etymology, the word religion comes from three Latin variants: relegere, religari, structure, and value of things by the use of reason and logic. Philosophy is a broad
and re-eligere. Relegere, which literally means “to constantly return to” speaks about discipline that seeks to answer fundamental questions of being and other issues related
religious observances such as Holy Week in Christianity, Ramadan in Islam, and to it.
Passover in Judaism. Religari, which means “to be tied into”, refers to the Philosophy of religion is a branch of philosophy that deals with the philosophical
commitment to one’s own religion. Re-eligere, which means “to choose again”, refers analysis, reflection, and examination of the central issues, themes, topics, and
to conversion or going back to one’s roots or goals. problems about religion.
According to Winfried Corduan, a professor emeritus of philosophy and religion at As a discipline, philosophy of religion differs from religion on four counts. First,
Taylor University, Indiana, religion is a system of beliefs and practices that by means philosophy of religion is a method useful in understanding some complex issues about
of its cultus directs a person toward transcendence and, thus, provides meaning and religion such as God’s existence; God’s attributes, like omnipotence, omnipresence,
coherence to a person’s life. Max Műller, whom many regard as the founder or omniscience, and omnibenevolence; the problem of evil; and miracles. Second,
religious studies, defines religion as a body of doctrines handed down by tradition. philosophy of religion primarily uses reason as the source of making judgments.
Third, philosophy of religion is purely an intellectual enterprise. Lastly, philosophy of
Here are some definitions given by various disciplines whose views of religion, religion cannot substitute religion.
though limited are helpful in understanding the concept of religion.
● Friedrich Schleiermacher (1768-1834; theologian/philosopher) – Religion is “the The following are some more characteristics of philosophy of religion:
feeling of absolute dependence.” 1.It is not apologetics. This means that philosophy of religion does not provide
● Rudolf Otto (1869-1937; theologian/philosopher) – Religion is that which grows arguments in defense of faith.
out of, and gives expression to, experience of the holy in its various aspects. . . we are
dealing with something for which there is only one appropriate expression: mysterium
2.It is not a comparative religion. Philosophy of religion does not only examine belief INSTRUCTION: Read and understand the questions. Write your answers in a
systems descriptively, but also critically. It critically evaluates the soundness and separate sheet of paper.
rationality of religions’ belief systems.
3.It is evaluative. It analyzes religious themes in an evaluative manner rather than 1.What do relegere, religari, and re-eligere mean? What distinguishes one from the
descriptive. other?
Philosophy of religion examines the nature and other intricate issues of religion a 2.What are the four characteristics of philosophy of religion?
philosophical point of view, whereas religion provides the material or object of study 3.What is the relationship between faith and theology?
to philosophy. 4.Do you think being spiritual and religious are necessary to be a good person? Give a
concise and clear answer.
Relationship between Religion and Theology
Theology comes from the Greek words theos, which means “deity” or “god”, and
logos, which means “word” or “discourse”. It is the study or discourse about god or
gods. Theology functions as a method in forming a reasoned expression of faith. More
than a method, its objective is to critically examine and understand the content of
faith.
One cannot have a strong belief or faith, that is, a personal conviction or commitment-
on something one cannot explain.
The relationship between faith and theology is seen in the role that faith plays in
theology. Faith gives form to theology, while theology sets the intellectual mode of
believers for faith to be understood. Furthermore, faith provides theology various
modes by which to understand its own content. Therefore, a critical knowledge of
faith is required in theology.

Relationship between Religion and Spirituality

One of the basic principles of religion is the belief that human beings have material
and nonmaterial dimensions.
Spirituality means that the human person sees more than what he or she touches,
seeing a better world not pillaged by human greed and selfishness, and working to
establish that world here and no, in this planet. However, “soul” is thought of as
different from “spirit”. The word spirit comes from the Latin word spiritus, which
means, “breath.” In Greek, “spirit” is pneuma while “soul” is psyche. While pneuma
refers to “breath”, psyche, to the human mind and personality.
Spirit, unlike soul, has a wider range of uses depending on the context. For example,
in the Christian context, the word spirit can be used to describe God (but not the word
soul). Christians believe that God is a spirit but do not believe that God is a soul or
has a soul.
A spiritual person has a revolutionary spirit and possesses radical beliefs. You see this
in the likes of Jesus Christ, Buddha, the Dalai Lama, Socrates, Confucius, and Laozi
who are regarded as spiritual models.
Spirituality and religion are considered by some to be either the same or strongly
linked because spirituality as a meaningful human activity centers on one’s quest for
meaning and purpose, which is touched by religion.
The modern sense of spirituality points to a subjective or personal quest of an
individual without any influence from religion. Those who embark on such a quest are
called spiritual but not religious (SBNR) people. Adherents and proponents of SBNR
are also known as unchurched, eclectic, unaffiliated, spiritual seekers, or freethinkers.