SPIRITUAL SELF

A. DEFINITION
a. The spiritual self is our inner self or our psychological self. It is comprised of
our self-perceived abilities, attitudes, emotions, interests, values, motives,
opinions, traits, and wishes. Many aspects of the spiritual self are evaluative.
B. RELIGION
a. refers to an institution that has a set of organized practices and a structured belief
system shared by and among those who are members of the institution. It may
have symbols and sacred texts that intend to explain the meaning of life.
b. Forms of Religion
i. Animism – All things have their own distinct spiritual essence
ii. Totemism – Humans have a kinship and mythical relationship with nature
iii. Theism – The belief that there exists deities or Supreme beings.
1. Monotheism – Belief of having only one God
2. Polytheism – Belief of having multiple gods
3. Ditheism – Belief of having 2 gods which may be in conflict with
each other
4. Henotheism – Belief that there is one God without denying the
existence of other deities
c. Functions of Religion
i. Provides meaning and purpose to existence
ii. Fosters unity within the believers through common practices
iii. Offers guidelines on how to live a moral life based on written teachings
d. Dimensions of Religiosity
i. Experiential Religiosity - our experiences of meaning, purpose, love,
goodness, and beauty inform our theologies, then this experientially-
grounded religious belief becomes harmonious with our scientific
understandings of the world.
ii. Ritualistic Religiosity – Having ritual practices such as attending religious
places and praying
iii. Ideological Religiosity- the expectation that the religious will hold to their
certain beliefs
iv. Consequential Religiosity – the certain behaviors or attitudes expected to
result from a particular religious affiliation
v. Intellectual Religiosity - the expectation that the religious person will be
informed and knowledgeable about the basic tenets of his faith and sacred
scriptures
C. CONCEPT OF SPRITUALITY
a. The word "spiritual" refers to that core dimension of you - your innermost self -
that provides you with a profound sense of who you are, where you came from,
where you're going and how you might reach your goal.
D. SPIRITUALITY VS RELIGIOUSITY
a. Religion is an organized, community-based system of beliefs,
while spirituality resides within the individual and what they personally believe