UNDERSTANDING

THE NATURE OF
RELIGION
Prepared by: Ms. Mary Joy Adelfa P. Dailo, LPT
Why is religion
linked to
humankind’s
quest to search
for the real
meaning of life
and death?
*A collection of beliefs about life and
the universe being held by people.

BELIEF SYSTEMS OR
WORLDVIEW
 Kinds Description

Monotheism the doctrine or belief in one supreme god

Polytheism the belief and worship of many gods

there is no real distinction between god and
Monism
the universe
disbelief in or denial of the existence of a
Atheism
personal god
Agnosticism god cannot be known

KINDS OF BELIEF
SYSTEMS
*“a belief in the existence of one god
viewed as the creative source of the
human race and the world who
transcends yet is immanent in the
world”
*Examples: Judaism, Christianity, and
Islam

MONOTHEISM (THEISM)
*recognizes many principal gods
among whom no one is supreme
*Examples: the ancient religions
of Egypt, Greece, and Rome

POLYTHEISM
*asserts that there is no genuine
distinction between God and the universe.
*Two implications:
* First, it contends that God is
dwelling in the universe as part of it.
* Second, the universe does not exist
at all as a reality but only as a
manifestation of God.

MONISM
*denies the existence of God

ATHEISM
*Denies the possibility for man
to acquire knowledge of the
existence of God.

AGNOSTICISM
GUIDE QUESTION:
How is religion
viewed by various
people in relation
to their outlook on
God?
* From Latin word religio which refers to
“something done with overanxious or
scrupulous attention to detail” (Bowker 1997).
* This term may have probably been derived
from the Latin verb religare which means “to
tie together, to bind fast.”
* In its original sense, the word refers to
expression of proper piety that is, binding to
god (Grassie 2010).

*RELIGION
*is an organized system of beliefs,
ceremonies, and rules used to
worship a god or a group of gods
*is the pursuit of transformation
guided by a sacred belief system.

*RELIGION
 Name of Social
Background View on Religion
Scientist
 English
anthropologist;
Edward Burnett the belief in spiritual
founding figure of the
Taylor (1832-1917) beings
science of social
anthropology
 a propitiation or
Scottish social conciliation of powers
James George anthropologist; one of superior to man which
Frazer (1854-1941) the founding figures of are believed to control
modern anthropology and direct the course of
nature and of human life

*NATURE OF RELIGION
 a body of self-contained
acts being themselves
the fulfillment of their
Bronislaw Kasper an eminent 20th- purpose; an affair of all,
Malinowski (1884- century Polish in which everyone takes
1942) anthropologist an active and equivalent
part
 
a unified system of
David Ëmile beliefs and practices
French sociologist;
Durkheim (1858- relative to sacred things
father of sociology
1917)
 

*NATURE OF RELIGION
 belief in a
deity’s
relationship
with the places and
world people
belief in a believed to
deity be holy and
sacred

RELIGION
rules
ways to followed as
worship a result of
beliefs
a deity

CHARACTIRISTICS OF
RELIGION
*ORIGINS OF RELIGION
*Burying the dead, various items such
as foods, tools, and other objects
were placed inside the site.
*Since early humans are weak and
ignorant of the different forces of
nature, they had to invent religion to
explain the seemingly unexplainable
mystery and fury of nature.
*Theories on the
Origin of Religion
 Name of
Proponent Explanation
Theory
 
Primitive people believed
in souls or anima found in
  people (seen in dreams)
  Edward Burnett and in all of nature. Since
Animistic Tylor (1832- spirits could be helpful or
Theories 1917), English harmful to human beings,
  anthropologist early people had to pray
  to these spirits, offer
sacrifices, and appease
or avoid them.
 
  
In his investigation, he
found out that the
  Melanesian people
Robert Henry believed in mana, a
Codrington mysterious force that
(1830-1922), inhabited all of nature. All
  Anglican priest early people began their
and religion in cognizance of
anthropologist such force; the
  destructiveness of the
mana can be avoided by
establishing taboos.
 
  
Human beings first developed
their religions from their
observations of the forces of
nature. Early people became
aware of the regularity of the
seasons, the tides and the
phases of the moon, and began
Nature-Worship
personalizing them by giving
Theory   them names, describing their
  activities with tales that
transformed into mythology.
Primitive people identified the
forces in nature, personified
them, created myths, and
developed religions around
them.
 
  
In Australia and Africa, basic
cultures held a common belief in a
distant high god, that originally
there had been one great god
above all others, and that he may
Wilhelm Schmidt have been the creator of the world
Theory of Original (1868-1954), Austrian or the father of the many lesser
Monotheism anthropologist and deities. This high god went away
  ethnologist and had little contact with the
  world that resulted in majority of
attention and worship to local
deities. Primitive societies were
originally monotheistic, but
because it was difficult to worship
just one god, religion was
corrupted to polytheism.
  
People had gone three
phases of development
concerning the spirit world:
(1) primitive magic
James George (wherein people attempted
Frazer (1854- to control nature in the hope
Magic Theory 1941), Scottish that nature will cooperate if
  social rituals are done properly);
anthropologist (2) religion (wherein people
  implored nature to cooperate
since they have realized that
nature cannot be coerced);
and (3) science (wherein a
rational understanding of
nature is operative).
  
There were no gods and that
Ludwig Andreas
belief in gods was simply
von Feuerbach
wish fulfilment. Troubled
Wish Fulfillment (1804-1872),
people who could not cope
Theory German
with the difficulties in life
  philosopher and
projected their wishes and
anthropologist
developed gods and
 
religions.
 
  
Religions were developed by the
few as a means to control the
masses and suppress revolution as
Karl Heinrich Marx a result of the continuing struggle
(1818-1883), German between classes. Rulers and allied
philosopher and priests wished to control all wealth
sociologist so they had to create a scheme of
gods, heavens, and hell. Masses
  were persuaded to accept poverty
and be obedient to inherit bliss in
another life.

 
  
Religion originated from the
guilt that individuals
supposedly feel in hating
their fathers. All males
Sigmund Freud
possess a similar tendency
(1856-1939),
to desire our mothers and
Austrian
hate our fathers. As a result
neurologist and
of this subconscious hatred
founder father of
and ensuing guilt, a great
psychoanalysis
  father image was projected
in the sky called God. A
healthy mature person can
face problems without the
need for gods or religions.
 
GUIDE QUESTION:
What was the use
of religion to
early humans?
*EXPLORING
SPIRITUALITY
*Spirituality is derived from the
Latin word spiritus, its verb root
is spirare which means “to
breathe” literally.
*Spirituality can be described as one's
integrative view of life and involves
a quest for the meaning and ultimate
value of life as opposed to an
instrumentalist or materialistic
attitude to life.
*One may find inner peace,
satisfaction, and contentment in life
that are truly independent of
religious dogmas and tenets.
*THEOLOGY
*Involves the systematic study of
the existence and nature of the
divine.
*It deals with the study of the
nature and purpose of god that
may be undertaken using a
particular perspective.
*Theology is a study, not a
formulation of religious beliefs.
*PHILOSOPHY OF
RELIGION
*It may involve studying the “concepts
and belief systems of the religions as
well as the prior phenomena of
religious experience and the activities
of worship and meditation on which
these belief systems rest and out of
which they have arisen” (Hick 1990).
*It seeks to analyze various concepts
such as god, spirit, karma, creation,
immortality, heaven, hell, and
purgatory among others.
GUIDE QUESTION:
* Why is it
important to
differentiate
religion from
spirituality,
theology, and
philosophy of
religion?
*GROUP-INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITY:
Students will be divided into two groups.
Each group will be assigned a task that
they will do individually done in a long
bond paper.
Group 1: Present a character
sketch/poster of a person who is spiritual
but not religious.
Group 2: Present a character
sketch/poster of someone who is
religious but not spiritual.
 RUBRIC FOR SKETCH/POSTER
CRITERIA DESCRIPTION POINTS POINTS
OBTAINED
The concept was
Organization clearly and 20  
creatively conveyed.
The sketch/poster
Content was appropriate to 15  
the theme.
The idea was clearly
Visual presented.
15  
Presentation  
    TOTAL: 50