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PHILIPPINE COLLEGE OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

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Understanding the Self

Chapter 2: Unpacking the Self
Supernatural: Believe it or Not
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PHILIPPINE COLLEGE OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
OLD NALSIAN ROAD, BRGY. NALSIAN, CALASIAO, PANGASINAN
Supernatural: Believe it or Not

Religion
 Rebecca Stein works on the definition of religion as a set of cultural beliefs and practices that usually
includes some or all of basic characteristics. These characteristics are:
1. A belief in anthropomorphic supernatural being, such as spirit and gods.
2. Focused on the sacred supernatural, where sacred refers to a feeling of reverence and awe.
3. The presence of a supernatural power or energy that is found on supernatural beings as well as physical
beings and objects.
4. The performance of ritual activities that involves the manipulation of sacred objects to communicate to
supernatural beings.
5. The articulation of worldview and moral codes through narratives and other means.
6. Provides the creation and maintenance of social bonds and mechanism of social control within a
community.
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PHILIPPINE COLLEGE OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
OLD NALSIAN ROAD, BRGY. NALSIAN, CALASIAO, PANGASINAN
Supernatural: Believe it or Not
 PhilCST
PHILIPPINE COLLEGE OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
OLD NALSIAN ROAD, BRGY. NALSIAN, CALASIAO, PANGASINAN
Supernatural: Believe it or Not

Ritual
 Is the performance of a ceremonial acts prescribed by a tradition or sacred law. It is a specific, observable
mode of behavior exhibited by all known societies.

There are three fundamental characteristics of rituals according to Penner:

1. A feeling or emotion of respects, awe, fascination, or dread in relation to the sacred.
2. Dependence upon a belief system that is usually expressed in the language of myth.
3. Symbolic in relation to its reference.
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PHILIPPINE COLLEGE OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
OLD NALSIAN ROAD, BRGY. NALSIAN, CALASIAO, PANGASINAN

Supernatural: Believe it or Not

 PhilCST
PHILIPPINE COLLEGE OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
OLD NALSIAN ROAD, BRGY. NALSIAN, CALASIAO, PANGASINAN

Supernatural: Believe it or Not

World Religious Beliefs and Practices
1. Buddhism
 Believes that life is not a bed of roses. Instead , there are suffering, pain, and frustrations.
When people suffer, they want to experience the goodness of life and avoid disappointments. It
becomes a habit known as the reactive cycle of wanting and hating, like and dislike, and craving
and aversion.
Customs and Practices
 There are two types of meditation practices: samatha and vipassana. Samatha is practiced as
mindfulness of breathing and development of loving- kindness. Vipassana practices aim at
developing insight into reality. Acquiring wisdom is by studying Buddha`s teaching, the Dharma.
Through reflection of Dharma, Buddhist can achieve a deeper understanding of life.
PhilCST
PHILIPPINE COLLEGE OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
OLD NALSIAN ROAD, BRGY. NALSIAN, CALASIAO, PANGASINAN

Supernatural: Believe it or Not

PhilCST
PHILIPPINE COLLEGE OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
OLD NALSIAN ROAD, BRGY. NALSIAN, CALASIAO, PANGASINAN

Supernatural: Believe it or Not

 PhilCST
PHILIPPINE COLLEGE OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
OLD NALSIAN ROAD, BRGY. NALSIAN, CALASIAO, PANGASINAN

Supernatural: Believe it or Not

Major Buddhist Celebrations: Parinirvana Day
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PHILIPPINE COLLEGE OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
OLD NALSIAN ROAD, BRGY. NALSIAN, CALASIAO, PANGASINAN

Supernatural: Believe it or Not

Major Buddhist Celebrations: Wesak Day
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PHILIPPINE COLLEGE OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
OLD NALSIAN ROAD, BRGY. NALSIAN, CALASIAO, PANGASINAN

Supernatural: Believe it or Not

2. Christianity
 Believes in Trinitarian God. One God in three personas. God the Father (creator), God the Son (savior), and
God the Holy Spirit (sustainer). External life after death will be achieved through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus
Christ is God the son, who came into flesh, to spread the good news of salvation. He died on the cross for
the sin of humanity but resurrected from death, so that anyone who believes in him will be saved and
have eternal life.
Customs and Practices
 Sacrament of Baptism and Sacrament of Communion are practiced by Christian churches. The sacrament
of Baptism symbolizes the birth in Christian world, while the sacrament of communion is an act of
remembrance of Jesus Christ`s sacrificial love that is loving the poor, oppressed, and outcast of the society.
 Christmas and Resurrection (easter) are the two major celebrations in Christianity.
PhilCST
PHILIPPINE COLLEGE OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
OLD NALSIAN ROAD, BRGY. NALSIAN, CALASIAO, PANGASINAN

Supernatural: Believe it or Not

PhilCST
PHILIPPINE COLLEGE OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
OLD NALSIAN ROAD, BRGY. NALSIAN, CALASIAO, PANGASINAN

Supernatural: Believe it or Not

 PhilCST
PHILIPPINE COLLEGE OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
OLD NALSIAN ROAD, BRGY. NALSIAN, CALASIAO, PANGASINAN

Supernatural: Believe it or Not

3. Hinduism
 Covers a wide range of traditional beliefs and religious groups; thus, there is no single founder or leader.
Hindus believe that existence is a cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, governed by Karma.
 Karma is a concept where the reincarnated life will depend on how the past life was spent. Hindus believe
that the soul passes through a cycle of successive lives and its next incarnation is always dependent on
how the previous life was lived.
 Vedas are sacred scripture of Hindus. Mahabharata and Ramayana are two other text of Hindus.

Customs and Practices

 Diwali: is the festival of lights.
 Navratti: festival of nine nights which celebrate the triumph of good over evil.
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PHILIPPINE COLLEGE OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
OLD NALSIAN ROAD, BRGY. NALSIAN, CALASIAO, PANGASINAN

Supernatural: Believe it or Not

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PHILIPPINE COLLEGE OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
OLD NALSIAN ROAD, BRGY. NALSIAN, CALASIAO, PANGASINAN

Supernatural: Believe it or Not

Diwali
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PHILIPPINE COLLEGE OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
OLD NALSIAN ROAD, BRGY. NALSIAN, CALASIAO, PANGASINAN

Supernatural: Believe it or Not

Navrati
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PHILIPPINE COLLEGE OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
OLD NALSIAN ROAD, BRGY. NALSIAN, CALASIAO, PANGASINAN

Supernatural: Believe it or Not

4. Islam
 Muslims believe in Allah, who is their “One God.” They believe in the unity and universality of God.
Muslims also have a strong sense of community or “ummah” and an awareness of their solidarity with all
Muslims worldwide. Islam means “willing submission to God.”
 Believes that Mohammed is the last and final prophet sent by God. Mohammed was born in Mecca in 570
CE and received revelations from God through the angel Gabriel over a period of 23 years. The holy book
of Islam is called the Quran, which was thought to be recited in Arabic because and translation is seen as
inadequate.

Customs and Practices

Muslims believe in the five pillars of Islam. Which are the foundation of Muslim life.
1. Shahadah: statement of faith. “There is no God but the one true God and Mohammed is his messenger”.
2. Salat: the prayer that is practiced five times a day.
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PHILIPPINE COLLEGE OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
OLD NALSIAN ROAD, BRGY. NALSIAN, CALASIAO, PANGASINAN

Supernatural: Believe it or Not

3. Zakat: the monetary offering for the benefit for the benefit of the poor. It comprises 2.5% of a Muslims
asset.
4. Hajj: the yearly pilgrimage to Mecca. Muslims who can afford are asked to do the pilgrimage at least once in
their lifetime.
5. Sawm: the fasting. Muslims do fasting, from food, drink, and sexual act, during the celebration of Ramadan.
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. The fast is from dawn to sunset.

Two Major festivals in Islam are Eidul- Fitr and Eidul- Adha.
 Eidul- Fitr: is the celebration at the end of Ramadan.
 Eidul- Adha: is celebrated within the completion of the pilgrimage, the Hajj.
PhilCST
PHILIPPINE COLLEGE OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
OLD NALSIAN ROAD, BRGY. NALSIAN, CALASIAO, PANGASINAN

Supernatural: Believe it or Not

 PhilCST
PHILIPPINE COLLEGE OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
OLD NALSIAN ROAD, BRGY. NALSIAN, CALASIAO, PANGASINAN

Supernatural: Believe it or Not

5. Judaism
 The Jews believed in the God of Abraham, the same God that liberated the Hebrew slaves from Egypt to
Canaan, the promised land through the leadership of Moses, and later Joshua.
 The Jews believed in the coming of Messiah, the savior. The sacred scripture of the Jews is called the Torah
or the law. The Torah is the guide of the Jewish living.
Customs and Pratices
There are five major festivals observed by the Jews:
1. Rosh Hashanah: the new year
2. Yom Kippur: the day of atonement
3. Pesach: Passover
4. Shavuot: Pentecost
5. Sukkot: Tabernacles