INTRODUCTION TO WORLD RELIGIONS AND BELIEF SYSTEMS

Lesson 1: Religion in a Different Light

Objectives:

At the end of this lesson, students should be able to:

1. identify and explain the two ways of defining religion; and
2. differentiate religion from spirituality.

Defining Religion

It is not only religious traditions that are complex social phenomena, but also religion itself
is a concept that is very contentious among scholars because adopting a particular definition, for
example, has the tendency of leaving out some traditions that are taken to be inherently religious. A
particular definition of religion also informs how we view religious change, whether it is bound to fade
away or simply evolve. Finally, we are also aware that the very concept of religion has its roots in the
Western experience of Christianity, which is about doctrinal assent and institutional affiliation ( (Asad
1993). This is very different from the way religions such as Islam or Taoism are deeply embedded in
the wider culture through diet, money, and the formation of the government, among others.
Nevertheless, we proceed with the following sociological discussion because it is helpful in
understanding religion as a social reality.

Two ways of defining religion as social reality:

1. Substantive – which is concerned with what constitutes religion. In this sense, religion involves
beliefs and practices “which assume the existence of supernatural beings” (Davie 2007). The
main thinker here is the 19Th century English anthropologist Edward Burnett Tylor who argued
that religion was the attempt of primitive human beings to understand their inexplicable individual
experiences (Turner 1991).
2. Functional – which is more concerned with the social consequences of religion. The French
sociologist Emile Durkheim (2001) has a famous definition of religion as a “unified system of
beliefs and practices relative to sacred things, that it to say, things set apart and forbidden –
beliefs and practices which unite into one single moral community.” Devoid of any assumption
concerning supernatural beings, the functional definition has to do with the sociological
dimensions of beliefs and practices in the context of an organization. Indeed, the communal
dimension is one that resonates with the LATIN origins of the word religion: religare ( to bring
together) and relegere (to rehearse painstakingly, as in the case of collective rituals) (Roberts
2004).

From the point of view of the social sciences, we approach religion as “a system of beliefs
practices by which a group of people interprets and responds to what they feel is sacred and, usually,
supernatural as well” (Johnstone 2004, 13).
 INTRODUCTION TO WORLD RELIGIONS AND BELIEF SYSTEMS

With this definition, we can appreciate religion as a social reality in at least FOUR
RESPECTS that we believe may individuals can easily recognize as pertaining to the religious
(Johnstone 2004). First, religion is a collective phenomenon. An individual who professes a religion
is typically associated with a particular religious organization. Apart from receiving religious instruction
in such collective formations, the individual also feels some emotional identification with the religious
group. Second, religion is concerned with ordering behavior in relation to the sacred and/or the
supernatural. Reminiscent of the sociologist Emile Durkheim’s distinctions, the sacred is often
associated with entities, events, figures, objects, and sites that are treated with reverence as opposed
to those that are taken for granted in everyday life. Third, religion involves a body of beliefs and moral
prescriptions, which are to be expected in religions mainly because they are guided by texts rendered
sacred by special events or figures. Finally, religion expects it followers to follow a set of practices
that relate to the notion of the sacred. These practices are typically in the form of individual and
collective rituals involving prayer, worship, purification, baptism, and sacrifice. Practices can also be in
line with moral and behavioral prescriptions.

Religion stands in contrast to the notion of spirituality. Although spirituality may suggest
ways of relating to a higher being, we need to be systematic in our use of the concept and in
understanding how it differs from religion. Like religion, the concept of spirituality may be approached
from different disciplines such as theology and philosophy.
 INTRODUCTION TO WORLD RELIGIONS AND BELIEF SYSTEMS

Name :_____________________________ Grade Level & Section:________________

Teacher :_____________________________ Activity No. :________________
Due Date:_____________________________ Date Submitted :________________

ACTIVITY 1

The following are the different photos of personalities, events, or activities that may or may not
be associated with religion. Identify these photos by checking the appropriate box and briefly explain
whether they can be considered religious or not.

This photo is religious/ not religious because….. This photo is religious/ not religious because…..

This photo is religious/ not religious because….. This photo is religious/ not religious because…..

ACTIVITY 2

Identify the concepts referred to by the following statements. Write your answer in the space provided
for.
__________________________1. The definition of religion that focuses on the elements that constitute
it such as particular beliefs and practices.
__________________________2. The definition of religion that is concerned with its social
consequences.
__________________________3. This the Latin origin of the word religion, which means to bring
together.
__________________________4. This is another Latin origin of the word religion, which means to
rehearse painstakingly.
_____________& ___________ 5. What are the two ways of defining religion as social reality?