LESSON 1: HUMANITY’S SEARCH FOR GOD
ANSELM OF CANTERBURY (Deductive
The Concept of God / Divine
In the study of religion, the topic about
understanding the nature of God/Divine is non-
negotiable. It is for the reason that religion is
essentially about having a right relationship with
God/Divine and hence, it is more than just about
membership to a community of believers. In order
for this relationship to mature, knowledge is
necessary. For one cannot love what one does not
know. That is why, a deeper relationship will always
start with 'the getting to know stage'. Thus,
knowledge is the basic foundation of every
relationship.
Consequently, a number of thinkers throughout
history strive unceasingly to have a profound
knowledge about the God/Divine that they want to
love. However, like any other human relationships,
there is always an experience of conflict and
tension that shakes that loving relationship, which
eventually creates division among the lovers: On
the one hand, some believers attempt to seek
understanding by proving the existence of God. On
the other hand, those who are unbelievers go
against the believers by denying that God exists.
Hence, in the study of religion, the concept of God
is undeniably a hotly debated issue between
believers and unbelievers.
Human beings are naturally seekers of truth. In
man's quest for truth, knowing the truth about God
is the top priority since God Himself is the ultimate
truth that satisfies man's longing for truth. In support
of this, a catholic theologian named Karl Rahner
posits that every human being has the sense of
transcendence which he coined it as
the 'supernatural existential' (Rahner, 1993, p.
22). It emphasizes that human beings have the
natural inclination to seek for God inasmuch as it is
embedded already in the nature of every human
being. Consequently, Religion plays an important
role in humanity's endeavor in searching for God
since religion itself is essentially about having a
right relationship with God/Divine.
(watch the video: Why Study Religion)
Thus, in the study of religion, we cannot do away
with these two essential points: the quest for life's
meaning and the concept of God or the Divine.
ARGUMENTS OF THE NON-EXISTENCE OF
GOD:
LUDWIG FEUERBACH
Central Contention: (Theory of Projection)
God/Divine is just a human projection. It means that
God is simply an idea or concept that man created
in his mind. Thus, God exists only in the human
mind.
ARGUMENTS OF THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
A. ST.
Ontological Argument)
God is 'the greatest thing we can think of. There are
things that can exist only in our imaginations, and
there are also things that exist in reality. But the
things that exist in reality are always better than
things that exist only in our imaginations. Hence, if
God existed only in our imaginations, He wouldn’t
be the greatest thing that we can think of, because
God who is in reality would be better. Therefore
God must exist not only in the mind or imagination,
but also in reality inasmuch as He is ‘the greatest’.
A. ST. THOMAS AQUINAS (Cosmological
Arguments)
The 5 proofs of God's existence.
(God as the Unmoved Mover) - Argument from
Motion
(God is the Uncaused Causer) -Argument from
Causation
(God is the Necessary Being)- Argument from
Contingency
(God is the Peak of Perfection) -Argument from
Degrees
(God is the Designer/Maker) -Argument from the
Intelligent Design
LESSON 2: UNDERSTANDING RELIGION
1.BELIEF IN SUPERNATURAL POWERS
-Every religion believes in the existence of some
supernatural powers or forces. People believe that
this unseen power influences every aspect of
human life.
-Eg. Hindus (many gods/goddesses)
2. BELIEF IN THE HOLY OR SACRED
-In every religion, there are certain things which are
regarded as holy and sacred that constitute the
heart of religion.This belief is often expressed
through symbols; that symbolizes both the unseen
and tangible things. It is a belief that is based on
FAITH rather than EVIDENCE.
-Eg. Hindus (cow is sacred)
3. SYSTEM OF RITUALS
-Rituals are the practical side of religion that refer to
the behavior performed by the individual or a group
of individuals with reference to supernatural
power.It includes varieties of behavior such as
wearing of special types of cloth, reciting of prayers,
hymns, taking a bath in holy rivers, singing,
dancing, crawling, fasting, etc. All these rituals are
intended to strengthen an individual's faith in the
supernatural.
-Eg. Christianity (Holy Eucharist)

4. SINFUL ACTS
-Every religion defines certain acts as sacred and
righteous and other acts as profane and sinful.
-Acting in accordance with religious principles is
believed to reap good results while sinful acts result
in suffering or disaster.This is the reason why there
are concepts of Heaven and Hell in most religions.
5. THE METHOD OF SALVATION
-Almost all religions consider salvation as the
ultimate goal of life.
Eg. Buddists call salvation as Nirvana while Hindus
called it as Moksha (free from the chain of cycle of
life)
6. MODE OF WORSHIP
-Each religion has a specific procedure of
worshipping.The followers of different religions
either worship the supernatural power in the form of
statue or in a formless manner.
Eg. Hindus worship with folded hands while
Muslims do not.
7. PLACE OF WORSHIP
-Each religion has a definite place of worship which
they consider as sacred.
Eg. Hindus called their place of worship as a
temple, Muslims:Mosque, Christians:Church and
Jews:Synagogue.
LESSON 3: UNDERSTANDING RELIGIOUS
EXPERIENCE
WHAT IS A RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE?
In understanding what the nature of religious
experience is, it is good to consider and ask first
this question, “WHAT DOES THE WORD
EXPERIENCE MEAN?” Theologically speaking, the
word experience is derived from the two German
terms: “ERLEBNIS & ERFAHRUNG”
ERLEBNIS
It means an interior experience of an intensely felt
motion. It refers to an individual event, even a
momentary one, realized intensely in the area of
the FEELINGS & EMOTIONS. Thus, in layman's
terms, this type of experience is commonly known
as an ordinary experience that affects the person in
the level of emotion in a short period of time.
ERFAHRUNG
It speaks of real experiences that are based on
INDIVIDUAL HAPPENINGS that touched the
feelings, picked up by the intellect, and given a
connection among themselves and moreover
inserted and integrated into the totality of life. Thus,
in layman's terms, this type of experience is
commonly known as a significant experience that
does not only affect the person into the level of
emotion, but it also leads the individual to realize
something and eventually, articulate that
realization/s into one's life in living a life with
purpose and meaning. This kind of experience
becomes a religious experience when the human
reason, in the process of integrating, interpreting,
evaluating and judging, is guided by FAITH.
Thus, the formula is: RELIGIOUS
EXPERIENCE= FEELING + REFLECTION
GUIDED BY FAITH + CONCRETE ACTION IN
LIFE
LESSON 4: NATURE OF SPIRITUALITY
The topic spirituality enjoys immense currency
nowadays, especially in popular periodicals and
books of fiction and nonfiction. Moreover, if we try
to travel about the globe, we would discover that for
many people of diverse traditions, spirituality is the
central constituent of their life and culture (Laurent,
p. 1). By having this context, it leads to an
understanding that spirituality is a way of life. Since
it is a way of life, it is therefore necessary to study it
thoroughly for us to understand how it affects the
life of the people in all its aspects.
ETYMOLOGY OF SPIRITUALITY:
The word spirituality comes from the Latin word
“Spiritualitas” which is an abstract word related to
“spiritus” and “spiritualis”, which also means the
state of being spiritual. From these two
etymological meanings, what comes out on the
surface is the word, “spirit”. In this sense, there are
two important elements that have to be considered
in understanding the word “spirit”. First is the reality
of the “Spirit of God/Divine/Transcendent Reality” -
(this must be the primary focus of our
consideration). The second reality is the “spirit in us
human beings & also all those creations with life.”
In other words, spirituality, in its origin of the word,
refers to the relatedness of the human spirit or soul
to the Spirit of God/Divine/Transcendent.
Moreover, a theologian named Jordan Aumann in
his “Spiritual Theology” points out that spirituality,
“In its widest sense, refers to any religious or ethical
value that is concretized as an attitude or spirit from
which one’s actions flow.This concept of spirituality
is not restricted to any particular religion,it applies
to any person who has a belief in the divine or
transcendent, and fashion a lifestyle according to
one’s religious conviction.” Thus, SPIRITUALITY is
a way of life that is based from the experience of
the Divine/Transcendent/God by which this
experience would bring one to have a moral and
virtuous life.
ELEMENTS OF SPIRITUALITY:
1. HOLISTIC
-It means that spirituality is claimed to be a fully
integrated view of life. It emcompasses all aspects
of being human and is a means of experiencing
life.Eg. A person is viewed as a (dynamism of Body,
Mind ,Spirit)
2. QUEST FOR MEANING
-The quest to determine the meaning and purpose
of life arises as the central theme in spirituality, with
the relationship to the self, others, and God
contributing to its discovery.
3. QUEST FOR SACRED
-It means that spirituality promotes having faith,
which can be an important part of a person’s beliefs
and decisions in life. And this faith may be viewed
as a belief in God, almighty being, ultimate reality,
or a higher power that gives meaning and purpose
in life.
4. SUGGESTS A SELF-REFLECTIVE EXISTENCE
-It emphasizes that in the person's quest for
meaning in life, self-reflection is of great
importance-which may be expressed through
contemplation or meditation.
CONTEMPORARY UNDERSTANDING OF
SPIRITUALITY:
In today’s era, the word ‘spirituality’ is understood
apart from the word ‘religion’ in spite of the
relationship of these two terms regarding its
elements. Accordingly, spirituality today puts
emphasis on subjective experience of sacred or
spiritual dimension and deepest purpose, values,
and meanings by which human beings live, typically
in an unconnected from organized religious
institutions. In support to this, the recent social
scientific studies emphasizes that spirituality is
increasingly used to refer to alternative forms of
approaching the divine that are not typically
associated with organized religion (Cornelio et. al,
p. 11). By having this context, it resulted in
identifying and distinguishing two types of persons
namely spiritual and religious.
The former refers to the individuals who associate
faith with the private realm of personal experience
rather than with the public realm of religious
institutions, creeds, and rituals. Thus, they are
those who have no or low levels of interest in
church attendance and commitments to orthodox
beliefs. Whereas the latter, refers to the persons
who associate faith with the public realm of
religious institutions, creeds, and rituals. Thus, they
are the individuals who adhere to the tenets and
practices of a particular religion, yet their hypocrisy,
empty ritualism and immorality preclude the
development of their spirituality. For this reason,
this modern understanding of spirituality leads a
modern man to come with an understanding that
one can become (SBNR) Spiritual-but-not-Religious
or (RBNS) Religious-but-not-Spiritual.
However, “RELIGIOUS” in a true sense of the word,
a religious person must have been submissive and
obedient to the will of the Lord, part of it is being
truly “SPIRITUAL.” In this sense, a person can still
be Religious at the same time Spiritual if one seeks
to understand the meaning behind all the prayers,
and rituals performed and articulate the traditions
and doctrines taught in any particular religion to
one’s life. For religion itself served as the guide for
any individuals who adhere to its tenets in living a
life with meaning and purpose.
LESSON 5: JUDAISM
Judaism is the oldest of the monotheistic religions,
whose origins date back to the mid-second
millennium or around 1500 BCE. Jewish tradition
traces its development to the ancient patriarch
Abraham, and his descendants Isaac and Jacob. It
is believed that Judaism was instituted with the
covenant between God and Israelites in Mt. Sinai
through the instrumentality of Moses (Corral &
Kupang, p. 53). The adherents of this religion are
called Jews and they are found in many countries
around the world. It is in the modern state of Israel
that the world’s largest Jewish population is found.
SIGNIFICANT SYMBOLS:
MAGEN DAVID - The symbol or emblem of the
Jewish people is the (Shield of David), also known
as the Star of David.
MENORAH- It is a candelabrum with seven candle
holders displayed in Jewish synagogues.
- It symbolizes the burning bush as seen by
Moses on Mount Sinai.
MEZUZAH- It is a little case, containing a tiny scroll
that is found on doorposts in Jewish homes. The
writing on the scroll is from the bible that is written
in Hebrew and it says that Jewish people should
love God and keep his rules.
UNDERSTANDING JUDAISM IN GENERAL:
BRIEF HISTORY
(Corral & Kupang, p. 52-61)
According to most of the Historians, Judaism began
when Abraham made a divine covenant with GOD.
That is why, ABRAHAM is known to be as the
FATHER OF THE SEMITIC RELIGIONS (Judaism,
Christianity, Islam). Throughout Judaism History,
their followers have been called many names such
as “HEBREWS- those who accepted Yahweh as
their God” and “Israelites- who were the
descendants of the Hebrews, which originated from
Abraham.”
Moreover, JACOB, as the grandson of Abraham,
had 12 sons and their descendants became known
as the 12 TRIBES OF ISRAEL and it is where the
term “JEW” came from. The term “JEW” originated
from YEHUDAH or JUDAH, the southern kingdom
of Israel. But now it is used to refer to someone who
practices Judaism and takes part in Jewish Culture.
Another important figure in Judaism was Moses. He
is the leader who freed the Israelites from slavery in
Egypt and protected the Jews from the wrath of
God, and negotiated with God on their behalf.
Moses, is also an important figure as he gave the
Jews the Torah around 1250 B.C. The Torah
contains the laws of God.
SACRED TEXTS
The Jewish sacred text is known as the “TaNaKH”.
Iit refers to the Hebrew Bible; which Christians
called it as the OLD TESTAMENT. It consists of the
following: Torah (The Law), Nevi’im (Prophets), and
Ketuvim (Writings).
TORAH (The Law)
It is the first law given by God to Moses and
recorded into the sacred text. It is the main sacred
text of Judaism, which corresponds to the five
books of Moses which is known in Gk. as the
(Pentateuch). The first book is called Genesis
(Bereshit); it contains stories of creation, records
the establishment of the covenant between God
and the Jewish people, tells of the lives of the
patriarchs. The second is called Exodus (Sh’mot); it
contains the account of Israelites enslaved in
Egypt, the exodus from Egypt, the receiving of the
10 Commandments at Mt. Sinai. The third is called
Leviticus (Vayikra); it gives God’s ethical and ritual
laws and specific instructions to priests on how to
perform their duties. The fourth is called Numbers
(Bamidbar): it recounts the Israelites through the
desert and gives more of God’s ethical and ritual
laws . And the fifth book is called Deuteronomy
(Devarim): It reviews the laws and the people
prepare to enter the promised land.Thus, the Torah
contains the early history of Judaism, as well as the
Law and Teaching “handed down” by Yahweh
himself. IT IS KNOWN AS THE HEART OF THE
JEWISH SPIRITUALITY inasmuch as it is the
sacred summary of what being a religious Jew is all
about.
NEVI’M (Prophets)
It contains writings of God’s messenger, who spoke
His word to the Hebrews. The writing is the more
literary section of the Tanakh, consisting of stories,
proverbs, psalms, and poetries, the narrative books
of (Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings and the
books of Isaiah, Jeremiah and books of Isaiah,
Jeremiah, Ezekiel and The Twelve minor prophets).
Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah,
Nahum, Haggai, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Zechariah,
Malachi.
KETUVIM (Writings)
It contains wisdom literature, poetry, songs,
narrative, history, religious philosophy, and love
hymns. There are 12 books in total which include:
Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Songs, Ruth, Lamentations,
Ecclesiastes, Esther, Daniel, Eza, Nechemiah,
Chronicles.
TALMUD
This sacred text is next to the TaNakh. It is the
compendium of learning that is the basic source for
Jewish Law and codes. It is another form of
scripture and is the WRITTEN VERSION OF THE
JEWISH ORAL LAW which includes rabbinical
commentaries that explains the laws that may not
be clear in Scriptures. It is composed of the
following: First, MISHNAH; It is primarily a
compilation of Jewish laws that includes
discussions concerning prayer, diet, agricultural
laws, holidays, women and family life, sacrifices,
offerings, etc. written in Hebrew and edited
sometimes around 200 C.E. in Israel. Second is
called GEMARA; It is the rabbinic commentaries
and discussions on the Mishnah.
DOCTRINES & BELIEFS OF JUDAISM
(SPIRITUALITY):
THE NATURE OF GOD
THE PRIMARY TENET OF JUDAISM IS THE
BELIEF IN ONE UNIVERSAL GOD (Monotheistic).
This God is considered as a personal God who
revealed himself to his people, who is the creator of
the universe, and is eternal, perfect, all knowing,
holy, and without physical form and that at the end,
God will send down a messiah to redeem the Jews
(Political Messiah). In the Jewish belief, this God is
compassionate and merciful but He is also capable
of great anger when His rules on moral and ethical
behavior are violated. (retributive justice)
THE SECOND IMPORTANT BELIEF OF JUDAISM
IS THAT JEWS WERE CHOSEN BY GOD TO
RECEIVE HIS LAW, WHICH IS SEEN IN THE
COVENANT. The first covenant was God’s
selection of Abraham to be the Father of a great
nation that would lie in the Promised land Canaan.
As the scripture points out, “And I will establish my
covenant between me and you and your offspring
after you throughout their generations for an
everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your
offspring after you (Gen. 17:7).” The second
covenant was established by God through Moses at
Mt. Sinai. The book of Exodus 6:7 states, “I will take
you to be my people, and I will be your God, and
you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who
has brought you out from under the burdens of the
Egyptians”
JEWISH ULTIMATE GOAL
In the Jewish tradition, the ultimate goal of every
jewish person is to achieve the promise of GOD’s
SHALOM. This promise of God is a calling for all
Jews to sanctify their lives according to the way of
the Torah since it contains the will of God. That is
why the Jews pursue God’s shalom according to
the admonition of the Psalmist: (Ps. 34:14), “depart
from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it!”
And this Jewish theme of God’s Shalom emerges
from the Bible’s formula invoking God’s blessing:
(Nm 6:23-26), “Thus you shall bless the Israelites:
you shall say to them, The Lord bless you and keep
you; the Lord make his face to shine upon you, and
be gracious unto you; The Lord lift up his
countenance upon you, and give you peace!”
In pursuing God’s Shalom, the Jewish people strive
to become holy by sanctifying their lives. As the
mandate of Yahweh in (Lev. 11:44) states, “If I am
the Lord your God; sanctify yourselves therefore,
and be holy, for I am holy.” Moreover, in order for
the Jews to live a life in Holiness, they have to live
out their spirituality by living a life of obedience to
the Torah, through which God intends to sanctify
every aspect of human existence. Thus, in the
Jewish way to holiness, they find guidance and
direction for their lives in the 10 commandments as
further expressed into 613 rules found in the Torah,
which are taught and interpreted by the rabbis.
ETHICAL EXPRESSION OF JUDAISM
JEWISH LAW (HALACHAH)
It is the system of Laws that guides the jewish
people on how to act in accordance with the Will of
Yahweh for they believe that these laws are the
expression of the will of God itself. It also includes
the Torah, 613 mitzvot concerned with ethical &
social issues and religious rituals and the Talmud.
And this system of laws is divided into two sections:
Those about relationships with humans and God
and those about relationships between fellow
humans.
DIETARY LAWS [KOSHER PRACTICES] (King, p.
48)
Kosher which means “ritually correct” and
particularly refers to food preparations and
consumptions. CERTAIN ANIMALS MAY/NOT BE
EATEN: According to the book (Leviticus 11:3-9),
“Animals with cloven hooves and chews its cud.
Anything in the water that has fins and scales is
acceptable.” This therefore excludes shellfish such
as lobsters, oysters, shrimp, clams and crabs, all of
which are forbidden. Moreover, all blood must be
drained before the meat is cooked and eaten
because blood, which gives life, is sacred to God.
In addition, in the book of (Exodus 23:19), “Dairy
and Meat should not be eaten together. Fish, eggs,
fruits, vegetables and grains can be eaten with
either meat or dairy.” Thus even the utensils that
have come into contact with meat may not be used
with dairy and vice versa.
JEWISH MODE OF WORSHIP:
In the Jewish tradition, their mode of worship before
and after the destruction of the Jerusalem temple is
no longer the same. Before the destruction of their
temple, they would offer sacrifices by slaughtering
unblemished animals such as lambs, goats, bulls,
etc. But after the destruction of the temple, Jewish
people will no longer offer sacrifices. Instead, they
would spend their time praying in the synagogue &
reading the TORAH.
JEWISH FEASTS
(Corral & Kupang, 60)
FEAST OF THE PASSOVER
In Hebrew, it is called, “PESACH”. It is an 8-day
celebration of freedom that memorializes an event
when the Israelites were freed from the Egyptian
slavery after the 10th plague. During this feast, the
Jews perform the SEDER MEALS.
The following food that are placed on the Seder
plate: Egg which symbolizes new life in the
promised land, Bitter herbs (horseradish) which is a
reminder of the bitter years of slavery in Egypt,
Lamb bone which is a reminder of the lamb killed so
its blood could be sprinkled on the door posts of the
Jewish houses and that the angel of death passed
over these houses, Horeset which is a muddy
looking mixture of apples, nuts, & spices that
stands for the mud bricks used by the Hebrew
slaves to make Pharaoh’s pyramids and palaces,
and Green herbs (parsley/lettuce) which reminds
everyone of renewal and that it is a spring festival.
FEAST OF THE FIRST FRUITS
It is based on Lev. 23:10-11 that says, “10 Speak to
the people of Israel and say to them: When you
enter the land that I am giving you and you reap its
harvest, you shall bring the sheaf of the first fruits of
your harvest to the priest. 11 He shall raise the
sheaf before the Lord, that you may find
acceptance; on the day after the sabbath the priest
shall raise it. 12 On the day when you raise the
sheaf, you shall offer a lamb a year old, without
blemish, as a burnt offering to the Lord.” This feast
is celebrated after the sabbath and were Jewish
people offer the first fruits of their crops to God
through the instrumentality of the priest who does
the ritual.
FEAST OF THE PENTECOST
In HEBREW, it is called SHAVO’UT and in Greek,
PENTECOSTE which means (50th day). This feast
memorializes the event when Moses brought 10
commandments from Mt. Sinai. During this feast,
Jewish people spend all night studying the Torah
(Hebrew Scriptures) And decorate their houses with
flowers.
FEAST OF THE TRUMPETS
In Hebrew, it is called YOM TERUAH that is based
on (Lev. 23:24), “24 Speak to the people of Israel,
saying: In the seventh month, on the first day of the
month, you shall observe a day of complete rest, a
holy convocation commemorated with trumpet
blasts.” This feast memorializes the time when the
trumpets were used to give signal to Yahweh’s act
of descending and visiting the Israelites on the foot
of Mt. Sinai. It is a time for rest, to blow the
trumpets, to repent in the Lord & make peace with
men, to have a festive banquet.
FEAST OF ATONEMENT
In Hebrew, it is called Yom Kippur which is the
holiest day of the year. As the book Leviticus states,
“For in this day of atonement shall be made for you
to purify you of all your sins: you shall be pure.”
During this time, Jewish people make amends to
their family and friends and start changing their
lives. They would also fast from food, drink,
bathing, perfume, sex, wearing leather.
FEAST OF TABERNACLE
In Hebrew, it is called SUKKOT or the feast of
booths. This feast is a commemoration of the
people of Israel who lived in booths while they were
in the wilderness before they were freed from the
bondage of Egypt.
SPECIAL CLOTHING:
KIPPAH
-It is like a cap placed on the head. It serves as a
reminder to Jews that God is always above them. It
also reminds them of their obligation to always
follow the laws of God at all times and in all places.
TALLIT
-It is a shawl that the Jewish people wear like a
cloak on their backs. The fringes on the shawl
remind them of the many commandments of the
Torah.