RELIGION

WHAT IS RELIGION ?
•Simply put, Religion can be defined as a system of beliefs meant to teach spiritual
human character and promote spiritual self-transformation.
•Religion can be classed into two groups: Religious groups that believe in a
supernatural being (God and/or Deities) and the Religious groups that does not
believe in a supernatural being.
•Some examples of religious groups are: Christians, Hindus and Muslims.
 TYPES OF RELIGION : NO GOD
RELIGION CONTENT
a) Buddhism •A religion that does not believe in a deity or god
(non-supernatural being).
•Buddhists believes that human life is one of suffering
and mediation, spiritual and physical labour together
with good behavior are the ways to achieve
enlightenment.
•The first Buddhist temple was constructed in St. Thomas,
one of the virgin islands of the Caribbean sea by a
May Trieu, a Chinese Buddhist born in Vietnam.
 •No god or deity is worshipped in Confucianism
but, the worship of ancestors and Confucius
himself as a sage master and a teacher are
practiced.
b) Confucianism
•Confucianism is an ancient Chinese belief system
that focuses on personnel ethics and morality.
•There is a Confucius institute at the university of
the West Indies, Mona Campus Jamaica where
the exchange between Chinese cultures and other
cultures promote peace and prosperity in the
world.
TYPES OF RELIGION: SUPERNATURAL
PERSONS
RELIGION CONTENT
a) Christianity •Christians believe that there is one God that
created the heavens, earth and universe.
•This Godhead consists of three parts the father
(God himself), the son (Jesus Christ) and the Holy
Spirit.
•This can be subdivided into Anglican and
Non-Anglican.
ANGLICAN CHRISTIANS
•The Anglican Christians were known as the protestants, a Christian who rejects the authority of
the Roman Catholic Church.
•The Anglican church is headed my a monarch.
•Some protestants groups include: Presbyterians, Methodists, Calvinists, Baptists, Quakers,
Moravians, Episcopalians and Unitarians.
•Protestants believe good faith and belief in God are needed to get into Heaven.
ANGLICAN CHRISTIANS CONTENT

a) Presbyterians •Presbyterians believes in the existence of a

God.
•They believe in the power of God, the
authority of scriptures and grace through the
faith of God.
•Many Presbyterian churches can be found in
Trinidad. For instance, Curepe Presbyterian
Church, Santa Cruz Presbyterian church and
Cunupia Presbyterian Church.
 •Methodists believe in the existence of a God.
b) Methodists
•Methodists believe that people that have a personnel
relationship with God can transform their lives.
Additionally, they believe in helping others.
Specifically faith in God should lead people into
service for others.
•Methodist churches in the Caribbean include :
Tranquility Methodist church (Trinidad) and St. Paul's
Methodist Church (Jamaica).
•Methodist churches have a crest. This symbol relates
the United Methodist church to God through Christ
(cross) and the Holy Spirit (Flame)
c) Quakers •Quakers believe in the existence of God. But
that God exists in everyman hence, there is
no need for priests to talk for them.
•Quakerism is a way of life rather then a set
of beliefs. Quakers seek to experience God
directly, within ourselves and our relationships
with others.
•Quakers are known to be existing in
Barbados and Jamaica. However, in the
Caribbean, there is one known Quaker
church near the border of St. Thomas. Thirty
miles from Kingston.
d) Moravians •Moravians believe that there is one true God
and Jesus Christ is the way to him, vice versa.
•In Moravian Christianity, a relationship with
God is an essential part of faith, which is a
community experience.
•Some Moravian churches in the Caribbean
are: Rose Hill Moravian Church (Trinidad),
Jamaica Province of the Moravian Church
and Bethlehem Moravian Church (Barbados).
•The Moravian symbol is the ‘Lamb of God,’
which represents the purity and cleanliness of
Christ.
e) Episcopalians •Episcopalians believes in the teachings of
Jesus Christ, whose life, death, and
resurrection saved the world.
•Some Episcopalian Churches in the
Caribbean are: Metropolitan African
Methodist Episcopal Church (Trinidad) and St.
John's African Methodist Episcopal Church
(Jamaica)
•The Episcopalian symbol represents their
history. The nine crosses represent the nine
dioceses that convened in Philadelphia in
1789 when the Constitution of the Protestant
Episcopal Church was adopted.
f) Unitarians •Unitarians believe in the existence of God like other
branches of Christianity.
•However, they reject the Trinity and that Jesus Christ was
the Son of God. Also, they do not accept the concepts of
original sin and of eternal punishment for sins committed
on earth.
•The key principles of Unitarians are: worth and dignity,
equity and compassion, acceptance of one another,
honesty, respect, peace, liberty, and justice for all.
•Some Unitarian Churches in the Caribbean are: Good
News Trinidad & Tobago Church (Trinidad)
•A flamed chalice is the symbol of Unitarians. It symbolises
religious freedom and light in the darkness.
 NON-ANGLICAN CHRISTIANS
•The Non-Anglican Christians were known as the Roman Catholics
•The Non-Anglican church is headed my the pope.
•The Roman Catholics share the belief of God like other Christians. They believe that God has an interest in
individual human beings who enters his relation through prayer. Additionally the immortality of a soul in which
human beings are held accountable at death for his or her actions in life.
•Some Roman Catholic churches in the Caribbean are: St. Theresa Roman Catholic Church (Trinidad) and Mount
St. Benedict Abbey ( Trinidad)
•The Roman Catholic has a crest. It is a shield that symbolizes Catholic Faith and belief in God
to protect and redeem. The keys symbolize the Holy See. The gold one, on the right, alludes
to the power of the kingdom of the heavens, the silver one, on the left, indicates the spiritual
authority of the papacy on earth.
RELIGIONS FORMED AS A RESULT
OF RESISTANCE
a) Spiritual Baptist •The Spiritual Baptists believe in the existence
of God and Jesus Christ and that their
religion comes from John the Baptist.
•The core values of Baptists are : treating all
with integrity, respect, and compassion
•The practice of immersing their practitioners in
water is a means of baptizing them into the
faith.
•Spiritual Baptist was created by the enslaved
Africans. It is a mixture of the traditional
African Religion and Christianity.
 •Rastafarians believe in a God called Jah.
b) Rastafarianism •They of the view that they are being tested by Jah (God) through
slavery and the existence of economic injustice and racial “down
pression” (rather than oppression).
•They await their deliverance from captivity and their return to
Zion, the symbolic name for Africa drawn from the biblical
tradition.
•The symbol of Rastafari is a red, green and gold flag that has a
lion.
•Red signifies the blood of those killed for the cause of the black
community, throughout Jamaican history. Green represents
Jamaica's vegetation and hope for the eradication of
suppression. Gold symbolizes the wealth of Ethiopia. Black
signifies the colour of the Africans who initiated Rastafari.
•The lion which represents Haile Selassie I, who is referred to as
the 'Conquering Lion of Judah'. Rastafarians' dreadlocks
represent the lion's mane.
•Rastafari emerged in Jamaica as a group of oppressed
people, descendants of enslaved African slaves who tried to
resist colonial rule and establish their own sovereignty.
•BUDDHISM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNdgT6VCuu0
•CONFUCIANISM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eylzNIaFW1c&t=26s
•CHRISTIANITY: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvL3YXa0n2M&t=28s
•RASATAFARI : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Lcm6Z6Cn2E
•SPIRITUAL BAPTIST: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VM6x5-QeAzQ
•HINDUISM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlBEEuYIWwY&t=28s
•ISLAM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlvEymU-S4o
HINDUISM
Hindus believe in a universal soul or god known as Brahman who is worshipped in many diverse
forms. These forms include complementary attributes of male and female deities, in human as
well as animal forms.
Hindus believe that life is a continuous cycle of death and reincarnation and the universal law of
cause and effect.
The place of worship of Hindus is the Mandir or Temple.
Some temples in the Caribbean include: Sewdass Sadhu Shiva Mandir Temple in the Sea
(Trinidad) and Sanatan Dharma Mandir (Jamaica).
Hindu menwear short coats (angarkha), and the women wear a long scarf, or robe (sari).
ISLAM
•Followers of Islam are called Muslims.
•Muslims worship one God, who in Arabic is known as Allah.
•Muslims aim to live a life of complete submission to Allah. They believe that nothing
can happen without Allah's permission, but humans have free will.
•Muslim worship Allah in a Mosque.
•Some mosques in Caribbean are: Nur-E-Islam Masjid (Trinidad), Madina Masjid
(Barbados) and Masjid Al-Hakeem (Jamaica).
•In Islam, both men and women are required to dress modestly. For men and women a
long cotton shirt (kurtah) and trousers (pāʾijamah) is worn. However, Muslim women
wear a hijab or veil which they wear to protect their modesty.
ADVANTAGES OF RELIGION
•Religion influence morals and values (compassion and respect) by shaping the way
people think about and respond to the world.
•Religion is anchor of stability and hope for some persons.
•It gives people an opportunity to socialize and develop common social values.
•Religion can help give people confidence and hence overcome insecurities.
•Religion promotes a certain character and behaviour of a person hence, often times it
prevents people from behaving in manners deemed vulgar.
•Religion may encourage people to help others.
•Give people an opportunity to find the meaning of life.
•Gives people trust in life after death.
DISADVANTAGES OF RELIGION
•Religion can sometimes lead to discrimination.
•May contradict with science.
•Can cause conflicts to arise.
•Religion can hinder in people doing what they want.
•Religion may take away responsibility from people.
•Other spiritual views may be belittled.
•It can be used by unscrupulous leaders for their own purpose.
•Uses fear and intimidation to maintain power.