MODULE 2 LESSON 4 Abstraction Part

“Do Good. Do God.”

I. Spiritual vs. Religious
Spiritual is defined as “relating to or affecting the human spirit or souls as
opposed to material of physical things.” Religion and spirituality are both paths
to God; however, they are different in their approaches (Otig et al., 2019).
Table 6

Comparison between spiritual and religious

SPIRITUAL
PERSON Places little importance on
beliefs and traditions and is
more concerned with
growing and experiencing
the Divine
APPROACH The approach to God is
through the path of love.
This a love where there is no
condemnation and
judgment, but where there is
mercy and acceptance.
CONCEPT OF Believes in God who is
GOD omnipresent and omniscient,
someone who is a living
presence in our hearts
DIRECTION Spirituality feels all faiths are
valid. Spirituality embraces
all the world’s religions, but
at the same time it is not
constrained by any religious
dogmas or forms.
RELIGIOUS
Believes in god or group of
gods and consciously
adheres to the beliefs of
his/her religion.
Takes the approach of fear. It
emphasizes sin, guilt, and the
concept of a punishing God.
Talks of God who is high up
in the heaven. At times, God
is depicted as separate from
humanity, who is impartial but
impersonal.
Many religions feel their path
is the only way to salvation
and other religions are
wrong. Religious people
strongly feel the need to
convert others to their faith.

II. Importance of Spirituality

In situations such as lack of purpose, it can lead to anxiety, frustration and
fear. However, there is growing evidence that spiritual practice is associated
with better health and well-being.
 Many spiritual traditions encourage participation in society. There is a sense
of belonging, security and community. Research may have found a strong link
between church attendance and improved health, mood and well-being, as
strong relationships have been shown to increase prosperity and extended life
The contemplative practice is a way to build concentration, enrich
understanding and insight, and promote awareness and compassion. These
practices can significantly impact a student’s college experiences and
beyond. Examples are the following:
1. Meditation – mental exercises (such as focusing on one’s breathing
or repeating a mantra) for the purpose of reaching a heightened level
of spiritual awareness.
2. Prayer – spiritual communion with God as in supplication,
thanksgiving, adoration, or confession.
3. Yoga – It teaches the suppression of all mind and body activity so the
self may realize its distinction from the material world and attain
liberation (Hindu). It is a system of physical postures, breathing
techniques, and sometimes meditation to promote physical and
emotional wellbeing (Western).
4. Journaling – can help a person become more aware of his/her inner
life and feel more connected to his/her experience and the world
around him/her.

III. The Practice of Religion

The vast majority of the earth’s more than 7 billion people practice some
form of religion. More than its belief religion is an experience. Religion,
however, maybe understood as a systematic “attribution of human
characteristics or behavior to a god, animal, or object.” One reason human
attributes human characteristic to some other “entities” is that the world is huge,
ambiguous, and we need to interpret it the best possible way we can (Otig et
al, 2018).
a. The psychology behind religious belief
According to Reis, religion attracts so many followers because it
satisfies all 16 basic desires that humans share (as cited in Otig et al.,
2018). The following are:
 Acceptance  Honor  Status  Social contact
 Curiosity  Idealism  Power  Physical activity
 Eating  Independence  Romance  Tranquility
 Family  Order  Saving  Vengeance

Reiss claimed that we all share the same 16 goals, but what makes us
different is how much we value each one. He also added that all religious
beliefs and practices are designed to meet these 16 desires. Religious beliefs
provide people with certain ways of thinking to help them cope with ultimate
questions that cannot be explained in any other way.

b. The four dimensions of religion

Dawson & Thiessen posited that incredible amount of variation
between different religions makes it challenging to decide upon a concrete
definition of religion that applies to all of them. Sociologists noted four
dimensions that seem to be present in varying forms and intensities in all
types of religion (as cited in Otig, 2018). These are:
i. Beliefs – generalized system of ideas and values that shape how
members of a religious group come to understand the world around
them
ii. Rituals according to Little are repeated physical gestures or
activities, such as prayers and mantras, used to reinforce religious
teachings, elicit spiritual feelings, and connect worshippers with a
higher power (as cited in Otig et al., 2018).
iii. Spiritual experience – unique feeling of immediate connection with a
higher power.
 iv. Unique social forms of community – According to Durkheim religious
beliefs and practices unite in one single community called church, all
those who adhere to them (as cited in Otig et al., 2018).
 Social dimension that religions share (Dawson & Thiessen,
2014):
1. Religion gains credibility when agreed and shared by
group
2. Religions provide an authority that deals specifically with
social or moral issues, such as determining the best way
to live life.
3. Religions acts as a form of social control, and it supports
the development of self-control, which are vital elements
of functional society
4. Places of religious worship function as social hubs within
communities, providing a source of entertainment,
socialization, and support.
b. The categories of religion

Table 7.

Classifications of religion
Religious What/ Who is divine Example
Classification
Polytheism Multiple gods Hinduism, Ancient Greeks &
Romans
Monotheism Single god Judaism, Islam, Christianity
Antheism No deities Atheism, Buddhism, Taoism
Animism Nonhuman beings Indigenous nature worship,
Shinto
c. The Major Religions
i. Judaism
Jewish people believe there’s only one God
who has established a covenant—or special
agreement—with them. Their God
communicates to believers through prophets
and rewards good deeds while also punishing

Figure 1. Star of David evil. Most Jews (with the exception of a few
by F.A. Davis
groups) believe that their Messiah hasn’t yet
come—but will one day (“Judaism”, 2020).
ii. Christianity
Christianity, major religion stemming
from the life, teachings, and death of Jesus of
Nazareth (the Christ, or the Anointed One of
God) in the 1st century CE. It has become the
largest of the world’s religions and,
geographically, the most widely diffused of all Figure 2. The Cross
by F.A. Davis
faiths. It has a constituency of more than two
billion believers. Its largest groups are the Roman Catholic Church,
the Eastern Orthodox churches, and the Protestant churches
(Stefon, 2019).
iii. Islam
Islam is a monotheistic faith centered around
belief in the one God (Allah). In this regard, it
shares some beliefs with Judaism and
Christianity by tracing its history back to the
patriarch Abraham, and ultimately to the first
Figure 3. The Crescent prophet, Adam. All the prophets preached the
Moon
and Star by F.A. Davis same universal message of belief in one God
and kindness to humanity (United Religions Initiative [URI], 2020).
 iv. Hinduism
Hinduism, is considered the world's oldest
religion, is still commonly practiced. Hinduism
combines the beliefs, philosophy, and cultural
practices of India. Hindu practitioners are
guided by Vedic scriptures and believe in
righteousness, the laws of cause and effect,
Figure 4. The Swastika
by F.A. Davis and the cycle of birth and death. Central to the
faith is a belief in reincarnation and one supreme god called Brahman
who has multiple manifestations as either a god or goddess (Otig et
al., 2020).
v. Buddhism
Buddhism refers to the teachings of
Siddhartha Gautama or Gautama Buddha.
Buddha, (originally a follower of the Hindu faith)
experienced enlightenment, or Bodhi, while
sitting under a tree. It was in this moment that
Buddha was said to be awakened to the truth of Figure 5. The Dharma Wheel.
(https://bit.ly/32juyDf), Public
the world, or the Dharma. Thus, Buddhism does Domain

not believe in a divine realm or God as a supernatural being, but

instead follows the wisdom of their founder (Otig et al., 2020).

d. Pre-colonial concepts of the soul

In the pre-colonial Philippines, our ancestors respect the
“babaylans”. They are described as a priest or shaman, plays the role of a
doctor, a spiritual leader, and a mediator. The “babaylans” performs rituals
by praying or praying for spiritual intervention to remove the forces that lead
to illness or misfortune.
 The “babaylans” explore a world of animism. It is our ancestor's belief
that in nature each has its own soul or divinity, souls are semi-physical and
can exist outside the body (in dreams and vision).
Before our ancestors converted to religion, they already believed in
spiritual beings who live in the environment, in our dead ancestral spirits
and in the forces of nature (wind, moon, stars). The traditions of our
forefathers originally believed that both the living and the dead had the
"power of life."
According to Magos, “dungan” was “a life force, an energy, as well
as an ethereal entity. A spirit with a will of its own that resides in the human
body and provides essence of life. Under this concept, everyone has a
“dungan”. This is similar to the western concept of “soul”. However, unlike
the soul, the “dungan” can temporarily leave the body when the person is
asleep. Once “dungan” return to the person’s body, he/she becomes fully
conscious again (as cited in Otig et al., 2018).
Meanwhile, our pre-colonial ancestors also believed that aside from
a “dungan”, a vital force called “ginhawa” also occupies the body. It was
said to be responsible for the heart’s ability to beat. It was believed that if
“ginhawa” left the body, the person also dies. Both “ginhawa” and “dungan”
exist in every person. The "Ginhawa" is the breath of life, but "Dungan" is
the conscious intellectual and emotional aspect (Otig et al., 2018).

Table 8.

The difference between the soul and the spirit

SOUL SPIRIT
Etymology Old English for “soul” Spirit is directly from
was “sawol” that meant the Latin spiritus “a
the “spiritual and breathing, a breath,
emotional part of a breath of a god,” hence
person’s, animate “Inspiration breath of
existence.” life.”
Biblical Beliefs  Refers to the  Refers to the Holy
conscious, the moral, Spirit, the 3rd party of
and thinking part of a the trinity.
person.  It is the force of God
 It is immortal; it will go through which
to hell, purgatory, or
 heaven after the blessings are bestowed
person dies. upon his people.
 As one develop in the
faith, he or she is said
to be growing
spiritually.
Western Culture Can often be taken to May also refer to
mean someone’s ghosts or any
moral consciousness. supernatural beings.
Eastern Culture It is part of the person  Taoism: nature and
that has dharma spirits are common
(incurs karma).  Shinto: places
emphasis on
shamanism,
particularly divination,
spirit possession, and
faith healing
 Confucianism:
tolerates the Chinese
folk recognition of the
existence of animistic
spirits, ghosts, and
deities.

e. The soul according to some Ethnological groups of the Philippines

Table 9

Ethnical description of the soul

SOUL ORIGIN DESCRIPTION
Linnawa Ifugao • The soul (linnawa) of a child floats around
(“Soul of in the heavens, awaiting its entry into the
the Dead”) human world. During sexual intercourse the
soul/spirit enters the female through the
male, resulting in pregnancy.
• If a woman cannot conceive, shamans
conduct sacrifices to see if the couple is
compatible.
• If they are, shamans offer other sacrifices
to enhance fertility.
Kaduwa Isneg • The Isneg believed that dead exist in other
world, the Aglalanawan. The kaduwa, soul,
is believed to cross the pond in a ferry
piloted by the spirit, Kutaw.
• In a bid to please kutaw, who could
facilitate the spirit’s entry to aglalanawan,
the appropriate customary death rituals
would be the key.
Ab-abiik Kankanaey • Believes that the human person is
(another composed of the physical body and the
member of (soul).
the Igorot • When spirits summon a person’s ab-abiik
people) he/she will become sick.
• A ritual will be performed to appease the
spirit who summoned the ab-abiik so that it
will allow the ab-abiik to return to its body,
and the person recovers from illnes.
Kaluluwa Tagalog • The kaluluwa refers more to the soul of the
deceased.
• The soul of a living person is called
Kakambal.
• The kakambal leaves the physical body at
night to roam, and any bad encounter
cause Bangungut.
• The kakambal becomes a kaluluwa after
death.

f. Rituals and Ceremonies

A ritual is a ceremony or act that is performed in the customary way.
Rituals can be dictated by the traditions of the community, including
religious ones. Rituals can be prescribed by the traditions of the community,
including the religious community. The rituals include not only worship rites
and sacraments of organized religious cults, but also transition rites,
reconciliation and purification rites, oaths of loyalty, initiation ceremonies,
coronations, presidential inaugurations, marriages, funerals - perhaps all
human activities.
A ceremony is a formal act or ritual (often set by custom or tradition)
performed in observation of an event or anniversary (Otig et al., 2018).
i. Approaches to the theories of ritual origin
1. Origin Approach (earliest form) – The basic premise is that
ritual was part of the human evolution.
2. Functional Approach – Explains the ritual behavior in terms of
individual and social needs.
3. History of religions - Holds the view that ritual behavior is an
expression of the sacred.
ii. Classification of rituals
1. Imitative - A ritual that is based on some belief system.
2. Positive & Negative
a. Positive - Focuses on with giving blessings to an object
or to an individual
b. Negative - Focuses on rules of prohibition.
3. Sacrificial - It features the destruction of the sacrifice to be
offered to a “higher being”.
4. Life Crises - It features the transition of one mode or stage of
life into another.