Quarter 1 – Module 3:

Influences of Religion
to Culture and
Society

INTRODUCTION TO WORLD RELIGIONS AND BELIEF SYSTEMS 1

Introduction to World Religions and Belief Systems – SHS
Influences of Religion to Culture and Society - 1st Semester Module

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Regional Director: Gilbert T. Sadsad

Assistant Regional Director: Jessie L. Amin
SDO Albay Schools Division Superintendent: Norma B. Samantela, CESO VI
SDO Albay Assistant Schools Division Superintendent: Wilfredo J. Gavarra
SDO Albay Assistant Schools Division Superintendent: Fatima D. Buen

Development Team of the Module

Writers: Suzette B. Balidoy – Sogod National High School

Content Editor: Juan A. Magdaong II – Daraga National High School
Language Editor: Rosemarie P. Esporlas – Bascaran High School
Layout Editor: Mark Joed Q. Matias – Oas Polytechnic School
Antonio L. Morada
Project In-Charge: Judith P. Restubog – EPS (EsP), SDO Albay

Quality Assurance Team:

Dr. Sancita Peñarubia Chief, Curriculum Implementation Division
Edison L. Mallapre EPS, LRMDS
Judith P. Restubog EPS, Edukasyon sa Pagpapakatao

INTRODUCTION TO WORLD RELIGIONS AND BELIEF SYSTEMS 2

 I. TITLE OF THE MODULE

II. INTRODUCTION

“Faith is like a Wi-Fi, it’s invisible but it has the power to connect you to what
we need.” Do you agree with that? If you do, this module will help you learn how
religions pave way to attaining the things we need and how it provided significant
positive impact to culture and society. You will learn how religion through faith and
positive beliefs and practices helped in influencing a person’s life. Aside from its
positive impacts, you will also learn the downside or the negative influences of
religion.

III. OBJECTIVES:

At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:

1. Analyze the influences of religion to culture and society.

INTRODUCTION TO WORLD RELIGIONS AND BELIEF SYSTEMS 3

 IV. VOCABULARY LIST

Here are some of the words that you will encounter while reading this
module. Are you ready to add new words to your vocabulary? Let us begin!

Word Definition
- a religious or solemn ceremony consisting of a series of
Rituals
actions performed according to a prescribed order.
Scriptures - religious texts are texts related to a religious tradition.
- is a ritual feast that marks the beginning of the Jewish
holiday of Passover. It is conducted throughout the
Seder Meal
world on the eve of the 15th day of Nisan in the Hebrew
calendar.
- is a canonical festival of Islam, Eid ul-Fitr marks the
Eid ul Fitr
end of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting
- it is the ninth month of the Muslim calendar and the
Ramadan holy month of fasting. It begins and ends with the
appearance of the crescent moon.

V. PRE-TEST

DO YOU ALREADY KNOW?

Let us determine how much you already know about the positive and negative
effects of religion. Answer the short quiz below and write your answers in your
journal.

Direction: Identify the word being described by the following sentences.

Choose your answer from the words inside the box.

Eucharist Mitzvoth Jihad Pilgrimage Tikkun Olam

1. It is a Jewish concept defined by acts of kindness performed to perfect or

repair the world.
2. It is a journey performed for a religious purpose.
3. It is a Jewish teaching where there is an obligation to perform moral acts,
particularly acts of kindness.

INTRODUCTION TO WORLD RELIGIONS AND BELIEF SYSTEMS 4

 4. It is a holy war waged on behalf of Islam as a religious.
5. It is the most important religious service in the Christian church in which
people share bread and wine.

VI. LEARNING ACTIVITIES

Look for an article or a video about how religion affected us negatively. You
may copy the link or paste the article in your journal. After watching the video or
reading the article, write a reflection on how these events provided a harmful
outcome to our society and our culture. Indicate also possible solutions on how these
events could be prevented and solved.

Processing Questions:

1. What did you learn from this activity?

2. What have you discovered about yourself after performing this activity?

VII. DEEPENING

Now that you have finished taking your pre-test, let us discuss further about
the positive and negative influences of religion to our culture and society. Here are
readings to help you understand more about our topic. After reading, there will be
activities that you need to answer. Write your answers in your journal notebook.

The most important aspect of religion is its relentless struggle to focus on the
dimension of depth in our lives. We are subjected every day to the pressure to
attend to the things we thought more important. We, humans have a need to make
sense of our experience in and of the world in which we live. Starting with human
experience, both objective and subjective, we seek to understand causes and effects
and their significance in our lives. Stemming from this search for meaning, any
particular religion is a culturally evolved system, in which the persons involved
develop and share common understandings, beliefs and practices and form
community bonds of identity and support. Many religions claim a "mentor" who is
revered and remembered as an "exemplar" for their beliefs, values, and practices.
Mentors are called in many names; Priest or Pastor for the Christians, Rabbi for the
Jews, and Imam for the Muslims to name a few. At its best, a religion can provide the
following:

INTRODUCTION TO WORLD RELIGIONS AND BELIEF SYSTEMS 5

1. Meaning, Purpose and Hope, based on the beliefs, traditions, and values, often
expressed in myths and stories. These traditions are so diverse that they present
a wide range of responses and a variety of answers to the perennial questioning
of human existence. When we participate in these traditions, we join
experientially the on-going journey of discovery of what it means to be human.

2. Community gathering for rituals of worship and symbolic celebrations of

religious holidays. Observances like festivals and pilgrimage (a journey done
for a religious purpose) focus on the stuff of everyday life and set it in the
framework of more profound dimensions of life. One example of a pilgrimage is
the Hajj which lasts approximately 5 to 6 days depending on the lunar Islamic
calendar, is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried out at
least once in their lifetime by all adult Muslims who are physically and financially
capable of undertaking the journey, and can support their family during their
absence.

Muslims surround the Kab’ah in Mecca, Saudi Arabia

Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/cAQXApsh490

The Seder meal reminds Jews that they are shaped by a very long history, a
history that gives them identity; the Eucharist which people share bread and wine
as a symbol of the last supper and the death of Christ, signals to Christians that
the center of life’s meaning is giving oneself for the welfare of others; in the Eid ul
Fitr, Muslims give thanks after the month of Ramadan-fasting that teaches
patience, spirituality, humility, and submissiveness to God.

3. Personal identity as part of a group with similar world views, beliefs, values,
practices, and lifestyles relationships of commitment to giving support and caring
critique to one another. Buddhists cultivate practices of mindfulness,
peacefulness, and compassion. In one form or another, all religions inculcate
these practices. The Jewish teachings about mitzvoth, the obligations to perform
moral acts, particularly acts of kindness, and Tikkun olam (repairing the world)
have inculcated over the centuries an intense commitment to social
justice. Giving to charity is a fundamental mark of Islam. Such practices are
constant reminders that there is more to life than the moment, more than

INTRODUCTION TO WORLD RELIGIONS AND BELIEF SYSTEMS 6

 individual, selfish “getting ahead.” Opportunities in community to identify and
provide needed action and service to meet needs of the wider community and the
world. Lastly, religion provides the opportunity to live within an ethical framework,
as a way of putting the world and modern life within the perspective.

4. Rituals of giving thanks and appreciating one’s blessings that helps with
emotional health and happiness and celebrating the goodness of life and
practices experienced in community for life transitions of birth, commitment,
forgiveness, and death.

5. Educational opportunities providing history and understanding of religious and

cultural traditions and beliefs translation of religious symbols based in the
scriptures, metaphors and language into contemporary experiences and
language.

All of them have a negative side that needs to manage well for human
community mental health. Example of which are as follows:

1. Promotes backward and harmful policies. Religion has been used to defend
slavery, just like how the Spaniards took advantage of some our ancestors, racial
segregation, and sexual discrimination. Although these policies have no
justification aside from religious dogma that was invented centuries ago to
address a very different context than the one, we face today. Absolute ideals not
only lead to fanaticism but are unrealistic in a complicated world.

2. Dissuades Societal Improvement. Other religious leaders argued against

improvement as it distracts from spiritual priorities. Believers are encouraged to
accept the fatalism of human suffering as part of the cosmic order or the will of
God.

3. Participation in religion supports harmful regimes and institutions. It often

requires financial or moral support to be given to countries and institutions that
use this influence for questionable purposes. For instance, performing
pilgrimages in some countries provided wealth into the economy that can be used
by repressive regimes that export extremism and terror.

4. Resource consumption. The Philippine Constitution grants religious and

charitable institutions exemption from real property tax on all lands, buildings, and
improvements. This creates a bias of benefit for the religious, since other social
groups may not be tax exempted or have a higher burden to attain tax exemption.

5. Religious Wars. For example, Holy crusade for Christianity and Jihad for Islam.
During the Marawi siege, the primary aim of the Isis is to establish an Islamic
estate in the Philippines. This therefore threatens the Christians living in the area.

INTRODUCTION TO WORLD RELIGIONS AND BELIEF SYSTEMS 7

 They even burned and wrecked a Catholic Church and kidnapped a priest along
with its staff. Another example is the Holy Crusade. These events took many lives
and properties which sometimes over acts the principles and dogma of their
religion and sometimes commonly sees their religion superior to the other.

A group of Filipino bishops visit the devastated Catholic Cathedral of Marawi

Source: https://www.ucanews.com/news/cathedral-in-philippine-city-of-marawi-to-be-demolished/82066

Can you still recall the lesson you learned yesterday? What are the positive
effects of religion when it comes to community gatherings for rituals of worship and
symbolic celebrations of religious holidays? What are the negative effects of
religion? Do these bring about events in history? Here are some of the evidences
that religion brought about events in history:

1. The Reformation or Protestant Reformation

The Protestant Reformation was the 16th-century religious, political,

intellectual, and cultural upheaval that splintered Catholic Europe, setting in place
the structures and beliefs that would define the continent in the modern era. In
Northern and Central Europe, reformers like Martin Luther, John Calvin and Henry
VIII challenged papal authority and questioned the Catholic Church’s ability to define
Christian practice. They argued for a religious and political redistribution of power
into the hands of Bible- and pamphlet-reading pastors and princes. The disruption
triggered wars, persecutions and the so-called Counter-Reformation, the Catholic
Church’s delayed but forceful response to the Protestants.

INTRODUCTION TO WORLD RELIGIONS AND BELIEF SYSTEMS 8

 It was the greatest religious movement for Christ since the early church. It
was the revival of Biblical and New Testament theology. “The Reformation of the
sixteenth century is, next to the introduction of Christianity, the greatest event in
history. It marks the end of Middle Ages and the beginning of modern times. Starting
from religion, it gave, directly or indirectly, a mighty impulse to every forward
movement, and made Protestantism the chief propelling force in the history of
Modern Civilization.” (Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church).

Counter-Reformation, also called Catholic Reformation or Catholic

Revival, in the history of Christianity, the Roman Catholic efforts directed in the 16th
and early 17th centuries both against the Protestant Reformation and toward internal
renewal. The Counter-Reformation took place during roughly the same period as the
Protestant Reformation, actually beginning shortly before Martin Luther’s act of
nailing the Ninety-five Theses to the door of Castle Church in 1517. Pope Paul III is
considered to be the first pope of the Counter-Reformation. It was he who in 1545
convened the Council of Trent. The council, which met intermittently until 1563,
responded emphatically to the issues at hand. Its doctrinal teaching was a reaction
against the Lutheran emphasis on the role of faith and God’s grace and against
Protestant teaching on the number and nature of the sacraments.

2. Badri Masjid or Mosque Case (1992)

It was a particularly important event that happened in Indian History which

taught people that how can the base of religion dispute of Hindu and Muslim in India
can destroy kindness and humanity of people. The dispute arose, as the previous
Emperor “Mir Banki” destroyed a temple of Hindu god “Lord Rama” and built a
mosque after Emperor Babar “Babri Masjid” the place called Ayoshya which is lord
Rama birthplace. This issue was taken up strongly by Bhartiya Janata Party which is
a political party in India to win in elections. But as the religious sentiments were
aroused in the people, riots were created, and the mosque was demolished by the
people itself and more than 20,000 innocent people lost their lives in this dispute
which mostly included Muslims.

3. People Power Revolution

People Power also called “Rosary Revolution” refers to nonviolent popular

protests that took place in the our country leading to the removal of President
Ferdinand Marcos in 1986 and President Joseph Estrada in 2001, and one
manifestation of Filipino participation in civil society and liberal democracy. The
catalyst for the 1986 protests was the arrest of defected military leaders and buoyed
by public calls to protest by Catholic Cardinal Jaime Sin. Hundreds of thousands of
protestors blocked the Epifanio De Los Santos Avenue, also known as the EDSA.
Marcos called for military action against protestors on the second day of
demonstrations, but soldiers refused to fire on non-violent protestors; iconic images

INTRODUCTION TO WORLD RELIGIONS AND BELIEF SYSTEMS 9

of nuns praying the rosary and offering flowers to soldiers captured global
imagination. Marcos resigned the following day. The 2001 protests, in which Cardinal
Jaime Sin again played a prominent role, were organized in opposition to corrupt
President Joseph Estrada, who was subsequently impeached.

Read and answer the following questions. Write your answer in your journal.

1. What concepts have you learned?

____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________.

2. What are your realizations after reading these evidences?

____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________.

Here are some of the practices of the different religions that promoted
community gatherings and brought positive impact to the society.

The Seder meal reminds Jews that they are shaped by a very long history, a
history that gives them identity. Seder, (Hebrew: “order”) religious meal served in
Jewish homes on the 15th and 16th of the month of Nisan to commence
the festival of Passover. Though Passover commemorates the Exodus, the historical
deliverance of the Jewish people from Egyptian bondage in the days of Moses, Jews
are ever mindful that this event was a prelude to God’s revelation on Mount Sinai.
For each participant, therefore, the seder is an occasion to relive the Exodus as a
personal spiritual event. The religious nature of the seder with its carefully prescribed
ritual makes the dinner quite unlike family dinners held on civil holidays. Reform
Jews and Jews in Israel omit the second seder because they limit Passover to seven
days.

The Eucharist which people share bread and wine as a symbol of the last
supper and the death of Christ, signals to Christians that the center of life’s meaning
is giving oneself for the welfare of others. Another one is Christmas, the longest and
happiest of the Filipino festivals. Christmas in the Philippines commences on
December 16 and ends in the first Sunday of January (or the feast of Epiphany).For
the nine days preceding December 25 (Christmas Day), masses popularly known
as Simbang Gabi or Misa de Aguinaldo are held starting at four o’clock in the
morning. After the mass, the people hurry to the tiny stalls which sell fresh rice cakes
and other native delicacies, with free steaming cups of tea. On the eve of Christmas
Day, families dine together in what popularly called Noche Buena. On the eve of
New Year’s Day (December 31st), the families make as much noises they can by

INTRODUCTION TO WORLD RELIGIONS AND BELIEF SYSTEMS 10

lighting firecrackers, beating pans and cans, and blowing horns and whistles up to
midnight. They then dine together again for the Media Noche. The Lantern or Parol
has become the most popular symbol of Christmas in the Philippines. It is a visual
expression of a creative and imaginative mind. In the evenings especially, you can
see displays of beautifully lighted Christmas lanterns.

In Eid ul Fitr, Muslims give thanks after the month of Ramadan fasting that
teaches patience, spirituality, humility, and submissiveness to God. Ramadan,
in Islam, is the ninth month of the Muslim calendar and the holy month of fasting. It
begins and ends with the appearance of the crescent moon. Because the Muslim
calendar year is shorter than the Gregorian calendar year, Ramadan begins 10–12
days earlier each year, allowing it to fall in every season throughout a 33-year cycle.
Ramadan, however, is less a period of atonement than it is a time for Muslims to
practice self-restraint, in keeping with ṣawm (Arabic: “to refrain”), one of the pillars of
Islam (the five basic tenets of the Muslim religion). Although ṣawm is most commonly
understood as the obligation to fast during Ramadan, it is more broadly interpreted
as the obligation to refrain between dawn and dusk from food, drink, sexual activity,
and all forms of immoral behavior, including impure or unkind thoughts. Thus, false
words or bad deeds or intentions are as destructive of a fast as eating or drinking.

In a world where there are so many who demonstrate so much ego and self-
glorification, religion always allows individual to conquer their own sense of self
towards a larger end. The idea of being able to do good for others in the name of
something larger can only help to make society and the people within it better. The
con or potential negative attribute is when individuals believe that their form of
religious worship compels them or drives them to interfere with others. Some of the
very worst actions and human behavior has been done in the name of religion, this is
here the potential bad side of religion sets in. It is here where some level of change
is needed in terms of how people advocate and show zeal towards their religion.
Lastly, love and respect for each other’s belief and practices is the key in attaining a
harmonious and peaceful society.

Read and answer the following questions. Write your answer in your journal.

1. What is the most important concept that you value from these readings?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________.

2. What have you discovered about yourself in relation to such concept?

____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________.

INTRODUCTION TO WORLD RELIGIONS AND BELIEF SYSTEMS 11

 VIII. APPLICATION

APPLY WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED!

Every one of us went through challenges. These challenges can be

surpassed with the help of people around us and of course by our religion. Copy the
cloud in your journal and write down your significant experience and how your
religion helped you surpass them. You may indicate your experience during the
Covid-19 pandemic.

Processing Question:

1. What is the most important concept that you value after doing this activity?
2. What have you discovered about yourself after performing this activity?

IX. POST-TEST

After reading the module, I hope you learned and understood the positive and
negative effects of religion. This post-test will assess your learnings.

Analyze the influences of religion to culture and society by looking for print or
web-based articles, editorials etc. Paste these articles, or editorials in your journal.
You may also send a video link through email. After reading or watching these
materials, write a one-paragraph analysis of it. Below is a rubric to assess your
reflection paper.

INTRODUCTION TO WORLD RELIGIONS AND BELIEF SYSTEMS 12

 Rubric for the Reflection Paper

Above Meets Approaching Below

Score
Criteria Expectations Expectations Expectations Expectations
4 3 2 1 4
The reflection The reflection The reflection The reflection
explains the explains the attempts to does not
student’s own student’s demonstrate address the
thinking and thinking about thinking about student’s
Reflective learning his/her own learning but is thinking
Thinking processes, as learning vague and/or and/or
well as processes. unclear about learning.
implications the personal
for future learning
learning. process.
The reflection The reflection The reflection The reflection
is an in-depth is an analysis attempts to does not
analysis of of the learning analyze the move beyond
the learning experience learning a description
experience, and the value experience of the learning
the value of of the derived but the value experience.
the derived learning to of the learning
Content learning to self or others. to the student
Analysis self or others, or others is
and the vague and/or
enhancement unclear.
of the
student’s
appreciation
for the
discipline.
The reflection The reflection The reflection The reflection
articulates articulates attempts to does not
multiple connections articulate articulate any
connections between this connections connection to
between this learning between this other learning
learning experience learning or
experience and content experience experiences.
and content from other and content
Making
from other courses, past from other
Connections
courses, past learning courses, past
learning, life experiences, learning
experiences and/or future experiences,
and/or future goals. or personal
goals. goals, but the
connection is
vague and/or
unclear.
Total

INTRODUCTION TO WORLD RELIGIONS AND BELIEF SYSTEMS 13

 X. ASSIGNMENT / ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES

Direction: Read the following sentences. Write TRUE if the statement is

correct and FALSE if the statement is incorrect. Write your answer in your journal
notebook.

1. Muslims call their mentor as Imam.

2. Eid ul Fitr reminds Jews that they are shaped by a very long history, a history
that gives them identity.
3. Muslims give thanks after the month of Ramadan-fasting that teaches
patience, spirituality, humility, and submissiveness to Allah.
4. Religion provides educational opportunities such as history and understanding
of cultural traditions.
5. Religion provides the opportunity to live within an ethical framework.
6. The Philippine Constitution does not grant religious and charitable institutions
exemption from real property tax on all lands, buildings, and improvements.
7. Religious wars provide livelihood and boosts the economy.
8. Participation in religion supports harmful regimes and institutions.
9. Some religious leaders argued against societal improvement as it distracts
from spiritual priorities.
10. The Mitzvoth is about the obligations to perform moral acts, particularly acts of
kindness.

1. How did the activities enrich your knowledge, understanding and

appreciation about the negative and positive effects of religion?
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________.

CONGRATULATIONS!

INTRODUCTION TO WORLD RELIGIONS AND BELIEF SYSTEMS 14

 XI. ANSWER KEY

KEY to CORRECTION (PRE-TEST)

1. Tikkun Olam
2. Pilgrimage
3. Mitzvoth
4. Jihad
5. Eucharist

KEY to CORRECTION (POST-TEST)

1. True
2. False
3. True
4. True
5. True
6. False
7. False
8. True
9. True
10. True

References:

• Serapio, Maria Perpetua A. Introduction to World Religions for Senior High

School. Mindshapers Co., Inc. 2016

• https://www.iras.org/positivereligion.html

• https://www.history.com/topics/reformation/reformation

• https://www.ucanews.com/news/cathedral-in-philippine-city-of-marawi-to-be-
demolished/82066

• https://www.britannica.com/topic/jihad

• https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fatalism

INTRODUCTION TO WORLD RELIGIONS AND BELIEF SYSTEMS 15

• https://www.britannica.com/topic/pilgrimage-religion

• https://www.learningtogive.org/resources/tikkun-olam

• https://www.britannica.com/topic/Ramadan

• https://www.britannica.com/topic/Eid-al-Fitr

• http://www.ph.net/htdocs/tourism/philfest.htm#:~:text=Most%20fiestas%20are
%20celebrated%20among,Fertility%20Rites%20and%20Carabao%20Festival

• https://www.britannica.com/event/Counter-Reformation

• https://rlp.hds.harvard.edu/faq/people-power

INTRODUCTION TO WORLD RELIGIONS AND BELIEF SYSTEMS 16

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INTRODUCTION TO WORLD RELIGIONS AND BELIEF SYSTEMS 17