World Religion and Belief System

World Religion and Belief System ( WRBS)
Patrick Jay M. Angeles, Vincent E. Graza

and Arvin L. Sibulo
UNIVERSITY OF NUEVA CACERES
J. Hernandez Ave., Naga City
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT
WORLD RELIGION
and BELIEF SYSTEMS
PATRICK JAY MARBIDA ANGELES VINCENT ESTEVE GRAZA

Social Science Learning Facilitator Social Science Learning Facilitator
General Academic Strand 11 General Academic Strand 12
ARVIN LIZARDO SIBULO

Social Science Learning Supervisor
General Academic Strand
World Religion and Belief System (WRBS)
By: Patrick Jay M. Angeles, Vincent E. Graza and Arvin L. Sibulo
Copyright © 2020 by Patrick Jay M. Angeles, Vincent E. Graza, Arvin L. Sibulo, and the
University of Nueva Caceres
No part of this course module/study guide may be reproduced or transmitted in any

form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or
any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the
author/s and the University of Nueva Caceres
Published in the Philippines by the University of Nueva Caceres

Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs
JH10, JH Bldg., University of Nueva Caceres,
J. Hernandez Ave. Naga City,
Camarines Sur, Philippines
Printed in the Philippines

First printing, 2020
QUARTER 2:
WORLD RELIGION & BELIEF SYSTEMS
COURSE DESCRIPTION
In this course, you will broaden your knowledge of belief systems by studying the history
and principles of the world's largest religions. You will also gain awareness of non-spiritual belief
systems such as those related to politics and ideology. The final output is a written debate, where
you will defend on a specific stance surrounding a real-world issue. You will then need to practice
objective criticism and logical argumentation to demonstrate an understanding of World Religion
and Belief Systems.
In this course, you will go through 3 sets of experiences that delve into the history,
ideology, and psychology of religion and belief systems. You will also go through activities that
deal with human belief, perspective, and empathy. You are expected to demonstrate understanding
and appreciation of one’s faith and that of others. This was designed to follow Society and Culture,
where you begin developing your skills in cultural and societal understanding. This is the final
course in the Social Sciences domain and will incorporate topics and skills introduced to your
Research courses, Media Literacy, and Statistics.
SECTION 1: BELIEF, PERSPECTIVE, AND EMPATHY

1.1 Intro to World Religion and Belief System Week 1
1.2 Background Beliefs Week 1
1.3 Beliefs and Behaviors Week 1
1.4 Practicing Empathy Week 1
SECTION 2: HISTORY
2.1 Intro to History of Religion Week 2
2.2 Wiki: Belief System Week 2
2.3 Birth of a Religion Week 3
2.4 MILESTONE: History of the Major World Religions Week 3
SECTION 3: IDEOLOGY
3.1 Intro to Ideology of Religion Week 4
3.2 WIKI: Lesson Plan Week 5
3.3 MILESTONE: Lesson Plan Sessions Week 5
SECTION 4: PSYCHOLOGY
4.1 Intro to Psychology of Religion Week 6
4.2 Why Belief Systems Exist Week 6
4.3 MILESTONE: Pros and Cons of Organized Religion Week 7
SECTION 5: THE TWO SIDES TO EVERY STORY (PART 2)

5.1 Intro to Two Sides to Every Story (Part 2) Week 8
5.2 Wiki: Debate Week 8
5.3 Activity: Debate Preparation Week 9-10
5.4 OUTPUT Week 9-10
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QUARTER 2:
COURSE OBJECTIVES
At the end of the course, you will be able to:

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the elements of religion, belief system, and spirituality.
2. Demonstrate an understanding of historical and geographical contexts of the different religions.
3. Demonstrate an understanding of the effects of Religions: positive and negative.
4. Summarize the significance of religion and the basic similarities of all religions discussed within
the semester.
Target Levels:
Milestones: LEVEL 4 Proficiency

Final Output: LEVEL 4 Proficiency
LEARNING OUTCOMES
FINAL OUTPUT
You will summarize the significance of religion and the basic similarities of all religions
discussed within the semester. This will be Part 2 and the last course of the Social Science Domain.
You will create your stand on a certain issue or topic. You will create and prepare arguments both
for Opposition and Affirmative sides.
MILESTONE
You will come up with a 3-paragraph essay that describes what the pros and cons of
religions are. This should also contain a personal action plan for helping to alleviate society of the
cons brought about by belief systems.
ASSESSMENT SYSTEM
To pass this course, you need to comply with the following requirements.
1. In this course, you will be graded based on the following criteria:
CRITERION WEIGHT
Milestone 25%
Final Output 50%
Final Assessment 25%
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QUARTER 2:
2. Milestone and Final output will be graded using the provided rubrics for this course. Make sure that you
read and understand these rubrics before creating your milestones and final output. Milestones and final
output will be collected at the end of the semester.
3. The final assessment will be given at the end of the semester. This will be delivered to the drop off area.
You will write your answers on the provided paper. Submit your answers two days after the delivery of the
final assessment to the drop off area.
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SECTION 1:
BELIEF, PERSPECTIVE, AND EMPATHY
Section 1:
Belief, Perspective & Empathy
OVERVIEW OF THE SECTION
Have you ever asked yourself why you believe in love? When did you start believing in
love? Have you ever asked yourself why you believe in freedom? Do you believe that
freedom is free? In this section, you will know what belief is and how beliefs affect our
society and civilization.
LEARNING OUTCOME(S)
Gain an awareness of the scope and requirements of the course to level expectations.
Gain an appreciation of others’ opinions by gaining perspective.
Differentiate beliefs about matters of fact and beliefs about values.
Understand the importance of empathy, not just in the study of the Belief System in their
daily lives.
SECTION TIMELINE
Introduction to World Religion and Belief Systems Week 1
Background Beliefs Week 1
Beliefs and Behaviors Week 1
Practicing Empathy Week 1
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SECTION 1:
Title SECTION 1. Activity 1: Introduction - World Religion and Belief Systems
Timeline Week 1
Objectiv Gain an awareness of the scope and requirements of the course to

es level expectations
Tools Notebook and Pen
1. Read the Course Introduction below.
Welcome to World Religion and Belief Systems. In this course, you will gain awareness of the major
religions of the world. You will do this by looking at 3 key elements: History, Ideology, and Psychology, but
before we do that we will take a close look at the concept of belief.
If there’s one thing that is certain is that as humans, we are all different, over the course of your life,
you will meet people with a common interest. You will also make some great friends, however, you will
meet a lot of people who simply do not have the same opinions as you. You will encounter a bunch of
people who have radically different background beliefs or worldviews. This is all quite normal in a little
diversity, besides, it helps in shaping societies and civilizations.
In this section, we will define what BELIEF is and what are its types. You will also take a look at why
you believe certain things and how your behaviors are affected. You will also gain insight about human
reasoning, not just in relation to religion but also in politics and social settings. This will help you better
understand world religions, its purpose, and the pros and cons in the future.
2. Answer the questions in your notebook in not less than 3 sentences. Justify your answers if necessary.
a. What is World Religion and Belief Systems about?
b. Based on your prior knowledge, what is a belief system? What are the examples of belief
systems?
c. What are the three key elements of the world religion mentioned in the introduction?
d. Why is gaining an understanding of 'belief' important?
3. At the end of the course, you will accomplish 3 milestones and 1 Final output. Read the rubric found on
the next page before you do the milestone.
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SECTION 1:
OUTPUT RUBRIC:
Pros and Cons of
Organized Religion
Criteria Description
I was able to prepare the necessary

document for the final output complete
Debate Preparation with all the parts of the template. I was
Document(30%) able to provide 5 arguments and was able
to explain it properly without/ only a few
lapses in grammar.
I have understood my assigned topic

excellently and thoroughly, which is
Content (40%) exhibited in the content of my explanation
and discussion.
I responded appropriately to the topic and

was able to defend my side, and I am able
Comprehension (30%) to complete the arguments related to the
topic.
(RUBRIC: WRBS - FINAL OUTPUT Target Level: Lvl4)
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SECTION 1:
Title Activity: Background Beliefs
Timeline Week 1
Objectives Gain an appreciation of others’ opinions by gaining perspective.
1. Get your pen and answer the checklist below. You have to copy the entire table in your notebook to be
able to do the activity.
Instructions: Put a check ✅ in the box if you Agree, Disagree, or Unsure about the statements given.
Agree Disagree Unsure
1. Students should not be required to attend flag ceremonies.
2. Public schools should require all students to wear school uniforms.
3. Parents should carefully monitor how their children use the

internet.
4. Video games make teens violent.
5. Most young people do not respect adults.
6. Most adults do not respect teenagers.
7. The media unfairly portrays certain groups of people.
8. All media outlets like television, newspapers, and radio stations

have their own biases.
9. People with whom the government suspects of being dangerous

should be carefully watched out and their activities monitored.
10. The Anti-Terror Law has no difference with Martial law in its
essence.
11. The war on drugs by the government does more harm than good.
12. The fight on the Global Pandemic in the Philippines must be led by
experts in science and medical fields, not by retired military
personnel.
13. The death penalty should be reinstated.
14. There is an afterlife.
15. The afterlife is for all living things, including animals/pets
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SECTION 1:
2. Now that you are done answering, ask your parents to answer the same checklist. You can ask your
brother or sister if your parents are not yet around. Copy the table in your notebook so that they can also
answer it.
Instructions: Put a check ✅ in the box if you Agree, Disagree, or Unsure about the statements given.
Name of Parent/Brother/Sister: ____________________________________
Agree Disagree Unsure
1. Students should not be required to attend flag ceremonies.
2. Public schools should require all students to wear school

uniforms.
3. Parents should carefully monitor how their children use

the internet.
4. Video games make teens violent.
5. Most young people do not respect adults.
6. Most adults do not respect teenagers.
7. The media unfairly portrays certain groups of people.
8. All media outlets both television, newspapers, and radio

stations have their own biases.
9. People with whom the government suspects of being

dangerous should be carefully watched out and their
activities monitored.
10. The Anti-Terror Law has no difference with Martial law in

its essence.
11. The war on drugs by the government does more harm than
good.
12. The fight on the Global Pandemic in the Philippines must

be led by experts in science and medical fields, not by
retired military personnel
13. The death penalty should be reinstated.
14. There is an afterlife.
15. The afterlife is for all living things, including animals/pets
3. Once they are done answering the checklist, compare your answers with them. In your notebook, write a
reflection about the results in 3-5 sentences. Use these guide questions to help you make the reflection:
a. What are the items that you have similar answers to?
b. What are the items that have different answers?
c. Why do you think you came up with different answers in particular items?
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SECTION 1:
Title Activity: Beliefs and Behaviors
Timeline Week 1
Objectives Differentiate beliefs about matters of fact and beliefs about values.
In this activity, you will go through a set of belief statements and actions, some of which demonstrate
rationalization and/or hypocrisy. A discussion document follows where you gain awareness of cognitive
dissonance.
In the second part of the activity, you will go through a "categorization" activity in order to learn about
stereotypes among other psychological impediments.
PART 1: Rationalization
Instructions:
1. Below, you will see several scenarios combining a belief and an action. You are to imagine yourself in
the scenario and provide an explanation for how belief and action go together.
2. For each scenario that you will imagine, answer this question:
In the light of your belief, what is the explanation for your behavior? (See the sample below)
Example Scenario:
(Belief) You are a devout Catholic.
(Action) You go to church and confession every Sunday.
Example Answer (explanation for your behavior):

This behavior is in line with the dictates of my religion and is a way for me to express
my faith through my devotion
3. You will be given 10 scenarios (remember that you are going to imagine that you are in that situation and
you have to answer the question provided in Instruction #2). Copy everything on your notebook and make
sure to answer the following:
Scenario 1:
You are very concerned about the environment.
You recycle all your paper and glass.
Answer (explanation for your behavior): ___________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Scenario 2:
You are very concerned about the environment.
You recycle all your glass but do not recycle paper.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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SECTION 1:
Scenario 3:
You are a strict vegetarian.
You eat a soy-based hamburger alternative at a party.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Scenario 4:
You are a strict vegetarian, for health reasons.
You eat a hamburger at a party.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Scenario 5:
You believe in freedom of speech.
When you see a political post on Facebook that you don't agree with, you don't do anything.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Scenario 6:
You believe in freedom of speech.
When you see a political post on Facebook that you don't agree with, you give comments on undesirable things.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Scenario 7:
You believe that poverty and population growth are two problems that are correlated.
You support the Reproductive Health Bill.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Scenario 8:
You believe that poverty and population growth are two problems that are correlated.
You do not support the Reproductive Health Bill.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Scenario 9:
You are pro-life.
You are not in favor of legalizing abortion.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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SECTION 1:
Scenario 10:
You are pro-life.
You are in favor of reinstating the death penalty.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4. Now that you are done imagining and answering each scenario, you may have left out several possible
answers and that is because of the following:
A. You were wrong about what you believe.
B. You don’t hold your belief as strongly as you thought.
C. You don’t understand your belief and what it entails.
D. You acted hypocritically.
It is very likely that you didn’t come up with many of these ideas. There is a reason for that. You
were being asked to imagine yourself in the scenarios, and it’s very difficult to believe those 4 things
about oneself. Instead, what you did is to offer rationalizations for each behavior.
Rationalization is a form of self-deception, which is a powerful psychological impediment to

good reasoning. When we rationalize, we justify our behaviors and convince ourselves that they are
self-consistent, so that we don’t have to face up to uncomfortable possibilities like the ones on number 4
(A, B, C, and D). Most self-deception is brought on by cognitive dissonance, which occurs when
you can’t reconcile your beliefs with the evidence in front of you.
Rationalization is a defense mechanism for each cognitive dissonance caused by inconsistencies

between our beliefs and actions. People may have specific worldviews but not all of their actions may
manifest this.
5. Answer the following in your notebook so that you can be ready to proceed with Part 2. Limit your
answers to 3-5 sentences.
A. Define 'Rationalization' and 'Cognitive Dissonance'. (Cognitive Dissonance is part of Coping

Mechanisms that you have learned in your Personal Development course in English.)
B. Is rationalization wrong?
C. What are the dangers of rationalization?
D. How do you avoid rationalization?
E. What examples of cognitive dissonance can you think of?
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SECTION 1:
PART 2: Psychological Impediments
Belief/worldview is not the only factor that goes into our actions. In the following activity, all answers
must be written in your notebook.
1. In your notebook, take several minutes to write down every group to which you feel you belong. See the
examples below:
I feel that I belong to a group of...
1. “Seniors”
2. “DoTA players,”
3. “Ilocano,”
4. “Feminist,”
5. “LGBTQ+”
6. “Dancers”
2. Once you have come up with a list, choose at least 3 groups that you belong to and discuss the
characteristics of people in that group. How would you characterize the group members who belong in
that group? See the example explanation below:
1. “Seniors” - I think I belong to this group since I am a Senior High School learner and I
am also in Grade 12. When I was in Grade 10, I was also a senior because it is the
highest grade in Junior High.
2. “DoTA players,” - I think I belong to this group because I love playing computer games.
3. “Ilocano,” - I live in Ilocos and we have our own distinct culture compared to other
regions.
3. After explaining the characteristics of your chosen group, consider these points:
A. You may have described your group using positive descriptions and sometimes you may be
stereotyping already in comparison with other groups in which YOU DO NOT BELONG.
B. You may think that other groups are bad. An example of this is the group of DoTa players. For
some people, that group is composed of students who spend most of the time with their
computers and are no longer focusing on their studies. However, that is not true all the time.
Some students in college are able to graduate because their undergraduate thesis focused on
the effects of playing computer games.
4. After considering the points mentioned above, read the mini discussion below:
It is natural to have positive beliefs about a group to which you belong and to make
assumptions (positive or negative) about other groups. In fact, sometimes these assumptions are
useful. We think of stereotypes as negative, and many are ill-founded or mean, but some assumptions
can help us target an audience and get our message across. However, there are several ways in which
these assumptions can get in the way of good reasoning.
At this point, you should be aware of the following. Make sure to master the 4 items below:
A. Prejudice. Even if a stereotype is based in reality—and many are not—it will not be true of
every member of a group. Assuming that you know what someone is like because of the groups
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SECTION 1:
they belong to is prejudice, and it can keep you from rationally evaluating their motives and
choices.
Example of Prejudice: You saw a college student entering the university wearing high heels, and
super short “shorts”. You also noticed that she is wearing full makeup and has a bright red
lipstick. You immediately assumed that she is somewhat scandalous and flirty. After a while,
you saw that same girl on stage at the university gym. It has come to your knowledge that she is
a part of a stage play and she’s portraying a character. The initial presumption that you have
created on your mind is actually called a “prejudice”. In simple terms, prejudice is a
pre-judgment of something without actually knowing the real reason behind it.
B. Partisanship. We tend to make positive assumptions about groups to which we belong. Among
other assumptions, we believe that people who think like us are more rational and more
informed than people with whom we disagree. This hinders reasoning because we accept
arguments based on who makes them, not on their content or support.
Example of Partisanship: During elections in UNC SHS, there are two major groups: TINGOG and
PADAYON. The members of each group will think that the group where they belong is better
than the other party. The members of TINGOG will say that their party is better than the other.
At the same time, members of PADAYON will say that PADAYON is better than TINGOG Party.
C. Provincialism. We tend to think that issues affecting our identity groups are more important
or more urgent than issues affecting other groups. This prevents us from accurately evaluating
these issues.
Example of Provincialism: Being concerned with only one's town/city, as opposed to surrounding
communities or other countries as well. An example is when Naga City Government rapidly
ordered lockdown compared to nearby municipalities in order to protect the city, however, on a
national level, we must protect the entire country.
D. Herd instinct. We make assumptions about what’s acceptable and popular in the groups to
which we belong, and it’s often hard to go against these norms. When an opinion is unpopular,
the herd instinct can make us inclined to ignore evidence so we can maintain beliefs that are in
line with the mainstream beliefs.
Examples of herd instinct: We like to have people around us, not just when we go to the movies,
but almost everywhere. If you go to a restaurant with your friends or family and find that you’re
the only customer, you might think twice about staying in the place -- which you tell yourself
must be deserted for a reason. Maybe the food isn’t good, the service is bad, the prices are too
high, or the like.
On the other hand, if the place is packed to capacity, we feel reassured and try to get a table at
any cost, even if it means settling for one next to the loo. And never mind if the food turns out
to be not particularly good, and the service lousy, and the prices steep. At least the place is
very popular, isn’t it? It must have something going for it, otherwise, why would so many
people visit it frequently.
The same is true of hotels we choose to stay in, the holiday destinations we go to, the clothes
we tend to wear. We follow the example of others. If a lot of people stay at that hotel, go for a
holiday there, wear that kind of kurta/jeans, then that’s an endorsement for us to follow suit.
The herd instinct is a numbers game. The more the numbers, the bigger the herd, the stronger
the instinct. And the best example of the herd instinct is democracy.
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SECTION 1:
5. Below are additional definitions of PREJUDICE, PARTISANSHIP, PROVINCIALISM, and HERD INSTINCT.
Come up with examples of each of these phenomena and write them in your notebook. You
may write it in paragraph form and give an explanation in not less than 5 sentences.
Prejudice:
A preconceived belief about all people belonging to one type or category. Even if a
stereotype is based on reality — and many are not — it will not be true of every member of a
group. Assuming that you know what someone is like because of the groups they belong to is
prejudice, and it can keep you from rationally evaluating their motives and choices.
Example (Write it in your notebook);_________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Partisanship:
The tendency to favor those with whom you agree. We tend to make positive
assumptions about groups to which we belong. Among such assumptions is we believe that
people who think like us are more rational and more informed than people with whom we
disagree. This hinders reasoning because we accept arguments based on who makes them, not
on their content or support.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Provincialism:
The tendency to believe that the issues you feel most strongly about are the most
important. We tend to think that issues affecting our identity groups are more important or
more urgent than issues affecting other groups. This prevents us from accurately evaluating
these issues.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________
Herd instinct:
The tendency to adhere to cultural norms of belief and behavior. We make assumptions
about what’s acceptable and popular in the groups to which we belong, and it’s often hard to go
against these norms. When an opinion is unpopular, the herd instinct can make us inclined to
ignore evidence so we can maintain beliefs that are in line with the mainstream beliefs.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________
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SECTION 1:
Title Activity: Practicing Empathy
Timeline Week 1 | October 19-23, 2020
Objectives Understand the importance of empathy, not just in the study of Belief
Systems, but also in your daily lives.
Tools Notebook, Pen, art materials (markers, pens, crayons, colored paper/coloring
materials)
1. Copy the following activity in your notebook. Circle “yes” if the statement describes you or “no” if it
does not.
Are You Empathetic?
1. I often think about other people’s feelings. Yes No
2. I don’t make fun of other people because I can imagine Yes No

what it feels like to be in their shoes.
3. I listen to others about what they’re going through. Yes No
4. I try to understand other people’s points of view. Yes No
5. I am aware that not everyone reacts to situations the Yes No

same way I do.
Source; AC Education reference guide
2. After doing the activity, try to reflect on the statement below and answer the questions that follow:
“Empathy is the ability to emotionally understand what other people feel, see things from their point of
view, and imagine yourself in their place. Essentially, it is putting yourself in someone else's position and
feeling what they must be feeling.”
Kendra Cherry, “What Is Empathy?”, May 02, 2020
Empathy is an important life skill but it is also difficult to develop. Researchers have
consistently identified empathy as a core component of emotional intelligence and a powerful predictor
of success in many professions.
Now, copy and answer the following questions in your notebook.
1. In what way can you be more empathetic in your daily life?

2. Why is it important to see other people's perspectives when it comes to beliefs and
worldviews?
3. Is walking in another person's shoes easy for you? Why or why not?
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3. Using Illustrating materials(markers, pens, crayons, colored paper/coloring materials), create a poster
that summarizes what you learned in Section 1. Just use 1 long bond paper to create your poster. In
creating the poster, consider the following points that your poster must show:
Everyone is different. Our beliefs are diverse and there are a lot of reasons why this is so.
(You can illustrate, based on your opinion, what are the different factors that go into why people
believe what they believe.)
Our beliefs are shaped by a multitude of factors. One cannot dismiss someone else's
belief systems to be right or wrong - we must gain perspective and understand that people are
the way they are for their own reasons. Respect and open-mindedness are better than
stereotyping and making assumptions.
Rationalization is a defense mechanism for each cognitive dissonance caused by

inconsistencies between our beliefs and actions.
Psychological impediments also affect how our beliefs are shaped and how we act during
certain situations.
Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. On a deeper level, it is
being able to see a person beyond their actions. It is the ability to recognize and understand
that a person's beliefs and behaviors are caused by factors unique to them. It is being
open-minded, emotionally aware, and mature even in difficult situations.
4. Be creative in doing your poster. Good Luck!
Source:
Jug Suraiya. (2018, May 9). Crowdsourcing: We’re all programmed to follow a herd mentality.
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SECTION 2:
HISTORY
Section 2:
History

Welcome to Section 2 of World Religion and Belief System Course, for the succeeding activities you will
discover how religions formed and how it started. Also, you will determine the different beliefs of each
religion. Happy learning!
In this section, you will demonstrate an understanding of historical and geographical contexts of the
different religions, and you'll find out the key points through the help of the WIKI.
LEARNING OUTCOME(S)
Gain awareness of the section’s objectives to level expectations.
Gain awareness of a national religion founded in the Philippines and use that awareness to identify
the key factors that go into the birth of a religion.
Gain awareness on what a belief system is and what its types are.
SECTION TIMELINE
Introduction to History of Religion Week 2
Week 2
WIKI: Belief System
Birth of a Religion Week 3
Week 3
MILESTONE: History of the Major World Religions
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SECTION 2:
HISTORY
Title SECTION 2. Activity 1: Introduction to the history of Religion
Timeline Week 2
Objectives Gain awareness of the section’s objectives to level expectations.
1. Read the Course Introduction below.
In the second section of World Religion and belief systems, you will take a look at the history of
world religions. Think of this as the HOW and the WHEN. In dealing with topics such as World religion, it is
important to understand their history. Knowing when it was founded as well as key milestones in its
development will help you gain perspective on what that religion's impact and scope really is
Aside from when, we will look at how there are an estimated 10,000 distinct religions worldwide and
about 84% of the world's population is affiliated with one of the 5 largest religions namely Christianity,
Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, or forms of folk religion.
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SECTION 2:
HISTORY
What made the major religions so proliferate? Since the subject matter can be considered a
sensitive topic, it is of utmost importance that you as learners remain UNBIASED through our study.
As we go through this course, imagine that you are putting on an objectivity hat. With this on, you
must remain open-minded and neutral capable of exercising critical thinking and logical reasoning.
Good luck and have fun!
2. Answer the questions in your notebook. Justify your answers if necessary. Provide at least 1
paragraph with 5 sentences of explanation for each question
a. What is the definition of objectivity?
b. Why do you think we need to study history first over doctrines and practice?
c. How many religions are you aware of? How many can you name?
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SECTION 2:
HISTORY
Title Section 2: Wiki - Belief Systems
Timeline Week 2
Objectives Gain awareness of what a belief system is and what its types are.
Tools Notebook, Pen
1. Read the Wiki on Belief Systems. Understanding what a belief system is will give you a primer on
your study of the different religions of the world. This will also help you in the next activity and in
accomplishing your milestone. You may always go back to this Wiki if the need arises.
WIKI: BELIEF SYSTEMS
What is a belief system?
The use of the term "belief system" can be highly confusing. Psychologists,
political scientists, and anthropologists tend to use the term in rather different
senses. Belief systems are structures of norms that are interrelated. They are the
stories we tell ourselves to define our personal sense of Reality. Every human
being has a belief system that they utilize, and it is through this mechanism that
we individually, "make sense" of the world around us. These are sets of beliefs
reinforced by culture, theology, and experience, relating to cultural values,
stereotypes, and political viewpoints. Beliefs are often considered as convictions
or as religious beliefs, but as scientists, there are also philosophical beliefs relating
to the sphere of daily life.
Why do I need to learn about belief systems?
Studying belief systems gives you the opportunity to explore some of the deepest
and most significant ideas and values that have emerged in human history.
With the rise of science, some think that religion is outdated, but it continues to
exert its influence in profound ways throughout the world today. Think, for
example, of the ongoing tensions in the Middle East, the debates over evolution,
questions about abortion, and the death penalty; how people think about these
controversial issues reflects their religious convictions. Exploring the range of
religious worldviews at work in the past and present is crucial for understanding
what people do and why they do it.
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What does a belief system look like?
A belief system can refer to a religion or a world view.
Religion is the adherence to codified beliefs and rituals that generally involve a
faith in a spiritual nature and a study of inherited ancestral traditions, knowledge,
and wisdom related to understanding human life. The term "religion" refers to
both the personal practices related to faith as well as to the larger shared systems
of belief.
Types of Religion:
1. world religions - refers to transcultural, international faiths
2. indigenous religions - refers to smaller, culture-specific or nation-specific
religious groups
3. new religious movements - refers to recently developed faiths
Demographics of Religion
The five largest religious groups by the world population are Christianity, Islam,
Buddhism, Hinduism, and traditional folk religion. The estimate for these 5 groups
accounts for 5.8 billion people and 84% of the population.
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Non-religious Belief Systems

Belief relates to a person's internal model of his external world. It involves those
aspects of the model where factual evidence is uncertain or subject to
disagreement, but where decisions and actions are required. This means that
belief systems can also refer to concepts outside of religion - such as politics,
social economics, and psychology.
How do I identify a belief system?
A better way to explain the nature of religion is to identify basic characteristics

common to religions. These characteristics may be shared with other belief
systems, but taken together they make religion distinct.
Belief in Supernatural Beings

Belief in the supernatural, especially gods, is one of the most obvious
characteristics of religion. It's so common, in fact, that some people mistake mere
theism for religion itself; yet that is incorrect. Theism can occur outside of religion
and some religions are atheistic. Despite this, supernatural beliefs are a common
and fundamental aspect to most religions, while the existence of supernatural
beings is almost never stipulated in non-religious belief systems.
Sacred vs Profane Objects, Places, Times

Distinguishing between the sacred and the profane is common and important
enough in religions that some scholars of religion, notably Mircea Eliade, have
argued that this distinction should be considered the defining characteristic of
religion. The creation of such a distinction can help direct believers to focus on
transcendental values and supernatural, but hidden, aspects of the world around
us. Sacred times, places, and objects remind us that there is more to life than
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what we see.
Ritual Acts Focused on Sacred Objects, Places, and Times

Of course, merely noting the existence of the sacred usually isn't sufficient. If a
religion emphasizes the sacred, then it will also emphasize ritual acts involving the
sacred. Special actions must occur at sacred times, in sacred places, and/or with
sacred objects. These rituals serve to unite members of the current religious
community not just with each other, but also with their ancestors and their
descendants. Rituals can be important components of any social group, religious
or not.
Moral Code With Supernatural Origins

Few religions don't include some sort of basic moral code in their teachings.
Because religions are typically social and communal in nature, it's only to be
expected that they also have directions about how people should behave and
treat each other, not to mention outsiders. Justification for this particular moral
code rather than any other usually comes in the form of the code's supernatural
origins, for example from gods which created both the code and humanity.
Characteristically Religious Feelings

Awe, a sense of mystery, a sense of guilt, and adoration are "religious feelings"
which tend to be aroused in religious believers when they come in the presence of
sacred objects, in sacred places, and during the practice of sacred rituals. Usually,
these feelings are connected with the supernatural, for example, it may be
thought that the feelings are evidence of the immediate presence of divine beings.
Like rituals, this attribute often occurs outside religion.
Prayer and Other Forms of Communication

Because the supernatural is so often personalized in religions, it only makes sense
that believers would seek interaction and communication. Many rituals, like
sacrifices, are one type of attempted interaction. Prayer is a very common form of
attempted communication that might occur quietly with a single person, loudly
and publicly, or in the context of a group of believers. There is no single type of
prayer or a single type of effort to communicate, just a common desire to reach
out.
A World View & Organization of One’s Life Based on the World View
It's normal for religions to present believers with a general picture of the world as
a whole and the place of the individual therein - for example, whether the world
exists for them or if they are a bit player in someone else's drama. This picture will
usually include some details of an overall purpose or point of the world and an
indication of how the individual fits into that as well - for example, are they
supposed to serve the gods, or do the gods exist to help them along?
A Social Group Bound Together by the Above

Religious believers often join together with like-minded adherents to worship or
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even live together. Religious beliefs are typically transmitted not just by family, but
by an entire community of believers. Religious believers sometimes associate with
each other to the exclusion of non-adherents and may place this community at
the center of their lives. Religions are so commonly organized socially that
religious beliefs without a social structure have acquired their own label,
"spirituality."
Cited Resources
Cline, Austin. "What Is Religion? Defining The Characteristics Of Religion".

About.com Religion & Spirituality. N.p., 2017. Web. 27 Jan. 2017.
Geertz, C. "Religion As A Cultural System". The interpretation of cultures: selected

essays (1993): 87-125. Print.
Usó-Doménech, J and J Nescolarde-Selva. What Are Belief Systems?. 1st ed.

Department of Applied Mathematics. University of Alicante. Alicante. Spain. Web.
27 Jan. 2017.
"Why Should I Study Religion? | Philosophy And World Religions". Uni.edu. N.p.,
2017. Web. 27 Jan. 2017.
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Title Section 2: Activity 2: Birth of a religion
Timeline Week 3
Objectives Gain awareness of a national religion founded in the Philippines and use that
awareness to identify the key factors that go into the birth of a religion.
Tools Notebook, Pen, Dictionary
1. Read the succeeding document. It is an overview of the history of Iglesia Filipina Independiente, a
Christian denomination founded in the Philippines.
2. After several paragraphs, you will find guide questions inside the boxes. Copy and answer these in
your notebook. You may use a dictionary to look for the meaning of words unfamiliar to you.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Philippine Independent Church
Other Names:
Iglesia Filipina Independiente (Spanish)
Malayang Simbahan ng Pilipinas (Filipino)
Libera Ecclesia Philippina (Latin)
Aglipayan Church (colloquial term)
Overview:
The Philippine Independent Church is an independent Christian
denomination in the form of a national church in the Philippines. Its schism from
the Catholic Church was proclaimed in 1902 by the members of the Unión Obrera
Democrática Filipina due to the alleged mistreatment of the Filipinos by Spanish
priests and the execution of José Rizal during Spanish colonial rule.
1. Define the terms in boldface (2 new terms).

2. Provide other examples of national churches.
3. What is the difference between schism and apostasy?
Explain in 2-3 sentences.
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The founders of the Philippine Independent Church were Isabelo de los Reyes and
Gregorio Aglipay.
Isabelo de los Reyes, Sr. y Florentino, also known as Don Belong (July 7, 1864
– October 10, 1938), was a prominent Filipino politician, writer, and labor activist in
the 19th and 20th centuries. Due to his widespread Anti-Catholic writings and
activism with labor unions, he is sometimes dubbed as the "Father of Filipino
Socialism". As a journalist, de los Reyes almost faced the firing squad for attracting
the ire of Spanish authorities in highlighting Spanish church and governmental
abuses during the movement for independence. He criticized the large haciendas of
the friars while so many peasants were landless. In 1897, shortly after being
imprisoned in the Bilibid Prison, he was deported to Spain and imprisoned in
Barcelona. Don Belong was not only a journalist, as he did much religious writing
during his life, starting when he was first imprisoned. He helped to translate the
Bible into the Ilocano vernacular. He became one of the few convicts to translate the
Scriptures.
On July 1, 1901, the Spanish government permitted de los Reyes to return to

the Philippines. He brought many books with him, among which were those written
by Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Victor Hugo, Pierre Joseph Proudhon, Mikhail
Bakunin, and other socialists of Europe. These books inspired him to introduce
socialism to the Philippines, where he became known as the first Filipino Marxist.
Influenced by anarchism and Marxism during his imprisonment in

Barcelona, in 1902 de los Reyes founded the first labor union in the country, the
Unión Obrera Democrática. He wanted to protect Filipinos against what he
perceived as the exploitation of labor by American capitalist institutions. In the same
year, he and other UNO members launched the Philippine Independent Church, to
create a national church independent of the Pope and the Catholic Church. He
chose his fellow Ilocano compatriot, Gregorio Aglipay, as its first bishop.
After his term as a Senator, Don Belong returned to private life in the 1920s.
He dedicated the remainder of his life to religious writings for the Aglipayan Church,
in which he was made an honorary bishop. He wrote many sermons and other
Christian literature, including basic materials for the Aglipayan Church.
Gregorio Aglipay Cruz y Labayan was a former Catholic priest who became
the first head of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente, an independent Catholic Church
in the form of a national church in the Philippines. He was ordained into the
priesthood in 1890, 7 years after entering a seminary in Ilocos Sur. He began a
career as an assistant priest in various parishes around the main northern island of
Luzon. While in Victoria, Tarlac, Aglipay gave aid to the revolutionaries and
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HISTORY
employed thirty carpenters who in reality were revolutionists in touch with the
Katipunan group. Despite being a priest, Aglipay, like other revolutionaries, joined
Freemasonry.
In 1898, the Philippine-American War started and Aglipay joined the

revolution. On 20 October 1898, Gen. Aguinaldo appointed Aglipay Military Vicar
General of the revolutionaries. Subsequently, Aglipay was excommunicated by then
archbishop Bernardino Norzaleda y Villa for "usurpation of ecclesiastical
jurisdiction. On 18 January 1903, Aglipay was appointed Supreme Bishop of the
"Philippine Independent Church" by Isabelo de los Reyes.

5. What happens when a person is excommunicated?
6. What are the duties and responsibilities of a Supreme
Bishop under the Philippine Independent Church?
7. Aglipay rejected the belief in the Trinity, becoming
theologically accepting of Unitarianism. What other
doctrines does Unitarianism reject?
Today, most Aglipayans are from the northern part of Luzon, especially in the
Ilocos Region. Congregations are also found throughout the Philippine diaspora in
North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. As of 2010, the church has
approximately 917,000 members. It has seen a decline in membership mostly due
to members converting to other religions. It is the only religion that has had a
decrease in population between 2000 and 2010.
Population
Religion
2000 2010 2015
Roman Catholic 61,862,898 74,211,896 80,304,061
Islam 3,862,409 5,127,084 6,064,744
Evangelicals 2,152,786 2,469,957 2,445,113
Protestants NO DATA 1,071,686 1,146,954
P.I.C. 1,508,662 916,639 756,225
Seventh-Day 609,570 681,216 791,552

Adventist
Bible Baptist NO DATA 480,409 553,790

Church
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HISTORY
Jehovah’s Witness 380,059 410,957 438,148
Sources:https://psa.gov.ph/sites/default/files/2014%20PIF.pdf
https://psa.gov.ph/sites/default/files/PIF2019_revised.pdf
Most of the members of the church, like the founders Aglipay and De los
Reyes, are political activists, often involved in progressive groups and advocating
nationalism, anti-imperialism, democracy, as well as opposing extrajudicial
killings. They have often been victims of forced disappearances and been branded
as leftist by the government for being aligned with progressive groups, specifically
after Obispo Máximo IX Alberto Ramento was killed in 2006 for being an
anti-government critic.
When it comes to doctrines and practice, the church observes the following:
Priesthood
The Church believes in ordination, both priests and bishops. Like many
Anglican and Lutheran denominations and unlike the Catholic Church, the church
ordains women. Since its establishment, the Church allows its priests to marry,
rejecting mandatory clerical celibacy.
Worship and liturgy

The main liturgy on Sunday is the Eucharist, which is said in the vernacular.
The church is noncommittal regarding transubstantiation and Real Presence in the
Eucharist. Church members are taught that the Eucharistic species, the bread, and
the wine, remain only as symbols during the Holy Mass and do not change into the
actual body and blood of Jesus Christ.
The church is in full communion with many similar churches, including Old
Catholic Churches which are part of the Union of Utrecht and churches of the
Anglican Communion. The Aglipayan Church is not a member of the Union of
Utrecht.
By virtue of its concordat relations with the Anglican churches, the Philippine
Independent Church is given the privilege to send delegates to the Council of
Churches of East Asia (CCEA) as organized by the Anglican provinces in East Asia in
1962. Since 1964, IFI bishops have also been regular participants of the Lambeth
Conferences. The IFI also has a concordat with the Church of Sweden.
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9. The church has a number of notable members,
including Apolinario Mabini, Mariano Marcos, and
Marian Rivera (former). Why do you think they chose to
belong to a minority religion?
10. Why are a number of members of the Philippine
Independent Church considered as political activists?
11. Do you think that the church’s founding location had a
negative impact on its expansion and influence? Why or
why not?
References:
"History Of The IFI – IFI.PH". Ifi.ph. N.p., 2017. Web. 16 Jan. 2017.
"Philippine Freemasons". N.p., 2017. Web. 16 Jan. 2017.
"Philippine Independent Church". En.wikipedia.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 16 Jan. 2017.
Schumacher, John N. Revolutionary Clergy. 1st ed. Quezon City, Metro Manila: Ateneo de
Manila University Press, 1981. Print.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. After doing the activity on Philippine Independent Church, answer the following post-activity
questions:
A. Why were de los Reyes and Aglipay excommunicated?
B. Why did de los Reyes start the national church?
C. What were the goals of the national church?
D. Why do churches with similar beliefs have differing opinions when it comes to some
practices or doctrines?
E. Do you think you can start your own religion? Why or why not? What are the factors that
you think must be present before you can start your own religion or branch of your current
religion?
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Title SECTION 2. Milestone 1: History of the Major World Religions
Timeline Week 3
Objectives Gain awareness of how each of the world's major religions grew to what they are
today.
Tools Bond paper, pencil, pen, ruler, eraser, and coloring materials.
1. You will create your milestone out of the data you read and gathered, from your previous activity.
2. For this milestone, you will create a StoryBoard. You can use the experience you had in making a
storyboard in your G11 activity creation. A review: A storyboard is a graphic representation of how
your story will unfold, shot by shot. It's made up of a number of squares with illustrations or
pictures representing each shot, with notes about what's going on in the scene and what's being
said in the script.
Here’s an example of a storyboard:
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3. The storyboard should also be about the history of the religion, not the doctrines or teachings. The
concept must consist of the following:
a. A demonstration of how it was founded
b. A demonstration of how it was spread
c. A major event in the religion's history
4. Don't forget to read and follow the Rubric for this Milestone. (RUBRIC: History of Major World
Religions / Target Level: Lvl4)
Take Note: MILESTONE IS 25% OF YOUR OVERALL GRADE
MILESTONE RUBRIC: History of

Major World Religions
I was able to identify all the important

details relating to the origin, growth, and
Content
demographic of my assigned religion. All
(50%)
key facts are backed up by credible
sources.
I was able to outline the ideas in an

organized and effective manner. The
Organization of Data output was well-planned and seamlessly
(50%) executed. The transition between each
idea and the quality of the storyboard all
led to a better understanding of the topic.
(RUBRIC: WRBS - S2 Milestone / Target Level: Lvl4)
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RUBRIC:
MILESTONE RUBRIC: History of Major

World Religions
History of Major
World Religions Description
Criteria Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4

(Beginning) (Developing) (Intermediate) (Proficient)
I was only able to I was not able to I was able to identify I was able to identify
look for several complete the most of the important all the important
key points recommended details relating to the details relating to the
relating to the checklist outlined in origin, growth, and origin, growth, and
history of my the milestone demographic of my demographic of my
Content assigned religion. document. Only some assigned religion. My assigned religion. All
(50%) I only relied on a of my facts and facts are backed up by key facts are backed
couple of figures are backed up credible sources but I up by credible
sources. by multiple sources. I relied too much on too sources.
relied too much on little sources and
one or two sources of lacked
information. cross-referencing.
My output was I was not able to I was able to outline I was able to outline
insufficient and provide an effective the ideas in a the ideas in an
disorganized. I and informative relatively organized organized and
simply presented outline due to how I manner, but lack of effective manner. The
the facts as organized my data. preparation lowered output was
Organization of bullet points and There were too many its overall well-planned and
Data there was no irrelevant facts, too effectiveness. The seamlessly executed.
(50%) clear flow to my little important ideas, entire transition had a The transition
output. and the transition flow but the ideas between each idea
between them could could be improved. and the quality of the
be improved. storyboard all led to a
better understanding
of the topic.
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Sources:
O'grady-Marshall, Rebecca. What is a storyboard?. ELearnHub. https://elearnhub.org/what-is-a-storyboard/
Vyond Team. (2019, November 11). What is a storyboard and why do you need one?. VYOND.
https://www.vyond.com/resources/what-is-a-storyboard-and-why-do-you-need-one/
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SECTION 3:
IDEOLOGY
Section 3:
Ideology
Welcome to Section 3 of World Religion and Belief Systems Course, for the succeeding activities
you will have an understanding of the elements of religion, belief system, and spirituality. This
will help you understand how ideology affects people.
In this section, you will discover different concepts of people about ideology, and ideology itself
from different religions. For you to better understand Ideology, you’ll find out the key points
through the help of the WIKI. Happy learning!
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
create a lesson plan that focuses on the ideas and teachings and doctrines of each of the
world's major religions.
formulate a (1) lesson plan, (2) creating activities, and (3) developing a quiz that will assess
the understanding of the section.
SECTION OUTLINE
3.1 Intro to Ideology of Religion Week 4
3.2 WIKI: Lesson Plan Week 5
3.3 MILESTONE: Lesson Plan Sessions Week 5
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SECTION 3:
IDEOLOGY
Title SECTION 3. Activity 1: Intro to Ideology of Religion
Timeline Week 4
Objectives Gain awareness of the content for the entire section
Materials USCP Notebook and Ballpen
Read the document below titled "Intro to Ideology of Religion". This contains the importance of knowing
what will be the process of this section as well as a sneak peek as to how we define ideology.
Intro to Ideology of Religion
In the Third section of World Religion and Belief Systems, we will take a look at the ideology of
World Religions. What we currently know about Religion may only be centered on what our personal beliefs
are for growing up, this is highly influenced by our environment especially at home and in schools.
The goal of this section is to equip ourselves with background knowledge and useful statistics on
the Major Religions of the world, even though it's not quite popular in our country. Doing this will help us
gain context and better understand how other cultures perceive the world.
To help you focus on the ideologies, teachings, and doctrines of a religion, you will conduct lesson
planning sessions. Your Milestone Output for this activity is to make a Lesson Plan about your chosen
religion. To do this, you need to be prepared for several things. Read the short Wiki on lesson planning. Also,
since you will be preparing a lesson plan, part of it is the creation of an assessment for the students. You
will be preparing a multiple item quiz for your learners. Good luck and have fun!
Title SECTION 3. WIKI: Lesson Plan
Timeline Week 5
Objective Gain awareness and understanding of how to make a lesson plan.
1. Read the attached WIKI on the next page titled "How to Make a Lesson Plan". This contains the
introduction to the basic concepts of lesson planning and a guide to their application. Focus reading on the
discussions about the basic concepts of culture and society and familiarize how the assessment was made.
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SECTION 3:
IDEOLOGY
Imagine that you are a teacher. Making an effective lesson plan takes time, diligence, and an
understanding of your goals and abilities. Your goal is to motivate the students (your future students) to
take in what you are teaching and to retain as much as possible. This wiki will provide some ideas that will
help you do the Milestone which is Lesson Plan.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
WIKI: How to Make a Lesson Plan
Creating the Basic Structure
1. Form your objective

At the beginning of every lesson, write your lesson plan goal at the top. It should be
incredibly simple. Something like, "Students will be able to identify different animal body
structures that enable eating, breathing, moving, and thriving." Basically, it's what your students
can do after you're done with them! If you want to do a bit extra, add how they might do this
(through video, games, flashcards, etc.).
2. Write your overview.

Use broad strokes to outline the big ideas for the class. For example, if your class is
about Shakespeare's Hamlet, your overview might include covering wherein the
Shakespearean canon "Hamlet" resides; how factual the history described might be; and how
themes of desire and subterfuge might relate to current events.
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SECTION 3:
IDEOLOGY
3. Plan your Timeline

If there's a lot to cover in a fixed amount of time, break your plan into sections that
you can speed up or slow down to accommodate changes as they happen. We'll use a 1-hour
class as an example.
1:00-1:10: Warm up. Bring class into focus and recap yesterday's discussion on great
tragedies; relate it to Hamlet.
1:10-1:25: Present information. Discuss Shakespearean history briefly, focusing on his
creative period 2 years before and after Hamlet.
1:25-1:40: Guided practice. Class discussion regarding major themes in the play.
1:40-1:55: Freer practice. Class writes a single paragraph describing current events in
Shakespearean terms. Individually encourage bright students to write 2
paragraphs, and coach slower students.
1:55-2:00: Conclusion. Collect papers, assign homework, dismiss class.
4. Use multiple student interaction patterns.

This is usually applied in the procedure of your lesson plan. Procedure in lesson planning
refers to what activities the learners are going to do. It usually shows the “HOW” will the teacher
deliver the lesson.
Some students do well on their own, others in pairs, and yet others in big groups. So long
as you're letting them interact and build off each other, you're doing your job. But since each
student is different, try to allow opportunities for all types of interactions. Your students (and the
cohesion of the class) will be better for it!
Any activity can be manipulated to be done separately, in pairs, or in groups. If you have
ideas already mapped out, see if you can revamp them at all to mix it up.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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IDEOLOGY
2. After reading the wiki, look at the Sample Lesson Plan below. The topic is about “Intro to 5 major
World Religions”
Generally, a lesson contains five parts namely Objective, Content of the Lesson (Topic), Materials,
Procedure, and Quiz/Assignment. Read and try to study the sample lesson plan below. Focus on identifying
what are the different important parts and their purpose.
Sample High School Lesson Plan

(This sample lesson plan is designed for a three-hour class)
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Lesson plan on World religion and Belief Systems
Objective:
At the end of the lesson, students should be able to:
1. Recognize the 5 major different religions of the world;
2. Appreciate the importance of the diversities of the world’s major religions
3. Create a table showing the differences between the Major World Religions
Subject Matter:
1. Basic facts of the 5 Major religions of the world (Christianity, Islam, Hinduism,
Buddhism, Confucianism)
Materials: Textbooks, White Cartolina, Pen/Marker, and Ruler
Procedure:
1. Students will be divided into groups. Each group must be composed of a
maximum of 5 members
2. Students will be asked to open their textbooks. They are to list down the
basic facts for each of the 5 major religions of the world using a scratch
paper. Basic facts may include:
A. How it was formed
B. Why it was formed
C. Who was/were the founder(s)
D. How did it spread
E. Where it spread (countries where this religion is existing)
3. After determining the basic facts for each religion, the learners will be
given 1 hour to put the data that they have collected in a white cartolina
following the format bellow:
Christianity Islam Hinduism Buddhism Confucianism
How was it formed?
Why was it formed?
Who was/were the

founders?
How did it spread?
Where did it spread

(countries where this
religion is existing)?
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SECTION 3:
IDEOLOGY
4. Each group will be given 15 minutes to present their output to the class.
5. After the presentation the teacher will give a 30-minute discussion to the
class.
(On your Milestone 2, include the discussion of your assigned religion)
6. After the class discussion, the teacher will give homework to the class.
Homework: Make a research regarding the beliefs and practices of the different
religions of the world and prepare for a guided plenary discussion.
(Note: The sample lesson plan above is an introduction to a world religion course, thus a
quiz is not yet required)
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. After carefully reading and studying the parts of the given sample lesson plan above, you will now create
your own lesson plan in the next activity.
Title SECTION 3. MILESTONE: Lesson Plan Sessions
Timeline Week 5
Objective Learners should focus on the world's major religions by (1) planning a teaching
session, (2) creating activities, and (3) developing a quiz
Materials USCP Notebook, Ballpen
1. In this milestone, you are to assume that you are a teacher. Your task is to create a lesson plan which will
serve as your preparation for a teaching session. In creating your lesson plan, ensure that the following are
included:
A. You need to choose only 1 religion for your lesson plan. Choose from the following options:
a. Christianity
b. Islam
c. Buddhism
d. Hinduism
e. Confucianism
B. After choosing your desired religion for your lesson plan, make sure that the topics you are
planning to discuss is enough for 1 hour. Focus on topics given in the sample lesson plan
particularly:
1. How was it formed?
2. Why was it formed?
3. Who was/were the founders?
4. How did it spread?
5. Where did it spread (countries where this religion is existing)?
IMPORTANT NOTE: In your lesson plan, be creative as to how you are going to implement the
discussion/teach the topic (look at no. 5 in the sample lesson plan in the previous page). You may
create a game (e.g a crossword puzzle) that the learners are going to do inside the class).
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SECTION 3:
IDEOLOGY
2. After choosing a religion that you will use for your lesson plan and after planning out the topics to be
discussed, you may begin crafting/writing your lesson plan. Follow the format in the sample ensuring that
the following essential parts are included:
a. Objective
b. Subject Matter:
c. Materials
d. Procedure
e. Homework
3. Lastly, create a 20-item multiple-choice quiz composed of these two sections:

a. Remembering (70%): These questions should be answerable through a recollection of facts or
knowledge. These are considered as easy questions.
b. Application (30%): These questions should require your students to practice the application of
knowledge through evaluation or critical thinking. These are considered as difficult questions.
4. Don't forget to read and follow the Rubric for this Milestone. (RUBRIC: Lesson Plan Session / Target Level:
Lvl4)
RUBRIC:
I was able to create a lesson plan that is fit for a 1

Lesson Plan session class. I was able to complete all parts of the
lesson plan. The sentences and instructions are
40%
well written with very minimal lapses in grammar.
Activities are also explained properly.
I have understood my chosen topic excellently and

thoroughly, which is exhibited in the content of my
Content of Lesson lesson plan. I was able to include information
30% regarding the ideology and practices of my
assigned religion in the lesson plan that I have
created.
I was able to include all the important questions

regarding the ideology and practices of my
Quiz assigned religion. I was able to create a 20-item
30% multiple-choice quiz with the correct amount of
difficult (30%) and easy (70%) questions, with clear
instructions.
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RUBRIC:
MILESTONE RUBRIC: Lesson Plan

Session
Lesson Plan
Session Description

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Lesson Plan
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(40%) plan. The sentences sentences and and instructions are instructions are well
and instructions are instructions are written written with some written with very
written with so many with lapses in lapses in grammar. minimal lapses in
lapses in grammar. grammar. Activities are Activities are also grammar. Activities are
also explained properly. explained properly. also explained properly.
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my chosen topic, chosen topic, which is chosen topic chosen topic excellently
which is exhibited in exhibited in some of thoroughly, which is and thoroughly, which is
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information regarding information regarding to include information information regarding
(30%) the ideology and the ideology and regarding the ideology the ideology and
practices of my practices of my and practices of my practices of my
assigned religion in assigned religion in the assigned religion in assigned religion in the
the lesson plan that I lesson plan that I have the lesson plan that I lesson plan that I have
have created. created. have created. created.
I was not able to I was not able to I was able to include I was able to include all
include all the include some of the all the important the important questions
important questions important questions questions regarding regarding the ideology
regarding the ideology regarding the ideology the ideology and and practices of my
and practices of my and practices of my practices of my assigned religion. I was
assigned religion. I assigned religion. But, I assigned religion. I able to create a 20-item
wasn’t able to create was able to create a was able to create a multiple-choice quiz
Quiz
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(30%) multiple-choice quiz multiple-choice quiz multiple-choice quiz of difficult (30%) and
with the correct with the correct with the correct easy (70%) questions,
amount of difficult amount of difficult amount of difficult with clear instructions.
(30%) and easy (30%) and easy (70%) (30%) and easy
(70%) questions. questions. (70%) questions, the
instructions are quite
clear.
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SECTION 4:
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Section 4:
Psychology
Welcome to Section 4 of the World Religion and Belief Systems Course, for the
succeeding activities you will have the understanding of why religion exists. This will help
you understand how psychology affects people's beliefs.
In this section, you will discover how to demonstrate an understanding of the effects of
Religions: positive and negative. You will also plan, create, and prepare the Milestone, this
will help you in your Final Output. Enjoy your adventure and discoveries!
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Come up with a comprehensive, objective, and fact-based answer to the question

"Why does Religion exist?".
Come up with a 3-paragraph essay that describes what you think the pros and cons
of religion are. This should also contain a personal action plan for helping to alleviate
society of the cons brought about by belief systems.
SECTION OUTLINE
4.1 Intro to Psychology of Religion Week 6
4.2 Why Belief Systems Exist Week 6
4.3 MILESTONE: Pros and Cons of Organized Religion Week 7
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Title SECTION 4. Activity 1: Intro to Psychology of Religion
Timeline Week 6
Objective Gain awareness of the content for the entire section
1. Read the following article entitled, "Intro to Psychology of Religion". This contains the importance
of knowing what will be the process of this section as well as a sneak peek as to how we define
Psychology.
Intro to Psychology of Religion
This is Section 4 entitled Psychology of Belief Systems. Now, that you know what each religion is
about and how they are formed in the first place. It’s time to look at why belief systems exist. How come
there are so many people with opposing views when it comes to spirituality? How could one group possibly
be right and one wrong? There are billions of people all from different backgrounds that have conflicting
belief systems and in this section, we will analyze the “why”. The Psychology of Belief Systems will focus on
the reason why individuals conform to their respective belief systems. We will do this in order to gain
perspective. And to further understand why some people behave in a certain way. The goal is to gain
awareness, avoid misinterpretations, and promote open-mindedness. Which is why, we must once again, put
on our objective tee hats. And take a closer look at the Psychology of Belief Systems.
2. After reading the document, you need to answer the following questions. Write your answers in two
to three (2-3) sentences per question in your USCP notebook.
a. What did you learn in Section 1? Section 2? Section 3?
b. How do the major world religions differ from one another?
c. How are they similar?
d. Why do people believe? How are beliefs shaped?
e. How long have religions been around in society?
f. How has religion influenced the world we live in? Enumerate the ways.
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Title SECTION 4. Activity 2: Why Belief Systems Exist
Timeline Week 6
Objective Come up with a comprehensive, objective, and fact-based answer to the question
"Why does Religion exist?"
Materials USCP Notebook, Ballpen
1. Read the three (3) articles below entitled:

● Why Do We Have Religion Anyway? - Association for Psychological Science / November 9, 2011
● New Theory Suggests People Are Attracted To Religion For 16 Reasons - Ohio State
University / 25 May 2004
● A REASON TO BELIEVE - American Psychological Association / By Beth Azar / Dec. 2010, Vol 41, No. 11
Why Do We Have Religion Anyway?

November 9, 2011
TAGS: EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY MORALITY RELIGION SELF-CONTROL SELF-REGULATION SPIRITUALITY
The vast majority of the world’s 7 billion people practice some kind of religion, ranging from
massive worldwide churches to obscure spiritual traditions and local sects. Nobody really knows how many
religions there are on the planet, but whatever the number, there are at least that many theories about why
we have religion at all. One idea is that, as humans evolved from small hunter-gatherer tribes into large
agrarian cultures, our ancestors needed to encourage cooperation and tolerance among relative strangers.
Religion then—along with the belief in a moralizing God—was a cultural adaptation to these challenges.
But that’s just one idea. There are many others—or make up your own. But they are all just
theories. None has been empirically tested. A team of psychological scientists at Queen’s University, Ontario,
is now offering a novel idea about the origin of religion, and what’s more, they’re delivering some
preliminary scientific evidence to support their reasoning. Researcher Kevin Rounding and his colleagues are
arguing that the primary purpose of religious belief is to enhance the basic cognitive process of self-control,
which in turn promotes any number of valuable social behaviors.
They tested this theory in four fairly simple experiments, using classic measures of self-control. In
the first study, for example, they used a word game to prime some volunteers’ (but not others’) subconscious
thoughts of religion. Then they asked all the volunteers (using a ruse) to drink an unsavory mix of OJ and
vinegar, one ounce at a time. They were told they could stop any time, and to take as much time as they
liked, and that they would be paid a small amount for each ounce of the brew that they drank.
The amount they drank was a proxy for self-discipline. The more OJ and vinegar they forced down,
the greater their self-control. And as predicted, those with religion on their mind endured longer at the
unpleasant task. Since society and religion ask us to tolerate many things we don’t particularly like for the
common good, the scientists interpret this finding as evidence of a particular kind of self-control.
Another way to think of self-control, perhaps the most familiar, is delayed gratification—resisting
immediate temptation to wait for a greater reward later on. In another experiment, the scientists again
primed some of the volunteers with hidden religious words, but in this case, they were told (falsely) that the
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experiment was concluded and that they would be paid. They were told, further, that they could either return
the next day and be paid $5, or come back in a week and get $6. This is a widely used laboratory paradigm
for measuring the exertion of discipline in the face of temptation, and indeed, almost twice as many of those
with religion opted for more money later.
Self-control is costly, consuming a lot of mental resources. Recent research has demonstrated that
our cognitive power—in the form of glucose, the brain’s fuel—is limited. The mind and brain can become
fatigued, just like a muscle, and when depleted, normal self-control is impaired. The third experiment built
on an understanding of this process, often called “ego depletion.” The scientists wanted to see if cognitively
depleted people are “refueled” with reminders of religion, so they had only half of the volunteers perform a
mentally draining task while listening to loud music. Then they primed half of these depleted volunteers, and
half the controls, with religious words.
So at this point, there were four groups: Depleted; depleted but religiously primed; undepleted controls; and
religiously primed controls. All of these volunteers then attempted a set of geometrical puzzles, which,
unknown to them, were impossible to solve. The impossible task was included to test their persistence
against great difficulty—another measure of self-control.
The results were unambiguous. Among those who were mentally depleted, the ones with religion on
their minds persisted longer at the impossible task—suggesting that the religious priming restored their
cognitive powers—and their patience in the process. They performed basically the same as those who were
never tired out in the first place. The scientists take this as strong evidence for the replenishing effect of
religion on self-discipline.
The fourth and final experiment was the only one with ambiguous results. The first three studies
had shown direct causal evidence of religion on self-control—and downstream effects on enduring
discomfort, delaying rewards, and exerting patience. But is it possible that the religious priming might have
activated something else—moral intuition or death-related concerns? In order to rule out these
possibilities, the scientists used a completely secular self-control task, one with no moral overlay: the
so-called Stroop task. This is the task where one must rapidly identify the ink that words are printed in,
rather than read the words. It’s very difficult, requiring mental exertion and self-control.
The scientists primed some with religious words as usual, but others were primed with moral
words—virtue, righteous—and still others with words related to mortality—deadly, grave, and so forth.
Then all the volunteers attempted the Stroop task on a computer, which measured accuracy and reaction
time. The results, as reported in a forthcoming issue of the journal Psychological Science, showed that
religiously primed volunteers had much more self-control than did controls or those primed to think about
mortality. But those with religion on their minds were statistically no different than those with morality on
their minds. This was an unexpected finding, and it suggests that activating an implicit moral sensibility may
have some of the same effects as religion.
It’s not entirely clear what cognitive mechanism is at work in religion’s influence on self-control.
One possibility is that religion makes people mindful of an ever-watchful God, and thus encourages more
self-monitoring. Or religious priming may activate concerns of supernatural punishment. A more secular
explanation is that religious priming makes people more concerned about their reputation in the community,
leading to more careful self-monitoring. Notably, almost a third of the volunteers in these studies were
self-defined atheists or agnostics, suggesting that these robust effects have little or nothing to do with the
suggestibility of the most devout.
Wray Herbert’s book, On Second Thought, was recently published in paperback. Excerpts from his
two blogs—“We’re Only Human” and “Full Frontal Psychology”—appear regularly in Scientific American
and in The Huffington Post.
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News > We're Only Human > Why Do We Have Religion Anyway?
Comments
MIKE December 19, 2011

Very interesting piece! Religion is always a topic to draw attention to and the approach they are
taking at Queen’s is quite different. I am intrigued. My only question about the experiment is how can they
prove that self-control is the purpose of creating a religion and not just a bi-product? I do indeed think it is
plausible when I think of those who are peaceful, calm, and conscious of others, but I also see religion being
used to control which could be another possible reason for its creation (among others).
Reply
TOM LASSEK November 24, 2012

I disagree with the author's statement “The primary purpose of religious belief is to enhance the
basic cognitive process of self-control”.
Varying levels of self-control within each Religious Preference is determined by a host of

institutional variables, It’s Dogma, Receptive parishioners, Faithful who meticulously follow it’s teaching,
along with an arguable host of lesser-known rationale. Self-Control is a result, a carryover from the
discipline, a “muscle memory” in such an environment, Repetition being the Mother of all learning as it
were.
Everything on, in, or above this world has a lifespan, everything. Humans fall into this multitude of
millions, and we are the only product that can think, and we can think freely. Not one of us honestly knows
what will happen when our life span is over, and by far, the concept of death exploding into nothingness is
incomprehensible – and it’s Frightening. We have neither the advanced thinking necessary to move forward
nor the empirical knowledge to prove anything beyond this point.
So, it’s no coincidence that we can “think” our way towards an answer, to continue a “Presence”, a
spiritual “continuance” so as to speak, at a level similar to our past material life, or move further upward
towards something better – – – and here religion fills the crucial void. To my knowledge, there is no known
Religious Preference that doesn’t support an afterlife in one form or the other, and by default, draws into its
fold those who believe, or want to believe.
And so, the World Turns, for all of us, at least at the moment.
New Theory Suggests People Are Attracted To Religion For 16 Reasons

Ohio State University - 25 May 2004
COLUMBUS, Ohio – People are not drawn to religion just because of a fear of death or any other
single reason, according to a new comprehensive, psychological theory of religion.
There are actually 16 basic human psychological needs that motivate people to seek meaning
through religion, said Steven Reiss, author of the new theory and professor of psychology and psychiatry at
Ohio State University.
“Because this theory can be tested scientifically, we can learn its strengths and weaknesses, and
gradually improve it,” Reiss said. “Eventually, we may understand better the psychological basis of religion.”
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These basic human needs – which include honor, idealism, curiosity, and acceptance – can explain
why certain people are attracted to religion, why God images express psychologically opposite qualities and
the relationship between personality and religious experiences.
Previous psychologists tried to explain religion in terms of just one or two overarching
psychological needs. The most common reason they cite is that people embrace religion because of a fear of
death, as expressed in the saying ‘there are no atheists in foxholes,” Reiss said.
“But religion is multi-faceted – it can’t be reduced to just one or two desires.”
Reiss described his new theory – which he said maybe the most comprehensive psychological
theory of religion since Freud’s work more than a century ago -- in the June issue of Zygon, a journal devoted
to issues of science and religion.
“I don’t think there has been a comprehensive theory of religion that was scientifically testable,”
he said.
The theory is based on his overall theory of human motivation, which he calls sensitivity theory.
Sensitivity theory is explained in his 2000 book Who Am I? The 16 Basic Desires that Motivate Our Action
and Define Our Personalities (Tarcher Putnam).
Reiss said that each of the 16 basic desires outlined in the book influence the psychological appeal
of religious behavior. The desires are power, independence, curiosity, acceptance, order, saving, honor,
idealism, social contact, family, status, vengeance, romance, eating, physical exercise, and tranquility.
In fact, Reiss has already done some initial research that suggests the desire for independence is a
key psychological desire that separates religious and non-religious people. In a study published in 2000,
Reiss found that religious people (the study included mostly Christians) expressed a strong desire for
interdependence with others. Those who were not religious, however, showed a stronger need to be
self-reliant and independent.
The study also showed that religious people valued honor more than non-religious people, which
Reiss said suggests many people embrace religion to show loyalty to parents and ancestors.
In the Zygon paper, Reiss explains that every religious person balances their 16 basic human needs
to fit their own personality.
“They embrace those aspects of religious imagery that express their strongest psychological needs
and deepest personal values.”
One example is the desire for curiosity, Reiss said. Religious intellectuals, who are high in curiosity,
value a God who is knowable through reason, while doers, who have weak curiosity, may value a God that is
knowable only through revelation.
“People who have a strong need for the order should enjoy ritualized religious experiences, whereas
those with a weak need for order may prefer more spontaneous expression of faith,” he said.
“The prophecy that the weak will inherit the earth should appeal especially to people with a weak
need for status, whereas the teaching that everybody is equal before God should appeal especially to people
with a strong need for idealism.”
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If religion and personality are linked, religion must provide a range of images and symbols
sufficiently diverse to appeal to all the different kinds of personalities in the human population, Reiss says.
Religious imagery potentially accommodates everybody because in many instances the images and symbols
are psychological opposites.
“How we value and balance the 16 psychological needs is what makes us an individual, and for
every individual, there are appealing religious images,” he said.
“The values that guide a personality with a strong need for vindication are expressed by a God of
wrath, or a war God, while the values that guide a personality with a weak need for vindication are
expressed by a God of forgiveness.”
“The values that guide a personality with a strong need to socialize are expressed by religious
fellowship and festivals, while the values that guide a personality with a weak need to socialize are
expressed by religious asceticism.”
The need for acceptance makes meaningful images of God as a savior, while its opposite inspires
the concept of original sin, according to Reiss. The need to eat motivates some people to value abstinence
and others to value sustenance.
“Because this theory can be tested scientifically, we can learn its strengths and weaknesses, and
gradually improve it,” Reiss said. “Eventually, we may understand better the psychological basis of religion.”
Reiss emphasized that the theory addresses the psychology of religious experiences and has no
implications for the validity or invalidity of religious beliefs.
Contact: Steven Reiss, (614) 292-2390; Reiss.7@osu.edu Written by Jeff Grabmeier, (614) 292-8457;
Grabmeier.1@osu.edu
A REASON TO BELIEVE
By Beth Azar
December 2010, Vol 41, No. 11
Print version: page 52
Religion may fill the human need for finding meaning, sparing us from existential angst while also
supporting social organization, researchers say.
Harking back to Sigmund Freud, some psychologists have characterized religious beliefs as
pathological, seeing religion as a malignant social force that encourages irrational thoughts and ritualistic
behaviors.
Of course, psychologists’ doubts — and those of countless others throughout history — haven’t
curtailed religion’s powerful hold on humans. Religion has survived and thrived for more than 100,000
years. It exists in every culture, with more than 85 percent of the world’s population embracing some sort of
religious belief.
Researchers who study the psychology and neuroscience of religion are helping to explain why such
beliefs are so enduring. They’re finding that religion may, in fact, be a byproduct of the way our brains work,
growing from cognitive tendencies to seek an order from chaos, to anthropomorphize our environment, and
to believe the world around us was created for our use.
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Religion has survived, they surmise because it helped us form increasingly larger social groups,
held together by common beliefs.
“If we’re on the right track with this byproduct idea — and the findings are really getting strong
— it’s hard to then build the case that religion is a pathology,” says psychologist Justin Barrett, Ph.D.,
director of the cognition, religion and theology project in the Centre for Anthropology and Mind at Oxford
University.
Predisposed to believe
There’s no one cognitive tendency that undergirds all our religious beliefs, says Barrett. “It’s really
your basic, garden-variety cognitions that provide the impetus for religious beliefs,” he says.
A common thread to those cognitions is that they lead us to see the world as a place with an
intentional design, created by someone or something. Young children, for example, tend to believe that even
trivial aspects of the natural world were created with a purpose, according to a series of studies by Boston
University psychologist Deborah Keleman, Ph.D. If you ask children why a group of rocks are pointy, for
example, they say something like, “It’s so that animals won’t sit on them and break them.” If you ask them
why rivers exist, they say it’s so we can go fishing.
Adults also tend to search for meaning, particularly during times of uncertainty, research suggests.
A 2008 study in Science (Vol. 322, No. 5898) by Jennifer Whitson, Ph.D., and Adam Galinsky, Ph.D., found
that people were more likely to see patterns in a random display of dots if the researchers first primed them
to feel that the participants had no control. This finding suggests that people are primed to see signs and
patterns in the world around them, the researchers conclude.
People also have a bias for believing in the supernatural, says Barrett. In his work, he finds that
children as young as age 3 naturally attribute supernatural abilities and immortality to “God,” even if
they’ve never been taught about God, and they tell elaborate stories about their lives before they were born,
what Barrett calls “pre-life.”
“What we’re showing is that our basic cognitive equipment biases us toward certain kinds of
thinking and leads to thinking about a pre-life, an afterlife, gods, invisible beings that are doing things —
themes common to most of the world’s religions,” says Barrett.
That basic equipment includes a memory system that appears to be exceptionally good at
remembering the kinds of stories found in many religious texts. In particular, research finds that we most
easily recall stories with some, but not too many, counterintuitive or “supernatural” elements. In one study,
published in 2006 in Cognitive Science (Vol. 30, No. 3), Scott Atran, Ph.D., and Ara Norenzayan, Ph.D., tested
people’s recall of concepts that ranged from intuitive — a grazing cow — to just slightly counterintuitive
— a cursing frog — to extremely counterintuitive — a squealing flowering brick. Although people more
easily remembered the intuitive stories an hour after reading them, a week later, they were more likely to
remember the slightly counterintuitive stories.
This finding held up in both American college students and Maya villagers from the Mexican
Yucatan, suggesting that stories with a few minimally counterintuitive elements, such as those found in
many religious stories, are more easily remembered and, presumably, more readily transmitted from person
to person, says Norenzayan, a psychologist at the University of British Columbia.
That said, most researchers don’t believe that the cognitive tendencies that bias us toward
religious belief evolved specifically for thinking about religion. Rather, they likely served other adaptive
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purposes. For example, because people are quick to believe that someone or something is behind even the
most benign experiences, they may perceive the sound of the wind rustling leaves as a potential predator. In
evolutionary terms, says Atran, it was probably better for us to mistakenly assume that the wind was a lion
than to ignore the rustling and risk death.
But this tendency also set us up to believe in an omnipresent God-like concept. Taken together, it’s
easy to see how these cognitive tendencies could allow our minds to create religions built on the idea of
supernatural beings that watch over our lives, says Atran, director of research at the Centre National de la
Recherche Scientifique in Paris.
Such research also supports the notion that religious thought is in many ways an inevitable
byproduct of the way our minds work. Psychologist Thomas Plante, Ph.D., hopes that view will help people
see themselves as “more whole.”
“We’ve had this long history of believing that the things of the spirit are in one camp and that
science and technology are in another camp,” says Plante, professor and director of the Spirituality and
Health Institute at Santa Clara University and president of APA’s Div. 36 (Psychology of Religion). “If
anything, this work reiterates that we are whole people; the biological, psychological, social, cultural, and
spiritual are all connected.”
Neural underpinnings
Neuroscience research supports the idea that the brain is primed to believe, says Jordan Grafman,
Ph.D., director of the cognitive neuroscience section at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and
Stroke. This tendency, he says, is spread throughout the brain, and probably arose from neural circuits
developed for other uses.
“The idea that got a lot of attention several years ago that there’s a ‘God spot’ in the brain where
religious thoughts and feelings arise has largely been rejected,” says Grafman, who will be moving to the
Kessler Foundation in West Orange, N.J., in January to lead a traumatic brain injury research laboratory.
In 2009, Grafman published an fMRI study showing that religious thoughts activate the area of the
brain involved in deciphering other people’s emotions and intentions — the ability known as the theory of
mind. In the study of 40 people, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (Vol. 106,
No. 12), Grafman and his colleagues found that when they heard phrases such as “God’s will guides my acts”
and “God protects one’s life,” areas of the brain involved in theory of mind lit up. In a study published in
2009 in Social Cognitive Affective Neuroscience (Vol. 4, No. 2), a Danish team saw the same brain areas
activate when religious participants prayed.
These results suggest that when people think about God, it’s similar to thinking about any special
authority figure, such as one’s mother or father, says Grafman. In addition, he says, contemplation is not
limited to religious thought, although certain traditions like prayer or meditation may require selective kinds
of thinking processes. In general, he believes, the brain uses the same circuits to think about and experience
religion as it does to think about and handle any other thoughts or beliefs.
What may make religion different from mundane thoughts about one’s parents are contemplative
traditions, such as meditation and prayer, which have the potential to change how the brain is wired among
regular practitioners, says University of Wisconsin psychologist Richard Davidson, Ph.D. His work using both
fMRI and EEG to measure the brain activity of long-term Buddhist meditation practitioners during
meditation shows that they have a stronger and better-organized attention system than people who are just
learning how to meditate. In essence, meditation — and perhaps any contemplative spiritual practice —
enhances attention and turns off the areas of the brain that focus on the self.
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“Meditation is a family of mental exercises that change the circuits in the brain involved in the
regulation of emotion and attention,” he says.
Even religion without a contemplative element may change certain brain circuits, according to
research by University of Toronto psychologist Michael Inzlicht, Ph.D. His work focuses on a brain wave
generated by the anterior cingulate cortex, called “error-related negativity” (ERN), which spikes when
people make mistakes.
“It’s our cortical alarm bell, an ‘uh-oh’ response that is preconscious and emotional,” says Inzlicht.
“When we make an error, it’s arousing, causing slight anxiety.”
In a study published last year in Psychological Science (Vol. 20, No. 3), he measured this “uh-oh”
response in people who performed a standard color-naming Stroop task. Even though all of the 28 study
participants made mistakes, the ERN firing was less strong in people with more religious zeal and greater
belief in God. “They’re calmer and more graceful under pressure,” says Inzlicht.
In the second set of studies, published in August in Psychological Science (Vol. 21, No. 8), Inzlicht
and his colleagues tested whether people who are born with a lower ERN response gravitate toward religion
or whether religion actually lowers this “uh-oh” response. They asked participants to write about religion or
about something that makes them happy and found that those who wrote about religion had a lower ERN
response, suggesting that religion dampens this anxious response. Inzlicht believes religion’s effect may
come from its ability to make people calmer overall by “explaining” phenomena we don’t understand.
“This difference occurs in only a few hundredths of a second, but we propose that a lifetime of
having less intense reactions can lead to a lifetime of being calmer,” says Inzlicht.
These findings mesh with a large body of research and clinical reports that religious people are less
prone to depression and anxiety, says Plante, editor of the book “Contemplative Practices in Action:
Spirituality, Meditation, and Health” (APA, 2010). “Adaptive spiritual practices can be a foil to anxiety and
depression,” Plante says.
Having spiritual beliefs might also lead to enjoying a longer, healthier life. A large body of research
finds that religious people live longer, are less prone to depression, are less likely to abuse alcohol and
drugs, and even go to the dentist more often. Inzlicht’s research might provide a partial explanation for
these findings, says University of Miami psychologist Michael McCullough, Ph.D.
Pro-sociality
Religion may serve another key purpose — it allows people to live in large, cooperative societies,
says Norenzayan. In fact, the use of religion as a social tool may largely explain its staying power and
cross-cultural ubiquity.
“Religion is one of the big ways that human societies have hit on as a solution to induce unrelated
individuals to be nice to each other,” says Norenzayan.
In particular, religion encourages people to be more charitable by promoting belief in a

supernatural agent, according to his research. In a 2007 study published in Psychological Science (Vol. 18,
No. 9), Norenzayan and Azim Shariff primed participants with thoughts of God by having them unscramble
sentences containing words such as “divine,” “spirit” and “God.” They asked another group of participants
to unscramble religiously neutral words. The participants then decided how much of $10 to keep and how
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much to give to a stranger. The researchers found that the participants who were primed with religious
thoughts gave an average of $2.38 more than the other participants.
The University of British Columbia researcher Joseph Henrich, Ph.D., found cross-cultural support
for this finding in a study published in March in Science (Vol. 327, No. 5972). He showed that, across 15
diverse societies, people who participated in a world religion were fairer toward strangers when playing
economic games than people who were not religious.
“Religion, in a sense, outsources social monitoring to a supernatural agent,” says Norenzayan. “If
you believe in a monitoring God, even if no one is watching you, you still have to be pro-social because God
is watching you.”
The idea that religion evolved to benefit larger social communities also meshes with theoretical
work by University of Virginia psychologist Jonathan Haidt, Ph.D., and his former graduate student Jesse
Graham, Ph.D., now an assistant professor at the University of Southern California. In an article published in
February in Personality and Social Psychology Review (Vol. 14, No. 1), they suggest that religion co-evolved
with morality as a way to bind people into large moral communities. Graham and Haidt argue that, through
stories and rituals, religions have built on five basic moral foundations: Do no harm, play fairly, be loyal to
your group, respect authority, and live purely.
Early religions used rituals — such as restricting certain foods such as pork and wearing clothing
to denote modesty — to publicly demonstrate these moral concerns. Those rituals then helped unite people
and allowed them to live together cooperatively, says Graham. Today, religions continue that tradition.
Of course, while religion brings some people together, it continues to cause deep divisions, says
Atran, who has worked as a negotiator in several hotspots around the world, including Israel. “The problem
is, the more you look inward toward your religious group and its claims of virtue, the less you look outward
and the more distrustful you are of others,” he says.
That distrust causes much of the world’s strife and violence and is one of the reasons the “new
atheists,” including British evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, Ph.D., and neuroscientist Sam Harris,
Ph.D., want to see religion disappear. But that will be difficult if not impossible if religion is a byproduct of
the way our brains work, as much of the recent research suggests, says Atran. What could work, says
Norenzayan, is to replace religion with secular communities built on a common moral foundation. He
suggests that Denmark’s society is successfully doing this with its large welfare state, its national ethic of
hard work, and its strong attachment to political freedom and individualism. But such societies will still
need many of the components of religion, including a belief that we’re all part of the same moral community
and, therefore, should make sacrifices that benefit the greater good.
To get there, researchers need to continue to fine-tune their understanding of religion, says Barrett.
“As the research matures and we bring in other areas of psychology, I think we’ll have a better window into
the nature of religion and where it might be going.”
Beth Azar is a writer in Portland, Ore.
52
SECTION 4:
PSYCHOLOGY
2. Answer the following questions and write your answer in 3-4 sentences Write the answers in your UCSP
Notebook.
a. In the first article, what theory was being tested?

b. What were the results of the four experiments conducted by Kevin Rounding and his colleagues?
c. Ara Norenzayan, a psychologist at the University of British Columbia, concluded from a study that
stories with a few minimally counterintuitive elements are more easily remembered. What does
this imply about religion? How did she and her colleagues come up with this conclusion?
d. In the second article, it is mentioned that religion encourages people to be more charitable. What
test was conducted to demonstrate this theory?
e. According to Steven Reiss, what are the 16 basic human psychological needs that motivate people
to seek meaning through religion
f. What will a world without religion look like? (This should have both positive and negative
implications?
g. Personally, how has religion helped you in your daily life?
3. Come up with a detailed response to the question "Why does Religion exist?". This should be supported
by sources, preferably research papers and peer-reviewed articles. You may write your answer in your UCSP
Notebook, a minimum of 3 paragraphs.
53
SECTION 4:
PSYCHOLOGY
Title MILESTONE: Pros and Cons of Organized Religion
Timeline Week 7
Objective Come up with a 3-paragraph essay that describes what you think the pros and cons
of religion are. This should also contain a personal action plan for helping to alleviate
society of the cons brought about by belief systems.
Religion has both brought mankind together and divided them over the centuries. Generally
speaking, religious faith is generally on the decline in Western countries, but growing in other places around
the world.
An opinion is divided over the pros and cons of religion.

● People who are for religion often portray it as something that gives humanity meaning and purpose,
as well as providing a moral compass for people to navigate by.
● Those who are against religion, however, portray it as an irrational and restrictive force that
historically has brought about wars, prejudice, and oppression.
1). Write a 3-paragraph article that explains what you think are the pros and cons of organized religion.
There should be at least 5 pros and 5 cons. As much as possible, include anecdotal evidence of your own
experiences with each point that you make.
2). For Paragraph 1: Pros of organized religion, with factual or anecdotal evidence
3). For Paragraph 2: Cons of organized religion, with factual or anecdotal evidence
4). For Paragraph 3: What you, as a citizen, can do to help alleviate the negative effects (cons) of organized
religion in your daily life.
5). Don't forget to read and follow the Rubric for this Milestone. (RUBRIC: UCSP Milestone / Target Level:
Lvl4)
54
SECTION 4:
PSYCHOLOGY
MILESTONE RUBRIC: Pros and Cons

of Organized Religion
I was able to come up with a well-written

article that contains 4-5 unique
Articulation of advantages and 4-5 unique disadvantages
pros and cons in my own words. All of the statements
(50%) either had (1) a credible source of
information or (2) anecdotal evidence that
I can relate to.
I can create a 3-paragraph essay that is

Relevance of the relevant and feasible to me and reflects
paragraphs and overall what I have learned in my study of belief
tone (50%) systems. The tone of the article is highly
objective and factual.
Pros and Cons

of Organized Description
Religion

I wasn’t able to I was able to come I was able to come up I was able to come up
come up with a up with a with a well-written with a well-written
well-written article well-written article article that contains article that contains
that contains that contains 2-3 3-4 unique advantages 4-5 unique advantages
unique advantages unique advantages and 3-4 unique and 4-5 unique
Articulation of Pros and unique and 2-3 unique disadvantages in my disadvantages in my
disadvantages in disadvantages in my own words. All of the own words. All of the
and Cons
my own words. own words. Some of statements either had statements either had
50% the statements (1) a credible source (1) a credible source
either had (1) a of information or (2) of information or (2)
credible source of anecdotal evidence anecdotal evidence
information or (2) that I can relate to. that I can relate to.
anecdotal evidence
that I can relate to.
I was not able to I can only create a I can only create a I can create a
create a 1-paragraph essay 2-paragraph essay 3-paragraph essay
3-paragraph essay that is quite that is relevant and that is relevant and
Relevance of the that is relevant and relevant and feasible to me and feasible to me and
paragraphs and feasible to me and feasible to me and reflects what I have reflects what I have
overall tone reflects what I somehow reflects learned in my study of learned in my study of
(50%) have learned in my what I have learned belief systems. The belief systems. The
study of belief in my study of belief tone of the article is tone of the article is
systems. systems. somehow objective highly objective and
and factual. factual.
55
SECTION 5:
THE TWO SIDES TO EVERY STORY (PART 2)
Section 5:
The Two Sides to Every Story (PART 2)
This will be the last part of your World Religion and Belief Systems (WRBS) Class. This
might be the end, but this is the start of your appreciation of the various belief systems
that exist throughout the world.
In this section, you will prepare and perform for your Final Output showcasing the
ideas/learnings you’ve got from the start of the course, also the end point of your Q1
Output. Good job & Congratulations in advance!
LEARNING OBJECTIVE
Showcase the understanding of the different concepts covered in the course.

Create a debate outline, which contains research, arguments, and rebuttals for the
class showdown.
Debate on an assigned side of an issue relating to belief systems. Prepare debate in
an organized and objective manner.
Reinforce and improve your understanding of debates.
SECTION OUTLINE
Intro to Two Sides to Every Story (Part 2) Week 8
Wiki: Debate Week 8
Activity: Debate Preparation Week 9-10
FINAL OUTPUT Week 9-10
56
SECTION 5:
Title SECTION 5. Activity 1: Intro to Two Sides to Every Story (Part 2)
Timeline Week 8
Objective Showcase the understanding of the different concepts covered in the course.
Materials USCP Notebook and pen
1. Read the following article entitled, "Intro to Two Sides to Every Story (Part 2)". This contains the
importance of knowing the process of this section, as well as a sneak peek as to how you will
create your Final Output.
Intro to Two Sides to Every Story (Part 2)
This is the Final Section of World Religion and Belief Systems. In this section, you will
apply what you learned about belief, behavior, and world religion by taking part in a debate process
-- similar to what you did in Society and Culture. You will be assigned to a particular side or
statement relating to world religion. Your task is to conduct readings and prepare a plan for
defending your stands. You will be tasked to debate on 2 topics. Good luck and have fun!
2. After reading the document you need to answer the following questions. Write your answers in your
USCP notebook.
a. What do you recall about the debate process from Society and Culture?
b. What are the things you did well during your last debate output?
c. What are the things that you need to improve on?
d. What is the value of debating on topics relating to belief systems?
e. What are the negative effects of debating on topics relating to belief systems?
f. How will you ensure that you remain objective in this section?
57
SECTION 5:
Title SECTION 5. Activity 2: WIKI: Debate
Timeline Week 8
Objective Reinforce and improve your understanding of debates
1. Read the attached WIKI titled "Wiki: Debate". This contains the basic concepts of debate and different
rules and formats.
2. Answer the following Guide Questions and write your answers in your USCP notebook.
a. What is a debate?
b. Why is learning how to debate important?
c. Why is there a specific format when it comes to debates?
d. Are there RIGHT or WRONG sides to a debate? Why or why not?
e. What does a successful debate session look like? How can this be achieved?
WIKI Title: Debate

Description: This WIKI contains the format and rules of the debate.
What is a debate?
Debate is a formal contest of argumentation between two teams or individuals. More

broadly, and more importantly, a debate is an essential tool for developing and
maintaining democracy and open societies. More than a mere verbal or performance
skill, debate embodies the ideals of reasoned argument, tolerance for divergent points
of view, and rigorous self-examination.
Debate is, above all, a way for those who hold opposing views to discuss controversial
issues without descending to insult, emotional appeals, or personal bias. A key
trademark of debate is that it rarely ends in agreement, but rather allows for a robust
analysis of the question at hand. Perhaps this is what French philosopher Joseph Joubert
meant when he said: “It is better to debate a question without settling it than to settle a
question without debating it.”
Why do I need to learn how to debate?
Debate helps learners to see the power of deploying rational, reasoned arguments and
compelling evidence in action. It enables them to explain their standpoint by utilizing
rhetorical eloquence. It instills in debaters a great sense of poise and confidence. It
teaches them the skills of researching, organizing, and presenting information in a
compelling fashion.
58
SECTION 5:
What does a debate look like?
Room Layout
Format
There are different types of debate and it is important that you know what kind of
debate you will be participating in. There are some things, however, that all debate
formats have in common:
1. There is a statement or policy that provides the basic substance/content of the

discussion. The terms of this statement will be introduced and defined by the
first speaker of the debate.
2. There are two teams representing those in favor of the statement (Affirmative)
and those against (Opposition).
3. The Affirmative always has the burden to prove its side.
4. The debate closes with final rebuttals on both sides which summarise their
respective positions.
59
SECTION 5:
How do I conduct a debate?
First Affirmative Constructive Speech
Introduction: This introduction is intended to get the audience's attention and to

introduce the subject. For example:
Definition of unknown terms: Depending on the topic, the words may be ambiguous.
For example: what does capital punishment mean? When students are asked this
question they often respond with, "the death penalty" or “execution”. This is essentially
correct, but it leaves out a few key points that characterize this debate in its proper
context. The Affirmative team may define capital punishment along these lines:
Providing definitions theoretically gives the Affirmative a slight advantage, to offset the
disadvantage of having the more difficult side of the debate. Ask students to identify the
terms that they feel require definition and have them suggest definitions. Encourage
discussion on why one definition might be better than another.
Present and explain the support of statement: Typically, the Affirmative should
present three to five reasons why they support the statement. In a debate on reinstating
60
SECTION 5:
capital punishment in Canada, the points may be:
Present evidence: Novice teams will often limit their cases to simple recitations of
points. Ideally, each of the points should be presented in three stages. The reason
should be stated, then described in more detail, and finally, evidence should be offered
in support of the contention.
Introduce a plan for implementation: If the statement describes something that is

currently the status quo, then the Affirmative need not say anything at this point. But if
the statement describes something that requires a change in the current system, the
Affirmative should provide a brief outline of how the change could be implemented.
Since capital punishment is currently not implemented in Canada, the Affirmative would
then need to summarize HOW it should be implemented in Canada. If capital
punishment is currently implemented in Canada, then it is the Opposition's
responsibility to summarize HOW capital punishment should be removed or replaced.
First Negative Constructive Speech
Definition of unknown terms: If the Affirmative has failed to define any key terms of
the resolution, you may offer definitions. If the Affirmative definitions are absolutely
illogical or unreasonable, you must contest them immediately by providing compelling
reasons to reject them. Otherwise, it is assumed that your team is in complete
agreement with the terms as defined.
Present and explain opposition to the statement: State three to five reasons why the
statement should not be supported. Examples are as follows.
Present evidence: This can come in two forms. The first is when you refute or question
the evidence provided by the Affirmative. The second is when you provide your own
sources of information to support your opposition to the statement.
Introduce a plan for implementation: If the statement describes something that is

currently the status quo, the Opposition should provide a brief outline of how the
change could be implemented.
Second Affirmative Constructive Speech
The second Affirmative speech is the first opportunity the Affirmative team has to
directly clash with the arguments of the Negative case. It is also the Affirmative last
chance to present new contentions that support the statement and proposal (if the
61
SECTION 5:
statement is not the status quo). The approach is to:
● Attack the Negative philosophy while defending the Affirmative perspective.

● Clash! Directly address each of the specific challenges issued by the Negative
team. Explain why Affirmative evidence should be accepted and is authoritative.
● Detail and defend the Affirmative plan.
● Describe the benefits of the plan (if the statement is not the status quo). (If you
are using three-person teams, this could be done by the third person.
● Anticipate the second Negative points and further clarify the Affirmative position
in contra-distinction.
Second Negative Constructive Speech
This final constructive speech of the debate gives the second Negative speaker an
opportunity not only to criticize the Affirmative arguments but also to present the final
contentions that complete the Negative case. The approach here is to:
● Deny the supposed benefits of the Affirmative argument or plan.

● Clash. Counter all Affirmative challenges directly and specifically.
● Refute the Affirmative case as a whole. Defend and strengthen Negative
arguments, including those presented earlier by your partner.
● Try to refine and solidify your best points without sounding repetitive.
The Break
Both sides may use this time to review the debate and focus their ideas on the
concluding speeches.
● A well-developed final speech requires teamwork; both debaters should be fully

involved in contributing ideas.
● The rebuttals are extremely important because they are the last opportunity for
each team to convince the judges before the final evaluation.
● The rebuttal speeches are for response and refutation only; they are used to
review and crystallize central issues by challenging the other side's strongest
arguments and tracing the progression of important contentions.
Although new evidence or sources may be used to strengthen ideas introduced in

constructive speeches, no new contentions may be presented. This ensures that the
teams do not wait until the end of the debate to introduce new ideas that their
opponents would not have ample time to refute.
Rebuttal by First Negative
1. Begin by reviewing major case arguments presented in the first Negative speech.
Reaffirm, by applying additional evidence and logic, why it is that arguments
which have come under Affirmative attack still stand.
2. Remind the judges of any significant Negative attacks the second Affirmative has
failed to clash with.
3. Attack the Affirmative plan from all possible angles: needs for change, course of
action, benefits, and overall justification.
4. Clearly, concisely and forcefully sum up the Negative's key points.
Rebuttal by First Affirmative
1. Execute final attack on Negative case, while defending Affirmative reasoning,

plan, benefits, and philosophy.
2. Briefly review your case, restating powerful points in favor of the statement.
62
SECTION 5:
Make sure that you try to counteract successful Negative closing arguments and
that you indicate where the Negative team failed to advance argumentation.
Discussion Period
During the discussion period, the team members may ask one another questions. The
questions serve a number of purposes, such as seeking information, probing areas of
weakness, analyzing evidence, and clarifying points.
The rest of the class (audience members and judges) are encouraged to take part in the
discussion period in order to clarify points.
Evaluating a Debate
Being able to properly assess the success of a debate is a task that will also help you
become a better speaker. Knowing what is being evaluated can help you check yourself
and be better prepared.
Additional Resources
Debate Tips & Tricks

http://www.riudl.org/debate-tips-tricks/
This is a helpful guide to Policy Debate detailing everything you need to know from
Rudiments of Rhetoric to Debate Theory.
Cited Resources
"Benefits Of Debating | Qatardebate". Qatardebate.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 31 Jan. 2017.
Flynn, Colm. "What Is Debate?". idebate.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 31 Jan. 2017.
Speech and Debate Union,. Teacher's Guide To Introducing Debate. 1st ed.
Newfoundland and Labrador, 2017. Web. 31 Jan. 2017.
63
SECTION 5:
Title SECTION 5. Activity 3: Debate Preparation
Timeline Week 9-10
Objective Create a debate outline, which contains research, arguments, and rebuttals for
the class showdown.
Materials USCP Notebook, pen, Bond Paper, and Ruler
1. You need to pick two (2) topics from the given set of topics. (Letters A - E)
Here's the set of topics you can choose from:

a. Children should be allowed to choose their own religion.
b. Churches should pay taxes.
c. Bible courses should be taught in every school.
d. Women should be allowed to be ordained as clergy.
e. Prayer should be allowed in public schools
2. Briefly study the topics and decide if you want to argue FOR (Affirmative) or AGAINST (Opposition) the
two statements.
3. Prepare for the written debate by discussing what your arguments will be. Also, you need to
anticipate/prepare the answer to your opposing team.
4. Prepare for at least 3 rebuttals and write down 3 response statements in each topic.
5. Write your outline first in your Notebook.
6. Then write your finalized written debate outline in a long size bond paper.
64
SECTION 5:
Here’s the sample template for you to be guided:
TOPIC 1: __________________________________________________
Stance: __________ (choose between Affirmative/Opposition)
Opening Statement
Topics (main arguments)
Supporting Facts/Details to your topics
Closing Statement
TOPIC 2: __________________________________________________
Stance: __________ (choose between Affirmative/Opposition)
Opening Statement
Supporting Facts/Details to your topics
Closing Statement
65
SECTION 5:
Title SECTION 5. FINAL OUTPUT
Timeline Week 9-10
Objective Defend your chosen side from the issue(s) relating to belief systems in an
organized and objective manner.
1. You need to pick a specific topic, only one (1) from the given set of topics. You can change your chosen
topic/s from your previous activity.
Here's the set of topics you can choose from:

● Children should be allowed to choose their own religion.
● Churches should pay taxes.
● Bible courses should be taught in every school.
● Women should be allowed to be ordained as clergy.
● Prayer should be allowed in public schools.
2. Write your argument on a long bond paper (handwritten). It is advisable to follow this format:
1st page - Cover page (Title of the output, name of the student, Grade and section, name
of learning facilitator)
2nd page - Final output template (See next page)
66
SECTION 5:
Final Output Template

TOPIC:_________________ (Write your chosen topic on the blank)
Stance:_____________ (Choose your side Affirmative /Opposition)
Opening Statement
(Give your opening statement. Introduce the issue that you have
chosen. Why did you choose that issue? For example: “I have
chosen this issue because it is timely and it needs to be addressed
in our society”)
Note: Limit your opening statement to at least 3-5 sentences.
Main arguments for your chosen topic

In this part, present evidence that will support your stand.
Ideally, each of the points should be presented. The reason should

be stated, then described in more detail, and finally, evidence
should be offered in support of the contention.
You may put your ideas/points in a numbered format or bulleted

form. See the sample below:
Topic: Churches should pay taxes

1. Tax collection should be imposed on all citizens of the state
Reason/ explanation of the argument: everyone has the duty and
responsibility for the development of their country. Paying taxes is the duty
of every citizen no matter what their religion is
2. (put another argument here)
Reason/ explanation of the argument:
Give at least 5 arguments for your chosen topic in order to defend

your side. Explanations should have a minimum of 5 sentences.
Closing Statement
In this part, you give your conclusion and recommendation to solve
the issue or the problem. You may also mention your topic and try
to summarize your main arguments. Make sure that your closing
statement is also supporting your stance.
67
SECTION 5:
5. Please see the attached Rubric for you to be guided on how you will undergo your Final Output. (RUBRIC:
WRBS Output / Target Level: Level4)
Take Note: FINAL OUTPUT IS 50% OF YOUR OVERALL GRADE
6. Here is the SAMPLE OUTPUT Level 4 grade.
SAMPLE: Output Level 4

TOPIC 1: Children should be allowed to choose their own religion.
Stance: Opposition
Opening Statement
Good morning, everyone. The United Nations Convention on the
Rights of the Child defines a child as “a human below the age of 18
unless, under the law applicable to the child, the majority is attained
earlier.” For the purpose of this discussion, we, the Opposition,
define “Children” as those individuals whose age ranges from 1 to 16
years old to take into consideration the countries that consider the
age of 16 as legally independent.
Also, based on scientific study, those that fall under the age of 16 are
still in the developmental process of their cognitive and emotional
capacity. This makes them vulnerable and susceptible to different
consequences of their decisions in life. This is the same reason why
the State, through the government, recognizes that children still do
not have the capacity to enter into a contract or any business and
non-business transactions without the aid of their parents or
guardians.

MAIN ARGUMENTS:
1. Children are unable to make decisions that will be impactful for
their life yet.
Given the characterization of children earlier, we will bite the

bullet and say that parents should be the ones making choices
for their children when it comes to religion. Religion is a matter
of understanding of its scriptures, teachings, etc. Given the
68
SECTION 5:
capacity of a child, they cannot yet understand a religion

making them incapable of making a choice on whether they
totally understand and they can totally embody the values of
that religion. Given that case, parents should be the ones
making their choices for them as parents are capable of that
kind of understanding and they would naturally choose what is
best for their children.
2. Religion serves as the foundation of their values and morals.
Why is religion important to be chosen by a person capable of

doing so? It is because religion serves as the foundation for
children’s values and morals. It is important that children are
founded on values and morals as they are the next generation
of society.
A study published in the International Journal of Social
Science and Humanity in 2012 ascertained how moral
education is better understood by children when it is delivered
through stories. When a parent chooses a religion for a child,
they will have the benefit of growing up surrounded by the
stories of that chosen religion. We learned in this course that
each religion and belief system is characterized by their own
moral code which is also found in their scriptures. This is an
overflowing well of resources that parents can draw from when
they also guide their children to learn certain values and
morals.
3. When parents choose the religion of their family, they are able
to raise them better, thus the children grow up in a more
favorable and constructive environment.
There are more activities wherein the whole family can spend
together when you include the religious activities that the
parents already partake in.
Closing Statement
<Give a summary of the points raised by the Opposition during the
debate>.
With all of these into consideration, we, once again, affirm that
parents should be the ones making choices for the children when it
comes to religion.
69
SECTION 5:
OUTPUT RUBRIC:
Pros and Cons of
Organized Religion
I was able to prepare the necessary

document for the final output complete
Debate preparation with all the parts of the template. I was
document(30%) able to provide 5 arguments and was able
to explain it properly without/ only a few
lapses in grammar.
I have understood my assigned topic

excellently and thoroughly, which is
Content (40%) exhibited in the content of my explanation
and discussion.
I responded appropriately to the topic and

was able to defend my side, and I am able
Comprehension (30%) to complete the arguments related to the
topic.
70
SECTION 5:
RUBRIC:
FINAL OUTPUT: Pros and Cons of

Organized Religion
Pros and Cons of
Organized Description
Religion

I wasn’t able to I wasn’t able to I was able to prepare I was able to prepare
prepare all the prepare all the some of the necessary the necessary document
necessary documents necessary documents documents for the for the final output
for the final output for the final output final output with all complete with all the
with all the parts of the with all the parts of the the parts of the parts of the template. I
Delivery template. I was only template. I was only template. I was only was able to provide 5
(30%) able to provide 2 able to provide 3 able to provide 4 arguments and was able
arguments and arguments and arguments and was to explain it properly
somehow able to somehow able to able to explain it without / only a few
explain it with lapses in explain it properly with properly without / only lapses in grammar.
grammar. few lapses in grammar. a few lapses in
grammar.
I haven’t understood I have understood my I have understood my I have understood my

my assigned topic, assigned topic, which assigned topic assigned topic
which is not exhibited is exhibited in the somehow correct and excellently and
Content in the content of my content of my few thorough, which is thoroughly, which is
(40%) work. explanations and exhibited in the exhibited in the content
discussion. content of my of my explanation and
explanation and discussion.
discussion.
I didn't respond to the I responded to the I responded to the I responded

topic and I wasn’t able topic but I wasn’t able topic and was able to appropriately to the
to defend my side and to defend my side, I am defend my side, and I topic and was able to
Comprehension complete the not able to complete am able to complete thoroughly defend my
(30%) arguments related to the arguments related the arguments related side, and I am able to
the topic. to the topic. to the topic. complete with the
arguments related to
the topic.
71

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World Religion and Belief System ( WRBS)

Patrick Jay M. Angeles, Vincent E. Graza

PATRICK JAY MARBIDA ANGELES VINCENT ESTEVE GRAZA

ARVIN LIZARDO SIBULO

No part of this course module/study guide may be reproduced or transmitted in any

Published in the Philippines by the University of Nueva Caceres

Printed in the Philippines

SECTION 1: BELIEF, PERSPECTIVE, AND EMPATHY

SECTION 5: THE TWO SIDES TO EVERY STORY (PART 2)

At the end of the course, you will be able to:

Milestones: LEVEL 4 Proficiency

1. In this course, you will be graded based on the following criteria:

Final Output 50%

Final Assessment 25%

OVERVIEW OF THE SECTION

Gain an appreciation of others’ opinions by gaining perspective.

Differentiate beliefs about matters of fact and beliefs about values.

Introduction to World Religion and Belief Systems Week 1

Background Beliefs Week 1

Beliefs and Behaviors Week 1

Practicing Empathy Week 1

Title SECTION 1. Activity 1: Introduction - World Religion and Belief Systems

Objectiv Gain an awareness of the scope and requirements of the course to

Tools Notebook and Pen

1. Read the Course Introduction below.

I was able to prepare the necessary

I have understood my assigned topic

I responded appropriately to the topic and

(RUBRIC: WRBS - FINAL OUTPUT Target Level: Lvl4)

Title Activity: Background Beliefs

Objectives Gain an appreciation of others’ opinions by gaining perspective.

Tools Notebook and Pen

1. Students should not be required to attend flag ceremonies.

2. Public schools should require all students to wear school uniforms.

3. Parents should carefully monitor how their children use the

4. Video games make teens violent.

5. Most young people do not respect adults.

6. Most adults do not respect teenagers.

7. The media unfairly portrays certain groups of people.

8. All media outlets like television, newspapers, and radio stations

9. People with whom the government suspects of being dangerous

13. The death penalty should be reinstated.

14. There is an afterlife.

15. The afterlife is for all living things, including animals/pets

Agree Disagree Unsure

1. Students should not be required to attend flag ceremonies.

2. Public schools should require all students to wear school

3. Parents should carefully monitor how their children use

4. Video games make teens violent.

5. Most young people do not respect adults.

6. Most adults do not respect teenagers.

7. The media unfairly portrays certain groups of people.

8. All media outlets both television, newspapers, and radio

9. People with whom the government suspects of being

10. The Anti-Terror Law has no difference with Martial law in

12. The fight on the Global Pandemic in the Philippines must

13. The death penalty should be reinstated.

14. There is an afterlife.

15. The afterlife is for all living things, including animals/pets

Title Activity: Beliefs and Behaviors

Tools Notebook and Pen

Example Answer (explanation for your behavior):

Answer (explanation for your behavior): ___________________________________________________________________