LA CONSOLACION UNIVERSITY OF THE PHILIPPINES

Graduate School

VALUES AND RELIGION:

EVOLUTION IN THEORIES OF
RELIGION

Submitted by:

Annalyn J. Maniego
MAED - Mathematics
 EVOLUTION IN THEORIES OF RELIGION
RELIGION
 is defined as “people’s belief and opinions concerning the existence, nature
and worship of a god or holy beings and divine involvement in the universe
and human life”.
 The term religion is sometimes used interchangeably with faith, creed, belief
or conviction.
Many religions have:
 Clergy
 Rules of membership
 Holy places
 Religion rites
 Visual symbols
 Creeds and Doctrines
 Mythology

EVOLUTION IN THEORIES OF RELIGION

I. Animism
•Comes from the Latin word “anima”, meaning
breath, spirit, or life
•The belief in the existence of individual spirits that
inhabit natural objects and phenomena
 Souls and spirits exist
•No holy book
•Use of Shaman or Diviners who conducted
ceremonies and rituals
•Ancestor Veneration
 Your ancestor’s
spirits watch over
you and can protect
you

Sir Edward Burnett Tylor

 •It’s a label that was invented by western scientists to group together a wide
range of religious experience across many different cultures
•Tylor used it to describe the religious beliefs of pre-industrial societies
•Animism has been around for about 150,00 years

II. Polytheism
• Refers to the worship of or belief in more
than one god
 • Not all polytheists worship all gods equally
• Seen in a variety of types:
 Creators
 Death/Birth/ Rebirth deity
 Water deity
 Solar deity
 Sky deity (celestial)
 Love deities
 Political deity (such as a king or emperor)
 Cultural heroes who get promoted to godhood
 Gods of music, arts, science, farming or other endeavors.

Some examples of polytheistic religions:

 Hinduism  Greek mythology

 Ancient Egyptian religion  Roman mythology

III. Monotheism
•From Greek word “mono” means single and “theos” means god
•Is the belief in single or one god
Most popular examples of monotheistic religions: