UNDERSTANDING

CULTURE, SOCIET Y
AND POLITICS
UCSP11
P R E PA R E D B Y : E LW I N A . N A R C I S O
SOCIALIZ ATION
& THE SOCIET Y
CHAPTER 11

E.A.NARCISO, Social Science

LESSON 10:

SOCIAL
INSTITUTION:
RELIGIOUSE.A.NARCISO, Social Science
 OBJECTIVES
Explain the sociological meaning of religion,
Describe the different views of religion as seen by the
major theoretical perspectives;
Distinguished the different types of religious
organization; and
Discuss the meaning of religiosity.

E.A.NARCISO, Social Science

 WHAT IS
RELIGION?
E.A.NARCISO, Social Science
RELIGION
 an organized system of
ideas about the spiritual
sphere or the
supernatural, along with
associated ceremonial
practices by which
people try to interpret or
influence aspects of the
universe otherwise
beyond their control.
E.A.NARCISO, Social Science
ELEMENTS OF RELIGION
 According to Eshleman
and Cashion (1985), there
are four elements of
religion:
a.Beliefs and practices
b.A community or church
c.Sacred things
d.Set of rituals,
ceremonies, or
behaviors.
E.A.NARCISO, Social Science
 RELIGIOUS
ORGANIZATIONS:
ACCORDING TO
RELATIONSHIP
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CHURCHES
 These are institutionalized
organizations of people
who share common
religious beliefs.
 Church can be classified
as:
 Ecclesia, are official state
religions that include all or
most the members of a
society.
E.A.NARCISO, Social Science
CHURCHES
 Denomination. A religious
denomination is a subgroup
within a religion that
operates under a common
name, tradition, and identity.
 In Hinduism, the major deity
or philosophical belief
identifies a denomination,
which also typically has
distinct cultural
and religious practices.

E.A.NARCISO, Social Science

SECTS
 These are small groups that have broken away from a
parent church. They follow rigid doctrines and
emphasize fundamental teachings.
 Sects are actually the units of a particular religion. They
have similar teaching with each other but they differ in
beliefs, practice and ways of worship.

E.A.NARCISO, Social Science

CULTS
 These are loosely organized form of religious
organization.
 Cults call for a unique and totally new lifestyle, often
under the direction of a charismatic leader.
 The word cult came from the Latin word cultus, which
means “to worship or give reverence to a diety.

E.A.NARCISO, Social Science

 SPIRITUALITY
AND RELIGIOUS
PRACTICE
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SPIRITUALITY
 concerns with the sacred, as distinguished from
material matters. Spirituality is often individual rather
than collective and does not require a distinctive
format or traditional organization.

RELIGIOUS PRACTICE
participation in religious ceremonies may bring a
sense of personal liftwave of assurance, an emotion
being overpowered by joy, having a peace of mind.
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 RELIGIOUS
ORGANIZATION:
ACCORDING TO
PATTERN
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1. ANCESTRAL SPIRITS
belief in ancestral spirits is
consistent with the wide
spread notion that human
beings are made up of two
closely intertwined partners:
Physical body and spirit
self. The spirits retain an
active interests and even
membership in a society.
E.A.NARCISO, Social Science
1. ANCESTRAL SPIRITS
Ancestral spirits are spirits of
humans that have died.
Most spirits of the dead will
eventually reincarnate, but
many have moved past the
need to return to the physical
world. These spirits are the
divine ancestors, also known as
the ascended masters or
bodhisattva.
E.A.NARCISO, Social Science
2. ANIMISM
belief that nature is enlivened or energized by distinct
personalized spirit beings separable from bodies. Spirits or souls
are believed to dwell in humans and animals (even in stones,
mountains, and sun) spirits are considered part of the nature
rather than being.

E.A.NARCISO, Social Science

3. SHAMANISM
Shamanism is a practice that
involves a practitioner reaching
altered states of consciousness in
order to perceive and interact with
what they believe to be a spirit
world and channel these
transcendental energies into this
world.
This also refers to the belief that
certain individuals have special
skills in influencing spirits.
E.A.NARCISO, Social Science
4. TOTEMISM
Totemism, system of belief in
which humans are said to have
kinship or a mystical relationship
with a spirit-being, such as an
animal or plant. The entity, or totem,
is thought to interact with a given
kin group or an individual and to
serve as their emblem or symbol.
Is the worship of plants, animals,
and other objects as both gods and
ancestors.
E.A.NARCISO, Social Science
5. MONOTHEISM
Is the belief in only one God

6. POLYTHEISM
Is the belief in and worship of
more than one God.

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 RELIGIOUS
SPECIALISTS
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RELIGIOUS SPECIALISTS
individuals who guide and supplement the religious
practices. They are highly skilled people utilizing
supernatural forces. They undergo special training to
perform their tasks.
‘Religious specialists’ is a generic term referring to select
individuals or a category of individuals within different
world faiths who undertake a particular responsibility for
religious functions such as teaching, contemplation,
transmission of scriptures, leadership, pastoral care, or
ritual, on behalf of the religious community they serve.
E.A.NARCISO, Social Science
 PRIEST AND PRIESTESS
full time religious specialists formally recognized for their
skills in guiding the religious practices of others and for
contacting and influencing supernatural forces. Example:
priest, minister, imam, rabbi

E.A.NARCISO, Social Science

SHAMANS
a person who enters an
altered state of
consciousness to contact
and utilize an ordinarily
hidden reality in order to
acquire knowledge,
power and help others.
Example: Traditional
Healers
E.A.NARCISO, Social Science
WORLD RELIGIONS
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1. CHRISTIANITY
The most widespread
world religion,
Christianity derived from
Judaism. It is based on
the belief that Jesus
Christ was the son of
God and the redeemer
of mankind.

E.A.NARCISO, Social Science

2. ISLAM
 Followers of Islam are
called Muslims. Muslims
believe that the true word
of God was revealed to
the prophet Muhammad
around 570 A.D. God in
Islam is the same god as
the Christian and Judaic
deity.
They call their god as
Allah. E.A.NARCISO, Social Science
3. JUDAISM
 Judaism is a monotheistic religion
that predates Christianity, built on
the belief that they are the “chosen
people” of God.
Judaism, monotheistic religion
developed among the ancient
Hebrews. Judaism is characterized
by a belief in one transcendent God
who revealed himself to Abraham,
Moses, and the Hebrew prophets
and by a religious life in
accordance with Scriptures and
rabbinic traditions.
E.A.NARCISO, Social Science
4. HINDUISM
The oldest major world
religion, dominant in India.
Hindus do not worship a
single person or deity but
rather are guided by a set
of ancient cultural beliefs.
They believe in the
principle of karma, which
is the wisdom or health of
one’s eternal soul.
E.A.NARCISO, Social Science
5. BUDDHISM
follow the teachings of
Siddhartha Gautama, a
spiritual teacher of the sixth
century B.C.E. Buddhism,
does not feature any single
all-powerful deity but
teaches that by eschewing
materialism, one can
transcend the “illusion” of
life and achieve
enlightenment. E.A.NARCISO, Social Science
6. CONFUCIANISM
this religion is based on the
teaching of Confucius, a
philosopher who
emphasized virtues,
wisdom, sincerity, ethics,
and rights, has attracted
many disciples. About 170
million of its adherents are
primarily found in China.

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 FUNCTIONS and
DYSFUNCTIONS OF
RELIGION
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FUNCTIONS OF RELIGION
1. Give people peace of mind
2. Preserve and solidify society
3. Create a community believers
4. Reinforce social norms
5. Regulate the value system of society
6. Provide answers to ultimate questions
7. Provide societies with rites passage
8. Reconcile people to hardship
9. Cultivate social change
E.A.NARCISO, Social Science
DYSFUNCTIONS OF RELIGION
1. Legitimize inequalities
2. Stifle social change
3. Inhibit the search for new truths and ideas
4. Cause conflict and stimulate warfare
5. Divide society

E.A.NARCISO, Social Science

END OF LESSON 10:

THANK YOU AND GOD

BLESS!!!

E.A.NARCISO, Social Science