The Nature of Religion and Its Meaning

 RELIGION – from the Latin verb “religare”

 Which means “to tie” or “to bind fast”

 A powerful institution that connects human

beings, both as individuals and collectively, to
transcend reality.

 Men and women by their nature are religious, and

efforts to eliminate religion, as many social
political movements have done since the 18th
century, come up short.
 Religion has a pervasive effect and influence
on the development of humanity, society,
culture and the individual

 Advancement in science and the

unprecedented advancement of technology
predicted the demise of RELIGION
 People rely more and more on scientific reason and
method to explain natural events and the so called
miracles, supernatural occurrences, and mysteries
 SIGMUND FREUD – the founder of
Psychoanalysis
 KARL MARX – the father of scientific
socialism

believed that religion will gradually

disappear
 People rely more and more on scientific reason and
method to explain natural events and the so called
miracles, supernatural occurrences, and mysteries
 SIGMUND FREUD – the founder of
Psychoanalysis
 KARL MARX – the father of scientific
socialism
believed that religion will gradually
disappear
SECULARIZATION
From the Latin word SAECULUM,
which means “WORDLY”
 Defines religion as
 a system of beliefs, rituals, and practices, usually
institutionalized in one manner or another, which
connects this world with the beyond.
 It provides the bridge that allows humans to
approach the divine, the universal life force
that both encompasses and transcend the
world
SUBSTANTIVE DEFINITION
 Is anything that provides an individual with
the ultimate meaning that organizes his/her
entire life and worldview.

MILTON YINGER
 Defines religion as a system of beliefs and practices by
means of which a group of people struggles with the
ultimate problems of human life

 In this definition, religi0n may also include

humanism, individualism, nationalism, and
even socialism.
 PETER L. BERGER
 A pioneer in sociology of religion in the US,
singles out the problem of legitimating as a
primary function of religion:
 Religion legitimates social institutions by bestowing
upon them an ultimately valid ontological status, that
is, by locating them within a sacred and cosmic frame
of reference. The historical constructions of human
activity are viewed from a vantage point that, in its
own self-definition, transcend both history and man.
In this view, religion provides the ultimate basis for social order
 Is necessarily social. Beliefs and rituals are
usually shared by people belonging to a
definite religious community
CHURCH

 Is a religious organization that claims to

possess the truth about salvation exclusively.
 A classic example is the Roman
Catholic Church
 It includes everybody or virtually everybody
in a society

 Membership is by childbirth; new generations are

born into the church and are formally inducted
through baptism.

 One good example of a roman catholic charismatic

religious group, is known as EL SHADDAI,
founded by MARIANO “MIKE” VELARDE.
 SECT

 Also perceives itself as a unique owner of truth.

Recruitment takes place through conscious individual
choice.
 A good example is the resurgence of “born again”
Christianity that recruits members by asking them to
accept Jesus Christ in their lives
 Members are expected to support the teachings of
the sect and to comply with its lifestyle, which may be
strict and ascetic.
 Often are breakaway groups from the
mainstream churches
 An example of sect in the Philippines is the
IGLESIA NI CRISTO (INC or Church of Christ)
 Established by FELIX MANALO
 Who served as the first executive minister.
 As a sect, INC believes itself to be one true universal
church. It preaches that all other Christian churches,
including the Roman Catholic Church, are apostates.
 On July 2, 2014, the Philippine government declared
the year 2014 through Proclamation No. 815 as
“Iglesia Ni Cristo Centennial Year.”
 The proclamation was issued to “enhance public
awareness” on the contributions of INC to the
National development
 DENOMINATION
 Is oriented toward cooperation, at least as it relates to
other similar denominations. People join through
individual and voluntary choice, although the most
important form of recruitment in established
denomination takes place through childbirth

 The liberal branches of Protestant groups

belong to this category

 National Council of Churches in the

Philippines (NCCP), founded in 1963
 NCCP is a member of World Council of Churches
(WCCP) and Christian Conference of Asia (CCA)

 These groups usually maintain dialogues and

cooperative programs with other religious
groups.
 CULT
 Was introduced in 1932 by sociologist
HOWARD BECKER
 After reviewing the literature on cults, GERRY LANUZA –
provides a comprehensive definition of a cult
 A non-traditional form of religion, the doctrine of
which is taken from diverse sources, either from non-
traditional sources or local narratives or an
amalgamation of both, whose members constitute
either a loosely knit group or an exclusive group, which
emphasizes the belief in the divine element within the
individual, whose teachings are derived from either a
real or legendary figure
 NRM came into use among social scientists in
the 1960. an alternative label for Cults
 New emerging religions also include the modern
day witchcraft such as WICCA
 Emerged in Britain during 1940s and
combined Christian tradition, paganism and
Eastern rituals and symbols.
 Wicca was heavily influenced by the theories of the
anthropologist and folklorist MARGARET MURRAY.
 She argued that witchcraft was the survival of
remnants of a pre-Christian, pagan religion, which
worshipped a horned god
 The proliferation of new religious movements
may be explained partly by globalization. With
the rapid and accelerated movement of people,
culture and information across national borders,
religious ideas also rapidly transfer from one
place to another
 When foreign religious beliefs reach a
different soil, they tend to mix and blend with
the local and indigenous religious beliefs and
folk practices
 The mixing of different religious and cultural
beliefs and practices.
 Promotes the growth of popular religion and
folk religion that is different from the original
parent religion or mainstream orthodoxy.
 A perfect example of this is the various
colorful fiestas in the Philippines
 SINULOG