The Peacemakers’ Prayer

O Supreme source of
Light, Love, Wisdom and
Peace
We, People of diverse
cultures, religions and
Invoke You by different
names!
Unto Your Spirit we
humbly bow our heads
In awe and infinite
 O Giver of Life
Awaken us to an awareness
of who we are
Move us with Your Spirit
into a remembrance of
our Divine origin and
 Lead us from death to life,
from darkness to light
Infuse the depth of our being
with new courage
Transform our indifferences
into Compassion, our
selfishness into Love
O Divine Source of
Peace!
May our lives be
abounding in
May our thoughts, our
words, and our deeds
Manifest your fullness
of our being.
 May justice, peace, and
harmony
Fill our hearts, our homes,
our country, our world.
And may Divine Love,
Light, and Power restore
What is
striking
about the
What thoughts
or emotions
does the prayer
evoke in you as
Are the thoughts
expressed in this
prayer similar to
your personal
The earliest evidence of
Spiritual belief among
humans dates back to
the
Paleolithic Period.
Paleolithic Period
also called as
“Stone Age”
Level of human
development,
characterized by
the use of
While the communities
became increasingly
complex and
sophisticated
Humans began to
ponder matters of
existence, being and
purpose.
Because of
PHILOSOPHIZ
ING
It became the
earliest form of
belief system.
 Neanderthal
s
• Engaged in
ritual burial
– Buried their
dead with
 Anthropologist and
archaeologists believe
that organized religion
emerged due to
developments that
The Geographic, Cultural,
and Social Factors that
Influenced the
Development of
Religions.
Religions are
practiced
differently in
various parts
of the world.
Hinduis
m
Muslim
Philippines
 Cultural Factors
-relating to ideas, customs and
social behavior of a society.
-relating to arts and
intellectual achievements.
 Example of Cultural Factors
• Pre colonial Filipinos
expressed their religion
through artistic means,
such as:
–Carvings
• In Egypt there are religious
writings called the “Pyramid
Texts.’

Pyramid Text –an assurance

that gods will guide the soul of
the departed on its journey to
Filipinos
Pyramid
Text
 Social Factors
• Shapes individuals’ beliefs,
lifestyles and personalities.
• Relating to society and
organization
 Prominent Personalities
• Pope John Paul II
• Mother Theresa
• Martin Luther
Pope John
Paul II
Mother
Theresa
Martin
Luther
 Geographical Factors
• The practiced in an area
continues to evolve
depending on the country’s
resources,
 Example of Geographical Factors
• Eskimo – hell is a place of darkness,
storm and intense cold
• Jews –concept of hell is a place of
eternal fire
• Buddha –his heaven is the cessation
of all earthly desires
Eskimo
 The Earliest
Evidence of
Religion in Early
Human Society
• Fear of the unknown
• Intense forces of nature
• Uncertainties of human
life
The Emergence of Civilizations
 Mesopotamia
• Land between two rivers – Tigris and
Euphrates
• The Sumerians, Akkadians, Assyrians and
Babylonians – dominated the Mesopotamia
from the beginning of written history.
• It is also the earliest site of Neolithic
Revolution.
• God An
• Goddess Ki
• Enlil –the Air god; The most powerful god.

• Polytheistic Religion and henotheistic religion.

 Contribution to the Civilization
• Sumerians
1. Writing – Cuneiform
2. Mathematics –developed basic algebra and
geometry
3. Art & Architecture –Ziggurats (temples where
people prayed and left offerings)
4. Literature –Gilgamesh
• Akkadians
1. Law, Governement and Society – first
empire
• Assyrians
1. Architecture and Writings
– Library in Nineveh with thousands of clay
tablets on the subjects of literature, mathematics,
& science
• Babylonians
1. Arts and Architecture – hanging gardens
– Ishtar Gate
2. Law and Government – Code of
Hammurabi
 Egypt
• The first Religion that they had is Christianity.
• The Pharaohs governed the lives and wealth
of the populace and were considered “gods”
by their subjects.
 Contribution to the Civilization
• Pyramids
 Indus Valley Civilization
• One of the three early civilizations of the
region.

• The bull was considered a symbol of virility

and sexual power.
• Hinduism is the dominant religion
 China
• Shang Dynasty established the first recognized
Bronze Age civilization along the Yellow River
basin in China.
• Dominant Religions are –Buddhism,
Confucianism, Taoism.
 The Americas
• The Olmecs founded the first civilization in
Mesoamerica.
 World
Religions
Christianity
Islam
Judaism
Hinduism
Buddhism
Chinese
Religions
Tribal Religions