Introduction to World Religion

and Belief Systems

Cite all the religion the you know..
- Islam
- Catholic/ Christianity
- Buddhism
- Hinduism
- Atheism
- Satanism
- Jehovah’s witnesses
- Iglesia ni Cristo
- Protestants
- MCGI
- United Methodist
Message to others with
different religion..
Words of the today:

Phenomenon

Supernatural
Phenomenon – a fact or event of
scientific interest susceptible to
scientific description and explanation.

Supernatural – relating to an order of

existence beyond the visible
observable universe.

*Merriam Webster
Religion and the Social Sciences

Religion as a phenomenon is a
complex reality. Any discussion of
religion is a personal matter and
therefore could be very emotional.
Methodological Atheism
- the suspension of belief in the
divine is a fundamental character of
any social scientific approach to the
study of religion.
Religion
- a personal set or institutionalized
system of religious attitudes, beliefs,
and practices.

- commitment or devotion to
religious faith or observance.
Two Ways of Defining Religion as a
Social Reality

A. Substantive – is concerned with

what constitutes religion. It involves
beliefs and practices which assume the
existence of supernatural beings.
(Davie 2007)
B. Functional – is based on what
religion does and how it operates
in terms of its place in the
social/psychological system.
CHARACTER FUNCTIONAL SUBSTANTIVE
ISTIC
What it is What religion does and What the content
based on how it operates in terms and essence of
of its place in the religion is
social/psychological
system
What it Psychological: the way Religion as a type of
includes religion plays a role in the philosophy to live by
mental and emotional that exists
lives of believers separately from our
Sociological: the way social or
religion influences society psychological lives
What it relies Symbolic rituals, beliefs The belief in
on and practices The sacred supernatural and
instead of the transcendental
supernatural
Examples Nationalism, God, gods,
revolutionary supernatural
faith, social beings and
symbols or things
movements Drawbacks
Drawbacks Too inclusive; Too universal;
they prevent they are
from general enough
distinguishing to apply to
between multiple
religion and religions
other
phenomena
Religion as Selective
“Relegere X Religare”

Religare – resonates with the Latin

origins of the world religion which
means “to bring together”.

Relegere – resonates with the Latin

origins of the word religion which
means “to rehearse painstakingly, as
in the case of collective rituals.
The sense of these words is not only
to gather together, to care for or to
set things in order, but also to speak
and to repeat. Certainly, Cicero
emphasizes both the concept of
careful selection or gathering, and
that of retracing one's steps or re-
reading something of value:
For religion has been distinguished from superstition not
only by philosophers but by our ancestors. Persons who
spent whole days in prayer and sacrifice to ensure that
their children should out-live them were termed
"superstitious" (from supersies, a survivor), and the word
later acquired a wider application. Those on the other
hand who carefully reviewed and so to speak retraced all
the lore of ritual were called "religious" from relegere (to
retrace or re-read), like "elegant" from eligere (to select),
"diligent" from diligere (to care for), "intelligent"
from intellegere (to understand); for all these words
contain the same sense of "picking out" (legere) that is
present in "religious." Hence "superstitious" and "religious"
came to be terms of censure and approval respectively.

~ Cicero, De natura deorum (45 B.C.E.)

1. Hijab- head cover by the Muslims from Malaysia
and Indonesia
2. Burqa- head cover in the Saudi Arabia
3. Methodological Atheism- the suspension of belief
in the divine is a fundamental character of any
social scientific approach to the study of religion.
4. Substantive- concerned with what constitutes
religion
5. Functional- concerned with the social
consequences of religion
6. Religare- resonates with the Latin origins of the
word religion which means “ to bring together ”
7. Relegere - resonates with the Latin origins of the
word religion which means “ to rehearse
painstakingly, as in the case of collective rituals
Question:

What is your idea about the phrase

“spiritual, but not religious”?
Situation: Jehovah’s Witnesses are
not participating in flag ceremonies.

What would be your stand or concern

about the situation being a Filipino
citizen?

Share your thoughts.