INTRODUCTION TO WORLD

RELIGION AND BELIEF

SYSTEM (MODULE 3 WEEK
4&5)
GRADE 12-HUMSS
JUHAINAH C. GURO LPT
Teacher
 LESSON 3:
POSITIVE AND
NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF
RELIGION
ESSENTIAL UNDERSTANDING
• Religion can have positive and negative effects on society.

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
• What role does religion play in the occurrence of particular historical
events?
T HE LINES IN THE PICTURE, TAKEN FROM JOHN
LENNON’S SONG ENTITLED “IMAGINE,”
POSITIVE & NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF
RELIGION
POSITIVE EFFECTS OF RELIGION
• In ancient Philippine society for example, spiritual leaders were called babaylanes or catalones,
whose functions were to intercede between the deities and people; to continue the rituals; to play
as healers; and to act as cultural leaders of the community.
• Xiao, or filial piety, on the other hand, is a significant aspect of Confucianism which promotes
social harmony. Filial piety refers to the attitude of obedience, devotion, and care of one’s
parents and elder family members. It serves as the basis of moral conduct which, in effect, leads
to social harmony.
• Jainism also has a key concept which helps promotes social solidarity, which is called ahimsa, or
the concept of non-violence. For the followers of Jainism, ahimsa is not only a worldview but a
way of life. The killing and consumption of animals is strictly prohibited, for it is central to the
idea of ahimsa that they must minimize their violent impact on the environment. Treating other
people with respect is also a way of practicing ahimsa.
POSITIVE EFFECTS OF RELIGION
POSITIVE EFFECTS OF RELIGION
POSITIVE EFFECTS OF RELIGION
POSITIVE EFFECTS OF RELIGION
POSITIVE EFFECTS OF RELIGION
NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF RELIGION
NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF RELIGION
NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF RELIGION
NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF RELIGION
NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF RELIGION
NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF RELIGION
HISTORICAL EVENTS CAUSED BY RELIGION
 SELF-IMMOLATION OF A BUDDHIST MONK IN
VIETNAM
• Self-immolation, or the killing of oneself as a form of sacrifice,
originally referred to as the act of setting oneself on fire. But now it
refers to a much wider range of suicidal choices such as leaping off a
cliff, starvation, or ritual removing of the guts (also known as
seppuku). It is used as a form of political protest or martyrdom.
 THICH QUANG DUC
Thich Quang Duc was a Vietnamese
Mahayana Buddhist monk who
immolated himself on 11 June 1963.
He was protesting against the
persecution of Buddhists by the
South Vietnamese government led
by Ngo Dinh Diem. The immolation
was considered to be an act of
defiance against a corrupt
government.
 WIDOW BURNING AMONG THE HINDUS IN
INDIA
Sati, or the practice of self-
immolation of a widow on her
husband’s funeral pyre, is said to
have originated 700 years ago in
India. It is believed to have
started among the ruling class or
rajputs in India, when the rajput
women burnt themselves to death
after their men were defeated in
battles to avoid being taken by
the conquerors.
• In 2006, a Hindu woman was reported to have committed
sati in Tuslipar village in the central state of Madhya
Pradesh.
• The woman, whose name was Janakrani, was said to have
burnt herself to death on the funeral pyre of her husband
Prem Narayan.
 THE INQUISITION
Inquisition refers to the
Roman Catholic Church
groups charged with
subduing heresy from around
1184, which includes the
Episcopal Inquisition (1184-
1230s) and the Papal
Inquisition (1230s).
CATHARISM

• a Christian dualist movement which espoused 42 World Religions in Focus the

idea of two gods, one being good and the other evil

WALDENSIANS
• a Protestant Christian movement which advocated that apostolic poverty is the
way to perfection
• The word “inquisition,” has somehow become associated with the
word “torture.” This is because after 1252, torture was used to punish
Heresy was an opinion about the teaching of the Catholic
the heretics. church, which was condemned by the church as
inconsistent with it

• On May 15, a papal bull was issued by Pope Innocent IV, the Ad
exstirpanda, which authorized the use of torture by inquisitors.
• One common form of torture was the strappado, wherein the hands
were bound behind the back with a rope, and the accused was
suspended this way, dislocating the joints painfully in both arms.
 THE GODHRA TRAIN INCIDENT IN 2002
• In February 2002, a train was set on fire in which 59
people, including 25 women and 15 children, were
killed. The fire happened inside the Sabarmati
Express train near the Godhra railway station in the
Indian state of Gujarat. Those who died inside the
train were mostly Hindu pilgrims and activists
returning from the holy city of Ayodhya after a
religious ceremony at the disputed Babri Masjid site.
It took six years for the commission appointed to
investigate the said incident to conclude that the fire
was committed by a mob of 1000-2000 people.
Thirty-one Muslims were convicted by the court for
the incident and conspiracy for the crime.
 BABRI MOSQUE IN 1992

• On 6 December 1992, a large group

of Hindu activists belonging to the
Vishva Hindu Parishad and allied
organisations demolished the
mosque, triggering riots all over the
Indian subcontinent, killing around
2,000 people.
 SUMMARY
• Religion can be described as a double-edged sword: it can have both positive and negative effects on
society. It has played a very important role in the development of societies by integrating and stabilizing
them; however, it has also created conflicts.
• Some of its positive effects are: it promotes social solidarity; it is a source of moral values; it nurtures
positive goals in life; it gives people a sense of belonging; and it fosters social change.
• Some of religion’s negative effects include: it affirms social hierarchy; it triggers conflicts and fights; it
promotes discrimination; it impedes scientific success and development; and it hinders the use of
reason.
• Some of the world’s atrocities and conflicts were caused by religion such as the self-immolation of a
Buddhist monk in Vietnam; the practice of sati or widow burning in India; the Inquisition of the
Catholic Church; and the Godhra train incident in India.
Read in advance for your prelim exam!