Introduction to

WORLD
RELIGION
J A N U A RY 2 0 2 0
 An Overview
TODAY'S PRESENTATION

Content of the Module

I. Definition of Terms
II. Religion
III. Spirituality
IV. Theology
I. Philosophy of Religion
II. Understanding the Worldview on Religion
I. DEFINITION OF TERMS RELIGION

Religion and Spirituality can be a

complicated issue. The majority of
the population in the world practices
religious beliefs, churches, do rituals
and follow doctrines and other
spiritual traditions. It can be a small
group to a large community.
 All religions were founded by prophets of
the God. Some religions are too old even it
become very difficult to find their origin and
the prophet who founded it. There are about
4200 religions in the world.

According to A.W. Green, “Religion is a

system of beliefs and symbolic practices and
objects, governed by faith rather than by
knowledge which relates man to an unseen
supernatural realm beyond the known and
beyond the controllable.”
What then is Religion?
Religion is a set of belief and practices
between groups of individuals with the
same faith and worship. These set of
beliefs concern the cause, nature, and
purpose of the universe, and involve
devotional and ritual observances. They
also often contain a moral code governing
the conduct of human affairs. It involves
devotional and ritual observances, and
often containing a moral code governing
the conduct of human affairs.
What are the widely practiced religion in the world?

 Christianity (2.1 billion)

 Islam (1.3 billion)
 Nonreligious (Secular/Agnostic/Atheist) (1.1
billion)
 Hinduism (900 million)
 Chinese traditional religion (394 million)
 Buddhism 376 million
 African traditional and Diasporic (100 million)
 Sikhism (23 million)
 Spiritism (15 million)
 Judaism (14 million)
 Bahai (7 million)
 Neo-Paganism (1 million)
 ELEMENTS OF RELIGION:
1. Reflects an effort to elevate
their whole self to a higher
dimension of existence This
infer that human are but a small
fragment of our total being. We
are more than what we think
we are and have a higher self
because we are made from the
image and likeness of the God.
2. Framework of transcendent
beliefs
Every religion believes that
there is a divine being which far
greater than humankind. The one
responsible for the creation of
the world that provides moral
framework of the human life.
 ELEMENTS OF RELIGION:
3. text or scripture
all religion has sacred text
or scriptures which has
sacred stories on how
people are connected from
supernatural dimension.
4. Rituals and ceremonies
Religions have ritual that are
considered expression of
religiosity. It has words, action
and use of symbols to signify the
understanding of the ritual.
5. Sacred spaces
The sacred spaces are the areas
or place of worship to perform
religious activities.
SPIRITUALITY

The quality of being concerned with the human spirit or

soul as an essence of the human being. It is referred to as a
religious process of reformation a person’s being which
"aims to recover the original shape of man", created in the
image of God guided by the sacred texts of the religions of
the world. The term was used within early Christianity to
refer to a life oriented toward the Holy Spirit and broadened
during late medieval times to include mental aspects of life.
Religion and spirituality are not the same. As religion is a
group, sect or community practicing the same beliefs,
spirituality goes deeper and delving into the being of a
person. The true essence of spirituality involves a trusting in
the One that created us and the universe itself.
 ELEMENTS OF SPIRITUALITY
1. Holistic
Holistic means having a full and completely integrated view
in all aspects of life.
2. Quest for meaning
It is the search for the meaning and embracing the purpose
of life.
3. Quest for the sacred
Searching about the belief of God
4. Suggests a self-reflective existence
The willingness to learn more on the essence of existence
DIFFERENTIATING RELIGION AND SPIRITUALITY
Religion is an religious institution established by man with
common beliefs, tradition and doctrines while spirituality can
be innate or it can be developed in the person.

Spirituality can grow while being a member of a religious

group or it may through a revelation of a person's life.
Spirituality is personal, it starts and ends with each person.
Individuals become the judges of their own lives. Spirituality
involves the personal and subjective experience of one’s
interior world.
 THEOLOGY
Theology is the study of the nature of God and
religious beliefs. It is the study of God and Man. The
word “theology” comes from two Greek words, theos
which means “God” and logos which means “word”.
The study of theology is an effort to make definitive
statements about God and his consequences.
 II. PHILOSOPY OF RELIGION

Philosophy of religion is the philosophical study

of the meaning and nature and origin of religion.
It includes the analyses of religious concepts,
beliefs, terms, arguments, and practices. The
philosophical examination of the central themes
and concepts involved in religious traditions.
III. Understanding the Worldview on Religion

1. Monotheistic
Monotheism is the view that there is only one God. For
monotheists, other supernatural beings may exist such as Satan,
angels, and demons, but there is only one God. Monotheism is found
within the religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The term
monotheism comes from the Greek monos, which means one, and
theos, which means god. Thus, monotheism is the belief in the
existence of a single god. Monotheism is typically contrasted with
polytheism, which is a belief in many gods, and atheism, which is an
absence of any belief in any gods.
Rituals and Beliefs:
- Share a similar view of the world and concept because they both
sprang from Judaism (Islam & Christianity)
- MONOTHEISTIC- believe in one GOD- Humans must enter into
an interpersonal relationship with God
- Morality is based on learning the will of God, understanding and
living it out individually and as a community. Time is viewed as
linear, from beginning to end
- The Bible (Christianity), Torah (Judaism) or Koran (Islam) are the
central books studied and lived by.
2. Polytheistic

Polytheism, the belief in many gods, it is the worship of or belief

in multiple deities. Polytheism characterizes virtually all religions
other than Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, which share a common
tradition of monotheism, the belief in one God.
3. Monistic

Monism is a philosophical term which, in its various meanings, is

opposed to Dualism or Pluralism. Wherever pluralistic philosophy
distinguishes a multiplicity of things, Monism denies that the
manifoldness is real, and holds that the apparently many are phases,
or phenomena, of a one.
4. Atheistic

It is simply a rejection of the assertion that there are gods. Atheism

is too often defined incorrectly as a belief system. To be clear:
Atheism is not a disbelief in gods or a denial of gods; it is a lack of
belief in gods. Older dictionaries define atheism as “a belief that
there is no God.”