FOURTH QUARTER

WEEK 3-4: RELIGION

Religion is considered as one of the most influential and universal forces in society. It is derived from the Latin word “religo” meaning to bind or to
obligate. It refers to a person’s “adherence to a set of beliefs or teachings about the deepest and most elusive of life’s mysteries. In short, it is a
unified system of beliefs and practices related to sacred things.
Characteristics of religion
1. Religion has a clear distinction of the profane and the sacred.
2. Religion considers belief and faith as forms of acceptance of sacred things without any clear evidence or proof. In short, accepting faith as
truth/fact.
3. Religion uses rituals and symbols to stimulate the faith of people. E.g.: festivities, ceremonies, etc.
4. Faithful members gather to organize religious communities.
Interpretations of Religion
For Emile Durkheim, religion is a vital agent of social control as it requires it followers to conform to its rules. Durkheim notes that in religion,
conformity to rules is rewarded while deviance is punished.
For Karl Marx, religion is the “opium of the people” and that it is used to maintain the unequal social system.
Worldviews or Religious Patterns
1. Animism – the belief that all things have spirits or souls, hence the worship of inanimate objects.
2. Theism – refers to people’s belief in the divinity.
3. Monotheism – the belief in one God or deity. There are various types of monotheism such as:
A. Deism – assumes the existence of a single creator god who has little or no continued involvement with the world.
B. Henotheism – exclusive worship of a tribal-national deity which does not deny the reality of patron deities of other people.
C. Pantheism – holds that the universe and God are identical.
4. Polytheism – the worship or belief in multiple gods.
5. Agnosticism – is the belief that one cannot prove the existence of a God.
6. Atheism – non-belief

Institutionalized Religions
1. Judaism – came from the Hebrew word “Yehudim” which means Judah. It originated with Abraham—the first Hebrew—who received
revelations from God or Yahweh.
Judaism is monotheistic in view, which believes that God is both a supreme and accessible god that is both “awe-commanding” and
“irresistible.” The Jews believe that God created all things by the unimaginable power of divine speech.
Judaism’s principal collection of holy writings is derived from the foundational text called “Torah” or the “Pentateuch” which is also called
as the Five Books of Moses composed of: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.
The Jewish churches are called synagogues.
2. Christianity – came from the Greek word “Christos” meaning anointed. The term was derived from the Jesus Christ, the founder of
Christianity.
Christianity is monotheistic in view, which believes that God is the creator and sustainer of everything. Christians believe that God creates all
possibilities, both good and bad, and allows evil actions.
In Christian doctrine, God is “triune” or three equal persons in one deity—the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The sacred text of Christianity is the Bible.
3. Islam – came from the Arab word “aslama” meaning to “surrender.”
Islam is strictly monotheistic. Muslims believe that there is only one God, which is Allah, and only one prophet Muhammad.
Islam churches are called mosque. Mecca (Makkah al-Mukarramah), a city in Saudi Arabia is considered the holiest city in Islam is where the
Masjid al-Haram (the Great Mosque) is located and where the holy pilgrimage takes place. Inside the Masjid al-Haram is the Kaaba, a giant
stone building considered to be the House of God.
The sacred text of Islam is the Qur’an which contains the revelations from Allah.
The Five Pillars of Islam (sometimes referred to as the Five Pillars of Faith) are obligatory acts of worship for all Muslims. They are:
A. Shahada – declaration of faith that “there is no god but God, and his messenger is Muhammad.”
B. Salat – pronounced salah, is the act of praying five times a day. Before prayers, absolutions must be performed such as washing one’s
hands, face, and feet. It is performed at dawn, noon, afternoon, evening, and night.
C. Zakat – is the act of almsgiving or charity. Zakat means purification which indicates that a payment makes the rest of one’s wealth legally
and religiously pure.
D. Sawm – is the act of fasting done during the holy month of Ramadan. The fast occurs from dawn to sunset each day, during which time
believers are expected to prohibit themselves from any food, drink, sexual intercourse, or smoking.
E. Hajj – is the holy pilgrimage that should be done at least once in a Muslim’s life. The haji (those who completed the Hajj) are honored in
the Muslim community.
4. Hinduism – the world’s oldest religion which teaches that a human being’s basic nature is not confined to the body or the mind, but instead
beyond both is the spirit of spark of God within the soul.
Hinduism is polytheistic in view, evident in Hindus belief in the Hindu trinity of Brahman Brahma (the creator), Shiva (the destroyer), and
Vishnu (the preserver).
 For Hindus, the world is evil and unimportant. For this, they believe in karma and samsara. Karma is a concept that describes a system in
which beneficial effects are derived from past beneficial actions and harmful effects are from past harmful actions. This is how a Hindu’s
samsara (cycle of birth, death, rebirth) is affected. A person’s current life status reflects their past life.
The Caste System – a rigid system of hierarchal groups based on Hindus’ karma and dharma (duty).
A. Brahmins (priests, teachers) – the top of the hierarchy are the intellectuals believed to have come from Brahma’s head.
B. Kshatriyas (warriors, rulers) – supposedly came from Brahma’s arms
C. Vaishyas (traders) – created from Brahma’s thighs
D. Shudras (slaves, peasants) – people who came from Brahma’s feet
5. Buddhism – one of the world’s largest religions which originated in India. Instead of believing in and worshipping gods, Buddhists believe
that the human life is one of suffering and that meditation, spiritual and physical labor, and good behavior are ways to achieve enlightenment
or nirvana.
Buddhism started with Siddharta Gautama, a Kshatriyan prince who attained nirvana. He taught the Four Noble Truths for the “spiritually
worthy:”
A. The truth of suffering (dukkha) – life is full of suffering both in obvious and subtle forms.
B. The truth of origin (cause) of suffering (samudaya) – the cause of suffering is desire (tanha) and ignorance.
C. The truth of freedom from suffering (nirhodha) – suffering will end by letting go of one’s desires.
D. The truth of the path of freedom from suffering (magga) – the path to enlightenment is the practice of the eightfold path.
The Eightfold Path
A. Right understanding
B. Right thought
C. Right speech
D. Right action
E. Right livelihood
F. Right effort
G. Right mindfulness
H. Right concentration
6. Shintoism – meaning “the way of the gods” is an ancient religion of Japan. It does not have a founder, nor it does have sacred scriptures. It is
a very optimistic faith, as humans are thought to be fundamentally good, and evil is believed to be caused by evil spirits.
In contrast to many monotheistic religions, Shinto does not have absolutes and is very polytheistic.
In Shintoism, gods are called “kami,” which are sacred spirits who take the form of things in concepts important to life such as wind, rain,
mountains, trees, rivers, etc. This belief made Shinto’s worldview animistic (re: animism). In contrast, evil spirits or demons are called oni,
while the general term for ghosts, monsters, shapeshifters, and any kind of supernatural beings are called yokai.
 Many deities, including Kagutsuchi, were born from Izanami and Isanagi, the Shinto primordial gods who stood on a floating bridge
(rainbow) and stirred the ocean with a heavenly jeweled spear which created the islands of Japan.

“Izanami (woman) and Isanagi’s (man) first attempt at sexual union resulted in a deformed child, Hiruko (“Leech Child,” known in later
Shinto mythology as the god Ebisu), and they set him adrift in a boat. Attributing the mistake to a ritual error on the part of Izanami, who, as
a woman, should never have spoken first, they began again and produced numerous islands and deities. In the act of giving birth to the fire
god, Kagutsuchi (or Homusubi), Izanami was fatally burned and went to Yomi, the land of darkness. The grief-stricken Izanagi followed her
there, but she had eaten the food of that place and could not leave. She became angry when he lit a fire and saw her rotting and covered with
maggots. A horrified Izanagi fled, with a host of women and then Izanami herself in pursuit. After reaching the entrance to Yomi, Izanagi
placed a stone across it, thus sealing in Izanami and breaking their union. Izanagi bathed in the sea to purify himself from contact with the
dead. As he bathed, a number of deities came into being. The sun goddess Amaterasu was born from his left eye, the moon god Tsukiyomi
was born from his right eye, and the storm god Susanoo was born from his nose.”

In the Shinto religion, Izanagi’s bath is regarded as the founding of harai, the important ritual purification practices of Shinto.
The most important kami in Shintoism is Amaterasu-omikami (the Great God). She is believed to be the Goddess of the Sun. The Japanese
Flag is a direct reference to her. The Shinto also worships Susanoo no-mikoto (Lord Highness), the God of Wind and Storms, Tsukiyomi no-
mikoto, the God of the Moon, Kagutsuchi, the Fire God, and Inari, the Goddess of Agriculture.
Shinto shrines are the places of worship and the homes of kami. Most shrines celebrate festivals (matsuri) regularly in order to show the
kami the outside world.
Young priestesses are called miko who aids in performing Shinto rituals.
Torii are traditional Japanese gates believed to be the gateway to the realm of spirits. Usually, toriis are used to mark the entrance to sacred
Shinto shrines.
Philosophies or Ways of Life
1. Confucianism – a philosophy and belief system from ancient China, which laid the foundation for much of Chinese culture. Confucianism
did not originate with Confucius (also known as Master Kong), a Chinese philosopher and teacher, rather, he said that he was interpreting
the philosophy of Zhougong, the Duke of Zhou.
Confucianism is best understood as an ethical guide to life and living with strong character. The main idea of Confucianism is the importance
of having a good moral character. This moral character is achieved through li and ren.
Li/propriety – determines how a person should properly act in everyday life. It emphasizes conformity and adherence to social roles. It
originally referred to religious sacrifices but has come to mean “ritual” in a broad sense such as norms and propriety.
Ren/benevolence – refers to humanity or humaneness, a virtue meaning the good quality of a virtuous human. It emphasizes that all acts
should be done out of love and compassion.
Filial piety – devotion to one’s family.
2. Taoism/Daoism – a philosophy from ancient China which refers to the “natural way of the universe.” Taoism is related to the philosopher
Lao Tzu, who wrote the book Tao Te Ching/Dao De Jing (The Way and its Power). The book is a collection of poetry and sayings that guide
Taoist thought and actions.
Taoism teaches that all living creatures ought to live in a state of harmony with the universe, and the energy found in it. It emphasizes doing
what is natural and “going with the flow” in accordance with the Tao (universe). According to this belief, the way of the Tao is in accordance
with nature while resistance is unnatural and causes friction. The best way for a person to live is to submit to whatever life brings and be
flexible.
One's ultimate goal is to live at peace with the way of the Tao and recognize that everything that happens in life should be accepted as part of
the eternal force which binds and moves through all things.
Taoism also believes in spiritual immortality, that when a person dies, they are not really gone, but instead their energy goes back to become
one with the universe. There is a Taoist saying which states that “by doing 3,000 good deeds, one will accumulate 800 merits” to attain
immortality.
Qi – spiritual energy
San Bao (triple gems) – three virtues that must be followed by Taoists:
A. Compassion – to cultivate oneself with a kind and compassionate heart.
B. Frugality – to avoid extravagance and uphold simplicity.
C. Humility – to be humble and to have a peaceful heart to live harmoniously with others.
Wu-wei (non-action or non-interference) – the concept of cultivating one’s mind and conducting oneself in society. It emphasizes not acting
recklessly or doing things blindly.
Yin-yang – to balance the soft self (gurou) and hard self (gangwo).