SPIRITUAL

SELF:
BELIEVE IT
OR NOT!
At the end of this unit, you will be able to:
 1. Identify various religious practices and beliefs;
 2. Understand the self in relation with religious
beliefs; and
 3. Explain ways of finding the meaning of life.
 Religion
 Rebecca Stein (Stein 2011) works on the definition of
religion "as a set of beliefs and practices that usually
includes some or all of basic characteristics. These
characteristics are:
 1) A belief in anthropomorphic supernatural being,
such as spirit and gods
 2) A focus on the sacred supernatural, where sacred
refers to a feeling of reverence and awe
 3) The presence of supernatural power or energy that
is found on supernatural beings as well as physical
beings and objects
 4) The performance of ritual activities that involves
the manipulation of sacred object to communicate to
supernatural beings and/or to influence or control
events
 5) The articulation of worldview and moral codes
through narratives and other means
 6) Provide the creation and maintenance of social
bonds and mechanism of social control within a
community; provide explanation for unknown and a
sense of control for individuals.
 An individual lives in a society where there are many
practices of religion. The choice of religious belief lies
within the spiritual self although the choice may be
influenced by the society and its culture.
 Ritual
 It is the performance of ceremonial acts prescribed by
a tradition or sacred law (Britannica 2017). Ritual is a
specific, observable mode of behavior exhibited by all
known societies. It is thus possible to view ritual as a
way of defining or describing humans.
 CHARACTERISTICS OF RITUAL
 1) A feeling or emotion of respect, awe, fascination, or
dread in relation to the sacred
 2) Dependence upon a belief system that is usually
expressed in the language of myth
 3) Is symbolic in relation to its reference
 The self can be described as a ritual being who
exhibits a striking parallel between their ritual and
verbal behavior. Just as language is a system of
symbols that is based upon arbitrary rules, ritual may
be viewed as a system of symbolic acts that is based
upon arbitrary rules. Participation to rituals is
expressions of religious beliefs.
Some World Religious Beliefs and
Practices
BUDDHISM
 CORE BELIEFS
 Buddhism believes that life is not a bed of roses.
Instead, there are suffering, pain, and frustrations.
When people suffer, they want to experience the
goodness of life and avoid disappointments. It
becomes a habit known as the reactive cycle of
wanting and hating, like and dislike, band craving and
aversion. This reactive cycle can be broken through
the practice of mediation, acquiring more wisdom and
deeper understanding, and acceptance of things as they
 Customs and Practices
 There are two types of meditation practices: samatha and
vipassana. The Samatha is practiced as mindfulness of breathing
and development of loving kindness (Metta Bhavana). Vipassana
practices aim developing insight into reality. Acquiring wisdom is by
studying Buddha's teaching, the Dharma. Through the reflection of
Dharma, Buddhist can achieve a deeper understanding of life.
Buddhists believe in nonviolence principle. Some of the major
Buddhist celebrations are Parinirvana Day in February; Buddha Day
(Wesak) in May; Dharma Day in July; Padmasambhava Day in
October; and Sangha Day in November.
CHRISTIANITY
 CORE VALUES
 Christians believe in Trinitarian God. One God in three personas:
God the Father (Creator), God the Son( Savior),and God the Holy
Spirit Sustainer). Eternal after death will be achieved through faith
in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is, God the Son, who came into flesh, to
spread the good news of salvation. He died on the cross for the sins
of the humanity but resurrected from the death, so that anyone who
believes in him will be saved in have eternal life. The holy bible is a
selection of books, which is divided in to two, the Old Testament
and New Testament.
 CUSTOMS AND PRACTICES
 Sacrament of Baptism and Sacrament of Communion
are practiced by Christian churches. The sacrament of
Baptism symbolizes the birth in Christian world, while
the sacrament of communion is an act of remembrance
of Jesus Christ 's sacrificial love. Jesus Christ teaching
in unconditional love that is expressed in loving the
poor, oppressed, and outcast of the society
HINDUISM
 CORE BELIEFS
 Hinduism covers a wide range of traditional beliefs and religious
groups; thus, there is no single founder or leader. Hindus believe that
existence is a cycle of birth, death and rebirth, governed by Karma.
Karma is a concept where the reincarnated life will depend on how
the past life was spent. Hindus believe that the soul passes through a
cycle of successive lives and it's next in carnation is always
dependent on how the previous life was lived. Vedas are sacred
Scriptures of Hindus. Mahabharata and Ramayana are two other
important texts of the Hindus.
 CUSTOMS AND PRACTICES
 Diwali and Navrati are the most celebrated festivals
of the Hindus. Diwali is the festival of lights while
Navrati is the festival of nine nights, which celebrate
the triumph of good over evil. Hindus have set dates to
honor particular manifestations of God.
ISLAM
 Muslims believe that Mohammed is the last and final
prophet sent by God. Mohammed was born in Mecca
in 570 CE and received revelations from God through
the Angel Gabriel over a period of 23 years. The Holy
Bible of Islam is called the Quran, which was taught to
be recited in Arabic because any translation is seen as
inadequate.
 CUSTOMS AND PRACTICES
 Muslims believe in the five pillars of Islam, which are the foundation of Muslim life: 1)
Shahadah - statement of faith: "There is no God but the one true God and Mohammed is
his messenger".
 2) Salat - the prayer that is practiced five times a day.
 3) Zakat - the monetary offering for the benefit of the poor. It comprises the 2.5% of a
Muslim's assets.
 4) Haji – the yearly pilgrimage to Mecca. Muslims who can afford are asked to do the
pilgrimage at last once in their lifetime.
 5) Sawm – the fasting. Muslims do fasting from food, drink, and sexual act during the
celebration of Ramadan s the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. The fast is from
dawn to sunset.
 Two of the major festivals in Islam are Eidul-Fitr and
Eidul-Adha. The first one refers to the celebration at
the end of Ramadan, while Eidul-Adha is the
celebration within the completion of the Pilgrimage,
the Haji.
JUDAISM
 CORE BELIEFS
 The Jews believe in the God of Abraham ,the same God
that liberated the Hebrew slaves from Egypt to Canaan,
the promised land through the leadership of Moses and
later, Joshua. The Jews believe in the coming of Messiah,
the Savior. The sacred scripture of the Jews is called the
Torah or the Law. The Torah is the guide of the Jewish
living. The study and interpretation of Torah is part of the
Jewish culture.
 Customs and Practices:
There are five major festivals observed by the Jews:
 1. Rosh Hashanah - the New Year
 2. Yom Kippur - the Day of Atonement
 3. Pesach - Passover
 4. Shavuot - Pentecost
 5. Sukkot - Tabernacles.
 The Jewish Sabbath begins on Friday evening at sunset and is
an important time when families gather for the Shabbat meal.