Understanding Religion: belief system, worldview, spirituality and religion,
Theology, Philosophy of, Elements of…
By: Hubert Loresto, MSEUF College of Education
For Grade 11 HUMMS Training (April 17, 2017)
When people are asked about religions and come across to study it, they would probably give answers
referring from religions they were raised or from predominant religion of their society if there are multiple
availability of such. For example, they may assume that everyone has a God, gods, sacred books or
scriptures, commandments, ceremonies etc., many religions may share these characteristics but some do
not. Shinto for example, does not have a set of commandments, nor does it preach moral codes; Zen
Buddhism does not worship a divine being; and many tribal religions have no written sacred scriptures
specifically. Nevertheless we call them religions. What, then—if not a common set of elements—must be
present for something to be called religion?
We may start on the obvious note by examining the linguistic clues: that is the root of the word religion.
Though the genesis of the word religion arose from western cultures, it came from the Latin text “re”
meaning again, and “lig” meaning connect or join—as in ligament. Thus, we can suggest that religion must
mean to reconnect or to join again our natural, human world with the sacred world. In classical Latin, the
term “religio” meant an awe for the gods and concern for the proper ritual; experiencing the presence of
god or goddesses and feeling of something divine. As earlier have been discussed, the world religion arose
from western culture, it may not be entirely applicable/appropriate when applied across cultures. Why is
that?
Traditional dictionary defines religion: A system of belief that involves worship of a God or gods, prayer,
ritual, and a moral code. But there are so many exceptions to that definitions that it is neither
comprehensive nor accurate. It has been an entire mission for scholars to understand religion not
dependent from the existence of God or the divine. This is for the reason that some cultures practicing
religions do not have gods or the presence of the divine, i.e. Buddhism. So as to speak, religion (Western
concept) is not a universal concept because there are differences in society and culture. In conformity to
this, some societies have no specific word to refer to a part of their lives that we would call religion. How
is it possible? Some societies have only one religion or belief system that is available, so a general term is
unnecessary, or even if there are multiplicity, there are no words that can translate or equivalent to the
word religion such as Shinto. So therefore, could there be one thing called religion by us that exists
everywhere even there is no word to describe it due to vast range of culture and/or practices? According
to some, though terms and practices differ, all people associate their activities (natural and human) on
how we can connect it to the scared (such that work of Mircea Eliade and Emille Durkheim: The Sacred
and the Profane); such that religion is concerned with the sacred, all people relate to God, humans have
their needs—physical and psychological (Maslow, Otto, and Freud) and religion fill these needs. But again
the same questions argues with the latter and the search for answers continues. There has been an
attempt to form a universal definition for religion: that “of ultimate importance to society”. But it is so
general that in can be applicable not only to religion, such that a golf or tennis might be mistaken for
religion since it is most important for an athlete.
Some uses spiritual path, for example, to make it a more fitting designation to refer to other religious
systems. So instead of saying that a religion must have certain characteristics, it is more useful to list a
series of observable characteristics that are found in what we are commonly accepted as religious. This
concept may be referred to as Polythetic definition—there is not one thing all religion have in common.
A collection of beliefs or practices that together are suggestive of what is religion. Scholars do note,
however, that what we ordinarily call religions manifest to some degree the following eight elements”
Belief system. Several beliefs fit together into a fairly complete and systematic interpretation of
the universe and the human being’s place in it; this is also called a worldview.
Community. The belief system is shared, and its ideals are practiced by a group.
Central myths. Stories that express the religious beliefs of a group are retold and often reenacted.
Examples of central myths included the major events in the life of the Hindu god Krishna, the
enlightenment experience of Buddha, the exodus of the Israelites from oppression in Egypt, the
death and resurrection of Jesus. , or Muhammad’s escape from Mecca to Medina. We should note
that the term myth, as scholars use it, is a specialized term. It does not itself mean that the stories
are historically untrue (as in popular usage) but only that the stories are central to the religion.
Ritual. Beliefs are enacted and made real through ceremonies.
Ethics. Rules about human behavior are established. These are often viewed as having been
revealed from a supernatural realm, but they can also be viewed as socially generated guidelines.
Characteristic emotional experiences. Among emotional experiences typically associated with
religions are dread, guilt, awe, mystery, devotion, conversion, “rebirth,” liberation, ecstasy, bliss,
and inner peace.
Material expression. Religions make us of an astonishing variety of physical elements—statues,
paintings, musical compositions (including chants), musical instruments, ritual objects, flowers,
incense, clothing, architecture, and specific locations.
Sacredness. A distinction is made between the sacred and the ordinary ceremonies often
emphasize this distinction through the deliberate use of different language, clothing, and
architecture. Certain objects, actions, people, and places may share in the sacredness or express
it.
Joachim Wach narrows these elements into three categories based on what he calls ultimate realities:
Theoretical (mental: i.e., religious ideals), Practical (or behavioral), and sociological (institutional) aspects
of religion.
Theoretical Level. Religious ideals such as theology (study of God’s way to humans—theos
meaning God, and logos meaning study), philosophy (a reflection of humans’ lived experience of
God, Philia meaning love and Sophia meaning wisdom [epistemology and axiology]) and ethics.
Sources of these can be records in form of books, scriptures, myths or stories, and doctrines)
Practical Level. Sets of behavior that is applied in the practice of religion such as rituals—any act
that is performed repeatedly and precisely whatever meaning attached to it. In religion, it is any
actions whose purpose is to interact with the divine, to bring its practitioners to a deeper
understanding of God or its traditions e.g. reenactment of myths or sacred stories, worship of
deities, chants, songs, offering, celebration of holidays, changes in social status through
ceremonies (wedding/ordination) solitary prayer ore meditation, drumming and dancing.
Sociological Level. It is how people form themselves in groups or organizations around shared
beliefs or practices. Examples are families, temple, church or the internet. Religious specialists is
also included in the examples in this level like shaman, monks, nuns, imams etc. They carry and
continually pass their belief systems to members and non-members, in other cases, of the
community.
Though religion maybe considered for some created by God or our ancestors fully independent on any
external influence, one of the central characteristics of religion is syncretism—a view that religions are
combinations of beliefs and practices mostly in pluralistic societies. For example, the Philippines,
Catholicism was brought by the Spaniards. They submit to religious rituals of the natives such as offerings
and practice of dance and chants and bring those native rituals back to their homeland. Another testament
of religious syncretism is direct inheritance of religions like that of Christianity coming from Judaism and
Buddhism from Hinduism. They likely share common beliefs as parent and daughter religion. Syncretism
is also a result of spreading like Japanese Buddhism whereas it is more Japanese than Buddhism and
African Christian which is more African rather than Christian by sets of beliefs and rituals.
The Sacred
All religions are concerned with the deepest level of reality, and for most religions the core or origin of
everything is sacred and mysterious (Sine quay non). Thus, religion can be categorized by the existence or
nonexistence of a supernatural being or beings. This sense of a mysterious, originating holiness is called
by many names: Brahman, Dao, Great Mother, Divine Parent, Great Spirit, Ground of Being, Great
Mysterious, the Ultimate, the Absolute, the Divine, the Holy.
One familiar term for the sacred reality, particularly in the Western world, is God, and monotheism is the
term that means a belief in one God. In some systems, the term God often carries with it the notion of
Cosmic Person—a divine being with will and intelligence who is just and compassionate and infinite in
virtues. God is also omnipotent (“having total power over the universe”). God is also ineffable that no
words can’t describe its being. This notion of a powerful God, distinct from the universe, describes a
sacredness that is active in the world but also distinct from it. That is, God is transcendent—unlimited by
world and all ordinary reality.
In some religions, however, the sacred reality is not viewed as having personal attributes but is more like
an energy or mysterious power (panentheism). Frequently, the sacred is then spoken of as something
immanent within the universe. In some religions, there is a tendency to speak of the universe not just as
having been created but also as a manifestation of the sacred nature itself, in which nothing is separated
from the sacred. This view, called pantheism (Greek: “all divine”), sees the sacred as being discoverable
within the physical world and its processes. In other words, nature itself is holy.
Some religion worship the sacred reality in the form of many coexisting gods, a view called polytheism.
The multiple gods may be fairly separate entities, each in charge of an aspect of reality (such nature gods),
or they may be multiple manifestations of the same sacred reality. The major religions of the west
(Judaism, Christianity and Islam) declares themselves as monotheistic. However when we look closely we
find that virtually all religion contains both element of monotheism and polytheism, e.i. Christianity. Some
other religion believe in many gods but see one in particular as a high God ruler of pantheon. This concept
is sometimes called monism.
In recent centuries, we find a tendency to deny the existence of any God or gods (atheism), to argue that
the existence of God cannot be proven (agnosticism) or simply to take no position (nontheism).
Spirituality
While value judgments should pay no role in the distinction between spirituality and religion, there are
those who may see one as preferable to the other.
Definitions of Spirituality
“the experience or expression of the sacred” (Adpated from Random House Dictionary of the English
Language 1967)
“…the search for transcendent meaning” – can be expressed in religious practice or…expressed
“exclusively in their relationship to nature, music, the arts, set of philosophical beliefs, or relationships
with friends and family” (Astrow et. al. 2001)
“individual search for meaning” Brown and Williams.
“the search for meaning in life events and a yearning for connectedness to the universe” (Coles 1990).
“a person’s experience of, or a belief in, a power apart from his or her own existence” (Mohr 2006).
“a quality that goes beyond religious affiliation, that strives for inspiration, reverence, awe, meaning and
purpose, even in those who do not believe in God. The spiritual dimension tries to be in harmony with the
universe, strives for answers about the infinite, and comes essentially into focus in times of emotional
stress, physical (and mental) illness, loss, bereavement and death” (Murray and Zentner 1989:259).
…refers to a broad set of principles that
transcend all religions. Spirituality is
about the relationship between
ourselves and something larger. That
something can be the good of the
community or the people who are
served by your agency or school or with
energies greater than ourselves.
Spirituality means being in the right
relationship with all that is. It is a stance
of harmlessness toward all living beings
and an understanding of their mutual
interdependence.” (Kaiser 2000)
Elements of spirituality
Holistic (fully integrated view to life)
Quest for meaning (including the purpose of life)
Quest for sacred (beliefs about God)
Suggests a self-reflective existence
Session 2: How World Religions Began
Why does religions exist?
Religion can be studied in a variety of perspectives without sacrificing one’s personal religious beliefs. It
is important to understand the role different religions play. We are all confronted by an obvious question,
why do religions exists? Even in the absence of a belief in scared reality, why do so many people all over
the world behave as though they were? Even those who believe in sacred reality, may be compelled to
explain why do they desire to interact with the divine realm?
Scholars claim that religions came into being, because human beings, wherever you find them, has the
same basic needs, and may create religion to fill these needs. In other words, religions have specific
functions or ways it is useful. E. B. Tyler propose that religion came about when people had dreams about
dead friends and relatives and that they live on in other form—in the spirit world. Gradually, the idea that
people have spirits, grew into the idea that all things have spirits as well. Tyler describe this spirit filled
universe as animism and saw it as the first stage in a religious evolution that progress through ancestor
reference to polytheism and reach its pinnacle in monotheism. Frazer thought that religion that religion
was destined to die. Religion is a primitive form of science, a way people try to make sense of the world
and situations and religion would fade away by presence of true science. Sigmund Freud, found the origins
of religion in psychological needs that developed from family dynamics inherent in the simple process of
growing up. Children regard to their parents as authority figures who when pleased will respond by
protecting and caring for the child. When these children grow to be adult, in the sense to feel being
protected and safe, they project this childlike relationship outward on to the universe and call it “god”.
Karl Marx, religion was used to keep working class that God ordained their social station and to keep them
from rebelling against their law in life by concentrating on going to heaven in the next life. Durkheim,
religion had an enduring value. The value of religion was social, he postulated that when people thought
that they were worship god, gods or the universe, they were worshiping themselves, their own social unit,
and its coherence.
