Introduction to World Religions and Belief System
ABOUT THIS MODULE
This learning module is designed for online learning and can be used for blended learning as one of the
tools to assist the learning of the Humanities and Social Sciences students of Our Lady of Lourdes College of
Valenzuela. This is aligned with the Most Essential Learning Competencies (MELCS) by the Department of
Education.
This module gives broader understanding about the concepts, elements, beliefs, practices and other
concerns of the eight major religions of the world. This presents the introduction, objectives, discussion,
assessment, summary, and references of each lesson. Thus, successful learning will arrive at.
Teachers and students of OLLC are only allowed to download this learning module.
Lesson 1: The Concepts, Elements, and
Learning Module
Introduction to World Religions and Belief System
Characteristics of Belief System, World
View, Religion, and Spirituality
INTRODUCTION
What comes into your mind when you hear “belief system,” “religion,” “worldview,” and
“spirituality?” This lesson will explore the concepts, elements and characteristics of the four important terms.
Thus, you will be able identify the similarities and differences among them.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES/OUTCOMES
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:
Identify the concepts, elements, and characteristics of belief system, world view, religion,
and spirituality.
Explain the different origins and elements of religions that result from certain approaches
to the study of religions.
Differentiate among belief system, world view, religion, and spirituality.
Relate the origins and elements of religions in everyday lives.
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Belief System
A belief system is an ideology or set of
principles that helps us to interpret our everyday
reality. This could be in the form of religion, political
affiliation, philosophy, spirituality, among many other
things. These beliefs are shaped and influenced by a
number of different factors. Our knowledge on a
certain topic, the way we were raised, and even peer
pressure from others can help to create and even
change our belief systems. The convictions that come from these systems are a way for us to make sense of a
world around us and to define our role within it.
World View
Religion contains a worldview. A worldview refers to a set of beliefs that is both coherent and
comprehensive. Various worldviews of religions can be categorized as “polytheistic,” “monotheistic,” and
“agnostic” Polytheistic worldview is described as the worship of or belief in many divine beings or gods.
Examples of polytheistic religions are Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Shintoism. On the
other hand, monotheistic religions believe in only one God. Religions such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
are monotheistic. An aesthetic view, however, espouses the belief that there is no god or “supreme being.” In
the past, some aesthetic schools existed among early Indic religion such as the Samkhya and Mimamsa. Another
worldview is agnosticism which neither affirms nor negates the existence of a “supreme being.” Thus, an
agnostic person claims neither faith nor disbelief in God.
Learning Module
Introduction to World Religions and Belief System
Religion
The term religion comes from the Latin word religio which means to “fear or awe in the presence of a
spirit of a god.” According to the New International Webster Dictionary, religion is described as the “service
and adoration of God or a god as expressed to divine commands, and in forms of worship, in obedience to
divine commands, and in the pursuits of a way of life regarded as incumbent on true believers.” It is important
to note however, that religion is different from theology, Religion is the study of a human person’s way to God”
while theology is the “study of God’s way to humans and a philosophy that reflects how human person’s
experienced God.”
Considering the various definitions of religion, the American philosopher and psychologist William
James proposed that religion can be seen as collective name. In the broadest sense, he said that “religion
consists of the belief that there is an unseen order, and that our supreme good lies in harmoniously adjusting
ourselves thereto.” Hopfe (1991) tells that William James’ definition of religion has been used by most of the of
the world religions specifically those religions that deal in some way with people’s relationship to the unseen
world of spirits, gods, and demons, those have developed a system of myths about the unseen world and rituals
designed for communing with or propitiating the spirits, those that usually developed a cult of organized rituals,
temples, priest and scriptures at some point in their story, those have some statement about life beyond death
and has attracted large followers, wither currently or at some point in history.
Majority of the religions including Christianity, Judaism, Islam, and Hinduism believe that there is
“supreme being” who caused everything to exist. This belief moves them to adore and worship a particular God
albeit called by different names.
THEORIES OF THE ORIGIN OF RELIGIONS
1. The Animistic Theories
The English ethnologist Edward Burnett Tylor (1832 1917) offers one of the most outstanding
explanations about the animistic theory. In his book entitled Primitive Culture, he explains that primitive people
believed in the "soul" (anima in Latin) and that all living and even nonliving things in nature have soul or spirit.
The primitive people believe that the spirit can help or harm either an individual or a tribe. In order to appease
and be favored by the spirits, the people pray and offer sacrifices to them. The awareness of the existence of the
spirit in the cosmos lead the primitive people to worship nature such as rivers, trees, stones, sun, and the like.
From this animistic view, primitive people also developed the practice of ancestor worship and veneration.
2. The Theory of Original Monotheism
The scholar Wilhelm Schmidt (1868-1954) in his book The Origin and Growth of Religion: Facts and
The Theories, disagrees with the animistic and nature-worship theories. In his study of the tribal cultures in
Oceania, he found out that the tribal people embrace a common of belief on "distant high god." This "god" is
the creator of the world and may have been the "parent" of the lesser deities. The tribal people of Oceania also
believe that it was this high god who has given the society its moral codes through human forerunners. From his
studies, Schmidt concludes that the primitive societies are originally monotheistic. However, the challenge of
the various expression of worship to one god less leads tribal people into polytheism.
3. The Nature-Worship Theory
Max Muller (1823-1900), a German philologist and orientalist, develops the nature-worship theory.
Fascinated by mythology and Indian religions, Muller is convinced that human beings develop their religions
from their natural observations of the forces of nature. He theorized from the awareness of human being on the
symmetry of the seasons and time. With this awareness, they began to describe the activities of nature using
stories and tales which eventually became myths. Muller even used the Greek myth of Apollo and Daphne to
Learning Module
Introduction to World Religions and Belief System
describe how early humans view the natural occurrence of the sun chasing away the dawn. Muller fully believes
that the origin of all religions came about when the ancient people identified the forces in the natural
surroundings, personified them, and generated myths on them to depict their activities and then eventually
developing social groups and religions around them.
4. Theories of Religion as Projections of Human Needs
There are also influential thinkers who speculate that religion is a "projection of human needs." One of
them is Ludwig Feuerbach (1804-1872), a German philosopher who asserts that religions are "just prognosis of
the dreams and wishes of humanity." He explains that people yearn for "heaven" to escape from the worries and
problems of "earth." In essence, religion is a form of wishing for paradise to replace the difficulty of life. On the
other hand, the philosopher Karl Marx (1818-1883) views religion through the eye-lens of "classes in society."
He argues that "religion is the opium of the society" because it used by the upper class of people to suppress and
undermine the lower class.
PRINCIPAL ELEMENTS OF WORLD RELIGIONS
Every religion is unique. Each religion has its own doctrines, moral codes, and ways of worship. Despite
such distinctions, what common elements can be found (albeit in varying degrees) among all religions?
Discovering the principal elements among the major religions is important because it will allow us to
understand their fundamental features.
A. Experiences of the Sacred
Scholars Schmidt et al (2005) describes religious experiences as "socially approved and mediated
interpretations of physiologically generated sensations." This means that the interpretation of a human
experience can make the experience (or encounter) a religious one. Proudfoot (1985) is in consonance with
Schmidt's view and adds that "a person identifies their experience as religious when he or she comes to believe
that the best explanation of what happened is a religious one." One way to demonstrate the views of Schmidt
and Proudfoot is to imagine a village wherein the indigenous people have seen a bright colored rainbow during
their worship ritual and the people interpret the rainbow as a "sign" that the gods and goddesses are pleased with
their act. Another example is the belief of some people regarding a typhoon that destroyed crops and claimed
lives as punishment from God due to their sinful ways.
B. Sacred Stories, Time, and Spaces
Other elements of world religions are the sacred stories, sacred time, and sacred spaces. Every religion
has sacred stories or sacred myths. Scholars like Richard Buxton and Robert Segal (2004) asserts that the
supernatural stories of religions are myths. The stories or myths of many traditional religions shares common
elements. They usually convey the historical events about the creation of the world, the birth or rebirth of god,
practices to live a moral life and life after death. They also attempt to answer questions such as, "Where did
man and the universe come from?" or "What will happen when a human person die?"
A classic example of this shared common query is about the origin of the world. Among Jews and
Christians, the story of creation is found in the book of Genesis in the Bible. The "biblical creation stories"
narrate how "God, the Father" created the whole world and the first man and woman. However, among
Buddhists, "creation" is a "repeated occurrence" wherein for every "cycle" the earth is formed and man is reborn
to start the human race. On the other hand, Hindus believe that the world began from the primal man named
"Purusa." Purusa's body is the world wherein his upper extremities are heaven and his lower extremities are
earth. The different "castes" of mankind also came from the parts of Purusa's body. The Muslims believe that
Allah (God) created the universe and everything in it.
Learning Module
Introduction to World Religions and Belief System
Time, events, as well as the sacred spaces are also important elements in the history of the many
religious traditions in the world. The concept of sacred time and space supports the identity of the different
religions. It presents the history of the ancestors' unique practices, customs, and beliefs. For example, in
Christianity, the liturgical year involves the significant events in the "salvific acts" of God the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit in the life of the Christians. These events guide its members in the practice of their faith,
morals, and worship traditions. The holy day of the week for Christians is Sunday. It is the day of rest and
thanksgiving to God. This belief is based from the story of creation, wherein God rested on the seventh day. In
thanksgiving, Christians are called to worship and thank God in the celebration of the Eucharist in the Church.
While for Islam, Friday is the most important day in the week since the Prophet Muhammad instructed his
brothers that the best day in the sight of God is Friday. It is the day of congregation, where Muslims come
together in the Mosque to worship One God and reaffirm their faith to Him. The same is true to other religions.
Time and spaces are important facets in the identity of each group.
C. Community and Moral Codes
Every religion has a community of believers. The members are responsible for the transmission of the
belief system that is shared and practiced by the community. The codes of conduct as well as the doctrine of
their faith are passed from one generation to the other. This allows the preservation of the formulated doctrine,
moral codes, beliefs, and ritual of each religion. Religious leadership is vital in safeguarding the faith and
guiding the moral practices of their particular religious community. Although, some religions have specific
governance and structure, there are those who do not. Christians, specifically in Catholicism, the Pope (the
Bishop of Rome) is considered as the leader of the church. While the Dalai Lama, a Tibetan monk, leads the
Tibetan Buddhists. For Judaism, there are no consensus regarding the global leader but there are "chief rabbis"
in various countries where such religion is present. Among the Muslim, the "Imam" serves as religious leader of
the various religious communities.
Spirituality
Spirituality means different things to different people. For some, it’s primarily about a belief in God and
active participation in organized religion. For others, it’s about non-religious experiences that help them get in
touch with their spiritual serves through quiet reflection, time in nature, private prayer, yoga, or meditation.
Zinnbauer and Pargament (2005) identify two general perspectives on the relationship between
spirituality and religiousness. Both perspectives assume that these two are not identical concepts; but while the
first perspective regards the two concepts as incompatible opposites, the second one does not. For the first
perspective, it is not possible to be religious and spiritual at the same time. A religious person in the regard is
not a spiritual person, and a spiritual person is not a religious person. On the second hand, the second
perspective maintains that it is possible to be religious and spiritual at the same time. A religious person can be
a spiritual, and a spiritual person can be a religious person. What makes them different or not identical is simply
that one is a form or version of the other. That is, either religiousness is a form of spirituality or spirituality is a
form of religiousness.
Learning Module
Introduction to World Religions and Belief System
LET’S DO THIS!
A. Read and understand the following statements. Encircle the letter of the correct answer.
1. The term religion comes from the Latin word religio which means:
a. fear or awe in the presence of a spirit of a god
b. deals with science
c. the priori
d. to live peacefully
2. This refers to a set of beliefs that is both coherent and comprehensive.
a. worldview
b. ideology d. spirituality
c. philosophy
3. The following religions believe in only one God except:
a. Judaism c. Islam
b. Christianity d. Hinduism
4. This claims that there is only one God.
a. monotheism d. monotheism
b. dualism
c. polytheism
5. The worldview is described as the worship of or belief in many divine beings or gods.
a. atheism c. monotheism
b. polytheism d. nontheism
B. Enumerate the following.
Religions under monotheistic religion
1. Judaism
2. Christianity
3. Islam
Religions under polytheistic religion
1. Hinduism
2. Shintoism
3. Taoism
4. Thelema
5. Wicca
Learning Module
Introduction to World Religions and Belief System
C. Relate one of the theories of the origin of religions to your own religion. What theory of
origin does your religion follow?
Religion as a product of alienation that served to alleviate people's immediate suffering
and as an ideology that masked the true nature of social relations, building on Ludwig
Feuerbach's ideas. it as a transient aspect of human culture that would vanish once
class society was abolished. However, these assertions were limited to his examination
of the historical relationship between European cultures, political institutions, and
Christian religious traditions.
Have you learned something new about the things you have just read? Share
them!
Summary__________________________________________________
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A belief system is an ideology or set of principles that helps us to interpret our everyday
reality. This could be in the form of religion, political affiliation, philosophy, spirituality, among
many other things.
Religion is the study of a human person’s way to God” while theology is the “study of God’s
way to humans and a philosophy that reflects how human person’s experienced God.”
There are theories of origin of religions, namely: Animistic theory, Theory of original
Monotheism, the Nature-Worship Theory, and Theories of Religion as Projections of Human
Needs. Also, there are principle elements of world religions and these are Experiences of the
Sacred, and Community and Moral Codes.
Spirituality means different things to different people. For some, it’s primarily about a belief
in God and active participation in organized religion. For others, it’s about non-religious
experiences that help them get in touch with their spiritual serves through quiet reflection, time
in nature, private prayer, yoga, or meditation.
Religion contains a worldview. A worldview refers to a set of beliefs that is both coherent and
comprehensive. Various worldviews of religions can be categorized as polytheistic,
monotheistic, and agnostic.
References_________________________________________________
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Books
Mabaquiao, N. (2017). Understanding Religion. The Padayon Series: Introduction to World
Religions and Belief Systems. (pp. 12). Phoenix Publishing House, Inc.
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Introduction to World Religions and Belief System
del Castillo, F. & del Castillo C.D. (2016). The Elements of World Religions. Threskeia:
Introduction to World Religions and Belief Systems. (pp. 4-8). Don Bosco Press, Inc.
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