Lesson 1_Understanding the Nature of Religion.pptx

Understanding the Nature

1. Understanding the Nature of Religion

2. objectives 1. Give an example of a belief system or a worldview 2. Differentiate religion from: a. spirituality b. theology c. philosophy of religion 3. Infer that: a. a belief system or worldview is a particular way of ordering the realities of one’s world b. religion is the pursuit of transformation guided by a sacred belief system c. spirituality is one’s integrative view of life Identify

3. What are the similarities and differences of spirituality, theology and religion?

4. What does it mean to be religious and spiritual? Why is religion linked to humankind’s quest to search for the real meaning of life and death?

5. Understanding the nature of religion enlightens learners about the common grounds that bind believers into examining the questions of life and death and why or how persons yearn for spiritual inspiration.

6. UNDERSTANDING BELIEFS AND WORLDVIEWS

7. UNDERSTANDING BELIEFS AND WORLDVIEWS WORLDVIEW is a collection of beliefs about life and the universe being held by people (The Free Dictionary 2014).

8. A socially constructed institution with particular historical contexts and trajectories depending on the physical and social constraints that it is faced with. Religion and the Social Sciences

9. Social reality Defining Religion Substantive – Concerned with what constitutes religion (beliefs and practices) Functional – concerned with the social consequences of religion

10. SUBSTANTIVE Religion involves beliefs and practices “which assume the existence of supernatural beings.” * In the attempt of primitive human beings to understand their inexplicable individual experiences.

11. FUNCTIONAL Religion as a “unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things, that is to say, things set apart and forbidden – beliefs and practices which unite into one single moral community. * In the context of an organization

12. Elements of Religion Reflects an effort to elevate their whole self to a higher dimension of existence . A framework of transcendent beliefs . Text or scriptures. Rituals Sacred Spaces [Church, Temple, Mosque, Synagogue]

13. BELIEF SYSTEMS OR WORLDVIEWS Kinds Description Monism there is no real distinction between god and the universe Polytheism the belief and worship of many gods Monotheism the doctrine or belief in one supreme god Atheism disbelief in or denial of the existence of a personal god Agnosticism god cannot be known

14. DEFINITION AND NATURE OF RELIGION Religion may be defined as “an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a god or a group of gods” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary) Religare which means “to tie together, to bind fast.” In its original sense, the word refers to the expression of proper piety, that is, binding to god ( Grassie 2010). Quite later, religion was used to designate formal belief systems and tenets.

15. DEFINITION AND NATURE OF RELIGION Name of Social Scientist Background View on Religion Edward Burnett Tylor (1832-1917) English anthropologist; founding figure of the science of social anthropology the belief in spiritual beings James George Frazer (1854-1941) Scottish social anthropologist; one of the founding figures of modern anthropology a propitiation or conciliation of powers superior to man which are believed to control and direct the course of nature and of human life

16. DEFINITION AND NATURE OF RELIGION Name of Social Scientist Background View on Religion Bronislaw Kasper Malinowski (1884-1942) an eminent 20th-century Polish anthropologist a body of self-contained acts being themselves the fulfilment of their purpose; an affair of all, in which everyone takes an active and equivalent part David Ëmile Durkheim (1858-1917) French sociologist; father of sociology a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things

17. DEFINITION AND NATURE OF RELIGION

18. ORIGINS OF RELIGION Name of Theory Proponent Explanation Animistic Theories Edward Burnett Tylor (1832-1917), English anthropologist Primitive people believed in souls or anima found in people (seen in dreams) and in all of nature. Since spirits could be helpful or harmful to human beings, early people had to pray to these spirits, offer sacrifices, and appease or avoid them.

19. ORIGINS OF RELIGION Name of Theory Proponent Explanation Animistic Theories Robert Henry Codrington (1830- 1922), Anglican priest and anthropologist In his investigation, he found out that the Melanesian people believed in mana, a mysterious force that inhabited all of nature. All early people began their religion in cognizance of such force; the destructiveness of the mana can be avoided by establishing taboos.

20. ORIGINS OF RELIGION Name of Theory Proponent Explanation Nature-Worship Theory Human beings first developed their religions from their observations of the forces of nature. Early people became aware of the regularity of the seasons, the tides and the phases of the moon, and began personalizing them by giving them names, describing their activities with tales that transformed into mythology. Primitive people identified the forces in nature, personified them, created myths, and developed religions around them. Human beings first developed their religions from their observations of the forces of nature. Early people became aware of the regularity of the seasons, the tides and the phases of the moon, and began personalizing them by giving them names, describing their activities with tales that transformed into mythology. Primitive people identified the forces in nature, personified them, created myths, and developed religions around them.

21. ORIGINS OF RELIGION Name of Theory Proponent Explanation Theory of Original Monotheism Wilhelm Schmidt (1868-1954), Austrian anthropologist In Australia and Africa, basic cultures held a common belief in a distant high god, that originally there had been one great god above all others, and that he may have been the creator of the world or the father of the many lesser deities. This high god went away and had little contact with the world that resulted in majority of attention and worship to local deities. Primitive societies were originally monotheistic, but because it was difficult to worship just one god, religion was corrupted to polytheism.

22. ORIGINS OF RELIGION Name of Theory Proponent Explanation Magic Theory James George Frazer (1854-1941), Scottish social anthropologist People had gone three phases of development concerning the spirit world: (1) primitive magic (wherein people attempted to control nature in the hope that nature will cooperate if rituals are done properly); (2) religion (wherein people implored nature to cooperate since they have realized that nature can not be coerced); and (3) science (wherein a rational understanding of nature is operative)

23. ORIGINS OF RELIGION Name of Theory Proponent Explanation Wish Fulfilment Theory Ludwig Andreas von Feuerbach (1804- 1872), German philosopher and anthropologist There were no gods and that belief in gods was simply wish fulfilment. Troubled people who could not cope with the difficulties in life projected their wishes and developed gods and religions.

24. ORIGINS OF RELIGION Name of Theory Proponent Explanation Wish Fulfilment Theory Karl Heinrich Marx (1818-1883), German philosopher and sociologist Religions were developed by the few as a means to control the masses and suppress revolution as a result of the continuing struggle between classes. Rulers and allied priests wished to control all wealth so they had to create a scheme of gods, heavens, and hell. Masses were persuaded to accept poverty and be obedient to inherit bliss in another life.

25. ORIGINS OF RELIGION Name of Theory Proponent Explanation Wish Fulfilment Theory Sigmund Freud (1856-1939), Austrian neurologist and founder father of psychoanalysis Religion originated from the guilt that individuals supposedly feel in hating their fathers. All males possess a similar tendency to desire our mothers and hate our fathers. As a result of this subconscious hatred and ensuing guilt, a great father image was projected in the sky called God. A healthy mature person can face problems without the need for gods or religions.

26. Exploring Spirituality Spirituality Religion “spiritual” - “relating or affecting the human spirit or soul as opposed to material or physical things” (Oxford Dictionaries 2014) set of ideals practiced and followed by organized groups, spirare which means “to breathe” “divine reality as pervasive, intimate, necessary, and invisible as the air we breathe” which is similar to Hindu prana and Chinese chi . ( Grassie 2010). A comparative analysis of major religions reveals that an important characteristic of their belief system focuses on the longing for value in life ( Parrinder 1971).

27. Exploring Spirituality Spirituality Religion something an individual can have without being implicated in the ambivalent complexity of human societies and institutions” ( Grassie 2010)

28. Spirituality It is increasingly used to refer to alternative forms of approaching the divine that are not typically associated with organized religion . It refers to the self-directed journeys individuals make as they explore deinstitutionalized and non-doctrinal practices such as yoga and meditation.

29. Elements of Spirituality holistic (fully integrated view to life) quest for meaning (including the purpose of life) quest for the sacred (beliefs about God) suggests a self-reflective existence.

30. So, what is a person who is spiritual but not a religious? And, what is a person who is religious but not spiritual?

31. Exploring Spirituality Theology Philosophy of Religion Spirituality the systematic study of the existence and nature of the divine deals primarily with issues concerning religion, which includes analysis on the existence of a divine being or on sacred texts something an individual can have without being implicated in the ambivalent complexity of human societies and institutions ( Grassie 2010)

32. Exploring Spirituality Theology Philosophy of Religion Spirituality It deals with the study of the nature and purpose of god that may be undertaken using a particular perspective. It may involve studying the “concepts and belief systems of the religions as well as the prior phenomena of religious experience and the activities of worship and meditation on which these belief systems rest and out of which they have arisen” (Hick 1990). , spirituality can be described as one's integrative view of life and involves a quest for the meaning and ultimate value of life as opposed to an instrumentalist or materialistic attitude to life.

33. Exploring Spirituality Theology Philosophy of Religion Spirituality Theology is a study, not a formulation of religious beliefs. It seeks to analyze various concepts such as god, spirit, karma, creation, immortality, heaven, hell, and purgatory among others.

34. Exploring Spirituality Theology Philosophy of Religion Spirituality not a branch of theology but a branch of philosophy It is said that this particular study need not be undertaken from a religious perspective at all because atheists, agnostics, and the person of faith can and do philosophize about religion (Hick 1990).

35. Summary Religion may refer to any set of attitudes, beliefs, and practices aimed at communicating or propitiating with supernatural beings. Humans may recognize a superhuman being controlling power (such as a god or spirit) that seeks worship and obedience from them. Various theories have been formulated that try to explain the origin of religions. Religion may have originated in response to human’s need to explain their dreams and experiences as well as the need to understand the different forces of nature, especially so that humans may have faced pain and ignorance in their daily struggle for existence in early times. While religions are frequently viewed as sets of ideals practiced and followed by organized groups, spirituality involves one’s integrative view of life that is more personal while affecting the human soul.

36. A ssignment 1. How does your conception of a divine or supreme being compare with the supernatural beings found in other religious beliefs? 2. Do you agree with specific theory of religion? Defend your answer. 3. Do you consider yourself religious, or spiritual? Explain.