Lesson-3-Supernaturals-Believe-It-ot-Not.pptx

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1. Lesson 3: Supernaturals : Believe It or Not!

2. INTRODUCTION Spiritual self is one of the four constituents of the “self” according to William James in his book, The principles of Psychology in 1890. the spiritual self is the most intimate, inner subjective part of self. It is the most intimate version of the self because of the satisfaction experienced when thinking of one’s ability to argue and discriminate, of one’s moral sensibility and conscience, and of our unconquerable will (James 1890) is purer than all other sentiments of satisfaction. (Green1997) The ability to use moral sensibility and conscience may be seen through the expressions of religion, its beliefs and practices. In the same manner, cultural ritual and ceremonies are some manifestation what people believe in. Moreover, seeking the meaning of life is a journey that the spiritual is on.

3. RELIGION Rebecca Stein (Stein 2011) works on the definition of religion :as a set of cultural beliefs and practice 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 being and objects. 4. The performance of ritual activities that involves the manipulation of sacred object to communicate to supernatural beings and/or influence or control events.

4. 5. The articulation of worldview and moral codes through narrative 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 events. RITUAL Ritual 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 way of defining or describing humans. There are three fundamental characteristics of rituals according to Penner (Britannica 2017). Ritual has the characteristics of:

5. 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. Some World Religious Beliefs and Practices There are different religions with different beliefs and practices. Some of the major world religions are Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism. Excerpt of some religious beliefs and practices are found in the university of London’s Religion and Belief Guide 2017.

6. Buddhism Beliefs Buddhism believes that life is not a bed of roses. Instead, there are suffering, pain, and frustration. When people suffer, they want to experience the goodness of life an avoid disappointment. It becomes a habit known as the reactive cycle of wanting and hating, like a dislike, and craving and aversion. This reactive cycle can be broken through the practice of mediation, acquiring, more wisdom and deeper understanding, and acceptance pf things as they are. Customs and Practices There are two types of meditation practice: samatha and vipassana . Samatha is practiced as mindfulness of breathing and development of loving kindness (Metta Bhavanna ). Vipassana practice aim at developing insight into reality. Acquiring wisdom is by studying Buddha’s teaching, the Dharma. Through the reflection of Dharma, Buddhism, can achieve a deeper understanding of life. Buddhism believe in non-violence principle.

7. Some of the major Buddhist celebration are Parinirvana Day in Febuary ; Buddha Day ( Wesak ) in May; Dharma Day in July; Padmasabhava Day in October; and Sangha Day in November. Christianity Beliefs Christian believe in Trinitarian God. One God in three personas: God the father (Creator), God the Son (Savior), and God the holy spirit (Sustainer). Eternal life 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 sin of the humanity but resurrected from the death, so that anyone who believes in him will be saved and have eternal life. The Holy Bible is a selection of books, which is divided into two, the old testament and new testament.

8. 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. Christmas and Resurrection (Easter) are the two major celebration in Christianity. Christmas, usually on December 25, commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ while Resurrection Sunday (Depends on the lunar calendar, sometime in March or April) celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ from death.

9. Hinduism 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 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 its next incarnation 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.

10. Customs and Practices Diwali, and Navrati are the most celebrated festival of the hindus . Dawali is the festival of lights while Navrati is the festival of nine nights, which celebrate the triumphs of good over evil. Hindus have set dates to honor particular manifestation of God. Islam Beliefs Muslims believe in Allah, who is their “One God” they believe in the unity and universality of God. Muslims also have a strong sense of community or “ ummah ” and an awareness of their solidarity with all Muslim worldwide. Islam means “willing submission to God.”

11. Muslims believe that Mohammed is the last and final prophet sent by God. Mohammed was born in Mecca in 570 CE and received revelation from God through the Angle Gabriel over a period of 23 years. The holy book of Islam is called the Quran, which 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: Shahadha - 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.

12. 3. Zakat- the monetary offering for the benefit of the poor. It comprises the 2.5% of a Muslim’s assests . 4. Hajj- the yearly pilgrimage to Mecca. Muslims who can afford are asked to do the pilgrimage at least once in their lifetimes. 5. Sawm - the fasting. Muslims do fasting, from food, drink, and sexual act, during the celebration of Ramadan. Ramadan is the night 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 . Eidul-Fitr is the celebration at the end of Ramadan, while Eidul-Adha is celebrated within the completion of the Pilgrimage, the Hajj.

13. JUDAISM 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.

14. 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 Sabbath meal.

15. Religious beliefs, rituals, practices and customs are all part of the expression of the spiritual self. What to believe and to manifest the belief is entirely dependent on the individual, to the self. A person might believe that there is a higher being, a supernatural being, usually termed as God, but not necessarily wants to be affiliated or identified with a certain religious group. Others may have religious practices which are perceived to be contrary to the practices of other groups. Religious beliefs and practices, therefore, are formed relative to its context and culture.