THE SPIRITUAL SELF

U N DER ST AN DI N G T HE SELF
THE PRACTICE OF RELIGION: BELIEF IN
SUPERNATURAL BEING AND POWER
 RELIGION

• beliefs and behaviors related to

supernatural beings and powers
 CHARACTERISTICS OF RELIGION

• A belief in anthropomorphic
supernatural being
• A focus on the sacred supernatural
• The presence of supernatural
power or energy that is found on
supernatural beings as well as
physical beings and objects
 CHARACTERISTICS OF RELIGION

• The performance of ritual activities

• The articulation of worldview and moral
codes through narratives and other
means
• 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
The choice of religious
belief lies within the
spiritual self, although the
choice maybe influenced
by the society and its
culture
Supernatural forces
range from impersonal
spirits to gods and can
be all powerful or
annoying creatures that
possess humans
Animism is
the belief
that nature
has soul
 CRITERIA ANIMISM ANIMATISM
Definition the belief that spirits belief that there is
exist in natural objects power in all forces
around u
Characte- speaks of individual Does not speak of
ristics spiritual beings individual spiritual
beings
Supernatu- does not speak of a speaks of a
ral Force singular supernatural supernatural force that
force but various exists everywhere in
spiritual beings both inanimate and
animated
Personality Supernatural forces Supernatural force
have personalities does not have a
particular personality
Some
religious
traditions
consider
geographic
places to be
spiritually
sacred.
 Ancestral spirits are souls or
spirits of dead relatives freed
from their body at death who
maintain an interest in living
gods and goddesses
THE CONCEPT OF "DUNGAN"
S PIR IT OR S OUL
"Dungan" is an
indigenous
Filipino term
which refers to
the soul or spirit
Ilonggos:
“dungan” (if alive);
“kalag” (if dead)
Tagalog: “Kaluluwa”
Bagobos:
“Gimokud”
Bukidnons:
“Makatu”
Ilokanos:
“Kadkadwa”
The "dungan" or soul of the
Ilonggos, according to Alicia
Magos (1986), is not
normally seen by the human
eye.

Sometimes, however, it
comes out of the body and
takes on a visible form such
as that of an insect (a
housefly or a moth) or a
small animal like a lizard.
RITUALS AND CEREMONIES
- the performance of
ceremonial acts
prescribed by
tradition or sacred law
- "is a sequence of
activities involving
gestures, words, and
objects, performed in
a sequestered place,
and performed
according to set
sequence"
 CHARACTERISTICS OF RITUALS

• a feeling or emotion of respect,

awe, fascination, or dread in
relation to the sacred
• dependence upon a belief system
that is usually expressed in the
language of myth
• is symbolic in relation to its
reference
 FUNCTIONS

• Reduce stress
• Reinforce group
norms and identity
• Provide sanctions
for individual
behavior
• Provide a sense of
the world
The self can be
described as a
ritual being
Participation
in ritual is an
expression of
religious
beliefs
Ceremony is "a
formal religious
or public
occasion,
typically one
celebrating a
particular event
or anniversary."
HOMEWORK
In groups, research on
Local/Indigenous Filipino
Religious Beliefs and Practices
and the functions they serve.
Make a short powerpoint
presentation of it and upload it
in the LMS.
RELIGION, MAGIC, AND
WITCHCRAFT
Religion is an
organized system
of ideas about the
spiritual sphere,
along with
ceremonial
practices.
 FUNCTIONS

• creates a moral
community
• provides rites of
passage
• provides emotional
support
• serves as a means to
provide answers to
ultimate questions
• agent of social
change
Magic are illusions.
They are the oldest
performing arts in the
world in which
audiences are
entertained by staged
tricks of seemingly
impossible using
natural means.
 FUNCTIONS

• avoidance or healing
of illness in humans
• seeking some “luck”
where the outcome is
in doubt or beyond
factual influence
• captivate audience
with expert
showmanship
Witchcraft is an
explanation of events
based on the belief
that certain
individuals possess
an innate psychic
power capable of
causing harm,
including sickness
and death
 FUNCTIONS

• Effective way for people

to explain a personal
misfortune without having
to shoulder any blame to
themselves
• Provides an outlet for
feelings of hostility and
frustration without
disturbing the norms of
the larger group
Religion, magic and even witchcraft
serve the same functions of trying to
explain the unexplainable behavior and
providing comfort and a coherent view of
the world.
FINDING AND CREATING
MEANING
Viktor E.
Frankl
- Father of
Logotherapy
- proposes that
"man's primary
motivational force
is search for
meaning"
Logotherapy uses the
optimism in the
philosophy of
face of tragedy, where people are
capable of "turning suffering" into
human achievement and
accomplishment; deriving from guilt
the opportunity to change oneself for
the better, and deriving from life's
transitoriness an incentive to take
responsible action."
 THREE WAYS OF DISCOVERING
MEANING IN LIFE

•1. by doing a deed

•2. by experiencing a value
•3. by suffering
 LOGOTHERAPY ASSUMPTIONS

• 1. The human being is an entity consisting of

body, mind, and spirit
• 2. Life has meaning under all circumstances, even
the most miserable
• 3. People have a will to meaning
• 4. People have freedom under all circumstances
to activate the will to find meaning
• 5. Life has a demand quality to which people
must respond if decisions are to be meaningful
• 6. The individual is unique
FRANKL'S SOURCES OF MEANING

• 1. Purposeful
work
• 2. Courage in
the face of
difficulty
• 3. Love
“Love is the only way to grasp another
human being in the innermost core of his
personality. No one can become fully aware of
the very essence of another human being unless
he loves him. By his love, he is enabled to
see the essential traits and features in the
beloved person; and even more, he sees that
which is potential in him... Furthermore, by his
love, the loving person enables the beloved
person to actualize these potentials. By making
him aware of what he can be and of what he
should become, he makes these potentialities
come true."