RELIGION

CHAPTER 7
Religion and belief systems
 Since time immemorial mankind has been in constant search for an
explanation about the truth and meaning of life. Questions regarding
the meaning, purpose, and the mystery behind everything that happens
in this world continue to plague our very existence. People have been
asking about things that are beyond the capacity of ordinary reason. In
addition, humans have always had a sense of yearning for something
that is beyond the physical needs of life. There is always this longing to
be able to understand the nature of life and what lies thereafter. These
inquiries have further led mankind to actually believe in something that
is greater than the limits of human reasoning. However, it would be
hard to pinpoint the exact moment in history when this happened.
RELIGION
 The set of beliefs, feelings, dogmas and practices that
define relations between human being and sacred or
divinity. A given religion is defined by specific elements of a
community of believers: dogmas, sacred books, rites,
worship, sacrament, moral prescription, interdicts and
organization.
Religion may be defined with its
three great characteristics:

 Beliefs and religious practices

 The religious feeling (e.g faith)
 Unity in a community of those who share the same faith
(Church, Temple, Mosque)
Social Functions of Religion
 Religion is beautifully interwoven into society to address
questions that we humans, do not have an immediate
answer to. Religion functions as a thread that binds people
into certain beliefs and practices that would cover for
their desire to be emotionally and spiritually satisfied.
Social Functions of Religion
 Religion is integrated and ingrained in our society,
that some cultures revolved around certain religious
traditions and customs. In turn, these practices
affect how people perform day-to-day
functions. It has a significant impact on what they
choose to eat, wear, say or do. It also affects how
they see themselves as a member of society and
how they interact with other people as well.
Your different managers is saying different
things from the other
One says to sacrifices on Monday, another says
sacrifices on Tuesday…
One says to pray before sunrise….Another says to
pray after the sunset…
One says to worship cattle…another says to
sacrifice it…
One says go to temples without any shoes, another
says go to church wearing boots…
TYPES OF
RELIGION
 According to the CIA World Factbook (2012), world
population is at 7, 021,836,029. of this number, 31.59% are
Christians. 23.2% are Muslims, 15% are Hindus, 7.1% are
Buddhist, 0.35% are Sikhs, 0.2% are Jewish, 0.11% are
Baha’is, 10.95% have other religions; 9.66% are non-
religious, and 2.01% are Atheists. All of these religions have
commonalities in one way or another but they are also very
different from one another.
 There are five religions that are considered to be major on
the number of followers they have all over the world. These
major religions are Judaism, Christianity, Islam,
Hinduism, and Buddhism.
JUDAISM
Originated in the West Asia is one
of the oldest religions in the world.
It is centered on the belief that
there is only one God called
Yahweh who made an agreement
with his people which was
symbolized by the Ark of
 According to this covenant, the
descendants of Abraham regarded
as the ancestor of the blessed
nation of Israel, will prosper for all
days to come because they are
God’s chosen people.
Judaism’s holy text is called Torah
which is also known as the Old
Testament of the Holy Bible. It
contains the Ten Commandments
which reveal God’s direction for
his people.
In terms of structure, Judaism does
not recognize a single international
centralized body in charge of its
religious practices. Rather, each
local congregation is headed by a
rabbi (teacher) to oversee and
manage their affairs. Jewish people
worship in synagogues which also
CHRISTIANITY
 A religion that is based on the
life of and teachings of Jesus
Christ as chronicle in the New
Testament of the Holy Bible.
Adherents to this religion belong to
either one of its three major
groups-Roman Catholics,
Protestants, and Orthodox
Christians. These have different
practices, customs and doctrines.
 However, the belief system
revolves around Jesus Christ as
the Saviour and the sole salvation
of mankind. Christians believe
that the universe is created by
an omnipotent and omniscient
God who sent his son down to
 Furthermore, most Christian
groups also believe in the
doctrine of Trinity which say that
there is God with three different
personas-the Father, the Son,
and the Holy Spirit. They believe
that the Father sent His son, Jesus
Christ to save mankind. When He
ISLAM
 Islam, which literally means
submission, is a religion that
originated in Saudi Arabia in West
Asia or the Middle East. The
fundamental belief system of this
religion is based on the teachings
of the Prophet Muhammad who
According to Muhammad, there is
only one God called Allah to
whom all people should submit to.
His followers wrote about his
teachings and later complied
them to form the holy text for
Muslims known as the Quran
 The Five Pillars of Islam are:
Shahadah, the profession of
Islamic faith; Salat, the
performance of prayers five times
in a day; Zakat, giving alms to the
poor, Sawm, fasting during the
month of Ramadan; and Hajj, the
 Islamic leader is called Imam
whose main responsibility is to
lead the people in prayer as well
as manage the affairs of the
mosque which is the place of
worship for Muslims.
BUDDHISM
 One of the oldest, most
established religions in the world.
It originated in a kingdom in South
Asia known today as the country of
Nepal. It was founded by
Siddharta Gautama, more
popularly known as Buddha or
He was previously a prince living in
a life of comfort and luxury before
he got enlightened, Buddha’s
enlightenment came about when
he saw that life is full of sufferings-
poverty, sickness, and old age.
 His teachings known as the
Dharma states that for a person to
overcome the pains and sufferings
of life, one must break free from
the cycle by following the Middle
Way and the Eightfold Path.
 The Middle Way is to live life
devoid of human desires and full of
self-denial. The Noble Eightfold
Path consists of the following:
right view, right intentions,
right speech, right action, right
livelihood, right effort, right
HINDUISM
 Considered to be one of the oldest
religions of the world in existence.
It is deeply rooted in the culture of
India as it predates back the
recorded history of the country and
even the rest of the world.
 Hinduism does not have a known
founder or a single text which
could be regarded as the source of
its doctrines. However, its
teachings could be found in
ancient texts called the Vedas (Rig
Veda,Sama Veda. Yajur Veda and
 Furthermore, Hindus believe in
multiple gods but the most
important ones are the Trimurti.
These gods are Brahma, the
creator of the universe;
Vishnu, the preserver; and
Shiva, the destroyer.
Another central belief to Hinduism
is the caste system which
classifies people into different
social classes. The four main
categories of the caste system are:
Brahmans, the highest rank
composed of priests and scholars;
Kshatriyas, rulers and warriors,
Vaisyas, merchants and
Other known religions
of the world
Confucianism
 Centered on the teachings of Confucius or Kong Zi who is a Chinese
philosopher

Jainism
 An Indian religion founded by a wealthy prince named Mahavira

Shinto
 The oldest surviving religion of Japan. It literally means the way of
the gods.
Sikhism
 A religion which originated in Northern India and is founded by Nanak,

Taoism
 A Chinese philosophy of the way of life as preached by a man named
Lao Zi or the old master

Greek Mythology
 With a polytheistic belief system in multiple gods that rule the world
and beyond.
There are also thousands of tribal
religions existing in the world
particularly in Africa. These belief
systems usually regard nature and all its
elements as sacred.
Ecumenism and
Interfaith Dialogue
Ecumenism
 Refers to the movement or tendency which emphasizes
worldwide Christian unity and universality. The term
ecumenism is derived from the Greek words oikoumene
which means “the inhabited world” and oikos “house”. The
origins of the Ecumenical movement can be traced back to
the teachings, commands, promises and prayers of Jesus
Christ.
 Ecumenism refers to a literal idea of a single church which
could be achieved either by organizational unity (through
the Roman Catholic Church) or spiritual unity (through
universal and standard teachings and doctrines concerning
matters of the Christian faith)
Interfaith Dialogue or Interfaith
Pluralism
 Promotes the idea that despite the diversity of religious
belief systems existing in the world today, a peaceful co-
existence can be achieved.
 Promotes a general understanding among different belief
system based on mutual respect and an attitude of
cooperation. The idea is that every religion should be
respected for what it is. In fact, trying to change the way
people think about religions would not lead to a better
dialogue and commitment of peace.
100 word essay
Write a reflection/reaction from the movie PK