DEFINITION AND

NATURE OF RELIGION
-Religion may defined as “an organized system
of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to
worship a god or a group of gods”

-Religion is defined as the relationship

between humans and that which they regard
as holy, sacred, absolute, spiritual, divine, or
worthy of special reverence.
 Five elements of
Religion
1.Belief
2.Organization
3.Emotions and values
4.Rituals and Ceremonies
5.Sacred objectives and
spaces
1. Belief- religions combine
elements of belief systems and
worldviews, as they not only seek
to explain the existence of all
things but also have sacred
histories or narratives which are
preserved in their scriptures.
2. Organization- religion is an
organized set of beliefs, rituals, and
emotions. Every religion has its
structure and function, and every
individual member is expected to
perform a certain role.
3. Emotions and Values- religion
evokes emotions such as hope,
fear, reverence, and humility.
These emotions are traced to the
divine and the individual’s
relationship with it.
4. Rituals and Ceremonies- all
religions have their respective
rituals and ceremony. Most religious
rituals mark major events in life
such as birth, puberty, marriage,
and death.
5. Sacred Objects and Spaces- are
considered representations of the
divine, and are concrete
indications of the relationship
between the faithful and the
divine.
Different kinds of belief systems or
worldviews 1.Monism- There is no real
distinction between god and the
universe.
2.Polytheism- The belief and worship of
many gods. 3.Monotheism-The
doctrine or belief in one supreme god.
4.Atheism-Disbelief in or denial of the
existence of a personal god.
 KEY ELEMENTS OF RELIGION
A.Religion contains a worldview
 A worldview refers to a set of beliefs that is both
coherent and comprehensive. As a coherent set of
beliefs forms a belief system, another way of saying
the same is that a worldview refers to a
comprehensive belief system.
 Religion consists of beliefs. Beliefs generally refer to
assertions, claims, or thoughts about things that are
held to be true. Beliefs are, strictly speaking, mental
states that advance claims or knowledge about the
world, and are expressible in the form of statements
Different kinds of belief systems or
worldviews 1.Monism- There is no real
distinction between god and the
universe.
2.Polytheism- The belief and worship of
many gods. 3.Monotheism-The doctrine
or belief in one supreme god.
4.Atheism-Disbelief in or denial of the
existence of a personal god.
5.Agnosticism- God cannot be known
 RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY

PHILOSOPHY- is the science or discipline

which uses human reason to
investigate the ultimate cause, reasons,
and principles that govern all things.

PHILOSOPHY is related to religion since

it explores that experiences of humans
as they relate to God.
Philosophy of Religion- refers to the
study of the meaning and nature or
religion. It focuses on the analysis of
religious concept, beliefs, terms,
arguments, and the practices of
religious adherents.
 SPIRITUALITY AND RELLIGION
SPIRITUALITY- refers to a broad set of
principles that transcend all religions.
- it emphasizes the experience
and expression of the sacred, the
search for transcendent meaning, the
attainment of harmony with the
universe, and the achievement of a
sense of purpose and balance in the
face of life’s challenges.
 THE ELEMENTS OF
SPIRITUALITY
1. A holistic or fully integrated view
of life;
2. A search for meaning and
purpose in life;
3. A desire to attain knowledge
regarding the sacred;
4. Self-reflective existence
 The Geographic,
Cultural, and Social
Factors that Influenced
the Development of
Religions
 Cultural Diversity played a great part in
shaping religions. During the precolonial
period, early Filipinos expressed their
religious beliefs through artistic means, such
as carving figurines of their deities and God.
In Egypt, there are religious writings
called the “Pyramid Texts.” these texts are
considered the oldest religious writings in the
world and make up the principal funerary
literature of ancient Egypt. The Pyramid Texts
are seen as an assurance that the gods will
guide the departed on its eternal home.
 Social factors also shape people’s
beliefs, lifestyles, and personalities. These
may include prominent personalities who
have greatly impacted their respective
religions; such as Pope John Paul II and
Mother Teresa, for example, are considered
among the most influential personalities of
the Catholic Church.
The Earliest Evidence of Religion in Early
Human Society
The Paleolithic or “Old Stone” age dates
from the earliest use of stone stools some
one million years ago to about 10,000BCE.
Throughout this period, humans were
hunter-gatherers and fishers. They were not
yet makers of food. They gradually learned
to create and utilize refined tools of stone
and used consumable resources like logs for
fuel, having learned to make and regulate
 This evidence suggests that belief in the
supernatural- that there is more to the world
than meets the eye, and that there is
something which transcends and is beyond
the natural environment- is as old as the
human race itself.
 The Homo sapiens’ adaptability and
penchant for survival caused them to
migrate from one place to another. This
migration separated their descendants from
those of other human groups for extended
periods
However, groups which were
geographically isolated from each other-
sometimes continents apart-experienced
cultural changes similar to each other,
possibly due to shares desires for
discovery.
 Development of Early Religious
Beliefs
THE EMERGENCE OF
CIVILIZATIONS
• MESOPOTAMIA
• EGYPT
• INDUS VALLEY
• CHINA
• THE AMERICAN
 THE DISTRIBUTION AND SPREAD OF
RELIGIONS
The nature of religion greatly affects the
geographic distribution of its adherents
around the world.
 Universal Religions – are those that are
widely distributed, and whose goal is to
convert people. Believers are encouraged to
share their beliefs with non-believers.
Universal religions engage in missionary
activities and admit new members through
symbolic and ritualistic acts of commitment.
Ethnic Religions – are confined to particular
countries or regions or practiced within a
particular group of people. For example,
Hinduism is a prominent religion in India,
Confucianism and Taoism are confined mainly
to China, and Shintoism is concentrated in
Japan. The spread of ethnic religions is limited
and slow since these religions do not actively
seek converts.
 RELIGION AND CULTURE
Culture, according to de Leon ( 2012),
is a system of vital ideas that contain,
energize, and direct virtually every
aspect of social life and person’s
relationship with the world. Culture
encompasses everything from which
values, attitudes, motivations, and skills
emerge.
Culture is define as “ the whole complex
of distinctive spiritual, material,
intellectual and emotional features that
characterize a society or social group. It
includes not only the arts and letters but
also modes of life, the fundamental rights
of the human being, value systems,
traditions, and belief.”
Religion can serve not only as an
identifying feature, but a binding agent for
units of society, from small units like the
family to larger ones such as a nation.
Religion gives transcendental meaning and
purpose to individuals and defines their life
goals.
Religion also provides a code of conduct
which defines behavior and morals.
Examples of these influential codes of
conduct are the Decalogue of Christianity
and Judaism, and the Shariah Law of Islam.
All religions have values that guide
behavior and sustain the family, home,
society, nation, and the world.
JUDAISM
 It is the oldest of the monotheistic
religions, whose origins date back to the
mid-second millennium or around 1500
BCE.
 Jewish tradition traces its development
to the ancient patriarch Abraham, and
his descendants Isaac and Jacob.
 It is believed that Judaism was instituted
with the covenant between God and
 The adherents of Judaism are called
Jews
 Jews are known for having a rich,
colorful history-particularly for having
faced enormous difficulties.
 Jews are known as the “ruling
intellectuals” and recognized for their
business acumen, and though they
have a small population, they excel in
different fields, especially in
 Jews are found in many countries
around the world. Large Jewish
communities are located in the United
States, Israel, and several European
nations- mainly Britain, France, and
Russia.
 The world’s largest Jewish population
is in the modern state of Israel.
 According to Ong, Jewish
businessmen possess innovative and
creative sophistication that shaped
many lucrative startups into multi-
billion companies like Facebook,
Google, Viber, Waze, and Whatsapp.
The Torah means “
to teach”, also
known as the Five
Books of Moses.
These 5 books are
Genesis, Exodus,
Leviticus, Numbers
and Deuteronomy
and they are
considered the
PROPHETS, contains the books of
Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, Isaiah,
Jeremiah, Ezekiel and the Twelve Later
Prophets. These books are partly
historical, mainly prophetic and teach
ethics and morals to a people straying
from God’s ways.
The Talmud is the
ultimate document of
rabbinic thinking and
has the two layers
already mentioned:
Mishnah, which is a
set of rules, telling
people what to do
and Gemara, which
contains questioning
The Mishnah is the written
compilation of the Oral Law,
which Moses received on Mt
Sinai when he received the
Torah. The Oral Law explains
how to carry out the laws of
the Torah. This law was passed
down from generation to
generation and it remained oral
even after 586 B.C.E., when
the Jewish Temple was
 Ten Commandments of
God
1) I am the Lord thy god, who brought thee out
of the land of Egypt, out of the house of
bondage.
2) Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.
3) Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy
God in vain.
4) Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.
5) Honor thy father and thy mother.
6) Thou shalt not murder.
7) Thou shalt not commit adultery.
8) Thou shalt not steal.
9) Thou shalt not bear false witness
against thy neighbor.
10) Thou shalt not covet anything that
belongs to thy neighbor.
THE TOR
AHThe Torah is read during
Shabbat services each week.
When it is done, the chapter
that pertains to that
particular week is unrolled.
The Torah is stored in a
cabinet called the Ark,
located at the front of the
synagogue’s sanctuary, and
is covered in fabric and
 STAR OF DAVID
It came to be seen as a
universal symbol of
Judaism. However, it is nor
based on any biblical or
Talmudic text.
Star of David is considered
important because the
shield of king David was
seen lucky across the
 MENORAH
The menorah symbol is
the customary
representation of Jews
It has nine candles. A
seven-branched
candelabra is a more
typical representation of
the menorah in Jewish
symbolism unrelated to
HAMSA
The Hamsa, or the
Hand of Fatima, is a
symbolic hand which
represents protection
in both Jewish and
Islamic.
CHRISTIANIT
Y -is the world’s largest religion, with
about 2.4 billion followers.
- It is a monotheistic faith based on the
life, works, and teachings of Jesus
Christ.
- Adherents Christianity are called
Christians.
Christians believe that the relationship
between God and man is mediated by the
person of Jesus Christ and that Christ’s
teachings embody God’s plan for the
salvation of mankind.
The Catholic Church had a significant
influence on the development of European
civilization, and from the 10th century
onwards, the church spearheaded the
cultural and intellectual movement known as
Scholasticism.
The Catholic Church became the dominant
religious institution in Western Europe, and
defined developments in Western
Christianity in the next few centuries.
In 2021, Philippine Catholic Church
celebrated the 500th year anniversary of
the arrival of Christianity in our country.
The 2021 celebration will be marked
with great thanksgiving to Almighty God
for the great gift of Christian Faith. The
year-long celebration formally began on
April 4, 2021 ( Easter Sunday) and will
end on April.
Doctors of the Church were the
following:
1. St Augustine ( 354 - 430 CE ) –
Augustine of Hippo was the earliest
theologian and philosopher that had a
-great influence in the development of
His writings, particularly “ Confessions
Church doctrine.
and “ City of God”
- Doctrine of Grace, emphasis on God’s
grace as the primary source of salvation
become a cornerstone of Christian
Theology.
 2. Saint Bonaventure ( 1221- 1274
CE ) – He wrote extensively on God and
the Trinity, the Creation and Fall of Man,
the Incarnation and Redemption, Grace,
-the
Franciscan
Sacraments,Theology,
and theemphasized the
Last Judgment.
importance of mytical experience and
the role of love in Christian life.
- Mytical theology, writing explored the
nature of mytical experience and the
path to union with God.
- Defense of Scholasticism
 3. St Thomas Aquinas ( 1225 – 1274 CE
) – He was considered one of the great
scholastic Doctors of the Church, and the
Church’s greatest theologian and
-philosopher.
Best known for his Summa Theologica,
comprehensive work that covers nearly all
aspects of Christian theology.
4. Saint Alphansus ( 1696- 1787)

- His contributions to moral theology,

specifically his development of system
know as equiprobable. He offered more
compassionate approach to moral decision
making balancing with leniency.