Lesson 3:

Supernaturals:
Believe It or Not!
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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
 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.
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.
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
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.”
 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:
1. 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.
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.
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.
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.
 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.