2. Why is there a need to study religion?
Religion has been in existence since the
earliest time of humankind. Wherever
humankind inhabits, religion too exists.
Presently, we are all witness as to how
religion continues to play crucial roles in
world politics in the twenty-first century as
can be seen from the various political
conflicts that have their roots in religious
differences.
3. In all parts of the world, religious ideas
have helped inflame animosity and
discord that shape conflicts and give
rise to oppression and tyranny.
Conversely, religious traditions have
also created a strong backbone that
helped shape the importance of peace,
justice, equality, toleration, and
brotherhood.
5. What does it mean to be religious and spiritual?
Why is religion linked to humankinds quest to
search for the real meaning of life and death? As we
all know, when one prays, he or she actively seeks
an affinity to divine beings or supernatural entities
that are beyond the purely natural world. The
picture below is a clear depiction of an act of prayer.
Majority of world religions follow a set of prayers in
the form of chants, mantras, or creed. Whether you
pray or not, you may have witnessed the influential
roles being played by religions all over the world.
6. Understanding the nature of religion
enlightens learners about the common
grounds that bind believers into examining
the questions of life and death and why or
how persons yearn for spiritual inspiration.
Recognizing the inherent characteristics of
religion provides the opportunity to deeply
grasp the many beliefs and practices that
mold humankind's spiritual needs.
7. ESSENTIAL UNDERSTANDING
1. Religion is the pursuit of
transformation guided by a sacred
belief system.
2. Spirituality reflects ones integrative
view of life while affecting the human
soul.
10. UNDERSTANDING BELIEFS AND WORLDVIEWS
Every individual sees and interprets the world quite differently
from one another. This overall perspective is also termed
worldview which is a collection of beliefs about life and the
universe being held by people (The Free Dictionary 2014). For
a certain individual, social environment and upbringing are
critical in the development of a religious life. All these factors
have an effect on how people organize their beliefs and ideas
while eventually creating a comprehensive narrative through
which they look at the world and interrelate with it.
11. Belief in god or gods is found in almost all
religions. There is a good reason to presuppose
that religion had existed during prehistoric
times and this has continued to the modern
day. Human life may have produced hundreds
of religions and belief systems. There could be
more unknown than known religions in the
world since recorded history covers only
several thousand years of human existence.
13. Theism, often used as a synonym to monotheism,
is defined as a belief in the existence of one god
viewed as the creative source of the human race
and the world who transcends yet is immanent in
the world (Merriam-Webster Dictionary 2014).
Monotheistic religions claim that there is only
one God who could have designed and created
the universe or may have directed all events that
led to the creation of everything.
14. There is one supreme God who is both personal and
moral, and who seeks a total and unqualified
response from humans (Hick 1990). Modern-day
examples of monotheistic religions include Judaism,
Christianity, and Islam. On the other hand,
polytheistic religions that are common among early
people recognize many principal gods among whom
no one is supreme. These include the ancient
religions of Egypt, Greece, and Rome wherein people
worship a multitude of personal gods.
15. Meanwhile, monism asserts that there is no
genuine distinction between God and the
universe. Two implications arise from this belief.
Firstly, it contends that God is dwelling in the
universe as part of it. Secondly, the universe does
not exist at all as a reality but only as a
manifestation of God. Furthermore, while
atheists deny the existence of God, agnostics
deny the possibility for man to acquire knowledge
of the existence of God.
16. DEFINITION AND NATURE OF RELIGION
Religion may be defined as an organized system
of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a
god or a group of gods (Merriam-Webster
Dictionary 2014). The Latin word religio refers to
something done with overanxious or scrupulous
attention to detail (Bowker 1997). This term may
have probably been derived from the Latin verb
religare which means to tie together, to bind fast.
17. In its original sense, the word refers to expression
of proper piety, that is, binding to god (Grassie
2010). Quite later, religion was used to designate
formal belief systems and tenets. The term was
eventually applied to what we now call as religion
because of the manner in which people performed
rituals during those days. While religion may be
universal in all stages of human history, it does not
follow that all individuals are religious or even
religious to some degree (Parrinder 1971).
21. Since the nineteenth century, people
began to show great interest in
explaining the origins of religion. In fact,
numerous theories have been postulated
to explain the origin of religion while
looking at primitive societies for ideas
concerning the development of belief
systems (Hendry 1999).
22. Archaeologists believe that they have discovered
elements of religious belief practiced by Homo
sapiens almost 60,000 years ago. Apart from
burying the dead, various items such as foods, tools,
and other objects were placed inside the site. All
these rituals imply reverence to their loved ones
and perhaps the thought that the dead will utilize
these materials in the afterlife. While they believe in
the presence of supernatural entities, they also try
to communicate with them (Ember & Ember 1996).
23. Various explanations have surfaced that somehow
tend to simplify or even denigrate primitive
religions. Others maintain that since early humans
are weak and ignorant of the different forces of
nature, they had to invent religion to explain the
seemingly unexplainable mystery and fury of
nature. In the process, they had to create a
scheme of deities and spirits. Still others contend
that religion was conceived by the few to stifle
and repress the ideals of the masses (Hopfe 1983).
24. The nineteenth century witnessed the
development of the fields of the social sciences
that enabled scholars to apply a more scientific
way of explaining phenomena rather than
speculate on matters concerning the origin of
religion. Through field research, observations,
and analysis of historical documents, scholars
formulated a number of theories that have
endured well into the present time.
25. Different theories on the origin of religion and
the major proponents of these theories.
28. EXPLORING SPIRITUALITY
A comparative analysis of major religions reveals that an important characteristic
of their belief system focuses on the longing for value in life (Parrinder 1971). For
thousands of years, people have been searching and yearning to understand the
mystery of life and the universe. There may come a point in time when an
individual realizes that life is not entirely accidental and meaningless (Parrinder
1971). This is where the concept of spirituality comes in with the term spiritual
being defined as relating or affecting the human spirit or soul as opposed to
material or physical things (Oxford Dictionaries 2014). One author points out that
it is quite common for people to say that they are spiritual, not religious (Grassie
2010). Spirituality may be manifested in quite a number of ways. For example, a
person may believe in the presence of an overwhelming power greater than
oneself or perhaps a person can be fully mindful of ones purpose in life. That
person can also have a feeling of oneness or a bond with other living beings.
29. While spirituality is derived from the Latin
word spiritus, its verb root is spirare which
means to breathe literally. There is an
impression that people are surrounded by
a divine reality as pervasive, intimate,
necessary, and invisible as the air we
breathe which is similar to Hindu prana
and Chinese chi. (Grassie 2010).
30. While religions are frequently viewed as set of ideals
practiced and followed by organized groups,
spirituality is something an individual can have
without being implicated in the ambivalent
complexity of human societies and institutions
(Grassie 2010). Although traditional spirituality is
frequently associated with religiosity, many people
assert that personal spirituality can grow separately
from religion. One may find inner peace, satisfaction,
and contentment in life that are truly independent of
religious dogmas and tenets.
31. In the study of religion, there are basic concepts that
need to be understood such as theology, philosophy
of religion, and spirituality. While religion refers to
any set of attitudes, beliefs, and practices concerning
a supernatural powertheology involves the
systematic study of the existence and nature of the
divine. It deals with the study of the nature and
purpose of god that may be undertaken using a
particular perspective. Theology is a study, not a
formulation of religious beliefs.
32. On the other hand, philosophy of religion deals
primarily with issues concerning religion, which
includes analysis on the existence of a divine
being or on sacred texts. It may involve studying
the concepts and belief systems of the religions
as well as the prior phenomena of religious
experience and the activities of worship and
meditation on which these belief systems rest
and out of which they have arisen (Hick 1990).
33. It seeks to analyze various concepts such as god,
spirit, karma, creation, immortality, heaven, hell,
and purgatory among others. Philosophy of
religion is not a branch of theology but a branch
of philosophy. It is said that this particular study
need not be undertaken from a religious
perspective at all because atheists, agnostics,
and the person of faith can and do philosophize
about religion (Hick 1990).
34. Meanwhile, spirituality is something an individual
can have without being implicated in the
ambivalent complexity of human societies and
institutions (Grassie 2010). Thus, spirituality can
be described as one's integrative view of life and
involves a quest for the meaning and ultimate
value of life as opposed to an instrumentalist or
materialistic attitude to life. Hence, one can be
spiritual without being religious.
35. Summary
Religion may refer to any set of attitudes, beliefs, and practices aimed
at communicating or propitiating with supernatural beings. Humans
may recognize a superhuman being controlling power (such as a god
or spirit) that seeks worship and obedience from them.
Various theories have been formulated that try to explain the origin
of religions. Religion may have originated in response to humans
need to explain their dreams and experiences as well as the need to
understand the different forces of nature, especially so that humans
may have faced pain and ignorance in their daily struggle for
existence in early times.
36. While religions are frequently viewed as
sets of ideals practiced and followed by
organized groups, spirituality involves ones
integrative view of life that is more personal
while affecting the human soul.
