DEFINITION OF TERMS

Worldview or Belief system

- collection of beliefs about life and the universe being held by people
- a particular way of ordering the realities of one’s world.

ELEMENTS OF BELIEF SYSTEM / WORLDVIEW

One God (Monotheism)
 Many Gods (Polytheism)
 God / Universe (Monism)
Without God (Atheism)

THE ELEMENTS OF RELIGION ARE:

(a) reflects an effort to elevate their whole self to a higher dimension of existence;
(b) a framework of transcendent beliefs;
(c) text or scriptures;
(d) rituals; and
(e) sacred spaces.

RELIGION
From Latin words:
1) religio, meaning “obligation” or “a binding together”;
2) relegere which means “constantly return to”;
3) religari which means “to be tied into”;
4) re-eligere which means “to choose again”.

SPIRITUALITY
-From Latin spiritus, literally meaning “breath” and its verb root is spirare which means “to
breathe.”
-In Greek, “spirit” is pneuma which means “breath” while “soul” is psyche, referring to the
human mind and personality.

THE ELEMENTS OF SPIRITUALITY ARE:

(a) holistic fully integrated view to life,
(b) quest for meaning (including the purpose of life),
(c) quest for the sacred (beliefs about God), and
(d) suggests a self-reflective existence.

THEOLOGY
-From the Greek words theos which means “deity” or “god,” and logos which means “word” or
“discourse.”
- systematic study of the existence and nature of the divine

PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION
- The study of the meaning and nature of religion.
- The analysis of religious concepts, beliefs, terms, arguments, and the practices of religious
adherents.
- A branch of philosophy which deals with the analysis or examination of the central issues and
themes related to religion e.g. religious diversity, existence of God, problems of evil, concepts of
grace, faith and salvation.
Philosophy of Religion
- includes the analyses of religious concepts, beliefs, terms, arguments, and practices of religious
adherents
- reflection of humans’ lived experience of God

Religion
- involves belief and practices which assume the existence of supernatural beings.
- humans’ way to God

VS.

Theology
- The study of God and (formal) religions
- study of God’s way to humans

Religion
- focused more on prescribed beliefs, rituals, and practices as well as social institutional features

Spirituality
- concerned with individual subjective experiences, sometimes shared with others

RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE THEY CAN CLAIM AS ‘THEIR OWN

- The self experiences the sacred, it alone has the authority to define what is authentic.
- The arbiter of one’s spirituality is none other than the self which lends itself to the individuals
urge to experience as much as possible.
- The self ultimately is the ‘authorizing entity.’

Spiritual Religious
Membership to any religion is not necessary Membership to a religion is necessary to be
to be spiritual religious
A personal quest and beliefs are necessarily Highly structured and organized in which
based on religious doctrines belief systems are products of shared
experiences of people having the same
religious affiliation.
Religious may not have roles to play in Religion plays a vital role to one’s
one’s humanity humanity.

A person who is spiritual but not religious rejects religious norms and rituals as a means to
spiritual growth. A person who is religious but not spiritual has difficulty to self-transcend due to
a lack of self- reflection on the value and importance of religious practices and rituals. A
religious person who may have passionately and unconditionally committed to religious
practices but unable to make sense or find deeper meaning to it is said to be no spiritual

2ND HANDOUT

E.B. TYLER
- Religion tries to understand the mystery of life by presupposing that supernatural beings exist.

EMILE DURKHEIM
- Religion is a “unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things – things set apart
and forbidden – beliefs and practices which unite into one single moral community.”

RELIGION TOWARD THE INDIVIDUAL AND SOCIETY

- The beliefs and practices of a religion have consequences on its followers and the wider society
that it is part of.
- The beliefs of a religion can compel an individual to exercise particular values, as in the case of
a religious leader showing compassion on the sick
- However, the values are not merely individualistic.
- Values and beliefs can inform a particular religious group’s behavior in the public sphere.

WORLD RELIGIONS’ CORE TEACHINGS

Judaism - The core teaching of Judaism is the covenant of one God with a chosen people vs.
other people with many gods.
Christianity - The core teaching of Christianity is the message that a loving God sent His
begotten Son in order to redeem humankind from eternal damnation.
Islam - The core teaching of Islam is there is only one God, Allah and Muhammad is His final
and greatest messenger.
Hinduism - The core teaching of Hinduism is the attainment of liberation in the identification of
Atman and Brahman through the Four Yogas.
Theravada Buddhism - The core teaching of Theravada Buddhism is that life is suffering;
suffering is due to craving; there is a way to overcome craving; and the way to overcome craving
is the Eight-fold Path, the Middle Way (between pleasure and mortification).
Mahayana Buddhism - The core teaching of Mahayana Buddhism is to seek complete
enlightenment for the benefit of all living beings through insight and compassion.
Confucianism - The core teaching of Confucianism is to be a “gentleman” by following the
moral way consisting of the virtues of love, righteousness, wisdom, propriety and loyalty in
order to promote harmony in society.
Taoism - The core teaching of Taoism is becoming one with ‘Tao.’
Shintoism - The core teaching of Shintoism is to worship the ancestors and forces of nature to
achieve harmony in all dimensions.

JUDAISM
 Founders: Abraham (2000 B.C.) and/or Moses (1391-1271 B.C.)
 Sacred texts: Torah, Poetry, Prophets, Talmud, Mishnah  Doctrines: Ten Commandments,
618 Rules
 God: Yahweh/Jehovah
 Sects: Orthodox, Conservative, Reform Liberal
 Issues: Antisemitism, Zionism, Holocaust

Islam
 Founder: Prophet Muhammad (570-632 A.D.)
 Sacred texts: Qur’an, Hadith
 Doctrines: Five Pillars of Islam (Shahadahdeclaring there is no other god but Allah and
Muhammad is His messenger, Salat-ritual prayer five times a day, Sawm-fasting during
Ramadan, Zakat-alms giving to the poor, and Hajj-pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a
lifetime)
 God: Allah
 Practitioners: Sunni, Shi’ite, Sufi
 Issues: Gender Inequality, Militant Islam, Migration

Hinduism
 Founders: Aryans (1500 B.C.)
 Sacred texts: Vedas, Upanishads and Bhagavad-Gita
 Doctrines: Dharma-duty, Kamapleasure, Arthawealth, Mokshaliberation, Brahman, Atman, the
Identification of Brahman and Atman, the Four Yogas (Yoga of Knowledge, Yoga of Work,
Yoga of Devotion or Love, and Yoga of Psychological Exercises)
 Gods: 33 million gods and goddesses
 Issues: Gender Inequality, Caste System, Poverty

Theravada Buddhism
 Founder: Siddhartha Gautama (563-483 B.C.)
 Sacred texts: Tripitaka  Doctrines: Four Noble Truths, Eight-fold Path, Law of Dependent
Origination and The Impermanence of Things
 God: non-theistic
 Issue: Territory conflict in Mainland Southeast Asia

Mahayana Buddhism
 Founder: Siddhartha Gautama (563-483 B.C.)
 Sacred texts: Sutras
 Doctrines: Four Noble Truths, Eight-fold Path, The Six Perfections to become a Bodhisattva
(generosity, morality, patience, perseverance, meditation, and insight)  God: non-theistic
 Issues: Tibet invasion, Engaged activism
 Universality and growth of sects: Development of Buddhism to Zen (Chan) Buddhism as the
fruit of its encounter with Taoism.
Confucianism
 Founder: Confucius (551- 479 B.C.)
 Sacred texts: Confucian Classics
 Doctrines: Mandate of Heaven, T”ien, Human nature as originally good (Mencius) or evil
(Hsun Tze), Rectification of Names, The Moral Way consisting of five cardinal virtues, Filial
Piety, and Ancestor Worship
 God: Heaven
 Issues: Gender inequality, Authoritarianism

Taoism
 Founder: Lao Tzu (604 B.C. - ?)
 Sacred texts: Tao Te Ching, Book of Chuang Tze
 Doctrines: Wu-Wei, Law of Reversion, Following nature, Tao as the Origin of all Beings,
unnameable and eternal
 Issues: Inaction, Superstitious practices, Environmentalism

Shintoism
 Founders: Prehistoric Animists of Japan
 Sacred texts: Kojiki and Nihongi
 Doctrines: belief in kami, divinity of emperors
 Gods: kami (animist and nature spirits)
 Issues: Shrine visits of Japanese prime ministers

Origin of Religions

Religion as old as humankind.

Neanderthal Man (60,000 BC) Burial sites with animal antlers on the body and flower
fragments next to the corpse.
Cro-Magnon Man (35,000-10,000 BC) Buried with food, shells, necklaces of deer teeth, fine
skin clothes, and good tools. Dead also covered in red earth to look like newborns.

Animism
The human body has a soul
After death, the soul leaves the body and dwells in objects like plants, bodies of water, rocks
The dead and the objects are worshiped as gods

Animatism
Things have supernatural force or power unknown to humans
Gives the feeling of wonder and dread
Emotional response to the unknown

Magic
The use of rituals, spells, magical objects in life
Humans, at first, tends to control life and environment through imitation in nature e.g. sprinkling
water on the ground accompanied by drumbeats to bring about rain; harming one’s enemy
through sticking pins in a doll
To ask assistance from supernatural powers if failed to control nature

Father-Figure Neurosis
The father dominates in primitive societies
Humans have the strong desire to acquire the power of the father
Father-figure becomes a god

Each of the major religions had a cradle land.

Many of the major religions have spread in various directions and established stronger bases in
other lands compared to its original homeland.

Universal Identity
 Open
 On universal questions e.g. suffering, salvation

Local Identity
 Circumscribed or restricted
 On local social need e.g. caste, chosen people

Religions evolve in certain regions or places.

World religions have their points of origin.
Some religions have a high degree of local concentration while others, international
concentration.

Culture and Religion

 Each religion has a story of origin.
 Arguably, long before religion began to exist, cultures have flourished along with the
formation of civilizations.

In Neolithic era, precolonial Filipinos expressed their religion through artistic means (e.g.
carving figurines of their deities and gods).

Wooden wonders: Simplicity and economy line characterizes some of the indigenous
sculptures like the Ifugao bulul.

When a religion goes to different places to gather new converts, it is certain that it has to alter
and adjust its teachings and practices to fit in to the culture of the people they are converting.

Most religions try to integrate and assimilate within their own religious systems the cultures of
the local inhabitants.
Religions absorb, transform, and reject cultural practices.
In the pre-Christian and pre-Islamic period, indigenous peoples were practicing animism - the
worship of nature and its vital elements such as air and water believing that these possess a soul
that animates life.

When Islam came via Malaysia, people from the south were converted to Islam while many
indigenous people in Luzon and Visayas remained animistic. When the Spaniards came in the
14th century and the Philippines became an official colony of Spain, the Christian religion
absorbed, transformed, and rejected many animistic religious practices…

… Christianity absorbed some things of animistic nature and transformed it into a monotheistic
practice. Instead of offering food to earthly spirits, Christianity taught of offering food to God.

Christianity rejected many animistic practices as well. When Christian missionaries discovered
that indigenous people were practicing, they rejected these and claimed that these practices were
demonic.

Lifestyles

Different lifestyles among believers show the influence of religion.

Religion and Food choices

Hindus are vegetarians and do not kill cows or eat beef.
Muslims and Jews do not eat pork.
Muslim women use a veil or hijab to cover their hair, head and chest.

Niqab
Hijab
Burka
Chador
Dupatta

Nationalities

The 14th Dalai Lama is known even to non-adherents of Buddhism. (religious harmony,
nonviolence, economics, the environment, and gender equality)

Martin Luther has changed the people’s views and ideas of Christianity (Reformation).

Geography
Egyptians worship the Nile River.
Eskimo’s hell is a place of darkness, storm and intense cold.
Jew’s concept of hell is a place of eternal fire.
Hindus worship rain god.
Buddha’s idea of heaven as Nirvana, the cessation of all earthly desires.
Religions evolve in certain regions or places .
Different lifestyles among believers show the influence of religion.
Cultures play a significant role in shaping religions.
Geographical location affects the emergence of a belief system.
Religions develop a set of moral norms.
Religions absorb, transform, and reject cultural practices.
Religion provides a template on how to manage and direct one’s life.

It is important to remain respectful and careful when making judgments about other cultures and
religions.

Effects of Religion
THE UNDENIABLE POWER, FORCE, AND INFLUENCE OF RELIGION STAND OUT
THROUGHOUT HISTORY. RELIGION WAS EXCEPTIONALLY IMPORTANT,
BECAUSE IT HAD A GREAT INFLUENCE ON EVERYTHING FROM GOVERNMENT
TO SOCIAL ORDER AND FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS.

UNITY, SECURITY, AND A SOCIAL ORDER

CONFLICTS THAT RESULT IN WAR AND BLOODSHED, THE SEPARATION OF
SOCIAL CLASSES, AND THE CORRUPTION THROUGHOUT THE CHURCH

UNITY, SECURITY, AND SOCIAL ORDER

 RELIGION GIVES PEOPLE A SENSE OF BELONGING. BELONGING TO A CHURCH

IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT GIVES PEOPLE A SENSE OF SECURITY AND SUPPORT,
BECAUSE IT MAKES IT MUCH EASIER TO DEAL WITH EVERYDAY PROBLEMS AND
ISSUES.
 FOR INSTANCE, DISEASES AND DEATH WERE EXTREMELY COMMON DURING
THE 15TH- 16TH C. BECAUSE OF THE LACK OF MEDICINE AND TECHNOLOGY. SO,
RELIGION PLAYED AN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT ROLE IN GIVING PEOPLE A
“GUIDING LIGHT” TO PRAY FOR SUPPORT, HEALTH, AND HELP. PEOPLE ALSO
HAD A SENSE OF SPIRITUAL PROTECTION IN EVERYDAY LIFE AND ALSO IN THE
AFTERLIFE. WITH A SENSE OF PROTECTION, THEY LIVED A LIFE WITH LESS FEAR
OF DEATH AND MORE OF A SENSE OF HOPE.
RELIGION BRINGS A NEW STRUCTURE TO HOUSEHOLDS. ELDERS ARE NOT
ONLY PARENTS, BUT THEY ALSO BECOME TEACHERS AND ROLE MODELS FOR
THEIR CHILDREN.
DINNER CONVERSATIONS ARE A NARRATION OF RELIGIOUS BELIEFS, AS IT IS
IMPORTANT TO PASS ON THE IMPORTANCE AND NEED FOR RELIGION TO THE
FUTURE GENERATIONS.
IT IS MUCH EASIER TO DEFEND THEIR TERRITORIES AND BELIEFS WHEN THE
PEOPLE ARE UNITED IN THEIR FAITH.

CONSTANT CONFLICTS OF OPPOSING BELIEFS AND STRUGGLES

MANY BELIEVERS SHARE THE SAME BELIEFS, BUT THERE ARE ALSO MANY
THAT DO NOT ACCEPT THE WAY THEIR RELIGION IS PUT INTO ACTION OR
PRACTISED. THE DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT RELIGIOUS BELIEFS JUSTIFY HUMAN
EXPLOITATION. THE NEED TO ENFORCE NEW BELIEFS ONTO NEW PEOPLE AND
THEIR ESTABLISHED TERRITORIES ALSO HAD SEVERE CONSEQUENCES.

SECURITY, HOPE, AND UNITY WERE THE CONSTANT CONFLICTS OF OPPOSING

BELIEFS AND STRUGGLES

MANY THAT DID NOT ACCEPT THE CATHOLIC PRACTICES OF THAT TIME (15TH-
16TH), ESPECIALLY THE INQUISITION THAT LED TO BURNING JOAN OF ARC AT
STAKE AND INDULGENCES. ONE OF SUCH PEOPLE WAS MARTIN LUTHER WHO
WAS DETERMINED TO REFORM THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. THE REFORMATION
PROTESTS CAUSED PEOPLE TO LIVE IN FEAR OF BEING OUTCAST FROM SOCIETY
OR PROSECUTED.
GALILEO, THE SCIENTIST, “WAS CONDEMNED BY THE CHURCH AND FORCED TO
RECANT HIS VIEWS.” SECURITY, HOPE, AND UNITY WERE THE CONSTANT
CONFLICTS OF OPPOSING BELIEFS AND STRUGGLES.

EXPLOITATION OF THE NATIVES AND RELIGIOUS WARS

THERE WERE MANY DIFFERENT CIVILIZATIONS DURING 15TH AND 16TH C.

WITH DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT RELIGIOUS BELIEFS THAT THE EXPLORERS
WANTED TO CONVERT TO CHRISTIANITY. BLOODSHED OFTEN OCCURRED WHEN
THESE CONFLICTS CLIMAXED.
THE MOST DISASTROUS OF ALL THE RELIGIOUS WARS OF THIS PERIOD WAS
THE THIRTY YEARS’ WAR (1618-1648), WHICH GREW FROM RELIGIOUS AND
POLITICAL STRUGGLES WITHIN THE EMPIRE AND THE SURROUNDING STATES.

THE CHURCH AT THE CENTER OF EACH COMMUNITY AND EMPIRE

 PEOPLE NOW DEDICATED THEIR LIFESTYLES TO THE CHURCH IN THE FORM OF

PRIESTS, MONKS, AND OTHER RELIGIOUS ORDERS. THIS CREATED AN INTERNAL
ORDER.
 WEEKLY DONATIONS MADE TO THE CHURCH: THIS CIRCULATION OF MONEY
ALSO CREATED AN ECONOMICAL ORDER THAT HELPED THEM TO GAIN MORE
AND ESTABLISH THEIR TRADES BETTER. IT WAS A TRADE CYCLE THAT
INCLUDED THE CHURCH AND THE PEOPLE.
 THE ENORMOUS POWER AND CONTROL OF THE CHURCH CREATED
CORRUPTION IN ALL ASPECTS OF RELIGION AND POLITICS. POLITICAL
DECISIONS WERE ALMOST SOLELY BASED ON THE EXPANSION AND
IMPROVEMENT OF THE CHURCH.
 UNEVEN DISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH: “THE RICH ONLY GET RICHER,

SOME ASPECTS IN HUMAN LIFE WHERE RELIGION PLAYS A ROLE MORAL LIFE
AESTHETIC LIFE
SOCIAL LIFE
PSYCHOLOGICAL

RELIGIONS TRY TO INFLUENCE AN INDIVIDUAL’S MORAL CHARACTER BY

PRESCRIBING A SET OF MORAL STANDARDS AND RULES.

 RELIGIONS TEACH US HOW TO CONDUCT OURSELVES TO BECOME MORAL

PERSONS.
 FOR EXAMPLES, CHRISTIANS FOLLOW THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF CHRIST.
MUSLIMS FOLLOW THE FIVE PILLARS AND THE COMMANDMENTS WRITTEN BY
MUHAMMAD IN THE QUR’AN. THE BUDDHISTS FOLLOW THE TEACHINGS OF
BUDDHA.
 WHEN WE FAIL TO UNDERSTAND THE MORAL TEACHINGS, WE BECOME
OPPRESSIVE, CONTROLLING, MANIPULATING, LESS SENSITIVE, DIVISIVE, CLOSE-
MINDED.
 FOR INSTANCE, CHRISTIANS WHO CONSIDER MONOGAMY AS MORALLY GOOD
CAN BE JUDGMENTAL TO OTHER PEOPLE WHO PRACTICE POLYGAMY, BY
CONSIDERING THEM AS IMMORAL PERSONS.

RELIGIONS TEND TO TEACH ITS ADHERENTS THE VALUE OF BEAUTY: LIVING A

GOOD LIFE IMPLIES LIVING A BEAUTIFUL LIFE.

RELIGIONS SEE LIFE AS MEANINGFUL AND THUS, MUST BE LIVED. RELIGIONS

OFFER ON HOW TO LIVE LIFE BEAUTIFULLY AND MEANINGFULLY.
FOR BUDDHISTS, LIVING A GOOD LIFE MEANS OVERCOMING SUFFERING. FOR
CHRISTIANS, LIFE IS PRICELESS SINCE IT IS A GIFT FROM GOD.
 RELIGIONS ONLY GIVE FALSE HOPES. SOME PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT WHEN
HUMAN EFFORT IS NOT ENOUGH TO MAKE THINGS POSSIBLE, ONE CAN JUST
WAIT FOR MIRACLES TO HAPPEN AND NOT EXERT ANY EFFORT AT ALL.
 LIFE IS MEANINGLESS IN ITSELF AS MANIFESTED BY SUFFERING,
EXPLOITATION, ABUSES OF PEOPLE WHO WERE VICTIMS OF RELIGIOUS
INTOLERANCE AND RACIAL PREJUDICE.

RELIGION INSPIRES MANY OF THE GREATEST CREATIVE MINDS IN HISTORY IN

THE FIELDS OF LITERATURE, MUSIC, AND THE ARTS.

MANY GREAT LITERATURE ARE INSPIRED BY CHRISTIAN FAITH OR MAKES

SEVERAL ALLUSIONS TO DIFFERENT RELIGIONS.
MUCH OF THE MUSIC COMPOSED IN THE CLASSICAL AGE WAS LITURGICAL IN
NATURE.
ICONIC WORKS ARE ALSO GREATLY INSPIRED BY RELIGION.

RELIGION INSPIRES MANY OF THE GREATEST CREATIVE MINDS IN HISTORY IN

THE FIELDS OF LITERATURE, MUSIC, AND THE ARTS.
DANTE’S DIVINE COMEDY AND JOHN MILTON’S PARADISE LOST ARE INSPIRED
BY CHRISTIAN FAITH. T.S. ELIOT’S “THE WASTE LAND” MAKES SEVERAL
ALLUSIONS TO CHRISTIANITY, BUDDHISM, AND HINDUISM.
MUCH OF THE MUSIC COMPOSED IN THE CLASSICAL AGE WAS LITURGICAL IN
NATURE LIKE THOSE OF JOSEPH HAYDN, LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN, J.S. BACH.
ICONIC WORKS INCLUDE MICHELANGELO’S PAINTINGS IN THE SISTINE CHAPEL
AND LEONARDO DA VINCI’S THE LAST SUPPER.

RELIGIONS AFFIRM THAT HUMANS ARE SOCIAL, GIVING PEOPLE A SENSE OF

BELONGINGNESS, HELPING THEM REALIZE THE VALUE OF FAMILY.

RELIGIONS PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN HISTORY AS PART OF THE SOCIAL

LIFE OF THE PEOPLE. IT HELPS IN MOBILIZING PEOPLE TO MOVE AND ACT
TOWARD A CERTAIN GOAL. IT HELPS LIBERATE PEOPLE FROM OPPRESSION AND
TYRANNY.
RELIGIONS CAUSE SOCIAL DIFFERENTIATION AND ISOLATION, CREATING
APATHY OR INDIFFERENCE TOWARD OTHER RELIGIOUS GROUPS OR
COMMUNITY.

RELIGIONS AFFIRM THAT HUMANS ARE SOCIAL, GIVING PEOPLE A SENSE OF

BELONGINGNESS, HELPING THEM REALIZE THE VALUE OF FAMILY.

PEOPLE POWER REVOLUTIONS WERE PARTLY INFLUENCED BY THE ACTIVE

PARTICIPATION OF RELIGIONS TO THE POLITICAL LIFE OF THE FILIPINO PEOPLE.
THE SUCCESS OF PEOPLE POWER REVOLUTIONS WAS PARTLY ATTRIBUTED TO
THE ROLE OF RELIGION IN PUBLIC AFFAIRS.
IN GERMANY, WHEN HITLER BECAME THE NAZI’S LEADER, HE PROGRAMMED
THE TOTAL ANNIHILATION OF THE JEWS, PURSUING A BARBARIC ACT DUE TO
HIS RESENTMENT AND ANTI- SEMITIC VIEW THINKING THAT JEWS ARE NOT
PURE-BLOODED ARYANS.

RELIGION INSPIRES ORGANIZATIONS TO DO CHARITABLE AND HUMANITARIAN

WORKS.

ORGANIZATIONS LIKE BUDDHIST COMPASSION RELIEF TZU CHI FOUNDATION,

GAWAD KALINGA, ISLAMIC RELIEF WORLDWIDE, MOTHER TERESA’S
MISSIONARIES OF CHARITY, THE SALVATION ARMY, RED CROSS
INTERNATIONAL, AMONG OTHERS SPONSOR AND IMPLEMENT NUMEROUS
SPIRITUAL, PHILANTHROPIC, AND CHARITABLE PROGRAMS FOR THE WELFARE
OF THE POOR, DESTITUTE, AND THOSE SUFFERING THE EFFECTS OF BOTH
NATURAL AND MAN-MADE CALAMITIES.

RELIGION IS USED AS AN EXCUSE TO IMPLEMENT ATROCITIES LIKE MASS

KILLINGS, SUMMARY EXECUTIONS, ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES, TORTURE,
SEXUAL VIOLENCE, MASS EXPULSIONS, ENSLAVEMENT, AND GENOCIDE.
 VIOLENCE IS OFTEN ASSOCIATED WITH EXTREMISM AND FUNDAMENTALISM.
ADHERENTS OF A RELIGION ENGAGE IN VIOLENT ACTIONS AGAINST
ADHERENTS OF ANOTHER RELIGION, OR AGAINST GROUPS OF PEOPLE
CONSIDERED AS THREAT TO THEIR BELIEFS.
 PEOPLE WITH EXTREMELY CONSERVATIVE RELIGIOUS BELIEFS OFTEN ACT IN
A VIOLENT MANNER LIKE ATTACKS ON INDIVIDUALS OR COMMUNITIES,
SUICIDE OR TERRORIST ATTACKS.
 VIOLENCE CAN ALSO BE EXPRESSED BY STATES THROUGH THE
INTRODUCTION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF REPRESSIVE AND DISCRIMINATIVE
POLICIES.
FAMOUS EXAMPLES OF VIOLENCE IN THE NAME OF RELIGION ARE THE
CRUSADES, THE EARLY MUSLIM CONQUESTS, THE INQUISITION, AND THE SALEM
WITCH TRIALS.
FOR INDURING THE AGE OF COLONIALISM, MANY INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES
WERE OFTEN SUBJECTED TO VIOLENCE OR ABUSE DUE TO THEIR RELIGIOUS
BELIEFS. STANCE, EUROPEAN EXPLORERS FORCIBLY IMPOSED CHRISTIANITY ON
NATIVE COMMUNITIES, DONE IN ORDER TO SERVE THE PURPOSES OF EUROPEAN
EMPIRES.
 1978 JONESTOWN MASSACRE WAS A CASE WHERE MEMBERS OF A RELIGIOUS
MOVEMENT WERE CONVINCED BY THEIR LEADER TO COMMIT SUICIDE.
 IN 1993, BRANCH DAVIDIANS’ MEMBERS ENGAGED IN A STAND-OFF WITH
TEXAS POLICE. THE CONFLICT RESULTED IN THE DEATHS OF 76 INDIVIDUALS,
MANY WERE BRANCH DAVIDIANS.
 IN 1995, A JAPANESE DOOMSDAY CULT MEMBER COORDINATED ATTACKS IN
THE TOKYO SUBWAY SYSTEM. MEMBERS RELEASED DEADLY SARIN GAS IN THE
SUBWAY, KILLING SEVERAL COMMUTERS.
 IN 1997, MEMBERS OF A US-BASED DOOMSDAY CULT HEAVEN’S GATE
COMMITTED SUICIDE.

RELIGION IS CRITICIZED FOR ADVOCATING A PATRIARCHAL SYSTEM WHICH

MARGINALIZES WOMEN, AND A VIEW WHICH DISCRIMINATES.

 THE CATHOLIC CHURCH HAS FACED CRITICISM FOR ITS STAND AGAINST
WOMEN BECOMING MEMBERS OF THE PRIESTHOOD.
 CONSERVATIVE MUSLIMS OFTEN IMPLEMENT RESTRICTIVE RULES AGAINST
WOMEN LIKE STRICT CODES AND CERTAIN PROHIBITIONS IN ACTIVITIES. IN
MANY MUSLIM COUNTRIES, WOMEN ARE LARGELY UNEDUCATED AND ARE
DENIED OPPORTUNITIES TO WORK.
 IN INDIA, ACID ATTACKS AGAINST PEOPLE (MOSTLY TARGETING
WOMEN)DEEMED “UNTOUCHABLE” ARE PREVALENT.
 LESBIAN, GAY, BISEXUAL, TRANSGENDER, QUEER, AND INTERSEX (LGBTQI)
FACED DISCRIMINATION, EXPERIENCED EMOTIONAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL
ISSUES LIKE LOW SELF-ESTEEM AND DEPRESSION. WESTBORO BAPTIST CHURCH
IS KNOWN FOR THEIR SLOGAN “GOD HATES FAGS.”
RELIGION HAS OCCASIONALLY HAMPERED SCIENTIFIC PROGRESS.

 DURING THE 16TH CENTURY, POLISH MATHEMATICIAN AND ASTRONOMER

NICOLAUS COPERNICUS PUBLISHED THE HELIOCENTRIC THEORY, WHICH
DIRECTLY CONTRADICTED THE WIDELY-ACCEPTED NOTION THAT THE EARTH
WAS THE CENTER OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM. THE CHURCH WAS THEN SUPPORTIVE
OF THE GEOCENTRIC VIEW, LEADING THE HELIOCENTRIC THEORY BEING
DISMISSED IN MANY ACADEMIC INSTITUTIONS IN EUROPE.
 SCIENTIST GALILEO GALILEI FACED PERSECUTION FOR HIS STUDIES INTO THE
HELIOCENTRIC THEORY. THE CATHOLIC CHURCH DECLARED HIS
PRONOUNCEMENTS AS HERETICAL, PLACED HIM UNDER HOUSE ARREST AND
BANNED HIS BOOKS DEALING WITH THE HELIOCENTRIC THEORY.

RELIGION IS IMPORTANT “IN OUR LIFE,” ALLOWING PEOPLE TO BETTER COPE

WITH ADVERSE LIFE EVENTS.

 THOSE WHO ARE RELIGIOUS ARE, ON AVERAGE, SLIGHTLY HEALTHIER THAN

THOSE WHO ARE NOT. RELIGIOUSNESS IS ASSOCIATED WITH MENTAL AND
OVERALL HEALTH.
 FOR INSTANCE, RELIGIOUS YOUTHS ARE LESS LIKELY TO BE VIOLENT OR
ENGAGE IN DELINQUENT BEHAVIOR.
 ANOTHER EXAMPLE, THOSE WHO PROFESSED RELIGIOSITY ARE FOUND TO
HAVE LOWER LEVELS OF ANXIETY, AND ARE LESS LIKELY TO SEEK COMFORT IN
DRUGS OR ALCOHOL.

RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE, UNDERSTANDING AND RESPECT, AND INTERRELIGIOUS

DIALOGUE ARE MEANS BY WHICH INDIVIDUALS AND COMMUNITIES CAN
ADDRESS THE NEGATIVE EFFECTS OF RELIGION AND ESTABLISH GREATER
UNDERSTANDING AND APPRECIATION OF THE DIVERSITY OF BELIEFS WITHIN A
COMMUNITY.

 RELIGIOUS PEOPLE ARE ALSO BETTER EQUIPPED TO DEAL WITH THE STRESS
OF SUFFERING FROM A TERMINAL ILLNESS, SUCH AS CANCER, COMPARED TO
NON-RELIGIOUS PEOPLE

Peace is Possible

RESPECT ALL LIFE REJECT VIOLENCE SHARE WITH OTHERS DIALOGUE AND
LISTEN TO UNDERSTAND PROTECT AND HEAL OUR MOTHER EARTH
STRENGTHEN SOLIDARITY

Intro
Judaism – origins date back to the mid-second millennium, around 1500 BCE.
Christianity – history began with the birth of Jesus Christ in the 1st C.
Islam – began in the year 610 CE.
Jerusalem Dome of the Rock Mount of Olives and Gethsemane Wailing Wall

Abraham - Symbolic father of all three religions

Singularity of God
Monotheism gives focus to life and prevents divided loyalty.
Monotheism also reverses the thinking of the Greeks, Romans and Syrians whose gods were
amoral and indifferent to humans.