SPIRITUAL SELF: BELIEVE

IT OR NOT!
THE MOST INTIMATE, INNER SUBJECTIVE PART OF SELF
Learning Outcomes

1. Identify various religious practices and beliefs;

2. Understand the self in relation with religious beliefs; and
3. Explain ways of finding the meaning of life.
Why Spiritual self is subjective in nature?
 RELIGION
• "as a set of beliefs and practices that usually
includes some or all of basic characteristics
• the belief in and worship of a superhuman
power or powers, especially a God or gods.
• human beings' relation to that which they
regard as holy, sacred, absolute, spiritual,
divine, or worthy of especial reverence
• The term religion (from Latin: religio meaning
"bind, connect") denotes a set of common beliefs
and practices pertaining to the supernatural (and its
relationship to humanity and the cosmos), which
are often codified into prayer, ritual, scriptures, and
religious law
 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 beings and objects
4. The performance of ritual activities that involves the manipulation of sacred object
to communicate to supernatural beings and/or to influence or control events
5. The articulation of worldview and moral codes through narratives 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
for individuals.
The choice of religious belief lies within the
spiritual self although the choice may be
influenced by the society and its culture.
Ritual

• It is the performance of ceremonial acts prescribed by a tradition

or sacred law (Britannica 2017)
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
There are different religious with different
beliefs and practices
Buddhism
Core beliefs Customs and Practices
• life is not a bed of There are two types of
roses meditation practices
• a habit known as the Samatha-practiced as
reactive cycle of mindfulness of breathing and
wanting and hating, development of loving
like and dislike, band kindness
craving and aversion.
Vipassana practices aim
developing insight into
reality
Christianity
Core beliefs Customs and Practices
• believe in Trinitarian Sacrament
God Jesus Christ teaching in
• God the Father unconditional love that is
(Creator), God the expressed in loving the poor,
Son( Savior),and God oppressed, and outcast of the
the Holy Spirit society
Sustainer).
Hinduism
Core beliefs Customs and Practices
• believe that existence Diwali is the festival of lights
is a cycle of birth, Navrati is the festival of nine
death and rebirth, nights, which celebrate the
governed by Karma triumph of good over evil
 Islam
Core beliefs Customs and Practices
• Muslims believe in Allah, 1) Shahadah - statement of faith: "There is no God but the
one true God and Mohammed is his messenger".
who is their "One God“ 2) Salat - the prayer that is practiced five times a day.
• Muslims also have a 3) Zakat - the monetary offering for the benefit of the
strong sense of poor. It comprises the 2.5% of a Muslim's assets.
community or "ummah“ 4) Haji – the yearly pilgrimage to Mecca. Muslims who can
afford are asked to do the pilgrimage at last once in
• Islam means "willing their lifetime.
submission to God " 5) Sawm – the fasting. Muslims do fasting from food, drink,
and sexual act during the celebration of Ramadan s the
ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar. The fast is
from dawn to sunset.
 Eidul-Fitr Eidul-Adha
s the celebration within the
e refers to the celebration at completion of the
the end of Ramadan Pilgrimage, the Haj
Judaism

• 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:

• 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 Shabbat meal.
Logotherapy

• It is a psychotherapy introduced by V. Frankl, who

is considered the father of logotherapy
• The main belief of logotherapy is that “man ‟s
primary motivational force is search for meaning.”
• The main belief of logotherapy is that “man ‟s
primary motivational force is search for meaning.”
• it uses the philosophy of optimism in the face of
tragedy
Basic concept of Franklian Psychology

• 1) Life has meaning under all circumstances.

• 2) Main motivation for living is our will to find meaning in life.

• 3) Freedom to find meaning

It also aims to…

• 1] become aware of spiritual resources;

• 2] make conscious spiritual resources;
and
• 3] use defiant power of the human
spirit and stand up against adversity
Logotherapy assumptions

• The human being is an entity consisting of

body [soma], mind [psyche] and spirit.
• Life has meaning under all circumstances,
even the most miserable
• People have a will to meaning
• People have freedom under all
circumstances to activate the will to find
meaning
• Life has a demand quality to w/c people
must respond if decisions are to be
meaningful
• The individual is unique
Frankl’s Sources of Meaning

• 1] purposeful work – meaning of life is unique to every individual;

2] courage in the face of difficulty – a meaningful life is a life with
suffering. Suffering is part of life; and

• 3] love – is the only way to grasp another human being in the

innermost core of his personality.
Costello captured V. Frankl‟s message

“The ultimate secret on the spiritual foundation of life is that love

is salvation and joy eternity.” The ultimate factor to find meaning of
life is love.
Activity 1

• Make a reflection on the sources of the meaning

of life.