The Spiritual Self

Lesson 3- Part 1
The Spiritual
Self

Introduction
Spiritual Self is one of the
constituents of the “self” (James
1990). The spiritual self is best
manifested in one’s ability to use
moral sensibility and conscience
may be seen through the
expressions of religion and its
beliefs and practices. Cultural
rituals and ceremonies are some
manifestations of what people
believe in.

RELIGION
According to Stein,
(2011)religion is a set of cultural
beliefs and practices that usually
include some or all the following
characteristics:
1. A belief in anthropomorphic
supernatural being such as
spirits and gods

2. A focus on sacred
supernatural , where sacred
refers to a feeling of reverence
and awe
3. The presence of suprnatural
power or energy that is found on
supernatural beings as well as
physical beings and objects

4. The performance of ritual
activities that involves
manipulation of sacred
object to communicate to
supernatural beings and
or to influence the control
of events

5.The articulation of worldview
moral codes through narratives
and other means
6. Provide the creation and
maintenance of social bonds
and mechanisms of social
control within the community ;
provide explanation for the
unknown and a sense of control
for the individuals

Rituals
Ritual is the performance of
ceremonial acts prescribed by a
tradition or sacred law(Britannica
2017). It is a specific , observable
mode of behavior exhibited by all
unknown societies .It is thus
possible to view rituals as a way of
defining or describing humans. They
are also patterned forms of behavior
that has something to do with the
realm. They can be religious or
secular.

Three Fundamental
Characteristics of Rituals (Britannica
2017)
 A feeling of emotion or respect, awe,
fascination, or dread in relation to the
sacred
Dependence upon a belief system that is
usually expressed in the language of
myth
Symbolic in relation to reference

Examples of Rituals
Rituals vary from culture to culture. In
the Philippines we have performed rituals in
different regions as their way of offering to
what they considered as deities.
1. Magic- commonly called “tricks” or
“illusions” that make impossible thing seem
to happen. It may be used for
entertainment but as ritual it has something
to do with activities by which persons can
compel the supernatural or forces of nature.

2. Witchcraft- commonly understood as
“kulam” refers to the idea that some people
have inborn power to harness spirits or
energies for specific purposes. It is an
explanation of events based on the belief
that some individuals posses an innate
psychic power capable of causing harm
including sickness and death. Withcraft is
also associated or closely related with
sorcery. Witchcraft is widely considered evil
as it may cause harm to people for vengeful
reasons and causing harm due to revenge is
not an acceptable behavior in the society.

What the bible says about Magic,
Rituals and Witchcraft?
Open your bible and read:
1. Deutronomy 18:10-13
2. Mark 12:29-31

The self can be described as ritual
being who exhibits a striking
parallel between their ritual and
verbal behavior. Just as a
language is a system of symbols
that is based upon arbitrary
rules, rituals may be viewed as a
system of symbolic acts that is
based upon arbitrary rules.
Participation to rituals is an
expression of religious beliefs.

Some World Religions and
Belief System
A. Buddhism-believes that life
is full of sufferings, pain and
frustrations. When people
suffer they want to experience
the goodness of life and avoid
disappointment . When people
suffer they want to experience
the goodness of life and avoid
disappointments.

It becomes a habit known as
reactive cycle of wanting and
hating, like and dislike and
craving and aversion. This
reactive cycle can be broken
though the practice of
meditation, acquiring more
wisdom and deeper
understanding and
acceptance of things as they
are.

Customs and Practices of Buddhism
Two types of Meditation Practices
Samatha Visappana
Practiced as
mindfulness
of breathing
and loving
kindness
(Metta Bhavana)
Aimed at developing insights
into reality. Acquiring wisdom
is by studying Buddha’s
teachings , the Dharma.
Through the reflection of
Dharma, Buddhist can achieve
deeper understanding of life.
Buddhists believe in non
violence principle

The Buddhist Dharma Wheel Contains the
Following Teachings
Contents Meaning
1. Right View Know the truth
2. Right Intentions Free your mind of evil
3. Right Speech Say nothing that hurts others
4. Right Actions Work for the good of others
5. Right Livelihood Respect Life
6. Right Effort Resist Evil
7. Right Concentration Practice Meditation
8. Right Mindfulness Control Your Thoughts

Christianity-
Christians believe in
Trinitarian God. One God in
three personas, God the
Father (creator), God the
Son (savior) God the Holy
Spirit (sustainer). Eternal
life 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
humanity but resurrected from
the dead 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 the New
Testament .

Customs and Practices of
Christians
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’s teaching of
unconditional love is expressed in
loving the poor, oppressed and
outcast of the society. Christmas and
Resurrection(Easter) are the two
major celebrations in Christianity.
Christmas celebrated on December
25, commemorates the birth of Jesus
Christ while Resurrection Sunday
(depends on the lunar calendar,
sometimes in March of April)
celebrates the resurrection of Jesus
Christ from death.

Hinduism-covers a wide range of
traditional beliefs and religious
groups ; thus there is no single
founder or leader. Hindus believe
that existence is a cycle of birth,
death and rebirth, governed by
Karma. Karma is the concept
where the reincarnated life will
depend on how the past life was
spent.

Hindus believe that a 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 othe
important texts of the Hindus.

Customs and Practices of Hinduism
Diwali and Navrati are the
most celebrated festivals of the
Hindus. Diwali is the festival of
Lights while Navrati is the
festival of nine nights , which
celebrate the triumph of good
over evil. Hindu have set dates to
honor particular manifestation of
God.

Islam- Muslims believe in
Allah, who is their one God.
They believe in the unity and
universality of God. Muslims
also have strong sense of
community or “ummah” and
an awareness and an
awareness of their solidarity
with all Muslims worldwide.

Islam means “willing submission
to God”. Muslims believe that
Muhammed is the first and last
and final prophet sent by God.
Mohammed was born in Mecca in
570 CE and received revelations
from God though the angel
Gabriel over a period of 23 years.
The Holy Bible of the Muslims is
called Quran which was taught to
be recited in Arabic because any
translation is seen inadequate.

Customs and Practices
Muslims believe in the 5 pillars of Islam,
which are the foundation of Muslim lives:
1. Shahadah- statement of faith, There is no
other God but one true God Allah and
Mohammed is his messenger.
2. Salat- the prayer that is practiced 5 times
a day
3. Zakat- the monetary offering for the
benefit of the poor. It comprises the 2.5
percent of Muslim’s assets
4. Haji-the yearly pilgrimage to Mecca.
Muslims who can afford are asked to do
pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime
5. Sawn- the fasting.Muslims do fasting fro
food, drink, and sexual act during the

3. Zakat- the monetary offering for
the benefit of the poor. It
comprises the 2.5 percent of
Muslim’s assets
4. Haji-the yearly pilgrimage to
Mecca. Muslims who can afford
are asked to do pilgrimage at
least once in their lifetime
5. Sawn- the fasting. Muslims do
fasting from food, drink, and
sexual act during the celebration
of Ramadan, the ninth month of
the Islamic calendar. The fst is
from dawn to sunset.

Two of the major
festivals in Islam are
Eidul Fitr and Eidul Adha.
Eidul Fitr is the
celebration of the end of
Ramadan while Eidul
Adha is celebrated
within the completion of
the Pilgrimage, the Haji.

Judaism
The Jews believe in the God of Abraham,
the same God that liberated Hebrew
slaves from Egypt to Canaan, the
Promised Land through the leadership
of Mosses. and later by Joshua. Jews
believe in the coming of Messiah, the
Savior. The sacred scriptures of the Jews
is 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
Five major festivals of the Jews:
 Rosh Hashana- The New Year
 Yom Kippur- The Day of Atonement
 Pesach – Passover
 Shavuot- Pentecost
 Sukkot- Tabernacles. The Jewish
Sabbath begins on Friday evening
at sunset and is an important time
when families gather for the
Shabbat meal

FINDING AND CREATING THE MEANING
OF LIFE
Dr. Victor Frank- a doctor from
University of Vienna who published a
book, The Doctor and the Soul: An
Introduction to Logotheraphy and
Man’s Search for Meaning.
Logotheraphy is a psychotherapy, the
main belief of which is that man’s
primary motivational force is to search
for meaning.

Logotherapy aids individuals to
find personal meaning in life ,
whatever life situation there
may be. In logotherapy meaning
can be discovered by creating a
work or doing a deed,
experiencing something or
encountering someone and an
attitude towards an unavoidable
suffering.

Basic Concepts of Franklian Psychology.
 Life has meaning under all circumstances
Main motivation for living is our will to find
meaning in life
Freedom to find meaning
Furthermore Franklian Psychology aims man to:
 become aware of spiritual resources
More conscious of the spiritual resources
Use defiant power of the human spirit and stand
up against adversity

Logotherapy Assumptions
1. The human being is an entity consisting of
body mind and soul
2. Life has meaning under all circumstances ,
even the most miserable- ultimate meaning.
This is difficult to grasp but it is something
everyone experiences and it represents an
order in the world with laws that go beyond
human laws
3. People have a will to meaning- main
motivation for living and acting. When we
see meaning we are ready for any type of
suffering . This is considered to be different
than our will to achieve power and pleasure.

4.People have freedom under all
circumstances to activate the will
to find meaning. This deals with
change of attitude about
unavoidable fate.
5. Life has a demand quality to which
people must respond if decisions
are to be meaningful. The
meaning of the moment is more
practical in daily living than
ultimate meaning. This can be done
by following the values of society
or by the voice of our conscience

6.The individual is unique. This deals
with one’s sense of meaning. This is
enhanced by the realization that we
are irreplaceable.
In essence all humans are unique
with the entity of the mind body and
spirit. We all go through unique
situations and are constantly looking
to find meaning . We are free to do
this at all times in response to
certain demands.

Frankl’s Sources of Meaning
Purposeful Work
Courage in the Face of Difficulty
Love

Ways of Discovering Meaning in life
 Experiential Values- experiencing something or
someone we value –parents, family, friends, house,
car
 Creative Values- becoming involved in one’s
projects, or in one’s own project, etc.
 Attitude values-include practicing virtues such as
compassion, bravery and good sense of humor.
Frankl’s best example achieving meaning by way of
suffering.

The Spiritual Self

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The Spiritual Self