MODULE#6: RELIGION AND BELIEF SYSTEMS

A belief system is a set of beliefs regarding what is true and false, what is good or bad, what is
beautiful and ugly, what is acceptable by society and what is considered as unacceptable. A belief system
usually possesses the foundational principles on which a religion, a science, a culture, or a philosophy is
based but may not necessarily be the religion, the science, the culture, or the philosophy itself.
Meanwhile religion is a belief system that relates humanity to the transcendental, and just like culture, it
has its own set of rules, norms, values, and rituals, which are generally accepted by its group of believers.
To better understand the concept, we must first trace the origin of the term. The word religion comes from
the latin word religionem which means “respect for what is sacred, reverence for the gods”. It also comes
from the latin word re which means again and ligare which means to connect. Put together, re–
ligare therefore means “to reconnect”, in this sense, to the to the divine, the sacred, the supernatural, and
the spiritual. According to Emile Durkheim, “Religion answers all the unanswered questions of human
existence.” Most of the things that human reason cannot comprehend as of the moment can find answers
in transcendental ideas such as religion.
ANIMISM
During the old days when science was not yet dominant, our ancestors could not understand many things
in nature. When the lightning struck or when the volcanoes erupted, there were no reasonable or scientific
explanation available to them.
Thus, our primitive ancestors were compelled to come up with mythical explanations to many things they
saw in nature. Most, if not all, of ancient cultures are animistic, that is, the belief that all things found in
nature are guided and inhabited by spirits and deities. Basic questions such as: how does the sun rise?
Where do the rains come? How far is the sea? What is thunder? are all answered by spirits residing in
those elements in nature. Thus, primitive cultures attribute the rising of the sun to the sun god; that the
lightning and thunder are ruled by deities and gods; that the trees and the land are all animated by spirits.
In order for nature to be kind to them, our human ancestors performed sacrifices and rituals to ensure the
good favor of the gods.
The common features of animism include:
 The existence of souls or spirits which are viewed as the life-force of all things – from human
beings, animals, plants, and even non-living things and phenomena;
 The souls and spirits are found in nature. They may take the form of plants, animals, trees;
 There exists a spirit world. There is a world where unattached spirits dwell. Such spirits may be evil
and may bring chaos, hunger, death in the world of humans;
 There are human beings in the community who have the capacity to access the spirit world in order
to communicate and control the evil spirits;
 The spirit of human beings survives physical death. Their spirits may go back to the world in the
form of natural objects, or they can become one of the unattached spirits that bring evil to the
world.
In the olden times, people had to contend with many spirits, gods, and deities. This is the reason why
animism is usually polytheistic or the belief in many gods. Our ancestors usually had a hierarchy or a
pantheon for gods and goddesses. In Ancient Egypt, their highest god is Ra or Re. Meanwhile, in ancient
Greece, their highest god among many gods is Zeus. In early Philippines, we have bathala as the highest
god even as we have diwatas (goddesses of the land) and anitos (spirits of nature) all around. While
animism is often attributed to primitive societies, the truth is that many animistic practices still survive today.
For example, we offer flowers and candles to the dead in the hopes of helping them reach the afterlife
peacefully. We wish upon a star in order for our dreams to come true. At closer inspection, many of the
rituals and belief systems developed by religions today have been based from animism.
POLYTHEISM
Is the belief that there are different gods and goddesses that typically have physical bodies, and have
human characteristics. Such deities are representations of forces of nature, and are accorded with their
own supernatural capacities.
For example, in the Hindu story above, there is a god of creation, and a god of destruction. In most
polytheistic traditions, some gods are important than others. For instance, among the Greeks, Zeus has
always been regarded as the lord of all gods, though not exactly the most powerful of them all. Meanwhile,
in the Hindu tradition, Brahma has always been the chief god, and all the others have emanated from him.
Some examples of polytheism that is still present today include Shintoism, Buddhism, and Hinduism. The
following are the characteristics of a polytheistic religion:
 Gods of polytheistic religions are many, with each one having their own personalities, needs, and
desires.
 These gods intervene in the daily life of people as each one govern various aspects of human life.
Gods of polytheistic religions are thought to have the qualities, vices, and defects of human beings,
but their physical appearances are rarely human.
 Though human in their personalities and characteristics, but they have their divine characteristics
which belong to a different order of reality not attainable for man.
 Gods are immortal, but they are neither omnipotent nor omniscient.
 There is no single theory of belief because each god has the capacity to circumvent the other.
 Polytheistic religions are closely related to the cultural, social, and political conditions of the society
where it exists. Its forms, rituals and belief systems are typically representative of the culture where
it can be found.
According to history, polytheism was the typical form of religion during the Bronze Age and it dominated
until the Axial Age, a period of history which occurred during the 8th to the 3rd century BCE. This age was
notable because this was when new ways of thinking appeared in many different countries in the world.
This period was marked by the emergence of Confucian and Taoist teachings, Buddhism, and Zoroastrian

MONOTHEISM
Purposes that there is only one God who was all-powerful and who had the capacity to intervene in the
world. Monotheistic religions are believed to have developed out of Abraham and his descendants. Some of
the largest monotheistic religions today include Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.
Some of the common characteristics of monotheistic religions include:
 God is omnipotent (all-powerful) and omniscient (all-knowing).
 God is a creator who sustain and maintain order in the world.
 God is incomparable to any image or representation.
The Supreme God and the Management of Civilizations
When ancient civilizations arose, the idea of one God became the dominant belief in many cultures. At first,
it became necessary for ancient civilizations to have a temple of the gods where one powerful god was
worshipped. The reason for this is simple: if there are many gods with equal power, then the believers will
be prone to compete one god over the other and would result in endless wars on whose community
worships the strongest god. If this is the case, the society will never be united under one ruler. If there is a
highest god towering all over the others, then there is no competition as the king will always invoke the
support of the highest god. Thus, Jupiter is the highest god of the Romans and Zeus is the highest god of
the Greeks. The idea of divine right granted by a supreme god to a ruler and all his descendants has been
used by many cultures. Kings ruled with the authority and blessing granted to them by a supreme God who
alone is has the capacity to judge the monarch. In polytheistic Hinduism, Brahma the creator is the highest
god but he belongs to a trinity, with his two other personas, Vishnu the preserver, and Shivathe destroyer.
INSTITUTIONALIZED or ORGANIZED RELIGIONS
Is called a church. Unlike religious traditions, organized religions have beliefs and rituals which are formally
established and systematically arranged. Religions become institutionalized when they have the following
elements, also referred to as the five Cs of organized religion:
1. Cult is the set of rituals and sacred places, items, and objects, religious practices that believers do
and adhere to. It usually refers to some supernatural, superhuman, or transcendental power or
promise that attracts followers. The beginning of religion usually starts with the cult.
2. Creed. As the cult expands and develops, the members are questioned and challenged from the
outside. They also need to assure the next generations that their message will be transmitted in its
 original form. Thus, members of an organized religion are compelled to come up with a written set
of beliefs that would unite all members. This is their profession of their faith.
3. Code. As the organization of the community of believer’s progress through time, it cannot be
prevented that some organizational issues and processes need to be systematized. They need to
come up with a set of standard processes, organizational procedures and laws that would govern
the whole membership. Questions pertaining to the organizational structure of the church, what
constitutes the church hierarchy, what constitutes the laity and other things need be answered in
legal form. This is the code of the church.
4. Community of Believers. All individuals who adhere to the set of beliefs of a certain religion are
members of that religion’s community of believers.
5. Community Services are the things that the church does for its members and for the outside
world. These include such activities as having regular services for the believers, putting up schools
and hospitals, and doing humanitarian services, among other things.
SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE
What does separation of church and state mean? In short, it means that religious leaders cannot use the
government to impose their religious values on citizens. Conversely, it means that the government cannot
use its power to force people to follow certain religious practices or compel them to hold certain religious
beliefs. It also prevents religious discrimination by the government and prevents the government from
establishing a national religion.
The belief in the separation of church and state did not originate in the United States. It was developed in
Europe during the Enlightenment and espoused by a number of prominent thinkers, including John Locke
and Voltaire.
Thomas Jefferson and many of the other Founding Fathers were great admirers of Enlightenment
philosophy and incorporated Enlightenment beliefs into the U.S. Constitution. Jefferson was himself a critic
of Christianity and was suspicious of religious authority.
Another reason that the Founding Fathers wanted to create a secular government that separated church
and state was that they lived in a religiously pluralistic society. They did not want to favor one religious
group over another and wanted to avoid the kind of religious conflicts that had plagued Europe for
centuries.
In fact, the idea of the separation of church and state probably came about because of the countless lives
that were lost in Europe during the religious wars that plagued the continent during the 16th and 17th
centuries. The Thirty Years War alone may have cost up to 8 million lives.
American differ as to the nature of the separation of church and state. Some believe that the First
Amendment simply prohibits religious discrimination and prevents the U.S. from establishing a national
church. Others go as far as to say that all elements of religion should be barred from use by the
government, including Christmas displays.

Assessment Questions: To be submitted on Friday November 15, 2024

1) What are the advantages of separating religion from government?
2) Can you provide at least five examples of a country where this separation is evident?
3) How does this separation affect religious practices in public life?