World Religions and Belief Systems:

Definition of Terms
In the subject Introduction to World Religions and Belief Systems, the learners are expected to
demonstrate understanding of belief system or worldview, Religion, Spirituality, Philosophy of
Religion, Theology, the elements of religion, belief system, and spirituality. Being familiar with the
following terms and concepts are very important as an introduction:

1. ‘Materialism’ is the philosophical doctrine that physical matter is the only ultimate reality.
It maintains that all that exists is reducible to matter or to qualities or upshots of matter.

2. Theists believe that unlike opposing ethical theories, theistic moral system (which is also
called ‘moral supernaturalism’) can satisfactorily explain the existence of objective ethical
values and moral laws.

3. Worldview is more than culture as it extends to perceptions of time and space, of

happiness and of well-being. In fact, the beliefs, values, and behaviors of a culture stem
from its worldviews.
                      
4. Derived from the German term ‘weltanschauung,’ the term ‘worldview’ refers to the
cluster of beliefs an individual holds about the most significant concepts of life such as God,
the cosmos (universe), and humanity. These beliefs, which may or may not be true, form a
general picture, a broad-spectrum outlook, or a grand perspective on life and the world.

5. ‘Spirituality’ is one’s integrative view of life. It involves a quest for the meaning and
ultimate value of life as opposed to an instrumentalist or materialistic attitude to life.

6.  The word ‘philosophy’ came from the Greek words ‘philo’ (love) and ‘sophia’ (wisdom)
and is thus literally defined as “the love of wisdom”. Considered by some as ‘the mother of
all branches of knowledge’, it may be defined as the systematic examination of principles
and presuppositions of any field of inquiry, including religion.
 
7. “Seekers” are those people who are looking for a spiritual home but contemplate
recovering earlier religious identities. These SBNRs embrace the “spiritual but not religious"
label and are eager to find a completely new religious identity or alternative spiritual group
that they can ultimately commit to.
 
8. Belief systems are often deemed as convictions, often in the form of supernatural or
religious beliefs, though they may also take the form of scientific views, or any philosophical
belief relating to the sphere of daily life.

9. Religious scriptures are the so-called sacred texts which religions consider to be
central to their faith. Religious texts may be utilized to “evoke a deeper connection with the
divine, convey spiritual truths, promote mystical experience, foster communal identity, and
to guide individual and communal spiritual practice” (“Religious Text,” n.d.).

10. Generally, a ‘ritual’ is a “sequence of activities involving gestures, words, and objects,
performed in a sequestered place, and performed according to set sequence” (“Ritual,”
n.d.).  Rituals may be prescribed by the traditions of a community, including a religious
community.
11. Other polytheists are ‘kathenotheists,’ that is, worshiping different gods or goddesses at
different times.
 
12. The term ‘monotheism’ comes from the Greek ‘μόνος’ (‘monos’) meaning “single” and
‘θεός’ (‘theos’) meaning ‘god.’ It characterizes the traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and
Islam—religions that had grown up in opposition to polytheism.
 
13. The spiritual dimension (spirit) is described as a unifying force within individuals,
integrating and transcending all other dimensions. This dimension is also described as
God-consciousness, or related to a deity or supreme values.

14. This worldview finds its roots in empiricism, which claims that all valid knowledge is
derived from experience, and in positivism, which denies all metaphysical concepts.
Ethically, naturalism proposes that morality must be limited to non-spiritual context since it
denies any supernatural end for humankind.

15. A religion is also viewed as “an organized collection of beliefs, cultural systems,

and worldviews that relate humanity to an order of existence” (“Religion,” n.d.). Many
religions possess holy scriptures, narratives, or sacred accounts that aim to explain
the origin and meaning of life and the universe.

16. Webster’s dictionary defines theology as “the science of God or of religion; the
science which treats of the existence, character, and attributes of God, his laws and
government, the doctrines we are to believe, and the duties we are to practice. . . the
science of Christian faith and life.” In the fifth-century, the philosopher Augustine defined
theology as “rational discussion respecting the deity” (“Theology,” n.d.).

17. ‘Philosophy of religion’ refers to the philosophical study of the main themes and
concepts involved in religions. It may also include an enquiry into the religious significance
of historical events (e.g., the Holocaust) and the general features of the cosmos, the laws of
nature, and the occurrence of conscious life.

18. A ‘mosque’ is a place of worship for followers of Islam. Many mosques” have elaborate
domes, minarets, and prayer halls, in varying styles of architecture … The mosque serves
as a place where Muslims can come together for ‘salat’ (prayer) as well as a center for
information, education, social welfare, and dispute settlement” (“Mosque,” n.d.).

19. Monism is a philosophical, cosmological, and metaphysical stand which proposes an

ultimate unity of all things, and that all seeming differences, distinctions, divisions, and
separations are ultimately only apparent or partial aspects of an ultimate whole. It is a
theological stance that “all is one, that there are no fundamental divisions, and that a unified
set of laws underlie all of nature.

20. Evolutionists claim that the existence of all life is explained by natural selection which
for them is a “blind, unconscious, no purpose, no mind, no vision, no foresight, no sight at
all, automatic process” (Dawkins, 2000, p. 14). In other words, all life allegedly originated
through intrinsically directionless series of processes as opposed to the planned and
decisive creation by God.
The following 25 concepts and terms are also
important in studying world religions and belief
systems:

1. ‘Belief system’ refers to a particular way of ordering the realities of one’s world. It is
often interchangeable with the term ‘worldview,’ hence, the two shall be predominantly used
as synonyms in this book.

2. A ‘worldview’ is a theory of the world used for living in it, serving as a mental model of
reality, a framework of ideas and attitudes about ourselves, the world, and life.
Simply put, a worldview may be defined as how one sees life and the world at large.

3. Theism or theistic worldview holds that a deity or deities exist/s. Many theistic
worldviews consider this supernatural being as an infinite personal God who is the creator
of the universe, and who supernaturally acts on things in it. 

4. ‘Atheism’ refers to the disbelief, denial of, or lack of belief in the existence of God or

gods. The term comes from the Greek prefix a-, meaning ‘without,’ and the Greek
word theos, which means ‘god.’

5. ‘Naturalism’ is a belief system that rejects all spiritual and supernatural explanations of
the worldand affirms nature as the totality of reality. It holds that we can comprehend nature
only through scientific investigation since science is the sole basis of what can be known.

6. ‘Materialism’ is the philosophical doctrine that physical matter is the only ultimate reality.
It maintains that all that exists is reducible to matter or to qualities or upshots of matter.

7. ‘Religion’ refers to the pursuit of transformation guided by a sacred belief system. It is

defined as “people's beliefs and opinions concerning the existence, nature, and worship of
a deity or deities, and divine involvement in the universe and human life” (“Religion,” 2009).

8. ‘Spirituality’ is one’s integrative view of life. It involves a quest for the meaning and
ultimate value of life as opposed to an instrumentalist or materialistic attitude to life.

9. Simply put, theology is the study of God. It comes from the word ‘theos’ which is Greek
for ‘God,’ and ‘logos,’ meaning ‘word’ or ‘study.’

10. ‘Philosophy of religion’ refers to the philosophical study of the main themes and
concepts involved in religions. It may also include an enquiry into the religious significance
of historical events (e.g., the Holocaust) and the general features of the cosmos, the laws of
nature, and the occurrence of conscious life.

11. ‘Religious rituals’ refer to the behavior performed by a religious member or a group of
believers with reference to supernatural power or a deity. It includes varieties of behavior
such as reciting prayers, singing of hymns, dancing, fasting, putting on of special types of
cloth, taking birth in holy rivers, crawling, etc.

12. A ‘synagogue’ is a Jewish house of prayer. Synagogues have a large hall for prayer
(the main sanctuary).
13. A ‘mosque’ is a place of worship for followers of Islam. Many mosques” have elaborate
domes, minarets, and prayer halls, in varying styles of architecture … The mosque serves
as a place where Muslims can come together for ‘salat’ (prayer) as well as a center for
information, education, social welfare, and dispute settlement” (“Mosque,” n.d.).

14. Monism is a philosophical, cosmological, and metaphysical stand which proposes an

ultimate unity of all things, and that all seeming differences, distinctions, divisions, and
separations are ultimately only apparent or partial aspects of an ultimate whole. It is a
theological stance that “all is one, that there are no fundamental divisions, and that a unified
set of laws underlie all of nature.

15. Polytheism’ refers to the worship of or belief in more than one deity, especially several
deities usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own
religions and rituals. Especially in a sociological perspective, the emergence of polytheism
has been attributed to the desire to pacify the uncontrollable forces of nature, the need for
supernatural moral sanctions, and the attempt to justify specialization and class distinctions.

16. ‘Monotheism’ is the “belief in single God: the belief that there is only one God”
(“Monotheism,” 2009). The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church defines it as the
“belief in one personal and transcendent God.”

17. ‘Atheism’ stands for the disbelief, denial of, or lack of belief in the existence of God or
gods. The term comes from the Greek prefix ‘a-,’ meaning ‘without,’ and the Greek word
‘theos,’ which means ‘god.’

18. Darwinism, the advocacy of Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, and evolutionism, the
belief in the theory of evolution by natural selection, are fundamentally related. Both
ideologies attribute the origins of all life forms and other things not to the purposeful
creation by God but to the behavior of random chemical and physical forces.

19. A spiritual but not religious (SBNR) individual associates faith with the private realm
of personal experience rather than with the public realm of religious institutions, creeds, and
rituals. He or she may ignore membership in religious institutions, participation in formal
rituals, and adherence to official denominational doctrines.

20. “Dissenters” are the people who, for the most part, make a conscious effort to veer
away from institutional religion.

21. “Casuals” are the people who see religious and/or spiritual practices as primarily
functional.

22. “Explorers” are the people who seem to have what Mercandante refers to as a
“spiritual wanderlust.”

23. Seekers” are those people who are looking for a spiritual home but contemplate
recovering earlier religious identities.

24. Immigrants” are those people who have found themselves in a novel spiritual realm
and are trying to adjust themselves to this newfound identity and its community.

25. Religious but not spiritual (RBNS) man is thus sketched as someone who can give
gifts, pray, and do many good works, but he or she does not understand what it is to offer
oneself. Accordingly, this person may pay ‘tithes’ exactly, but he or she will not put himself
or herself to death in the moments of temptation. 

Reference: https://ourhappyschool.com/religion/world-religions-and-belief-systems-
definition-terms