The

Spiritual Self
 Learning Objectives

Examine one’s self

Explore the spiritual against the different
aspect and identity aspects of self
Demonstrate critical,
reflective thought in
integrating the various
aspects of self and identity.
 The
Spiritual Self
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God,
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,
will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
- Philipians 4:6-7
 Belief Practice
sets the foundation for action which manifests
one’s action the belief of that person
→ observable and regulated
→ not readily recognizable
and unlimited
Beliefs and Practices in
Supernatural Being and Power
 Which came first, God or the
idea of God?
Questions to
If you are not a member of a
Ponder religious group or you do not
agree with any religious
beliefs, what are the things
you would do differently?

Do you believe in
supernatural beings? Do you
think that belief in
supernatural beings
contradicts belief in religion?
The members of Peoples
Temple at Jonestown
committed a mass suicide
after they have been ordered
by the American preacher Jim
Jones to drink poison.
Christians

Man was created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27)

Everything else is immaterial for as long as we

follow God

God is all-knowing, all-good, Alpha and

Omega. He is also God the Father, God
the Son and the Holy Sprit.
Islam
 Protestantism

Salvation through Christ

One must be born again and accept

Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior
Iglesia ni Cristo God is not the Holy Trinity but a Singular being.
 Buddhism and
Hinduism
There is no personal god but one
should follow the path of Buddha – the
enlightened one

Worship is done as a sign of respect

rather than veneration
Indigenous Beliefs

❖ Often characterized as
animism

❖ Inanimate objects may be

worshipped
 Tawo of Bicol

❖ invisible creatures that are

thought to cause a wide
range of illnesses

❖ albukaru – faith healers; the

only person who can
communicate with the Tawo

❖ the tawo may communicate

by staying in its invisible
form or it can enter another
person’s body
Islam
RELIGIOUS PRACTICES

• may include: worship, rites, rituals, sacrifices, fiestas, trances, etc.

• considered sacred by the practitioners depending on their belief
• Philippine constitution ensures that the exercise of religion will be honored
 Ebralinag, et al vs Superintendent of Schools of Cebu
A group of students all belonging to Jehovah’s Witness refused to salute the flag on the ground
that this is against their religion.
Does school children who are members of Jehovah’s Witness may be
expelled from school (both public and private), for refusing, on account
of their religious beliefs, to take part in the flag ceremony?
FILIPINO RELIGIOUS PRACTICES

• Unique – like a sari-sari store

o Some families would like to ensure they won’t miss any of the blessings all the gods
would give them
• Can be confusing since mixture and blending of different beliefs have been embedded in our
faith that it is not clear what is biblical, spiritual, cultural, or traditional
The Concept
of Dungan
Spirit or Soul
 Definition of Concepts

Socrates and Plato St. Thomas Aquinas

Man is soul only Soul will enjoy eternal life in the
General Resurrection

Hinduism Buddhism
Atman – the universal, eternal Any sense of having an individual
self, of which each individual eternal soul or of partaking in a
soul (jiva-atman) partakes persistent universal self is illusory

Muslim
Animism
The soul existed at the same
Souls are quasi-physical and can
time as the body and t it will exist outside the body (in dreams
survive bodily death which will and in vision)
then have a life on its own
 ▪ a companion that coexists
▪ dwells inside the body of a living person
Dungan
▪ gives life, animation, and sensibilities to a person
▪ can temporarily leave the body at will (during sleep)
 Dungan
A life force, an energy, as well as an
•

ethereal entity, a spirit with a will of its

own that resides in the human body
and provides the essence of life
(Aguilar, 1998, p.2)

• Also refers to willpower, knowledge,

and intelligence and even the ability
to influence and dominate others
Rituals and
Ceremonies
Why do we do them?
 Public declaration of identification in
the group
• Rituals – form of communication which signifies
commitment to other members of the group
• Implies that you identify with the group and you
believe in what the group stands for
• Rituals – manifestations of the beliefs, values, and
basic ideals of that community

Invites trust and forms bond

• Gives assurance that the person willd do their
share of the work
• Creates a deeper bonding with the other
members and stability within the community
Religion, Magic
and Withcraft
 Magic
Methods that somehow interface
with the supernatural and by
which people can bring about
particular outcomes
-Stein and Stein, 2011
 Witchcraft
Generally associated with
immoral and antisocial
behavior such as greed,
vengeance and envy;
personification of all evil
 Finding and
Creating Meaning
Why should I continue to live?
What can I give life?
Man’s Search for Meaning
Provides a scientific (even
philosophical) observation and
analysis of what made men,
exposed to such atrocities and
horrors, survive
 3 Ways of
Discovering the By creating a work or doing a
Meaning of Life 01 deed

By experiencing something or
02 encountering someone

03 By the attitude we take toward

unavoidable suffering
 Assignment
Think of the greatest suffering
that you have ever
experienced. How did you deal
with it? If you can go back to that
time, and knowing what you
know now, would you still react
the same way you did then? What
(if there is) would you do
Encoded in short bond paper, at least 1 page
differently?
Due: October 28, 2019
 Thanks!
Does anyone have any questions?

drubios@usi.edu.ph
CASTED-SWM Faculty Room
SCL102