Module 1

As much as the world has constantly evolved from its inception, and
with a man in all his advancements, there still remain questions and
phenomenon that cannot be answered. Man has always grappled with
the question of his very existence, purpose in life, and many more.
Certain happenings—be it natural or even supernatural affects him that
he sometimes falls short of understanding. When he has exuded all
effort and has stretched the limits of reason, his attempt often leads (if
not always) to surmising that things happen for a reason and a higher
being (with its infinite wisdom, power, and superlatives) is pointed out as
the prime mover, the reason; the very foundation behind everything.
More often than not, one is born and becomes a “de facto” member
of a religion that his parents or elders are part of. He will be raised in its
teachings and that will help shape his persona. Religion, therefore, plays
an important role in the development of a person. Religion comes from
the Latin terminology “Religare” which means “to bind together”. It is
also referred to as a faith in a “supernatural being” and being part of a
community of people that eventually becomes an institution whose
members are bonded by the same belief and practices in worship.
Usually being in a religion, entails having Faith in God. Having Faith
means having complete trust in which there can be no absolute proof
or having the belief of something or someone with the strength of
conviction.
Whether you are spiritual or not, you will find yourself part of a religion.
Maybe you even have your own way of communicating and relating
with a higher being. Interestingly, if one will take a closer look at the
existing five most popular religions (in terms of the number of believers),
one will readily notice that they developed from the east specifically in
Asia. More so, we Filipinos are highly regarded for our faith. In the local
diaspora, Tagalogs (specifically we Batangueňos) are known for their
strong faith in God. Faith has been our strength and has shielded us in
whatever economic, political, and even catastrophic natural
phenomenon that has engulfed us in recent years. Here are some of
five most popular religions all over the world. See if you are part of one
of it and analyze whether you agree with its basic description and
tenets.

The Five Major Religions in the World

1. Buddhism – the major tenet of this religion is that life is inherently not
easy and is endowed with suffering, pain, and frustrations. Usually, when
a human being undergoes suffering, he strives to achieve goodness
because he believes that it is his way of avoiding disappointments. This
pattern is called as “Reactive Cycle”. This cycle is composed of
habitual “wanting and hating”, “liking and disliking” and lastly “craving
and “aversion”. In order to move away from this cycle, one may
engage in meditation which brings forth wisdom and deeper
knowledge of things as they are. It also helps in gaining acceptance.
Buddhism is popular within Asia specifically within the Southeast Asian
Region. The main object of worship in this religion is Siddhartha
Gautama Buddha or simply Buddha.
Norms and Practices
Types of Meditation
● Samatha – it is done by constantly practicing mindfulness in breathing
and by doing things with loving kindness (also known as Metta Bhavana)
on the other hand when one practice;
● Vipassana – a person’s goal is to make his/her vision into reality.

Aside from meditation, people of such faith also achieve wisdom and
understanding of life through the intensive study of the Dharma
(Buddha’s teachings). They also approach life through their subscription
to “Principle of Non-Violence”

Common celebrations or festivals

● Wesak or Day of Buddha – celebrated in May;
● Dharma Day – celebrated in July;
● Padmasambahava Day – on the other hand, this is commonly
celebrated on October and;
● Sangha Day in November
2. Christianity – has branched into several sects over its
two-thousand-year history. This religion is founded by Jesus Christ.
Usually, the followers of this religion believe in the Trinitarian Doctrine
(meaning there is one God but in three persons: Father (the creator),
Son (Jesus Christ - the Savior), and Holy Spirit (the advocate). Aside from
this, Christians also believe that one will achieve “Life Everlasting”
through belief in Jesus Christ who became man, who was sent by the
Father to spread the “Good news of Salvation” and his salvation of
humanity by dying through the cross. Since then, he was resurrected
from the dead and ascended into heaven. Christians also use as sacred
text the “Holy Bible” which is composed of the “Old Testament” and
“New Testament”
Norms and Practices
The Roman Catholic Church maintains seven (7) “Sacraments” which
are practices from which its believers derive the “grace” or favor from
God to achieve a holy life. It is comprised of Baptism, Holy Eucharist or
Holy Mass, Confirmation, Holy Orders or Priesthood, Confession,
Matrimony or Marriage, and the Anointing of the sick. However, not all
religions that branched out from Roman Catholicism, especially those
oriental/orthodox churches and more so, protestant and even
evangelical Christian churches have these practices. Most only
practice baptism as a form of initiation but others have different forms
of worship and rituals.
Common celebrations or festivals
● Christmas Day – usually celebrated on December 25, the birth of Jesus
Christ;
● Resurrection or Easter Sunday – celebrated after 40 days of
preparation (Lenten Season) and usually celebrated either March or
April. It highlights the celebration of the passion, death, and resurrection
of Jesus Christ and his role in saving the world from sin;
● Fiesta – in countries with Roman Catholic Christianity as the dominant
religion, it is common to designate a certain day as a feast day for a
“Patron Saint” of their specific areas.
3. Islam – being roughly translated means “wilful submission to God”.
Consequently, the belief of this particular religion is that they have “One
God” named “Allah”. The followers of the Islamic religion are usually
called “Muslim or Moslem”. It is characteristic of the followers of this
religion to have a deep feeling of community otherwise known as
“ummah”. Muslim communities are also in deep ties and sodality with
other Muslim communities in different parts of the world.
If the other two major religions were founded by Gautama Buddha and
Jesus Christ respectively, this religious belief is in turn founded by
“Mohammed” whom his followers consider as the “last and final”
prophet. The sacred text used by the believers of this religion is the
sacred “Quran”.
Norms and Practices
There are five pillars a Muslim man or woman considers as the very base
and summit of their religious life. These are derived from their teachings:
These are the following:
1. Shahadah – is the very declaration of their faith which states “There is
no God but the one true God Allah, and Mohammed is his messenger,”
2. Salat – refers to the practice of praying five (5) times a day.
3. Zakat – refers to the financial aid or offering in which the poor shall
benefit. From the overall asset of a Muslim, two point five percent (2.5%)
shall be saved for distribution to the needy.
4. Hajj – is the annual religious pilgrimage to “Mecca” (the center of
Islam). A believer who has the ability and financial capability is asked to
make the pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime.
5. Sawm – is done during “Ramadan”. It is the act of fasting or
abstaining from eating, beverage, and even sexual action from sun up
to sun down every day within the holy month of Ramadan. Usually,
Ramadan falls 9 months of the Islamic Lunar Calendar.
Common celebrations or festivals
● Eidul-Fitr – is to celebrate the ending of the holy month of “Ramadan”.
● Eidul-Adha – is to celebrate the ending of the pilgrimage or the Hajj.
4. Judaism – among the oldest religions of the world, the Jews or the
followers of this religion believe that since the creation and up to the
present, they are the chosen people of God. They believe that
Abraham is the father of all and his God, is the very God that has
nurtured them, has liberated them from the slavery in Egypt and He
himself who has guided them towards Canaan—the promised land
(while being led by Moses and later on his brother Joshua).
Until now, they still hold to the belief that a messiah or Savior shall come
to liberate them. They are considered by Christians as older brothers in
faith since Jesus Christ himself was born as a Jew. The sacred text they
are using is the “Torah” or the Law.
Norms and Practices
The day-to-day living of the people following the Jewish faith, is done in
strict adherence to the “Torah”.
Common celebrations or festivals
1. Rosh Hasanah – this is the celebration of the Jewish New Year;
2. Yom Kippur – Jews celebrate this day as the Holy day of asking God
for pardon and Atonement;
3. Pesach – This is the ritual feast of the Passover or the commemoration
of the liberation of the Jews from their slavery in Egypt;
4. Shavuot – it is the Jewish celebration of Pentecost;
5. Sukkot – also known as tabernacles, celebrates the getting together
of families in a meal during “Sabbath” or “day of rest” which begins
from Friday evening to sunset the next day.
5. Hinduism – though not entirely considered a religion, it comprises a
wide range of beliefs and the practices of religious groups thus no one
can be pointed to as the founder. Followers of this belief system posit
that there is a cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, as guided by the
principle called “Karma”. Based on this notion, a person will be
reincarnated based on how he or she has lived. It is also their belief that
the soul undergoes a cycle of succeeding lives and one’s next life will
depend on how he or she lived his or her previous life. The sacred
scriptures which the followers of Hinduism use are the “Vedas” aside
from this, the epic entitled “Mahabharata” and “Ramayana” also forms
part of their collection of sacred texts.
Norms and Practices
Since there is no direct or centralized authority or hierarchy that
administers the many groups and their beliefs, there are variations in the
way they also practice their rituals and acts of worship.
Common celebrations or festivals
1. Diwali – is also known as the festival of lights while;
2. Navrati – is known as the festivities for nine nights whose main aim is
the celebration of how good triumphs over evil.
Like Christians, Hindus also sets dates in order to commemorate the
manifestation of their particular god.
Instill
Accordingly, philosophers and intellectuals have varying opinions
on the existence of God and in the practice of faith in Him. But for the
sake of being in parallel and support with the university’s core values let
us take the positive opinions from these personalities of distinguished
disciplines.
Because of everything that is happening to man (whether it be good or
bad), there is a certain need for him to find meaning (or to use the word
of a known Existentialist Philosopher and renowned psychologist Victor
Frankl in Frando and Isip (2019) “an inner pull” in his life. In this sense, a
person by being part of a certain religion or by exercising belief in a
supernatural being makes him finds meaning in life, go on, conduct
himself properly, and even feel a certain steadiness of direction in his
journey.
Interestingly, it is not uncommon for people to experience doubt or
struggles with his belief in the existence of a supernatural being and its
role in his life. There are people who despite being born within a certain
religion, still in their latter life become Agnostics – which is a person or
persons who profess neither faith nor disbelief of a supernatural higher
being or God. There are also persons who became Atheists – a person
or persons who profess disbelief in the existence of a higher supernatural
being or God. It is not for us to judge them. The Philosophy of the
university emphasizes the freedom of a person in how he practices his
faith but more so it also gives emphasis to the freedom of a person in the
democratic process. Everyone has a choice.
However, it is interesting to note that a mathematician by the name of
Blaise Pascal in his wager about God posits that either God exists or He
does not. His position is not in defense of God or to convince anyone to
believe in Him. Simply he shared that based in his decision theory,
believing is more beneficial than not believing. He posits that if a man
believes in God and there is a God, then he will gain merit and may
actually experience eternal bliss. If he does not believe in God and He
actually exists, then he loses his chance of eternal bliss and suffers the
consequences of it.
Like a gamble, when he bets on the choice of “having a belief in God
and there is actually a God” then he wins ultimately; but if he bets on
the choice “there is no God and there actually is” then he loses
because he gains nothing. In the end, whether God exists or does not
exist; believing in God will help man. Why?
It is because, If he believes in God, follow His will, exercises goodness
and moral uprightness then he has a greater chance of achieving
heaven if there is really a God. If sadly there is no God, and he still
believed in God, still he cannot be considered a looser. It is because at
end of his life there is a greater chance he might still be remembered for
the goodness and uprightness he showed in his lifetime. He might be
remembered of his legacy in helping people; in doing what is good and
even defending what is right—more than that he contributed to society
because through his faith, he or she was able to gain and exercise
characteristics that help change the society and the world into a better
one. This is the very essence of exercising one’s faith to do what it is right
and what is good.
It is interesting to note that a prominent Batangueňo historian,
academician, and statesman, by name of Teodoro M. Kalaw of Lipa;
despite being a mason has recognized the role of religion in gaining
virtue. According to his daughter Senator Maria Kalaw-Katigbak he
likened women bereft of religion to flowers without scent and he
believes that the future of the nation relies on the virtue of its women.

Right after the war, the Philippines (like the rest of the world, was in
all-time low). There was a scarcity of food, money, clothing, and many
more. The horrors of war were still fresh in the memory of all. Enthusiastic
as most are since we have found new independence, most still grapple
with the post-war reality. People were demoralized and they might lose
their sane views had it not for their strong clinging to the almighty. It is no
surprise then that as the founders held to the strong belief in God in
order to survive, they would also want us to do the same.

With the university making “Faith in God” as one of the cornerstones of

its core values, it becomes coherent with its very mission of making
students develop their personality, eventually becoming
knowledgeable and morally upright individuals—characteristics that will
eventually make them function properly as responsible persons; that will
help maintain, preserve and uplift the Philippine society.