SPIRITUAL SELF

Spiritual
- relating to or affecting the human spirit or
soul as opposed to material or physical
things
- more concerned on growing and
experiencing the Divine
- follows the path of love
Religion
- the belief in and worship of a superhuman
controlling power, especially a personal
God or gods”
- a system of faith and worship
- places importance on beliefs and traditions
- often takes the approach of fear
- emphasizes on sin, guilt, and the concept
of a punishing God

 Spirituality embraces all the world‟s religions; but at the same time, is not constrained by any
religious dogmas or forms
 Spirituality feels that all faiths are valid.

Why is spirituality important?

 It gives people a sense of meaning and purpose.

 Spiritual practices are associated with better health and wellbeing.
 It can be a source of social support that may provide a sense of belonging, security, and
community.
 Contemplative practices – methods to develop concentration, deepen understanding and
insight, and to cultivate awareness and compassion
1. Meditation – mental exercise (such as focusing on one‟s breathing or repeating a
mantra) for the purpose of reaching a heightened level of spiritual awareness
2. Prayer – a spiritual communion with God (or an object of worship
3. Yoga – a Hindu spiritual and ascetic discipline. In Hindu theistic philosophy, it
teaches the suppression of all mind and body activity so that the self may realize its
distinction from the material world and attain liberation
4. Journaling – writing during difficult times may help you find meaning in life‟s
challenges

The psychology behind religious belief

- Research conducted by Steven Reiss, professor emeritus of psychology at Ohio State

University, indicated that people are attracted to religion because it satisfies the 16 basic
desires that humans share.
1. Acceptance 7. Independence 13. Social contract
2. Curiosity 8. Order 14. Status
3. Eating 9. Physical activity 15. Tranquility
4. Family 10. Power 16. Vengeance
5. Honor 11. Romance
6. Idealism 12. Saving
The Four Dimensions of Religion

1. Beliefs – generalized system of ideas and values that shape how members of a religious
group come to understand the world
2. Rituals – repeated physical gestures or activities, such as prayers and mantras, used to
reinforce religious teachings, elicit spiritual feelings, and connect worshippers with a
higher power.
3. Experience – feeling of immediate connection with a higher power; experiential
4. Unique social forms of community

One way scholars have categorized religions is by classifying what or who they hold to be
divine.

Religious Classification What/Who is Divine Example

Polytheism Multiple gods Hinduism, Ancient Greeks,
and Romans
Monotheism Single god Judaism, Islam, Christianity
Antheism No deities Atheism, Buddhism, Taoism
Animism Nonhuman beings (animals, Indigenous nature worship,
plants, natural world) Shintoism

Major Religions

1. Judaism – encompasses the religion, philosophy, and culture of the Jewish people their
sacred text is the Torah; it is the oldest of the Abrahamic religions and the predecessor
of Christianity and Islam
2. Christianity – monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ; word
of God is written in the Bible; world‟s largest religion with 2.1 billion followers
3. Islam – the word „Islam‟ in religious terms means „surrender one‟s will to the true will of
God to achieve peace.‟ It is the religious faith of Muslims who worship Allah as the sole
deity and believed Muhammad is His prophet. The holy scriptures of Islam is the Koran.
4. Hinduism – world‟s oldest religion; it combines the beliefs, philosophy, and cultural
practices of India; they are guided by Vedic scriptures and believe in righteousness, the
laws of cause and effect, and the cycle of birth and death. Central to the faith is a belief
in reincarnation and one supreme god called Brahman. Gods and goddesses can be
spirits, trees, animals, and even planets.
5. Buddhism – teachings of Gautama Buddha; Buddha is also known as the enlightened
one.

What is the difference between the soul and spirit of man?

Etymology

 Soul – Old English for “soul” means “spiritual and emotional part of a person, animate
experience”
  Spirit – directly from Latin spiritus “a breathing (respiration, and of the wind), breath;
breath of a god = breath of life”

Biblical beliefs

 Soul “refers to the conscious, the moral, and thinking part of a person; the soul is
immortal, and will go to hell, purgatory, or heaven after the person dies”.
 Spirit “first refers to the Holy Spirit, the third part of the Trinity. It is the force of God
through which blessings are bestowed upon His people”

Rituals and Ceremonies

 Ritual – a ceremony or action performed in a customary way

- may be prescribed by the traditions of a community
- rituals include not only the worship rites and sacraments of organized religions
and cults, but also rites of passage, atonement and purification rites, oaths of
allegiance, dedication ceremonies, coronations, presidential inaugurations,
marriage, funerals – perhaps all kinds of human activity
 General approaches to theories about the nature and origin of rituals are:
1. Origin approach – earliest form to explain ritual; ritual behavior is part of
human evolution
2. Functional approach – explain ritual behavior in terms of individual and social
needs
3. History of religious approach – holds the view that ritual behavior is an
expression of the sacred; that it is how the material human connects with the
transcendent realm or the ultimate reality

Classification of Rituals

1. Imitative – based on some belief system; patterned after myths and the ritual repeat the
myths or aspects of the myth (ex. Filipino making noises during New Year to defeat the
monster that eat villagers and destroy homes and farms)
2. Positive and Negative – focus on rules of prohibition; if a person breaks the ritual, it
will result in dramatic change that usually brings misfortune; positive rituals are mostly
concerned with giving blessings to an object or to an individual
3. Sacrificial – earliest form of religion; offering for a “higher being”
4. Life crisis – transition of one mode or stage of life into another