Spiritual Aspect

of Self
IT EXPLORES THE SPIRITUAL ASPECT OF THE
SELF WITHIN CHRISTIANITY AND
DISCUSSES THE ROLE OF RELIGION IN
ADDRESSING HUMAN NEEDS. IT BEGINS
WITH A CHRISTIAN SONG EMPHASIZING
THAT HUMANS COME FROM GOD AND THEIR
PURPOSE IS TO LOVE BUT RAISES THE
QUESTION OF SELF-IDENTITY, ASKING,
"WHO AM I?". DISCOVERING THE SPIRITUAL
SELF IS SEEN AS CHALLENGING, AS IT
RELIES ON FAITH AND FOLLOWING THE
EXAMPLE OF JESUS CHRIST, CHARACTERIZED
BY SELFLESSNESS AND UNCONDITIONAL
LOVE.
The discovery of one's spiritual self is challenging, as humans can't
fully know God's will. Faith teaches that life's purpose is to emulate
Jesus Christ, who embodied unconditional and selfless love through
his sacrifice for humanity.
In Christianity, there's an emphasis on denying one's self,
relinquishing worldly attachments, and following Jesus' example,
particularly in Roman Catholic faith. This pursuit leads to a
selflessness that transcends materialism and is aligned with God's
will, essentially forming a holy self.
 The Practice
of Religion
The existence of God from both an
atheist and a believer's perspective,
emphasizing the role of reason and
logic. It suggests that observations
of the universe's perfection, celestial
precision, and human biology lead
some to believe in an "architect" or
a supreme being.
 Religion is introduced as a concept that

The
attributes the cause of all phenomena to
supreme beings, such as God or gods. It
highlights the traditional beliefs of Judaism,

Practice
Christianity, and Islam, describing God as an
all-powerful, all-knowing, and omnipresent

of
creator who is just, merciful, and beyond
worldly representation.
It also references Anthony Wallace's definition of

Religion
religion, which sees it as a set of rituals aimed at
influencing human conditions and nature's state,
often based on myths. It explains that when people
can't resolve anxiety-inducing issues through
technology or organization, they turn to religious
rituals, assuming the existence of supernatural beings
and forces.
The It touches on the various functions of

Practice religion, including providing a worldview,

reinforcing norms and identity,

of
establishing sanctions for individual
behavior, and offering solace in the face

Religion
of life's challenges.
The Concept of
Soul
In Western philosophy, two main
views of the soul exist: monism and
dualism. Monism sees the soul and
body as one, while dualism posits
them as separate.
 Western philosophers believed humans are
rational beings with both a soul and body. The

The soul, superior and immortal, guides the body

and can exist independently. Death separates

Concept
the soul from the body but doesn't end
personal existence. The soul is the source of

of Soul
motion and intelligence.
In the Philippines, the soul is called "kaluluwa" and
has both a physical connection to the body and a
separate spiritual existence. Roman Catholics
believe in the soul's immortality and eternal life
through good deeds and confession. Failing to live
morally may lead to punishment in "impiyerno,"
symbolized as eternal fire for sinners.
 Dungan: The
Bisayan Concept
of Soul
"Dungan" is the Ilonggo term for the soul, believed to be immaterial and
weightless, traveling with the wind. It resides above the Earth's surface before
choosing an unborn child's body to inhabit. The dungan doesn't have a fixed
location within the body but grows in proportion to the physical body's size. It
must be protected, especially in childhood, to prevent "usug" manifestations like
headaches and nausea. The dungan can occasionally separate from the body and
appear as small animals. Visayans caution against waking someone abruptly to
allow the dungan to return during dreams. In Visayan culture, dungan represents
willpower, influencing a person's thinking and behavior.
 Religious Rituals
The significance of religious rituals in Catholicism and how they are closely
connected to the beliefs of adherents. In Catholicism, rituals are known as
sacraments, with seven key ones such as baptism and Holy Eucharist. These
rituals hold deep meaning, like baptism welcoming a child to the faith and
cleansing them of original sin.

Rituals play a crucial role in honoring divine powers and reinforcing religious
obligations. They often validate and reflect religious beliefs. For instance,
Roman Catholics have specific rituals during Lent, including the Stations of the
Cross and Easter Sunday's Salubong ceremony. Some extreme rituals like self-
flagellation are believed to cleanse sins, cure illnesses, and grant wishes.
Religious Rituals
In Filipino culture, which is
predominantly Catholic, there are norms
associated with the Lenten season, such
as fasting and abstinence. These rituals
foster a sense of belonging and
harmony within religious and
institutional communities. Public
ceremonies further strengthen social
relationships among people in a given
community or society.
 Anthropologists call the practice of
compelling the supernatural forces to work

Magic or behave in a specific way as magic.

According to Frankle&Stein (2005) the key

and
components of magic are spoken words(or spell)
and objects.

Witch It involves manipulation of the supernational for

good or for evil purposes.

craft Magical rituals are usually performed to ensure

production of good crops,the replinishment of
the game,the fertility of domestic animals and the
prevention and cure of illnesses.
 TWO OF THE MANY
FORMS OF MAGIC
SORCERY WITCHCRAFT
Makes use of May accomplish the
materials,objects and same ill buy means of
medicine to invoke thought and emotion
supernatural alone.
malevolence.
 BARANG NATABANG/NABARANG NAGAWAY/ NAKULAM

victims of sorcery victim of witchcraft

magic or sorcery in
Cebuano
NATABANG may experience Many forms of illness may be
done as an act of
illness like stomachache while; inflicted by the manggagaway
revenge for the
or mangkukulam through the
wrongdoing done by
NABARANG may have a use of dolls,candles,and
the inflicted person.
painful and deadly experience prayers during the rituals.
as a swarms of insect may
enter the body.
 FINDING AND CREATING MEANING IN
LIFE: PERSPECTIVES FROM THE
ROMAN CATHOLICS AND THE ATHEIST

For Roman Catholics, God is the architect and the designer or all things on
earth. He created the world according to his plans and purposes. Catholics also
believe that human existence on earth is temporary; faith gives the believers
hope that life after death,they will meet their Creator in a place where there is
no sadness and pain,a place they call heaven.
FINDING AND In contrast, for the existentialists, God is
dead, there is no life after death, and life
CREATING has no meaning. They posit that it is the
MEANING IN LIFE: person who create his or her own
PERSPECTIVES meaning of existence. Furthermore,
FROM THE ROMAN existentialist assert that heaven is here
on earth and this entails the wordly
CATHOLICS AND things and deeds that satisfy one's
THE ATHEIST senses.
 Albert Camus, a well-known existentialist and
FINDING AND atheist,he said that humans are absurd. In this
CREATING context, the term absurd does not mean

MEANING IN LIFE: illogical or unreasonable. He posited that life is

absurd because people are constantly looking
PERSPECTIVES for answers, reasons, or justifications for the
FROM THE ROMAN good and the bad things happening in the
CATHOLICS AND world. For Camus, since there is presence of
THE ATHEIST absurdity, it does not matter whether God
really exists or not. For Camus, meaning or
purpose does not exist.
 ESSENCE vs EXISTENCE

For Plato and Aristotle, all have core elements and without those,things would not be
what they are. Those elements collectively called essence, are inherit properties that
give things the defining features. For the two philosophers all entities have substance
or matter and form.
The two agreed that everything has essence including humans and they believe that
essences already exist before the time of birth. In this belief, one aspect of being a
good human is to adhere to one's essence. People are created to fulfill a specific
purpose and endows them the essence of their life. This is the philosophy of
essentialism.
 Jean Paul Sartre, on the contrary, argued that
"existence" (das-sei ) precedes essence (was-sein).
Under this claim, human beings are not defined by
any predetermined properties or essences. People
ESSENCE vs are free to leave their life and define what they are,

EXISTENCE not in accordance with an idealized set of

characteristics. For Sartre,"Man is nothing else but
that of which he makes of himself." In the point of
view of most of the existentialists, what matters is
how and what one does in life at this moment and
not what will happen to him or her after death for
there is no reward for good deeds coming from God.
This is the philosophy of existentialism.
 MAN'S SEARCH FOR MEANING
Victor Frankl who wrote the book Man's search for meaning (1946), was a
neurologist who developed logotheraphy.

Logotheraphy is based on the guided principle that the For Frank, there are three ways to find a meaning
primary motivational force of every individual is to find in life
meaning in life. It is anchored on three basic principles
(1) doing an action
(1) life has meaning under all circumstances, even the most
(2) having personal experiences and interpersonal
miserable ones
(2) the impetus to live is one's will to discover meaning in interactions
life (3) evaluating one's attitude in the middle of
(3) humans are free to discover meaning in everything
suffering.
they do, in what they experience, or at least in the decision
they make when faced in an immutable suffering.
 Upon discovering the meaning of life
humans must prepare to face any type of
MAN'S SEARCH suffering. To deal with suffering, one has to
FOR MEANING undergo change of attitude.
thank
you