HOLY CROSS OF CABURAN, INC. tremendum.
The feeling of it may at times come sweeping like a gentle tide, pervading
Jose Abad Santos, Davao Occidental
Humanities 1
Module 1
What is Meant by Religion and Belief System?
Most people if not all, belong to a religion. Perhaps, you belong in a family that
deeply observes religious practices regularly and believes in its teachings or doctrines.
For instance, most religions believe in a god and teach salvation and good moral
conduct. Judaism and Christianity believe that there is only one personal God. Hindus
though believe in many gods and goddesses. In moral conduct, all religions adhere to
the Golden Rule: “Do not do unto others what you don’t want others do unto you.”
Moreover, all religions not only adhere to the Golden Rule, but also to the basic moral
laws such as the following:
● Honor your father and mother
● Respect the properties of others
● Do not bear false witness
● Protect and serve the poor
There is no absolute, universal, formal, or official definition of religion. Why? First
not all religions share the same beliefs, rituals, and doctrinal teachings. For example,
Christianity and Judaism believe in only one personal God, Christians believe in a
Trinitarian God.
Some Definitions of Religion
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, religion is an “action or conduct
indicating belief in, obedience to, and reverence for a god, gods, or similar
superhuman power; and the performance of religious rites or observances. This
definition emphasizes two essential components of religion: (1) the belief in a
supernatural being; and (2) effort or commitment.
By etymology, the word religion comes from three Latin variants: relegere, religari,
and re-eligere. Relegere, which literally means “to constantly return to” speaks about
religious observances such as Holy Week in Christianity, Ramadan in Islam, and
Passover in Judaism. Religari, which means “to be tied into”, refers to the
commitment to one’s own religion. Re-eligere, which means “to choose again”, refers
to conversion or going back to one’s roots or goals.
According to Winfried Corduan, a professor emeritus of philosophy and religion at
Taylor University, Indiana, religion is a system of beliefs and practices that by means
of its cultus directs a person toward transcendence and, thus, provides meaning and
coherence to a person’s life. Max Műller, whom many regard as the founder or
religious studies, defines religion as a body of doctrines handed down by tradition.
Here are some definitions given by various disciplines whose views of religion,
though limited are helpful in understanding the concept of religion.
● Friedrich Schleiermacher (1768-1834; theologian/philosopher) – Religion is “the
feeling of absolute dependence.”
● Rudolf Otto (1869-1937; theologian/philosopher) – Religion is that which grows
out of, and gives expression to, experience of the holy in its various aspects. . . we are
dealing with something for which there is only one appropriate expression: mysterium
the mind with a tranquil mood of deepest worship.
● Paul Tillich (1886-1965; philosopher) – Religion is the “ultimate concern for the
ground of being”
● William James (1842-1910; philosopher/psychologist) – Religion is “the feeling,
acts, and experiences of individual people in their solitude as they stand in relation to
whatever they may consider as divine.”
● Viktor Frankl (1905-1997; neurologist/psychiatrist) – Religion is a “function of
the spiritual unconscious, which is the source of the will to meaning.”
● Emile Durkheim (1858-1917; sociologist) – Religion is “a unified system of
beliefs and practices relative to sacred things which unite into one single moral
community all those who adhere to them.”
The definition given by various scholars and experts in the field of religion can be
categorized into three: substantive, functional, and family of resemblances.
● A substantive definition excludes or limits the subject matter of religion to simply
about beliefs, institutions, and practices. This definition is content-oriented, in the
sense that it only tries to look into the essential characteristics of religion.
● A functional definition accommodates other important ideas such as creeds and
principles, which are common in religions. The functional definition does not specify
necessary content or elements as conditions for qualifying a religion, unlike what the
substantive approach does.
● All religions, to use Ludwig Wittgenstein’s concept, belong to a family or
resemblances. Applying this to religion, there is no set defining characteristics but
there is a network of similarities overlapping each other.
Relationship between Religion and Philosophy of Religion
Philosophy comes from the greek words philos and Sophia, which together mean
“love of wisdom”. It is the study that tries to critically examine the nature, meaning,
structure, and value of things by the use of reason and logic. Philosophy is a broad
discipline that seeks to answer fundamental questions of being and other issues related
to it.
Philosophy of religion is a branch of philosophy that deals with the philosophical
analysis, reflection, and examination of the central issues, themes, topics, and
problems about religion.
As a discipline, philosophy of religion differs from religion on four counts. First,
philosophy of religion is a method useful in understanding some complex issues about
religion such as God’s existence; God’s attributes, like omnipotence, omnipresence,
omniscience, and omnibenevolence; the problem of evil; and miracles. Second,
philosophy of religion primarily uses reason as the source of making judgments.
Third, philosophy of religion is purely an intellectual enterprise. Lastly, philosophy of
religion cannot substitute religion.
The following are some more characteristics of philosophy of religion:
1.It is not apologetics. This means that philosophy of religion does not provide
arguments in defense of faith.
2.It is not a comparative religion. Philosophy of religion does not only examine belief INSTRUCTION: Read and understand the questions. Write your answers in a
systems descriptively, but also critically. It critically evaluates the soundness and separate sheet of paper.
rationality of religions’ belief systems.
3.It is evaluative. It analyzes religious themes in an evaluative manner rather than 1.What do relegere, religari, and re-eligere mean? What distinguishes one from the
descriptive. other?
Philosophy of religion examines the nature and other intricate issues of religion a 2.What are the four characteristics of philosophy of religion?
philosophical point of view, whereas religion provides the material or object of study 3.What is the relationship between faith and theology?
to philosophy. 4.Do you think being spiritual and religious are necessary to be a good person? Give a
concise and clear answer.
Relationship between Religion and Theology
Theology comes from the Greek words theos, which means “deity” or “god”, and
logos, which means “word” or “discourse”. It is the study or discourse about god or
gods. Theology functions as a method in forming a reasoned expression of faith. More
than a method, its objective is to critically examine and understand the content of
faith.
One cannot have a strong belief or faith, that is, a personal conviction or commitment-
on something one cannot explain.
The relationship between faith and theology is seen in the role that faith plays in
theology. Faith gives form to theology, while theology sets the intellectual mode of
believers for faith to be understood. Furthermore, faith provides theology various
modes by which to understand its own content. Therefore, a critical knowledge of
faith is required in theology.

Relationship between Religion and Spirituality

One of the basic principles of religion is the belief that human beings have material
and nonmaterial dimensions.
Spirituality means that the human person sees more than what he or she touches,
seeing a better world not pillaged by human greed and selfishness, and working to
establish that world here and no, in this planet. However, “soul” is thought of as
different from “spirit”. The word spirit comes from the Latin word spiritus, which
means, “breath.” In Greek, “spirit” is pneuma while “soul” is psyche. While pneuma
refers to “breath”, psyche, to the human mind and personality.
Spirit, unlike soul, has a wider range of uses depending on the context. For example,
in the Christian context, the word spirit can be used to describe God (but not the word
soul). Christians believe that God is a spirit but do not believe that God is a soul or
has a soul.
A spiritual person has a revolutionary spirit and possesses radical beliefs. You see this
in the likes of Jesus Christ, Buddha, the Dalai Lama, Socrates, Confucius, and Laozi
who are regarded as spiritual models.
Spirituality and religion are considered by some to be either the same or strongly
linked because spirituality as a meaningful human activity centers on one’s quest for
meaning and purpose, which is touched by religion.
The modern sense of spirituality points to a subjective or personal quest of an
individual without any influence from religion. Those who embark on such a quest are
called spiritual but not religious (SBNR) people. Adherents and proponents of SBNR
are also known as unchurched, eclectic, unaffiliated, spiritual seekers, or freethinkers.