Lesson 3:

Supernaturals:
Believe It or Not!
Objectives:
At the end of this lesson , you should able to:

1. Identify various religious practices and beliefs;

2. Understand the self in relation with religious
beliefs; and
3. Explain ways of finding the meaning of life.
• Whenwas the first time you realized that there is a
higher being than yourself?

• How old were you then?

• What made you believe that there is a higher

being?
What is Spiritual self ?
Is the most intimate,
inner subjective part of
the self.
William James
Spiritual self is one of the
four constituents of the “self
”.
His book The Principles of
Psychology in 1980.
Green (1997)
Spiritual self is purer than
all other sentiments of
satisfaction.
RELIGION
Rebecca Stein

She define the religion “as a set of

cultural beliefs and practices that
usually includes some or all of basic
characteristics”.
Characteristics:
1. A belief in anthropomorphic supernatural being,
such as spirit and gods
2. A focus on the sacred supernatural, where sacred
refers to a feeling of reverence and awe
3. The presence of supernatural power or energy that
is found on supernatural beings as well as physical
beings and objects
4. The performance of ritual activities that involves the
manipulation of sacred object to communicate to
supernatural beings and/or to influence or control
events
5. The articulation of worldview and moral codes
through narratives and other means
6. Provide the creation and maintenance of social
bonds and mechanism of social control within a
community; provide explanation for unknown and a
sense of control for individuals.
Ritual
•According to Britannica 2017, Ritual
is the performance of ceremonial acts
prescribed by a tradition or sacred law.
•Ritual is a specific, observable mode
of behavior exhibited by all known
societies.
 3 Fundamental Characteristics Of Rituals
According To Penner (Britannica 2017)

1. A feeling or emotion of respect, awe,

fascination or dread in relation to the sacred
2. Dependence upon a belief system that is
usually expressed in the language myth
3. Is symbolic in relation to its reference
Buddhism
Beliefs:

Buddhism believes that life is not a

bed of roses.
There are suffering, pain and
frustration.
Customs and Practices:
Two Types of Meditation Practices :

Samatha is practiced as mindfulness of breathing and

development of loving-kindness (Metta Bhavana).
Vipassana practices aim at developing insight into
realty.
 Dharma is acquiring wisdom by
studying Buddha’s teaching.
 Buddhist believe in non-violence.
Samatha Meditation Dharma Wheel
Buddhist Celebrations:
Parinirvana Day in February
Buddha Day (Wesak) in May
Dharma Day in July
Padmasambhava day in October
Sangha Day in November
Christianity
Beliefs:
Christiansbelieve in Trinitarian God. One
God in three personas:
God the Father (creator), God the Son (Savior) and
God the Holy Spirit (sustainer).
Eternal life after death
Holy Bible (old testament and new
testament).
Customs and Practices:
Sacrament of Baptism, symbolizes the
birth in Christian world.
Sacrament of Communion, act of
remembrance of Jesus Christ’s
sacrificial love.
Two Major celebration in Christianity:

Christmas, commemorate the birth of

Jesus Christ every 25th day of December.
 Resurrection (Easter), celebrates the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from death
(March or April, depends on the lunar
calendar).
Hinduism
Beliefs:
No single founder or leader
Existence is a cycle of birth, death and
rebirth, governed by Karma.
Believes that the soul passes through a
cycle of successive lives and its next
carnation is always dependent on how
previous life was lived.
Karma, is a concept where the
reincarnated life will depend on how the
past life was sent.
Vedas, sacred scriptures of Hindus.
Mahabharata and Ramayana, are two
other important texts of the Hindus.
Customs and Practices:
The most Celebrated Festivals Of The
Hindus ( Diwali and Navrati):
Diwali, the festival of lights
Navrati, the festival of nine nights which
celebrate the triumph of good over evil.
Hindus have set dates to honor particular
manifestation of God.
Diwali Celebration Navrati Festival
Islam
Beliefs:
Muslims believes in Allah, who is their “One God”.
They believe in the unity and universality of God.
Muslims also have a strong sense of community or
“ummah” and an awareness of their solidarity with all
Muslims worldwide.
Islam means “willing submission to God”.
They believe that Mohammed is the last prophet sent by
God
Quran, the holy book of Islam.
Quran Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca
Customs and Practices:
Five pillars of Islam:
1. Shahadah- statement of faith: “There is no God but
the one true God and Mohammed is his messenger”.
2. Salat- the prayer that is practiced five times a day.
3. Zakat- the monetary offering for the benefit of the
poor.
4. Hajj- the yearly pilgrimage to Mecca.
5. Sawm- the fasting.
Ramadan- celebrates every ninth month of the
Islamic lunar calendar.

Two major Festivals in Islam are: Eidul-Fitr

and Eidul-Adha:
Eidul-Fitr- the celebration at the end of
Ramadan.
Eidul-Adha- celebrated within the completion
of the Pilgrimage.
Eidul-Fitr Eidul-Adha
Judaism
Beliefs:
 Jews believe in God of Abraham.
Jews believe in the coming of
Messiah, the Savior.
 Torah or the Law, sacred scripture of
the Jews. The guide of the Jewish living.
Pesach Rosh
Shabbat Meal
Hashanah
Customs and Practices:
Five Major Festivals:
1. Rosh Hashanah- the New Year
2. Yom Kippur- the Day of Atonement
3. Pesach- Passover
4. Shavout- Pentecost
5. Sukkot- Tabernacles.
Dr. Viktor E. Frankl
 a Psychiatrist,
Born on March 26,1905 in Vienna, Austria
and died in 1997.
Viktor Frankl Institute in Vienna was created
in 1992.
He is considered as the “Father of
Logotherapy’.
He published a book about logotherapy, in
1959 and it was translated into English, and
was revised in 1963 as “The Doctor of the
Soul: An Introduction to Logotherapy”
Basic Concepts of Franklian Psychology

 life has meaning under all circumstances.

 main motivation for living is our will to
find meaning in life.
 freedom to find meaning.
Franklian Psychology aims to:

1)Become aware of spiritual resources,

2)Make conscious spiritual resources
3)Use “defiant power of the human spirit”
and stand up adversity.
Logotherapy Assumptions:
1. The human being is an entity consisting of body.
2. Life has meaning under all circumstances, even the most
miserable.
3. People have a will to meaning.
4. People have a freedom under all circumstances to activate
the will to fine meaning.
5. Life has a demand quality to which people must respond
in decisions are to be meaningful.
6. The individual is unique.
Three Possible Sources Of Meaning Of
Life. According To Popova (2017)

1. Purposeful Work
2. Courage in the face of difficulty.
3. Love.
THANK
YOU!