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Educational and
Religious
Institution
Group 8
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Religious Innovation, Deviation,
and Fanaticism
A lot of people would incorporate ancestral customs and
traditions, including indigenous beliefs into their personal
religious practice. Many Catholics for instance engage in
superstition, occult rituals such as sorcery, divination,
extreme penance such as self-flagellation and crucifixion,
and other non-sanctioned practices. The Roman
Catholic Church does not promote and encourage
modified practices of Catholicism.
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It is wrong to say that many Christian traditions are rooted

in pagan beliefs, feasts, and practices. On the contrary,
Christianity only superimposed its beliefs on the pagans.
Pagan practices were eventually banned in early Christian
Rome when Christianity was instituted as the official religion
of the Roman Empire. Some of these pagan beliefs, feasts,
and practices that were substituted with Christian concepts
to disassociate pagan concepts are:
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 1. Saturnalia - Christmas season substituted the Roman festival Saturnalia from 17th
to 24th of December and later moved to the 25th to coincide with the winter solstice
and to honor the Roman god Saturn by feasting, unrestrained behaviour, merry
activities, visiting friends, lighting of candles, and gift-giving.

 2. Christmas Tree - A Christian adaptation of overshadowing the pagan practice of

revering the fir tree as it remained green and withstood the duration of harsh winter
snows compared to other vegetations.

 3. Lupercalia - In 496 A.D. Pope Gelasius changed Lupercalia, a Roman pagan love
festival from the 15th to the 14th to divert people's attention from the pagan festival and
coincide it with the feast of Saint Valentine, patron saint of love. The Church saw there
was nothing wrong with celebrating love, only the pagan elements were wrong.
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Religious Norms

Religious membership requires obedience and compliance. Its

commandments and teachings are not optional for if refusal is
an option, then there is no sense of being a part of the religion.
In the first place, no one is prevented from opting out of a
religion and converting to another, or even establish his own
religion according to what suits him. The following are
regarded as contradictory to religious norms and conduct of
unbecoming:
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 1. Apostasy - It means taking out of the text what scripture says, as with having an
own interpretation, questions and rejects authoritative teachings.

 2. Blasphemy - This pertains to speaking about God with contempt. It constitutes

verbal abuse such as derogatory remarks, insults, mockery, desecration, etc.

 3. Sacrilege - Any transgression against religious virtues including inappropriate acts

of treating of religious persons, places, and things resulting to irreverence.

 4. Heresy - This refers to teachings contrary to faith regarded as false, lies,

deceiving, and corrupted.

 5. Harām - It is a term in the Islamic religion equivalent to taboo or something strictly

forbidden and strong intolerance to the effect of causing sin.
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There are many religions that debar or expel their members for
dissent or insubordination, or blatant violation what religion
leaders and religious laws deem to be the gravest offenses or
mortal sin against the religion's most sacred beliefs and
teachings. The Catholic Church, for instance, has the power of
excommunication to severe a member from being part of the
Church which denies him of all the sacraments and salvation. In
some religions, they have different terms for debarment or
expulsion on different grounds as well.
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Sources of Religious Authority,
Faith, and Teachings

 1. Sacred Scriptures - These refer to divine revelations that have been

written down as instructed by the divine or written through divine inspiration.

 2. Philosophy and Theology - Truth discovered in the light of natural reason

to the extent of the rational capability of man.

 3. Tradition - This can refer to the oral narratives of those who bear witness
to the events of the life of a spiritual leader and the ideal emulation thereof.

 4. Spiritual Encounter - A person's encounter with the divine as in the case

of being called upon by the divine for a mission or vocation.
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Structural Elements of Religion
 1. Dogmas - These pertain to the established beliefs, definitive declarations, and
infallible truths subscribed to by the religion that forms the basis and adherence of the
faith of its members and followers.

 2. Doctrines - These refer to the official teachings of the religion which members of a
religion must know, understand, and follow as a matter of duty.

 3. Rituals and Ceremonies - These include all forms of solemn acts involving
sacrifices, appeasement offerings, celebration of mass, customary and traditional
religious practices, and conferment of religious entitlements.

 4. Prayer and Worship - These refer to communicating and connecting with the divine
or spirits, and offering of praise and reverence.

 5. Symbols and Relics - These are any objects that represent or symbolize the sacred
or the divine in such that they are
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Classification of Religious
Organizations
 1. The Church - It is a term used to refer to the dominant religion in the society in terms of majority
members and socio-political influence. It must be clarified however that "The Church" does not
always refer to the Catholic Church as different societies have their respective dominant religion.

 2. Sect - These are religious groups or factions that have separated out of protest or conflict from
a parent Church due to different interpretations of dogmas and doctrines, disagreement with
leadership, and disapproval of practices.

 3. Denomination - Religious groups that were independently founded and are originators of their
own religion usually because the founder of the religion claims to be the fulfillment of sacred text,
received divine appointment and mission, or divine revelation.

 4. Cult - It is a group with a fanatical following founded on loose dogmas and doctrines but more
on tight rituals and ceremonies revolving around an authoritative charismatic leader as the primary
source of its belief and teachings.
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Separation of the Church and
State
Article II, section 6 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution which
states "the separation of the Church and State shall be
inviolable" is oftentimes cited stressing the separation of the
Church and State as the basis for argument that the Church
should not meddle, involve, or concern itself with political issues
or State matters. They say that the Catholic Church's being
vocal and at times being antagonistic on certain political issues
and State matters is a violation already of the separation clause
cited in the 1987 Philippine Constitution.
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 On the contrary, what constitutes separation is the fact

that the Church's opposition on certain matters
presents itself as non-conniving party with the State is
truly evident of separation. It is when the Church is
silent on such issues that arouse suspicion of
connivance or imposition of authority over the other
party as in the case of theocracy which is the union of
the Church and State in the Philippines during the
Spanish period.
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It should be noted also that Article II goes with the title

"Declaration of Principles and State Policies" under
which the separation clause is listed. Carefully this
means that it is the State and not the Church that has
made such declaration in the first place. The Church is
not being forced to adhere in such declaration by the
State; otherwise it would be contrary to the meaning of
separation.
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THAT’S ALL
THANK YOU