HUMSS 302: Understanding Religion

• Religion comes from three etymological account

  First, comes from the Latin word “religare”

  or “religio” that means “to tie or bind
• Two objectives of religion

  1.To bind humanity and the divine together

  2.To bind humans into a community bound with the divine
• THE 3 C’s OF RELIGION

  creed, code, cult
• creed


  WHAT WE BELIEVE DOCTRINES
• code


  HOW WE LIVE

  EXPECTED BEHAVIORS
• cult


  HOW WE WORSHIP PRACTICES
• Second etymology of religion, consists of two Latin words “re” which means “again” and “lig-” which means “join or connect”

  • Humanity and the divine is being reconnected, the human world and the sacred world

  • Religion is the way for humans to recover or reestablish the unity
• Third etymology of religion, derived from the Latin word “relegare” which means “to tread carefully”

  • Indicates respect and care for both the natural and supernatural words

  • Religion provides guidance on how we ought to live
• religion


  Institutionalized system of beliefs and practices from which an individual or community derives meaning and significance and to which community formally adheres in response to ultimate questions and the struggles of everyday life in the light of transcendent reality.
• There are 15 definitions of Religion from scholars
• Paul Tillich


  “Religion is the state of being grasped by an ultimate concern which qualifies all other concerns as preliminary and which itself contains the answer to the question of the meaning of our life.”
• worldview


  • A set of beliefs that is both coherent and comprehensive.

  • As a coherent set of beliefs forms belief system

  • A comprehensive belief system
• beliefs


  Are assertions, claims, or thoughts that are held to be true.
• belief system


  A set of beliefs forms a system when these are coherent and interrelated.
• comprehensive belief system


  It becomes comprehensive when there is a wide range of phenomena or human concerns. A set of beliefs that is not comprehensive is not a worldview.
• spiritual world


  • Refers to the transcendental world or supernatural world.

  • Not accessed by scientific method, but through visions, revelations, and mystical experiences. Reality is a matter of faith.

  • Spiritual world includes a God, gods, soul, angels, principles, and values.

  • Religious worldview includes a spiritual

  world
• sacredness


  • The sacred is contrasted with the ordinary, secular, or profane.

  • Sacred things are treated with respect or reverence.

  • The value of a sacred thing is mind- independent.

  • It has its own intrinsic value or derives the value from another sacred thing.
• 2 kinds of sacredness

  1.inherent sacredness

  2.derived sacredness
• inherent sacredness


  Something has inherent sacredness if it has value on its own.
• derived sacredness


  Something has derived sacredness if its value is derived from something that has inherent sacredness.
• sacredness


  • Spiritual world is given value higher than physical world.

  • Respecting sacred things through ethical codes like prayers, flowers, tithing, and others.
• ethical codes


  • Guidelines concerning how humans ought to relate to the divine, treat one another, or behave towards one another, God, gods, and revered teachers.

  • Include food, clothes, places

  • Revealed by God through a messenger or

  meditation
• community


  • A religious belief system is shared and practiced by a community of believers.

  • Consists of a hierarchy of authorities.
• sacred writings


  • Contain the main teachings, doctrines, central stories, ethical codes, and prophecies.

  • Divinely inspired
• central stories


  • Myths or stories on:

  • how the world and the human race

  began,

  • how God was personified and manifested

  in the world,

  • how a great teacher came to a realization

  of religious truths...
• rituals


  • Ceremonies that reenact sacred stories in the forms of singing and dancing.
• artistic expression


  • Expressions of belief through music, dance, architecture, sculpture, poetry, drama.
• Two of the key elements of religion are spiritual world and the sacredness.
• Spiritual World


  Concept of Spirituality • The relationship of Spirituality and Religiousness
• Sacredness


  Concept of Divine Absolute

  • The nature of its existence and how it

  relates to the natural word
• 1. Both Religious and Spiritual (69%)
  2. Spiritual but not Religious (21%)
  3. Religious but not Spiritual (4%)

  • Zinnbauer and Pargament (2005, 28)
• first perspective


  Spirituality & religiousness are incompatible opposites, it is not possible to be religious and spiritual at the same time.
• second perspective


  Spirituality & religiousness go hand in hand, it is possible to be religious and spiritual at the same time.
• substantive aspect


  Religiousness is substantive. Refers to the beliefs (doctrines) and practices (rituals)
• functional aspect


  Spirituality is functional. Refers to the goals of uniting with the sacred, living a meaningful life, and harmonious relationship
• institutional aspect


  Religiousness is institutional and objective. Expression of faith is in the context of a community. Communal Worship
• subjective aspect


  Spirituality is personal and subjective. Expression of faith as an individual. Individual Worship.
• incompatible aspects

  • The aforementioned aspects are features of religion, but some divided these aspects into incompatible aspects.

  • Separating these aspects is not right.

  • Substance and function of religion cannot

  be separated.

  • Communal and personal features of

  religion cannot be separated.
• religious spirituality


  Occurs within the context of a religious

  tradition
• nonreligious spirituality


  Does not occur within the context of a religious tradition