mdhp 1

• Belief System


  • Principles or tenets that, together, form the basis of a religion, philosophy, or moral code
  • A set of principles that help in interpreting our daily reality
• Kinds of Belief Systems

  • Monotheism
  • Polytheism
  • Monism
  • Atheism
  • Agnosticism
• Monotheism


  There is ONE God who created the Universe, or may have directed all events leading to the creation of everything. There is one Supreme GOD, both personal and moral, and who seeks a total and unqualified response from humans
• Polytheism


  “There is more than ONE God.”Recognizes many principal Gods among whom no one is Supreme
• Monism


  There is no distinction between God and the Universe. God is dwelling in the Universe as a part of it, and the Universe does not exist at all as a reality but a manifestation of God
• Atheism

  There is a disbelief or denial that God exists
• Agnosticism


  “God cannot be known.”

  There is a denial of knowing God or to acquire knowledge of God
• Religion

  • Organized systems of beliefs, ceremonies, or rules used to worship a God or a group of Gods
  • The expression of proper piety, devotion or respect, that is binding to God
• Spirituality


  • The recognition of a feeling or sense of belief that there is something greater than oneself, something more to being human than sensory experience, and that the greater whole of which one is part of, is cosmic or divine in nature
  • It is about one's soul and inner self
• World Religions

  • Abrahamic Religions
  • Indic Religions
  • Eastern Religions
• Abrahamic Religions


  Religions evolving on Abraham, a figure seen on Islam, Christianity and Judaism
• Indic Religions

  Religions originating from the Indian Subcontinent, such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism
• Eastern Religions


  Also known as Taoic religions, originating from the Far East, such as Confucianism, Taoism, Chinese Folk Religion and Ancestral Worship
• Christianity

  • Based on the life and teachings of Jesus
  • Currently the world's largest and most widespread religion, with an estimate 2.4 billion adherents
  • Began in the 1st Century after the birth of Jesus, with the disciples of Jesus Christ spreading their faith, despite persecution
• Major Denominations of Christianity

  • Catholicism
  • Protestant
  • Anabaptists
  • Adventism
  • Anglicanism
  • Baptists
  • Calvinists
  • Lutheranism
  • Methodism
  • Pentecostalism
  • Evangelical Christians
• Catholicism


  • The largest denomination, with 1.3 billion adherents
  • The core belief is centered on the Nicene Creed, which holds that there is one eternal God, who exists as a mutual indwelling of three persona – God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, altogether called as the Holy Trinity
  • Its belief are found in the Sacred Scripture, called the Bible, consisting of 33 books called the Old Testament, and 27 books of the New Testament
• Protestantism

  • Emphasizes justification by God through faith alone (sola fide), rather than through a combination of faith and good works
  • Protestants adhere to the concept of an invisible church, so they are located inside commercial buildings, or have churches not conforming to the usual Catholic architecture
• Islam

  • An Abrahamic monotheistic religion centered on the Qur'an and the teachings of Muhammad
  • Adherents are called Muslims, and has 1.9 billion adherents worldwide
  • Muslims consider the Quran to be the verbatim word of God and the unaltered, final revelation
  • They believe that Muhammad is the main and final Islamic prophet, through whom the religion was completed
• Judaism

  • An Abrahamic monotheistic religion centered on the Torah, which are the 5 books of the Old Testament, known as the Pentateuch (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy)
  • Adherents are called Jews
  • Jews consider only one God, and people serve God by living according to their teachings
• Hinduism


  • Prominent themes include Dharma (ethics/duties), saṃsāra (the continuing cycle of entanglement in passions and the resulting birth, life, death, and rebirth), Karma (action, intent, and consequences), moksha (liberation from attachment and saṃsāra), and the various yogas (paths or practices)
  • Polytheistic as it reveres many gods, with three central figures: Brahma (the Great Creator), Shiva (the Great Destroyer), and Vishnu (the Great Preserver)
• Buddhism


  • Generally speaking, does not include the belief in a monotheistic creator deity, and has often been described as either (non-materialistic) atheism or as nontheism
  • The Buddha's central teachings emphasize the aim of attaining liberation from dukkha (often translated as "suffering" or "unease")
• The Four Noble Truths

  • Life always involves suffering, in obvious and subtle forms
  • The cause of suffering is craving and fundamental ignorance
  • The good news is that our obscurations are temporary
  • There is a path which leads one away from craving and suffering
• The Eightfold Path

  • Right View
  • Right Intention
  • Right Speech
  • Right Action
  • Right Livelihood
  • Right Effort
  • Right Mindfulness
  • Right Concentration