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• Christianity


  The world's biggest religion with about 2.2 billion followers, based on the teachings of Jesus Christ who lived in the Holy Land 2,000 years ago
• Christians believe


  Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to his disciples (followers) to show everyone that there is another life with one (1), eternal, loving God
• Islam


  The second most popular religion in the world with over a thousand million followers, more often thought of as a complete way of life rather than a religion, began in Arabia and was revealed to humanity by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)
• Muslims


  Those who follow Islam, believe that there is only one (1) God, called Allah, mainly followed in the Middle East, Asia, and the North of Africa
• Hinduism


  The world's third most popular religion, with around 750 million followers, originated in Northern India, near the river Indus, about 4000 years ago, the world's oldest existing religion, developed out of Brahmanism
• Hinduism


  • For many Hindus, religion is a matter of practice rather than of beliefs, it's more about what you do, than what you believe
  • Hindus believe in a universal soul or God called Brahman, and that there is a part of Brahman in everyone called the Atman
  • Hindus believe in reincarnation - a belief that the soul is eternal and lives many lifetimes, in one body after another
  • Hindus believe that all forms of life contain a soul, and all souls have the chance to experience life in different forms
  • Samsara means going through the cycle of repeated births and deaths (reincarnation), and the existence of this cycle is governed by Karma
• Buddhism


  Began in northeastern India and is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, the religion is 2,500 years old and is followed by 350 million Buddhists worldwide, it is the main religion in many Asian countries, it is a religion about suffering and the need to get rid of it, a key concept is Nirvana, the most enlightened, and blissful state one can achieve
• Buddhists believe


  The Buddha saw the truth about what the world is like, and that nothing in the world is perfect, and that the Buddha found the answer to why it is like this, they do not believe that the Buddha was a god, he was a human being just like them, they believe that he was important because he reached Enlightenment, and he chose to teach other people how to reach it too
• Institutionalized religion


  Formed by a sect, meaning it is not limitless and it is closed, also known as "organized religion," where belief systems and rituals are systematically arranged and formally established, typically characterized by an official doctrine (or dogma), a hierarchical or bureaucratic leadership structure and a codification of rules and practices, refers to the world's largest religious groups, especially those known by name internationally, and to organizations with which one can legally or officially affiliate oneself or not
• The separation of church and state in the Philippines can be traced from the 1987 Constitution
• Art II. Sec. 6: 'The separation of church and state shall be inviolable'
• Art. III. Sec. 5: 'No law shall be made respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. The free exercise and enjoyment of religious profession and worship, without discrimination or preference, shall forever be allowed. No religious test shall be required for the exercise of political rights'
• Art. VI. Sec. 5 (2): 'One half (½) of the seats allocated to the party-list representatives shall be filled, as provided by law, by selection or election from labor, peasant, urban poor, indigenous cultural communities, women, youth, and such other sectors as may be provided by law, except the religious sector'
• Art. IX (C) Sec. 2 (5): 'Religious denominations and sects shall not be registered as a political party, organization, or coalition by the COMELEC'
• Religions derives from the latin word religo meaning to bind or to obligate. Religions refers to adherence to a set of beliefs or teachings about the deepest and most elusive of life's mysteries.
• Emile Durkheim – Religion as a unified system of beliefs and practices related to sacred things, things that set apart and forbidden – beliefs and practices which unite into one single moral community called a Church.
• Karl Marx – Religion is the opium of the people. Religion was used to maintain the unequal social system that provides more benefits to the elites or the upper class while negatively affecting the lower social classes.
• Max Weber – Religion as an important factor in the rise of capitalism.
• Types of Religious Organizations

  1. Church
  2. Denominations
  3. Sects
  4. Culst
• Church – an institutional organization that is considered as the most recognized form of religious organization; defined as a large and formalized organization that is incorporated into society and is sometimes fused with the state.
• Denomination – religious organizations that have a large number of members but are less formal than a church; gain members by recruiting and converting members from other churches and denominations.
• Sects – religious organizations that tend to differ and often reject a larger religion’s belief; oppose religious pluralism and focus on the promotion of strict religious doctrines that incorporate all aspects of the member’s life.
• Cults – a relatively small religious organization whose doctrines are outside mainstream religious traditions; usually small and localized communities led by a charismatic leader who exercises absolute control over its member.
• Separation of Church and state in the Philippines

  The 1987 Philippine Constitution guarantees the separation of the Church and State in the Philippines. In Article 2 Section 6 of the 1987 Constitution, the law clearly states that the State shall ensure the inviolable “separation of Church and States.”. This means that the State cannot dictate a person’s religion. It also cannot intervene or disrupt the religious practices of Filipinos. The Church, for its part, cannot intervene in the political practices of the State.