Senior High School

Introduction to
World Religions and
Belief Systems
Quarter 1 – Module 1:
Understanding Belief System,
Religion and Spirituality
Introduction to World Religions and Belief Systems – Senior High School
Alternative Delivery Mode
Quarter 1 – Module 1 : Understanding Belief System, Religion and Spirituality
First Edition, 2020

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 Senior High School

Introduction to
World Religions
and Belief Systems
Quarter 1 – Module 1:
Understanding Belief System,
Religion and Spirituality
Introductory Message
For the facilitator:

Welcome to the Introduction to World Religions and Belief Systems Alternative De-
livery Mode (ADM) Module on Understanding Belief Systems, Religion and Spiritu-
ality!

This module was collaboratively designed, developed and reviewed by educators

both from public and private institutions to assist you, the teacher or facilitator in
helping the learners meet the standards set by the K to 12 Curriculum while over-
coming their personal, social, and economic constraints in schooling.

This learning resource hopes to engage the learners into guided and independent
learning activities at their own pace and time. Furthermore, this also aims to help
learners acquire the needed 21st century skills while taking into consideration
their needs and circumstances.

In addition to the material in the main text, you will also see this box in the body
of the module:

Notes to the Teacher

This contains helpful tips or strategies that
will help you in guiding the learners.

As a facilitator you are expected to orient the learners on how to use this module.
You also need to keep track of the learners' progress while allowing them to
manage their own learning. Furthermore, you are expected to encourage and
assist the learners as they do the tasks included in the module.
For the learner:

Welcome to the Introduction to World Religions and Belief Systems Alternative

Delivery Mode (ADM) Module on Understanding Belief Systems, Religion and
Spirituality!

The hand is one of the most symbolized part of the human body. It is often used
to depict skill, action and purpose. Through our hands we may learn, create and
accomplish. Hence, the hand in this learning resource signifies that you as a
learner is capable and empowered to successfully achieve the relevant
competencies and skills at your own pace and time. Your academic success lies in
your own hands!

This module was designed to provide you with fun and meaningful opportunities
for guided and independent learning at your own pace and time. You will be
enabled to process the contents of the learning resource while being an active

This will give you an idea of the skills or

What I Need to competencies you are expected to learn in the
Know
module.

This part includes an activity that aims to check

What I Know what you already know about the lesson to take.
If you get all the answers correct (100%), you
may decide to skip this module.

This is a brief drill or review to help you link the

What’s In current lesson with the previous one.

In this portion, the new lesson will be introduced

What’s New to you in various ways such as a story, a song, a
poem, a problem opener, an activity or a
situation.
This section provides a brief discussion of the
What is It lesson. This aims to help you discover and
understand new concepts and skills.

This comprises activities for independent

What’s More practice to solidify your understanding and skills
of the topic. You may check the answers to the
exercises using the Answer Key at the end of the
module.

What I Have This includes questions or blank sentence/

Learned paragraph to be filled in to process what you
learned from the lesson.

This section provides an activity which will help

What I Can Do you transfer your new knowledge or skill into
real life situations or concerns.
 This is a task which aims to evaluate your
Assessment level of mastery in achieving the learning
competency.

Additional Activi- In this portion, another activity will be given

ties to you to enrich your knowledge or skill of
the lesson learned. This also tends retention
of learned concepts.
This contains answers to all activities in the
Answer Key module.

At the end of this module you will also find:

References This is a list of all sources used in

developing this module.

The following are some reminders in using this module:

1. Use the module with care. Do not put unnecessary mark/s on any part of
the module. Use a separate sheet of paper in answering the exercises.
2. Don’t forget to answer What I Know before moving on to the other activities
included in the module.
3. Read the instruction carefully before doing each task.
4. Observe honesty and integrity in doing the tasks and checking your
answers.
5. Finish the task at hand before proceeding to the next.
6. Return this module to your teacher/facilitator once you are through with it.

If you encounter any difficulty in answering the tasks in this module, do not
hesitate to consult your teacher or facilitator. Always bear in mind that you are
not alone.

We hope that through this material, you will experience meaningful learning and
gain deep understanding of the relevant competencies. You can do it!
 What I Need to Know

This module was designed and written with you in mind. It is

here to help you understand the concepts and ideas related to Belief System,
Religion and Spirituality. The scope of this module permits it to be used in many
different learning situations. The language used recognizes the diverse
vocabulary level of students. The lessons are arranged to follow the standard
sequence of the course. But the order in which you read them can be changed to
correspond with the textbook you are now using.

The module is divided into three parts, namely:

 Understanding Belief Systems and Worldviews

 Explaining Religion

 Exploring Spirituality

After going through this module, you are expected to:

1. identify the different worldviews or belief system;
2. explain religion and the elements of religion;
3. explain spirituality and concepts related to spirituality;
4. differentiate religion from spirituality; and
5. prepare character sketches of a person who is spiritual but not religious
and a person who is religious but not spiritual.
 What I Know

DIRECTIONS: Choose the letter of the best answer. Write the chosen letter on a
separate sheet of paper.

1. This is the systematic study of the existence and nature of the divine.
a. religion
b. worldview
c. spirituality
d. theology

2. Relating or affecting the human spirit or one’s personal integrative view of life
a. spirituality
b. theology
c. religion
d. worldview

3. This refers to any set of attitudes, beliefs and practices concerning a supernat-
ural power.
a. spirituality
b. theism
c. religion
d. theology

4. The belief in many gods is called ____.

a. monotheism
b. polytheism
c. agnosticism
d. atheism

5. This term means denial of the existence of god.

a. monotheism
b. polytheism
c. agnosticism
d. atheism
 Lesson Understanding
Belief System, Worldview,
1 Religion and Spirituality

Why is there a need to study religion? What does it mean to be religious and
spiritual? Religion has played a crucial role in anyone’s life around the world that
we can say it has been liked to one’s life and even death, one’s meaning for exist-
ence. But what is there to know and understand about religion? This module will
introduce you to the various elements, concepts and characteristics of belief system,
worldview, religion and spirituality.

What’s In

In the context of religion, list down 5 things that you believe in by completing the
following statement:

I believe in/that _____________________________________________________.

I believe in/that _____________________________________________________.

I believe in/that _____________________________________________________.

I believe in/that _____________________________________________________.

I believe in/that _____________________________________________________.

Notes to the Teacher

List what you believe in and have been practicing in your religion.
What you wrote can be classified as your belief system.
What have you observed in your belief system?
Was it difficult for you to think of ten things that you believe in?
Why or why not?
 What’s New

Answer the following questions with YES or NO based on your belief systems.

YES NO
1. I believe in only one god.
2. I believe there are many gods.

3. I believe that no god exists.

4. I believe that god and the universe is one and
the same.
5. I believe that god cannot be known.

6. I believe in holy people.

7. I go to church and respect other holy places.

8. I pray everyday.

9. I believe that I should be a good person.

10. I believe that when I die I will either go to
heaven or to hell.

Your answers to the statement above reflect your belief system, as well as your
religiosity and spirituality. What is your belief system? Are you a religious or spir-
itual person?

Image 1. Belief Systems or Worldviews. Concept Map shows the different kinds of belief
systems and worldviews
 What is It

Understanding Beliefs and Worldviews

The term worldview refers to an individual’s overall perspective of the world.
People see and interpret the world differently from one another. Hence, a person’s
worldview may be the same or different from another’s worldview. This worldview
is also called belief systems. It refers to the order or the way a person views the
realities of the world which is relative to one another, due to some individual,
social as well as cultural factors.

Image 1 (Concept Map) on previous page shows the different worldviews or belief
system.
Table 1 below describes each of these worldviews or belief system.

Belief System /
Description
Worldview
Monism there is no real distinction between god and the uni-
verse

Polytheism the belief and worship of many gods

Monotheism the belief in only one supreme god

Atheism disbelief or denial of the existence of a personal god

Agnosticism doubt in the existence of god / god cannot be known

Table 1. Kinds of Belief Systems or Worldviews

Theism is defined as “a belief in the existence of one god viewed as the creative
source of the human race and the world who transcend yet is immanent in the
world” (Merriam-Webster, 2014). Monotheism is the belief that there is only one
(mono) Supreme God who created everything, while polytheism recognize many
(poly) gods. Examples of modern-day monotheistic religions include Judaism,
Christianity and Islam, while Hinduism is considered to be a polytheistic religion.
Monism, another belief system contends that God and the universe exist as one.
There is no distinction between god and the universe.
Atheists do not believe in any god or divine being, while agnostics neither believe
nor disbelieve in god for they deny the possibility for man to completely
acknowledge the existence of God.
 What’s More

Activity 1.1. Belief Systems and Worldview

Inside the circle are 10 words/phrases relating to belief systems or world views.
Pair up the words to make 5 pairs and write them down in table on a separate
sheet of paper.

Monism Agnosticism
Polytheism
One God Atheism
Many gods
Monotheism Doubt in god

One Reality No God

Belief Systems/Worldviews
 What is It

Explaining Religion
Religion may be defined as “an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules
used to worship a god or group of gods” (Merriam-Webster Dictionary 2014). It
takes its origin from the Latin word religare which means “to tie together, to bind
fast,” which originally was an expression of piety that is, binding to god. Now, the
term was used to express the manner in which people come together to perform
rituals as part of the belief in the supernatural beings.
Across the globe, with the existence of the different world religions, some of the
common characteristics among religions are as follows: it involves belief in a god
or deity, their relationship with the world and the ways to worship them, it com-
prises holy and sacred places and people, and encompasses a set of rules to fol-
low in line with the transcendental beliefs.
Other basic concepts that need to be understood in the study of religion, are
theology and philosophy of religion.
Theology involves the systematic study of the existence, nature and purpose of
god. When religion is man’s way to God, theology may be explained as
understaning God’s way to man.
Philosophy of religion, on the other hand, involves studying the “concepts and
belief systems of the religions as well as the prior phenomena of religious
experience and the activities of worship and meditation on which these belief sys-
tems rest and out of which they have arisen” (Hick, 1990 as cited by Ong, 2016).
It is not a branch of theology but a branch of philosophy, hence the study and
analysis of concepts like god, spirit, karma, creation, immortality, heaven, hell,
and purgatory among others, need not to be taken in a religious perspective.

Exploring Spirituality
What is spirituality and how does it differ from religion?
Derived from the Latin word spiritus, with its verb root spirare, which literaly
means “to breathe”, spirituality may be linked to a person’s longing for the value
of life. While religion is viewed as set of ideals practiced and followed by organized
groups, “spirituality is something an individual can have without being implicat-
ed in the ambivalent complexity of human societies and institutions” (Grassie
2010) as cited by Ong, 2016. Some may associate spirituality with religiosity but
many asserts that spirituality—inner peace, satisfaction and contentment—may
be found independent of any religious beliefs or doctrines. Thus, spirituality can
be described as one’s holistic and integrative view of life and involves a quest for
meaning and ultimate value of life. Hence, one can be spiritual without being reli-
gious.
 What’s More

Activity 1.2. Religion and Spirituality

Using the concept map below, give the elements of religion and spirituality.
 What I Have Learned

In the discussion of belief systems, religion and spirituality, define the

following key terms:

RELIGION

SPIRITUALITY

WORLDVIEW

THEOLOGY

PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION

Complete the following sentences:

I learned that religion is about my _______________________________.

As a religious being, I should ____________________________________.

Reflect and Understand

Answer the following questions:

1. Why is it important to distinguish religion from spirituality?

2. Can you give an example of a worldview? Describe this particular
worldview.
3. Why is it important to respect worldviews different from ours?
4. Evaluate yourself: Are you more of a spiritual or a religious person?
Explain your answer.
 What I Can Do

A person may be religious or spiritual.

Based on your understanding of religion and spirituality, make a

character sketch of a person who is religious but not spiritual, and a
person who is spiritual but not religious.

(A character sketch describes a person and his/her personality. Write

your character sketch beside the blank image of the human person below.
You may design the person’s image as you wish.)

A Person who is Religious but not Spiritual

_______________________________________________

_______________________________________________

_______________________________________________

_______________________________________________

_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

_______________________________________________

_______________________________________________

A Person who is Spiritual but not Religious

_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

_______________________________________________

_______________________________________________

_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

_______________________________________________

_______________________________________________
 Assessment

Match Column A with Column B. Write the letter of the correct answer on
a separate paper.

Column A Column B

1. a belief in the existence of one God viewed as a. agnosticism

the creative source of the human race and the
b. atheism
world.
c. monism
2. relating or affecting the human spirit that is
d. monotheism
one’s personal integrative view of life
e. polytheism
3. the belief that there is only one God who
f. religion
could have designed and created the universe
g. spirituality
4. the belief in many gods h. theology

5. the belief that there is no distinction i. theism

between God and the universe j. worldview

6. the denial of the existence of God

7. the belief that God’s existence cannot be

known

8. an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies

and rules used to worship a god or gods

9. the overall perspective or view of life and the

world

10. the systematic study of the existence and

nature of the divine
 Additional Activities

Written below is a statement related to the topic. Encircle whether you

agree or not agree with the statement. Explain your answer.

Statement:
A person can be spiritual without being religious and a person can be
religious without being spiritual.

Opinion: Agree Disagree

Explanation:

Notes to the Teacher

State your opinion freely based on your understanding of the lesson.
Try to be clear and concise in explaining your personal ideas about
being religious and spiritual.
You may cite concrete scenario and/or give specific examples to support
your answer.
What I Know What's More 1.1
D Monism—One Reality
A
C Monotheism—One God
B
A Polytheism—Many Gods
Atheism—No God
Agnosticism—Doubt in god
What's More 1.2 Assessment
Elements of Religion I
 belief in god/deity and thei G
relationship with the world D
 ways to worship gods E
 holy and sacred people and place C
 set of rules in line with the belief B
system A
F
Elements of Spirituality J
 longing for the value of life H
 quest for meaning
 inner peace, satisfaction ,
contentment
 holistic and integrative
Answer Key
References
Ong, A. and Jose, M. 2016. Introduction to World Religions and Belief
Systems. Vibal Group Inc.

Cornelio, J. 2016. Introduction to World Religions and Belief Systems.

2016. Rex Bookstore.

Brady, A. 2019. Religion vs. Spirituality: What Is the Difference? Accessed

from https://chopra.com/articles/religion-vs-spirituality-what-is-the-
difference

What’s The Difference Between Atheism And Agnosticism, 2020. Accessed

from https://www.dictionary.com/e/atheism-agnosticism/