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World Religions and Belief Systems: Senior High School
World Religions and Belief Systems: 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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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 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:
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:
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
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
Explaining Religion
Exploring Spirituality
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
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:
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.
8. I pray everyday.
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
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
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
Monism Agnosticism
Polytheism
One God Atheism
Many gods
Monotheism Doubt in 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
RELIGION
SPIRITUALITY
WORLDVIEW
THEOLOGY
PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION
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Assessment
Match Column A with Column B. Write the letter of the correct answer on
a separate paper.
Column A Column B
Statement:
A person can be spiritual without being religious and a person can be
religious without being spiritual.
Explanation: