Senior High School

Introduction to
World Religions and
Belief Systems
Quarter 1 – Module 1:
Understanding Belief System,
Religion and Spirituality

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:

identify the different worldviews or belief system;
explain religion and the elements of religion;
explain spirituality and concepts related to spirituality;
differentiate religion from spirituality; and
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: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.
religion
worldview
spirituality
theology

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

3. This refers to any set of attitudes, beliefs and practices concerning a supernatural power.
spirituality
theism
religion
theology

4. The belief in many gods is called ____.

monotheism
polytheism
agnosticism
atheism

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

monotheism
polytheism
agnosticism
atheism

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 existence. 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 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 _____________________________________________________.

Lesson

1


Understanding
Belief System, Worldview, Religion and
Spirituality
What’s

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

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.

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.

What I Have Learned

In the discussion of belief systems, religion and spirituality, define the following key
terms:

Complete the following sentences:

I learned that religion is about my _______________________________.

As a religious being, I should ____________________________________.

Reflect and Understand

Answer the following questions:

Why is it important to distinguish religion from spirituality?

Can you give an example of a worldview? Describe this particular worldview.
Why is it important to respect worldviews different from ours?
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.)
Assessment

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

Additional Activities

Written below is a statement related to the topic. Encircle whether you agree or not agree
with the statement. Explain your answer.
 

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?
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.
Image 1. Belief Systems or Worldviews. Concept Map shows the different kinds of belief systems and worldviews
 Belief System /
Description
Worldview

Monism there is no real distinction between god and the

universe

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

What’s More

Activity 1.2. Religion and Spirituality

Using the concept map below, give the elements of religion and spirituality.

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 comprises holy and sacred places
and people, and encompasses a set of rules to follow 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 systems 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 implicated 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 religious.

Belief
Systems/Worldviews

Monism Agnosticism
Polytheism
One God Atheism
Many gods
Monotheism Doubt in god
One Reality No
God
RELIGION

SPIRITUALITY

WORLDVIEW

THEOLOGY

PHILOSOPHY OF RELIGION

A Person who is Religious but not Spiritual

_______________________________________________

_______________________________________________

_______________________________________________

_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

_______________________________________________

_______________________________________________

A Person who is Spiritual but not Religious

_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
 _______________________________________________

Column A Column B

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

the creative source of the human race and the
2. atheism
world.
3. monism
4. monotheism
5. polytheism
6. religion
7. spirituality
8. theology
9. theism
10. worldview

2. relating or affecting the human spirit that is

one’s personal integrative view of life

3. the belief that there is only one God who

could have designed and created the universe

4. the belief in many gods

5. the belief that there is no distinction

between God and the universe

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