Chapter 8 - Religion of The World

MODULE: SS02: THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD
CHAPTER 8: RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD
Objectives:
At the end of this module, the learners must have:
 . compared and contrasted various religious faith and beliefs
of peoples around the world.
 Explain the religious and belief systems
Religion and Belief Systems
Religion
- It is the adherence to codified beliefs and rituals that generally involve a faith
in a spiritual nature and a study of inherited ancestral traditions, knowledge and
wisdom related to understanding human life.
- The term "religion" refers to both the personal practices related to faith as well
as to the larger shared systems of belief.
Belief System
- It is an ideology or set of principles that helps us to interpret our everyday
reality. This could be in the form of religion, political affiliation, philosophy, or
spirituality, among many other things. These beliefs are shaped and influenced
by a number of different factors. The convictions that come from these systems
are a way for us to make sense of the world around us and to define our role
within it.
Religious Classifications
Religious Classification What/Who Is Divine Example

Polytheism Multiple gods Belief systems of the
ancient Greeks and
Romans
Monotheism Single god Judaism, Islam
Atheism No deities Atheism
Animism Nonhuman beings Indigenous nature worship
(animals, plants, natural (Shinto)
world)
Totemism Human-natural being Ojibwa (Native American)
connection beliefs
One way scholars have categorized religions is by classifying what or who they
hold to be divine.
1. Hinduism
The oldest religion in the world,
Hinduism originated in the Indus River
Valley about 4,500 years ago in what is
now modern-day northwest India and
Pakistan. With roughly one billion
followers, Hinduism is the third-largest
of the world’s religions. Hindus believe
in a divine power that can manifest as
different entities. Three main
incarnations— Brahma, Vishnu, and
Shiva—are sometimes compared to the
manifestations of the divine in the
Christian Trinity.
2. Buddhism
Buddhism was founded by
Siddhartha Gautama around 500
B.C.E. Siddhartha was said to have
given up a comfortable, upper-class
life to follow one of poverty and
spiritual devotion. At the age of
thirty-five, he famously meditated
under a sacred fig tree and vowed
not to rise before he achieved
enlightenment (bodhi). After this
experience, he became known as
Buddha, or “enlightened one.”
Buddha’s teachings encourage Buddhists to lead a moral life by accepting the

four Noble Truths: 1) life is suffering, 2) suffering arises from attachment to
desires, 3) suffering ceases when attachment to desires ceases, and 4) freedom
from suffering is possible by following the “middle way.” The concept of the
“middle way” is central to Buddhist thinking, which encourages people to live in
the present and to practice acceptance of others (Smith 1991). Buddhism also
tends to deemphasize the role of a godhead, instead stressing the importance of
personal responsibility (Craig 2002).
3. Confucianism
Confucianism was the official religion of China from
200 B.C.E. until it was officially abolished when
communist leadership discouraged religious practice
in 1949. The religion was developed by Kung Fu-Tzu
(Confucius), who lived in the sixth and fifth centuries
B.C.E. An extraordinary teacher, his lessons—which
were about self-discipline, respect for authority and
tradition, and jen (the kind treatment of every person)—
were collected in a book called the Analects.
Some religious scholars consider Confucianism more
of a social system than a religion because it focuses on
sharing wisdom about moral practices but doesn’t
involve any type of specific worship; nor does it have
formal objects. In fact, its teachings were developed in context of problems of
social anarchy and a near-complete deterioration of social cohesion.
4. Taoism
In Taoism, the purpose of life is inner peace
and harmony. Tao is usually translated as
“way” or “path.” The founder of the religion
is generally recognized to be a man named
Laozi, who lived sometime in the sixth
century B.C.E. in China. Taoist beliefs
emphasize the virtues of compassion and
moderation.
The central concept of tao can be
understood to describe a spiritual reality,
the order of the universe, or the way of
modern life in harmony with the former
two. The ying-yang symbol and the concept
of polar forces are central Taoist ideas
(Smith 1991).
5. Judaism
After their Exodus from Egypt in the thirteenth
century B.C.E., Jews, a nomadic society, became
monotheistic, worshipping only one God. The
Jews’ covenant, or promise of a special
relationship with Yahweh (God), is an important
element of Judaism, and their sacred text is the
Torah, which Christians also follow as the first
five books of the Bible. Talmud refers to a
collection of sacred Jewish oral interpretation of
the Torah. Jews emphasize moral behavior and
action in this world as opposed to beliefs or
personal salvation in the next world.
6. Islam
Islam is monotheistic religion and it follows

the teaching of the prophet Muhammad,
born in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, in 570 C.E.
Muhammad is seen only as a prophet, not
as a divine being, and he is believed to be
the messenger of Allah (God), who is
divine. The followers of Islam, whose U.S.
population is projected to double in the
next twenty years (Pew Research Forum
2011), are called Muslims.
Islam means “peace” and “submission.” The sacred text for Muslims is the
Qur’an (or Koran). As with Christianity’s Old Testament, many of the Qur’an
stories are shared with the Jewish faith. Divisions exist within Islam, but all
Muslims are guided by five beliefs or practices, often called “pillars”: 1) Allah is
the only god, and Muhammad is his prophet, 2) daily prayer, 3) helping those in
poverty, 4) fasting as a spiritual practice, and 5) pilgrimage to the holy center of
Mecca.
7. Christianity
Today the largest religion in the world,
Christianity began 2,000 years ago in
Palestine, with Jesus of Nazareth, a
charismatic leader who taught his followers
about caritas (charity) or treating others as
you would like to be treated yourself.
The sacred text for Christians is the Bible.
While Jews, Christians, and Muslims share
many of same historical religious stories, their
beliefs verge. In their shared sacred stories, it
is suggested that the son of God—a messiah—
will return to save God’s followers. While
Christians believe that he already appeared in the person of Jesus Christ, Jews
and Muslims disagree. While they recognize Christ as an important historical
figure, their traditions don’t believe he’s the son of God, and their faiths see the
prophecy of the messiah’s arrival as not yet fulfilled.
Although monotheistic, Christians often describe their god through three
manifestations that they call the Holy Trinity: the father (God), the son (Jesus),
and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a term Christians often use to describe
religious experience, or how they feel the presence of the sacred in their lives.
One foundation of Christian doctrine is the Ten Commandments, which decry
acts considered sinful, including theft, murder, and adultery.
Video Links:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlBEEuYIWwY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTI3P9zx-oY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUhGRh4vdb8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtGtqmC5wU4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VAylWxDQfk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TG55ErfdaeY
References:
United Reliigions Initiatives. "Basic Beliefs." n.d. United Reliigions
Initiatives.
22 Jluly 2020 <https://uri.org/kids/world-religions/muslim- beliefs>.

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MODULE: SS02: THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD

CHAPTER 8: RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD

Religion and Belief Systems

Religious Classification What/Who Is Divine Example

Buddha’s teachings encourage Buddhists to lead a moral life by accepting the

Islam is monotheistic religion and it follows

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