CSP 02 Lesson 12: Religions and Belief Systems

Religion

It is a spiritual community where people experience togetherness and belongingness and encapsulates the idea of solidarity and equality

__________ is a social institution that social scientists recognize to exist and organized through sets of beliefs, behaviors, values, and norms of people.

Speculative and inclusive

Nobody knows how religion started. Some descriptions about its origin are ________. In the history of humankind, there are shreds of evidence that are documented about spiritual beliefs

It is composed of sacred stories or narratives that members deem important and believe in.

Followers worship a deity that can be in any form, like a supernatural being whose qualities cannot be measured by any agreed-upon scientific means

Another form is to interact with the supernatural.

Aspects of Religious Belief

Shaman

are usually part-time spiritual practitioners, more often male than females, who attempt to heal the sick, bring good fortune, guard against evil and ill fortune and predict the future by seeking to control supernatural forces.

Sorcerers or witches

are those generally thought to bring harm to people in their society.

Mediums

are part-time spiritual practitioners who seek supernatural intervention in healing or prophecy while in a trance state.

Animism

the earliest and most primary form of religion encountered in non-industrialized societies. It refers to the belief in spiritual beings and forces. Specifically, it is the notion that natural objects, animate and inanimate, are imbued with

Monotheism

It is the belief in one supreme being. It

is a religious experience and a philosophical perspective that emphasizes one perfect creator of the world. It is mostly associated with Jewish, Christian, and Islamic religions that arose against the polytheism of 8 the Near East.

Polytheism

The belief in or worship of more than one god.

Cult

is a new religious group that is small, extreme, and at great odds with the norms and values of the larger society. They often exist on the margins of society and exploit their members.

Sect

is relatively small and a new religious group that is a subset of a religion or denomination. Sects are not cults

Denomination

is a large and mainstream religious organization. It is a religious group that slightly differs its beliefs from other groups but share the same religion.

Ecclesia

On the other hand, originally refers to assembled citizens politically. The term stems from the Greek word for the church, which refers to a gathering. Sociology uses the term to refer to a religious group that almost all