IWRC ♡ 1

Worldview

• collection of beliefs about life and the universe being held by people

• every individual sees and interprets the world quite differently from another

Kinds of Belief Systems

• Monism

• Polytheism

• Monotheism

• Atheism

• Agnosticism

Monism

• no real distinction between God and the universe

• God is dwelling in the universe as part of it

• universe does not exist at all as a reality but only as a manifestation of God

Polytheism

belief and worship of many gods

Monotheism

belief in one supreme god

Atheism

disbelief in or denial of the existence of God

Agnosticism

• God cannot be known

• deny the possibility of man to acquire knowledge of the existence of God

Theism

• synonym to monotheism

• a belief in the existence of one God viewed as the creative source of the human race

Monotheistic Religions

• there is only one God who designed and created the universe

• may have directed all events that led to the creation of everything

• one supreme God who is both personal and moral

• who seeks total and unqualified response from humans

• Ex. Judaism, Christianity, Islam

Polytheistic Religions

• common among early people

• recognize many principal gods among whom no one is Supreme

• ancient religions of Egypt, Greece, and Rome

Religion

• organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules

• used to worships a god or a group of gods

• Latin word religio

• derived from the Latin verb religare

religio

• Latin word

• something done with overanxious or scrupulous attention to detail

religare

• Latin verb

• means to tie together, to bind fast

Theology

• study of religious faith, practice, and experience

• especially the study of God and of God’s relation to the world

Common Characteristics Among Religions

• belief in a deity

• belief in a deity’s relationship with the world

• ways to worship a deity

• rules followed as a result of beliefs

• places and people believed to be holy and sacred

Three Basic Elements

• Wisdom or Creed

• Worship or Cult

• Works or code

Wisdom or Creed

• set of truths that must be accepted and agreed to by those who wish to belong to the religion

• creed is summary of the principle beliefs

  • Ex. The Nicene creed, Laws of Manu, and Ten Commandments

Worship or Cult

• the way of worshipping

• rituals that are practiced by followers

• difficult element to describe because it involves so many diverse elements

Works or Code

• ethical values and the system of moral practice

• directly resulting from an adherence to the beliefs

Eight Elements of Religion

• Belief System/Worldview

• Community

• Central Stories/Myth

• Rituals

• Ethics

• Characteristic Emotional Experiences

• Material Expression

• Sacredness

Belief System/Worldview

• many beliefs that fit together in a system

• to make sense of the universe and our place in it

Community

• belief system is shared

• its ideals are practiced by a group

Central Stories/Myth

• stories that help explain the beliefs of a group

• told over and over again

• may or may not be factual

Rituals

• beliefs are explained and taught

• made real through ceremonies

Ethics

• rules about how to behave

• come from deity or supernatural place

• guidelines created by the group over time

Characteristic Emotional Experiences

• most religions share emotions such as

  • awe, mystery, guilt, joy, devotion, conversion, inner peace, etc.

Material Expression

• things to perform rituals

• to express and represent beliefs

• Ex. statues, paintings, music, flowers, incense, clothes, architecture, and specific sacred locations

Sacredness

• religions see some things as _____ and some not (or profane)

• objects, actions, people, and places may express it