World View - is a collection of attitudes, views, stories and expectations about the world around

us, which inform our every thought and action ; this explains how a culture works out in
individual practice.

Religion - came from the Latin words “religare” meaning “to bind” and “religio” or
obligation, bond and reverence ; it is a set of beliefs concerning the cause,nature, and
purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or
agencies.

Spirituality - the quality or state of being concerned with religion or religious matter.

Theology - study of theistic thought.

Theos = God Logia = Utterances

Theism - is the view that all limited or finite things are dependent to a supreme being or ultimate
reality.

Philosophy is the most critical and comprehensive thought process developed by human
beings. In contrast, Religion is also comprehensive but not necessarily critical. Religion
seeks to give its followers a view of all of life and the universe and answers to the most
basic and important questions which occur to humans all over the planet. The answers that
religion offers do not have to conform with careful analysis of reason and logic. Indeed,
many religious beliefs defy logic and seem to be unreasonable. In addition, religion has its
basis in belief while philosophy has its basis on reason. Philosophy is a critic of belief and
belief systems and looks for rational explanations and justification for beliefs

Meanwhile, philosophy of religion is a discipline which uses philosophy to examine human's

religious attitudes and of the real or imaginary objects of those attitudes (Helm, 2018). It is
also defined by Pecorino (2001) as "rational thought about religious issues and concerns
without a presumption of the existence of a deity or reliance on acts of faith." Philosophy of
religion is an important part of philosophy because it addresses the issues such as the
nature and extent of human knowledge, the ultimate character of reality, and the
foundations of morality (Helm, 2018). Traditionally, philosophy of religion's coverage is
limited to theistic religions, but recent works show its involvement to both theistic and
non-theistic religious traditions

Effects of Religion in Society :

o In Marriage and Family: Valuing and regularly practicing religion lead to greater marital
stability and satisfaction.
o In Parenting: Parents who worship enjoy a better relationship with their children and are
more involved in their education.
o In Sexual Attitudes and Behavior: Religious adults enjoy sexual relations more than the
non-religious do.
o In Health: The more people worship, the healthier they are and the longer they live.
o In Mental Health: The more people worship and pray, the happier they are and the
greater their mental health.
o In Charitable Giving: Religious individuals give much more to charity than their secular
counterparts.
o Regarding Divorce: When both spouses worship frequently, they are much less likely to
divorce.
o Regarding Addictive Behaviors: The more people worship, the less likely they will be
involved with or addicted to drugs.

Pray - to pray means to speak to a god either privately or in a religious ceremony in order to
privately express love, admiration, or thanks or in order to ask for something.

The five most influential religions are Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and
Judaism.

Judaism - is the world’s oldest monotheistic religion, dating back nearly 4,000 years.

Jewish history is documented in the Hebrew Bible, also known to Jews as the Tanakh and
to Christians as the Old Testament (Jews do not use the latter term, which reflects the
Christian idea that the New Testament superseded the Hebrew Bible).

They represent an assortment of literary forms, including poems, songs, legal prose, and
vivid narratives full of drama and supernatural events.

The Tanakh is divided into three (3) sections.

These are as follows:
1. Torah (“Law”)
• Genesis • Exodus • Leviticus • Numbers • Deuteronomy
2. Nevi'im ("Prophets")
• Joshua • Judges • I and II Samuel • I and II Kings • Isaiah • Jeremiah • Ezekiel
• The Twelve Prophets
= Hosea = Joel = Amos =Obadiah =Jonah =Micah =Nahum =Habakkuk
=Zephaniah =Haggai =Zechariah =Malachi
3. Ketuvim (“Writings”)
* Psalms *Proverbs *Job *Song of Songs *Ruth *Lamentations *Ecclesiastes
*Esther *Daniel *Ezra-Nehemiah *I and II Chronicles

Observant Jews are required to eat kosher food. To be kosher, food must be prepared
under a long list of dietary laws. Animals must be killed in a specific way, or the meat cannot
be consumed. Only animals that have a cloven hoof and dual digestive tracts can be eaten.
This means that cows, goats, and sheep can be eaten, but pigs and horses are
forbidden. Seafood must have scales and fins, so lobster, crab, and eels are not
kosher.

Christianity- developed out of Judaism in the 1st century C.E. It is founded on the life,
teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Nowadays, it the most widely practiced
religion in the world, with more than 2 billion followers.

The Christian Bible is a collection of 66 books (Catholic Bible contains 73 books) written
by various authors. It’s divided into two parts: The Old Testament and the New
Testament.

The Old Testament, - which is also recognized by followers of Judaism, describes the
history of the Jewish people, outlines specific laws to follow, details the lives of
many prophets, and predicts the coming of the Messiah.

The New Testament - was written after Jesus’s death. The first four books—Matthew,
Mark, Luke, and John—are known as the “Gospels,” which means “good news.” These
texts, composed sometime between 70 A.D. and 100 A.D., provide accounts of the life and
death of Jesus.

Letters written by early Christian leaders, which are known as “epistles,” make up a large
part of the New Testament. These letters offer instructions for how the church should
operate.

• Christians are monotheistic, i.e., they believe there’s only one God, and he created the
heavens and the earth. This divine Godhead consists of three parts: the father (God
himself), the son (Jesus Christ) and the Holy Spirit.
• The essence of Christianity revolves around life, death, and Christian beliefs on the
resurrection of Jesus.
• Christians contend that Jesus will return to earth again in what’s known as the Second
Coming.
• The Holy Bible includes essential scriptures that outline Jesus’s teachings, the lives, and
teachings of major prophets and disciples, and offer instructions for how Christians should
live.
• Both Christians and Jews follow the Old Testament of the Bible, but Christians also
embrace the New Testament.
• The cross is a symbol of Christianity.
• The most important Christian holidays are Christmas (which celebrates the birth of
Jesus) and Easter (which commemorates the resurrection of Jesus).
A. Roman Catholicism
The term catholic has its roots from the Greek adjective katholikós, meaning “universal.”
Initially, this word is used to emphasize the universal scope of the Christian community.
Nowadays, it broadly refers to specific Christian communities led by bishops who believe
themselves to be in continuity with the church founded by the apostles of Jesus.

The Pope (Bishop of Rome)- is seen as a successor of apostle Simon Peter. When there
is a dispute concerning a Catholic belief or stand, the pope speaks to lead the church in
knowledge and understanding.

As of 2013, the Roman Catholic Church has had 266 Bishops of Rome.

Islam is an Arabic word that means “acceptance,” “surrender,” “submission,” or

“commitment,” and is closely related to the Arabic word salām, which means “peace.”
The people who follow and practice Islam are called Muslims, which means “those who
surrender to the will of Allah” (patheos)

Sacred Texts
1. Quran - Muslims consider the Quran (sometimes spelled Qur’an or Koran) is as their
most important holy book. The book is written with Allah as the first person, speaking
through Gabriel to Muhammad. It contains 114 chapters, which are called surahs.

2. Sunna - The second most important source of guidance for Muslims is the Sunna, the
custom of the prophet, which is recorded in the hadith. The hadith does not have the status
of scripture, but they are deemed as canonical and are an essential source for culture and
guidance.

Way of Worship
Muslims follow five necessary religious acts known as “The Pillars of Islam,” which are
essential to their faith. These include:
1. Shahada (Testimony): to declare one’s faith in God and belief in Muhammad
2. Salat (Prayer): to pray five times a day (at dawn, noon, afternoon, sunset, and evening)
3. Zakat (Charity): to give to those in need
4. Sawm (Fasting): to fast during Ramadan
5. Hajj (Pilgrimage): to make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once during a person’s
lifetime if the person is able

Important Dates in Islam

= The Muslims use a different calendar known as Hijri.

It is a lunar calendar that contains 12 months. Because 12 synodic months are only 12 x
29.53= 354.36 days, the Islamic calendar is consistently shorter than a solar year and
therefore shifts approximately 11 days every year concerning the Gregorian calendar.

1. Eid ul-Fitr - This holiday commemorates the completion of Ramadan and lasts for three
days, during which Muslims celebrate with special prayers, sweets, presents for children,
and community festivities.
2. Eid-ul-Adha - This holiday takes place on the third day of Hajj and lasts for four days.
The holiday commemorates Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son, who was
miraculously replaced by a lamb. The holiday is celebrated much like Eid ul-Fitr with the
addition that Muslims sacrifice a lamb, goat, or cow and share the meat with friends,
relatives, and the needy.
3. Ramadan - Ramadan is the 9th month of the Islamic calendar, during which Muslims
fast daily from dawn to sunset as part of an effort towards self purification and moral
excellence. Muslims believe that Ramadan is the month in which the first verses of Islam’s
holy book, the Qur’an, were revealed by God through the Angel Gabriel to the prophet
Muhammad.
4. Hajj The Hajj, - or annual pilgrimage to Mecca, consists of several rituals that symbolize
the essential concepts of the Islamic faith, such as devotion to God, brotherhood, and unity.
The rituals of the Hajj also commemorate the trials of the prophet Abraham and his family.
Hajj is required once in a Muslim’s lifetime if he is financially and physically able. Two to
three million Muslims perform the pilgrimage annually.
5. Islamic New Year - The Islamic New Year marks the beginning of the new year on the
Islamic calendar. The Islamic calendar began with the migration – or Hijra – of the prophet
Muhammad and his followers from Mecca to Medina. This event has a special significance
in Islamic history as it marks the end of the period of persecution in Mecca and the
transition to a recognized faith community in Medina.