UNDERSTANDING CULTURE, SOCIETY AND POLITICS

2. RELIGION AND BELIEF SYSTEMS
RELIGION- is a set of attitudes, beliefs and practices particularly supernatural power whether they are gods, spirits, ghost
are supernatural beings.
2 CATEGORY OF SUPERNATURAL BEINGS:
a. non- human origin
Ex. Gods
Gods are anthropomorphic which means that it is conceived in the image.
a. Human origin
Ex. Ghost

3. KINDS OF RELIGIONS IN THE WORLD:
1. MONOTHEISM
- a religion with one god
Types of monotheism:
a. Deism
b. Henotheism
c. Monism
d. Pantheism
e. Subtance monotheism
f. Trinitarian monotheism
EXAMPLES OF MONOTHEISTIC RELIGIONS:
a. Christianity
b. Islam
c. judaism

4. a. CHRISTIANITY- it is the world’s biggest religion, with billion followers worldwide. It is based on
the teaching of christ.
b. ISLAM- it is articulated by the Qur’an considered by its adherents to be the word of Allah.
c. JUDAISM- it is a religion that believes on an absolute one, indivisible and incomparable God
who is the ultimate cause of all existence.

5. 2. ANIMISM
- is a belief system of some indigenous tribal peoples especially prior to the development of
organized religion.
- Describe the most common foundational thread of indigenous peoples spiritual or supernatural
perspectives.

6. 3. POLYTHEISM
- refers to the worship of or belief in multiple gods usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and
goddesses along with their own religions rituals.
IT IS DIVIDED INTO TWO:
a. SOFT POLYTHEISM- believes that gods may be aspects of only one god, that the pantheons of
other cultures are representative of one single pantheon.
b. HARD POLYTHEISM- belief that gods are distinct, separate, real divine beings, rather than
psychological archetypes or personifications of natural forces.
ex: Hinduism
Mormonism
shinto

7. INSTITUTIONALIZED RELIGIONS
- are a social institution in which belief systems and rituals are systematically arranged and formally
established.
SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE
- HISTORICALLY, THE PHRASE “ SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE” WAS FIRST USED BY ANGLICAN BAPTIST STRIVING
FOR RELIGIOUS TOLERATION IN VIRGINIA.