Republic of the Philippines

Department of Education
Region VII, Central Visayas
Division of Bohol
INTRODUCTION TO WORLD RELIGIONS AND BELIEF SYSTEMS
FIRST QUARTER: WEEK 2

Competency : Analyze the interconnectedness of geography, culture and religion

Reference : Introduction to World Religions and Belief Systems

by Ong and Jose (2016), pp. 20-25
DepEd SDO-Manila Module 2
Copyright For classroom use only

LESSON 2A: Interconnectedness of Religion and Geography

Religion and Geography

The study about geography of religion may reveal some fascinating truths why a certain country is
predominated by one particular religion or why a specific region became homeland of great religions.
Religion flourishes in space and time not in a vacuum. Geography is the fertile ground for religion
to flourish. Geography is the study of earth and its people. Its features are things like continents, seas, rivers
and mountains. The relationship between religion and geography can be termed as Religious Geography
by which geographical ideas are influenced by religion such as early map-making, and biblical geography
that developed in the 16th century to identify places from the Bible. Spreading the faith has been shaped by
geographical context. For example, for the Jews the land of Canaan, is the land promised to them by their
God Yahweh through Abraham. In the book of Genesis God said to Abraham, “Go from your land, from
your birthplace, and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you.” (Genesis 12:1). This passage
is central to their belief. They have to defend the land at all cost because it was given to them by Yahweh,
their God.
Asia is the largest and most populous continent and the birthplace of many religions including
Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Shinto, Sikhism, Taoism, and
Zoroastrianism. Some of them spread in other grounds like Europe hence they were branded as Western
religions like Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Those that remained in Asia are called the –Eastern
Religions which are Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Shintoism to name a few. There is a significant
disparity between Western and Eastern religions in terms of belief systems, worldview and philosophy
about life. The mindset of the West is different from the mindset of the East. It is possible that the difference
in mindset is brought by geographical influence.

Let us look at the specific characteristics between the western (occidental) and eastern (oriental)
paradigm as discussed by Christine Carmela R. Ramos in her book, “Introduction to the Philosophy of the
Human Person.” 2016. In gist the disparity of mindset can be summarized as follows;
 Western (Occidental) Eastern (Oriental)

• Religion and Philosophy are different • Religion is philosophy and philosophy is

disciplines religion
• Mindset is linear which means there is a • Mindset is circular. The end conjoins the
beginning and end. beginning in a cyclic manner
• Speculate and theorize, no application to life • Acceptance of the validity of intuition and
is necessary mysticism

Sacred Places
Cruz Daku in Loboc, Bohol
Religious experiences and the belief in religious
From: Facebook
meanings transformed physical spaces into sacred places
(Serapio, 2016). The Hindus consider the Ganges river as
sacred, the Jews consider Mt. Sinai as holy. Temples,
churches and mosques are some of the sacred places for
Buddhists, Christians and Muslims respectively.
There are plenty of geographical places that are
considered holy or sacred because of religion. The
interplay of geography and religion not only highlights the
role of religion in affecting landscape changes and in
assigning sacred meanings to specific places, but also acknowledges how religious ideology and practices
at specific spaces are guided and transformed by their location. The above picture is Cruz Daku, literally
"giant cross", is a large cross placed on the highest peak in Loboc. It is a pilgrimage site for devout
Catholics. During the Lenten Season, locals hold a procession activity that leads up to the 80-foot cross -
where the participants pray. This is a concrete example of how religion changes the landscape of a
geographic location and context. Filipinos are very religious people and their dependence to God can be
traced to the numerous sacred images and places around the country.

LESSON 2B: Interconnectedness of Religion and Culture

What is Culture

Culture is “a whole way of life” The way we think, act or speak. It is “ordinary.” (Williams, 1958).
Culture can be also dynamic, it can be shared, learned, transmitted from one generation to another, adaptive
and integrated (Bodley,1999). UNESCO defines culture as: “The whole complex of distinctive spiritual,
material, intellectual and emotional features that characterize a society or social group. It includes
not only the arts and letters, but also modes of life, the fundamental rights of the human being, value
systems, traditions and beliefs.”

If you consider your own culture as superior from the rest, then your belief is termed as
ethnocentrism. On the other hand, if you are open minded towards other culture without judging them and
respect the diverse culture around you then you believe in cultural relativism. In our present age of
technology wherein the world is one-big community and every human being communicate through the
internet from different cultural backgrounds, we cannot help but become a cultural relativist. We should
respect the culture of others because we are all citizens of this world and we are all equal. As a member of
a society, we have no choice but to interact with our fellowmen. In so doing, we can encounter people with
different beliefs, practices or even have different philosophy in life. We are in a multi-cultural society or
simply we live amidst a multiculturalist world wherein multiculturalism should prevail. The word “multi”
implies many. According to Harrison (1994) multiculturalism is a theory about the foundations of a culture
rather than a practice which subsumes cultural ideas. In a broader sense, the term is often use to describe
societies which have many distinct cultural groups, usually as a result of immigration. (Vega, et al, 2009).

Religion and Culture

The evolution of culture is simultaneous with the evolution of man. As man progresses from homo
habilis to homo sapiens, from Old Stone Age to New Stone Age then to Iron Age, Industrial Age and
Technological age, significant changes in the way human acts, lives, or use tools have been observed. This
is true in all dimensions of human life including religion. It was believed that man’s consciousness of the
divine can be traced back to the time of the Neanderthals. Lawrence McKinney observed that, “the
discovery of bear skulls with unusual markings indicates the basis of a primitive religion while others,
noting the existence of flower petals and pollen in ancient burial sites, have speculated on the possibility of
Neanderthal funeral rites (McKinney,1994). The reality of death developed into a cultural funeral rite as a
way of respecting the dead. This reality is taken seriously by religion and sought divine aide to solve the
riddle of life.

Our experience of the Covid-19 pandemic can attest to this. The sight of people dying left and right
in hospitals, coffins paraded in the streets and millions of people all over the world struggling to survive
from this malady triggered humans to depend on some divine power to intercede. The pandemic as of June,
2020, hit a record high of almost ten (10) million people affected all over the world and hundreds of
thousands of deaths. Since no vaccine is in sight, posts in Facebook, messenger, Instagram, Twitter and
even mainstream media are all dominated by God-related shares in a form of prayers and pleas for divine
intervention. The “new normal culture” is our way of coping our vulnerability. The new normal culture
changes the landscape of our daily lives including religious practices. In the church for example, one
important law is, thou shalt keep Holy the Lord’s day. If one violates this commandment a believer commits
a grievous sin. Under the new normal culture this is not relevant anymore. The church now can
accommodate only a few. We can now attend masses or services at home. The church has to adjust to the
new culture. This is how culture influences religion and vice versa. There are certain periods in history
that the intermarriage between culture and religion, the latter dominates in shaping the way of life of the
people. Let us take for example the functions of religion laid down by Calderon. He assumed that religion
also influence not just the religious life but also social, economic and even political way of life of people.

Religion penetrates the whole dimension of one’s life and society even to non-believers. When the
Spaniards brought Christianity in the Philippines, it changes the social, economic and political life of the
people. The Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, the two famous novels of our national hero Dr. Jose
Rizal reflect how religion dictates the way of life of the people. How religion became an instrument of
power to control the Indios or the Filipinos. Christianity was used as a sword or weapon to make the natives
obey from the whims and caprices of the Spaniards. As history goes by, the perspective of religion changes.
Religion today is used as a weapon not of oppression but of compassion and solidarity with the poor. From
the perspective of Christianity, this is the original intention of the founder, Jesus Christ.
 The development of religion is influenced by the cultural milieu where it belongs. When
Christianity was embraced by the Greeks and Romans, it became a religion of the mind. It became and
academic subject devoid of compassion and mercy. Compassion and mercy are the original values of Jesus
Christ. Thanks to Vatican II which happened in the 1960’s the church realized that there was a need to
retrieve the real spirit of the Bible. The Vatican Council II of the Catholic Church discussed about the
urgency of the spiritual renewal of the church. It became the marching order from the top echelon of the
Catholic Church from the Pope to the Cardinals, bishops and priests all over the world. This movement
caught fire and duplicated by other Christian denominations and sects. Hence we have now the term,
ecumenical movement or ecumenism. Ecumenism is a movement or tendency toward worldwide Christian
unity or cooperation. The ecumenical movement seeks to recover the apostolic sense of the early church
for unity in diversity, and it confronts the frustrations, difficulties, and ironies of the modern pluralistic
world. It is a lively reassessment of the historical sources and destiny of what followers perceive to be the
one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church of Jesus Christ. If you look at the picture of Ghandi, he has a
perfect reminder for everyone. He said, “Nobody in this
world possesses absolute truth. This is God’s attribute alone.
Relative truth is all we know.” Today, ecumenism is not only
exclusive among Christian churches but it extends towards
other religions through the principles of “unity in diversity”
and “many paths yet only one destiny.” Ecumenism simply
means that no religion possesses the whole truth as Gandhi
reiterates.

ACTIVITY:
Directions: Complete the graphic organizer by writing some culture/s of the region in connection
with the religion that developed there.

INTERCONNECTEDNESS OF RELIGION WITH

GEOGRAPHY AND CULTURE

Western Eastern
religions religions

ASSESSMENT:
Directions: Read and analyze the following questions. Write only the letter of the correct answer in
your answer sheet.

1. Its concern is land and people. Its features are things like continents, seas, rivers and mountains. It is the
fertile ground for the proliferation of religion. It refers to what term?
A. Culture B. Geography C. Landscape D. Religion
2. Asia is the birthplace of the major religions in the world. The Philippines is situated in Asia and it was
Christianized by the Spaniards. What kind of religious influence did we embrace?
A. African Religion C. Eastern Religion
B. Asian Religion D. Western Religion

3. There are places of worship that are considered sacred by religious traditions. What place of worship is
considered sacred by Muslims?
A. Churches B. Mosques C. Synagogues D. Temples

4. There is a distinct belief about religion that which differ based on its geographical context. Whose
belief is this: “Religion is philosophy and philosophy is religion?
A. Eastern belief B. Northern belief C. Southern belief D. Western belief

5. Some religions consider themselves as superior over the others. In terms of culture, what do you call this
belief where you are considering your own culture as superior?
A. Animism C. Exorcism
B. Ethnocentrism D. Xenocentrism

6. It is referred to as “ordinary way of life” in its broadest sense. It is the way how we wake up in the
morning, fold our bed, brush our teeth, take a bath and pray before and after meals, the way we dress for
work, the way we mingle with friends, etc. It is the way we do or act in our everyday life from morning to
sunrise. What is this?
A. Belief B. Culture C. Science D. Society

7. There are three Abrahamic religions which are considered monotheistic. Which among these Abrahamic
religions acknowledges one God in three persons- the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit?
A. Christianity B. Hinduism C. Islam D. Judaism

8. Certain religions developed in various regions. The following shows the correct association of the country
and the religion which originated and prevailed in the area, except
A. China: Confucianism C. Israel: Taoism
B. India: Hinduism D. Japan: Shintoism

9. Religion is considered universal and it can be found in all known contemporary societies. Which
statement reflects the relationship between religion, culture and geography?
A. Culture influenced religion and geography
B. Geography influenced culture and religion
C. Religion influenced culture and geography
D. The statements above are all correct and true

10. Ecumenism is a movement or tendency toward worldwide Christian unity or cooperation. Which of the
following statements support this concept?
A. It confronts the frustrations, difficulties, and ironies of the modern pluralistic world
B. It is a lively reassessment of the historical sources and destiny of its followers
C. It seeks to recover the apostolic sense of the early church
D. The statements above support the concept of ecumenism