Module 1

 As much as the world has constantly evolved from its inception, and with a man in all
his advancements, there still remain questions and phenomenon that cannot be answered.
 Man has always grappled with the question of his very existence, purpose in life, and many
more.
 Certain happenings—be it natural or even supernatural affects him that he sometimes falls
short of understanding.
 When he has exuded all effort and has stretched the limits of reason, his attempt often
leads (if not always) to surmising that things happen for a reason and a higher being (with
its infinite wisdom, power, and superlatives) is pointed out as the prime mover, the reason;
the very foundation behind everything.
What is your religion?

 More often than not, one is born and becomes a “de facto” member of a religion that his
parents or elders are part of.
 He will be raised in its teachings and that will help shape his persona.
 Religion, therefore, plays an important role in the development of a person.
 Religion comes from the Latin terminology “Religare” which means “to bind together”.
 It is also referred to as a faith in a “supernatural being” and being part of a community of
people that eventually becomes an institution whose members are bonded by the same
belief and practices in worship. Usually being in a religion, entails having Faith in God.
 Having Faith means having complete trust in which there can be no absolute proof or
having the belief of something or someone with the strength of conviction.
 Whether you are spiritual or not, you will find yourself part of a religion.
 Maybe you even have your own way of communicating and relating with a higher being.
 Interestingly, if one will take a closer look at the existing five most popular religions (in
terms of the number of believers), one will readily notice that they developed from the east
specifically in Asia.
 More so, we Filipinos are highly regarded for our faith. In the local diaspora, Tagalogs
(specifically we Batangueňos) are known for their strong faith in God.
 Faith has been our strength and has shielded us in whatever economic, political, and even
catastrophic natural phenomenon that has engulfed us in recent years.
The Five Major Religions in the World

1. Buddhism
2. Christianity
3. Islam
4. Judaism
5. Hinduism
Buddhism
 Buddhism – the major tenet of this religion is that life is inherently not easy and is endowed with
suffering, pain, and frustrations.
 Usually, when a human being undergoes suffering, he strives to achieve goodness because he
believes that it is his way of avoiding disappointments.
 This pattern is called as “Reactive Cycle”.
 This cycle is composed of habitual “wanting and hating”, “liking and disliking” and lastly “craving
and “aversion”.
 In order to move away from this cycle, one may engage in meditation which brings forth wisdom
and deeper knowledge of things as they are.
 It also helps in gaining acceptance
 . Buddhism is popular within Asia specifically within the Southeast Asian Region.
 The main object of worship in this religion is Siddhartha Gautama Buddha or simply Buddha.
Christianity
 Christianity – has branched into several sects over its two-thousand-year history.
 This religion is founded by Jesus Christ.
 Usually, the followers of this religion believe in the Trinitarian Doctrine (meaning there is
one God but in three persons: Father (the creator), Son (Jesus Christ - the Savior), and
Holy Spirit (the advocate).
 Aside from this, Christians also believe that one will achieve “Life Everlasting” through
belief in Jesus Christ who became man, who was sent by the Father to spread the “Good
news of Salvation” and his salvation of humanity by dying through the cross.
 The Roman Catholic Church maintains seven (7) “Sacraments” which are practices from
which its believers derive the “grace” or favor from God to achieve a holy life.
 It is comprised of Baptism, Holy Eucharist or Holy Mass, Confirmation, Holy Orders or
Priesthood, Confession, Matrimony or Marriage, and the Anointing of the sick.
 However, not all religions that branched out from Roman Catholicism, especially those
oriental/orthodox churches and more so, protestant and even evangelical Christian
churches have these practices.
 Most only practice baptism as a form of initiation but others have different forms of
worship and rituals.
ISLAM
 Islam – being roughly translated means “wilful submission to God”.
 Consequently, the belief of this particular religion is that they have “One God” named
“Allah”.
 The followers of the Islamic religion are usually called “Muslim or Moslem”.
 It is characteristic of the followers of this religion to have a deep feeling of community
otherwise known as “ummah”.
 Muslim communities are also in deep ties and sodality with other Muslim communities in
different parts of the world.
 this religious belief is in turn founded by “Mohammed” whom his followers consider as
the “last and final” prophet.
 The sacred text used by the believers of this religion is the sacred “Quran”.
JUDAISM
 Judaism – among the oldest religions of the world, the Jews or the followers of this religion
believe that since the creation and up to the present, they are the chosen people of God.
 They believe that Abraham is the father of all and his God, is the very God that has nurtured
them, has liberated them from the slavery in Egypt and He himself who has guided them towards
Canaan—the promised land (while being led by Moses and later on his brother Joshua).
 Until now, they still hold to the belief that a messiah or Savior shall come to liberate them. They
are considered by Christians as older brothers in faith since Jesus Christ himself was born as a
Jew. The sacred text they are using is the “Torah” or the Law.
Norms and Practices

The day-to-day living of the people following the Jewish faith, is done in strict adherence to the
“Torah”.
HINDUISM
 Hinduism – though not entirely considered a religion, it comprises a wide range of beliefs
and the practices of religious groups thus no one can be pointed to as the founder.
 Followers of this belief system posit that there is a cycle of birth, death, and rebirth, as
guided by the principle called “Karma”.
 Based on this notion, a person will be reincarnated based on how he or she has lived.
 It is also their belief that the soul undergoes a cycle of succeeding lives and one’s next life
will depend on how he or she lived his or her previous life.

 The sacred scriptures which the followers of Hinduism use are the “Vedas” aside from this,
the epic entitled “Mahabharata” and “Ramayana” also forms part of their collection of
sacred texts.
 Reflect on the effects of having faith in one’s personal life.
 Because of everything that is happening to man (whether it be good or bad), there is a
certain need for him to find meaning (or to use the word of a known Existentialist
Philosopher and renowned psychologist Victor Frankl in Frando and Isip (2019) “an
inner pull” in his life.
 In this sense, a person by being part of a certain religion or by exercising belief in a
supernatural being makes him finds meaning in life, go on, conduct himself properly, and
even feel a certain steadiness of direction in his journey.

 Agnostics – which is a person or persons who profess neither faith nor disbelief of a
supernatural higher being or God.

 There are also persons who became Atheists – a person or persons who profess disbelief in
the existence of a higher supernatural being or God
 It is not for us to judge them. The Philosophy of the university emphasizes the freedom of
a person in how he practices his faith but more so it also gives emphasis to the freedom of
a person in the democratic process. Everyone has a choice.
 However, it is interesting to note that a mathematician by the name of Blaise Pascal in his
wager about God posits that either God exists or He does not. His position is not in defense
of God or to convince anyone to believe in Him. Simply he shared that based in his
decision theory, believing is more beneficial than not believing. He posits that if a man
believes in God and there is a God, then he will gain merit and may actually experience
eternal bliss. If he does not believe in God and He actually exists, then he loses his chance
of eternal bliss and suffers the consequences of it.
In the end, whether God exists or does not exist; believing in
God will help man. Why?

 It is because, If he believes in God, follow His will, exercises goodness and moral
uprightness then he has a greater chance of achieving heaven if there is really a God.
 If sadly there is no God, and he still believed in God, still he cannot be considered a looser.
 It is because at end of his life there is a greater chance he might still be remembered for
the goodness and uprightness he showed in his lifetime.
 He might be remembered of his legacy in helping people; in doing what is good and even
defending what is right—more than that he contributed to society because through his
faith, he or she was able to gain and exercise characteristics that help change the society
and the world into a better one.
 This is the very essence of exercising one’s faith to do what it is right and what is good.
 It is interesting to note that a prominent Batangueňo historian, academician, and
statesman, by name of Teodoro M. Kalaw of Lipa; despite being a mason has recognized
the role of religion in gaining virtue.
 According to his daughter Senator Maria Kalaw-Katigbak he likened women bereft of
religion to flowers without scent and he believes that the future of the nation relies on the
virtue of its women.
 Right after the war, the Philippines (like the rest of the world, was in all-time low).
There was a scarcity of food, money, clothing, and many more. The horrors of war were
still fresh in the memory of all. Enthusiastic as most are since we have found new
independence, most still grapple with the post-war reality. People were demoralized and
they might lose their sane views had it not for their strong clinging to the almighty. It is no
surprise then that as the founders held to the strong belief in God in order to survive, they
would also want us to do the same.
 With the university making “Faith in God” as one of the cornerstones of its core values, it
becomes coherent with its very mission of making students develop their personality,
eventually becoming knowledgeable and morally upright individuals—characteristics that
will eventually make them function properly as responsible persons; that will help
maintain, preserve and uplift the Philippine society.