CULTURAL VARIATIONS AND

SOCIAL DIFFERENCES ( RELIGION)

 AT THE END OF THIS LESSON, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO:

• EXPLAIN RELIGION AS A FORM OF CULTURAL VARIATION,

• DESCRIBE DIVERSITY OF RELIGIONS IN THE WORLD AND IN THE PHILIPPINES, AND
• ANALYZE ISSUES REGARDING RELIGION IN THE WORLD AND IN THE PHILIPPINES.
• HOW IS CULTURAL VARIATION EXPLAINED IN TERMS OF RELIGION?
• WHAT ARE THE EXISTING RELIGIONS IN THE WORLD AND IN PHILIPPINES?
• WHAT ARE THE ISSUES SURROUNDING DIFFERENCES IN RELIGION?
 RELIGION AS A CULTURAL VARIATION
• WE LIVE IN A WORLD WITH VARYING AND DIVERSE CULTURES.
• CULTURAL VARIATION OR DIFFERENCES TAKE MANY FORMS
WITHIN AND AMONG SOCIETIES. ONE OF WHICH IS RELIGION.
• RELIGION CAN BE DEFINED AS A SET OF PRACTICES AND
BEHAVIORS THAT RELATE TO A GROUP OF PEOPLE'S BELIEF IN A
GOD OR A GROUP OF GODS.
• SOCIOLOGISTS STUDYING RELIGION CONSIDER IT A PART OF
SOCIETY'S CULTURE.
 IN MOST CASES, RELIGION NOT ONLY AFFECTS A
PERSON'S BELIEF, BUT ONE'S WAY OF LIFE.
VARIETY OF RELIGION
• THERE ARE MANY RELIGIONS AROUND THE WORLD.
• AMONG THE MAJOR RELIGIONS IN THE WORLD
ARE CHRISTIANITY, ISLAM, HINDUISM, TAOISM,
AND BUDDHISM.
• EACH OF THESE RELIGIONS HAS ITS OWN SET OF BELIEFS AND
PRACTICES THAT MUST BE FOLLOWED BY ITS BELIEVERS.
• IN A SOCIETY, SEVERAL RELIGIONS MAY EXIST AND SINCE
RELIGION AFFECTS AN INDIVIDUAL’S WAY OF LIFE, WE CAN
OBSERVE THE CULTURAL VARIATION IN THE FORM OF
DIFFERENT RELIGION
 RELIGION IN THE PHILIPPINES

• THE PHILIPPINES IS A SECULAR COUNTRY, WHICH MEANS THAT THE

GOVERNMENT DOES NOT PRESCRIBE A SPECIFIC SET OF ACTIVITIES OR LAWS
BASED ON RELIGION. A CITIZEN'S RIGHT TO CHOOSE HIS OR HER OWN
RELIGION IS PROTECTED BY THE PHILIPPINE CONSTITUTION.
• IN THE PHILIPPINES, THE MAJORITY OF THE POPULATION ARE CHRISTIANS,
WITH A CERTAIN PORTION OF THE POPULATION PRACTICING ISLAM,
PARTICULARLY IN THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE COUNTRY.
• BUDDHISM, TAOISM, AND HINDUISM ARE ALSO PRACTICED
BY A SMALL NUMBER OF INHABITANTS IN THE ARCHIPELAGO.
• DIFFERENT RELIGIONS ARE BEING PRACTICED IN THE
PHILIPPINE SOCIETY TODAY. THIS VARIATION IN RELIGION IS
A PRODUCT OF THE EVOLUTION OF PHILIPPINE SOCIETY
ACROSS TIME.
 UNDERSTANDING CULTURAL VARIATION IN THE
FORM OF RELIGION
• CULTURAL VARIATIONS DO EXIST AS EXEMPLIFIED
THROUGH DIFFERENT RELIGIONS IN THE WORLD,
MORE SO IN OUR PHILIPPINE SOCIETY.
• FOR EXAMPLE, CHRISTIANS AND MUSLIMS BELIEVE IN
ONE GOD, YET HINDUS BELIEVE IN MANY GODS,
WHILE BUDDHISTS DO NOT.
• THE SETS OF PRACTICES AND BELIEFS OF A PARTICULAR
RELIGION INFLUENCE THE BEHAVIOR OF ITS FOLLOWERS
AND THEIR INTERACTION WITH OTHER MEMBERS OF THE
SOCIETY.
• ISSUES SURROUNDING DIFFERENCES IN RELIGION
• BECAUSE THE PEOPLE HAVE DIFFERENT RELIGIONS, ISSUES
AND CONFLICTS BETWEEN RELIGIOUS GROUPS OR
DENOMINATIONS CANNOT BE PREVENTED.
 PROBLEMS/CONFLICTS
• SINCE A DIFFERENCE IN RELIGION DOES NOT ONLY MEAN
WORSHIPPING A DIFFERENT GOD, CONFLICTS SOMETIMES
ARISE BETWEEN THEIR BELIEVERS.
• SOME BELIEVERS OF A PARTICULAR RELIGION FEEL LIKE
THEY ARE BEING MARGINALIZED, WHILE SOME FEEL LIKE
THOSE FOLLOWING OTHER RELIGIONS ARE TAKING
ADVANTAGE OF THEIR NUMBER.
• IT MAY COME EASY TO BE SWAYED BY RELIGIOUS
DIFFERENCES AND START A CONFLICT. A BELIEVER OR
FOLLOWER OF A PARTICULAR RELIGION MAY OFFEND A
FOLLOWER OF ANOTHER RELIGION IF HE OR SHE IMPOSES
HIS OR HER BELIEFS OR PRACTICES OF HIS OR HER
RELIGION.
• IN HISTORY, BLOODY WARS HAPPENED BECAUSE OF
RELIGIOUS DIFFERENCES, AND UNFORTUNATELY,
CONFLICTS CONTINUE UNTIL NOW DUE TO VARYING
RELIGIONS.
 SOLUTIONS/ACTIONS
• TO PREVENT CONFLICTS, THE PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT, FOR
EXAMPLE, HAS STARTED RECOGNIZING SOME OF THE SPECIAL
DAYS IN DIFFERENT RELIGIONS.
• EMPLOYEES ARE NOT REQUIRED TO WORK DURING HOLY WEEK;
WHEREIN CATHOLICS COMMEMORATE THE SUFFERING AND
DEATH OF JESUS CHRIST.
• THE START AND THE END OF THE RAMADAN ARE ALSO
CONSIDERED HOLIDAYS, JUST LIKE WHEN THE CHINESE CELEBRATE
THE START OF THEIR NEW YEAR.
• THIS WAY, THE GOVERNMENT ALLOWS FOLLOWERS OF
DIFFERENT RELIGIONS TO ATTEND TO THEIR RELIGIOUS
OBLIGATIONS WITHOUT THEIR WORK GETTING IN THE
WAY.
• TO THOSE CONFLICTS BROUGHT ABOUT BY DIFFERENCES
IN RELIGION, THE KEY WORD HERE IS RESPECT. AND
RESPECT ENTAILS A CONSCIOUS EFFORT OF ACQUIRING
CULTURAL KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING WHICH
THIS COURSE IS MAINLY ABOUT.
 LET TRY IT!
• FIND SOME OF YOUR FRIENDS OR FRIENDS OF YOUR
FAMILY WHO BELONG TO OTHER RELIGION. ASK THEM
HOW THEIR RELIGION AFFECT THE WAY THEY BEHAVE
AND INTERACT IN THE SOCIETY. YOU MAY ALSO ASK
THEM HOW MUCH THEY KNOW ABOUT OTHER
RELIGIONS AND THEIR PERCEPTIONS OF THE PEOPLE
WHO BELONG TO THESE RELIGIONS.
•IN YOUR OPINION, WHY IS IT IMPORTANT
TO RESPECT DIFFERENCES IN RELIGION
AND RELIGIOUS PRACTICES?
KEY POINTS
• CULTURAL VARIATION TAKES ITS MANY FORMS, ONE OF
WHICH IS RELIGION.
• RELIGION IS A SET OF PRACTICES AND BEHAVIOR THAT
RELATE TO A GROUP OF PEOPLE'S BELIEF IN A GOD OR
GROUP OF GODS.
• AMONG THE MAJOR RELIGIONS IN THE WORLD
ARE CHRISTIANITY, ISLAM, HINDUISM, ANDBUDDHISM.
• THE PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT HAS STARTED TO
RECOGNIZE SPECIAL DAYS IN DIFFERENT RELIGIONS TO
GIVE THE BELIEVERS FREEDOM TO PRACTICE THEIR OWN
RELIGIONS.
• DESPITE BEING LARGELY CATHOLIC, THE PHILIPPINES
REMAINS A SECULAR COUNTRY. A CITIZEN'S RIGHT TO
CHOOSE HIS OR HER OWN RELIGION IS PROTECTED BY
THE PHILIPPINE CONSTITUTION.
• IN THE PHILIPPINES, THE MAJORITY OF THE POPULATION
ARE CHRISTIANS, WITH A CERTAIN PORTION OF THE
POPULATION PRACTICING ISLAM, PARTICULARLY IN THE
SOUTHERN PART OF THE COUNTRY WHILE SOME
INHABITANTS PRACTICE BUDDHISM, TAOISM, OR
HINDUISM.
• PROTESTANTS ALSO BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST, BUT THEY
DO NOT SHARE THE SAME PRACTICES AS CATHOLICISM.
• MANY CONFLICTS HAPPENED BECAUSE OF CULTURAL
VARIATIONS SUCH AS DIFFERENCES IN RELIGION.
• RECOGNIZING CULTURAL VARIATION AND SHOWING RESPECT
TO DIFFERENT RELIGION CAN AVOID CONFLICT.
• RESPECT CAN EFFECTIVELY BE ACHIEVED THROUGH THE
CONSCIOUS EFFORT OF ACQUIRING CULTURAL KNOWLEDGE
AND UNDERSTANDING.