Jose Rizal University

Senior High School Division

Seminar Proposal

A Requirement Submitted to
PHL S111: Introduction to World Religions and
Belief Systems

Submitted by:

Tamba, Jan Arvie P.

Vasquez, Kate

HG – 11C
 Faith
Seminar Title: --------- x Discrimination = Violence
Beliefs
 At the end of the seminar, the college students and
representatives of various religions are expected to know why
religion can lead to violence.
Objectives  To determine the foundation of different faith and belief in
different religions.
 To provide enlightenment and propose recommendations on
how the religion can unite the world as one.

Religion and Violence

Seminar Topic: Faith and Beliefs in Different Religions

College Students,
Target Audience
Representatives of Various Religions
 Faith
Seminar Title: --------- x Discrimination = Violence
Beliefs

The world as we know it is divided by different culture, race, color, identity,

and most especially the religion we are in and of what we believe. People have
different attitudes toward religion. Some people might be happy about the belief and
practices they have been taught. Others could not care any less than to respect or
discriminate those people who have contrasting belief from them. Religion is
inescapable and its consequences on private and public life are long term. It can lead
to misunderstandings, and conflicts especially among people of different faiths. Most
of the religions present peace and goodwill to humanity, but much of it have led to
suffering, death, and bloodshed because of wrong vision.

All that have been said is what our seminar title means, that because of
our various faith it divides the different beliefs of people toward religion and have led
to multiple discrimination wherein it resulted to violence. On my opinion, people have
faith in different religion because they believe on kindness, generosity, goodwill,
enlightenment, and many more. We just simply been taught differently, and it resulted
to our different belief that led to division and violence.

One cannot deny that since the earlier civilizations, people who have
different faith or religion experiences discrimination from people who have dissimilar
belief. One cannot therefore be simply naïve about these circumstances. It is for this
reason that we believe that society needs to aspire to understand the various faith
and belief of other religions. But it does not simply knowing the history or facts of
another religion. The people should be willingly to ask and understand the different
beliefs, traditions, and practices and how can the religion unite humanity instead of
creating more violence.

After the seminar, we expect that the audience will realize that one’s
religion should not let be the reason to divide us humans, that no matter how convince
we might be of our beliefs, we shouldn’t let divide ourselves into many groups; instead
step on the world as one and with only one faith in – kindness.
 Objectives

The following objectives exhibit the significance of this seminar to the

audience daily lives. The speakers will also gather some evidences to prove some
important information. And also to discuss the topic detail by detail to be easily
understood by the audience. The speaker will discuss the topic carefully and if there's
any questions, the speaker will be gladly to answer, clarify and enlighten the
audience.

At the end of the seminar, the college students and representatives of

various religions are expected to know why religion can lead to violence. The
following speaker will be careful on explaining the factors that affects "Why Religion
can lead to violence?” We may find it difficult to believe that religious beliefs could
motivate murders and insist that extreme violence is always due to mental instability
or political fanaticism. But the logic and the history of religions tells against this kind of
perspective.

The speaker aims to determine the foundation of different faith and belief in
different religions. Some believes that all religions come from the same source, have
the same foundation and shine the same light on humanity. In short, some believe in
the essential oneness of all of the world’s great Faiths. And it focus on the new,
rational and even radical idea that one God has given humanity one Faith throughout
history, brought into being by Manifestations of God who bring love and knowledge to
light.

The speaker aims to provide enlightenment and propose recommendations

on how the religion can unite the world as one. “LOVE your neighbor.” (Matthew
22:39) This basic rule of conduct is acclaimed by many religions. If such religions
were effective in teaching their members to love their neighbor, their flocks would be
drawn together and be united. We consider different religions as neighbors. And as a
neighbor the religion will not be our hindrance to love each other and unite as one.
 Seminar Topic: Religious Violence

Religious violence may be directed against people, religious institutions,

cultural symbols, leaders of the faith or authority figures. It may be caused by
overzealous individuals who are entirely motivated by their own psychological
problems or collectively by groups of people as part of their social, cultural, national or
communal expression and dominance. In a diverse society where people from
different backgrounds practice multiple faiths, differences about social, economic and
racial issues, which are inevitable may also lead to religious violence.

Many religious wars were fought in the past. Even today, religions are major
sources of disturbance and conflicts in various parts of the world. We have to then
wonder why religions are so destructive and why they divide people, and cause them
such harm. The following factors seem to be directly or indirectly responsible for
religious violence. These are Scriptures, Beliefs, Politics, Economic interests,
Community interests, Exploitation and Ideology.

According to Cavanaugh, it has become a very widespread article of faith

that there is something especially dangerous about religion. Ever since the
Enlightenment, many liberal statesmen and intellectuals have argued that religious
conflict is a profound threat to civil peace and that the only way to secure civil order is
to separate church from state.(Murphy, 2014)

In the face of continuing debate on the subject of religiously inspired violence,

three recently published books seek to add clarity to the dialogue: Does religion in fact
cause much of the world’s hostility and aggression?
Peacemaking and the Challenge of Violence in World Religions, edited by Irfan A.
Omar and Michael K. Duffey, is a broad-based review of “violence committed in the
name of religion and what religions say can be done to prevent it.” Omar, a well-
published theology professor, focuses on the relation between Islam and other faiths.
Duffey, also a well-published professor, specializes in theological ethics centering on
issues of justice and peace.(Dodgen, 2016)
 The editors offer seven essays by scholars of five major world religions—
Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism and Judaism—as well as the philosophy of
Confucius and the belief system of the Native American Osage Nation. The essays
describe each religion’s primary teachings (as they relate to peace and peacemaking)
and then examine adherents’ participation in violence and war in light of
those teachings.(Dodgen, 2016)

Reference :

J. B. Murphy.(2014). Religious Violence: Myth or Reality? A Symposium on William T.

Cavanaugh’s The Myth of Religious Violence. Political theology, Vol. 15 No. 479–485

R. Dodgen(2016). Violence: Is Religion the Problem? Retrived

from:http://www.vision.org/book-review-history-of-violence-and-religion-4769
 Seminar Topic: Faith and Beliefs in Different Religion

In spite of the presence of our fellow Filipinos who are Muslims, Buddhist,
Hindus, or Christian from another denomination, many of us do not fully understand
the different religious faith and belief. The deep understanding of different religions
allows an understanding of the evolution of humanity’s attempt to understand the
world around them. It also gives insight into early law, ethics, culture, concepts of
fairness, and the ability of humans to cooperate in larger and larger communities. Any
spiritual journey should involve exposure not to only other religions but the
practitioners, the cultures in which they live, and how that religion affects their
perspective in life. Exposure to multiple religions helps find questions and search for
answers. This is where the journey leads you to enlightenment.

It is granted that every religion has a sense of exclusivity as part of its core
identity. Even so, we believe there is genuine potential for mutual understanding if
another dialogue between various religions has taken for an account. This seminar
topic also wants to provoke the different leaders of religious groups to talk about how
they can provide an understanding to their members that we need to respect and stop
discriminating other religions. While preserving faith toward one’s own tradition, one
can respect, admire, and appreciate other tradition through embracing our fellow
brother and sisters.

This seminar topic will not simply talks about the history and basic facts of
different religions around the world, but this aim to expose the audience to the
nuances of religion, and its different tunnels. The goal of this seminar topic is not just
to talk about religious literacy or familiarity with other religion, but also comprehensive
understanding of the faith, beliefs and practices of different religions in which we
expect that it will lead to mutual respect among people who have different faiths.
Many conflicts in the world, while not directly caused by the religion, are founded by
misunderstanding of people of other religion. It can involve violent struggles if not
resolve. In the end, religious understanding demands not just knowing about other
faiths but to talk about how they can move beyond violence.