CHRISTIAN LIVING I COURSE OUTLINE

                                                                                       

DE LA SALLE SANTIAGO ZOBEL SCHOOL

HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT

SY 2012 – 2013

CHRISTIAN LIVING I

COURSE OUTLINE

MODULE 1: The Study of God’s Revelation 

Sub Topics:

a.     The Bible as written document of the Divine Revelation

b.     The divisions of the Bible

c.     Different literary forms and genre of the Bible

d.     The different biblical tools used in understanding the Bible

MODULE 2:   God Gives Life

Sub Topics:

a.     The Creation Story

b.     The Patriarchs

c.     The Ten Commandments

MODULE 3:   God Purifies His People

Sub Topics:

a.     The Judges (Othniel, Ehud, Deborah, Gideon and Samson)

b.     The Prophets (Elijah, Elisha, Amos, Hosea, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Samuel)

c.     The Kings (Saul, David and Solomon)

MODULE 4: The Person of Jesus

Sub Topics

a.     The Messiah as Foretold in the Old Testament

b.     The Magnificat

c.     The Childhood of Jesus

d.     The Temptation of Jesus

MODULE 5: The Teaching Ministry of Jesus

Sub Topics

a.     Jesus’ Teaching about the Kingdom of God (Parables)

b.     Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount

c.     Jesus’ Teaching on Prayer and Relationship

MODULE 6: The Healing Ministry of Jesus

Sub Topics:

a.     Healing the Body (Healing Miracles)

b.     Healing the Spirit (Forgiveness and Conversion)

c.     Jesus Christ Heals us through the Sacraments

MODULE 7: Jesus the Perfect Sacrifice

Sub Topics:

a.     Christ’s Passion and Death

b.     Christ is Risen

c.     Christ is our Saviour

MODULE 8: The Church Grows and Spread

Sub Topics:

a.     The Pentecost

b.     The Foundation of the Early Church

Prepared by:                                                                                                                         Noted by:

                                                                                                                       

    Mr. Cloyd Uyson/Ms. Delia Flores                                                                                   Mr. Allan A. Apdua

    Freshmen Christian Living Teachers                                                                      Christian Living Coordinator

TERM PAPER ON RIZAL: HIS FILIPINO PHILOSOPHY AND OTHER IDEOLOGIES

by: admin

RIZAL: HIS FILIPINO PHILOSOPHY AND OTHER IDEOLOGIES

“Every society has had its own philosophers, whose ideas reflect their individual cultures.”[1]

            To say that the Filipinos didn’t have “philosophy” before Western philosophy came to be known to us through the intellectuals is like saying that the Filipinos didn’t have “history” before March 16, 1521, the day our first colonizers arrived.  May kasaysayan ang mga Pilipino at may pilosopiya ang mga Pilipino.  False analogy between kasaysayan and pilosopiya?  I think not.  It is common knowledge in Kasaysayan II classes that: ang kasaysayan ay isang sanaysay na may saysay sa isang grupo ng taong pinagsasaysayan; an example of this is the Ilocano – wait, the term ‘Ilocano’ is redundant[2] because I means taga-, luko means kapatagan, and -ano also means taga- (it was a Spanish historian who used the term ‘Ilocano’ to refer to the people of the plains), so it should be ‘Iluko’ – epic Biag Ti Lam-ang[3].  “Kasaysayan” is not necessarily a “record of past events,” for as long as it is a narrative which has significance to the people, it is considered as “kasaysayan”… our kasaysayan.  In this same line I shall argue for FILIPINO PHILOSOPHY. 

I believe now that those who keep asking whether or not there is a “Pilosopiyang Pilipino” are less likely to find the answer.  They are unaware (wow, I’m on dangerous grounds here – and I haven’t even taken a course on Filipino Philosophy!) that what they are looking for is a Western kind of Philosophy or even a non-Western kind, i.e., still using the standards set by Western philosophy.  We were asked in our Speculative Thought class if there was any other philosophy besides Greek philosophy; there seemed to be none.  Do you get my point?  I suppose we are only looking for the “label.”  But what is ours has been there all along. 

Take the case of the babaylan[4].  In the classless societies of the yet “unhispanized” Philippines, the babaylans were teachers and doctors.  They also assumed gender roles (they are androgynous).  Most importantly, they held a specific type of episteme (knowledge): that of the herbal medicine.  In other parts of the country, they were called manag-anitos.  Despite the suppression of that knowledge during the time of the Spaniards, up to this day, the manag-anitos are still powerful.  Now we have created this ampalaya-bitter herbs in capsules, Noni juice, etc., which to them are actually very basic stuff.  And there are a lot of medicinal plants they have discovered a long time ago which the scientific community knows very little about.  We don’t call them – the babaylans and the manag-anitos (and the catalonans to the Tagalogs) – philosophers do we?  We call them shamans or warlocks.  The title ‘manag-anito’ came from anitismo or the worship of the anitos.  Anitismo is different from animismo.  Animism is the worship of animals, ancestors, or inanimate objects.  Anitism is specifically the worship of spirits, which our ancestors called anitos.  Anitismo is something indigenous, something unique, to us.  For instance UP scholars use this term so as to show how distinct our culture is.  UPD’s Department of Anthropology prefers to be called “Departamento ng Aghamtao” because they said that anthropology used to be an instrument of invasion; it was originally the study of tribes/minorities outside Europe and America.  We have to claim anitismo.  We have to promote our own terms.  This is what I believe to be lacking in the search for a “Filipino Philosophy.”  It shouldn’t be mere attachment of the word ‘Filipino.’  For me, “to strive towards the development of a Filipino Philosophy that is relevant to Philippine society”[5] would mean using the Filipino language, i.e., “Filipinizing” Filipino Philosophy itself.

            That was the introduction.  (Who says intros should be short?)  I am now going to explore on the topic: Rizal & His Filipino Philosophy.

            It is important to bear in mind that the term Filipino originally referred to creoles – the Spaniards born in the Philippines – the Españoles-Filipinos, for short.  The natives were called indios. […] The indios led by Rizal gained acceptability as Filipinos because they proved their equality with the Spaniards in terms of both culture and property.  This was an important stage in our appropriation of the term Filipino.  Rizal’s intellectual excellence paved the way for the winning of the name for the natives of the land.[6]

If kasaysayan can be found in the epic – I guess another example would be the awit (in pre-colonial times, we had different awit for different events; from birth to panliligaw to war and until death, our ancestors had songs for each one of them[7]) – then Pilosopiyang Pilipino can be found in the salawikain (another example is the bugtong, as we have read in other writings on Filipino Philosophy such as the one printed in the Feb 2003 issue of B.T.[8]).  And if this is the case then Rizal is definitely a proponent of Pilosopiyang Pilipino.

            “Ang hindi magmahal sa sariling wika

            Ay nakakatulad ng malansang isda.”

            “Ang di marunong lumingon sa pinanggalingan

            Di makararating sa paroroonan.”

The first salawikain was taken from Rizal’s poem “Sa Aking Mga Kabata,” which scholars claim was written by Rizal when he was only eight years old.  The second one was taken from another poem of his entitled “Sa Mga Kabataang Pilipino,” for which he won a silver pen when he was 18.  I’ll give you another salawikain[9]: “Ang buhay ng tao ay parang gulong / Magulungan at makagulong.”  This doesn’t come from Rizal.  But compare it with this: “Parang gulong ang buhay ng tao / Minsan amoy ihi ng aso.”  I’m not sure if these were Booba’s[10] exact words.  Anyway.  Tsk tsk.  We’ve lost it.  Even though you can interpret the latter and say it’s somewhat similar to “shit happens,” like you know, nasty stuff can happen to you which you may not have had any control of, in my own honest opinion, I’d say “Parang gulong ang buhay ng tao / Minsan amoy ihi ng aso” unfortunately embodies the way of thinking of Filipinos nowadays.  Filipinos don’t think seriously about anything at all anymore.  This is too much of a generalization but let’s face it, the Philippine society is going nowhere (or maybe downward).  With this kind of people – people who erect statues and sing praises to the Virgin Mary after their victory over tyranny (si Sir de Villa galit na galit sa kanila), people who tolerate crime and suffering by staying silent instead of exposing civil wrongs (we can’t blame them though because we know that the military and the police have “vital” connections to criminals), people who want Erap back in position (‘nuff said), people who allow the capitalists to use the lands for their private interests (UP ChaCha ba ‘to?), people who are constantly fooled by GMA’s fake smiles (according to a very reliable source, before, GMA’s kickback was only about P10,000 per gig; now it’s millions of pesos on the average per stint/program/gig/whatever she’s doing), people who destroy the environment (take care of our planet I beg you), people who treat everything as a joke and who just laugh their way out of the misery of their lives?  Yup, the Philippine society is going nowhere (again, maybe downward).  But there are people who thought seriously about things.  One of those people is Rizal.  In the following paragraphs you will discover why.

            Tasio el filosofo.[11]  The best way to talk about Rizal & His Filipino Philosophy is through the exposition of ourselves[12]… of Pilosopo Tasyo.

            The Noli Me Tangere grew out of the unique intellectual milieu of the late 19^th century Europe, which may be broadly described as liberal, rationalist, scientific.  Rizal’s formal initiation into this secularist mentality took place within the halls of the Universidad Central de Madrid, where in 1882-85 he enrolled in the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters while at the same time pursuing his medical studies.

            Tasio was a philosopher in the Enlightenment usage of the word: a social critic who pricked the consciences of men; adviser and guide to Basilio, Crispin, Filipo, the nameless schoolmaster, Ibarra and all of San Diego; an expert in lightning rods and ancient languages; a teacher of science and preacher of the gospel of reason; a secular prophet of Progress and his country’s redemption…

            Tasio was unthinkable within the halls of the Ateneo Municipal de Manila and Pontificia y Real, Universidad de Santo Tomas; he could have arisen only out of the academic temper of the Universidad de Madrid.  Nonetheless, there is no perfect fit between Tasio and the classic mold of the philosophe[13].  Tasio went to church when no one was around and prayed.  His statement that at the hour of death “I shall place myself in His hands without fear, to do with me as He will”[14] does not reflect an impersonal God, unfeeling and unconcerned with the affairs of men.

            In fact, like his character Tasio, Rizal himself was not a rigorous rationalist deist. […] Only once in all his writings did he employ the deist image of God as the Perfect Workman who created the machinery of the world, and this he placed in the mouth of Elias in the Noli. […] Thus even Tasio points beyond the layer of Enlightenment ideas and attitudes to the deeper stratum of Catholic religiosity which Rizal never succeeded in extricating completely from his psyche.   

Pilosopo Tasyo emerged from Rizal’s Filipino Philosophy which was formed through the assimilation of the popular Enlightenment ideas into his own religious beliefs.  You can see in Rizal that the philosophy of Aufklarung[15] was blended with the Filipino attitude towards religion perfectly.  Note that it is only in the Philippines where you can find “devout” Christians.  Filipinos go to church regularly (you won’t observe this in Spain, the very country that brought us Christianity) and they even make the sign of the cross every time they pass by the church.  Way back then, our ancestors had the conscious habit of uttering phrases each time they walk on unfamiliar territories in order to appease the spirits who supposedly own the lands.  This actually was the practice from which the sign-of-the-cross-when-passing-by-the-church thing originated.  Up to now, people still say “tabi-tabi po” when they have to pee or pupu on the hillside or whatever, not knowing this pretty much has the same purpose with the sign-of-the-cross-when-passing-by-the-church thing: to show respect to unknown beings.  This is a proof that assimilation does not mean losing one’s identity but instead it means adding something new to one’s identity – regardless of favorable or unfavorable consequences – making one uniquely Filipino, if you may wish to call it.

Meanwhile, the following story, which is ultimately based on one chapter in the Noli[16], is a story about the lost twin sister of…

Nang araw na iyon ay bumaba siya ng bundok upang hanapin ang puntod ng ina.  Ang pagkakilala na sa kanya ng mga mangmang ay isang mangkukulam o isang bruha.

Anak siya ng mayaman.  Pero, dahil sa hindi niya paniniwala sa sakramento ng kumpisal, ay itinakwil siya ng kanyang ina.  Aniya rito, “Ano pa ho ang silbi ng pangungumpisal kung maaari ka namang magdasal ng taimtim sa Panginoon at doon na ihayag ang iyong mga nagawang pagkakamali?  Mas mabuti ho iyon sa halip na mangumpisal ka nang paulit-ulit dahil paulit-ulit ka ring nagkakasala.”  Natatakot kasi ang kanyang ina na baka mapagbuntunan ng mga kura ang kanilang pamilya at lalo na ang kanilang ari-arian.  Isa pa, gusto ng kanyang ina na siya ay mag-asawa ng español, na higit naman niyang tinutulan.  Namuhay na lamang siya sa bundok malapit sa bayan at inukol ang sarili sa pagbabasa ng mga aklat – karamihan sa mga ito’y umaatake sa relihiyon – na ibinigay sa kanya ng kanyang kapatid noong siya’y lumisan.

Bagamat nang hapong iyon mayroong babala na darating ang unos sapagkat matatalim na kidlat ang gumuguhit sa nagdidilim na langit, masaya pa rin ang hitsura ni Anastacia.  Ito ang ipinagtaka ng mga taong nakakausap niya.  Tinanong siya kung bakit, diretso ang sagot niya: “Ang pagdating ng bagyo ang tangi kong pag-asa sapagkat ito ang magdadala ng mga lintik na siyang papatay sa mga kura at susunog sa mga simbahan!”  Iniwanan ni Tasya ang kausap at nagtuloy ito sa lugar kung saan nakalibing ang kanyang ina.  Wala siyang kaalam-alam na namatay pala ito mga ilang buwan matapos mag-asawa ang kanyang kapatid, na ninais naman ng kanyang ina na magpari.

Palakas nang palakas ang buhos ng ulan.  Ito ay sinasalitan ng matatalim na kidlat at kulog.  Siyang-siya si Tasya sa gayong pangyayari.  Nakataas pa ang kanyang dalawang kamay at nagsisigaw habang naglalakad pabalik sa kabundukan.

How I wish Rizal included Pilosopo Tasyo’s female counterpart[17] in his Noli.  Although for me, there really is no difference if a philosopher is male or female; or if a philosophy professor is male or female.  Just don’t take two female philosophy professors in one semester – both of them might be pregnant at that time (which I ironically experienced last year).

            Besides the character of Pilosopo Tasyo, there is another one which reflects Rizal’s own sentiments: Elias[18].

I regret having killed Elias… But I was in such poor health when I wrote the Noli that I felt I could not go on with it and talk of revolution.  Otherwise, I would have preserved the life of Elias, a noble character, a patriot, self-sacrificing, truly a man who could lead a revolution.                   --- Jose Rizal, Letters

…Some revolutions destroy institutions – not in the name of new ones, but in the name of what they pretend to stand for.  Elias, in this respect, desired the abolishment of the Civil Guards because they failed to perform the task for which they were created, the religious corporations because they were not only unnecessary but (or because of that) oppressive as well.  Elias’ revolutionary position was indigenous, native [underscore mine].  Unlike the French philosophers of 1793, Elias was not thinking of a revolution based on the principle that one should kill God by killing his representatives on earth.  On the contrary, Elias rested his valiant protest on the same God the authorities invoked as their right to power.  By opposing the Christian premises on which the society was supposedly founded with the actual society itself, Elias concluded: we are living under a sacrilegious[19] society.

Perhaps I have not made clear what Filipino Philosophy is.  What I have done so far is claim that Rizal has his Filipino Philosophy.  My point exactly.  We should reconsider the search for Filipino Philosophy; what we ought to do is try to discover what Filipino Philosophy should be.  Right from the start I encouraged you to think of our OWN terminologies for Filipino Philosophy.  I was not asking you to translate.  I am asking you to assimilate, to absorb, ‘philosophy’ into our system.  Eventually we will be able come up with a term for “Filipino Philosophy” itself[20].  Eventually.  And it would be what Filipino Philosophy should be.

Let us now go to the discussion of his other philosophies or ideologies.

PHILOSOPHY as what we have just elaborated, may be defined as the study and pursuit of facts which deal with the ultimate reality or causes of things as they affect life.

The philosophy of a country like the Philippines is made up of the intricate and composite interrelationship of the life histories of its people; in other word, the philosophy of our nation would be strange and undefinable if we do not delve into the past tied up with the notable life experiences of the representative personalities of our nation.

Being one of the prominent representatives of Filipino personalities, Jose Rizal is a fit subject whose life philosophy deserves to be recognized.

Having been a victim of Spanish brutality early in his life in Calamba, Rizal had thus already formed the nucleus of an unfavorable opinion of Castillian imperialistic administration of his country and people.

Pitiful social conditions existed in the Philippines as late as three centuries after his conquest in Spain, with agriculture, commerce, communications and education languishing under its most backward state. It was because of this social malady that social evils like inferiority complex, cowardice, timidity and false pride pervaded nationally and contributed to the decay of social life. This stimulated and shaped Rizal's life philosophy to be to contain if not eliminate these social ills.

Educational Philosophy

Rizal's concept of the importance of education is clearly enunciated in his work entitled Instruction wherein he sought improvements in the schools and in the methods of teaching. He maintained that the backwardness of his country during the Spanish ear was not due to the Filipinos' indifference, apathy or indolence as claimed by the rulers, but to the neglect of the Spanish authorities in the islands. For Rizal, the mission of education is to elevate the country to the highest seat of glory and to develop the people's mentality. Since education is the foundation of society and a prerequisite for social progress, Rizal claimed that only through education could the country be saved from domination.

Rizal's philosophy of education, therefore, centers on the provision of proper motivation in order to bolster the great social forces that make education a success, to create in the youth an innate desire to cultivate his intelligence and give him life eternal.

Religious Philosophy

Rizal grew up nurtured by a closely-knit Catholic family, was educated in the foremost Catholic schools of the period in the elementary, secondary and college levels; logically, therefore, he should have been a propagator of strictly Catholic traditions. However, in later life, he developed a life philosophy of a different nature, a philosophy of a different Catholic practice intermingled with the use of Truth and Reason.

Why the change?

It could have been the result of contemporary contact, companionship, observation, research and the possession of an independent spirit.Being a critical observer, a profound thinker and a zealous reformer, Rizal did not agree with the prevailing Christian propagation of the Faith by fire and sword. This is shown in his Annotation of Morga's Sucesos de las Islas Filipinas.

Rizal did not believe in the Catholic dogma that salvation was only for Catholics and that outside Christianity, salvation was not possible even if Catholics composed only a small minority of the world's religious groups. Nor did he believe in the Catholic observation of fasting as a sacrifice, nor in the sale of such religious items as the cross, medals, rosaries and the like in order to propagate the Faith and raise church funds. He also lambasted the superstitious beliefs propagated by the priests in the church and in the schools. All of these and a lot more are evidences of Rizal's religious philosophy.

Political Philosophy

In Rizal's political view, a conquered country like the Philippines should not be taken advantage of but rather should be developed, civilized, educated and trained in the science of self-government.

He bitterly assailed and criticized in publications the apparent backwardness of the Spanish ruler's method of governing the country which resulted in:

1. the bondage and slavery of the conquered ;

2. the Spanish governments' requirement of forced labor and force military service upon the n natives;

3. the abuse of power by means of exploitation;

4. the government ruling that any complaint against the authorities was criminal; and

5. Making the people ignorant, destitute and fanatic, thus discouraging the formation of a national sentiment.

Rizal's guiding political philosophy proved to be the study and application of reforms, the extension of human rights, the training for self government and the arousing of spirit of discontent over oppression, brutality, inhumanity, sensitiveness and self love.

Ethical Philosophy

The study of human behavior as to whether it is good or bad or whether it is right or wrong is that science upon which Rizal's ethical philosophy was based. The fact that the Philippines was under Spanish domination during Rizal's time led him to subordinate his philosophy to moral problems. This trend was much more needed at that time because the Spaniards and the Filipinos had different and sometimes conflicting morals. The moral status of the Philippines during this period was one with a lack of freedom, one with predominance of foreign masters, one with an imposition of foreign religious worship, devotion, homage and racial habits. This led to moral confusion among the people, what with justice being stifled, limited or curtailed and the people not enjoying any individual rights.

To bolster his ethical philosophy, Dr. Rizal had recognized not only the forces of good and evil, but also the tendencies towards good and evil. As a result, he made use of the practical method of appealing to the better nature of the conquerors and of offering useful methods of solving the moral problems of the conquered.

To support his ethical philosophy in life, Rizal:

1. censured the friars for abusing the advantage of their position as spiritual leaders and the ignorance and fanaticism of the natives;

2. counseled the Filipinos not to resent a defect attributed to them but to accept same as reasonable and just;

3. advised the masses that the object of marriage was the happiness and love of the couple and not financial gain;

4. censured the priests who preached greed and wrong morality; and

5. advised every one that love and respect for parents must be strictly observed.

Social Philosophy

That body of knowledge relating to society including the wisdom which man’s experience in society has taught him is social philosophy. The facts dealt with are principles involved in nation building and not individual social problems. The subject matter of this social philosophy covers the problems of the whole race, with every problem having a distinct solution to bolster the people’s social knowledge.

Rizal's social philosophy dealt with;

1. man in society;

2. influential factors in human life;

3. racial problems;

4. social constant;

5. social justice;

6. social ideal;

7. poverty and wealth;

8. reforms;

9. youth and greatness;

10. history and progress;

11. future Philippines.

The above dealt with man's evolution and his environment, explaining for the most part human behavior and capacities like his will to live; his desire to possess happiness; the change of his mentality; the role of virtuous women in the guidance of great men; the need for elevating and inspiring mission; the duties and dictates of man's conscience; man's need of practicing gratitude; the necessity for consulting reliable people; his need for experience; his ability to deny; the importance of deliberation; the voluntary offer of man's abilities and possibilities; the ability to think, aspire and strive to rise; and the proper use of hearth, brain and spirit-all of these combining to enhance the intricacies, beauty and values of human nature. All of the above served as Rizal's guide in his continuous effort to make over his beloved Philippines.

---

[1] “A Young Person’s Guide to Philosophy” (London: Dorling Kindersley, 1998)

[2] from my Philippine Institutions (P.I.) 100 class

[3] from my Kasaysayan (KAS) II readings

[4] the following discussion on babaylan and anitismo was taken from my P.I. 100 class

[5] the no. 1 objective of the UP Kabataang Pilosopo Tasyo (KAPITAS) as stated in Art. III, Sec. 1 of its Constitution

[6] excerpt from Veneration Without Understanding by Renato Constantino (P.I. 100 pamphlet)

[7] from my P.I. 100 class

[8] Balitang Tasyo, the official publication of UP KAPITAS

[9] the previous two and this one were taken from The New Filipino-English English-Filipino Dictionary by Maria Odulio de Guzman (Metro Manila: National Book Store, Inc., 1968)

[10] Rufa Mae Quinto played the lead role Booba in the Tagalog movie with the same title

[11] all the following quotations regarding Pilosopo Tasyo were taken from “Tasio el Filosofo and Padre Florentino: An Inquiry Into Rizal’s Prophetic Vision” by Raul J. Bonoan, SJ (from my P.I. 100 readings)

[12] I’m referring to my organization (KAPITAS), although, yeah, it can refer to philosophy majors can’t it?

[13] “The philosophe… was “the preceptor of mankind,” a social critic, or if you will, a secular prophet of the age.” (emphasis mine)

[14] Noli Me Tangere, translated by Leon Ma. Guerrero (Hong Kong: Longman, 1961), p. 74.

[15] German word for ‘Enlightenment’

[16] Kabanata XIV-Si Pilosopo Tasyo (Ang Buod), from http://www.joserizal.ph/noli_k14.htm.

[17] Anastacia is of my own working; she is a product of major alterations in the summary I found on the above website (see footnote 13).  I apologize if the story is an unjust adaptation of  Rizal’s character ‘Tasyo’.

[18] all of the following quotations regarding Elias were taken from “Elias: The Ethics of Revolution” by Adrian E. Cristobal (from my P.I. 100 readings)

[19] sacrilegious = violating something sacred (Webster’s New Dictionary)

[20] patterning after kasaysayan, for which they now have “bagong kasaysayan”, an example for ‘absorbing’ pilosopiya is calling it “bagong pagdadalumat” – or something to that extent

HANDOUT IN CL4 TERM 2 MODULE 2 (Part1) •VALUING HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS

De La Salle Santiago Zobel School 

Academic Year 2011-2012

•HANDOUT IN CL4 TERM 2 MODULE 2 (Part1)

•VALUING HUMAN RELATIONSHIPS: Parental Love, Fraternal/Filial love, Platonic/Friendly Love, Obssessive Love, Erotic Love

Introduction to Human Love Relationships

“We are like angels with one wing, we can only fly by embracing each other...”

In the context of our daily life realities, we are able to walk the journey when we are with others.

As social beings, we are influenced by the people around us and the relationships we have with them.

Most of the joys and problems we experience come from the way we relate with people…

Some relationships enable us to grow while others stifle growth. And the painful fact is that sometimes it is not easy to recognize the difference before they actually hurt us.

In this lesson/module we will discover the different types of relationships we are in….recognize which of these are life-giving to enable us to grow in our relationship with God and others

Before we tackle those types of relationships let us familiarize ourselves with the following terminologies that will help us understand this module better.

•          Affinity- the condition of close relationship.

•          Consanguinity- relationship by blood

•          Agnate--a relation through descent on the male side.

•          Agnation-relationship through male descent. .

•          Amity-friendship or harmony between individuals or groups. Also called comity.

•          Cognate-a relation through descent on the female side

•          Cognation-relationship through female descent.

•          Cousinry-cousins collectively or as a group or class.

•          Enation-the maternal relationship.

•          Epigone-an heir, descendant, or successor, frequently an inferior successor.

Filiation-1. the f act or condition of being a son or daughter.                    

               2. the relation of child to parent, especially father.

•          Kinship-family relationship or other close tie or relationship.

•          Lineage-line of descent from an ancestor or ancestors; family or ancestry.

•          Matriliny-descent through the female line, as in ancestry, inheritance, etc.

•          Patriliny-relationship or descent through the male line, as in ancestry, inheritance, etc. Synomosy-Ancient Greece. fellowship or brotherhood bound by solemn oath.

•          Agape-The highest form of love in the Christian Gospel

1. PARENTAL LOVE

•Love of parents to their offspring

•Unconditional and unlimited in the presence of children

•Ever present and has not changed in essence and character

•The most natural of all human interactions

•The story of the Prodigal Son where the father showed his love through his son’s trials and mistakes.

•The initial way to have a give and take relationship centering upon love is through parents.

-           Parental love is derived from “agape” which creates goodness in the world

-            The family is a group united by marriage, co-habitation, blood, and/or adoption

-           Since the family is the basic unit of communities, these types of relationships are vital to the development of society

-          Parental love is one of the first type of love we experience from God and our families. We feel cared for and it helps us understand our purpose in this world.

-           Nurturing parental love is what gives children the motivation to grow up with a good goal.

-           Present throughout the bible, usually the core values of parables and miracles (e.g. Abraham’s willingness to offer his Son to God)

-           Present throughout history in literature, movies, and contemporary pop culture

-           Given importance ever since the dawn of time, since the family is where first relationships are developed and progressed.

•Parental love is the origin of love where a child learns and gets the essence of love.

•The love of our parents to us will never be lesser than our love for them.

•Parental love is a kind of relationship where parents give unconditional love to their parents regardless at how their children act.

•2. FRATERNAL/FILIAL LOVE

•Brotherly love

•The most fundamental kind of love

•The Lord loves us and wants us to love one another.

•Characterized by its lack of exclusiveness

•There is experience of union with all men

•It is the spirit of thanksgiving to the Lord and acceptance of life’s various circumstances

•It is demonstrated in deeds

•The people around you will influence you in growing up to be who you are in the future

•It is shown to others, not just to our siblings

•In the novel Dekada ’70 by Lualhati Bautista, fraternal love is shown in the story where Jules and his other brothers showed their love and care for one another despite their shortcomings, faults and hardships.

•The 2^nd Greatest Commandment as told by Jesus, which is to “Love your neighbor as you love yourself”

•Fraternal and Paternal Love are love-relationships which revolve around the family.

•These primarily concern the welfare and development of ach member of the family to be God’s children.

•These love-relationships also focus on the love God wants us to give on one another as he has shown throughout history.

•They also impart on us our initial values and beliefs which one utilizes as he sets off into life outside the family.

Web Sources:

•http://www.franciscanfriarstor.com/vocations/Rule_and_Commentary/chapter_seven.htm

•http://www.tparents.org/Moon-Books/bif2/BIF2-7-4-04.htm

•http://answers.yahoo.com/questions/index?qid=2006062720234<AAI468k

•http://chnm.gmu.edu/lostmuseum/tm/93

•http://www.winonatkc.com/love.html

3.  PLATONIC LOVE

Definition/Description:

-An affectionate relationship into which the sexual element does not enter, especially in cases where one might easily assume otherwise (e.g. friendship between two people of the opposite sexes)

•Platonic love in its modern popular sense is an affectionate relationship into which the sexual element does not enter, especially in cases where one might easily assume otherwise.

•A simple example of platonic relationships is a deep, non-sexual friendship between two heterosexual people of the opposite sexes.

•At the same time, this interpretation is a misunderstanding of the nature of the Platonic ideal of love, which from its origin was that of a chaste but passionate love, based not on uninterest but virtuous restraint of sexual desire.

•In its original Platonic form, this love was meant to bring the lovers closer to wisdom and the Platonic Form of Beauty.

•It is described in depth in Plato's Phaedrus and Symposium.

History

•The term amor platonicus was coined as early as the 15th Century by the Florentine scholar Marsilio Ficino as a synonym for amor socraticus. Both expressions signify a love focused on the beauty of a person's character and intelligence rather than on their physical charms.

•Biblical  Foundations:

•Adulterers and adulteresses! have ye not known that friendship of the world is enmity with God? whoever, then, may counsel to be a friend of the world, an enemy of God he is set. James 4:4

•A righteous person looks out for his neighbor, but the path of wicked people leads others astray. Proverbs 12:26

•He who informs against friends for a share [of the spoil], The eyes of his children also will languish.Job 17:5

Insights:

4.  Obsessive Relationships

Introduction

Definition/Description

Obsessive love is a form of love where one person is emotionally obsessed with another.

•unequal relationship characterized by an unhealthy attachment to another person causing a loss of emotional self control

•a relationship where-in a person tends to think about the other a lot of the time, letting the other person dominate their life, directly or indirectly

•lovers are distracted from their normal thoughts and activities

•they become pre-occupied with every aspect of another’s personality

•a persistent and irrational idea, frequently unpleasant, which cannot be eliminated voluntarily

Stages of Progression

•Phase 1: Attraction

-instantaneous and overwhelming attraction to another person

-immediate urge to rush into a relationship regardless of compatibility

-formation of unrealistic fantasies

•Phase 2: Anxious

-usually occurs after a commitment has been made

-overwhelming fear of abandonment

-there is a need to be constantly in contact with the person

•Phase 3: Obsession

-“tunnel vision” (relationally dependent person can’t stop thinking about a love interest)

-unfounded accusations of cheating

-controlling behaviors are critical

-controlled person begins to pull back and eventually ends the relationship

- 

•Phase 4: Destructive

-overwhelming feelings of depression

-loss of self-esteem

-feeling of revenge

-Denial

-may result to the use of drugs

Biblical Foundation

David and Bathsheba

(2 Samuel 11:1-27)

            “ ⁴Then David sent messengers to get her (Bathsheba). She came to him, and he slept with her. Then she went back home. ⁵The woman conceived and sent word to David, saying, "I am pregnant."

 ” ¹⁴In the morning David wrote a letter to Joab and sent it with Uriah. ¹⁵In it he wrote, "Put Uriah in the front line where the fighting is fiercest. Then withdraw from him so he will be struck down and die."

“ ²⁶When Uriah's wife heard that her husband was dead, she mourned for him. ²⁷After the time of mourning was over, David had her brought to his house, and she became his wife and bore him a son. But the thing David had done displeased the LORD.”

Insights and Reflections

•Insights:

We learned that obsessive love relationship is very unhealthy. Almost all the effects of this kind of relationship is negative aside from the effect that it will test your patience. Most of the people engaged in this kind of relationship may not be aware that they are in this kind of relationship.

•Reflection:

Many people break up because of this kind of relationship. Most of the time, when one is obsessed with his or her partner, he or she tends to go beyond his limits, limiting his partner’s freedom, choking his partner and eventually gets tired of this kind of treatment which leads to a break up. It is hard to perceive once one has already entered this kind of relationship. In entering this kind of relationship, one should see to it that he or she is not going beyond their limits and not be controlled by obsession.

Sources

•Love and Renewal (page 17)

•Applied Psychology (page 443)

•The Psychology of Interpersonal Relations (page 96)

•EQ (Emotional Intelligence) In Building Relationships (page 4)

•Loving What Is by Byron Katie (page 3)

•http://www.enotalone.com/article/2499.html

•http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/simplepsych/obsessrel.html

5.  EROTIC LOVE

Christianity isn’t opposed to erotic love—on the contrary, it seeks to rescue it from

degradation, and restore it to the type of love that never fades or fails.

Definition/Description:

ž  Erotic love is a deep feeling of sexual desire and attraction.

ž  Eroticism is an aesthetic focus on sexual desire, especially the feelings of anticipation of sexual activity. It is not only the state of arousal and anticipation, but also the attempt through various means to incite those feelings.

ž  Erotic love is sexual love. While sexual desire and passion may fade with time, true erotic love has a tendency to grow and, over time, acquires many of the qualities of family affection and of friendship. This type of love is shown in the love between partners who are lovers.

History of Erotic Love:

ž  The word eroticism is derived from the Greek God of love Eros

ž  In ancient Greek philosophy, Eros was after all the primordial God of unhinged sexual desire. In the platonic ordered system, Eros corresponds to the subject’s longing for ideal beauty and finality. A harmonious unification not only with body but also knowledge and pleasure.

ž  In the middle ages, Christians tried to separate erotic and platonic feelings declaring that friendship is entirely different from sexual attractions.

ž  Eroticism was hard to define depending on the perception of what erotic means.

It helps us to understand more about Human Sexuality.

ØHuman Sexuality refers to the expression of sexual sensation and related intimacy between human beings.

ØLearning more about Human Sexuality will help one to build his own identity.

ØThe limitations and boundaries of Sex, being God’s gift to man, can be fully understood.

It helps us to understand man’s powerful and natural drive towards sensual and sexual gratification.

ØThrough this, we can understand why people look for nurturing, assistance, encouragement, affection and love in others.

It helps us to understand human relationships.

ØIt can answer key questions on what teenagers of today experience, as a result of a world that is greatly influenced by media.

ØIt helps us to understand why a lot of relationships fail when they are governed by Erotic Love.

ØIt serves as a guideline on what kind of love should relationships really avoid.

Dating Alone

ØDating exclusively entails a lot of responsibility.

ØDating alone may lead to a great temptation.

Being alone together in a secluded place

ØBeing alone together in a secluded place brings a lot of temptation.

ØThis should be avoided.

Wearing provocative clothes

ØThis applies very well to girls

ØIf girls would wear outfits that would invite men to think promiscuously about them, then the girls would be a big temptation.

CHURCH AND SCRIPTURAL FOUNDATIONS:

POPE BENEDICT:

•In his first major treatise:

  “In this encyclical, I want to show the concept of love in its various dimensions,"

Erotic love can be blended with and be transformed into spiritual love, "where two people really love each other and one no longer seeks his or her own joy or delights but seeks above all the good of the other person.”

Exodus 20:14

•“Do not commit adultery.”

•The act of thinking about a person lustfully (if not within the bounds of marriage) is considered adultery.

Unrequited Love

INSIGHTS and REFLECTIONS:

•Erotic love is Bad if it is practiced outside the bounds of marriage, for that promotes immorality.

•Erotic Love is Good if it is practiced in a Marital relationship, for Erotic Love can be turned to spiritual and true love if two people will learn to love each other unconditionally.

•We have learned that Erotic Love helps us to understand fully human sexuality. It does not necessarily mean being full of lust for it can happen out of a deep feeling of love and intimacy. We have learned that Erotic Love helps us to understand the stages that some teenagers experience today.

•We have realized that God gave us different types of love Love is something, that if understood fully, can help us to  understand the processes of human development. We have realized that it is best to follow God’s will and our parents in order for us to protect ourselves form Erotic Love that is outside the bounds of a Marital relationship.

SOURCES:

•http://sexuality.about.com/b/a/236675.htm

•http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erotic_love

•Adolescent Problems by Nicolson and Ayers

•Personhood by Leo F. Buscaglia

•Christian Morality and You by Michael Pennock

•Chicken Soup for the Soul II p.18