Students are always interested in this topic. From the onset the chapter emphasizes that all cultures have belief systems and that they function in the same ways regardless of the systems' specific details. Many are reassured that anthropology does not have an agenda of critiquing a specific belief system. The chapter emphasizes that the anthropological approach is to look at the contributions of belief systems to individuals and societies. Functional paradigms are presented and form the basis of this chapter because students relate well to them. Other views can then be presented in lecture. Supernatural beings and forces are discussed, as well as rites of passage and revitalization movements.