Where are Religions Distributed? Chapter 6: Religion Key Issue #1

Universal vs. Ethnic Religions  Universal  Global  Appeal to all people  Ex. Christianity, Islam, Buddhism  Divide into branches, denominations, sects  Ethnic  Regional/local  Specific group of people  Ex. Judaism, Hinduism, Confucianism

Christianity  Basic Beliefs:  Jesus Christ is the son of God and the Savior of all mankind  The messiah that atoned (paid) for all mans’ sins  Believe in the teachings of Jesus and his apostles (New Testament)  Believe in the teachings of the old testament, predicting the appearance of Christ

Christianity Stats  More than 2 billion “members”  Most widespread and practiced religion  Branches:  Roman Catholic, Protestant, & Orthodox  In order of number of “members”  Map of Branches in Europe (p. 171)  W. Hemisphere  Latin Am. – 93% Roman Catholic  US map pg. 172  Outside the three main branches  Smaller groups but influential  Ex. Mormons (Latter-day Saints)

Origins of Christianity  Christianity originated with the teachings of Jesus in the middle of the 1 st Century  Differences in Christian branches are over which set of doctrines (rules made after the death of Jesus) to adhere to  Teachings of the Bible and Apostles  Began in present day Middle East (Israel)  Roman Catholics – headed by Pope  Orthodox – disagreement between Popes & Patriarchy of Constantinople  Protestant – Martin Luther about 1517

Diffusion of Christianity  Hearth of Christianity was Palestine (Israel)  First diffused through relocation diffusion  Missionaries spread it through much of the Roman Empire  Contagious, expansion diffusion spread around countryside  Hierarchical, expansion diffusion happened when Roman Emperors Constantine & Theodosius accepted Christianity  Relocation diffusion continued through missionaries and European colonization  Diffusion in US relates to immigrant settlements

Cosmogony  Religious belief concerning the origins of the Universe  Christianity – God created Universe FOR humans  God is greater than natural laws  Natural disasters can be seen as punishments

Christian Calendar  Easter – Resurrection of Christ  Christianity has been infused into Thanksgiving  Christmas – Jesus’ Birth

Christian Churches  Churches function as the center of religious practice  Regular attendance  Church architecture communicates a lot of information  Denomination, values, etc.  Social aspect of religion

Leadership in Christianity  Roman Catholic – Hierarchical  Pope – head of the religion  Archbishops – lead provinces  Bishops – lead a diocese  Priests – lead parishes  Protestant – Autonomous to hierarchical  Pastors – head of the church