Religions By: AnnaClaire, Ella, and Emily

What is Religion? o A set of beliefs which... o Provides an explanation of the origins and purposes of humans and their life on earth o Extolls the existence of a higher power, spirits, or god o Creates rituals, festivals, rites of passage, and religious landscapes o Religions manifest themselves in different ways, but most share similarities. o “Because it is tied to all aspects of human culture and social systems, geography of religions provides insight into population growth, international politics, and design and structure of cities.” (Barron’s review cards)

Key Terms Universalizing: they assert global relevancy, and they actively look for new converts Local: they are only specific to one area. Some are tribal and some are ethnic, and some are polytheistic Ethnic: adherents are born into a faith, converts aren’t sought actively and no missionaries are used Secularization: a process that is leading to increasingly large groups of people who don’t claim allegiance to any church – Some are atheists and some just do not practice

Key Terms Polytheism: the belief in many gods Monotheism: the belief in one God Animism: a type of religion that is centered on the belief that inanimate objects possess spirits and should be revered Cosmogony: a set of religious beliefs concerning the origin of the universe Proselytize: trying to convert people to one’s belief or faith Syncretic: traditions that borrow from both the past and present Religious Divisions: Religion  Branch  Denomination

Fundamentalism and Extremism Fundamentalism: a process that is leading to increasingly large group of people who claim there is only one way to interpret worship. – Fundamentalists generally envision a return to a more perfect religion and ethics they imagine existed in the past – These groups of people are common in Islam and in the US. – An example in the Roman Catholic religion is the ban against birth control. – Another example is the Wesboro Church because they were protesting the Church but without violence Extremism: religious fundamentalists carried to the point of violence – An example of extremism is the terrorist attack of 9/11

Religious Hearths South Asia (Pakistan/India): – Hinduism – Buddhism Huang HE/Yellow River Valley (Eastern China): – Daoism (Taoism) – Confucianism Southwest Asia/Eastern Mediterranean: – Judaism – Christianity – Islam Order from oldest to youngest: Hinduism; Judaism; Christianity; Islam

CONFLICT – Israel and Palestine Jewish Ties to the Land – Jews lived in Palestine between 1900 and 1000 BCE – They were forced out by invaders in mid-500’s – Diaspora: Greek word meaning “scattering” of people Arab Ties to the Land – They have lived for centuries in Palestine – Arabs began to live there in 600CE because many of their ancestors had lived there – Their religion was a pull factor to this area.

CONFLICT – Israel and Palestine Both Palestinians and Jews say that it is THEIR land. Many countries in the Middle East wanted their independence, and WWI broke out in During WWI, the British allied themselves with the Arabs and agreed to give them a country of their own after the war, BUT...

CONFLICT – Israel and Palestine...They were lying. The British were actually working with the French and negotiating ways to take over the Arab land. This was known as the Sykes-Picot Agreement. Then the British issued the Balfour Declaration that said they would support and facilitate the creation of a homeland for the Jews in Palestine.

CONFLICT – Israel and Palestine After WWI, more Jews began to migrate into Palestine. After the Holocaust, the UN decided that Palestine would be divided, and Jews would have a homeland in Israel. Israel became a country in 1948, and the next day, Arab countries in the area attacked it. The US had remained an ally to Israel ever since then.

CONFLICT - Yugoslavia Serbs – Religion: Eastern Orthodox – Language: Serbo – Many resent both the Croats and the Muslims Croats: – Religion: Roman Catholic – Language: Croatian – During WWII, they conspired with the Nazi’s to commit genocide against the Serbs Muslims: – Religion: Islam – They took over a portion of Serbia that Serbs considered their homeland

CONFLICT - Yugoslavia This region, well before the 1900’s, was split by both ethnicity and religion. Yugoslavia was created in Yugoslavia was a communist community and was made up of 6 republics: – Serbia – Bosnia-Herzegovina – Slovenia – Croatia – Macedonia – Montenegro

CONFLICT - Yugoslavia Marshal Tito: communist leader of Yugoslavia – Ruled from – He tried to unite all people by trying to create a national identity, however this put a squash on the differing identities and religions Slobodan Milosevic: communist leader; becomes a leader for the Serbs – Ruled from – He was overwhelming with his advocacy of the Serbs. – Communism fell in the late 1980’s and republics began to demand for their independence

CONFLICT - Yugoslavia Bosnia-Herzegovina had both Croats and Serbs living there, so it suffered greatly because of the conflict. Croats and Muslims teamed up to fight the Serbs in the early 1990’s, but the Serbs used ethnic cleansing to get rid of them. In the mid-1990’s, the 6 republics were made independent countries. In the late 1990’s, an uprising in Serbia resulted with an ethnic cleansing of Muslims who wanted independence.

CONFLICT - Iraq Iraq vs. Iran War: – Iraq attacked Iran because of a dispute over land. First Persian Gulf War: 1990 – Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait to take control of its oil fields. – When the UN and US attacked and freed Kuwait, 85,000 Iraqi soldiers and just as many citizens were killed. – An embargo was placed on Iraq and civilians suffered.

CONFLICT - Iraq US invades Iraq: 2003-present – We invaded because of wrong information that Saddam Hussein had weapons if mass destruction. – Because the government was so unstable in Iraq, we were afraid that it would become a training ground, like Afghanistan, for groups like Al Qaeda. – The US remains in Iraq with small troops from other countries.

Conflict - Afghanistan This is a desirable and undesirable place because it has access to everything (china and Southwest Asia) and It has steep rugged mountains and is arid Afghanistan has political instability so it has many wars and invasions In 1979, Afghanistan was invaded by the Soviet Union. (U.S.S.R) – For 10 years the Afghans and Soviets fought for control of the country, until the Soviet Union fell in 1989 A group of fundamentalists, calling themselves the Taliban, was able to gain power. – They imposed fundamental law throughout Afghanistan. Osama Bin Laden seeked protection here because of the country's strict fundamental laws and created plots and attacks

Hinduism Hearth: South Asia No real founder Ethnic Religion It is not merely a religion: it also has philosophical, social, economic, and artistic elements. An important part is the caste system: gives every India a particular place in the social hierarchy from birth – Each caste defines an individual's occupation, social connections, where they are allowed to live, what they can wear, and what food they can eat. Some major beliefs: everything belongs to god, there is reincarnation, Karma, polytheistic. They have mixed ideas and principals with other major religions

Judaism Hearth: Israel Founder: Abraham Book: Torah Ethnic Religion Diffusion: – Diaspora: the scattering of Jews after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans – From there, Jews went to central Europe and North Africa, and then to the US. Jews believe in one God, as well as believing that Jesus was NOT the Son of God. – They are still waiting for a Messiah. Worship everyday except for the Sabbath (seventh day of creation). Kosher: dietary laws of Judaism Major Holidays: – Passover – Yom Kipper – Hanukkah

Christianity It is the world's most widespread religion; it has about 2 billion believers. The whole religion is based upon Jesus and God; Paul the Apostle sparked the idea a forming the religion – It's origins are in Judaism It is monotheistic - the belief in God All are born with original sin; Jesus dies for us to take away these sins and restore our relationship with God. There is and after life: Heaven Hearth: Middle East (Palestine/Israel) Founder: Jesus The 3 major categories: Roman Catholicism: prominent in large parts of Central and South America, North America, and Western Europe Protestantism: has distinct denominations; is especially big in North America Eastern Orthodox: dominant in Eastern Europe and Russia

Buddhism Hearth: Nepal, India in the 6 th century BCE Founder: Siddhartha Diffusion: – Started in India, diffused into China and a little to the Mediterranean. Chinese brought it to smalls parts of England and the US in the 19th century. – It grew slowly after Buddha's death, until the mid-3rd century when Emperor Asoka became a convert--- he converted a large and powerful state of India. It has about 300 million followers worldwide – About half of that is in the US in southern California Beliefs: – you can reach salvation no matter what your caste – 8 fold path; 4 noble truths – path to enlightenment – Karma Some cultures within Buddhism belief in many celestial beings or gods, but the religions is not centered around it. Its origins and many traditions can be traced to Hinduism from about 2,500 years ago.

Islam Hearth: Mecca, Saudi Arabia in 610 Founder: Muhammad Universalizing Religion They follow the Qu'ran – Muhammad received this information from the Angel Gabriel. They believe in Polygamy It is a monotheistic religion. They worship in mosques. They believe in... One God – Allah – He rewards and punishes fairly – Everyone will be brought to judgment day and will be placed in heaven or hell. Five Pillars – Shahadah, Salah, Zakah, Sawm, Hajj They worship 5 times a day. Wudhu: washing of all the body parts before eating.

Daoism/Taoism Hearth: China Founder: Laozi, who was born of a star Ethnic Religion – not currently widely practiced; remained in Asia It's more a way of living than a faith It started off as a philosophy Religious - the way of Great Peace: the celestial masters are most important form Beliefs: – Yin-yang – The 5 elements (they are mountains) – that everything comes from and is recycled through the earth fire, water, wood, earth, and metal

Confucianism Hearth: China (Yellow-River Valley) This religion is a philosophy of life that centered around the ideas of Confucius and living in the present. One symbol is the yin yang. 5 Principals – Ren, Junzi, Li, De, Wen 5 classic books written by Confucius – Liji, Shijing, Shujing, Chunqui, and Yijing They makes sacrifices based on social class. Family comes before anything else, and they honor their ancestors.