Chapter 6 Section 2 Why Do Religions Have Different Distributions?

Variations in Distribution of Religions (1) Origin of religions ▫Origin of universalizing religions ▫Origin of Hinduism Diffusion of religions ▫Diffusion of universalizing religions ▫Lack of diffusion of ethnic religions

Origins of Religions Universalizing religions have precise places of origin, based on events in the life of a person Ethnic religions have unknown or unclear origins and are not generally tied to a single person

Christianity’s Origins Founded on the teachings of the Jewish man, Jesus, who was born in Bethlehem around 8 to 4 BC and who died on the cross in Jerusalem around AD 30 His life is central to Christian beliefs and his teachings His crucifixion and the belief in his resurrection are core components in founding the Christian religion- this made him the messiah to Christians and made a permanent split from Judaism He was sacrificed to atone for the sins of those who believe in his sacrifice and resurrection

Catholicism Accepts the Bible’s teachings Accepts interpretations by the Church hierarchy, headed by the pope They believe that God gives his grace to humans through seven sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Penance, Anointing the Sick, Matrimony, Holy Orders, and the Eucharist (Communion) Catholics believe that the Eucharist literally become the body and blood of Jesus, although it keeps the appearance of bread and wine- transubstantiation

Eastern Orthodoxy Eastern Orthodox Christians believe in the 7 sacraments but reject some Roman Catholic doctrines added since the 8 th century They split from Catholicism in 1054 Similar in the hierarchy, except they had a Patriarch instead of a Pope- today there is no patriarch, but they have a bishop over each major church (Russian Orthodox Church, Greek Orthodox Church, etc…)

Protestantism Emerged in 1517 with Martin Luther posting the 95 theses This sparked the Protestant Reformation It pushed simple faith and individual relationships with God 2 sacraments- baptism and communion (the only two in the Bible) No transubstantiation Grace is received by faith rather than sacraments

Origin of Islam Same roots as Judaism and Christianity Adam was the first man Abraham was a descendent Christians follow the lineage of Abraham and Sarah through their son, Isaac, while Muslims trace it through Abraham and Hagar’s son, Ishmael Muhammad was a descendant of Ishmael and born in Mecca in 570

Origin of Islam He was given a message from God in the 600s and composed it into the Koran and spread the message Allah is the one god and Muhammad is the prophet Shiites and Sunnis emerged after his death- Shiites believe only true descendents of Muhammad should be leaders, while Sunnis think any faithful Muslim can be

Origins of Buddhism The founder, Siddhartha Gautama, was born around 563 BC in Lumbini, Nepal near India’s border He was the son of a lord and upper-class He had a wife, palace, and servants He made trips around and saw people suffering and could no longer enjoy his life At 29, he left his palace and lived in the forest for 6 years, meditating mostly Afterward, he emerged as the enlightened one, Buddha, and spent the next 45 years teaching in India and training monks

Origins of Buddhism Different branches emerged Theravada Buddhists push fulltime occupation as Buddhists- monks Mahayana Buddhists push a less demanding and less all-encompassing approach to help more people Tantrahayana Buddhists are the third group- somewhat of a mix

Origins of Other Universalizing Religions Sikhism was founded more recently Guru Nanak traveled through South Asia around 500 years ago preaching his new faith 9 other gurus succeeded him Baha’i emerged in Iran in the 1800s to strong opposition from Shiite Muslims The Bab, founder, was executed in 1850 along with 20,000 followers The prophet, Baha’u’llah, was exiled but claimed to be the leader and then passed leadership down to his son

Origin of Hinduism Ethnic religion No specific founder Hinduism was practiced before recorded history The oldest writings emerged around 1500 BC, but artifacts are much older- up to 2500 BC from the Aryan tribes from Central Asia that invaded India around 1400 BC and brought in the Indo-European language and religion Interactions with the native Indians, Dravidians, influenced the religion

Origins of Judaism Less centered on one person Started with Adam and Eve thousands of years ago Follows the descendents from there Outlined in the Torah

Diffusion: The Spread of Religion Universalizing religions tend to spring from specific hearths, while Ethnic religions tend to have unknown hearths or came from more than one place and time The hearths of the universalizing religions are centered on the places important to the important founder of the religion

Diffusion Two key types of processes: ▫Relocation Diffusion: through migration ▫Expansion Diffusion: through a snowballing effect  Hierarchical Diffusion: through leaders  Contagious Diffusion: through widespread, contaminating diffusion  Stimulus Diffusion: a lot of times by accident

Diffusion of Christianity Christianity spread through all forms of diffusion Started in Palestine where Jesus set forth the tenets of Christianity It diffused from Palestine by missionaries- transmitters of a religion Then became the religion of the Roman Empire and spread faster Spread through trade and colonization and religious missions

Diffusion of Universalizing Religions Fig. 6-4: Each of the three main universalizing religions diffused widely from its hearth.

Diffusion of Christianity Fig. 6-5: Christianity diffused from Palestine through the Roman Empire and continued diffusing through Europe after the fall of Rome. It was later replaced by Islam in much of the Mideast and North Africa.

Diffusion of Islam Muhammad lived in what is today Saudi Arabia His religion diffused from Mecca His successors organized armies and took control of northern Africa and southwestern Asia and parts of eastern Europe It also spread by trade, particularly to Southeast Asia and the islands, like Indonesia

Diffusion of Universalizing Religions Fig. 6-4: Each of the three main universalizing religions diffused widely from its hearth.

Diffusion of Islam Fig. 6-6: Islam diffused rapidly and widely from its area of origin in Arabia. It eventually stretched from southeast Asia to West Africa.

Diffusion of Buddhism Did not diffuse as rapidly as Christianity and Islam nor as far It’s hearth is northeastern India The Magadhan Empire combined several powerful kingdoms in the 200s BC and spread Buddhism into more regions They sent missionaries to neighboring territories It also spread by trade and merchants into China and East Asia

Diffusion of Universalizing Religions Fig. 6-4: Each of the three main universalizing religions diffused widely from its hearth.

Diffusion of Buddhism Fig. 6-7: Buddhism diffused gradually from its origin in northeastern India to Sri Lanka, southeast Asia, and eventually China and Japan.

Shintoism & Buddhism in Japan Fig. 6-8: Since Japanese can be both Shinto and Buddhist, there are many areas in Japan where over two-thirds of the population are both Shinto and Buddhist.

Diffusion of Sikhism Started in Punjab region of India Not given its own country after independence from Britain like Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan Their territory was divided between the two- most moved to Hindu India They have diffused less than many others

Diffusion of Baha’i Started in Iran Spread less than some other religions By the late 1900s, had a temple on the 6 inhabited continents

Lack of Diffusion of Ethnic Religions Most stay in the hearth area Lack missionaries who are devoted to converting people Do not try to appeal to all groups Often lose followers when they come into contact with the diffusion of universalizing religions Generally only diffuse with relocation diffusion

Mingling of Universalizing and Ethnic Religions Universalizing spread and encroach on ethnic territories Often they “steal” believers Traditional ethnic beliefs, however, may affect interpretation of universalizing religions- from polygamy to women’s treatment to what is eaten or not African Christian churches are examples of this Some give loyalty to both- Buddhists/Shintoists in Japan for example

Judaism- the Exception The spatial distribution of Jews is not clustered like most other ethnic religion but widely dispersed Judaism is practiced in many countries not just around Israel Most Jews had left the lands around Israel around AD 70 when the Romans dispersed them- the diaspora Most moved to Europe, from Europe to the Americas, during the Holocaust more abroad, and in 1948, many back to Israel when it was created as a homeland for the Jewish people

Diffusion of Religions in the past 5,000 years: eligion.swf eligion.swf

Holy Places Places important to a religion An ethnic religion has a less widespread distribution of holy places and is more dependent on the hearth and local geography A universalizing religion tends to have a widespread distribution of holy places that are centered on the life of the founder A pilgrimage is a trip to a holy place for religious purposes

Buddhist Holy Places Places important in the life of Buddha Buddhist Shrines 8 places- four are concentrated in northeastern India and southern Nepal Lumbini is most important- where Buddha was born Bodh Gaya- where Buddha achieved perfect wisdom Deer Park- where Buddha gave his first sermon Kusinagara- where Buddha died at 80 The other four are miracle sites

Holy spot in Buddhism The Bodhi Tree in Bodhgaya is a descendant of the tree under which Siddharta Gautama attained enlightenment after 49 days of meditation and became the "Enlightened One."

Islamic Holy Places Holy sites important in the life of Muhammad Mecca- birthplace of Muhammad Al-Ka’ba- a cubelike structure encased in silk in the Great Mosque in Mecca is particularly holy- it is thought to have been built by Abraham and Ishmael and to contain the black stone given to Abraham by Gabriel as a sign of the covenant with Ishmael and the Muslim people It had been around centuries before Islam The well of Zamzam- provided water for Hagar and Ishmael as they wondered in the desert after Exile

Holy Spots In Islam According to the Qur'an, the Ka'ba that stands today was built by the prophet, Abraham, and his son, Ishmael. According to archaeologists, the Ka'ba certainly predates Islam. It was rebuilt several times by the tribes ruling Mecca, who used it to house sacred objects, including the Black Stone, and as a shrine to Arabian tribal gods. destinations.com/saudi-arabia/mecca- kaba

Islamic Holy Places Medina- where Muhammad got his first support for Islam Muhammad’s tomb is at Medina inside Islam’s second Mosque

Holy Places in Christianity Depends partly on the branch Churches, cathedrals, etc… Bethlehem- birthplace of Jesus Jerusalem- where Jesus lived Places that Jesus traveled Jewish holy sites Many are no longer standing and people aren’t sure exactly where they are (tomb of Christ for example)

Holy spots in Christianity- Sea of Galilee, Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Jordan River kovBridge.JPG

Holy Places in Sikhism Darbar Sahib- the Golden Temple- in Punjab Started construction in 1574, added on more each year Place of worship

Holy Places in Ethnic Religions Closely tied to physical geography More geographically clustered Push pilgrimages as well

Holy Places in Hinduism Closely tied to the physical geography of India Most important are sources and bodies of water- like the Ganges River, riverbanks, and coastlines They are expected to make pilgrimages- tirthas- for purification Mt. Kailas, the source of Ganges in the Himalayas (where Siva lives) Places Siva or Vishnu visited

Holy spot in Hinduism Varanasi is a Hindu holy city on the banks of the Ganges River in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Varanasi is the site of the holy shrine of Lord Kasi Viswanatha (a form of Shiva). destinations.com/india/varanasi

Holy Places in Judaism More centered on Israel and the Arab world Example: The Western Wall in Jerusalem is the holiest of Jewish sites, sacred because it is a remnant of the Herodian retaining wall that once enclosed and supported the Second Temple. It has also been called the "Wailing Wall" by European observers because for centuries Jews have gathered here to lament the loss of their temple.

The Western Wall destinations.com/israel/jerusalem- western-wall

Holy places in Shintoism Often shrines for particular natural spirits or ancestors Meiji Jingu (Shrine): The first emperor of modern Japan, Emperor Meiji, was instrumental in opening Japan to the outside world. After the deaths of the emperor and empress, the Meiji Shrine was constructed to enshrine their souls. It was dedicated on November 1, Largest torii in Japan

Cosmogony This is the set of religious beliefs concerning the origin of the universe This outlines an important difference between universalizing and ethnic religions- the relationship between humans and nature Ethnic religions push more interaction and importance on nature Ethnic religions tend to incorporate more events in the physical environment than universalizing

Cosmogony Ethnic religions: Conficianists and Daoists believe in yin and yang as key natural forces that govern the universe Universalizing religions tend to place more emphasis on the creation of the universe by God Christians view God as a creator but that they were given the world to continue to develop it and rule over it Muslims place more emphasis on God’s continued creation

Calendars A calendar keeps track of time Different approaches between ethnic and universalizing religions An ethnic religion has a more clustered distribution of holidays and important dates- more centered on geography and seasons Universalizing religions often have more dispersed distribution of holidays and important dates- based on the key events in the lives of the founders The Jewish religion places very heavy precedence on agricultural cycle dates and important dates in the religion

Calendars A solstice the first day of winter or summer- the day with the shortest hours of light and the day with the longest hours of light (December 21 and June 21) An equinox is the first day of spring or fall- the days where light and dark are exactly equal (September 20-21, March 20-21)