RELIGION

Distribution of Religions  Universalizing religions  Christianity 2 billion adherents  Islam 1.3 billion adherents  Buddhism 365 million adherents  Ethnic religions  Hinduism 97% of India’s population  Other ethnic religions Confucianism, Daoism, Shintoism, Judaism and Animism

ChristianityRoman Catholic 50% Southwest and Eastern Europe Protestant 25% Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal, Lutheran Eastern Orthodox 10% 14 self governing churches Smaller Branches 15% Coptic Church of Egypt/Ethiopia Mormons

World Population by Religion Fig. 6-1a: Over two-thirds of the world’s population belong to Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, or Buddhism. Christianity is the single largest world religion.

Christian Branches in the U.S. Fig. 6-3: Distribution of Christians in the U.S. Shaded areas are counties with more than 50% of church membership concentrated in Roman Catholicism or one of the Protestant denominations.

Islam Buddhism  Middle East to N. Africa to Central Asia  Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and India  5 pillars of Islam  Sunni=83% of Muslims  Shiite=16% of Muslims  France has largest Muslim population  China & S.E. Asia  4 noble truth  3 branches: Mahayana, Theravada and Tantrayana  Not fundamentalists

SikhismBaha’i  24 million adherents  Punjab region of India  Amrit (baptism)  Turbans, no cutting of hair  1469 origin  7 million adherents  Dispersed in Africa/Asia  1844 origin  Overcome disunity of religions and establish a universal faith

Ethnic Religions Hinduism No fundamentals No holy book Vaishnavism Siviasm Shaktism Individual worship Confucianism Correct Behavior Ethical religion Traditions Obligations Respect Daoism Magical/ mystical Dao-Way Banned in China Shintoism Japan Nature is divine Official religion until WW2 Judaism 14 million Large cities Israel Monotheistic

Ethnic African Religions  Animism- inanimate objects have spirits and life  Rocks, thunder  Monotheistic with minor deities (assistants)  200 million Africans  Predominantly Christian or Muslim

Variations in Distribution of Religions  Origin of religions  Origin of universalizing religions Jesus Christ, Ishmael, Muhammad, Siddhartha Gautama  Origin of Hinduism- no known origin  Diffusion of religions  Diffusion of universalizing religions Relocation, contagious, hierarchical  Lack of diffusion of ethnic religions Limited diffusion, lack of missionaries

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

Variations in Distribution of Religions  Holy places  Holy places in universalizing religions Lumbini, Bodh Gaya, Deer Park, Kusinagara Mecca, Ka’ba, Al-Haram mosque, Medina Darbar Sahib (Golden Temple)  Holy places in ethnic religions Mt. Kailas, Ganges

 The calendar  The calendar in ethnic religions Celebration of seasons, agriculture Bontok people of Philippines Jewish calendar (Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Pesach, Shavuot Solstice  The calendar in universalizing religions Lunar calendars (Islam and Baha’i) Gregorian and Julian calendars

Holy Sites in Buddhism Fig. 6-9: Most holy sites in Buddhism are locations of important events in Buddha’s life and are clustered in northeastern India and southern Nepal.

Organization of Space  Places of worship  Christian worship  Places of worship in other religions  Sacred space  Disposing of the dead  Religious settlements  Religious place names  Administration of space  Hierarchical religions  Locally autonomous religions

Religious Conflicts  Religion vs. government policies  Religion vs. social change  Religion vs. Communism  Religion vs. religion  Religious wars in the Middle East  Religious wars in Ireland