Do Now: How would you define religion?

 A relatively structured set of beliefs and practices through which people achieve mental and physical harmony with the powers of the universe  Rituals provide milestones along the course of our lives that are observed and celebrated  Religions often attempt to accommodate or influence the forces of nature, life and death  Religions help people make sense of their place in the world

 Movement away from control of life by a religion  Indifference to or rejection of formal religious belief or practice  Prevalent in contemporary Europe  The U.S. is among the most religious among MDCs

UNIVERSALIZINGETHNIC  A.K.A. proselytic/proselytizing religions  Actively seek new members  Aim to convert all humankind (missionaries)  May use persuasion or violence to convert the “heathen”  Widespread distribution  Relatively few in number  Relatively recent in origin  Identified with a particular ethnic or tribal group  Does not seek converts  Born into faith  Most religions throughout history  Usually, spatially concentrated

Based on the previous definition, can you list some universalizing and ethnic religions based on your study of global history? UniversalizingEthnic

 Monotheistic religions  Believe in only one God  May expressly forbid the worship of other gods  Relatively recent dominance  Polytheistic religions  Believe there are many gods or spirits  Vodun – West African religious tradition  Diffused to Americas via enslavement  “Voodoo”  One supreme God + hundreds of spirits ( iwa )

SYNCRETIC RELIGIONORTHODOX RELIGION  Combines elements of two or more belief systems  Shintoism – blends Buddhism with local Japanese religion  Umbanda – practiced in parts of Brazil  Blends elements of Catholicism with a reverence for the souls of Indians, wise men, and historical Brazilian figures, with a dash of spiritism (19 th century European belief in contacting spirits through mediums)  Emphasizes purity of faith  Generally not open to blending with elements of other belief systems  Many religions have orthodox strains

 Animist Traditions  Various ethnic, tribal forms of nature worship (Native American/Voodoo)  Hindu-Buddhist Traditions  Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism  many levels of existence (reincarnation)  began in same geographic region (India)  Abrahamic Traditions  Judaism, Christianity, Islam  similar origin stories, core beliefs/codes of conduct, monotheistic, same geographic area of origin

 Spaces that possess special religious meaning  Recognized as worthy of devotion, loyalty, fear, or esteem  May be natural or man-made  May include the site of supposed supernatural events  May be viewed as the abode of gods

 Journey to a sacred site  Various types of places may be visited by pilgrims  Important aspect of many faiths  19 th century woodcut print depicting a pilgrimage to the Ise shrine – located in the culture hearth of Shinto

Bulguksa Temple, Gyeongju, South Korea

 Buildings erected to house divinities or shelter worshippers  Vary greatly in size, function, architectural style, construction material, and degree of ornateness

 Variations in how religions treat the dead appear in the cultural landscape  Cemeteries, shrines, monuments  Utilize ancient cultural traits  Zoroastrianism (a once widespread Middle Eastern faith now confined to parts of India) left dead exposed to be devoured by vultures  no impact on landscape

 Hinduism blended with animism  Temples to family ancestors occupy prominent places outside the houses of the Balinese  Does not exist in India, the hearth of Hinduism

Comparing Five Major World Religions