Other Religions Do Now: Brainstorm world religions not covered in your research project

Religions by Number of Followers Christianity 2,200,000,000 Islam 1,600,000,000 Hinduism 1,100,000,000 Chinese folk religions 1,000,000,000 Buddhism 500,000,000 Taoism 100,000,000 + Shintoism 100,000,000 + Sikhism 30,000,000 Judaism 14,000,000 Confucianism 6,000,000 Baha'i Faith 5,000,000 Jainism 4,000,000

Backtrack: Religious Diffusion

Dharmic Religions Originated in the Indian subcontinent Namely Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism Dharmic worldview dharma – harmonious and eternal truth within each human being

Minority Religions in India

Sikhism Arose in the 15th century Hearth = Pakistan  Punjab state of northwestern India Attempted to unify Hinduism and Islam Syncretic? Universalizing Monotheistic Holy book = the Guru Granth Sahib Beliefs: Live honestly and work hard Treat everyone equally Be generous to those less fortunate

Golden Temple – Sikh Sacred Site

Jainism Ancient outgrowth of Hinduism Almost all Jains live in India Over 2500 years old Almost all Jains live in India Ethnic religion Reject Hindu scriptures, rituals, and priesthood Share Hindu beliefs in reincarnation and ahimsa (do no harm) Strictly ascetic – e.g., vegan

Jain Temples - Gujarat

Baha’i Faith Founded in the 19th century Founder = Baha’u’llah Hearth = present-day Iran Beliefs: All people are the same regardless of background or religion Progressive revelation: Baha’i is preferable because it is more recent Seeks to unite all the peoples of the world = universalizing Has spread to most world countries

Shrine of the Bab Haifa, Israel

East Asian Ethnic Religions Confucianism, Taoism, Shintoism All three considered “Taoic Religions” Center on Tao, the force that balances and orders the universe May be seen more as way of life than religion Polytheistic

Confucianism Daoism (Taoism) (c. 6th century BCE) Founder: Confucius / Kong Fu-tzu, Chinese philosopher Built a system of morals and a way of life for Chinese in religion, government, education, philosophy Focuses on worldly life Daoism (Taoism) Founder: Laozi / Lao-Tzu Believe in introspection to live in harmony with nature and the universe Feng shui – harmoniously organized living spaces

Shintoism Syncretic, ethnic religion blending principles of Buddhism with local Japanese religion Nature and ancestral worship From 1800s until after WWII, Shintoism was the official state religion of Japan

Animism Indigenous ethnic religions of people in diverse parts of the world Usually not “organized religion,” but practiced by a particular clan or tribe Usually follow oral traditions  no holy books Believe that inanimate objects or naturally occurring phenomena are ‘animated’ and have a spirit and consciousness Rivers, mountains, forests, earthquakes, storms, stars, even everyday objects

Shamanism Any ethnic (animist) religion in which a community follows a shaman Religious leader, healer, truth knower Intermediary between people and spirits Strongest presence in Africa Historically existed in North America, Southeast Asia, East Asia Still important in the Amazon and parts of Mexico and Guatemala

Animism in Africa Approx. 12% of all Africans (about 100 million people) follow traditional African animist religions Increase in Islam & Christianity in Africa has caused decline in Animism Growth of universalizing religions at expense of ethnic religions reflects fundamental geographic differences What other key geographic concepts does this relate to?

FIGURE 6-12 DISTRIBUTION OF AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGIONS The percentage of animists in sub-Saharan Africa has declined from more than 70 percent in 1900 to around 12 percent in 2010. As recently as 1980, some 200 million Africans—half the population of the region at the time—were classified as animists. Followers of traditional African religions now constitute a clear majority of the population only in Botswana. The rapid decline in animists in Africa has been caused by increases in the numbers of Christians and Muslims. DISTRIBUTION OF AFRICAN TRADITIONAL RELIGIONS The percentage of animists in sub-Saharan Africa has declined from more than 70 percent in 1900 to around 12 percent in 2010. As recently as 1980, some 200 million Africans—half the population of the region at the time—were classified as animists. Followers of traditional African religions now constitute a clear majority of the population only in Botswana. The rapid decline in animists in Africa has been caused by increases in the numbers of Christians and Muslims.

Closure: Compare the role of global languages and universalizing religions: What do we lose when ethnic religions give way to universalizing religions? What do we gain?