Intro to Religion November 9, 2012

What is religion? Religions change and evolve over time Religions are spread through interaction

Cultural Landscape The cultural landscape reflects religious preferences, by houses of worship, cemeteries, shrines, and statues It is reflected in the sale of alcohol, dress, and personal habits Ex: Pakistan requires judges to wear a beard

Religion A system of beliefs and practices that attempts to order life in terms of culturally perceived ultimate priorities It determines how people “should” behave In some societies, religion determines behaviors during waking hours, and even in sleep (some sleeping positions can be sinful) Most religions have prayers and rituals

Rituals Rituals mark important events in people’s lives Births Death Coming of age Marriage Celebration of holidays Prayer

Secularism Some societies are predominantly secular, or non-religious Even then, religion seeps into art, history, customs, beliefs, and even the calendar Whether secular or not, it is important to have a basic understanding of religion Religion is one of the most complex and controversial aspects of culture

Diffusion of Religion

Early Religions Most religions can be classified into one of three broad groups: Monotheistic Polytheistic Animistic

History of Religion Up until 3500 years ago, most religions were polytheistic or animistic Zoroastrianism was the first monotheistic religion and laid the foundation for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam Zoroastrianism is a religion and philosophy based on the belief that there is a single all-powerful good god (Zoroastro), and there is also an evil being trying to destroy good

Diffusion of Monotheism Judaism was the second (or first) great monotheistic religion However, it was not until Christianity and Islam emerged that monotheism spread By 500 BCE, there were four hearths of religion: Greece (Greek Philosophy) India (Hinduism) Israel (Judaism) China (Chinese philosophies)

World Distribution of Religions Fig. 6-1: World religions by continent.