Religions Ch. 6 – AP Human Geography

Religion Overview

Classifications of Religions Monotheistic – belief in one deity Polytheistic – belief in many deities Animistic – objects (trees, mountains, rivers) have spirits Atheistic – belief that there is no deity Cultural Religions – limited to the national culture of a single region – Shinto, Daoism, etc. Abrahamic Faiths – faiths with a historical association with Abraham, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Islam

Key Characteristics of Religion Set of doctrines or beliefs relating to a god or gods Structure or hierarchy of officials Rituals for birth, death, reaching adulthood, marriage, prayer, routine services on a Fri, Sat, or Sun Religions are often syncretic Religions may also provide an explanation of the beginning of the world, or cosmogony

Impact of Religion Can affect calendars, holidays, agriculture, toponyms, slogans on coins or flags, etc. Potential positive impacts – education, medicine or health care, the arts, etc. Potential negative impacts – blocked scientific study, oppression, supported imperialism, can keep women inferior

Universalizing Religions

Universalizing Religions Religions that actively seek converts because members believe they offer belief systems of universal appropriateness and appeal Ex: Christianity Global in nature

Universalizing Religions Main religions include Christianity, Muslim, and Buddhism Branches – a large and fundamental division within a religion Denomination – a division of a branch that unites a number of local congregations into a single administrative body Sect – can mean a small group that broke away from a bigger group or a religious denomination

Ethnic Religions

Ethnic Religions Religions whose adherents are born into the faith and whose members do not actively seek converts Ex: Hinduism Local in nature

Ethnic Religions Main: Hinduism – 900 million people Others Judaism Chinese Traditional (Taoism, Confucianism) Asian and African Primal Indigenous (Shamanism) Juchte Spiritism

Religious Hearths, Diffusion, and Distribution

Religions of the Semitic Hearth Christianity and Judaism share similar hearths around Eastern Mediterranean and present-day Israel Islam originated in present-day Saudi Arabia and spread through hierarchical and relocation diffusion

Where Religions are Distributed Christianity 2 billion adherents, more than any other religion 90% of the people in N. America are Christians 93% of Latin America is Catholic (29% in N. America) Baptists are the largest protestant group in the US Smaller branches of Christianity include: Coptic Church of Egypt and the Ethiopian Church Armenian Church Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

Where Religions are Distributed Christianity Originated with teachings of Jesus and the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John Catholicism is headed by the Pope Eastern Orthodox split from Roman Catholics in 1054 Protestantism came after the Reformation (first headed by Martin Luther and later others)

Where Religions are Distributed Islam 1.3 billion people on Earth Sunni – 83% of Muslims Shiite is the other sect 5% of Europe’s population are Muslims 5 million Muslims in the US and Canada

Where Religions are Distributed Islam Origin begins similarly to Judeo-Christian traditions Line follows Abraham’s other son Muhammad was considered a prophet of God Split between Shiites and Sunnis come from a disagreement over the line of succession in Islamic leadership

Where Religions are Distributed Buddhism 400 million adherents around the world Branches include Mahayana, Theravada, and Tantrayana

Where Religions are Distributed Buddhism Began with Siddhartha Gautama in 563 BCE Siddhartha became the “Buddha” and spent 45 years preaching Sikhism Founded by Guru Nanak about 500 years ago Baha’i Established in Iran in the 19th century

Where Religions are Distributed Hinduism Third largest religion in world India

Where Religions are Distributed Hinduism No known founder Existed prior to recorded history Earliest documents were written around 1500 BCE

Diffusion of Universalizing Religions Christianity Relocation Diffusion: Missionaries Contagious Diffusion: Holy Roman Empire Hierarchical Diffusion: Emperor Constantine Expansion Diffusion: Europeans moving

Diffusion of Universalizing Religions Islam Expansion Diffusion: Conquering armies Relocation Diffusion: Missionaries Contagious Diffusion: Traders to Indonesia Buddhism Hierarchical Diffusion: Asoka Contagious Diffusion: Traders to China, then to Korea, then to Japan

Diffusion of Ethnic Religions Lack of Diffusion of Ethnic Religions No missionaries to carry the message However, some ethnic and universalizing religions have mingled over time Judaism Practiced in many places Diaspora by the Romans Migration to Europe Ghettos WWII

Religion, Society, and Globalization

Holy Places in Universalizing Religions Buddhist Shrines Lumbini in Southern Nepal, Bodh Gaya, Deer Park in Sarnath, Kusinagara, Sravasti, Samkasya, Rajagrha, Vaisali Holy places in Islam Mecca home to Al—Ka’ba, the Great Mosque Medina home to Muhammad’s tomb Holy places in Sikhism Darbar Sahib – the Golden Temple

Holy Places in Ethnic Religions Hinduism Riverbanks and coastlines The Ganges River

Sacred Space Pilgrimages – journey to a sacred place or site Community, Identity, and Scale – religion can provide both a basis for community and identity Ex. Muslim community can be expressed at global or local scales Religion and Settlement Diasporas (especially among Jewish) Migration to escape persecution (Mormons movement to Utah) Places can become sacred through a process of sanctification

Religious Law and Social Space Christianity In US, typically a separation between church and state Some states have Sunday-closing laws or blue laws (where sale of nonessential merchandise is prohibited) Judaism Sabbath (Friday to Saturday evening) Jewish law, halacah, and Kosher dietary principles derived from the Torah Islam Sharia – Islamic law derived from the Qur’an

Religious Conflicts

Tradition and Change Modernism refers to increased scientific thought, expansion of knowledge, and belief in progress Secularization reduces the scope or influence of religion This can cause a lot of conflicts!

Religion vs. Gov’t Policies Fundamentalism is a literal interpretation and strict adherence to basic principles of a religion Fundamentalism allows a group to maintain a cultural identity Many religious groups oppose gov’t policies that would affect social change

Religion vs. Social Change Taliban vs. Western Values Taliban in Afghanistan spread very strict laws as they saw them in the Qur’an Taliban banned all “Western activities” and destroyed Buddhist statues Hinduism vs. Social Equality Caste system conflicts with idea of social mobility

Religion vs. Communism Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Islam vs. the Soviet Union (USSR) Bolshevik Revolution and creation of the USSR brought conflict End of USSR brought a resurgence in religion Buddhism vs. Southeast Asian Countries Destruction of shrines Self-immolation in protest

Religion vs. Religion Religious Wars in Ireland N. Ireland Protestants v. Roman Catholics IRA Ulster Defense Force

Religion vs. Religion Religious Wars in the Middle East Christians, Muslims, and Jews all value the “Holy Land” and Jerusalem Crusades between Christians and Muslims Arab army invaded Europe as far as France Arabs controlled Spain until 1492 Crusades to take Jerusalem started in 1099

Religion vs. Religion Jews vs. Muslims in Palestine Started in the 1930s Israel and Palestine has conflict over holy land