Religion Josh
Define religion in three words Worship Gods Meaning Praying Believing Books/testaments/torah
What is religion Religion: formally defined as a system of beliefs and practices that attempts to order life in terms of culturally perceived ultimate priorities.
Who believes in religion Anyone or everyone can believe in religion Some people don’t have a religion Others have beliefs but do not consider it a religion
What is secularism The idea that ethical and moral standards should be formulated and adhered to for life on Earth not to accommodate the prescriptions of a deity and promises of a comfortable afterlife. Really means to basically ignore religious context Secular state opposite of theocracy
Impact of secularism Religion is less significant Still practiced, just not how it used to be Religion still influences art, history, customs, and beliefs
What does religion do to society? Major impact on social skills, helping others, and educating ones who can’t educated themselves. Also blocked out aspects that are deemed not important Very controversial
Hearths of Religions
Primary Culture Hearths of the World: Fertile Crescent (8000 BCE) India (7000 BCE) Huang Ho (5000 BCE) West Africa (2000 BCE) Mesoamerica & S. America ( BCE)
Categories of divinity Monotheistic- Believing in only god Polytheistic- Believing in 2+ gods Animistic- Believing inanimate objects possess spirits and should be prayed too s
Universalizing Religion Want to spread the religion throughout the world Believe they offer a belief system that should appeal to everyone
Ethnic religions Adherents are born into the faith Do not look to convert Spatially concentrated Many found in Africa and South America Judaism is exception, because they were forced to scatter
How is religion seen in cultural landscapes Sacred Sites –Places people infuse with religious meaning –Religions often define places as sacred out of reverence or fear –If made out of reverence pilgrimages often made
Sacred Landscapes The visible imprint of human activity and culture on the landscape.
Religion in political conflicts Interfaith boundaries- Boundaries between the world’s major faiths Intrafaith boundaries- Boundaries within a single major faith
Conflict Israel and Palestine –Conflict over land territory –Each thinks Jerusalem belongs to them –Bombing was going on in the Gaza strip –Wall built dividing the two
Former Yugoslavia Dividing line for two Christian sects runs right through Balkan Peninsula Also divides language (Roman/Cyrillic alphabets) Under control of Josip Broz Tito Serbia tried forcing republics to stay in Yugoslavia Serbs and Croats tried to ethnic cleanse each other Two territories needed to be created
More definitions!!! Religious Fundamentalism- Religious movement whose objectives are to return to the foundations of the faith and to influence state policy. Religious extremism- Religious fundamentalism carried to violence.
THE END BY JOSH SEGAL