1. Religion
Human Geography 10e

2. Religion Belief systems
Common beliefs, understandings, expectations, and objects held in the high regard
Unite different culture groups and set them off from other, different groups of people 2
Human Geography 12e

3. Classification of Religion
Monotheism and Polytheism
Classification based on religion’s distribution and patterns and processes of diffusion:
Universalizing Religions
Ethnic Religions
Tribal or Traditional Religions 3
Human Geography 12e

4. Figure 5.19

5. Table 5.2

6. The World Pattern
More than half of the world’s population adheres to one of the major universalizing religions: Christianity and Islam are most widespread; Buddhism is largely an Asian religion
Hinduism is essentially confined to the Indian subcontinent, showing the spatial restriction characteristic of most ethnic and traditional religions
Judaism is an ethnic religion because of its identification with a particular people
Extensive areas of the world are peopled by those who practice tribal or traditional religions 6
Human Geography 12e

7. The Principal Religions
Judaism
Christianity
Regions and landscapes of Christianity
Islam
Hinduism
Buddhism
East Asian Ethnic Religions 7
Human Geography 12e

8. Figure 5.20

9. Judaism Ethnic religion Middle East origins Diaspora
Two separate branches of Judaism developed in Europe during the Middle Ages:
Sephardim (Iberian Peninsula)
Ashkenazim (Eastern Europe)
Orthodox
-Adhere to a stricter set of beliefs and practices
Zionism
-The belief in the need to create an autonomous Jewish state in Palestine
The Holocaust
-Resulted in the murder of perhaps one-third of the world's Jewish population
-Fell most heavily upon the Ashkenazim 9
Human Geography 12e

10. Figure 5.21

11. Christianity Universalizing Middle East origins Diffusion Expansion
Hierarchical
From provincial capitals to smaller settlements
Contagious
Relocation
Figure 5.23 11
Human Geography 12e

12. Christianity European Imperialism Schism
Divided Medieval Christendom into Eastern (Greek) and Western (Roman) branches
Protestant Reformation
Landscapes of Christianity 12
Human Geography 12e

13. Figure 5.22

14. Figure 5.24

15. Figure 5.25

16. Patterns and Flows
Diffusion
Insert figure 5.20 16
Human Geography 12e

17. Islam Universalizing Middle East origin Holy book: Koran
Sunni & Shi’ite Sects
Followers are expected to observe the five pillars:
(1) repeated saying of the basic creed;
(2) prayers five times daily at appointed times;
(3) a month of daytime fasting during Ramadan;
(4) almsgiving; and,
(5) if possible, a pilgrimage to Mecca.
Two of the five pillars of Islam are explicitly geographical:
prayers are done facing Mecca
and the pilgrimage to the sacred city of Mecca is among the world's greatest gatherings
(Figure 5.26) 17
Human Geography 12e

18. Islam The second-largest world religion (about 1.3 billion adherents)
Significant clusters in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia
Islam = submission to the will of God
Core of Islamic belief = the Five Pillars
Two significant branches
Sunnis (83 percent)
Shias or Shiites (16 percent)
Other branches
Nation of Islam (Black Muslims)
Kharijites
Sufis
Druzes

19. Figure 5.27

20. Hinduism World’s oldest major religion Ethnic religion
South Asia origins
Caste structure of society
Reincarnation
Karma
Numerous reform movements have derived from Hinduism over the centuries, some of which have endured to the present day as major religions on a regional or world scale 20
Human Geography 12e

21. Hinduism
The third-largest religion in the world (900 million adherents)
97 percent of Hindus are found in India
Many paths to spirituality
Many paths to worship God (Brahma)
Vishnu (Krishna)
Siva
Shakti
Numerous reform movements have derived from Hinduism over the centuries, some of which have endured to the present day as major religions on a regional or world scale

22. Hinduism Reform Movements:
Jainism, begun in the 6th century B.C. as a revolt against the authority of the early Hindu doctrines, rejects caste distinctions and modifies concepts of karma and transmigration of souls
Combining elements of Hinduism and Islam, Sikhism developed in the Punjab area of northwestern India in the late 15th century A.D. Sikhism is an ethnic religion with an estimated 23 million adherents. The great majority of Sikhs live in India, mostly in the Punjab 22
Human Geography 12e

23. Buddhism Universalizing South Asia Origins
Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha
Sects
Theravada
Mahayana
Vajrayana
Diffusion
Sacred places for Buddhists
largely associated with key events in the life of the Buddha--many of which are in areas that are no longer predominantly Buddhist 23
Human Geography 12e

24. Buddhism
About 400 million adherents (more difficult to quantify than Christianity or Islam)
Significant clusters in China, Southeast Asia
Founded by Prince Sidhartha Gautama “Buddha”
The Four Noble Truths
Three branches
Mahayana (China, Japan, Korea)
Theravada (Southeast Asia)
Vajrayana (Tibet, Mongolia)

25. Origin of religions
Universalizing: precise origins, tied to a specific founder
Christianity
Founder: Jesus (8 B.C. – 30 A.D.)
Islam
Prophet of Islam: Muhammad ( A.D.)
Buddhism
Founder: Siddhartha Gautama (born 563 B.C.)
Sikhism
Guru Nanak ( A.D.)
Baha’i Faith
Siyyid Ali Muhammed “the Bab” (1844 A.D.)

26. Origin of religions
Ethnic: unclear or unknown origins, not tied to a specific founder
Hinduism
No clear founder
Earliest use of “Hinduism” = sixth century B.C.
Archaeological evidence dating from 2500 B.C.
Judaism
Moses
Abraham – “Father/patriarch of Judaism
arrived Canaan 4,000 years ago
Judah – one of Jacob’s sons
Jacob = “Israel”

27. Holy places In universalizing religions In ethnic religions
Buddhist shrines
Lumbini, Bodh Gaya, Sarnath, Kusinagara
Holy places in Islam = associated with the life of Muhammad
Makkah, Madinah, Jerusalem
Holy places in Christianity
Jerusalem
Holy places in Sikhism
Amritsar
In ethnic religions
Holy places in Hinduism = closely tied to the physical geography of India
Varanasi
Judaism – Jerusalem

28. East Asian Ethnic Religions
Confucianism (China)
Daoism (China)
Shinto (Japan)

29. Figure 5.31

30. Belief in God in Europe

31. Belief among Europeans

32. Belief in Evolution