1. Chapter 7: Religion
St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City – Pope John Paul II 1

2. 2

3. Religion’s Role in Culture
Religion: A system of beliefs and practices that attempts to order life in terms of culturally perceived ultimate priorities.
Common Theme - Standards for how people “should” behave.
Religious manifestations:
Worship
Prayer
Rituals (Events at regular intervals; birth, marriage, and death; attainment of adulthood.)
Secularism: the indifference to or rejection of religion.
Mombasa, Kenya 3

4. Describe how religion and language affect and change each other to shape cultures. Consider what happens to a society’s religion and language when a different religion or language diffuses to the place. 4

5. Where Major Religions Originate and How Religions Diffuse
Monotheistic religions: single god
Polytheistic religions: many gods
Animistic religions: inanimate objects possess spirits
Major types of religion:
Universalizing religions:
Actively seek converts, believe that they offer universal appropriateness and appeal.
Examples: Christianity, Islam, Buddhism
Ethnic religions:
Adherents are born into the faith, do not actively seek converts, spatially located (Ex. Judaism the exception).

7. From the Hearth of South Asia
Hinduism
One of oldest religions; over 4000 years; 3rd most practiced.
Origin: Indus River Valley
Ganges (sacred river), present day PAKISTAN.
Ancient practices include ritual bathing and reincarnation.
Polytheistic
Buddhism
Splintered from Hinduism 2500 years ago; enlightenment and non-harm.
Siddhartha (Buddah), present day NEPAL.
350 million adherents.
Shintoism
Focused on nature and ancestor worship, Japan.
110 million adherents.

8. Field Note
“Built about 800 CE when Buddhism was diffusing throughout Southeast Asia, Borobudur was abandoned and neglected after the arrivals of Islam and Christianity and lay overgrown until uncovered and restored under Dutch colonial rule from 1907 to The monument consists of a set of intricately carved, walled terraces; the upper terraces are open. In the upper terraces stand six dozen stupas, each containing a sculpture of the Buddha in meditation, visible when you peer through the openings.”
Borobudur, Indonesia 8

9. From the Hearth of the Huang He River Valley
Schools of Chinese Philosophy-
Taoism
Lao-Tsu worship
Tao-te-ching (“Book of the Way”): Simplicity, spontaneity, tenderness, tranquility.
Feng Shui: The art/science of organizing living spaces by channeling life force of nature.
Confucianism
Confucius (551 to 479 BCE)
Humanist, life in the present, soul.
Confucian Classics, a guide for Chinese civilization (2000 years).

10. From the Hearth of the Eastern Mediterranean
Judaism
Monotheistic, Semitic origins, 4000 years ago.
Teachings of Abraham, Moses and Exodus from enslavement, state of Israel.
Orthodox, conservative, and reform (18 million adherents).
Diffusion of Judaism
Diaspora: scattering of the Jews after Roman destruction of Jerusalem.
Zionism – state of Israel (secure home).

11. From the Hearth of the Eastern Mediterranean
Christianity
Teachings of Jesus; 2000 years ago; 1st most practiced globally.
Split from Judaism (Mother Miriam/Mary)
Church split led to Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Church, then Protestant reformation challenged fundamental teachings.
1.5 billion adherents

12. Diffusion of Christianity
European Colonialism in the 16th century; network of Missionaries; aggressive and persistent proselytism.
33,000 denominations today.

13. From the Hearth of the Eastern Mediterranean
Islam
Founder Muhammad, Mecca/Saudi Arabia, 571 BCE, 2nd most practiced.
Qu’ran (Koran) – sacred text
Monotheistic (Allah), 5 pillars of Islam, dictates allowed behavior.
Shi’ite (majority, dispersed)
and Sunni (minority, modern
day Iran).

14. Diffusion of Islam
Kings used armies to spread faith across Arabian Peninsula, later through trade.
1.5 billion adherents; fastest-growing religion.

15. Indigenous and Shamanist
Local in scope.
Reverence for nature.
Passed down through tribes.
Shamanism
Community faith.
Follow the practices and teachings of the shaman.
Small and isolated.
*Examples: Bushmen of Africa, Navajo Native Americans, Australian Aborigines.

16. Field Note:
“Arriving at the foot of erosion-carved Uluru just before sunrise it is no surprise that this giant monolith, towering over the Australian desert, is a sacred place to local Aboriginal peoples. Throughout the day, the changing sun angle alters its colors until, toward sunset, it turns a fiery red that yields to a bright orange. At night it looms against the moonlit, starry sky, silent sentinel of the gods. Just two years before this, my first visit in 1987, the Australian government had returned ‘Ayers Rock’ (named by European settlers after a South Australian political leader) to Aboriginal ownership, and reclaimed its original name, Uluru. Visitors continued to be allowed to climb the 1100 feet (335m) to the top, from where the view over the desert is awesome.”
Uluru, Australia 16

17. Varies greatly, but increasing.
The Rise of Secularism
Indifference to or rejection of organized religious affiliations and idea.
Varies greatly, but increasing.
Antireligious ideologies contribute to decline of organized religions.
Dissatisfaction with religious doctrines and leadership.
Church membership figures do not accurately reflect active participation.
How would you describe yourself?
Religious/spiritual/atheist.

18. Religion in the Cultural Landscape
Sacred sites
Places or spaces people infuse with religious meaning.
Pilgrimage: Adherents voluntarily travel to a religious site to pay respects or participate in a ritual at the site.
Sacred Sites of Jerusalem, Israel.
Sacred to Jews, Christians, and Muslims
Examples: Wailing Wall, Temple Mount, Dome of the Rock.

19. Jerusalem, Israel. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, sacred to Christians. Inside the church, a Christian worshipper lights a candle at Jesus Christ’s tomb.
Ardmore, Ireland
Old Irish pilgrimage custom at St. Declan’s Holy Well with a barbed wire fence substituting for traditional thorn tree as a place to hang offerings of clothing.

20. Landscapes of Hinduism and Buddhism
Temples, shrines
Holy animals, ritual bathing
Buddhism
The Bodhi (enlightenment) tree
Stupus: bell shaped structures that protect burial mounds
Pagoda
(Cremation in both Hinduism in Buddhism)
Ganges River, India
Shinto Shrine, Japan

21. Field Note: Yangon, Myanmar
“To reach the city of Yangon, Myanmar (Burma) we had to transfer to a ferry and sail up the Rangoon River for several hours. One of Southeast Asia’s most spectacular Buddhist shrines is the golden Shwedogon Pagoda in the heart of Yangon. The golden dome (or chedi) is one of the finest in Southeast Asia, and its religious importance is striking: eight hairs of the Buddha are preserved here. Vast amounts of gold have gone into the creation and preservation of the Shwedogon Pagoda; local rulers often gave the monks their weight in gold—or more. Today, the pagoda is a cornerstone of Buddhism, drawing millions of faithful to the site. Myanmar’s ruling generals have ruined the country’s economy and continue to oppress Buddhist leaders who try to convey public grievances to the regime, even blocking international aid following the devastating impact of cyclone Nargis in May The generals have a powerful ally in the Chinese, who are building bridges and laying pipelines but who exercise little influence over the military junta.” 21

22. Landscapes of Christianity
Medieval Europe
Cathedral, church, or monastery.
Burial commonly practiced
Antwerp, Belgium. Cathedral (1352) still dominates central part of town, highly visible.
Bordeaux, France. St. Michael’s Tower (1472) marks the importance of Catholic Church in Bordeaux’s history and culture.
Brown County, South Dakota. Lutheran (Protestant) Church created by Scandinavian immigrants in the Great Plains.

23. Christian Landscapes in the United States

24. Landscapes of Islam Alhambra Palace in Granada
Great Mosque of Cordoba, Spain
Prohibition against depicting the human form
Led to calligraphy and geometric design use
Hajj
Pilgrimage to Mecca
Isfahan, Iran

25. Choose a pilgrimage site, such as Mecca, Vatican City, or the Western Wall, and describe how the act of pilgrimage (in some cases by millions) alters this place’s cultural landscape and environment. 25

26. Conflicts along Religious Borders
The Role of Religion in Political Conflicts
Conflicts along Religious Borders
Interfaith boundaries: boundaries between the world’s major faiths.
Example: Christian-Muslim boundaries in Africa.
Intrafaith boundaries: boundaries within a single major faith.
Example: Christian Protestants and Catholics, Muslim Sunni and Shi’ite.

27. Zones of Conflict

28. The Role of Religion in Political Conflicts
Israel and Palestine
WWII, 1967 Arab-Israeli War, West Bank, Hamas.
Nigeria
Muslim North/Christian South.
The Former Yugoslavia
Balkan Peninsula separates Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Church.
Northern Ireland
Catholics vs. Protestants in the North.

29. Religious Fundamentalism and Extremism
Beliefs are nonnegotiable and uncompromising.
Religious extremism
Fundamentalism carried to the point of violence.
Fundamentalists can be extremists but this does not mean that all fundamentalists (of any faith) are extremists.
September 11th 2001, Terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers of New York City.

30. Religious Fundamentalism and Extremism
Christianity
Traditionalist Catholic Movement – male dominated, Latin only Mass, against contraception.
Protestant Fundamentalism – literal biblical translation, creationism as science, against gay marriage.
Judaism
Orthodox Conservatives – pro-West Bank settlement, funding political objectives in Israel.
Islam
Jihad: Taliban in Afghanistan (1990s - present).
Holy war against “West”/USA, terrorist attacks, strict behavioral restrictions (women, Hindus, infidels).

31. Homework Read textbook ch.7
Homework: Choose one “Thinking Geographically” topic in Ch.7 textbook and answer (1 page). OR
Choose a religion other than your own to research and summarize findings. What is it, where, and how do people practice? How are the customs/rituals similar or dissimilar to your beliefs?