Download - Neb religion
Religion
Chapter 6
Religion
“a system of beliefs and practices that attempts
to order life in terms of culturally perceived
ultimate priorities.”
- Stoddard and Prorak
“perceived ultimate priorities” often translate
into a list of things a follower “should” do and
ways a follower “should” behave.
• Religion lies at the heart
of nationalism-e.g.
Middle East, Northern
Ireland, Bosnia, Kashmir,
Afghanistan, etc.
• Religion in many non-
western areas practically
constitutes culture.
• Religious cultural
landscapes-churches,
temples, mosques,
shrines, cemeteries,
statues, veils, turbans,
beards and scars
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.
• Impact of religion-calendars, holidays, architecture, place names, slogans on coins or flags.
• A major forces in combating social ills and promoting
– Education
– Medicine and health care
– The arts
• But also
– Blocked scientific study
– Oppressed dissidents
– Supported imperialism
– Kept women inferior
Religions are divided into • Branches-a large and fundamental division within a
religion-such as Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox
branches of Christianity.
• Denomination-a division or a branch that unites a number
of local congregations into a single administrative body-
Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist denominations of
Protestantism
• Sect-has several meanings-
– A relatively small group that broke away from an bigger group
or
– An organized ecclesiastical body or
– A dissenting or schismatic religious body or
– A religious denomination-such as sects of Islam
Classifications of Religions
• Universalizing religions – religions that
actively seek converts because members believe
they offer belief systems of universal
appropriateness and appeal.
• Ethnic religions – religions whose adherents
are born into the faith and whose members do
not actively seek converts.
Classifications of Religions
• Monotheistic religions – worship a single deity.
• Polytheistic religions – worship more than one
deity, even thousands.
• Animistic religions – belief that inanimate
objects posses spirits and should be revered.
Religious Typology
• Monotheistic-belief in 1 god
• Polytheistic-belief in many
• Animistic-objects have spirits-trees, mountains, rivers
• Global or Universal-found all over the world-see converts-aim to be universal
• Evangelical-religions that seek new converts
• Cultural religion-limited to a national culture or a single region-Shinto, Daoism, etc.
Religions of the World
• Shamanism –
a community faith tradition in which people follow their shaman, a religious leader, teacher, healer, and visionary.
Where did the Major Religions
of the World Originate, and
How do Religions Diffuse?
From the Hearth of South Asia
• Hinduism –
originated in Indus River Valley over 4000
years ago.
* ritual bathing, karma, reincarnation
sacred text: Vedas
sacred sites: Ganges River
social manifestation: caste system
diffusion: through South Asia and into
Southeast Asia
Hinduism
• Ranks next in size after
Islam, but it the oldest
organized religion.
• No bureaucracy-but does
have holy men.
• Vedas or stories, but not a
book like the Qu’ran, Bible
or Torah.
• Concentrated in South Asian
hearth.
• Polytheistic-thousands of
gods-many cults-much
fragmentation.
From the Hearth of South Asia
• Buddhism –
splintered from Hinduism 2500 years ago. Originated in a region from Nepal south to the Ganges River area.
* anyone can achieve salvation, reach enlightenment
founder: Siddartha (the Buddha)
sacred sites: stupas
diffusion: most strongly into Tibet in the north and into East Asia
Buddhism
• Originated in India as a
reform movement of
Hinduism.
• Founded by Siddhartha
Gautama or the Buddha in
5th cent. BC.
• A strongly regional faith-it
remains strong in SE Asia,
China and Japan, but died
out in India.
• Four Noble Truths and the
Eight Fold Path are the
guiding principles.
Shinto Shrine
In Kyoto, Japan,
this Shinto shrine
is visible after
walking through a
torii – a gateway
usually formed by
two wooden posts
and topped by two
horizontal beams.
Buddhism is mixed with local religions in some places. In Japan,
Buddhism is mixed with the local religion, Shintoism.
Shintoism
• A Japanese ethnic religion based on animism and shamanism.
• Was modified by introduction of Buddhism-closely related today-many Japanese practice both.
• Reverence for nature and the land-emperor seen as divine.
• Belief in kami or spirits
• Used by militants as a nationalistic religion in 1930s to unify the country in war time.
From the Hearth of Huang He (Yellow)
River Valley
• Taoism –
originated in China more than 2500 years ago
* oneness of humanity and nature
founder: Lao-Tsu
sacred text: “Book of the Way”
social manifestation: Feng Shui
diffusion: East Asia
Chinese Religions
• Confucianism-mainly a philosophy of life founded by K’ung Fu-tze in 6th cent. BC
• Became a state religion of China-emphasized duty, social order and respect of others
• Daoism or Taoism “the Way” founded by Lao Zi, a reverence and harmony with nature-easily co-existed with Confucianism and Buddhism
From the Hearth of the
Eastern Mediterranean
• Judaism –
originated in Southwest Asia about 4000 years ago.
* first major monotheistic religion, covenant between God (one God) and Abraham (the chosen people) sacred text: Torah founder: Abraham
sacred sites: Jerusalem (Western Wall), land between the Mediterranean and the Jordan River
social manifestation: Zionism diffusion: into European cities during the diaspora,
into N. America during WWII, into Israel over
last 50 years
Judaism
• One of the world’s oldest
religions
• Monotheistic religion that
evolved in Southwest Asia
• 3 branches-Orthodox,
Conservative and Reformed
• Not evangelical-does not seek
converts
• Concentrated in Israel, but
widely scattered in Middle
East, North Africa, Russia,
Ukraine, Europe and the
Americas
Shamanism & Traditional Religions
• Community faith and traditional religion which centers around a shaman-religious leader, healer, visionary.
• Small isolated groups in Africa, SE Asia, East Asia and Native America
• Traditional religions in Africa believe in a god creator and provider as well as spirits and an afterlife.
From the Hearth of the Eastern
Mediterranean • Christianity –
originated in Southwest Asia about 2000 years ago.
* monotheistic religion, follow teachings of Jesus to
achieve eternal life
sacred text: Bible
founder: Jesus (son of God)
sacred sites: Bethlehem, Jerusalem
split in the church:
* split into Eastern Orthodox and Roman
Catholic churches in 1054
* Protestant sect split off in 1400s and 1500s
diffusion: into Western Europe, and then world wide
during colonialism and after.
Christianity
• It has the largest number of followers and is the most widely dispersed with 1.6 billion or 40% of the population
• Roman Catholicism is the largest segment and is found in Europe, North American and Latin America.
• Protestantism dominates in Northern Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
• Eastern Orthodox is found in Eastern Europe, Russia and Ethiopia.
First Split in Christianity, 1054 CE Western Roman empire = Roman Catholicism
Eastern Roman empire = Eastern Orthodox
•The Eastern Orthodox
Church makes up 14% of
Christianity and is a loose
collection of 14 self-
governing churches in
Eastern Europe and the
Middle East.
•To the right are the spires
of St. Basil’s Cathedral in
the Kremlin of Moscow.
Notice the Orthodox cross
on the onion-domed spire.
•The Cathedral of the Assumption, Moscow
From the Hearth of the Eastern
Mediterranean
• Islam –
originated on Arabian peninsula about 1500 years ago.
* monotheistic religion, revelations Muhammad
received from Allah, Five Pillars.
sacred text: Qu’ran founder: Muhammad
sacred sites: Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem split in the church:
* shortly after Muhammad’s death, split into Sunni Muslims (great majority)
Shi’ite Muslims (concentrated in Iran)
diffusion: across Arabian peninsula, across North
Africa, into Spain and also east into Southeast Asia
The Diffusion of Islam
Islam
• Islam is the 2nd largest
and fastest growing
religion with 1 billion
followers.
• It has 2 main sects or
divisions-Sunni, the
majority and Shiite
centered in Iran & Iraq.
• It is dominant in North
Africa, Southwest Asia
and extends into Central
and Southeast Asia
Nation of Islam • Founded in 1930s as an African-
American modified form of Islam.
• Ideology of nationalism and modified Islam founded on the principle of freeing blacks from white oppression.
• 1950s –60s Malcolm X his militant speeches increased followers
• Over 7 m. Muslims in the US, about 1 million are Nation of Islam Muslim.
• Louis Farrakhan’s anti-semitism brought negative attention.
Government Impact on Religion
The Soviet Union:
- Had an official
policy of atheism
- Discouraged
religious practice
- Drew boundaries
for political
control that
separated ethnic
groups in small
areas
Armenia and Azerbaijan Soviet Union’s divide-and-diminish plan
Disposition of the Deceased -
Each religion approaches the disposition of the deceased in
different ways, and cultural landscapes reflect the religious
traditions.
Hindu
crematorium
in
Mombasa,
Kenya
Antwerp, Belgium
Religion’s impact in
history and culture is
evident in its centrality
in many places
Hearths of Religion and Philosophy by 500 BCE
Hindu Temple –
Angkor Wat, Cambodia. This temple suffers from neglect
and destruction now, as Buddhism has supplanted Hinduism
in most of Cambodia.
Buddhist Stupas -
72 stupas, each containing a sculpture of the Buddha in
meditation were built around 800 CE and still stand in
Borobudur, Indonesia.
Western Wall, Jerusalem
Jewish neighborhoods in European Cities
the Old Jewish Cemetery in Prague, the Czech Republic
Switzerland concentrations of Catholics and Protestants
by canton and commune
Minaret
(for call to prayer) stands on the Sabah
State Mosque
in Kota Kinabalu,
Malaysia
Diffusion of Islam
into Europe large mosque in Paris,
France
Rise of Secularism
• Secularism –
indifference to or rejection of organized
religious affiliations and ideas.
- Where is secularism on the rise and why?
The Rise of Secularism
• World wide 4/6 billion adhere to a religion
• Separation of Church & State a new concept
• Today in the Developed World religion has declined in importance
• Secularism is most common in urban, industrialized nations
• Anti-religious ideologies like communism discouraged organized worship
Migration plays a large role in the diffusion
of religions, both universalizing and ethnic.
As Europe becomes more secular, migrants
from outside of Europe continue to settle in
the region. Imagine Europe 30 years from
now. Predict where in Europe secularism will
be the most prominent and where religious
adherence will strengthen.
How is Religion seen in the Cultural Landscape?
Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage
• Sacred Sites
places or spaces people infuse with religious
meaning.
• Pilgrimage
purposeful travel to a religious site to pay
respects or participate in a ritual at the site.
Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage Vatican City-Pope John Paul II greeted pilgrims in St.
Peter’s Square
Sacred Sites and Rituals At Saint Declan’s Holy Well in Ardmore, Ireland
Pilgrims hang scraps of clothing as offerings
This practice is common at sacred sites in Far Eastern
Russia
Sacred Sites of Jerusalem Jerusalem is sacred to three major religions:
Judaism (Western Wall)
Christianity (Church of the Holy Sepulchre)
Islam (Dome of the Rock)
Sacred Landscapes of Hinduism Hinduism – pilgrimages follow prescribed routes, and
rituals are followed by millions.
Varanasi,
India on the
Ganges River
where Hindus
perform
morning
rituals.
• The Ganges is a sacred river to Hindus, a symbol of life without end. Pilgrims come from all over to bathe in its holy waters.
• As Shiva destroys the Universe with fire, Hindus cremate their dead.
Sacred
Landscapes of
Buddhism
Swedogon Pagodo in
Yangon, Myanmar
Eight hairs of the
Buddha are preserved
under the dome (chedi)
• Buddhism came to Tibet from India in the 8th century. Tibetan Buddhism is a mixture of Tantric and other Mahayana teachings developed further by spiritual leaders or monks called lamas.
• A prayer wheel contains a mantra, a prayer or chant that is repeated many times. Each turn of the wheel counts as a prayer said and merit gained.
Sacred
Landscapes of
Christianity
Catholic Churches
Are often located in the
center of European cities,
with spires reaching far
above the other buildings.
Spanish Catholic names are found in the South West
French
Catholic
names are
common in
Quebec
Sacred
Landscapes of
Christianity
Protestant Churches
This church in
Singapore is a Church
of England church in
city surrounded by
Buddhists, Hindus,
and Muslims
• Roman Catholicism is
the largest branch of the
Christian faith. The
Vatican in Rome is the
headquarters of the
Papacy and a powerful
symbol to Catholics
around the world.
• European cities were
dominated by the spires
of great cathedrals and
churches until the 20th
century.
Day of the Dead
Altar in Notre Dame
de Chicago.
United Kingdom
Of Great Britain
England’s Cross of St. George Scotland’s cross of St. Andrew
•.
The cross of St. George on
The flags of Denmark,
Norway and Finland.
Religious Landscapes in the United States
Protestant & Catholic Landscapes in the United
States Scandinavian Lutheran Church St. Mary’s Catholic Church
Store front church in
Toronto, Canada
A public bus in Port-au-Prince,
Haiti
Sacred Landscapes of Islam Muslim Mosques-Dome of this mosque in Isfahan, Iran demonstrates
the importance of geometric art evident in Muslim architecture.
The Hajj-Pilgrims circle the holy Kaaba in the Grand
Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia during the Hajj.
•.
The Dome of the Rock, with its gilded dome and octagonal
base, stands in Jerusalem.
After the Great Mosque at Mecca and the Prophet’s tomb at
Medina, it is Islam’s third holiest site.
According to Muslim tradition, the rock at its center was the
point from which the Prophet Muhammad visited heaven
one night in 619.
The Dome of the Rock
Review states of the Middle East & North Africa Before the Test
•The crescent, seen on
top of many mosques,
originally signified the
waxing of the moon.
It is associated with
special acts of
devotion to God.
•The star and crescent
appear on many flags
of countries that are
mainly Muslim.
Pakistan Turkey
Saudi Arabia
What Role does Religion play in Political Conflicts?
Conflicts along Religious Borders
• Interfaith Boundaries
– Boundaries between the world’s major faiths.
• Intrafaith Boundaries
– Boundaries within a single major faith.
Interfaith Boundary in Africa
Israel & Palestine
Landscapes of Settlements Israelis have had a policy of building settlements
for Jews in the Occupied Territories
Landscape of the Gaza Strip, 2005 In 2005, the Israeli government pulled out of the Gaza Strip, burning
down Jewish settlements and handing control over to Palestinians.
The West Bank with a the proposed security
wall, parts of which the
Israeli government has
already built.
The Horn of Africa
Amharic (Coptic)
Christianity is in
central Ethiopia
Islam diffused into
the Horn of Africa
Indigenous religions
remain in pockets
The Former Yugoslavia
Genocide & Ethnic Cleansing
Northern Ireland Identities are tied to
Religion, but are
deepened by:
Economic- colonial
experiences &
activity spaces
(segregation)
Boal’s studies in
Northern Ireland
demonstrate that
solving a religious
conflict is typically
not about theology; it
is about identity
Religious
Fundamentalism & Extremism
• Religious fundamentalism – a return to the basics of their faith.
found in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam
• Religious extremism –
fundamentalism carried to the point of violence.
found in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam
Islamic Extremists and Jihad an Islamic holy war against the West
Boal’s studies in Northern Ireland demonstrate that
solving a religious conflict is typically not about
theology; it is about identity. You are assigned the
potentially Nobel Prize-winning task of “solving” the
conflict either in Northern Ireland or in Israel and
Palestine. Using Boal’s example, determine how you
can alter activity spaces and change identities to create
the conditions for long-lasting peace in one of these
major conflict zones.
The End