Religion Notes

Chapter 7

• Religion, along with language, lies at the foundation of culture.– it reflects identity– it is a great binding force– it is the guiding rule of daily life– it sets standards for people’s behavior and actions

Religion is constantly changing.

• great religions have diffused across boundaries– conversions occur due to the spread of new beliefs– Like language…interaction through people can change

religion

• Conversion & Migration (allowed major religions of the world to diffuse across cultural barriers and language boundaries)

• What role do missionaries play?

• Religion plays an important role in the cultural landscape.–churches & mosques–sale of alcohol–modes of dress–cultural and personal habits

Judaism in Jerusalem:• The Western Wall

Christianity in Jerusalem:• Church of the Holy Sepulchre

Islam in Jerusalem:• Dome of the Rock

Christianity:

• Catholic Cathedrals

Christianity:

• Vatican City

Christianity:

• Lutheran Churches

Christianity:

• Baptist Churches

Islam:

• Mosques

Islam:• Ka’aba

Sequent Occupance:• Hagia Sophia

Buddhism:

• Bodh Gaya

Buddhism:

• Pagoda Stupas

Hinduism:• Temples

Hinduism:• Ganges River

Lilburn, GA

The Men-An-Tol Stones in Cornwall are famous in local folklore for their supposed healing properties.

Located near Penzance, pilgrims should crawl through the centre stone in the direction of the sun to cure such ailments as rheumatism and spinal problems. Many people who have

made the trip tell of feelings of euphoria after passing through the stone.

The mysterious mountaintop shrine of Nemrut Dagi, in south-central Turkey, was known only to local herders until it was

'discovered' in 1881. Believed to be the burial site of Antiochus, a king from the first century BC, it is a mixture of temples,

sculptures and terraces built at an altitude of over 7,000 feet.

The mountain of Nantai-San in Japan is a favored site for Buddhist meditation and has been a place of pilgrimage since

the fourth century.

• Why is religion such a difficult concept to define?– “a system of beliefs and practices that attempts to

order life in terms of culturally perceived ultimate priorities.”

– “perceived ultimate priorities” is explained in terms of “should”: people explain and justify how they and others “should” behave based on their religious beliefs

– the idea of a good life vs bad life (reward vs punishment)

Religion manifests itself in many different ways.

• ancestor worship• nature worship• belief in a deity or deities• rituals and ceremonies• simple or complex organizations

Religion has had powerful effects on human societies.

• it is a major force in helping people• it is, at times, an oppressive force• it is complex and controversial

Types of Religions:

• Monotheistic religions worship a single deity, God, or Allah

• Polytheistic religions worship more than one deity

• Animistic religions are centered on the belief that inanimate objects such as mountains and rivers possess spirits and should therefore be revered.

History

– throughout most of human history virtually all religions have been either animistic or polytheistic (or both)

– 1st monotheistic religion developed in Southwest Asia (Zorastrianism)

– there is some controversy over whether Judaism was the first monotheistic religion….however, the eventual diffusion of religions influenced by monotheism (Christianity and Islam) spread monotheistic ideas throughout much of the world

– By 500 BCE (Before the Common Era) four major hearths of religion and philosophy were developed in the world

4 Hearths:

– Greek Philosophy: northern Mediterranean Sea– Hinduism: Indus River Valley– Judaism: eastern Mediterranean Sea– Chinese Philosophy: Huang He

Christianity and Islam (the greatest number of followers today)

• Christianity- 1.5 billion followers• Islam- Over 1 billion– -fastest growing religion

• *Islam – the religion • *Muslim- person who follows Islam

World Distribution of Religions

Fig. 6-1: World religions by continent.

World Population by Religion

Fig. 6-1a: Over two-thirds of the world’s population belong to Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, or Buddhism. Christianity is the single largest world religion.

Muslims

Christianity in the US:

–New England- Catholic–South- Baptist–Upper Middle West- Lutherans–Utah area- Mormons–New Orleans- French Catholic• SEE MAP IN TEXT- - - AP TEST ALWAYS HAS QUESTIONS

ON THIS!!

Christian Branches in the U.S.

Fig. 6-3: Distribution of Christians in the U.S. Shaded areas are counties with more than 50% of church membership concentrated in Roman Catholicism or one of the Protestant denominations.

Latter-Day Saints

Eastern Orthodox

Mennonite

Amish

Friends (Quaker)

Settlements

World Religions Today:

• Sources and Distribution

• Universalizing religions- sometimes called global religions. These are religions that actively seek converts because they view themselves as offering belief systems of universal appropriateness and appeal.

• All of the widespread universalizing religions have common characteristics.– they are universalizing (global)– they seek converts– they are of ancient origin

• Christianity, Buddhism, and Islam are examples

Diffusion of Universalizing Religions

Fig. 6-4: Each of the three main universalizing religions diffused widely from its hearth.

Ethnic or cultural religions

• tend to be spatially concentrated.• they usually do not seek converts outside the

group• Hinduism and Judaism are examples of this• the exception to concentration is Judaism

because Jews are dispersed throughout the world

Shintoism and Buddhism in Japan

Fig. 6-8: Since Japanese can be both Shinto and Buddhist, there are many areas in Japan where over two-thirds of the population are both Shinto and Buddhist.

Major World Religions:

• Hinduism (class project)• Buddhism (class project)• Taoism (class project)• Confucianism (class project)• Judaism (class project)• Christianity (class project)• Islam (class project)• Traditional/Shamanist (class project)

Diffusion of Christianity

Fig. 6-5: Christianity diffused from Palestine through the Roman Empire and continued diffusing through Europe after the fall of Rome. It was later replaced by Islam in much of the Mideast and North Africa.

Diffusion of Islam

Fig. 6-6: Islam diffused rapidly and widely from its area of origin in Arabia. It eventually stretched from southeast Asia to West Africa.

Diffusion of Buddhism

Fig. 6-7: Buddhism diffused gradually from its origin in northeastern India to Sri Lanka, southeast Asia, and eventually China and Japan.

The Rise of Secularism

• Indifference to or rejection or organized religious affiliations and ideas

• Varies from country to country

• In North America, a poll was given in 2002 and asked whether people felt religion was very important to them. – Canada: only 30% agreed with the statement– US: 59 % agreed with the statement

• In France, the government recently banned the wearing of overt religious symbols in public schools

• Do you believe the government has the right to do that?

• Do you believe America is headed that way?

• What are some other reasons why religion is in decline in some countries?

• Secularism has become widespread in the last century

• People have abandoned organized religion in growing numbers. Even if they continue to be members of a church, their participation in church activities has declined

Why do you think so many Americans are abandoning their religion?

• Suggestions:– Many millions of people do not practice a religion.– Secularism has become more widespread in the

past centuries as the political state became more dominant in people’s lives.

– The decline in religious affiliations affects all religions.• Secularism is more predominant in industrialized

regions because the church plays a smaller role in society.

Religious Conflicts

• Religion vs. government policies– Religion vs. social change– Religion vs. Communism

• Religion vs. religion– Religious wars in the Middle East– Religious wars in Ireland

Jerusalem

Fig. 6-14: The Old City of Jerusalem contains holy sites for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Boundary Changes in Palestine/Israel

Fig. 6-15: The UN partition plan for Palestine in 1947 contrasted with the boundaries that were established after the 1948–49 War. Major changes later resulted from the 1967 War.

The West Bank: Political and Physical Geography

Fig. 6-16: Political control of the West Bank has been split between Palestinians and Israelis (though under overall Israeli control). The West Bank includes many of the higher altitude areas of the region.

Israel’s Security Zone in Lebanon

Fig. 6-1-1: Israel established a security zone in southern Lebanon in 1982. When Israel withdrew in 2000, the UN helped draw the boundary between the countries.

Protestants in Northern Ireland

Fig. 6-17: Percent Protestant population by district in Ireland, 1911. When Ireland became independent in 1937, 26 northern districts with large Protestant populations chose to remain part of the United Kingdom.