Download Chapter 6 Key Issue 3

Chapter 6
Key Issue 3
Why Do Religions Organize
Space in Distinctive Patterns?
Places of Worship
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Religion impacts the landscape in a variety of
ways. Christian churches were originally
modeled after Roman basilicas.
Mosques are the most important religious
buildings in the Islamic world, and they also
serve as places for the community to gather.
Most Hindus worship at home, although Hindu
temples serve as shrines to one or more of their
gods.
The pagoda is the most visible religious
architecture of the Buddhist and Shintoist
landscape, and contains the relics of Buddhism.
Sacred Space
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Burial practices of different religions are also
visible on the landscape. Christians, Muslims,
and Jews usually bury their dead in cemeteries.
Place names or toponyms also show the impact
of religion on the landscape. For example, many
Roman Catholic places are named for saints.
Cremation has replaced burial as a means of
disposing of the dead in many parts of the world
because of the pressure on agricultural land.
This is particularly true in China and western
Europe. Cremation is also used in the Hindu
world, although it is putting an increasing strain
in India’s wood supplies.
Administration of Space
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The Roman Catholic Church is a good example of
a hierarchical religion, with its well-defined
geographical structure and division of territory
into local administrative units.
Archbishops report to the Pope and each heads a
province. Bishops report to archbishops and
administer a diocese. The headquarters of a
bishop is called a “see” and is usually the largest
city in the diocese.
Islam and some Protestant denominations are
good examples of autonomous religions because
they are relatively self-sufficient, with little
interaction between communities within the
religion.