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Chapter 6: Religion Key Issue 1: Distribution of Religions Universalizing religions Ethnic religions Geographers and Religion Geographers are not theologians so they stay focused on those elements of religion that are geographically significant Geographers study spatial connections in religion: the distinctive place of origin the extent of diffusion the processes by which religions diffused Practices and beliefs that lead some to have more widespread distributions. Universalizing Religions A religion that attempts to be global, to appeal to all people, wherever they may be in the world, not just to those of one culture or location The Three Main Religions The three main universalizing religions are Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism. Each is divided into branches, denominations, and sects. A branch is a large and fundamental division within a religion. A denomination is a division of a branch that unites a number of local congregations. A sect is a relatively small group that has broken away from an established denomination. 1 Christianity and it’s Branches Christianity has about 2 billion adherents, far more than any other world religion, and has the most widespread distribution Christianity has three major branches: Roman Catholic 50% Protestant 25% Eastern Orthodox 10% Remaining 15% consists of African, Asian, and Latin American Churches Christian Branches in Europe Roman Catholic - Dominant in SW and E Protestant - Dominant in NW and N Eastern Orthodox -Dominant in the East The Eastern Orthodox Church More than 40 percent of all Eastern Orthodox Christians belong to the Russian Orthodox Church, established in the sixteenth century. The Romanian church includes 20 percent of all Eastern Orthodox Christians. The remaining 40 percent are included in 12 churches 2 Christianity in the Western Hemisphere. The overwhelming percentage of people living in the Western Hemisphere—about 90 percent— are Christian. Roman Catholics comprise 95 percent of Christians in Latin America, compared with 25 percent in North America. Within North America, Roman Catholics are clustered in the southwestern and northeastern United States and the Canadian province of Québec. The three largest Protestant denominations in the United States are Baptist, Methodist, and Pentecostal. Christian Branches in the U.S. The three largest Protestant denominations in the U.S. are Baptists, Methodist, and Pentecostal, followed by Lutheran, Latter-Day saints, and churches of Christ. Members in some protestant churches varies by region: - Baptists highly clustered in the SE - Lutherans upper Midwest - Latter-Day Saints in Utah 3 Islam Islam, the religion of 1.2 billion people, is the predominant religion of the Middle East from North Africa to Central Asia. However, half of the world’s Muslims live in four countries outside the Middle East: Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India. The word Islam in Arabic means submission to the will of god, and it has a similar root to the Arabic word for peace A follower of the religion of Islam is known as a Muslim, which in Arabic means one who surrenders to God The Core of the Islam belief is represented by 5 pillars of faith: There is no god worthy of worship except the one God, the source of all creation, and Muhammad is the messenger of God 5 times daily, a Muslim prays, facing the city of Makkah (Mecca), as a direct link to God A Muslim gives generously to charity, as an act of purification and growth A Muslim fasts during the month of Ramadan, as an act of self-purification If physically and financially able, a Muslim makes a pilgrimage to Makkah Branches of Islam Islam is divided into two important branches: Sunni (from the Arabic word for orthodox) Shiite (from the Arabic word for sectarian, sometimes written Shia in English) Sunnis comprise 83 percent of Muslims and are the largest branch in most Muslim countries. Sixteen percent of Muslims are Shiites, clustered in a handful of countries. 4 Buddhism Buddhism, the third of the world’s major universalizing religions, has 350 million adherents, especially in China and Southeast Asia. The foundation of Buddhism is represented by these concepts, known as the Four Noble Truths: All living beings must endure suffering Suffering, which is caused by a desire to live, leads to reincarnation (repeated rebirth in new bodies or forms of life) The goal is to escape from suffering and rebirth into Nirvana, which is achieved through mental and moral self-purification Nirvana is found through an eight fold path rightness of belief, resolve, speech, action, livelihood, effort, thought, and meditation. Like the other two universalizing religions, Buddhism split into more than one branch, because followers disagreed on interpreting statements by the founder Siddhartha Gautama. The three main branches are Mahayana. 56% found in China, Japan, and Korea Theravada. 38% found in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Thailand Tantrayana. Remaining 6% found primarily in Tibet and Mongolia An accurate count of Buddhists is especially difficult, because only a few people participate in Buddhist institutions. You can be part of the Buddhist faith as well as another Eastern religion, China and Japan for example you may be Buddhist but at the same time in an ethnic religion. 5 Other Universalizing Religions Sikhism and Baha'i are the two universalizing religions other than Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism with the largest numbers of adherents. Sikhism’s developed around 1500 AD in present-day Pakistan. An estimated 22 million followers All but 3 million Sikhs are clustered in the Punjab region of India Sikhism’s first Guru-religious teacher or enlightener, was Nanak God revealed himself to Nanak as the one supreme being, or creator Only god is perfect, but people have the capacity for continual improvement and movement toward perfection by taking individual responsibility for their deeds and actions on earth, such as heartfelt adoration, devotion, and surrender to the one God. The most important ceremony was introduced by the tenth guru, Gobind Singh, is the Amrit-baptism Gobind Singh was also the first to introduce the practice of men wearing the turbans on their heads and never cutting their beards or their hair. Wearing a uniform gave Sikhs a disciplined outlook and a sense of unity of purpose. The Baha’i religion is even more recent than Sikhism. (1844) An estimated 7 million followers It grew out of the Babi faith, which was founded in Shiraz, Iran From one of the disciplines came the underlying function of the faith, which is to overcome the disunity of religions and establish a universal faith through abolition of racial, class, and religious prejudices. 6