Download universalizing religions

● UNIVERSALIZING RELIGIONS
Christianity
1. Give the percentage of the world=s Christian population belonging to each of Christianity’s three major
branches
Roman Catholic Eastern Orthodox Protestant 2. Regarding Eastern Orthodox churches . . .
 How many separate churches are there?

Which has by far the largest membership?
3. What percentage of Latin Americans are Roman Catholic?
4. Protestants comprise 40% of North Americans. List the five largest denominations (#5 is a tie) by
percentage.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Islam
6. Half of the world’s Muslims live in the Middle East. The other half live in four countries outside the
Middle East. List them.
1.
2.
3.
4.
7. Give the percentage for each of Islam’s two great branches:
• Sunni • Shia 8. Only in three countries do Shia Muslims number more than Sunni. List them and give the % Shia.
1.
2.
3.
Buddhism
9. Buddhism is built around “Four Noble Truths” as taught by the Buddha. Summarize them.
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
10. Complete this chart dividing Buddhism into its three main branches.
11. Why are Buddhists difficult to count?
● ETHNIC RELIGIONS
Hinduism
14a. Where are Hindus concentrated? What % of all Hindus live there?
14b. Where are the rest? (include %)
15. Make a note or two (that seem of geographic interest) about each of the following ethnic religions
A. CONFUCIANISM
B. DAOISM
C. SHINTOISM
D. JUDAISM
E. ANIMISM
● ORIGIN OF RELIGIONS
1. Complete the table below describing the origins and branches of the major universalizing religions.
2. Regarding Hinduism:
a. How was its origin different than universalizing religions?
b. When did it originate?
c. Where did it originate?
d. What two ancient peoples beliefs blended to form Hinduism?
● DIFFUSION OF RELIGIONS
3. Give 4 explanations for the diffusion of Christianity.
a.
b.
c.
d.
4. Give 3 ways in which Islam spread.
a.
b.
c.
5. Give 2 reasons for the expansion of Buddhism.
a.
b.
6. Provide 4 examples of cases in which religions, or religious practices, have blended.
7. Regarding Judaism:
a. How is its distribution very different from other ethnic religions?
b. What was the diaspora?
c. How were most Jews treated as they lived among other nationalities?
d. What is the origin of the term ghetto?
● HOLY PLACES
8. What is a pilgrimage?
9. Read the section (pp. 201-204) and make notes on three case studies; Buddhism, Islam, and Hinduism.
Then read the section titled Places of Worship (pp. 195-97) and complete the right hand side of the table.
Naturally, drawing a little sketch map of locations would be helpful .
● THE CALENDAR
14. How does the Jewish calendar typical of ethnic use of the calendar?
15. What is the solstice?
16. Both the Jewish and the Muslims use a lunar calendar, yet in a different way and with very different
results. Explain.
17. How is the date of Easter related to physical geography (the natural world) through the calendar?
18. Why do different Christian branches celebrate Easter on different days?
19. How is this similar to Buddhism’s major holidays?
1. In what two ways do religious structures often stand out in a landscape?
● PLACES OF WORSHIP
2. For what two reasons does a church, the physical structure, play a more critical role than in other
religions?
3. Give two symbols present in Christian church architecture.
4. Complete the following table to express unique visible features of Christian churches.
5. How is a Muslim mosque viewed differently than a Christian church?
6. Identify 3 specific, visible, features of a typical mosque.
i.
ii.
iii.
7. How are Hindu temples different than both churches and mosques?
8. List 3 typical, visible features of a Hindu temple.
i.
ii.
iii.
9. What is the religious purpose of a Buddhist pagoda?
10. How was pilgrimage a part of the development of pagodas?
11. Formal worship in a pagoda is not typical. Where does is usually take
place?
● SACRED SPACE
12a. Christians practice burial of the dead. Complete the flowchart below to indicate the history of this
practice.
12b. Make two notes about the use of cemetery land in urban areas
i.
ii.
12c. Complete the table below with brief notes on the disposal of the dead in ways other than burial.
13. Complete the table below with brief notes on the religious settlements indicated.
● ADMINISTRATION OF SPACE
14a. Define hierarchical religion:
14b. List the Roman Catholic hierarchy, indicating geographic region and leader who heads it.
14c. Why are parishes in Latin America so
much larger than those in Europe?
15a. Describe an autonomous religion:
15b. In the absence of a hierarchy, what is the only formal organization of territory in Islam?
15c. What holds Islam together?
16. Complete the table below to categorize other religions and denominations.
1. Define fundamentalism:
2. Fundamentalism is increasing in the world today and its growth contributes to conflicts. Why is it
increasing?
● RELIGION VERSUS GOVERNMENT POLICIES
3. In what ways did the Taliban government of Afghanistan raise conflicts with Western/modern ideas after
it took control of the country in 1996?
4a. What aspect of Hinduism has clashed with Western/modern ideas?
4b. What western groups criticized this aspect? Why?
4c. How has the Indian government responded to this issue?
5. In Russia/Soviet Union, how did each of the following attempt to limit the influence of religion,
specifically the Eastern Orthodox Church?
a) Czar Peter the Great:
b) Communism:
6. What happened, and is continuing to happen, in each of the following regions of the Russian
Empire/Soviet Union since the fall of communism in the 1990s? Complete the table below by adding
THREE more countries to each category and then describing what is going on at the present time in that
region.
7. How were and are each of the following detrimental to Buddhism in Southeast Asia?
a) Vietnam War:
b) Communist regimes:
● RELIGION VERSUS RELIGION