Download Key Issue 1: Where are Religions Distributed?

Key Issue 1: Where are Religions Distributed?
A. Universalizing Religions: appeal to all people
- Branch – large and fundamental division within a religion
- Denomination – a division of a branch that unites a number of local
congregations in a legal body
- Sect – small group that has broken away from an established
denomination
1. Christianity: over 2 billion adherents, most widespread
- Main branches: Roman Catholic (52%), Protestant (21%), Eastern
Orthodox (10%)
- Western Hemisphere = 90%
- Other Christian churches: Coptic Church of Egypt and Ethiopian
Church
2. Islam: 1.3 billion, prime religion in Middle East
- Five Pillars of Faith
- Two Branches: Sunni (83%) and Shiite (16%)
- Muslims = 5% of Europe’s population, U.S. and Canada are home to 5
million Muslims
3. Buddhism: 400 million adherents
- Four Noble Truths
- Main branches: Mahayana (56%), Theravadists (38%), Tantrayana
(6%)
4. Other Universalizing Religions
- Sikhism (25 mil) and Baha’I (8 mil)
B. Ethnic Religions: appeals to one group in one place
1. Hinduism: 860 million
- 97% live in India
- Up to individual to decide how to worship God
2. Other Ethnic Religions
- Confucianism (special importance to Chinese), Daoism (banned by
Communism), Shintoism (ethnic religion of Japan), Judaism, Ethnic
African Religions (12% of African population, animism)
Key Issue 2:
I. Origin of Religions
Universalizing religions: have precise places of origin, based on events in the life
of a man
Ethnic religions: have unknown or unclear origins, not tied to single historical
individuals
A. Origin of Universalizing Religions
1. Origin of Christianity
- Founded on the teaching of Jesus, who was born in Bethlehem between 8 and
4 BC. He died on a cross in Jerusalem about AD 30.
- Roman Catholics accept the teachings of the Bible. Also accept interpretations
of the Bible through the head of the Catholic Church, the Pope.
- The seven sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Penance, Anointing the sick,
Matrimony, Holy Orders, and the Eucharist
- Eastern Orthodoxy rose during the Roman Empire . Accept the seven
sacraments but reject many Roman Catholic beliefs, including the leadership of
the Pope.
- Protestantism began during the reformation when Martin Luther posted 95
theses on the church of Wittenberg on October 31, 1517. Rejects the seven
sacraments.
2. Origin of Islam
- Muhammad, who was born in Makkah ( Mecca ) about 570, became the
Prophet of Islam.
- The disagreements between the two main branches of Islam, Shiites and
Sunnis, originated from the claim to leadership of Islam following Muhammad’s
death because he had no direct descendent.
* Interesting fact: All three religions, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam consider
Adam to have been the first man and Abraham to have been one of his
descendents.
3. Origin of Buddhism
- Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism, was born about 563 BC
in the present day Nepal .
- After his search for enlightenment, Gautama emerged as the Buddha,
the “awakened or enlightened one.”
- Theravada Buddhists’ believe that they are closer to the original ways of
the Buddha in that they renounce worldly goods and become a monk.
- Mahayana is less demanding and it emphasized Buddha’s later years of
teaching and helping others.
4. Origin of other Universalizing Religions
- Sikhism was founded by Guru Nanak, who traveled through South Asia
around 500 years ago preaching his faith.
- Bahai was established in Iran during the 19th century. The Bab and his
followers were executed in 1850 after provoking strong opposition from the Shiite
Muslims.
B. Origin of Hinduism, an Ethnic Religion
Hinduism existed prior to recorded history. While the earliest surviving
Hindu documents were written around 1500 BC, archaeologists have unearthed
artifacts relating to the religion which date back as far as 2500 BC.
II. Diffusion of Religions
- Christianity, Buddhism, and Islam diffused from specific hearths, or places of
origin, to other regions of the world. On the contrary, ethnic religions typically
remain clustered in one region.
A. Diffusion of Universalizing Religions
- All three hearths are in Asia .
1. Diffusion of Christianity
- Christianity diffused through a combination of many different forms of diffusion,
including relocation diffusion, and within expansion diffusion, hierarchical
diffusion and contagious diffusion.
Missionaries: individuals who help to transmit a universalizing religion through
relocation diffusion
Hearth in Jerusalem and the teachings of Jesus were spread by
missionaries through the Roman Empire .
Latin Americans are primarily Roman Catholic because their territory was
conquered by the Spanish and Portuguese.
Pagan: the word for a follower of a polytheistic religion in ancient times
2. Diffusion of Islam:
- Hearth in Mecca
- Muhammad’s followers organized armies which conquered Palestine , the
Persian Empire, and much of India . The conquered regions were converted to
Islam.
3. Diffusion of Buddhism
- Hearth in present day Nepal .
- Did not diffuse rapidly. Asoka, emperor of the Magadhan Empire conquered
much of South Asia and converted the areas to Buddhism.
4. Diffusion of other Universalizing Religions
- Bahai diffused in the late 19th century under the leadership of Abdul-Baha, son
of the prophet Bahaullah.
- Sikhism remained clustered around its hearth in the Punjab . This was largely a
result of its conflicts with Muslims.
B. Lack of Diffusion of Ethnic Religions
- Most ethnic religions have limited diffusion
1. Mingling of Ethnic and Universalizing Religions
- Traditional African religious ideas have been merged with
Christianity.
- Universalizing religions often overtake ethnic religions. For example, Buddhism
was originally resisted by the Japanese Shintoists; however, they eventually
embraced Buddhism while retaining few elements of their old religion.
2. Judaism, An Exception
- Widely spatially distributed, likely a result of forced migration from ghettos.
Ghettos: a city neighborhood set up by law to be inhabited only by Jewish
people.
III. Holy Places
- Religions often elevate particular places affiliated with that religion to a holy
position.
Pilgrimage: a journey for religious purposes to a place considered sacred
A. Holy Places in Universalizing Religions
-Locations of important events in the lift of Buddha or Muhammad.
1. Buddhist Shrines
- 8 Places are considered holy to Buddhists. The four most important are
concentrated in a small area of northeastern India and southern Nepal . The
most important is the location of Buddha’s birth.
2. Holy Places in Islam
- The holiest place in Islam is the city Mecca , the birthplace of Muhammad.
- The Ka’ba, is the great Mosque thought to be built by Abraham and Ishmael
and contains a black stone given to Abraham by Gabriel as a sign of the
covenant with Ishmael and the Muslim people.
- Every healthy Muslim is required to make a pilgrimage to Mecca . In addition,
they must face Mecca when they pray.
3. Holy Places in Sikhism
- Sikhism’s most holy structure is the Darbar Sahib, or Golden
Temple
B. Holy Places in Ethnic Religions
- Ethnic religions remain clustered because they are religiously affiliated with the
physical features of a particular place.
1. Holy Places in Hinduism
- Hindu’s consider pilgrimage to be an act of purification.
- They believe that they can achieve purification by bathing in holy rivers. They
make pilgrimages to holy rivers including the Ganges, the holiest river in India .
2. Cosmogony in Ethnic Religions
Cosmogony: a set of religious beliefs concerning the origin of the universe
- Chinese ethnic religions, such as Confucianism and Daoism, believe that the
universe is made up of two forces, yin and yang, which exist in everything.
- Christians, while not an Ethnic Religion, believe that the Earth was given by
God to humanity to finish the task of creation.
- Muslims, while also not an Ethnic Religion, regard humans as representatives
of God on Earth, capable of reflecting the attributes of God in their deeds, such
as growing food or other hard work to improve the land.
IV. The Calendar
-In Universalizing Religions, major holidays relate to events in the life of the
founder.
- In Ethnic Religions, holidays tend to be more clustered.
A. The Calendar in Ethnic Religions
1. The Jewish Calendar
- Holidays are based on events in the agricultural calendar of
Israel .
- Sukkot celebrates the final gathering of fruits for the year, and prayers are
offered to bring success in the upcoming agricultural year.
- Pesach derives from traditional agricultural practices in which farmers offered
God the first fruits of the new spring harvest and herders sacrificed a young
animal.
- Shavuot comes at the end of the grain harvest.
2. The Solstice
Solstice: a major holiday on December 21 or 22 in the Northern Hemisphere and
June 21 or 22 in the Southern Hemisphere.
B. The Calendar in Universalizing Religions
1. Islamic and Bahai Calendars
- Islam, like Judaism, uses a lunar calendar. As a result, Ramadan starts at a
different time every year.
- The Bahai use a calendar which is divided into 19 months, each with 19 days.
2. Christian, Buddhist, and Sikh Holidays
- Christians celebrate Easter, the day of Jesus’ resurrection; however, not all
Christians celebrate on the same day because Protestant and Roman Catholic
branches calculate the date on the Gregorian calendar, while Eastern Orthodox
churches use the Julian calendar.
- Buddhist holidays are celebrated on the day of Buddha’s birth, enlightenment,
and death.
- The major holidays in Sikhism are the births and deaths of the religion’s ten
gurus.
Key Issue III. Why do Religions Organize Space in Distinctive Patterns
A. Places of Worship
1. Christian Churches
i. high density, expression of religious principles, attendance considered
important
ii. the tallest building in some communities and placed in an important area
... iii. expensive to build
a. Church Architecture
i. modeled after basilicas, roman buildings
ii. no single style of construction
iii. availability of building material influenced design
2. In Other Regions
i. other religions do not consider their buildings a sanctified place of worship
a. Muslim Mosques
i. space for community assembly
ii. pulpit, central courtyard, minaret (tower where muzzan summons people for
worship)
iii. Makkah - direction all Muslims pray
b. Hindu Temples
i. built to house shrines for god(s)
ii. size and frequency depend on locale, maintained by the wealthy
iii. small, dimly-lit interior room with symbols or artifacts of a god(s)
c. Buddhist and Shintoist Pagodas
i. elaborate, tall, many sided towers with balconies and slanting roofs
ii. contain relics believed to be a portion of the Buddha and/or his clothing
d. Baha'i Houses of Worship
i. all over the world
ii. adherent to all religions
B. Sacred Space
1. Burial
i. Christians, Muslims, Jews usually bury dead in a cemetery
ii. Romans used to bury dead in catacombs
iii. usually aligned in some traditional direction
iv. may consume significant space (China outlawed this)
2. Other Methods
a. Cremation
i. Hindus, Europeans before Christianity; unwillingness to leave dead behind, free
the soul
b. Exposure
i. Parsis and Tibetan Buddhists; strip away unclean portions of the body
c. Water Burial
i. Micronesia; by boat if important/wealthy
2. Religious Settlements
i. Utopian settlements: ideal community built around religious way of life (i.e. Salt
Lake City & Bethlehem)
ii. buildings placed in common areas
3. Religious Place Names
i. toponyms to settlements such as in Quebec
C. Administration of Space
1. Hierarchical Religions
i. well-defined geographic structure and organized territory into local
administrative units
a. Roman Catholic Hierarchy
i. the Pope
ii. archibishops, head a province
iii. bishops, administer a diocese
iv. priest, head a parish
-South-Western Europe: high density
- Latin America: low
b. Latter-Day Saints (Mormons)
i. organized into wards, which are combined into stakes (approx. 5000 people)
2. Locally Autonomous Religions
i. self-sufficient
a. Local Autonomy in Islam
i. everyone expected to participate and pray privately
ii. organization of territory is coincidence (secular states)
iii. strong unity
b. Protestant Denominations
i. varying degrees: Baptist and United Church of Christ very self-governing;
Presbyterian united by presbytery, several of which turned into a synod, with
general assembly as ultimate authority
c. Ethnic Religions
i. Jews conduct full service with just ten males (sometimes women)
ii. Hindus alone or with others in a household, share ideas through pilgrimage or
writings
Key Issue #4
Why do territorial conflicts arise among religious
groups?
Fundamentalism-The literal interpretation and strict and intense adherence to
basic principles of religion.
I. Religion vs. Government Policies
A. Religion vs. Social Change
1. Taliban vs. Western values
-Gained power in 1996
-Corrupt and brutal warlords seen as strong defenders against potential
Russian attack
-Brutal punishments and strict laws inspired by Islamic values
-Believed they had been called by Allah
-Banned “Western, non-Islamic” leisure activates
-Stadiums turned to execution sites
2. Hinduism vs. social equality
-Caste system (class distinction assigned by religious law)
-Began in 1500s
- top to bottom: Brahmans (priests and administrators),
Kshatriyas (warriors), Vaisyas (merchants), Shudras (artisans and
farmers)
-Widely criticized due to unfairness of certain castes
B. Religion vs. Communism
1. Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Islam vs. the Soviet Union
-After 1917 Bolshevik revolution, Communist government tried to institute
antireligious programs
-In 1918 official connection of church and state that Peter the Great made
was severed
-Many central Asian countries (Kazakhstan) that are newly independent
are struggling to determine whether to employ tactics similar to the Soviets
2. Buddhism vs. Southeast Asian countries
-Vietnam war destroyed many Buddhist shrines
-Many Buddhists publicly protested
II. Religion vs. religion
A. Religious Wars in Ireland
1. Northern Ireland: Protestant Rest of Ireland (other 5/6): Roman Catholic
-Over 3000 Roman Catholics have been killed in Northern Ireland
-IRA (Irish Republican Army), made up of Roman Catholics and
Protestants from all over protestors and demonstrators.
- Attempt for complete separation between religions
B. Religious wars in the Middle East
1. Crusades between Christians and Muslims
- In order to recapture the holy land from its conquerors (Muslims),
European Christians launched a series of crusades, killing many
2. Jews vs. Muslims in Palestine
- Many wars over the years since Israel became independent in 1948
- West bank is the main conflict area
- religious disagreement and tension
3. Conflict over the Holy Land: Palestinian perspective
-People who call themselves Palestinians: People living in the west
bank/Gaza/East Jerusalem territories captured by Israel in 1967, Muslim citizens
of Israel, people who fled from Israel to other countries after the 1948-1949 war,
people who fled from the west bank after the 1967 war, and citizens of other
countries that call themselves Palestinians.
4. Conflict over the Holy Land: Israeli Perspective
-Close borders to enemies and small population can present danger
-Main conflict is over Jerusalem, which multiple religious groups have claimed to
be theirs