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Geography in the News™ Neal G. Lineback CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION As the winter holidays approach, many children seem surprised to learn that the whole world doesn’t celebrate Christmas. In fact, with the heightened degree of commercialization, many adults forget that Christmas really is a Christian holiday. Christmas is officially celebrated by only one of the world’s major religions. Christianity is the prevalent religion in Europe, North and South America and Australia. It is but one of three major religions that have common geographic roots in the Middle East. The Christmas season is a reminder that the origins of Christianity are in the Holy Land. Many do not realize, however, that Judaism and Islam also hold the region in reverent regard and, in many cases, even worship at the same shrines. Judaism is the oldest of the Middle Eastern religions. Its origins reach date to the 15th century B.C. Members of Israelite tribes, who considered themselves descendants of the Hebrew Patriarch Jacob, migrated to Palestine from the south and east. The region was already occupied by the Canaanites, an ancient Semitic people who had occupied the region for more than 1,500 years. Moses became the Israelites’ spiritual leader in the worship of their god, Yahweh (yah-WAY). They believed that Yahweh had chosen the Israelites to be his people. At the height of the Israeli king- dom, between 1,000 and 960 B.C., Israel included all of Palestine, and Jerusalem was the political and religious center. During this period and continuing until the kingdom was destroyed in 586. B.C., the great Jewish prophets studied and refined many tenets of Judaism, including those dealing with social justice. In a rebellion against the Romans in A.D. 66, the Jews were beaten by Titus (TIE-tus) and forced to leave their homeland. Called “diaspora” (DIE-ah-SPORah), this dispersion forced Jews to migrate to the farthest corners of the world. As a result of the dispersal, the scriptures were codified, or organized and written down, in the Torah, so that persons great distances away could read and know the scriptures. Christianity began with Jesus Christ, who, it is now believed, was actually born in 7.B.C. His public life began around the age of 30 with his ministry near the Sea of Galilee. The New Testament, written after his death, attests to extraordinary deeds accomplished during his ministry. Adapting some of the Jewish teachings about “God of the Universe” and rejecting some of the more nationalistic Jewish teachings?, Jesus taught the love of God and of fellow humans and that forgiveness of sins could be attained here on earth. But final judgment would have to wait until death. ment. Christianity quickly spread throughout the Roman Empire. By A.D. 330, the Catholic Church had followers from Spain to India and from the Mediterranean to Northern Europe. Divisions of Christianity occurred and new branches evolved. Today, the major denominations are Roman Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox and Anglicans, with numerous lesser groups. Islam, the religion of the world’s Muslims, originated with Mohammad between A.D. 610 and 632. Born in A.D. 670 into a caravan tribe in Mecca on the Arabian Peninsula, Mohammad was able to travel the regions as far as Syria to the north. Although he had no formal training in either Judaism or Christianity, he transcribed the Koran, which Muslims regard as the Word of Allah, or God. Mohammad’s followers considered him the prophet of Allah. There are many similarities between his teachings and those of Jesus and the Old Testament. Islam requires the total surrender to the will of Allah. Sins, as well as good deeds, will be evaluated at the Last Judgment, the first being rewarded with hell and the latter with paradise. The estimated memberships of the three religions that originated in the Middle East are: Christians 1.9 billion, Muslims 1.1 billion, and Jews 13.9 million. World Distribution of Christians Of the denominations of Christianity, Roman Catholics number 981 million, Protestants 404 million, Orthodox 218 million, Anglicans 69 million, and all other Christians are 282 million. The birth of Jesus Christ is celebrated by Christian Majority Regions Includes Protestant, Catholic, Christians, who repand Eastern Orthodox Sects resent nearly 31 perSource: Oxford Atlas of the Word, 1996 cent of the world’s to©2003 Geography in the News 12/19/03 P. Larkins tal population of 6.2 Jesus died on a cross on the outskirts billion. No other single religious day of of Jerusalem and his death was prothe year is more widely celebrated. claimed as the ultimate sacrifice that And that is Geography in the would “save” others. Thus Jesus’ life is News™. December 19, 2003. #707. viewed by all sub-religions of Christian(The author is a Geography Professor ity as the point of departure of Chrisat Appalachian State University, Boone, tianity from the older Jewish theological NC. This is an updated version of an article traditions spelled out in the Old Testapublished by the author in December 1989.) © 2003 maps.com