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6.2 Why Do Religions Have Different Distributions? Objectives! Describe, compare, and contrast the origin and diffusion of the major universalizing religions Christianity Islam Buddhism Origin of Buddhism Founded by Prince Siddhartha Gautama Born in 563 BCE in present day Nepal Upper class, son of a lord On a series of trips he saw the pain and suffering of others, before ultimately meeting with a monk who instructed him about spiritual detachment At 29, left his palace to live alone in the forest for six years of meditation Emerged as the Buddha and spent 45 years teaching across India, beginning in the northeast Origin of Buddhism Four Noble Truths All living beings must endure suffering Suffering caused by a desire to live leads to reincarnation into new bodies Attainment of Nirvana through mental and moral purification ends the cycle of suffering Nirvana is attained through the Eightfold Path: belief, resolve, speech, action, livelihood, effort, thought, meditation Origin of Buddhism Origin of Theravada – “the way of the elders” Older of the large branches Buddhism is a full time occupation; requires living as a monk Emphasizes solitary self-reflection Focuses on Buddha’s wisdom Origin of Mahayana – split from Theravada about 2,000 years ago Less demanding, so it can be more all encompassing for great numbers of people Emphasizes teaching and helping others Focuses on Buddha’s compassion Origin of Buddhism Origin of Vajrayana – emphasizes the practice of rituals, Tantras Believe that Buddha practiced Tantras Other branches assert that Tantras evolved from Mayahana Buddhism several centuries later Origin of Christianity Jesus of Nazareth was born between 8 and 4 BCE Crucified in Jerusalem (modern day Israel) in about 30 CE The four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John chronicled his life and teachings Origin of Roman Catholic Branch Follow the Bible as interpreted by the Catholic hierarchy, headed by the Pope Connection to God occurs through the Church’s seven sacraments Origin of Christianity Origin of the Orthodox Branch Comprises the faith and practices from a collection of churches from the eastern Roman Empire Split with Catholicism occurred in 1054, in part from rivalry between the Pope of Rome and the Patriarch of Constantinople Same sacraments as the Catholic church, but reject doctrines added after 8th century Origin of the Protestant Branch Martin Luther posted his 95 theses on the door of the Church Primary difference is that Luther asserted that individuals are responsible for attaining personal salvation via direct prayer and faith, rather than sacrament Question Time! How are the origins of Buddhism and Christianity representative of universalizing religions? How are the origins of Protestantism and Orthodox Christianity similar? How are they different? Origin of Islam Muhammad was born in Makkah/Mecca (in modern day Saudi Arabia) in 570 CE Visited by the angel Gabriel and the Quran is accepted as the written record of these revelations Five pillars of faith Shahadah – recitation affirming one God and Muhammad as the messenger Salat – five daily prayers facing Mecca Zakat – giving generously to charity as an act of purity and growth Sawm of Ramadan – fasting during the month of Ramadan as an act of selfpurification Hajj – pilgrimage to Mecca if possible Share a common thread with the other Abrahamic religions Adam was the first male and Abraham was one of his descedants Origin of Islam Shiite vs Sunnis Reflects the disagreement over the line of succession Caliph – successor of the prophet Three caliphs expanded the territory into Egypt and Persia Sunni branch Views it self as orthodox and traditionalist Historically under state control Codified system of Islamic Law (Sharia Law) Shiite branch The Shiite branch acknowledges Ali as a legitimate caliph, while the Sunni branch disagree among themselves about the line of succession Often the poorest populations in predominantly Sunni governed countries Origin of Hinduism No specific founder Existed prior to recorded history The word Hinduism originated in the 6th century BCE Earliest Hindu documents dating to 1500 BCE Central Asian tribes invaded India in 2500 BCE Brought Indo-European language in addition to proto-Hindu religion Question Time! Compare and contrast the origins of Islam and Hinduism in context of the differences between universalizing and ethnic religions. Why are the Abrahamic religions labeled as such? How do the Sunni and Shiite branches of Islam differ? Diffusion of religion Diffusion of Christianity Hierarchical Emperor Constantine spread Christianity hierarchically through the Roman Empire Relocation Missionaries – individuals who spread religious teachings into new areas via relocation Contagious Radiating spread of Christianity via person-to-person exposure and conversion Diffusion of Islam Contagious Muhammad’s successors spread militarily through Africa, Asia, and Europe Relocation Missionaries to sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia Diffusion Buddhism Diffused slowly from NE India Indian Emperor Asoka sent missionaries into countries neighboring the empire His son Mahinda led missionaries to Sri Lanka As a result, Sri Lanka asserts itself as the country with the longest tradition of continuous Buddhism Introduced to China along trade routes during the 1st century AD Lack of Diffusion in Ethnic Religions Mingling of ethnic and universalizing religions African traditional customs mingle with Christianity Buddhism in China mixed heavily with Chinese traditional customs Buddhism in Japan mixed heavily with Shintoism Lack of Diffusion of Ethnic Religions Diffusion of ethnic religions occurs through relocation diffusion Example: Mauritius – an island off the coast of Madagascar Uninhabited until 1683 – immigrants from India brought Hinduism Diffusion of Judaism Uniquely wide distribution for an ethnic religion Origin in the Eastern Mediterranean 70 CE – the Romans forced Jewish populations to disperse The origin of the first Jewish diaspora – retained their essential cultural and religious identity Faced persecution due to their religion Often, Jewish populations were concentrated into ghettos Neighborhoods set up by law to be inhabited exclusive by Jewish people Question Time! Compare and contrast the diffusion of Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism Why does Judaism’s diffusion make it a unique example of an ethnic religion?