Download From the Hearth of Huang He (Yellow) River Valley

From the Hearth of Huang He
(Yellow) River Valley
• Daoism –
originated in China more than 2500 years ago,
* oneness of humanity and nature
founder: Lao-Tsu
sacred text: “Book of the Way”
social manifestation: Feng Shui
diffusion: East Asia
From the Hearth of Huang He
(Yellow) River Valley
• Confucianism –
founder: Confucius
sacred text: “Confucian Classics”
originated in China about 2500 years ago, heaven,
soul,
ancestor worship, shamanism
* real meaning of life lay in the present, dependent
on human virtue and ability
diffusion: East Asia, Southeast Asia
From the Hearth of the
Eastern Mediterranean
• Judaism –sacred text: Torah
• originated in Southwest Asia about 4000 years ago.
– first major monotheistic religion, covenant between God (one God)
and Abraham (the chosen people)
– established in Canaan with Jerusalem as center
sacred sites: Jerusalem (Western Wall), land between
Mediterranean and the Jordan River
– Diaspora 70 A.D.
• Religion divided into
– reform ( adjust to modernity w/o changing beliefs)
– Conservative (some adjustment)
– Orthodox (maintain customs from history)
• diffusion: into European cities during the diaspora,
– Divided into 2 major groups, Sephardic (Spain), Ashkenazi (E. Europe)
– Both groups suffered persecution, not allowed to own land, restricted
to certain types of jobs, pay extra taxes,
• live in defined ghetto (Venetian word for foundry)
– Zionism – 19th C movement to return to homeland “Holy Land” that had
been controlled by Islamic Arabs
• 1948, UN Resolution 242 established State of Israel
– Fought neighboring countries to maintain and expand borders
– Jerusalem reestablished as center of Jewish land (divided city
• Religion divided into
– reform ( adjust to modernity w/o changing beliefs)
– Conservative (some adjustment)
– Orthodox (maintain customs from history)
Dome of the Rock and Western Wall, Jerusalem
Dome of the Rock
Judaism
Western Wall
According to Sunni tradition, this is the spot
from which Muhammad ascended to
Heaven Gabriel. Muhammad also met
According to Judaism the Wailing Wall
here to pray with Abraham, Moses and
(personal pleas for help/ forgiveness/
Jesus
contrition. This is the site of the original
Temple Mount, represents disaspora
Jewish neighborhoods in European Cities
the Old Jewish Cemetery in Prague, the Czech Republic .
What does this say about the local Jewish community? What happened?
From the Hearth of the Eastern Mediterranean
• Christianity –
originated in Southwest Asia about 2000 years ago.
* monotheistic religion, follow teachings of Jesus to
achieve eternal life
sacred text: Bible
founder: Jesus (son of God)
sacred sites: Bethlehem, Jerusalem
split in the church:
* split into Eastern Orthodox and Roman
Catholic churches in 1054
* Protestant sect split off in 1400s and 1500s
diffusion: into Western Europe, and then world wide
during colonialism and after.
First Split in Christianity, 1054 CE
Western Roman empire = Roman Catholicism
Eastern Roman empire = Eastern Orthodox
Switzerland
concentrations of Catholics and Protestants by canton and commune
What could account for this spatial relationship?
From the Hearth of the Eastern Mediterranean
• Islam –
originated on Arabian peninsula about 1500 years ago.
• monotheistic religion, belief that Allah revealed instructions and belief
system to Muhammad, use of sharia law (from Qu’ran Sunnah)
– the Five Pillars (profession of faith, pray towards Makkah 5 times/day,
tithe/give to poor, fast during Ramaden, pilgrimage to Makkah)
• sacred text: Qu’ran
sacred sites: Mecca __, Medina __, Jerusalem __
* shortly after Muhammad’s death, religion split over leadership
Sunni Muslims (83%)
Shi’ite Muslims (concentrated in Iran)
• diffusion: across Arabian peninsula, across North Africa, into Spain
and also east into Southeast Asia
Trade routes at time of Muhammad
Medina
Mecca
Islamic Expansion to 750 CE
The Diffusion of Islam
Minaret (for call to prayer)
stands on the Sabah
State Mosque
in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
Diffusion of Islam into
Europe
this mosque in Paris,
France shares common
design with those in Arab
world
Islam today
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17722026/ns/world_newsconflict_in_iraq
Iraq
Region
Powerplays
Sunni, Shia
http://www.time.com/time/video/player/0,32068,19402457001_1891123
,00.html
The Rest of the Map
Religions of the World
• Shamanism –
a community faith tradition in which people follow their
shaman, a religious leader, teacher, healer, and visionary.
Key Question:
How is Religion seen in the
Cultural Landscape?
Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage
• Sacred Sites
places or spaces people infuse with
religious meaning.
• Pilgrimage
purposeful travel to a religious site to pay
respects or participate in a ritual at the
site.
Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage
Vatican City
Pope John
Paul II greeted
pilgrims in St.
Peter’s Square
Sacred Sites and Rituals
At Saint Declan’s Holy Well in Ardmore, Ireland
Pilgrims hang scraps of clothing as offerings
This
practice is
common
at sacred
sites in
Far Eastern
Russia
Sacred Sites of Jerusalem
Jerusalem is sacred to three major religions:
Judaism (Western Wall)
Christianity (Church of the Holy Sepulchre)
Islam (Dome of the Rock)
Sacred Landscapes of Hinduism
Hinduism – pilgrimages follow prescribed routes, rituals followed by millions.
Varanasi, India on the Ganges River
where Hindus
perform
morning
rituals.