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An Introduction to Human Geography
The Cultural Landscape, 8e
James M. Rubenstein
Religion
PPT by Abe Goldman

Exclusivist
• “My religion is not only true, but it is the only truth.”
 This view of religious truth is natural to many believers, whether or not their religion
officially take such a position. If I believe something about God how can I imagine any
other belief is valid?

Inclusivist
• “My religion is true for me; your religion is true for you.”
 This position is common in a tolerant society, such as, in general, America is. It is
sometimes called “relativism”, meaning that truth is relative to the person who holds it.
If you think up and I think down, for you it’s up and for me it’s down. Religious beliefs can
be true only for those who hold them.

Pluralist
•
“Every religion has something to tell us.”
 God works in ways we do not always understand. We had best try to make sense of each of those ways.
One way of doing so is to realize that different religions ask different questions, so you really cannot
compare the statements of one religion with those of another.

Empathetic interest in other people (Scholarly Review)
•
Concerns not whether religions are true but how all religions are interesting and important. Every
religion has something to teach us about what it means to be a human being. It is a path that carries us to
the position of empathy for each other.
World Religions in American: An Introduction, 2000, Jacob Nausner, editor
 Universalizing
religions
• Christianity
• Islam
• Buddhism
• Sikhism
• Bahá’í
 Ethnic
religions
• Judaism
• Hinduism
• Confucianism
• Daoism
• Shintoism
• Animism
Fig. 6-4: Each of the three main universalizing religions diffused widely from its hearth.
Fig. 6-1: World religions by continent.
Fig. 6-1a: Over two-thirds of the world’s population belong to Christianity, Islam,
Hinduism, or Buddhism. Christianity is the single largest world religion.
Other than Roman
Coptic
CHRISTIANITY
Egypt
2 billion adherents
Predominant in South America,
North America, Europe
& Australia
Roman Catholic
50% of Christians
95% of Latin America
Armenian
Ethiopian
Lebanon, Armenia, NE
Turkey, W. Azerbaijan
Eastern Orthodox
10% of Christians
Protestant
1% Episcopal
25% all Christians
50% of USA
16% Baptist
2% Presbyterian
7% Methodist
9% Southern
2% National
1% National
Missionary
1% Progressive
National
3% other
6% Pentecostal
5% Lutheran
1% varied Churches
of Christ
1% Reformed
3% Church of God in Christ
2% varied Assemblies of God
1% other
5% United
2% African Methodist Episcopal
or Episcopal Zion
3% Evangelical
2% other
40%
20%
10%
10%
10%
2%
Russian
Romanian
Bulgarian
Greek
Serbian
Albania, Cyprus,
Georgia, Poland
& Sinai
3% Constantinople,
Alexandria,
Antioch, &
Jerusalem
Fig. 6-2: Protestant denominations, Catholicism, and Eastern Orthodoxy are
dominant in different regions of Europe—a result of many historic
interactions.
Fig. 6-3: Distribution of Christians in the U.S. Shaded areas are counties with more than
50% of church membership concentrated in Roman Catholicism or one of the
Protestant denominations.
Fig. 6-5: Christianity diffused from Palestine through the Roman Empire and continued
diffusing through Europe after the fall of Rome. It was later replaced by Islam in
much of the Mideast and North Africa.
 Means
submission to the will of God
 1.3 billion Muslims (one who surrenders to God)
 Predominantly Middle East and North Africa
 50% of adherents in Indonesia, Pakistan,
Bangladesh and India
 Two branches:
• Sunni (orthodox) – 83%
• Shiite (sectarian) or Shia in English (Iran, Azerbaijan,
Iraq, Oman and Bahrain
 Migration
and conversion
• 3% (≈25 million) of population in Europe
• 3-4 million (≈1%) Muslims in the USA
 shahada
– public declaration of faith
• “There is no god worthy of worship except the one God, the
source of all creation, and Muhammad is the messenger of God.
 salat
– prayer five times a day
• Always facing Mecca
 zakat
– almsgiving to the needy
• About 2.5% of wealth to charity
 siyam
– fasting during Ramadan
• Abstain from food, drink and sex from dawn to dusk
 hajj
– pilgrimage to Mecca
• Once in a lifetime
Fig. 6-6: Islam diffused rapidly and widely from its area of origin in Arabia. It
eventually stretched from southeast Asia to West Africa.
 365
million adherents
 Mostly in China and Southeast Asia
 Founder: Siddhartha Gautama
 Branches:
• 56% Mahayana, in China, Japan & Korea
• 38% Theravada, in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Sri
Lanka & Thailand
• 6% Tantrayana, in Tibet (SW China) and Mongolia
 Not
exclusive
• It is possible to be a Buddhist and a believer in
another religion
 All
living things must endure suffering.
 Suffering, which is caused by a desire to live,
leads to reincarnation.
 The goal of all existence is to escape from
suffering and the endless cycle of
reincarnation into Nirvana, which is achieved
through mental and moral self-purification.
 Nirvana is attained through an eight fold path,
which includes righteousness of belief, resolve,
speech, action, livelihood, effort, thought, and
meditation.
Fig. 6-7: Buddhism diffused gradually from its origin in northeastern India to Sri Lanka,
southeast Asia, and eventually China and Japan.
Fig. 6-8: Since Japanese can be both Shinto and Buddhist, there are many areas in
Japan where over two-thirds of the population are both Shinto and Buddhist.
Sikh
Women
Sikh
Men
• “Women are worthy
• of praise and equal
• to men.”- Guru Nanak
• The gurus actively encouraged the
participation of women as equals in
worship, society, and on the
battlefield.
• Freedom of speech
• Women do not need to married to be
treated with respect.
Traditional dress :
• Shalwar ( covers legs)
• Kameez( tunic)
• Chunni or Dupatta ( headscarf)
The Five K’s:
•Kesh (uncut hair covered by a
turban)
•Kara (a steel bracelet)
•Kanga (a wooden comb)
•Kirpan (sword)
•Kachhehra (cotton underwear)
will be worn under the clothes.
 One
God
 Everybody is equal.
 Science and religion coexist.
 Everyone must find truth independently
 The purpose in life is to develop moral
and spiritual qualities that lie within.
 Humanity is one family.
The map above shows the distribution of three religious groups in the contiguous United States.
A. Using the letters in the legend, name the three religious groups shown on the map.
B. For ONE of the three religious groups, first identify and then explain TWO factors that have
influenced the distribution shown on the map.
C. Explain how the map as presented at this scale is an incomplete representation of the geography of
religion in the United States.
Part A (3 points)
Using the letters in the legend, name the three
religious groups shown on the map.
X: Mormon or Latter-Day Saints or LDS
—1 point
Y: Lutheran
—1 point
Z: Baptist or Southern Baptist
—1 point
Part B (4 points: 2 factor points and 2 explanation points)
For ONE of the three religious groups, first identify and then explain
TWO factors that have influenced the distribution shown on the map.
Region X
Factor 1: Original migration
Explanation: Mormonism began
in the eastern United States, but
believers migrated west to Utah,
an area outside the authority of
those who persecuted them.
Factor 2: Subsequent migration
Explanation: Mormon families
grew and migrated throughout the
region to farm new areas that
could be cultivated in the
intermountain West.
Factor 3: Lack of in-migration
Explanation: During the 1880–
1920 great wave of European
immigration, no new immigrants
with different religions came to
this region because of lack of
urbanization.
Factor 4: Physical environment
Explanation: Arid, rigorous
climate with lack of water.
Region Y
Factor 1: Original migration from
northern and western Europe
Explanation: Germans and
Scandinavians migrated from Europe in
large numbers, bringing with them their
religion—Lutheranism.
Explanation: Railroad companies and
state governments recruited these
groups to farm. Chain migration
occurred as relatives continued to
arrive.
Factor 2: Lack of later in-migrations
of other religions
Explanation: Later groups from Europe
(Jewish, Catholic, Orthodox) did not
come, as the region lacked the pull of
cities.
Explanation: Upper Midwest did not
attract rural-to-urban migration from the
South during the twentieth century
because of the smaller number of cities.
Region Z
Factor 1: Indigenous religion
with origins in small towns and
rural areas of the southeastern
United States
Explanation: Baptist religion
matured as an indigenous religion
in the rural South. Based on
Calvinism brought from Europe.
No requirement for formally
credentialed clergy.
Explanation: Baptists appealed
to African-Americans excluded
from mainline Protestant
denominations in the South.
Explanation: Baptists included
other groups that created locally
specific church communities.
Factor 2: Lack of in-migration
Explanation: Other groups of
European immigrants with
different religions were not
attracted to this predominantly
agricultural region.
Part C (1 point)
Explain how the map as presented at this scale is an incomplete representation of
the geography of religion in the United States.
• Map does not show small areas where other religions dominate.
• Map does not show areas where density of adherents is really high. Map gives
greater importance to small populations.
• Map masks much “diversity” and “variation” in religions.
• Not able to view subcounty variation.
• Map overgeneralizes.
The following is NOT acceptable to earn the part C point: “Excludes Alaska and
Hawaii.”
 Origin
of religions
• Origin of universalizing religions
• Origin of Hinduism
 Diffusion
of religions
• Diffusion of universalizing religions
• Lack of diffusion of ethnic religions
 Holy
places
• Holy places in universalizing religions
• Holy places in ethnic religions
 The
calendar
• The calendar in ethnic religions
• The calendar in universalizing religions
Fig. 6-9: Most holy sites in Buddhism are locations of important events in Buddha’s
life and are clustered in northeastern India and southern Nepal.
Fig. 6-10: Makkah (Mecca) is the holiest city in Islam and is the site of pilgrimage for
millions of Muslims each year. There are numerous holy sites in the city.
Fig. 6-11: Hierarchy of Hindu holy places: Some sites are holy to Hindus throughout India;
others have a regional or sectarian importance, or are important only locally.
 Places of worship
• Christian worship
• Places of worship in other religions
 Sacred space
• Disposing of the dead
• Religious settlements
• Religious place names
 Administration of space
• Hierarchical religions
• Locally autonomous religions
Fig. 6-12: Place names in Québec show the impact of religion on the landscape. Many
cities and towns are named after saints.
Fig. 6-13: The Catholic Church divides the U.S. into provinces headed by archbishops.
Provinces are divided into dioceses, headed by bishops.
 Religion
vs. government policies
• Religion vs. social change
• Religion vs. Communism
 Religion
vs. religion
• Religious wars in the Middle East
• Religious wars in Ireland
Fig. 6-14: The Old City of Jerusalem contains holy sites for Judaism, Christianity,
and Islam.
Fig. 6-15: The UN partition plan for Palestine in 1947 contrasted with the boundaries
that were established after the 1948–49 War. Major changes later
resulted from the 1967 War.
Fig. 6-16: Political control of the West Bank has been split between Palestinians and
Israelis (though under overall Israeli control). The West Bank includes many
of the higher altitude areas of the region.
Fig. 6-1-1: Israel established a security zone in southern Lebanon in 1982. When Israel
withdrew in 2000, the UN helped draw the boundary between the countries.
Fig. 6-17: Percent Protestant population by district in Ireland, 1911. When Ireland
became independent in 1937, 26 northern districts with large
Protestant populations chose to remain part of the United Kingdom.