Religion Overviewx
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Transcript Religion Overviewx
Bell Work #7
What SPECIFICALLY do you feel we need to go over from this
chapter?
Ch. 6 Religion:
Overview
Universalizing vs. Ethnic Religions
Universalizing
Global, attempt to appeal to all people wherever they may live
Examples?
Ethnic
Appeal primarily to one group of people living in one place
Examples?
Atheism vs. Agnosticism
Atheism
Belief that God does not exist
Agnosticism
Belief that nothing can be known about whether God exists
Branch, Denomination, Sect
Branch – large and fundamental division within a religion
Examples?
Denomination – division of a branch that unites a number of local
congregations in a single legal and administrative body
Examples?
Sect – relatively small group that has broken away from an established
denomination
Examples?
Monotheism vs. Polytheism
Monotheism
One God
Examples?
Polytheism
Multiple Gods
Examples?
Origin/Diffusion of
Religions
Universalizing - Precise places of origin based on events in the life of
man
Ethnic – unknown origins/dates
Diffusion of ethnic religions – limited, lack missionaries dedicated to
spreading religion
Diffusion of ethnic religions happens mostly through relocation
diffusion
Christianity
More than 2 billion adherents – most widely followed religion
North America, South America, Europe, Australia, parts of Africa and
Asia
Branches
Roman Catholic (51%)
Eastern Orthodox (11%)
Protestant (24%)
Where are the branches
distributed?
Roman Catholic
Southwest/eastern Europe, Latin America, Southwestern/northeastern
US, Quebec
Orthodox
East/southeast Europe
14 Self-governing churches, the largest?
Protestant
Northwest Europe
Protestant denominations in
the US
Baptist?
The southeast
Lutheran?
Upper Midwest
Latter-day Saints?
Another name?
West – Utah and surrounding states
Origin/Beliefs of Christianity
Founder?
Jesus Christ – born in Bethlehem, died in Jerusalem, rose from the
dead, Resurrection from dead provides people with hope for salvation
Differences between the branches
Roman Catholic – follow bible as well as church hierarchy (pope)
Orthodox – split from Roman church in 5th C as result of rivalry with
the pope
Protestant – Reformation in 16th C, disagreed with Catholic teachings
Diffusion of Christianity
Hierarchical
Dominance of Christianity throughout Roman Empire
Relocation
Missionaries, Colonization
First Split in Christianity, 1054 CE
Western Roman empire = Roman Catholicism
Eastern Roman empire = Eastern Orthodox
•The Eastern Orthodox
Church makes up 14% of
Christianity and is a loose
collection of 14 selfgoverning churches in
Eastern Europe and the
Middle East.
•To the right are the spires
of St. Basil’s Cathedral in
the Kremlin of Moscow.
Notice the Orthodox cross
on the onion-domed spire.
Roman Catholicism is
the largest branch of
the Christian faith.
The Vatican in Rome is
the headquarters of the
Papacy and a powerful
symbol to Catholics
around the world.
European cities were
dominated by the spires
of great cathedrals and
churches until the 20th
century.
Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage
Vatican City-Pope John Paul II greeted pilgrims in St.
Peter’s Square
Sacred
Landscapes of
Christianity
Catholic Churches
Are often located in the
center of European cities,
with spires reaching far
above the other buildings.
St. Michaels, (1472)
Bordeaux, France
Religious Landscapes in the United States
Islam
1.5 billion adherents
North Africa, Southwest Asia, Central Asia
Other countries outside the Middle East?
Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, India
Branches
Sunni
Shiite
Where are the branches
distributed?
Sunni
83% of Muslims, largest branch, most Muslim countries in SW Asia
Shiite
16% of Muslims
90% of Iran’s population is Shiite
Origin/Beliefs/Diffusion of
Islam
Founder?
Muhammed – Mecca
5 Pillars of Faith – one God, prayer 5 times daily, charity, fasting
during Ramadan, Hajj – pilgrimage to Mecca
Diffused by Muslims conquering land
Arab traders brought Islam to Indonesia
Islam
Islam is the 2nd largest & fastest
growing religion with 1.5 billion
followers.
It has 2 main sects or Split in
the Faith / After Muhammad's
death
Sunni (great majority)
83% of Muslims, largest branch,
most Muslim countries in SW
Asia /centered in Iraq
Shiite
16% of Muslims
90% of Iran’s population is Shiite
The Diffusion of Islam
The Hajj-Pilgrims circle the holy Kaaba in the Grand Mosque in
Mecca, Saudi Arabia during the Hajj.
Minaret
(for call to prayer)
stands on the Sabah
State Mosque
in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
The Dome of the Rock,
with its gilded dome and
octagonal base, stands
in Jerusalem.
After the Great Mosque
at Mecca and the
Prophet’s tomb at
Medina, it is Islam’s
third holiest site.
According to Muslim
tradition, the rock at its
center was the point
from which the Prophet
Muhammad visited
heaven one night in 619.
Buddhism
Location?
East Asia, Southeast Asia
3rd largest universalizing religion
Branches
Mahayana
Theravada
Vajrayana
Accurate number is difficult to count because primarily only monks
participate in religious functions, people can be a believer in Buddhism but
also other Eastern religions
Buddhist Beliefs
Founder?
Siddhartha Guatama – present day Nepal
Four Noble Truths
Suffering leads to reincarnation
Endless cycle of reincarnation until Nirvana is attained through an
Eightfold Path
Hinduism
Universalizing or ethnic?
3rd largest religion – 900 million adherents
Location?
90% in India, others in Bangladesh and Nepal
Allegiance to a particular god or concept within a broad range of
possibilities
Vaishnavism, Sivaism are the largest
Origin of Hinduism
No specific founder
Existed prior to recorded history
1500 BC – earliest surviving documents
Judaism
Universalizing or ethnic?
14 millions adherents
United States/Israel
Christianity and Islam have roots in Judaism
Diffusion of Judaism
Different than other ethnic religions, practiced in many countries
Romans forced them to disperse
Diaspora
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)
Western Wall, Jerusalem
Places of Worship
Sacred Places
Ethnic religions – holy places derive from the distinctive physical
environment
Universalizing religions – cities and other places associated with
founder’s life endowed with holiness
Islam – Mecca (birthplace of Muhammed), Medina (Muhammed’s
tomb)
Hinduism – tirtha (pilgrimage), Mt. Kailas, Ganges River – holiest river
Disposing of the dead
Christians, Muslims, Jews usually bury dead in a cemetery
Cemeteries can consume significant space, put pressure on agricultural
land
Hindus – cremation, tends to strain India’s wood supply
Administration of Space
Hierarchical religion – well-defined geographic structure and organizes
territory into local administrative units
Example?
Roman Catholic - Pope, Archbishops, Bishops, Priests
Autonomous religion – self-sufficient, little interaction between
communities
Examples?
Islam, Protestantism, Judaism, Hinduism
Religion vs. Social Change
Globalization has exposed local residents in developing countries to
values and beliefs originating in the West
Many religious adherents in developing countries view economic
development as incompatible with religious values
Afghanistan – strict laws inspired by Islamic values imposed by the
Taliban
India – caste system shortcomings highlighted by British
administrators and Christian missionaries, efforts to provide more
opportunities to lower castes more recently
Religion vs. Communism
Communist government of the Soviet Union pursued antireligious
programs
Marxism became the official doctrine, so religious doctrine was a
potential threat, religion dwindled in daily life
Fall of the Soviet Union brought religious revival to Eastern Europe
and Central Asia
Buddhism in Vietnam/SE Asia Countries – neither sides of Vietnam
War were sympathetic to Buddhists
Current governments have discouraged religious activities
Religion vs. Religion
Island of Eire (Ireland)
Republic of Ireland – 87% Catholic, Northern Ireland (UK) – 46%
Protestant, 40% Catholic
Catholics in Northern Ireland have been excluded from higher-paying
jobs and better schools
Catholics began protesting in 1968, 3000 have been killed since then
Extremist groups disrupt daily life despite the majority of Catholics
and Protestants wanting to live in peace with each other