Key Issue 2: Why Do Religions Have Different Distributions?

1
Key Issue 2Why Do Religions Have Different
Distributions?
2
Origin of Universalizing Religions

• Each can be traced to a man who lived since the
  start of recorded history
• Buddhism
• Christianity
• Islam

3
Origin of Christianity

• Jesus
• The four Gospels of the Christian Bible
• Matthew
• Mark
• Luke
• John

4
Roman Catholics

• Accept the teachings of the Bible as well as the
  authority of the Church hierarchy (the Pope)
• 7 sacraments Baptism, Confirmation, Penance,
  Anointing the Sick, Matrimony, Holy Orders, and
  the Eucharist)
• transubstantiation

5
Eastern Orthodoxy

• Split from the Roman Catholic Church
• Patriarch of Constantinople
• Accept the 7 Sacraments, but reject doctrines
  added by the Roman Catholics after the 8th Century

St. Basils Cathedral, Moscow
Capernaum
6
Protestantism

• The Reformation
• Martin Luthers 95 Theses
• Individuals directly communicate with Goddont
  have to go through a priest/Pope

7
Origin of Islam

• Origin similar narrative to Judaism and
  Christianity Adam Abraham
• Hagar and Ishmael
• Second wife and son
• Banished
• Makkah/Mecca

8
Muhammad

• Born about A.D. 570
• The visions
• Arabic and the Quran
• The Hijra
• Sunni and Shiite
• Muslims

9
Origin of Buddhism

• Siddhartha Gautama
• Born a prince in 563 B.C. in present day Nepal
• The Buddha,
• the Enlightened One
• Spread the message in India

10
Origin of Hinduism

• No specific founder
• Existed prior to recorded history
• Invasion of the Aryan tribes from Central Asia
  into India (1400 B.C.)
• Religion mixed with the Dravidians (who already
  lived there)
• This became Hinduism

11
Diffusion of Religions
12
Diffusion of Christianity

• Christianity diffused through all forms of
  diffusion
• Relocation Diffusion
• Contagious Diffusion
• Hierarchical in the 4th Century
• Since the year 1500, missionary activity by
  Europeans extended Christianity to other regions
  of the world

13
(No Transcript)
14
Diffusion of Islam

• Hierarchical diffusion Muslim armies
• Relocation missionaries to sub-Saharan Africa
  and Southeast Asia

15
Lack of Diffusion of Ethnic Religions

• Most have limited diffusion
• They lack missionaries to go out and try to
  convert
• Mingling of Ethnic and Universalizing Religions
• Africa in some places Christianity is mixed
  with the traditional religion
• Japan Buddhism is mixed with Shintoism

16
Judaism An Exception

• Judaism is practiced in many countries
• Diaspora
• Ghettos
• Following the Holocaust

17
Holy Places

• Ethnic Religions holy places derive from the
  distinctive physical environment of their hearths
• Universalizing Religions endow with holiness
  cities and places associated with their founders
  lives.

18
Buddhist Shrines

• Eight locations of important events in Buddhas
  life
• Example Bodh Gaya, where he reached
  enlightenment

19
Holy Places in Islam

• Holiest places cities associated with Muhammad
• Makkah
• the Kaba
• The Hajj
• Medina

20
Holy Places in Sikhism
The Darbar Sahib, or Golden Temple
21
Holy Places in Hinduism

• Closely tied to the physical geography in India
• Natural features rank as holy river banks or
  coastlines
• A tirtha
• The Ganges

22
Cosmogony in Ethnic Religions

• Cosmogony a set of religious beliefs concerning
  the origin of the universe
• Yin (earth, darkness, female, etc.)
• Yang (heaven, light, male, etc.)

23
The Calendar in Ethnic Religions

• A prominent feature is the celebration of the
  seasons
• The Jewish Calendar
• agricultural
• Lunar calendar
• The Solstice
• Pagan religions
• Stonehenge

24
The Calendar in Universalizing Religions

• Holidays commemorate events in the founders
  life
• Climate and agricultural cycle are not central to
  the liturgy and rituals

25

• So
• Why do different religions have different
  distributions?