World%20Religion

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World Religion

• Where are religions distributed?
• Why do they have different distributions?

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The Paradox of Religion

• All religions hold peace as the highest value.
• Loving thy enemy is common to all religion
• So why is so much conflict centered around
  religion?
• Geographers are concerned with distribution of
  religion and the potential for conflict

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Globalization vs. Local Diversity

• People care deeply about their religion and draw
  core values/beliefs from it
• Some designed to appeal to all people, while
  others appeal to geographically limited areas
• Religious values are a mark of culture and ways
  people organize the landscape
• Most religions require exclusive adherence,
  adopting a universal religion comes at the
  expense of a local religion
• Unlike language, you can only have 1 religion.
• Like language, people carry religion with them
  when they migrate
• Assimilated people usually lose native language
  before religion

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Universalizing vs Ethnic Religions

• Universalizing- attempt to be global, appeal to
  all people.
• Ethnic- appeals primarily to 1 group of people in
  1 place.
• 62 universalizing, 24 ethnic, 14 no religion

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Universalizing

• 3 main ones- Christianity, Islam, Buddhism
• Branch- large and fundamental division within a
  religion
• Denomination- division of a branch that unites a
  number of congregations in a single body
• Sect- small group that has broken away from a
  denomination

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Examples

• Religion- Christianity
• Branch- Protestant
• Denomination- Baptist
• Sect- Southern Baptist Convention, National
  Baptist Convention
• R- Islam
• B- Sunni, Shiite
• D- American Muslim Mission
• S- Nation of Islam

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Christian Branches

• 3 main branches- Roman Catholicism (52), Eastern
  Orthodox (10), Protestant (21)-
• 27 not part of these 3 branches, including 5
  nonreligious Christians
• Protestant/Catholic areas sharply divided
• Over 2 billion people worldwide call themselves
  Christian

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Western hemisphere

• 90 of West is Christian
• 5 other, 6 nonreligious
• Latin Am 93 Catholic, N. America 29
• Among Protestants in US, Baptists largest,
  followed by Methodists, Pentecostal, and Lutheran
• Catholics in US concentrated in NE and SW

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Smaller branches

• Egyptian Coptic/Ethiopian- from 4th century, when
  shipwrecked Christian slaves converted Ethiopian
  king
• About 10 million in Ethiopia
• Armenian church originated in Antioch, members
  concentrated in Lebanon, Armenia, NE Turkey and
  SW Azerbaijan

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Smaller branches

• Maronites- a small Christian sect concentrated in
  Lebanon
• Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
  (Mormons) consider themselves an independent
  branch 3 of Americans, mostly Utah, some in
  Canada

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Islam

• 1.3 billion Muslims, mostly in Middle East from
  N. Africa to Central Asia, Indonesia, Pakistan,
  Bangladesh, India
• Islam means submission to the will of God, has
  a similar root to the word peace

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5 Pillars of Islam

• 1. There is no God but God, and Muhammad is his
  prophet
• 2. Pray 5 times/day, facing Mecca
• 3. Alms giving (charity)
• 4. Fasting during Ramadan
• 5. Pilgrimage to Mecca if able

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Branches of Islam

• 2 main ones- Sunni (orthodox) and Shiite
  (sectarian)
• Sunni 83, Shiite 16
• Shiite concentrated in Iran, Iraq, Pakistan
• Muslims in W. Europe a legacy of colonialism and
  immigration. E. Europe- Ottoman Empire
• 5 million Muslims in N. America

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Nation of Islam

• Aka Black Muslims started in 1930s in Detroit
• Led by Elijah Muhammad, advocated a separate
  nation within the US for themselves
• Malcolm X converted to orthodox Islam after a
  pilgrimage to Mecca, assassinated 1965

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Buddhism

• 400 million adherents
• Mainly in China and SE Asia
• 4 Noble Truths
• 1. Life is suffering
• 2. Suffering is caused by desire
• 3. To eliminate suffering, eliminate desire
• 4. To eliminate desire and achieve Nirvana,
  follow the Noble Eightfold Path- right beliefs,
  resolve, speech, action, livelihood, effort,
  thought, meditation

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Buddha
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Buddhist Branches

• Theravada little raft (38), Mahayana big
  raft (56), tantrayana yoga (6)
• Buddhists can adhere to more than one Eastern
  religion.

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Other Universalizing

• Sikhism- 25 million, mostly in Punjab region of
  India
• Kind of a combo of Islam and Buddhism
• Sikhs wear turbans and never cut beards/hair
• Bahai- 8 million, dispersed mostly in Asia and
  Africa
• Bahaullah wanted to overcome disunity and
  establish universal faith by abolishing class,
  race, and religious prejudices

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Ethnic religions

• Hinduism- 860 million, 3rd largest
• 97 in India
• It is up to you to decide the best way to worship
  God
• 4 paths- knowledge, renunciation, devotion, and
  action
• 68 Vishnu, mostly west
• 27 Shiva, mostly north and east

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Ethnic Religions

• Confucianism emphasizes li, or correct
  behavior, 5 relationships
• A series of ethical principles like following
  traditions and fulfilling obligations
• Taoism- seek the Tao, or way. Only by avoiding
  daily activities and introspection can a person
  live in harmony with the universe.
• Split into many sects

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Ethnic Religions

• Shintoism- ethnic religion of Japan- originally
  worshipped forces of nature
• Transmitted orally until 5th century when
  introduction of Chinese script
• Eventually deceased emperors and ancestors became
  more important gods than nature
• After WW2 Emperor forced to renounce his divinity

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Ethnic Religions

• Judaism- Most in Israel and US
• Israel 1st majority Jewish state since biblical
  times
• Jesus born a Jew, Islam, Christianity have roots
  in Judaism
• Founded by Abraham about 4000 yrs ago when he
  moved from Iraq to Canaan
• 1st monotheistic religion

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Ethnic Religions

• Patriarch Jacob (Judaism, Israel). Jacob had 12
  sons. 10 sons plus 2 grandsons 12 tribes of
  Israel who marched out of Egypt under Moses
• Each tribe got a piece of Canaan
• 10 tribes lost after they were forced to migrate
  to Assyria 721 BC

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Ethnic Religions

• African Religions- 100 million people, 12 of
  Africa are animists.
• Animism- plants, rocks, forces of nature have
  conscious life and spirit
• 1 supreme god and many other gods under him
• Orally transmitted
• Losing ground to universalizing religion

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Why do religions have different Distributions?

• Origin of Religions
• Diffusion of Religion

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Origin and Diffusion of Universalizing Religions

• All 3 based on life of a man
• Buddhism 2500 yrs old, Christianity 2000 yrs old,
  Islam 1500 yrs old
• Born between 8 and 4 BC

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Christianity

• Jesus born between 8 and 4 BC
• Crucified by Romans 30 AD
• Story of Life/works spread by 4 gospels- Matthew,
  Mark, Luke, John (New Testament)
• Christ is a title and means anointed one,
  from Greek Christos, from Hebrew messiah
• 3 days after death rose from dead

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Christianity

• Last Supper was Jewish Passover seder, meal
• Catholics- God conveys Grace through 7
  sacraments- Baptism, Confirmation, Penance,
  Anointing of the sick, Matrimony, Holy Orders,
  Eucharist
• Transubstantiation- bread/wine literally becomes
  blood and flesh of Christ- a miracle

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Christianity

• Split w/ Eastern Orthodox starts with division of
  Roman Empire
• Final Split in 1054- Great Schism
• Reject Catholic teachings after 700s AD
• Protestantism originated w/ the Reformation in
  1517 when Luther nailed the 95 theses up-
  response to Catholic corruption

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Origin of Islam

• Abe married Sarah- no son
• Married Hagar- son Ishmael
• Sarah son- Isaac
• Sarah told Hagar to take a hike
• Hagar/Ishmael end up in Mecca
• Muhammad born 570 AD
• At 40- married an older rich lady
• God spoke to him through angel Gabriel

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Islam

• Began to preach in Mecca, but they werent
  hearing it. 622 moved to Medina- hijra
  conversion
• Returned to Mecca w/ army
• Medina means city of the prophet
• Shiite follow caliph who is of Muhammads blood
  line, Sunnis believe any Muslim can be caliph
• Sunni/Shiite split 670AD

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Buddhism

• Siddhartha Gautama was a prince, born about 563BC
• 4 trips out at 29
• 1. old age
• 2. disease
• 3. death
• 4. monk and withdrawal from the world

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Buddhism

• After 6 years of solitude, emerged from the
  forest as the Buddha enlightened one
• Theravada focuses on wisdom, Mahayana focuses on
  compassion

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Other Universalizing

• Sikhism founded about 500 years ago
• Bahai founded early to mid 1800s

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Hinduism

• Ancient- Hindu artifacts date to 2500 BC
• Earliest Hindu writing 1500 BC
• 1400 BC- Aryan invasion
• Word Hinduism originated in 6th century BC
• While universalizing religions have a hearth and
  spread out, ethnic religions remain clustered in
  1 location

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Diffusion of Christianity

• Missionaries- individuals who help transmit a
  religion through relocation diffusion
• Paul was most important missionary and a disciple
  of Jesus
• Diffused along Roman roads and sea routes
• First towns, then country
• Pagan means countryside in Latin
• Roman Emperor Constantine adopted Christianity in
  313- official religion of Empire in 380

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Islam

• Also diffused through relocation diffusion-
  through conquest and intermarriage
• Rapid diffusion from Portugal to Indonesia

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Buddhism

• Diffused very slowly until Asoka, emperor of
  Magadhan Empire (273-232 BC) adopted it
• 1st spread to Sri Lanka, then SE Asia, China,
  Japan.
• By the time it got to Japan it was no longer
  dominant in India

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Others

• Sikhs remain clustered in Punjab province India
• Bahai built a temple on every continent in 20th
  century

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Mixing

• Independent Christian churches exist in Africa
  that mix traditional and Christian beliefs
• Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism have mixed in
  China
• Buddhism and Shinto mix in Japan
• Mauritius- ex of diffusion of ethnic religion-
  Hinduism

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Judaism

• An ethnic religion diffused all over the world
  because of expulsion of Jews from Canaan in 70 AD
  by Romans- diaspora
• Ghetto- section of city in Europe closed off-
  Jews live there

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Holy Places

• 8 sites in Nepal/India holy for Buddhists-
  locations important in Buddhas life
• Bo tree has become holy and has diffused to
  Buddhist countries
• Mecca holy to Muslims- Kaba- a stone thought to
  have been given to Abraham by Gabriel- meteor?
• Medina- 2 for holiness
• 3 is Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem

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Holy places

• Sikh- Golden Temple at Amritsar
• Pilgrimmage- a religious journey
• Tirtha- pilgrimmage for Hindus