Slide 1: Chapter 3
The Geography of Religion: Spaces and Places of Faith
Slide 2: What is a Religion?
“A set of beliefs and practices, through which people seek mental and physical harmony with the powers of the universe, through which they attempt to influence and accommodate the awesome forces of nature, life and death.” –The Human Mosaic Some religions act as protective buffers between humans and the mysterious natural world, while others are elaborate belief systems with complex moral codes.
Slide 3: Religion and Tolerance
Slide 4: People are generally less tolerant of other religions than they are of any other outward expression of another culture.
Slide 5: Religion and Places
Religion can be highly territorial
There are often strong associations between faith and place
Ceremonies related to specific sites Locations tied to the history of a particular religion
Religious ties to the land may even be ancient
What if more than one group claims the same religious territory?
Slide 6: Jerusalem Current Event
Slide 7: Some Useful Terms
Religious groups may be proselytic or ethnic: Proselytic—actively seeking new members
Christianity, Islam, Buddhism—and Hinduism, at one time
Ethnic—identified with a particular ethnic or tribal group; does not seek new members
New members are usually married into or born into the group
Hinduism, Animism, Judaism
Note! Proselytic and ethnic religions are not static…
Slide 8: More Useful Terms
Monotheistic—Belief in a single god Polytheistic—Belief in many gods
It’s not quite this simple….
Monotheism, monistic theism, polytheism, pantheism, panentheism, (and don’t even get me started on the panoply of religious philosophies) ….etcetera, ad infinitum!
Slide 9: Even More Useful Terms
Syncretic religions—religions which combine elements of two or more different belief systems
Umbanda, Voudou, Santoria, etc.
Orthodox religions—emphasize purity of faith
From Greek: ortho = “right” doxy = “teaching”
Fundamentalism—intolerance of other belief systems
Slide 10: Religious Culture Regions
Strong, territorial ties are the defining trait Can be formal, functional, or vernacular
Slide 11: Formal Religious Culture Regions
Mapping culture traits related to a religion in order to show the spatial distribution of adherents around the world Boundaries are often a bit arbitrary (How do you map a high rise apartment building???)
Slide 12: Functional Religious Culture Regions
Functional
Mapping networks of religious administration, for example Scale varies
(Example: personal social networks vs. links between one church and the community vs. all churches within a parish)
Slide 13: Vernacular Religious Culture Regions
Based on a sense of belonging
“The Bible Belt”
Slide 14: How many religious people are there?
If the entire world consisted of 100 people….
Slide 15: There would be…
33 Christians 19 Moslems 15 Nonreligious, Agnostics, or 14 Hindus Atheists 6 Buddhists 6 Chinese composite faiths 4 Animist/Shamanist 2 All other religions
Slide 16: Spatial Distribution
Slide 17: Wait…whose map do we use?
Slide 18: Abrahamic Faiths
Monotheistic Descendants of Abraham
All began in the same region Judaism—Ethnic Christianity—Proselytic Islam—Proselytic
Proselytic or Ethnic?
Religious teachings of each “build” upon previous regional faiths
Slide 19: Semitic/Abrahamic Religions Flow Chart
Judaism
Christianity
Islam Eastern Orthodoxy Roman Catholic Church (Armenian, Coptic, Maronite, Nestorian)
Sunni Protestantism (Baptist, Lutheran, Moravian, Methodist, Anglican, Church of Christ, Quakers, Reformed, Pentecostal, United Church of Christ, Mennonite, Episcopal, etc.) National Orthodox Churches (Russian, Greek, Ukrainian, Serbian, etc.)
Shiah (Shiite)
Mormonism (Latter Day Saints)
Slide 20: Judaism
Slide 21: Jewish History
Monotheistic Founded by Abraham
born Abram in Ur, Babylonia c. 1800 BCE (about 3800 years ago) Son of an idol merchant; believed in a single Creator; taught others Sarai gives her maidservant, Hagar, as wife to Abram Hagar (daughter of Pharaoh, given to Abram during travels in Egypt) bore Abram a son, Ishmael (ancestor of the Arabs, according to both Muslim and Jewish tradition)
Abram and Sarai
When Abram was 100 and Sarai 90, they had a son, Isaac Abram became Abraham (“father of many”) and Sarai became Sarah (“princess”)
Isaac was the ancestor of the Jewish people
(Sibling rivalry?)
Slide 22: Judaism
Judaism has no formal set of beliefs; actions are considered more important than beliefs Thirteen principles of faith (min. req. of Jewish belief):
G-d exists, is one and unique, incorporeal, eternal, and omniscient Prayer is to be directed to G-d alone and to no other The words of the prophets (esp. Moses) are true Moses was given the only Torah—The Written Torah (first 5 books of the Bible) and Oral Torah (teachings now contained in the Talmud, etc.) G-d will reward the good and punish the wicked The Messiah will come and the dead will be resurrected
Slide 23: Jewish Dispersal
Forced dispersal from Roman times until the founding of Israel Over 1/3 of the Jewish population was murdered during WWII Many survivors fled to the U.S. where ½ of the Jewish population now lives
Slide 24: Christianity
Close to 2 billion adherents, more than any other religion (1/4 of the world’s population)
Slide 25: Christianity
Monotheistic; Holy book is the Bible (Jewish Bible/Old Testament + New Testament) Ten Commandments (given to Moses by God, Old Testament):
I am the Lord thy God; thou shalt have no other gods before me Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy Honor thy father and thy mother Thou shalt not kill, commit adultery, steal, or bear false witness against thy neighbor Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, wife, servants, animals, nor anything that is thy neighbor's
Slide 26: Christian History
Jesus, born into a Jewish family, was miraculously conceived after his mother was visited by an angel of God. He is considered to be the Son of God. Christians believe Jesus to be the incarnation of the Messiah (savior of souls) promised by the Old Testament of the Jews Persecution and death at the hand of the Romans Rose from the dead into Heaven; and will return to judge all souls; “true believers” will return to Heaven at world’s end
Slide 27: Christian History
Began as a sect of Judaism; the term “Christians” was not used until 100 C.E. (A.D.) Religious doctrine not formally codified until 380s C.E. From the 7th to the 14th Centuries:
Gradual division into a Western (Latin) branch and an Eastern (Greek) branch Divided due to many disagreements (administrative, liturgical, and doctrinal issues)
Slide 28: Christian History
15th Century
The Renaissance—re-examination of accepted beliefs The (Protestant) Reformation
1517—Martin Luther’s 95 Theses protesting church doctrine and practice; soon followed by other protestors English Parliament made the King of England Supreme Head of the Church of England and closed monasteries in England, Wales, and Ireland; King Henry VIII excommunicated
The Counter-Reformation (Catholic Reformation) Roman Catholic and Protestant competition became entangled with European politics and social conflicts Colonial missionaries spread Christianity to the Americas, Oceania, East Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa
Slide 30: Christianity in the U.S.
Individualistic Pioneer sentiment translated into new religious groups, sects and cults in the United States
Approx. 2000 religious denominations and cults in the U.S.
Is religion becoming more homogenized or more diverse?
Slide 31: Religious culture regions in the U.S.
Midwest—mixed (mainly Methodist) Conservative, with longstanding, strong infrastructures:
“Bible Belt”—Baptist and conservative fundamentalists Mormon stronghold— Utah Lutheran belt—from Wisconsin west to Dakotas Roman Catholic— Southern Louisiana (French), southwest (from Mexico/central and south America), and the heavilyindustrialized sections of the Northeast
Slide 32: Islam
Second largest, fastest-growing religion in the world; >1 billion followers
Slide 33: Islam
Monotheistic—the Arabic word for God is “Allah” Islam—Means “peace” and “submission”; followers of Islam are Muslims Different groups of Muslims regard their faith as bond and identity According to Muslims, Jesus, Moses, and Abraham are prophets of God and the final Prophet was Muhammad. Muslims base their laws on their holy book the Qur'an, and the Sunnah (the practical example of Prophet Muhammad)
Slide 34: The Five Pillars of Islam
There are five basic Pillars of Islam:
Shahadah: sincerely reciting the Muslim profession of faith 2. Salat: performing ritual prayers in the proper way five times each day 3. Zakat: paying an alms (or charity) tax to benefit the poor and the needy 4. Sawm: fasting during the month of Ramadan 5. Hajj: pilgrimage to Mecca
1.
Slide 35: Islamic History
Muhammad (Muhammed or Mohammed) b. 570 C.E., raised by his extended family Traveled with his uncle and became a trader
Met many people of other faiths on his travels; became dissatisfied with polytheism and came to believe in one God, Allah.
When he was about 40 years old, Muhammad began to have religious visions, in which he received "messages" or "revelations" from Allah. He then taught these to his followers. This continued until his death in 632 C.E. Muhammad’s visions became the basis for the Qur'an (Koran), the Islamic holy text
Slide 36: Islamic History
Rejected in Jerusalem; conquered Mecca; Islam spread rapidly Did not appoint a successor before he died, creating conflict
An original convert, or a powerful political figure, Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law? Should the position be elected or hereditary?
Led to the division into Sunnis (followers of the prophet's way), Shi'a, and Sufis
Slide 37: Islamic History
Sunnis—the largest group within the Muslim world Shi'a (Shiite)—believesuccessorship should remain within Muhammad's family; leaders are spiritually chosen; followed Muhammad's son-in-law, 'Ali, who was murdered; Shi'a dominate in Iran Sufis—Islamic mystics; believe orthodox Islam is too mechanical and impersonal; seek direct personal experience of the Divine
Slide 38: Islam
Christianity and Islam—Impressions of each for the other remain from the time of the Crusades; similar word for “infidel” in both Arabic and Latin
Slide 39: Hinduism
The oldest, still-practiced major religion in the world, originating in the Neolithic period (5500-2600BCE) Third largest religion: 1 billion (905 million in India) Very complex belief systems
Many distinct groups; some could be called separate religions Describing Hinduism as polytheistic is an oversimplification; general belief in a single great soul or God, many deities/incarnations
Hinduism was once a proselytizing religion; an outlier of Hinduism in Bali is evidence of old missionary activity
Slide 40: Hinduism
Some common elements in Hindu religious tradition:
Varnas—the sacred texts of Hinduism (also the oldest Sanskrit literature) originating in Ancient India; believed to have been “directly revealed”. Ahimsa—veneration of all forms of life, non-injury to sentient creatures Reincarnation/Samsara—the cycle of action, reaction, birth, death, and rebirth; the form of one’s rebirth is based on the deeds of the last life Caste system—rigid segregation according to ancestry and occupation
Slide 41: Caste
Castes exist in many cultures Hereditary systems of social class—determine one’s occupation, marriage partner, cultural practices, and social group Governed by dharma, the underlying order of the cosmos, which sets the rights and duties of each individual (symbol, the wheel, is on the Indian flag) Don’t confuse caste with “class” (economic status) The Indian caste system has been officially outlawed, yet still exists on many levels, especially in rural areas
Slide 42: The Four Varnas
Caste divisions of Hindu India:
Brahmins—priests, scholars/philosophers, teachers Kshatriyas—warriors and rulers Vaishyas—merchants/traders, craftspeople, and agriculturists Shudras—manual workers
Slide 43: Outside the Varnas
People who fall outside of the four varnas: Pariahs/Dalits—“untouchables”/“outcastes”; people who have no varnas (originally a part of the upper varna who fell out because they allegedly did not abide by the rules of society) Adivasis—people who were not a part of mainstream society; generally members of indigenous culture groups (tribes), which have their own (animistic) religions Mlechhas—foreigners; do not subscribe to the Vedas and the rules and values of Vedic society
Slide 44: Moksha
Moksha, nirvana or samadhi—the ultimate goal of life
The realization of one's union with God; realization of one's eternal relationship with God; realization of the unity of all existence; perfect unselfishness and knowledge of the Self; attainment of perfect mental peace; or detachment from worldly desires
Such a realization liberates one from samsara and ends the cycle of rebirth. The exact conceptualization of moksha differs among the various Hindu schools of thought.
Slide 45: Buddhism
Derived from Hinduism Based on teachings of Prince Siddhartha, the Budda Four noble truths:
Life is full of suffering Desire is the cause of suffering Cessation of suffering comes with the quelling of desire Follow the eight-fold path of conduct and meditation to overcome desire and reach Nirvana (heaven)
Most widespread religion in Asia Often fused with native ethnic religions (Confucianism, Taoism, Shintoism), making it difficult to determine numbers of believers
Slide 46: Taoism
Lao-Tse (604-531 BCE) 20 million followers Centered in Taiwan Basic tenants include:
Wu wei—letting nature take its course Harmony w/ the universe Yin/Yang Health and vitality valued (practicingTai Chi, for example) Inner meditation, outer observation The Three Jewels: compassion, moderation, humility
Slide 47: Animism/Shamanism
Tribal, ethnic groups Certain inanimate objects possess spirits or souls or act as links to the spirit world Shamans intercede between people and the supernatural Very complex belief systems Africa is the last great stronghold of Animism Many other animistic faiths survive as syncretic religions; most are combined with Christian religions
Slide 48: Secularization
Patterns of non-religious, agnostic (“we can’t possibly know the truth”), and atheistic (“there is no God/s”) Most pronounced in Europe Possible reasons:
Government hostility toward one faith or religion in general Failure of religions oriented to rural people to adapt to modern, urban life and popular cultures
Slide 49: Sacred Space—Spiritual Geography
All religions designate some form of sacred space
A place with some connection with the divine “A sacred place is an ordinary one made extraordinary through ritual.” --B.C. Lane
The Sacred Land Project—to identify and protect sacred space Ancient sacred spaces of dead religions may become functional once more
Example: Stonehenge
