Chapter 6: Religion What is a religion?

Religion A set of beliefs –existence of a higher power, spirits or god –an explanation of the origins and purpose of humans and their role on earth –Which involves rituals, festivals, rites of passage and space (religious landscapes)

Main Types of Religion Universalizing Religion: attempts to appeal to all people, not just those living in a particular location. Ethnic Religions: concentrated spatial distribution whose principles are likely based on physical characteristics of a particular location. Monotheism: existence of only one god. Polytheism: existence of many gods.

How do Universalizing and Ethnic Religions Differ? Universalizing Appeal to people everywhere Individual founder (prophet) Message diffused widely (missionaries) Followers distributed widely. Holidays based on events in founder’s life. Ethnic Appeal to a smaller group of people living in one place. Unknown source. Content focused on place and landscape of origin. Followers highly clustered. Holidays based on local climate and agricultural practice.

Holy Places reflect the Religious Beliefs Ethnic religions rooted in a distinctive physical environment For example: –Hindu - The Ganges River in India. –Hindu - Himalayas Mt. Kalias in Nepal. Universal religions holy places are associated with the founder’s life. For example: –Christian - The city of Jerusalem –Muslim - The city of Mecca –Buddhist- Locations of important events in Buddha's life.

Major World Religions Ethnic Religions –Hinduism –Judaism –all Animistic Religions No specific founder limited diffusion / no missionaries

Major World Religions Universalizing Religions –Christianity –Islam –Buddhism Traced to actions and teaching of a man Diffused from specific hearths by followers / missionaries

How Did These Religions Diffuse to Where They Are? IslamChristianity Buddhist Traveling merchants go to North Africa Early believers spread ideas to the Roman Empire. European Colonization spreads Christianity worldwide. Monks travel into China, Tibet and Southeast Asia. Sea routes to Indonesia and Philippines introduced Islam. Ocean trading routes to China brought Buddhism. Missionaries Alliance with powerful communist countries. Alliance with technologically powerful western world & capitalism. Powerful kingdom of Magadhan Empire helped establish religion.

Religious Divisions Branch: A large and fundamental division within a religion. Denomination: A division within a branch of a religion. Sect: A relatively small denominational group that has broken away from an established church.