RELIGION: THE GEOGRAPHIC PERSPECIVE

Hinduism-ethnic religion Ganesh Shrine, Kathmandu, Nepal Chronologically, the oldest of the major religions Arose in Indus Valley, ~4,000 years ago No evolving bureaucratic structures Reincarnation Doctrines allied with India's caste system Tied to the physical landscape Modernization and Gandhi helped relax the caste system

Hinduism Diffusion Arose in what is now Pakistan No modern expansion diffusion Area overtaken by Buddhism and Islam Bali outpost has become a syncretic faith Relocation diffusion not the foci Cultural landscape Hinduism is a way of life Building a temple gives good Karma… Shrine location important Visual AND emotional

Buddhism- Universalizing Resurgence in India Buddha (Prince Siddhartha) spoke out against caste system Diffusion Grew slowly after Buddha’s death Fragmented today, but experiencing a revival Principals keep diffusing, notably in the Western world Cultural landscape The Bodhi tree Pagodas

Chinese religions- Ethnic religions Taoism Confucianism Diffusion Confucianism diffused early into the Korean Peninsula, Japan, and Southeast Asia Taoism = more local Chinese communist authorities leveled burial mounds because they took up too much ground suitable for farming Cultural landscape Confucianism and Taoism help expand impact of Buddhist cultural influences

Shinto: ethnic religion of Japan

Judaism-ethnic religion, exception to the rule, has diffused The oldest major religion to emerge west of the Indus Valley Diffusion Diaspora Sephardim Zionism=homeland for Jewish people Israel created in 1948 by UN Cultural landscape Synagogues, but no single architectural style Star of David appears on most Jewish graves The “Wailing Wall”

Wailing Wall, Jerusalem, Israel

Christianity-Universalizing Jewish search for deliverance from Romans & appearance of Jesus Paul’s role Eastern Roman Empire (Constantinople) Eastern (Orthodox) Church still one of three major branches The papacy, second branch Protestant movement Diffusion A combination of expansion and relocation diffusion during European colonialism Most widespread of the global religions Aggressive and persistent proselytism

Christianity Cultural landscape Medieval Europe Imprint of death on the landscape Uses more land for cemeteries than any other faith

Christianity Religions and culture regions in the United States The Mormon culture region Christian culture regions better known

Islam-universalizing The youngest of the major faiths Religious and social disarray in Arab world Unifying religious faith and set of values Mecca, Medina, then Jerusalem became the spiritual center Believed strongly in education Still the heart of Arab culture Islamization

Islam by 900 CE

Islam: Shiite Regions and sects Division  conflict-2 BRANCHES Sunnis: family and community to solve problems Shiites: Imam is “solver” Imams—Shiite Muslims leaders whose appointments are regarded as sanctioned by Allah Diffusion Trading expansions led to conflicts with Christianity The Crusades Continues to attract converts Experiencing resurgence; expansion will continue Classic example of hierarchical diffusion

Islam Cultural landscape Mosques dominate the urban landscapes Muslim architects very skilled Exquisite and distinct architecture A symbol for faith and community Islam religion and culture are one

The Alhambra an example of Muslim Architecture

The Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem an example of Muslim tile glazing

Religious Fundamentalism A worldwide drive by millions back to the “basics” (in whose eyes?) of religious faith Often born out of frustration “Tunnel Vision” 9/11 led to many American’s equating terrorism with Islam Globalization and religions 1. strict adherence to the holy text 2. pious or religiosity 3.

Religious Fundamentalism Christian fundamentalism Christian fundamentalism most pronounced in Protestantism Islamic fundamentalism Laws not equally applied Inconsistency breeds dissidence From Shah to Ayatollah 1970s and 1980s most significant Afghanistan under the Taliban Jihad and Wahhabi Extreme Islamic fundamentalists who resort to violence are relatively small in number (Usually from the Shiites)

Resources De Blij, Harm, J. (2007). Human Geography People, Place and Culture. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons Inc. Domosh, Mona, Neumann, Roderic, Price, Patricia, & Jordan-Bychkov, The Human Mosaic, A Cultural Approach to Human Geography. New York: W.H. Freeman and Company. Fellman, Jerome, D., Getis, Arthur, & Getis, Judith, Human Geography, Landscapes of Human Activities. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Pulsipher, Lydia Mihelic and Alex M. and Pulsipher, World Regional Geography, Global Patterns, Local Lives. W.H. Freeman and Company New York. Rubenstein, James M. (2008). An introduction to human geography The cultural landscape. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. Benewick, Robert, & Donald, Stephanie H. (2005). The State of China Atlas. Berkeley: University of California Press.