1. Religion A particular system of faith and worship
A system of beliefs and practices that attempts to order life in terms of culturally perceived ultimate priorities

2. Religion is mixed in with ethnicity, nationalism, and culture
Religious cultural landscapes - churches, temples, mosques, shrines, cemeteries, statues, veils, turbans, beards and scars
Shinto torii in Japan
Both Religion and language are the foundation of culture.
Religion confers identity
In less developed nations it is a binding force and a guide for daily routine
Languages aren’t changed by persuasion, but RELIGION CAN BE
Missionaries of evangelical religions travel all over the world.

3. Key Characteristics of Religion
Set of doctrines or beliefs relating to a god or gods
Structure or hierarchy of officials
Rituals for:
Birth
Death
Reaching adulthood
Marriage
Prayer
Routine services on a Fri, Sat. or Sun.
Mosque in Nigeria

4. Impact of religion Calendars, holidays Architecture place names
slogans on coins or flags
Promoting education
Social reforms
Blocked scientific study
Supported imperialism
Kept women inferior
Muslims at prayer in France

5. Religions are divided into
Branches-a large and fundamental division within a religion
Denomination-a division of a branch that unites a number of local congregations into a single administrative body - often based on theological understandings
Sect-has several meanings-
A relatively small group that broke away from an bigger group
An organized ecclesiastical body
A dissenting or schismatic religious body

6. Classifications of Religions
Universalizing religions – religions that actively seek converts because members believe they offer belief systems of universal appropriateness and appeal.
Ethnic religions – religions whose adherents are born into the faith and whose members do not actively seek converts.

7. Classifications of Religions
Monotheistic religions – worship a single deity.
Polytheistic religions – worship more than one deity, even thousands.
Animistic religions – belief that inanimate objects posses spirits and should be revered.

8. Religious Typology Monotheistic, Polytheistic, Animistic
Global or Universal-found all over the world-seek converts-aim to be universal
Evangelical-religions that seek new converts
Cultural religion-limited to a national culture or a single region
Judaism is not considered a cultural religion due to its global dispersal
Cultural religions-Hinduism in India, Shinto in Japan, Confucianism and Daoism in China

11. Numbers are not exact since East Asia has many unregistrered Christians.