1. Chapter 6
“Religion”

2. Religions of the World

3. This next slide contains a map that was on last year’s AP Final exam.

4. 1. The map above shows the distribution of three religious groups in the contiguous United States.
A. Using the letters in the legend, name the three religious groups shown on the map.
B. For ONE of the three religious groups, first identify and then explain TWO factors that have influenced the
distribution shown on the map.
C. Explain how the map as presented at this scale is an incomplete representation of the geography of religion
in the United States.

6. Religion and Language lie at the foundation of culture
Universalizing religions – …
Ethnic religions (cultural) – …

7. Predominant Region(s) Followers (in millions)
Major World Religions
Religion
Predominant Region(s)
Followers (in millions)
Christianity
Am, Eur, Aus, Rus
1524
Roman Catholic
C & S Am, Eur
829
Protestant
N Am, N Eur, Aus
503
Orthodox
E Eur, Rus, C Asia
192
Islam
N Afr, SW Asia, Indo.
1157
Sunni
N Afr, SW Asia
996
Shia (Shiite)
Iran
163
Hinduism
India
757
Buddhism
SE Asia, China, Japan
347
Chinese Religions
China
263
Sikhism
S Asia 22
Judaism
US, Eur 17

8. The Universalizing Religions can be divided into Branches, Denominations and Sects.
A Branch is a large fundamental division with a religion. Eg. Roman Catholic is a branch of Christianity.
A Denomination is a division of a branch that unites a number of local congregations in a single legal and administrative body. Eg. Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal and Lutheran are denominations of the Protestant church.
A Sect is a relatively small group broken away from an established denomination. The ‘Community of the Ladies of all Peoples’ is a sect of the Protestant Church.

9. Christianity - > 1.5 billion, Bible
Major denominations
Roman Catholic – Papacy (Rome)
Protestant – Luther (Germany)
Orthodox – Constantinople (Turkey)
Source, Beliefs, Diffusion
- Bible - holy book
Jesus – son of God (Jerusalem);
Roman Emperor Constantine (312 AD) spreads Christianity (hierarchical and relocation diff),
spreads throughout Europe & Balkans (contagious diff)
European colonialism - Americas & Africa (relocation diff)

10. Diffusion of Christianity
Christianity diffused from Palestine through the Roman Empire and continued diffusing through Europe after the fall of Rome. It was later replaced by Islam in much of the Mideast and North Africa.

11. Islam - > 1 billion
Major denominations
Sunni – orthodox (majority) - leadership of the Muslim nation – can be elected
Shiite – leadership of the Muslim nation – must be related to the Prophet Muhammad or appointed by him
Source & Beliefs
Qu’ran - holy book
Muhammad is the messenger of God
(571 AD, Mecca, Medina);
“Five Pillars” – shahada (profession of faith), pray 5 X day, fasting (Ramadan), almsgiving, pilgrimage to Mecca - Haj
Mosque

12. Diffusion
Spread from Medina (Saudi Arabia) follows hierarchical diffusion – conquest – Ottoman Empire
Spread through Arab traders throughout N Africa (contagious diff) – convert many animist believers.
Crusades - stop the spread of Islam (1095 – 1199) – illustrate struggle b/w Christianity & Islam
Spread to Malaysia & Indonesia (largest Muslim country today) – relocation diffusion

13. Diffusion of Islam

14. Hinduism - >750 million
Oldest major religion
Source & Beliefs
Indus Valley (Pakistan; 4,000 yrs. ago)
Ganges River
Caste system (Untouchables – lowest, Brahman -highest caste),
Karma (force generated by a person’s actions) – affects transmigrations into future existence), reincarnation)
Cremation
Diffusion
Spread into SE Asia, Bali (Indonesia) – relocation diff as well as contagious diff - mainly through trade and migration

15. Buddhism - <350 million
Source and Beliefs
Gautama (the Buddha – enlightened one (wealthy founder, 6th c. BC)
Buddha sought to end suffering, seek to achieve nirvana (highest level of enlightenment), no true God or deity, believe in reincarnation
Pagodas and shrines, often bell-shaped (protect burial mounds), Buddha (cross-legged pose)
Diffusion
Spread from Nepal to the South and the East – relocation diff and contagious diff - trade and migration

16. Diffusion of Buddhism
Buddhism diffused gradually from its origin in northeastern India to Sri Lanka, southeast Asia, and eventually China and Japan.

17. Judaism - >12.8 million
Source and Beliefs
- Torah (Five Books of Moses)
- Belief in God – special relationship with God (Covenant); Abraham, Moses
Waiting for the Messiah
Synagogue
Diffusion
- Zionist movement led to homeland (Israel);
- Jerusalem - Diffusion due to migration and persecution (Diaspora - forced dispersion).

18. Chinese Religions:
Taoism: Lao-Tsu, Fung Shui
organizing life & space
Confucianism:
Confucian Classics (13 texts, 5th c. BC)
elements of Buddhism
Other Religions:
Sikhism - Punjab (NW India), monotheistic, elements of Hinduism & Islam
Shintoism – Buddhism & Japanese culture
Shamanism– people follow a shaman (religious leader)
Baha’l – Iran – new - began in the 19th Century – open to other religions – main holy place is in Haifa - Israel

19. Diffusion of Universalizing Religions
Each of the three main universalizing religions diffused widely from its hearth.

20. Click here to see an excellent animation (Flash) that illustrates the diffusion of the major religions through time.

21. Diffusion of the 4 Major Religions

22. Key Terms:
Monotheistic – …
Syncretism – …
Secularism – …
Theocracy – …

23. Ghetto - …
Fundamentalist - …
Animism - …
Polytheism - …

24. Three main religions have similar origins – Christianity, Judaism, Islam:
- All three believe Adam was the first Man
Abraham was one of his descendants
These 3 religions all believe in God/Allah and that Abraham was a great prophet. Jerusalem is the area where the Canaanites lived (the promised land given to them from God. The Canaanites were the ancestors of the Hebrews, also called Israelites and today Jews.

25. Jerusalem is a major city for all three faiths
Jerusalem is a major city for all three faiths. - Judaism – Temple Mount – Wailing Wall (Western Wall) – Where God gathered dust and created Adam
- Islam – Dome of the Rock – East side of the wailing wall – Muhammad assent into Heaven
- Christianity – Where Jesus lived, preached and died.

26. Jerusalem
The Old City of Jerusalem contains holy sites for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

27. All three began roughly the same part of the world – Center of Population at the time, major trade routes. This area was at one time or another controlled by the Egyptians, The Romans, The Hebrews and the Ottomans.

28. Interesting to discuss how each Religion views or effects the following:
Cosmogony – origins of the universe
Religious Calendar
Rituals for the Dead
Toponyms
Pilgrimages - location of Holy Places
How conflicts have been centered on Religion - Middle East, Northern Ireland, Iraq/Iran
Religious Landscape/Architecture
How each Religion handles expansion and defence of it’s faith

29. Boundary Changes in Palestine/Israel
The UN partition plan for Palestine in 1947 contrasted with the boundaries that were established after the 1948–49 War. Major changes later resulted from the 1967 War.

30. Protestants in Northern Ireland
Percent Protestant population by district in Ireland, When Ireland became independent in 1937, 26 northern districts with large Protestant populations chose to remain part of the United Kingdom.

31. Religion and Geography
Landscape and Sacred Space
-Places possess sacredness
Religious Ecology
-Mountains, rivers and natural hazards are holy
Religion and Environmental Modification
-Humans rule the earth and have dominion of the animals and plants
Religion and the Economy
-Wine, Pork, alcohol, food taboos
Religion and Political Geography
-Theocracies
Landscapes of the Dead
-Cemeteries, tombs, ceremonies
Religious Names on the land
-Toponyms

32. Religion and Geography
Landscape and Sacred Space
-Places possess sacredness
Religious Ecology
-Mountains, rivers and natural hazards are holy
Religion and Environmental Modification
-Humans rule the earth and have dominion of the animals and plants
Religion and the Economy
-Wine, Pork, alcohol, food taboos
Religion and Political Geography
-Theocracies
Landscapes of the Dead
-Cemeteries, tombs, ceremonies
Religious Names on the land
-Toponyms

33. Architecture - Cultural Landscape

34. Christianity

35. First Church of Christ, Connecticut
Christian architecture
First Church of Christ, Connecticut

36. Basilica of St. Francis, Assisi, Italy
Christian architecture
Basilica of St. Francis, Assisi, Italy

37. Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, France
Christian architecture
Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, France

38. Christian architecture
Ideal Gothic Church

39. Greek Orthodox (Byzantine) Church in Crete, Greece

40. St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City - Rome
Christian architecture
St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City - Rome

41. Islam

42. Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem, Israel
Islamic architecture
Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem, Israel

43. The Blue Mosque, Istanbul, Turkey

44. Santa Sophia (Hagia) – Istanbul, Turkey

45. Islamic architecture
Mecca, Saudi Arabia

46. Sikhism

47. Golden Temple, Amritsar, India
Hindu and Islamic architecture
Golden Temple, Amritsar, India

48. Hinduism

49. Shiva Temple, Rameshvaram
Hindu architecture
Shiva Temple, Rameshvaram
& Badrinath, India

50. Rajarani Temple, Bhubaneshwar, India
Hindu architecture
Rajarani Temple, Bhubaneshwar, India

51. Bathing in the Ganges River by Hindu Pilgrims

52. Buddhism

53. Swayabhunath Stupa, Kathmandu, Nepal
Buddhist architecture
Swayabhunath Stupa, Kathmandu, Nepal

54. That Phanom Shrine, Thailand
Buddhist architecture and statue
That Phanom Shrine, Thailand

55. Buddhist statue
Buddha Statue

56. Shintoism

57. Senjokaku Shrine, Miyajima, Japan
Buddhist architecture
Senjokaku Shrine, Miyajima, Japan

58. Judaism

59. Wailing Wall, Jerusalem, Israel
Jewish holy place
Wailing Wall, Jerusalem, Israel

60. Holy Blossom, Toronto

61. Western Wall & Temple Mount, Jerusalem, Israel

62. Baha’i

63. One Temple in each of the Continents:
Chile
India
USA
Western Samoa
Panama
Australia
Uganda
Turkmenistan
Baha’i Temple - Illinois

64. Vocabulary List

65. Religion (groups, places) Religious architectural styles
Unit III. Cultural Patterns and Processes, Part 2—Basic Vocabulary and Concepts
Religion
Animism
Buddhism
Cargo cult pilgrimage
Christianity
Confucianism
Ethnic religion
Exclave/enclave
Fundamentalism
Geomancy (feng shui)
Hadj
Hinduism
Interfaith boundaries
Islam
Jainism
Judaism
Landscapes of the dead
Monotheism/polytheism
Mormonism
Muslim pilgrimage
Muslim population
Proselytic religion
Reincarnation
Religion (groups, places)
Religious architectural styles
Religious conflict
Religious culture hearth
Religious toponym
Sacred space
Secularism
Shamanism
Sharia law
Shintoism
Sikhism
Sunni/Shia
Taoism
Theocracy
Universalizing
Zoroastrianism

66. The End!