Chapter 6 - Religion

four largest religions

four largest religions

• Christian (31.1%)

• Islam (24.9%)

• Hinduism (15.2%)

• Buddhism (6.6%)

universalizing religions

appeals to everyone despite geography

ethnic religions

appeals to a specific culture/region

unaffiliated

(16% of the population)

• atheism: the belief that God doesn’t exist

• agnosticism: the belief that God’s existence can’t be proven to be true/false

congregation

local assembly of people united for a common religious worship

denomination

local congregations united for a legal/administrative body

branch

large/fundamental division within a religion

Christian branches

• Roman Catholic (50%)

• Protestant (38%)

• Orthodox (12%)

branches of Buddhism

• Mahayana (56%) - China

• Theravada (38%) - Japan + Korea

• Vajrayana (6%) - Tibet + Mongolia

branches of Islam

• Sunni

• Shia/Shiite

primal indigenous religions

• shamanism: invisible forces are among the living

• paganism: gods with human forms

Chinese traditional religions

• syncretic: combine several different traditions

• confucianism: ethics above all

• taoism: not everything is knowable

African traditional

• animism: aspects of nature have spirits

Hajj

a rite of passage for Muslims; takes places mostly in Mecca; includes the Kaaba

five pillars of Islam

• Shahadah (monotheism)

• Salat (pray)

• Zakat (charity)

• Sawm of Ramadan (fast)

• Hajj (pilgrimage)

four noble truths (Buddhism)

• All living beings suffer

• Reincarnation

• Nirvana

• Eightfold path

zionism

Jewish nationalism formed through persecution and forced ghettos

fundamentalism

strict adherence to the basic principles of a religion

castes

• Hindu hierarchical classes

  • Brahmans (priests/administrators)

  • Kshatriyas (warriors)

  • Vaisyas (merchants)

  • Shudras (agricultural/artisans)

  • Dalits (broken/untouchables)

Jerusalem

most scared site for Islam, Judaism, and Christianity

• due to the shared connection to Abraham