Chapter 6 - Religion

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

**b**ranch

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