Human Geography Unit 5

Universalizing religion

a religion that functions on a global scale

Ethnic religion

religions that develop and attract people who are part of a specific cultural group of people, or who are from a specific location

Three main subdivisions of religions:

polytheistic, monotheistic, and animist

Biggest religions as of 2010

Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism

Adherents

the number of people that are members of a religion and where they are located

Evangelize

to attempt to convert others into adopting a belief

Denominations

subsets of a religion

Solemnity

an event Central to the Christian faith (for example, every Sunday)

Denominations of Christianity

• Catholic

• Historical Protestant (Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, Reformed)

• Modern Protestant (Pentecostal, Non-denominational, African influenced)

• Miscellaneous Protestant (Amish, Quaker, Restoration, Seventh Day Adventist)

• Anglican (kinda Protestant)

How Christian architecture has affected the geographical landscape

• Cathedrals

• Churches

• Crosses

Islam Categories

• Monotheistic

• Universalizing

Founder of Islam

Muhammad

Where Muhammad recorded his communication from the Divine

the Qur’am

What the word “Islam” means

submission to God

How Islam spread

• hierarchical diffusion (political leadership)

• expansive diffusion (battles, trading, services)

• contagious diffusion (evangelizing)

  • Fatimid Empire (900s CE North Africa) made Islam the official religion

Ramadan

9th month of the religious calendar with certain practices such as fasting from dawn to dusk, self discipline, charity, etc.

Two major denominations of Islam

• Sunni (Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Yemen)

• Shia (Iraq, Syria, and Iran aka the Shia Crescent)

Branches of Islam

• Sunni

• Shia

• Suf

• Salafist/Wahabi

• Ismaili/Aleui/Alawite

Sunni

majority, follows saying, deeds, and practices of Muhammad with emphasis on text and interpretation

Shia

Believe Muhammad’s kin should become his successor, believe last 12 imans (people who lead prayers in the mosque) will reappear soon

Suf

followers of Islam’s mystical traditions and can identify as Sunni or Shia

Salafist/Wahabi

strict Sunni’s who imitate earliest gen of Islam and distrust modern interpretations

Ismaili/Alevi/Alewite

groups of Shia that disagree with mainstream Shia beliefs or traditions

Mosque/Masjid

Islam place of worship

characterized by minarets and domes

Azan

call from the Mosque to pray

Where Buddhism began

Indus Valley and Gorges River Valley culture

Founder of Buddhism

Siddhartha (560 BCE)

born in or near NE Himalayan foothills

Enlightenment

generally a person’s “peak experience” which consists of the discovery of exalted ideas, knowledge, and destinies

Reincarnation

a personhood would survive beyond one lifetime and be reborn into another

Status and identity in the next life would result from Karma

Karma

the moral ramifications dependent on one’s actions and thoughts that determines your future rebirth

The followers of Buddha

sangha (meaning assemblage)

Reasons behind the success of Buddhism

• Universal (applied to people regardless of demographic)

  • But divisions began to occur

    • by 100 BCE at least 8 sects existed

    • by 7th century only 3-4 sects remained

Modern sects of Buddhism

• Theraveda

• Mahayana

• Vajrayana

Theraveda

“Teaching of the Elders” also known as Southern Buddhism, dominant in Sri Lanka and Southeat Asia

Mahayana

“Great Vehicle” also called Eastern Buddhism, derived from Chinese Buddhist and is prominent in East Asia

Vajrayana

“Vajra Vehicle” also known as Mantroyana, Tibetan Buddhism, or Esoteric Buddhism, is practiced in northern areas of Tibet, Bhuten, and Mongolia

study notebook page for this

Bon

religion developed in Tibet and from the Tibetan culture group (like Bhutan and Nepal)

• originally animistic

• performs rituals for spirits

  • under guidance of a Shaman

• Adherents called Bonpos

• Ethnic Religion

• homs and temples for local spirits to have a sacred area

Animism

belief that non-human beings also have spirits and it denies the distinction between a material and spiritual world

Shaman

a special person among indigenous cultural groups who area able to access the spirit world as a mediator between culture groups and the spirit world (Avatar)

Example of syncretion in religion

In 1987, the leader of Tibetan Buddhism declared religious equality with Bon and prohibited discrimination

The Environment and Religion

• Environment can isolate a religion

• Christianity and Islam use architecture and symbols

• Buddhism uses stupas

Stupas

Buddhist monuments designed to venerate Buddha’s teachings and practices

About Stupas

• 3rd century BCE Indian Emperor Ashoka made almost 100,000 stupas in honor of Buddha

• originally made as small structures over relics but eventually built to honor events that took place at or near the site

• Oldest stupa is Dhamek Stupa, built in 500 and is supposedly where Buddha gave his first sermon

• Borobuder (in Java), Indonesia Stupa

  • one of the most ornate in the world

  • variety of platforms and domes

  • walls sculpted in bas-reliefs and extends over 6 kilometers

  • Site declared UNESCO world heritage site in 1991

  • Indonesia’s most visited locations

Dalai Lama

• issued statement “An Ethical Approach to Environmental Protection” (1986)

  • states greed and ignorance result in environmental destruction

• proposed action and communication to protect the environment

How does religion interact with the natural landscape and environment?

• major force in settlements

• religious structures

• where and how to live

• human relationships to nature

Technological Era and Religion

Religious leaders are more often to call followers to treat the environment morally

Dynamics of Religious Conflict

• participants’ cultures

• time period

• location

• misc cultural factors (relevant)

Intra-faith conflicts

• most common disputes among religions

• internal to a religion

• often disputes about beliefs and practices

• sometimes severe enough to cause separation and denomination

Ecumenism

the effort to seek unity and cooperation within the Christian church

Inter-faith conflicts

• happen between different religions

• often stark and violent

• due to struggle to occupy the same area