AP World: Intro to Global Faiths & Animism

Tribal faiths

earliest faiths

older faiths

tied to an ethnic group/region

do not seek to convert (generally)

examples: Hinduism, Judaism

Universal faiths

originate from tribal faiths

look to convert

believe their faith is the way to salvation (mostly)

examples: Buddhism, Islam

Monotheism

belief where one deity controls creation

Monism

belief where reality is a unified whole connected by the same essence

more about energy than deities

Polytheism

belief were there are many deities with different jobs

Animism

an aspect of some religions

believes that objects, places, and creatures all possess a spiritual essence

honors nature, the living world, and the spiritual world

example: Native American faith systems

Native American faiths

example of a tribal faith

examples of Animistic faiths

believed Shamans communed the spirit world

different rituals and customs in each clan

Yoruba faith

example of an African traditional faith

an Animistic faith

belief in creator god, Olodumare

human fate and reincarnation

Orishas: spirits that connect this world to the divine

Ashe: the force possessed by humans and gods, contained in everything natural (similar to the idea of Chi in Chinese tradition)

Shinto

“the way of the gods”

an Animistic faith

Japanese faith

spirit is referred to as “kami”

Torii gates are the maibn symbols—entryways to shrines