Religion AP HG

Universalizing religion

Attempts to appeal to all people globally and actively seeks converts through missionary work.

• Proselytizing nature : actively seeks people to convert

Ex) Christianity, Buddhism, Islam

Expansion diffusion (contagious/ hierarchical) and relocation (missionaries/ migration)

Ethnic religion

Appeal primarily to one group of people living in a specific place and rarely seeks converts. Highly concentrated spatial distribution- tied to physical geography, cultural cycles, or specific cultural groups

Cultural hearth

Geographic origin point of religion

Middle East Hearth

Hearth for all three major Abrahamic religions

Ex) Judaism, Christianity, Islam

South Asia Hearth

Hearth for Hinduism and Buddhism

Branch

Large, fundamental division within a religion

Ex) Protestantism within Christianity

Denomination

Division of branch that unites local congregations into a single administrative body

Ex) Baptist, Methodist

Sect

Relatively small group that has broken away from an established denomination

How did Christianity spread?

Spread initially via relocation diffusion by missionaries and later through hierarchical diffusion via the Roman Empire.

• missionaries

• Roman Empire

Edict of Milan (Emperor Constantine of Roman Empire converts to Christianity and subjects followed

• carried globally by European explorers/settlers

Main branches of Christianity

Roman Catholicism

• Dominant in Latin America and Southern Europe

Protestantism (1400s- Martin Luther)

• Dominant in North America and Northern Europe

Eastern Orthodox

• Heavily clustered in Eastern Europe and Russia

What is Christianity?

Worlds largest universalizing religion with over 2 billion adherents

What is Islam?

Fastest growing universalizing religion

Where did Islam originate?

The Arabian Peninsula

Islam Hearth

• originated in Arabian Peninsula

Spatial distribution- heavily concentrated in Middle East, North Africa, Central and Southeast Asia

Sunni vs Shia

Sunni:

• Overwhelming majority of global Muslim population (85-90%)

(Line of succession) They thought that someone in the family should take over

Shia

• 15-10% of global Muslim population

• Highly clustered geographically- majorities in Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan, and Bahrain

Buddhism Origins

• Siddhartha Guatama (born c. 563 bc) in present day Nepal. Raised in luxury as prince and saw suffering outside the palace. 40 days meditation and achieved Ultimate Enlightenment

• One has to follow Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path to achieve Nirvana ( end suffering and escape reincarnation by reaching complete redemption)

• Hearth: Southern Nepal/ Northern India

Branches of Buddhism

Theravada

• Way of elders. Older and strict- more common in SE Asia. Focus on full- time monastic life and self help

Mahayana

• Great Vehicle. Largest branch- common in SE Asia. Emphasizes compassion and helping others over strict monasticism

Vajrayana

• (Diamond Vehicle) Common in Tibet/Mongolia, focuses on special rituals and meditation practices

Original of Hinduism

• No founder: ethnic religion that evolved organically over thousands of years

• No single founding figure

• Origins: Indus River Valley

• Sacred Texts: the Vedas was composed gradually over centuries rather than revealed to one prophet

Diffusion of Islam

Where: Northern Africa and Central Asia

• Conquest and trade

Arab armies conquered land across N Africa, and Central Asia

Arab traders carried Islam into Africa and Asia

Diffusion of Buddhism

• Missionaries and Trade

Emperor Asoka converts to Buddhism and sends out missionaries to convert others

• Silk Road (contagious diffusion)

• Indian Ocean Routes (Relocation diffusion in Sri Lanka and SE Asia)

Hearth of Christianity

Jerusalem (Eastern Mediterranean) and Roman Empire

Religious syncretism

• Sikhism (Hinduism + Islam)

• Catholicism(Roman Catholic + indigenous beliefs)

Ethnic religions diffusion

• No missionaries (lacks active proselytizing to convert

• Physical ties to specific physical geographical places (ex: abhoriginal people rock)

• Cultural birthright (born into faith community)

Judaism - spatial exception

• Practiced far beyond Eastern Mediterranean hearth (ethnic usually concentrated)

• Jewish Dispora (Historical expulsion/forced migration of Jewish people all over world

• Culture retention by forced isolation