3.3 Religion

What is religion?

  • A system of beliefs and practices that attempts to order life in terms of culturally perceived ultimate priorities.

Sacred Places:

Areas or places of religious or spiritual significance. Some are historical and others are current. Religious structures, such as churches and mosques, are prominent features of this landscape.

Spatial Impact of Religions:

  • In large cities, the tallest, most centralized, and elaborate buildings are often religious structures.

    • Many structures are then arranged around those religious buildings.

  • Shrines can be located near water, because water is a part of sacred rituals.

    • It is believed that gods will not venture far from water.

  • An important religious land use that impacts the cultural landscape has to do with disposing of the dead.

    • Cemeteries.

    • Cremations.

Religion

  1. Creates… Places of worship.

  2. Teaches… moral guidelines and laws.

  3. Has… beliefs of creation and the afterlife.

Definition

Examples

Monotheism

one God

  • Judaism

  • Christinaity

  • Islam

Polytheism

many Gods

  • Hinduism

  • Confucianism

  • Taoism

  • Shintoism

Animism

The belief that inanimate objects and animals have spirits and conscious life

  • Buddhism

  • Jainism

  • Silchism

Universalizing Religion:

Attempts to be global, to appeal to all people wherever they live, not just those of one culture or location.

Each major universalizing religion is divided into:

  • Branches: a large and fundamental division within a religion.

  • Denominations: a division of a branch that unites several local congregations into a single administrative body.

  • Sects: a relatively small group that has broken away from an established denomination.