CHAPTER 6

CHAPTER 6

RELIGION

FOCUS ON THE FOLLOWING IN THIS CHAPTER

1. Universal vs. Ethnic2. Major Universal and Ethnic (where are they,

percentage of world population)3. Major branches of those religions4. Where are the major religions and their major

branches and why are they there? (ex. Historical migration patterns

5. How did religions affect the environment6. Examples of religious tension/fighting/war

GEOGRAPHERS & RELIGION…• Geographers are concerned

with the process of how religions diffuse and possible conflicts

• Examine how religions have a two way relationship with the environment

• They want to understand why some are widespread and others are clustered in specific places

ISSUE #1

Where are Religions Distributed?

TYPES OF RELIGIONS

UNIVERSALIZING• Attempt to be global

• Appeal to all people, regardless of location or culture

• About 62% of the world’s population

• Are divided into branches, denominations, and sects

ETHNIC• Appeal primarily to one

group in one place

• About 24% of world’s population

UNIVERSALIZING RELIGIONS

CHRISTIANITY BUDDHISM

ISLAM

ETHNIC RELIGIONS

HINDUISM

CONFUCIANISM

DAOISM (TAOISM)

SHINTOISM

JUDAISM

AFRICAN RELIGIONS

World Distribution of Religions

Fig. 6-1: World religions by continent.

World Population by Religion

Fig. 6-1a: Over two thirds of the world’s population adhere to Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, or Buddhism. Christianity is the single largest world religion.

CHRISTIANITY

• 3 major branches are Roman Catholic, Protestant, Eastern Orthodox (know percentages)

• About 90% of people in the Western Hemisphere are Christian

ISLAM• Islam means “submission

to the will of god”

• Predominates from North Africa to Central Asia (population is increasing in North America and Europe)

• 2 main branches are Sunni and Shiite (Shia) (know percentages)

BUDDHISM• Located primarily in China and

Southeast Asia

• 3 main branches are Mahayana, Theravada, Tantrayana (know percentages)

• Accurate count is difficult because:1. Few participate in Buddhist

institutions2. Differs from Western concept of

a formal religion3. Communism in China

ETHNIC RELIGIONS

• You are responsible for this section, pages 188-190.

ISSUE #2

Why do Religions Have Different Distributions?(read and know the intro!!!)

ORIGINS

UNIVERSALIZING• Specific places origin

• Based on the life of one man

(ex. Christianity-Jesus, Islam-Muhammad, Buddhism-Siddhartha)

ETHNIC• Unknown/unclear origins

• not identified with one specific individual

(ex. Hinduism-Indian culture over several centuries)

- Judaism is an exception

DIFFUSION-UNIVERSALIZING

All 3 diffused from specific hearths located in Asia. Buddhism-present day India and Nepal; Christianity-present day Israel; Islam-present day Saudi Arabia

CHRISTIANITY

Diffused through a combination of all types of diffusion (relocation and expansion)

ISLAM

Diffused very rapidly through North Africa, SW Europe and SW Asia

BUDDHISM

DIFFUSION - ETHNIC• Limited to no diffusion;

usually by relocation diffusion

• Unlike universalizing, they don’t have missionaries

• They are often either replaced by URs or mix with them– Ex. Traditional African religious

mixing with Christianity– 70% of Japanese say they are

Buddhist, 90% say they are Shinto

• Judaism the exception to this trend – it’s practiced in many countries, not just location of its origins

TYPE 2

1. List 3 universalizing religions and 3 ethnic religions

2. List 3 major differences between universalizing and ethnic religions

3. List the primary locations of the 3 universalizing religions (use regions, not countries – for ex. Western Hemisphere, Eastern Europe….)

HOLY PLACESUNIVERSALIZING

• Tend to be tied to places related to the founder (cities, villages…)

Ex. Mecca for Muhammad/Islam

ETHNIC• Tend to be tied to the

physical environment of the hearth (mountains, rivers…)

Ex. Ganges River for Hindus

IMPORTANT SITES IN JERUSALEM

WESTERN WALL (wailing wall)

• Section of the western wall that remains of the Jewish Temple destroyed in A.D. 70

• Extremely sacred place for Jews

DOME OF THE ROCK

• Built to represent the greatness of Islam

• Built on the site of the rock on which Abraham went to sacrifice his son

• Also the site of Muhammad’s “night journey”

CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHER

• Built over the site of Jesus’ burial

• Extremely sacred to Christians

Holy Sites for Buddhists

Fig. 6-9: Most holy sites in Buddhism are locations of important events in Buddha’s life and are clustered in northeastern India and southern Nepal.

Buddhist Temple

Bodh Gaya, India

Mecca, Islam’s Holiest City

Fig. 6-10: Makkah (Mecca) is the holiest city in Islam and the site of pilgrimage for millions of Muslims each year. There are numerous holy sites in the city.

Makkah during the Haj Pilgrimage

The Ka’ba stands at the center of the Great Mosque (al-Haran al Sharif) in Makkah.

Ritual Bathing in the Ganges River

Hindu pilgrims achieve purification by bathing in the Ganges.

Baha’i Temple in Uganda

The Golden Temple in Amritsar

The Golden Temple (Darbar Sahib) in Amritsar, India is the holiest structure for Sikhism.

Baha’i Temple in Uganda

COSMOGONY

- Read this section on 199-200. Look at how universalizing and ethnic differ in the following:- Creation of the world? How?- Interaction with nature?- Modification of nature?

CALENDAR

UNIVERSALIZING

• Holidays based primarily on significant events of the founder’s life

Ex. - birth of Jesus (Christians) - Siddhartha’s birth (Buddhists)

Shiite holiday attack

ETHNIC

• Holidays based primarily on physical geography of the homeland (seasons and agriculture)

Ex. - Holi for Hindus - Bontok of the Philippines

CALENDARS - ETHNIC• Prominent feature of ERs is

the celebration of seasons – particularly for agriculture

• Judaism – major holidays based on agriculture in Israel

• Use a lunar calendar

• Solstice has a significant meaning for many ethnic religions

CALENDARS - UNIVERSALIZING• Prominent feature is celebrating

events of the founder’s life

• Islam uses a lunar calendar, Christianity a solar

• Holidays arrive in different seasons from generation to generation when using a lunar calendar(ex. Ramadan for Muslims)

• Not all members of URs celebrate same holidays on same day ( ex. Easter, Buddha’s birth)

ISSUE #3

Why do Religions Organize Space in Different Patterns?

(AP test likes questions about the impact of religion on space, important Key Issue)

Places of Worship• All major religions have these

structures/buildings

• The function of these locations influence the arrangement of them over the landscape

• Have different characteristics, purposes, meanings….

• The distribution of these religious elements on the landscape reflects the importance of religion for that particular society

Christianity – Church (sanctified for public worship) Islam – Mosque (public

assembly)

Hinduism – Temple (more for shrines, home is used more for worship)

Buddhism, Shintoism – Pagodas (contain relics)

Church – St. Paul’s in London

Blue Mosque - Turkey

Blue Mosque - Turkey

Hindu Temple - India

Pagoda - China

SACRED SPACE• How religions distribute their

elements across land depends on their beliefs

• distributions range from very small (cemetery) to very large (entire communities)

• Most significant land use is for burial and religious settlements

SACRED SPACE - BURIAL• Climate, topography, and

doctrine combine to create different burial practices

• Use of cemeteries (Christianity, Judaism, Islam)– Health concerns– Bodies facing certain direction– Used as parks– Take up valuable land (ex. China

now encouraging cremation)

• Not all bury dead (ex. Cremation for Hindus)

SACRED SPACE – RELIGIOUS SETTLEMENTS

• Most settlements serve an economic purpose, some serve a religious one– Utopian societies (Salt

Lake City)– Religious impact on

colonial settlements (clustered settlement patterns of Puritans in New England)

SACRED SPACE – RELIGIOUS PLACE NAMES

• Roman Catholics often give place names (also called ?????) to settlements, particularly in the new world– Quebec– U.S. Southwest

Place Names in Québec

Fig. 6-12: Place names in Québec show the impact of religion on the landscape. Many cities and towns are named after saints.

ISSUE #4

Why do Territorial Conflicts Arise Among Religious Groups?

• Since WWII local conflicts in areas of cultural diversity have increased (often religiously based)

• Inflexible religious views = conflict

RELIGION v. GOVERNMENT POLICIES

• Role of religion in organizing the earth’s surface has been diminished in some areas, largely due to ____ and ____ change

Know examples of how for each of the following:

– Islam particularly affected– Hinduism and West– Buddhism, Christianity, Islam

and Communism

VS.

RELIGION vs. GOVERNMENT POLICIES

Religion v. Communism• Responsible for p.208

Vs.

RELIGION vs. RELIGION

Catholic v. Protestant Christian v. Muslim

Sunni v. Shiite Hindu v. Muslim

Know these examples

RELIGIOUS WARS IN IRELAND• Worst religious boundary in W. Europe

• Republic of Ireland – 92% Roman Catholic

• Northern Ireland (UK) – 58% Protestant and 42% Roman Catholic

• Island became part of the UK in 1801

• Declared independence in 1937, members of the North chose to stay part of the UK (why?)

• RCs victimized by discrimination in the Northern Ireland – fighting between RCs and Ps has led to more than 3,000 deaths since 1968– IRA - UDF

• Majority want peace, extremist elements make that difficult

UNITED KINGDOM

IRELAND cont.

Fig 6-14: When Ireland became independent

in 1937, 26 northern districts with large Protestant

populations chose to remain part of the United Kingdom.

Catholic Protestors in Northern Ireland

RELIGIOUS WARS – MIDDLE EAST• Jews, Christians and Muslims have

been fighting over land for centuries (historical name is Palestine)

• Jews - trace their origins here (Promised Land) - kicked out by the Romans

• Christians – major events of Jesus’ life centered here and Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire

• Muslims – Jerusalem is their third holiest city, believe Muhammad ascended to heaven from there

CRUSADES• Muslim empire expanded

quickly after Muhammad’s death (632) across northern Africa and into Europe

• Beginning in 1099 the Christians in WE launched a series of military campaigns to regain the holy land (lasted about 150 years, gain, and then lose, control of the holy land)

JEWS vs. MUSLIMS IN PALESTINE• Ottoman Empire (Muslim) ruled

Palestine from 1500s – 1917 (what happened in 1917?)

• UN voted to partition it into 2 countries, Jewish and Muslim (Jerusalem?)

• 1948 – Jews declare their country, Arab neighbors attack the next day

• Armistice in 1949 divided control of Jerusalem

• 3 more wars fought between Israel and its neighbors:– 1956, 1967 (Six Days War), 1973

Camp David Accords - 1979

ISRAEL TODAY

Boundary Changes in Palestine/Israel

Fig. 6-16: The UN partition plan for Palestine in 1947 contrasted with the boundaries that were established after the 1948-49 War. Major changes later resulted from the 1967 War.

CONFLICT – PALESTINIAN PERSPECTIVES

• After 1973 the Palestinians emerged as Israel’s primary opponent– Know 5 groups considering themselves Palestinians

• Palestinians are very angry with Jewish settlements in the West Bank, consider this area their historical homeland as well

• Role of the PLO

• Some Palestinians are willing to accept the existence of while others (ex. Hamas) are not

CONFLICT – ISRAELI PERSPECTIVE

• Sees itself as a small, Jewish nation surrounded by enemies

• Major geographic considerations:1. Major population centers are close to int’l

borders (vulnerable)2. Landforms (northern hills, West Bank, Golan

Heights)

Israel, the West Bank and GazaPolitical and Physical maps

Fig. 6-17: The West Bank and Gaza have been under Israeli control since 1967, and numerous Israeli settlements have been established there. The area includes three physical regions: the coastal plain, the hills, and the Jordan River Valley.

Section of Israeli Security Barrier

Fig. 6-1.1: A typical section of the security barrier built by Israel in the West Bank.

Israel’s Barrier in the West Bank

Fig. 6-1.2: The planned route of Israel’s security barrier in the West Bank includes many of Israel’s settlements in the territory.

Jerusalem

- in the end, it all comes down to Jerusalem, no agreement on Jerusalem = continued tension

Fig. 6-15: The Old City of Jerusalem contains holy sites for Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Chapter 6: Review

06.01 Which of the following is not a universalizing religion?

1. Buddhism2. Christianity3. Judaism4. Islam

06.01 Which of the following is not a universalizing religion?

1. Buddhism2. Christianity3. Judaism4. Islam

06.02 Roman Catholicism predominates in

1. Northern Europe2. East Asia3. Canada 4. South America5. Australia

06.02 Roman Catholicism predominates in

1. Northern Europe2. East Asia3. Canada 4. South America5. Australia

06.03 Which of the following is not one of the five pillars of Islam?

1. Accept Allah as the one God2. Donate to charities3. Fast during the month of Ramadan 4. Make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem5. Pray five times daily

06.03 Which of the following is not one of the five pillars of Islam?

1. Accept Allah as the one God2. Donate to charities3. Fast during the month of Ramadan 4. Make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem5. Pray five times daily

06.04 In which region are ethnic religions most widely practiced?

1. Asia2. South America3. North America4. North Africa5. Europe

06.04 In which region are ethnic religions most widely practiced?

1. Asia2. South America3. North America4. North Africa5. Europe

06.05 Which of the following religions diffused primarily through armed conquest?

1. Buddhism2. Hinduism3. Sikhism4. Islam5. Shintoism

06.05 Which of the following religions diffused primarily through armed conquest?

1. Buddhism2. Hinduism3. Sikhism4. Islam5. Shintoism

06.06 __________ consider solstices to be holy times.

1. Buddhists2. Jews3. Confucians 4. Christians5. Pagans

06.06 __________ consider solstices to be holy times.

1. Buddhists2. Jews3. Confucians 4. Christians5. Pagans

06.07 _________ typically favors cremation over burial.

1. Islam2. Judaism3. Taoism4. Christianity5. Hinduism

06.07 _________ typically favors cremation over burial.

1. Islam2. Judaism3. Taoism4. Christianity5. Hinduism

06.08 What is the second-highest rank within the Roman Catholic hierarchy?

1. Pope2. Archbishop 3. Bishop 4. Cardinal 5. Priest

06.08 What is the second-highest rank within the Roman Catholic hierarchy?

1. Pope2. Archbishop 3. Bishop 4. Cardinal 5. Priest

06.09 The caste system in India

1. Places Shudras at the top of the hierarchy2. Was created by the Aryan invaders of India3. Does not affect how individual Hindus practice the religion4. Is enforced by official government policies5. Sees the “untouchables” as closest to enlightenment

06.09 The caste system in India

1. Places Shudras at the top of the hierarchy2. Was created by the Aryan invaders of India3. Does not affect how individual Hindus practice the religion4. Is enforced by official government policies5. Sees the “untouchables” as closest to enlightenment

06.10 Which three religions have holy places in Jerusalem?

1. Sikhism, Islam, Judaism2. Islam, Christianity, Hinduism3. Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism4. Islam, Christianity, Judaism5. Jainism, Christianity, Judaism

06.10 Which three religions have holy places in Jerusalem?

1. Sikhism, Islam, Judaism2. Islam, Christianity, Hinduism3. Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism4. Islam, Christianity, Judaism5. Jainism, Christianity, Judaism