ReligionReligionChapter 1Chapter 1

ReligionReligion

“a system of beliefs and practices that attempts to order life in terms of culturally perceived ultimate priorities.”

- Stoddard and Prorak

“perceived ultimate priorities” often translate into a list of things a follower “should” do and ways a follower “should” behave.

• Religion lies at the heart of nationalism-e.g. Middle East, Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Kashmir, Afghanistan, etc.

• Religion in many non-western areas practically constitutes culture.

• Religious cultural landscapes-churches, temples, mosques, shrines, cemeteries, statues, veils, turbans, beards and scars

Key Characteristics of ReligionKey Characteristics of Religion

• Set of doctrines or beliefs relating to a god or gods.

• Structure or hierarchy of officials

• Rituals for:– Birth

– Death

– Reaching adulthood

– Marriage

– Prayer

– Routine services on a Fri, Sat. or Sun.

• Impact of religion-calendars, holidays, architecture, place names, slogans on coins or flags.

• A major forces in combating social ills and promoting– Education– Medicine and health care– The arts

• But also– Blocked scientific study– Oppressed dissidents– Supported imperialism– Kept women inferior

Religions are divided intoReligions are divided into• Branches-a large and fundamental division within a

religion-such as Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox branches of Christianity.

• Denomination-a division or a branch that unites a number of local congregations into a single administrative body-Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist denominations of Protestantism

• Sect-has several meanings-– A relatively small group that broke away from an bigger group

or

– An organized ecclesiastical body or

– A dissenting or schismatic religious body or

– A religious denomination-such as sects of Islam

Classifications of ReligionsClassifications of Religions

• Universalizing religions – religions that actively seek converts because members believe they offer belief systems of universal appropriateness and appeal.

• Ethnic religions – religions whose adherents are born into the faith and whose members do not actively seek converts.

Classifications of ReligionsClassifications of Religions

• Monotheistic religions – worship a single deity.

• Polytheistic religions – worship more than one deity, even thousands.

• Animistic religions – belief that inanimate objects posses spirits and should be revered.

Religious TypologyReligious Typology• Monotheistic-belief in 1 god• Polytheistic-belief in many• Animistic-objects have

spirits-trees, mountains, rivers

• Global or Universal-found all over the world-seek converts-aim to be universal

• Evangelical-religions that seek new converts

• Cultural religion-limited to a national culture or a single region-Shinto, Daoism, etc.

Religions of the WorldReligions of the World

• Shamanism –a community faith tradition in which people follow their shaman, a religious leader, teacher, healer, and visionary.

Shamanism & Traditional ReligionsShamanism & Traditional Religions

• Community faith and traditional religion which centers around a shaman-religious leader, healer, visionary.

• Small isolated groups in Africa, SE Asia, East Asia and Native America

• Traditional religions in Africa believe in a god creator and provider as well as spirits and an afterlife.

Where did the Major Religions Where did the Major Religions of the World Originate, and of the World Originate, and How do Religions Diffuse?How do Religions Diffuse?

Sacred Sites and PilgrimageSacred Sites and Pilgrimage

• Sacred Sitesplaces or spaces people infuse with religious meaning.

• Pilgrimagepurposeful travel to a religious site to pay respects or participate in a ritual at the site.

From the Hearth of South AsiaFrom the Hearth of South Asia

• Hinduism –originated in Indus River Valley over 4000 years ago.

* ritual bathing, karma, reincarnation

sacred text: Vedas

sacred sites: Ganges River

social manifestation: caste system

diffusion: through South Asia and into Southeast Asia

HinduismHinduism• Ranks next in size after

Islam, but it the oldest organized religion.

• No bureaucracy-but does have holy men.

• Vedas or stories, but not a book like the Qu’ran, Bible or Torah.

• Concentrated in South Asian hearth.

• Polytheistic-thousands of gods-many cults-much fragmentation.

Sacred Landscapes of HinduismSacred Landscapes of HinduismHinduism – pilgrimages follow prescribed routes, and

rituals are followed by millions.

Varanasi, India on the Ganges River where Hindus perform morning rituals.

• The Ganges is a sacred river to Hindus, a symbol of life without end. Pilgrims come from all over to bathe in its holy waters.

Hindu Temple –Angkor Wat, Cambodia. This temple suffers from neglect and destruction now, as Buddhism has supplanted Hinduism in most of Cambodia.

Disposition of the Deceased - Each religion approaches the disposition of the deceased in different ways, and cultural landscapes reflect the religious traditions.

Hindu crematorium

in Mombasa,

Kenya

• As Shiva destroys the Universe with fire, Hindus cremate their dead.

From the Hearth of South AsiaFrom the Hearth of South Asia

• Buddhism –splintered from Hinduism 2500 years ago. Originated in a region from Nepal south to the Ganges River area.

* anyone can achieve salvation, reach enlightenment

founder: Siddartha Gautama (the Buddha)sacred sites: stupasdiffusion: most strongly into Tibet in the

north and into East Asia

BuddhismBuddhism• Originated in India as a

reform movement of Hinduism.

• Founded by Siddhartha Gautama or the Buddha in 5th cent. BC.

• A strongly regional faith-it remains strong in SE Asia, China and Japan, but died out in India.

• Four Noble Truths and the Eight Fold Path are the guiding principles.

Shinto Shrine In Kyoto, Japan, this Shinto shrine is visible after walking through a torii – a gateway usually formed by two wooden posts and topped by two horizontal beams.

Buddhism Buddhism is mixed with local religions in some places. In Japan, Buddhism is mixed with the local religion, Shintoism.

Buddhist Stupas -72 stupas, each containing a sculpture of the Buddha in meditation were built around 800 CE and still stand in Borobudur, Indonesia.

Sacred Sacred Landscapes of Landscapes of

BuddhismBuddhism

Swedogon Pagodo in Yangon, Myanmar

Eight hairs of the Buddha are preserved under the dome (chedi)

• Buddhism came to Tibet from India in the 8th century. Tibetan Buddhism is a mixture of Tantric and other Mahayana teachings developed further by spiritual leaders or monks called lamas.

• A prayer wheel contains a mantra, a prayer or chant that is repeated many times. Each turn of the wheel counts as a prayer said and merit gained.

ShintoismShintoism• A Japanese ethnic religion

based on animism and shamanism.

• Was modified by introduction of Buddhism-closely related today-many Japanese practice both.

• Reverence for nature and the land-emperor seen as divine.

• Belief in kami or spirits• Used by militants as a

nationalistic religion in 1930s to unify the country in war time.

From the Hearth of Huang He (Yellow) From the Hearth of Huang He (Yellow) River ValleyRiver Valley

• Taoism –originated in China more than 2500 years ago

* oneness of humanity and nature

founder: Lao-Tsu

sacred text: “Book of the Way”

social manifestation: Feng Shui

diffusion: East Asia

Chinese ReligionsChinese Religions• Confucianism-mainly a

philosophy of life founded by K’ung Fu-tze in 6th cent. BC

• Became a state religion of China-emphasized duty, social order and respect of others

• Daoism or Taoism “the Way” founded by Lao Zi, a reverence and harmony with nature-easily co-existed with Confucianism and Buddhism

From the Hearth of the From the Hearth of the Eastern MediterraneanEastern Mediterranean

• Judaism –originated in Southwest Asia about 4000 years ago.

* first major monotheistic religion, covenant between God (one God) and Abraham (the chosen people) sacred text: Torah founder: Abraham

sacred sites: Jerusalem (Western Wall), land between the Mediterranean and the Jordan River

social manifestation: Zionism diffusion: into European cities during the diaspora, into N. America during WWII, into Israel over

last 50 years

JudaismJudaism

• One of the world’s oldest religions

• Monotheistic religion that evolved in Southwest Asia

• 3 branches-Orthodox, Conservative and Reformed

• Not evangelical-does not seek converts

• Concentrated in Israel, but widely scattered in Middle East, North Africa, Russia, Ukraine, Europe and the Americas

Sacred Sites of JerusalemSacred Sites of JerusalemJerusalem is sacred to three major religions:Judaism (Western Wall)

Christianity (Church of the Holy Sepulchre)

Islam (Dome of the Rock)

Jewish neighborhoods in European Cities the Old Jewish Cemetery in Prague, the Czech Republic