Ethnic Religions

HinduismLargest Ethnic religion

900 million adherents

3rd largest religion worldwide

Localized in India and Nepal

Polytheistic

Contributed to Buddhism and Sikhism

Doctrine Up to individual to decide the

best way to worship God

There are various paths to reach God including: path of knowledge, path of renunciation, path of devotion, or path of action

You can pursue your own path and follow your own convictions as long as they are in harmony with your true nature Hindus see the divine in

everything and are tolerant of all doctrines

You are responsible for your own actions and you alone suffer the consequences

No central authority or a single holy book

Beliefs Law of Karma: all actions

produce effects in the future

Dharma: one’s duty of station in this life, strive for harmonious and eternal truth within

Reincarnation: previous acts determine the condition into which a being is reborn in one form or another

Must attain atman to break cycle of reincarnation

Liberation of the soul (moksha)

Nonviolence, veneration of all forms of life (Ahimsa)

Gods Believe in a supreme being who has

unlimited forms

* Brahman His manifestations are worshipped

The manifestation of God with the largest # of adherents is Vaishnavism (70%) Worships the God Vishnu A loving god incarnated as Krishna

Sivaism is dedicated to Siva (26%)

Often presented in narratives: Ramayana: Havana kidnaps Sita. Rama rescues Sita and kills Havana but the lovers are forced to separate. Represents the tragedy in life in the real world where love of the soul for god is constantly being tested

Origins No specific founder, no single

theology, no agreement on origins

Word Hinduism sixth century B.C. to refer to people living in the area Hinduism existed long before

recorded history Earliest surviving documents

written in 1500 B.C.

Objects related to Hinduism date back to 2500 B.C.

Aryan tribes from Central Asia invaded India around 1400 B.C. brought Indo-European language and religion

Aryans first settled in Punjab (Northern India) Migrated later to Ganges

River Valley Centuries of intermingling

with the Dravidians already living in the area modified their religious beliefs

Writings Hindu’s prefer term Vedic

Veda are Vedic text that provide the only written source for understanding religious life in ancient India

Vedas compromised of 1,000 hymns followed by chants and prose works

Over time only highly-trained priest could perform the complicated Vedic rituals

Upanishads Record wisdom of Hindu

teachers and sages as far back at 1000 B.C.E.

Nature of morality and eternal life

Transmigration of souls Causality in creation

Bhagavad-Gita Part of the Mahabharata-

one of the longest books in the world

Dialogue between Arjuna (hero) and Krishna

Incredibly important cultural text

Holy Places of Hinduism Hinduism closely tied to

geography of India Natural features rank among

holiest shrines (riverbanks ad coastlines)

Pilgrimage (tirtha) an act of purification Act of receiving redemption

Holy Places organized into a hierarchy

Importance of shrines are established through tradition

Example: Mount Kailas Base of Himalayas Holy because Siva lives there Many travel despite long

distance

Purification can be attained by bathing in holy rivers. Ganges is holiest river in India Sprung forth from the hair of

Siva Hardwar the most popular site

for “purification”

Recent improvements in transportation have increased accessibility to shrines

Ganges River

Places of Worship

Hindu TemplesServes as home to one or

more godsNot for congregational

worship important religious

functions take place in the home

Wealthy individuals or groups maintain temple

Size and frequency determined by locals

Usually contains symbolic artifact or image of the god

Contains pool for ritual baths

Worship and Practices Worship called Puja

Worship often takes place in home

No particular day or time No religious hierarchy

Rituals Marriage: match must be

approved by both parents, usually arranged, horoscopes drawn up, bride’s family pays dowry

Death: body cremated, body not required after death due to reincarnation

Conflict

Hinduism vs. Social Equality Strongly challenged since 1800

since British colonialism Hinduism has rigid caste system

The class or distinct hereditary order into which a Hindu is assigned according to religious law.

Each individual should belong to a caste in the social order

Caste system originated around 1500 B.C.

Brought by Aryan invaders

Four Castes Brahmans: priests Kshatriyas: warriors Vaisyas: merchants Shudras: agricultural workers or artisans

Distinctively lower caste Untouchables were the

outcastes, lowest of all. did work considered too dirty for other

descended from indigenous peoples

Castes split into thousands of subcastes throughout centuries

Type of Hinduism practiced, depends on caste

GandhiBritish pointed out

problems with systemNeglect of the health of

untouchablesEconomic problems

System has relaxed in recent years

Indian government has legally abolished the untouchable casteNow have equal rightsQuota system to give

untouchables places in universities

JudaismSome believe it’s the first monotheistic religion

14 million Jews today

- Considered “parent” religion of Christianity and related to Islam

Unique ethnic religion because it’s not clustered geographically

Judaism

- An ethnic religion based in the lands bordering the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea

-Called Canaan in the Bible Palestine by the Romans

Israel since 1948

- 4,000 years ago Abraham, the patriarch or Judaism, migrated from present-day Iraq to Canaan.

- Abraham and God have a covenant in which the Jews agree to worship one God and God agrees to protect his “chosen” people, the Jews

- Name Judaism derives from Judah, one of Abraham’s sons. Israel is another biblical name for Jacob

History continued.Moses led the Jews from

Egypt, where they had been enslaved, to Canaan, where an internal conflict split the nation into two branches, Israel and Judah. Israel’s tribes were “lost” to

the conquerors Judah survived longer, but

were also conquered by Babylonians and Assyrians.

Jews regrouped and rebuilt Jerusalem

Romans conquered in 70 CE and drove the Jews out

A resurgence movement in 19th century divided Jews into Orthodox Jews and Conservative Jews

Doctrine Fundamental to Judaism is the

belief in one powerful God

Called themselves the “chosen” people, because God had selected them to live according to his ethical and moral principles

Believe in one God who created humankind for the purpose of bestowing kindness upon them

People are rewarded for faith and are punished for sins, but they can atone

10 commandments

Holy book The Torah is comprised on the

first five chapters of the Hebrew Bible Contains Old Testament and

the Talmud Collection of rabbinical and

historical teachings passed down from one generation to the next

Sacred Places and symbols

Most prominent feature of the Jewish-influenced cultural landscape is the synagogue House of Jewish worship Architecturally varied All have an ark housing the

Torah, written in Hebrew

The six-pointed star is an important symbol

Sacred Sites Most important site is Wailing Wall

It is at the edge of the Temple Mount

Temple Mount was once the site of two great Jewish Temples Abraham almost sacrificed his

son Isaac Dome of the Rock The western wall is all that is left

of the temples Jews gather there to remember

the destruction of the temples and to offer prayers

called” “Wailing Wall” to depict the suffering of the Jews over time

Diffusion

Different from other ethnic religions it is practiced in places other

than just the place of origin

Most Jews do not live in Israel due to the forced Diaspora of the Jews by the Romans in A.D. 70 Most migrated to Europe

Into Iberian peninsula

Often Jews were persecuted by other nationalitiesExample: Holocaust

Forced to live in Ghettos

Most Jews now live in Israel

Largest population of Jews live in the U.S.Northeast, NYProminent in major cities in

Western Europe

Primary Branches of Judaism Orthodox Judaism

Seeks to retain the original teachings of the faith

Reform Judaism Developed in the 1800s as a

branch attempting to adjust the religion to fit more modern times

Conservative Judaism Most recent branch and is most

moderate branch

SubgroupsBecause of Diaspora, Jews

were separated into SubgroupsAshkenazim: Jews that lived

in Germany and France before migrating to Eastern Europe

Mizrachim: Jews that never left North Africa or Middle East

Sephardim: Jews from Spain or Portugal

Large scale migration of Ashkenazim from Europe to America in 19th century

Today 13 million Jews in the world 6 million live in North America 5 million live in Israel

Jewish Calendar classified as an ethnic religion

because its major holidays are based on events in the agricultural calendar Examples: Fall is a time of hope-

Rosh Hashanah (New Year) and Yom Kippur (Atonement) are in the fall

Other important holidays: Pesach (Passover), Sukkot, and Shavnot (Feast of Weeks)

Today, Israel follows the lunar calendar rather than the solar calendar

Hierarchy no centralized structure of religious

control.

To conduct a full service, 10 adult males must be present

Other Ethnic Religions

East Asian Ethnic Religions

Taoism (Daoism) Linked to philosopher Laozi,

lived around 6th century C.E. Laozi taught that people

should live in harmony with nature and all aspects of their lives Seek the “way” Yin and yang

Created feng shui

Confucianism Linked to Confucius, lived

around 6th century C.E. Built system of morals and a

way of life for the Chinese Focuses more on the worldly

life than rather the ideas of heaven and hell

Shintoism Syncretic, ethnic religion

Blends principles of Buddhism with a local religion of Japan

Forces of nature considered divine

Emperors become deities From the 1800s until after

WWII, Shintoism was the state religion of Japan Emperor forced to

renounce his divinity

Shamanism Term given to any ethnic

religion in which a community follows its shaman religious leader, healer,

or truth knower

Strongest presence in Africa but has historically

existed in North America, Southeast Asia, and East Asia

Still important in parts of Mexico and Guatemala

Shamans teach animism A belief that objects such

as trees, mountains, and rivers have divine spirits in them They are “animated”

Native American religious beliefs often have animistic traits, finding spiritual and religious significance in features of the landscape

100 million people in Africa follow animistic religions

Issues with Ethnic Religions

Universalizing religions often supplant ethnic religions

East Asia Buddhism can “mingle” with other

religions Embraced by Shintoists in Japan

Mauritius Unihabited until 1638 Dutch settlers arrived

Brought Christianity Controlled by French in 1721 who

brought in African slaves Brought Islam

Later Indian workers brought in by British Brought Hinduism

Became independent in 1992 All religions diffused by migration

Africa Less animists due to increase in

Christians and Muslims 46% of Africa is Christian Can create “merged” religions

Led to creation of Christian churches not formally recognized