Skeleton Notes
Religion
 Why Study Religion
 Geographers study religion because it is an essential part of how people _________________
and _________________________ with each other and their __________________________
 Religion Classification
 Religion (Ex. ____________________________________)
 Religion – Defined by geographers Robert Stoddard and Carolyn Prorak in the book
Geography in America as “a system of _______________________ and practices that
attempts to ______________________________________ in terms of culturally
perceived ultimate _____________________________________.”
 Branch (Ex. _________________________________________)
 Branch – A large and fundamental division ____________________________ a religion.
 Denomination (Ex. ________________________________)
 Denomination – A division of a _____________________ that unites a number of local
congregations into a ______________________________ legal and administrative body.
 Sect
 Sect – A relatively small group that has broken away from an established denomination.
 Universalizing vs. Ethnic Religions
 Universalizing
 Universalizing religion – A religion that attempts to appeal to ______________ people,
not just those living in a particular ________________________________.
 ________________% of the world
 Main Universalizing
 ____________________________________
 ____________________________________
 ____________________________________
 Ethnic
 Ethnic religion – A religion with a relatively __________________________________
spatial distribution whose principles are likely to be based on
______________________________________ characteristics of the particular
______________________________________ in which its adherents are concentrated.
 ______________% of the world
 Main Ethnic
 ___________________________________
 ___________________________________
 Confucianism
 Daoism (Taoism)
 Shintoism
 Animism (Traditional ___________________________________ Religions)
 Sacred Sites
 Serve as a geographic intersection between the _________________________ and the mortal
 Preserve the space
 __________________________________________________
 Tension/conflict
 Universalizing
 Cities & places associated with ________________________________________ life
 Ethnic
 Distinctive ________________________________ environment of its _______________
 Sacred Sites
 Universalizing
 Buddhism
 __________________________ birthplace in S. ___________________________
 _______________________________ other holy sites associated with important
events in Buddha’s ________________________
 Christianity
 ___________________________________
 ___________________________________
 Islam
 Muhammad’s birthplace (Makkah/___________________________)
 Tomb (Madinah/_____________________________________)
 Ethnic
 Hinduism
 ___________________________ River, Mt. Kailās, Benares in India
 Judaism
 ___________________________________________
 ________________________________________ Wall
 Holy Days
 Universalizing
 Commemorate events in the __________________________________________ life
 Islam: Lunar calendar, _______________________ (holy month) varies,
commemorates the Archangel Jibril (_______________________________) first
visiting _________________________________________________
 Christianity: Christmas: birth of __________________________________,
Easter: ________________________________________________ of Jesus
 Buddhists: holy days on Buddha’s birth,
______________________________________________________ & death
 Ethnic
 Celebration of the ___________________________________________________
 Judaism: ___________________________ Hashanah & Yom
____________________________ in autumn
(___________________________________), ____________________________
(Pesach) in spring (____________________________________)
 Methods of Diffusion
 Universalizing Religions
 Relocation diffusion
 Christian ________________________________________________
 Contagious Diffusion
 Muslims marrying non-___________________________________
 Hierarchical Diffusion
 Emperor ______________________________________ converting to
________________________________________________
 Ethnic Religions
 Most ________________________________________ diffusion
 _____________________________________________________ is an exception
 Burial Practices
 Religious ________________________________ promote the development of places or
activities to _____________________ or _____________________________________ the dead
 Impose __________________________________________ on the landscape of a region
 Affect ___________________________________ use (land allocated to burial practices)
 Make the landscape _____________________________________________ compared
to other ___________________________________________ areas
 Burial Practices
 Universalizing
 Buddhism
 _____________________________________
 Christianity
 Park-like __________________________________________
 _______________________________________________
 Islam
 Park-like _______________________________________
 Ethnic
 Hinduism
 _______________________________________
 Judaism
 Park-like __________________________________________________
 Animism
 ____________________________________________
 _________________________________________ at sea
 Other practices
 Burial ________________________________________
 Place Names
 Religious place names affect the ___________________________________________________
 By promoting _________________________________________ distinctiveness
 Confirming the importance of religion in _______________________________________
 Examples
 Use of __________________________________ names in French Canada (St.
___________________________________ river)
 U.S. Southwest (_________________________________ City, Los
________________________________)
 Medina (City of the ____________________________) or ________________________
 Religion & the Environment
 ____________________________________________ influencing Religion
 Holy Places
 Especially in Ethnic religions
 ______________________________________________
 Religions affecting the Environment
 __________________________________________
 Function affects landscape
 Architecture
 Special buildings used for ________________________________/mediation/spiritual function
 Represents a ___________________________________________ history
 Christian churches: place to gather and worship, representation of ________________
 Restricts/_________________________________________ the use of land
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 Muslim mosques: place for the community to
___________________________________, worship = center of ____________________
 Asian universalizing & ethnic more likely to house
________________________________________ to particular gods
 Attracts ___________________________________________
Hearths
 3 Major Hearths
 Middle East Hearth
 ___________________________, Christianity, ____________________________
 Northern India Hearth
 Hinduism, ___________________________________
 East Asia Hearth
 _______________________________________, Taoism, Shintoism
Major Universalizing Religions
 Buddhism
 Christianity
 Islam
Buddhism
Origins
 ____________________________________________________, 563 BCE, son of a __________
 Age ____________, left his sheltered life & for _________ years meditated in a forest in India
 Emerged Buddha “____________________________________________ one”
 Spent _________ years preaching across India
Buddhism
Major Branches
 ____________________________ = “the way of the ______________________”
 Believe they are closer to Buddha’s __________________________________ ways
 Must renounce ___________________________________ & become a _____________
 Cite Buddha’s wisdom & stress _______________________________________
 Mahayana = “the bigger ________________”
 Less __________________________, all encompassing
 Can help more people
 Cite Buddha’s _________________________________ & stress
______________________ others
 Tantrayana
 Smallest branch
Four Noble Truths
The truth of ____________________________________ (Dukkha)
1. All living beings must endure suffering
The truth of the origin of suffering (Sumudaya)
1. Three ________________________________ (origins of suffering):
1. Greed & _____________________________
2. ______________________________ & delusion
3. ______________________________ & destructive urges
The truth of the cessation of suffering (Nirodha)
1. Escape from suffering & reincarnation by achieving ___________________________________
(reaching _______________________________________)
The truth of the path to the cessation of suffering (Magga)
1. Way to achieve Nirvana = ______________________________________ Path
1.
2.
3.
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5.
6.
7.
8.
Right _________________________________________
Right Intention
Right _________________________________________
Right _________________________________________
Right Livelihood
Right Effort
Right _________________________________________
Right Concentration
 Buddhism
 Current Distribution = _________________ million followers
 Mahayanist = _______%
 Theravadists = 38%
 Tantrayanists = 6%
 Locations
 M = __________________________, Japan & Korea
 Th = Cambodia, Laos, __________________________, Sri Lanka & Thailand
 Ta = _________________________ & Mongolia
 Christianity
 Origin
 Founded on teachings of _______________________________
 Born in ____________________________________________________ between 8 & 4 BCE
 Died in ____________________________________________________ in 30 CE
 Christians believe the Jesus died for human __________________ and was
__________________________________________ by God
 Christianity
 Major Branches
 Roman ____________________________________:
 teachings of Bible & Church Hierarchy (____________________)
 Seven _______________________________________________
 Orthodoxy
 Split with Roman Catholicism beginning in the ______ c., finalized in ________________
 Agree with RC on Sacraments, not on doctrines added after ___________ c.
 Protestantism
 _______________________________________ in 16th c.
 Martin _____________________________________
 Personal salvation through ______________________________ rather than sacraments
 Seven Sacraments
1. ___________________________________
2. Confirmation: confirm ___________________________
3. _____________________________ (reconciliation): reconciling with ___________________
4. Anointing the sick (___________________________________): recovery of health & spiritual strength
5. ____________________________________
6. Holy Orders: lead others by bringing them _______________________________________________
7. Eucharist: representative of ____________________________________________, becomes the body
& blood of Jesus
 Christianity
 Current Distribution = __________ billion followers
 _________% R.C.
 24% Protestant
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 11% ________________________
 _________% other Christian churches
Locations
 R.C.: S & W Europe, _________________________ America
 Protestant: ____________________ America, N. Europe, _____________________________
 Orthodox: _________________________________________________________
Distribution
South/Southeast
 _______________________________________
Midwest/Great Plains/Rust Belt/Corn Belt
 _______________________________________
Northern Border States
 _______________________________________
West (Utah, Idaho, Nevada)
 __________________________________________________________________________
Everywhere else
 _______________________________________
Factors for Baptist Distribution
 _____________________________________ religion
 Origins in __________________ towns & ___________________________ areas
 Based on ______________________________________________ brought from Europe
 Appealed to ____________________________________-Americans excluded by other
protestant denominations
 Lack of in-migration
 ________________________________ region did not attract a lot of European migrants
Factors for Lutheran Distribution
 Original migration from _____________ & _______________ Europe
 _________________________________________ & Scandinavians
 ___________________________________ migration as area began to thrive
 Lack of in-migration
 Lacked ___________________________ factor of __________________ cities
Factors for LDS Distribution
 Original migration
 Began in ________________________________ U.S. & migrated to ________________
 Later migrations
 Migrated to ________________________________ new areas of the West
 Lack of in-migration
 Lacked ___________________________ factor of __________________ cities
Islam
Origin
 Muhammad was born in 570 in ____________________________________
 At 40, he received his first message from ________________________________ through the
Archangel _________________________________________
 _____________________________________________ is a record of God’s words as relayed to
Muhammad from the angel Gabriel
 In 622, after much persecution Muhammad was commanded to move to
_________________________________ (renamed Medina or “the City of the
_____________________________”)
 Islam
 Major Branches
 ________________________________ (“People of the tradition of
______________________________________ and the consensus”)
 After Muhammad, came Abu ___________________________, Umar, Uthman &
_____________________________ who were leaders or
“____________________________” (successor of the ___________________________)
 Sunnis recognize all four as ___________________________________ religious leaders
 Shi’ites (_____________________) (“Followers of ____________________”)
 Shi’ites believe the only ___________________________ (who was Muhammad’s
______________________________-in-law) is the only legitimate caliph as he was
Muhammad’s closest ________________________________________________
 Five ________________________________________ of Islam
1. Shahadah
1. Profession of _______________________________, “There is no god worthy of worship except
the one _______________________________, the source of all creation, and Muhammad is
the ________________________________________ of God.”
2. Interpretations vary, “There is no God but _________________________________, and
Muhammad is His messenger”
2. Salat
1. __________________________, 5 times daily, facing the city of __________________________
3. Zakat
1. ___________________________________ to help the needy, act of purification & growth
4. Sawm
1. Fast during the month of _______________________________________, self-purification
5. __________________________
1. Pilgrimage to _______________________________________ (if physically and financially able)
 Islam
 Current Distribution – _______________________ Billion people
 ________________________________ = 83%
 Shi’ites = ________________________%
 Locations
 Middle East
 North Africa to Central Asia
 Outside the Middle East = ______________________% of Muslims
 __________________________________________________
 __________________________________________________
 __________________________________________________
 __________________________________________________
 “Muslim” ≠ “___________________________”
 Arab = _______________________________________________
 Muslim = follower of ___________________________________________
 _____________% of all Arabs are Muslims
 But ______________% of all Muslims are not Arabs
 Hinduism
 Origin
 2500-1500 BCE, no single _______________________________________
 Mingling of ___________________________ & _________________________________ beliefs
 ____________________________________________ – The blending of traits from two
different cultures to form a new trait.
 Holy Sites
 ______________________________________ & Mt. Kailās (________________________)
 Practices
 Up to the individual to determine the best _____________________________ to God
 _________________________________________
 Renunciation
 _________________________________________
 Action
 Branches
 Vaishnavism (____________________________) = est. ____________________%
 Sivaism (______________________________) = ____________________%
 Autonomous religion
 Autonomous religion – A religion that does not have a
____________________________ authority but shares ideas and cooperates informally.
 Distribution
 _______________________% clustered in ________________________________________
 Judaism
 Origin
 _____________________________________ moved to ________________________________
 ________________________________________, differed from polytheistic groups surrounding
 Holy Sites
 Land in Eastern Mediterranean
 Canaan (__________________________________),
______________________________________ (Romans), _________________________
 Distribution = _____________________________ million
 1/3 in __________________________
 1/3 in __________________________
 1/3 elsewhere
 ____________________________________________________
 Forced from Eastern Mediterranean by Romans during 70 CE
 ____________________________________________________
 Set up the state of Israel
 Confucianism
 Origin (not exactly a religion, more an ____________________________________________ system)
 Confucius
 _____________________________________________ & teacher
 Stressed importance of ___________________ (correct behavior or propriety)
 Practices
 Orderly conduct
 Following ___________________________________________
 Fulfilling obligations
 Treating others with _____________________________________________
 Universe is made up of two forces: ____________________ & ________________________
 Yin: _____________________, darkness, female, cold, depth, passivity & _______________________________
 Yang: heaven, light, male, heat, height, activity, & ____________________________
 Must be in ___________________________________________
 Distribution
 __________________________________
 Taoism (Daoism)
 Origin (also more of an ___________________________________ system)
 Lao-Zi (Lao Tse), contemporary of __________________________________________
 Stressed mystical & magical aspects of life (as opposed to public service as Confucius stressed)
 Holy Sites
 Banned by the _______________________________________ in China in 1949
 Practices
 Seek “____________________” (the way or _________________________________)
 “3 ______________________________________”
 Compassion, _______________________________________, Humility
 Branches
 Many different ______________________, practicing many different elements of magic
 Distribution
 Still practiced in _____________________________________
 Legal & practiced in ___________________________________________
 Shintoism
 Origin
 Forces of ____________________________________ = divine
 ____________________, Moon, rocks, ________________________, rivers
 Eventually deceased ___________________________________ & ancestors became deities
 Holy Sites
 ___________________________ shrines
 Community ________________________________________ places
 Practices
 Late 1800s
 Political change = _______________________________ religion
 All ____________________________________ people identified culturally as Shintoists
 Now: No longer __________________________________ religion, prayers praise ancestors
 Distribution
 _____________________________________
 Animism
 Origin
 Difficult to trace due to lack of literary _______________________________________
 ___________________________________________
 Supreme God with “_________________________________” being animated objects
 Practices
 Passed down through ______________________________ tradition
 Distribution = ______________ million
 _____________% of Africa (________________% Christian & ________________% Muslim)
 Highest numbers in __________________________________, Cameroon, Togo, & Benin
 1980 = ___________________ million
 Sikhism
 _________________________________________________ Religion
 Origin
 __________________________, lived in ___________________________________________
 Combined elements of ________________________ & _________________________________
 One Supreme Being (Creator) is perfect
 Practices
 Work toward continual _______________________________________
 _____________________________ (Baptism)
 Men wear ______________________________________ & do not cut beards or hair
 Distribution = ____________________ million
 20 million in ______________________________ region of _____________________________
 Religious Conflicts
 Religion vs. _____________________________________________
 Religion vs. _____________________________________________
 Interfaith
 _________________________________________________
 Religion vs. Politics
 __________________________________ “Religious Students” vs. Western Values
 Opposed leisure activities, instituted ______________________________________ policies (as
they interpreted them)
 Religion vs. _______________________________________________
 Communists removed religious institutions from government in _________________. Limited
the role of _______________________________________ Christianity in Russia
 Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, there was a religious _________________________
 Including Christianity in the _______________________________________ Europe &
________________________________________ in Central Asia
 Religion vs. Religion
 Interfaith Conflict
 Conflicts _________________________________ two religions
 Middle East
 Muslims, Jews & Christians battling for _________________ land in the Eastern Mediterranean
 _________________________________________: Christians vs. Muslims
 Palestine: Muslims vs. _____________________________
 Religion vs. Religion
 Intrafaith Conflicts
 Conflicts _______________________________________ a religion
 Ireland
 Ireland = ___________________% Roman Catholic
 N. Ireland = Part of U.K. & 46% _____________________________________________
 Discrimination against ________________________________________ in N. Ireland
 Irish __________________________________________ Army (IRA): goal of achieving
Irish national _________________________________ by whatever means necessary
 Islam
 ________________________________ vs. Shia (____________________________)
 Non-Religious
 About ____________________ Billion people are considered “non-religious”
 __________________________________________________
 Do not believe in any god(s)
 Agnostic
 God(s) may ________________________________, but it is uncertain
 ___________________________________________
 “Not related to _____________________________________________;” belief system