Religion
Religion
“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 nonwestern areas practically
constitutes culture.
• Religious cultural
landscapes-churches,
temples, mosques,
shrines, cemeteries,
statues, veils, turbans,
beards and scars
Key Characteristics of Religion
• Set of doctrines or beliefs
relating to a god or gods.
• Structure or hierarchy of
officials
• Rituals for:
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Birth
Death
Reaching adulthood
Marriage
Prayer
Routine services on a Fri,
Sat. or Sun.
• Impact of religioncalendars, 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
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Blocked scientific study
Oppressed dissidents
Supported imperialism
Kept women inferior
Religions 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 bodyBaptist, 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 Religions
• Universalizing (Evangelical) religions –
religions that actively seek converts because
members believe they offer belief systems of
universal appropriateness and appeal.
Christianity/Islam/Buddhism
• Ethnic (Cultural) religions – religions whose
adherents are born into the faith and whose
members do not actively seek converts.
Hinduism/Judaism
Classifications 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 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
Religions of the World
• Shamanism –
a community faith tradition in which people follow
their shaman, a religious leader, teacher, healer, and
visionary.
Shamanism & Traditional Religions
• Community faith and
traditional religion which
centers around a shamanreligious 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.
Sacred Sites and Pilgrimage
• Sacred Sites
places or spaces people infuse with
religious meaning.
• Pilgrimage
purposeful travel to a religious site to pay
respects or participate in a ritual at the site.
Religious Landscapes in the United States
Rise of Secularism
• Secularism –
indifference to or rejection of organized
religious affiliations and ideas.
- Where is secularism on the rise and why?
The Rise of Secularism
• World wide 4/6 billion
adhere to a religion
• Separation of Church & State
a new concept
• Today in the Developed
World religion has declined
in importance
• Secularism is most common
in urban, industrialized
nations
• Anti-religious ideologies like
communism discouraged
organized worship
Religious
Fundamentalism & Extremism
• Religious fundamentalism –
a return to the basics of their faith.
found in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam
• Religious extremism –
fundamentalism carried to the point of violence.
found in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam
Islamic Extremists and Jihad
an Islamic holy war against the West
The End