How to study belief systems
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Abrahamic Religions
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From Abraham
Christianity
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Islam
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Sufi
Shiite
Sunni
Judaism
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Catholic
Orthodox
Protestant
Orthodox
Confucianism
Daoism
Shintoism
Paganism
Animistic
Agnosticism
Zoroastrianism
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Dharmic Religions
– Natural order
– Hinduism
– Buddhism
• Thervada
• Mayayana
– Zen
– Janism
– Sikhism
Religions
Latin for tie back or reconnect
“Theo” – mono, poly or pan
“Non-Theo” – mystic (no personal god)
Secular is indifferent to religions
Spirituality or Sacred
Religions – More than just a belief
• How do we define religion
• How do we classify religions
– What are their characteristics
– How do they evolve
• Cultural character
– Shrines, stupas, cathedrals, Grottos, monasteries
• What is their political/social appeal
• How do they interact
– How do they travel
– Conflict
– Syncreticism
Terms
• Secular
– Outside of religion
• Asceticism
– abstinence from worldly pleasures
• Orthodox
– Adhering to the accepted and traditional faith
• Pious
– Strictly adhering to the tenets of a religion
• Tenets
– teachings
• Universal
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Categorize them
adherents believe what they think is proper for ALL human kind
have a means of transmission
are not inextricably linked to a nation, ethnicity, or place
are dominant somewhere
• Ethnic
– Simple
– Complex – ethnicity and religion are joined such as Hinduism where you are
born into the religion and it is your way of life
• Syncretic
– Blended together and forms a new religion
• Exclusive vs.Non-exclusive
– I’m right and you are wrong vs. whatever you want
– Islam, Christianity, Judaism vs. Hinduism, Buddhism,
• Pantheon
– Polytheistic – many gods
– Monotheistic – one god
– Dualistic – pits equally evil gods against good gods
• Schisms and divisions
– Sects (Shiite vs. Sunni; Catholic vs. Protestant;Therevada vs. Mahayana)
Classifying
• Universalizing
– Islam
– Christianity
– Buddhism
• Syncretic
– Janism
• Hinduism & Buddhism
– Sikhism
• Islam & Hinduism
– Neoconfucianism
• Santeria (Lukumi, Regla de Ocha)
• Vodoun (Voodoo)
• Macumba (sometimes
Quimbanda) and it's branches
Umbanda and Candomble
• Palo Mayombe
• Ethnic
– Hinduism
– Shintoism
– Judaism
Tenets or teachings
• How are they collected
– Books of learning
– Books of Law
• Who does the teaching and where
– Role of Monks & Monasteries
• Actual foundation of the religion
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How it spreads
Pilgrims
Trade routes
Geographic conduits/crossroads/ obstacles
Stages
Conversion or forced acceptance
– Exclusive or dual acceptance
• Proselytizing –trying to convert someone to a
religion
• Mission (latin root is to send off) – duty to conduct
such as Hajj
• Diaspora
Buddhism
Christianity
Hinduism
Islam
The spread of universal religions from
300-1500 CE
Nature of Religion
• Who are the leaders
– What kind of background do they have
• Degree of aggression
• How are they organized
– Hierarchy
– Religious Institutions and bureaucracies
• Connection with political authority
Sacred sites and ceremonies
• Meetings/gatherings
• What types of structures
• How are they connected to these sites
geographically
• Symbols of the religion
Organization
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Secular vs. Sacred
Denomination
Sect
Cult
Orthodoxy
– Correct thought
– Heresy is violation of the correct thought
– Pious or Piety is to adhere or adhering to the
tenets and orthodoxy of your religion
Tolerance for other religions
• Methods used to keep the true nature of
their religion
• Wars
• Ethnic cleansing
• Marriage
• How do they convert others
• Persecution
Social roles
• Gender roles
• Exclusion or inclusion of others
Details
Dates,
place and
story of
origin
Prophet
Messiah
founder
Places of
worship
Books of
teaching
and laws
Basic
teachings and
beliefs
Symbols
Paganism
• Gods as personification of nature
• all living things have a spirit
• Primal religion perceive and experience
the cosmos as a sacred continuum in
which nature is a ready and steady
manifestation of spiritual realities
Paganism
• Continued in areas that had not been evangelized by Christianity and
Islam
• Shinto - Japanese spiritual presence or nature - worship of Kami (spirits)
• (syncretic with Buddhism and some Confucanism) see on chart
• Animism - worship of life forces
• Totemism - identification of self with various animal symbols
• Shamanism - belief in unseen spirit worlds
• Druidic - based on Ancient Celtic practices
• Wiccan - a creative force exists in the universe
• Dreamtime - Aboriginies in Australia
• Asatru - (Norse) Asatru- developed in Nordic countries and spread
throughout northern Europe. Sweden had Asatru royality until around
1100. Re-established in the late 1800s. Corrupted by Nazi Party and
continue use by Neo-Nazis.
African Diasporic (Afro-Caribbean Syncretic)
• History/Founder:
– The origins of the Afro-caribbean sects (Known variously as Vodoun,
Santeria/Lukumi, Candomble, Ifa, Palo Mayombe, etc.) are shrouded
in the ancient past. Most were brought to the Americas by Yoruban
slaves, (except for Palo, which is Bantu) who blended their tribal
beliefs with Catholicism, spiritism, and even native belief.
– Varieties of Yoruban descended religions are practiced in almost every
country in the world. Most of the examples given in this guide conform
mainly to Santeria/Lukumi beliefs, but there is a thread of commonality
between all of them.
• The most common of the syncretic faiths are:
– Santeria (Lukumi, Regla de Ocha)
– Vodoun (Voodoo)
– Macumba (sometimes Quimbanda) and it's branches Umbanda and
Candomble
– Palo Mayombe
• Current leader/governing body:
– No central governing bodies.
– Believers are largely autonomous, many consider themselves Catholic.
Basic tenets
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The area where these faiths differ most from one another is in sexuality, race, and gender
taboos and rank.
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Church/temple:
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None, most traditions are oral, and passed from teacher to initiate. Western books of ritual magick such
as Goetia, or the seven books of Moses, are indispensable in some sects.
Required observances, dietary restrictions:
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Varies, usually space is consecrated outdoors before a ritual.
Permanent temples or compounds, known as Peristyles in Vodoun, are also found in other branches- in
Candomble, they are known as Terreiros.
Scripture:
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In Santeria, women are forbidden from becoming Babalawos, and are sometimes restricted from
practicing sacrifice, while in Candomble, women hold the highest positions in the faith, and are much
more likely than men to head congregations.
Homosexuality is also treated in very different ways- some sects of Palo, for example, prohibit
homosexuals from membership, while most sects of Vodou are inclusive.
Race is most often an issue in Vodou, where it has often been controversial.
Many African sects will not initiate whites, while many Haitian and virtually all American sects are fully
inclusive.
Vary widely. Restrictions on dress and food consumption are common during rituals and while preparing
for initiations. Many gatherings prohibit immodest dress, or the wearing of certain colors.
For example, when one attends a terreiro, one must never wear red and black (unless, of course, one is
attending an invocation of Exu).
Some traditions require ritual sexual abstinence before initiation and on particular days.
Basic teachings and Beliefs:
Beliefs and practices vary widely from sect to sect and tend to be very complex, but all share
some or all of the following traits:
Syncretism or associations between traditional Yoruban or Bantu religion and Roman
Catholicism, the practice of Animal sacrifice and trance possession, spirit mediumship,
sympathetic magic, and elements of medieval Goetic magic and kabbalah.
Dharmic
• Hinduism
• Buddhism
– Ayrans
– Karma
• Vedic Era
• Vedas
• Polytheistic
– Altman
• Soul
– Moksha
• Liberation (from the cycle of
reincarnation)
– Scriptures
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Vedas
Upanishads
Ramayana
Mahabharata
Bhagavad Gita
– Dharma
– Artha
• Worldly gain
– Kama
• Sensual pleasure
• Cause and effect
– Dharma
• Right behavior/true path
– Therevada
– Mahayana
• Samsara
– Suffering
• Nirvana
– Liberation
• Bodhisattvvas
– Humans who have reached
Enlightenment and choose to stay in
this world and not go to Nirvana
• Eightfold Path
• Zen
– Lotus sitting and meditation
• Temples of teaching and monks and
monasteries in China, Korea, and
Japan and less in South Asia and
Southeast Asia
Wise men don't need to prove their point;
men who need to prove their point aren't wise.
The Master has no possessions.
Lao zi
The more he does for others, the happier he is.
Daoism focuses on wu wei or non action
The more he gives to others, the wealthier he is.
naturalness
The Tao nourishes by not forcing.
– (vitality and peace) keeps universe balanced,
By not dominating, the Master leads.
– Humanism
Daoism
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– emptiness is seen as refinement
– If work against this emptiness then you upset the balance
– The body coordinates with the elements
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Three Jewels - compassion, moderation and humility or kindness, simplicity
and modesty
Deities
– Not really objects of worship
– Jade Emperor
– Three
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Although historic roots appear around 6th century BCE or 4th to 3rd , it is
officially recognized in the Tang Dynasty after the 7th Century CE.
I’Ching or Book of Changes or Tao Te Ching
Daozong or Treasury of Tao published during Ming dynasty
How do Universalizing and
Ethnic Religions Differ?
Universalizing
Ethnic
•Appeal to people everywhere •Has meaning in particular place
only.
•Individual founder (prophet)
•Unknown source.
•Message diffused widely
•Content focused on place and
(missionaries)
landscape of origin.
•Followers distributed widely.
•Followers highly clustered.
•Holidays based on events in
•Holidays based on local climate
founder’s life.
and agricultural practice.
Classification
• UNIVERSALIZING RELIGION -- one that attempts to appeal to all
people, not only those at one location
– adapt to almost any society
– the religion itself sees no bounds to its eventual expansion over the entire
landscape
– Christianity, Islam, Buddhism
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ETHNIC RELIGION -- religion with a spatially (socially or ethnically)
concentrated distribution; principles of such a religion are likely to be
based on physical characteristics of a particular location
– stong territorial and cultural group identification
– born into religion, religion and culture deeply intertwined
– Judaism, Indian Hinduism, Japanese Shinto
• Tribal or traditional religions
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small size, localized culture groups
pre-modern societies
close ties to nature
animism, shamanism
Role of Religion
• a symbol of group identity and a cultural rallying
point (like language)
• both transmitters and identifiers of culture.
• can influence the spread of languages to new
peoples and areas (Arabic, Latin)
• varies in its cultural role (unlike language);
dominating to unimportant
• a value system that unites and differentiates
• religious when involving worship and faith in the
sacred and divine
• may involve prescribed patterns of behavior;
prayer, special rites, obedience to doctrine
Issues
• Not a simple thing
• “Being Religious” - Pious
– Adhering to the tenets and beliefs of ones
religion
• Having a Pantheon or being monotheistic
• If monotheistic details of who/what single
deity is and what that deity requires of
humans
1500BCE
1440
660
600
563
30CE
622
Major Religions of the World
Ranked by Number of Adherents
1.
2.
3.
4.
Christianity: 2 billion
Islam: 1.3 billion
Hinduism: 900 million
Secular/Nonreligious/Agnostic/
Atheist: 850 million
5. Buddhism: 360 million
6. Chinese traditional religion:
225 million
7. African Traditional &
Diasporic: 95 million
8. Sikhism: 23 million
9. Judaism: 14 million
10. Jainism: 4 million
11. Shinto: 4 million
The Roots of Religion
Animism (Shamanism) - the belief that
all objects, animals, and beings are
“animated” or possess a spirit and a
conscious life. Also called shamanism
because of the prominence of a Shaman.
• Such beliefs are common among hunter-
gatherers.
• 10% of Africans follow such traditional
ethnic religions.
• These beliefs are losing ground to
Christianity and Islam throughout Africa.
Nigerian Shaman
Animism
• Retained tribal ethnic religion of people around
the world
• Today, adherents number at least 100 million
• Animists believe certain inanimate objects
possess spirits or souls
– Spirits live in rocks, rivers, mountain peaks, and
heavenly bodies
– Each tribe has its own characteristic form of animism
• A Shaman — tribal religious figure usually
serves as the intermediary between people and
the spirits
Spread of Religions
• imposed by conquest
• adopted by conversion
• defended and preserved in the face of
surrounding hostility
Cultural and Biological Exchanges Along the Silk Roads
• The Spread of Buddhism and Hinduism
Insert map on page 257
Religion and Fall of Classical Dynasties
• The Fall of the Han Dynasty
• Cultural Change in Post-Han China
– Sinicization of Nomadic People
• attempt to be influenced and assimilated by the Chinese
culture (Korea, Japan later)
– Popularity of Buddhism
• Cultural Change in the Late Roman Empire
– Prominence of Christianity
– Formation of Institutional Church
– Emergence of Pope
POSTCLASSICAL ERA, 500 TO 1000 C.E
Arabic to Islam
Insert Chronology Chart on
page 325
The Medinan Caliphate
• The Problem of Succession
• Abu Bakr (leader of prayers- companion and fourth
convert) and Companions
• Ali (cousin and adopted son of Muhammad, husband
of Fatima, second convert) and Abbas (uncle of Ali
and the Prophet)
• The Medinan Caliphate
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(successor/representative)
Abu Bakr (r. 632-634)
‘Umar (Omar ibn al-Khattab) (r. 634-644)
‘Uthman (Ummayyad clan) (r. 644-656)
Ali (r. 656-661)
• The Sunni-Shiite split
Dar al-Islam
• The Expansion of Islam
– The Early Caliphs and the Umayyad Dynasty
Insert map on page 310
States and Societies of Sub-Saharan Africa
• Islamic Kingdoms and Empires
– The Indian Ocean Trade and Islamic States in
East Africa
Insert map on page
436
India and the Indian Ocean Basin
• Islamic and Hindu Kingdoms
– The Quest for Centralized Imperial Rule
India and the Indian Ocean Basin
• Islamic and Hindu Kingdoms
– The Introduction of Islam to Northern &
Southern India
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The conquest of the Sind (711)
Merging of cultures
Sultanate of Delhi (1206)
The Chola Kingdom (850-1267)
India and the Indian Ocean Basin
• The Influence of Indian Society in Southeast Asia
– The Indianized States of Southeast Asia
Insert map on page 372
Hinduism, Buddhism and
Janism
Dharmic religions
Common Elements
• Liberation is the
central goal of all
three of the Dharmic
religions
• Wheel of Life
Comparisons
• Of the regions most religiously active, India had by far the most activity.
• While the Chinese philosophers focused more on how to live and left the
hereafter for others to sketch in, the Indians covered both the seen and
unseen worlds with their religious thought.
• The times were prosperous, so that people could afford to turn their
minds to otherworldly ideas.
• None of these faiths form in response to something around them that is
“wrong” but come into being out of contemplation, study, and
realization.
• They speak of harmonious relationships, not struggles; they have a
tolerant, open message.
• The Indian and Chinese ways are just that, “ways.”
• They can be lived alongside other ways, or they can stand alone.
• No pressure.
• They do not exclude or feel a need to convince.
Comparisons
• By contrast, the Near Eastern and European religious
movements arise out of seeing a “wrong” situation and
wanting to correct it.
• Moses, Zoroaster, Jesus, Muhammad, and others like
them preach a message at odds with their surroundings
and contain within their teachings a call to
prostelyzation.
• They develop out of times presenting a stark contrast
and have a message asking people to choose the right
side.
Classical Hinduism
• Focused on figuring out ways to break the
continual cycle of rebirth, samsara
• The particulars of an individual’s wanderings
in samsara are determined by karma
• Brahman: perfection, ultimate reality; eternal
life force; only thing that really exists; “…is in
all things, and is all things, is above all
things.” All gods are manifestations (forms) of
Brahman.
• Maya: “magical spell”—a part of Brahman;
the world we experience is an illusion (see,
hear, feel, taste, smell, joy, pain: all maya)
Hindu Temples
Hinduism
• Hinduism has splintered into diverse religious, some
regarded as separate religions
– Jainism — ancient outgrowth, claiming perhaps 5 million
adherents
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Traces its roots back over twenty-five centuries
Reject Hindu scriptures, rituals, and priesthood
Share Hindu belief in ahinisa and reincarnation
Adhere to a stern asceticism
– Sikhism — arose in the 1500s, in an attempt to unify
Hinduism and Islam
• Centered in the Punjab state of northwestern India
• Has about 19 million followers
• Sikhs practice monotheism and have their own holy book,
the Adi Granth
Buddhism
• Derived from Hinduism began 25 centuries ago
• Reform movement grounded in the teaching of
Prince Siddhartha — the Buddha
• He promoted the four “noble truths”
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Life is full of suffering
Desire is the cause of this suffering
Cessation of suffering comes with the quelling of desire
An “eight-fold path” of proper personal conduct and
meditation permits the individual to overcome desire
– Nirvana — reached when one has achieved a state of
escape and peace, which is attained by very few
Buddhism
• Today the most widespread religion in Asia
• Dominates a culture region from Sri Lanka to Japan
and from Mongolia to Vietnam
• Proselytes religion
• Formed composite faiths as it fused with ethnic faiths
especially in China and Japan
• Fused with Confucianism, Taoism, and Shintoism
• Southern Buddhism dominant in Sri Lanka and mainland
Southeast Asia retains greatest similarity to original form
• Special variation known as Lamaism prevails in Tibet and
Mongolia
Buddhism
• Theravada Buddhism
• Mahayana Buddhism
Sects of Buddhism
Theravada
Mahayana
• Traditional—religious life
is a solitary individual
journey (monk)
• Reaching Nirvana is
simply “ceasing to be”
• Focus on meditation and
personal perfection
• Southeast Asia and Sri
Lanka (Ceylon)
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China, Japan, Korea, Tibet
Belief in enlightened beings
(bodhisattvas) who have perfected
themselves to the point they are
capable of leaving the cycle of
death and rebirth because they
have reached nirvana
Bodhisattvas remain in human
form to help others reach nirvana
(perfect contentment, release of
attachments, and release from
cycle of death & rebirth)
The Buddha Image
The Buddha is the
enlightened
person, a role
model to emulate
not a god to try to
please or placate
Buddhist Temples
Wat or Temple in Thailand
Temple in Bhutan
Gelugpa Temple, Mongolia
Sacred space
• Includes areas and sites recognized as
worthy of devotion, loyalty, fear, or esteem
– Notion occurs in many different cultures, past
and present the world over
– B.C. Lane says—”an ordinary place made
extraordinary through ritual”
– May be sought out by pilgrims or barred to
members of other religions
• Often contain the site of supposed
supernatural events or viewed as abode of
gods
Sacred Space
• Jerusalem is sacred space
to Christians, Jews, and
Muslims. It contains the
Via Dolorosa (Way of the
Cross) leading to the site
of Christ’s crucifixion.
• According to Jewish
tradition, the sealed
Golden Gate (far right) is
where the Messiah will
enter the city and bring
redemption. Ruins of the
City of David are at the
southwest corner of the
wall.
Sacred space
• Conflict can result of two religions venerate
the same space
• Example of conflict in Jerusalem
– Muslim Dome of the Rock — site of
Muhammad’s ascent to heaven
– Wailing Wall — remnant of greatest Jewish
temple
• Cemeteries also generally regarded as type
of sacred space
Religious pilgrimage
• Pilgrimages can have an economic impact, as a
form of tourism
• In some favored localities, pilgrim trade provides
the only significant source of revenue
– Lourdes — attracts between 4 and 5 million pilgrims
each year
• Many seek miraculous cures at its famous grotto where
the Virgin Mary supposedly appeared
• Ranks second only to Paris in number of hotel, and
most are small
– Mecca — attracts hundreds of thousand of Muslims
• Come from every corner of the Islamic culture region
• Closed to all non-Muslims
Religion and lifestyle
• This man is a Hindu sadhu
or holy man. He has
elected to remove himself
from ordinary society to
seek moksha or release
from the cycle of birth,
death, and rebirth. A
devotee of Shiva, he hopes
to achieve this ultimate
state of bliss through a
lengthy process of
devotion, ritual, meditation
and several rebirths.
Mecca
Mosque
• Mosques differ widely in
style yet their elements
are constant. They
include consecrated
space for ritual prayer; a
mihrab, or wall-niche
indicating the direction
(qiblah) of Mecca; and,
to the right of the mihrab,
a pulpit (minbar) for the
Friday sermon.
Mosques
India
Medina,
Saudi Arabia
Mombasa
England
Sudan
Religious structures
• In Islam, mosques are normally the most
imposing items in the landscape
• Jewish synagogues vary greatly in visibility
• Hinduism has produced large numbers of
visually striking temples, but many worship
in private households
Taj Mahal
Landscapes of the dead
• Christian cemeteries vary from modest, to places of color
and elaborate decoration depending on the religious
denomination
• Cemeteries often preserve truly ancient cultural traits
• Example of rural traditional cemeteries of the southern
United States
– Rose bushes planted atop the grave may derive from
worship of an ancient, pre-Christian mother goddess of
Mediterranean lands
– Cedars planted on graves is an age-old pagan symbol of
death and eternal life
– Shell decoration derives from an animistic custom in West
Africa
Diffusion
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Expansion
Hierarchical
Contagion
Relocation
Religions of the Middle East
Trace To A Common
Ancestor
Abrahamic
Abraham
Judaism
18 Million
Christianity
2 Billion
Islam
1.3 Billion
The Semitic religious hearth
• Christianity, Judaism, and Islam all arose among
Semitic-speaking people
• All three arose from the margins of the
southwestern Asian deserts
• Judaism, the oldest, originated about 4,000
years ago probably along the southern edge of
the Fertile Crescent
• Later, Judaism acquired dominion over lands
between the Mediterranean and the Jordan
River — territorial base of modern Israel
The Semitic religious hearth
• About 2,000 years later, Christianity arose as a child of
Judaism from this same area
• Islam arose about seven centuries later in western
Arabia, partly from Jewish and Christian roots
• Religions spread by both relocation and expansion
diffusion
– Expansion diffusion can be divided into hierarchical and
contagious subtypes
– Hierarchical diffusion — ideas are implanted at top of a
society, leapfrogging across the map taking root in cities
– Use of missionaries involves relocation diffusion
Jewish Temple
The Semitic religious hearth
• Christianity spread through the Roman
Empire using the existing splendid road
system
– Clearly reflected hierarchical expansion
diffusion
– Early congregations were established in cities
and towns
– Temporarily established a pattern of
Christianized urban centers and pagan rural
areas
The Semitic religious hearth
• Scattered urban clusters of early Christianity
were created by relocation diffusion
– Missionaries moved from town to town bearing news
of the emerging faith
– Missionaries often used the technique of converting
kings or tribal leaders
– Some expansion was militaristic — reconquest of
Iberia, invasion of Latin America
• Christianity spread farther by contagious
diffusion, also called contact conversion
Diffusion of Christianity
• Tamils were brought to
Malaya as indentured
labor to work in mines
and plantations during
the colonial era. Many
Hindu Tamils were of a
low caste or even
untouchables in India.
Christianity, without
proclaimed social
divisions, was and
remains attractive to
downtrodden peoples.
The Semitic religious hearth
• Islamic faith spread in a militaristic manner
– Followed the command in the Koran
– Arabs exploded westward across North Africa
in a wave of religious and linguistic conquest
– Turks, once converted, carried out similar
Islamic conquests
– Muslim missionaries followed trade routes
eastward to implant Islam hierarchically in the
Philippines, Indonesia, and interior China
Semitic religious hearth
• Tropical Africa is the current major area of
Islamic expansion
• Diffusion successes in Sub-Saharan Africa
and high birthrates in the older sphere of
dominance has made Islam the world’s
fastest-growing religion
The lndus-Ganges Hearth
• Second great religious hearth lies on the
plains fringing the northern edge of the
Indian subcontinent
– Lowland, drained by the Ganges and Indus
rivers
– Gave birth to Hinduism and Buddhism
The lndus-Ganges Hearth
• Hinduism is at least 4,000 years old
– Originated in the Punjab, from where it
diffused to dominate the subcontinent
– Missionaries later carried the faith in its
proselytic phase, to overseas areas
– Most converted regions were subsequently
lost
The lndus-Ganges Hearth
• Buddhism began in the foothills bordering the
Ganges Plain about 500 B.C.
– For centuries remained confined to the Indian
subcontinent
– Missionaries later carried it to other countries and regions
• China — between 100 B.C. and A.D. 200
• Korea and Japan — between A.D. 300 and 500
• Southeast Asia — between A.D. 400 and 600
– Tibet — A.D. 700
– Mongolia — A.D. 1500
– Developed many regional forms and died out in its area
of origin
Diffusion of Buddhism
• Buddhism arrived with
Asian migrants in the
early 19th century and
has become
increasingly important
with each subsequent
immigrant group.
• This is the Fo Kuang
Shan Hsi Lai Temple
in Hacienda Heights,
an emerging Asian
Suburban area near
Los Angeles.
Pilgrimage
•
Pilgrimages are journeys to especially sacred sites such as this monastery in
the Himalaya mountains of Nepal; such pilgrimages often result from a vow
and allow laypeople to reach a higher spiritual status
Barriers and time-distance decay
• Religious ideas weaken with distance from
places of origin and time
• Most religious barriers are permeable, but
weaken and retard religious spread
– Partial acceptance of Christianity by various Indian
groups in Latin America and the western United
States
– Served as a camouflage under which many aspects
of tribal religions survived
– Permeable barriers are normally present in expansion
diffusion
Barriers and time-distance decay
• Most religions become modified by older
local beliefs as they diffuse spatially
• Absorbing barriers — example of China
– Christian missionaries to China expected to
find fertile ground for conversion
– Chinese had long settled the question of what
is basic human nature
– Believed humans were inherently good and
evil desires represented merely a deviation
from that state
Barriers and time-distance decay
– Evil desires could be shrugged off and people would
return to the basic nature they shared with heaven
– Christian idea of original sin left the Chinese baffled
– Chinese could not understand the concept of
humankind being flawed or their impossibility to return
to godhood
– Many concepts of Christianity fell on rocky soil in
China
– In the early twentieth century some Chinese became
Christians in exchange for the rice missionaries gave
them
Barriers and time-distance decay
• Religion can act as a barrier to the spread of
nonreligious innovations
• Religious taboos can function as absorbing
barriers
– Can prevent diffusion of foods and drinks
– Mormons are forbidden to consume products
containing caffeine
– Some Pennsylvania Dutch churches prohibit cigarette
smoking, but not the raising of tobacco by member
farmers for commercial markets
Religion and economy
• Religion can also often explain the absence of
crops or domestic animals in an area
– Spain and Morocco show the impact of food taboos
• On the Spanish, Roman Catholic side pigs are common
• In Muslim Morocco only about 12,000 swine can be
found in the entire country
• Islamic avoidance of pork underlies this contrast
– Judaism imposes restrictions against pork and other
meats as stated in the Book of Leviticus
Religion and economy
• Other explanations for Islamic and Judaic
pork taboos
– Concern with the danger of intestinal
parasites (trichinosis)
– Considered pigs unclean
– Unlikely relationship between poorly cooked
pork and intestinal parasites would have been
detected before modern medical technology
– As some groups lost access to irrigation
waters they became nomadic herders
diffusion of Buddhism along the Silk Route
• trade partly prospered because of the elaborate rites
introduced into the practice of Buddhism in Central
Asia.
– The Stupas (icons) were wrapped with reams of silk on
festive occasions thereby giving impetus to the silk trade
in China.
• The interlocking dome of the Stupas was to be the
prototype for the domes over Mosques and
churches that were built later by Romans and Arabs
• The Dome of the Mosques in Islamic architecture is
derived from the stupas
• The hemispherical construction of Byzantine such
as Haja Sophia of Byzantine has domes which
reseble the Buddhist Stupa
Relic Worships at Stupas
• Relics are parts of the
Buddha’s body (hair,
nails, bones, teeth,
etc.) that have great
power and can bless
those who worship
them
• Stupas are Buddhist
temples that house a
relic of the Buddha
Asoka’s sponsorship of stupas
Schisms or divisions
Origin and Diffusion of Islam
Taj Mahal
• tomb & mosques
– built by Shah Jahan
– 5th Mughal Emperor
– completed 1653
The Sacred Cow
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Nearly 200 million cattle in India
Cow sacred and its slaughter forbidden
15% of world total
Cows provide work, milk, ghee, dung, fertilizer
Hinduism forbids slaughter of cows
Goshalas – old age homes for old cows
Lord Brahma: creator, continually
making new realities
Vishnu: Protector/Preserver
AVATARS
Krishna
Rama
Buddha
the Caste System
4 Social Castes (Varna, subdivided into 1000s of
jati) + outcastes
– Brahmin (5% priestly & academic)
– Kshatriyas (20% rulers, military, warrior)
– Vaishya (farmers, merchants, landlords)
– Sudras (laborers & artisans)
• Untouchables (26% -- menial labor:
slaughtering, cleaning)
Dalit: Low-caste “untouchables”
• 250 million out-castes
• 1949 caste system
outlawed
• Oppression continues
(rural areas)
no rights for owning land or home
no access to worship at the local temple
no right to walk on certain roads
segregated living
severely impoverished
suffer high levels of illiteracy
• Since 1950s affirmative
action
Sikhism
• Religion developed in Northern India as a
result of the interaction of Hindus and
Muslims.
• Believe in reincarnation (Hindu)
• Believe in one God (Islam)
• Idea of moderation (combination of the
two)
Sikhism
Symbols of the faith The Five K's: Clothing
practices of stricter Sikhs: symbolize
unity, truthfulness, faith, identity, justice
– Kesa (long hair, never cut)
– Kangah (comb)
– Kacha (short pants)
– Kara (metal bangle)
– Kirpan (a ceremonial dagger)
The Geography of Religion
Ethnic Religions
Universalizing Religions(proselytic)
Polytheism
Monotheism
• 2 billion adherents
make it most practiced
in the world.
•Originated in
Bethlehem (8-4 BC) and
Jerusalem (AD 30) with
Jesus Christ.
• Spread by missionaries
and the Roman Empire
(Constantine A.D. 313).
• It is the most
practiced religion in
Africa today.
Christianity
Diffusion of Christianity
• 1 billion +
adherents
• Originated in Saudi
Arabia (Mecca and
Medina) around AD
600.
• Spread originally by
Muslim armies to N.
Africa, and the Near
East.
• Sunni (83%) throughout the
Muslim world.
• Shiite - Iran (40%),
Pakistan (15%), Iraq
(10%)
Islam
Holy Text: Koran
Prophet: Muhammad
• Five Pillars of Islam
• There is one God and
Muhammad is his messenger.
• Prayer five times daily, facing
Mecca.
• The giving of alms(charity) to
the poor.
• Fasting during Ramadan for
purification and submission.
• If body and income allow, a
Muslim must make a
pilgrimage (hajj) to Mecca in
his lifetime.
• Islamic Calender
• Begins in AD 622 when
Muhammad was commanded to
Mecca from Medina (Hijra).
• Lunar calendar makes Ramadan
move through the seasons (30
year cycle - 19 years with 354 days
and 11 with 355).
Sacred Site of Islam
Diffusion of Islam
Islam is considered the fastest growing religion in America. Only a small
part of this growth is from black Muslims and the Nation of Islam.
• 300 million + adherents
Buddhism
primarily in China and S.E.
Asia
• Originated near modern
Nepal around 530 BC by
prince Siddhartha
Gautama.
• Spread originally in India
and Sri Lanka by Magadha
Empire (250 BC).
• Indian traders brought it
to China in 1st century AD.
• By 6th century it had lost
its hold on India, but was
now in Korea and Japan.
Four Noble Truths:
1. All living beings must endure
suffering.
2. Suffering, which is caused by
desires (for life), leads to
reincarnation.
3. The goal of existence is an escape
from suffering and the endless cycle of
reincarnation by means of Nirvana.
4. Nirvana is achieved by the Eightfold
Path, which includes rightness of
understanding, mindfulness, speech,
action, livelihood, effort, thought, and
concentration.
Karma - your past bad or good
actions determine your progress
toward Nirvana through
reincarnation. You are your own
God.
Buddhism
Theravada - the older, more
severe form which requires
the renouncing of all worldly
goods and desires.
Mahayana - focuses on
Buddha’s teachings and
compassion.
• 300 million + adherents
primarily in China and S.E.
Asia
• Originated near modern
Nepal around 530 BC by
prince Siddhartha
Guatama.
• Spread originally in India
and Sri Lanka by
Magadhan Empire (250
BC).
• Indian traders brought it
to China in 1st century AD.
• By 6th century it had lost
its hold on India, but was
now in Korea and Japan.
Buddhism
Hinduism
• 900 million + adherents
primarily in India
• Hinduism is an ancient
term for the complex and
diverse set of religious
beliefs practiced around
the Indus River.
• Reincarnation - endless
cycles. Karma and Yoga.
• Coastlines and river
banks most sacred sites.
• Vishnu and Shiva most
common of hundreds of
deities.
Key Terms
Syncretism - the mixing of two
or more religions that creates
unique rituals, artwork, and
beliefs.
Examples include syncretism of
Christianity and indigenous beliefs
in the Americas, Africa, and Asia.
Voodoo Dolls, Haiti
• Caribbean Voodoo (Haiti,
Louisiana)
• Christianity in Indigenous Latin
American
Shrine, Bangalore, India
Syncretism - the mixing of two
or more religions that creates
unique rituals, artwork, and
beliefs.
Religious Conflict
The Big Question: Can secular society exist alongside
traditional and fundamentalist religious sects and
states?
• We are quick to notice fundamentalism abroad (i.e. Salman
Rushdie’s death sentence by Shia clerics) and not so quick to
recognize it at home (abortion clinic bombings; Southern
Baptist Convention’s calls for women to submit to their
husbands’ authority).
• American evangelical Christianity and Islamic fundamentalism
are the two most influential fundamentalist movements in the
world.
• Fewer and fewer states are governed by an official church.
Role of Religion
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How does it function in the society
Who and what does it serve
Can it be spread
Does it promote the spread
How does it impact change and stability in
the society and in the world