Unit 3 Key Terms
46-90
Religion Regions
46. Hinduism
• Most ancient religious tradition in Asia (and
possibly the world?).
• May be viewed as polytheistic
• Central belief is in reincarnation
• Ethnic religion = primarily practiced within India
• Example/illustration:
Characteristics of Hinduism
• No clergy or religious requirements
• No real splintering or sects
– Can be practices in many ways & at many levels so
there was no need to “split off.”
• Each individual is seeking to comprehend the
ultimate reality while living out his/her dharma
(duty) with the goal of union with Brahman once
the cycle of reincarnation is ended.
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47. Karma
• Definition: the notion that every action a
person takes has a consequence at some point
in the future. Good or bad, everything we do,
according to Hindus, matters.
• Example: Abby volunteers at a homeless
shelter every week. When she dies, she has
accumulated good karma which helps her in
her next life.
48. Reincarnation
• Definition: the cycle of “rebirth” and
“redeath.”
• Example: Andy is a human in this life and has
accumulated NEGATIVE karma for kicking
puppies and babies. As a result, he is
reincarnated into a blind puppy with three
legs.
49. Caste System
• Definition: a social system where status is
determined by heredity
–
–
–
–
Brahman, priestly
Kshatriya, warrior/ruler
Vaisya, tradesman and farmer
Sudra, servant and laborer
– Untouchables (5th caste)
• Example: Blue Ivy marries Saint West (you
only marry people in your social class)
50. Untouchables
• Definitions: The lowest group within the caste
system. Also called the Harijans or dalits. They
perform jobs that Hindus consider to be
spiritually and physically unclean
• Example: Most Hindus are vegetarians, so any
job that requires handling animal carcasses,
bodily fluids or waste, or skin is considered
very unclean
51. Vedas
• Definition: Hindu Holy books. They contain
stories of Hindu gods and goddesses
• Example/Illustration:
52. Buddhism
• One of the major world religions practiced by
about 400 million people worldwide
• Siddhartha Gautama/Buddha – Enlightened One
• Four Noble Truths
– Life involves suffering
– Cause of suffering is desire
– Elimination of desire ends suffering
– Right thinking and behavior eliminate desire
• Diffused from India
53. Siddhartha
• Definition: Another name for Buddha. He was born to a
wealthy family and was very sheltered growing up. When
he finally left his house as an adult, he was exposed to all
the ills of the world (illness, poverty, suffering, etc.). He
then left his family and rejected all earthly desires to begin
his journey to find a way to end suffering. He is seen as the
founder of Buddhism.
• Example:
54. Four Noble Truths
• Definition: Four aspects of
life surrounding suffering
that the Buddha taught
– Life involves suffering
– Cause of suffering is
desire
– Elimination of desire
ends suffering
– Right thinking and
behavior eliminate desire
55. Pali Cannon
• Definition: the standard collection of
scriptures in the Theravadan Buddhist
tradition
• Example:
56. Judaism
• Definition: the monotheistic religion of the
Jews having its spiritual and ethical principles
embodied chiefly in the Torah and in the
Talmud
• Example:
•
•
•
•
Judaism
14 million adherents
Monotheistic (claims to the oldest one)
Based on covenant with Abraham
Scriptures: Torah – 5 books of the “Law”
– Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy
• Sects
– Orthodox, Conservative, Reform
• Israel – More Jews in New York City than in
Israel
– Homeland for Jewish people
– Created 1948
– Conflict between Israel and Palestine
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57. Diaspora
• Definition: the dispersion of any people from
their original homeland. The word is primarily
used to describe Jews living outside of Israel
• Example:
58. Torah
• Definition: Jewish religious text containing 5
books of the “Law”
– Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers,
Deuteronomy
• Example:
59. Kosher
• Definition: A biblical dietary restriction for
Jews.
• Example: look at the chart on the next slide
Kosher Examples
60. Synagogue
• Definition: the building where a Jewish
assembly or congregation meets for religious
worship and instruction
• Example:
61. Christianity
• Definition: a monotheistic system of beliefs
and practices based on the Old Testament and
the teachings of Jesus as embodied in the
New Testament and emphasizing the role of
Jesus as savior
• Example:
Christian Fundamentals
• Areas of almost complete agreement
– Sacraments of Baptism & Matrimony
– Monotheism involving one God in a trinity of persons
(referred to as a mystery)
– Blessing and sharing bread and wine at least in
memory of Jesus sacrifice
– Jesus was/is 100% God and 100% human
– Salvation comes from belief in and acceptance of Jesus
as one’s savior
– There will be a second coming at the end of time
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Christianity
• Emerged from Judaism – Jesus was a Jew!
• Official religion of Roman Empire – 312 CE
– Facilitated geographical spread
– Model for its bureaucratic structure
• Significant growth in Africa, Asia and Latin America
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Christian Denominations: Sects
• Eastern Orthodox
– Greek, Serbian, Russian, Armenian, etc.
• Roman Catholic – Latin Rite & Greek Rite
– Largest single denomination in the USA
• Protestant – hundreds of denominations
– Luther, Calvin, Zwingli, etc.
• Peripheral – significant differences from the
mainstream Christian denominations
– Mormon, Jehovah Witnesses, etc.
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62. Jesus
• Definition: A teacher and prophet whose life
and teachings form the basis of Christianity.
Christians believe Jesus to be Son of God.
• Example:
63. Islam
• Definition: the monotheistic religion of
Muslims founded in Arabia in the 7th century
and based on the teachings of Muhammad as
laid down in the Koran
• Example:
Islam
•
•
•
•
Muhammad, prophet
Allah (word for God)
Monotheistic
Major Sects: Sunni – 85% and Shiite –
15%
• Koran (or Qu’ran), the holy book, is
sufficient to direct all aspects of life, seen
as direct word of god, as told to
Muhammad.
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Five Pillars
• Five Pillars of Islam
– Belief in one God
– Five daily prayers facing Mecca
– Generous alms (help to poor)
– Fasting during the holy month of Ramadan
– Pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj)
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64. Muhammad
• Definition: the founder of the Islam religion;
to Muslims, Muhammad is the ultimate and
final prophet
• Example:
65. Hajj
• Definition: annual pilgrimage to Mecca
performed by Muslims. It is a mandatory
religious duty to be done at least once during
each person’s lifetime. It is the fifth pillar of
Islam
• Example:
66. Qur’an
• Definition: the central religious text of Islam,
which Muslims believe to be a revelation from
God.
• Example:
67. Mosque
• Definition: a Muslim place of worship
• Example:
68. Sharia
• Definition: the basic Islamic legal system
derived from the religious precepts of Islam,
particularly the Qur’an and the Hadith
• Example: look at map on next slide for
example/illustration
69. Confucianism
• Definition: A Chinese folk religion or
philosophy that began about 2,500 years ago
and that emphasizes proper social
relationships and individual morality. It is a
system of philosophical and ethicalsociopolitical teachings sometimes described
as a religion
• Example:
Confucianism
• Confucius lived from 551-479 BC in China
• Importance of loyalty to one’s parents, family
and government
• Supports an orderly state (strong government)
70. Taoism
• Definition: philosophical system developed by
of Lao-tzu and Chuang-tzu advocating a simple
honest life and noninterference with the
course of natural events
• Example:
71. Sikhism
• Definition: the doctrines of a monotheistic
religion founded in northern India in the 16th
century by Guru Nanak and combining
elements of Hinduism and Islam
• Example:
72. African Traditional Religion
• Definition: A catch all term that refers to many individual
religions in Africa that have some things in common.
• Most are forms of animism
• Focus is on maintaining order in society and life, not on
eternal salvation
• Failure to respect the gods might bring a bad harvest or
infertility
• Example:
73. Jainism
• Definition: developed about the same time as Buddhism as a reaction to
Hinduism (6th Century BC)
• Jains believe that the only way to escape the cycle of rebirth is to cease all
activity that might accumulate bad karma
• Thus, monastic living is the only true way to salvation: monks and nuns
renounce all possessions, wandering by foot for much of their lives,
begging for food and trying not to harm any living thing.
• Example:
74. Shinto
• Definition: the ancient indigenous religion of
Japan lacking formal dogma; Religion located
in Japan and related to Buddhism. Shintoism
focuses particularly on nature and ancestor
worship.
• Believers acknowledge that gods are present
in natural objects
• Example:
75. Baha’i
• Definition: a religion emphasizing the unity of
all religions and peoples, teaching that all
founders of the world's religions have been
God's divine messengers
• Main message is that all peoples are the same
regardless of background or religion
• Seeks to unite all people of the world
• Example: on next slide
76. Ethnicity
• Definition: a constructed identity that is tied to a place … it
is often considered “natural” because it implies ancient
relations among people over time.
• Ethnicity is NOT the same as race. It is more difficult to
define ethnicity than race. It includes shared cultural traits
(religion/language) and a common history
• Example: Ms. Roti’s ethnicities are Italian, French, German,
Czechoslovakian, Austrian, Irish, Austrian, and Polish
(where her grandparents are from). Her race is white and
her nationality is American because she was born in
America.
Estimated
Percentage of U.S.
Population by
Race and Ethnicity
until 2050
77. Ethnocentrism
• Definition: A belief or conviction that one’s
own ethnic group is superior
• Example:
78. Emergent Ethnicity
• Definition: involves the creation of new forms
of group identity due to demographic changes
or competition and conflict with other groups.
• A new ethnic identity based on group
solidarity and similarity of experiences might
form.
• Example: Some argue that the identity of
“Asian American” is an example of this
79. Resurgent Identity
• Definition: the idea that traditional or
ancestral identities can reemerge through
historical events and particular circumstances.
• Example: Japanese Americans after WWII
80. Assimilation
• Definition: process of incorporating new ideas into an
existing cultural structure and the loss of your original
culture
• Example: American Indians experienced forced
assimilation in boarding schools when they were
forced to follow white culture and lose their traditional
cultures
81. Acculturation
• Definition: The adoption of the behavior
patterns of the surrounding culture but
maintaining your original cultural (bicultural)
• Example: When the Lost boys ate American
food with their hands rather than use utensils.
82. Ethnic Neighborhoods
• Definition: An area with a much higher
concentration of a particular ethnic or cultural
group that doesn’t dominate in the general
population
• Example: Chinatown in Chicago
83. Segregation
• Definition: the practice or policy of keeping
people of different races, ethnicities, religions,
etc., separate from each other.
• Example/illustration:
84. Ghettos
• Definition: a poor, densely populated city
district populated by a minority ethnic group
linked together by economic hardship and
social restriction
• Note: this word can be a way of perpetuating stereotypes.
Please be mindful of your use of the word
• Example: Englewood
85. Ethnoburbs
• Definition: a suburban residential and
business area with a notable cluster of a
particular ethnic minority population
• Example: Skokie (northwest suburb) where
the majority of the residents are Asian
Americans
86. Ethnic Islands
• Definition: small, usually rural and ethnically
homogeneous (similar) enclaves, situated
within a larger and more diverse cultural
context.
• Example: Sardinia, even though it's part of
Italy, the people of Sardinia have been
formally recognized as a separate "people"
than other Italians
87. Sex
• Definition: the biological differences between
males and females
• 52% of the world is female, yet are considered
a minority
• Example:
88. Sexism
• Definition: the subordination of one sex,
usually female, based on the assumed
superiority of the other sex
• Example:
89. Gender
• Definition: culturally and socially constructed
differences between females and males that are based
on meanings, beliefs and practices that a group or
society associates with “femininity” or “masculinity”
• Example: Boys play with trucks and girls play with dolls
90. Gendered Spaces
• Definition: areas in which particular genders
of people, and particular types of gender
expression, are considered welcome or
appropriate, and other types are unwelcome
or inappropriate
• Example:
Illiterate Young Women
This map shows the number of young women that would need to be
educated to reach the same literacy rates as men in each territory.
Girls/Women may be denied an
education due to:
• Economic factors: Females are needed to work at
home so that parents can work or only enough
money to educate some children (males picked first)
• Social/Cultural factors : A belief that the role of
females is to look after children and take care of the
home and therefore does not need an education.
• Religious/Political: Example: Taliban (banned
females from working, therefore eliminating
possibility of education for girls)