AP Human Geography
Copeland

A set of beliefs –
• an explanation of the origins and purpose of humans and their role
on earth
• existence of a higher power, spirits or god
• Which involves rituals, festivals, rites of passage and space
(religious landscapes)
***Religion dominates the lives and behavior of billions of people worldwide. Because
religion is tied to all aspects of human culture, studying religion can help us understand
everything from population growth, international politics and the design, structure and
location of cities. From a geographical perspective, we are not concerned with the beliefs
themselves or their places of origin. We are more interested in a religion’s patterns and
processes of diffusion and their influence on the landscape in a given area.


Universalizing Religion: attempts to appeal to all
people, not just those living in a particular location.
Spreads by contagious diffusion through…
Proselytize: to try to convert people to one’s belief or
opinion



“Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is.
Missions exists because worship doesn't.”
― John Piper
Soteriology-is the study of religious doctrines of
salvation, which are a feature of various religions
Syncretic: Traditions that borrow from both the past
and the present
Secularization - a process that is leading to
increasingly large groups of people who claim
no allegiance to any church or denomination.
 Some of these people are atheists. Others
simply do not practice. Still others call
themselves spiritual, but not religious.
 Common in Europe and the larger cities of the
U.S.
 Common in former Soviet Union and China.

A movement in American churches…to
“secularize” church. Any thoughts?
Key Terms
• Ethnic Religions: concentrated spatial distribution
whose principles are likely based on physical
characteristics of a particular location.
-Tribal/traditional religions: specific religions
distinguished by their small size, close ties to nature
and their unique identity with localized culture.
-Animism: belief than inanimate objects, such as
rocks, trees, bodies of water, mountains all possess
spirits and therefore should be revered as gods.
Fundamentalism - a process that is leading to
increasingly large groups of people who claim
there is only one way to interpret worship.
 Fundamentalists generally envision a return to
a more perfect religion and ethics they
imagine existed in the past.
 Common in the U.S. and in some Islamic
nations.

Monotheism: existence of only one God.

Polytheism: existence of many gods.

Cosmogony: A set of religious beliefs
concerning the origin of the universe.

Pantheism: religions that believe the universe is
identical with divinity

Branch: A large and fundamental division within a
religion. (Catholicism vs. Protestantism)

Denomination: A division within a branch of a religion.
(Baptist, Methodist, Lutheran-Protestant Denominations)

Sect: A relatively small denominational group that has
broken away from an established church. (Warren JeffsFundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day
Saints (FLDS Church))
 Universalizing
• Christianity
• Islam
• Buddhism
Religions
 Characteristics:
Traced to actions and
teaching of a man, diffused from specific
hearths by followers / missionaries
Major World Religions
• Ethnic Religions
– Hinduism
– Judaism
– all Animistic Religions
• Characteristics: No specific founder,
limited diffusion / no missionaries
http://www.religioustolerance.org/worldrel.htm
Ethnic Religions
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 and folk cultures.
• 10% of Africans follow such traditional ethnic religions.
• These beliefs are losing ground to Christianity and Islam throughout Africa.
Nigerian Shaman
Hinduism
• Origin & Diffusion-unknown
– Hearth: Indus River Valley in present-day Pakistan 22004000 BCE (oldest major religion)
– Collection of scriptures 1500BCE – 500BC
• Vedas, Upanishads, Sutras, Bhagavad Gita
– Over 800 million followers
• Almost exclusive to India, Nepal,
and Sri Lanka
– Sacred Spaces
• Ganges River
Hinduism
• Monistic: One god, many forms
– Brahman: Vishnu (preserver), Shiva (destroyer),
Shakti (mother god)
• Main Beliefs
1. Karma- deeds have corresponding effects on the future
2. dharma - fulfill moral, social and religious duties
3. artha - attain financial and worldly success
4. kama - satisfy desires and drives in moderation
5. Reincarnation-a soul moves upward or downward based on an individual’s behavio
6. moksha - attain freedom from reincarnation
7. The Caste System-untouchables (lowest) to Brahman (highest)
*shrines/temples are built; bestows merit on the builder; cultural landscape inundated
with shrines and temples
Judaism
• Origin and Diffusion

2000 BCE – Abraham formed covenant with God as patriarch of
Israelites (second oldest religion)
 Moses led people out of Egypt
 Diaspora: In 70 A.D., Romans forced Jews to disperse throughout
the world.
 Ghetto: During the Middle Ages, a neighborhood in a city set up
by law to be inhabited only by Jews.
 Zionist: goal of all Jews to return to a homeland (Israel-1948)
Judaism
•
Sacred Places
– Synagogues (all have ark containing five books of Moses-Torah)
– Jerusalem
– Western Wall-edge of the temple mount
•
Divisions
– Sephardim
– Ashkenazim 80% (Yiddish)
•
Current Diffusion
 13-14 million worldwide
 Israel, United States, Canada, South Africa, Australia
Judaism
• Basic Precepts
– Belief in One God (foundation of both Christianity and Islam)
– Torah - original 5 chapters of Christian Bible (Old Testament)
– Coming of the Messiah still to come
– Atonement accomplished by sacrifices, penitence & good deeds
– Differing opinions on afterlife
Ethnic Asian Religions
Taoism – The Path or Way
– Founder: Lao Tze
– 500 BCE
– 20 million followers, mainly in China
– Sacred Text: Tao Te Ching
– philosophy of harmony & balance: Tao
– Afterlife: change from being to non-being
Ethnic Asian Religions
• Confucianism
– 6-5th century BCE
– moral code taught by Confucius
• Humanity and striving for perfection
– 5-6 million adherents, most refer
to themselves as having more
than one faith
• Most influential in China
Ethnic Asian Religions
Shintoism
– Japanese traditional religion
– No founder or origin known
– 3-4 million followers
– Beliefs
• Worship and offerings to Kami at shrines and at home
• Simple and harmonious life with nature and people
• Many practices tied with Buddhism
Ethnic Asian Religions
Jainism
– 550 BCE
– Founder: Mahavira
– Indian traditional religion
– 4 million followers
• Basic Principles:
• Reincarnation to attain perfection and liberation
• Non-violence-cause no harm to any being
Universalizing Religions
-Christianity
-Islam
-Buddhism
 Origin
and Diffusion
 Palestine (modern Israel)
 Universalizing
Religion


What are the 3
branches?
Branches
 Roman Catholic
 Protestant
 Eastern Orthodox
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/livin
g/2011/07/29/language.of.christianity.cn
n
 Origin
and Diffusion
 Messiah: Jesus
 Universalizing Religion
Spread by missionaries (Paul, Peter)
 Basic Precepts
 Belief in One God
 Father, Son & Holy Spirit
 Covenant (contract) with God
New Testament - salvation to those who believe in
Jesus Christ and his teachings
Salvation is by grace or belief not works
Believers to heaven with everlasting life
Conversion of others (proselytize)
 Basic Precepts
 Founded in 30 CE (Jesus baptized by John the
Baptist), Palestine
 Bible-Old and New Testament
 2 billion followers – largest faith
Europe
North and South America
*Christians utilize more land for their dead than any
other religion with the widespread use of ceremonies
(funerals)
Christianity
•
•
•
Catholicism - largest branch
 Headed by the Pope
 Ceremonial - 7 sacraments
 ex: baptism, marriage, Eucharist
Eastern Orthodoxy - 11th Century split-Great Schism
 Rivalry between Pope and Patriarch of Constantinople (Istanbul)
 Russian, Greek, Serbian Orthodox, etc.
Protestantism - (1517) Reformation era (Luther-Germany, 95 Thesis/
Calvin, France-sovereignty of God)
 No Pope needed
 individual has direct link to God
 Grace through faith rather than sacraments



Origin and Diffusion
 Mecca, Saudi Arabia
 633 CE
 Founder-Muhammad
1.3 Billion followers
Branches
 Sunni (majority)-Middle East and North Africa (believe in the
effectiveness of family and community in solving life’s problems)
 Shiite (13%)-Iran, Iraq, Bahrain (imams, Muslim leaders, are the
only sinless sources of true knowledge)

Basic Precepts
 Submission to the will of God (Allah)
 Lineage - Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, & Mohammed
(different lineage)
 Holy Book - Quran - built on Old Testament
 Worship done in mosques (most imposing and carefully
maintained buildings). Exemplifies how religion and culture are
one.
Islam
5
Pillars of Faith
 Shahada: Creed “There is no God but Allah”
 Salat: Prayer 5 times a day facing Mecca
 Zakat: Giving to the poor
Sawm: Fasting during month of Ramadan
Hajj: Pilgrimage to Mecca
 Origin
and Diffusion
 Founder: Siddhartha Gautama
 520 BCE
 Hearth: present day Nepal
 360 million
 Branches

followers
Theravada-(Orthodox) Burma, Sri Lanka, Laos
 Mahayana-(all living creatures could become a Buddha) China, Korea,
Vietnam, Japan (Zen)
 Vajrayana/Tantra (Tibetan-Lamaism)
His Holiness the 14th Dali Lama

Basic Precepts

Buddha - the enlightened one


Nirvana - highest degree of consciousness
4 noble truths
1.
2.
3.
4.
All of life is marked by suffering.
Suffering is caused by desire and attachment.
Suffering can be eliminated.
Suffering is eliminated by following the Noble Eightfold
Path.

Basic Precepts

8 Fold Path
1. Right beliefs
2. Right aspirations
3. Right speech
4. Right conduct
5. Right livelihood
6. Right effort
7. Right mindfulness
8. Right meditational attainment
Buddhism
• Basic Precepts
 Individuals choose the “Middle Path”
 Buddhists believe:
 not in any God, blind faith, or savior
 what is created is impermanent
 True Permanent Absolute Reality
 uncreated, unborn, permanent bliss of Nirvana
Religion, to many, especially Christianity, is man’s attempt to be
close to God, relate to God, understand God, but on man’s own
terms. Religion is man’s creation.