Religion
Chapter 6
Where are Religions Distributed?

Very few religions can claim large numbers of
adherents
 Geographers distinguish between 2 kinds of
religions
1. Universalizing religion- a religion that attempts
to appeal to all people, not just those living in a
particular region
2. Ethnic religion- a religion w/ a relatively
concentrated spatial distribution whose principles
are likely to be based on the physical
characteristics of the particular location in which
its adherents are concentrated
continued
 62% of World’s pop.
Adhere to a
universalizing religion
 24% to an ethnic
religion
 14% to no religion
Universalizing Religions
 The 3 main universalizing religions are
Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism
 Each can be divided into branches,
denominations, and sects
 Branch- a large and fundamental division within a
religion
 Denomination- a division of a branch that unites a
# of local congregations in a single legal and
administrative body
 Sect- a relatively small group that has broken
away from an established denomination
Christianity
 More than 2 billion adherents, by far most
popular religion and the most widely
distributed
 Predominate religion in North America,
South America, Europe, and Australia
 Some countries in Africa and Asia also have
a Christian majority
Branches of Christianity
 3 major branches- Roman
Catholic (52%), Protestant
(21%), and Eastern
Orthodox (10%)
 In Europe, Catholicism is
the dominant Christian
branch in the SW and
Central, Protestantism in
the NW, and Eastern
Orthodoxy in the East and
SE
continued
 Regions of Catholicism and Protestantism
sometimes have sharp boundaries even
when they run thru the middle of a country
– The Netherlands and Switzerland have approx.
equal % of Catholics and Protestants, but he
Catholics are concentrated in the south, and
Protestants in the north
continued
 The Eastern Orthodox branch is a collection
of 14 self-governing churches in Eastern
Europe and the Middle East
– more than 40% belong to the Russian Orthodox
Church
– Romanian church has 20% of all Orthodox
Christians
Christianity in the Western
Hemisphere
 90% of Western Hemisphere people are
Christian
 Fairly sharp boundary between branches of
Christianity
 In Latin America, 93% are Catholic, but only
29% in North America
– In North America, Catholics are clustered the
SW and NE United States and in Quebec
continued
 In the US there are 83
million Protestants
(28% of population)
– 35 million are Baptists
(mostly in southeast)
– Other large groups
include Methodists,
Pentecostal, and
Lutheran
Islam
 About 1.3 billion followers
 Predominant religion of the Middle East from North
Africa to central Asia
– However, half of all Muslims live in 4 countries outside
the Middle East
 Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India
 Islam translates as “submission to the will of God”
 Followers are called Muslims which translates as
“one who surrenders to God”
Five Pillars of Faith
1. There is no god worthy of worship except
the one God, the source of all creation,
and Muhammad is the messenger of God
2. Five times daily, a Muslim prays, facing the
city of Makkah, as a direct link to God
3. A Muslim gives generously to charity, as
an act of purification and growth
continued
4. A Muslim fasts during the month of
Ramadan, as an act of self-purification
5. If physically and financially able, a Muslim
makes a pilgrimage to Makkah
Branches of Islam
 Has 2 important branches:
1. Sunni (from Arabic word for orthodox)
-83% of all Muslims
2. Shiite (from Arabic word for sectarian)
-sometimes written Shia in English
-16% of all Muslims
-nearly 30% of all Shiites lives in Iran,
15% in Pakistan, and 10% in Iraq
-Shiites are 90% of the pop. In Iran, and more
than half in Azerbaijan, Iraq, Oman, and
Bahrain
Islam in North America and Europe
 Islamic population of North America and
Europe is growing at a rapid pace
 Muslims make up 5% of pop. In Europe
– France has the largest Muslim pop., about 4
mill.
 Why do you think that is?
– Legacy of French colonization in N. Africa
continued
 In 1990, there were only a few hundred
thousand Muslims in North America
 Today there are more than 5 million
– Has much to do with the Nation of Islam, or
Black Muslims as they are sometimes called
Buddhism

Has 400 million adherents
–

mostly in China and SE Asia
Buddhism has 3 major branches based on
differing interpretations of statements by founder
Siddhartha Gautama
1. Mahayana- 56% -primarily in China, Japan, and
Korea
2. Theravadists- 38% -Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar,
Sri Lanka, and Thailand
3. Tantrayanists- 6% -Tibet and Mongolia
continued
 Very difficult to get an accurate count of
Buddhists because very few people
participate in Buddhist institutions
– Religious functions done by monks, not by the
public
 Also difficult because Buddhism is not
exclusive
– It is possible to be a Buddhist and another
eastern religion at the same time
 Not allowed by Christianity and Islam
Four Noble Truths

The foundation of Buddhism is
represented by Four Noble Truths
1. All living beings must endure suffering
2. Suffering, which is caused by a desire to
live, leads to reincarnation (repeated
rebirth in new bodies or forms of life)
continued
3. The goal of all existence is to escape from
suffering and the endless cycle of
reincarnation into Nirvana (a state of
complete redemption), which is achieved
through mental and moral self-purification
4. Nirvana is attained thru an Eightfold Path,
which includes rightness of belief, resolve,
speech, action, livelihood, effort, thought,
and meditation
Ethnic Religions
 The largest ethnic religion is Hinduism with
more than 860 million followers
 Most other ethnic religions are much smaller
and are found in Asia and Africa
Hinduism
 Hinduism is the world’s third most popular
religion
– 97% of Hindus can be found in India
 Most of the rest live in Nepal
 Hindus comprise more than 80% of the population of
both countries
continued
 Hindus believe that it is up to the individual to
decide the best way to worship God
 There are many paths to reach God such as the
path of knowledge, the path of renunciation, the
path of devotion, and the path of action
– You follow your own path and your own convictions as
long as they are in harmony with your true nature
– You are responsible for your own actions and you alone
suffer the consequences
continued
 Hinduism does not have a central authority
or a single holy book
– People worship how they see fit
 The average Hindu has allegiance to a
particular god or concept within a broad
range of possibilities
 The most popular manifestation is
Vaishnavism (68%), which worships Vishnu,
a loving god incarnated as Krishna
continued
 Next is Sivaism (27%), which worships Siva,
a protective and destructive god
 Shaktism is a form of worship dedicated to
the female consort of Vishnu and Siva
 Geographically speaking, Siva and Shakti
worship is concentrated in the north; Shakti
and Vishnu in the east; Vishnu in the west;
and Siva with some Vishnu in the south
Other Ethnic Religions
 Ethnic religions are practiced by several
hundred million people in East Asia, esp. in
China and Japan
– The non-exclusive beliefs of Buddhism allows
adherents to also subscribe to other religious
beliefs
 Confucianism and Daoism (Taoism) are popular with
many Buddhists
Confucianism
 Confucius was a philosopher and teacher in
Lu
– Sayings emphasized the importance of Li,
which means “correct behavior”
 Confucianism prescribed a series of ethical
principles for orderly conduct of daily life
such as following traditions, fulfilling
obligations, and treating others with respect
Daoism (Taoism)
 Organized by Lao-Zi about the same time
Confucius lived
– Whereas Confucius emphasized everyday life, Lao-Zi’s
writings emphasized mystical and magical aspects of
life
 Daoists seek dao (tao) which means the “way” or the “path”
 The virtuous draw power (de or te) from being absorbed in the
dao
 Dao can’t be comprehended using reason and knowledge
 Split into sects, many acting like secret societies
– Banned by communist in 1949
Shintoism
 Distinctive ethnic religion of Japan
 Originally forces of nature like the sun and
moon were divine
– Gradually, deceased emperors and ancestors
replaced natural forces as divine
– In the late 1800s the emperor made Shintoism
the official state religion of Japan and made
himself divine
 After WWII the Allies made Emperor Hirohito
denounce his divinity
Judaism
 About 15 million Jews worldwide
– 6 million in the US and 5 million in Israel
– In the US, Jews are concentrated in large cities, esp. in
NY
 Jews are a majority in Israel
 Even though the number of adherents is relatively
small, Judaism has a substantial role in Western
civilization because Christianity and Islam both
have roots in Judaism
continued
 The Old Testament recounts the ancient
history of the Jewish people
 The first recorded religion to preach
monotheism
– Belief that there is only one God
 Consider themselves God’s “chosen”
Ethnic African Religions
 About 100 million Africans follow a
traditional ethnic religion known as animism
 Belief that objects, such as plants and stones, or natural
events, like thunderstorms and earthquakes, have a
discrete spirit and conscious life
 Rituals are passed by word of mouth and
there are very few written documents
– Seem to be based on monotheistic principles,
as there is one supreme God, but there are
many other lesser divinities under God
continued
 Recent decline in number of animists is due
to the increase in the number of Christians
and Muslims in Africa
– Africa now 46% Christian and 40% Muslim
Origin of Religions
 Universalizing religions have precise places
of origin based on the life events of a man
 Ethnic religions have unknown or unclear
origins, not tied to single historical
individuals
Origin of Universalizing Religions
 All three Universalizing religions can be
traced back to the actions and teachings of
a single man since the start of recorded
history
 Buddhism 2500 years ago
 Christianity 2000 years ago
 Islam 1500 years ago
 Specific events also led to the creation of
different branches of these religions
Origin of Christianity
 Founded on the teachings of Jesus who was born
b/w 8 and 4 BC in Bethlehem and was crucified in
Jerusalem about 30 AD
– Jesus was a Jew who organized a small band of
disciples and preached the coming of the Kingdom of
God
– Judas  Last Supper  crucifixion  empty tomb
 Christians believe Jesus died to atone for human
sins, he was raised from the dead by God, which
gives people hope for eternal salvation
continued
 Roman Catholics accept the teachings of the bible
and the interpretation of those teachings by the
Church hierarchy
 God conveys grace to humans thru seven
sacraments
-Baptism, Confirmation, Penance, Anointing the sick,
Matrimony, Holy Orders, and the Eucharist
 Catholics believe that the bread and wine used
during Eucharist miraculously become the body
and blood of Christ while maintaining the
appearance of bread and wine
– Called transubstantiation
continued
 In 1054 a split occurred in the Roman
Catholic Church that resulted in the creation
of Eastern Orthodoxy
– Great Schism
 Eastern Orthodox churches accept the 7
sacraments, but rejects other doctrines
added by the Catholic Church after 8th
century
continued
 Protestantism originated with the
Reformation in the 16th century
– Started with Martin Luther and the 95 theses in
Wittenberg Germany in 1517
– Believed that humans receive salvation thru
faith rather than sacraments performed by the
church
Origin of Islam
 Traces its story through the line of Abraham
and his second wife Hagar and her son
Ishmael (who were banished after
Abraham’s first wife, Sarah, had Isaac)
 Hagar and Ishmael wandered thru the
desert until they reached Makkah
 Muhammad was one of Ishmael’s
descendants
continued
 Muhammad was born in 570 and received
his first revelation from God when he was 40
 The angel Gabriel revealed the Koran to him
 Muhammad suffered persecution in Makkah
and was commanded by God to emigrate to
Yathrib in 622
– His emigration from Makkah to Yathrib (later
renamed Madina, “the City of the prophet”) is
known as the Hirja
 Marks the beginning of the Muslim calendar
continued
 The difference b/w Shiites and Sunnis has
to do with the succession of Muhammad
– Read about it on page 190
Origin of Buddhism

Founded by Siddhartha Gautama
–
Son of a Lord in Nepal


1.
2.
3.
4.
Lived a life of privilege
Gautama’s life changed after a series of 4 trips
1st trip he encountered a decrepit old man
A disease ridden-man on the second
A corpse on the third
A monk on the 4th who taught him about
withdrawal from the world
continued
 Gautama believed he could no longer live
his privileged life
– At 29 he left his palace and lived in the forest for
the next 6 years
 Experimented with diff. types of meditation
 Emerged as the “enlightened one” of the Buddha
– Spent the next 45 years preaching across India
continued
 Theravada Buddhists believe that Buddhism
is a full-time occupation, and you must
renounce worldly goods and become a
monk to be a good Buddhist
 Mahayana Buddhists claim that their
approach to Buddhism can help more
people because it is less demanding and allencompassing
Origin of Other Universalizing
Religions
 Sikhism and Bahai are much more recent
universalizing religions
– Sikhism about 500 years ago by Guru Nanak in
South Asia
– Bahai was established in Iran during the 19th
century and met strong opposition from Shiites
 In 1850 the leader and 20000 followers were
executed
– The prophet was exiled to Baghdad
Diffusion of Religions
 The hearths of the 3 main universalizing
religions are all based on the lives of the key
individuals
Diffusion of Christianity
 First spread from hearth in Palestine thru
relocation diffusion
 Missionaries carried the teachings of Jesus
throughout the Roman Empire along the
network of Roman roads
 Spread widely thru the empire thru
contagious diffusion-- daily contact b/w
believers and nonbelievers
 Pagan actually translated as “countryside”
continued
 When the Emperor Constantine accepted
Christianity in 313, it spread thru hierarchical
diffusion
 Theodosius proclaimed it he official religion
in 380
 In later centuries Christianity diffused into
Eastern Europe thru the conversion of kings
continued
 Since 1500, migration and missionaries
have spread Christianity to other parts of the
world
– Became the dominant religion in North and
South America, Australia and New Zealand
– More recently it has diffused to Africa where it is
now the most dominant religion
Diffusion of Islam
 Muhammad’s successors organized
followers into armies that extended the
reaches of Islam into much of North Africa,
Asia, and Europe
 Within 100 years of Muhammad’s death,
Muslim armies conquered and intermarried
with much of Palestine, Persia, and India
– Many non-Arabs became Muslim
continued
 Much of present day Spain was Muslim until
1492
 Relocation diffusion also helped
missionaries gain portions of sub-Saharan
Africa and SE Asia
 Arab traders brought Islam to Indonesia, the
World’s 4th most populous country, in the
13th century
Diffusion of Buddhism
 Didn’t spread rapidly from hearth in India
 Diffusion is mostly due to Emperor Asoka of
the Magadhan Empire b/w 273 and 232 BC
 He sent missionaries to neighboring
territories including Sri Lanka, which claims
the longest continuous tradition of Buddhism
– Missionaries also went into Kashmir, the
Himalayas, Myanmar, and other parts of India
continued
 In the 1st century merchants introduced
Buddhism into China
 By the 4th century Buddhism had become a
genuinely Chinese religion
 Moved into Korea in the 4th century and
Japan in the 6th century
– While losing its base of support in India at the
same time
Diffusion of Other Universalizing
Religions
 Bahai diffused to other regions during the late 19th
and early 20th centuries under the leadership of
the Abdul-Baha, son of the original prophet
– Spread rapidly in the late 20th century– a temple has
been built on every continent
 Sikhism is hasn’t really diffused out of the Punjab
region, except to move into India when Pakistan
became a mostly Muslim nation
Lack of Diffusion of Ethnic Religions
 Lack missionaries, don’t diffuse well
 Often replaced by universalizing religions or
mingled with them
– Has led to the creation of thousands of churches in
Africa not affiliates with any other established church in
the world
 Buddhism is greatly enter mingled with Shintoism
in Japan
– Example of how hard it is to measure the # of adherents
to any religion
 In Japan, 90% claim Shinto, 70% claim Buddhists
continued
 Ethnic Religions can diffuse if adherents
relocate for economic reasons and are not
forced to adopt a new religion
Judaism– An Exception
 Between 70 AD when the Romans forced
the Jews to disperse (Diaspora), and the
creation of Israel in 1948, most Jews lived
outside the Judaism hearth in the Eastern
Med. Sea
 Many Jews lived in Europe
– Historically, many European Jews were forced
to live in Ghettos
 Usually walled and locked at night
continued
 About 6 million Jews died during the
Holocaust
– Many of the survivors migrated to Israel
– Less than 15% of Jews live in Europe today
compared to 90% 100 years ago
Holy Places
 Universalizing and Ethnic religions have
differing types of Holy Places
 Ethnic religions often have a physical
feature that is considered holy
– Ex. A mountain, river, or rock formation
 Universalizing religions often have holy
cities based off the life of an important
person
continued
 Making a pilgrimage to these holy places is
incorporated into the rituals of some
universalizing and ethnic religions
 Hindus, Muslims, and Shinto are especially
encouraged to take pilgrimages
Holy Places in Universalizing
Religions
 Buddhism and Islam place particular
emphasis on shrines
– Holy because they are the locations of
important events in the life of Buddha or
Muhammad
Buddhist Shrines
 Buddhists have 8 holy
shrines based on
important places in the life
of Buddha
 They are clustered in NE
India and southern Nepal
 The most important is
Lumbini in Nepal which
was where he was born
 Bodh Gaya is where
Buddha reached perfect
wisdom
Holy Places in Islam
 Holiest city is Mecca,
birthplace of Muhammad
– Contains the Ka’ba a cube
like structure encased in silk
in the center of the Great
Mosque, al-Haram al-Sharif
– Thought to have been built
by Abraham and Ishmael
and contains a black stone
given by Gabriel
continued
 Medina is the second most holy location
– Muhammad’s tomb lies here inside Islam’s
second Mosque
 All healthy Muslims are supposed to make a
pilgrimage (hajj) to Mecca
– They all where white prayer robes to emphasize
loyalty to Islam and equality in the eyes of Allah
continued
 More than 1.5 million pilgrims came from
outside Saudi Arabia in 2006
– Hajj visas are given out 1 per 1000 Muslims per
country
Holy Places in Sikhism
•Most holy place is Darbar Sahib, aka the Golden
Temple
•Built in the 7th century
•Used by militant Sikhs to launch a
military attack to gain an independent
Punjab during the 1980s
•1984 India attacked the Golden temple and
killed about 1000 Sikhs
•In retaliation, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi
was assassinated by two of her guards who
were Sikhs
Holy Places in Ethnic Religions
 Ethnic religions are highly clustered
because they are closely tied to the physical
geography of a particular place
Holy Places in Hinduism
 Hindus consider a
pilgrimage , called a tirtha,
to be an act of purification
– An important act in achieving
redemption
 Hindu holy places are
arranged in a hierarchy
 Relative importance of
shrines is established by
tradition, not doctrine
•Purification
bathing in
can be achieved by
the Ganges River
•Believe it springs forth from the Siva’s
hair in the Himalayas
•Hardwar is the most popular place in
the Ganges to purify
Cosmogony in Ethnic Religions
 Cosmogony- a set of religious beliefs
concerning the origin of the Universe
– Ethnic religions are more likely to incorporate
events in the physical environment into their
principles
 Daoism and Confucianism believe in the yin
and yang which exist in everything
continued
 Yin force is associated with earth, darkness,
female, cold, depth, passivity, and death
 Yang force is associated with heaven, light, male,
heat, height, activity, and life
– The two forces interact to achieve balance and
harmony, but are in a constant state of change
– Imbalance results in disorder and chaos
 Christianity and Islam consider God to be the
creator of the universe, the Earth’s physical
environment and human beings
The Calendar
 Universalizing and ethnic religions have
different approaches to the calendar
 In ethnic religions holidays are based on the
distinctive physical geography of the
homeland, often agricultural
 Universalizing religions have holidays that
correspond to the life of the founder
The Calendar in Ethnic Religions
 A prominent feature is celebration of the
seasons
– Knowledge of the calendar is critical to
successful agriculture
 Know when to plant, fertilize, harvesting, and which
crops to grow when
The Jewish Calendar
 Major holidays are based on events in the
agricultural calendar of the religion’s
homeland
 Crops generally planted in autumn, a time of
hope and worry over whether or not there
will be enough rain during the winter
 The 2 holiest days come in fall
 Rosh Hashanah (New Year) and Yom Kippur
(Day of Atonement)
continued
 Passover derives from the traditional practice of
farmers offering God the first fruits of the new
spring harvest
 Israel uses a lunar calendar as do many Muslim
nations
– A lunar month is only 29 days long and a year is about
350 days
– The Jewish calendar adds an extra month 7 out of every
19 years to keep the agricultural seasons correct
The Solstice
 Solstice- time when the sun is farthest from
the equator
 Has a special significance in some ethnic
religions
 In Pagan religions the winter solstice is a
major holiday
– Shortest day and longest night of the year
– Stonehenge
Islamic and Bahai Calendars
 Islam also uses a lunar calendar, but unlike
Jews they do not insert extra days to make
the calendar match the agricultural schedule
 A 30-year cycle in the Islamic calendar has
19 years w/ 354 days and 11 years with 355
days
– Muslim holidays arrive in different seasons from
generation to generation
continued
 Bahai uses a calendar of 19 months with 19
days each with 4 intercalary days?????
 Year begins first day of spring which is one
of the holy days in Bahai
 There is a 19 Day Feast that occurs on the
first day of each new month in a year
Why Do Religions Organize Space
in Distinctive Patterns?
 The distribution of religious elements on the
landscape reflects the importance of religion
in people’s values
– Impact on environment is profound because
many people believe that life on Earth should be
spent in service of God
Christian Churches
 Christian landscape is dominated by a high
density of churches
 The word church derives from Greek word
for lord, master, and power
– Church also refers to a gathering of believers
and the building where these gatherings take
place
continued
 The Church has a more critical role in Christianity
than most other religions
– The structure is an expression of religious principles
– Attendance deemed important in Christianity as well
 The large number of Christian churches comes at
a large expense
– Many Christians donate large sums of money to their
church for the building and upkeep
 Shows the importance of worship
Church Architecture
 Early churches were modeled Roman assembly
buildings known as basilicas
 A rectangular building divided by two rows of columns that
formed a central nave (hall) and two side aisles
– Semicircular apse at the western end with an altar in front
 During the Gothic period churches were built in the
shape of a cross
 Since the spilt of Christianity into numerous
denominations no style of architecture has
dominated
continued
 Churches today reflect the cultural values of
the denomination and the region’s
architectural heritage
– Ex. Many large Baptist churches built around
the 1940’s are domed – see First Baptist
downtown
 Other major religions don’t consider their
important buildings a sanctified place of
worship
Muslim Mosques
 A place for community assembly
– People gather to worship, but it is not a sanctified place
 Found primarily in only larger cities with Muslim
populations
 Mosques are organized around central courtyards,
usually open air
 Pulpit is at the end facing Mecca
 Surrounding the courtyard is a cloister used for
schools and nonreligious activities
 Minaret are used by muzzans to call Muslims to
worship
Hindu Temples
 Built to house shrines for particular gods rather
than for congregational worship
– Most worship takes place in the home
 Temples are usually maintained by wealthy
individuals or families
 Typical Hindu temples contain a small dimly lit
interior room where a symbolic artifact or some
other image of a god rests
 Remainder of the temple may be devoted to space
for ritual processions
Buddhist and Shintoist Pagodas
 Usually a include tall, many sided towers
arranged in a series of tiers, balconies and
slanting roofs
 Pagodas contain relics believed to be a
portion of Buddha’s body or clothing
 Not designed for congregational worship
Bahai Houses of Worship
 Have been built all over
the world
– Locations not chosen
because large #’s of
adherents live there
– Done more to dramatize
Bahai as a universalizing
religion
 Houses of worship are
open to all religions, and
services include reciting
the scriptures of various
religions
Sacred Space
 How each religion distributes its elements
on the landscape depends on its beliefs
 Most significant land uses are for burial of
the dead and religious settlements
Burial
 Christians, Muslims, and Jews usually bury
their dead in cemeteries
 Early Christians buried their dead in
catacombs to protect the dead from
persecution
 After it became legal the dead were buried
in the yard around a church
continued
 Remains of the dead are usually aligned in a
traditional direction
– Some Christians are buried with their feet
towards Jerusalem so the meet Christ their on
Judgment Day
 Cemeteries in Muslim countries are often
used as parks as well
Other Methods of Body Disposal
 Hindus regularly practice cremation
– Body is washed with water from the Ganges
then burned slowly on a funeral pyre
– Burial is reserved for children and people with
certain diseases
– Cremation is an act of purification, but strains
the wood supply in India
continued
 Zoroastrians expose the dead to scavengers
to strip away unclean portions
 In parts of Micronesia bodies are disposed
of at sea
Religious Settlements
 Sometimes there is more religious
influences than just houses of worship and
burial grounds on the cultural landscape
 Ex. Salt Lake City, a Utopian community
– Construction begun by Mormons in 1848 and
based on a plan of the city of Zion
– Regular grid pattern, unusually wide
boulevards, and church-related buildings
scattered at strategic points throughout the city
continued
 Most utopian communities have decline din
importance or disappeared
 Many New England towns layout was
affected by their Puritan background
– Church located in the town center in most
prominent location
Religious Place Names
 Catholic immigrants frequently give religious
toponyms to their settlements
– Esp. in Quebec and the SW US
Administration of Space
 Followers of Universalizing religions must be
connected to ensure communication and
consistency of doctrine
 Ethnic religions tend not to have organized,
centralized authorities
Hierarchical Religions
 Hierarchical religions- a religion in which a
central authority exercises a high degree of control
 Roman Catholic Church is a great example
 Pope (Bishop of Rome0
 Archbishops head a province (group of several
dioceses) – some are cardinals
 Bishops head a diocese- the basic unit of
geographic organization
 Priests head a parish, many in each diocese
Latter-Day Saints
 Territory occupied by Mormons is organized
into wards with populations of approx. 750
 Several wards together form a stake- about
5000 people
 The Church board and President frequently
redraw ward and stake boundaries to reflect
the ideal population standards
Locally Autonomous Religions
 Autonomous religions- a religion that does
not have a central authority but shares ideas
and cooperates informally
– Islam and some Protestant denominations are
good examples
Local Autonomy in Islam
 Doesn’t have a hierarchy or a formal
territory organization
 Only formal organization of territory In Islam
occurs in states that are predominately
Muslim
– Gov.’s include administrators of Islamic
institutions in their bureaucracy
 Interpret Islamic law and run welfare programs
Protestant Denominations
 Some are extremely autonomous like
Baptists and the United Church of Christ
– Both are organized into self-governing
congregations
 Each congregation establishes the precise form of
worship and selects the leadership
 Episcopalian, Lutheran, and most Methodist
churches have hierarchical structures
somewhat similar to the Roman Catholic
Church
Ethnic Religions
 Judaism and Hinduism have no centralized
structure of religious control
 In Judaism only 10 adult males must be
present to conduct a full service
 In Hinduism, worship is usually done alone
or with others in the household
Why Do Territorial Conflicts Arise
Among Religious Groups?
 Since the end of the Cold War local conflicts have
increased in areas of cultural diversity
 Religion has been the cause of many of these
conflicts
 Fundamentalism- literal interpretation and strict
adherence to basic principles of a religion
– A group that believes its religion is the correct one may
spatially intrude on the territory of other religious groups
Religion vs. Government
Policies
 The role of religion has diminished in some
societies because of political and economic
change
– Ex. There is a perceived conflict b/w Islam and the
modernization of the economy
– Buddhism, Islam and Christianity have all been
challenged by communist regimes that diminish the
importance of religion
 However, in some countries religious
principles have become increasingly
important in the political organization of the
country
Taliban vs. Western Values
 Taliban took control of Afghanistan I late
1990’s
 Instituted very strict codes of law based on
their interpretation of the Koran
– Ex. Men beaten for shaving beards, prostitutes
hung, homosexuals buried alive, etc.
 Banned leisure activities they considered
“Western” and “non-Islamic”
– Flying kites, watching TV, playing music, etc.
Hinduism vs. Social Equality
 Been challenges since the British introduced
social moral concepts to India
 Caste system was something that was
targeted
 A class or distinct hereditary order into which a Hindu
is assigned according to religious law
 Had been around since about 1500 BC
continued
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Brahmans were the top- priests and administrators
Kshatriyas – warriors
Vaisyas- merchants
Shudras- laborers
The type of Hinduism practiced might depend
upon your caste
 The untouchables were below all the other castes
– People descended form the original Indian inhabitants
before the Aryan conquest
Religion vs. Communism
 Read p. 208
Religion vs. Religion
 IMPORTANT
– Read p. 208-212