RELIGION

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RELIGION

• CHAPTER 6

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Religion is fundamental to culture.

• Constantly changing
• Diffuses across cultural barriers and language
  boundaries
• Despite the urbanization and secularization of
  modern societies, religion still dominates the
  lives and behaviors of billions of people.

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What is religion?

• Manifests itself in many different ways (ancestor
  worship, animism, deities, living people with
  supernatural powers)
• Key characteristics
• Set of doctrines and beliefs relating to a god or
  gods
• Rituals expressing these beliefs
• Expressed at routine intervals (holy days)
• Prayer is a common ritual
• Many have vast, complex organizational structures

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Organized religion has had powerful effects on
society

• Combating social ills
• Sustaining the poor
• Promoting the arts
• Educating the deprived
• Advancing medical knowledge

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Organized religion has also

• Blocked scientific study
• Encouraged the oppression of dissidents
• Supported colonialism and exploitation
• Condemned women to an inferior status in many
  societies

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TYPES OF RELIGIONS

• MONOTHEISTIC
• POLYTHEISTIC
• ANIMISTIC

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UNIVERSALIZING

• Also called Global or Proselytic
• Attempt to be global and to appeal to all people
• 60 of worlds population
• Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Sikhism (meditate
  on the word and character of God), and Bahai
  (acceptance of most World Religions)

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ETHNIC RELIGIONS

• Also called Cultural tribal/traditional
  religions are a kind of ethnic
• Appeal primarily to one group of people living in
  one place
• 25 of worlds population

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Organization of Universalizing Religion

• Branches
• Roman Catholic, Protestant, Eastern Orth.
• Sunni83, Shia16
• Denominations (Divisions within the branches)
• Sects (formed to protest the Mother Religion)

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Distribution

• See maps/transparencies

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Religion and the Cultural Landscape

• Boundaries often rigid and unstable
• Religious structuresworship and sacred space
• Landscapes of the deaddisposal
• Influence on agriculture and domesticated animals
• Toponyms name of a location

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Effect on environment

• Ecotheologybody of literature that studies the
  role of religion in habitat modification (ie. In
  some faiths, human power over natural forces is
  assumed
• Teleologydoctrine that the Earth was created
  especially for human beings (Judeo-Christian
  religious heritage)

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Religion and Conflict

• Religion versus Government
• Religion versus Religion
• Interfaith
• Intrafaith
• Fundamentalism

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Christianity 2 billion Islam 1.3
billion Hinduism 900 million Secular/Nonreligio
us/Agnostic/Atheist 850 million Buddhism 360
million Chinese traditional religion 225
million
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primal-indigenous 150 million African
Traditional Diasporic 95 million Sikhism 23
million Juche 19 million Spiritism 14
million Judaism 14 million
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Baha'i 6 million Jainism 4 million Shinto 4
million Cao Dai 3 million Tenrikyo 2.4
million Neo-Paganism 1 million
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Unitarian-Universalism 800 thousand Rastafariani
sm 700 thousand Scientology 600
thousand Zoroastrianism 150 thousand
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Major Religions of the WorldRanked by Number of
Adherents