Transcript Slide 1
Religion 101
What is Religion?
• Beliefs in a higher
power or spirits
• Set of moral beliefs,
way of life
• Way to explain the
unexplainable
– Cosmogony
• Monotheistic vs.
Polytheistic
Organizing Religion
• Universalizing Religion
– Goal: globalization
– Revolve around a
founder
– Not limited to one culture
– Proselytism
• Ethnic Religion
– Does not look to spread
– Origins are unknown
– Tends to be limited to
one geographic area
Classification Examples
• Universalizing Religions
– Christianity
– Buddhism
– Islam
• Ethnic Religions
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Hinduism
Judaism
Daoism
Shintoism
Animist religions
Organizing Religion
• Hierarchical vs.
Autonomous religions
• Organization
– Branch
• Roman Catholic,
Protestant, Eastern
Orthodox
– Denomination
• Baptist, Methodist,
Lutheran, Episcopalian
– Sect
• Cults, ultra-orthodox
Major Universalizing
Religions:
• Christianity
• Islam
• Buddhism
Christianity
• World’s largest religion
– Over 2 billion members
• Origins
– Begins with teachings of
Jesus
– Spreads with relocation
and contagious diffusion
at first
– Later spreads through
hierarchical when
Constantine converts to
Christianity in 380 AD
Islam
• 1.3 Billion adherents
• Concentrated in Mid
East, N Africa and Asia
• Built on five pillars
(beliefs)
• Two major branches
– Sunni
– Shia
• Spreading to Europe
and North America
Buddhism
• Roughly 365 million
• Based on 4 noble truths
• Hard to make an
accurate count
• Not an exclusive
religion like Christianity
or Islam
Major Ethnic Religions
• Hinduism
– Roughly 80 percent of
India
– Polytheistic
– Reincarnation
• Judaism
– One of the oldest
organized religions
– Diffused only due to
relocation diffusion
– Closely related to
Christianity and Islam
Religious Organization of Space
• Places of Worship
– Christianity: Churches
– Islam: Mosques
– Hindu: Temples
• Burial
– Burial in the ground
– Cremation
Religious Conflict: Religion vs. Government
• The Taliban
– Sharia Law
– Banning western
influences
• British vs. Caste System
– Hindu Caste System
– British and Christian
missionaries
• Communism vs. Eastern
Orthodox
– Banning religion in USSR
Religious Conflict: Religion vs. Religion
• Interfaith Boundaries
• Enclave and Exclave
• The Middle East
– Holy land for Islam,
Judaism and Christianity
– Crusades
– Israel vs. Palestine
• India vs. Pakistan
• Sri Lanka
• Northern Ireland