Transcript The Human Mosaic CHAPTER SEVEN The Geography Of Religion: Spaces and Places of Sacredness.

The Human Mosaic
CHAPTER SEVEN
The Geography Of Religion:
Spaces and Places of Sacredness
Introduction:
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what is religion?
proselytic vs. ethnic religions
monotheism vs. polytheism
syncretic religions (e.g. Umbanda)
orthodox religions (”right teaching”)
the occurrence of “fundamentalism”
animism, agnosticism, atheism
what religion is “better”?
how do consumerism/materialism
interfere with spirituality?
The Virgin of Guadalupe / A Parking Lot Shrine in L.A.
Virgin of Guadalupe in Mexico
Danbala in Haitian Voodoo
Catholic Saint Patrick
World Distribution of Major Religions
World Distribution of Major Religions
I) Religious Culture Regions
spatial patterns of religious faiths:
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A) Christianity (~ 2.1 billion)
 division into Eastern and Western groups in
the 11th century
 Eastern Groups: Coptic, Maronites,
Nestorians, Eastern Orthodox, Armenian
 Roman Catholicism as the unified western
group until Protestant breakaway of the late
1400s and early 1500s
 Martin Luther in 1517 & Protestantism
 Religious patterns in the United States
►Bible
Belt
►Lutheran Belt
►Roman Catholicism
►Mormon Realm
Leading Christian Denominations in the US and Canada
► B)
Islam (~ 1.5 billion)
 brief history of the Islam
 The Five Pillars
 Division into two major groups
►Sunni
& Shiite Muslims
- Five Pillars of the Islam
1) shahadah (Profession of Belief)
2) salat (5 daily prayers, facing Mecca)
3) zakat (religious tax and almsgiving)
4) sawm (holy month of Ramadan)
5) hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca)
- Qur’an underlies the Sharia, the sacred law of Islam
- theocratic governments found in several countries
- first caliph (“successor”) was Abu Bakr (632-634),
leading the ummah and the Islamic state
- early on a dispute occurred within Islam, which has
continued for more than 1,300 years
The Hajj (over a period of 5 days)
1.)Pilgrims perform cleansing rituals at designated stations outside Mecca. Men and
women exchange their street clothes for hajj garments (Ihram / sacred state) –
stripping themselves of social distinctions and embracing their dedication to God.
2.)Among other rites, pilgrims circle the “Kaabah”, a shrine at the center of the
Grand Mosque – built, it is said, by Abraham and his son - seven times
counterclockwise in a procession called the “Tawaf”. It symbolizes placing
God's House at the center of their lives.
3.)On the first official day of the hajj, pilgrims take a three-mile journey into Mina,
where they spend the night in a massive tent city.
4.)In the morning, pilgrims continue east to the Plain of Arafat, where Muslims
believe Adam and Eve were reunited after leaving Eden. A daylong group vigil,
in which pilgrims stand in the presence of God, marks the zenith of the hajj.
5.)At sundown, the hajj loops back toward Mecca, halting at a patch of hills called
the “Muzdalifah”, where pilgrims stop for the night, participate in a nightlong vigil,
and collect stones for the next day.
6.)At dawn, pilgrims cast pebbles at the “Jamraat”, three stone pillars that symbolize
temptation - places where Satan tried to tempt Abraham from the path of God.
They first throw seven stones at the largest pillar, and then stone the other two
over the course of two or three days. (2015 Mecca stampede.)
7.)Back in Mecca, pilgrims can perform the seven turns around the “Kaabah” one last
time before heading home. The end of the hajj is celebrated with a three-day feast.
- Sunni
- consider themselves original, orthodox Muslims
- caliphs can be chosen by leaders of the ummah,
and can be secular leaders
- overwhelming majority (~85%)
- Shii
- “partisans of Ali” since 657 AD
- believe that only descendants of Muhammad are
legitimate successors to the Prophet
- religious leaders (imams) are divinely guided, with
authority to interpret the Qur’an
- often no separation of church and state
- this theological schism has accentuated political,
social, and cultural divisions ever since:
- e.g. Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, Yemen, Saudi Arabia etc.
- Shii experienced further divisions such as:
- “Twelvers” (Imamis / Iran, Iraq)
- “Seveners” (Ismailis / Levant)
- “Alawis” (Alawites / W Syria, Turkey)
- “Druzes” (Muwahhidun / S Syria, C Lebanon)
- “Fivers” (Zaydis / Yemen)
- Ibadhis (especially in Oman) neither Sunni nor Shii
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other important facts about the Islam & Muslims:
- there is no central authority as in the Roman
Catholic church in form of a Pope
- interpretations of such terms like jihad and
sharia vary widely among the groups
- Muslims do not consider Muhammad to be divine
- Muslims do not like to depict God or Muhammad
as to not anthropomorphize them
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C) Judaism (> 13 million)
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Diaspora after 1st century AD
Sephardim, Ashkenazim & Mizrahim
Holocaust and Nazi Germany
Zionism / creation of Israel in 1947-48
D) Hinduism (> 900 million)
 polytheistic, reincarnation, principle of ahimsa,
dharma, karma, moksha
 caste system (Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, Kshudras / Dalit)
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Jainism as offspring / asceticism / 6 million
► Sikhism as attempt to unify Hinduism and Islam
(monotheistic / Adi Granth / 30 million)
The Five K’s in Sikhism
Religious Groups in Lebanon
Caste System in India
Jain nuns with their mouths covered
► E)
Buddhism (~ 400 million)
 the Four Noble Truths, nirvana
 major branches within Buddhism
►Mahayana,
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Theravada &Tantrayana (Lamaism)
E-Asian Taoic Religions (400-500 million)
 Confucianism, Shintoism & Taoism
 humility, compassion and moderation
 Kung Fu-tzu (551-479 BC) / balance & order
► G)
Animism / Shamanism (~ 240 million)
 Sub-Saharan Africa
 Umbanda, Santeria, Candomble, Voodoo
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H) Secularization (~ 1.1 billion)
 non-religious, agnosticism, atheism
 secularized areas in Europe
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I) Sacred Space
 sacred places (examples?)
 mystical places (examples?)
Secularized areas in Europe
Major Religions of the World
Greek Orthodox Monastery
Muslims at prayer at Mecca, Saudi Arabia
Ganesha: Hindu god of wisdom
Hindu Temple in Bali, Indonesia
Buddhist statue in South Korea
Druids of the Mistletoe Foundation in England
Pet Grave Marker
II) Religious Diffusion
► A) The Semitic Religious Hearth
 Judaism, Christianity, & Islam
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B) The Indus-Ganges Hearth
 Hinduism & Buddhism (offshoots, branches)
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The East Asian Religious Hearth
 Confucianism & Taoism
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Barriers in Diffusion
 Cultural barriers / converting the Chinese
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Religious Pilgrimages?
Origin and Diffusion of Five Major World Religions
Diffusion of Christianity in Europe
The Vatican and the Pope
Muslims at prayer at Mecca, Saudi Arabia
Lourdes, France
Mosque in Touba, Senegal
Temple of the Emerald Buddha in Bangkok, Thailand
Shinto Shrine in the US
III) Religious Ecology
► A)
Appeasing the Forces of Nature
 religion as adaptive strategy?
 animism and its connections to geomancy
(feng shui)
 environmental influence in other religions?
Hinduism? Shintoism? Christianity?
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The Environment and Monotheism
 does monotheism only arise in
environments such as deserts?
Holy water from the Jordan River
Ayers Rock – Sacred place for aborigines
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Ecotheology
 what role does religion play in ecology?
 Judeo-Christian view vs. other groups
 teleology: world created for human beings?
(see Genesis 1:28)
 mechanistic vs. organic views of the world
 eco-feminism, earth goddesses and the Gaia
Hypothesis vs. a Judeo-Christian teleology
and the modern ecological crisis
► D)
Godliness and Greenness
 green teaching & environmental protection
part of the Judeo-Christian tradition?
 is God “green” in other religions?
Mount Chasta, CA – focus of 30 New Age cults
Passage of the Dragon – Condominium, Hong Kong
Cremation in Nepal: conservation vs. destructive practice
“Mother Earth”
IV) Cultural Interaction in Religion
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A) Religion and Economy
 wine, fish, pork, etc.
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Religion and Political Geography
 theocracies, state churches, political parties
 separation between church and state?
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Religion, Internet and Globalization
D) Yoga, Halloween, and the use of sage
Religious influence on pork consumption
Religious Segregation in Mecca and Medina
Yoga class in session
Protestant storefront church
V) Religious Landscapes
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A) Religious Structures
 mosques, synagogues, churches, etc.
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B) Landscapes of the Dead
 Pyramids (Egypt), Taj Mahal (India), and
cemeteries throughout the world
 Field trip to Sunset Hill Cemetery!
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C) Religious Names on the Land
 from “St. Jean” and “Saint Augustine” to
“Notre Dames” and “Los Angeles”
St. Basil’s Church, Red Square, Moscow
Plain board chapel in the American South
Hindu Temple, Varanasi, India
Temples dedicated to ancestors in Bali, Indonesia
Animistic practice: stacked stones in South Korea
New Zealand: Polynesian shrine (left) and Christian chapel (right)
Billboard in Three Forks, Montana
Mosque, northern Nigeria
Egypt: Landscapes of the Living – Landscapes of the Dead
Taj Mahal, India: a world famous tomb
Cemetery in Mexico
Cemetery in Amana, Iowa
Conflict over sacred space
Moving Faith – Clearwater, FL