Human Geo Chapter 6 Vocab Flashcards
Atheism
The belief that God does not exist. Some people in the unaffiliated group espouse (adopt/support) atheism.
Agnosticism
The belief that the existence of God cannot be proved or disproven empirically (by means of observation or experience rather than theory or pure logic). Some people in the unaffiliated group espouse (adopt/support) agnosticism.
Universalizing Religion
A religion that attempts to appeal to all people, not just those living in a particular location. They typically diffuse from one culture to another, and have widespread distributions. Christianity, Islam, & Buddhism are considered universalizing.
Ethnic Religion
A religion with a relatively concentrated spatial distribution whose principals are likely to be based on the physical characteristics of the location where its adherents are concentrated. They appeal to one ethnic of cultural group, or the people of a specific location. Most adherents remain embedded in their culture of origin, and are typically people with a shared history, language, & destiny. Ex: Hinduism & Folk religions.
Congregation
A local assembly of people brought together for common religious worship.
Denomination
A division of a branch that unites a number of local congregations into a single legal and administrating body.
Branch
A large and fundamental division within a religion. Christianity has 3 major branches: Roman Catholic (50%), Orthodox (12%), and Protestant. The other 38% are divided between Protestants and others (arguments on the ratio)
Syncretic
Combining several religious traditions. Chinese traditional religions are considered to be a combination of Buddhism (a universalizing religion) and Confucianism, Taoism, and other traditional Chinese practices. Most Chinese who consider themselves religious blend together the religious customs of these multiple traditions.
Animism
The belief that objects, such as plants and stones, or natural events, like thunderstorms and earthquakes, have a discrete spirit and conscious life. This is what African Traditional Folk Religions (followed by 3% of the continent’s people) are sometimes called.
Monotheism
The doctrine of or belief in the existence of only one God. Judaism is the first recorded religion to espouse monotheism, and it is one of the fundamental beliefs of that religion.
Polytheism
Belief in or worship or more than one god.
Missionary
An individual who helps to diffuse a univeralizing religion. With Christianity, they carried Jesus’ teachings along the Roman Empire’s sea routes and road networks to other people. People in commercial towns and military settlements received the message first from Paul and other missionaries.
Ghetto
During the Middle Ages, city neighborhood set up by law to be inhabited only by Jews; now used to denote a section of a city in which members of any minority group live due to social legal, or economic discrimination. Zionism (or Jewish nationalism) was sparked from persecution, leading to migration to Israel in the late 19th and early 20th. During the Holocaust, Israel absorbed several 100 thousand Jewish refugees. Today, not many live in Europe (15%).
Pilgrimage
A journey to a place considered sacred for religious purposes. Pilgrimages are incorporated into the rituals of some religions (like Islam & Buddhism).
Utopian Settlement
A community built around an ideal way of life, often based on a religion. Bethlehem, PA, founded in 1741, is an early Christian one. By 1838, there were 130 different utopian settlements. A huge point in utopian movement was the founding of Salt Lake City by Mormons in 1848, it’s layout based on a plan of the city of Zion. Most of these settlements disappeared or declined, due to inhabitants being celibate or moving away for economic reasons. There are now none original members. Religious principles affect the designs of colonial settlements (like the Puritans putting the church at the center).