lecture 9-religion Flashcards
3 largest universalizing religions
christianity
islam
buddhism
what is a universalizing religion?
attempts to be global
appeal to all people, not just one culture or location
(transcultural)
3 largest ethnic religions
hinduism
chinese folk
ethno-religions
what is an ethnic religion
appeals to one ethnic or cultural group
atheism
belief that god does not exist
agnosticism
belief that the existence of god can’t be proven or disproven
what is religion?
= belief, faith in something divine, spiritual, or supernatural
“Religare” in Latin means to bind together
“Religio” means to re read or consider carefully
Organized religion=
formally documented religion
folk religion=
collection of established practices
polytheistic
multiple gods
monotheistic
one god
pantheon
collection of gods or entities in a religion
cult
charismatic leader, good or bad cults
what is the difference between ethnic religions and indigenous and folk religions?
indigenous and folk religions are smaller and more culturally/regionally specific
a branch of religion=
a large, fundamental division in religion
a denomination or sect of religion=
(subgroups)
unites several local congregations into a single administrative body
a congregation=
a local assemble of people brought together for common religious or worship and practices
3 main branches of christianity
- roman cathotlic
–> pope oversees everything, overarching figure - protestant
- orthodox
Buddhism
indian religion
Original practitioner was Buddha
4th largest religion
Practiced by monks primarily
Buddha is not seen as a god but a teacher
3 main branches of buddhism
- Mahayana
- Theravada
- Vajrayna
Islam
Arabic
“submission to the will of god”
Muslim
Abrahamic monotheistic religion
Centered on the Quaran and teachings of the prophet Muhammad
Second largest religion
Originated in Mecca in 610 CE
2 main branches of Islam
Sunni
Shia or Shiite
Hinduism
=umbrella term for Indian religions and traditions
- unified by the concept of dharma
Third largest religion
97% of Hinduism is practiced in india, not spread out
No original founding or current leader
Brahaman= an entitiy/manifestation help people to communicate with the ultimate reality
Dharma= overall balance of the universe, manifests into karma
3 sects of hinduism
Vaishnavism
Shaivism
Shaktism
Sacred spaces
Almost all religions have sacred spaces
Engage in religious practices
Some are built, some are natural
Pilgrimage to holy sites
Places are often created, specific goals and functions, rules
Toponyms=
named after religious figures
time in religion=
calendar (solar, lunar…), day of worship, festivals
Symbolism, Iconography and landscapes in religion=
organization and layout of settlements
syncretic religions
combine ideas from several traditions
ex. Chinese Folk Religions or New Religions
what is typical about a universalizing religion in terms of place of origin?
it is typical that their place of origin is known and derived from events in life of a specific person
origins/person of chistianity
jesus
origins/person of islam
muhammad
how did christianity spread? (diffusion of christianity)
relocation diffusion and expansion diffusion!
- spreads from its hearth in judea through relocation diffusion
- missionaries= individuals who transmit a universalizing religion through relocation diffusion - two types of expansion diffusion
–> contagious diffusion= daily contact between believers in towns and non believers in the countryside
–> hierarchical diffusion= diffusion through key leaders
diffusion of buddhism
diffused from original point in South Asia to East Asia
Emperor Ashoka was responsible for spread of early buddhism
pilgrimage
religious journey
ex. Islam= muslims journey to Mecca
hinduism: pilgrimages
bathe in the holy river of ganges
purification/cleansing
Cosmogony
a set of religious beliefs concerning the origin of the universe
ex. christianity and islam beleive that god (or allah) created the universe
ex. chinese folk; the universe is made of yin and tang
largest ethnic religion
hinduism
Christians are most numerous in which regions?
Europe, North America, Latin America
Muslims are most numerous in which regions?
Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and Southwest Asia & North Africa
Buddhists are most numerous in which region?
East Asia
Hinduism is primarily in which region?
South Asia
