d:/pb48633/geo201/chap6-98.not
GEOG 201
RELIGION
CHAPTER 6 STUDY NOTES
I & II. Where & Why are religions distributed
A. Broad definition of religion -- the acceptance of and reverence for order in our existence; where acceptance is based on faith.
1. Understanding the background and history of a group's religion is important in interpreting today's political events
- US was caught by surprise in Iran by fundamentalism, will the same thing eventually happen in Egypt ???
B. Tools for understanding the spread of religion
1. Diffusion & Acculturation -- review the types as described in chapter 1 and illustrated in the notes for the language chapter
2. Diffusion & Acculturation can imply either voluntary acceptance of a new religion or forced compliance, a continuum is indicated below:
Continuum
Spread throughDomination --------------------------- Free Acceptance
Dominationmigration that overwhelms earlier inhabitants military conquest Free Acceptance
- missionary work
- social climbing
3. Point of origin (hearth area)
a. for historical religions can determine a point and time of origin:
Christianity -- ancient Palestine
Buddhism -- Indian/Nepali border (Lumbini)
Islam -- Mecca
Church of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) -- up state NY
4. Paths of spread and expansion
a. Although varies by group and time, tends to be along lines of communication, trade, or political/social expansion
5. Limits/No Limits to expansion
a. UNIVERSALIZING RELIGION -- one that attempts to appeal to all people, not only those at one location
- the religion itself sees no bounds to its eventual expansion over the entire landscape
b. ETHNIC RELIGION -- religion with a spatially (socially or ethnically) concentrated distribution; principles of such a religion are likely to be based on physical characteristics of a particular location
c. The former type of religion owes its existence in part to expansion, the other to its separateness spatially or socially (however even ethnic religions can expand outside of their initial physical regions)
Hinduism exists in places like Fiji or Guyana because immigration during the colonial period (if you don't know where Fiji or Guyana are look them up on a map)
Both the Hari Krishnas and the Rajneeshis have had extensive missionary networks in the United States
d. Examples of ethnic religions in the USA:
- Amish
- Jewish
- Black Muslims (although one might see the ethnic tie here as similar to the ethnic identity of Orthodox branches of Christianity)
6. Be sure you understand Branches, Denominations and Sects and be able to recognize the major Christian ones in the United States
C. Christianity -- Origin & Diffusion -- primarily a universalizing religion although some denominations and sects (especially the Amish) act more like Ethnic religions
1. Hearth area -- Jerusalem
2. Initial Diffusion -- primarily along trade and communication routes of the Roman Empire (see maps in chapter), later diffusion followed colonial expansion
a. This included international trade routes with the Apostle Matthew establishing a church in Goa, India
3. Initial expansion was entirely voluntary, however later expansion especially during the early age of Imperialism involved a great deal of coercion
4. Note the patterns of the various branches and denominations in Europe and USA (especially spend some time looking at the pattern in the US and thinking about the causes of this pattern. Also, think about the the waves of immigrants leaving Europe, which religions did the first waves bring, what about later ones, did religious bigotry perhaps have something to do with the quota systems instituted in the 1920s???)
5. Spend some time noting the minor branches of Christianity; the former Secretary General of the United Nations, Buchrus Buchrus Ghali, is a Coptic Christian, thus where is he from?
D. Islam -- Origin & Diffusion -- again primarily a universalizing religion, has two major branches -- Sunni and Shiites
1. Theoretically based on Abraham's "second wife" Hagar and son Ishmael (as opposed to Sarah and Issac)
2. Brought into being by Mohammed -- begins with series of historical political events including the military conquest of Mecca and the "cleansing" of the grave of Hagar and Ishmael (the Ka'ba)
3. Spread by conversion and military conquest throughout North Africa and West and Central Asia (see map)
a. Twice enters Europe:
-- Arabs invade and control large portions of Spain between the 7th and 15th centuries
-- Turks invade the Balkans around the 15th century, Albania becomes a Muslim nation (Islam was the majority religion prior to Communist take-over, might again re-emerge as an important political factor) and parts of Bosnia-Herzegovina also converted to Islam, why? What did we discuss in class as possible causes?
4. Spread by trade and commerce routes -- missionaries bring it to Indonesia (the largest Muslim nation) and Malaysia (50% Muslim) and also to the Sub-Saharan parts of Africa
5. Modern expansion -- continues to expand into Africa through missionary work, and has become important in the US especially through the Black Muslims move into mainstream Islam and recent immigration.
6. Church and State relationships -- only major religion that combines the two roles.
7. Review the factors leading to the split of Islam into Sunni and Shiite branches. Note that the Shiites are primarily concentrated in and around Iran. Might there be non-religious reasons why this split occurred? Go back and consider the language families of the groups involved. What might this indicate????
E. Read through the sections on the remaining religions and especially consider where these religions originated, how they spread, and the direction and means by which they spread.
III. How do religions organize space
A. Although it is important to read this entire section, concentrate on how Islam and Christianity administer themselves
1. Although different denominations of Christianity have different degrees of hierarchical control, the Roman Catholic church copied its structure from what???
2. Islam has no central control, as a result pilgrimage, one of the five pillars, has become an important means of maintaining a level of uniformity over a very far flung religious group
IV. Read through the last two sections. These should be self explanatory, we probably won't have much time to discuss them in class. If you have questions on them, be sure you raise them in class. Much of this last section helps in explaining part of current events in the world, so be sure to read it.