On Your Desk
•Religion Research Project
•Unit 5 Notebook
UNIT 5: Religion
Chapter 7
What
Role does Religion Play in
Culture?
Key Question:
Question 1
• What is religion? What is Secularism?
Define and explain both terms.
• What is the difference between
monotheistic, polytheistic, and Animistic
religions? Define and give examples of
these terms.
• What is a reason
for the decline in
Christianity in the
U.S, but a an
increase in Non-
Christian/secular
beliefs?
What religion will increase the
most in followers by 2050?
Religion: A system of beliefs and practices that attempts to order life in terms of culturally perceived ultimate priorities.
Perceived ultimate priorities : a list of things a follower “should” do and ways a follower “should” behave.
Classifications of Religions
Monotheistic religions
– worship a single
deity (god).
EX: Christianity, Islam,
Judaism
• Polytheistic religions:
– worship more than
one deity (god), even
thousands.
• Ex: Hinduism,
Mahayana Buddhism,
Confucianism, Taoism,
Shintoism
Animistic religions – the belief that inanimate
objects, such as hills, trees, rocks, rivers, and
other elements of natural landscape, possess
souls and can help or hinder human efforts on
Earth.
EX: Native American Tribes
Indigenous Religions
• Belief systems practiced and passed from
generation to generation among peoples
within an indigenous tribe or group.
– Indigenous = produced, growing, living, or
occurring naturally in a particular region
or environment.
EX: Folk Cultures (Ex. Native American Tribes)
Tay Ninh is where Vietnam’s indigenous religions –
Caodaism is located.
Ethnic religions – religions whose
adherents are born into the faith and
whose members do not actively seek
converts.
Shamanism
• Ethnic religion where
communities follow
a Shaman(a
religious
leader/teacher)
– Strongest in Africa,
and the Amazon and
in parts of Mexico
and Guatemala
Hinduism(ethnic religion)
Originated:
In Indus River Valley(Pakistan) over 4000 years ago.
Core Beliefs:
Ritual bathing, karma, reincarnation, many deities
Sacred Text:
Vedas
Sacred Sites:
Ganges River (India)
Diffusion:
Through South Asia and into Southeast Asia
Caste System
• The strict social
segregation on ancestry
• Specifically in India’s
Hindu society.
• Recently, lessening
influence
Four Main Classes - Varnas
• Kashi Vishwanath
Temple in Varanasi,
India:
– Towers with stepped
sides and carved in
faces of deities
ConfucianismOriginated:
In China about 2500 years ago
Core Belief:
Real meaning of life lays in the present, service to one’s
fellow humans
Founder:
Confucius
Sacred Text:
“Confucian Classics”
Diffusion:
East Asia, Southeast Asia
Judaism (ethnic)Originated:
In Southwest Asia about 3000-4000 years ago.
Core Beliefs:
Oldest monotheistic religion, covenant between
God (one God) and Abraham (the chosen people)
Sacred Text:
Torah
Founder:
Abraham
Sacred Sites:
Jerusalem (Western Wall), land between the Mediterranean and the Jordan River
Diffusion:
Into European cities during the Diaspora,
into N. America during WWII,
into Israel over last 50 years
Diaspora(To Disperse)
• Describes the forced or voluntary dispersal
of a large scale of people from their
homeland to a new place.
Jewish Diaspora• The original Diaspora occurred after the Roman
destruction of Jerusalem in 66-70 CE.
• Jews dispersed north into Central Europe and across
North Africa and Spain.
Zionism
• The movement to unite the Jewish people of the
Diaspora and to establish a national homeland
for them in the promised land.
– Opposes the assimilation of Jews into other societies.
– Advocated the return of Jews to Israel.
Universalizing religions – religions that
actively seek converts because members
believe they offer belief systems of universal
appropriateness and appeal.
Buddhism (universalizing)
Originated:
Splintered from Hinduism 2500 years ago. Originated in a
region from Nepal south to the Ganges River area.
Core Beliefs:
Anyone can achieve salvation, reach enlightenment
Founder:
Siddartha (the Buddha)
Sacred Sites:
Stupas
Diffusion:
Most strongly into Tibet in the north and into East Asia
Christianity (universalizing)
Originated:
In Southwest Asia about 2000 years ago.
Core Beliefs:
Monotheistic religion, follow teachings of Jesus to
achieve eternal life
Sacred text:
Bible
Founder:
Jesus (son of God)
Sacred Sites:
Bethlehem, Jerusalem
Diffusion:
Into Western Europe, and then world wide during colonialism and after.
Primary Branches of Christianity
• Roman Catholic(1054)
– Largest, 830 million, Vatican City, Pope
– 21% of U.S Christians
• Eastern Orthodox Christianity (1054)
– Eastern Europe & Russia
• Protestant Christians (16th Century)
– 25% all Christians Globally
– 46.6% Of Christians in the U.S
Religious Landscapes in the United States
Identify 3 patterns and explain reasons behind both.
Islam (universalizing)
Originated:
Mecca, Saudi Arabia about 1500 years ago.
Core Beliefs:
Monotheistic (Allah), revelations Muhammad received from Allah, Five Pillars.
Sacred Text:
Qu’ran
Founder:
Muhammad (prophet)
Sacred Sites:
Mecca(Saudi Arabia), Medina(Saudi Arabia), Jerusalem(Israel)
Diffusion:
Across Arabian peninsula, across North
Africa, into Spain and also east into Southeast Asia
Sharia law:
• The system of Islamic law.
• Unlike most Western systems of law that
are based on legal precedence, Sharia is
based on varying degrees of interpretation
of the Qur'an.
• Ex: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Yemen
Theocracy
• A government run by a religion
EX: Iran, Saudi Arabia, Vatican City
Question 2
• Explain the divide between Sunni and Shi’ite
Muslims. Why did the religion split and what
are some of the differences in religious
practice. How this divide does affects Islamic
countries today?
(ex. Any current conflicts?)
Major split in Islam
Shortly after Muhammad’s death(632 CE), split into
1. Sunni Muslims (the majority, 85%)– Bangladesh and Pakistan
2. Shi’ite Muslims (15%, Direct Descendents)– Caliphate (direct successor)
– Iraq, Afghanistan, and Iran
Do We Look Like Terrorists to
You? 1. Explain what happened to Irum Ali that reflects many Americans reactions/attitudes
towards Muslim-Americans.
2. Why do many Americans view Islam as a religion of violence? Explain.
3. How can we change negative perceptions about Islam in America?
4. What do many Americans assume about a Muslim woman wearing a Hijab? How is this
different than the reality of the situation?
5. How many believers of Islam are their globally and what region is their almost a billion
Muslims?
6. What is the difference between a Chador, Hijab, and a Burka?
7. What is the reaction of Muslim-Americans to the myth that Islam promotes terrorism?
8. What are some of the motivations behind why some Muslims are turning towards
violence and listening to terrorist leaders? Are there any connections between these motivations
and the United States?
9. Explain TWO encouraging signs of acceptance of Islam in America presented in the
Article?
10. On the choropleth map on the last page, answer questions 1, 4, 6, 9, and 10 below the
map.
Sacred Sites:
• Places or spaces people infuse with
religious meaning.
Pilgrimage:
• Purposeful travel to a religious site to pay
respects or participate in a ritual at the site.
Roman Catholic: Vatican City –
Sacred site
Hinduism: Ganges River
Death Along the Ganges River
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEOB
W1PvMqo
• The Kaaba (Islam's most sacred mosque)
Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
Sacred Sites of JerusalemJerusalem is sacred to three major religions:
• Judaism (Western Wall)
• Christianity (Church of the Holy Sepulchre)
• Islam (Dome of the Rock)
Buddhist Temples/Shrines
• Stupas: Dome or tower, bell-shaped structures that
protect burial mounds-a type of Buddhist shrine. (Nepal
& Tibet)
Pagoda: tower style with several levels that features
winged roofs (East Asia)
Buddhist Stupas :
72 stupas, each containing a sculpture of the
Buddha in meditation were built around 800 CE
and still stand in Borobudur, Indonesia.
Protestant churches – less
ornate – focus on simple
worship
Muslim Mosques:
Dome of this mosque in Isfahan, Iran demonstrates the
importance of geometric art evident in Muslim
architecture.
• Synagogues: no typical style
– Western/Wailing Wall in Jerusalem most
sacred
Western Wall, Jerusalem
Question 3
• What are sacred sites? Explain and give
examples of Christianity, Buddhism,
Hinduism, and Judaism’s impacts on the
landscape.
Religious
Fundamentalism
and Extremism
Religious fundamentalism: • A return to the basics of their faith found in
Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.
• Fear change, modernization, and loss of
influence.
• Fear mass media/education undermining
teachings
Fundamentalism
• Christian
– Bible prophesies a second coming Christ
• Jewish
– Jewish people are granted unalienable rights to
the entire land do Israel.
• Muslim
– Reject modernity and the western influence that
has perverted their society
• Fundamentalism carried to the point of
violence. Found in Christianity, Judaism, and
Islam.
• EX: Jewish extremists argue that
Palestinians have 3 choices: flee, accept
Jewish rule, or fight.
Religious extremism:
Jihad "to struggle”
• Two commonly accepted meanings of
jihad:
– An inner spiritual struggle by a
believer to fulfill his religious duties.
OR
– the idea of an armed struggle against
persecution and oppression.
Islamic extremists have declared an
Islamic “holy war” against the West
Realities
• The Qur'an does not sanction war or killing
(except for self-defense) and does not
sanction suicide.
– Extremists distort the basic tenets of the religion
to justify the unjustifiable (ex. Suicide bombers).
ISIS Explained in 3 Minutes
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0M4
1Chji6o
Question 4
Explain the difference between an intrafaith
conflict and an interfaith conflict .What is the
African transition zone –explain and give
examples of current or recent armed conflicts
in the zone.
Interfaith Boundaries: Boundaries between the
world’s major faiths.
• Example: India and Pakistan: Pakistan (once part of
India) and India have been conflicting over control of the
northern territory known as Jammu and Kashmir.
– What two religions in conflict?
• Nigeria (Islam vs. Christianity): Islam in northern regions
and Christianity prevails in the south.
Africa: Christian-Muslim interfaith boundary
Question 5
Write a summary of the Israeli and Palestinian
conflict (at least a paragraph). Write a summary of
the conflict in the former Yugoslavia (at least a
paragraph). Explain if these are intrafaith or
interfaith conflicts.
•Intrafaith Boundaries: Boundaries
within a single major religion.
Examples:
• Iraq: Sunni Islam vs. Shiite Islam
–After fall of Sunni Gov.(Saddam Hussein),
Sunnis and Shiites war for control of Iraq.
• United States: Christian Fundamentalism and
liberal Christianity
–Political–cultural issues: evolution and
abortion
Northern Ireland: The Troubles• Political and Religious violent conflict in
Northern Ireland(1966 – 1998)
• Conflict was between minority Catholics and majority Protestants.
• British colonialism deposited large numbers
of Protestants in traditionally Catholic
Northern Ireland.
• Catholics wanted Northern Ireland to re-
unify under the Irish government
• Protestants wanted to remain under the
control of the British
Question 11CURRENT EVENT: Locate a current events article
(occurring within the past year) from a newspaper, news
site (ex. NPR or BBC), or news magazine that relates to
religion. The event must be outside the United States.
You will write two paragraphs:
• Paragraph one (4-6 Sentences) will explain the
event – the who, what, where, why and when.
• Paragraph two (4-6 Sentences) will draw connections
between the event and FIVE Terms from Unit 5.
Rise of Secularism
• Secularism – Indifference to or rejection of
organized religious affiliations and ideas.
• Found in Western Democracies : separation of
government and religion
– In 2014, 22.5 % of U.S. population, up from 16% in
2007
• Where is secularism on the rise and NOT of the rise? Explain
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