PPT-Chapter 6: Religion What are Ethnic Religions?

Ethnic Religions are religions that appeal to a specific group of people and are the smaller between Ethnic and Universalizing Sometimes you must be of the ethnicity in order to be ah adherent The largest ethnic religion is Hinduism which claims 950 million adherents 14 of the worlds population. Universalizing religions. Islam. The second-largest world religion (about 1.3 billion adherents). Significant clusters in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia. Core of Islamic belief = the five pillars. Jainism. Jainism . is an ancient religion from India that teaches that the way to liberation and bliss is to live lives of harmlessness and renunciation.. The essence of Jainism is concern for the welfare of every being in the universe and for the health of the universe itself. They Who . Goeth. . A. round . Getteth. around. Origin of Religions. Universalizing Religions. Ethnic Religions. Universalizing religions have precise places of origin and are based on the life events of one man.. Religion in China. . today…. The constitution of China states “Citizens of the People’s Republic of China enjoy freedom of religion. No state organ, public organization or individual may compel citizens to believe in, or not to believe in, any religion; nor may they discriminate against citizens because they do, or do not believe in religion." This protection is extended only to what is called "normal religious activity," generally understood to refer to religions that submit to state control via the State Administration for Religious . Religions. Monotheistic. – . belief in one deity. Polytheistic. – . belief in many deities. Animistic. – . objects (trees, mountains, rivers) have spirits. Atheistic. – . belief that there is no deity. The prayer of St. Francis. Lord, make me an instrument of your peace, . Where there is hatred, let me sow love;. where there is injury, pardon;. where there is doubt, faith;. where there is despair, hope;. Geographers distinguish . two types . of . religions. 1.) . UNIVERSALIZING . religions. . that. . attempt . to be . GLOBAL by . appealing to all . people, not just those in a particular location. .. The calendar . In ethnic religions = celebration of the seasons. The Jewish calendar. The solstice . In universalizing religions = celebration of the founder’s life. The Calendar . Universalizing and ethnic religions have different approaches to the calendar. . Most religious people pray for peace, but religious groups may not share the same vision of how peace will be achieved.. Geographers see that the process by which one religion diffuses across the landscape may conflict with the distribution of others. . Reason for Studying World Religions. More contact with people of other religions. Global conflicts have religious labels. Globalizaion – more interaction with others. Religion is the main component of peoples worldviews. Core values and beliefs come from religion. Enmeshed with our cultural and social systems. Tied to pop growth. Politics. Design and structure of cities. Sacred space. Marriage, family, education, laws, health code. Religion Key Issues Where are religions distributed? Why do religions have different distributions Concerned with the regional distribution of different religions and the resulting potential for conflict Key Issue #1. Where Are Religions Distributed?. Universalizing religions. Seek to appeal to all people. About 60% of the world. Ethnic religions. Appeal to a smaller group of people living in one place. Religion. A set of beliefs . an explanation of the origins and purpose of humans and their role on earth. existence of a higher power, spirits or god. Which involves rituals, festivals, rites of passage and space (religious landscapes).