RELIGION

CHAPTER 6
 Religion is fundamental to culture.
 Constantly changing
 Diffuses across cultural barriers and
language boundaries
 Despite the urbanization and secularization
of modern societies, religion still dominates
the lives and behaviors of billions of people.
 What is religion?
 Manifests itself in many different ways (ancestor
worship, animism, deities, living people with
supernatural powers)
 Key characteristics…
– Set of doctrines and beliefs relating to a god or gods
– Rituals expressing these beliefs
– Expressed at routine intervals (holy days)
– Prayer is a common ritual
– Many have vast, complex organizational structures
Organized religion has had powerful
effects on society…
 Combating social ills
 Sustaining the poor
 Promoting the arts
 Educating the deprived
 Advancing medical knowledge
 Organized religion has also…
 Blocked scientific study
 Encouraged the oppression of dissidents
 Supported colonialism and exploitation
 Condemned women to an inferior status in
many societies
 TYPES OF RELIGIONS
 MONOTHEISTIC
 POLYTHEISTIC
 ANIMISTIC
 UNIVERSALIZING
 Also called Global or Proselytic
 Attempt to be global and to appeal to all
people
 60% of world’s population
 Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Sikhism
(meditate on the word and character of
God), and Bahai (acceptance of most World
Religions)
 ETHNIC RELIGIONS
 Also called Cultural; tribal/traditional
religions are a kind of ethnic
 Appeal primarily to one group of people
living in one place
 25% of world’s population
 Organization of Universalizing
Religion
 Branches
Roman Catholic, Protestant, Eastern Orth.
Sunni—83%, Shia—16%
 Denominations (Divisions within the
branches)
 Sects (formed to protest the Mother
Religion)
 Distribution
 See maps/transparencies
Religion and the Cultural Landscape
 Boundaries: often rigid and unstable
 Religious structures—worship and sacred
space
 Landscapes of the dead—disposal
 Influence on agriculture and domesticated
animals
 Toponyms: name of a location
 Effect on environment
 Ecotheology—body of literature that studies
the role of religion in habitat modification (ie.
In some faiths, human power over natural
forces is assumed
 Teleology—doctrine that the Earth was
created especially for human beings
(Judeo-Christian religious heritage)
 Religion and Conflict
 Religion versus Government
 Religion versus Religion
– Interfaith
– Intrafaith
– Fundamentalism
 Christianity: 2 billion

Islam: 1.3 billion

Hinduism: 900 million

Secular/Nonreligious/Agnostic/Atheist: 850 million

Buddhism: 360 million

Chinese traditional religion: 225 million

 primal-indigenous: 150 million

African Traditional & Diasporic: 95 million

Sikhism: 23 million

Juche: 19 million

Spiritism: 14 million

Judaism: 14 million
 Baha'i: 6 million

Jainism: 4 million

Shinto: 4 million

Cao Dai: 3 million

Tenrikyo: 2.4 million

Neo-Paganism: 1 million
Unitarian-Universalism: 800 thousand

Rastafarianism: 700 thousand

Scientology: 600 thousand

Zoroastrianism: 150 thousand

Major Religions of the World
Ranked by Number of Adherents