Religion and Geography

1 4/2/2015. Symbols some religions Religion and GEOG 247 Cultural Geography Geography Religion : A social system invol- ving a set of beliefs and practices through which people seek har- The Geography mony with the universe and attempt to influence the forces of of Religion nature, life, and death through prayers, incantations, actions, and works of charity and sacrifice. Prof. Anthony Grande Religions set standards for Hunter College CUNY Secularism: the indifference how people should behave. AFG 2015 to or rejection of Religion ; worldly. Religions prepare people for the unknown, both in the present and in the afterlife, including the rationalization 1 of the unexplainable. Religion and Geography Religion and Geography Geography of Religion : Religions are studied by geographers to: The spatial study of religions and religious beliefs Ascertain their origin on earth (hearth).

2 And practices including their: Look for their interrelationships with the physical distribution on the earth, environment (ecology, space, region). source areas and paths of diffusion over time, Study their movement and distribution (diffusion). affect on the landscape Analyze their affect on the landscape (visual record, associated images, sounds, rituals and food creation of place). affect of interaction both within and outside the Document the relationships between religions and Religion 's sphere on people and areas who share and their adherents (interaction). do not share the same beliefs. Religion and Geography Religion , Geography and Culture Religion in an integral part of any culture group. Geographers are not theologians so they focus on those elements of religions that Religion regions overlap both ethnic and language are geographically significant.

3 Regions. People usually have deep feelings about Religion : They recognize that religions are derived in part from people's observation and interaction with elements of Religious values are important in how people identify the physical environment and that religions and their themselves and the ways they organize the landscape adherents, in turn, modify the landscape. The appeal of religions vary from worldwide to geograph- They identify the processes by which a Religion diffuses ically limited areas across the landscape and know that the movement may While migrants typically learn the language of the new be in conflict with the movement, distribution and location, they usually retain their Religion and recreate a existence of others. landscape that may be similar to from where they came. Using visual clues, they map religions and religious practices at all levels, identify and locate sacred sites, In spite of its deep roots the essence of Religion experi- and look into the religious organization of space.

4 Ences stimulus diffusion and time-distance decay. 1. 4/2/2015. Christianity 33%. Adherents Worldwide Islam 21%. Religion and Culture Nonreligion (sectarian) 16%. by Religious Group Hinduism 14%. Buddhism 6%. Cultural innovation Taoic religions 6%. Animism/shamanism 6%. Joins adherents into a single moral community through a Sikhism value system that involves formal or informal worship Judaism and faith in the sacred and divine May intimately affect all facets of a culture May affect interaction between culture groups Varies in its cultural role dominating in some societies, unimportant or even repressed in others Classifying Religions Classifying Religions Animism Orthodox Universalizing (proselytic) Tribal (traditional) religions Belief system based on religions Ethnic (indigenous, commun- place with sacredness Strands within a major Claim applicability to all ity) religions specific to small, associated with specific Religion that emphasize persons and seek preindustrial cultures having sites and inanimate purity of faith.

5 Conversion of all close ties to nature objects; considered the first Have precise places of Animism, Shamanism religious system Fundamentalism origin, based on historic Syncretic religions A movement to return to events in the life of a man. Polytheism Religions, or strands within Christianity, Islam, The worship of many gods, the founding principles of a Buddhism religions, that combine ele- usually earth-based gods. Religion , which can include Ethnic religions ments of two or more belief Monotheism literal interpretation of systems. Identified with a particular The worship of only one sacred texts, or the attempt ethnic group; clustered Secularism God; a sky-centered god to follow the ways of a distribution; does not seek Indifference to or rejection of looking down upon world's converts Religion and religious belief religious founder as closely people.

6 Have unknown or unclear as possible. origins, not tied to single historical individuals. Judaism, Hinduism, Shinto World Distribution of Major Religions Religious Regions of the US. A generalized map of the religious regions of the United States shows concentrations of the major religions. Adapted with permission from: W. Zelinsky, The Cultural Geography of the United States, rev. ed., Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1992, p. 96. New England: Catholic South: Baptist Upper Midwest: Lutheran Southwest: Spanish Catholic West, Midlands: no dominant denomination 2. 4/2/2015. Religious Adherence in Secularism in Europe the United States Indifference to or rejection of organized religious affiliations and ideas Varies greatly from country to country and within countries. Antireligious ideologies can contribute to the decline of organized religions.

7 Church membership figures do not accur- ately reflect active participation. Origin and Diffusion of the Hearth and Diffusion Five Major World Religions 1. Semitic religious hearth Religious hearth Judaism, Christianity, Islam A focused geographic area where important spiritual 2. Indus-Ganges hearth Hinduism, Buddhism innovations are born and from which they spread. 3. East Asian religious hearth Religious diffusion Confucianism, Taoism The spread of spiritual innovations ( Religion ) from the 3. hearth to other areas (near and far) by spread from the core (expansion diffusion/contagious diffusion) or by the 2. migration of adherents to distant lands (relocation diffusion). 1. Diffusion of Ethnic Religions Universalizing Religions Most ethnic religions have limited, if any, diffusion. These religions lack missionaries.

8 Islam Buddhism Diffusion of universalizing religions, especially Christian- ity and Islam, typically comes at the expense of ethnic religions. Christianity 3. 4/2/2015. Mingling of Ethnic and Religious Ecology Universalizing Religions Special relationship with nature: Universalizing religions may supplant ethnic religions or Belief that the earth and its elements were created especially mingle with them for the use of its people. (assimilation/acculturation). Appeasing the forces of nature: Equatorial Guinea, a former Spanish Religion as adaptive strategy to prevent natural hazards and colony, is mostly Roman Catholic, survive the elements whereas Namibia, a former German The wrath of god comes in the form of severe natural events colony, is heavily Lutheran. Religious rituals and holidays are observed (scheduled).

9 This relationship can also be scene when they coincide with astronomical (celestral). in former French and British colonies events: and is similar to language and legal systems in use. Lunar cycles Equinoxes and solstices Elsewhere, traditional African Appearance of constellations religious ideas and practices have been merged with Christianity. Religious Ecology ULURU. Certain physical features become sacred places Uluru, called Ayers Rock by in world religions: the English in 1870, is a Uluru, Australia Rivers: Ganges, Jordan monolith rising 1,100 ft. Mountains: Mt. Fuji, Denali, various volcanoes over the Australian desert. It is a sacred place to local Trees: various Trees of Life . Aboriginal peoples. Forests: Sacred forests of India The Australian government return- Rock formations: Shiprock (NM), Uluru (Australia) ed it to Aboriginal ownership in 1993 and changed its name back to its original.

10 Throughout the day changing sun angle alters its colors until it turns red and orange as the sun sets. Cultural Interaction in Religion Religious Landscapes Religion and economy Religion is displayed on the landscape Religious beliefs affect crop and livestock choices, as through the works of people or the well as dietary habits. designation of natural sites as being sacred. Muslim prohibition of pork Structures: churches, mosques, temples, pagodas Hinduism's sacred cows Faithful details styles, colors and ornamentation associated Catholic meatless Fridays (past) with Religion Religious pilgrimage Landscapes of the dead religious burial practices Journeys to sacred spaces have strong impacts on Sacred space areas recognized as having spiritual local economies. significance; may be claimed by more than one group Major destinations: Israel, Rome, Mecca Names on the land religious toponomy designating, honoring, and commemorating aspects of religiosity Important locations: sites of an individual religious event or special structure (miracle, birth place, battle).