Diffusion of Religion 3.7

Diffusion of Religion 3.7

Open Ended

Using your four levels of analysis, what do you see on this map?

Multiple Choice

Both universalizing and ethnic religions

• can be expressed as Christianity and Islam.

• attempt to be global and appeal to all people.

• can diffuse to different populations around the world.

• appeal primarily to one group of people living in one place.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following would be more characteristic of a universalizing religion?

• Priests and adherents of a particular church pledge that they will not support warfare in any form.

• Priests follow a calendar of religious services based largely on seasonal changes.

• Several priests travel across the world to establish missions on remote islands.

• Several priests build temples at the tops of the world's highest volcanoes.

 One factor that distinguishes various religions is the number of gods that followers worship.

• Monotheistic = one supreme being or god.

• Polytheistic = more than one supreme or deity.

Christianity

Christianity is the largest universalizing religion, both in area and in number, with about two billion adherents.

Founded on the teachings of Jesus, Christianity is monotheistic, believing that God is a Trinity and Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

The three main branches of Christianity are Catholics, Orthodox, and Protestants.

Where?

Roman Catholics are predominate in Southwest Europe and Latin America,

Protestants in Northwest Europe and North America, and

Orthodox in Eastern Europe. Eastern Orthodoxy is the largest single religious faith in Greece, Cyprus, and Russia.

Multiple Choice

How many Christians are there in the world?

• 2 Billion
• 1.2 Billion
• 500 Million
• 5 Billion

Islam

Islam is the second largest universalizing religion with over 1.5 billion adherents. In Arabic, Islam means “submitting to the will of God”. Those who practice Islam are Muslims, which means one who surrenders to God.

Islam

Their leader and prophet is Muhammad. The two branches of Islam are Sunni and Shiite. The division between the Sunni and Shia originated in a disagreement over leadership after Muhammad’s death in 632 CE.

Where?

Islam is the predominant religion in the Middle East from North Africa to Central Asia. More than half of the world’s Muslims live in four countries outside the Middle East: Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India. 

Multiple Choice

The followers of Islam are divided into two groups, Shia and Sunni. What makes them different?

• They are located in different areas of Saudi Arabia

• They disagreed on who should lead Islam after Muhammad died

• The Shia follow the 5 Pillars of Islam, while the Sunni do not

• The Sunni honor the holy month of Ramadan, while the Shia do not

Multiple Choice

The Arabic word for "God" is..

• God

• Buddah

• Allah

• Muhammad

Multiple Choice

According to the Islamic religion, Muslims believe _________ was the prophet.

• Yathrib

• Medina

• Muhammad

• none of the above

Buddhism

Buddhism is the fourth largest religion, with about 350 million adherents. Buddhism was founded in Northern India by the first known Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama. The core Buddhist belief is reincarnation. In this concept, people are reborn after dying. One can attain Nirvana if one releases their attachment to desire and self.

Where?

Today, Buddhism is a majority faith in Southeast Asia, China, and Japan. 

Multiple Choice

Who was the founder of Buddhism? 

• Confucius
• Ashoka
• Siddhartha Guatama
• Attilla

Multiple Choice

In Buddhism, the rebirth of a soul in a new body is....

• reincarnation

• kharma

• nirvana

• resurrection

Hinduism

Hinduism is the largest ethnic religion and the world’s third largest religion with about 1 billion adherents. Hinduism existed before recorded history and had no specific founder. The origins of Hinduism in India are unclear; however, the oldest manuscripts date to 1500 BCE.

Hinduism

Hinduism consists of many different religious groups evolved in India since 1500 BCE. The principle of reincarnation is the cornerstone of Hinduism, and their doctrine closely mirrors India’s caste system.

Where?

Almost all Hindus live in one country, India, but also are in Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, and Nepal.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is not associated (connected) with the teachings of Hinduism?

• reincarnation

• caste system

• karma

• monotheism

Multiple Choice

When the soul comes back in the next life it is called

• Reincarnation
• Karma
• Sudras
• Vedas

Judaism

Judaism is an ethnic religion that has more than 14 million followers worldwide. There are 6 million Jews in Israel and 5 million in the United States. Two of the main universalizing religions, Christianity and Islam, find some of their roots in Judaism, recognizing Abraham as a Patriarch.

Judaism

Jews believe in one true God, and the Western Wall of the old temple in Jerusalem is one of their most holy sites. The three branches of Judaism are Orthodox, Conservatives, and Reformed.

Where?

Judaism is distributed throughout part of the Middle East and North Africa, the United States, Russia, and Europe. 

Multiple Choice

. Outside of Israel, where does the largest number of Jews live today? 

• Southwest Asia
• Europe and Russia
• Latin America
• The United States

Multiple Choice

__________ is the belief in one god.

• Polytheism
• Monotheism

Multiple Choice

___________ is considered to be the founder of Judaism.

• Abraham
• Saul
• David
• Goliath

Diffusion of Universalizing Religions

The top three universalizing religions spread through expansion and relocation diffusion. Each has a hearth in Asia: Christianity in Israel, Islam in Saudi Arabia, and Buddhism in India. (A hearth is an area where a set of cultural traits and concepts develop.) Followers of each religion migrated, preaching the message of the religions to people far beyond the hearth.

The Diffusion of Christianity

Christianity spread through relocation diffusion by missionaries and hierarchical diffusion when the Roman Empire made Christianity its official religion. Christianity became the dominant religion in North and South America because of the early explorers and colonizers from Europe were Christians.

The Diffusion of Islam

Islam spread mostly through contagious diffusion by military conquest into North Africa and Western Europe and through Arab traders traveling to Indonesia.

The Diffusion of Buddhism

Buddhism spread primarily through relocation diffusion by missionaries and was slow to diffuse outside the area of origin.

Multiple Select

What type(s) of diffusion is responsible for the spread of Christianity?

• Hierarchical

• Relocation

• Stimulus

• Contagious

Multiple Choice

Which of the universalizing religions did not spread far from its source?

• Buddhism

• Christianity

• Islam

Multiple Choice

Which religion used military conquest as part of its diffusion?

• Buddhism

• Islam

• Christianity

Diffusion of Ethnic Religions

By its definition, ethnic religions are found near the hearth but spread through relocation diffusion. Unlike universalizing religions, ethnic religions haven’t spread primarily because of the lack of missionaries.

The Diffusion of Judaism

In some cases, universalizing religions, like Christianity and Islam, replace ethnic religions. Judaism diffused by the scattering of Jews around the world after the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE.

Open Ended

How do most ethnic religions diffuse?