Human Geography Chapter 9 Geography of Religion

. Geography of Religion Religion and geography Religion plays a strong role in the culture of believers , shaping values , actions , food , and even dress . A religion is a system of beliefs and practices that recognize a higher power beyond humanity . Religions commonly have varying rituals . Prominently there are often rituals revolving around life changes recognized as important to the religious community , such as birth , marriage , and death . While culture also has secular , or , rituals at these life moments , many religious traditions have specific rituals such as baptisms and bar mitzvahs along with traditional religious practices of marriage and death . Additional rituals , beliefs , and practices surround holidays ( or , Holy days ) Religion , like any other cultural practice , can readily be assessed from a geographic lens . Basic study the spatial distribution of features of major organized religious systems , specific religious , practices , and the impact of religion on the landscapes of culture and institutions . Religion tends to have a patchwork nature individual belief and practice is quite nuanced and intrinsic . At a global scale , it is difficult to view specific practices , but can categorize and look at major religious trends . Major religions are those that share basic tenets of faith among believers , even if there exists wide sectarian differences within these faith families . Generally , five major world religions are identified 94 Geography of Religion

Buddhism Judaism Christianity Islam Like other cultural practices , major religions started in hearth areas of origin and have spread over time . Beyond these five , and Animistic religions are looser categories but still are important as belief systems . Exercise Religions the World Explore maps of religions worldwide at In resource This interactive map shows prevailing religions around the world along with breakdowns by major religious group . In looking at beliefs and practices of religion , there are several ways to further categorize religions . How many gods do adherents believe in ?

Monotheistic religions have a belief in only one God , while polytheistic religions have many gods . Does the religion proselytize , or seek new converts to the faith ?

Ethnic religions are those that do not proselytize and are associated with a specific place or ethnic group , while and ethnic Major splits of , Reform of the Hebrews Focus on this life and obeying God Hindu Geography of Religion 95 ism and ethnic with India diverse Huma seek release from cycle of rebirth and religions breaks from bounds of place and ethnicity to seek converts . pure is the faith of the religion , or more likely the sect or denomination ?

Syncretism is the melding of various religious traditions and systems in to one , while orthodoxy is a specific emphasis on purity of faith within a sect . These and other religions have diffused geographically through three major methods . First , adherents have migrated to new places , bringing religious practices with them . Second , religion has spread through contact conversion , which is similar to the concept of expansion diffusion . Third , religion has spread through the use of organized missions . This is similar to the concept of relocation diffusion . The religious landscape of the United States Before European colonization of the Americas , there were myriad indigenous religions practiced by Native Americans . Source 2010 US . Religion Census , sponsored by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies 96 Geography of Religion

The colonists brought various forms of Christianity to the Americas . Christian denominations were not randomly distributed , universal but rather clustered along denominational lines in certain colonies or regions . In the New Major England colonies , were most Splits of prominent . Southern colonists were largely Anglican ( or Episcopalian as it became known day after the American Revolution ) The colony of Maryland was chartered for Catholics . As more , and people migrated and more churches were founded , these early patterns of regional domination by particular sects changed . Three There major changes caused this diffusion and is no confusion of American religion freedom , which encouraged experimentation of spiritual matters and departure from establishment churches to Westward expansion , where new and leave the eclectic worship practices developed in the of vacuum of established churches Immigration , as new migrants to the United States held on to the security of their Christ homeland religious practice . and universal Major Geography of Religion 97

splits of Catholic , and One God as a Trinity . salvation comes through Christ Islam and universal Major splits of Shi a , and Sufi One God named As a result , there are few counties in the United States that have a single , Source 2010 US . Religion Census , dominant sponsored by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bod , es map OVE religion . The shows the religious diversity in the United States by county . However , there are four general dominant or pluralistic regional religions in America , as seen in the map on the right . around Utah and southern Idaho Baptist in the South in the Upper Midwest Catholicism in the Northeast and the West The Catholic patterns themselves come from two different patterns of migration . Those mostly urban strongholds in the Northeast were started from European Catholic migration of Ireland , Italy , and other European countries . The West is largely from Hispanic or immigration . Some scholars of religion have posited that the United States , in addition to being religiously pluralistic , also possesses a civil religion . Put forward by Robert , a civil or civic religion recognizes an implicit religion practiced by members of a nation . As described at the 98 Geography of Religion

beginning of this chapter , religions often have associated rituals , symbols , and practices associated with adherents . The argument for the existence of an American civil religion is that many Americans are connected by civic culture that works in a manner . American culture celebrates sacred documents like the Constitution , sacred times like the Fourth of July , and sacred places like Arlington Cemetery , and these cultural artifacts are not dissimilar from , for example , how Catholics may treat the Bible , Christmas , and the Vatican . The video outlines more of the arguments or American civil religion . A YouTube element has been this version of the text . You can view it here viva . uh human ea ?

Allah , humans Submit to Allah to gain paradise Animi and often ethnic es tradition folk religions , Wicca mans and features have Geography of Religion 99 spirits or souls religions ally tic and ethnic Major faiths include , Often ethics with tic Often syncretic with Questions Civil Religion video The video above outlines several arguments about the theory of existence for an American civil religion . What do you think ?

What are three arguments for there being an American civil religion ?

What are three arguments against ?

Overall , what do you think ?

Is there an American civil religion , and does it rise to the level of religion ?

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