APHGReading Guide

Chapter 7 – Religion

You must know all of the terms on p. 236 as well as the field notes in the chapter. Remember to study the terms in the Wood Book!

Field Note: Dying and Resurrecting

  1. How were ruined churches evidence of communism in the landscape of the Soviet Union in 1964?
  1. Describe how the Soviet Union’s official policy of atheism affected both the material and non-material aspects of culture.
  1. Describe how the collapse of the Soviet Union led to religious/ethnic strife in Armenia and Azerbaijan.

What is religion, and what role does it play in culture?

  1. Identify three ways in which religion and language are similar.
  1. How does the cultural landscape reflect religion? Identify three examples.
  1. Define religion.
  1. What is secularism?

Where did the major religions of the world originate, and how do religions diffuse?

Term / Definition / Examples
Monotheistic religions
Polytheistic religions
Animistic religions
  1. What are the four major religious hearths, and to what religions did they give rise?
  1. Some people believe that ______was the first monotheistic religion, while others believe that ______was the first.
  1. List the top 4 religions in terms of the number of adherents. How many adherents does each religion have?
  1. What is the difference between a universalizing religion and an ethnic religion? Give examples of each.

Univeralizing:
/ Ethnic:
South Asian Hearth
Hinduism ( )
Origins
Beliefs & Characteristics
Diffusion
Buddhism( )
Origins
Beliefs & Characteristics
Diffusion
Shintoism ( )
Origins
Beliefs & Characteristics
Diffusion
Huang He River Valley Hearth
Taoism/Daoism ( )
Origins
Beliefs & Characteristics
Diffusion
Eastern Mediterranean Hearth
Judaism( )
Origins
Beliefs & Characteristics
Diffusion
Christianity( )
Origins
Beliefs & Characteristics
Diffusion
Islam ( )
Origins
Beliefs & Characteristics
Diffusion
  1. What is an indigenous religion?
  1. What is shamanism?
  1. Why is a map of world religions misleading?
  1. Name some of the most secular areas in the world.
  1. How does immigration affect secularism in Canada?
  1. How can government policies affect secularism?
  1. Describe some of the effects of the increase in secularism.

How is religion seen in the Cultural Landscape?

  1. How do sacred sites change?
  1. Why is Jerusalem sacred to Jews? To Christians? To Muslims?
  1. Describe the geographic considerations associated with the Hindu cultural landscape.
  1. What are the hallmarks of the Buddhist cultural landscape?
  1. How do cultural landscapes reflect death?
  1. Describe religion in the US according to region.
  1. How does architecture reflect religious denominations in the US?
  1. How does Muslim architecture reflect religious beliefs?
  1. How has the hajj impacted Saudi Arabia?

What role does religion play in political conflicts?

  1. How can interfaith and intrafaith boundaries create conflict?
  1. Describe the conflict between Israel and Palestine.
  1. Describe conflict in the Horn of Africa.
  1. Describe conflict in the former Yugoslavia.
  1. Describe conflict in Northern Ireland.
  1. What is the difference between religious fundamentalism and religious extremism?
  1. How is fundamentalism and extremism represented in Christianity?
  1. How is fundamentalism and extremism represented in Judaism?
  1. How is fundamentalism and extremism represented in Islam?
  1. What is jihad?
  1. What is Wahhabi Islam, and where is it practiced?
  1. The potential for support of Islamic extremists is greatest among which groups of people?