Most of Europe, the Americas, and many African countries are characterized by a Christian heritage that has made most of the population Christian today. place and space, on religious belief.. Another aspect of the relationship between religion and geography is religious geography, in which geographical ideas are influenced by religion, such as early map-making, and the biblical geography that developed in the 16th century to identify places from the Bible. It should not be surprising, then, that religion has often been accompanied by force. These two seas are also connected to each other by the Strait of Taiwan that runs along the small section of coastline between China and Taiwan. India also traded with the Arabian Penninsula in West Asia. Moreover, it is artificial: no human phenomena ever exist in a vacuum. 2010. This makes it very difficult to leave one's church. J.E. We need faith because we lack faith.c. I feel like its a lifeline. Charlemagne, crowned Holy Roman Emperor, executed thousands of pagans who refused to convert to Christianity. If you are uncomfortable writing about your personal experience with your region's religion, then simply make up a scenario about the way geography and religion intersect. Winona Lake, IN: Eisenbrauns. 2008. The Construction of Religion as an Anthropological Category. In, Haddad, Hassan S. 1969. Create your account. The Eastern Mediterranean was shaped by certain geographical and climatological forces that enabled life, through rainfall agriculture, but that also limited life, due to a lack of largescale irrigative rivers, constant aridity, and the blight of frequent drought. 6 What are the effects of religion to our culture? In . unholy spirit.4. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. If the father is not the son,and the son is not the father,then the holy spirit is not ________.a. Geography of Religion as A Theory: Geography Shapes Religion "Geography is far more important in the study of religions than is generally appreciated. There are several different regions of the desert, ranging from having very cold climates to very hot climates, but there is a severe lack of water throughout the whole desert. Faith connects and gives meaning to everything, uniting people around shared values. This desert runs across the northern border of China and the southern border of Mongolia. All rights reserved. Some regions can reach very high temperatures, while others can reach very low temperatures, but all of these regions lack water. China is unique among nations in its longevity and resilience as a discrete politico-cultural unit. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Tolerance is the norm in places characterized by liberalism, but intolerance is the norm. Geography is far more important in the study of religions than is generally appreciated. If a large group of immigrants emigrates to a new country, they will bring their culture with them to the new location. Geographical Culture Overview & Factors | How Does Geography Affect Culture? She attended the Business school at the University of Houston where she received her Bachelor's in Business Administration. I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. Like other early civilizations, Ancient China developed along rivers: the Yangtze River and the Yellow River. The Himalayan Mountains have the highest elevation in the world, with Mt. How did geography affect religious events and development in West Asia, in the Indian subcontinent, and in China 1 See answer Advertisement Advertisement garciajessa072 garciajessa072 Answer: it will affect their belief but still i don't know . In his article, Haddad was the first to make the provocative but unsubstantiated claim that the cults of these georgic saints is a continuation, with variations, of the cults of the Baals of ancient Syria (Haddad 1969, 22), referring to the millennia-long regionally dominant figure of the Syro-Canaanite storm-god, Baal-Hadad, as well as to Baals regional syncretic manifestations. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. All of that, together with the regions water resources, of course, has affected the regional possibilities for the practice of agriculture. There are many mountain ranges in China, however, the most significant range is the Himalayan Mountains. Spencer, Allen. There are a variety of ways to observe the relationship between religion and geography. Some other well-known mountains in China are the Kunlun Mountains, the Tianshan Mountains, and the Qinling Mountains. Shanghai is the main industrial city; Hong Kong is the leading commercial centre and port. Westerners have come to believe that religious differences do not necessarily undermine social order. Christine has an M.A. Geography has played a significant role in the development and spread of religions in West Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and China. Pretend that you are a geographer studying religion. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Similarly, China's ongoing genocide against the Muslim Uyghur minority is supposed to wipe out the "Three Evil Forces" of separatism, terrorism, and extremism. Discover what the relationship between religion and geography is and learn how geography and culture affect religion. talong45 talong45 17.10.2020 Geography Primary School answered China has 33 administrative units directly under the central government; these consist of 22 provinces, 5 autonomous regions, 4 municipalities (Chongqing, Beijing, Shanghai, and Tianjin), and 2 special administrative regions (Hong Kong and Macau). Since religious texts offer profound reflections on human nature, many contain violent passages. Example: Sacred religious texts can divide people who interpret them differently, even if they are purported to be of the same faith. 1993. Geography does not only affect where particular religions or belief systems, such as the world's major faiths, are located but it can affect how specific beliefs are practiced and behaviors that it encourages. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Religious traditions are always a product of both time and place. The second and third major features that have affected the geography of the Levant are related to water. Many important religious notions, in the Levant, in Norse traditions, and certainly in every religious tradition have nothing whatsoever to do with geography. She is an instructional designer, educator, and writer. Some one-fifth of humanity is of Chinese nationality. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. China experiences yearly monsoons in the summer and dry seasons in winter. The War also scared off other civilizations like Rome, Arabians, and Persians. Even among the Han there are cultural and linguistic differences between regions; for example, the only point of linguistic commonality between two individuals from different parts of China may be the written Chinese language. New York: Routledge. The largest desert in east Asia is the Gobi Desert. Those conditions and influences are likely to extend beyond the disciplinary realms of Hinduism and of Hindu theology. To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Agrarian religion in the Levant consists of a fine attunement to the essentially agrarian conditions of everyday existence; as much urban as it was rural, it was the expression of an entire social and economic order whose rhythms were tied to the slow turnings of the seasons, and finely attuned to the vagaries of earth, sky, and environment (Grehan 2014, 140 and 16). To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. Both tropical jungles host very diverse plant and animal life, some of which are rare or endangered. Religion is a way of life that unites a community. Based on geography, one can often predict a given person's religious faith with a reasonable degree of certainty. That is because a traditional world religions perspective of these figures understood the figures only in isolation, uprooted from their local settings, and separated from their local communities. Map Showing the Location of the Seas off the Eastern Coast of China. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. From small farming communities rose dynasties such as the Zhou (1046-256 B.C.E. . The lens of geography, however, is far more useful in this instance than is that of world religions. Rather than searching within only the single silo of the religious tradition of Christianity in order to investigate in isolation the peculiar characteristics of St. George which results in precious little explanation using the lens of geography allows us to pan out, to investigate these same characteristics in other regional figures, across religious traditions, and across time, which helps explain not only the noteworthy and unusual characteristics of St. George, but also to identify developments and changes, as well as linkages and interconnections with other spatially and historically proximate religious traditions and figures, like Elijah and al-Khir, and even the ancient storm-god Baal-Hadad. In the Asian country of Israel, Judaism is dominant. Ancient China's geography affected its isolation. For example, in Yemen, it is illegal to convert from Islam to another religion. 2008. | 11 The island province of Taiwan, which has been under separate administration since 1949, is discussed in the article Taiwan. It explores the ways in which religion, its symbols, rites, beliefs and hopes have shaped the world in which we live. Supported by: This event reshaped global political geography, and China has since come to rank among the most influential countries in the world. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Along with the mainland, there are a few islands, mainly Hainan Island, that are also part of this territory. Other major geographical features located in China are the Himalayan Mountain Range and the Tibetan Plateau. Geography, Space and the Sacred. In, Schwemer, Daniel. Ancient China is responsible for a rich culture, still evident in modern China. These terrains were dangerous for Armies to travel. 7 Why did geography study the spread of Christianity on a worldwide scale? 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China is located in East Asia and at the West is the Pacific Ocean. This mountain range runs across the southwestern part of China and creates a natural boundary between India and the Tibetan Plateau. A traditional world religions perspective remains prevalent within religious studies textbooks and theoretical approaches (Asad 1993, 27-54; Masuzawa 2005). The opposite is true. This shaping influence extends naturally to the religious traditions that develop in certain places, affecting the figures, metaphors, motifs, and physical structures that are relevant in certain areas of the world. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". Hinnels, John R., ed. Thus, many Jews in Israel are not believers, but they are still Jewish. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. Discover what geographic features isolated ancient China from other civilizations and learn geography facts about China. Religious beliefs and ideas, symbols and practice, are naturally affected by the social and geographical conditions in which the theology is elaborated" (Hinnels 2010, 13). Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press. However, it is important to note that Judaism is both a religious and an ethnic identity. Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help you humans.d. Geography, and the geological formations and climatological effects derived thereby, have a distinct shaping influence on the everyday lives of people who live in particular areas. Geography, and the geological and climatological characteristics that are thereby derived, have a significant effect upon the daily life and needs of people. These names do not refer to separate deities, but instead should be considered manifestations of Baal-Hadad as associated with a particular locality (Allen 2015; Schwemer 2008, 15-16; Haddad 1960, 46). succeed. Why do you think that people ignore Jesus?explain your answer.2. Geographic Influences on Migration in the Caribbean, Central & South America, Political & Cultural Issues in Confucius' Time. A religious group that goes around burning the temples of other sects is likely to spark a war. Whatever the case may be, geographers will be there to note the relationships between religiosity, politics, and culture. China's geography is very diverse. ), and Ming (1368-1644 C.E.). The official language of China is Mandarin, or putonghua, meaning ordinary language or common language. There are three variants of MandarinBeijing, Chengdu, and Nanjing. The major seas in China are the East Sea, South Sea, and Yellow Sea. Asad, Talal. The Storm-Gods of the Ancient Near East: Summary, Synthesis, Recent Studies Part One, Journal of Ancient Near Eastern Religions 7, no. Indeed, despite the political and social upheavals that frequently have ravaged the country, China is unique among nations in its longevity and resilience as a discrete politico-cultural unit. Thus, the study of religion is a fruitful and important areas of inquiry. In the past, it was common for entire peoples to convert as a whole when their leaders converted. Northeast China experiences short summers and cold, drawn out winters. Omissions? -Most people are born into their religion. China is a country located in east Asia.It has very diverse geographical features across the country, from many seas and mountains to deserts and tundra. The Routledge Companion to the Study of Religion, 2nd ed. The Invention of World Religions. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). With more than 4,000 years of recorded history, China is one of the few existing countries that also flourished economically and culturally in the earliest stages of world civilization. In his article, Haddad was the first to make the provocative but unsubstantiated claim that the cults of these georgic saints is a continuation, with variations, of the cults of the Baals of ancient Syria (Haddad 1969, 22), referring to the millennia-long regionally dominant figure of the Syro-Canaanite storm-god, Baal-Hadad, as well as to Baals regional syncretic manifestations. The summer monsoons would bring in much needed water for agriculture, but sometimes flooded the river valley regions across central China. However, in the Eastern Mediterranean, where those figures originated, they share characteristics sometimes considered peculiar, or anomalous: in the Eastern Mediterranean region known as the Levant, similarities between these figures largely have revolved around the geographical and meteorological motifs of rain, storms, thunder, lightning, greenness, fertility, fecundity, the ability to appear and disappear, associations with mountains and other high places, local feast or celebration days of April 23, and the motif of vanquishing a dragon. In 1969, Hassan S. Haddad wrote a brief article titled Georgic Cults and Saints of the Levant, wherein he noted the similarities of Elijah, St. George, and al-Khir among agricultural communities of Jews, Christians, and Muslims in the Levant (Haddad 1969, 21-39). Cultural diffusion spreads as cultures interact with each other. Similarly, when the Sultan Satuq Bughra Khan accepted Islam, thousands of nomadic Turkic bands followed him into the faith. Geography does not only affect where particular religions or belief systems, such as the world's major faiths, are located but it can affect how specific beliefs are practiced and behaviors that it encourages. Unlike the other early civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, and the Indus Valley, ancient China was surrounded by natural barriers that kept them isolated from the western world. West Asia is the subcontinent that connects Asia to the Mediterranean and Europe. This manner of organization and study focuses on discrete, comprehensive traditions, and normative beliefs and practices (Knott 2010, 478). Sacred sites in the region intimately are related to geography, and often were hulled from the rocky landscape or simply created around natural wonders, consisting of holy mountains, noteworthy rock formations, and caves especially caves with access to subterranean water. Influence of geography on language development can be of many types: 1. This allowed China to develop independently without any outside influences. The East China Sea and the South China Sea border the east coast of China and extend into the Pacific Ocean. The tropical rainforests, or jungles, kept China from expanding south, and the cold tundra across the Tibetan Plateau kept them from expanding north. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. The China's first dynasties helped chinese society develop and made . Religious beliefs and ideas, symbols and practice, are naturally affected by the social and geographical conditions in which the theology is elaborated (Hinnels 2010, 13). Despite similar characteristics between Baal-Hadad, Elijah, St. George, and al-Khir, and the fact that, for at least the past 800 years, local agricultural communities of Jews, Christians, Muslims, Druze, Alawites, and others have venerated and often conjoined these figures, outside of the Eastern Mediterranean, the linkages between these figures previously were unable to be seen. Its early civilization stayed contained within the natural barriers and did not start spreading until trade routes were developed. The lush plains of the east and west became populated areas of India. Naturally, these factors also affect the development of religious notions: gods and narratives take on particular characteristics or serve particular purposes relevant to and reflective of certain geographical areas (and not reflective of other areas); motifs and metaphors are more meaningful in certain geographical areas than in others; and historical religious structures and the locations in which they are built are largely shaped by the landscapes out of which they are born. My own book Sacred Worlds: an introduction to Geography and Religion, was published in 1994. Twilight of the Saints: Everyday Religion in Ottoman Syria and Palestine. These kinds of weather patterns and water resources distinctly have shaped Levantine religious notions and practices, as well. However, the other world religions can be easily separated from ethnicity. Advertisement Expert-Verified Answer 273 people found it helpful Sildonia Answer INDIA The lush plains of the east and west became populated areas of India. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. 5 What type of diffusion spreads languages? There were advantages and disadvantages to these natural barriers. flashcard sets. In other cultures, it is not uncommon for that conflict to be bloody. Probably the single most identifiable characteristic of China to the people of the rest of the world is the size of its population. -Religion is powerfully motivating and torturing humans who fight for their beliefs. In 1969, Hassan S. Haddad wrote a brief article titled Georgic Cults and Saints of the Levant, wherein he noted the similarities of Elijah, St. George, and al-Khir among agricultural communities of Jews, Christians, and Muslims in the Levant (Haddad 1969, 21-39). Mountain ranges protect China's southwest borders while the Gobi Desert in the West and North. Indeed, increasing secularism in the West has been accompanied by rising social tensions. 8 Why do dominant languages continue to spread around the world? As a result, it is difficult for many to imagine that many religions can peacefully coexist within a single society. Although China's diverse geography prevented trade and expansion, it also served as protection by keeping out invaders. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". She is certified to teacher Math, Science, Social Studies, and Language Arts for levels EC-8th grade. Fimbulwinter precedes Ragnark, a cataclysmic series of wars and great events in which some of the great gods die before the world is entirely submerged by water, and, eventually, renewed again. The East Sea is north of Taiwan and on the very east coast of China. Wright --University of Arizona, Center for Judaic Studies Today, religious beliefs continue shaping the decisions and practices of people in East Asia, including a growing number of Christians throughout the region.
