Professional Documents
Culture Documents
WHAT IS RELIGION?
The English word religion is from the Latin verb religare, which means “to tie”
or “to bind fast”. A contemporary scholar defines religion as “a system of
beliefs, rituals, and practices, usually institutionalized in one manner or
another, which connects this world with the beyond. It provides the bridge
that allows humans to approach the divine, the universal life force that both
encompasses and transcends the world”. This substantive definition of
religion limits religion to the belief in supernatural or divine force. However,
for its functional definition, religion is anything that provides an individual
with the ultimate meaning that organizes his/her entire life and worldview (as
cited in Lanuza and Raymundo, 2016). Religion can be explained as a set of
beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially
when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually
Course Module
involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral
code governing the conduct of human affairs (BBC, n.d.).
Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are five of the biggest
religions in the world. Over the last few thousand years, these religious groups
have shaped the course of history and had a profound influence on the
trajectory of the human race. Through countless conflicts, conquests, missions
abroad, and simple word of mouth, these religions spread around the globe
and forever molded the huge geographic regions in their paths (Kuzoian,
2015).
The five largest religions represent about 77% of the world population. Their
spread throughout parts of Asia and Europe, and gradually down to Africa and
across to the Americas has been fractured and erratic. Many scholars agree
Hinduism was the first religion to take root, beginning thousands of years
before the birth of Christ. Over the span of a few hundred years, Hinduism
spread throughout the Indus River Valley, or what is present-day India. As
Hinduism spread, the birth of Abraham sparked waves of converts and all but
consumed the subcontinent. Around 1000 BCE, Judaism began to spread along
the Mediterranean Sea, occupying present-day Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, and
Israel. In present-day Nepal, in 563 BCE, Siddhartha Gautama was born. He
would later go on to become the Gautama Buddha and found Buddhism. The
religion quickly diffused east through China. Around 33 AD, the Roman Empire
crucified Jesus Christ for his acts of sedition and anti-authority ideals.
Christianity was made a crime and became cause for execution in areas under
Roman control. Nevertheless, soon after Christ's crucifixion missionaries
forged through Europe to spread the gospel and convert exiled Jews. Halfway
through the first millennium came the birth of the prophet Muhammad, who
helped Islam spread through the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of Asia.
As Hinduism remained localized to India and Buddhism to China, trade deals
and conquests from the Ottoman Empire continued Islam's march through
northern Africa and southern Europe. In the 15th century, European explorers
ventured across the Atlantic to colonize the New World. Christianity reached
North and South America. During the late-19th century, those same Imperial
powers colonized many African countries, splitting the breakdown with the
ongoing spread of Islam. On May 14, 1948, Israel was founded. Even seven
decades later, tensions persist between Israelis and Palestinians over who
should have ownership of parts of Israel. Today, the five religions include some
5.8 billion people around the world in a complex and evolving mosaic (Weller,
2017). See https://www.businessinsider.com/map-shows-how-religion-spread-
around-the-world-2015-6 for the animated map showing how religion spread
across the world.
In 2050, Christianity will still be the world’s largest religious group, with
around a third of the world’s population adhering to its various
denominations. However, Islam is growing faster than any other religion,
according to a study by the Pew Research Center. In fact, most of the world's
major religious groups are expected to rise in absolute numbers by 2050, the
research finds, with Islam set to overtake Christianity and become the world’s
dominant religion by 2070 (Shirley, 2016).
Course Module
The geographic distribution of religious groups varies considerably. Several
religious groups are heavily concentrated in the Asia-Pacific region, including
the vast majority of Hindus (99%), Buddhists (99%), adherents of folk or
traditional religions (90%) and members of other world religions (89%).
Three-quarters of the religiously unaffiliated (76%) also live in the massive
and populous Asia- Pacific region. Indeed, the number of religiously
unaffiliated people in China alone (about 700 million) is more than twice the
total population of the United States. The Asia-Pacific region also is home to
most of the world’s Muslims (62%). About 20% of Muslims live in the Middle
East and North Africa, and nearly 16% reside in sub-Saharan Africa. Of the
major religious groups covered in this study, Christians are the most evenly
dispersed. Roughly equal numbers of Christians live in Europe (26%), Latin
America and the Caribbean (24%) and sub-Saharan Africa (24%). A plurality
of Jews (44%) live in North America, while about four-in-ten (41%) live in the
Middle East and North Africa – almost all of them in Israel (Pew Research
Center, 2012).
Course Module
In the age of global capitalism, more and more people tend to retreat into their
own private world and create their own individualized religion. But th ey do
not create it from scratch. They also borrow and pick from various religious
traditions in the market of religion. Even the practicing New Age believers who
have their own distinctive personal beliefs are influenced by non-Western
religious traditions such as Buddhism, Hinduism, and other beliefs. These
people are called un-churched believers. (Lanuza and Raymundo, 2016).
Religion has tremendously benefited from technological advancements. For
example, websites provide information and explanations abo ut different
religions to any person regardless of his or her geographical location, as well
as provide the opportunity to contact others worldwide and hold debates
which allow religious ideas to spread. Furthermore, television allows for
religious channels that provide visual religious teachings and practices. Hence,
by making the leap onto the information superhighway, which brings religious
teachings into every home and monitor in a global setting, religions have come
together into one setting (as cited in Golebiewski, 2014). Oliver Roy argues
that because of increased globalization, this “has led to a global religion
market.” He builds on this by arguing that many people in the world have a
want for some sort of religion or spirituality. To Roy, the religion “market” is
one in which is there is a circulation of products (that religion). This can be in
the form of migration, cases of being isolated within a particular area (that
might lead to new religious traditions), or access to the information online –
which can lead to the adopting of various religious beliefs or practices. In
addition, he also argues that there is a movement by some to export religions.
This could be finding new communities in which to practice ones faith, or new
areas that might take interest in this work or religion. In addition, religions are
becoming less defined by geographical areas. There continues to be new places
to worship, which might be different than decades past. Lastly, Roy argues that
a de-ethnicization of religion is occurring. Many different ethnic groups are
adopting similar religions, which is shifting the idea that one religion is tied to
one ethnic group. There is also a movement away from religion being defined
within one said culture, which is leading to further evolution of this faith. And
because of this, Roy argues that there is a freedom that individuals have to
choose a religion, or not choose a particular religion, and that we look at
religion is quite different in this new globalized era (as cited in
internationalrelations.org, 2016).
References
BBC (n.d.). Religions. Retrieved from www.bbc.co.uk
El Azzouzi, M. (2013, January 24). Religion and Globalization: Benefits and Challenges. Retrieved
from https://www.moroccoworldnews.com
Encyclopædia Britannica (n.d.). [Definitions of: Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, and
Islam]. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com
Golebiewski, D. (2014, July 16). Religion and Globalization: New Possibilities, Furthering
Challlenges. Retrieved from https://www.e-ir.info
Internationalrelations.org (2016, April 6). Religion and Globalization. Retrieved from
http://internationalrelations.org
Juan, S. (2006, October 6). What are the Most Widely Practiced Religions of the World? Retrieved
from https://www.theregister.co.uk
Juergensmeyer, M. (2009). Thinking Globally About Religion. The Oxford Handbook of Global
Religions. DOI: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195137989.003.0001. Retrieved from
http://www.oxfordhandbooks.com
Kuzoian, A. (2015, July 6). This Animated Map Shows How Religion Spr ead Across the World.
Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.com
Lanuza, G. and Raymundo, S. (2016). Religion and the Search for Ultimate Meaning. Understanding
Culture, Society, and Politics (1 st ed.). Manila: Rex Book Store
Myers, J. (2016, March 17). How Strongly Do Different Nationalities Feel About Religion? Retrieved
from https://www.weforum.org
Pew Research Center (2012, December 18). The Global Religious Landscape. Retrieved from
http://www.pewforum.org
Shirley, A. (2016, May 20). Which is the World’s Fastest-growing Major Religion? Retrieved from
https://www.weforum.org
Smock, D. (2008, February 1). Religion in World Affairs: Its Role in Conflict and Peace . Retrieved
from https://www.usip.org
Weller, C. (2017, July 21). Mesmerizing Maps Show How Religion Has Spread throughout the
World. Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.com
Course Module