Professional Documents
Culture Documents
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Quarter 1 – Module 2:
Interconnectedness of Geography,
Culture,
and Religion
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Introduction to World Religions and Belief Systems – SHS
Interconnectedness of Geography, Culture, and Religion - 1st Semester Module
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l. INTRODUCTION
Hello there! Have you ever been to a mountainous place? What do you notice
about the topography? Do you feel the variations of climate in every specific
location? How do you think these climates affect the way people speak their
language; create their own clothing fashion, traditions, and economic activities? How
do people live in the lowland; what about those who are in the upland? Or near the
riverbank, or those who are living along the shores? Do you think there would be a
proverbial difference in terms of their understanding about life, about their
surroundings, and about the existence of one Supreme Being?
You see, you’re already given the hint how all things are interconnected. All
you need is to discover the details for yourself for it will be fun, exciting, and very
much enriching.
Read now and do your task of creating your own way of life.
ll. OBJECTIVES:
Be ready to learn and accomplish the tasks ahead. I know that you are
excited to learn new things. Let’s start!
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Let us find the meaning of words that you will encounter in the succeeding
texts.
Word Definition
Adonai - ancient Hebrew God
Allah - the one God of Islam
- stories or ideas that define our personal sense of
Belief System
reality, and through which we make sense of the world.
- a path of practice and spiritual development that started
Buddhism in India. It strives for a deep insight leading to the
nature of reality.
- a monotheistic faith based on the life, works, and
Christianity
teachings of Jesus Christ.
- both an ancient religion and philosophy of China; it
Confucianism originated as a philosophical system founded on the
teachings of Confucius.
- a Chinese philosopher whose teachings are the basis
Confucius
of Confucianism.
- a system of vital ideas that contains, energizes, and
directs virtually every aspect of social life and a
Culture person’s relationship with the world, and the matrix
from which values, attitudes, motivations, and skills
emerge.
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- a branch of Buddhism which is widely practiced in
Vietnam, Japan, South Korea, and China: known as a
Mahayana Buddhism
“Greater Vehicle”, it has given rise to various offshoots
of Buddhism in other countries.
- a Persian religion founded in the sixth century B.C. by
the prophet Zoroaster, characterized by worship of a
Zoroastrianism supreme god, Ahura Mazda who requires good deeds
for help in his cosmic struggle against the evil spirit
Ahriman.
lV. PRE-TEST
TEMPLE FUN!
Direction: The pictures in this test tells about religion. Let’s see if you could
identify them by choosing the answers inside the box, then write it in your journal
notebook.
https://indianexpress... https://in.pinterest...
4. __________________ 5. __________________
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V. LEARNING ACTIVITIES
LET’S DO THIS!
Write a brief answer to the following questions below. You may refer to the
internet or any reference material in World History.
B
Source: (A) https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/339247784405497609/
(B) https://www.google.com/maps
1. ______________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________.
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A B
C D
Source: (A) https://pushpendragautam.in/golden-temple-amritsar-punjab-india-travel-pics.html
(B) https://www.ancientfacts.net/black-stone-kaaba-origins/
(C) https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/230105862183924758/
(D) https://in.pinterest.com/pin/791437334491960070/
3. ______________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________.
5. ______________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________.
ANSWER ME
How do you find the activity?
___________________________________________________________.
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Vl. DEEPENING
How are you today? Are you ready for the next trekking activity? But before
we start, can you share your meaningful discovery on the initial activities you have
gone through? Write it in your journal.
Today, you are going to read the following learning points. As you go over it,
you may take down notes or write questions that you want to be clarified about.
Does Geography influence religion? All religion and culture are based on
Geography.
Examples:
2. When you complete your fasting, if you are in deserts, you will get only dates
and so desert people complete their fasting with dates whereas in regions like
India where milk of fruit juice is used to complete fasting.
3. In hot countries people wear light clothes or with bare chest as part of their
culture and in cold countries people even wear shoes and slippers into their
place of worship due to the impact of cold.
4. In India water plays a main role in rituals as we have multiple rivers in this
region whereas in cold places, fire is used in their rituals.
These are some of the things I had explained. There are other things also
which are affected based on Geography. Without lands, or geography, religion would
not exist.
Geography is everything about people (and their lands) and nature – religion
is part of human environment. Geography is human environment and natural
environment.
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Religious people would not just spread their religions but try to convert others.
You don’t need animals follow your religions but other humans.
A. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
• The existence of humankind for so long a time has resulted in the formation of
religion and belief systems. It is certain that many religions may have been
unrecorded in the past. Others may have gradually died down like
Zoroastrianism that once flourished in South Asia but is now only confined in
Iran, India, and Central Asia
Date Significance
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• c. 570 - 632 CE – Time of Muhammad, who recorded the Q’ran as the
basis of Islam
• The importance of Abraham in these three religions lies in the fact that the
patriarch appears as an elemental (primary) figure for monotheistic belief
system and a paragon (exemplar) for extreme devotion.
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• Islam believes that Muhammad is the final prophet or the “Seal of the
Prophets.”
3. Prior to the establishment as organized religions, the role of divine revelation
or intervention is associated among their progenitors (ancestors).
• God instructed Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac at Mount Moriah.
• God presented the 10 Commandments to Moses at Mount Sinai.
• God sacrificed His son Jesus Christ through crucifixion as the plan to
salvation.
• God commanded Muhammad to establish a new religion at a cave in
Mount Hira.
Then and now, the followers of the three Abrahamic religions are presented
with a choice between good and evil.
BY THE WAY…
Why is Abraham important to the development of Judaism, Christianity,
and Islam?
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4. You have already trekked back in time of Abraham. Do you want to know
and discover more about it? Let us now continue your trekking!
____________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________.
• India is one of the oldest surviving civilizations, with its history dating back to
at least 6500 BCE. The many conquerors that came to India were gradually
absorbed into the native Indian religions.
• The Harappan civilization, Aryan influence, local dynasties, and the Muslim
conquest all had their fair share in building the intricate Indian mosaic. As a
result, variety and complexity characterize Indian culture.
Hinduism
• It has no specific founder, no one sacred book, and with innumerable gods
and goddesses that any Hindu can venerate. As such, Hinduism can be
considered as museum of religions.
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• It was during the Vedic Period that Hinduism or Sanatana Dharma became
systematized as a religion that preached order and purpose to the cosmos
and human life.
• During this period, universal order became equated with a stable society as
evidenced by the establishment of a centralized government and the
integration of collective traditions into Indian lives.
Buddhism
• It centers its attention on the figure of the Buddha, who was not a god but a
human being who came to discover how to terminate sufferings in order to
escape the painful and continuous cycle of rebirth.
• Buddhist followers revere Buddha in the same way that the members of other
world religions worship their gods.
• The Mahayana sect of Buddhism differs from Theravada school because of its
rich array of buddhas and bodhisattvas who have attained spiritual
enlightenment.
• These beings are already eligible to enter nirvana but choose to delay this
glorious path to guide others to the path of salvation.
• Born near the end of the 6th century BCE, Siddhartha Gautama’s life is
closely linked with the historical and religious development of Buddhism in
India. Gaining new converts due to its mass appeal as compared to the
exclusivity of Hindu beliefs, Buddhism spread far and wide from India to Sri
Lanka and to Southeast Asia.
• The religion was transported to China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. Across the
Himalayas, it reached the Tibetan lands.
• Presently, Buddhism has become more popular outside its place of origin
while Hinduism has remained entrenched (rooted) in India throughout many
centuries.
Confucianism
• Even during the olden days, the Chinese had already endeavored to establish
and attain good governance. China adopted Confucius’s ideals and ethics as
the nation developed meritocracy (power goes to those with superior
intellects) as a basis for government officials.
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• Confucius is regarded as China’s greatest philosopher and teacher who lived
at the same time as Siddhartha Gautama in India.
• Confucius dwell upon the theme of the Dao as being the truth or way things
out to be done concordant with specific view to life, politics, and customs.
Daoism
• Mysteries abound the birth and life of Laozi (Lao-tzu) who may have written
Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching or The Book of the Way and its Power.
• Dao in Daoism means road, path or way in which one does something.
Shintoism
• Japanese people believed that their emperors literally descended from the
sun goddess Amaterasu.
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• The term ‘Shinto’ was coined around the 16th century CE to distinguish native
belief system from the imported religions of China and Korea, including
Buddhism, Daoism and Confucianism.
• The term came from the Chinese words ‘shen’ and ‘tao’ roughly translated as
the ‘way of the gods’.
• Of primal importance were the kami that were often defined as the gods but
could also refer to deities of heaven and earth, or even spirits in human
beings, animals, trees, seas, and mountains.
B. GEOGRAPHY OF FAITH
• Israel remains the only country in the world with a Jewish-majority population
comprising almost 75% of its citizens.
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landforms provide ideal settings where gods live or where gods and mortals
meet.
Mount Sinai Sinai Peninsula in The peak where Moses received the Ten
Egypt Commandments
Mount Zion/ Jerusalem Known as Known as the city of David and Temple
Mount Moriah the city of Mount
• One of the most sacred sites in the world revered by JCI. Three structures are
found in the present site: Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Dome of the Rock, and the
Domen of the Chain. The Jewish people consider the Temple Mount as their
holiest shrine. Mount Moriah is also believed to be the site of sacrifice of Isaac
by Abraham.
• Vast expanse of deserts and bodies of water also played important roles in
biblical history.
Place Significance
Israelites crossed this as they escaped
Yam Suph (Red Sea)
from Egyptian lands
Israelites lived here en route the
Sinai Desert
Promised Land (spiritual cleansing
• There are more than a thousand synagogues, more than a hundred churches
and more than 70 mosques.
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• The Western Wall (Wailing Wall or Kortel), one of the four remaining walls that
surrounded Temple Mount, is the second holiest shrine for the Jews.
• Jerusalem has been sacred for the Christians for almost two thousand years
now. Important sites include Mount Zion and the Church of the Holy
Sepulcher, which is the site of the Golgotha (or the place of crucifixion) and
the empty tomb of Jesus Christ.
• Lastly, Jerusalem has been sacred for the Muslims for almost 1400 years
now. For the Sunni Muslims, it is their third holiest city.
• Located at the Temple Mount, the Islamic Dome of the Rock is the most
recognizable structure in Jerusalem. It is believed that the rock is the spot
from which Muhammad ascended to heaven. Likewise, the First and Second
Temples are believed to lie beneath or near the shrine.
• Another Islamic structure is the Al-Aqsa Mosque associated with the night
journey undertaken by Muhammad.
• The subcontinent of South Asia covers an area more than one and a half
million square miles stretching from the Hindu Kush and Baluchi Hills on the
west and the Great Himalayan mountain range on the north, to the Burmese
mountain on the east and the Indian Ocean on the south.
• More than 4000 years ago, a civilization emerged along the Indus River that
developed a unique culture long before the dawn of the Christian era.
• Invasions from people originating in Macedonia and Central Asia have added
diversity to India’s population and complexity to its culture.
• The South Asian countries of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh depend on the
rivers of Indus, Ganga-Yamuna, and Brahmaputra. Traversing the great plains
of north India, the Ganga (Ganges) is the holiest river for the Hindus. From its
point of origin to its confluence with the ocean, many ancient pilgrimage sites
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and cities line up along the Ganga that include Rishikesh, Haridwar, Prayag
and Varanasi.
• The Buddha also met his first disciples at this place which is now
commemorated by the Chaukhandi Stupa monument.
• At the eastern end of the great Asian continent one finds the cultural and
political dominance of China.
• The location of China proper in the valleys of two great bodies of water, the
Huang He and Yangtze, is quite favorable because of the support these
streams provide to the Chinese people that made historic China the center of
culture.
• From these river valleys emerged small states now controlled by the first
recorded dynasties, the Shang and the Zhou. It is within this context that the
great Confucius became fascinated with ethical questions and morality in
government officials.
• It was only during the second millennium after the death of Confucius in 479
BCE that the teachings and ideals identified with his philosophy spread in
China. By the time of the Han dynasty, Confucian teachings had become the
state religion. In Korea, it began to be disseminated extensively around the
15th century. In Japan, it was accepted by the majority during the 18th and
19th centuries.
• The entry of Buddhism in Japan between the 4th and 8th centuries had a
direct effect in their religious traditions.
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b. Shinto followers acknowledged that the numerous buddhas and bodhisattvas
were revelations of the kami.
d. Japan developed a unique form of Buddhism taking its fullest meditative form
under Zen.
C. CULTURAL MILIEU
World religions can be regarded along the lines of their exclusivity or non-
exclusivity.
While Judaism and Islam affirm the presence of one god (Unitarian creed)
Christianity acknowledges one God in three persons (Trinitarian creed): The Father,
the Son and the Holy Spirit.
• The basic principles of the Muslim faith are reflected in the “Five Pillars of
Islam”.
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• For Buddhism, it means cosmic law and order, or the teachings of Buddha
and the truth of the way things are.
• For the Theravada sect, dharma is sometimes used to indicate all the factors
of existence.
• While the Hindus and Buddhists share similarities in their ideas concerning
enlightenment and liberation, they differ in:
• The elements of cult of heaven and ancestor worship are features of ancient
Chinese culture integrated into the Confucian philosophy and belief.
Confucius had a firm conviction in a natural order that was moral order.
• In Shintoism, divinities are closely linked to nature and natural forces. The
sacred Mount Fuji, an abode of Japanese gods, is surrounded by temples and
shrines. It is one of the three holy mountains along with Mount Tate and
Mount Haku.
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the present society and the nation’s past. Majority of its followers also practice
Buddhism.
Based on the readings, what are the 3 things that are related to World
Religion? Fill out the concept map below
World
Religion
CONGRATULATIONS!
You are now in the last part of this module! But before we part ways, let us try
to sum up the learnings that you got.
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Vll. APPLICATION
MY REFLECTION PAPER
2. If given the chance, which part of geography and culture would you like to
change? Why?
______________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________.
IX. POST-TEST
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World mapping analysis of interconnectedness of geography, culture,
and religion of five world religions. (Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism,
Christianity, Islam)
Source: http://allfreeprintable.com/world-blank-map
CATEGORY 20 15 10 5
Thoroughly Little or no
Ideas somewhat
explained ideas of Ideas explained the explanation of ideas
explained the
Idea the interconnectedness
interconnectedness
of the
Explanation interconnectedness of geography, interconnectedness
of geography,
of geography, culture, and religion of geography,
culture, and religion
culture, and religion culture, and religion
Most place of origin Some place of origin No place of origin
All place of origin per
per religion were per religion were per religion were
Location religion were labelled
labelled and located labelled and located labelled and located
and located correctly
correctly correctly correctly
Work adequately Work inadequately Work does shows Work does not
shows shows little understanding shows
Map understanding of the understanding of the of the understanding of the
representat interconnectedness interconnectedness interconnectedness interconnectedness
ion of 5 religions in of 5 religions in of 5 religions in of 5 religions in
geography, and geography, and geography, and geography, and
culture culture culture culture
Color & symbols Color & symbols Color & symbols Color & symbols
used per religion, all used per religion, used per religion, used per religion,
Color/map shows mostly shows some shows does not shows
legend interconnectedness interconnectedness interconnectedness interconnectedness
of geography and of geography and of geography and of geography and
culture culture culture culture
What three (3) questions would you like to ask your teacher about
Interconnectedness of Geography, Culture and Religion?
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Congratulations and thank you for finishing this module! You’ve just had a
fruitful learning discovery in the interconnectedness of geography, culture and
religion, for sure, you will also do the same in the succeeding modules. Read in
advance about Effects of Religion.
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X. ANSWER KEY
PRE-TEST
ACTIVITY 1
ACTIVITY 2
ACTIVITY 3
ACTIVITY 4
POST-TEST
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References:
• https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/339247784405497609/
• https://www.google.com/maps
• https://pushpendragautam.in/golden-temple-amritsar-punjab-india-travel-
pics.html
• https://www.ancientfacts.net/black-stone-kaaba-origins/
• https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/230105862183924758/
• https://in.pinterest.com/pin/791437334491960070
• 1https://www.travel-british-columbia.com/blog/where-to-see-totem-poles-in
british-columbia/
• 2https://www.learnreligions.com/what-are-stone-circles-2562648
• https://www.slideshare.net/jomarienel/lesson-2-origin-of-world-religions
• https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1VDVwBZyL2Oy5R5pQtp4WPFjzGAZv
9sVR
• https://www.slideshare.net/jomarienel/lesson-2-origin-of-world-religions
• http://allfreeprintable.com/world-blank-map
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