Module 2: Interconnectedness of ACTIVITY 1.

ANALYZE THE PICTURES BELOW:

Geography, Culture, and Religion

In this module, you are going to:

1. Analyze the interconnectedness of geography,

culture, and religion.

Vocabulary List

1. Why do millions of people every year journey to a

church in Rome, a wall of Jerusalem, a river in India, and
a black cube in Mecca?

2. What is Hajji? How important it is to the Muslim

people?

GEOGRAPHY – the study of places and the relationships

between people and their environments.

RELIGION AND GEOGRAPHY

Examples:

1. Cremation of corpse is done where wood is

abundant. But in deserts where wood is not present,
the corpse is buried.

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.

Geography is everything about people (and their lands)

and nature – religion is part of human environment.

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Geography is human environment and natural • Played a major role in the establishment of the
environment. three monotheistic religions: namely, Judaism,
Christianity, and Islam, which account for more
Human environment is made of regions, countries etc.,
than half of the world’s total population. As such,
Humans spread their ideas, concepts, and religions
these organized religions are collectively known as
where they can reach.
ABRAHAMIC RELIGIONS.
A. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND • The importance of Abraham in these three religions
lies in the fact that the patriarch appears as an
• Prehistoric humans, such as the Neanderthals and elemental (primary) figure for monotheistic belief
Cro-Magnons, have practiced a set of belief systems system and a paragon (exemplar) for extreme
like in burying their dead, painting on the walls of devotion.
caves and carving images from stones.
• 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

Commonalities in Abrahamic
Religions
1. They all worship one supreme being.

• Ancient Hebrews – Elohim, Adonai, or Yahweh

• Present day Judaism – “Lord” or “God”
• Muslims – Allah

2. Prophets and apostles play major roles

• Judaism has 48 prophets and 7 prophetesses.

• Early prophets include Abraham, Isaac, Jacob,
c. 570 - 632 CE – Time of Muhammad, who recorded
Moses, Aaron, and Joshua.
the Q’ran as the basis of Islam
• Christianity has 12 apostles, some of whom
wrote parts of the New Testament.
The Patriarch Abraham • 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.

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 • 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.
THE INDIAN MOSAIC
• 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.
• Four great religions originated in India – Hinduism,
Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism – and a myriad of
minor cults and local sects.
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HINDUISM
• reflects Indian heterogeneity with its eclectic
(diversified and assorted) ways of religious
expressions.
• It has no specific founder, no one sacred book, and
with innumerable gods and goddesses. Considered
as museum of religions.
• It was during the Vedic Period that Hinduism or
Sanatana Dharma became systematized as a
religion
• 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, DAOISM / TAOISM
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.

• 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.
• Believed to be a contemporary (modern version) of
Confucius, he once worked as a record keeper at
the time of Zhou Dynasty but soon left the service
due to his frustration with corruption.
• Around 142 CE, Daoism began as an organized
religion with the establishment of the Way of the
Celestial Masters sect by Zhang Daoling during the
Han Dynasty.
CONFUCIANISM • The writings of Daoism centers on the concept of
Dao, as a way or path signifying appropriateness of
one’s behavior to lead other people.
• Dao in Daoism means road, path or way in which
one does something.
• Daoist Dao means the way the universe works.

SHINTOISM
• Confucius is regarded as China’s greatest
philosopher and teacher who lived at the same time
as Siddhartha Gautama in India.
• Confucian ideals aspire to harmonize human
relations and serve as guide to social behavior. An
ideal human society it the utmost concern for the
Confucian followers.
• Confucius dwell upon the theme of the Dao as being
the truth or way things out to be done concordant • It is a loosely organized local belief in Japan,
with specific view to life, politics, and customs. somewhat an ardent (dedicated) religious form of
• Confucian Dao concerns human affairs. Japanese patriotism. Its mythology highlights the
superiority of Japan over other lands.
• Japanese people believed that their emperors
literally descended from the sun goddess
Amaterasu.
• Conscious effort is done to revere the beauty of
Japan’s lands, especially mountains.
• The term ‘Shinto’ was coined around the 16th
century CE to distinguish native belief system from
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 the imported religions of China and Korea, including significant roles in many religious beliefs as these
Buddhism, Daoism and Confucianism. landforms provide ideal settings where gods live or
• The term came from the Chinese words ‘shen’ and where gods and mortals meet.
‘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
1. The Western Frontier

2. The Indian Subcontinent

3. The Eastern End

THE WESTERN FRONTIER

• One of the most sacred sites in the world revered

• West Asia is the home of three great religions (J, C, by JCI. Three structures are found in the present
I). site: Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Dome of the Rock, and
• Religions have increasingly become involved in the Domen of the Chain. The Jewish people
domestic politics of West Asia, resulting in consider the Temple Mount as their holiest shrine.
prolonged conflicts among countries that have Mount Moriah is also believed to be the site of
claimed thousands of lives. sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham.
• The Levant: Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Syria, and
Palestine. • Vast expanse of deserts and bodies of water also
• Israel remains the only country in the world with a played important roles in biblical history.
Jewish-majority population comprising almost 75%
of its citizens.
• The Arabian Peninsula, the world’s largest
peninsula, consists of countries that are
predominantly Islamic in character. (Saudi Arabia,
Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates,
Yemen, and Oman).
• The topography of West Asia is characterized by
vast areas of mountainous terrains which played 5

SINAI DESERT
• 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 INDIAN SUBCONTINENT
• 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.
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• 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.
• Water also plays a major role as evidenced by
Hindus venerating a god of water and celestial
oceans (Varuna).
• 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 and cities line up along the Ganga
that include Rishikesh, Haridwar, Prayag and
Varanasi.
• Even Buddhists consider Varanasi as an important
religious site. During the olden days, there was once
a deer park in Samath which is now a residential
area in Varanasi. In this park, Siddhartha Gautama
gave his first sermon about the principles of
Buddhism. It is presently marked by the Dhamek
Stupa shrine.
• The Buddha also met his first disciples at this place
which is now commemorated by the Chaukhandi
Stupa monument.
THE EASTERN END
• 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.
• Daoism emerged in response to the widespread
warfare and social turmoil that besieged the Zhou
dynasty.
• The entry of Buddhism in Japan between the 4th
and 8th centuries had a direct effect in their
religious traditions.
a. Shinto was introduced (to distinguish native from
foreign religion).
b. Shinto followers acknowledged that the
numerous buddhas and bodhisattvas were
revelations of the kami.
c. Fusion between Shintoism and Buddhism.
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.
• Exclusive religions are oftentimes monotheistic with
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Meanwhile, non-
exclusive religions are Hinduism, Buddhism,
Confucianism, Taoism and Shintoism.
On Monotheism and Universality
• 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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• Both Christianity and Islam are considered
universalizing religions because they both attempt
to operate on a global scale.
• On the other hand, Judaism can be considered an
ethnic religion because it draws members from a
specific group of people from a definite locality with
most of its practices and rituals performed
continuously throughout generations.
On the Concept of Dharma
• The concept of dharma is integral in religions that
emerged in India, including Hinduism, Buddhism,
Jainism and Sikhism.
• In Hinduism, dharma could mean duty,
righteousness, and ethics. In all humanity, this is
common and evident in virtues such as
peacefulness, empathy, and kindness.
• 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.
• Dharmic religions do not compel their adherents to
profess their devotion to be a believer or a
practitioner. Meditational and yoga rituals lead to
right behavior and ultimate understanding of the
universe.
• While the Hindus and Buddhists share similarities in
their ideas concerning enlightenment and
liberation, they differ in:
o Hindus believe in trimurti or the three forms of
god.
o Buddhists do not believe in the existence of any
god therefore intermediaries for humans and gods
are not necessary along with the many rituals that
go with venerating them.
On Nature and Ancestors
• 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.
• Apart from having a harmonious relationship
between humans and heaven, the establishment of
an ideal human society is also key to Confucian
 followers. The five basic social relationships are: ACTIVITY 3. WORLD MAPPING

1. Ruler and subjects Analyze the interconnectedness of geography,

2. Father and son
3. Husband and wife
4. Older and younger brothers
5. Friends or members of the community
• 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.
• Shrines are erected to venerate or remember
ancestors, an occurrence, and natural phenomena,
such as mountains, rivers, rocks and trees. Shinto
followers carry out ritualistic practices diligently in
order to establish union with the present society
and the nation’s past. Majority of its followers also
practice Buddhism.
ACTIVITY 1. JOURNAL WRITING
culture, and religions by creating a map showing the
5-world religion based on geography and culture.
You may access the link,
http://allfreeprintable.com/world-blank-map
for a printable blank world map or use the template
provided. Use one color per religion.
Provide a map legend. Take note of the cities or
countries where each religion originated.
Below the map, write a paragraph explaining the
interconnectedness of geography, culture, and
religions.
World mapping analysis of interconnectedness of
geography, culture, and religion of five world
religions. (Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism,
Christianity, Islam)

At this point, write down on your journal, your

significant insights by completing the following
sentence prompts.

I have learned that

_____________________________________________
_______________________________________.

I have realized that

_____________________________________________
_______________________________________.

I will apply
_____________________________________________
_______________________________________.

ACTIVITY 2. MY REFLECTION PAPER

Be guided on the following questions:

1. In what way do you appreciate geography and culture

in your religion?

2. If given the chance, which part of geography and

culture would you like to change? Why?