How geography and

culture affected the

development of:

Abrahamic Religions
Dharmic Religions
Daoic Religions
What is Geography?

Geography is the study of places and

the relationships between people
and their environments.
Does Geography influence religion?

All religion and culture are based

on Geography.
Does Geography influence religion?
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.
Does Geography influence religion?

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.
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. Human environment is
made of regions, countries etc., Humans spread
their ideas, concepts, and religions where they
can reach.
How geography and culture
affected the development of:

Abrahamic Religions
Dharmic Religions
Daoic Religions
How geography and culture
affected the development of:

Abrahamic Religions
Dharmic Religions
Daoic Religions
The Patriarch Abraham

Played a major role in the establishment of

the three monotheistic religions: namely,
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, which
account for more than half of the world’s
total population. As such, these organized
religions are collectively known as
ABRAHAMIC RELIGIONS.
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
Commonalities in Abrahamic Religions
2. Prophets and apostles play major roles
• Judaism has 48 prophets and 7 prophetesses.
• Early prophets include Abraham, Isaac, Jacob,
Moses, Aaron, and Joshua.
• Christianity has 12 apostles, some of whom
wrote parts of the New Testament.
• Islam believes that Muhammad is the final
prophet or the “Seal of the Prophets.”
Commonalities in Abrahamic Religions
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.
How geography and culture
affected the development of:

Abrahamic Religions
Dharmic Religions
Daoic Religions
Dharmic Religion

Hinduism
Buddhism
Jainism
Sikhism
Dharmic religions are commonly based on Indian
sub continent.

Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism are all

examples of Dharmic religions.
In India religions originated from 2600 BCE.
Buddhism has its origin in Sadhartha
Gautama from North India, Sikhism is
connected to Guru Nanak from Punjab,
Jainism also has roots in northern India.
Dharmic religions are commonly based on Indian
sub continent.
Hinduism believes in multiple gods, Buddhism
states that there is no god.
Jainists do not believe in god.
Sikhism believes in the oneness of god.
India is naturally protected by Himalaya's in the
north and oceans in the other three sides. This
protected India from foreign invasion for a long
time.
How geography and culture
affected the development of:

Abrahamic Religions
Dharmic Religions
Daoic Religions
Daoic Religion

Confucianism
Buddhism
Taoism
Daoic Religion

Confucianism
Buddhism
Taoism
Confucianism
 Confucianism isa philosophy and belief system
from ancient China, which laid the foundation for
much of Chinese culture. Confucius thoughts
on ethics, good behavior, and moral character
were written down by his disciples in several
books, the most important being the Lunyu.
Confucianism believes in ancestor worship and
human-centered virtues for living a peaceful life. 
Confucianism
Confucius believed in the importance of
education in order to create this virtuous
character. He thought that people are
essentially good yet may have strayed from
the appropriate forms of conduct. Rituals in
Confucianism were designed to bring about
this respectful attitude and create a sense of
community within a group.
Daoic Religion

Confucianism
Buddhism
Taoism
Buddhism

Buddhism is one of the world’s

major religions. It originated in South
Asia around the 5th century B.C.E. with
Siddhartha Gautama, and over the next
millennia it spread across Asia and the
rest of the world.
Buddhism

Buddhists believe in a wheel of

rebirth into different bodies. This is
connected to “karma,” which refers
to how a person’s good or bad
actions in the past or in their past
lives can impact them in the future.
Daoic Religion

Confucianism
Buddhism
Taoism
Taoism

Taoism (also spelled Daoism) is

a religion and a philosophy from ancient
China that has influenced folk and
national belief. Taoism has been
connected to the philosopher Lao Tzu,
who around 500 B.C.E. wrote the main
book of Taoism, the Tao Te Ching.
Taoism

One of the main ideas of Taoism is

the belief in balancing forces,
or yin and yang. Yin and yang show
that everything in the universe is
connected and that nothing makes
sense by itself.
Whether it is religion or other beliefs, we
are influenced by the cultures and regions
we are from. ... 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.