Module 2 Geography, Culture and Religions

Geography – the study of lands, features, inhabitants, the phenomena of earth.

Culture- all the ways of life including arts, beliefs and institutions of a population that are passed down from generation
to generation. Culture has been called "the way of life for an entire society." As such, it includes codes of manners, dress,
language, religion, rituals, art.
A. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
 Prehistoric humans, such as the Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons, have practiced a set of belief systems like in
burying their dead, painting on the walls of 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

Important Dates on The Origin of World Religions

Date Significance
2000 BCE – Time of Abraham, the patriarch of Israel
1200 BCE – Time of Moses, the Hebrew leader of Exodus
1100 - 500 BCE – Hindus compiled their holy texts, the Vedas
563 - 83 BCE – Time of the Buddha, founder of Buddhism
551 - 479 BCE – Time of Confucius, founder of Confucianism
200 BCE – The Hindu book, Bhagavad Gita, was written
to 4 BCE - 32 CE – Time of Jesus Christ, the Messiah and founder of Christianity
32 CE – The Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ
40 - 90 CE – The new Testament was written by the followers of Jesus Christ
100 CE – Beginnings of Shintoism (no known founder)
500 - 580 CE – Time of Lao Tzu, founder of Daoism
570 - 632 CE – Time of Muhammad, who recorded the Q’ran as the basis of Islam

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.
• 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.
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, 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.”
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.

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.

Hinduism
• It perfectly reflects Indian heterogeneity with its eclectic (diversified and assorted) ways of religious expressions that are quite
confusing to outsiders.
• 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.
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. 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.
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 with specific view to life,
politics, and customs.
• Confucian Dao concerns human affairs.

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.
• 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.
• 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
• It is a loosely organized local belief in Japan, somewhat an ardent (dedicated) religious form of 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 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.

The Western Frontier

• West Asia is the home of three great religions (J, C, I).
• Religions have increasingly become involved in domestic politics of West Asia, resulting in prolonged conflicts among countries
that have claimed thousands of lives.
• The Levant: Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Syria, and Palestine.
• Israel remains the only country in the world with a 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). Most West Asian countries follow Shi’a and Sunni
denominations of Islam. Iran and Iraq associate themselves with the Shi’a sect while Muslims in Saudi Arabia belong to Sunni
branch.
• The topography of West Asia is characterized by vast areas of mountainous terrains which played significant roles in many
religious beliefs as these landforms provide ideal settings where gods live or where gods and mortals meet.
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.

Presently, followers of Abrahamic religions place high regard on the city of Jerusalem in Israel because of the numerous sites that
are central to their belief system.
• There are more than a thousand synagogues, more than a hundred churches and more than 70 mosques.
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.
• 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.
• Because sweltering heat is one major feature of India’s ecological setting, it is no wonder that Hindus revere the sun (Surya) and
fire (Agni).
• 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). 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.