Religion - AP Human Geography

The predominant religion in Central and South America is Catholicism. This area of the world was colonized primarily by Spain, a Catholic country; therefore, these areas of the world account for 483 million people, or 41.3% of all Catholics.

The adherents of Shinto reside primarily in Japan, where the religion was formerly the state religion. The citizens of Japan currently have full religious freedom guaranteed by the Constitution of Japan.

During the sixteenth century, both England and Scotland fell under the sway of the Protestant Reformation, although in two entirely different forms. England had many ups and downs, resulting in the distinct form of Protestantism known as Anglicanism, while Scotland developed the Calvinist-based Presbyterianism. Both countries would have pockets of Catholics for centuries, and both nations have seen a rising tide of secularism and reduced religious participation since the twentieth century.

Lutheranism, the religion that emerged from the reforms of the earliest Protestant thinker Martin Luther, is most prevalent and uniformly followed in the upper Midwest. In states like Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin it is the dominant religion. It is useful also to know that Catholicism is common in New England and near the border with Mexico, and that Baptists are predominantly found in the South.

Religious fundamentalism is common throughout human history and the contemporary world. All of these religions have had, and continue to have, problems with fundamentalists. "Fundamentalism" refers to a strict, literal interpretation of a religious text or set of precepts. The term is not specific to any particular religion.

More than half of all Americans who self-identify as Buddhists live in Southern California. The reasons for this are partially to do with the number of east Asian and southern Asian immigrants who have arrived in the American west coast in the previous one-hundred and fifty years, and partially to do with the cultural and social atmosphere of southern California.

Buddhism has its origins in Northern India, but is not the dominant religion of India (that title falls to Hinduism). Buddhism is, however, dominant in Southeast Asia, in countries like Thailand.

Christianity’s global reach is immense with a combined membership of slightly over two billion people. It is the only coordinating major religion of South America and dominant in Eastern Europe. It is not the majority region of East Asia or Oceania, but its membership in these regions still falls in the tens to hundreds of millions (China alone has over fifty million Christians). Out of these options only North Africa has a tiny proportion of Christians versus the total number of religious people. In Islamic parts of the world (and to a lesser degree Hindu and Buddhist) Christianity is observed in very small numbers.

Polytheism is the term used to describe a religion whose followers believe in more than one deity. Based on what we currently understand about early societies every single religion was polytheistic before the arrival of Judaism in the near east of Asia and Zoroastrianism in the middle east of Asia. An example of a modern day religion that is polytheistic is Hinduism.

Universalizing religions, as opposed to local religions, are religions that are primarily defined by the attempt to unite all people in the world under the banner of one religious belief. They can also be defined simply by the belief that all people should be united under the banner of one religious belief. Local religions are usually followed by people in a very small geographic range.

The term Baptists is applied to several very similar denominations of Christianity that believe that only an adult can profess complete faith in Christ and thus be baptized in his name. Baptists also believe in complete immersion for baptism, rather than through the sprinkling of holy water on the forehead of an infant. The majority of American Baptists are found in the region generally known as “the Deep South.”

The three major branches of Christianity are Catholicism, Protestantism, and Eastern Orthodoxy. For the first almost one thousand years of the Christian faith Roman Catholicism was the major branch adhered to by almost all followers of Christianity. In the eleventh century (1054 to be specific) the Great Schism occurred. This fractured Christianity between a western church, Roman Catholicism, centered in Rome, and an eastern church, Eastern Orthodoxy, centered first in Constantinople and later in Moscow. In the sixteenth century (1517 to be specific) the Protestant Reformation began in Europe and soon Western Europe was further divided into Protestantism and Catholicism. As European colonial power extended around the world the various invading nations took their particular branch of Christianity with them, thus entrenching Catholicism in South America and Protestantism in North America (to provide just two examples).

Atheism, or the belief in no deity and no religious observance, is most commonly followed in Europe. In some European countries more than half of all people report having no religious beliefs whatsoever. This is slightly less common in Asia where regional differences are extreme (it is worth noting that there are some very atheistic countries in Asia, usually countries that have undergone a period of Communism). It is much less common in North America where religious devotion is more commonplace than in Europe. It is extremely uncommon in Africa and South America where Christianity and Islam, as well as local religions, hold places of great importance in the lives of most communities and individuals.

Confucianism is sometimes described as a philosophy and sometimes as a religion, but it is probably most correct to say it has elements of both. It emerged from the teachings of the famous Chinese philosopher Confucius about five hundred years before the birth of Christ. Confucianism differs from most other major religions in that it focuses primarily on the earthly realm, rather than the spiritual, and preaches loyalty and obedience to the family and to the state.

The Shinto religion is practiced almost exclusively by the people of Japan. It is fairly closely related to Buddhism and Confucianism, due to its emphasis on oneness with nature and ancestor worship, but it is distinct from both these religions. It continues to be influential in modern Japanese society where it manifests itself in such things as war memorials, shrines, agricultural festivals, and communication with one’s ancestors.

The Baha’i faith is a fast growing and widespread religion - it claims somewhere between five and ten million members and is present in almost two hundred countries. It was founded in modern-day Iran (then called Persia) in the nineteenth century. According to the Baha’i faith there is one God that all religions worship with equal validity and all human beings are equally valued and deserve equal respect. Due to its universal appeal the Baha’i faith has been widely adopted in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.

Evangelical religions are primarily defined by the use of missionaries and religious education to spread the faith and convert nonbelievers. The world’s two biggest evangelical religions are also the world’s two most widely followed religions - Islam and Christianity. It is worth noting that in popular parlance the term “evangelical” or “evangelism” are used almost exclusively to describe Protestant Christianity, but this is merely a colloquial expression. In cultural-religious geographic terms it refers to the conversion of nonbelievers through proselytizing and education.

Atheism is the belief that no higher power exists; agnosticism is the belief that there could be a higher power. An atheist will tell you with certainty that God does not exist, whereas agnostics will tell you that they do not actively believe in God, but that they are unsure of whether a higher power exists or not.

There are approximately two billion people in the world who identify as Christian (most estimates or data puts the number at slightly over two billion). Christianity is the dominant religion in North America, South America, Europe, parts of Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and parts of Oceania.