Geographical and cultural
foundations of religion
Introduction to World Religions
Similar to living organisms, religions are born
in history and they gradually develop into
living traditions and affect the lives of their
followers. Belief systems originate in certain
localities within the context of culture and
Each religion has a
story of its origin. One
may argue that long
before religion began
to exist, cultures have
flourished along with
the formation of
civilizations.
Hence before Hinduism or Christianity
became religions, culture was already
flourishing in the civilizations where they
were born. The advent of religions
influenced the cultural life of people where
religions flourished.
Religion can
shape and mark the
destiny of the
society. Religion
provides a template
on how to manage
and direct one’s life.
It imposes standards
of what one ought to
do or not ought to
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
The existence of humankind
for so long a time has resulted
in the formation of religion and
belief system. It is certain that
many religions may have been
unrecorded in the past. Others
Major civilizations of the world
formed different gods and goddesses
in varying degree of importance.
Geographers from different continents
tried to examine whether the content
of studying geography of religion
really was based on geographical
principles or not.
But, they all have agreed that
religion and environment have a
direct relationship, that is,
environment affects religion while
religion affects people and the
environment too.
An example
of rain ritual,
as featured in
Scarlet Heart
Ryeo in 2016.
Significant Dates in
the History of
Establishment of
Several World
Religions
Date Significance
(Circa)
c. 2000 Time of Abraham, the
B.C.E. patriarch of Israel
c. 1200 Time of Moses, the Hebrew
B.C.E. leader of Exodus
c. 1100-500 Hindus complied their Holy
B.C.E. text, the Vedas
c. 563- 83 Time of the Buddha, the
Date Significance
(Circa)
c. 551- 479 Time of Confucius, the founder
B.C.E. of Confucianism
c. 200 The Hindu book, Bhagavad Gita
B.C.E. was written
c. 2-4 Time of Jesus Christ, the Messiah
B.C.E.-32 and founder of Christianity
C.E.
c. 32 C.E. The Crucifixion and Resurrection
Date Significance
(Circa)
c. 40- 90 The New Testament was written by
C.E. the followers of Jesus Christ
c. 100 C.E. Beginnings of Shinto (no known
founder)
c. 500-580 Time of Lao Tze, founder of
C.E. Daoism
c. 570- 632 Time of Muhammad, who recorded
C.E. the Qur’an as the basis of Islam.
The Patriarch Abraham
The prophet and patriarch
Abraham played a major role in
the establishment of the three
monotheistic religions: Judaism,
Christianity and Islam which
account for more than half of the
world’s total population at present.
Abraham and Hagar
Child:
1.Ishmael Ishmaelites
Muhammad
The Muslims considered Abraham’s
son Ishmael as the ancestors of
the Arabs.
Abraham and Sarah
Child:
1.Isaac (his wife Rebecca)
Sons:
2. Jacob Israelites (David,
Solomon, Jesus)
3. Esau Edomites
Abraham and Keturah
Children:
1. Zimran
2. Jokshan
3. Medon
4. Midian
5. Ishbak
6. Shurah
Geography of Religion
The interaction
between nature and
culture makes the study
of religion more dynamic.
Religion has an origin and
such origin is
characterized by factors
such as human interest
and environment.
Environmental attitudes such
as climate conditions and
topographical contours of the
region influence the behavior
and conduct of its inhabitants.
Mountains in the Christian
Tradition
Holy Location Significance
Mountain
s
Mount Eastern part Traditional landing
Ararat of Turkey place of Noah’s
ark as narrated in
the book of
Genesis
Mount Sinai The peak where
Sinai Peninsula in Moses received
Egypt the Ten
Holy Location Significance
Mountain
s
Mount Jerusalem Known as the
Zion/ city of David and
Mount Temple Mount
Moriah
Mount Israel Site
Tabor transfiguration
of Jesus Christ
The Western
Frontier
West Asia is
home of three
great religions,
namely, Judaism,
Christianity, and
Islam.
Countries closest to the eastern
part of the Mediterranean Sea north
of the Arabian Sea and south of
Turkey, sometimes called the Levant,
have experienced numerous religious
cataclysms in their existence as
nation-states. These include Lebanon,
Jordan, Israel, Syria, and Palestine.
Jewish Diaspora
- is the biblical dispersion of
Israelites or Jews out of their
ancient ancestral homeland
(the Land of Israel) and their
subsequent settlement in
other parts of the globe.
In 1948, Israel was
established after driving
away the Palestinian
Arabs who had been
living in the area for
centuries. The long
drawn-out war between
Israel and Arab countries
has resulted in the
deaths of many Jews and
Muslims from both sides.
The Indian Subcontinent
The Indian
Subcontinent
More than 4000
years ago, a
civilization emerged
along the Indus River
that developed a
unique and
exceptional culture
long before the dawn
Invasions from people
originating in
Macedonia and Central
Asia have added
diversity to India’s
population and
The Eastern End
The Eastern End
China’s
population is
concentrated
primarily in the
eastern and
southern parts
where agricultural
Diffusion
and
Dispersion
of Religion
The spread of religion makes
us understand how migration
affects the cultural and social
lifestyle in a particular place.
All religious beliefs, systems,
practices, and worldviews are
shaped by their surroundings.
Each of the
religions had a
cradle land or place
of origin; moreover,
a religion is a mirror
The cradle lands of
where major religions
started are divided
into two sections:
Indus-Ganges and
Semitic hearths.
The Indus-Ganges
hearth is the birthplace
of religions that began
in India such as
Hinduism, Buddhism,
and Jainism;
the Semitic hearth
is the birthplace of
the three major
Western religions,
namely, Judaism,
Christianity, and
Many of the major
religions today have
spread in various
directions and
established stronger
bases in other lands
The data presented in this
interactive map was drawn from
the results of a 2010 Pew
Research Center demographic
study of more than 230 countries
and territories. The study relied
on more than 2,500 censuses,
surveys, and population
registers.
Processes of
Diffusion
1. Expansion
Diffusion
Religion send
missionaries or
members of their
fold to various
places around the
world to convert
2. Relocation
diffusion
While people are
moving from one
place to another,
they bring with them
their own religious
identity and while
living in a new
territory, they
Common among
Christianity, Hinduism,
and Islam is the internal
evolution and
dispersion of common
religious beliefs that
led to the formation of
Hinduism gave birth to
Buddhism and Jainism.
Christianity split into Roman
Catholicism and Greek
Orthodox Church.
Islam is now divided into two
main sects, namely, Shiite or
Shi’ah and Sunni.
Diffusion and Dispersal of Religions
in the World Today
Unlike the old times when much of the religious
dispersion and diffusion took place because nature
had to force people to move to different locations,
diffusion of religions today is more influenced by
socio-political, economic, and cultural factors.
Most of the international
migrants came from the
countries embroiled in
political conflicts and
turmoil while other migrants
came from countries of poor
economic conditions.
“Religious practices
regardless of its
origin are changed
and we are bound to
change when
