Ethnic Religions

Ethnic Religions

Hinduism Largest Ethnic religion 900 million adherents 3rd largest religion worldwide Localized in India and Nepal Monotheistic Contributed to Buddhism and Sikhism

Doctrine • Up to individual to decide the best way to worship God • There are various paths to reach God including: path of knowledge, path of renunciation, path of devotion, or path of action • You can pursue your own path and follow your own convictions as long as they are in harmony with your true nature • Hindus see the divine in everything and are tolerant of all doctrines • You are responsible for your own actions and you alone suffer the consequences • No central authority or a single holy book

Beliefs • Law of Karma: all actions produce effects in the future • Dharma: one’s duty of station in this life, strive for harmonious and eternal truth within • Reincarnation: previous acts determine the condition into which a being is reborn in one form or another • Must attain atman to break cycle of reincarnation • Liberation of the soul (moksha) • Nonviolence, veneration of all forms of life (Ahimsa)

Gods • Believe in a supreme being who has unlimited forms * Brahman • His manifestations are worshipped • The manifestation of God with the largest # of adherents is Vaishnavism (70%) • Worships the God Vishnu • A loving god incarnated as Krishna • Sivaism is dedicated to Siva (26%) • Often presented in narratives: • Ramayana: Havana kidnaps Sita. Rama rescues Sita and kills Havana but the lovers are forced to separate. • Represents the tragedy in life in the real world where love of the soul for god is constantly being tested

Origins • No specific founder, no single theology, no agreement on origins • Word Hinduism sixth century B.C. to refer to people living in the area • Hinduism existed long before recorded history • Earliest surviving documents written in 1500 B.C. • Objects related to Hinduism date back to 2500 B.C. • Aryan tribes from Central Asia invaded India around 1400 B.C. brought Indo-European language and religion • Aryans first settled in Punjab (Northern India) • Migrated later to Ganges River Valley • Centuries of intermingling with the Dravidians already living in the area modified their religious beliefs

Writings • Hindu’s prefer term Vedic • Veda are Vedic text that provide the only written source for understanding religious life in ancient India • Vedas compromised of 1,000 hymns followed by chants and prose works • Over time only highly-trained priest could perform the complicated Vedic rituals • Upanishads • Record wisdom of Hindu teachers and sages as far back at 1000 B.C.E. • Nature of morality and eternal life • Transmigration of souls • Causality in creation • Bhagavad-Gita • Part of the Mahabharata- one of the longest books in the world • Dialogue between Arjuna (hero) and Krishna • Incredibly important cultural text

Holy Places of Hinduism • Hinduism closely tied to geography of India • Natural features rank among holiest shrines (riverbanks ad coastlines) • Pilgrimage (tirtha) an act of purification • Act of receiving redemption • Holy Places organized into a hierarchy • Importance of shrines are established through tradition • Example: Mount Kailas • Base of Himalayas • Holy because Siva lives there • Many travel despite long distance • Purification can be attained by bathing in holy rivers. • Ganges is holiest river in India • Sprung forth from the hair of Siva • Hardwar the most popular site for “purification” • Recent improvements in transportation have increased accessibility to shrines

Ganges River

Places of Worship • Hindu Temples • Serves as home to one or more gods • Not for congregational worship • important religious functions take place in the home • Wealthy individuals or groups maintain temple • Size and frequency determined by locals • Usually contains symbolic artifact or image of the god • Contains pool for ritual baths

Worship and Practices • Worship called Puja • Worship often takes place in home • No particular day or time • No religious hierarchy • Rituals • Marriage: match must be approved by both parents, usually arranged, horoscopes drawn up, bride’s family pays dowry • Death: body cremated, body not required after death due to reincarnation

Conflict • Hinduism vs. Social Equality • Strongly challenged since 1800 since British colonialism • Hinduism has rigid caste system • The class or distinct hereditary order into which a Hindu is assigned according to religious law. • Each individual should belong to a caste in the social order • Caste system originated around 1500 B.C. • Brought by Aryan invaders • Four Castes • Brahmans: priests • Kshatriyas: warriors • Vaisyas: merchants • Shudras: agricultural workers or artisans • Distinctively lower caste • Untouchables were the outcastes, lowest of all. did work considered too dirty for other descended from indigenous peoples • Castes split into thousands of subcastes throughout centuries • Type of Hinduism practiced, depends on caste

Gandhi • British pointed out problems with system • Neglect of the health of untouchables • Economic problems • System has relaxed in recent years • Indian government has legally abolished the untouchable caste • Now have equal rights • Quota system to give untouchables places in universities

Judaism • Some believe it’s the first monotheistic religion • 14 million Jews today • - Considered “parent” religion of Christianity and related to Islam • Unique ethnic religion because it’s not clustered geographically

Judaism • An ethnic religion based in the lands bordering the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea -Called Canaan in the Bible Palestine by the Romans Israel since 1948 • 4,000 years ago Abraham, the patriarch or Judaism, migrated from present-day Iraq to Canaan. • Abraham and God have a covenant in which the Jews agree to worship one God and God agrees to protect his “chosen” people, the Jews • Name Judaism derives from Judah, one of Abraham’s sons. Israel is another biblical name for Jacob

History continued. • Moses led the Jews from Egypt, where they had been enslaved, to Canaan, where an internal conflict split the nation into two branches, Israel and Judah. • Israel’s tribes were “lost” to the conquerors • Judah survived longer, but were also conquered by Babylonians and Assyrians. • Jews regrouped and rebuilt Jerusalem • Romans conquered in 70 CE and drove the Jews out • A resurgence movement in 19th century divided Jews into Orthodox Jews and Conservative Jews

Doctrine • Fundamental to Judaism is the belief in one powerful God • Called themselves the “chosen” people, because God had selected them to live according to his ethical and moral principles • Believe in one God who created humankind for the purpose of bestowing kindness upon them • People are rewarded for faith and are punished for sins, but they can atone • 10 commandments

Holy book • The Torah is comprised on the first five chapters of the Hebrew Bible • Contains Old Testament and the Talmud • Collection of rabbinical and historical teachings passed down from one generation to the next

Sacred Places and symbols • Most prominent feature of the Jewish-influenced cultural landscape is the synagogue • House of Jewish worship • Architecturally varied • All have an ark housing the Torah, written in Hebrew • The six-pointed star is an important symbol

Sacred Sites • Most important site is Wailing Wall • It is at the edge of the Temple Mount • Temple Mount was once the site of two great Jewish Temples • Abraham almost sacrificed his son Isaac • Dome of the Rock • The western wall is all that is left of the temples • Jews gather there to remember the destruction of the temples and to offer prayers • called” “Wailing Wall” to depict the suffering of the Jews over time

Diffusion • Different from other ethnic religions • it is practiced in places other than just the place of origin • Most Jews do not live in Israel due to the forced Diaspora of the Jews by the Romans in A.D. 70 • Most migrated to Europe • Into Iberian peninsula • Often Jews were persecuted by other nationalities • Example: Holocaust • Forced to live in Ghettos • Most Jews now live in Israel • Largest population of Jews live in the U.S. • Northeast, NY • Prominent in major cities in Western Europe

Primary Branches of Judaism • Orthodox Judaism • Seeks to retain the original teachings of the faith • Reform Judaism • Developed in the 1800s as a branch attempting to adjust the religion to fit more modern times • Conservative Judaism • Most recent branch and is most moderate branch

Subgroups • Because of Diaspora, Jews were separated into Subgroups • Ashkenazim: Jews that lived in Germany and France before migrating to Eastern Europe • Mizrachim: Jews that never left North Africa or Middle East • Sephardim: Jews from Spain or Portugal • Large scale migration of Ashkenazim from Europe to America in 19th century • Today 13 million Jews in the world • 6 million live in North America • 5 million live in Israel

Jewish Calendar • classified as an ethnic religion because its major holidays are based on events in the agricultural calendar • Examples: Fall is a time of hope- Rosh Hashanah (New Year) and Yom Kippur (Atonement) are in the fall • Other important holidays: Pesach (Passover), Sukkot, and Shavnot (Feast of Weeks) • Today, Israel follows the lunar calendar rather than the solar calendar

Hierarchy • no centralized structure of religious control. • To conduct a full service, 10 adult males must be present

Other Ethnic Religions

East Asian Ethnic Religions • Taoism (Daoism) • Linked to philosopher Laozi, lived around 6th century C.E. • Laozi taught that people should live in harmony with nature and all aspects of their lives • Seek the “way” • Yin and yang • Created fengshui • Confucianism • Linked to Confucius, lived around 6th century C.E. • Built system of morals and a way of life for the Chinese • Focuses more on the worldly life than rather the ideas of heaven and hell • Shintoism • Syncretic, ethnic religion • Blends principles of Buddhism with a local religion of Japan • Forces of nature considered divine • Emperors become deities • From the 1800s until after WWII, Shintoism was the state religion of Japan • Emperor forced to renounce his divinity

Shamanism • Term given to any ethnic religion in which a community follows its shaman • religious leader, healer, or truth knower • Strongest presence in Africa • but has historically existed in North America, Southeast Asia, and East Asia • Still important in parts of Mexico and Guatemala • Shamans teach animism • A belief that objects such as trees, mountains, and rivers have divine spirits in them • They are “animated” • Native American religious beliefs often have animistic traits, finding spiritual and religious significance in features of the landscape • 100 million people in Africa follow animistic religions

Issues with Ethnic Religions • Universalizing religions often supplant ethnic religions • East Asia • Buddhism can “mingle” with other religions • Embraced by Shintoists in Japan • Mauritius • Unihabited until 1638 • Dutch settlers arrived • Brought Christianity • Controlled by French in 1721 who brought in African slaves • Brought Islam • Later Indian workers brought in by British • Brought Hinduism • Became independent in 1992 • All religions diffused by migration • Africa • Less animists due to increase in Christians and Muslims • 46% of Africa is Christian • Can create “merged” religions • Led to creation of Christian churches not formally recognized

Ethnic Religions