LAR - Ethnic Religions Lesson

Ethnic Religions

Ethnic Religions

  • Also known as a local religions
  • Most ethnic faiths have unclear origins and have remained in one location because they do not attempt to convert people
  • These religions only diffuse if followers move and are not forced into a new religion
  • Holy sites tend to be associated with the specific environment of the region
  • These religions usually lack central leadership
  • These religions have various creation stories ( cosmogony )
  • Calendar and holidays tend to be based on the geography of the homeland; understanding the calendar helps with agriculture and rituals
    • Each solstice , change of the seasons, is also important
  • Most ethnic religions are located in regions of Asia and Africa

Religious Architecture

Turn the pages by selecting on the arrows at the bottom of each page. To make the slides full screen, select the double arrows at the bottom right corner of the object.

View the slides to see the various types of religious architecture:

Conflicts in Religion

  • Conflicts can be between religions (interfaith) or within a religion (intrafaith)
    1. These can cause enclaves (people of one religion surrounded by another faith) and missionary work or relocation can create exclaves (people of one religion separated from other believers)
  • Examples of religious conflicts:
      • Taliban in Afghanistan
      • The Hindu caste system
      • Communist powers in East and Southeast Asia forbid the practice of Christianity, Islam and Buddhism
      • Sikhs in India
      • Divisions of Yugoslavia and the ensuing attempts at genocide
      • Conflicts and division of Sudan
      • Judaism, Christianity and Islam all believe that modern-day Israel belongs to their religion, this has led to 2000 years of conflict
        • Jerusalem houses the Dome of the Rock (Islam), the Western Wall (site of destroyed Jewish temples) and the site of the death and resurrection of Christ (Christianity)
      • Crusades by Christians to regain the Holy Land during the 12th and 13th centuries
      • Arab-Israeli conflicts over the creation of Israel 1948 to the present
      • IRA and British forces in Northern Ireland
      • Ethnic cleansing in Rwanda

Major Religious Beliefs Activity

Match with the religions and their major beliefs. Select 'check' to see if you are correct. Select 'show solution' to see the correct answer.

IMAGES CREATED BY GAVS (Creative Commons License Attribution)