The global distribution of the five major religious traditions



The global distribution of the five major religious traditions

Buddhism

Global distribution of Buddhism today

The global Buddhist population is located predominantly in Asia, although today Buddhism is steadily growing in the Western countries. In order to understand the current distribution of Buddhism in the world, one needs to examine where Buddhism began and how Buddhism spread throughout history.

How Buddhism began and the history of its dispersion

Buddhism grew as an off-shoot of its mother religion Hinduism. Buddhism was founded by Siddhartha Gautama in the Ganges Plain approximately 2500 years ago. Prior to the death of the Buddha in 483 BCE, Buddhism was largely restricted to northern India, and to some villages of west India. In the century that the Buddha died, Buddhism spread into Central Asia. The spread of Buddhism into central Asia was largely the result of the influence of an Indian king by the name of King Asoka who became the first Buddhist to send out missionaries to spread and proclaim the works of Guatama. The work of these missionaries was largely restricted to the Indian subcontinent.

Asoka sent out emissaries to many nations outside India. For example, Asoka managed to convert the court of Ceylon, which is modern day Sri Lanka. Today Sri Lanka is ranked the sixth largest Buddhist country in the world. Asoka also spread the teachings of the Buddha as far as Burma ( Myanmar).

In the first century CE, Buddhism had spread as far as China . Buddhism was brought to China by missionaries and traders. But it was not till 300-500 CE that Buddhism took hold in China with the introduction of Mahayana Buddhism. It should be noted that very early on in Buddhist history, Buddhism split into two main strands: Mahayana Buddhism and Theravada Buddhism. Following on from the popularity of Buddhism in China, Buddhism then continued to spread into South East Asia. Korea became exposed to Buddhism in the 4 th century, as a result of close diplomatic ties with China.

Within the next one hundred years, Buddhism had travelled into Japan. Here the spread of Buddhism was initially met with resistance, though slowly it infiltrated Japanese society. Buddhism reached Tibetin the 8 th century CE and Mongolia became exposed to Buddhism in 1500 CE.

Current distribution of Buddhism

Today, Mahayana Buddhism is located mainly in Japan, Korea, Mongolia, and Tibet, Vietnam and in some parts of India and Russia. The major centres of Theravada Buddhism are Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Sri Lankaand Thailand.

Christianity

The origins of Christianity

Christianity, founded by Jesus of Nazareth, began in what is known today as the Middle Eastern region. During the life of Jesus, Christianity was entirely contained in this region.

Initially, the followers of Jesus regarded themselves as belonging to a sect within Palestinian Judaism and the religion remained concentrated in the Roman province of Palestine and the immediate surrounding areas.

The spread of Christianity in the Roman Empire

Within a decade of the death of Jesus, Paul of Tarsus ( Saint Paul), who is often regarded as the second founder of Christianity, began to formalise the religion and proclaim Christian beliefs within its own system and structure. This enabled Christianity to move outside the world of Palestinian Judaism and to be embraced by gentiles of the Graeco-Roman world. As a result of this, Christianity as an underground movement, began to grow in the Roman Empire, despite intermittent persecution firstly by the Jews, then by the Romans.

Christianity as a state religion under Constantine

It was not until the fourth century CE, however, under the patronage of Emperor Constantine, that Christianity first became an accepted religion. Within a century Christianity had become the state religion of the Roman Empire. This enabled it to thrive and develop at a rapid rate. Missionaries spread Christianity to northern Europe in the fourth and fifth centuries. Christianity was firmly established in Britain by the 5 th to 7 th century CE.

Great Schism

Five centuries later, following the widespread practise of Christianity in the Byzantine Empire, the split between the Western and Eastern churches began to appear and later formalised. The formalisation of this "split" is commonly referred to as the Great Schism of 1054. The Eastern Orthodox Church is notably strong in some parts of Europe, Africa and in the former Soviet Union.

Middle Ages

During the Middle Ages Christianity became the dominant religion of Europeand remained so for centuries to come. This came as a result of the efforts of Christian missionaries who set out to convert local European tribes who were considered "barbaric" and culturally backward. T he development of monasteries during the Middle Ages helped to further consolidate the strength and influence of Christianity in Europe.

Reformation

Another significant milestone in the history of Christianity occurred during the 16 th century, when a movement known as the Reformation further divided an already fragmented Christianity by splitting the Western Christianity into Catholic and Protestant Churches. The Roman Catholic Church today is particularly strong in South America and Europe. Protestantism is strongest in North America.

Colonisation and empire building

This period of Renaissance also witnessed the beginnings of European empire building and colonisation with Christian missionaries spread the Christian word to the four corners of the globe, from Asia, to Africa and to North America. Catholicism was introduced into the Americas as a result of the Spanish invasion of North and South American in the mid-sixteenth century. Protestantism was brought to North America in the 17th century as a result of Calvinist refugees who sought refuge, in the New World, from political persecution in Europe. The work of the Catholic Jesuit order brought Christianity to Ethiopia, Morocco, Egypt, India, China, Japan, the Philippines, Persia, Tibet, Ceylon, Malaya, Siam, Indo-China and the East Indies.

Reformation

Today, the Central and North America is home to the largest Christian populations in the world. China and South-east Asia is the second most populous region in the world for Christianity. There is clear trend in the recent development of Christianity which points to its steady decline in the Western world and its rapid growth in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Hinduism

Origins of Hinduism

Hinduism was the first of the major Eastern religious traditions to emerge. Hinduism began in the Punjab region of north-west India, approximately 4000 years ago.

Global distribution of Hinduism today

Hinduism is largely restricted to the Indian sub-continent , because Hinduism is largely dependant upon the Indian culture for its existence. In other words, Hinduism is a religion that is largely confined to India and Fiji because religion and culture is indivisible for the existence of the Hindu religion.

The vast majority of the Hindu's of the world are found in India and while not significant in numbers, the population of Fiji is approximately 50% Hindu in line with its Indian population.

Neighbouring countries in the Indian sub-continent, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka have large Hindu populations, as does Indonesia.

Reasons for the current distribution of Hinduism

Hinduism also lacks the doctrine of self propagation which is found in other religious traditions. Accordingly, though it is the most ancient of the five major world religions, it has no history of seeking to spread its beliefs to other regions of the world.

Additionally, the very diverse nature of Hinduism works against the possibility of it spreading easily with a single recognisable doctrine.

Islam

Spread of Islam up to the 7 th century

Within a century of the death of the Prophet Muhammad , the founder of Islam in 632CE, it had spread to Palestine, Persia, Egypt, Syria, North Africa and even as far as Spain, which Islam dominated until the Middle Ages.

Prior to the death of the Prophet Muhammad who founded the religion in 622 in Madinah, Islam was gathering strength in the Arabian Peninsula. In the following centuries, Islam continued to grow in the Middle East, then into China, and finally through China Islam was also brought to the people of South East Asia.

Spread of Islam during the Dark Ages

In the seventh century CE, Islam penetrated Damascus, Persia, Jerusalem, Caesarea and Egypt. Today, North Africa is predominantly a Muslim region. Though Islam had already solidified its place in North Africa by the 7 th century, it took another 300 hundred years before Islam moved into Western Africa. Around this time, the caliphs of Baghdad undertook campaigns which swept into India and China. Today, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh boast the three largest Islamic populations in the world.

Crusades - 11th to 13th century CE

The Crusades which took place between the 11 th and 13 th centuries were an important vehicle for the spread of Islam into Europe, as the crusaders brought back with them the Muslim culture and learning from their journeys.

Spread of Islam in Asia

Four centuries following the conquests of Islam in India and China, Islam was firmly cemented in Indonesia and Malaysia. Today, Indonesia is the 4th largest location containing Muslims. In the 1700s the Ottoman Empire had began to decline. And with this came the corresponding decline of Islam in the region.

Spread of Islam from the 19th century onwards

The efforts of 19 th century missionaries assisted to convert more people on the African continent. After the end of World War 2 in 1945, many Muslims were resettled to countries such as the USand the UK. Today, Muslim populations continue to increase in Europe, Australia and the United States. It is important to note that Islam, like the major religious traditions is not a monolithic tradition. There are two major branches of Islam, the Shiite Muslims and the Sunni Muslims.

Islam is the second largest religion in the world today and is the fastest growing of the five major world religions. While remaining strong is its traditional areas such as Asia, Africa and the Middle East, Islam is also growing steadily in Western countries.

In Western countries, Islam seems to appeal particularly to poor and marginalised groups such as African Americans and migrant communities in Europe and the United Kingdom.

Judaism

Origins of Judaism

Judaism originated in the beliefs of the Bronze Age people, who roamed the deserts of the Middle East.

marked by persecutions and exiles

It can be said that the history of Judaism has been marked by a series of conquests and subsequent exiles. This history of subjugation and persecution has a significant bearing upon the global distribution of Jews today. Judaism developed in the ancient land of Canaan, which is known today, as Israel. After centuries of exile, as a result of persecution and conquest by the Assyrians, then the Babylonians and finally by the Romans, the Jewish people came to be scattered across Europe and the Middle East. Over time, Jews came to be assembled around Poland, Russia, Romanian, and Germany. The notion of the Jewish Diaspora began in the 6 th century BCE, and has been a continuing theme in Jewish history up to the present time. It should be noted that Judaism, like the other major religious traditions is diverse in the sense that there are various strands within that one religion. Groups such as Orthodox, Conservative and Progressive provide an indication of the diversity of expression within Judaism.

The Holocaust and American immigration in the 20th century

During the twentieth century, many Jews migrated to the US, which now hosts the largest population of Jews in the world. During World War II, the Nazi Party, led by Adolf Hitler sought to the destroy the Jewish population of Europe The result of this attempted genocide, known as the holocaust, resulted in the death of approximately 6 million European Jews out of a population of approximately 8 or 9 million.

Establishment of the state of Israel

Following the holocaust, the abhorrence felt by the international community at the clinical nature of Nazi genocide helped to fuel the Zionist dream of establishing a Jewish homeland. In 1948 the United Nations sponsored the reformation of the Jewish state of Israelin the Palestinian territories.

The establishment of the state of Israel the Jewish homeland has quickly led to it becoming one of the significant Jewish populations in the world and is today home to the second largest Jewish population in the world.

Jewish migration in the 20th and 21st centuries

Significant Jewish communities exist today in many parts of the world as a result of Jewish migration, most significantly, in the last 60 years there have been significant numbers of Jews migrate from Europe to many of the countries which comprised the allied forces in the Second World War.

Precise Jewish figures are difficult to obtain

It is often difficult to be sure of the exact number of Jews living in any given area as Jewish people are often sensitive about disclosing their religious identity to public authorities for fear that they may be persecuted either at the present time or some time in the future.

Identify and account for the location of major Jewish communities in the world today. (5 marks) - 150 words

The 3 major global regions where significant numbers of Jews are located are: the Americas, Europe, and the Middle East. The US and Israel are the two largest centres of Jews in the world. Many Jews are also located in Europe , in the countries of France , Britain and Germany.

Many Jews are located in Europe as a result of the early Jewish history of persecutions by groups such as the Romans, the Babylonians, and the Assyrians who sent the Jews into exile. The 10 largest national populations of Jews in the world are: (in ascending numerical order): USA, Israel, France, Argentina, Palestine, Canada, Brazil, Britain, Russia and Germany.

There are a significant number of Jews in the US because during the 20 th century the US permitted a large number of Jews to migrate there, and granted them American citizenship. The reason behind the large number of Jews in Israel is that Judaism started in the ancient land of Israel, which was known in the past , as the Promised Land of Canaan. Following the genocide of Jews by Hitler's Nazi Party in World War II the United Nations assisted to set up a Jewish homeland in this ancient land of Canaan in1948. The establishment of a Jewish home state greatly assisted to increase the global population of Jews.

Summary

The global distribution of the five major religious traditions

• Investigate statistical data of the current global distribution of the 5 major religious traditions

Buddhism

• Buddhism was founded by Siddhartha Gautama in approximately 500 BCE

• Buddhism began as an offshoot of its mother religion, Hinduism

• Buddhism began in the Ganges Plain

• King Asoka sent out missionaries to spread the word of the Buddha in the 5 th century BCE which resulted in the spread of Buddhism to Central Asia, Burma and Sri Lanka

• From the 3 rd to the 5 th century CE Mahayana Buddhism became firmly rooted in China

• In the 4 th century CE Mahayana Buddhism spread to Korea

• In the 5 th century CE Mahayana Buddhism spread to Japan

• In the 8 th century CE Buddhism spread to Tibet

• By 1500 CE Buddhism had spread to Mongolia

• Today Mahayana Buddhism is mainly located in Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Tibet, Vietnam and in some parts of India and Russia

• Today Theravada Buddhism is mainly located in Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Sri Lanka and Thailand

• Buddhism is steadily growing from a small base in Western countries

• The 10 largest national populations of Buddhism are: (in descending order) China, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, India, South Korea and Taiwan

Christianity

• During the life of Jesus of Nazareth, (founder of Christianity) and in the immediate aftermath of his death the Jesus movement was largely restricted to the Roman province of Palestine and to the immediate surrounding areas

• Paul of Tarsus ( Saint Paul), who is typically regarded as the second founder of Christianity, assisted Christianity to move out of its Judaic-Palestinian confines by formalising the religion, and providing Christianity with an infrastructure

• Christianity grew as an underground movement that faced intermittent persecution in the Roman Empire up to the 4 th century CE

• Under the patronage of Emperor Constantine, Christianity became a state religion in the 4 th century

• As a result of this, Christianity began to thrive and grow rapidly in the Roman Empire

• The Great Schism of 1054 formalised a division between Western Christianity and Eastern Orthodoxy

• Christianity became the dominant religion in Europe during the Middle Ages as a result of missionaries who were sent out to convert local European tribes who were seen as barbaric

• The Reformation of the 16 th century, split Western Christianity into the Catholic Church and the Protestant Churches

• The age of European colonisation from the 15 th century onwards saw the spread of Christianity to Asia, Africa and North America

• Christianity is the largest religion in the world today

• The 10 largest national populations of Christianity are: (in descending order) USA, Brazil, Mexico, Philippines, China, Russia, India, Nigeria, Germany and Zaire/Congo

• There is a clear trend in the recent development of Christianity which points to its steady decline in the Western world and its rapid growth in Asia, Africa and Latin America

Hinduism

• Hinduism began in the Punjab region 4000 years ago

• The vast majority of the Hindu's in the world are found in India and surrounding areas

• The 10 largest national populations of Hinduism are: (in descending order) India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Malaysia, USA, South Africa and Burma (Myanmar)

• Hinduism is largely restricted to the Indian sub-continent

• Hindus are generally located in the Indian subcontinent because Hinduism is largely dependant upon the Indian cultural environment for its existence

• Another reason as to why Hinduism is largely restricted to the Indian subcontinent is that Hinduism lacks the doctrine of self propagation, unlike the other major religious traditions

• Furthermore, the diverse nature of Hinduism works against the possibility of its spreading easily with a single recognisable doctrine

Islam

• Islam was founded by the Prophet Muhammad in 622 CE in Madinah

• Within a century or two of its establishment, Islam had spread to Palestine, Syria, Persia, Damascus, Persia, Jerusalem, Caesarea, Egypt, North Africa, and Spain which it dominated until the Middle Ages

• The Crusades which occurred between the 11 th and 13 th centuries facilitated the spread of Islam into Europe

• By the 10 th century CE, Islam had moved into Western Africa, China and India

• By the 14 th century CE, Islam was firmly cemented in Indonesia and Malaysia

• During the 19 th century, as a result of the efforts of missionaries, more people were converted to Islam on the African continent

• Many Muslims were resettled to Western countries such as the US and the UK in the post World War II period

• Islam is the fastest growing religion of the five major world religions today

• Islam is the second largest religion in the world today

• Islam is remaining strong in its traditional areas such as Asia, Africa and the Middle East, and is also growing steadily in Western countries

• The 10 largest national populations of Muslims are: Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Turkey, Iran, Egypt, Nigeria, Algeria and Morocco

Judaism

• Jewish history is marked by a series of persecutions and exiles

• From the time it began to the Middle Ages, as a result of centuries of persecution the Jewish people came to be scattered across Europe and the Middle East

• Many Jews migrated to the US in the 20 th century

• During World War II, Hitler's Nazi Party sought to destroy the Jewish population of Europe

• As a result of this attempted genocide, known as the holocaust, approximately 6 million European Jews died

• In 1948 the United Nations sponsored the reformation of the Jewish state of Israel in Palestinian territories

• It is often difficult to obtain precise figures about the numbers of Jews living in any given area

• This is because Jews fear religious persecution and hence are reluctant to divulge their religious identity

Identify and account for the location of major Jewish communities in the world today. (5 marks) - 150 words

The 3 major global regions where significant numbers of Jews are located are: the Americas, Europe, and the Middle East. The US and Israel are the two largest centres of Jews in the world. Many Jews are also located in Europe , in the countries of France , Britain and Germany.

Many Jews are located in Europe as a result of the early Jewish history of persecutions by groups such as the Romans, the Babylonians, and the Assyrians who sent the Jews into exile. The 10 largest national populations of Jews in the world are: (in ascending numerical order): USA, Israel, France, Argentina, Palestine, Canada, Brazil, Britain, Russia and Germany.

There are a significant number of Jews in the US because during the 20 th century the US permitted a large number of Jews to migrate there, and granted them American citizenship. The reason behind the large number of Jews in Israel is that Judaism started in the ancient land of Israel, which was known in the past , as the Promised Land of Canaan. Following the genocide of Jews by Hitler's Nazi Party in World War II the United Nations assisted to set up a Jewish homeland in this ancient land of Canaan in1948. The establishment of a Jewish home state greatly assisted to increase the global population of Jews.

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