Religion: Defined by geographers Robert Stoddard and Carolyn Prorak in the book Geography in America as “a system of beliefs and practices that attempts to order life in terms of culturally perceived ultimate priorities.”
Ritual: A religious or solemn ceremony consisting of a series of actions performed according to a prescribed order.
Secularism: The idea that ethical and moral standards should be formulated and adhered to for life on Earth, not to accommodate the prescriptions of a deity and promises of a comfortable afterlife. A secular state is the opposite of a theocracy.
Monotheism: Belief system in which one Supreme Being is revered as creator and arbiter of all that exists in the universe
Polytheism: Belief system in which multiple deities are revered as creators and arbiters of all that exists in the universe.
Animism: The belief that inanimate objects, such as hills, trees, rocks, rivers, and other elements of the natural landscape, possess souls and can help or hinder human efforts on Earth
Name three major hearths of world religions
Universalizing religion: A belief system that espouses the idea that there is one true religion that is universal in scope. Adherents of universalizing religious systems often believe that their religion represents universal truths, and in some cases great effort is undertaken in evangelism and missionary work.
Name three major universalizing religions
Ethnic religion: A religion that is particular to one, culturally distinct, group of people. Unlike universalizing religions, adherents of ethnic religions do not actively seek converts through evangelism or missionary work.
Name two major ethnic religions
Indigenous or traditional religion: Belief systems and philosophies practiced and traditionally passed from generation to generation among peoples within an indigenous tribe or group
For each of these four most widely practiced world religions, know the