Indigenous Religions of the World Essay -- Religion

Indigenous religions exist in every climate around the world and exhibit a wide range of differences in their stories, language, customs, and views of the afterlife. Within indigenous communities, religion, social behavior, art, and music are so intertwined that their religion is a significant part of their culture and virtually inseparable from it. These religions originally developed and thrived in isolation from one another and are some of the earliest examples of religious practice and belief. The modern world; however, has taken its toll on these groups and many of their stories, customs, and beliefs have been lost to, or replaced by, those brought in as a result of popular culture and the missionary work of Christians and Muslims. The survival of indigenous religions has been faced with many challenges. In addition to the rapid spread and Christianity and Islam, a number of other factors affect their survival, including struggles associated with the â€Å"maintaining of local indigenous worldviews, languages, and environments† (McKinley, Elizabeth). The spread of popular culture from increased travel, television, radio, and the internet is a source of threat to the cultural views of indigenous people and their religious practices. Traditional indigenous clothing is being replaced with business suits and baseball caps and traditional styles of building are being replaced with the â€Å"international style† of architecture (Molloy, Michael). Science and technology is providing explanations for naturally occurring events that indigenous people have historically related to the will of the gods and indigenous artifacts originally of religious nature are being downplayed simply as indigenous works of art. For indigenous culture... ... - Survival International." Survival International. Web. 19 Apr. 2012. . 4) McKinley, Elizabeth. â€Å"Locating The Global: Culture, Language And Science Education For Indigenous Students. †International Journal of Science Education 27.2 (2005): 227-241. Academic Search Premier. Web.19 Apr. 2012. 5) Molloy, Michael. Experiencing the World's Religions: Tradition, Challenge, and Change. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2010. Print 6) "New Zealand Culture - Maori." New Zealand Travel and New Zealand Business. Tourism New Zealand, 2011. Web. 23 Apr. 2012. . 7) Wilford, John Noble. "World's Language Dying Off Rapidly." Www.nytimes.com. The New York Times, 18 Sept. 2007. Web. 15 Apr. 2012. .