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Religion shapes the way people live, and the way people live shapes the

environment, therefore religion has a huge impact on the environment. Sacred sites, like

burial grounds and religious settlements take up a great percentage of land. Quebec is a

religious place name where many settlements are named after religious people and

places. Burial sites and practices also impact the environment, whether it is polluting the

river and air, or taking up land with cemeteries. Each religion has different buildings

used for specific reasons. Depending on the size of the religion, it may take up more

space and have a bigger impact. Each of these aspects work together to shape the cultural

environment.

Sacred sites have an impact on the cultural environment because they take up a

significant amount of land. Burial sites are known as sacred in many religions, and land

is needed to build cemeteries. Cremation can pollute the air, and water burial can pollute

the water. Most settlements are built for economic purposes, but some are built for

religious reasons. A utopian settlement is an ideal community built around a religious

way of life. Salt Lake City, Utah was built by Mormons in 1848. The layout is similar to

the city of Zion. Most utopian settlements died out, though some were preserved as

museums. Though most settlements were not built for religion, religious practices still

help shape most settlements. An aspect of sacred sites is place name or toponym.

Roman Catholic immigrants gave toponyms to settlements in the new world. Quebec is

an area where many settlements are named after religious people or places. The

neighbors Ontario and United States contrast drastically with very few religions

toponyms. These examples work together to begin to shape the environment.

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Burial practices and sites also have a large impact on the environment.

Christians, Muslims, and Jews generally bury the dead in a cemetery. This takes up

space. In China the cemeteries were taking up too much space, so they started cremating.

Some farmers started plowing over cemeteries. Hindus cremate and spread the ashes in

the Ganges River, which is holy to them. This causes pollution of the river. Some

cremate to protect the bodies from spirits, wild beasts, or coming alive. Zoroastrians use

scavenging birds or animals to strip away unclean portions of the body. Different burial

sites and practices are used for different religions, but each method has its own way of

impacting the environment.

Religion also shapes the cultural environment through architecture. Each religion

has different buildings used for specific reasons. Christians assemble in churches which

are very important parts of the religion. Christians meet to pray and worship. Churches

are designed differently due to many aspects. Wealthier churches are generally nicer than

poorer. Roman Catholics are more traditional, while Protestants are simple. Also the

building material available reflects the environment. Muslims assemble in Mosques to

worship God. They generally worship and pray towards Mecca. Hindu temples are not

used for worship, but generally represent one or more god. Buddhists do not worship, but

pray and meditate. Buddhist and Shintoist Pagodas are places where important events in

Buddha’s life took place and are considered holy or sacred. Baha’i’ house of worship is

scattered all over the world and is a place where all religions can come to worship and

share their religion. Each of these religion’s specific architectures and buildings

individually shape the cultural environment.

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Together sacred sites, burial practices and sites, architecture, and place name

shape the cultural environment of today. Each take up space on the Earth and are part of

our culture. Though most places are not built for religious reasons, religion still greatly

shapes the place. Religion shapes how we act and who we are. Through how we act and

who we are, we shape the cultural environment. Based on our beliefs, and actions, we

determine the environment, therefore religion has hugely shaped the cultural environment

of today.