ABSTRACT
The field has evolved greatly since this descriptive phase, and it now encompasses detailed empirical studies of how religions spread and take root in new areas, how religions survive in different places, and how religion can exert powerful influences on the character of culture regions. We shall examine these topics further in the next two chapters. It is important, however, first to review what sort of work has been done on spatial patterns of religion, because-as well as being interesting in their own right-presentday distributions can give valuable clues about historical evolution and contemporary change. Analysis of patterns might also suggest factors that help to explain those patterns. It is also useful to have a geographical
framework established, because patterns of religion doubtless influence other aspects of human geography, including landscape (see Chapter 7) and pilgrimage (see Chapter 8).
