Deck 13: Religion and Society

Question 1

Struggles between Hindus and Muslims in India reflect which of the following statements?

A)Religion provides a sense of purpose and meaning.
B)Religion is sometimes--but not always--practiced in formal organizations.
C)If several religions compete for resources and power in a shared space, differences between religions or sects may lead to sectarian conflicts.
D)Social forces affect people's commitment to religion.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Within Christianity and Judaism, religious practice ______.

A)often occurs in formal organizations
B)often occurs in the home or in natural settings
C)is often incorporated into daily life and guides politics, culture, and economics
D)is not studied by sociologists

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Within a sacred space, ordinary objects believed to have qualities connecting humans with the divine are referred to as ______.

A)profane
B)totems
C)secular
D)sacred

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of the following contributions did Robert Merton make to the sociological study of religion?

A)He posited that rituals have both a manifest and a latent function.
B)He defined the difference between the sacred and the profane.
C)He pioneered the study of the social organization of religion.
D)He was the first to study how people "get religion" in response to trauma.

Question 5

If a single religion dominates a society, which of the following is true?

A)It is less likely to provide its adherents with a sense of purpose and meaning.
B)Its importance as a social institution diminishes.
C)It may function as a source of social stability.
D)It may function as a source of social instability.

Question 6

Durkheim based his theories of the functions of religion on ______.

A)the Tarahumara of Mexico
B)the Inuit
C)the Munduruku of Brazil
D)Australian Aborigines

Question 7

In Islamic societies, religious practice ______.

A)often occurs in formal organizations
B)often occurs in the home or in natural settings
C)is often incorporated into daily life and guides politics, culture, and economics
D)is not studied by sociologists

Question 8

According to Durkheim, the profane is a sphere ______.

A)set apart from the ordinary
B)endowed with spiritual meaning
C)that has acquired transcendent or magical qualities
D)of routine, everyday life

Question 9

Within Hinduism and Buddhism, religious practice ______.

A)often occurs in formal organizations
B)often occurs in the home or in natural settings
C)is often incorporated into daily life and guides politics, culture, and economics
D)is not studied by sociologists

Question 10

A belief in one or more supernatural deities is known as ______.

A)polytheism
B)theism
C)monotheism
D)theology

Question 11

Which of the following assertions did Durkheim make about totemism?

A)It is the most primitive form of religion.
B)It is the most advanced form of religion.
C)It is the source of social instability in religion.
D)It is the basis of secular religion.

Question 12

What does Göbekli Tepe show about organized religion?

A)that organized religion arose with the invention of the printing press
B)that organized religion arose with the invention of the calendar
C)that organized religion arose as a way for humans to establish social bonds when hunter-gatherers evolved from living in nomadic bands into forming village communities
D)that organized religion may predate the rise of agriculture

Question 13

Which of the following did Durkheim believe about religion and modern industrial society?

A)that the profane was disappearing
B)that the realm of the sacred was extending over wider areas of life
C)that societies were likely to eventually reject the profane
D)that societies could create secular forms of religion

Question 14

Which of the following is the study of human cultures and societies and their development?

A)demography
B)human geography
C)sociology
D)anthropology

Question 15

A system of common beliefs and rituals centered on "sacred things" that unites believers and provides a sense of meaning and purpose is referred to as ______.

A)culture
B)society
C)education
D)religion

Question 16

Along with sociology, which other discipline understands religion as a form of culture?

A)anthropology
B)psychology
C)geography
D)economics

Question 17

Which of the following is true of the way sociologists study religion?

A)They reject the idea that nationalism is a form of civic religion.
B)They view religion as a form of culture.
C)They study whether religious beliefs are true or false.
D)They study sociology as believers or atheists.

Question 18

Which of the following is an example of a totem?

A)Catholicism
B)a Catholic priest
C)Catholic Mass
D)the wafer and wine used in Catholic Mass

Question 19

Religion is a form of ______.

A)theism
B)culture
C)anthropology
D)sociology

Question 20

According to Durkheim, the sacred is a sphere ______.

A)void of ordinary objects
B)endowed with spiritual meaning
C)that has acquired transcendent or magical qualities
D)of routine, everyday life

Question 21

______ is the rise of worldly thinking, particularly seen in the rise of science, technology, and rational thought, and a simultaneous decline in the influence of religion.

A)Automation
B)Industrialization
C)Secularization
D)Profanity

Question 22

Why did Karl Marx view secularization as a progressive trend?

A)He believed that the social solidarity and harmony promoted by religion were contrary to the interests of the masses.
B)He was a proponent of social instability.
C)He was concerned about the fraying of social bonds that he believed would accompany secularization.
D)He championed the bureaucratization of society.

Question 23

The religious economy approach suggests which of the following?

A)Religions can be understood as organizations that oppress their followers.
B)Religions can be understood as organizations in competition with each other.
C)Religions can be understood as organizations that are primarily driven by the desire for economic profit.
D)Religions can be understood as bureaucracies.

Question 24

Which of the following aspects of Marx's insights about religion is problematic?

A)his assertion that religion may divert people from the immediate problems of daily life
B)his central idea that religion is purely a mystification enabling the ruling class to deceive the masses
C)his understanding that religion can fill a need that has little to do with economic or political power
D)his failure to see the connection between modernization and secularization

Question 25

Max Weber believed that the Protestant belief in ______ was one of the factors that fostered capitalism, as people viewed economic success as an indicator of salvation.

A)consumption
B)predestination
C)the holiness of the Church
D)sola fide

Question 26

The proportion of the U.S.population that is religiously unaffiliated has ______ in recent decades.

A)risen significantly
B)remained flat
C)fallen slightly
D)fallen significantly

Question 27

Which of the following sociologists asserted that Protestantism helped spur the development of capitalism?

A)Max Weber
B)Karl Marx
C)Thomas O'Dea
D)Robert Merton

Question 28

"Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the sentiment of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions.It is the opium of the people." Which of the following theoretical perspectives best fits with this statement?

A)functionalism
B)conflict theory
C)symbolic interactionism
D)anthropology

Question 29

The religious economy analysis is adapted from the business world, where which of the following is--at least in theory--true?

A)Competition encourages the emergence of specialized products that appeal to specific markets.
B)Competition necessarily improves products and services.
C)Competition causes undue stress for businesses.
D)Economic downturns cause a reduction in self-employment.

Question 30

Which of the following is a critique of the religious economy approach?

A)It underestimates the extent to which people rationally pick and choose among religions.
B)It underestimates the fact that people are likely to practice the religion they were born into without considering alternatives.
C)It overemphasizes the fact that the most common shift in affiliation is from a religious group to the nonaffiliated group.
D)It does not account for changes of affiliations within religious traditions.

Question 31

Which of the following is true of religion switching among U.S.adults?

A)Less than 10% of U.S.adults change their religious affiliation over the course of their lives.
B)Most U.S.adults change their religious affiliation over the course of their lives.
C)Religious switching among U.S.Christians is extremely rare.
D)Religious switching among U.S.Christians is not uncommon.

Question 32

Which of the following did Karl Marx assert about religion?

A)Religion functions as a positive source of social solidarity.
B)Totemism is the most primitive form of religion.
C)Capitalism first appeared where the Protestant Reformation had taken hold.
D)Religion discourages oppressed people from understanding the nature of their oppression.

Question 33

Which of the following is a criticism of Max Weber's conclusions about religion?

A)His conclusions are of interest to historians and anthropologists, but have little sociological utility.
B)His conclusions were based on the actual practices of Protestants rather than the writing of Protestant theologians.
C)During the colonial period, which he cited as the birthplace of the U.S.capitalism, church attendance was much higher than he estimated.
D)Some scholars argue that capitalism developed among other religious groups as well.

Question 34

Sociologist Herbert Blumer suggested that the meaning of a thing for a person grows out of the ways in which others respond to the object and the person's actions toward it.Which of the following does not fall into this understanding?

A)Burning the American flag is considered a serious taboo because it is viewed as unpatriotic.
B)Many Catholics consider it offensive to wear the rosary as an everyday necklace.
C)A chronically ill man is cured following a week of prayer.
D)Some Muslim women choose to wear hijab as a statement of their religious faith.

Question 35

Max Weber believed that ______ would make modern society an "iron cage."

A)religiosity
B)economic growth
C)consumption
D)secularization and bureaucratization

Question 36

Which of the following is a criticism of Durkheim's observations about religion?

A)His observations that sacred rituals and objects foster solidarity and embody the community itself did not advance the sociology of religion.
B)His perspective on the connection between the sacred and social solidarity is less applicable to highly homogenous societies.
C)His perspective on the connection between the sacred and social solidarity is less applicable to highly diverse societies.
D)His perspective overlooked the connection between modernization and secularization.

Question 37

Max Weber's concept of the "routinization of charisma" can be described as which of the following?

A)the institutionalization of a charismatic leader's beliefs into an organized religious structure
B)the loss of the charismatic figure from whose life a religion was born
C)the use of prescribed, tried-and-true techniques by a charismatic leader to achieve a mass following
D)the use of modern technology, such as radio, Internet, and television, to evangelize

Question 38

Which of the following statements reflects the religious economy approach?

A)Individuals cannot choose to change their religious affiliations.
B)Religion weakens when challenged by competing religious or secular viewpoints.
C)Religions do not need to make efforts to attract followers.
D)There is likely to be a religious option for just about everyone.

Question 39

According to Max Weber, the Protestant belief that ______ encouraged Protestants to reinvest earnings, a fundamental foundation of capitalism.

A)faith in God alone was needed to gain entry to heaven
B)both good deeds and faith in God were needed to gain entry to heaven
C)whether someone would be saved was predestined by God
D)consumption-centered lifestyles were sinful

Question 40

Which of the following did Émile Durkheim and Karl Marx agree on regarding religion?

A)Secularization was inevitable.
B)Religion prevents the masses from recognizing the ways in which the ruling class exploits them.
C)Sacred rituals serve an important social function by bringing communities together.
D)Disenchantment would lead modern society to become an "iron cage," imprisoning people in lives that lacked spirituality and creativity.

Question 41

Which of the following is true of Judaism?

A)It is the smallest of the world's major religions.
B)It teaches that followers have a duty to convert others to their faith.
C)It is the fastest growing religion in the world.
D)Reform Judaism teaches that the Bible derives from God and that its teachings are absolutely binding.

Question 42

Why did sociologists adopt the term "new religious movements" to describe cults?

A)in an effort to appeal to the youth culture of the 1960s and 1970s
B)in an effort to standardize language among social scientists in related fields
C)in an effort to legitimize the study of cults
D)in an effort to use a more neutral term

Question 43

A religious organization that has splintered off from an established church in an effort to restore perceived true beliefs and practices is referred to as a(n) ______.

A)denomination
B)cult
C)ecclesia
D)sect

Question 44

Buddhism is a ______ religion.

A)monotheistic
B)polytheistic
C)nontheistic
D)Zionist

Question 45

Which of the following is a polytheistic religion?

A)Christianity
B)Hinduism
C)Islam
D)Judaism

Question 46

Which of the following receives special rights and privileges from the state?

A)a sect
B)a denomination
C)an ecclesia
D)a cult

Question 47

Which of the following is true of Christianity?

A)Christianity continues to lose adherents around the world.
B)A recent study estimates that by 2050, there will be the same number of Christian adherent as there are now.
C)The growth of Christianity is particularly robust in parts of Africa.
D)The growth of Christianity outpaces the growth of Islam.

Question 48

Which of the following describes Zionism?

A)a movement calling for the conversion of non-Jews
B)a movement calling for the eradication of anti-Semitic organizations
C)a movement calling for a modern interpretation of the Mishnah and the Talmud
D)a movement calling for the return of Jews to Palestine and the creation of a Jewish state

Question 49

Which of the following is a characteristic of Hinduism?

A)Hinduism is the newest of the world's major religions.
B)Hinduism is based on the teachings of a single individual.
C)Hindus believe in reincarnation and karma.
D)Hinduism is a monotheistic religion.

Question 50

Which of the following is true of churches and sects?

A)Sects tend to intellectualize religious practice, while churches may emotionalize it.
B)Sects often appeal to more marginalized individuals than people in the mainstream.
C)Churches provide new sources of religious ideas and vitality outside mainstream faiths.
D)When they are successful, churches may grow in size and evolve into sects.

Question 51

Cults are relatively ______; the presence of a charismatic leader can define a cult, but the loss of that very same leader can spell its end.

A)unstable
B)conventional
C)established
D)widespread

Question 52

Which of the following is the world's largest religion?

A)Judaism
B)Islam
C)Christianity
D)Hinduism

Question 53

Which of the following religions is more a set of rules for righteous living than a doctrine of belief in a particular god?

A)Judaism
B)Hinduism
C)Buddhism
D)Confucianism

Question 54

Which of the following is a church that is not formally allied to the state?

A)a new religious movement
B)a denomination
C)an ecclesia
D)a cult

Question 55

Which of the following is considered the most conventional and established?

A)a sect
B)a cult
C)a new religious movement
D)a church

Question 56

Which of the following is a religious organization that is thoroughly unconventional with regard to the larger society?

A)a sect
B)a denomination
C)a cult
D)a church

Question 57

Which of the following is not considered a monotheistic religion?

A)Christianity
B)Hinduism
C)Judaism
D)Islam

Question 58

The Shinto religion of Japan has ______ elements, as adherents believe that rocks, trees, and animals--for example--have a spiritual essence.

A)pagan
B)monotheistic
C)polytheistic
D)animistic

Question 59

Islam is the ______ religion in the world today.

A)largest
B)fastest growing
C)third largest
D)oldest

Question 60

Mary Baker Eddy, a strong feminist and activist in the early women's movement, founded ______.

A)the first Shaker settlement in the United States
B)the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel
C)Christian Science and the Christian Science Monitor
D)the Goddess Church

Question 61

A set of sacred beliefs and practices that become a part of society is called a religious nationalism.

Question 62

Which of the following is characteristic of conservative Protestantism?

A)lack of political participation
B)secular humanism
C)flexible interpretation of the Bible
D)belief in spiritual rebirth

Question 63

Among U.S.adults who change their religious affiliation over the course of their life, which is the most common shift?

A)from the nonaffiliated group to a Christian group
B)from the nonaffiliated group to any religious group
C)from a religious group to the nonaffiliated group
D)from a non-Christian group to a Christian group

Question 64

Churches, sects, and cults all have the same characteristics.

Question 65

The separation of church and state is an example of ______.

A)disestablishment
B)evangelicalism
C)religious nationalism
D)civil religion

Question 66

Extreme patriotism in the United States could be characterized as ______.

A)internationalism
B)a denomination
C)a civil religion
D)an ecclesia

Question 67

Which of the following is true of religious affiliation in the United States?

A)People are less likely to identify as unaffiliated.
B)It is the most diverse in the world.
C)Older people are more likely to identify as unaffiliated.
D)About 60% self-identify as Christian.

Question 68

______ is the linkage of religious convictions with beliefs about a nation or ethnic group's social and political destiny.

A)Civil religion
B)Religious nationalism
C)Disestablishmentarianism
D)Civil liberty

Question 69

Discuss the four primary ways sociologists approach the study of religion in society.

Question 70

Christianity is the fastest growing religion.

Question 71

Religion can have both a stabilizing and a destabilizing effect in any given society.

Question 72

If a single religion dominates society, there can be conflict between religious groups.

Question 73

In modern societies religion is typically institutionalized.

Question 74

As scientists, sociologists' main research objective is to disprove or provide empirical evidence for certain religious beliefs.

Question 75

The terms Muslim and Islam can be used interchangeably.

Question 76

According to Émile Durkheim, sacred rituals strengthen solidarity and social bonds as people lose their sense of individuality and merge with the larger group.

Question 77

Which of the following is an example of religious nationalism?

A)disestablishmentarianism
B)Mormonism
C)Buddhism
D)Zionism

Question 78

Which of the following is true of evangelical Protestant groups?

A)They have seen their numbers shrink considerably.
B)The can be characterized as cults in the United States.
C)They tend to agree with conservative Republicans on most social issues.
D)They do not feel they have a duty to convert others to their faith.

Question 79

According to Karl Marx, secularization was a positive trend.

Question 80

Which of the following is characteristic of religiosity in the United States?

A)The United States is one of the least religiously diverse countries in the world.
B)The number of conservative Protestants has seen a steady decrease.
C)More men than women claim religious affiliation.
D)Compared with similar modern, economically developed nations, religiosity in the United States is relatively high.