Deck 9: Is Organized Religion Necessary for Society: Tradition, Modernization, and Secularization

Question 1

According to de Tocqueville, democracy thrives in America because

A)Americans are more likely to embrace traditional beliefs and practices.
B)religion is an important part of the American government as evidenced by words like "In God We Trust" on U.S.currency.
C)the founding fathers were very religious.
D)Americans' involvement in groups, including religious groups, produces an action orientation toward their communities.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which of the following is not a key question for sociologists in the study of religion?

A)how is religion defined
B)which religious beliefs are the most truthful
C)what is the role of organized religion in society
D)is organized religion necessary in the modern world

Answer 2

B

Question 3

As societies modernize the dominance of one religion becomes

A)more common.
B)less common.
C)a matter of government policy-making.
D)neither more nor less common.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Human beings have a self-that is, they are able to look back on themselves as both subjects and objects in the universe.The author suggests that this fact leads people to

A)periodically become confused as to who they really are.
B)use religion to answer questions such as who we are and the nature of our importance.
C)build a "sacred cosmos" for people to understand and believe in.
D)seek individual freedom.

Question 5

According to the author, religious pluralism is

A)found in almost every society in the world.
B)rare, as one religion often dominates and is the official religion.
C)typical for hunter-gather societies but not agricultural or industrial ones.
D)a threat to social stability.

Question 6

According to the author, one of the dysfunctions of religion is that

A)religion tends to discourage critical thinking and analysis.
B)believers are expected to accept an absolute morality.
C)religion confirms truths of the universe.
D)religion discourages commitment to community.

Question 7

Which of the following is not a dysfunction of religion?

A)Religion creates persecution, oppression, and disunity within and between societies.
B)Religion encourages intolerance of ideas and values that question its own beliefs and practices.
C)Religion sacrifices individualism for the community.
D)Religion encourages individuals to make too many free choices for themselves.

Question 8

From a sociological standpoint, religion

A)does not ever confirm actual truths in the universe.
B)all functions of religion are positive.
C)serves the individual, not society.
D)may create problems within society.

Question 9

Civil religions are

A)political, but not religious.
B)religious, but not political.
C)neither political nor religious.
D)both political and religious.

Question 10

Sects differ from cults because cults pull away from society and are isolated from those outside the cult while sects

A)are not organized religions.
B)can also be a major religion.
C)often have close ties to more established religions.
D)work within a society to change its direction.

Question 11

Some religions, like Zen Buddhism, differ from the author's working definition of religion because they create a sacred world out of almost everything in the physical universe.Hence, for these religions

A)neither the sacred nor profane exist.
B)everything is considered sacred.
C)nothing is considered sacred.
D)everything is considered profane.

Question 12

According to the author, we begin to enter the sacred world when we separate some aspects of life and treat them as

A)if they were part of the material world.
B)part of everyday, mundane affairs.
C)unexplainable by observation, physics, and science.
D)the artifacts of human beings to be used and discarded.

Question 13

According to Marx, the primary function of all social institutions, including religion, is to

A)identify problems in society so they may be fixed.
B)make sure the parts that make up society work smoothly.
C)defend the economic order and those who have wealth and power.
D)encourage societies to become more modern and less traditional.

Question 14

Religious pluralism in modern society is generally accompanied by a neutral state.This means

A)religious freedom is eroded by state intervention.
B)citizens are less likely to be religious.
C)there is no official religion established by government.
D)the state requires its citizens to belong to one of the organized religions within its borders.

Question 15

The diminished importance of religion in the community and for the individual is called ______.

A)secularization
B)modernization
C)religiosity
D)socialization

Question 16

One of the most important reasons sociology arose in the nineteenth century was to explain

A)the rise of the nation-state.
B)the biological origins of behavior.
C)social change resulting from the transition from traditional to modern societies.
D)the Protestant Reformation.

Question 17

A sociological answer to the question:" Why does religion seem to be universal?" would be that

A)religion has important functions for society
B)religion exists because God and the sacred exist.
C)individuals sometimes need certainty, answers, and security.
D)there is more to life than the profane, material world.

Question 18

Because traditional society is dominated by the past while modern society is focused more on the present, religion in modern society tends to

A)be evaluated and altered on the basis of current goals.
B)emphasize a more fatalistic view of life and the world.
C)be committed to the community and view it as sacred.
D)dominate how events in life are interpreted.

Question 19

In modern society, science increasingly questions the religious explanation for natural events and the universe becomes understandable according to

A)civil law.
B)natural law.
C)canon law.
D)cosmic law.

Question 20

According to sociologists, religious rituals are useful to groups because they provide an opportunity for

A)people to participate in a shared experience that focuses on the community as a whole.
B)individuals to worship God and increase their chance for salvation.
C)people to experience the joy and sorrow associated with ceremonies like weddings and funerals.
D)religious leaders to speak to their community of believers.

Question 21

Which of the following religions DO NOT have a fundamentalist faction?

A)Christianity
B)Islam
C)Judaism
D)All of these.

Question 22

Fundamentalist religious groups tend to be led by

A)democratic leaders.
B)laisse-faire leaders.
C)charismatic and authoritarian leaders.
D)legal-rational and bureaucratic leaders.

Question 23

In traditional society, ??______ religion dominates the community and the individual.

A)one
B)two
C)numerous
D)All of these.

Question 24

Describe how Weber saw religion encouraging the development of capitalism.

Question 25

Sociologists who are critical of the modernization-secularization thesis claim that

A)religion has changed, not declined in importance.
B)religion is organized in society the way it always has been.
C)religion is much less important than before.
D)religion has remained unchanged throughout modernization.

Question 26

Religion is defined as a set of beliefs and practices that divide the universe into two parts: the sacred and the profane.Define each of these realms and provide an example of each.

Question 27

Secularization theorists believe that once modernization begins

A)there will be no more religion.
B)it becomes impossible to return to traditional society.
C)people need religion more than ever.
D)the past becomes more important than the present.

Question 28

List and describe some of the dysfunctions of religion.Give at least one specific example.

Question 29

List and describe the functions of religion.Give an example of each.

Question 30

Fundamentalism tends to appeal especially to people in two kinds of social situations, those who find modernization unacceptable, and

A)those who are experiencing difficult social conditions.
B)those who are economically secure.
C)those who live in rural areas.
D)those who are experiencing personal crises of faith.

Question 31

Which term refers to the decreasing importance of religious institutions in society and in the everyday life of individuals?

A)Fundamentalization
B)Secularization of society
C)Modernization
D)None of these.

Question 32

According to the author, organized religion

A)is becoming less and less important for society.
B)is still s vital part of society.
C)will easily be replaced by society's other institutions.
D)None of these.

Question 33

According to the author, the challenge facing religion in modern society is to

A)continue to attract believers so as not to suffer economic losses have to close churches.
B)organize against economic injustice as the gap between the "haves" and the "have-nots" continues to widen.
C)provide society and the individual with a balance between extreme individualism and passionate ethnocentrism.
D)minimize the effect of modernization and secularization on the future of organized religion.

Question 34

Fundamentalism tends to appeal especially to people in which two kinds of social situations?

A)those who are experiencing horrible social conditions
B)those who find modernization unacceptable
C)those who are members of the Tea Party Movement
D)A and B only.

Question 35

According to secularization theorists, it is a tough road for organized religion to prevail in modern society because of

A)the influence of mass media.
B)the rise of individualism.
C)the growth of the cult of personality
D)the power of the modern nation-state.

Question 36

According to Peter Berger, two important examples of increasing religiosity in the world can be found in evangelical Protestantism and

A)New Age religion.
B)Scientology.
C)the rise of Christianity in less developed countries.
D)Muslim societies.

Question 37

The modern trends of religious pluralism is epitomized by the popularity of

A)astronomy.
B)traditional religious organizations.
C)New Age religion.
D)computers and the Internet.

Question 38

According to Durkheim and Weber, what determines what is considered sacred in a society? What is the object of worship? Explain.

Question 39

Among fundamentalist religious groups, a rigid division of labor according to ______ is believed in and followed.

A)sect
B)race
C)age
D)gender

Question 40

According to critics of the secularization thesis, for large numbers of people,

A)religion has diminished in importance.
B)a traditional religious community is very important.
C)choice has become a central feature of religion.
D)there is no need for religion.

Question 41

According to the text, which groups of people tend to be most attracted to religious fundamentalism, and why?

Question 42

Explain why some theorists believe that secularization is inevitable.

Question 43

Describe how traditional societies differ from modern societies, as explained in the text.

Question 44

Briefly summarize the counterargument to the secularization theory.What are some of the contemporary religious trends which challenge the modernization-secularization thesis?

Question 45

Briefly summarize the relationship between modernization and secularization.List at least four of the values of modern society that contribute to secularization.

Question 46

Explain why "New Age Religion" is more popular in modern society.Provide examples of new age religions.

Question 47

According to the author, what are the three ways in which religion controls the individual?