Deck 14: Religion: With Emphasis on Religion As a Transnational Force

Question 1

A religion in which followers become involved in practices such as fasting or celibacy to separate themselves from worldly attachments can be classified as

A)prophetic.
B)mystical.
C)sacramental.
D)secular.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Durkheim wrote: "Sometimes it embraces an entire people…sometimes it embraces only a part of them…sometimes it is directed by a core of priests, sometimes it is almost devoid of any official body." Durkheim was describing a

A)church.
B)ecclesiae.
C)cult.
D)denomination.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

The ___________ includes everything that is regarded as extraordinary and that inspires in believers deep and absorbing sentiments of awe, respect, mystery, and reverence.

A)sacred
B)profane
C)sacramental religions
D)prophetic religions

Answer 3

A

Question 4

"Our God is the sky and lives wherever the sky is. Our God is the sun and moon, too." This idea of sacred can be classified as a

A)sacramental religion.
B)prophetic religion.
C)mystical religion.
D)civil religion.

Question 5

Sacred things can include books, buildings, days, and places. From a sociological point of view sacredness stems from

A)the item itself.
B)the symbolic power people have assigned.
C)the meaning assigned to it by God.
D)the bible.

Question 6

Some of the most well-known _________ religions include Judaism, Confucianism, Christianity, and Islam.

A)sacramental
B)prophetic
C)mystical
D)profane

Question 7

Which one of the following is not one of the three essential components of religion as identified by Durkheim?

A)community of worshippers
B)"great" books such as the Bible, Koran or Torah
C)beliefs about the sacred and the profane
D)rituals

Question 8

The sociological study of religion is guided by

A)the assumption that no religion is false.
B)a conviction that there must be one true religion.
C)the assumption that the supernatural can ultimately be observed.
D)the belief that some religions are better for a society than others.

Question 9

When sociologists study religion, they investigate

A)whether God or some other supernatural force exists.
B)the validity of certain religious beliefs.
C)the social aspects of a religion.
D)which religion is the one true vision.

Question 10

According to Max Weber, religion

A)gives meaning to the ultimate and inescapable problems of existence.
B)is the opiate of the masses.
C)is easy to define.
D)is a personal matter not suited to sociological study.

Question 11

The sociological perspective on religion is one that is guided by

A)emotional involvement.
B)subjectivity and personal beliefs.
C)the scientific method.
D)personal conviction.

Question 12

The Afghanistan constitution declares the country an Islamic Republic, makes Islam the official religion, and announces that "no law can be contrary to the sacred religion of Islam." Based on this information, Islam in Afghanistan can be classified as a(n)

A)ecclesiae.
B)denominations.
C)sect.
D)cult.

Question 13

Confession, immersion, and fasting are examples of

A)mystical acts.
B)ecclesiae.
C)rituals.
D)sacraments.

Question 14

_____________ are rules that govern how people must behave in the presence of the sacred to achieve an acceptable state of being.

A)Religious laws
B)The Ten Commandments
C)Rituals
D)Beliefs

Question 15

Buddhism and philosophical Hinduism are two examples of religions in which the sacred is sought in

A)historical events.
B)sacred books.
C)states of being.
D)places, objects, and actions.

Question 16

In The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life , Emile Durkheim cautioned that sociologists who study religion must assume that

A)God does not exist.
B)there are no religions which are false.
C)some religions are false.
D)all religions include notions of higher beings and that humans are made in their likeness.

Question 17

A woman covering her hair or a man removing his hat during worship are acts meant to

A)distinguish between orthodox and commoners.
B)separate the sacred from the profane.
C)distinguish between males and females.
D)inspire spirituality.

Question 18

__________ include(s)everything that is not sacred.

A)Powerful symbols
B)Evil
C)The profane
D)Exorcism

Question 19

In mystical religions, the sacred

A)revolves around items that symbolize historical events.
B)is sought in states of being.
C)revolves around the lives, teachings, and writings of great people.
D)is sought in places, objects, and actions believed to house a god or spirit.

Question 20

In prophetic religions the sacred revolves around

A)the lives, teachings, and writings of great people.
B)states of being.
C)holy places.
D)the profane.

Question 21

If religion were truly an integrative force

A)there would be no conflict or tensions within or between religious groups.
B)everyone would embrace the same faith.
C)there would be fewer struggles between the political and the religious.
D)everyone would belong to a church.

Question 22

People embrace religion in the face of uncertainty and draw on religious doctrine and ritual to comprehend the meaning of life and death and to cope with misfortunes and injustices. From a functionalist perspective, these are examples of

A)the legacy of manifest destiny.
B)civil religion.
C)the social functions of religion.
D)the sacred nature of religion.

Question 23

Critics of the functionalist perspective on religion maintain that it

A)overemphasizes religion's unifying, bonding, and comforting functions.
B)overemphasizes religion's repressive, constraining, and exploitative qualities.
C)defines religion as ultimately problematic.
D)overlooks the order and stability functions.

Question 24

The belief that the United States has a divine mission to serve as a democratic model to the rest of the world is part of the political doctrine known as

A)shock and awe.
B)divine power.
C)manifest destiny.
D)profane ideology.

Question 25

In his State of the Union Address on January 7, 1991, President George Bush said, "We know why the hopes of humanity turn to us. We are Americans; we have a unique responsibility to do the hard work of freedom. And when we do freedom works." His statement appeals to sentiments associated with

A)civil religion.
B)cults.
C)secularization.
D)mystical religion.

Question 26

Conflict theorists focus on ways in which religion

A)unifies diverse populations.
B)turns people's attention away from social and economic inequality.
C)provides comfort in times of crisis.
D)is an integrative force.

Question 27

The U.S. started to print the phrase "In God We Trust" on its coins during

A)WWI.
B)WWII.
C)the Vietnam War.
D)the Cold War.

Question 28

Critics of conflict theory point to _____________ as an example of religion taking an active role to bring about political and economic justice.

A)civil religion
B)secularization
C)liberation theology
D)Calvinism

Question 29

__________ is/are an example of a religion that emerged in the United States in the 1930s as a vehicle of protest or change.

A)Liberation theology
B)The Quakers
C)Black Shia
D)Nation of Islam

Question 30

Marx maintained that religion is...

A)a positive force.
B)not necessary.
C)the opiate of the people.
D)a liberating force.

Question 31

Durkheim maintained that for the individual, society is the reality from which everything that matters to us flows. He used this argument to support his belief that

A)people embrace religion in the face of uncertainty.
B)it is impossible to define religion.
C)the something out there that people worship is actually society.
D)there are no religions that are false.

Question 32

An ____________________ is a professionally trained religious organization governed by a hierarchy of leaders which claims everyone in a society as its member.

A)ecclesiae
B)denomination
C)sect
D)established sect

Question 33

Buddhism, Christianity, and Judaism are among the religions classified as __________.

A)ecclesiae
B)denominations
C)sects
D)cults

Question 34

Renegades from denominations or ecclesiae that have existed long enough to acquire a large following and widespread respectability are known as

A)ecclesiae.
B)denominations.
C)sects.
D)established sects.

Question 35

In ______________ a charismatic leader plays a central role in attracting members.

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

Question 36

Critics of Durkheim's definition of religion argue that

A)he was an atheist and not qualified to study religion.
B)his underlying assumptions about how to approach the study of religion are wrong.
C)the combination of characteristics Durkheim attributed to religious activity can be found in many "nonreligious" activities.
D)he failed to make a clear distinction between the sacred and the profane.

Question 37

In ________________, membership is not voluntary; it is the law.

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

Question 38

Functionalists maintain that religion must serve some vital social function because

A)there are very few atheists in the world.
B)all people turn to religion in times of deep distress.
C)some form of religion has existed as long as humans have been around.
D)people who communicate with their god find extraordinary strength.

Question 39

Marx argued that religion would be unnecessary in a ___________________ society.

A)utopian
B)truly classless or propertyless
C)secular
D)faith-based

Question 40

_________________ reflects a long-standing ideology that the United States, by virtue of its moral superiority, was destined to expand across the North American continent to the Pacific Ocean and beyond.

A)Manifest destiny
B)Secularism
C)Fundamentalism
D)Civil religion

Question 41

Weber maintained that once capitalism became established, religion would become a(n)________________ factor in maintaining the system.

A)not sufficient
B)increasingly insignificant
C)sufficient
D)increasingly important

Question 42

Peter Berger reminds us that the "world is brimming with religions" --religions that more than likely originated in

A)the Middle East.
B)what is now known as Israel.
C)foreign places.
D)ancient times.

Question 43

__________ is a process by which religious influences on thought and behavior are reduced.

A)Secularization
B)Fundamentalism
C)Predestination
D)This-worldly asceticism

Question 44

The belief that __________ placed great pressure on Calvinists to find some sign of salvation.

A)people have free will
B)people could change their fate if they worked hard enough
C)God foreordained all things
D)not everyone could be saved

Question 45

Virtually everywhere in the world, people are aware that there is more than one option about what to believe and how to worship.  This suggests a context of

A)rationalization.
B)fundamentalism.
C)pluralization.
D)secularization

Question 46

McKenzie lives in a large city where there are many different churches, mosques, synagogues and other houses of worship.  This environment suggests

A)rationalization.
B)fundamentalism.
C)pluralization.
D)secularization.

Question 47

There are many examples in United States history in which the government gave Christianity _________-like status, most notably in the laws it passed forbidding Native American religious ceremonies that celebrated the sun or that encouraged generosity.

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

Question 48

Danielle believes that God has foreordained all things including the salvation or damnation of individual souls. This belief is known as

A)liberation theology.
B)secularization.
C)predestination.
D)fundamentalism.

Question 49

Religious studies professor John L. Esposito prefers the term Islamic __________ to Islamic fundamentalism.

A)terrorism
B)militants
C)activism
D)majority

Question 50

Max Weber was interested in understanding the role of religious beliefs in the origins and development of

A)the Protestant ethic.
B)liberation theology.
C)modern capitalism.
D)socialism.

Question 51

The __________ character of religions is evident in the origins of the world religions of Christianity, Islam and Judaism.

A)sacred
B)fundamentalist
C)transnational
D)secular

Question 52

Removing shoes before entering a mosque is an act of separating the profane from the

A)civil.
B)ritual.
C)sacred.
D)secular.

Question 53

Weber maintained that the Protestant ethic

A)caused capitalism to come into being.
B)led to the rise of fundamentalism.
C)was a significant force in the emergence of capitalism.
D)must be present in a society if it is to achieve economic success.

Question 54

In his book The Protestant Ethnic and the Spirit of Capitalism , Weber asked

A)what are the functions of religion for human existence?
B)why did modern capitalism emerge and flourish in Europe rather than China or India?
C)why did Islam, Christianity, and Judaism originate in the Middle East?
D)why were India and China dominant civilizations at the end of the sixteenth century?

Question 55

In which country are people least likely to claim a religious affiliation?

A)Brazil
B)Canada
C)China
D)United States

Question 56

Powerful religiously motivated activities pushed religions across political borders and continents.  This movement points to religions as a ___________ force.

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

Question 57

In thinking about the meaning of jihad it is important to distinguish between

A)long-term and short-term.
B)fundamentalist and secular jihad.
C)religious and political jihad .
D)jihad against Jews and Christians.

Question 58

For the most part, Muslims in the Middle East associate secularization with

A)an increase in scientific understanding.
B)modernization.
C)exposure to the most negative of Western values.
D)fundamentalism.

Question 59

________________ includes a belief in the timeless nature of sacred writings and the belief that such writings apply to all kinds of environments.

A)Fundamentalism
B)Predestination
C)Secularization
D)Subjective secularization

Question 60

From a political or militant viewpoint jihad is the

A)constant struggle of Muslims to conquer their inner base instincts.
B)struggle to follow the path to God.
C)struggle to do good in society.
D)armed struggle against non-Muslims and Muslims who stand or get in the way.

Question 61

Sociologist Peter Berger argues that the "most explosively growing religious phenomenon in the contemporary world" is

A)Islam.
B)Protestantism.
C)Pentecostalism.
D)Catholicism.

Question 62

The funeral service of Michael Jackson assumed a _________ quality.

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

Question 63

Durkheim observed that whenever any group of people has strong conviction, that conviction almost always takes on

A)life of its own.
B)a false reality.
C)a religious character.
D)a persona.

Question 64

Durkheim defined _________ as "a reality from which everything that matters to us flows."

A)the profane
B)the sacred
C)society
D)religion

Question 65

What did Durkheim define as the three essential characteristics of religion? Identify something in society that exhibits these essential characteristics but we would not think of as religion.

Question 66

The Arab Spring represents a response to

A)fundamentalism.
B)secularization.
C)corrupt government and inequalities.
D)a hatred to the West.

Question 67

___________ focus on the ways in which people use religion to repress, constrain, and exploit others.

A)Functionalists
B)Symbolic interactionists
C)Conflict theorists
D)Action theorists

Question 68

How does Durkheim define sacred? Name three items you consider sacred, the items need not be associated with a religion. Describe each item and its sacred qualities.

Question 69

Civil religion forges ties between religion and

A)a higher being.
B)civilians.
C)nation.
D)the sacred.