Deck 11: Alternative Paths

Question 1

A general name for several movements that attempt to reestablisha pre-Christian European nature religionis

A) Polytheistic Reconstructionism.
B) Esbat.
C) Bible Belt.
D) Contemporary Paganism.

Answer 1

Contemporary Paganism.

Question 2

The eight significant annual festivals of Wicca are called

A) Esbats.
B) Sabbats.
C) Ovates.
D) Solstices.

Answer 2

Sabbats.

Question 3

In Wicca, the name of the midwinter solstice festival is

A) Ostara.
B) Beltane.
C) Litha.
D) Yule.

Answer 3

Yule.

Question 4

A term used in Wicca to describe its maxim that an act is allowable if it does no harm is

A) Sabbat.
B) Esbat.
C) Santería.
D) Rede.

Question 5

A form of contemporary paganism that is popular in England is

A) Odinism.
B) Druidism.
C) Gnosticism.
D) Illuminism.

Question 6

The early Druids were written about by the

A) Greeks.
B) Romans.
C) Mongols.
D) Magyars.

Question 7

The Druids apparently worshipped

A) a family of ten gods.
B) at least thirty gods of nature.
C) two principal complementary deities, a god and a goddess.
D) one High God.

Question 8

Literally, Druid is thought to mean

A) ocean-light vision.
B) day-star knowledge.
C) oak-tree wisdom.
D) coiled-serpent classic.

Question 9

The English site used by modern Druids for their summer solstice rituals is

A) Lindisfarne.
B) Iona.
C) Weston-super-Mare.
D) Stonehenge.

Question 10

The Yoruba religion

A) was appreciated and protected by European colonizers.
B) did not mix with other religions.
C) has many similarities with Buddhism.
D) exists in West Africa.

Question 11

Sometimes, when Santería practitioners are in trance,

A) they magically become a god, with some of the god's characteristics.
B) they throw themselves on knives without being harmed.
C) they draw sacred images on palm leaves, which are then burnt during a service.
D) they see complex geometrical designs in their imaginations.

Question 12

A Yoruba-based religion that developed in Cuba and was influenced by Spanish Catholicism is

A) Santería.
B) Theosophy.
C) Wicca.
D) Baha'i.

Question 13

The author of Isis Unveiled and The Secret Doctrineis

A) Henry Steel Olcott.
B) Charles Leadbeater.
C) Shoghi Effendi.
D) Helena Blavatsky.

Question 14

Literally, Theosophy means

A) deep insight.
B) internal theory.
C) eternal philosophy.
D) divine wisdom.

Question 15

Theosophy shows many similarities to

A) Pure Land Buddhism.
B) Sunni Islam.
C) Hindu Vedanta.
D) Orthodox Judaism.

Question 16

One of the founders of Theosophy was

A) Helena Blavatsky.
B) JidduKrishnamurti.
C) Rudolf Steiner.
D) Annie Besant.

Question 17

The founder of Anthroposophy was

A) Rudolf Steiner.
B) L. Ron Hubbard.
C) Annie Besant.
D) JidduKrishnamurti.

Question 18

Eurhythmy is the name in Theosophy for a spiritually oriented form of

A) dressing.
B) singing.
C) dancing.
D) community work.

Question 19

The Church Universal and Triumphant combines elements of Theosophy and

A) Cao Dai.
B) Shinto.
C) Islam.
D) Christianity.

Question 20

A modern religion that promotes a process of focusing thought and clarifying life goals is

A) Wicca.
B) Rastafarianism.
C) Scientology.
D) Voodoo.

Question 21

The founder of Scientology was

A) Charles Leadbeater.
B) L. Ron Hubbard.
C) JidduKrishnamurti.
D) Elizabeth Clare Prophet.

Question 22

The Bridge is the name for

A) a diagram of the stages towardpersonal liberation in Scientology.
B) the founder of Scientology.
C) the world center of Scientology.
D) the official journal of Scientology.

Question 23

In Scientology, the person at the beginning of the Bridge is called a(n) _____, and the person who has reached a state of mental liberation is called a(n)_____.

A) finite; definite
B) astral body; clairvoyant
C) moksha; nirvana
D) pre-clear; operating thetan

Question 24

In Scientology, a counselor who, through a series of questions, works to guide a person to greater self-understanding is called a(n)

A) auditor.
B) bard.
C) ovate.
D) ocha.

Question 25

What is the name of the founder of Falun Gong?

A) Kong Fuzi
B) Ngo Van Chieu
C) Li Hongzhi
D) Sun Yat-sen

Question 26

The major practice of Falun Gong is

A) a series of five exercises, performed while standing and sitting.
B) attendance at monthly martial arts sessions, held at the time of the full moon.
C) a daily chant at a home altar, using the mantra "Nam myohorengekyo."
D) writing weekly in a journal aboutspiritual insights and self-examination.

Question 27

Literally, Falun Gong means

A) deep-sight instrument.
B) law-wheel energy.
C) spirit-vision way.
D) cloud-mountain insight.

Question 28

An invisible spiritual wheel, believed by followers of amodern Chinese religion to spin in the abdominal region, distilling and spreading energy from the universe, is called a(n)

A) falun.
B) engram.
C) e-meter.
D) loa.

Question 29

In a vision, the founder of Cao Dai saw what?

A) a church tower beginning to fall over
B) a small tree, growing up into the sky and getting filledwith birds
C) a large eye appearing in the air
D) a dragon that had in its mouth a pearl, surrounded by flames

Question 30

The organizational structure of Cao Dai is influenced strongly by

A) Roman Catholicism.
B) Shinto.
C) Methodism.
D) Theosophy.

Question 31

Cao Dai speaks of how many "alliances"?

A) one
B) three
C) ten
D) twenty-four

Question 32

_____ is a religion that began in Jamaica in the 1920s to emphasize African pride, and it considers Haile Selassie to be divine.

A) Santería
B) Qigong
C) Rastafarianism
D) Voodoo

Question 33

The name Rastafarianism

A) comes from the name of a government leader.
B) means "lion of Judah" in Amharic, the language of Ethiopia.
C) presents the goal of the movement and means "self-pride" in Swahili, the language of EastAfrica.
D) is a nickname given to the religion by its detractors.

Question 34

Rastafarianism makes frequent use of what book?

A) The Qur'an
B) Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures
C) The Christian Bible
D) A Course in Miracles

Question 35

A well-known representative of Rastafarianism was

A) Margaret Thatcher.
B) Bob Marley.
C) Ngo Van Chieu.
D) Sun Yat-sen.

Question 36

Reggae is

A) the type of music associated with Rastafarianism.
B) the name for the special flag of Rastafarianism.
C) the type of hairstyle common among Rastafarians.
D) the name for a Rastafarian religious service.

Question 37

A modern monotheistic religion that grew out of Islam and emphasizes unity and equality of individuals, cultures, and religions is

A) Cao Dai.
B) Judaism.
C) Baha'i.
D) Zoroastrianism.

Question 38

The religion of Baha'i is universalistic, andthey propagate the idea of

A) a single world bank.
B) an international storehouse of food.
C) an organization to exploit biodiversity.
D) a single world government.

Question 39

The founder of Baha'iwrote innumerable letters to his followers and public letters to world leaders in which

A) he outlinedpractical ideas for a future of human harmony.
B) he stressed onthe significance of regional governments.
C) he shared scripts forplays that focus on the mystical elements of all religions.
D) he distributedmusical lyricsmeant to accompany Sufi dancing.

Question 40

The Baha'i religious calendar

A) has 19 months of 19 days.
B) is a lunar calendar of 13 months.
C) is the standard calendar of the West, with the addition of the birthdays of the Bab and of the founder.
D) has 10 months of 36 days each, with 5 days added before the New Year, which begins inautumn.

Question 41

Explain three ways in which new religious movements arise.

Question 42

What are two key differences between a sect and a cult?

Question 43

What are the three ideals or goals of Contemporary Paganism? Please explain them.

Question 44

List and explain the eight seasonal celebrations of Wicca.

Question 45

Give four ways in which native African Yoruba religion and Roman Catholicism are similar; then explain how these similarities helped the Yoruba-based native religions from Africa blend with Roman Catholicism to create Santería and Voodoo.

Question 46

Describe the beliefs and goals of Theosophy. How were these beliefs and goals modified by Anthroposophy and by JidduKrishnamurti?

Question 47

List and explain four beliefs of Scientology.

Question 48

Give five special terms used in Scientology, and explain what they mean.

Question 49

Describe the origin, beliefs, and practices of Falun Gong. Why has it suffered recent persecution?

Question 50

Describe the origin, beliefs, and practices of Cao Dai.

Question 51

Discuss the role that these three figures played in the development and spread of Rastafarianism: (a) Marcus Garvey,(b) Haile Selassie, and(c) Bob Marley.

Question 52

Discuss the origins of Baha'i, mentioning major events in the life of Baha'u'llah.

Question 53

Give and explain five beliefs of Baha'i. What similarities and differences do you see when comparing Baha'i with Islam?

Question 54

Identify four elements that are frequently found in the new religious movements, and explain how each element appears to satisfy contemporary needs.