Deck 11: Syncretism and Religious Movements

Question 1

Which of the following is true about Vodou deities?

A)God is a remote creator deity who is no longer directly involved with the everyday lives of the people
B)Catholic Saints are seen as manifestations of Vodou deities
C)during rituals deities will possess worshippers
D)all of the above

Answer 1

all of the above

Question 2

An example of a nativistic movement is:

A)the Branch Davidians
B)Santeria
C)the Vailala Madness
D)Wicca

Answer 2

the Vailala Madness

Question 3

Many religions similar to Vodou developed in the New World.In Cuba the deities are called orisha and are know by their Yoruba names.This religion is known as:

A)Wicca
B)Santeria
C)Huichol
D)Rastafarian

Answer 3

Santeria

Question 4

The Ghost Dance of 1890:

A)was begun by a Paiute prophet Wovoka
B)promised the return of the ancestors and the disappearance of the dominant society
C)is an example of a nativistic movement
D)all of the above

Question 5

A shaman finds a new kind of bush whose leaves,made into a tea,soothes a stomach ache.This is an example of:

A)diffusion
B)syncretism
C)a discovery
D)an invention

Question 6

A solution to a particular problem that is found through the application of technology is a(n):

A)discovery
B)creation
C)invention
D)diffusion

Question 7

A deliberate attempt to bring about change in a culture characterizes:

A)rites of passage
B)revitalization movements
C)rites of intensification
D)Neo-Pagan movements

Question 8

Vodou resembles in many ways traditional West African religions in that Vodou is characterized by:

A)pantheon of intermediary deities
B)spirit possession
C)offerings placed on altars
D)all of the above

Question 9

The term syncretism refers to:

A)the process whereby a culture accepts culture traits from a dominant culture
B)a condition whereby a dominated culture has changed so much because of outside influences that it ceases to have its own distinct identity
C)what occurs when an idea moves from one culture to another and stimulates the invention of a new trait
D)a fusing of traits from two cultures to form something new and yet,permitting the retention of the old by subsuming the old into a new form

Question 10

The movement of culture traits from one culture to another is termed:

A)acculturation
B)diffusion
C)assimilation
D)discovery

Question 11

John Frum is:

A)revered as a god in Vanuatu
B)the anthropologist who first studied the Trobriand Islanders
C)the founder of a high demand UFO religion
D)the leader of the tribal association in the Amazon

Question 12

An anthropologist visits a remote tribal community and finds that they are wearing tennis shoes and using canned goods even though much of their original way of life remains intact.We would say that this community has been:

A)acculturated
B)assimilated
C)enculturated
D)missionized

Question 13

The survival of culture traits often occurs when they are fused together with new,introduced traits.Thus a contemporary Australian aborigine band will preserve their traditional songs and instruments by creating music that incorporates elements from the dominant culture,such as drums and guitars.This is an example of:

A)diffusion
B)assimilation
C)syncretism
D)revitalization

Question 14

Haitians do not use the term Vodou.Instead they refer to their religion as:

A)"serving the spirits"
B)"Haitian Catholicism"
C)"nature worship"
D)"healing"

Question 15

Revitalization movements may be brought about by:

A)political and economic marginalization
B)malnutrition and high level of epidemic disease
C)perception that values of the community are being threatened
D)all of the above

Question 16

Vodou in Haiti grew out of the:

A)the religions of West Africa
B)Catholicism
C)Freemasonry
D)all of the above

Question 17

The Celtic revival in Ireland is an example of a:

A)revivalistic movement
B)millenarian movement
C)nativistic movement
D)messianic movement

Question 18

In Vodou,the term lwa refers to:

A)places of worship that are sacred to particular spirits
B)animals that are sacrifices to particular spirits
C)spirit beings
D)drums and musical idioms

Question 19

A deliberate attempt to bring about change in a culture characterizes:

A)rites of passage
B)revitalization movements
C)rites of intensification
D)Neo-Pagan movements

Question 20

Peoples of New Guinea involved with cargo cults imitated the behavior of Europeans (such as writing on paper and sitting on chairs)because they:

A)felt these were the rituals which made cargo available to the Europeans
B)hoped to impress European officials and in turn receive more cargo
C)wanted to be good Christians
D)wanted to make proper use of their newly obtained wealth

Question 21

In Haitian Vodou,the identification of the Yoruba deity Legba as St.Peter is an example of syncretism.

Question 22

Many religious groups develop by branching off of established mainstream religions.The groups that remain mainstream and differ the least from the origin religion are called:

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

Question 23

An invention occurs where someone uses technology to bring about a deliberate change.

Question 24

The origins of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was that of a revitalization movement.

Question 25

Many revitalization movements developed within Christianity in the United States in the early nineteenth century.An example of such a movement which developed into a mainstream religion is the:

A)Methodist Church
B)Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
C)Amish
D)Vodou

Question 26

The Massacre at Wounded Knee was associated with the:

A)John Frum Cult
B)Vailala Madness
C)Ghost Dance
D)Santeria

Question 27

A high demand religion is characterized by:

A)strict control of outside information
B)communal living
C)members being given new names and identities
D)all of the above

Question 28

An example of a UFO religion is:

A)Heaven's Gate
B)Unification Church
C)Branch Davidians
D)Wicca

Question 29

The movement of the technology of processing acorns among the tribes of California is a good example of syncretism.

Question 30

Cargo Cults are high-demand forms of Christianity that developed in West Africa in the early twentieth century.

Question 31

Totalism,scripturalism,and traditioning are features of:

A)fundamentalism
B)high demand religious groups
C)agnosticism
D)revitalization movements

Question 32

A new religious group that practices mass wedding ceremonies is the:

A)Branch Davidians
B)Unification Church
C)Vodou
D)Raelians

Question 33

The lwa of Vodou closely resemble the orisha of the Yoruba.

Question 34

An example of a neo-pagan religious system is:

A)Wicca
B)Santeria
C)John Frum Cult
D)Branch Davidians

Question 35

Traits that diffuse from one culture to another are usually altered to fit into the cultural system of the receiving culture.

Question 36

Modern Wiccan beliefs are based upon the works of:

A)E.E.Evans-Pritchard
B)Margaret Murray and Gerald Gardner
C)Edward Tylor and James Frazer
D)Bronislaw Malinowski and Claude Lévi-Straus

Question 37

The Massacre at Wounded Knee in 1890 was an aftermath of the breakup of the Ghost Dance by the U.S.government.

Question 38

A remote,isolated society that nevertheless uses manufactured clothing and canned goods received from the outside is said to be assimilated.

Question 39

Wiccan beliefs include:

A)nature is a manifestation of deity
B)folk and ritual magic is used for good and never for evil
C)rituals associated with the goddess are performed at full moons
D)all of the above

Question 40

The practice of justifying beliefs and actions by reference to religious texts held to be inerrant is:

A)totalism
B)scripturalism
C)traditioning
D)agnosticism

Question 41

The Witchcraze was a Neo-Pagan movement in 19th century Europe that attempted to rehabilitate healers and midwives.

Question 42

Traditioning is the idea that Biblical texts are relevant to life today.

Question 43

Define and contrast the concepts of denomination,sect,and cult.

Question 44

What is the essential difference between an acculturated community and an assimilated community?

Question 45

Fundamentalism is found in a number of different religions,including Islam,Christianity,and Judaism.

Question 46

Illustrate the concept of syncretism using Vodou in Haiti.

Question 47

What are UFO religions? What are some of their characteristics? Why are they considered to be religions?

Question 48

UFO religions,such as the Unification Church and the Branch Davidians,describe extraterrestrial beings in much the same way that supernatural beings are described in more traditional religions.

Question 49

Wicca has been described as a polytheistic religion.

Question 50

What are the basic tenets of Wicca? How does Wicca differ from the concept of witchcraft during the Witchcraze?

Question 51

What are some of the strategies used by high demand religions to maintain member's affiliation with the group?

Question 52

When a new trait enters a culture from an adjacent culture through the process of diffusion,what changes occur to that trait before it becomes fully accepted and integrated into the receiving culture?

Question 53

The Branch Davidians were more of a political than a religious group.

Question 54

New religious movements are emerging around the predicted end of the world "predicted" by the Mayan calendar on the Winter Solstice,2012.Some of these movements are bringing in elements of UFO religions.Research these current religious movements and discuss.

Question 55

You are a government official in New Guinea when a Cargo Cult erupts.How would you use your anthropological training to deal with the situation?