Deck 16: Religion

Question 1

Luke was asked to adopt a Marxist perspective of religion and apply it to answering the question "When will societal suffering end?" Which of the following would be Luke's answer?

A) when political leaders make policies based on religious beliefs
B) when more citizens become churchgoers and live their beliefs in the community
C) when more citizens experience a collective consciousness
D) when citizens in the society stop using religion as a crutch for their lives

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Damien drinks a glass of red wine every night after he finishes his dinner. What would Durkheim consider his wine to be an example of?

A) a ritual
B) the profane
C) the sacred
D) a totem

Answer 2

B

Question 3

How did Durkheim refer to the everyday world?

A) as sacred
B) as profane
C) as ritualistic
D) as the collective effervescence

Answer 3

B

Question 4

According to William James, what is the origin of religion?

A) the human need to be comforted by a higher power
B) the human desire to find meaning and purpose in life
C) the human longing for companionship with a higher power
D) the human need to be charitable and help others find a higher power

Question 5

Many people all over the world today find that religion is relevant to increasingly fewer aspects of their lives. What does this signify?

A) that religious authority has decreased
B) that religion is irrelevant today
C) that religion is very private
D) that religious authority is untrue

Question 6

Why are sociologists uninterested in the religious claims of various religions?

A) These issues are unimportant.
B) These are psychological issues.
C) These issues have no "truths" within them.
D) These issues are not scientifically testable.

Question 7

In the past, organized religion was the most important agent of socialization for children, except for the family. Today, what has replaced religion as a major and important agent of childhood socialization?

A) technology
B) the education system
C) music
D) the legal system

Question 8

Father Benoit blesses the baptismal water before the baptism of the Sillettis' newborn son. In Durkheimian terms, what is Father Benoit doing?

A) performing a ritual
B) redeeming the profane
C) enveloping the sacred
D) creating a totem

Question 9

In Durkheimian terms, what is the Vancouver Canucks' logo?

A) a ritual
B) a totem
C) a sacrament
D) a routinization of charisma

Question 10

Which of the following questions would sociologists of religion be most interested in discussing?

A) Is creationism true?
B) What is the nature of God?
C) Are Canadian youth religious today?
D) How valuable is evolutionary theory?

Question 11

What term would Durkheim use to describe what people are in touch with when they transcend everyday life in a sharing of experiences and values with a larger group of people?

A) the collective unconscious
B) false consciousness
C) collective conscience
D) totem creation

Question 12

What would Durkheim consider a crucifix to be?

A) a ritual
B) a profane item
C) a totem
D) a collective effervescence

Question 13

Following confession at church, Edna is given a small cup of grape juice to sip from. What would Durkheim consider the juice to be an example of?

A) a ritual
B) the profane
C) the sacred
D) a totem

Question 14

For many Canadians, watching a fellow Canadian win a medal in the Olympics is an event that makes them feel ecstatic and like they are part of something much bigger than their individual selves. From a Durkheimian perspective, which of the following terms best reflects this feeling?

A) false consciousness
B) ritual collectiveness
C) collective effervescence
D) conscious congregation

Question 15

Among the religious, which of the following groups is most likely to report an increase in participation today?

A) members of the United Church
B) Unitarian Universalists
C) Metropolitan Community Church members
D) Evangelical Christians

Question 16

Thomas and his children were visited at home by dozens of family members and friends in the week after the death and burial of his wife Esther. What were all these people participating in?

A) Shiva
B) Rosh Hashanah
C) Yom Kippur
D) Shavuot

Question 17

In the textbook, what was stated to be Canada's "national religion"?

A) hockey
B) beer
C) winter
D) nature

Question 18

How did Durkheim refer to the supernatural elements of religions?

A) as sacred
B) as profane
C) as ritualistic
D) as the collective effervescence

Question 19

What did Durkheim call objects that represent the sacred?

A) totems
B) animas
C) ciphers
D) symbols

Question 20

What did Durkheim call public practices that people engage in that connect them with the sacred?

A) religions
B) rituals
C) totems
D) symbolism

Question 21

Glenn does not believe in any one god but celebrates his spirituality every day through his meditation practice. According to the textbook, what religion does Glenn subscribe to?

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

Question 22

Darius points out to his friends that every major religion has been involved in wars. Which theory is contradicted by this fact?

A) functionalism
B) postmodernism
C) feminism
D) Marxism

Question 23

Which theory is Durkheim's analysis of religion in society based upon?

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

Question 24

Ken believes that there are many gods, which are all aspects of the one true god, and he believes in reincarnation. According to the textbook, what religion does Ken subscribe to?

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

Question 25

What did Durkheim believe was the central function of religion?

A) to ritualize the profane
B) to manifest collective unconsciousness
C) to create a collective unconsciousness
D) to reinforce social solidarity

Question 26

Which of the following messages does the textbook attribute to Buddha, Jesus, Moses, and Muhammad?

A) survival of the fittest
B) equality and freedom
C) love is the path to enlightenment
D) only the body dies; the soul comes back

Question 27

What would Durkheim call the situation where people engage in collective, public worship in a prescribed and orderly manner?

A) social solidarity
B) effervescence
C) false consciousness
D) a ritual

Question 28

Which of the following is responsible for making religion less responsive to the needs of its adherents, and supports inequalities?

A) the routinization of charisma
B) collective effervescence
C) the secularization thesis
D) religiosity

Question 29

Research demonstrates that the male suicide rate decreases for those days just prior to major national sporting events. From a Durkheimian perspective, why does this temporary decrease happen?

A) because these events increase social solidarity
B) because these events can increase the importance of totems
C) because these events can decrease false consciousness
D) because these events can decrease collective apathy

Question 30

Tim believes in one true God and that justice, religious observance, righteousness, and not cheating people in acts of commerce are highly important. According to the textbook, what religion does Tim subscribe to?

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

Question 31

Which theorist believed that religion was the opiate of the masses?

A) Max Weber
B) Émile Durkheim
C) Thomas Hobbes
D) Karl Marx

Question 32

In which of the following churches do women comprise one-third of ordained ministers?

A) the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
B) the Promise Keepers
C) the United Church of Canada
D) the Anabaptist Church

Question 33

What does the expression "religion is the opium of the people" mean?

A) Once people are committed to a religion, they cannot escape.
B) The satisfaction derived from participation in religion is intense.
C) The real effect of religion is due to the euphoric feeling it produces.
D) Religion calms people into accepting their fate on earth.

Question 34

Greg believes in the edict to "love thy neighbour" and that his personal relationship with God is highly important. According to the textbook, what religion does Greg subscribe to?

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

Question 35

What do we call the liberal twentieth-century movement that promotes equality between genders and is known for social activism?

A) integrationism
B) reconstructionism
C) deconstructionism
D) reformation

Question 36

Which religion arose 3800 to 4000 years ago?

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

Question 37

Hanne's religion, which began in India 2500 years ago, teaches that there can be a variety of religious "truths." According to the textbook, what religion does Hanne subscribe to?

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

Question 38

According to the textbook, which of the following played an important role in the creation of Canada's universal health-care system and its social welfare network?

A) civil religion
B) the Social Gospel movement
C) New Age spirituality
D) the collective unconscious

Question 39

Which of the following best reflects a key similarity in scriptures from the major world religions?

A) They have promoted class equality.
B) They are similar to Weber's idea of bureaucracy.
C) They have placed women in subordinate positions.
D) They all have versions of the Protestant ethic in their teachings.

Question 40

Stan believes that it is of utmost importance to worship God by being charitable and by praying to him five times per day. According to the textbook, what religion does Stan subscribe to?

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

Question 41

John believes that he will be granted entrance to Heaven as one of God's chosen if he lives simply, works hard, and saves his money. What do John's ideas reflect?

A) the Protestant ethic
B) the Catholic connection
C) the Islamic ethos
D) the Jewish tribute

Question 42

A young seeker of enlightenment finds the older, established faith communities dull and unappealing, and is enticed by a recently formed organization called New Faith, an eclectic synthesis of spiritual ideals and meditative practices. What term do sociologists have for such new faith communities?

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

Question 43

What was one effect of the differentiation of worldly institutions like education from religion?

A) It made religion more applicable to the non-spiritual aspects of people's lives.
B) It caused people to look to other places for moral guidance.
C) It caused people to look increasingly at religion for moral guidance.
D) It encouraged people to remain closer to strict interpretations of religious beliefs.

Question 44

Which theorist emphasized that religion was an important factor that underlies social change?

A) Émile Durkheim
B) Max Weber
C) Karl Marx
D) Auguste Comte

Question 45

A novice born-again Christian attends a charismatic prayer group. The small group stands to pray, then someone starts to speak in tongues, and the whole group starts singing in unison. The novice feels a transcendent presence. Which of the following terms applies to this social phenomenon?

A) collective sacredness
B) collective projection
C) collective effervescence
D) collective delusion

Question 46

Many sociologists believed that secularization was well underway in Canada but then modified their stance somewhat in the 1990s. What caused this change of mind?

A) The evidence suggested strongly that religion was already dead.
B) The evidence suggested that people were quite involved in religion.
C) In most parts of Canada, religious beliefs were in serious decline.
D) Survey evidence demonstrated that more people than ever believed in God.

Question 47

According to the textbook, what term is used to refer to the differing assortment of religions and religious beliefs in a given region?

A) religious pluralism
B) religious diversity
C) religious inclusiveness
D) multicultural religiosity

Question 48

Which of the following reflects the view that religious institutions, actions, and consciousness are declining in Canadian society?

A) the rationalization thesis
B) the profanity thesis
C) the secularization thesis
D) the revised secularization thesis

Question 49

A religious group found two items in a basement. One was a book of "rules to live by," which they put in their prayer room and read from at meetings. The other item was a picture of a past member, which they threw out. According to Durkheim, how did they categorize the picture?

A) antiquated
B) sacred
C) profane
D) outdated

Question 50

Shannon was excitedly telling her friends about attending a church service where she felt the presence of God. Mark dismissed her account by asserting that what she felt wasn't God, but rather the collective conscience of the people in attendance. Whose perspective of religion had Mark adopted?

A) Karl Marx
B) Émile Durkheim
C) Max Weber
D) Sigmund Freud

Question 51

In the past religious organizations used to oversee most education, but today that is rarely the case. What does this shift illustrate?

A) civil religion theory
B) the profanity thesis
C) the desecularization thesis
D) the revised secularization thesis

Question 52

Mindy works in a factory to support herself, her three children, and her sometimes violent husband, who is unemployed due to his abuse of alcohol. To cope with the stress and conflict in her life, Mindy spends her little spare time memorizing Bible verses that promise rewards in the afterlife. Which theorist would argue that Mindy's belief is preventing her from breaking out of this situation?

A) Reginald Bibby
B) Max Weber
C) Émile Durkheim
D) Karl Marx

Question 53

Which sociologist wrote The Protestant Ethic and Spirit of Capitalism?

A) Karl Marx
B) Max Weber
C) Talcott Parsons
D) Émile Durkheim

Question 54

Which of the following is NOT one of the "three Bs of religiosity"?

A) belonging
B) belief
C) benevolence
D) behaviour

Question 55

Which individual was once a Baptist minister and is now popularly regarded as the Canadian "Father of Medicare"?

A) John A. Macdonald
B) Pierre Elliott Trudeau
C) Tommy Douglas
D) Lester B. Pearson

Question 56

A person wants to convert to a new religion, and is told by a catechist (a teacher of the faith) that a convert must demonstrate an active baptism, hold dear the tenets of the faith, attend church regularly, and believe in the soul's eternal nature. Which of the following terms most aptly describes the catechist's teaching?

A) dimensions of conversion
B) dimensions of religiosity
C) tenets of religion
D) tenets of the faith

Question 57

Which of the following terms reflects a concern with frugality, punctuality, and industry in everyday life as an avenue to a religious "state of grace"?

A) the Catholic connection
B) the Protestant ethic
C) the Islamic ethos
D) the Jewish tribute

Question 58

In 1651, Thomas Hobbes described life as "poore, nasty, brutish, and short." What was the average life expectancy of most people in medieval Europe?

A) 25 years
B) 35 years
C) 45 years
D) 55 years

Question 59

Raina has examined the history of religion in Europe and North America and noticed a trend where belief in the supernatural or religion as an explanation for phenomena was gradually replaced by science as an explanation. Which of the following concepts best summarizes Raina's observations?

A) the Protestant ethic
B) the deconstruction movement
C) religious fundamentalism
D) the secularization thesis

Question 60

Joseph and his neighbours receive a flyer advertising a community hockey game sponsored by a local church. He and the others are invited to play hockey and afterwards attend a service. What does this invitation reflect?

A) the secularization thesis
B) the revised secularization thesis
C) the market theory of religion
D) the community affiliation model of religion

Question 61

As science has pushed back the boundaries of religious explanation, and as democracy has assumed authority in the state through the rule of law, pushing church authority further into the background, sociologists have hypothesized a thesis for the church's waning influence. Which of the following terms best frames this theoretical concept?

A) atheism thesis
B) reformation thesis
C) scientific thesis
D) secularization thesis

Question 62

According to the textbook, what is a religious sect?

A) It is a segment of an established religion consisting of very devout members.
B) It is a religious group that is more atheistic in its perspective.
C) It is a religious group that has broken away from an established religion.
D) It is a portion of the clergy, such as ministers, monks, deacons, or elders.

Question 63

Who created the term "routinization of charisma"?

A) Max Weber
B) Karl Marx
C) Auguste Comte
D) Émile Durkheim

Question 64

Bobbi argues that religions today are nothing but suppliers of various services. She points to the counselling and social networking that many churches offer as proof of her views. Which model are her views central to?

A) the ritual model
B) the sect model
C) the institution model
D) the market model

Question 65

According to Freud, how do people acquire religious beliefs?

A) Religion is genetically encoded; we are "…wired for God."
B) Religion is something that must be forced on people.
C) Religion is very much a learned phenomenon.
D) Religion is something we adapt to without much reflection.

Question 66

Minka has received several flyers in her mailbox from different community churches, urging her to come out for pizza nights and evening services or to religiously themed movie nights. Which of the following concepts is reflected in this situation?

A) religious competitiveness
B) the market model of religion
C) the desecularization thesis
D) neighbourhood sectarianism

Question 67

The Unitarian Church started out as a faith based on Christian theology; over time a group was formed called Universalist Unitarians, whose faith community grew to include more members with atheistic beliefs than with Christian beliefs. What term best identifies the distinction between the original group and the second group?

A) church-protest typology
B) church-sect typology
C) sect-equilibrium typology
D) agnostic-atheist typology

Question 68

Masoud is a very devout Muslim, praying five times per day, fasting during Ramadan, and making his pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca. In sociological terms, what do these practices indicate?

A) his level of spirituality
B) his level of religiosity
C) his level of spiritual awareness
D) his level of activity

Question 69

A small group broke away from a larger religious group to become independent in order to focus on their faith. According to Weber, what characteristics will develop over time within the smaller group?

A) theological separation
B) faith-oriented work
C) spontaneity and enthusiasm
D) routinization and institutionalization

Question 70

What term is used to denote a bureaucratic religious organization that is accepted within the culture and society?

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

Question 71

According to the textbook, what percentage of Canadians regularly attend religious services?

A) 10 percent
B) 25 percent
C) 35 percent
D) 50 percent

Question 72

The Sons of Freedom Doukhobors live in the small community of Krestova, British Columbia, apart from the larger and more established Community Doukhobors in the interior of the province. What type of religious group are the Sons of Freedom Doukhobors?

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

Question 73

Roman Catholicism in Canada, Judaism in Israel, and Hinduism in India are all examples of which of the following?

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

Question 74

Which of the following theorists adopted a symbolic interactionist interpretation of religion?

A) Karl Marx
B) Max Weber
C) Émile Durkheim
D) Auguste Comte

Question 75

According to the textbook, what appears to be a necessary factor in causing religiosity, although it is not enough to cause religiosity on its own?

A) peer pressure
B) socialization
C) daily prayer
D) personal reflection

Question 76

The Branch Davidians of Waco, Texas, were a very small group of religious people led by the charismatic David Koresh until their deaths in 1993. What kind of religious organization was the Branch Davidians?

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

Question 77

What categories do sociologists generally divide religious groups into?

A) cults, denominations, and sects
B) churches, denominations, and sects
C) denominations, ecclesia, and state sponsors
D) state sponsors, churches, and markets

Question 78

George tells his mother that religious activities should be more widely available for people who demand them. Which model does his statement illustrate?

A) the market model
B) the sect model
C) the institution model
D) the ritual model

Question 79

Some religious leaders and their followers believe the leader is inspired by mystical powers. What do we call these leaders?

A) authoritarian leaders
B) charismatic leaders
C) transcendent leaders
D) mystical leaders

Question 80

Peter Vasilevich Verigin emigrated from Russia to Canada in 1902, joining his religious community of Russian Doukhobors in Saskatchewan. He re-assumed leadership at that time and led 6000 Doukhobors west to British Columbia in 1908. What type of organization was Verigin the leader of?

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