Deck 17: Religion

Question 1

Identify which of the following is not one of the central themes that civil religion has taken in U.S. society.

A) Most people believe that God has a special destiny for the United States.
B) Most people expect religion to maintain the status quo.
C) Most people are enjoined to stand up for certain principles (e.g., freedom, individualism, equal opportunity).
D) Most people believe the state is an enemy of the church and the people.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

________ consists of symbolic actions that reinforce the collective remembering of the group's shared meanings.

A) Ritual
B) Religion
C) Prayer
D) Church

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Sociologists study ________ because it is a ubiquitous phenomenon that has tremendous impact on human behavior, and because of its influence on society and society's impact on it.

A) education
B) religion
C) politics
D) poverty

Answer 3

B

Question 4

In a ________ there is a hierarchy of authority, with those at the top being trained for their vocation.

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

Question 5

Religion promotes the ________ because it teaches the powerless to accept religious beliefs that are against their own interests and not to assert themselves, to accept oppression, and that good things will happen ultimately.

A) status quo
B) reformist view
C) non-traditional
D) radical

Question 6

By constraining the behavior of the community of believers, religion provides ________.

A) a social control function
B) motivation
C) harmony
D) none of the above

Question 7

In 2010, ________ of Americans professed to believe in God or a universal spirit.

A) 32%
B) 52%
C) 72%
D) 92%

Question 8

Weber demonstrated that the religious beliefs of John Calvin were instrumental in the ________ in Europe.

A) declining military power
B) disintegration of communities
C) rise of capitalism
D) spread of Protestant beliefs

Question 9

________ believed that religious ideology would lead to economic change.

A) Emile Durkheim
B) Herbert Spencer
C) Karl Marx
D) Max Weber

Question 10

Religion constrains the behavior of the community of believers, thus providing a ________ function.

A) social control
B) legitimating
C) sanctifying
D) liberating

Question 11

Religion ________ society's social structures by becoming intertwined with secular beliefs and by providing religious blessings to the values and institutions of secular society.

A) legitimizes
B) undermines
C) sanctifies
D) creates

Question 12

According to the order perspective, as people meet to affirm common beliefs and values, they are bound together in a ____________community.

A) moral
B) simple
C) open
D) traditional

Question 13

________ wrote The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, which was first published in 1904.

A) Emile Durkheim
B) Herbert Spencer
C) Karl Marx
D) Max Weber

Question 14

According to Marx, religion ______ social change by making existing social arrangements seem right and inevitable.

A) inhibits
B) promotes
C) welcomes
D) sanctions

Question 15

Identify which of the following is not one of the ways Max Weber's view of religion and social change disagreed fundamentally with Marx's perspective.

A) Weber did not believe that religion impedes social change by being an opiate of the masses and by encouraging the oppressed to accept their lot.
B) Weber believed that religious institutions were instruments of inequality in society.
C) Weber disagreed with Marx's belief that economic considerations supersede religious ideology.
D) Weber believed that religion would lead to economic changes.

Question 16

As a result of his study of the religion of the Australian aborigines, Durkheim concluded that what the group worships is really ________.

A) God
B) society itself
C) totems
D) None of the above

Question 17

________ is/are an important consequence of a group of people having the same religious heritage and beliefs.

A) High moral standards
B) Altruism
C) Faith
D) Unity

Question 18

It was ________, the French sociologist, who wrote The Elementary Forms of Religious Life in 1912.

A) Herbert Spencer
B) Karl Marx
C) Max Weber
D) Emile Durkheim

Question 19

Some 70 percent of the world's inhabitants identify with ___________________.

A) Islam only
B) atheism and Christianity
C) one of five major world religions
D) Catholicism and Hinduism

Question 20

Consequences of religion include

A) Formulating common values to be cherished.
B) creating sins to be avoided.
C) creating a sense of unity through a similar religious heritage and beliefs.
D) formulating symbols to be revered.

Question 21

Reasons for the decline in mainline churches include the fact they have lost vitality and have become more and more ________.

A) bureaucratic
B) cultist
C) churchlike
D) sectarian

Question 22

The ________ structure of mainstream American churches legitimizes female subordination to males.

A) organizational
B) political
C) patriarchal
D) hierarchical

Question 23

There has been a/an ________ in membership of the mainline denominations like the United Church of Christ, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, United Methodists, and Disciples of Christ.

A) increase
B) resurgence
C) stability
D) decline

Question 24

Identify which of the following is not one of the ways a new leader is chosen by a sect.

A) peaceful overthrow of the original leader
B) designation of a successor by the group closest to the original leader
C) hereditary transmission
D) transmission of charisma by ritual

Question 25

A ________ is a moral community separate from and often hostile toward the secular world..

A) sect
B) cult
C) faction
D) heresy

Question 26

The ______ dichotomy illustrates that the process of organization often deflects from the original goal of religion.

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

Question 27

A ________ is a new religion with practices and teachings at odds with and often in rejection of the dominant culture and religious doctrines.

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

Question 28

Selection of a successor leader in a sect is done by a process called the ________, which involves an organization's attempt to transmit the charisma of the former leader to a new one.

A) church hierarchy
B) routinization of charisma
C) divine calling
D) nomination and election process

Question 29

Identify which of the following is a feature of sects that helps to explain why some categories of people are prone to joining them.

A) Sects provide a total world of meaning and social identity and a close circle of persons to whom one can turn when troubled.
B) Social class is a factor in attracting memberships, particularly for low-status persons who tend to be attracted to sects and who substitute religious status for social status.
C) Sects tend to be more accepting of secular behavior than other forms of religious groups.
D) Both a and b

Question 30

Local churches, even more than denominations, tend to be _____ in socioeconomic status due to residential patterns.

A) homogeneous
B) heterogeneous
C) egalitarian
D) multicultural

Question 31

Mormon, African American Protestant, and conservative evangelical groups' membership has ______ substantially.

A) declined
B) increased
C) stabilized
D) recovered

Question 32

Local churches are among the ________ organizations in America.

A) most segregated
B) least segregated
C) most egalitarian
D) least racist

Question 33

________ is the practice of shifting work done domestically to an entity in another society.

A) Baptism
B) Initiation of charisma
C) Outsourcing
D) Authorization of charisma

Question 34

The defection of Latino Catholics for evangelical Protestant denominations has been due in part to charges of various forms of ________ in the Catholic Church.

A) worship
B) discrimination
C) ordainment
D) authority

Question 35

Christianity, Mormonism, Islam, and Judaism began as ________.

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

Question 36

The reason(s) the Catholic Church has been especially vulnerable to losses in attendance include(s) ________.

A) the rigidity of the Catholic hierarchy
B) the current revelations of the pedophilia scandals engulfing a number of Catholic parishes
C) their refusal to accept women in leadership roles.
D) all of the above

Question 37

Many churchgoers want ________, but too often they receive only more ambiguity.

A) autonomy
B) democracy
C) authority
D) pluralism

Question 38

Although persons of ________ status are more involved in church, this is not a good measure of religiosity.

A) low
B) high
C) middle-class
D) none of the above

Question 39

________ attract the middle and upper classes.

A) Sects
B) Churches
C) Cults
D) Denominations

Question 40

Black churches have not only been the focus of African-American religion, but are also a key component of the black community's social life, sources for helping those in need, and the center for black ________.

A) educational activities
B) political activities
C) cultural events
D) none of the above

Question 41

Clergy experience ______ because the church hierarchy expects them to behave in particular ways while some parishioners want the clergy to take a stands on controversial issues.

A) role conflict
B) status conflict
C) stereotyping
D) chastisement

Question 42

______ emphasize a personal relationship with Jesus, public declaration of faith, and spreading faith to nonbelievers.

A) Pentecostals
B) Evangelicals
C) Christians
D) Protestants

Question 43

The ________ is a social movement with a network of leaders and organizations that includes the Christian Coalition, Focus on the Family, Concerned Women of America, etc.

A) Christian Coalition
B) Moral Majority
C) Religious Right
D) charismatic movement

Question 44

________ share the beliefs of Evangelicals, but also emphasize the active presence of the Holy Spirit in the lives of members and in church activities.

A) Evangelicals
B) Pentecostals
C) Christians
D) Protestants

Question 45

When sociology claims that religion is a social construction, it means that religion

A) does not distinguish between the sacred and the secular.
B) is shaped by the adherents' knowledge of the world.
C) is not a normative system.
D) is created by people and is a part of culture.

Question 46

Identify which of the following is not a reason for the rise of religious fundamentalism.

A) Fundamentalists put great emphasis on converting other people.
B) Fundamentalist congregations emphasize individualism.
C) Fundamentalists offer the truth; they believe intensely that they are right and other people are wrong.
D) Fundamentalists offer not only a critique of modern society but also an action program based on its set of absolute beliefs.

Question 47

The U.S. government ________ religion as is evidenced by official slogans, such as "one nation, under God", "In God We Trust", etc.

A) sanctions
B) undermines
C) rejects
D) challenges

Question 48

The ________ perspective emphasizes the solidarity function of religion and the fact religion benefits society by binding people together.

A) conflict
B) bias
C) order
D) interactionist

Question 49

Religion impedes social change by being a/an ___________ and by encouraging the oppressed to accept their lot

A) opiate of the masses
B) creator of false consciousness
C) protector of the status quo
D) none of the above

Question 50

________ is the nation's fastest-growing faith, with about 4 million to 7 million adherents in the United States, nearly double the number a decade ago, and are expected to double again by 2030.

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

Question 51

The slavery issue split the Baptist Church into American Baptists and Southern Baptists. This incident illustrates

A) the religious endorsement of secular life.
B) promotion of group integration through religion.
C) the divisive characteristic of accepting the acts of the state.
D) the social control function of religion.

Question 52

Ritual tends to

A) evoke shared understandings among the believers.
B) threaten the unity of the group.
C) distract religions from dealing with the ultimate human concerns.
D) blur the distinction between the sacred and the secular.

Question 53

Some of the fundamentalist churches have become huge ________ with at least 2,000 people in attendance each week, fueled by high-energy music, dramatic skits, and sermons with real-life applications.

A) cathedrals
B) temples
C) auditoriums
D) megachurches

Question 54

There has been a rise in Christian ________ in the United States since the 1960s.

A) membership
B) churches
C) denominations
D) fundamentalism

Question 55

The ________ perspective contends that in diverse societies religious differences divide rather than unite and that religious unity benefits the powerful more than the weak.

A) order
B) conflict
C) bias
D) interactionist

Question 56

Many fundamentalist churches use modern _______ techniques, including direct-mail advertising, radio, and television.

A) technology
B) marketing
C) business
D) organizational

Question 57

Most parishioners prefer the church take the ________ role; if poor, they want to be reassured that they will be rewarded later; if rich, they want their holding of wealth and power legitimized.

A) social control
B) comforting
C) confrontation
D) challenging

Question 58

Fundamentalists and evangelicals believe that they live in a society that is suffering from ______.

A) social control
B) terrorism
C) immigration
D) moral breakdown

Question 59

Until recently, the Dutch Reformed Church of South Africa used the Bible to defend apartheid. This is an example of

A) using theodicy.
B) legitimizing social structures that have profane origins.
C) providing a social control function.
D) unifying the people.

Question 60

The range of items religious people believe to be sacred could be

A) objects such as idols.
B) animal totems.
C) parts of the natural world.
D) all of the above

Question 61

A central theme of civil religion is that

A) all religions need to be treated with respect.
B) God has a special destiny for the United States.
C) the constitutional demand for the separation of church and state be maintained.
D) evangelical Christianity is consistent with Americanism..

Question 62

A sect tends to

A) withdraw from the world.
B) see itself as a moral community.
C) be hostile toward the secular world.
D) all of the above

Question 63

The fastest growing mainline church is the ________ church.

A) Baptist
B) Mormon
C) Lutheran
D) Methodist

Question 64

Fundamentalists believe homosexuality is ________.

A) accepted today.
B) a sin.
C) natural.
D) cultural.

Question 65

The civil religion of the United States refers to the notion that

A) the United States and its institutions are sanctified by God.
B) all Americans subscribe to membership in one of three major religions.
C) church and state must be kept separate.
D) none of the above

Question 66

While sects tend to ________, cults are likely to ________.

A) leave an established church / represent a new religious experience
B) look to the future / look to the past
C) be liberal / be conservative
D) be evangelical / be pentecostal

Question 67

While the prophetic role of religion refers to ________, the priestly role refers to ________.

A) use of prophets / use of priests
B) challenging the existing system / accepting the existing system
C) emphasis on the next world / emphasis on this world
D) Protestantism / Catholicism

Question 68

Putnam and Campbell argue that in the past fifty years the religious landscape in the United States has been reshaped by which of the facts below?

A) Religious observance declined in the rebellious 1960s.
B) The 1970s and 1980s were characterized by the rise of evangelicalism and the Religious Right.
C) Many young people in the 1990s reacted negatively to the blending of religiosity with conservative politics.
D) all of the above

Question 69

Which Hindu concept serves to explain and justify the continuous inequality facing a Hindu?

A) Karma
B) Dharma
C) Samsana
D) all of the above

Question 70

Sects tend to have a theodicy of

A) suffering.
B) revolution.
C) one God.
D) salvation.

Question 71

When a religion offers legitimation for a situation that might otherwise cause guilt or anger, the religious tendency to develop ________ has occurred.

A) theology
B) redemption
C) theodicy
D) rationalization

Question 72

A social class explanation for the popularity of sects is that sects

A) offer an escape from the dominant economic system in society.
B) reject social class as irrelevant.
C) offer their followers high status in the next world.
D) all of the above

Question 73

The lower the socioeconomic status of the person, the greater the probability of belonging to a

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

Question 74

Which of the following groups incorporates features of church and sect?

A) Catholic
B) Presbyterian
C) Mormon
D) Lutheran

Question 75

One explanation to account for the growing popularity of sects is that modern urban society is increasingly bureaucratized, and the sect

A) offers meaning in a meaningless world.
B) offers friendship in a sea of strangers.
C) gives stability in a rapidly changing society
D) all of the above

Question 76

An aspect of civil religion is the

A) critical examination of the major denominations.
B) thoughtful consideration of the equality of all religions.
C) maintenance of the status quo.
D) avoidance of secular controversies.

Question 77

The secularization of religion refers to

A) as education increases, so does income.
B) as income increases, status symbols become more important.
C) the tendency to keep religion out of society.
D) the decline in the importance of religion as education increases.

Question 78

While sects tend to draw the ________, churches draw the ________.

A) rich / poor
B) immigrants / native born
C) whites / African Americans
D) lower class / middle and upper class

Question 79

A church tends to

A) compromise with the larger society.
B) be composed of members who were born into it.
C) be tolerant of the popular vices.
D) all of the above

Question 80

The fundamental difference between church and sect is

A) accommodation or resistance to the secular world.
B) the use of the prophetic role by the church.
C) the use of the priestly role by the sect.
D) all of the above