Deck 14: Religion

Question 1

Émile Durkheim contended that religion is the basis of _________________.

A) ritual
B) community
C) collective conscience
D) society

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Each year, the Smith family spends time visiting historical monuments in Virginia and Washington, DC. This ritual is part of __________________.

A) family religion
B) state religion
C) civil religion
D) ecclesiastic religion

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The major components of religion are beliefs, rituals, and ___________________.

A) experiences
B) habits
C) occurrences
D) content

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Some people would say that the beliefs, experiences, and rituals that provide a sense of collective national identity create a(n):

A) patriotic religion
B) state religion
C) capitalist religion
D) civil religion

Question 5

The Amish are an example of a(n) ______________.

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

Question 6

In which of these ways is the United States an exception when it comes to religion?

A) More of the U.S. population rates religion as important than wealthy countries
B) More of the U.S. population rates religion as important than other countries with similar levels of Christianity
C) Less of the U.S. population rates religion as important than other wealthy countries
D) Less of the U.S population rates religion as important than other countries with similar levels of Christianity

Question 7

Sect and church are:

A) religious organization from two different religions
B) two poles on a continuum of religious organization
C) two poles on a continuum of religious belief systems
D) religious organizations from two different global regions

Question 8

Marriage and graduating from high school are examples of:

A) rituals
B) rites of passage
C) habits
D) civil religion

Question 9

Émile Durkheim argued that all human experience could be divided into two categories, the _______________ and the ________________.

A) ordinary; extraordinary
B) sacred; profane
C) plain; special
D) reverend; sublime

Question 10

_______________ tend to draw members from all social classes and are more mainstream than sects.

A) Churches
B) Cults
C) Ecclesias
D) Factions

Question 11

According to __________, religion brings pleasure or consolation to believers who think they are incapable of changing their distressing social conditions.

A) Max Weber
B) Karl Marx
C) Émile Durkheim
D) Georg Simmel

Question 12

Religious institutions with pluralistic worldviews tend to be more ___________, whereas those with more homogeneous populations tend to be more _____________.

A) decentralized; centralized
B) liberal; conservative
C) sect-like; church-like
D) strict; lenient

Question 13

The decline in the significance of religion is called ___________________.

A) secularization
B) demystification
C) civil religion
D) atheization

Question 14

A(n) _________ is an idea that explains the world and identifies what should be sacred.

A) belief
B) ritual
C) attitude
D) religion

Question 15

According to the text, one of the most difficult things for any religion is:

A) to explain why we are here
B) to explain why there are other religions
C) to explain suffering
D) to explain the signs of a higher power without scientific evidence

Question 16

Most religions have a story about how and why the world was created called a(n):

A) origin story
B) cosmology
C) cosmogony
D) theology

Question 17

Religious rituals mark a _______________ period, or a special time set apart from ordinary reality.

A) ritual
B) transitional
C) liminal
D) marginal

Question 18

According to the text, in which region do countries report the highest importance of religion?

A) Countries in parts of Asia, the Middle East, and sub-Saharan Africa
B) Countries in Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean
C) Countries in Western Europe and North America
D) Countries in Central America and South America

Question 19

There is negative relationship between wealth and religiosity, demonstrated in the fact that:

A) people living in richer nations are more religious than those in poorer nations
B) people living in poorer nations are more religious than those in richer nations
C) people in the poor neighborhoods of rich countries are more religious than richer areas in the same countries
D) there are more churches in poorer countries

Question 20

_______________ is a social phenomenon that consists of beliefs about the sacred; practices or rituals; and the community that shares similar beliefs and practices.

A) Education
B) Philosophy
C) Religion
D) Faith

Question 21

In what part of the world has resistance to creating cultural and religious space for Muslim immigrants been greatest?

A) The United States
B) Western Europe
C) China
D) Eastern Europe

Question 22

____________ are theories that help us better understand and deal with suffering and death.

A) Ideologies
B) Theodicies
C) Theologies
D) Ethics

Question 23

The Puritans are an example of a ______________.

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

Question 24

___________ is a strongly held belief in the basic precepts of a religion, and a rejection of the modern secular world.

A) Islam
B) Pluralism
C) Fundamentalism
D) Sectarianism

Question 25

Which of the following is NOT a function of religion according to Émile Durkheim?

A) Religion provides explanations for puzzling aspects of life
B) Religion promotes solidarity
C) Religion cures medical illnesses that doctors haven't been able to resolve
D) Religion provides ethical guidelines

Question 26

Which of the following statements is TRUE in regard to new religious movements?

A) New religious movements appeal to a large segment of the population
B) New religious movements are often led by charismatic leaders
C) No differentiation between "us" and "them"
D) Members of new religious movements are very trusting of others

Question 27

Which of these forms does a cult resemble?

A) A sect
B) A church
C) A historical church
D) A consumer experience

Question 28

____________ and _____________ are the two fastest-growing religions in the world today.

A) Methodist; Judaism
B) Christianity; Islam
C) Buddhism; Lutheran
D) Islam; Presbyterian

Question 29

______________ is heavily concentrated in India and is closely associated with the caste system of that country but spans six continents through migration and the spread of religious teaching.

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

Question 30

According to the Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures Project, which country had the largest proportion of Christian immigrants?

A) United States
B) Russia
C) Mexico
D) Germany

Question 31

When large numbers of people do not have a clear and correct sense of their true interests, this is referred to as ________________________.

A) mixed consciousness
B) class consciousness
C) false consciousness
D) confused consciousness

Question 32

Critical theorist Jürgen Habermas calls religion a type of _________, or system of ideas generated by the social system to support its own existence.

A) theodicy
B) rationalization
C) legitimation
D) bureaucracy

Question 33

Which of these is the best example of church in its strictest interpretation based on Troeltsch's definition?

A) The contemporary Roman Catholic Church
B) The Christian megachurch
C) The Jehovah's Witnesses
D) The Anglican Church in England

Question 34

When the Pew-Templeton Global Religious Futures Project looked at patterns of religion and migration, which religious group accounted for the largest number of immigrants worldwide?

A) Muslims
B) Christians
C) Jews
C) Hindus

Question 35

Marx influenced the conflict theory on religion, claiming that religion performs like a(n) ______________, which distorts and hides underlying realities of capitalist society.

A) theodicy
B) market
C) ideology
D) bureaucracy

Question 36

__________________ is one of the smallest of the world's religions, but is one of the most important historically and contemporarily.

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

Question 37

All of the global religions originated in __________________.

A) Asia
B) North America
C) South America
D) Europe

Question 38

A new and innovative religion that is often at odds with both established religions and the larger society is referred to as a(n) ________________.

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

Question 39

The religion with the largest number in the world's population is:

A) Muslim
B) Buddhist
C) Christian
D) Hindu

Question 40

Which of the following is NOT a global process as it relates to Mormonism?

A) Mormons have made extensive use of the Internet
B) Mormons have elected officials in political office around the world
C) Mormons send tens of thousands of missionaries throughout the world
D) Its headquarters and services broadcast via satellite to 6,000 of its churches around the world

Question 41

Most religious traditions are loaded with rituals that reinforce beliefs.

Question 42

Émile Durkheim argued that all human experience could be divided into two categories: the sacred and the ordinary.

Question 43

Serialization refers to the declining significance of religion.

Question 44

The behavior of members that belong to a sect is often spontaneous, and the members of the sect also tend to be drawn from those of the lower social classes.

Question 45

According to the text, very small numbers of people in Africa reported religion and religious experiences to be very important in their lives.

Question 46

Major U.S. contemporary religious denominations include which of the following?

A) Protestant groups
B) Eastern Orthodox
C) Reform Judaism

Question 47

Americans often celebrate the Fourth of July with fireworks and lively music. These practices are part of what is referred to as civil religion.

Question 48

Which of these suggest religion is a form of consumption?

A) Religions are inherited from one's family of origin
B) Religious organizations must market their religion to attract members
C) Just like consumers, those who select a religion do so for different reasons
D) Church employee roles within religious organizations have become McDonaldized

Question 49

According to the text, rituals are often used for which of these purposes:

A) to identify the source of a problem
B) to characterize what is evil
C) to remove boundaries
D) to arrive at a means for working on a solution

Question 50

Secularization refers to the decline of the significance of religion at the societal level but cannot be used to describe this decline at the individual level.

Question 51

Which of the following statements is TRUE in regard to the characteristics of a sect?

A) The behavior of sect members tends to be spontaneous
B) A sect's leadership is composed of those who have specialized training
C) Sects tend to draw their membership mainly from those of the lower social classes
D) Sects tend to set themselves apart from society in terms of how they dress and what they eat

Question 52

Religious rituals often mark a cosmic period, or a special time set apart from ordinary reality, such as attending church every Sunday.

Question 53

Religion is a social phenomenon that consists of beliefs about the sacred; practices, or rituals; and the community that shares similar beliefs and practices.

Question 54

Religious rituals often mark a liminal period, which is a special period set apart from ordinary reality.

Question 55

According to Troeltsch's definition, there are no churches in the United States.

Question 56

Which of these do structural/functionalists name as functions of religion?
a.
It helps to create a sense of meaning
b.
It offers theodicies to help explain puzzling aspects of life
c.
It provides ethical guidelines for moral and immoral behavior
d.
It provides guidance and awareness on important social issues

Question 57

A cult is a new, innovative, small, and exclusive religious tradition that was never associated with any religious organization.

Question 58

Sociologists evaluate religions, including an evaluation of how likely they are to be accurate.

Question 59

Which of these characteristics do churches and denominations have in common?

A) They are both bureaucratic
B) They have a positive view of larger society
C) They care about the individual's emotional religious experience
D) Religious services are formal and reserved with an emphasis on teaching

Question 60

Denominations are both hierarchical and bureaucratic.

Question 61

Explain the conflict theory as it pertains to religion. Which sociologist is associated with this perspective?

Question 62

Discuss three ways that religion can be seen as a form of consumption. What are the implications of seeing religion through a consumption lens?

Question 63

Discuss the view that structural-functionalists have on religion. What are three points they would make about the positive role of religion? What is one negative role they would acknowledge?

Question 64

Structural-functionalists recognize that violence and intolerance are two dysfunctions of religion.

Question 65

Islam was the first religion to understand itself as one religion among others.

Question 66

Select any two religions that are discussed in your text and explain the characteristics of each religion, such as its size and where it is primarily located in the world.

Question 67

Discuss two aspects describing the process by which religion has undergone globalization. When did religion begin to undergo globalization?

Question 68

Traditional Islamic law, or sharia, is a form of fundamentalism that includes modest dress for women, abstention from alcohol, and participation in public prayers.

Question 69

What defines religion? Name the three major components of religion.

Question 70

The two fastest-growing religions in the world today are Christianity and Islam.

Question 71

What is a cult? Discuss the term cult and give one example of a historical group that was considered a cult. Are cults increasing or decreasing?

Question 72

Secularization is increasing. What is meant by secularization? What are three of the mechanisms that have contributed to the historical development of secularization? What is the prediction about secularization going forward?

Question 73

How does the text define beliefs in the context of religion? What are three areas of belief that religious traditions typically address?

Question 74

Describe the purpose of rituals in religious traditions. What steps do rituals take to address crises? At what times are rituals more likely to take place, and toward what purpose?