Deck 7: Organized Religion: Churches, Sects, Denominations, and Cults

Question 1

Members being born into a group rather than becoming members through conversion or spiritual experience contributes to which of the following dilemmas of institutionalization?

A)Conversion vs.coercion
B)Concrete definition vs.substitution of the letter for the spirit
C)Elaboration of policy vs.flexibility
D)Rationalized structure vs.communalism
E)Objectification vs alienation

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Groups such as Islamic Fundamentalists, some Protestant Christians, and some groups within Judaism become so caught up in rules and regulations that they lose sight of the ideals and values on which their religion was originally founded.This describes which dilemma of institutionalization?

A)The dilemma of power versus coercion
B)The dilemma of expansion
C)The dilemma of delimitation
D)The dilemma of mixed motivation
E)The dilemma of administrative order

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The Shakers had to transform abstract concepts and principles into concrete ethical codes of conduct so that common members knew how to conduct their everyday lives.In so doing, the rules became inflexible and absolute, and some members began to think the rules themselves were the essence of the religion.This is an example of the

A)dilemma of mixed motivation.
B)symbolic dilemma.
C)dilemma of administrative order.
D)dilemma of delimitation.
E)dilemma of power.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Yinger created a typology that attempted to simplify the church-sect construct, using fewer variables.Yinger's model stresses

A)fundamentalist vs.modernist theology, formality of worship, and exclusiveness of membership.
B)size of the group, formality of worship, and exclusiveness of membership.
C)fundamentalist vs.modernist theology, formality of worship, and extent of institutionalization.
D)only extent of institutionalization.
E)exclusiveness or openness of membership, conflict with or accommodation to the larger society's values, and extent of institutionalization.

Question 5

The major contribution of Yinger's typology over earlier formulations for church-sect models is that

A)it includes far more variables than any previous typology.
B)it emphasizes the dynamic process of evolution while stressing that the change may be multilinear.
C)it limits the defining characteristics of church, denomination, and sect to theological ones, making for greater clarity.
D)it proves that sects are not always in conflict with the values of the larger society.
E)all of the above.

Question 6

To insure conformity to the values and norms of the group, religious organizations sometimes resort to excommunication.However, religious groups which exercise this option may risk alienating members; thus it is important in most cases to persuade members to cooperate voluntarily.This is the

A)dilemma of mixed motivation.
B)dilemma of administrative order.
C)dilemma of delimitation.
D)dilemma of power.
E)dilemma of expansion.

Question 7

The institutional need to elaborate concrete policies and procedures is in conflict with the desire to be flexible and respond to ad hoc needs and issues as they may arise.This is the

A)dilemma of mixed motivation.
B)symbolic dilemma.
C)dilemma of administrative order.
D)dilemma of delimitation.
E)dilemma of power.

Question 8

The organizational genius who largely institutionalized Christianity was

A)Paul.
B)Jesus.
C)Max Weber.
D)Peter.
E)Mary Magdalene.

Question 9

Discuss the concepts of sect, denomination, and ecclesia (church).

A)Give a brief definition of each.
B)Describe the social processes that contribute to the formation of each.

Question 10

Which of the following is a part of the symbolic dilemma?

A)A secondary matter may take on primary importance for some members of a religious group, thus subverting the original sense of mission.
B)Close interpersonal caring and sharing wanes as a rational bureaucratic structure develops.
C)Religious groups often struggle with the question of whether to use coercion to attain conformity.
D)The institutional need to elaborate concrete policies and procedures is in conflict with the desire to be flexible.
E)The passage of time can render some signs of the faith alienating or meaningless.

Question 11

When Max Weber referred to "ideal types," he meant

A)the best or preferred pattern of social organization, in the opinion of sociologists.
B)the best or preferred pattern of social organization, in the view of the members of the society.
C)conceptual classification of social phenomena into categories in order to make comparisons and contrasts.
D)the modal or most frequently observed social pattern found in a given society.

Question 12

Which of the following is NOT true of charismatic authority?

A)Charismatic authority stands outside the realm of everyday routine and is intrinsically unstable.
B)Charismatic leaders are perceived to be endowed with supernatural qualities that are not accessible to ordinary persons.
C)What a charismatic leader says is considered true simply because he or she says it.
D)Charismatic leadership is frequently revolutionary and a source of change.
E)Charismatic leadership is always inherently evil.

Question 13

If a new religious group is to survive the death of its founding leader, it must achieve several objectives having to do with organization.Sociological literature refers to this process as

A)revitalization.
B)plausibility structure.
C)routinization of charisma.
D)traditional authority.
E)mysterium tremendum.

Question 14

Your textbook summarizes the conclusion of a number of sociologists in saying that "religion both needs most and suffers most from ."

A)mobilization of resources
B)plausibility structures
C)the dilemma of mixed motivation
D)institutionalization
E)anomie

Question 15

In terms of open systems theory, which of the following is the most closed type of social system?

A)Ecclesia
B)Church
C)Sect
D)Denomination
E)All of the above are very closed systems.

Question 16

A main, long-standing criticism of the church/sect typology is that

A)the basic idea is more than 100 years old and, thus, outdated.
B)the typology tends to incorporate a wide range of characteristics, mixing theological and social elements and confusing defining characteristics with causal and consequential variables.Thus there is no consensus about the meaning of the concepts.
C)the entire approach is fundamentally flawed because "ideal types" are useless.
D)the model is incapable of showing that change can occur in a religious group.
E)all of the above.

Question 17

Regarding institutional dilemmas, we can conclude that

A)institutionalization is always the beginning of the end for religious groups.
B)some types of organizational structures may be more susceptible to the occurrence of certain dilemmas than others.
C)the dysfunctions of routinization are inevitable.
D)generally speaking, the stronger the plausibility structures, the more the institutional dilemmas a group is likely to face.
E)all of the above.

Question 18

A secondary matter may take on primary importance for some members of a religious group, thus subverting the original sense of mission.This instance would illustrate the

A)dilemma of mixed motivation.
B)dilemma of administrative order.
C)dilemma of delimitation.
D)dilemma of power.
E)dilemma of expansion.

Question 19

Niebuhr identified four elements that he believed contributed to the break-off of sects from denominations.Which of the following is NOT one of these?

A)Some sects are expressions of ethnic values and national loyalties, with ethnicity separating Christians into different groups.
B)Some sects are expressions of a desire for religious groups that are smaller, more informal, and less under the control of a professional clergy and bureaucratic organization.
C)Sectarian movements may be spawned by a desire for more spontaneity and more emotional expression in worship, with less routinization and less intellectualizing.
D)Sectarian movements are usually internal arguments among religious people over theological matters and interpretations of doctrine.
E)Some sects arise in response to socioeconomic inequality, with churches and denominations serving the self-interests of the affluent, and sects responding to the needs and concerns of the poor.

Question 20

According to Troeltsch and Niebuhr, universal or inclusive acceptance of people in the larger society into the religious organization is a characteristic of

A)a new religious movement.
B)a sect.
C)a church.
D)an audience cult.
E)a client cult.

Question 21

The early Unification Church (led by Rev.Sun Myung Moon) was an example of a

A)NRM (or "cult")
B)denomination.
C)church.
D)sect.
E)ecclesia.

Question 22

Which of the following would be an example of a sect-like group in contemporary North America?

A)Roman Catholicism
B)Reformed Jews
C)United Presbyterians
D)Jehovah's Witnesses
E)Episcopalians

Question 23

Social characteristics (of groups and of the larger society in which the groups exist) can influence the likelihood of religious schisms and the character of each group's evolution.All of the following are identified in your textbook as factors that can influence the nature of religious schisms EXCEPT

A)how the larger society responds to this new group.
B)whether the host society has a policy of separation of church and state.
C)the internal belief system of the group regarding the nature of good and evil.
D)whether the economy of the host country is expanding or stagnant.
E)whether the leader of the group has the same ethnicity as the majority of the members.

Question 24

Despite similarities, sects and NRMs have somewhat different forces that shape their development.Which of the following is NOT supported by evidence regarding these two types of groups?

A)Sects are more likely to form in regions where traditional forms of religion are well established.
B)NRMs are likely to form in geographical areas where traditional forms of religion are weak.
C)The desire for legitimacy may pull a sect toward becoming New Religious Movement.
D)Hostile, stigmatizing forces that are directed toward a sect may push the group toward becoming an NRM.

Question 25

Sects and NRMs are alike in a number of ways.The one statement listed below that is NOT true is

A)both rebel against some predominant cultural values.
B)both typically lack formally trained professional leaders.
C)both lack a bureaucratic structure.
D)both draw their membership overwhelmingly from the lower classes.

Question 26

A central issue in defining a NRM or cult is

A)the social class of the membership.
B)group size.
C)the style of worship.
D)whether the group has an autocratic leader who uses mind control techniques.
E)whether the group is initiating a new religious tradition rather than renewing a long-standing religion in that society.