Deck 14: Supernatural Beliefs

Question 1

Sorcery,involving the use of potions and medicines,is a(n):

A) inborn capacity to harm others.
B) involuntary capacity to harm others.
C) often unconscious capacity to harm others.
D) deliberate attempt to bring about harm through the use of supernatural powers.
E) modern-day movement associated with Wicca and covens.

Answer 1

deliberate attempt to bring about harm through the use of supernatural powers.

Question 2

Wicca's present day popularity is associated with all of the following except:

A) it has stimulated book sales on the subject of witchcraft.
B) it is evident in the teenage market.
C) it is associated with Satanism in urban areas.
D) it is considered a legitimate, official religion in the United States.
E) in 2007 the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs recognized the pentacle as a Wiccan symbol.

Answer 2

it is associated with Satanism in urban areas.

Question 3

Which of the following is an example of something that would be used for imitative magic?

A) hair
B) nail clippings
C) voodoo doll
D) teeth
E) a dirty handkerchief

Answer 3

voodoo doll

Question 4

The belief that spirit beings exist and that they reside in plants and natural objects is known as:

A) animism.
B) animatism.
C) mana.
D) sorcery.
E) magic.

Question 5

While forms of religion may vary,they all are founded upon a belief:

A) in one major deity.
B) that there is life after death.
C) in the supernatural.
D) in reincarnation.
E) that there is good and evil in the world.

Question 6

Wicca,as practiced in North American cities,has all of the following characteristics except:

A) it has a matriarchal character.
B) it emphasizes fertility.
C) it is divided into groups called covenants.
D) it involves visualizations and chants.
E) it is a growing movement today.

Question 7

Which of the following statements is true?

A) Belief in the power of supernatural sanctions determines the level of conformity an individual has to socially prescribed behavior.
B) By providing an alternative power structure, religion often increases social hostility and conflict.
C) There is no correlation between social control and religious belief systems.
D) Only a few religious systems prescribe to purely ethical behavior.
E) For those who practice religion, there is a rather moderate increase in stress and frustration that sometimes has an effect on society at large.

Question 8

Myths,which tell stories of the gods,their origins,their activities,and the moral injunctions they teach,are found:

A) only in large-scale industrialized societies.
B) only in peasant societies.
C) only in food-collecting societies.
D) in every society.
E) in societies where there are multiple religions.

Question 9

Which of the following is not a reason that religion intensifies group solidarity?

A) People's shared religious beliefs, practices, and rituals often create powerful social bonds.
B) People share in the mysteries of their belief system.
C) People are separated by their beliefs from others who do not share the same ideas.
D) People who engage together in religion often likewise engage in other nonreligious activities.
E) People practice religion that mimics and copies the wider social structure of which they are a part.

Question 10

Which of the following is not correct?

A) Karl Marx suggested that religion was a tool used for the oppression of lower classes.
B) Emile Durkheim argued that religion enables people to see themselves as part of a larger group.
C) Max Weber claimed that religion supported the rise of certain economic systems.
D) Sir Edward Tylor argued that the primary form of religion was animatism.
E) Robert Marett believed that the earliest forms of religion were emotive and intuitive.

Question 11

Which statement is true about the distinction between imitative and contagious magic?

A) Contagious magic is the belief that being around a magician will cause the victim harm.
B) Contagious magic is the notion that an object having been in contact with a person retains a magical connection to that person.
C) Imitative magic involves doing harm to a person by performing magic on his finger nail clippings.
D) Imitative magic involves such things as voodoo dolls and is found all over the world.
E) Both imitative and contagious magic were early forms of religion that are no longer found today.

Question 12

A myth that conveys morals through the stories of anthropomorphized animals is:

A) a profane myth.
B) a "trickster" myth.
C) an origin myth.
D) a sacred myth.
E) a zoomorphic myth.

Question 13

Both religion and magic:

A) are nonrational systems of supernatural belief.
B) deal with one's spiritual relationship with deities.
C) are group, rather than individual, activities.
D) are susceptible to scientific verification.
E) are practiced irregularly and not at set times.

Question 14

Why did Robert Marett believe that animism was not the earliest form of religion?

A) He did not believe that "primitive" peoples had any form of religion.
B) He believed that "primitive" peoples did not make the intellectual distinction between body and soul that is required for animism.
C) He collected artifacts that proved that the earliest form of religion was polytheism.
D) He believed that early cultures worshipped themselves as gods.
E) He believed that God created Adam and Eve and that monotheism was the only true way.

Question 15

Which statement is true about the belief system called Wicca?

A) Wiccans are found mostly in urban areas.
B) Wiccans use their powers for evil purposes.
C) In North America, Wiccans are comprised of mostly men.
D) Wiccans emphasize sexuality as part of their cult.
E) Wicca is both matriarchal and patriarchal in its form and structure.

Question 16

When we claim that religion,as a belief in the supernatural,is universal,we mean that:

A) every person in the world believes in some type of supernatural.
B) every person in the world believes in good and evil.
C) individuals believe in the supernatural, but not all cultures contain a belief in the supernatural.
D) all cultures contain a belief in the supernatural, but not all individuals believe in it.
E) religion has existed throughout history in non-scientific societies and that it served as the precursor to science.

Question 17

Separatist Christian churches in South Africa during apartheid played a role in conflict resolution because Black South Africans:

A) gained real political power through their churches.
B) created an illusion of power by manipulating their own set of religious symbols and forming their own unique churches.
C) gained real economic power through their churches.
D) expressed their resentment against the apartheid government in their religious activity.
E) created a social network that provided security and charity when they most needed it.

Question 18

Which of the following does not describe witchcraft,as it is defined by anthropology?

A) It is always viewed negatively.
B) It can harm through evil thoughts.
C) It relies only on psychic power to harm people.
D) It leaves no visible evidence of its existence.
E) It is believed to be deliberate and intentional.

Question 19

Religion differs from magic in all of the following ways except:

A) religion deals with major issues of human existence, while magic is directed toward specific aims.
B) religion uses prayer and sacrifices to appeal to supernatural powers, while magic believes that that it can control circumstances through its own efforts.
C) religion tends to be practiced at irregular times, while magic has a set timetable for practice.
D) religion uses officially-recognized functionaries, such as priests, while magic may not have officially-recognized leaders.
E) religion tends to be group activity, while magic tends to be an individual activity.

Question 20

Individuals benefit psychologically from religion because it:

A) helps explain the unexplainable.
B) gives them answers based upon scientific authority.
C) provides a rational and logical framework for giving meaning to events and experiences.
D) makes them feel as if their increased stress levels have a function in society.
E) answers all questions regarding their daily lives.

Question 21

Which statement about religion in the United States is true?

A) About 10% of the population claims active church membership.
B) People in the U.S. are less religiously active than Italians and Frenchmen.
C) Religion is more important to liberals and Democrats than to conservatives and Republicans.
D) Approximately 28% of Americans have changed their faith system since they became adults.
E) Asians are the subgroup for whom religion is most important.

Question 22

Anthony Wallace uses the term "cult" to refer to:

A) religious organizations that brainwash their members.
B) a form of religion having its own set of beliefs, rituals, and goals.
C) anti-social religious groups that often encourage their followers to commit mass suicide.
D) small-scale religious groups that are opposed to any form of control from the federal government.
E) groups that are considered deviant by mainline churches.

Question 23

Which of the following is not a major religious trend in the world today?

A) people are blending elements of more than one religion
B) the increase in Christian church membership in developing countries
C) the vast growth of cyber-churches
D) the rise of Islamic religious nationalism
E) the decline of Christian church membership in Europe

Question 24

People perform religious rituals as:

A) a way of invoking supernatural beings to control those forces over which they feel they have no control.
B) a practice with as little emotion as possible, because they seldom really believe rituals are effective.
C) a way of demonstrating the strong control they have over their own lives.
D) a way to demonstrate social importance and validation for their lives.
E) a way to obtain political, social, and economic power.

Question 25

Marx argued that the working class:

A) would use religion to overthrow the owners of production.
B) understood the nature of their relationship with factory owners because of the lesson of religion.
C) was distracted by religion from the fact that they were being exploited by the ruling class.
D) used religion as a social mechanism to increase conflict between different economic subgroups.
E) would one day overtake the churches and change the nature of religion.

Question 26

Rites of passage with stages of separation,transition,and incorporation are part of:

A) ecclesiastical cults.
B) shamanistic cults.
C) communal cults.
D) individualistic cults.
E) congregational cults.

Question 27

Ecclesiastical cults are found most commonly among:

A) tribal societies.
B) state societies.
C) foraging societies.
D) chiefdom societies.
E) dictatorships.

Question 28

The predominant mode of religious organization practiced among food collectors is:

A) ecclesiastical cults.
B) shamanistic cults.
C) communal cults.
D) individualistic cults.
E) congregational cults.

Question 29

Which statement about religion in the United States is false?

A) The U.S. places a high value on organized religion.
B) A higher percentage of U.S. population is affiliated with a religious organization than Western European countries.
C) Church membership in the U.S. has grown steadily over the last two hundred years.
D) About 60% of Americans claim that religion plays an important role in their lives.
E) Membership in religious organizations in the U.S. has declined slightly over the last 15 years.

Question 30

Which statement about religion in the United States is true?

A) Liberals are more religious than conservatives.
B) People under 40 are more religious than people over 40.
C) Blacks are more religious than Whites.
D) New Englanders are more religious than Southerners.
E) Urban dwellers are more religious than rural dwellers.

Question 31

Which statement about shamanism is false?

A) Shamans are full-time specialists.
B) Shamans are thought to have supernatural powers.
C) Shamans contact spirits while in an altered state of consciousness.
D) Shamans use their powers to heal and tell fortunes of their clients.
E) All contemporary societies operate at the shamanistic level.

Question 32

Shamans,among the Reindeer Tungus of Siberia:

A) can be either men or women.
B) can neither control spirits nor stop them from causing harm.
C) are distinct because they never serve as mediums for spirits.
D) use no special paraphernalia such as costumes or mirrors.
E) are full-time specialists.

Question 33

What type of religious organization has groups that perform rites for the community?

A) ecclesiastic
B) communal
C) shamanistic
D) individualistic
E) congregational

Question 34

In an ecclesiastical cult,the laypersons are responsible for:

A) performing periodic rituals.
B) performing weekly rituals.
C) supporting the church through their labor and money.
D) engaging in a "vision quest."
E) serving as the leader on a rotational basis.

Question 35

Which of the following is false about liberation theology,which developed during the 1970s and 1980s in South America?

A) It is an activist form of Catholicism.
B) It has led to many deaths but very little substantial change in society.
C) It merged theology with an activism for social justice for the poor.
D) It led many priests and nuns to lose their lives in political conflict.
E) It is a militant form of religion.

Question 36

The Kikuyu initiation ritual:

A) involves no physical operation other than the scarring of women and men's elbows.
B) does not involve the separation of the initiates from their former status.
C) involves the incorporation of the initiate back into the society as a whole.
D) is held every twenty years in order to initiate one generation at a time.
E) occurs on evenings in which there is a full moon.

Question 37

What type of religious organization has full-time religious specialists?

A) individualistic
B) shamanistic
C) communal
D) ecclesiastic
E) congregational

Question 38

Which statement about religion in the U.S.is true?

A) Evangelical Protestants are the largest single denomination.
B) The fastest-growing groups are Catholics from Mexico.
C) Approximately 24% of all U.S. residents are Jewish.
D) Men are more likely than women to describe themselves as religious.
E) The smallest denomination in the United States is Jehovah's Witnesses.

Question 39

African American churches in the U.S.have played an important role as agents of social change in all of the following ways except:

A) they have experienced significant decline in recent years.
B) they have served as rallying places for protestors and community activists.
C) they helped freed slaves on the Underground Railroad.
D) Black Muslims have been a force for change by encouraging autonomous African American communities.
E) they have fostered the idea of an autonomous African American community.

Question 40

Rites of solidarity are directed toward the welfare of:

A) the entire community.
B) individual members of the community.
C) the group's shaman.
D) the group's leader.
E) the family as a unit.

Question 41

Both religion and magic are systems of supernatural belief and are not susceptible to scientific verification.

Question 42

Contemporary witches are Satanists.

Question 43

Handsome Lake,a New York state Seneca Indian,did all of the following except:

A) prescribe new moral principles and rules of behavior.
B) receive a vision to stop drinking and start a revitalizing religion.
C) free the Seneca Indians from government reservations.
D) urge the adoption of European agricultural practices.
E) lead a revitalization movement in New York State.

Question 44

Religion can reduce stress and frustrations that often lead to social conflict.

Question 45

Through the expert witness of anthropologist John Hostetler,the Amish won a landmark court decision in 1972.What was the nature of the court decision?

A) It allowed them to refrain from seeking medical attention for their children when they were sick.
B) It allowed them to use buggies and horses on Pennsylvania public roads.
C) It allowed their children to leave public school after eighth grade.
D) It formally recognized Amish church marriage as a legal institution.
E) It allowed Amish to separate their houses and farms and close off their villages to tourists.

Question 46

The most basic type of religious organization is the:

A) ecclesiastical cult.
B) religious cult.
C) individualistic cult.
D) vision quest.
E) millenarian cult.

Question 47

Animism was proposed by Robert Marett as the earliest stage in religious development.

Question 48

All of the following are types of revitalization movements except:

A) separatist Christian churches of southern Africa.
B) nativistic movements among Native Americans.
C) cargo cults in Melanesia.
D) ecclesiastical religions in the southern U.S.
E) mahdist movements in the Muslim world.

Question 49

Mana is a form of:

A) animism.
B) animatism.
C) animalism.
D) anism.
E) annihilism.

Question 50

The trend toward merging traditional religious principles with the workings of government is known as:

A) religious nationalism.
B) religious fundamentalism.
C) religious democracy.
D) civil religion.
E) secular religion.

Question 51

Religion prevents people from expressing their common identity in ways that would create powerful social bonds.

Question 52

Ecclesiastical cults are found in all types of societies,from small-scale to state,and have both part-time and full-time professional clergy.

Question 53

Magic is practiced in response to specific and immediate problems,not at regular times and places.

Question 54

Rites of passage are important public rituals that mark a change in a person's social position.

Question 55

Why is religion itself so difficult to define?

A) It does not actually exist, so there is nothing tangible to study.
B) It cannot be approached through a scientific point of view and is not a subject for scientists.
C) It is so varied that there is no way to fully understand another religion.
D) It is embedded in the total social structure and difficult to distinguish.
E) So much of religion occurs within the individual that it cannot be studied as a single phenomenon.

Question 56

All of the following are modifications that were made for a new clinic for Chinese immigrants in New York except:

A) they are staffed only four days a week because Chinese go to the doctor only Sunday through Wednesdays.
B) walls were painted yellow and pink and the color white was avoided.
C) hospital chefs learned to make rice porridge because it was favored by the Chinese.
D) they waited to open on a date that was not considered unlucky.
E) they believed these changes and modifications would reduce patient anxiety.

Question 57

Which of the following statements about the Amish in the U.S.is not true?

A) They place a high value on infant baptism.
B) They practice strict endogamy.
C) They strive to live their lives in harmony with nature.
D) They use excommunication as a way to discipline errant members.
E) They maintain a disciplined church community.

Question 58

Which statement concerning religious fundamentalism is false?

A) It has been on the rise in the U.S. for a long time.
B) It only exists in Islamic countries.
C) It has grown much more rapidly in the U.S. in recent decades than traditional Protestant denominations.
D) It plays an increasingly important role in the politics of the United States.
E) It is a phenomenon that is not associated with globalization.

Question 59

All forms of religion are alike in that they are founded on a belief in the supernatural.

Question 60

Witchcraft and sorcery are only found in small-scale non-Western societies.

Question 61

What are two significant changes in the globalization of religions?

Question 62

What is the difference between witchcraft and sorcery?

Question 63

What are five differences between religion and magic?

Question 64

Liberation theology emerged as a social justice movement associated with the Protestant church.

Question 65

The Branch Davidians led by David Koresh are classified as a revitalization movement.

Question 66

What features do religion and magic share?

Question 67

How is the ancestor cult considered to be a type of rite of solidarity?

Question 68

Who is Handsome Lake and what effect did he have on the Seneca Nation?

Question 69

What is a rite of passage?

Question 70

Ancestor cults are a type of rite of solidarity.

Question 71

Name each of the social functions of religion.

Question 72

What four principal patterns of religious organizations were identified by Wallace?

Question 73

Fundamentalists draw the majority of their members from among their own religious tradition.

Question 74

In the past 60 years in the U.S.,the United Methodist Church has lost 56% of its members.

Question 75

American Catholics are now "outsourcing" their religious rituals to Catholic priests in India.

Question 76

Today in the U.S.more than 75% of the population practices religion.

Question 77

The United States has the highest rate of religious nationalism in the world.

Question 78

The largest world religion in 2010 was Islam.

Question 79

Name three different types of revitalization movements.

Question 80

Europeans tend to be more religious than people in the United States.