Deck 11: Religion

Question 1

According to your text, the Goddess hypothesis which was popular in the 1970s and 80s has been criticized as lacking support by any real archeological evidence. The reason suggested for the popularity of this theory is:

A) The novel, The Da Vinci Code, has revealed new evidence to support the Goddess theory
B) Theological scholars involved in writing The Da Vinci Code have revealed new evidence to support the Goddess theory
C) Most people who practice Catholicism today agree with the Goddess theory
D) Cyclical belief patterns
E) The Goddess Theory served a social function in the present

Answer 1

E

Question 2

________ is the process by which sectors of society are removed from the domination of religious institutions and symbols.

Answer 2

Secularization

Question 3

The most distinctive trait of traditional religious life, Durkheim stipulated, is the division of all things into two opposite categories: the ________ (that which should be treated with awe) and the ________ (the ordinary or every day).

Answer 3

sacred; profane

Question 4

Which of the following statements regarding measuring religiosity is NOT true?

A) The measure should access information about all the aspects and ways of being religious
B) Accurate research instruments are relatively simple and uncomplicated to design
C) Glock and Stark's multidimensional tool has generated a great deal of research
D) Glock and Stark's tool is implicitly biased towards a more conservative style of Christianity
E) Every approach to measuring religiosity is plagued by problems of self-reporting.

Question 5

The carefully orchestrated and solemn acts of ritual have a disciplining effect on people, directing the attention of participants to the ideals and sentiments they share with their group. They are lifted for a time out of the limited horizon of their own personal preoccupations, and exposed through highly condensed symbols, gestures, and stories to an intuitive grasp of the collective wisdom of their society. Durkheim referred to this as the ________ conscience.

Question 6

Marx believed that the quest for religious virtue, which subdued the mind and distorted thinking like a powerful narcotic, was used by the dominant class to distract the working class from developing a critical appreciation of the real source of their deprivation. He thus characterized religion as "the ________ of the people".

Question 7

Which three founding fathers of sociology paid extensive and careful attention to the study of religion in their work?

A) Marx, Durkheim, Weber
B) Marx, Durkheim, Bibby
C) Otto, Bibby, Weber
D) Marx, Otto, Bibby
E) None of the above

Question 8

According to Calvin's doctrine of ________, the ultimate status of believers, whether they are saved or damned, is something God has predetermined.

Question 9

________ definitions of religion focus on what religion "does," and they tend to be too broad and inclusive.

A) Functionalist
B) Substantive
C) Interactionist
D) Critical
E) None of the above

Question 10

According to Bibby, over the past 50 years Canada has become an increasingly ________ society.

A) secular
B) religious
C) Christian
D) Protestant
E) conservative

Question 11

In terms of measuring religiosity, researchers Glock and Stark recommended inquiring into at least eight dimensions of religious life. One of these dimensions was the ________.

A) spiritualistic
B) cult
C) subsequent
D) experiential
E) supernatural

Question 12

Ireland and Quebec are examples of cases in which religion or the lack of religion have been linked to ________.

Question 13

________ saw a greater purpose for religion in society. He believed religious beliefs and practices had protected the moral integrity of social relations in the past.

Question 14

In their theory of religious economies, Stark et al posited that the most important product that a religious firm marketed was a/an ________, a strategy for obtaining a reward of immense value at a later date.

Question 15

________ religion is a term introduced by Luckmann to describe the kind of pervasive, non-institutionalized, and highly individualistic religiosity practiced by so many modern people.

Question 16

Tyler's definition of religion as the "belief in Spiritual beings" is an example of a/an ________ definition of religion, meaning that it emphasizes what religion "is" by attempting to define a crucial and universal feature of religious activity.

Question 17

The process of what sociologists call institutional ________ not only stripped religious institutions of their manifest power in social affairs, but also subverted the many latent or unintended functions that religions have long performed.

Question 18

Caught up in the emotional and almost contagious energy of a crowd, people will often experience levels of enthusiasm, ecstasy, pride, and fear quite out of keeping with their solitary experience. Durkheim regarded this as a sense of collective ________.

Question 19

________ tend to be much more homogenous than churches in their membership, drawing disproportionately from the underprivileged elements of society.

Question 20

________ argued that the ascetic impulse underlying capitalism might be the unique legacy of the Protestant Reformation.

Question 21

Which of the following statements regarding religious fundamentalism is NOT true?

A) In the recent past, there has been strong opposition from a number of groups who did not want faith -based arbitration to be extended to the use of Shariah law
B) The terms fundamentalist and evangelical are now often confused
C) Contemporary Protestant evangelical/fundamentalist fathers are more involved in the day-to-day care than fathers in other Protestant families
D) Contemporary Protestant evangelical/fundamentalist mothers are less likely than mothers in other Protestant families to work outside the home and report more often that they view themselves as subordinate partners in their marriages
E) According to your text, thriving Protestant fundamentalism is a product of the 20^th century

Question 22

Three interrelated features of the new religious consciousness are:

A) individualism, pragmatic approach, greater tolerance for other religious systems
B) legitimation, deprivation, multidimensionality
C) development, transformation, commitment
D) secular, individualistic, convergence
E) none of the above

Question 23

The traditional legitimating task of religion is being disrupted by two new realities of religious life, which are:

A) Mormonism and Scientology
B) secular and non-secular
C) privatization and pluralism
D) sects and cults
E) free trade and globalization

Question 24

Compare and contrast Marx and Durkheim's sociological approaches to religion. What are the major differences? Do they share common any elements?

Question 25

In the space of three decades the province of ________ went from being one of the most religious populations in the world, by conventional measures such as church attendance, to being one of the least religious populations.

A) Alberta
B) Newfoundland
C) P.E.I.
D) Quebec
E) Saskatchewan

Question 26

Although a student of religion, Weber's primary concern was with:

A) the origin and nature of modernity
B) class conflict in Asia
C) sexism
D) the rise of the proletariat
E) the profane and the sacred

Question 27

Building on the insights of Durkheim and Weber, Luckmann argued that the process of ________ works against the interests and power of traditional religions by reducing the scope of the functions of religion.

A) socialization
B) denominization
C) structuralization
D) rationalization
E) stabilization

Question 28

________ believed that in every age, religion served to justify the rule of one class over another.

A) Weber
B) Durkheim
C) Luckmann
D) Marx
E) Bibby

Question 29

________, in his famous book The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, traced the spirit of capitalism to the probable psychological effect of two doctrines introduced by the Protestant reformers who broke with Catholicism in the sixteenth century.

A) Marx
B) Weber
C) Durkheim
D) Calvin
E) Luther

Question 30

________ argued that the ultimate status of believers, whether they are saved or damned, is something God has predetermined.

A) Marx
B) Weber
C) Durkheim
D) Calvin
E) Luther

Question 31

In what ways do sects differ from churches? Describe what changes would need to occur for one group to evolve into another.

Question 32

In each of the recent cult suicides, ________ beliefs played a crucial role, structuring and motivating those who died.

A) Calvinist
B) Marxist
C) apocalyptic
D) sacred
E) organic

Question 33

Stark et al argued that the success of a given religious group is affected by the same things that affect ________ in the ________ world.

A) the proletariat; Marxist
B) sales; business
C) collective conscience; spiritual
D) self-interest; economic
E) individualization; post-modern

Question 34

In what ways has Canada become an increasingly secular society over the past half-century? In what ways does religiosity persist in Canada?

Question 35

The number of Canadians who claim to believe in God, or who claim to have personally experienced God in their lives has been steadily decreasing over the past few decades.

Question 36

Name and briefly describe the four premises which underpin Stark and Bainbridge's theory of religion.

Question 37

Luckmann used the term ________ religion to describe the kind of pervasive, non-institutionalized, and highly individualistic religions practiced by so many people today.

A) universal
B) denomination
C) cult
D) invisible
E) trend

Question 38

How to substantive and functionalist definitions of religion differ? How are they the same?

Question 39

According to Weber, how did the ethical doctrine of Protestantism historically lead to the spirit of capitalism?

Question 40

________ recognized a greater purpose for religion in society. He was keenly interested in understanding the processes that held societies together, that kept them unified and strong in the face of adversity and change.

A) Marx
B) Durkheim
C) Weber
D) Bibby
E) Otto

Question 41

Stark posited that the idea of competition between religious groups explains why Catholics in the US (where Catholics are a minority) are more like to attend church than Catholics in Latin America (where Catholics are a majority).

Question 42

Measuring religiosity is difficult, and no matter how one chooses to measure religiosity, every approach is plagued by the problems of self-reporting.

Question 43

Caught up in the emotional and almost contagious energy of a crowd, people will often experience levels of enthusiasm, ecstasy, pride, and fear quite out of keeping with their solitary experience. Durkheim regarded this as a sense of collective conscience.

Question 44

Calvin's doctrine of predestination maintained that the ultimate status of believers, whether they are saved or damned, is something God has predetermined.

Question 45

Durkheim recognized a purpose for religion in society. He believed religious beliefs and practices had protected the moral integrity of gender relations.

Question 46

Rational religion is a term introduced by Luckmann to describe the kind of pervasive, non-institutionalized, and highly individualistic religion practiced by so many modern people.

Question 47

Institutional differentiation is the process by which sectors of society are removed from the domination of religious institutions and symbols.

Question 48

In the 21^st century, North America has seen an increase in the popularity of fundamentalist Christianity. One explanation for this is that in times of uncertainty and moral flux, many people seem to want religions with clear and certain conceptions of what is good and bad and how to behave in the contemporary world.

Question 49

In the space of three decades (1960-1990), the people of Quebec went from being one of the most religious populations in the world to being one of the least religious populations.

Question 50

Tens of millions of North American's hold apocalyptic beliefs today.

Question 51

Functionalist definitions of religion focus on what religion "does" and tend to be too broad and inclusive, and they may also capture additional behaviours that are not typically thought of as religious.

Question 52

Calvin argued that the ascetic impulse underlying capitalism might be the unique legacy of the Protestant Reformation.

Question 53

In Canada, where no formal establishment of religion has existed since the mid-nineteenth century, levels of regular religious practice have increased about 40 to 50 percent.

Question 54

The process of what sociologists call primordialization not only stripped religious institutions of their manifest power in social affairs, but also subverted the many latent or unintended functions that religions have long performed.