Deck 17: Religion In Modern Society

Question 1

According to Robert Wuthnow,religious beliefs,rituals,and bonds create a _______________ in which all members know how to behave.

A) social force
B) religious organization
C) moral community
D) religious movement
E) moral movement

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Émile Durkheim's theory of religion,which connected religion with the overall nature of the institutions of a society,is an example of tradition that is:

A) monotheistic
B) polytheistic
C) Marxist
D) functionalist
E) symbolic interactionist

Answer 2

D

Question 3

According to Karl Marx,religion is a form of _______________,diverting attention from inequalities and injustice and encouraging acceptance of oppression.

A) alienation
B) magic
C) enlightenment
D) salvation
E) science

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Sociologists explain the appeal of religion in terms of:

A) the supernatural intervention of spirits or gods
B) the psychological experience of the person who is attracted to it
C) problems of the social order that threaten a person's sense of well-being
D) the relative importance of a single God
E) none of the above

Question 5

The theorist who would most likely support the idea that church leaders endorsed slavery and punished enslaved people because they believed slaves were guilty of an offense against God and their masters was:

A) George Herbert Mead
B) Harriet Martineau
C) Max Weber
D) Émile Durkheim
E) Karl Marx

Question 6

Of the following questions about religion,the one that is sociological is:

A) Is it true or false?
B) What are its principal beliefs and values?
C) Is it good or bad?
D) Should I believe in it?
E) Is God real?

Question 7

Sociologists would term a set of beliefs adhered to by the members of a community and that incorporates symbols regarded with a sense of awe or wonder together with ritual practices as:

A) sociology
B) religion
C) theism
D) philosophy
E) realism

Question 8

Belief that many gods represent various natural forces is:

A) totemism
B) animism
C) shamanism
D) monotheism
E) polytheism

Question 9

Belief in a single all-knowing,all-powerful god is called:

A) totemism
B) animism
C) shamanism
D) monotheism
E) polytheism

Question 10

Belief in one or more supernatural deities is called:

A) religion
B) theism
C) animism
D) evangelism
E) Buddhism

Question 11

The following sociological theorist who coined the term alienation in which the theorist argued that humans attribute their own cultural values and norms to something spiritual or alien (e.g.,supernatural)was:

A) Karl Marx
B) Émile Durkheim
C) Max Weber
D) Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
E) Herbert Spencer

Question 12

In Émile Durkheim's terms,objects that are venerated and treated as separate from the routine aspects of day-to-day existence are:

A) sacred
B) profane
C) shamans
D) magic
E) alienated

Question 13

Because religions provide a major source of norms and values,sociologists understand them to be:

A) among the least important institutions in society
B) a significant source of social solidarity
C) very rarely a source of conflict
D) not very useful in patterning social organization
E) only important if the belief in God is part of the religion

Question 14

The three key elements of the sociological definition of religion are that it is a form of culture,involves beliefs that:

A) takes form in ritualized practices, and provides a feeling that life is ultimately meaningful because it frames life in a way that other aspects of culture do not
B) takes form in ritualized practices, and provides a feeling that life is ultimately meaningless
C) takes form in ritualized practices, and ultimately provides a feeling of peace and comfort
D) takes form in private settings, and religion provides a feeling that life is ultimately meaningful because it frames life in a way that other institutions do not
E) takes form in private settings, and ultimately provides a feeling of peace and comfort

Question 15

According to Karl Marx,religious beliefs can provide justifications for those people who are:

A) in a position of need
B) in a position of power
C) in need of moral, social, or economic support
D) responsible for a group of practitioners
E) in need of a reason to change their geographic location

Question 16

Religion,according to Émile Durkheim,is based on a distinction between the _______________ and the _______________.

A) people; natural world
B) society; natural world
C) good; bad
D) sacred; profane
E) pure; nasty

Question 17

One limitation of the applicability of the classic theories of religion proposed by Karl Marx,Émile Durkheim,and Max Weber is that they based their approaches on:

A) societies in which a single religion prevailed
B) outdated religions
C) only theistic religions
D) a refusal to consider how closely religion can be linked with society
E) a belief that religious values were contrary to those of the larger society

Question 18

Some researchers argue that people often "get religion" when economic hardship,loneliness,loss or grief,physical suffering,or poor health threatens their fundamental sense of:

A) religious upbringing
B) religious order
C) moral community
D) social forces
E) social order

Question 19

Émile Durkheim failed to anticipate the role of religion in:

A) promoting social cohesion
B) enhancing social solidarity
C) causing division, conflict, and change in society
D) its most elementary forms, such as totemism
E) distinguishing between the sacred and the profane

Question 20

The person who called religion the "opium of the people" was:

A) Émile Durkheim
B) Karl Marx
C) Max Weber
D) Jesus Christ
E) Ludwig feuerbach

Question 21

The process by which people in society become more concerned with worldly than with spiritual matters and religious organizations lose their influence over social life is called:

A) charisma
B) millenarianism
C) secularization
D) profanity
E) shamanism

Question 22

The theorist who saw religion as a potential source of social transformation was:

A) Émile Durkheim
B) Karl Marx
C) Max Weber
D) Vladimir Lenin
E) friedrich Nietzsche

Question 23

In the classification of religious organizations based on early theories of Max Weber,Ernst Troeltsch,and Richard Niebuhr,_______________ were considered to be most established and conventional whereas _______________ were placed at the opposite end of the continuum.

A) sects; churches
B) churches; sects
C) churches; cults
D) cults; churches
E) cults; sects

Question 24

______________ are a form of religious revival,whereas ______________ are a form of religious innovation.

A) Churches; sects
B) Sects; denominations
C) Denominations; cults
D) Denominations; churches
E) Sects; cults

Question 25

According to Émile Durkheim,the social function of religion is that it:

A) provides justification for those who are in power
B) aids in providing coherence or solidarity by ensuring that people meet regularly to affirm common beliefs and values
C) contributes to the process of social transformation
D) provides people with the truth about all human existence
E) has little or nothing to do with the function of society

Question 26

On September 11,2001,U.S.citizens attended church in tremendous numbers.This exemplifies the understanding of religion by:

A) Karl Marx
B) Harriet Martineau
C) Max Weber
D) Émile Durkheim
E) George Herbert Mead

Question 27

Max Weber considered the source of the capitalistic outlook found in the modern West to be:

A) the profit motive
B) money
C) Protestantism
D) Catholicism
E) Islam

Question 28

Max Weber wrote an extensive study of worldwide religions.These writings differ from those by other theorists in that the focus is on religion:

A) and religious practitioners
B) and social transformations
C) and conformity
D) as a conservative force
E) as a socialist force

Question 29

The religious economy model is adapted from:

A) an anthropological viewpoint
B) the business world
C) political science
D) statistical analysis
E) Marxism

Question 30

_______________ the classical theorists,religious economists argue that competition with other religious and secular viewpoints ______________ religion in society overall.

A) Unlike; weakens
B) Like; weakens
C) Unlike; strengthens
D) Like; strengthens
E) Unlike; destroys

Question 31

_______________ that survive over time become institutionalized as _______________.

A) Churches; sects
B) Sects; denominations
C) Denominations; cults
D) Denominations; churches
E) Sects; cults

Question 32

To assess the extent of secularization,sociologists examine all of the following except:

A) the level of membership in religious organizations
B) trends in the amount of social influence, wealth, and prestige held by religious organizations
C) the amount of religiosity among the population
D) an individual's belief in the actual existence of a single god
E) none of the above

Question 33

The theorist who would support the idea that after initially tolerating or endorsing slavery,church leaders eventually played a significant role in abolishing it was:

A) Karl Marx
B) Émile Durkheim
C) Max Weber
D) George Herbert Mead
E) Harriet Martineau

Question 34

The most likely to assert that "capitalism and industrialization expanded faster in those countries where Protestantism,rather than Catholicism,dominated the country" was:

A) Karl Marx
B) Émile Durkheim
C) Max Weber
D) Siddartha Gautama
E) none of the above

Question 35

Secularization is:

A) an understanding of how the world works through science
B) the diminished influence and power of religion in society
C) the use of rational thought in everyday thinking
D) the close relationship between religion and the state
E) the increasing influence of religious organizations in a society

Question 36

Of the following theorists,the one who was most interested in the world's religions was:

A) Émile Durkheim
B) Karl Marx
C) Auguste Comte
D) Ludwig feuerbach
E) Max Weber

Question 37

A religious organization that forms by breaking away from an established church,relies on people joining rather than being born into the group,and generally rejects or tries to change the surrounding society would be termed a:

A) religious movement
B) denomination
C) church
D) sect
E) cult

Question 38

Because the terms sect and cult have negative connotations today,sociologists now prefer to call such groups:

A) churches
B) denominations
C) new social movements
D) new religious movements
E) New Age religions

Question 39

In a society with a great deal of pluralism in religion,such as the United States,different religious groups use marketing techniques to package an appealing product to attract buyers in a competitive market.The approach in the sociology of religion that uses this type of description was:

A) Marxism
B) Weberians
C) functionalism
D) religious economy
E) total quality inquisition (TQI)

Question 40

Max Weber regarded Christianity as a salvation religion in which human beings can be "saved" if they follow its moral tenets.According to him,eastern religions differ from Christianity in that they:

A) tend to lack emotional dynamism and cultivate an attitude of passivity or acceptance.
B) demand a constant struggle against sin and because of that lead to revolt
C) focus on economic progress rather than moral tenets
D) focus on true spiritual concerns and so require that followers accept all of the beliefs of the religion
E) lack specific moral tenets and instead focus on the emotional and physical involvement of their followers

Question 41

Among the following,the most likely to participate in the New Age movement is:

A) a student who does not believe in a higher being
B) the deacon at the local church
C) a recently divorced man who just dropped out of college
D) the president of a synagogue
E) a devout Catholic

Question 42

Pentecostalism argues that the Holy Spirit can be heard through individuals who are granted the gift of speaking in tongues.This is an example of a:

A) world-rejecting movement
B) world-accommodating movement
C) world-affirming movement
D) New Age movement
E) fundamentalist movement

Question 43

The second-largest and fastest-growing religion in the world is:

A) Christianity
B) Islam
C) Judaism
D) Hinduism
E) Buddhism

Question 44

The following that would NOT be included in the term new religious movements is:

A) the Unification Church
B) the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
C) New Age self-help seminar
D) Catholicism
E) Scientology

Question 45

An association of people who join together to spread a new religion or a new interpretation of an existing religion is a:

A) religious movement
B) denomination
C) church
D) sect
E) cult

Question 46

In many Asian countries today,evangelical Protestantism is regarded as a:

A) denomination
B) sect
C) church
D) cult
E) fundamentalist organization

Question 47

Of the following statements,the one that best describes Catholics in the United States is that:

A) children born Catholic are the least likely of any major religious group to leave their church as adults
B) the number of Catholics in the United States is decreasing
C) the main source of growth in the Catholic Church is Protestant conversion
D) the main source of growth in the Catholic Church has been through immigration from Mexico and Central America
E) since 1975, church attendance among Catholics has increased

Question 48

Christianity is a very small minority in:

A) Asia
B) Africa
C) South America
D) the United States
E) Bosnia

Question 49

for a religious movement to survive after its leader dies,usually the:

A) followers find another charismatic leader
B) followers join another religious organization
C) new leaders establish regulations and formalize structures
D) new leaders impose their version of religious ideology on the followers
E) None of the above; once a leader dies, the movement always fades away.

Question 50

According to your text,religious movements pass through several phases of development.The first phases,according to Max Weber,involve charismatic leaders.Some other characteristics of this type of leader is that they:

A) are passive and caring
B) have the ability to capture people's imagination and the devotion of followers.
C) have strong convictions and the ability to articulate these convictions in writing
D) are well educated with significant financial support
E) are interested in integrating a variety of religious tenets and aggressively pursue followers

Question 51

The type of new religious movement most likely to require significant lifestyle changes of its members is a:

A) world-affirming movement
B) world-rejecting movement
C) world-accommodating movement
D) world-class movement
E) world-shattering movement

Question 52

The most loosely organized and transient of all religious organizations is a:

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

Question 53

Ora Mae just joined a religious group that holds weekly support groups for divorced people; has workshops on bringing spirituality into our everyday lives; and provides life coaches who help members learn to invest,train for new jobs,and set and maintain goals in their lives.This religious group would be an example of a:

A) New Age religion
B) world-accommodating religion
C) world-affirming religion
D) denomination
E) cult

Question 54

The largest religion in the world,with 2.3 billion followers,is:

A) Christianity
B) Islam
C) Judaism
D) Hinduism
E) Buddhism

Question 55

_______________ other institutions,women have been _______________ positions of power in most churches and denominations.

A) As is the case in; excluded from
B) As is the case in; incorporated in
C) Contrary to the situation in; excluded from
D) Contrary to the situation in; incorporated in
E) None of the above; women's situations vary greatly from one group to another.

Question 56

An example of a world-affirming movement would be the:

A) Protestant church
B) Unification church
C) Baptist church
D) Branch Davidian cult
E) Church of Scientology

Question 57

Of the following groups,the one that has seen a big decrease in attendance at religious services largely because of its stance on birth control is:

A) Catholic
B) Protestant
C) Jewish
D) the new cult
E) fundamentalist

Question 58

The characteristic that is NOT often associated with being a member of a new religious movement is:

A) being a convert
B) being in the middle class
C) being well educated
D) having limited education
E) feeling alienation

Question 59

According to Max Weber's theory,leaders who are charismatic:

A) have inspirational qualities capable of capturing the imagination and devotion of a mass of followers
B) are usually the main force behind a religious movement in its early phase
C) may be political or religious leaders
D) all of the above
E) none of the above

Question 60

The New Age religious movement is unique in that it:

A) has an exclusive basis in medieval Christianity
B) practices human sacrifice
C) has rigid dogmatism
D) has a narrow, inflexible organizational structure
E) has an eclectic openness to diverse practices and beliefs from all over the globe

Question 61

The country that has no separation of mosque and state is:

A) Iran
B) Turkey
C) Egypt
D) Algeria
E) Nigeria

Question 62

The original source of the world's two largest religions is:

A) Christianity
B) Islam
C) Judaism
D) Hinduism
E) Buddhism

Question 63

There are many theories to explain Islamic revivalism.Iranian writer Jalal al Ahmad believes it is a reaction to:

A) secularization
B) "westoxification": the overwhelming presence of Western culture and beliefs
C) the liberalization of the Iranian state
D) the influx of Hindu immigrants
E) a fatwa from the Islamic legal authorities

Question 64

Sociologists argue that the United States has a set of religious beliefs through which it interprets its own history in light of some conception of ultimate reality.Robert Bellah refers to this as a(n):

A) ecclesia
B) theism
C) nontheistic religion
D) civil religion
E) historicism

Question 65

The spread of Islamic fundamentalism is best understood as:

A) a liberalization of gender and sexual norms
B) a disavowal of the Koran and a movement toward a more secular society
C) the rise of a terrorist, violent religious sect
D) a political movement that is reacting against Western beliefs
E) all of the above

Question 66

Of the following,the one that best describes liberation theology is:

A) Mel Gibson's production of The Passion of the Christ and its remarkable profitability
B) Oktoberfest and its combination of frivolity and religiosity
C) the religious overtone in a pregame locker room prior to an important game
D) religious involvement in improving the economic and political lives of people
E) the stoning of women who are accused of adultery

Question 67

The connection between religion and violence is that:

A) Western religions, such as Christianity and Judaism, do not engage in violent activity; they focus only on compassion and understanding
B) violence exists in most religions and is couched in terms of the forces of good against the forces of evil
C) Islam is the only religion that mandates a direct link between religious fervor and violence
D) violence in the form of military conquests is always directed at religious conflicts
E) nearly all religious violence has been directed at Jews

Question 68

Before the September 11,2001,attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon,the worst terrorist attack on U.S.soil was carried out by individual whose religion was:

A) Islam
B) Hinduism
C) Judaism
D) Christianity
E) Buddhism

Question 69

The current relationship between religion and politics in the United States is that:

A) there is an increased movement to disestablish the two institutions
B) formal religion is absent from U.S. politics because of the U.S. belief in the civil religion
C) the U.S. Constitution mandates a complete separation of religion and government, a policy strongly enforced by the Bush administration.
D) Democrats have courted the religious fundamentalists by focusing on moral issues of gun control and antiwar platforms.
E) the Republican Party has adopted the key issues of conservative religious leaders.

Question 70

The following that best describes the trend of religious affiliation in the United States is that:

A) Jewish affiliation has increased because of religious conversions
B) a dramatic increase in the number of Catholics attending religious services has occurred
C) more men and women are joining evangelical churches
D) public displays of religion since the election of George W. Bush have been consistently eroding
E) None of the above.

Question 71

Of the following,the one that accurately describes the uniqueness of the September 11,2001,attacks on the United States is that it was the:

A) first time al Qaeda had attacked U.S. property
B) first attack on the United States from a religious extremist group
C) first time U.S. government officials became aware of al Qaeda
D) first time a foreign attack killed thousands of civilians in the United States
E) all of the above.

Question 72

The one of the following religious denominations that has the highest percentage of college graduates in the United States is:

A) Catholicism
B) Judaism
C) Hinduism
D) Islam
E) Protestantism

Question 73

The major world religion's philosophy and practice that is the most diverse is:

A) Christianity
B) Islam
C) Judaism
D) Hinduism
E) Buddhism

Question 74

The characteristic that is NOT associated with evangelical organizations is:

A) spiritual entrepreneurship
B) televangelism
C) enormous growth
D) gospel of prosperity
E) self-denial

Question 75

The major world religion that contains elements of polytheism is:

A) Christianity
B) Islam
C) Judaism
D) Hinduism
E) Buddhism

Question 76

Since the 1960s,liberal Protestant denominations have _______________ in membership,but membership in conservative Protestant denominations has _______________.

A) declined; not changed
B) declined; exploded
C) not changed; exploded
D) risen; declined
E) exploded; declined

Question 77

Relative to those who practice other religions,very few people practice Judaism .It has exercised a greater worldly influence than its numbers would indicate because:

A) more economic institutions are owned by Jewish men and women
B) Jews have played a role in the arts, science, and business disproportionately to their numbers
C) Jews have control of most of the oil reserves in the Middle East
D) Jews tend to live in small towns where a few people can make a significant difference
E) Jews have suffered a great deal of persecution

Question 78

Evangelicalism is:

A) a part of Hinduism involving polytheism
B) the process of converting individuals to become part of Islamic religions
C) a form of Protestantism characterized by a belief in spiritual rebirth (being "born again")
D) a period during which the political influence of established religions is successfully challenged
E) a new age religious cult

Question 79

The phrase use of "under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance is an aspect of:

A) political religion
B) civil religion
C) separation of church and state
D) secularization
E) fundamentalism

Question 80

Although the U.S.Constitution mandates a separation between religion and government,there is a civil religion that binds Americans.The following that best illustrates this civil religion is:

A) failing children in school who refuse to say a morning prayer in the classroom
B) praying to Jesus before taking this exam
C) having great-grandparents who said the Pledge of Allegiance in school
D) profiling Muslims at U.S. airports
E) believing that God has a special mission for the United States