Deck 13: New Religions and Movements

Question 1

The term "sect" was used by Max Weber to refer to which of the following?

A) Isolated Jewish groups
B) Any cult-like group
C) Christian splinter groups
D) All non-Christian religions
E) Pre-Christian pagan religions

Answer 1

C

Question 2

The term "cult" was originally used as which of the following?

A) A reference to violent extremist movements
B) A synonym for worship or religion
C) A reference to a small group under the control of a charismatic leader
D) A synonym for sect
E) A marker of illegality

Answer 2

B

Question 3

What is the most widely shared characteristic of cults?

A) Constitutional protection and tax exemption
B) A charismatic leader
C) Distinctive clothing
D) A tendency to violence
E) A millenarian belief in an imminent "End of Time"

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Which of the following was Hare Krishna at its origins?

A) Sect of Buddhism in India
B) Sect of Hinduism in India
C) Sect of Sikhism in India
D) Sect of New Age Movement in India
E) Sect of Confucianism in India

Question 5

What does it mean to hold to a millenarian belief?

A) Belief in universal salvation
B) Belief that the end of time is one thousand years away
C) Belief that the end of time is imminent
D) Belief that there is no heaven or hell
E) Belief that new stages of history come every thousand years

Question 6

From what tradition did Soka Gakkai develop?

A) Zen Buddhism
B) Hinduism
C) Theravada Buddhism
D) Nichiren Buddhism
E) Tibetan Buddhism

Question 7

What belief is at the core of Soka Gakkai?

A) Our souls are aliens.
B) Personal transformation comes from long, silent meditation.
C) Personal transformation comes from tantric sex.
D) Salvation comes from Krishna.
E) Personal transformation comes from chanting a sacred mantra.

Question 8

What is Falun Dafa popularly known as?

A) Pure Land
B) Caodong
C) The Cult of Law
D) Falun Gong
E) Falun Buddha

Question 9

What does the Chinese term qigong refer to?

A) The Dharma Wheel
B) Sudden awakening achieved through meditation
C) The mantra namu-myoho renge-kyo
D) Techniques that allow energy to flow properly through the body
E) Unseen energy flowing through the body

Question 10

Where is Falun Dafa persecuted and remains an underground movement?

A) Russia
B) South Korea
C) India
D) Thailand
E) China

Question 11

Who founded the International Society for Krishna Consciousness?

A) A Buddhist convert to Hinduism
B) A Hindu guru in India
C) A Western convert to Hinduism
D) A group of Indian and Western Hindus
E) A Hindu guru in the United States

Question 12

Out of what branch of Hinduism did the Hare Krishna movement come?

A) Shaiva Hinduism
B) Shakta Hinduism
C) Advaita Vedanta
D) The Brahmo Samaj
E) Vaishnava Hinduism

Question 13

What are the foundational texts for ISKCON?

A) The Vedas and the Upanishads
B) The Bhagavad Gita and the Srimad Bhagavatam
C) The dharmashastras
D) The Bhagavad Gita and the Vedas
E) The Ramayana and the Mahabharata

Question 14

At the heart of the Hare Krishna devotions is what understanding?

A) That Krishna is the Supreme Godhead
B) That singing praises to Vishnu is demanded of all devotees
C) That God has many names and forms
D) That the giving of alms is the highest duty of all devotees
E) That lord Vishnu is the supreme deity

Question 15

How many devotees comprise the Governing Body Commission of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness?

A) 12
B) 7
C) 3
D) 11
E) 24

Question 16

What is the best and highest path, according to Hare Krishnas?

A) Raja yoga
B) Bhakti yoga
C) Jnana yoga
D) Hatha yoga
E) Karma yoga

Question 17

Approximately how many temples and centers worldwide are currently in operation under the oversight of the International Society of Krishna Consciousness?

A) 100
B) 3000
C) 350
D) 1000
E) 750

Question 18

Joseph Smith was the founder of which new religious movement?

A) Kabbalah Centre
B) Nation of Islam
C) Christian Science
D) Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
E) Western branch of Soka Gakkai

Question 19

According to the Book of Mormon, from whom do the Indigenous peoples of the Americas descend?

A) Jesus
B) The Romans
C) Original humans predating Adam and Eve
D) A lost tribe of Israel
E) Angels fallen to earth

Question 20

What is the name of the record keeper among the Nephites who hid the books recovered by the prophet-historian named Mormon?

A) Ammaron
B) Joseph Smith
C) Brigham Young
D) Moroni
E) Nephi

Question 21

How do The Fundamentalist Mormons differ from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?

A) They live in Canada instead of the US.
B) They allow only men to do missionary work.
C) They permit the consumption of alcohol.
D) They believe in the inerrancy of the Book of Mormon.
E) They continue to practise polygamy.

Question 22

Out of what religion did the Baha'i faith develop?

A) North American Indigenous traditions
B) Hinduism
C) Christianity
D) Islam.
E) Judaism

Question 23

Where are the world headquarters of the Baha'i faith located nearby today?

A) Jerusalem
B) Istanbul
C) Haifa
D) Baghdad
E) Chicago

Question 24

According to Baha'i, how did Baha'u'llah understand his purpose?

A) To purify the faith
B) To prepare the faithful for a final battle between good and evil
C) To bring salvation
D) To unify the world
E) To fulfill God's promise to his people

Question 25

What does a convert to the Baha'i faith do to officially become a member of the community?

A) Personal profession before the community
B) Sign a declaration card
C) Profess before the community that Bab is the final prophet
D) Fast for three days and then receive the blessing of initiation
E) Past an oral examination on key doctrines

Question 26

Which of the following best describes the expansion of the Baha'i faith?

A) 2 million adherents primarily in the Middle East
B) 3 million adherents primarily in the Middle East and Asia
C) 1 million adherents primarily in Iran
D) 7 million adherents in approximately 235 countries
E) 5 million adherents in approximately 50 countries

Question 27

When and where was the Nation of Islam established?

A) Philadelphia in 1910
B) Detroit in 1930
C) Cairo in 1920
D) New York in 1830
E) Chicago in 1935

Question 28

What did the original theology of the Nation of Islam maintain?

A) That racial difference was the result of an evil inclination
B) That all humans were originally black and had lived in harmony as one tribe called Shabazz for millions of years
C) That humanity was created and lived in the Garden of Eden
D) That all humans were created equal
E) That Muhammad and his early converts were black

Question 29

Wallace

A) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
B) The Kabbalah Centre
C) Christian Science
D) The Western branch of Soka Gakkai
D) Fard was the founder of which new religious movement?

Question 30

What experience was life-changing for Malcolm X?

A) His move from Lansing to Boston
B) His encounter with Martin Luther King, Jr.
C) His conversion to Shi'a Islam
D) His pilgrimage to Mecca
E) Giving the speech "By Any Means Necessary"

Question 31

After Malcolm X changed his name to El Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, what did he begin teaching about Islam?

A) It was for all races.
B) It was for African Americans alone.
C) It was for all people who were oppressed by the "white devils."
D) It was only one choice amongst many for African Americans.
E) It was a false religion.

Question 32

Who organized the "Million Man March" in 1995?

A) Louis Farrakhan
B) Malcolm X
C) Elijah Muhammad
D) Wallace Muhammad
E) Wallace Fard

Question 33

Philip S. Berg was the founder of which new religious movement?

A) Christian Science
B) The Nation of Islam
C) The Kabbalah Centre
D) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
E) The Western branch of Soka Gakkai

Question 34

What does the term Ein Sof mean in the context of the Kabbalah Centre?

A) Divine Energy
B) The Endless
C) God
D) The Ultimate
E) Oneness

Question 35

Which of the following is a practice of the Kabbalah Centre?

A) Chanting a sacred mantra
B) Missionary work
C) Rhythmic dancing
D) Meditating on the names of God
E) Ritualized sex

Question 36

What is the name of the new movement in China that has grown out of Christianity?

A) Eastern Lightning
B) Eastern Way of Christ
C) Eastern Latter Day Saints
D) Eastern Nation of Christians
E) Eastern Apostles of Christ

Question 37

Who is Yang Xiangbin according to Eastern Lightning?

A) The New Christ
B) The New Buddha
C) The Enlightened Prophetess
D) The Sister of Christ
E) The New Light of God

Question 38

Who authored the book translated in English as The Word Appears in Flesh?

A) L. Ron Hubbard
B) Deepok Chopra
C) Yang Xiangbin
D) Starhawk (Miriam Simos)
E) Joseph Smith

Question 39

Members of Eastern Lightning refer to the Chinese communist party as what?

A) Red Devil
B) Latter Day Antichrist
C) Satan of the East
D) Eastern Darkness
E) Great Red Dragon

Question 40

Where did Wicca emerge around the time of the Second World War?

A) The United States
B) England
C) France
D) Germany
E) Australia

Question 41

The first modern use of the term "Wicca" is attributed to whom?

A) Margot Adler
B) Aleister Crowley
C) Gerald Gardner
D) Starhawk (Miriam Simos)
E) Doreen Valiente

Question 42

What is the name of the umbrella organization that represents many but not all covens?

A) The Covenant of the Goddess
B) The Covenant of the Priestess
C) The Craft of Wicca
D) The Covenant of Wiccans
E) The Craft of Wiccans

Question 43

What movement had a major impact on Wicca in North America?

A) The civil rights movement
B) The environmentalist movement
C) The LGBT movement
D) The feminist movement
E) The peace movement

Question 44

What is one of the most important symbols of Wicca?

A) The star of David
B) The cross
C) The circle
D) The crescent
E) The pentagram

Question 45

What term refers to L. Ron Hubbard's theory of what the soul does to the body?

A) Scientology
B) Engrams
C) Auditing
D) Thetans
E) Dianetics

Question 46

Scientologists understand the universe to consist of how many intersecting planes?

A) Eight
B) Ten
C) Twelve
D) Four
E) Two

Question 47

What does the term "engram" refer to in Scientology?

A) Physical pain
B) The soul of an alien
C) The practice of auditing
D) An ex-member
E) A mental block

Question 48

In Scientology, the term "squirrels" refers to whom?

A) Christians
B) Heretics
C) The souls of aliens
D) Those in advanced training
E) Spies placed in government institutions

Question 49

Which ex-Scientology employee exposed controversial practices in his book Blown for Good: Behind the Iron Curtain of Scientology?

A) Claude Vorilhon
B) L. Ron Hubbard
C) Gerald Gardner
D) Deepak Chopra
E) Marc Headley

Question 50

Who founded the Raëlian Movement?

A) Claude Vorilhon
B) L. Ron Hubbard
C) Deepak Chopra
D) Joseph Smith
E) Gerald Gardner

Question 51

According to the Raëlians, who is Yahweh?

A) A human
B) An alien
C) The only God
D) One of many gods
E) A ghost

Question 52

Which religious tradition/movement believes the Elohim are expected to return in 2035?

A) Raëlian Movement
B) Scientology
C) The Kabbalah Centre
D) Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
E) Eastern Lightning

Question 53

Which of the following is the Raëlian symbol?

A) An ankh
B) A swastika inside a six-pointed star
C) A nebula
D) A pentagram
E) A circle

Question 54

What is celebrated/commemorated on the Raëlian holiday on October 7^th?

A) Hiroshima bombing
B) Beginning of the Apocalypse
C) Raël's first encounter with Elohim
D) Raël's meeting with Jesus, Buddha and other prophets
E) Raël's vision to become the final prophet

Question 55

Which of the following are Raëlians encouraged to do?

A) Take a vow of celibacy
B) Teach evolution
C) Use drugs
D) Celebrate sensuality and free love
E) Get married

Question 56

For what is Deepak Chopra known?

A) Introducing Sufism to the Western world
B) Founding the New Age movement
C) Teaching the practices of mesmerism
D) Founding the International Society for Krishna Consciousness
E) Teaching the compatibility of ayurvedic medicine with Western medicine

Question 57

Which divination manual became a best-seller in the 1960s?

A) Dianetics
B) Yijing
C) Book of Mormon
D) The White Goddess
E) The Word Appears in the Flesh

Question 58

What may be one of the lasting contributions of the New Age movement?

A) Openness to female leadership
B) Restoration of ancient traditions
C) Respect of many cultures
D) Critique of capitalism
E) Critique of cultural appropriation

Question 59

Which one of the following words may be a good candidate for describing the New Age movement?

A) holistic
B) iconoclastic
C) totalizing
D) hegemonic
E) dogmatic

Question 60

As a boy in Montana, L. Ron Hubbard was exposed to which of the following?

A) Teachings of the Blackfoot Nation
B) Transcendentalism
C) Mormon teachings of the Latter-day Saints
D) Teachings of the Lotus Sutra
E) Teachings of Falun Gong

Question 61

The term "cult" was originally synonymous with "worship."

Question 62

The most widely shared characteristic of cults is they especially attract older people.

Question 63

The mass suicide of 900 people of the Peoples Temple occurred in Waco, Texas.

Question 64

Soka Gakkai has its roots in Zen Buddhism.

Question 65

Nichiren's prophecies of impending doom in Japan appeared to come true in 1274.

Question 66

Members of Soka Gakkai chant "Homage to Nichiren" as their central practice.

Question 67

Soka Gakkai stresses the here-and-now benefits of chanting the sacred mantra Namu myoho renge kyo.

Question 68

A central feature of Soka Gakkai is social engagement.

Question 69

Qigong is a core practice in Soka Gakkai.

Question 70

Falun Dafa is banned by the Chinese government because it is recognized as a Buddhist tradition.

Question 71

Falun Dafa practitioners are said to develop a falun or "law wheel" in the base of the skull.

Question 72

ISKCON has its roots in Shaiva Hinduism.

Question 73

ISKCON teaches that those who practise loving devotion to Krishna will go to his heaven when they die and thus escape the cycle of rebirth.

Question 74

ISKCON's fundamental texts include a collection of stories about Krishna's life called the Srimad Bhagavatam.

Question 75

ISKCON encourages its members to have sex with multiple partners as a form of free love.

Question 76

Devotees of ISKCON are not allowed to have outside employment detached from the temple and movement.

Question 77

Joseph Smith Jr. founded his church (later known as the Mormons) in 1830.

Question 78

Polygamy has always been a part of the Mormon faith.

Question 79

Joseph Smith Jr. declared himself a candidate for the U.S. presidency for the 1844 election.

Question 80

The U.S. government chose Brigham Young to serve as the governor of Utah.