Deck 9: Unconventional Beliefs

Question 1

In the United States, atheism is a form of cognitive deviance.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Holding unconventional beliefs is an important form of deviance.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

No belief, however bizarre it might seem to us, is inherently or objectivistically deviant.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

To the sociologist, beliefs are deviant insofar as they are empirically, scientifically, and objectively wrong.

Question 5

The foundation of sociological writings on beliefs is that human consciousness is determined by social existence.

Question 6

Religion can never be a form of deviance because it is a belief system into which one is born; it's unfair to stigmatize someone for believing something they grew up with.

Question 7

Throughout much of the history of humanity, religious unorthodoxy was not only deviant-it was criminal.

Question 8

Holding deviant beliefs is by definition a manifestation of mental and psychic disorder.

Question 9

Deviant beliefs never translate into deviant behavior.

Question 10

Marxists tend to emphasize the economic origins of beliefs, ideology, and ideas.

Question 11

The majority of most mainstream Protestant denominations attend church less frequently than members of the strong evangelical faiths.

Question 12

Social rules and normative expectations apply not only to how one acts, but also how and what one believes.

Question 13

While sects tend to be regarded as moderately deviant, cults are usually regarded as very deviant.

Question 14

In the history of humanity, no one has ever been arrested for holding or verbally expressing a belief, in the absence of an overt act.

Question 15

No one could ever be arrested for acting on a religious belief, since that is a matter of one's conscience dictating what's right.

Question 16

Unlike Karl Marx, Max Weber saw a two-way street between the world of beliefs and ideas and the material conditions of people's lives.

Question 17

Sects are deviant in that they advocate a too-religious belief system; cults are deviant in that they advocate a belief system that departs sharply from the mainstream.

Question 18

Max Weber argued that religious ideas could generate, influence, or lay the groundwork for economic or material activity.

Question 19

Some beliefs are more dominant than others; hence, their advocates have more power and greater numbers in the population to define their detractors as wrong or deviant.

Question 20

Paranormal beliefs cannot be considered deviant because a majority of the American population holds one or more of them.

Question 21

Sociologically, belief in creationism can be regarded as deviant to the extent that:

A) its adherents constitute a minority of the population.
B) its adherents are psychologically disordered.
C) it tends to be disparaged and rejected by conventional or mainstream scientists
D) it is a pseudoscience
E) none of the above

Question 22

Paranormal beliefs can be regarded as deviant because:

A) they are scientifically and empirically wrong.
B) they are based on fatally flawed evidence and faulty reasoning.
C) they are related to undesirable social characteristics, such as lower socioeconomic status and a lack of education
D) their believers tend hold little or no legitimacy in the mainstream media and the public educational system.
E) none of the above

Question 23

By definition, "paranormal" means:

A) wrong
B) deviant
C) that which contradicts what scientists believe to be the laws of nature
D) non-normative
E) unconventional

Question 24

According to sociologists of religion:

A) a sect is a religious body that breaks off from an established denomination; a cult is a religious body that is radically different from an establishedenomination.
B) a sect is a religious body that is radically different from an established denomination; a cult is a religious body that breaks off from an establishedenomination.
C) both a cult and a sect are religious bodies that break off from an established denomination.
D) both a cult and a sect are religious bodies that are radically different from an established body.
E) none of the above

Question 25

Today, over nine out of ten natural scientists believe:

A) in intelligent design
B) in creationism
C) in a materialist or naturalist interpretation of evolution
D) that God created the universe, but more than 6,000 years ago
E) none of the above

Question 26

According to polls, believers in evolution tend to:

A) be more well-educated than believers in creationism.
B) live in "red" states.
C) live in "retro" states.
D) be more politically conservative than believers in creationism.
E) none of the above

Question 27

Sociologically, beliefs are deviant to the extent that:

A) they are objectively wrong.
B) their believers are treated as socially unacceptable by relevant audiences.
C) they have stood the empirical test of time.
D) they violate God-given interpretations.
E) none of the above

Question 28

According to the distinctions spelled out in this chapter:

A) While most schizophrenics hold deviant beliefs, most people who hold deviant beliefs are not schizophrenic.
B) While most people who hold deviant beliefs are schizophrenic, most schizophrenics do not hold deviant beliefs.
C) Most schizophrenics hold deviant beliefs and most people who hold deviant beliefs are schizophrenic.
D) Most schizophrenics do not hold deviant beliefs, and most people who hold deviant beliefs are not schizophrenic.
E) none of the above

Question 29

In the contemporary United States, the reactions that define whether a given religious system is deviant are determined for the most part by:

A) formal agents of social control rather than informal agents of social control.
B) informal agents of social control rather than formal agents of social control.
C) both formal and informal agents of social control.
D) neither formal nor informal agents of social control.
E) none of the above

Question 30

Is the belief in biblical creationism deviant?

A) no, because it is a true belief.
B) yes, because it is a scientifically false belief.
C) no, because it is held by nearly half of the population.
D) yes-to the extent that it is rejected as false and is ridiculed by the scientific establishment, the mainstream media, and the educational hierarchy.
E) none of the above

Question 31

According to the argument spelled out in this chapter, atheism:

A) cannot possibly be deviant in any conceivable social context or collectivity.
B) could be "societally" deviant in certain societies, but not "situationally" deviant.
C) could be "situationally" deviant in certain contexts, but not "societally" deviant.
D) could be deviant both societally and situationally, depending on the society or the context.
E) none of the above

Question 32

According to sociologists of deviance:

A) What you believe is "nobody's business but your own."
B) Holding unconventional beliefs is not a form of deviance.
C) In the sense that expressing unconventional beliefs can result in condemnation and stigma, it is no different from behavioral deviance.
D) By its very nature, holding unconventional beliefs is linked with schizophrenia.
E) What's deviant is solely a matter of the word of one member of a certain group against that of another's.

Question 33

Which of the following types of Goffman's stigma does holding unconventional fall under?

A) stigma of race, tribe, and nation
B) blemishes of individual character
C) behavioral deviance
D) mental illness
E) organizational deviance

Question 34

Which of the following beliefs was deviant to scientists and the relevant powers that be when it was first expressed, and remains scientifically deviant to this day:

A) Alfred Weneger's theory of continental drift
B) Galileo's astronomical observations
C) Darwin's theory that natural selection drives evolution
D) Semmelweis' theory about procedures physicians should follow when delivering babies
E) none of the above

Question 35

The beliefs of astrologists exemplify which of the following types of paranormal beliefs? Those that:

A) fall within a religious tradition that existed before scientists existed
B) are kept alive by a core of researchers who practice the form but not the content of science
C) originate from the mind of a social isolate, a "crank," whose connection to the scientific establishment is tenuous or nonexistent
D) are part of a belief system, validated by professionals, who possess special expertise that is sought by a layperson or client who is in need of personal
guidance
E) none of the above

Question 36

Which of the following groups of paranormalist believers is most likely to be made up of adherents who are trained as scientists, who conduct experiments, and publish in professional journals?

A) creationtists
B) astrologers
C) "cranks"
D) adherents of the "grassroots" belief that UFOs are extraterrestrial aircraft
E) parapsychologists

Question 37

Which of the following categories of paranormal believers lacks a community or social circle of like-minded believers?

A) creationists
B) astrologists
C) "cranks"
D) adherents of the "grassroots" believe that UFOs are extraterrestrial aircraft
E) parapsychologists

Question 38

Which of the following scientists is an example of a scientific crank?

A) Albert Einstein
B) Alfred Wegener
C) Isaac Newton
D) Ignaz Semmelweis
E) none of the above

Question 39

Cranks want to:

A) destroy established scientific theories, but they want to be accepted by the scientific fraternity as well.
B) build on established scientific theories and be accepted by the scientific fraternity as well.
C) destroy established scientific theories and be rejected by the scientific community.
D) build on established scientific theories and be accepted by the scientific community.
E) none of the above

Question 40

According to the definition spelled out in this book:

A) to creationists, evolutionary theory is a deviant belief system; to evolutionists, creationism is a deviant belief system.
B) to creationists, evolutionary theory is not a deviant belief system; to evolutionists, creationism is not a deviant belief system.
C) to creationists, evolutionary theory is a deviant belief system; to evolutionists, creationism is not a deviant belief system.
D) to creationists, evolutionary theory is not a deviant belief system; tp evolutionists, creationism is a deviant belief system.
E) none of the above

Question 41

Which of the following is not an example of cognitive deviance-among certain collectivities or social circles?

A) atheism
B) belief in creationism
C) belief in evolution
D) belief that UFOs are real
E) none of the above; all are examples of cognitive among certain social collectivities

Question 42

Some paranormal beliefs typically involve a client-practitioner relationship. Which of the following represents the most clear-cut example?

A) belief in evolution
B) belief in creationism
C) ufology
D) pseudoscience among cranks
E) astrology

Question 43

The "Roswell Incident" involved assertions about:

A) the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in November, 1963
B) the crash of a supposed alien spacecraft in the New Mexico desert
C) the attempt of a take-over of the American government by a Cuban invasion
D) cattle mutilations by aliens on ranches in the Southwestern US
E) none of the above

Question 44

Which of the following conspiracies really took place:

A) The Zica virus, bred in a government lab, is being spread by genetically- modified mosquitos.
B) AIDS was developed in a government lab by a mad scientist.
C) Nixon's 1972 presidential campaign was involved in illegal "dirty tricks" against the Democratic candidate.
D) There's a civilization on Mars that NASA isn't telling us about.
E) none of the above

Question 45

Which of the following is not a common component of conspiracy theories? Conspiracies tend to be:

A) secret
B) organized
C) up to no good
D) treacherous
E) none of the above; all tend to be components of conspiracy theories

Question 46

What makes creationism a deviant belief system in the Western world? It is:

A) empirically wrong
B) unacceptable to most or nearly all mainstream institutions
C) supported by a substantial proportion of evangelical ministers
D) taught in
E) none of the above

Question 47

The majority of which of the following religious organizations or denominations belief that Satan is materially real? In:

A) the Catholic Church
B) the Episcopal church
C) the Baptist church
D) Assemblies of God
E) none of the above

Question 48

Which of the following religious bodies or organizations is outside the American religious mainstream and therefore at least somewhat deviant?

A) the sect
B) the cult
C) the denomination
D) the church
E) none of the above

Question 49

Which of the following statements was written by Karl Marx?

A) "The super-rich of the world control all governments and use them as vehicles to carry out their orders by means of violence when it is necessary."
B) "Classes with high social and economic privilege will assign religion the primary function of legitimating their own life pattern and situation in the
world."
C) "The class which has the means of material production at its disposal, has control at the same time over the means of mental production."
D) "We are not at fault for slaying the Jews."
E) none of the above

Question 50

Which of the following statements was written by Max Weber?

A) The super-rich of the world control all governments and use them as vehicles to carry out their orders by means of violence when it is necessary."
B) "Classes with high social and economic privilege will assign religion the primary function of legitimating their own life pattern and situation in the
world."
C) "The class which has the means of material production at its disposal has control at the same time over the means of mental production"
D) We are not at fault for slaying the Jews"
E) none of the above

Question 51

Which of the following statements was written by Dan Gordon?

A) "The super-rich of the world control all governments and use them as vehicles to carry out their orders by means of violence when it is necessary."
B) "Classes with high social and economic privilege will assign religion the primary function of legitimating their own life pattern and situation in the
world."
C) "The class which has the means of material production at its disposal has control at the same time over the means of mental production"
D) "We are not at fault for slaying the Jews."
E) none of the above

Question 52

Which of the following statements was written by Martin Luther?

A) The super-rich of the world control all governments and use them as vehicles To carry out their orders by means of violence when it is necessary."
B) "Classes with high social and economic privilege will assign religion the primary function of legitimating their own life pattern and situation in the
world."
C) "The class which has the means of production at its disposal has control at the same time over the means of mental production."
D) "We are not at fault for slaying the Jews."
E) none of the above

Question 53

Belief in creationism is:

A) positively related to education.
B) negatively related to education.
C) unrelated to education
D) related to education in an unknown and unknowable manner
E) none of the above

Question 54

Belief in the validity of evolution is:

A) positively related to education
B) negatively related to education
C) unrelated to education
D) related to education in an unknown and unknowable manner
E) none of the above

Question 55

Belief in creationism is positively related to living in a:

A) red state
B) blue state
C) yellow state
D) green state
E) none of the above

Question 56

Belief in the validity of evolution is positively related to living in a:

A) red state
B) blue state
C) yellow state
D) green state
E) none of the above

Question 57

Which of the following statements is true?

A) Most holders of deviant beliefs are psychiatrically abnormal.
B) Most holders of deviant beliefs are psychiatrically normal.
C) The relationship between holding deviant beliefs and psychiatric condition is random.
D) The relationship between holding deviant beliefs and psychiatric condition is unknown and unknowable.
E) none of the above

Question 58

Which of the following statements is true?

A) All deviant beliefs lead to deviant behavior.
B) Not all deviant beliefs lead to deviant behavior.
C) The relationship between deviant beliefs and deviant behavior is random.
D) The relationship between deviant beliefs and deviant behavior is unknown and unknowable.
E) none of the above

Question 59

Which of the following scientific beliefs was immediately accepted as true and incorporated into the mainstream scientific literature?

A) Einstein's theory of relativity
B) Alfred Wgener's theory of continental drift
C) Karl Jansky's and Grote Reber's theory of radio waves
D) Ignaz Semmelweis's that the germs from attending physicians' hand infected recent birth mothers
E) none of the above

Question 60

Which of the following beliefs is promulgated mainly on a grassroots basis? The belief that:

A) Jesus rose from the dead
B) astrology
C) parapsychology
D) creationism
E) ufology

Question 61

Which of the following versions of the JFK conspiracy theory is in all likelihood true? That JFK was assassinated by a conspiracy involving:

A) the Mafia
B) the Soviet Russians
C) the Cubans
D) a cabal of right-wing Texans
E) evidence suggests that none of the above is true

Question 62

The Protocols of the Elders of Zion refers to:

A) a materially-real document written by Jews stating their intention to take over the world
B) an anti-Semitic forgery written by the pre-Revolutionary Russian secret police
C) a UFO conspiracy theory written by a crank who lives in his mother's basement house
D) a document which describes a US plot to invade Cuba
E) none of the above

Question 63

Explain how deviant beliefs differ from deviant behavior. Be specific and detailed.

Question 64

What do we know from concrete, documentary evidence about what happened near Roswell, NM in 1947? Detail the "folklore" of the belief that UFOs are real. Does the folkloric quality of this belief demonstrate that it is false?

Question 65

Given the fact that professional parapsychologists hold PhDs and conduct rigorous research whose findings are published in refereed journals, how is it that their field is regarded as deviant among conventional, mainstream scientists? What would change that?

Question 66

Why is empirical falsehood not a defining element of deviant beliefs? Can beliefs be both false and conventional? True and deviant? What element or quality defines a belief as deviant?

Question 67

Detail some religious conflicts. In each case, which side was deviant? Which side was conventional? Or were both sides deviant--and conventional? Explain.