Deck 15: Religion

Question 1

A definition of religion that focuses on what religion is, and limits the label of religion to a system of beliefs and practices that have a particular content, usually a god or a supernatural force, is what kind of definition of religion?

A) Substantive
B) Supernaturally inclined
C) Functional
D) Close-minded
E) None of the above

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The fastest growing religious category in the United States today is:

A) Muslim.
B) Catholic.
C) Those who state they have no religious affiliation.
D) None of the above.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

A definition of religion that focuses on what religion does, the contribution it makes, such as binding a society together, is what kind of definition of religion?

A) Substantive
B) Supernaturally inclined
C) Functional
D) Close-minded
E) None of the above

Answer 3

C

Question 4

What is meant in Chapter 15, when it refers to Emile Durkheim as using a "mixed definition" of religion?

A) Durkheim was interested in religion around the world, and studied not only Western traditional religions, but also Eastern and nontraditional religions.
B) Durkheim's normative view of religion was varied; on the one hand, he viewed religion as a positive force for social integration in society. On the other hand, he viewed religion as an "opiate of the masses."
C) Durkheim emphasized that religion performs the mixed function of bringing people together, but that it does so because they share a common attachment to the same sacred symbol.
D) Durkheim combined both quantitative and qualitative research methods in his empirical attempts to define religion and religiosity in America.
E) None of the above

Question 5

In the sociology of religion, there has been much debate and discussion about the role of religion in society. Some theorists have argued (and do argue) that religion is diminishing in importance and practice. This theory can broadly be referred to as:

A) Unreligiosity theory
B) Desacralization theory
C) Secularization theory
D) There is no such theory. Empirical evidence strongly shows that religion is on the increase around the world, and consistently has been.
E) None of the above

Question 6

To one social theorist, the form and function of religion was determined by the structure of the economic relations. Religion served as an ideology that disguised the exploitative nature of capitalism. But just as capitalism would inevitably end, so too would religion. Which social theorist was this?

A) Emile Durkheim
B) Max Weber
C) Karl Marx
D) Georg Simmel
E) None of the above

Question 7

To another social theorist, the development of religion was often influenced by the needs of a particular social group that became its main carrier. In modernity, religion itself was no longer needed by the economy or other social institutions as they developed their own rational systems of thought. Which social theorist was this?

A) Emile Durkheim
B) Max Weber
C) Karl Marx
D) Georg Simmel
E) None of the above

Question 8

To another social theorist, there was something eternal about religion because it served an essential social function-a shared sense of identity and sacred symbols. Even in modern societies, there would still be a need for sacred symbols. Which social theorist was this?

A) Emile Durkheim
B) Max Weber
C) Karl Marx
D) Georg Simmel
E) None of the above

Question 9

The "Rational Choice Theory of Religion" refers to:

A) A 'market' view of religion, similar to economic theory about consumers choosing between different goods on the basis of cost-benefit calculation.
B) A view of religion that assumes humans have a constant need for compensations for the uncertainties of life and death. Religious communities supply compensation for these uncertainties, and thus, people seek out religion.
C) A theory based on the assumption that even the supernatural factors of religion are in fact quite rational and bureaucratic.
D) Both a and b, but not c
E) None of the above

Question 10

Which of the following statements is offered as evidence that religion has not declined?

A) Statistics for church membership remain high.
B) There continue to be large gatherings of Christians in the public sphere.
C) Membership in theologically conservative churches has risen drastically in many urban areas.
D) Statistics for belief in God remain high in many nations.
E) All of the above

Question 11

What is meant by 'culture wars'?

A) The way in which different religions fight against each other to gain members and funds.
B) The tensions over religious and secular values that have emerged particularly as more effort is made to separate church and state.
C) The efforts of conservative Christian churches to stop the increase of mass media and modernization.
D) The tendency of individuals to prioritize and sacralize their culture as superior to all others.
E) None of the above

Question 12

Contemporary America has an immensely diverse and pluralistic religious landscape. What factors explain and encourage this phenomenon?

A) The American market economy
B) The value of individualism
C) The prominence of mass media
D) The entertainment industry
E) All of the above

Question 13

What does 'expressive individualism' refer to?

A) The universal right of freedom of expression granted to American citizens.
B) The increased emphasis since the 1960's on the pursuit of a free, gratified and fulfilled self.
C) The possibility for individuals to belong to an infinite number of social organizations, even ones with conflicting value systems, without sanction.
D) A style of religious practice that focuses on fundamental religious expressions, such as speaking in tongues.
E) None of the above

Question 14

According to Chapter 15, what has ethnographic research contributed to the sociology of religion?

A) An enriched understanding of contemporary religion and spiritual experience.
B) An insight into the ways in which religion is centrally concerned with the construction of identity.
C) New insights into modernization and secularization theories.
D) Both a and b, but not c
E) None of the above

Question 15

What is meant by the term 'self-spirituality'?

A) The central belief shared by all New Agers that the Self itself is sacred.
B) The way in which spirituality has become separated from any particular religious doctrine.
C) The belief that each individual is capable of rising to an elusive spiritual state through concentrated self-understanding.
D) The increasing trend in religion to practice individually and at home, rather than attending religious events and services.
E) All of the above

Question 16

Gemeinshaft refers to:

A) Societies that have a strong feeling of cohesiveness or face-to-face communities.
B) A sense of social cohesion and integration often thought to be characteristic of pre-modern societies.
C) Social relationships that are characterized by individualism and impersonal connections between people
D) Both a and b, but not c
E) None of the above

Question 17

Gesellschaft refers to:

A) Societies that have a strong feeling of cohesiveness or face-to-face communities.
B) A sense of social cohesion and integration often thought to be characteristic of pre-modern societies.
C) Social relationships that are characterized by individualism and impersonal connections between people.
D) Both a and b, but not c
E) None of the above

Question 18

What functions does a civil religion serve?

A) It facilitates widespread acceptance by a people of their sense of their nation's history and identity.
B) It relates a society to a realm of absolute meaning-the sacred.
C) It provides a vision which ties the nation together as an integrated whole.
D) It provides beliefs, values, rites, ceremonies and symbols that give sacred meaning to the life of the community.
E) All of the above

Question 19

What is the 'deprivatization of religion'?

A) The process by which religion has re-emerged in the public sphere.
B) The way in which religious beliefs are no longer personal preferences alone, but become the topic of public argument.
C) The process by which public matters have become remoralized.
D) A reversal of the trend of differentiation.
E) All of the above

Question 20

What is meant by dedifferentiation?

A) The ways in which religious practices are more and more universal as a result of globalization.
B) The breakdown in barriers which once strongly separated Christianity and Islam.
C) The revival of more totalizing brands of religion that demand religious concerns and influences are given recognition in all aspects of life.
D) The increase of Conservative Protestantism in the United States that has eroded the separation of church and state.
E) All of the above

Question 21

The loss of shared norms and values and a lack of cohesion in society might be called:

A) Demoralization
B) Anomie
C) Postmodern listlessness
D) Wanderlust
E) None of the above

Question 22

In The Elementary Forms of Religious Life, Durkheim argued that there were two categories of objects and symbols in society: the sacred and the inane.

Question 23

In The Protestant Work Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, Max Weber traced the way one form of Christianity preceded and contributed to the development of capitalism. The problem for religion, according to Weber, was that once it had done its work, it was absorbed into the general spirit that capitalism created.

Question 24

There is straightforward empirical evidence that supports the theory that religion is in a decline in American society.

Question 25

The majority of US citizens today say that they receive no comfort or strength from religion.

Question 26

Contrary to common sense assumptions, the ever increasing prominence of science and technology, rising levels of higher education, and greater affluence in American society appears to have made religion a more significant part of American life.

Question 27

The development of mass media has had a significant effect on religion.

Question 28

Talcott Parsons built on Durkheim's insistence on the continuity of religion and suggested that though the intellectual ambition of religious beliefs diminished in modern society, the individual still needed the moral, spiritual, and metaphysical answers provided by religion.

Question 29

'New Age' is an umbrella term covering a mix of beliefs, practices and ways of life.

Question 30

The secularization thesis argued that religion would decline in social significance as an inevitable consequence of postmodernity and the increase of technology.

Question 31

Civil religion is the national religion, recognized by the state, in any given country.

Question 32

Religion, often in combination with ethnicity and nationalism, has had an important role to play in articulating opposition to global cosmopolitanism.