Deck 12: Maintenance of Order: Making the Worldview Real

Question 1

Which is NOT a function of religion?

A) interprets humans and their universe
B) provides motives for human actions
C) is the origin of a society's world view
D) provides a validation for human existence

Answer 1

is the origin of a society's world view

Question 2

All religions have in common, by definition:

A) belief in a god
B) full-time specialists who direct religious activities
C) rituals usually in the form of group prayer
D) belief in some form of the supernatural

Answer 2

belief in some form of the supernatural

Question 3

Religion is an example of:

A) scientific knowledge
B) a belief system
C) a pseudoscience
D) a simple legal system

Answer 3

a belief system

Question 4

The "biological basis" of religion is:

A) in our genes
B) inherited from our primitive ancestors
C) similar to that of marriage and the incest taboo, that is, a biological theme
D) a function of our big, complex brains

Question 5

Whether a society practices a monotheistic or polytheistic religion is most directly related to:

A) the evolutionary level of the society
B) a people's relation with and degree of control over their environment
C) whether the society has a written language or not
D) geographical location

Question 6

Christianity is an example of:

A) a truly monotheistic religion
B) a polytheistic religion with several deities of equal importance
C) a polytheistic religion with a hierarchically arranged set of supernatural beings
D) a religion with many similarities to those of foraging societies

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT an example of something with mana?

A) a crystal carried because it is thought to focus energy
B) a crucifix worn around the neck
C) sacred stones worshiped by the Dani of New Guinea
D) a physician with extensive knowledge about medicine and healing

Question 8

Christianity recognizes which kinds of supernatural entities?

A) only those with mana
B) only those of nonhuman origin
C) only those of human origin and nonhuman origin
D) all three types

Question 9

The personality of supernatural beings seems most closely related to:

A) the personality types of the people of the society
B) how warlike or peaceful the society is
C) how a group of people sees their environment
D) subsistence pattern

Question 10

Generally, the degree to which the supernatural intervenes directly in the daily affairs of people corresponds to:

A) the power of the supernatural
B) the degree of scientific knowledge possessed by the society
C) the number of supernatural beings
D) the hierarchical arrangement of the supernatural beings

Question 11

Which is NOT true of a shaman?

A) part time religious specialist
B) is chosen for the job by the supernatural
C) performs only when needed for tasks like curing
D) generally found in more complex societies

Question 12

A religious specialist who is full-time, trains for their profession, and possesses knowledge rather than power is a:

A) shaman
B) sorcerer
C) priest
D) magician

Question 13

Prayer, eating, sacrifice, music, transcendent states, and physical abuse all have what function in the context of religion?

A) to organize people behind a particular religious movement
B) to remind people of their proper place in the social and religious hierarchy
C) to redistribute goods and services
D) to help get in touch with the supernatural

Question 14

In an anthropological context, magic refers to:

A) what David Copperfield and Seigfried and Roy do in their acts
B) phony supernatural deeds performed by people to demonstrate their powers
C) evil supernatural deeds performed by one human against another
D) acts performed to try to control the supernatural

Question 15

In historical perspective, Christianity arose:

A) from the invention of a whole new religion by an outcast group
B) as a result of oppression by the Jews against a small group of non-Jews
C) in Rome as a result of Roman persecution of the Jews
D) as an offshoot of the Jewish messianic tradition

Question 16

Which was NOT connected with the Hutterites' adoption of the communal lifestyle?

A) their communist political views
B) the lifestyle of the early Christian communities
C) persecution of Anabaptists
D) the fact that most of the early Hutterites were skilled artisans and craftspersons

Question 17

In broad historical/anthropological perspective, the Anabaptists were persecuted because:

A) they were not real Christians
B) they started interpreting the Bible on their own
C) they believed in adult baptism
D) they posed a threat to the power and authority of the groups in charge

Question 18

From an anthropological perspective, people in the Holiness Church handle snakes, speak in tongues, and drink poison because:

A) Jesus said to in the book of Mark
B) they have some sort of "death wish"
C) it provides them with a sense of control over some aspect of their lives
D) it's fun

Question 19

In what way might the Holiness Church be said to be egalitarian?

A) there are no socioeconomic differences among the members
B) the people are generally simply foragers or horticulturalists
C) collections are taken at the services and redistributed equally among members
D) there is no formal leader, and belief and activity are personal and individual

Question 20

In a sense, each person who has received the Holy Ghost might be considered a:

A) shaman
B) priest
C) sorcerer
D) magician

Question 21

According to anthropologist Westen LaBarre, what does sex have to do with the Holiness services?

A) services are a prelude to sexual activity
B) the serpents are actually a sexual symbol as they are in many cultures
C) services are an opportunity to express sexual identity and for social interaction
D) loud music and convulsive dancing are sexually stimulating

Question 22

Which of the following is NOT true of the relationship between religion and legal systems?

A) both perform many of the same functions
B) in complex cultures, law completely replaces religion as a basis for behavior
C) some basic ideals of a legal system derive from religious beliefs
D) they ideally operate in harmony with one another within a cultural system

Question 23

What are the basic roles of a religious system within a culture?

Question 24

What might we say is our "biological basis"
for religion?

Question 25

The number of recognized supernatural beings differs among cultures. To what major aspect of culture is this number related? Give examples.

Question 26

Supernatural beings seem to come in three basic types. What are they? Give an example of each.

Question 27

To what does the personality of supernatural beings seem most closely related?

Question 28

Religious practitioners come in two basic types. What are they? What influences which type a society has?

Question 29

What are some of the different ways people use to get in touch with the supernatural? Give some specific examples.

Question 30

Christianity, in historical/anthropological perspective, is an offshoot of Judaism. Explain how.

Question 31

What is the major difference in belief between Judaism and Christianity?

Question 32

Account for the communal lifestyle of the Hutterites in terms of their history.

Question 33

What is the adaptive function of the features of the Holiness Church for the members of that religion?

Question 34

What, according to Westen LaBarre, is the connection between sexuality and the features of a service at the Holiness Church?

Question 35

How do legal systems differ from religious system? What do the two have in common?