Deck 9: Gods and Spirits

Question 1

Robin Horton proposed that which of the following is a variable that explains variation in the nature of gods in different societies?:

A)how often people in that society encounter other people and the world outside their own community
B)the degree to which an individual's status in the society is ascribed or achieved
C)the severity of childrearing practices in regards to feeding and toilet training
D)both a and b are true

Answer 1

both a and b are true

Question 2

The orisha are the gods of the:

A)Yoruba
B)Ifugao
C)Dani
D)Shoshoni

Answer 2

Yoruba

Question 3

Female demons are termed:

A)incubi
B)orisha
C)succubae
D)zairan

Answer 3

succubae

Question 4

The orisha are an example of:

A)otiose gods
B)spirit beings
C)attribute gods
D)trickster gods

Question 5

A god who withdraws from active interactions with the world is a(n)

A)otiose god
B)attribute god
C)trickster god
D)creator god

Question 6

Among the Dani spirits can be classified on the basis of all of the following except whether they are:

A)close or remote
B)male or female
C)beneficent or malevolent
D)spirit or non-spirit life form

Question 7

A goddess of agriculture is an example of a(n):

A)creator goddess
B)trickster goddess
C)attribute goddess
D)otiose goddess

Question 8

Generally speaking,all of the following are true about gods except:

A)they are individualized supernatural entities
B)they are anthropomorphic entities
C)they are human in origin
D)they are associated with a community or a segment of a community

Question 9

A status given to someone based on attributes over which they have no control (e.g. ,gender)is called:

A)ascribed
B)achieved
C)attributed
D)credited

Question 10

Generally speaking,all of the following are true about spirits except:

A)they are most often seen as classes of supernatural beings
B)they tend to be associated with specific locations
C)they provide protection and success,but also are blamed for minor mishaps
D)they are responsible for some powerful aspect of nature

Question 11

The idea that supernatural beings reflect human behavior and provide a model for humans was developed by:

A)Guy Swanson
B)Sigmund Freud
C)John Roberts
D)Robin Horton

Question 12

In Native American cultures it is common for an individual to enter an altered state of consciousness and receive a gift of supernatural power.Seeking to do this is known as a:

A)vision quest
B)soul search
C)spiritual boon
D)guardian gift

Question 13

Supernatural beings with humanlike qualities are said to be:

A)anthropocentric
B)hominoid
C)heliocentric
D)anthropomorphic

Question 14

In the Qur'an jinn are conscious beings made of:

A)clay
B)bread
C)fire without smoke
D)light

Question 15

The Genii of the Aladdin story is a:

A)zombie
B)sorcerer
C)god
D)jinn

Question 16

In Hofriyat,zar possession functions to do all of the following except:

A)explain failure
B)provide an opportunity for social activity
C)enable the zar to communicate with the community
D)to provide supernatural power to be used in the attainment of wealth

Question 17

Example of Dani spirits are:

A)ghosts
B)personal and clan guardian spirits
C)forest and swamp spirits
D)all of the above

Question 18

Possession by jinn in Hofriyat usually involves:

A)women of childbearing age
B)politically prominent men
C)village priests
D)elder men and women

Question 19

The idea that religion can be seen as a symbolic expression of relationships between children and their parents was proposed by:

A)Guy Swanson
B)Sigmund Freud
C)John Roberts
D)Robin Horton

Question 20

The term pantheon refers to:

A)a hierarchy of gods
B)a collective of spirits
C)a coven of witches
D)the followers of a culture hero

Question 21

Much of the popular Christian beliefs about angels comes not from the Bible,but from other Church writings.

Question 22

The doctrine in Christianity that Jesus had been God in human form:

A)is spelled out in the New Testament
B)is not in the Bible,but is found in other writings of the apostles
C)was established in the fourth century C.E.
D)was established during the Protestant Reformation

Question 23

The embodiment of a god in human form is known as a(n):

A)incarnation
B)manifestation
C)avatar
D)materialization

Question 24

Gods that are remote and uninterested in human affairs are otiose gods.

Question 25

In order to distance oneself from jinn one is careful to observe the many tabus surrounding blood and childbirth.

Question 26

The importance of Mary for Roman Catholicism is evident in:

A)the celebration of her birth and death
B)the many shrines and pilgrimage sites associated with her
C)worshippers directly addressing her for protection
D)all of the above

Question 27

The division of Dani spirits into categories represents a fundamental classification scheme found in their religion and well-known by the elders.

Question 28

The attainment of a guardian spirit and supernatural power among the Ojibwa and Shoshoni is accomplished through the vision quest.

Question 29

Gods such as "Separator of Seeds from Cotton" and "Winder into Ball" are found among the:

A)Yoruba
B)Ifugao
C)Dani
D)Shoshoni

Question 30

The goddess Ishtar was found in:

A)Mesopotamia
B)Egypt
C)Greece
D)India

Question 31

Gods are anthropomorphic,that is,they resemble people in their appearance and personality.

Question 32

An important goddess found in Hinduism is:

A)Isis
B)Kali
C)Ishtar
D)all of the above

Question 33

An all-knowing deity is one who is:

A)omniscient
B)omnipotent
C)otiose
D)monotheistic

Question 34

One can ask spirits for assistance and protection since they live in the human world and interact with humans.

Question 35

The society with one of the greatest number of gods is the Ifugao of the Philippines with over:

A)100 gods
B)500 gods
C)1200 gods
D)2000 gods

Question 36

Which of the following statements about Islam is false?:

A)Islam accepts Jesus and Moses as prophets of God.
B)The prophet Mohammad was visited by an angel who gave him the command to recite.
C)Muslims have a duty to create a society that is just and equitable.
D)The God of Islam is more personal and approachable than the God of Judaism.

Question 37

In the village of Hofriyat,anxiety in women surrounding marriage and children is mediated by possession by incubi and succubae.

Question 38

Early Judaism:

A)shared many of the same religious beliefs as other religions of the time
B)may have implicitly accepted the existence of other gods
C)used many different names for God
D)all of the above

Question 39

An agnostic is one who:

A)is polytheistic
B)believes that the existence of a god in unprovable
C)believes that there is no god
D)none of the above

Question 40

Kali is a(n):

A)agricultural and fertility deity
B)war goddess and destroyer of demons
C)destroyer of ignorance and bringer of knowledge
D)goddess of love and marriage

Question 41

What are jinn? What are their relationships to humans?

Question 42

What are the essential differences between gods and spirits?

Question 43

Ishtar was an Egyptian goddess who is the mother of the god Horus.

Question 44

The Hindu goddess Kali is often pictured as dark skinned and naked,standing on a corpse dripping with blood.

Question 45

A study by Guy Swanson found that social characteristics of a group was predictive of the number and nature of supernatural beings

Question 46

What role did goddesses play in ancient religions?

Question 47

How does a society's emphasis on games of skill or games of chance reflect the nature of that society?

Question 48

Atheism as a label one would use to describe one's own belief in the non-existance of God began in the sixteenth century.

Question 49

What are the functions of the Hofriyat belief in zairan?

Question 50

In Judaism how does the concept of God change over time?

Question 51

The way in which God is portrayed changes over time in the Tanakh.

Question 52

How does the analysis of Dani spirits illustrate the difference between etic and emic?

Question 53

Robin Horton suggests that the behavior of the gods provides a model for humans.

Question 54

The greatest number of gods ever recorded in a single society was found among Yoruba.

Question 55

Although in Catholicism Mary is not a goddess,from an etic perspective the worship of Mary has many of the characteristics of worship of the goddess in other societies.Discuss.

Question 56

From at etic perspective,Mary can be classified as a goddess in the Roman Catholic Religion.

Question 57

What roles do angles and demons play in Christianity?

Question 58

Many anthropologists have seen relationships between the social organization of the gods and human society.What are some of these ideas?