Deck 19: Religion

Question 1

The concept of sacred refers to what is:

A) common to everyday life.
B) found in every culture.
C) seen as set apart from everyday life and extraordinary.
D) no longer found in today's world.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which of the following concepts refers to the fusion of Christian principles with political activism, often Marxist in character?

A) evangelism
B) liberal Christianity
C) liberation theology
D) fundamentalism

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Sociological analysis of religion is concerned with:

A) understanding patterns of religious activity and their effect on society.
B) which religions are True and which are False.
C) the purpose of life.
D) discerning the will of God.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Following Emile Durkheim, we would define things as profane when we understand them:

A) in terms of the past.
B) as set apart as "forbidden."
C) in terms of ultimate meanings.
D) in terms of their everyday usefulness.

Question 5

This chapter's "Seeing Sociology in the News" describes the importance of religious leaders for:

A) discouraging drug use and other illegal activity.
B) maintaining the boundary between church and state.
C) helping immigrants whose traditions can be at odds with their new culture.
D) helping scientists understand the ethical consequences of their work.

Question 6

What do the sacred texts of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam have in common?

A) support for patriarchy
B) belief in multiple deities
C) the same sacred symbols
D) support for secularization

Question 7

Supporters of liberation theology hope that this social movement will achieve which of the following goals?

A) keeping politics out of the church
B) helping people endure their suffering
C) encouraging personal growth
D) reducing social inequality and, especially, poverty

Question 8

Faith is a way of knowing based on:

A) scientific research.
B) human senses.
C) cultural common sense.
D) conviction or belief in things unseen.

Question 9

Which of the following concepts was used by Emile Durkheim to refer to an object in the natural world collectively defined as sacred?

A) totem
B) idol
C) profanity
D) symbol

Question 10

Following Max Weber's analysis of religion, we could say industrial capitalism is:

A) disenchanted religion.
B) a traditional religion.
C) support for patriarchy.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 11

Karl Marx believed that religion:

A) focuses life on the present rather than the future.
B) supports social inequality.
C) treats existing society as secular.
D) threatens the power of the state.

Question 12

A religious organization that is well integrated into the larger society is called a:

A) church.
B) sect.
C) cult.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 13

Guided by the symbolic-interaction approach, sociologists examine:

A) how daily rituals sharpen the boundary between the sacred and profane.
B) how religion gives our existence a measure of security and meaning.
C) the use of ritual and religious meaning to strengthen social ties such as marriage.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 14

Religion is a social institution that is best defined as involving:

A) beliefs and practices concerning what is sacred.
B) ideas about good and evil.
C) a series of beliefs about creation.
D) norms about how to live.

Question 15

Durkheim pointed to three functions of religion for society. Which of the following is NOT one of them?

A) fostering social cohesion
B) fostering social conflict
C) providing social control
D) providing meaning and purpose

Question 16

Following Emile Durkheim, the ordinary elements of everyday life are correctly considered to be:

A) sacred.
B) profane.
C) religion.
D) ritual.

Question 17

Which of the following is a correct criticism of the structural-functional approach to religion?

A) ignoring the effects of religion in everyday life
B) ignoring how religion provides meaning in everyday life
C) ignoring religion's ability to generate social conflict
D) ignoring the positive consequences of religion for society

Question 18

An analysis of how religion supports the interests of a society's elites would fall under which of the following theoretical approaches?

A) structural-functional approach
B) symbolic-interaction approach
C) social-conflict approach
D) social-exchange approach

Question 19

In his analysis of Protestantism and the rise of capitalism, Max Weber stated that Protestantism:

A) held back the development of capitalism.
B) supported the status quo.
C) encouraged greater gender equality.
D) stressed duty and hard work, boosting economic production and fostering the rise of capitalism.

Question 20

Ritual is a matter of:

A) formal, ceremonial behavior.
B) who people socialize with.
C) beliefs about truth.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 21

Which of the following concepts refers to a religious organization that is largely outside a society's cultural traditions?

A) church
B) sect
C) cult
D) denomination

Question 22

Which of the following typically forms as a breakaway group from some established religious organization?

A) sect
B) church
C) cult
D) state church

Question 23

Christianity is one example of which of the following types of religions?

A) monotheism
B) polytheism
C) animism
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 24

The priesthood, a specialized occupation in charge of a large religious organization, first developed in which type of societies?

A) hunting and gathering
B) horticultural
C) agrarian
D) industrial

Question 25

Which of the following religious organizations began as a cult?

A) Islam
B) Christianity
C) Judaism
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 26

Animism is the belief that:

A) God has a plan for the entire world.
B) everything in the world is a conscious, living force that is able to affect us.
C) nothing is sacred.
D) people can find little meaning in their everyday lives.

Question 27

The world's largest concentration of Jews (6 million) is found in:

A) Europe.
B) North America.
C) Africa.
D) Asia.

Question 28

Which of the following would you expect to be the least stable type of religious organizations?

A) cult
B) church
C) denomination
D) state church

Question 29

Which of the following is the oldest of the world religions discussed in the text?

A) Hinduism
B) Judaism
C) Christianity
D) Islam

Question 30

As the official Church of England, the Anglican Church, is correctly described as which of the following?

A) sect
B) state church
C) cult
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 31

A sect is a type of religious organization that:

A) supports the political state.
B) is tightly linked to the larger society.
C) is highly structured, with formally trained leaders.
D) stands apart from the larger society.

Question 32

A charismatic leader is most likely to be found in which of the following?

A) church
B) cult
C) denomination
D) state church

Question 33

Animism is closely associated with which of the following societies?

A) industrial
B) European
C) Native American
D) agrarian

Question 34

The concept "karma" refers to:

A) the Christian belief in salvation.
B) the Hindu belief in the progress of the human soul.
C) the Muslim desire to do God's will.
D) the first five books of the Jewish Bible.

Question 35

A majority of people in which global region are Muslims?

A) North America
B) South America
C) the Middle East
D) Asia

Question 36

Over the course of its history, the Roman Catholic Church has existed in various forms, including as a:

A) state church.
B) church.
C) denomination.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 37

Buddhists are a majority of people in which of the following countries?

A) India
B) Saudi Arabia
C) Japan
D) Canada

Question 38

In the United States, the Amish would be an example of a:

A) state church.
B) cult.
C) sect.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 39

Polytheism refers to:

A) acceptance of many religions as True.
B) belief that all things in the world are sacred.
C) belief in many gods.
D) openness to new religious experience.

Question 40

In the United States, the Muslim population includes which of the following?

A) most Arab Americans
B) many Asian Americans
C) some African Americans
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 41

Read the four statements below. Which of the four is NOT a trait of religious fundamentalism?

A) endorsing conservative political goals
B) seeking the personal experience of God's presence
C) interpreting religious texts literally
D) accepting religious pluralism

Question 42

The claim that the United States is a post-denomination society is based on a movement:

A) away from religion.
B) supporting spiritualism, but away from established denominations.
C) toward greater church attendance.
D) favoring rigid conformity to church doctrine.

Question 43

Ritual refers to activity in which the sacred is embodied into ceremonial behavior.

Question 44

On national surveys, about what percentage of people in the United States claim to believe in a divine power?

A) 26 percent
B) 46 percent
C) 66 percent
D) 93 percent

Question 45

In the United States, a majority of people (52.1 percent) claim to be:

A) Catholic.
B) Jewish.
C) Protestant.
D) Muslim.

Question 46

In general, compared to Eastern religions, Western religions:

A) are deity-based.
B) operate more ethical codes of conduct.
C) are less clear about what is sacred and what is profane.
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 47

Secularization refers to which of the following?

A) The historical importance of religion in people's lives.
B) The historical increase in the importance of the sacred.
C) The historical decline in the importance of the sacred.
D) The historical concern of the church with social change.

Question 48

All through the South, the largest number of Protestants are of which denomination?

A) Lutheran
B) Baptist
C) Methodist
D) Episcopalian

Question 49

In the United States, _____ are more religious than _____.

A) older people younger people
B) women men
C) members of sects members of churches
D) All of the above are correct.

Question 50

The concept "sacred" refers to the familiar, everyday elements of life.

Question 51

A totem is any object defined by members of a society as profane.

Question 52

Which of the following is a correct example of civil religion?

A) singing patriotic song on the Fourth of July
B) tax exemptions for churches
C) the sex scandal in the Catholic church
D) high religiosity among members of sects

Question 53

When all the evidence is considered, about what share of the U.S. population is really at least somewhat religious?

A) 10 percent
B) one-third
C) two-thirds
D) 90 percent

Question 54

Emile Durkheim claimed that, in religious life, people celebrate the awesome power of their society.

Question 55

The founder of Buddhism was which of the following people?

A) Siddhartha Gautama
B) Muhammad
C) Confucius
D) Moses

Question 56

The same elements of life are defined as sacred throughout the world.

Question 57

Which of the following nations stands out as the most religious of all high-income countries?

A) Japan
B) Sweden
C) the United States
D) France

Question 58

Faith refers to what we know to be True based on what our five senses tell us.

Question 59

Religion is a social institution involving beliefs and practices based on what is sacred.

Question 60

Confucianism is closely linked to the traditional culture of:

A) India.
B) China.
C) Japan.
D) Iran.

Question 61

Max Weber linked the rise of industrial capitalism to Calvinist religious doctrine.

Question 62

All world religions define women as more morally worthy than men.

Question 63

Polytheism refers to accepting many religions as True.

Question 64

A church is a type of social organization well integrated into the larger society.

Question 65

Karl Marx investigated the positive functions of religion for social life.

Question 66

A cult is a religious organization well outside of a society's cultural traditions.

Question 67

One of the functions of religion for society is to operate as a system of social control.

Question 68

State churches are found in societies that hold to the "separation of church and state."

Question 69

Hinduism is closely linked to the culture of India.

Question 70

Charisma is a personal quality that lets someone draw others as followers.

Question 71

In global perspective, most Muslims are not Arabs.

Question 72

Both Christianity and Islam are monotheistic.

Question 73

Christianity is one religion that has never experienced internal divisions.

Question 74

The symbolic-interaction approach treats religion as socially constructed meaning that provides greater certainty and security for our lives.

Question 75

Members of a sect accept the surrounding society as good.

Question 76

Members of denominations typically accept religious pluralism.

Question 77

Animism refers to the belief that God is an active force in the world.

Question 78

To Muslims, Muhammad was not a divine being but Allah's messenger.

Question 79

Churches place greater importance on the personal experience of conversion than sects do.

Question 80

Judaism has the most followers of all world religions.