Deck 15: Religion

Question 1

According to Emile Durkheim, as people meet to affirm common beliefs and values, they are bound together in a

A) sect.
B) moral community.
C) cult.
D) kinship group.

Answer 1

moral community.

Question 2

Emile Durkheim's study of the role of the totem in the religion of Australian aborigines led him to the conclusion that

A) people bestow the notion of the sacred onto something, rather than the object being intrinsically sacred.
B) the powerless are taught to accept religious beliefs that are against their own interests.
C) religion is the ultimate tool to promote false consciousness.
D) religion is both a source of stability and a source of conflict.

Answer 2

people bestow the notion of the sacred onto something, rather than the object being intrinsically sacred.

Question 3

Which thinker demonstrated that Calvinism was instrumental in the development of capitalism?

A) Max Weber
B) Karl Marx
C) Emile Durkheim
D) Pat Robertson

Answer 3

Max Weber

Question 4

To Marx, religion promotes the status quo by teaching the powerless to accept

A) a belief system in which the sacred is separate from the secular.
B) that people bestow the notion of the sacred onto something, rather than that object being intrinsically sacred.
C) the idea of single God in three persons.
D) religious beliefs that are against their own interests.

Question 5

One sign that a sect may be ready to develop into a church is when the charisma of the leader evolves into _____; that is, whoever holds the position possesses charisma.

A) routinization of charisma
B) transfer of charisma
C) charisma of succession
D) charisma of office

Question 6

Before the beloved minister of the small church retired, the church council asked him to bestow his blessing on the new minister and tell the congregation that they should follow him with happy hearts. The term ________ describes what the church council was attempting to do.

A) transfer of power
B) being a team player
C) routinization of charisma
D) getting over the hump

Question 7

Ritual is defined as _____. It evokes shared understandings among the believers (awe, reverence, ecstasy, and fear), which lead to group unity.

A) an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a god or a group of gods
B) symbolic actions that reinforce the collective remembering of the group's shared meanings
C) the preaching of the gospel with the intention of converting others
D) a moral community separate from and in many ways hostile toward the secular world

Question 8

Which of the following is the chapter's definition of religion?

A) An organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a god or a group of gods.
B) Symbolic actions that reinforce the collective remembering of the group's shared meanings.
C) The preaching of the gospel with the intention of converting others.
D) A moral community separate from and in many ways hostile toward the secular world.

Question 9

In Karl Marx's view, religion _____ societal change by making existing social arrangements seem right and inevitable.

A) enshrines
B) encourages
C) inhibits
D) moderates

Question 10

Which of the following religions with a global reach has the most members worldwide?

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

Question 11

One of the defining qualities of religion described in the chapter is that in a religion, there is a

A) book of rules to follow.
B) distinction between the sacred and the secular.
C) mandate to bring others into the same belief system.
D) powerful attachment to nature.

Question 12

Which term is defined as a religious legitimation for a situation that otherwise might cause guilt or anger (such as defeat in a war or the existence of poverty among affluence)?

A) Theodicy
B) Theocracy
C) Deism
D) Doctrine

Question 13

What is defined as converting or attempt to convert someone from one religion, belief, or opinion to another?

A) Religion
B) Theodicy
C) Evangelism
D) Proselytizing

Question 14

Which of the following are characteristics of a church (as an ideal type) according to the chapter?

A) Membership is only through a conversion experience.
B) The belief system is rigid with an emphasis on the purity of doctrine.
C) Organization is informal and unstructured.
D) There is a tendency to compromise with the larger society and its values and institutions.

Question 15

In Marx's view, religion is _____ because it impedes social change by encouraging the oppressed to accept their place in society.

A) a wake-up call
B) like bread and circuses
C) the opiate of the masses
D) a sacred cow

Question 16

According to the chapter, what is the basic dichotomy between churches and sects?

A) Sects withdraw from the world and churches accommodate it.
B) Churches withdraw from the world and sects accommodate it.
C) Churches are the overarching groups and sects are small communities within a church.
D) Sects are the overarching groups and churches are small communities within a sect.

Question 17

According to Weber, the Calvinist belief in _____ led members to assume that economic success was an indicator of God's favor, because surely He would favor the elect in this lifetime as well as the next.

A) capitalism
B) predestination
C) evangelism
D) proselytizing

Question 18

What is defined as a special charm or appeal that causes people to feel attracted and excited by someone (such as a sect leader or politician)?

A) Amulet
B) Charisma
C) Talisman
D) Magnetism

Question 19

Typically, the members of a _____ give extreme devotion to a charismatic leader who requires much of them (their material resources, their work, a demanding lifestyle, and a total, intense commitment).

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

Question 20

The chapter defines a _____ as a moral community separate from and in many ways hostile toward the secular world.

A) sect
B) religion
C) cult
D) religious retreat

Question 21

Outsourcing is the practice of shifting work done domestically to an entity in another society. Today, according to the chapter, even some _____ are being outsourced to India, at a rate of about 90 cents each.

A) votes
B) debates
C) prayers
D) sects

Question 22

The chapter argues that sects and churches tend to have a social-class bias-the lower the socioeconomic status, the greater the probability of belonging to a(n)

A) sect.
B) mainstream church.
C) orthodox church.
D) cult.

Question 23

Which of these mainstream Protestant denominations ordained its first openly gay bishop in 2003, which drove some more conservative church members to form a rival church?

A) United Methodist Church
B) Presbyterian Church (USA)
C) Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
D) Episcopal Church

Question 24

According to the chapter, which of the following is in decline?

A) Atheism and agnosticism
B) Mainline churches
C) Evangelical churches
D) Conservative religious ideology

Question 25

Which of these four mainstream Protestant denominations was the first to ordain women as ministers?

A) United Methodist Church
B) Presbyterian Church (USA)
C) Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
D) Episcopal Church

Question 26

For fundamentalists, the twin pillars of their fight in the culture wars are to

A) outlaw polygamy and abortions.
B) outlaw abortions and same-sex marriages.
C) join with other denominations to create a unified church.
D) follow Jesus's directions to help the poor.

Question 27

An analysis by Putnam and Campbell shows that young people are increasingly disaffected with organized religion, in large part because of they perceive religion as intolerant of

A) homosexuality.
B) the elderly.
C) the spiritual.
D) social injustice.

Question 28

Women are denied the role of minister, priest, or rabbi in many Protestant denominations, the Catholic and Orthodox churches, and Orthodox Judaisim, among others. This indicates that the _____ tradition in religion continues to this day.

A) spirit of reform
B) patriarchal
C) feminist
D) feminine

Question 29

Female clergy are _____ male clergy, even though women in the pulpit are generally more highly educated than their male counterparts.

A) subordinate to
B) less competent than
C) paid less than
D) paid more than

Question 30

Why did the Southern Baptist Convention vote in 1996 to boycott the Walt Disney Corporation?

A) Because Disney theme parks were deemed too expensive for the low-income members of this fundamentalist sect
B) Because Disney was denying employment to illegal immigrants who were brought to the United States as children
C) Because Disney was providing health care benefits for the live-in partners of gay employees
D) Because the Walt Disney Corporation boycotted the Southern Baptist Convention in 1995

Question 31

Unlike many other societies, in the United States there is a wide diversity of

A) opinion.
B) levels of education.
C) incomes.
D) belief systems.

Question 32

The following people all attend the same church. In general, which is most likely to be a elected or appointed to a position of influence?

A) 24-year-old man with a young family, who works in the warehouse of a major fullfillment company at a salary of almost $38,000 per year.
B) 35-year-old single female associate attorney making about $90,000 per year.
C) 65-year-old female retired teacher with an annual income of about $43,000 per year.
D) 72-year-old man who is a former pilot with a retirement income of over $160,000.

Question 33

Since the late 1960s, there has been a rise in Christian

A) peace activism.
B) church attendance.
C) homeless shelters.
D) fundamentalism.

Question 34

Feminist theologian Mary Daly said, "As long as God is male, the _____."

A) male is God
B) Earth is female
C) Church is female
D) Holy Spirit is female

Question 35

What is something that the three dominant religions in the United States-Christianity, Judaism, and Islam-all have in common?

A) Their belief systems all recognize Jesus Christ as the Messiah.
B) Their female prophets all predicted the coming of Mohammed.
C) They are collectively known as "God's chosen people."
D) Their belief systems have been used to legitimize female subordination to males.

Question 36

The leaders of _____ were almost exclusively African American clergy.

A) the communist witch hunts of the 1950s
B) the 1970s crusade against atheism
C) swing-era bands and orchestras
D) the civil rights movement in the 1960s

Question 37

The notion prevalent among many Americans that the United States and its institutions are sanctified by God has been labeled the _____ of the United States.

A) foundational principle
B) cult
C) civil religion
D) antithesis

Question 38

The chapter argues that in the United States today, if politicians want to be successful, they must show some semblance of piety by occasionally invoking the blessings of the _____ God associated with our civil religion.

A) nondenominational, nonsectarian
B) Roman Catholic
C) angry, jealous
D) fundamentalist Protestant

Question 39

As of 2014, what percentage of Americans expressed a belief in God or a universal spirit?

A) 17%
B) 39%
C) 54%
D) 86%

Question 40

What is identified in the chapter as a primary reason that the Catholic church does not have enough priests (averaging one for every 1,400 Catholics)?

A) Too many priests have been fired due to the pedophile/coverup scandals.
B) Women are leaving the Catholic priesthood to become nuns.
C) Priests are not allowed to marry.
D) Priests frequently move from parish to parish, and cannot put down roots.

Question 41

The term _____ means the preaching of the gospel with the intention of converting others.

A) evangelism
B) fundamentalism
C) proselytizing
D) indoctrination

Question 42

Jane has recently joined a religious organization that focuses on evangelism and the literal truth of the Bible. Her place of worship is most likely

A) liberation theologist.
B) mainstream protestant.
C) fundamentalist.
D) Roman Catholic.

Question 43

The Christian Right is as much a(n) _____ as a religious movement.

A) economic force
B) political force
C) gateway to generalized spiritualism
D) educational institutions

Question 44

The term megachurch is defined as a church with at least _____ in attendance each week.

A) 20,000
B) 12,000
C) 2,000
D) 200

Question 45

The growth of _____ is served by entertaining services, weekday services, cafés, child care, youth programs, movies, and special ministries for targeted groups.

A) megachurches
B) community centers
C) fundamentalism
D) mainline protestantism

Question 46

For many mainline churches, the _____, which is the injunction to be an agent of social protest and social reform, is criticized because it is divisive, alienating some members who disagree with the position taken.

A) comforting function
B) challenging function
C) libertarian role
D) liberationist role

Question 47

Research by Kuo found that, while still focused on antiabortion and antigay marriage, the New Religious Right is _____ than the Religious Right of the early 1980s.

A) even more conservative
B) finding more social justice issues to protest
C) not liberal, but somewhat more progressive
D) significantly more liberal

Question 48

The two categories of fundamentalist Christians are ________ and ________.

A) Catholics; Protestants
B) evangelicals; pentecostals
C) Shiites; Sunis
D) mainline; "small c" catholics.

Question 49

Mainline churches are much more pluralistic than fundamentalist ones. Mainline churches and clergy are tasked with two roles, which can seem contradictory. Those roles are to

A) raise enough money to keep the church operating while caring for the poor of the parish.
B) insist on literal Biblical truth while promoting science.
C) explain the Trinity in a way the average church member can understand.
D) comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable.