Deck 12: Religion and Spirituality

Question 1

Visit a place of worship nearby and observe the religious service.After your visit,describe the ways that this religion performs the necessary functions that Durkheim puts forward in his perspective on religion - which are: social integration; a source of emotional support and meaning for individuals; and reinforcement of norms by moral legitimation.(Note,this exercise may pose ethical issues,and it is advisable to check your university ethics policy.)

Answer 1

Student response could include a description of the religious service they attend,and outline of their familiarity with this religion.An overview of their understanding of what took place and how it illustrates or contradicts Durkheim's perspective on religion.

Question 2

Which theorist defines religion as 'a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to sacred things … [which] unite into one single moral community called a Church,all those who adhere to them'?

A)Max Weber
B)Karl Marx
C)Emile Durkheim
D)Pierre Bourdieu

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Review data on religious affiliation in Australia from 1892 to 2011 - see Table 12.1 on page 286.Provide a one-page analysis of the information in the table.What conclusions can be drawn about religion in Australia from this table? What further research needs to be undertaken in order to understand the table better?

Answer 3

Students could outline what the figures in the table show in regard to particular religions; for example,the religion with the highest or the lowest proportion of the population or chronological changes in religious affiliation.Further research may investigate what is meant by religious affiliation - whether it involve identifying with a particular religion,regular participation in religious ceremony or attending religious schools and so on.

Question 4

Which of the following does NOT demonstrate one of the necessary functions religion serves according to Emile Durkheim:

A)Church provides individuals with the means to socially integrate
B)After the death of a loved one,religion offers emotional support
C)The norm of honesty is morally legitimated by the teachings of major religions
D)Religion provides the motivational basis for capitalist economies

Question 5

Using Durkheim's definitions of the sacred and the profane,choose two examples of objects and describe in what ways they fit each definition.Explore if it is possible for the profane to become sacred,and vice versa.

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT identified by Casanova as an element of secularisation?

A)The marginalisation of religion to the privatised sphere
B)The globalisation of religion such as the increase of Buddhism in Australia
C)A decline of religious beliefs and practices
D)The differentiation of non-religious institutions from religious institutions

Question 7

Secularisation is one of the most clearly defined terms in the sociology of religion.

Question 8

Which of the following is NOT one of Hanegraaff's (1998: 514)five basic elements of New Age religion?

A)Evolutionism
B)Psychologisation
C)Communalism
D)Wholism

Question 9

What term does Bauman use to describe New Age religions?

A)Consumer
B)Holistic
C)Organic
D)Environmental

Question 10

Select the statement that is NOT part of Karl Marx's theory of religion:

A)Religion will not be necessary in post-capitalist society because there will not be injustice or inequality
B)Religion legitimates the existing social order by making people think pain and suffering is natural
C)Religion is a way to socially control individuals because it shifts their focus away from critiquing capitalism and creating social change
D)Religion affects social change by providing the motivational basis for rational capitalism to emerge

Question 11

Choose one New Age religion as an example.Undertake background research to critically investigate the ways that this example meets Hanegraaff's five basic elements of New Age religion.

Question 12

Is the significance of religion increasing or decreasing in contemporary Australian society? Which of the following is NOT correct?

A)It's decreasing because church attendance has declined over the past 50 years
B)It's increasing because daily newspapers regularly report on religious issues
C)It varies with different definitions of religion; for example,Steve Bruce sees us as less religious,while Gary Bouma sees religions as thriving
D)It varies with the type of religion; for example,witchcraft and paganism have declined in recent years

Question 13

What are two reasons for the increase in Australia of non-Christian religious affiliation?

A)Australian's devotion to sport//Australia's mass postwar immigration program
B)Australia's mass postwar immigration program//Trends in the globalisation of religious and spiritual practices
C)A decline in religious affiliation in the Australian population//Australian's devotion to sport
D)Trends in the globalisation of religious and spiritual practices//A decline in religious affiliation in the Australian population

Question 14

Functional definitions of religion can be critiqued because:

A)It obscures sociological analysis of the role of religion in society
B)They fail to include a transcendental element
C)Asking if society can operate without religion is their main focus
D)They limit analysis to a narrow range of beliefs and practices

Question 15

Which is 'secularisation'?

A)A universal global trend widely accepted by societies since the Reformation
B)A process whereby religions change
C)A fundamental concept in the sociology of religion that is used as a benchmark for gathering data on religiosity
D)The declining significance of religion in modern society

Question 16

Definitions that focus on the actions and beliefs of religion are known as:

A)Functional definitions
B)Sociological definitions
C)Substantive definition
D)Theoretical definitions

Question 17

Which of the following is NOT one of Emile Durkheim's key elements of religion?

A)Religion as beliefs and practices
B)Religion as sacred
C)Religion as making objects sacred via sacralisation
D)Religion as a personal and individual experience

Question 18

Which of the following best describes the meaning of Weber's term 'Verstehen'?

A)Placing oneself in the position of someone else in order to better understand how they see the world
B)Understanding the importance of Protestantism in relation to the rise of capitalism
C)The belief that we are all predestined to go to Heaven
D)The affinity that exists between capitalism and Protestantism

Question 19

Which of the following best describes the current situation of religion in Australia?

A)Strong affiliation with Christian religions
B)A high level of religious pluralism
C)Increasing numbers attending religious schools
D)A low level of religious pluralism

Question 20

Max Weber would disagree with which of the following:

A)Protestantism helped cause the rise of capitalism in Western Europe
B)Without a religious belief system,secular capitalistic life is like living in an iron cage
C)The holding of specific beliefs and meaning systems is more important than how such beliefs and meanings are interpreted by communities
D)The process of Verstehen is a useful method for exploring how religious believers,such as Calvinists,may feel and behave

Question 21

In what context does Bauman argue that New Age religions have emerged?

A)The search for this-worldliness
B)Rejecting ties with family and friends and the handing over of wealth
C)The rise of individualism,consumerism and the search for identity
D)An interest in social change and social justice

Question 22

New Age Wicca shares the characteristics of New Age religion because it:

A)Has a transformational experience as its focus
B)Is more attractive to older participants
C)Does not seek social change or social justice
D)Rejects commodification

Question 23

Possamai argues New Age spiritualities are not alternatives,but part of the mainstream of contemporary society and relevant to the:

A)Religious history of Australian society
B)The pluralist population of Australian society
C)Freedom of choice in democracy
D)Conditions of late capitalism

Question 24

Fundamentalist religions are born from a clash between modernity and traditional cultures.Discuss.

Question 25

What does Bouma (1992: 60)argue is the core of fundamentalism?

A)Its origins in the US post-World War I when evangelical Protestants protested liberal interpretations of Scriptures
B)The Hillsong Protestant church in Sydney's Northwest suburb whose high technology approach attracts young people
C)Opposition to homosexuality,abortion,using the pill for birth control,and women holding non-traditional roles
D)Devotion to a belief system which is taken as the only valid system