Question 1

One theoretical approach in sociology suggests that "humans seek what they believe to be rewards and avoid what they believe to be costs.In the course of one's life, however, certain desired rewards are scarce or are not available through empirical means, so supernatural compensators seem an appropriate solution.Therefore religion is not likely to disappear." This perspective is known as

Accepted Answer

A)  conflict theory.
B)  exchange theory.
C)  symbolic interaction theory.
D)  rational choice theory. D

Question 2

According to Stark and Bainbridge, religious organizations are in the business of distributing

Accepted Answer

A)  general compensators.
B)  specific compensators.
C)  both general and specific compensators.
D)  empirically validated solutions to philosophical problems. A

Question 3

Which of the following would be a national shrine?

Accepted Answer

A)  Yellowstone National Park
B)  The Sears Tower in Chicago
C)  The Lincoln Memorial
D)  Disney World C

Question 4

Which of the following is NOT one of the identified purposes of civil religion?

Accepted Answer

A)  It defines a national purpose in transcendent terms
B)  It creates national solidarity
C)  It offers a nondenominational "religion" for a nation.
D)  It causes secularism to expand in a society

Question 5

Which of the following would be holy days for civil religion in the United States?

Accepted Answer

A)  Christmas and Easter.
B)  Labor Day and Christmas.
C)  Presidents Day and Easter.
D)  Christmas and Rosh Hashanah.
E)  Memorial Day and the Fourth of July.

Question 6

Berger believes that secularization leads to

Accepted Answer

A)  unification of the culture and decline of anomie.
B)  marketing of religion as a commodity, with subsequent modification in religion to have market appeal.
C)  reduction of cultural diversity.
D)  increase of influence of religion in other spheres as institutionalization and specialization occurs.
E)  evolution and advancement of religion as it becomes more complex and sophisticated.

Question 7

Which of the following is a dimension of secularization for some neo-secularization theorists?

Accepted Answer

A)  Religious leaders are the final authority on matters in a very wide range of institutions and decision-making situations.
B)  Institutional differentiation and increased autonomy of various institutions from religious domination.
C)  Decline of religion in the society.
D)  All of the above

Question 8

Which of the following is NOT among the evidence that Stark and Bainbridge cite in support of their argument that secularization is self-limiting?

Accepted Answer

A)  Significant rise in church attendance for mainline denominations in the last two decades of the twentieth century.
B)  The revival or new expressions of religion in the form of new religious movements.
C)  The fact that the people who indicate "none" on religious preference surveys often do accept astrology or some other supernatural beliefs.
D)  Atheism in one generation typically followed by reaffirmation of religious conviction in the next generation.

Question 9

What do Stark and Bainbridge mean when they say that religion is "self-limiting"?

Accepted Answer

A)  They believe that science and empirical methods are waning in public trust and that science has discredited itself as a way of knowing about the world.
B)  They believe that religion is adapting to science and becoming more empirical, and by adapting, religion will "join" the secular culture rather than "fight" it.Therefore religion will not be replaced by secularism, but will merge with it.
C)  They believe that God will not allow secularism to obliterate religion.
D)  They believe that science, technology, and empirical methods are unable to meet certain needs that individuals have, and that only religion can provide compensators in these areas.
E)  All of the above.

Question 10

Which of the following would be a sacred text for civil religion in the United States?

Accepted Answer

A)  The New Testament gospel of Matthew.
B)  The astrology horoscope in a daily newspaper.
C)  The Declaration of Independence.
D)  The Talmud.
E)  The Quran.

Question 11

Which theorist thinks pluralism increases anxiety about the meaning of life?

Accepted Answer

A)  Berger
B)  Bainbridge
C)  Bellah
D)  Brightman

Question 12

Which of the following would be a civil religion ritual?

Accepted Answer

A)  Daily recitation of the pledge to the flag by schoolchildren.
B)  Saying grace before meals.
C)  Attending worship services on the Sabbath.
D)  Making the sign of the cross before praying.
E)  A wedding service conducted by a town mayor.

Question 13

Robert Bellah views secularization as

Accepted Answer

A)  loss of sacredness and decline of social consensus.
B)  the development of rationalism in religion, which entails a decline in religion.
C)  religious evolution and development; essentially an improvement in religion to be more complex and sophisticated.
D)  an increase in supernaturalism and otherworldliness in society.

Question 14

The characterization of religion as evolving into a system that is increasingly differentiated and complex comes from

Accepted Answer

A)  Rodney Stark and William Bainbridge.
B)  Peter Berger.
C)  Roger Finke.
D)  Herbert Otto.
E)  Talcott Parsons and Robert Bellah.

Question 15

Civil religion provides important functions

Accepted Answer

A)  for society but not the individual.
B)  for the individual but not the society.
C)  for both the individual and society.
D)  for neither the individual or the society.

Question 16

Some scholars contend that secularization has merely resulted in changes in the nature of religion, not in decline.Reflecting back on the distinction between various definitions of religion, which definition would be most likely to conclude that religion will change in nature, but that this change does not mean decline?

Accepted Answer

A)  Substantive definitions.
B)  Functional definitions.
C)  Prophetic definitions.
D)  Ironic definitions.
E)  Esthetic definitions.

Question 17

Which of the following is NOT one of the textbook's conclusions about secularization?

Accepted Answer

A)  Secularization at the macro level can be seen in all western democratic societies.
B)  Secularization at the individual level is far from universal.
C)  Secularization is not inevitable.
D)  Secularization as a social theory is severely limited.
E)  Religion is likely to disappear in the Western world because of the trend to secularization.

Question 18

Who of the following NOT would be a saint of American civil religion?

Accepted Answer

A)  George Washington
B)  Martin Luther King, Jr.
C)  Abraham Lincoln
D)  Betsy Ross
E)  Mother Teresa

Question 19

Which of the following would be a sacred symbol for civil religion in the United States?

Accepted Answer

A)  The cross.
B)  A fish.
C)  The star of David.
D)  The American flag.
E)  The Bible.

Exam 13: Secularization: Religion in Decline or in Transformation