Chapter 1

What is "secularization theory," promoted by many scholars of religion in prior decades?

Secularization theory posits that as societies modernize they will become less religious

Ninian Smarts has (seven Dimensions of religion) and Catherine Albanes uses the (fours C's) are examples of a (family resemblance approach to the definition of religion)

Seven Dimensions, Fourc C's, Family resemblance

The idea that all religions are one, despite their apparent differences, has made the world more dangerous.

True It is not possible to understand religious conflict if we refuse to acknowledge the reality of religious difference. If you want to understand what's happening with Israelis and Palestinians, it does not help to be told that Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are essentially the same. It does not serve diplomats working in Indonesia to be told that the Shia Islam of Iran is equivalent to the Sunni Islam of Saudi Arabia.

According to the textbook, what is a problem with the philosophy of perennialism?

it is not true

Generalization (ignoring internal differences and variations) is a problem in the study of religion, but it is also necessary in order to have a conversation about religious phenomena. Below is a list of topics that religion scholars could discuss. Arrange the topics from those that involve the most generalization to those that involve the least.

"religion" to "Buddhism" to "Zen Buddhism" to "American Zen" to the San Francisco Zen Center

Substantive

Definition look ar the contents and perhaps conclude that there is an essence to religion

Functional

Definition look at how religion operated in society (if they are sociological) or in the human mind (if they are psychological)

Identify which of the activities below clearly represents a devotional way of talking about religion. Do not select activities that could represent an academic way of talking about religion.

Devotional Way: Singing a song to praise the god Krishna Learning about the Torah at Sabbath School Attending bible Study class at a church Arguing for why the Buddhist Dharma is correct. Academic Way Discussing the the term Messiah meant for early christians Identifying the role of ritual in uniting the jewish community in diaspora arguing for why Buddhist interpretations of who could be a buddha have changes over time

Although it is important to avoid essentializing the world's religions, there is no way to avoid generalization.

Essentializing and Generalization

Religious Literacy is...., not just

Practicing Skill and Memorizing Facts

What is the MOST LIKELY reason this book does not contain a chapter on Scientology?

Scientology has had less influence than religions featured in this book

What does the term bracketing mean when used by religious studies scholars?

To set aside ones own attitues and beliefs momentarily so that one can examine a topic with as little bias as possible

Which of the elements below can be found in every religious tradition described in this textbook?

a System of Stories

Anthropologist E. B. Tylor defined religion as "belief in Spiritual Beings." What is a potential weakness of this definition?

it excludes traditions that do not affirm any Spiritual beings

Nathan is a college student who is interested in learning about Buddhism because it is a peaceful religion. When he learns that Buddhist monks in Myanmar have persecuted and killed members of the Rohingya Muslim community, Nathan responds that these monks aren't "real Buddhists." This attitude is an example of

essentialism

Statements like "Islam is a religion of war" and "Islam is a religion of peace" are both examples of what?

essentialism

Being suspicious of the categories we use to think about the world's religions, avoiding bad generalizations, and acknowledging that the generalizations we make are, in fact, generalizations are three techniques for

reducing the problem of essentialism

According to the textbook, what is the most important factor that determines whether religions succeed or fail?

the power of the stories their practitioners have told

What does the term bracketing mean when used by religious studies scholars?

to set aside ones own attitudes and beliefs momentarily so that one can examine a topic with as little bias as possible