Religious Studies Final Exam
In support of the claim that religious experiences of a rather dramatic kind seem to be at the root of much of the founding of any given religion the author sites which of the following persons: (check all that apply)
- Muhammad - buddha - St. Paul the apostle
According to your text, every worldview, in order to be complete, includes the following aspects
- an epistemology - an axiology - a metaphysics - an anthropology - a theology
Richter and his co-authors discuss a possible structure by which we might begin to explore religious experience, a kind of checklist. The structure includes which of the following elements: (you may choose more than one from the list below)
- how would I feel if I had a direct experience of God or the Holy? - how do I feel about myself when I experience my religion? - how do I feel about the world and other people as a result of my religious consciousness or awareness?
The ethical analysis of a particular course of action would involve a review of a number of general factors or categories related to that course of action and the individual who undertook that course of action. Which of the following would be included among those general ethical factors?
- the facts of the situation—who did what to whom and whether or not it was intentional. - the person's worldview - the relevant moral values and standards of conduct
In a Catholic religious order of women whose members normally wear a religious habit, a novice can typically be identified because she wears a white veil instead of a black or dark colored veil with her habit.
1. a white veil 2. a black or dark colored veil
Rudolf Otto has described authentic religious experience as "mysterium tremendum et fascinans." In distinguishing the two Latin terms "tremendum" and "fascinans" one could say in general that the term "tremendum" refers to that part of religious experience that is and whereas the term "fascinans" refers to that part of religious experience that is and . (Choose from the list below to fill in the blanks) awesome refreshing peaceful fearful
1. fearful 2. awesome 3. refreshing 4. peaceful
The words [ Select ] and [ Select ] refer to two opposite ways of experiencing the sacred, or the Absolute or the Holy or God. [ Select ] describes the sacred or the Absolute or the Holy or God as beyond the world, "outside" the created, natural order of things. [Select) refers to the sacred or the Absolute, or the Holy or God as present within the created or natural order of things.
1. transcendent 2. immanent 3. The word of transcendent 4. The word immanent
The world behind the text AUTHOR CENTERED: the world of the author who told the story The world within the text TEXT CENTERED: the world that the text creates whether it is factual, legendary, or fictional The world in front of the text READER CENTERED: the world of the reader who is reading the text, i.e. the world we are currently living in
AUTHOR CENTERED: the world of the author who told the story TEXT CENTERED: the world that the text creates whether it is factual, legendary, or fictional READER CENTERED: the world of the reader who is reading the text, i.e. the world we are currently living in
We viewed a panel discussion among three eminent Oxford University professors. Two of the three had at one time in their lives professed atheism. After rigorous scholarship in their own disciples, they were eventually moved to adopt a position of faith, specifically the Christian faith: These two were
Alister McGrath and Keith Ward
What is "down-time" for you? Why do we need "down-time? Do you think people take enough "down-time" in our culture? Why or why not?
Answer: Down-time for me is being able to pray and talk with God. I honestly think that people don't take enough time for it. I feel this way because of all the distractions in the world. If people blocked out the noise, then they would be able to take care of their relationships with themselves and with God.
It is said that Jesus of Nazareth is unique among all other religious founders because:
Claimed to be divine
Probably written in the 8th and 7th centuries BC (according to the original documentary hypothesis) this source represents a major effort to reassess the tradition and reassert its central authority.
Deuteronomic
According to the original documentary hypothesis, this source was written after the kingdom was divided and it shows evidence of favoring issues and concerns of the Northern Kingdom, therefore it was most likely written in the Northern Kingdom.
Elohist
17th-century biblical scholar, Richard Simon, proposed that if Moses did write a basic foundational text, additions and redactions must have been made after him. His theory was widely accepted and proved to be the bases for later discoveries in the mid-19th
False
According to Richter if the sacred texts of a religion express what people believe, and the rituals and moral teachings of a religion are what people do, then religious experience involves naming and describing how people who practice a particular religion think.
False
According to Rolheiser spirituality is usually experienced as something exotic, esoteric and rare rather than something vital and essential in life. That's why people are so afraid of the spiritual life and yet at the same time are drawn to it.
False
According to Rolheiser, since all people have a spirituality and is such a common experience, it is easy for people to talk about it.
False
After Thomas Merton became a monk he was able to forget about the world and all it's problems and so live happily and carefree behind the cloistered walls of the monastery.
False
All the texts and writings of any given religion have equal levels of authority.
False
Although they did it in the past, today religions have little effect on the public life and culture in which they exist. today religion is a completely private matter
False
Attention to the moral quality of my actions is a noble thing to do, but certainly not necessary as long as what I am doing is not against the law.
False
Cigarette companies bear no moral responsibility for those who died from cancer by smoking cigarettes because no one forced smokers to smoke.
False
Currently the relationship between science and religion remains as it always has been--conflicted and even combative. efforts to reconcile these two disciplines seem to never get off the ground, even though it would be helpful for each of them and for the wider culture in which their scholarship is done
False
Customs surrounding the use of the flag in the United States and almost every other country are important but would not be considered rituals.
False
Dolores Hart felt compelled because of a guilty conscience to enter the monastery and become a nun.
False
Dr. King Martin Luther King planned from the start of his college career to enter politics and lead a movement of civil rights in the United States.
False
For Christian moral theologians, the Old Testament and the Ten Commandments no longer apply once Jesus gave his law of agape love.
False
In asserting truth claims, a religion that adheres to an approach called inclusivism would claim that all religions have the truth, they just say it in a different way
False
In her talk, Dr. Barbara BrownTaylor suggested that "Sacred Downtime" is something that is only possible for highly intelligent people. The average person should not attempt it.
False
In making a moral decision, consulting the teaching of your own religious tradition would not be very helpful since you are the one who has to live with the decision and only you alone can determine for you what is right or wrong.
False
In the film, " The Boy In the Striped Pajamas," Bruno bears at least some responsibility for his death in the gas chamber of the concentration camp since he disobeyed his parents' directive not to explore in the back of their house. Had he obeyed his parents, his tragic death would never have happened.
False
In the film, " The Boy In the Striped Pajamas," Bruno was completely morally culpable of an act of betrayal and injustice toward Shmuel when he lied to Lieutenant Kotler about his friendship with Shmuel and giving him the pastry.
False
In the film, " The Boy In the Striped Pajamas," Bruno's father bears no moral culpability for the injustices and horrors of the concentration camp because he was only doing his duty as a soldier in the army of Nazi Germany.
False
In the first article assigned for reading in this unit, Kent Richter offers the following definition of religious experience which he insists is precise and exact: "religious experience is the non-cognitive, emotional and impassioned parts of religious life."
False
It was evident from the discussion among the 3 Oxford professors that the truth claims of science are always objectively and absolutely provable while the truth claims of religion remain somewhat spurious because they require, in the end, an act of faith
False
Knowing the legal code of a given place is really the only information needed in order to arrive at a sound moral judgment. In other words, as long as a particular action is legal, then it certainly would be morally good.
False
Most of the linguistic styles or genres in sacred texts like the bible employ straightforward didactic, scientific writing.
False
Most people, though not all of course, are fairly literate when it comes to religious issues. therefore public debates and media discussions of religion are usually well-grounded
False
Most scholars who engage in biblical hermeneutics will choose only one of the three centers of meaning discussed in the items above rather than try to explore all three and integrate the results.
False
Myth can be understood as ancient science, attempting to explain natural phenomena and the origins of the earth and humans. Because we now have modern science these ancient myths have no value but fantasy
False
Of all the positions described in item #17 above, relativism seems to lead to the greatest truth, according to your author because it includes everybody and is more consistent with a pluralistic society in which we live
False
Only people who are conscious of their worldview and are able to articulate that world view can be said to actually have a worldview
False
Racial prejudice and discrimination harm only those people toward whom the prejudice and discrimination are directed.
False
Religion and Spirituality really have little to do with each other since one can be religious without being spiritual and one can be spiritual without being religious.
False
Religions are historically consistent from one generation to the next. therefore, once a religion forms a particular doctrine, it will never change
False
Religious ritual and ceremonial practices are no longer relevant in the modern world.
False
Religious truth-claims involve the assumptions, presuppositions, and the interpretations of people necessarily seeing "the truth" through different "lenses." Therefore religious truth-claims have no objective validity whatsoever
False
Richter and his co-authors say that, in general, the primary value behind the average religious person's belief and practice is the moral guide religion provides for them as they live within a given society. While feelings, even intense ones, sometimes accompany religious faith, this aspect of religion is largely irrelevant.
False
Rolheiser describes the human soul as that part of us that lives on after death.
False
Scholars of religion are particularly interested in the work of interreligious dialogue with the hope that one religion will finally be proved to be true
False
Since religious truth is simply a matter of opinion, considering the truth-claims of any given religion may be interesting, but it is not very helpful
False
Since the religious experience of people who practice a given religion is far less tangible than their beliefs and practices, it may be an interesting point of observation but not a fit arena for academic research and study.
False
Strictly speaking, ritual is limited to religious events and ceremonies.
False
The "documentary hypothesis" as developed by German scholars in the 19th century has remained virtually unchanged since they first proposed it since its conclusions were so precise and accurate.
False
The best way to understand a religion is to boil it down to a few basic ideas so as to be able to compare it with other religions
False
The difference in the number of books between the Catholic and Protestant Old Testaments is because the Catholic Church added 7 more books to the bible after the Protestant movement began in the 16thcentury to show that they were different.
False
The distinction between "the religious and secular"or "the sacred and profane" is an obvious and self-evident distinction and thus universal among all cultures throughout the whole world.
False
The fact that we can now more or less trace the origins and developmental stages of religious traditions proves that religion is nothing more than a human fabrication and not the result of encounter an with some sort of presence that can be called the Divine, or the Sacred, or God.
False
The human conscience evolves quite naturally and needs no external information or discipline in order to be formed properly.
False
The instinct to worship seems to be created by society, a fabricated sense and not innate in humans.
False
The process of seeking to understand our origins and the origin of our universe often gives rise to religious belief and practice, but this never seems to appease our human need for meaning and belonging.
False
The rise of post modernity ushered through new insights in philosophy as well as the advent of the new human sciences like psychology, anthropology, sociology has led people to realize even more that scientific truth, empirical truth is the only pure truth and therefore the only real truth; all other knowledges is shaped by subjective opinion and therefore may not be considered true
False
The same scholars, medical professionals, and monks referred to above in item 17 suggested that the lack of attention in modern life to contemplation and meditation is certainly unfortunate, but has no effect on the overall health of individuals or society.
False
The science of archeology found many interesting artifacts when employed in biblical research but sadly never produced any substantive data to aid in the exploration of scripture itself.
False
The term "Pentateuch" refers to the entire Old Testament.
False
The truth-claims of any given religion will most certainly come to bear on the actions members of that religion take toward others-both fellow members of that religion and those outside of their own faith community. Likewise religious truth-claims have greatly influenced the society, culture, and the unfolding of history
False
Though cautious in its approach, fundamentalism welcomes critical research and the historical-critical method of biblical interpretation.
False
Unlike the Old Testament, one can apply the teaching of Jesus right from the bible to the issues of the 21stcentury without interpretation
False
While it is a good thing to carefully and critically think through a moral question, and rely on resources outside ourselves to validate and confirm our decisions, most of the time we can be confident that our initial reaction and first judgment about a particular course of action will be the right one.
False
With the advent of modern forms of communication, contact with persons of differing religious traditions is part of the fabric of daily life and culture in modern, western countries. but one's position regarding the truth-claims of religion, especially the truth-claims of one's own religious tradition (or lack thereof) has little bearing on this common cultural interchange
False
Zen Buddhist meditation only takes place in monasteries.
False
Marie is the principal of a local high school. She discovers that Rick, one of the varsity football players - the star quarterback -- has cheated on a test. Standard procedure is suspension from the team for the remainder of the semester. But the team is up for the state championship and the semifinals are scheduled for later that week. Without Rick, they will likely lose that game. Still, the policy is clear. Rick needs to be suspended from the team. Despite the coach's pleading, Marie remains firm and suspends Rick. Which of the four cardinal virtues is she exercising here? Fortitude
Fortitude
You watched the film "Hidden Figures." What are some of the moral/ethical issues raised by this film? Is this story still relevant to our country today or have we learned our lesson about racism? Explain your answer.
Hidden Figures is one of the best movies that I have ever seen in a long while. Not only is it motivational to me because I am a woman, but also because I am a black woman. Some of the moral/ethical issues in this film would be the different stereotypes and prejudiced actions that were revealed in this film. The main characters in the film were 3 black women who were mathematicians just trying to make it. They were treated wrongly by not using the same bathrooms etc. They were treated differently and overlooked. I believe that times have not changed because these examples still occur today. It's almost as if we black women have to make a space for ourselves because there will not be one made all ready for us.
In their discussion about the role of story in human life in the video series "Convergence" Phyllis Tickle and Don Miller concluded that telling one's story:
Is the main way we give ourselves to each other and form bonds of friendship and love
Jim is a maintenance man at a local supermarket. He was moving one of the display cases and talking on his cell phone at the same time with one of his buddies about going to the ballgame that evening. Distracted, Jim made a wrong move and cracked the glass of the display case. Since he was clearly being careless, Jim offered to pay for the broken glass and his employer accepted his offer. Which of the four cardinal virtues is being exercised here? Justice .
Justice
Two scholars from the mid-19th century who contributed a great deal to the advancement of modern biblical scholarship and the "historical-critical" method are: (choose two from the list below)
Karl H. Gaff Julius Wellhausen
Among the Christian churches, those that acknowledge formal structures of religious life for men and women are
Orthodox Anglican Catholic
It seems that this biblical source integrates several older sources into the Pentateuch as we know it today and seems to have been written during the exile in Babylon sometime in the 500's BC.
Priestly
The first creation account in Genesis 1:1-23 seems generally to be ascribed which of the following source:
Priestly
Cathy and her husband Cliff are attending the graduation of their dear friend Paul who is receiving his doctorate. Cathy and Cliff have been friends with Paul for almost forty years; he's almost like a member of the family. In the week before this event, Cathy had a biopsy to check for breast cancer. While she is away for all the weekend festivities related to Paul's graduation she finds out that the biopsy was positive and that she has breast cancer. She tells her husband Cliff, but together they decide that they will not tell Paul until the week after the graduation so as not to put a damper on the celebration he so deserves. Which of the four cardinal virtues are they exercising here? Prudence
Prudence
During the apostolic times when the Christian movement had just gotten underway, there were two versions of the Old Testament in use. One was written in Greek and was called the _______________.
Septuagint
The Greek translation of the Old Testament called the _________ used largely throughout the Jewish communities of the diaspora around the Mediterranean and later used by the early Christians in the same area, contained _________ more books than the Hebrew version used in Jerusalem. (fill in the blank spaces with the correct words chosen from below)
Septuagint seven
Fran had a lovely dinner planned with the whole family. She made sure that her husband George was free that evening. But George calls at the last minute to tell her that he will not be home to join the family at table that night because of a needed business dinner with a client that is thinking about switching law firms. George feels he must try to convince his client to remain with his firm. This behavior has become a regular problem and Fran is furious with him but she doesn't express her anger immediately, and when she eventually talks to George about this matter she is able to have a reasonable discussion about the importance of the family gatherings. Which of the four cardinal virtues is she exercising here? Temperance
Temperance
The name of the first book that Thomas Merton wrote after he became a monk was:
The Seven Story Mountain
Which of the "centers of meaning" listed below asks: "What prompted the author to write this; what did they mean when they wrote this; and what historical, cultural, or social situations influenced their work?"
The world behind the text
Which of the "centers of meaning" listed below might employ elements of the historical-critical method like source criticism, form criticism, or redaction criticism?
The world behind the text
Which of the "centers of meaning" listed below focuses on the reader's experience as they read and reflect on the text?
The world in front of the text
Which of the "centers of meaning" listed below focuses on the text as a piece of literature—a narrative, a piece of rhetoric, a legal document, a myth, a legend, an historical account, or a poem, etc.?
The world within the text
A ritual that might otherwise be taken for granted becomes suddenly noticed when someone fails to perform it properly or neglects to perform it at all
True
According to Evelyn Underhill, religious ritual creates a framework for the corporate worship of God; through ritual, permanence is given to the great traditions of worship.
True
According to Rolheiser all people have a spirituality, but not everyone has adequately articulated their own spirituality.
True
According to Rolheiser, a healthy soul must do two things: it must "put some fire in our veins" and it must "keep us fixed together;" i.e., it must be both a principle of ENERGYand a principle of ORDER.
True
According to Rolheiser, spirituality is, ultimately, what we do with our deepest longings.
True
According to the author of your text, religions are formed, at least in part, to explain and understand our human origin and the origin of the universe and so to locate ourselves in the world.
True
According to your author, some scholars of religion suggest that we cannot even speak of a given religion as being true because each one of them is comprised of complex history of ideas, events, and people, and therefore is much too intricate and complex to evaluate in terms of overall truth
True
According to your author, the scholars of religion who contend that religions can be spoken of as true or not true if one speaks of a given religion as being "mythologically" true- i.e. having the power to lead human persons to the REAL or the TRANSCENDENT
True
Although difficult to convince people of its validity, nonviolent methods of protest proved very effective for the civil rights movement.
True
Another clue that points to the different sources in a given biblical text is the presence of double accounts of the same story which offers different versions with slight or even substantial variations in language, vocabulary, and style
True
Anworldview is a conceptual scheme by which a person interprets and judges reality
True
Barbara King concludes that religion is a substantive and serious aspect of human life. She bases this conclusion on data collected about religious experience which reveals that "...when people talk about their religious experiences, there appears to be a fundamental similarity."
True
Because language is so basic to human life and community, virtually every faith tradition has sacred texts that play a key role in their history and their daily practice.
True
Because of the degree of subjectivity involved, evaluating religious experience, while not impossible, remains a complex process.
True
Biblical fundamentalism arises when interpretations of the bible disregard the historical context and cultural situation in which the Scriptures were written.
True
Chanting and some form of regular common prayer several times a day seems to be a common practice in monasticism for both Buddhist and Christian settings.
True
Christian Ethics is incomprehensible apart from the Christian's faith in God as revealed and modeled by Jesus Christ. We can, therefore, glean hints of Christian moral standards from what Jesus said and did during his earthly lifetime
True
Conscience is a practical judgment of reason which helps us assess if an action or attitude is good or evil.
True
Deontologically based ethics concerns itself with what it considers "objective" and "universally valid" duties or obligations based on careful, systematic reasoning.
True
Dr. King drew from the writings and actions of Mahatma Gandhi in developing methods of nonviolent protests in the civil rights movement.
True
Dr. Martin Lutheer King drew from many biblical themes of liberation and freedom as the theoretical basis for his work in the civil rights movement and as thematic images for his speeches and preaching
True
Earlier historical accounts of the interchange between science and religion focused almost exclusively on their conflicts and failed to give a balanced picture
True
Essential to one's spirituality is the opportunity for quiet, silence and peace to listen to the movement of the spirit in ones' soul.
True
Even something that seems so ordinary like shaking hands is actually a form of ritual.
True
Even with all the descriptors that can be ascribed to biblical fundamentalism, it remains difficult to precisely define because there is no overarching authority that guides fundamentalist communities. In that sense, it is highly individualistic and holds for only one authority: the Bible itself.
True
Every act of reading a text is an act of interpretation. To understand what a text says, what it implies, and what it means personally for the reader are acts of interpretation.
True
Every sacred text embodies the assumptions and the foundational world view of the religious tradition to which it is associated.
True
Examining your true motives for considering a particular course of action is an essential element in evaluating the moral quality of that action.
True
From the perspective of wide biblical scholarship, appreciating that the truths of the bible are communicated in varied forms of human language provides a basis for a balanced and more accurate interpretation of biblical texts.
True
From the point of view of modern critical analysis, one could say that there is often a difference between what the bible says and what the Bible intends to teach.
True
Fundamentalism usually does not accept the human character of the divine word but treats the biblical text as if it had been dictated word-for-word by God.
True
Fundamentalists tend to view the bible as an infallible owner's manual for life whose truths are immediately apparent and self-evident to the reader; the majority of biblical scholars and faith traditions do not approach the bible in this way.
True
Generally, biblical fundamentalism is characterized by a rigid, dogmatic, uncompromising, and often uninformed adherence to certain perspectives in biblical interpretation
True
Genre refers to the style, form or content of a particular text. Knowing the genre of a text helps in understanding and interpreting that text.
True
In dealing with the development and formation of a religion, story functions to give expression to and integrate religious experience into a unified whole leading to a shared sense of the sacred, a shared sense of the meaning of life, and common grounds for morality and ethics; and thus within a religious tradition story draws people together into community, providing necessary social bonding that people long for.
True
In her talk, Barbara Brown Taylor suggested that "sacred downtime" is something that is vital and important for every human being. Indeed it is one of those activities that greatly enhances our humanity.
True
In his chapter on The Language of the Sacred, Lawrence Cunningham demonstrates that trying to describe or name the sacred or experiences of the sacred in human language is a very difficult task.
True
In order to understand the truth that religious myths intend to convey, the reader must avoid reading the story merely at face value. Instead, the reader must ask the question, "What notions of sacred reality and its relationship to human beings and the world are embedded within this story?"
True
In relation to religious truth, exclusivism suggests that a single religious tradition has exclusive claim to all genuine religious truth and that truth about God, the sacred and faith cannot be found in any other religious tradition
True
In religious traditions, ritual often functions to act out or dramatize and thus vicariously participate in the foundational stories of that particular religious tradition.
True
In the end, myth can be described as a narrative that conveys perceptions of deep and abiding truths about the human condition.
True
In the film, " The Boy In the Striped Pajamas," Bruno's fate is both tragic and ironic in the film.
True
In the first article assigned for reading in this unit, Kent Richter offers the following definition of religious experience which he admits is neither precise nor exact but as adequate as possible given this arena of study: "religious experience is the non-cognitive, emotional and impassioned parts of religious life."
True
In the video presentation by Barbara Brown Taylor, as well as in the presentations on Buddhist Monasticism in Japan and Thailand, the Christian Monasticism of the Trappist Monks at Mempkin Abbey and the Trappistine Nuns at Mt. St. Mary's in Massachusetts, as well as the nuns at Regina Laudis -- scholars, medical professionals, and the monks and nuns themselves suggested that with modern western culture leaving little room in daily life for meditation and contemplation, monastic communities offer an important and unique setting for the average person to come away from the hustle and bustle of modern life and find some solitude and discover the practices of meditation and contemplative prayer.
True
In the wake of the post-enlightenment era and the subsequent rise of scientific method has been that the understanding of what "truth" is has been narrowed to "factual" claims and empirically verifiable statements
True
Interreligious dialogue can be described as a formal engagement between followers of different religious traditions about commonalities and differences among religious views
True
Jesus took a somewhat critical stance toward the religious authorities of his day in a way similar to the prophets of the Old Testament.
True
Many religions have as part of their ensemble of worship or ceremonial and ritual practices a kind of symbolic reenactment of the creation or origins of life and the universe.
True
Many ritual gestures are so familiar and so frequently used that their significance can easily be overlooked
True
Many scholars will assert that myth is designed to disclose or reveal the ultimate truth about crucial human questions like the origins of the world or the final destiny of humankind or the world.
True
Mentioned above, Dr. King asserts that from human observation, religion answers a deep human need for some kind of personal connection with another. Interpersonal connection and bonding, when moved to a deeper level of relating, has the potential to open human beings up to experience genuine transcendence.
True
Metaphoric, figurative, and symbolic language is especially employed in religious language since we are describing realities that are, for the most part, intangible.
True
Monastic life generally requires the discipline of celibacy.
True
Moral experience refers to all those times in our lives when we are aware of feeling obliged to be or to do something, or to refrain from being or doing something.
True
Most biblical scholars would see the bible as a major and foundational source on which to base a reasoned theology but requiring substantial interpretation and careful scholarship.
True
Most religions, though not all of them, are historically diverse
True
Most scripture scholars do not approach the biblical text merely as a container of facts and information.
True
Much of our ordinary language reaches for examples, analogies or poetic imagery to convey our deepest experiences. When, after the loss of a loved one, I say "my heart aches,' I am not talking about an organ in my body but the core of my being -my spirit, my soul. The word "heart" in this sense is used as a metaphor.
True
Myth embodies spiritual and psychological truths that should not be disparaged but viewed from the perspective of universal human need and the human quest for transcendence or the divine.
True
Often it happens that a person's worldview has not been carefully and critically thought through
True
One of the foundation stones of the documentary hypothesis (and really of much of modern biblical scholarship) is the attention paid to varied styles of writing and the historical development of language as it evolves through centuries.
True
One place where we find double accounts of a story is in the book of Genesis where we find two distinct accounts of creation.
True
Prejudice of any kind, (racial, ethnic, and religious, etc.) remains an offense against human dignity and a violation of the natural law.
True
Prior to modern approaches to scripture study, many thought that God somehow dictated the words of scripture directly to the biblical author.
True
Prior to the 17th century, the author of the Pentateuch was generally thought to be Moses.
True
Relationally based ethics often combines aspects of the teleological and deontological methods; but bases its conclusions primarily on the broadest range of morally relevant relationships
True
Religion reaches deep into our lives including and especially what we take to be good behavior and/or right decision-making.
True
Religions are internally diverse
True
Religions involve many aspects: ritual practices, moral structures, goals, and means of personal development as well as beliefs or "truth-claims" It is a somewhat peculiar characteristic of Western mentality to focus on "beliefs" or "truth-claims" as the defining character of a given religion
True
Religions themselves provide the best and most valid basis for evaluating religious experience based on the beliefs and traditions that have been tested over many years.
True
Religious ethics is concerned with discovering, discerning and clarifying basic sources of moral guidance for the faithful of a given religion.
True
Rituals are symbolic, routine, and repetitive activities and actions through which we make connections with the most valuable dimensions of life, especially that which is transcendent, "the sacred," or God.
True
Rituals set aside specific times and places and provide us the opportunity to ponder the meaning of the ritual and connect emotionally
True
Rolheiser contrasts the passionate life of Mother Teresa with the passionate life of Janice Joplin. Mother Teresa found an effective spirituality enabling her to focus her passions, her deepest longings on one thing and thus engage that spiritual energy effectively. Janice Joplin could not focus at all but found her passions divergent and dispersed. She was not able to engage her spiritual energy effectively. Joplin died prematurely of an overdose; Mother Teresa lived a long life in service to humankind.
True
Sacrifice could be considered the highest form of worship.
True
Some argue that science and religion each deal with totally independent and autonomous realms and never have subject matter that intersects. this way of construing the relationship between science and religion has been described by the acronym NOMA short for "non-overlapping magisteria" true
True
Some of the philosophers of the enlightenment (modernity) have attempted to construct a morality or ethics from pure human reason, without reliance on religious or revealed truths
True
Some scholars like Stephen Jay Gould and Richard Dawkins dismiss religion as merely a human fabrication; but other scholars of equal stature strongly disagree with this reductionist assessment of religion. Scholars like Barbara J. King (mentioned in your text) would argue that religions can indeed bear the scrutiny of rigorous research and point out that such research can yield insights which support religious claims rather than discredit them.
True
Teleologically based ethics concerns itself with the ultimate purpose for life; in this mode of moral decision making, the end or purpose of existence becomes the main governing factor.
True
The 1955 Montgomery bus boycott was the event that drew Dr. King into a major leadership role in the civil rights movement in the United States
True
The Protestant and Catholic bibles differ in their versions of the Old Testament. The Protestant Old Testament has 39 books; whereas the Catholic Old Testament has 46 books.
True
The fundamentalist approach to reading and interpreting the bible is often employed when people look for support for their own social and political agenda in a rigid and uncompromising way.
True
The fundamentalist commitment to the truth of the Bible is sound in and of itself; but it becomes problematic in how divine revelation, biblical inerrancy, and biblical inspiration are understood within the framework of fundamentalism.
True
The fundamentalist way of thinking about the Bible appeals to those who want simple and uncomplicated answers to life's deepest questions. Unfortunately, such simple answers are not always the best answers.
True
The issue of climate change has genuine moral and ethical implications.
True
The terms relativism vs. pluralism refer to positions regarding religious truth. both hold that there is a plurality of appropriate religious claims, but relativism holds that there is really no objective truth, while pluralism holds that there are many differing but valid claims to truth which can lead to the "real" and the "true" and thus challenge adherents to actively seek understanding and energetic engagement with diversity
True
The tools of philosophy (understood as critical reflection on worldviews) would necessarily have to be employed in this process of putting science and religion in dialogue with each other
True
There remains a good deal of disagreement among Christians today about the moral teaching of the Gospel and what specific ethical demands that it entails.
True
To raise the question of the truth-claims of religion means that I must explore the nature of truth itself
True
Underhill says that religious ritual weaves speech, gesture, rhythm and ceremonial into the worshiping action of a human community. Thus at its best ritual can unite a worshiping community - physically, mentally, and emotionally -- in a single response to God.
True
We must be careful in our critique of those who adopt the approach of fundamentalism and the literal interpretation of scripture so as not to use sweeping generalizations which can lead to misunderstanding and even unfair judgment.
True
When considering a particular course of action I should always consider the possible effects of my action on myself and others.
True
When the reader allows the words of the Bible to mean only what they seem to say on the surface, they are tending toward fundamentalism.
True
When used in the context of religious language, myth does not mean something that is false; rather it refers to a narrative concerning sacred reality and its relationship to humanity.
True
Whether one supports the right to the procedure or not, abortion remains a genuine moral issue that cannot simply be written off as just another medical procedure
True
Whether we like it or not, participating in ritual is part of human life. No person who lives in human society is free from some form of ritual
True
While religions offer some empirically verifiable "facts," much of religious truth claims are not empirically provable
True
Worship defines us human beings always in relation and, to a certain extent in subordination to a wider reality we call God.
True
Your author was quick to comment that neither of the two general positions or "camps" discussed in item #3 above adequately express the complexity of establishing truth-claims
True
Zen masters often beat their students with a wooden stick called a kyosaku to help refresh the body and mind during the mediation period.
True
Four significant questions inherent in the quest for spirituality are:
Who am I? Why am I? How am I? Whose am I?
Most scholars seem to agree that as the earliest and most comprehensive of the biblical sources, it was probably written in Jerusalem around the 10th or early 9th century BC
Yahwist
The account of the "Fall" in Genesis 3:1-13 seems generally to be ascribed which of the following source:
Yahwist
The form of meditation practiced by Zen Buddhist Monks is called:
Zaazen
It seems that Judaism as we know it today came together during the exile when the Temple worship was no longer available, and emphasis was placed on ... (Select from below those items that correctly complete this sentence above)
_____ the primordial synagogue service (common prayer & reading, study, and proclamation of scripture) c. _____ circumcision _____ the weekly Sabbath meal
The Ten Commandments - a core moral code for Jews and Christians..... [Select from the list below the item or items that would NOTcomplete the above statement accurately]
____can be applied immediately without much interpretation to all modern day problems ____are first found in the book of Exodus in the Hebrew Bible
Worship usually involves some kind of____________________
____ritual
Based on the discussion among these three Oxford professors, and in light of the discussions we have had up to this point, and the videos we've seen of Jennifer Fulfiller, Lee Strobel, and others the best definition of faith would be:
a passionate commitment based on evidence but without objective certainty
A sage is________
a person who has discovered some unique truth or truths about existence and who has shared these insights with others either in writings or in personal instruction or both
Ethics can be defined as a rigorous reflection on moral experience .
a rigorous reflection on moral experience
Thomas Aquinas: ____________________________________ (check the bestresponse)
all of the above
Your textbook suggests that in the "popular mindset" one can find at least two camps regarding the nature of truth and truth-claims, especially with regard to religion truth. These are kind of opposite ends of a continuum or like polar opposites. Which one of the following is NOT one of these positions?
all truth including religious truth, has some objective source, but the way it is understood and communicated is usually affected by the perspective of the ones making the claim
In the film, "Everything Is Spiritual" Rob Bell, seemed to demonstrate vividly and with a lot of examples, the ____________ principe by pointing out various ____________ necessary for __________ to exist on earth
anthropic principle, constants, human life, precision, constant aspects of elements
Religions assert or profess "truth-claims" about God, the universe, and humankind. These religious truth claims:
are not provable but reasonable because they are based on evidence that points to truth, even those it does not empirically prove it
In the PowerPoint presentation on moral decision making, it was asserted that careful moral decision making requires attention to three aspects of our actions. Choose the three aspects of moral decision making from the list below:
b. _____the object of my action c. ____the intention of my action e. _____the circumstances surrounding my action
Given what you've seen and heard in presentations, videos, and in your own textbook, it would be fair to say that the truth claims of religion:
both b and d
In the film, "Everything Is Spiritual" Rob Bell, using linguistic analysis, pointed out that the familiar name of God used by the Hebrew people actually means something like _________
breath or genesis
In the film, " The Boy In the Striped Pajamas," the reconciliation between Shmuel and Bruno after Bruno's betrayal and Shmuel's punishment:
demonstrates how even in the face of hurt and disappointment and in the context of great evil, the human spirit can transcend evil and sin, and goodness and love can reign.
Which of the following is NOT one of the areas of study within physics that have implications for religion are:
epistemology
All theorists both scientific and religious claim the big bang supports the biblical idea of creation
false
In his book, "The Varieties of Religious Experience" William James describes divergent inner religious experiences using the terms, "sick soul" and "healthy soul." James insists that those with a "healthy soul" are far better in the way they approach God than those with a "sick soul" who probably need some kind of psychotherapy.
false
Religious experience is so private and personal it simply cannot be a matter for research in religious studies.
false
Conscience requires a certain degree of interiority .
interiority
Scientific and religious propositions may relate to each other in the following 4 ways
irrelevance indirect relevance quasi-direct relevance direct relevance
Scholars say that ancient myth refracts and reflects historical reality indirectly. This means that:
it reflects the society and social structures that existed at the time of the myth's origins
In describing the moment when she had to break off her engagement because she wanted to enter the convent, Dolores says
it was almost impossible to explain! How do you explain God? How do you explain love?
The term "scriptural hermeneutics" means:
methods of interpreting scripture
Which of the following is NOT one of the four major reasons natural science is important for religion
non-noetic reasons
Jesus did push moral behavior in a new direction - away from an overly legalistic approach to a more broadly based approach shaped by two singular commandments. One of those two commandments would be? - an eye for an eye - God helps those who help themselves - follow the law and prophets
none of the above listed
There are two kinds of evil human beings face; ontic evil which arises from nature, and moral evil which arises from bad human moral choices.
ontic evil moral evil
Around the 17th century, some scholars began to notice some odd discrepancies in biblical texts. For example, there are really two accounts of Noah and the flood that offer conflicting reports. And they realized that there were some words and concepts in the texts once attributed to Moses that he could never have known. These discrepancies made them:
plunge deeper into the biblical texts to explore deeper and more complex meanings
A virtue is a: power,habit,or disposition of the heart
power,habit,or disposition of the heart
The four cardinal virtues are: prudence justice fortitude temperance
prudence justice fortitude temperance
In the film, "Everything Is Spiritual" some remarkable insights were offered from modern science that seemed to indicate that some kind of "relationship" qualities are present even in the physicality of the universe
quantum physics
When a religious ritual becomes efficacious, it is often called a ______________
sacrament
Choosing from the list below, place the steps in the formation of religions in proper order on the blanks below:canonical traditionwritten traditionedited traditionoral tradition and ritualizationsaving events
saving events oral tradition and ritualization written tradition edited tradition canonical tradition
A prophet is ______
someone chosen by God to relay God's message to others
Religious ritual is constructed out of ____________ and ___________________.
symbol myth
A noetic structure refers to
the entire content of propositions that a person believes and the relationships among those propositions
The monks at Mempkin Abbey are supported financially by
the products of their own farming, primarily eggs and other byproducts, like compost
Biblical scholars since the 18th century have more or less generally agreed on a theory regarding the formation and development of the Pentateuch. This is called "the documentary hypothesis." They suggest that:
there seem to be distinct sources for the Pentateuch and other texts of the Old Testament whose work appears to have been done at different times in history. God inspired them to write but did not dictate the words to them
Which of the following is NOT one of the functions of "story" in religious traditions:
to give an empirically accurate account of events that took place in the past
Worship is an acknowledgement of _________________________
transcendence
A large number, the majority of religious believers seem to find evolution compatible with religious beliefs
true
According to Richter if the sacred texts of a religion express what people believe, and the rituals and moral teachings of a religion are what people do, then religious experience involves naming and describing how people who practice a particular religion feel.
true
Another way of construing mystical union with the sacred is by the term "ontological" union in which the prayer becomes one with the divine, not with the idea of persons united in love with more a becoming one substance with the divine, much like a glass of water poured into a lake would not remain distinct from the lake though united to it, but would actually become the lake.
true
Besides some kind of direct experience of Sacred Reality or God, we can also speak about how one experiences ONESELF in a religious way.
true
Evaluating religious experience is difficult because of the degree of subjectivity involved in those experiences
true
Even though the religious experience found in any given religion seems far less tangible than the beliefs and practices of that religion, it remains an important arena for exploration, research and study if we are to truly understand that religion.
true
Interior experiences in religion can be something commendatory like SELF-ACCEPTANCE and INNER ASSURANCE, or they can be depreciatory like GUILT or SHAME.
true
Mysticism is a direct encounter with the Sacred or the Holy or God that results in a strong sense of personal identity. In fact, some describe it as a kind of union, not unlike the profound emotional bond that accompanies genuine sexual union.
true
One important aspect of one's spirituality is how one views the world and one's purpose in it.
true
Richter and his co-authors say that, in general, the primary value behind the average religious person's belief and practice is an experience, a kind of feeling about who they are and how they relate to the sacred.
true
The intersection between religion and quantum theory in physics is proving to be fruitful avenue for theological thinking and research
true
The practice of a religion relates to spirituality insofar as religions embody tried and true traditions that focus our innate desire for the sacred or the holy and therefore offer us an adequate path forward for a personal spirituality.
true
The religious experiences of scholars like St. Thomas Aquinas suggest that whatever religious doctrine or observances one pursues, there is also a central role for experience in the practice of religion.
true
The term "anthropic principle" refers to a collection of formulations which stress the precise physical constants and conditions necessary to allow the emergence of intelligent carbon-based like (i.e. human beings) and thereby point in some way to the epistemic probability of God
true
The topic of religious experience presents scholars of religion with the question of how to actually study it from a critical and academic perspective.
true
While one could risk the error of a sweeping generalization in doing so, it is safe to say that for the most part religious experiences of a rather dramatic kind seems to be at the root of much of the founding of any given religion.
true
Which of the following is not one of the four features of a noetic structure?
varying beliefs of varying levels of influence and varying levels of verification
Although he may not have called it a religious experience at the time, Thomas Merton's first genuine religious experience took place:
when at 18 years old he visited Rome and was moved to visit the churches there and examine the great religious works of art
