Chapter 18: Religion

It seems safe to predict that in the future, __________. a. religion will last as long as people do b. the religions will merge into one c. religion will disappear d. science will prove or disprove the existence of God

a. religion will last as long as people do

A sudden feeling of connection with God or the supernatural is a(n) __________. a. religious experience b. example of ritual c. religious symbol d. example of cosmology

a. religious experience

With the __________, religion no longer has as much power over the culture. a. secularization of culture b. increase of religious participation c. rise of fundamentalism d. saturation of belief

a. secularization of culture

Confucianism is mainly practiced in __________. a. Japan b. China c. the Middle East d. Mexico

b. China

__________ has been India's main religion since about 3,000 years ago. a. Christianity b. Hinduism c. Judaism d. Buddhism

b. Hinduism

__________ basically thought that religion lulled people like a narcotic. a. Weber b. Marx c. Robertson d. Ché Guevara

b. Marx

__________ religions believe in just one God. a. Animistic b. Monotheistic c. Polytheistic d. Reincarnated

b. Monotheistic

How do sociologists today react to Weber's thesis that religion holds the key to modernization? a. Ultimately it was discredited. b. Research is still being done on it. c. All sociologists agree with the theory. d. In the end, Weber's theory had no influence on sociology.

b. Research is still being done on it.

__________, for Durkheim, meant things connected with the supernatural. a. Church b. Sacred c. Profane d. Belief

b. Sacred

It is hard to tell where __________ ends and society's dominant culture begins because they are so intertwined. a. a cult b. an ecclesia c. a sect d. evangelism

b. an ecclesia

In the United States, religion tends to be __________. a. independent of status consistency b. class segregated c. mainly made up of sects d. unaffected by social class

b. class segregated

Weber used the term "spirit of capitalism" to characterize saving money __________. a. to deprive the poor of the means to live b. for investing rather than spending c. to help those less fortunate d. for spending rather than investing

b. for investing rather than spending

Pentacostal Christian churches are __________. a. dwindling in numbers b. growing quickly c. merging into one megachurch d. known for their view that the Bible is essentially literature

b. growing quickly

When it comes to persecution, the history of religion shows that __________. a. persecution is universally condemned b. religion is commonly used to excuse persecution c. persecution occurred in past centuries, but not in the present century d. persecution has always been universally encouraged

b. religion is commonly used to excuse persecution

In religion, ___________is (are) observances or rites often intended to evoke a sense of awe of the sacred. a. symbols b. rituals c. sacred texts d. artwork

b. rituals

Islam, founded by Muhammad, is the world's __________ religion. a. only b. second largest c. fourth oldest d. smallest

b. second largest

Although larger than a cult, a __________ still feels quite a bit of hostility between itself and the larger society. a. religion b. sect c. church d. state religion

b. sect

Members of the Lutheran Church are concentrated mostly in the __________ of the United States. a. Northeast b. upper Midwest c. South d. Northwest

b. upper Midwest

__________ refers to a government-sponsored religion. a. "Civil religion" b. "Persecution" c. "State religion" d. "The church"

c. "State religion"

In the western United States, the second most popular religion is __________. a. Bahá'í b. Hinduism c. Buddhism d. Judaism

c. Buddhism

Cosmology refers to __________. a. hair styles b. values about how we ought to live c. a set of concepts providing a coherent way to understand the world around us d. a religious experience

c. a set of concepts providing a coherent way to understand the world around us

To this day, some religious leaders use biblical teachings to justify discrimination. This is an example of the use of religion to __________. a. question authority b. foment change c. legitimate social inequalities d. stress that we are all equal in the eyes of God

c. legitimate social inequalities

The __________ of religion means the religion is prioritizing worldly concerns over spiritual matters. a. privatization b. fundamentalist revival c. secularization d. diversity

c. secularization

In the United States, church __________ is a matter of __________. a. integration; law. b. law; segregation c. segregation; tradition d. integration; segregation

c. segregation; tradition

Solid research shows that those attending religious services more than weekly live about __________ people who do not go to religious services. a. four years less than b. the same amount of time as c. seven and a half years longer than d. twenty-five years longer than

c. seven and a half years longer than

As a result of __________, most Jews were exiled for about 2,000 years. a. Catholicism and its priests b. the Holocaust c. the destruction of their temple d. Islam

c. the destruction of their temple

Most religions find a way to express adherence to the religion and to __________ beyond that. a. nothing else b. reincarnation c. the government d. all other religions

c. the government

For __________, Christian heads of state carried out Crusades to try and gain control over what they called the Holy Land. a. ten years b. a hundred years c. three centuries d. seven centuries

c. three centuries

__________ is embedded in the origin of every religious group in the world. a. An ecclesia b. A sect c. Animism d. A cult

d. A cult

To Durkheim, the concept of church includes __________. a. Buddhists taking part in worldly activities b. only a building in which religious activities take place c. Christians, Jews, and Muslims working together d. Hindus bathing in a special river

d. Hindus bathing in a special river

In the decade ending in 2012, the __________ gained the most members, and the __________ Church lost the most members. a. United Churches of Christ; Mormon b. Lutheran Church; Roman Catholic c. Assemblies of God; Baptist d. Pentecostal Church; Presbyterian

d. Pentecostal Church; Presbyterian

__________ is the religion with the most followers in the world. a. Islam b. Judaism c. Buddhism d. Christianity

d. christianity

According to the __________ perspective of sociology, religion helps keep things the way they are, including the inequities in our society. a. functionalist b. born-again c. symbolic interactionist d. conflict

d. conflict

A(n) __________ is a new religion with few followers, whose teachings and practices put it at odds with the dominant culture and religion. a. sect b. ecclesia c. church d. cult

d. cult

The "Protestant ethic" is what Weber called the approach taken by the __________. a. firebrands of the French Revolution b. adherents of Buddhism c. followers of the pope d. followers of John Calvin

d. followers of John Calvin

After doing a survey of worldwide religions, Durkheim defined __________ as the beliefs and practices separating sacred from profane and unifying followers into a moral community. a. delusion b. the church c. the truth d. religion

d. religion

Mushin gives as much as he can to his local Zen center and volunteers there on a regular basis. He also regularly attends retreats there, during which only limited meals are provided. Furthermore, the teachings there encourage him to be present and attend to all sentient beings. Mushin is experiencing Buddhism's emphasis on __________. a. making money and getting ahead b. guilt c. dominion over all living creatures d. self-denial and compassion

d. self-denial and compassion

One characteristic of all religions is their use of __________, such as fish, to provide identity and create social solidarity for their members. a. the same symbols b. one of three symbols c. words rather than symbols d. symbols

d. symbols

The American attitude toward the variety of religions can be summed up as __________. a. incredulity b. disdain for every religion except what one deems the correct religion c. ignoring them all d. toleration

d. toleration

One of the positive functions of religion is to __________. a. provide emotional comfort in times of need b. persecute nonbelievers c. justify war d. justify terrorism

a. provide emotional comfort in times of need

The return of the soul (or self) after death in a different form is known as __________. a. reincarnation b. monotheism c. animism d. evangelism

a. reincarnation

In what way did the founding of Judaism mark a fundamental change in religion?

Before Judaism, religions were based on polytheism. Judaism was the first religion to be based on monotheism.

People have (at least) four fundamental questions that science, including sociology, cannot answer, but that religion can. What are these questions?

Does God exist? What is the purpose of life? Is there an afterlife? What is the moral way to live?

According to Durkheim, what are the three elements of religion?

Durkheim found that religion has three elements: (1) beliefs that some things are sacred; (2) practices, or rituals, centering on the things considered sacred; and (3) a moral community, or church, that results from a group's beliefs and practices.

According to the functionalist perspective, what positive functions does religion serve?

Religion provides: meaning and purpose, emotional comfort, social solidarity, social control, help adapting to new environments, support for the government, social change, and guidelines for everyday life.

If a nation is not formally aligned with any certain religion or religious group, but stamps "In God We Trust" on its coins, expects its leaders to ask God to bless the country and its people, and has a national pledge that refers to "one nation under God," it is demonstrating __________. a. civil religion b. state religion c. functional equivalent d. sacred state

a. civil religion

Traditional societies become industrialized through the process of __________. a. modernization b. the Protestant ethic c. animism d. reincarnation

a. modernization

The ancient Greeks believed in __________. a. multiple gods b. one god c. animism d. monotheism

a. multiple gods

What is the difference between religion and its functional equivalents?

The term "functional equivalents of religion" refers to substitutes for religion that serve the same functions, or meet the same needs, as religion does. Two examples are psychotherapy and political party affiliation. The difference is that the equivalent may perform similar functions, but its activities are not generally directed toward God, gods, or the supernatural.

According to your text, hundreds of denominations in the United States means that __________. a. no particular religion dominates b. atheism dominates c. Roman Catholicism takes on the role of the dominant religion d. most people do not identify with a particular religion

a. no particular religion dominates

Durkheim used the word __________ to refer to the run-of-the-mill activities of daily life. a. "profane" b. "sacred" c. "profound" d. "church"

a. "profane"

__________ believe spirits exist in everything. a. Animists b. Protestants c. Monotheists d. Polytheists

a. Animists

Religious affiliation is correlated with family income in the United States, with __________ receiving the lowest family income. a. Jehovah's Witnesses b. Southern Baptists c. Mormons d. Roman Catholics

a. Jehovah's Witnesses

Christianity is actually derived from __________. a. Judaism b. Hinduism c. Animism d. Confucianism

a. Judaism

Taken literally, __________ is an extraordinary gift from God. a. charisma b. evangelism c. ecclesia d. a sect

a. charisma