Sociology of Religion Exam

Why does Iannaccone argue that researchers should focus their attention on the study of religious organizations? Organizations determine the costs of religious goods. The meso level gives the most insight into trends in secularization. Religious portfolios depend on organizational structures. Religious markets only contain organizations, not individuals. Only group-level factors explain religious behavior.

Organizations determine the costs of religious goods.

When Marx characterized religion as the "opium of the masses" he meant that: Poor people rely on religion to help endure a life of suffering and inequality. People become addicted to religion the more that they practice it. Religion gives people the confidence to engage in struggles for equality. The religious 'market' works like a market for illegal narcotics. Religion is a grave threat to the interests of the ruling classes.

Poor people rely on religion to help endure a life of suffering and inequality

In their research on U.S. church attendance, Hadaway and his colleagues conclude that the percentage of Americans who attend church regularly during a typical week is: Probably less than the percent reported by polls. Probably more than the share reported by polls. Probably about the same as the percent reported by polls. Impossible to measure because there is no other way to collect data on probable church attendance. Too difficult to assess because the data point in many different directions.

Probably less than the percent reported by polls.

Research by Hadaway and his colleagues raises what sociological research issue? Problems in drawing general inferences from survey research. Problems in theory development. Problems defining secularism. Problems in qualitative research. Problems in causal assessment.

Problems in drawing general inferences from survey research.

Bainbridge and Stark depict cults primarily as: Producers of novel and exotic supernatural compensators. Brainwashers. Threats to the established order. Groups intended to restore a religious tradition to its original level of strictness. Criminal conspiracies.

Producers of novel and exotic supernatural compensators.

According to Durkheim, the fundamental and necessary components of religion include: A belief system, rituals, and a moral community. A belief in One True God. Imposing architecture, a charismatic spiritual leader, and elaborate rituals. A compelling nomos and a united cultural elite An efficient bureaucracy, moral values and elaborate church services.

A belief system, rituals, and a moral community.

According to Norris and Inglehart, insecurity motivates religious belief and participation. Which would NOT generally improve people's feelings of existential security? Socioeconomic development. Social equality. A high unemployment rate. Access to universal healthcare. General education and literacy.

A high unemployment rate

A standard definition of religion in sociology is that it is: The "science" of primitive peoples. A psychological delusion that afflicts some people. A benevolent social institution for the promotion of human welfare. A set of general explanations about existence which includes the supernatural. A God-given feature of human societies.

A set of general explanations about existence which includes the supernatural.

Stark and Bainbridge argue that retention among members of cults can be explained by: Affective bonds between members. Brainwashing. Loose social ties within the cult. Members retaining many social ties outside the cult. The charismatic power of cult leaders.

Affective bonds between members.

Based upon Berger's logic, which of the following might pose a challenge to the integrity and stability of a culture's religious nomos? Political authorities separate religious institutions from other institutions. People are obliged to choose a religion that works for them personally. Scientific understanding casts doubt on the plausibility of the religiously-defined cosmos. All of the other answers are correct. Migration brings people with a plurality of religious worldviews into the same society.

All of the other answers are correct.

Religious organizations facilitate an individual's experience of the supernatural by providing opportunities for and interpretations of: Prayers Miracles All of the other answers are correct. You Answered Rituals Mystical experiences

All of the other answers are correct.

According to Weber, religious virtuosi are driven by which of the following motives: All of the other answers characterize their motives. Desire to excel in demonstrating their holiness. Uncertainty concerning their salvation. Seeking mystical or charismatic experiences. Status-seeking in their religious community.

All of the other answers characterize their motives.

According to Witham, which factor could influence whether a single religious organization achieves a religious monopoly? All of these factors could influence a religion's ability to achieve a monopoly. Competition from other groups. Costs of membership. Market crowding. Degree of cultural pluralism.

All of these factors could influence a religion's ability to achieve a monopoly.

According to Stark and Finke, which theological factors tend to influence average levels of commitment in a religious organization? The perceived responsiveness of the god/s. The perceived scope of the god/s power. The number of gods that a religion recognizes. The perceived dependability of the god/s. All of these factors would influence commitment.

All of these factors would influence commitment.

According to Durkheim, religion is an important and persistent social fact because: Symbols of the sacred facilitate communication. All the other answers are correct. Through rituals, the group is able to articulate and find meaning . People crave collective experiences. The idea of the sacred helps to constitute and reinforce social order.

All the other answers are correct.

Which of these is a way for a religious virtuoso to ensure he/she is on the road to sanctification? Heroic capacity for sacrifice and self-denial. Ecstatic or mystical experiences. All the other answers are ways to demonstrate sanctification. Ascectic reordering of daily life. Attainment of miraculous powers.

All the other answers are ways to demonstrate sanctification.

What is "methodological agnosticism" in the social-scientific study of religion? An approach to the study of religion in which questions about the truth of religion or questions of which religion is "best" are set aside. This refers to the requirement that those exploring the sociology of religion have no personal feelings toward the religion they study. A personal religious philosophy in which the individual holds that it cannot be known whether god or gods exist or not. A personal religious philosophy in which the individual believes that gods do exist, but that it is impossible for humans to know the desires of those gods. A belief that there is no one "best" research method and that methods should be selected based upon available data.

An approach to the study of religion in which questions about the truth of religion or questions of which religion is "best" are set aside.

What is the "heretical imperative" according to Berger? As the power of the collective nomos diminishes, the social need in modern society to develop and express individual autonomy and private belief. The need for scholars of religion to question the beliefs of the religions they study. The tendency of early human societies to punish individuals who spoke against dominant religious beliefs. The struggle against new beliefs. An ethical requirement for religious followers to denounce unjust acts in the name of their god or gods.

As the power of the collective nomos diminishes, the social need in modern society to develop and express individual autonomy and private belief.

Snow, et al. posit four types of recruitment strategies used by NRMs. Which one of these is NOT one of these types of recruitment strategies in these organizations? Biographical availability Outreach in a public place Recruitment through social ties Self-initiated enrollment by interested people Recruitment of members of sympathetic movements

Biographical availability

Which of the following comparisons is the most accurate? Marx and Durkheim saw religion as the basis of culture. Both Marx and Durkheim strongly advocated monotheism. Both Marx and Durkheim explained religion in terms of social relations and effects. Durkheim and Marx saw religion as a reflection of material conflicts between classes. Neither Marx nor Durkheim thought that religion played a role in society.

Both Marx and Durkheim explained religion in terms of social relations and effects

Religion and magic are typically alike for all of the following reasons EXCEPT: Both offer this worldly-rewards. Both attempt to influence nature and the course of events. Both depend on the supernatural. Both can take on ritual forms. Both offer other-worldly rewards.

Both offer other-worldly rewards.

According to Smith's social identity theory of religion, members of social groups know "who they are by knowing who they are not." Group members achieve self-recognition through social processes of: Categorization. Alienation. Both alienation and social comparison. Both social comparison and categorization. Social comparison.

Both social comparison and categorization

According to Stark and Finke, uncertainty is one of the greatest dilemmas that religious adherents face. Which of these is NOT one of the ways in which religious consumers seek to mitigate uncertainty? Through the experience of miracles. By secularizing their worldviews. Through prayer. By taking part in rituals. Through social ties to other believers.

By secularizing their worldviews.

According to religious economies scholars, strict religious groups may have particular advantages in the production of Club goods. Public goods. Common goods. Private goods. Secular goods.

Club goods.

Which best captures Chavez's argument in "Abiding Faith" about religious change in the US? Comparatively, Americans remain highly religious but organized religion occupies less time of their and exerts less influence of their lives. America is a fully secularized. Religion profoundly influences the thinking of most Americans. Religion is taking on a more important role in social institutions. Active participation in religious organizations remains high and stable in the US.

Comparatively, Americans remain highly religious but organized religion occupies less time of their and exerts less influence of their lives.

The best concepts in the sociology of religion should be: Spiritual, flexible, and faithful. Specific to every cultural, racial, and gender identity. Theological, observable, and empirically testable. Complete, subjective, and empirical. Concrete, generalizable, and falsifiable.

Concrete, generalizable, and falsifiable.

Stark and Finke argue the MAIN mechanisms accounting for denominational decline over time are related to: Active recruitment of new members and effective proselytizing. Congregational size and moral laxity. Pluralism and the crisis of plausibility. Congregational size and clerical professionalization. Demographic factors and secularization.

Congregational size and clerical professionalization.

Stark and Finke argue that conversion should be distinguished from re-affiliation because: Conversion is usually much more common than re-affiliation. Conversion is mostly driven by people's ideological agreement with the new organization. Conversion usually allows people to conserve their existing religious capital. Conversion involves switching across religious traditions. Conversion is generally less costly to individuals.

Conversion involves switching across religious traditions.

Sociologist Andrew Greeley claimed that "There is a tendency for religious change...to take place in association with marriage, so that at least denominational homogeneity is guaranteed in the family. Normally, the change is in the direction of the more devout partner." An implication of this claim would be: Couples in religiously mixed marriages will usually choose an entirely new religion for their children. Religiously mixed marriages are not an important source of religious re-affiliation and conversion. Couples in religiously mixed marriages are no more prone to divorce if they cannot agree on a common household religion. Religiously mixed marriages are more stable than unmixed marriages. Couples in religiously mixed marriages will tend to choose the religion of the more pious spouse.

Couples in religiously mixed marriages will tend to choose the religion of the more pious spouse.

From an economic point of view, religious organizations face a challenge in convincing potential consumers to commit to them because the supernatural goods that they "sell" are: Ideologies. Material benefits. Credence goods. This worldly-rewards. Lemons.

Credence goods.

Drawing on the new paradigm approach (Stark and colleagues), a key issue in determining the dynamism of religious economies is the: Degree of competition among religious groups in a society. Degree of religious interest among people. Level of social prosperity in a society. The simplicity of beliefs and practices. Degree of social inequality in a society.

Degree of competition among religious groups in a society.

According to Pfaff, what is the main difference explaining the "religious divide" between Europe and the U.S.? Cultural constraints. Differing state regulations and subsidies. Denominational preferences. America's culture of rugged individualism. Historical differences in cultural demand.

Differing state regulations and subsidies.

Drawing from a rational-choice perspective ("new religious paradigm"), religious organizations with rapidly growing numbers of adherents are probably characterized by all of the following conditions except: The use of selective incentives and material benefits to attract new members. Few distinctions from other religious groups. Active recruitment of new members and effective proselytizing. Exploitation of intimate social ties to foster recruitment and member retention. A high birth rate among adherents.

Few distinctions from other religious groups.

According to Weber's historical and comparative study of religious change, socio-economic development is a demand-shifter in the religious sphere. In particular, a secure means of subsistence and growing prosperity tends to create: Greater reliance on magic to manipulate nature. Greater demand for other-worldly religious goods. Greater demand for this-worldly religious goods. Greater interest in immorality. Greater interest in the supernatural.

Greater demand for other-worldly religious goods.

According to Stark and Finke, what effects does rapid organizational growth have on ecclesiastical power? Growth reduces conflicts between the interests of laypeople and the clergy. Growth increases costs of administration and reliance on professional clergy. Growth ensures that only the most committed people are involved in the religion. Growth increases the voice of the laypeople relative to the voice of the clergy. Growth increases the average level of involvement of the lay people in managing the group.

Growth increases costs of administration and reliance on professional clergy

Following from the logic of NRM recruitment detailed in Snow, et al., those most likely to be recruited into a high-tension sect or cult tend to be characterized by all of the following except: Have a conventional career with good opportunities for upward mobility Younger in age Single and unattached Have few familial obligations Have weak countervailing ties to other groups

Have a conventional career with good opportunities for upward mobility

How did Benton Johnson improve on Troeltsch's ideal type church-sect theory? He was the first to test whether sects are more morally demanding than churches. He posited that churches could become sects. He distinguished between different kinds of churches. He added that a main difference is in how active the laity of a group is. He argued that the difference between a church and a sect ia based on the cultural tension it is in relative to the surrounding society.

He argued that the difference between a church and a sect ia based on the cultural tension it is in relative to the surrounding society.

Which of the following statements about religious groups and religious goods is correct, according to Stark and Finke? Low tension groups use exclusion to increase confidence in credence goods. High tension groups encourage free riding to advertise the high value of their goods. High tension groups place all their emphasis on this-worldly benefits. Low tension groups are better at providing extensive collective action. High tension groups tend to produce higher quality goods.

High tension groups tend to produce higher quality goods.

Iannacconne, Finke, and Stark argue that extensive religious regulation and subsidies in countries like Sweden tends to produce: Higher levels of affiliation but low participation rates High levels of affiliation and robust piety. Low levels of religious conflict. Religiously-charged politics. High levels of religious pluralism.

Higher levels of affiliation but low participation rates

When Marx claimed that, "The ruling ideas are nothing more than the ideal expression of the dominant material relationships," he meant that such ideas are: Ideological justifications for inequality. Expressions of the best possible society. Inconsequential. Superstitions. Religion.

Ideological justifications for inequality

For Durkheim, sacred objects are: Expressions of the One True God. Necessarily of great material value. Fundamentally the same in all societies. Imbued with the power of society's beliefs about the divine. Given to people by the gods or ancestors.

Imbued with the power of society's beliefs about the divine

What solutions does Iannaccone identify that strict religious organizations use to contain the free rider problem? Impose substantial sacrifices on members. Make it easy for members to enjoy secular society. Use donations or other income to subsidize free-riding members. Encourage passivity among lay people. Lower their socio-cultural tension with the surrounding society.

Impose substantial sacrifices on members.

Berger would say all the following about religion EXCEPT: Religious organizations will invest in socialization to achieve conformity and belief. Religion divides the cosmos into the sacred nomos of meaning, values, permanence, and order and that outside and alien to it, called profane chaos. Religion is the first institution because it is the enterprise by which humans imagine and establish a sacred cosmos. In the process of objectification, the individual stands outside of or is alienated from the social system and no longer shares its meaning. Religion explains the place of humans in a divided universe of the sacred and the profane.

In the process of objectification, the individual stands outside of or is alienated from the social system and no longer shares its meaning.

There are several reasons that Berger gave for religion's increasing contemporary political importance. Which of these is NOT among the reasons? Increasing rates of subjective secularization around the world. The urban middle classes developed an assertive piety which boosted religious activism. Failure to deliver on promises has discredited secular governments and parties. Religious communities are able to mobilize and create advocacy groups in the wake of modernization. Globalization has created an opportunity for transnational religious groups.

Increasing rates of subjective secularization around the world.

Montgomery's model of denominational secularization argues that which of the following is the prime cause of denominational change from sect to church over time? Inter-generational socio-economic change. Decreasing loyalty to one's childhood denomination. Decreasing socioeconomic mobility. Willingness to pay increasing opportunity costs through moral strictness. Increasing demand for strict religious sects.

Inter-generational socio-economic change.

Which would Durkheim regard as the most important social function of religious behavior? It produces legitimacy to justify social inequality. It heightens conflict with the secular world. It produces communally integrative emotions. It allows people to bargain with the gods to gain advantages. It promotes inter-group conflict.

It produces communally integrative emotions

Which is a real-world observation consistent with the "paradox of costliness" in the religious economies model? Low cost goods are made available to many people, but on average, they are consumed infrequently. igh cost groups cannot recruit and retain members. Collective production of religious goods thrives on low levels of commitment. High cost goods do not appeal to all religious consumers. High costs weed out talented people from religious groups.

Low cost goods are made available to many people, but on average, they are consumed infrequently.

Which of the following religious groups has experienced the most significant decrease in its share of Americans over the past half century in the United States Mainstream Protestant denominations. Evangelical Protestant denominations Roman Catholics. Religiously unaffiliated Americans Muslims.

Mainstream Protestant denominations.

Weber argued that, "In keeping with the law of marginal utility, a certain concern with one's own destiny after death generally arises when the most essential earthly needs have been met, and thus this concern is limited primarily to circles of the elite and the wealthy classes." An implication of this argument would be that: People who are badly off in material terms invest more in religions of salvation. People who have troublem meeting basic needs for subsistence are the most interested in religions that promise a glorious heaven to come. Religion is the opium of the masses. Rich people only care about how much they have in the here-and-now. Members of the privileged classes have a greater interest in the other-worldly rewards of religion than do the poor and powerless.

Members of the privileged classes have a greater interest in the other-worldly rewards of religion than do the poor and powerless.

The social scientific study of religion differs most clearly from normative approaches on the basis of its: Methodological agnosticism and ethical commitment to objectivity. Interest in the historical development of religions. Interest in forms of religious organization. Analysis of the tactics used by cults and sects to recruit members. Attention to religious doctrines.

Methodological agnosticism and ethical commitment to objectivity.

According to Stark and Bainbridge, which of the following is NOT one of the general reasons why NRMs succeed? NRMs do best at a very high level of socio-cultural tension. NRMs are more likely to succeed if they retain a degree of continuity with surrounding society. NRMs prosper if they have highly motivated volunteer laity. NRMs do better if they enjoy high fertility. NRMs thrive where there is weak competition from conventional religious organizations and lax religious regulation.

NRMs do best at a very high level of socio-cultural tension.

Which of the following is NOT an outcome of Randall Collins' theory of interaction ritual chains? collective emotions. sacred symbols. None -- all of the other answers are ritual outcomes. group solidarity. emotional energy.

None - all of the other answers are ritual outcomes (collective emotions, sacred symbols, group solidarity, emotional energy)

Which of the following is NOT part of the general definition of religion used in this class? Official establishment of a faith by governing authorities. Experiences which increase confidence in the religion. A set of rules for engaging in exchange with god or gods. A social organization that provides religious "goods" to adherents. A set of beliefs about the supernatural.

Official establishment of a faith by governing authorities.

As discussed in lecture, Froese and Bader outline "America's Four Gods". They argue that the kind of God that Americans believe in varies across several important dimensions and this reflects values and moral commitments. Which one of these is NOT one of the four types of god? Omnipotent Distant Authoritative Benevolent Critical

Omnipotent

Christian Smith agrees with Peter Berger that: Religion is a basic source of social meaning. Religions can no longer posit plausible symbolic worlds. Sacred communities have no purpose in modern societies. Competition between religious groups leads to secularization. Robust moral identities tend to weaken religious groups.

Religion is a basic source of social meaning.

Which of the following statements would be supported by the identity theory of religion? Religion provides its adherents with a moral orientation and a sense of belonging with like-minded people. Each person has a unique experience of religion that is based on his or her conception of the self. Religion provides a sacred canopy under which a human society must be built. Religious adherents tend to avoid social movements. Religion obstructs workers in a capitalist society from recognizing their common plight.

Religion provides its adherents with a moral orientation and a sense of belonging with like-minded people

Smith argues that religion is unlikely to disappear from modern, urban societies because Science has failed to improve human conditions. Religious leaders have too much influence over politics to let that happen. Religiosity is a necessary condition for economic success. Weak people will always need a psychological saftey net. Religion remains one of the best institutions for people trying to construct personal meaning systems.

Religion remains one of the best institutions for people trying to construct personal meaning systems

From an economic point of view, the spiritual education, expertise, skills and doctrinal familiarity that enhance the quality of religious experiences can be understood as: Dogma. Hymnody. Social capital. Religious capital. Rites.

Religious capital.

Berger argues that subjective secularization is evident when the following occurs Religious leaders are excluded from politics. Religious explanations have lost plausibility for most people. Religious themes no longer dominate in the sphere of the arts. The society as separated church and state. The economy is market-oriented.

Religious explanations have lost plausibility for most people.

Sociologists have long observed that the immigration experience tends to reinforce religious identity and attachment. This is probably because: Most immigrants come from very superstititious societies. Religious organizations typically insist on rapid assimilation into the dominant culture of the adopted society. Immigrants all begin as strongly attached to religion back in the home country. Immigrants usually enjoy substantial privileges in their adopted societies. Religious groups can provide mutual support against marginalization and deprivation.

Religious groups can provide mutual support against marginalization and deprivation.

According to the classical sociological perspectives on religious change, which of the following is NOT a mechanism by which modernization causes secularization? Advances in scientific knowledge provide answers that make religion implausible. Social change brought on by modernization increase religious pluralism in society. Religious organizations mobilize their followers and construct robust religious counter-cultures to secularism. Modernization disrupts traditional value systems, weakening religion's place in society. Modernization increases levels of prosperity, making religion less important to individuals.

Religious organizations mobilize their followers and construct robust religious counter-cultures to secularism.

According to Iannaconne, Finke and Stark, the "sudden" appearance of Asian religious organizations and their recruitment of new members in the 1970's in the U.S. was due to: Revised immigration laws that allowed the entry of more Asian immigrants. A sudden increase in demand as Americans joined the "Age of Aquarius". A passing religious fad. The effect of American servicemen's exposure to new ideas after being posted to Asia. Underhanded and deceptive recruitment methods.

Revised immigration laws that allowed the entry of more Asian immigrants.

Weber argued that religions of salvation can be understood by reference to the following ideal-typical routes to sanctification: Meditation and contemplation. Ritual and collective sanctification. Commercial and material sanctification. Ethical and personal sanctification. Ritual and ethical sanctification.

Ritual and ethical sanctification.

Ernst Troeltsch and others emphasized moral tension as a one-dimensional continuum of religion's posture toward the secular order. Stark and Finke insist that tension is more complicated. Which dimension(s) did they add? Separation, Antagonism, and Distinctiveness Accomodation, Controversy, and Separation Controversy Accomodation Conformity, Secularization, and Antagonism

Separation, Antagonism, and Distinctiveness

If a New Religious Movement relies heavily on relatively unproductive recruitment strategies such as appealing to strangers in public places, it may be indicative of the group's: Social encapsulation resulting from the loss of ties to non-group members Psycho-social stress Delusional mind Irrational trust in others Use of intoxicants to lower members' inhibitions

Social encapsulation resulting from the loss of ties to non-group members

Which of the following religious groups has experienced the most substantial increase in its share of Americans over the past half century in the United States? The 'unchurched'; i.e. religiously unaffiliated Americans. Mainstream Protestant denominations. Strict Protestant denominations. Ropan Catholics. Muslims.

The 'unchurched'; i.e. religiously unaffiliated Americans.

According to Berger's theory, why would the act of an individual choosing his or her religion tend to decrease confidence in that religion? Any religion willing to accept a voluntary member is unworthy of confidence. When individuals chose their own religion they may skip religious rituals. Popular religions are larger, weakening the hold of those groups on their members. The act of choice diminishes the sense of absolute truth upon which religious adherence is built. Individuals that are assigned a religion at birth are more likely to choose a new religion in the future.

The act of choice diminishes the sense of absolute truth upon which religious adherence is built.

According to Iannaccone, the collective production of religious goods is especially vulnerable to: The community conflict problem. The free-rider problem. The crisis of plausibility. The legitimacy problem. The problem of status anxiety.

The free-rider problem.

"Religious capital enhances the satisfaction one receives from participation in that religion and so increases the likelihood and probable level of one's religious participation." An implication of this proposition is that the following should be true: Religious organizations will not invest in the training of their adherents. People with little familiarity with religion will enjoy the experience of worship at the greatest levels. Religious parents will leave it up to children to decide on their religous education. The greater an individual's stock of religious capital, the more a person will be indifferent to religion. The greater an individual's stock of religious capital, the more a person will seek to retain and increase it.

The greater an individual's stock of religious capital, the more a person will seek to retain and increase it.

According to Wallis, all of the following are characteristics of world-rejecting new religious movements EXCEPT: The group emphasizes personal mastery, spiritual perfection, and self-empowerment. Membership can be very costly and often involves stigma that isolates members. Adherents often required to engage in elaborate forms of sanctification. Leaders teach that the world is corrupted - it must be fled to save oneself and, ultimately, redeemed following the millennium.

The group emphasizes personal mastery, spiritual perfection, and self-empowerment.

In the "new paradigm" in the social scientific study of religion, the term religious economy refers to: How societies allocate status among people with different degrees of sanctification. The production and sale of holiness by businesses. The tendency of religious believers to be economical in their thinking. The marketplace where religious demand, religious suppliers and religious products meet. The cultural concentration of certain faiths in certain societies.

The marketplace where religious demand, religious suppliers and religious products meet.

Which of the following would a sociologist of religion be most likely to study? Astrophysical evidence relating to the existence of angels. The relationship between a group's beliefs and its organizational structure. The potential biochemical basis for euphoric religious experiences. The empirical evidence backing claims of religious miracles. The ethical consistency within a given set of religious beliefs.

The relationship between a group's beliefs and its organizational structure.

All of the following are characteristics of the relationship between private production of religious goods and religious firms EXCEPT: Relationships are often short-term. Relationships are non-binding. The relationship is typically exclusive to one faith. Fee-for-services transactions predominate.

The relationship is typically exclusive to one faith.

In order to liberate humanity, Marx argued that: The government should protect religion and secure freedom of conscience. Society should be united under a grand, sacred canopy of religious meaning. Communism would have to become the new religion of the working classes. Correct! The subjective need for religion would have to be overcome. Everyone should become his or her own priest.

The subjective need for religion would have to be overcome

According to research by Norris and Inglehart, which of the following is the most important single factor explaining the level of religious devotion in a given society? The level of political freedom in that society. The average level of scientific literacy in that society. The vulnerability to risk and material insecurity experienced by average people. Which religion is the dominant religion in that society. Whether society is modern or pre-modern.

The vulnerability to risk and material insecurity experienced by average people.

In which ways are sects and cults similar? They both tend to exist in a state of tension with their sociocultural environment. They both rely on importing new ideas from outside the society. They both rely on brainwashing recruits. They both develop out of previously accepted religious practices. They both are manifestations of class conflict.

They both tend to exist in a state of tension with their sociocultural environment.

Following from the logic of the religious economics model, we would expect that religious organizations will be the most satisfied with the political situation and committed to peaceful co-existence in the countries in which they operate if : They have the freedom to define and publicly profess their beliefs. The state decides their structure and forms of governance. They occupy an unprotected minority status. Governments pursue an aggressive secularizing agenda. Religion is excluded from the public sphere.

They have the freedom to define and publicly profess their beliefs.

Traditional research on cults and sects focuses on their ideological appeal and the grievances and deprivations of those who join them. A problem with this approach is that: Traditional research selected subjects on the dependent variable; i.e., only studied those that were successfully recruited to cults and sects. Individual psychological propensity to seek religion is irrelevant. The problem of plausibility prevents exotic religions from drawing in recruits. Religious upheaval is caused by class conflict. Social conditions have no effect on religious dynamics.

Traditional research selected subjects on the dependent variable; i.e., only studied those that were successfully recruited to cults and sects.

Smith notes, "Religious traditions have always strategically renegotiated their collective identities by continually reformulating the ways they engage the changing sociocultural environments they confront". Among successful religious groups, renegotiation and engagement takes each of the following forms EXCEPT: Reclaiming and reinvigorating lost or challenged religious traditions. Emphasizing differences between believers and outsiders. Using modern techniques to advertise or promote their beliefs. Wholeheartedly embracing the norms and values of secular society. Discarding damaged religious traditions and innovating new ones.

Wholeheartedly embracing the norms and values of secular society

Christian Smith's identity theory challenges secularization theorists in asserting that, in confronting modernization, religious groups _____________ changing sociocultural environments. avoid flee surrender to adapt to accomodate

adapt to

Chaves, author of "Abiding Faith", defines religious congruence as: alignment between an adherent's professed faith and conformity to doctrine. Faith in supernatural things that are alien to the adherent's professed doctrinal group. A mismatch between how often one claims to attend service and how often she actually does attend. A society in which religious ideals/morals match up with secular ones. A society in which religious institutions determine the shape of all of the other institutions.

alignment between an adherent's professed faith and conformity to doctrine.

Berger claims that "every nomos is an area of meaning carved out of a vast mass of meaninglessness." Those who stand apart from that cultural realm risk: certainty consolation conformity collectivism anomy

anomy

Peek, in "Becoming Muslim", argues that for immigrant children there are 3 ordered stages of religious identity, which are: declared, salient, ascribed chosen, declared, ascribed declared, chosen, salient ascribed, chosen, declared salient, ascribed, declared

ascribed, chosen, declared

In choosing among religious groups, Stark and Finke claim that most people want a religion that is: low-cost. convenient. at least somewhat other-worldly. very strict. highly stigmatizing.

at least somewhat other-worldly

Durkheim thought religious participation produced moral consensus in a group by fostering: Competition. collective conscience. Superstition. Individualism. Legitimate authority.

collective conscience

Durkheim refers to the state of heightened emotion and awareness that is experienced in group rituals as: group think. class consciousness collective effervescence. social current. collective conscience.

collective effervescence

According to Wallis, world-affirming NRMs are characterized by a tendency of their leaders to promise adherents _______________________. enhanced powers and personal growth, spiritual perfection, and mental mastery that in the end times and the age to come, followers will dominate the world as a righteous new elite sacrifice and stigma that cut ties to secular society and isolate members from sinful society that the world will be fled to save oneself from corruption that if they devote themselves to charitable service to others they will attain salvation

enhanced powers and personal growth, spiritual perfection, and mental mastery

According to Weber, ____________ sanctification focuses on achievements, behavioral strictness, and/or asceticism. authentic objective ritual ethical subjective

ethical

Marx wanted to understand the economic relationships between people and patterns of social order and conflict. He called this theoretical orientation: the state of absolute knowledge. communism. collective identity. the camera obscura. historical materialism.

historical materialism

According to Stark and Finke, churches would be most likely likely to move toward sect-like practices if the __________ insist on a greater degree of tension and strictness. clergy martyrs lay members of the group religious virtuosi lower classes

lay members of the group

What is the main effect of strictness in Iannaconne's "Why Strict Churches Are Strong?" limiting and increasing the costs of non-group activities requiring demonstrations of loyalty giving distinctiveness to group members being upright in sexual relations Establishing patriarchal gender relations

limiting and increasing the costs of non-group activities

Berger declares that it is part of being human to construct a "nomos". By nomos he means that we: Declare ourselves to have the same status of animals and plants. desire to dominate others. order ideas, objects, beings, and experiences in meaningful terms. build temples and other holy structures. imagine an afterlife.

order ideas, objects, beings, and experiences in meaningful terms.

According to Stark and Finke, __________________ refers to "shifts within religious traditions". conservation conversion exclusivity re-affiliation dis-association

re-affiliation

According to Weber, _________ sanctification focuses on ceremonies, observance of holy days, and participation in sacred events. superficial objective ritual subjective ethical

ritual

The sociological approach to research concerning sects and cults tends to emphasize ________________ in explaining the reasons why people join and remain in them. social incentives ideologies psychological dispositions brainwashing secularization

social incentives

According to Stark and Bainbridge in "Networks of Faith", the sociological approach to research concerning sects and cults emphasizes ________________. the exploitation of intimate social ties to foster recruitment and member retention. ideologies individual grievances psycho-social stress brainwashing

the exploitation of intimate social ties to foster recruitment and member retention.

Pfaff distinguishes between the history of secularization as a ____________ phenomenon in the U.S. and as a(n) ____________ phenomenon in European countries. cultural; political increasing; decreasing recent; historical top-down; bottom-up laypeople; clergy

top-down; bottom-up

According to Stark and Finke, when people decide to commit to a costly religious group, they may do so because they are attentive to the relative _________ of the group's goods compared with other groups. secularism value plausibility radicalism simplicity

value

According to Putnam and Campbell, on average, religiously active people in America tend to____________. volunteer and give more than other Americans. be less involved in politics than other Americans. only help members of their own sects. disengage from the secular world. less educated than other Americans.

volunteer and give more than other Americans.

Following Troeltsch, the origins of the Protestant Reformation may lie in the rise of upstart sects objecting to the Roman Church's _______________________. universalism other-worldliness worldliness puritanism generosity

worldliness