Understanding Religion Final Exam (UNIT 1-3)

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

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

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

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 the 2013 statistics from the Pew Research Institute for Religion in Public life, Catholicism remains the smallest among the three major branches of Christianity.

false

According to the 2013 statistics from the Pew Research Institute for Religion in Public life, Judaism remains the third-largest religious body in the world with 16.3% of the world's population.

false

According to the 2013 statistics from the Pew Research Institute for Religion in Public life, Protestantism remains the largest among the three major branches of Christianity.

false

According to the 2013 statistics from the Pew Research Institute for Religion in Public life, atheists and agnostics far outnumber believers among the world's population.

false

All the texts and writings of any given religion have equal levels of authority.

false

Because of modern developments in science and technology and modern ways of knowing and understanding, it is very likely that religion will eventually die out as a phenomenon in human cultures and become simply an artifact of history to be studied in the academy.

false

Because we now live in an enlightened culture, religion nowadays has little influence on people's lives.

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

Defining religion is a complex matter, but it is possible to find one definition that will satisfy all theorists of religion.

false

Knowing our own religious beliefs and understanding the roots of our own religious practice has little relevance in the academic study of religion.

false

Modern science has certainly destroyed most of the premises and claims of religions, but people practice religions not because they are grounded in any truth but because they make people feel good about themselves and their lives.

false

Most of the linguistic styles or genres in sacred texts like the bible employ straightforward didactic, scientific writing.

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

Only people who practice a religion could be said to have faith.

false

Religion and its practice have little to do with the human quest for meaning

false

Religious ritual and ceremonial practices are no longer relevant in the modern world.

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 culture and period of history in which a religion originates have little to do with the formation of that religion because religion is about spiritual realities that stand above any given culture or period of history.

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 16th century 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 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 term "Pentateuch" refers to the entire Old Testament.

false

Though cautious in its approach, fundamentalism welcomes critical research and the historical-critical method of biblical interpretation.

false

When all is said and done religion is a completely individual experience; while it has social dimensions, the individual elements far outweigh the social. It is in the individual elements that the core of religion must be found.

false

In his chapter, "Toward a Definition of Religion," Lawrence Cunningham points out that attempts to define religion can be categorized under two major approaches. These are: (pick two)

functionalist and substantive

It is said that Jesus of Nazareth is unique among all other religious founders because:

he claimed to be divine.

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

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

According to your author, a foundational course in college in religious studies:

may or may not help you in your own personal religious journey depending on where you are on that journey.

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)

septuagiant; seven

A prophet is

someone chosen by God to relay God's message to others

Religious ritual is constructed out of ____________ and ___________________.

symbol; myth

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

that is answer

According to your textbook, which of the following are legitimate methodologies employed in "religious studies?"

the ecological approach the anthropological approach the phenomenological approach the womanist approach the sociological approach

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 ...

the primordial synagogue service (common prayer & reading, study, and proclamation of scripture); circumcision; the weekly Sabbath meal

Faith seeking understanding could more adequately describe:

theology

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

The academic discipline of religious studies often found in secular universities, and the academic discipline of theology often found especially in universities sponsored by particular religions, are equally rigorous in their scholarly pursuits and methodology; however, theology of its nature stands within a faith commitment to a particular religion, whereas religious studies tends to look at religion broadly and from outside of a believing stance

this is a fill in the blank question

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

"The Jefferson Bible" is a special bible created by Thomas Jefferson by cutting out verse by verse all of the spiritual or supernatural material, and simply leaving the ethical teachings of Jesus.

true

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 most scholars, the word "religion" is probably derived from the Latin word "ligare" which means to bind or connect.

true

According to the 2013 statistics from the Pew Research Institute for Religion in Public life, Christianity remains the largest religious body in the world with 31.5% of the world's population.

true

According to the 2013 statistics from the Pew Research Institute for Religion in Public life, Islam remains the second-largest religious body in the world with 23.2% of the world's population.

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, Dr. Paul Myhre, it seems that a disposition toward religion is somehow infused or encoded in our genetic makeup.

true

According to your author, a foundational course or text in religious studies acknowledges religion as a phenomenon that continues to play a decisive role in North American history and society.

true

Action or some type of outward behavior is also an important aspect of religion. Carrying out certain rituals, ceremonies, and prayers, etc. seem to be a part of almost all religions. For some scholars like Anthony Wallace, action, particularly ritual action is the characteristic feature of religion.

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

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

Biblical fundamentalism arises when interpretations of the bible disregard the historical context and cultural situation in which the Scriptures were written.

true

Even if one is not religious, studying religion is important for almost every profession. In fact, the authors of your textbook contend that nearly every job in North America intersects with some facet of religious belief and practice.

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

For Friedrich Schleiermacher religion is essentially about feeling far more than practice or belief.

true

For some people, religion can be said to be a certain type of thought, i.e. belief expressed in propositions to which its adherents give a personal and even public assent. According to Lawrence Cunningham, this is especially characteristic of Protestant Christianity.

true

For the French sociologist, Emile Durkheim, religion s is primarily a social phenomenon. Based on this idea of religion as a social construct, he developed his famous theory of Totemism.

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

Human beings almost universally seek an answer to the question of the meaning of life. This question could legitimately be called "the religious question.

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 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 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

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

Max Weber, a German scholar who helped found the modern discipline of sociology, believed Protestant Christianity influenced the rise and evolution of capitalism as an economic system.

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

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 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

One of the concrete sources of evidence demonstrating the human propensity toward religious belief and practice is the broad array of monuments and artifacts which have been left behind.

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

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

Religion has been and continues to be one of the most pervasive forces in human life.

true

Religion is a complex notion touching on a variety of aspects of human existence.

true

Religion's actions and beliefs are aimed at connecting people with what could be identified as most true, real, sacred, or divine.

true

Religions emerge out of specific cultures, geographies, and historical periods and thus represent a myriad of thought-worlds.

true

Religions normally arise from some kind of faith in or assertion of a transcendent reality

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

Sacrifice could be considered the highest form of worship.

true

Some people have a very negative view of religion. They claim that religion and its study are dead or at least nearly dead and have even claimed that religion is dangerous for humans and human relationships.

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

Studying religion requires a willingness to live with a certain amount of ambiguity in our findings.

true

Summing up the approach to religion of the Philosopher Immanuel Kant one could say that for Kant religion is ultimately about moral and ethical principles.

true

The Enlightenment "project" involved an almost exclusive focus on reason and empirical data as the only basis for truth. Because of that, many enlightenment philosophers wanted to (as they saw it) clean up religion by removing religious ritual, belief in miracles and the supernatural or spiritual realm, traditional doctrines, and religious authority.

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 academic discipline called "Religious Studies" approaches religion as a phenomenon within human life and culture like any other phenomenon. Its starting point is not belief in a particular religion nor does it seek to place a value on any single belief system.

true

The concept "religion," does not indicate some isolated aspect of human experience but relates to activities employed in all other avenues of life: thought, feeling, and action; concerns of individual and social existence; and the expression and recognition of values.

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 question of meaning often arises as human beings experience themselves at the very horizon of existence as in moments of great joy or moments of loss, chaos, or disappointment.

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 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

When we speak of religion in terms of its function we are referring to certain roles religion plays in the lives of persons and groups, for example providing moral and ethical guidelines, giving a sense of belonging, or helping people with difficult problems.

true

When we speak of the substance of a religion we are referring to the core reality that underlies religion or that which is specific to the very nature of religion

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 the term religion is relatively recent it is used to describe time-honored actions and beliefs.

true

Within the Judeo-Christian tradition, faith is understood to be a response to a self-revealing God.

true

Worship defines us human beings always in relation and, to a certain extent in subordination to a wider reality we call God.

true

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

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

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

The following are all possible definitions of religion. Based on Cunningham's article which ONE of these definitions could be said to be the MOST adequate, comprehensive, and complete?

Religion signifies those ways of viewing the world that refer to a notion of sacred reality made manifest in human experience in such a way as to produce long-lasting ways of thinking, feeling and acting with respect to problems of ordering and understanding existence.

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

Choosing from the list below, place the steps in the formation of religions in proper order on the blanks below:

saving events oral tradition and ritualization written tradition edited tradition canonical tradition

UNIT 3

UNIT 3

UNIT 2

Unit 2

The term "scriptural hermeneutics" means:

_methods of interpreting scripture

The "hermeneutic of suspicion" refers to

a critical analysis of time-honored teachings in light of a particular concern

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

Rudolf Otto described the experience of the sacred or the holy in this way. "Something is present to you, an apparent object. It appears as:

all of the above

The study of religion can seem overwhelming at first because of:

all of the above

William James pointed to and highlighted a "central core experience" that lay behind all religions which he called "mystical states of consciousness;" and he suggests that these states of consciousness have which of the following features?

all of the above

A hermeneutic is

an interpretive lens or perspective

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

Religions usually give concrete expression to faith in three major ways. Name those three ways by choosing from the list below:

professing creeds, living by moral codes, engaging in ritual/worship patterns

Worship usually involves some kind of

ritual

When a religious ritual becomes efficacious, it is often called a ______________

sacrament