Religions of the World

Indigenous beliefs and practices have recently been important for environmental preservation. How?

The myths and taboos that project the lands are being recognized by others

Through the belief of "one, holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church," the Second Vatican Council promoted

Ecumenism

In 2004, a law was passed prohibiting anyone from wearing religious symbols, including Muslim hijabs, Sikh turbans, Jewish yarmulkes, and large Christian crosses, in public schools and colleges in the country of

France

Saudia Arabia operates at the other extreme from secularism, subjecting its citizens to

Wahhabi shari'ah law

According to Huston Smith, which of the following is not among the characteristics that differentiate "primal" religions from "historical" religions

having a cyclical notion of time rather a linear one

A striking geological feature, such as a mountain or canyon, that is considered to be the center of creation demonstrates

how natural environment plays an important role in indigenous people's kinship with creation

Psychologist Carl Jung proposed that the reason there are similarities among symbols in different cultures is that

humanity has a collective unconscious, a global psychic inheritance of archetypal symbols

Moses smashed the stone tablets that God had inscribed the commandments on becasue

in their impatience, the Israelites created a golden calf and practiced idol worship

In the Christian Bible, Colossians 2:9 states that in Jesus "whole fullness of deity dwells bodily," which relates to the Christian doctrine of

incarnation

While globalization has led to hardening of religious boundaries, some are trying to use it to bring people of different religions together through

interfaith dialogue

The 1979 Iranian revolution was significant because

it disproved the assumption by Western intellectuals that religion would become irrelevant

"Cult" is often used pejoratively to distinguish a tradition that is new. This is imprecise because

it has a specific meaning of a tradition that arises outside other traditions

Why does universalism claim all prophets brought the same essential message

it is a movement that attempts to encompass all religions

Which of the following statements about the Jain symbol is NOT correct

it is an ancient symbol designed by Mahavira himself

The form of Buddhism that offers faithful prayers to Amida Buddha is known as

Pure Land Buddhism

If you were to attend temple on Friday night and meet a gay couple that had been married in the synagogue the previous week, you would most likely be in a synagogue with a

Reconstructionist and Reform congregation

Similarity to existing beliefs is one reason a new religious movement may be widespread and longlasting, because

it makes the movement attractive and nonthreatening to potential converts

The Ka'bah was build in the valley of Mecca because

it was thought to be Adam's original place of worship

Interfaith dialogue has been historically difficult because

many religions have claimed to be the best or only path

Hindutva ideology considers these groups as aliens to India

muslims and christians

A person who is meditating in a cave has an experience in which he/she sees and feels something beyond human senses and reasoning. This experience could be called a(n)

mystical experience

The Shi'a break away from the Sunni majority because

of opposition to the elected successors to Muhammad

When asked to define the essentials of a strong government, Confucius stated that the only true essential is that

people have faith in their rulers

Many new religious movements have sprung up worldwide after World War II because

people seek security during periods of change and chaos

In a democracy the separation of church and state impacts the practice of religion by

protecting minority religions from bias or oppression

According to Islamic tradition, in addition to bringing protection, guidance, and knowledge, the recitation of the Qur'an is thought to

provide a healing, soothing effect

Many religions believe that they must safeguard family and the preciousness of life through

restrictions on reproduction and sexuality

Theologians do not consider the veneration of Mary to be idolatry because

she is not worshipped in herself but as the mother of the Jesus the Christ

Santeria developed in part because

slaves were prohibited from openly practicing their traditions

When you are not interested in religious institutions but still want to cultivate your inner dimension through personal beliefs and practices, this means you wish to focus on which dimension of religion?

spiritual

Christian ritual of public worship or liturgy is often a set pattern. What might cause a break in the pattern in some churches

spontaneous actions inspired by the Holy Spirit

During morning prayers, male Jews put on a special fringed garment and small leather boxes containing biblical verses, otherwise known as

tallit katan and tefillin

According to Max Weber, how might a religion be formed after a magnetic person dies

that person's followers turn the original inspiration into routines and organizations

which country has the largest percentage of church-going people in the industrialized world

the United States

American colonizers forced the native people's of the Americas from their indigenous lands onto reservations along the frontier. This is an example of

the effects of globalization

What is sometimes a result of rabbinic exegesis of sacred Jewish literature

the introduction of new ideas and practices

Daoist undertake individual spiritual practices for

the sake of inner transformation and perhaps immortality

Which of the following is NOT among the 5 major vows of the Jain laypeople

the vow of giving necessary articles to monks and nuns

If Baha'is believe that individual spiritual transformation will fix challenges facing humanity, why do they work to change public thought and policy?

they believe that societal structures also need changing

religious zionists believe in the right to a sovereign Jewish national homeland because

they believe that the land was promised to the Jews by God

The first four books of the New Testament, which were written forty to sixty years after Jesus' death, are called the gospels, or "good news" because

they tell about the life of Jesus the Messiah

How did Jesus teach spiritual lessons

through parables that included subject matter familiar to his audience

Why might someone from an indigenous community seek the aid of a shaman or mystical intermediary

to ensure a successful hunt or cure illnesses

The Communist Party in China has taken a pragmatic view of religion lately because

tradition may promote social stability amidst rapid change

According to "twelver' Shi'a, the twelfth Imam

was commanded by God to go into a hidden state

According to Prothero, which question is common to every religion

what to do with our lives in our human bodies

The patriarchal values of religious institutions can be found in all of the following examples EXCEPT

women being allowed to serve as religious authorities

Judaism lost its physical heart and geographic center in Jerusalem when

The Romans destroyed the Jewish Temple and reduced Jerusalem and all Judean towns to ruins

Which patriarchate of the Eastern Orthodox Church consists mostly of Orthodox Christian Arabs in Syria and Lebanon

Antioch

Three refuges of Buddhism are...

Buddha, Dharma, Sangha

Confucian teachings were revived through Neo-Confuscianism because some believed that

Buddhist and Daoist practices had brought about political weakness

Which of the following is not among the sacraments of the Catholic and Orthodox Christianity

Burial in grave

Why do Christians from the Catholic and orthodox churches treat the Eucharist with more respect than do most Protestants

Catholic and Orthodox Christians believe that the Eucharist is the body and blood of Jesus

If someone refuses medicine for inflammation after she has been diagnoses with an ankle sprain on religious grounds, what tradition is she likely from?

Christian Science

Why was the crowing of Haile Selassie important for the Rastafari religious group

It was seen as the fulfillment of Marcus Garvey's prophecy

The literature that preserves the stories of Muhammad's life and sayings is the

Hadith

The veneration of Mother Ganga is an example of

Hindu rituals associated with ancient goddess worship

Confucius says: "There are four things in the moral life of a person, not one of which I have been able to carry out in my life. To serve my parents as I would expect my children to serve me: that I have not been able to do. To serve my sovereign as I would expect a minister under me to serve me: that I have not been able to do. To act towards my elder siblings as I would expect my younger siblings to act towards me: that I have not been able to do. To be the first to behave towards friends as I would expect them to behave towards me: that I have not been able to do." (Novak, p. 127) Which of the five constant relationships is not covered in this quote?

Husband and wife

The patriarchate that tries to play a central role in maintaining Orthodox unity is seated in

Istanbul

A Jewish family in the US erects a simple outdoor booth during Sukkot. If you asked them why, what might be their response

It is a reminder of how God sheltered their ancestors during their exodus from Egypt

Why might someone accept dogma with absolute faith without ever experiencing it?

It provides a sense of rootedness, meaning, and orderliness

The following statement about Jewish history and Jewish people is factually correct

Jewish history is essentially that of dispersed people who find unity in an evolving set of teachings and practices

Which books of the Christian New Testament are referred to as the synoptic gospels because they present similar views of Jesus

Matthew, Mark, Luke

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is less formally known as the

Mormon Church

If someone attends a church where members often receive gifts of the spirit, such as speaking in tongues, and are "slain in the Spirit," which Christian movement is that person part of?

Pentecostalism

According to mainstream Islamic belief, the "Seal of the Prophets" was

Muhammad

The founder of the Baha'i faith, the Bab, was executed for his teachings because the Persian state believed that

Muhammad was the Seal of the Prophets.

When transitioning from the Shang Dynasty to the Zhou Dynasty, the focus of worship shifted

from a personal to an impersonal concept of divinity

How have the Puranas influenced how Hindus understand the cosmos and history?

They tell narratives of the origins of the cosmos through the deeds of legendary heroes

Joseph Campbell thought myths, such as the hero's journey, were meaningful because they

formed sacred belief structure that supported the ways of the community

The Jewish holy day where sins are confessed communally, forgiveness is asked for, and prayers for reconciliation with God are offered is called

Yom Kippur

God is portrayed in the Hebrew Scriptures as

a transcendent Creator who forms a covenant with the Jewish people

A religious person states that all who do not believe the same way that he does are destined for eternal punishment. This stance is known as

exclusivism

According to Hinduism, the concept of karma can be defined as

action and consequences of action

A Sufi teacher tells a story about a joyous man being swallowed into the sea to illustrate the joy of union with the divine. This is an example of what type of religious narrative

allegory

The Enlightenment impacted western European Jews by

allowing them to ascend to positions of prominence in western European society

All Muslims are enjoined by the Qur'an to carry on jihad, which has been classified by The Prophet Muhammad into two types; one of these classifications is "Lesser Jihad: meaning

an external effort to protect the Way of God against the forces of evil

why do some scholars question whether or not the concept of "religion" is useful

bc the concept is so complex and elusive

Kabbalah is associated with esotericism

because it focuses on interacting with unseen reality

Why can Advaita Vendanta be called generally monistic

because it posits a single reality

The process of understanding, interpreting, and implementing the shariah is known as

fiqh

When 8 days old, to honor the seal of God's commandment to Abraham, boys undergo the ritual ceremony of

brit milah

In the Scopes trial of 1925, the controversy between fundamentalism and modernism received its most famous public expression in America when John Scopes

challenged a state law forbidding the teaching of Darwin's theory of evolution

In their worship of a diety, Hindus typically

chant to the deity, seek to see the deity (darshan), commune with the deity by eating the food that has been offered, offer flowers and food to the deity

the goal of religious pluralism is

collaboration among religions for the common good

East Asian religions manifest themselves to practitioners as

complementary value systems

Hindu death rituals require...

cremation, followed by the ritual immersion of bone and ash in the waters of a holy river

Societies where Muslims are a minority but can freely and peaceably practice Islam are called

dar al-sulh

The Vajrayana practice of meditation upon oneself in the form of Buddha or boddhisatva in order to embody enlightened qualities is called

deity yoga