Conversion And Switching Chapter 6 Test Bank Docx

Chapter 6

Conversion and Switching

Essay Questions

When it comes to essay questions, students sometimes write poorly because they are guessing about what the instructor wants, even if the question seems to be perfectly clear. For that reason we strongly recommend provision of an audience (so students know how much to assume in use of sociological vocabulary as well as how much must be made explicit) and criteria for evaluation (which is information that any writer needs to know.) Below are two sample statements that might be used as part of an essay question.

A. This essay calls for presentation and defense of an informed opinion. You should write for a well-educated reader, but one unfamiliar with sociological approaches to the study of religion. You will be graded on a) provision of a clearly stated thesis, b) the clarity and sophistication of your rationale, and c) the ability to support your argument with strong evidence. Sophistication of rationale refers to awareness of the complexity of the issues. The side of the argument that you support is irrelevant to the grading criteria.

B. Your audience for this essay should be senior sociology majors who know sociological vocabulary, but have never specifically studied the sociology of religion. The criteria for evaluation will be 1) accuracy of explanation, 2) clarity of illustrations or examples, and 3) thoroughness in exploring all dimensions of the issue.

Since some of these questions call for careful reflection, you might consider giving students a list of these and other essay questions in advance.

1. What is Lofland’s theory of conversion and what are some criticisms of the theory?

2. Define conversion as you understand it and provide your rationale for including or excluding certain phenomena. Explain the relationship between your definition to one or more theoretical perspectives discussed in this course.

3. Write this essay in two parts. First write an essay explaining religious commitment by using core ideas from Lofland. In the second part of the essay, write a critique of the essay you just wrote using the rational choice perspective.

4. Develop a path model of variables that contribute to religious conversion. Explain your path model. [Note: this question can only be used if the instructor has explained path models in class. Path models are not explained in the text.]

5. Summarize the patterns of religious switching. What seem to be the primary factors in switching and what are the overall trends?

6. What are the strengths and weaknesses of viewing religious choices as similar to other economic decision making people use (i.e., from the rational choice perspective)?

7. According to your textbook, the biggest “winner” in changes of religious affiliation is the unaffiliated (“nones”). Why is “none” the fastest growing religious preference in American society?

8. How are religious “nones” similar to and different from the “spiritual but not religious” individuals discussed in chapter 2 of the textbook?

9. This question might work best as a take-home exam: Design a study in which you test the validity of Lofland’s process model of conversion. What group will you study and what method of data collection will you use? What practical and ethical challenges will you face in conducting your research? How will you know whether Lofland’s model is valid or not?

Multiple Choice Test Questions

1 Extensive research by sociologists shows that brainwashing is the primary recruitment technique of

a. religious cults (new religious movements).

b. evangelical sects.

c. Roman Catholic convents.

d. mainline Protestant denominations.

e. none of the above

2. What argument is given against the claim that NRMs (new religious movements) brainwash their new recruits?

a. Most new cult members willingly and actively seeking membership

b. Religious cults do not hold the sort of intense physical control required for brainwashing

c. Conventional churches encourage brainwashing within cults because the process intensifies the commitment and investment of remaining members

e. None. ALL NRMs, in fact, brainwash new members in order to strengthen commitment

3. In Lofland's theory of conversion, which of the following is NOT a predisposing condition for conversion?

a. Tension

b. Religious problem-solving perspective

c. Religious seekership

d. Close cult affective bonds

4. Research shows that probably the most important factor contributing to the process of conversion to a "new religious movement" (i.e. a "cult") is

a. a theology that is highly rational and logically consistent.

b. a change of reference groups.

c. physical coercion.

d. mind control.

e. the economic stability of the group which causes recruits to think the group will offer financial benefits.

5. Which of the following is NOT a criticism of the Lofland conversion model?

a. Most research shows that the development of close emotional bonds to members is insignificant.

b. Having tension or having personal crisis may be a result of conversion rather than a cause.

c. Reporting tension or personal crisis prior to conversion may be a matter of later revision in interpretation by the person of her pre-cult life; such tension may or may not have been present at the time.

d. Having a religious problem-solving perspective may be facilitative, but is not necessary to conversion.

e. Whether weak extra-cult bonds are essential may vary depending on whether the "outsiders" are hostile to the group; if the family is not antagonistic, the strength of the extra-cult bond may not be an issue.

6. According to the authors of your textbook, the typical sequence in conversion to a new religious movement (NRM) is commitment to

a. the organization, then to the beliefs, and finally to the members themselves.

b. the beliefs, then to the members, and finally to the organization.

c. the beliefs, then to the organization, and finally to the members themselves.

d. the members as friends, then to the organization, and finally to the belief system.

e. none of the above; cult members are usually recruited through brainwashing.

7. Within the rational choice theory, there are two major approaches:

a. supply side theory and cost/benefits

b. supply side theory and demand side theory

c. supernatural compensators and cost/benefits

d. demand side theory and role theory

e. role theory and supply side theory

8. The rational choice model of conversion suggests that

a. new recruits try to resist the role, but find that under the coercive techniques of cults, the only rational choice is to give in and submit to the charismatic leader.

b. people who join new religious movements do so consciously and deliberately because they believe, often correctly, that these groups will help them to meet certain needs.

c. compelling social pressures and tensions impel persons toward joining a cult.

d. new religious movements are rational, deliberate, and active in establishing effective mind control techniques to gain members.

e. unconscious psychological needs compel the individual to join the group.

9. The free-rider problem refers to

a. religiously-motivated people providing rides for civil rights protestors who were boycotting the city buses.

b. people who seek illegal tax breaks by using religion as a subterfuge to gain tax-free status.

c. people in leadership positions who get special prestige and privileges in a religious organization.

d. people who have little commitment getting the same rewards or services as those who are highly committed, thereby creating dissatisfaction and undermining commitment to the church, temple, or mosque.

e. poor people who have few resources but who contribute far more than they can afford to the temple, mosque, or church.

10. The "supply-side" approach to rational choice theory of religious commitment maintain that

a. individual preferences for religious goods are highly variable over time.

b. reality is socially constructed based on reference groups and their symbols.

c. the focus should be on individual choices rather than on the firms that are established to meet religious needs.

d. the leadership initiative and responsiveness in congregations have little impact on loyalty or commitment.

e. religious communities must produce a product that people want or the "franchise" will likely go out of business.

11. The idea that churchgoers are rather like consumers, each seeking a church that meets their needs in a competitive market is a perspective introduced by

a. symbolic interactionism.

b. Lofland's process model of commitment.

c. rational choice theory.

d. the cognitive creativity theory..

e. conflict theory.

12. In supply side rational choice thinking, a local congregation is

a. a “demand.”

b. a “product.”

c. an “entrepreneur.”

d. a “firm.”

e. a “franchise.”

13. In supply side rational choice thinking, the “Southern Baptist” denomination is

a. a “franchise.”

b. an “entrepreneur.”

c. a “firm.”

d. a “demand.”

e. a “product.”

14. Conservative churches, according to your textbook authors, are growing because

a. massive numbers of people are leaving mainline liberal churches to join more conservative ones.

b. people are realizing that conservative churches are more flexible and open to the values of the larger culture than are stodgy, mainline churches.

c. God is calling people back to the true faith, which is best set forth by conservatives.

d. the devil is luring people away from mainline churches.

e. the members generally have higher birth rates and these churches frequently have more commitment mechanisms to retain members.

15. Much of the switching of denominations in the United States and Canada is due to

a. conversions due to televangelism programs.

b. downward social mobility

c. inter-denominational marriages.

d. people joining churches composed of folks who are unlike themselves because of a desire for multicultural enrichment.

e. all of the above.

16. The textbook says that religiously committed people often think of their ties as a particular type of relationship. This relationship with the church/religious group may best be described as a

a. covenantal relationship.

b. contractual relationship.

c. cost/benefit relationship.

d. family relationship.

e. high-risk relationship.

17. As people move into a higher socioeconomic class, they may often modify their religious ideas because

a. higher socioeconomic status groups usually have a more authoritarian religion than lower socioeconomic groups

b. higher socioeconomic groups tend to emphasize obedience to authority more than do lower socioeconomic groups.

c. people experience a higher comfort level when surrounded by others with similar values and self-interests.

d. their old socioeconomic class has shunned them.

e. none of the above.

18. What two factors predict high rates of religious “switching” in the United States?

a. High levels of education and religious intermarriage.

b. Lower socioeconomic status and being male.

c. Low levels of education and recent immigration.

d. Ethnicity and age.

e. Declining socioeconomic status and unemployment.

19. Which of the following is NOT a proposition from rational choice theory that might predict switching?

a. Change of socioeconomic and educational level may cause a change in preference for religious “products.”

b. Frequency of participation in a religious community as a child creates highly levels of familiarity and low inclinations to switch.

c. People who group up in religious bodies that are highly isolated from anything different are highly likely to “switch” once they experience those other options

d. If a group encourages people to invest almost all their social and emotional resources in the group, switching the less likely to happen.

e. People who are more mobile geographically are more likely to switch since they will experience less cost.

20. The concept of apostasy involves

a. strengthening or intensifying of a faith and increased commitment.

b. making irrational choices about one’s own spiritual self-interest.

c. a defection or revolt—a leaving of a faith tradition.

d. Being a “none” insisting that everyone else should also be secular or non-religious.

21. Which of the following explanations for the rise in the number of religious “nones” is not supported by sociological studies?

a. Cohort replacement

b. Increasing numbers of individuals are being raised as religious “nones”

c. Individuals with liberal political identities are becoming alienated from organized religion

d. Science has replaced religion as the source of truth and wisdom

22. In the study of religious groups, “nones” are

a. Roman Catholic “sisters” who take a vow of chastity and poverty to live a more religious life.

b. People who do not identify with any of the traditional faith organizations or denominations and respond “none of the above” in surveys of religious affiliation

c. those people who are militantly anti-religious and reject all forms of spirituality

d. Common in Europe but virtually nonexistent in the Untied States.