Chapter 5: Conversion, Switching, and Apostasy

Test Bank

Multiple Choice

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

A. new religious movements

B. Catholic convents

C. mainline Protestant denominations

D. no religious group

2. What prompted the increase in sociological research on conversion?

A. the increase of Catholic converts

B. the rise of new religious movements

C. the spread of apostasy

D. the rapid increase of religious switching

3. The earliest explanation for why people convert to new religious movement was ______.

A. brainwashing

B. process model

C. conversion motifs

D. rational choice theory

4. What do researchers conclude about most recruits to new religious movements?

A. They are passively converted by leaders of the movements.

B. They are actively involved in the conversion process.

C. They do not understand what is happening to them.

D. They tend to immediately regret their decision.

5. Lofland’s three predisposing conditions to conversion are tension, religious problem-solving perspective, and ______.

A. desiring new friends

B. intensive interaction

C. religious seekership

D. experiencing a turning point

6. According to Lofland, ______ is an example of a turning point in life.

A. moving to a new area

B. divorce

C. severe illness

D. making new friends

7. Most scholars agree that which step of Lofland’s process model is central to conversion?

A. experiencing a turning point

B. holding a religious problem-solving perspective

C. intensive interaction

D. weakening of outside ties

8. Which theory of religious conversion posits a more active model of human behavior?

A. conversion motifs

B. brainwashing

C. process model

D. rational choice theory

9. The rational choice model of conversion suggests that ______.

A. recruits resist the new group but eventually realize the benefits outweigh the costs

B. people join new religious movements because it will meet their religious needs

C. outside pressures compel people to join a new religious group

D. people will convert when there are no other options available to them

10. What does a "supply-side" theory of religious commitment argue?

A. Individual preferences for religious goods are highly variable over time.

B. What matters is individual preferences rather than religious groups’ resources.

C. Religious communities must produce a product that people want.

D. People will choose the religious group with the most benefits.

11. In supply-side rational choice thinking, a local congregation is a(n) ______.

A. entrepreneur

B. produce

C. firm

D. franchise

12. Much of the switching between denominations in the United States and Canada is due to ______.

A. fear of apostasy

B. intermarriage

C. downward social mobility

D. conversion experiences

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

A. high levels of education and religious intermarriage

B. lower social class and being male

C. low levels of education and being female

D. high levels of education and high social class

14. According to a rational choice theorist, what leads to higher levels of religious participation?

A. religious monopoly

B. religious pluralism

C. state-sponsored religion

D. strong, charismatic leaders

15. Which of the following contributes to higher national rates of religious conversion?

A. higher average educational attainment

B. lower average educational attainment

C. religious restrictions

D. decreasing levels of religious pluralism

16. According to rational choice theorists, what should a couple with different religious identities do to maximize their religious capital?

A. One partner should become an apostate to minimize conflict.

B. They should both stop attending services.

C. One partner should convert to the other’s religion.

D. They should attend worship services separately.

17. Which of the following is a major critique of rational choice theory?

A. Actors in rational choice theory are passive.

B. Rational choice theory neglects cultural contexts and meaning.

C. Actors are assumed to be white and middle class.

D. Rational choice theory cannot explain high rates of intermarriage.

18. Someone how goes from being an evangelical Protestant to being a mainline Protestant can best be characterized as ______.

A. becoming more religious

B. becoming apostate

C. converting

D. switching

19. The two most consistent predictors of religious switching are intermarriage and ______.

A. moving

B. losing friends

C. education

D. having children

20. People who go from having a religion to having no religion are described as ______.

A. apostates

B. switchers

C. converts

D. de-converts

21. Which of the following is an example of transformative apostasy?

A. A person who attended worship services monthly slowly stops attending.

B. A very religious person who attended church for 20 years renounces their faith.

C. A very religious person in one tradition becomes less involved in a different tradition.

D. Someone who has been in one religious group their whole life switches late in life.

Essay

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

4. What are the strengths and weaknesses of viewing religious choices from the rational choice perspective?

5. 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?

6. Explain the three dimensions of apostasy. Why is it important to analyze how apostasy exists on a continuum?

7. 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?

8. Analyze why brainwashing was initially a popular explanation for conversion to new religious movements, and explain how this theory was eventually debunked.