Verified Test Bank Ch3 Religion In The Larger Society Macro

Chapter 3

Religion in the Larger Society: Macro Perspectives

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 are the basic differences in functional and conflict theories of society?

2. What are weaknesses of a) functional theory and b) conflict theory?

3. What are the ways in which religion is, or can be, functional for individuals and societies?

4. In what ways is religion capable of being dysfunctional to individuals and to the larger society in which it exists?

5. Write an essay in two parts:

a. Using a religious tradition with which you are familiar, write a functional analysis of its role in the community and in the lives of individuals.

b. Write a criticism of the essay which you have just written from the point of view of a conflict theorist.

6. How do structure and process differ in an organization? How are they related?

7. In what sense is open systems theory a synthesis of functional and conflict theories?

8. What is open systems theory and how does it approach the study of religion?

9. The concept of “need” is central to functional analysis. Explain the social needs that have been fulfilled by religion historically, and discuss how other social patterns or institutions have arisen more recently to fulfill some of those social needs. In concluding consider whether there are some social needs that only religion can fulfill.

10. Support or refute the following statement and support your position with concepts and arguments from the textbook: Religion should always be separated from and unaffected by the larger secular environment in which it exists. [Note: if you use this type of question, it is especially important to add a statement indicating what the grading criteria will be.]

Multiple Choice Test Questions

1. On what aspect of religion did Malinowski and Radcliffe-Brown disagree?

a. Whether or not religion can be found in all societies.

b. Whether religion serves to meet the basic needs of individual humans, or whether it serves to meet the needs or requirements of a society as a whole.

c. Whether religion served to enhance social stability or created conflict.

d. Whether religion created we/they thinking or united society.

e. None of the above. Malinowski and Radcliffe-Brown formulated their theories about religion together.

2. Marx and Durkheim agreed that

a. religion is a source of change.

b. religion is dysfunctional to social stability.

c. religion legitimates society's values and norms.

d. religion serves the needs of all citizens equally.

e. all of the above.

3. What does Durkheim’s “metaphoric parallelism” refer to?

a. The parallels between religious beliefs and the authority structure of the society.

b. The parallels between religious myths from one religion to another.

c. The parallels of symbolic metaphors within a religion to other symbols within the same religion.

d. The parallels between religious myths and secular legends, fairy-tales, and folk stories.

4. According to Durkheim's functional model,

a. religion is fading into oblivion because it is being replaced by science.

b. God stands in the same relationship to worshippers as does a society to its members.

c. religion serves individual functions but not societal ones.

d. religion is the cause of social change because it increases conflict in the society.

e. religious groups are a tool of the "haves" in society which they purposely use to protect their own privileged position and keep the "have-nots" in their place.

5. Conflict theorists criticize functional theorists for

a. using circular reasoning.

b. assuming that people act out of self-interest.

c. over-emphasizing historical processes.

d. focusing on micro processes and missing the big picture.

e. failing to understand factors that contribute to social stability.

6. According to the textbook, the functions that religion fulfills in the modern world

a. serve the individual but not the society.

b. serve the society but not the individual.

c. are always constructive in nature; religion is the only institution which has no dysfunctions.

d. vary somewhat from one society to another, but are usually multifaceted in nature.

e. None of the above. Religion serves no functions in the modern world.

7. Your textbook indicates that religion serves the individual meaning function most effectively when

a. believers experience high degrees of threat or guilt.

b. church and state are closely integrated.

c. beliefs are highly rational and logically coherent and consistent.

d. believers feel they are holding the beliefs voluntarily; they have chosen their beliefs.

e. believers feel they are held by the beliefs; that the beliefs themselves are primary.

8. According to Peter Berger, in the modernist vs. conservative conflict within churches, who is least likely to be a theological modernist?

a. Clergy

b. Members of the helping professions

c. The business elite

d. Social planners

e. Professionals in the information technology field

9. According to your textbook, which of the following is the most important source of religious differentiation and exclusion?

a. Monotheism

b. Polytheism

c. Theological particularism

d. Coincidence of religious and ethnic/class lines

e. Charismatic leaders

10. Which of the following is NOT posited by functionalists to be integral to social systems:

a. Social systems involve interdependency of the parts of the system.

b. Social systems are dynamic and always changing.

c. Social systems are designed to meet human needs in an orderly way.

d. Social systems are relatively well integrated and harmonious.

e. Social systems may have diverse consequences which affect individuals and the society as a whole.

11. Consider the following two statements in relation to the course material: (A) Religion can be both functional and dysfunctional at the same time; and (B) What is functional at the level of the social system must also be functional for individuals. Which of the following is correct?

a. Only A is an accurate statement

b. Only B is an accurate statement

c. Both A and B are accurate statements

d. Neither A nor B are accurate statements

12. __________ functions are conscious and/or intended, while __________ functions are unconscious and/or unintended. Either of these can be dysfunctional from the perspective of individuals or society.

a. Meaning; belonging

b. Mental; structural

c. Identity; cultural

d. Manifest; latent

13. Which of the following is NOT posited by one or more versions of conflict theory?

a. Conflict can be an important source of change.

b. Conflict often involves clashes of interests between the affluent and the disfranchised of society.

c. Conflict can be a source of in-group solidarity.

d. Conflicts between groups are often self-serving and act to protect the material interests of the group or its members.

e. While conflict is normal within many social institutions, it is rare in religious groups.

14. Why did Karl Marx refer to religion as the “opiate of the people”?

a. Religion promised people an afterlife in which they would be “high on God”

b. The use of opiates was widespread in religious groups during the industrial revolution

c. Religion was a positive, stabilizing institution for both society and individuals

d. Religion united people under a false sense of common interests and kept them subdued

15. Consider the following two statements in relation to the course material: (A) Religious conflict can be a source of disruption in society; and (B) Religious conflict can be a source of unity in religious groups. Which of the following is correct?

a. Only A is an accurate statement

b. Only B is an accurate statement

c. Both A and B are accurate statements

d. Neither A nor B are accurate statements

16. An open systems theory of religion emphasizes that churches, mosques, and synagogues

a. have no influence on the larger society of which they are a part.

b. are not influenced by the larger society of which they are a part.

c. are influenced by local events but not by global processes and structures.

d. are pretty invulnerable to variations and changes in the subsystems within the group.

e. none of the above.

17. The rules that govern how a religious organization makes decisions and who has legal authority to act on behalf of the congregation are part of the church's

a. in-put.

b. out-put.

c. process.

d. structure.

e. seminated sacral system.

18. Which of the following would NOT be an in-put to a religious group?

a. Ideas and values from science and technology.

b. A mission project by the group to help the homeless.

c. Ideas from the field of organizational management about how to operate an organization.

d. Sacred symbols from the larger society — such as the nation's flag and a feeling of reverence for it.

e. Racial and ethnic attitudes in the larger society.

19. As opposed to an open system, a closed system

a. tries to increase the ratio of inputs to outputs.

b. tries to stress its ability to influence the larger culture.

c. tries to insulate itself from the larger culture.

d. tries to increase its recruitment of members.

e. tries to assimilate to the values of the larger society.

20. Which of the following is a similarity of perspective for systems theory and structural functional theory?

a. There is an assumption of value-consensus of all parties within the system.

b. There is a supposition that societies are static and unchanging.

c. There is an affirmation that different aspects of society are interrelated and interdependent.

d. There is awareness that institutions or groups within a system may focus primarily on their own self-interests, thus causing tensions and strife.

e. None of the above. There are no commonalties between systems theory and structural functional theory.

21. Which of the following is a similarity of perspective for systems theory and conflict theory?

a. There is an assumption of value-consensus of all parties within the system.

b. There is a supposition that societies are static and unchanging.

c. There is an affirmation that different aspects of society are interrelated and interdependent.

d. There is awareness that institutions or groups within a system may focus primarily on their own self-interests, thus causing tensions and strife.

e. None of the above. There are no commonalties between systems theory and conflict theory.

22. Religion

a. reinforces social stability, but never stimulates social change.

b. often stimulates social change, but seldom contributes to social stability.

c. may either reinforce social stability or foster social change, depending on social circumstances.

d. is concerned with otherworldly matters and is unrelated to secular processes of social change or stability.