Sociology – 1 WORLD RELIGIONS RS 150

1 WORLD RELIGIONS RS 150Part 1. Study GuidePart 2. Study Questions for the Exam Part 1.1. Focus on the following religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism,Taoism, Confucianism, Shinto2. Religious Landscape of the US and the World3. Religious background of US Presidents and US congress (see moodle andPew Forum)4. History (Timeline, Chronology of major events)5. Lexicon (Key concepts in each religion) (read the Glossary of the textbook)6. Read the following files from moodle- “Defining Religion”- “Epistemological Foundation of the Course”- Religious Alterity Part 2STUDY QUESTION FOR THE MIDTERM EXAM(70 questions)you will have 40 to 50 questions during the exam!1. The goal of Hindu religion is to attain:A. YogaB. NirvanaC. MokshaD. Samsara2. In the religious tradition of India, the doctrine of non-violence is calledA. Karma,B. Yoga,C. Ahimsa,D. Atman 2 3. In the Indian Pantheon, the deity par excellence of intellectuals, writers andartists isA.BrahmanB.KaliC.SarasvatiD.Vishnu4. In the Indian Caste system, the word “Varna” meansA. BirthB. RaceC. ColorD. Breed5. The oldest Hindu Sacred Text is known asA. UPANISHADB. RAMAYANAC.VEDAD. BHAGAVAD GITA6. In China the notion of God is referred to asA. TIENB. KAMIC. TIEN-MINGD. YIN-YANG7. Most Hindus belong to two major religious groups, divided into the worship ofone of the following deitiesA. BRAHMAN and BRAHMAB. SHIVA AND KRISHNAC. VISHNU AND SHIVAD. KALI AND BRAHMAN 3 8. “Mortal men believe that gods are begotten, and that they have the dress, voice,and body of mortals. The Ethiopians claim that their gods are snub-nosed andblack; the Thracians, that theirs are blue-eyed and red-headed. If Oxen, horses, orlions had hands with which to sketch and fashion works of art as men do. Thenhorses would draw the forms of gods like horses, oxen like oxen, and they wouldeach make their gods’ bodies similar in frame to the bodies that they themselvespossess… No! One god there is, greatest among gods and humankind, in no waylike mortals in body or in the thought of his mind. In his entirety, he sees; in hisentirety, he thinks; in his entirety, he hears. Always in the same place, he remains,moving not at all; it is not fitting that he should shift about now here and, then,elsewhere. But holding aloof from toil, he sets all things aquiver with the thought ofhis mind.”This view was formulated by the following ancient PhilosopherA. SocratesB. PlatoC. XenophanesD. Aristotle 9. Etymologically the word Nirvana meansA. Paradise in Buddhist religionB. Eternal LifeC. to “cool off” or blow out the fire of passionD. Enlightenment10. Identify the assertion that is correct:A. Religious tolerance was invented by the US Bill of Rights and by theAmerican Founding FathersB. Religious tolerance was already promoted in India before the birth of Jesus andin many other parts of the worldC. Religious Tolerance is a Western idea promoted by the American “MeltingPot,” but unknown to other countries, especially those ruled by non-democraticgovernmentsD. Religious Tolerance was invented by the United Nations’ Declaration ofHuman Rights11. At the beginning of the 20th century almost 80% of the world’s Christianswere Caucasian, and just over 80% lived in Europe and North America. Howevernow Christianity has become a “third world religion.” Indeed, now whiteChristians constitute only aboutA. 50% of world ChristianityB. 43%C. 60%D. 20% 4 12. Identify the assertion that is falseA. Islam teaches that there is still sexual activity in HeavenB. Christians believe that there is no marriage and no sexual activity in HeavenC. Buddha is the God of BuddhistsD. Christians believe in the resurrection of the body13. Judaism changed radically from Biblical Hebrew practices to RabbinicJudaism when the Temple of Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans inA.90 B.C.E.B.90 A.D.C.70 B.C.E.D. 70 C.E.14. Identify the assertion that is trueA. There are more Christians in Africa than in North America (i.e. US andCanada)B. In the US, most Arab immigrants are MuslimC. The US is the most religiously diverse country in the worldD. In the US there are less Atheists than members of all non-Christian religionscombined.15. The top 4 Christian countries in the world (in 2005-2007) wereA. USA, England, China, BrazilB. USA, China, Canada, BrazilC. USA, Brazil, China, MexicoD. USA, Mexico, Brazil, China16. According to most researchers, in less than 50 years (around 2050) themajority of the top ten Christian countries in the world will be found inA. EuropeB. AsiaC. Latin AmericaD. Africa17. Around 50% of all Christians (in the world) areA. ProtestantB. OrthodoxC. CatholicD. Anglican 5 18.The Ancient Hindu practice of burning alivethe widow on the funeral pyre of her dead husband is calledA. Sati,B. Purdah,C. Samskara,D.Bhakti 19. Identify the assertion that is falseA. Hindu women won the right to vote in advance of British womenB. the word Vedanta means “the end of the Vedas” and is applied to theUpanishadsC. Gandhi’s spirituality was influenced largely by his reading of Baghavad Gita,rather than the Bible or the KoranD. The Indian caste system kept women below men in such a way that womengained the right to vote only thanks to the emancipatory force of Christianityintroduced by British missionaries. British women were emancipated and gainedthe right to vote several years before Indian women.20. In the USA, all non-Christian religions combined (including Judaism, Islam,Buddhism, Hinduism, Santeria, Wicca, etc) constitute aroundA. 10% of US populationB. 5% of US populationC. 15% of US populationD. None of the aboveNote: Atheists are not considered here21. Identify the assertion that is false:A. The Laws of Manu were compiled by the Brahmins between 200 BC and 200CEB. The Sacred texts of Shintoism were written almost 700 years after the birth ofJesusC. Confucius taught the Golden Rule more than 400 years before the birth ofJesusD. The Bible is the oldest sacred text in the world22. The “Analects” are the sacred text of the following religion:A. TaoismB. ConfucianismC. Mahayana BuddhismD. Shintoism 6 23. The word YOGA is derived from the Sanskrit root YUJ which literally meansA. To meditateB. To follow a spiritual disciplineC. To joinD. To pursue a goal24. The following religions never produced a US President, except:A. QuakerismB. PentecostalismC. LutheranismD. Orthodox Church 25. In Hinduism the notion of a God beyond attributes, a God beyond personlikequalities is known asA. Saguna BrahmanB. Nirguna BrahmanC. KalkiD. Brahma26. “Mirror” is used as an important religious symbol in the following religion:A. TaoismB. ConfucianismC. JainismD. Shintoism27. In the practice of Yoga, the highest state of concentration or meditation, whenthe mind is one with the divine is known asA. SadhuB. SannyasinC. SamadhiD. Samsara28. Members of the lowest caste group once called “untouchables” were renamed“harijans” by Mahatma Gandhi.This word “Harijans” meansRedeemed onesSons of BrahminGod’s chosen onesChildren of God 7 29. The Bhagavad-Gita is a section of the following corpus of Hindu sacred texts:A. VedasB. VedantaC. MahabharataD. Ramayana30. The word “Buddha” meansA.GodB.Savior,C.The Enlightened one,D.A prophet31. The Chinese philosophy of “following the wisdom of water” or “inactiveaction” is known asA. WENB. WU-WEIC. TIEND. TIEN-MING32. Identify the assertion that is falseA. The word Jain means “victor”B. Jainism rejected asceticismC. Jainism is the religion of non-violence par excellenceD. Sikhism attempted to reconcile Sufi Islam and Hinduism33. The notion of apophatic theology applies well to the following Taoiststatement:A. The Tao that can be expressed is not the Eternal TaoB. "Govern a great State as you would cook a small fish”C. Do away with learning, and grief will not be known.D. Do away with sageness and eject wisdom, and the people will be morebenefited a hundred times.34. "Govern a great State as you would cook a small fish.” This wise statement isattributed toA. ConfuciusB. JesusC. Lao-TzuD. Buddha 8 35. The Chinese vision that the teachings of Buddhism, Confucianism, andTaoism constitute one single religion is referred to by the following notionFeng-shuiSan-jiao heyiShun-TzuWu-wei36. The Chinese religious art that involves determining the Yin-Yang “bearings”of locations for houses, businesses, tombs, and temples, as well as thearrangements of rooms and the objects within them is known asFeng liuFeng-shuiDaijo-saiSan-jiao heyi37. Identify the assertion that is correctAccording to the Chinese “Yin-Yang” theory,A. Yin is male and symbolized by the dragonB. Yin is female and symbolized by the tigerC. Yang is female and symbolized by the dragonD. Yang is female and symbolized by the tiger38. In the US, people who do not believe in God (agnostics and atheists)constitute aroundA. 1 percent of the total US populationB. 10 percentC. 20 percentD. None of the above39. Around 80% of Japanese population practiceA. Shintoism and ConfucianismB. Buddhism and ConfucianismC. Buddhism and ShintoismD. Shintoism and Christianity40.The most important supreme deity of Japan isA. KamiB. Jimmu TennoC. AmaterasuD. Magokoro 9 41. The Art of Peace is known in Chinese spirituality asA. Yin-YangB. WenC. Wu-WeiD. Tao42. President Obama isA. a MuslimB. a ChristianC. an AgnosticD. an Atheist43. The following President belonged to the same branch of Christianity as MartinLuther KingA. Jimmy CarterB. Bill ClintonC. Barack ObamaD. Georges Bush44. Critical thinking is not antithetical to faith. In fact it has a solid foundation inthe Bible itself, especially in the following texts:A. 2 Peter 3, 13-17 and 1 Peter 1, 1-11B. 1Timothy 1, 3-11 and 2 Timothy 3,16C. 1 Cor 13, 1-13D. None of the above45. “Man makes Religion, religion does not make man… religion is the opium ofthe people.” These words have as authorA.Max WeberB.Karl MarxC.NietzscheD.Machiavelli46. “In reality, there are no religions which are false. All are true in their ownfashion; all answer, though in different ways, to the given conditions of humanexistence.”This statement was formulated by the following scholar of religion:A.Max WeberB.Emile DurkheimC.Clifford GeertzD.Sigmund Freud 10 47. “What the privileged classes require of religion is the psychologicalreassurance as to the legitimacy or deservedness of their economic status.”The author of this statement isA.Karl MarxB.Max WeberC.Auguste ComteD.Sigmund Freud48. The attitude of attributing to God human qualities and vices is known asA. IconoclasmB. BlasphemyC. MarcionismD. Anthropomorphism49. Sati was made illegal in IndiaA. after independence in 1947B. in 1829C. in 1929D. in 172950. Hindu spirituality teaches that genuine religious people must “act for thewelfare of the world.” This spiritual ideal is known asA. AhimsaB. LokasangrahaC. SatyagrahaD. Karma51. The word “Religion” comes etymologically from the following languageA. GreekB. HebrewC. LatinD. Sanskrit 52. “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; thisright includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either aloneor in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion orbelief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.”This words are found in the following documentA. US Declaration of IndependenceB. The US Bill of RightsC. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, article 18D. The 2nd article of the Charter of the United Nations 11 53. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, orprohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of thepress; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition theGovernment for a redress of grievances.”These words are found in the following document:A. the 10th Amendment to the U.S. ConstitutionB. the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. ConstitutionC. the U.S. Declaration of IndependenceD. the introduction to the US Constitution54. People are forbidden the farm the land for fear of destroying life in thefollowing religious traditionA. TaoismB. ConfucianismC. BuddhismD. Jainism55. Japan is a melting pot of religious ideas; its traditional religious landscape islargely influenced by spiritualities fromA. England and the United StatesB. China and IndiaC. China and the USD. China and Germany56. Although the spirituality of non-violence is found in almost all the majorreligions developed in India, it found its most radical expression in the followingreligious tradition:A. HinduismB. SikhismC. JainismD. Buddhism57. The traditions of “Naked Saints” is largely found in the following religionA. BuddhismB. SikhismC. JainismD. None of the above 12 58. Identify the US President who was at some point in his life a Jehovah’sWitness*A. Dwight D. EisenhowerB. Herbert HooverC. Richard NixonD. Franklin Delano Roosevelt 59. The fundamental religious ideal in Shinto spirituality is Magokoro .This word meansA. Balance and Harmony with natureB. Rituals of purification from evil spiritsC. Pure heartD. loving the deities and offering them sacrifices regularly60. Identify the assertion that is correctA. The first national Shinto shrine was established in Tokyo during the 6th centuryB.CB. Shinto was created as a religion during the 6th century A.D.C. In Japan Christians constitute around 8% of the populationD. The sacred texts of Shinto were written during the 8th century A.D.61. The current US senate is largely dominated (in a demographic sense) by membersfrom the following religious traditions:A. Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, Judaism, and MormonismB. Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, Buddhism, and JudaismC. Judaism, Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, and the Orthodox ChurchD. Judaism, Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, and Islam62. With regard to Christianity, the current 112th US Congress is largely dominated (in ademographic sense) by members from the following Christian ChurchesA. Baptist, Methodist, and Presbyterian ChurchesB. Episcopal, Presbyterian and Luther ChurchesC. Lutheran, Pentecostal, and Episcopal ChurchesD. Catholic, Mormon, and Orthodox Churches 13 63. From 1961 to 2011 the religious landscape trend shows that the US Congress hasbeen largely dominated (in a demographic sense) by members fromA. The Episcopal ChurchB. The Catholic ChurchC. JudaismD. The Baptist Church64. Identify the assertion that is correctA. In the US Buddhists constitute 2% of total US populationB. In the US Buddhists constitute less than 2% of total US populationC. In the US Buddhists constitute more than 2% of total US populationD. In the US, Buddhists constitute 0.2% of total US population65. Identity the assertion that is correctIn the US we haveA. More Hindus than BuddhistsB. More Buddhists than HindusC. More Buddhists than MuslimsD. More Muslims than Jews 66. “Man cannot live by the bread of science and politics alone; he also needs thevitamins of ethics and morals, faith and hope, love and security, comfort and attention inthe face of death and misfortune, a feeling and experience that as a person he mattersinfinitely, and assurance that he is not immediately ‘forgotten’ or even annihilated whenhe dies. These are the elements that religion tries to offer… Religion makes acontribution in man’s search for identity and security…”This view was formulated by the following scholar of world religionsA. John S. Mbiti B. Cantwell Smith C. Wole Soyinka D. Max Weber 14 67. “Errors in Philosophy are ridiculous; But errors in Religion are dangerous.”This statement was formulated by the following thinkerA. Cantwell Smith B. Huston Smith C. David Hume D. Voltaire 68. “No peace among the nations without peace among the religions.No peace among religions without dialogue between the religions.No genuine dialogue among religions without an accurate knowledge of one another.”This view was formulated by the following theologian:A. Hans Kung B. Karl Rahner C. Karl Barth D. Karl Marx 15 69. “Those who believe in the unity of humankind, and those who believe in the unity ofGod, should be prepared therefore to discover a unity of humankind’s religious history.We are not so prepared, however… The unity of humankind’s religious history isobvious, once one sees it. We have, however, been assiduously trained not to see it. Evenmore, strongly, we have been pressured not to think it; and not to feel it. Yet today itbeckons our minds… An ambition of mine has for some time been to try my hand, beforeI die, at writing a world history of religion in the singular… My point is that everyreligious tradition on earth has in fact developed in interaction with the others; not inisolation, in some watertight compartment. This point might seem obvious, or eventrivial, did it not play havoc with much traditional theology – and even, more subtly, withtraditional conceptualizations… New in Christendom is the acceptance of pluralism. Thehistory of man’s religious life, which for some centuries was divided into self-consciousparts, is beginning to include also a developing history of diverse instances of selfconsciousness of the whole; instances open to each other.”This insight was articulated by the following scholar of world religionsA.Wilfred Cantwell SmithB.Huston SmithC.Max MuellerD.Emile Durkheim 70. In the history of world religions, the notion of “idolatry” (and how it is used to belittlethe spirituality of other religions and promote ethnocentric religious arrogance) has beenradically debunked by the following scholar:A. Huston SmithB. Cantwell SmithC. Max MuellerD. Auguste Comte