Chapter 1 Quiz: What is Religion?

Which of the following best describes a substantive definition of religion?

• Religion as a system of rituals

• Religion as a source of community bonding

• Religion as a psychological phenomenon

• Religion as belief in spiritual beings

Who defined religion as “belief in spiritual beings”?

• Mircea Eliade

• Rudolf Otto

• E.B. Tylor

• Emile Durkheim

The term “ultimate concern” is associated with which thinker?

• James Livingston

• Sigmund Freud

• Karl Marx

• Paul Tillich

What does the term sacred refer to in religious studies?

• That which is common and ordinary

• That which is neutral and scientific

• That which is unreal

• That which is set apart and revered

Mircea Eliade is best known for distinguishing between:

• Myth and ritual

• Sacred and profane

• Religion and philosophy

• Science and magic

Which of the following is a functional definition of religion?

• Religion as the worship of ancestors

• Religion as a belief in God

• Religion as something that promotes social unity

• Religion as a means of accessing divine grace

The numinous experience, according to Rudolf Otto, involves:

• Pure logic and reason

• Repetition of myths

• Terror and fascination in encountering the divine

• Rejection of the supernatural

The phrase mysterium tremendum et fascinans means:

• A sacred temple

• A holy text

• An ancient myth

• A terrifying and fascinating mystery

A set of sacred stories that explain origins or truths of a religion is called a:

• Myth

• Dogma

• Ritual

• Theology

Which thinker viewed religion as the “opium of the people”?

• Emile Durkheim

• William James

• Karl Marx

• Max Weber