Chapter 11 Final

Question 1

Invention

Answer 1

Coming up with a solution to a problem using the technology at hand

Question 2

Discovery

Answer 2

New awareness of something that exists in the environment.

Question 3

Diffusion

Answer 3

The apparent movement of cultural traits from one society to another.

Question 4

Stimulus diffusion

Answer 4

What occurs when an idea moves from one culture to another and stimulates the invention of a new trait.

Question 5

Acculturation

Answer 5

The process whereby a culture accepts traits from a dominant society.

Question 6

Assimilated

Answer 6

A condition whereby a dominated culture has changed so much because of outside influences that it ceases to have its own distinct identify.

Question 7

Syncretism

Answer 7

: A fusing of traits from two cultures to form something new and yet permitting the retention of the old by subsuming the old into a new form.

Question 8

Diaspora

Answer 8

Movement of a population out of their homeland

Question 9

Revitalization movement

Answer 9

: A movement that forms in an attempt to deliberately bring about change in a society.

Question 10

Nativistic movement

Answer 10

A type of revitalization movement that develops in traditional societies that are threatened by the activities of more technologically advanced societies.

Question 11

Revivalistic movements

Answer 11

A type of revitalization movements that attempts to revive what is often perceived as a past golden age.

Question 12

Millenarian movement

Answer 12

: A type of revitalization movement that envisions a change through an apocalyptic transformation.

Question 13

Messianic movement

Answer 13

A type of revitalization movement that is based on the appearance of a divine savior in human form who will bring about the solution to the problems that exist within the society.

Question 14

Cargo cult

Answer 14

Religious movement occurring among small-scale societies of Melanesia in response to culture contact; the movement focuses on the attainment of trade goods

Question 15

Sect

Answer 15

A new branch of a mainstream religion, usually involving new revelations, new scriptures, and a new leader.

Question 16

Choice fatigue

Answer 16

A situation in which individuals in a culture are faced with too many options, such as when a single dominant church is replaced by numerous denominations and sects.

Question 17

Denomination

Answer 17

A religious group that differs on just a few points from the mainstream religion.

Question 18

Cult

Answer 18

Historical meaning is a particular form or system of religious worship. Most commonly
used to describe a small, recently created and spiritually innovative group, often with a single charismatic leader. Connotations of the term include that the leader is evil, in total control of his followers, and believes that the end of the world is imminent.

Question 19

New religious movement

Answer 19

A historically recent religious movement, often involving new leaders and new scriptures or new interpretations of older religious traditions.

Question 20

High demand religion

Answer 20

A religious group in which much is demanded of members in terms of
strict adherence to rules for thought and behavior.

Question 21

Fundamentalism

Answer 21

A religious movement characterized by a return to fundamental principles, usually including a resistance to modernization and an emphasis on certainty through a literal interpretation of scriptures.

Question 22

Totalism

Answer 22

The belief that religion is relevant to, and should be a part of, all parts of a society.

Question 23

Scripturalism

Answer 23

The practice of justifying beliefs and actions by reference to the religious text.

Question 24

Traditioning

Answer 24

The idea that religious texts are relevant to life today.

Question 25

Fundamentalism

Answer 25

• Is characterized by a return to essential, foundational principles, usually including a resistance to modernization and an emphasis on certainty through a literal interpretation of scriptures (cf. Stein and Stein, 2011: 261)
- best to understand fundamentalism not as theology, but rather as social policy, as political ideology or simply as ideology
o reaction especially against modernity
• modernity has widened the gap

Question 26

• Modernity poses 5 problems for the traditional religions (below)

Answer 26

• abstraction
 Durkheim lecture
 Pulling away from traditional solidarity including a strong sense of relationship
• futurity
 you go forward with always a reference to the past
• individuation
 Peter L. Berger’s argument is that all these things are harmful to religion
 Christianity is a great example (others are as well) → they all emphasize community
 An individual could not survive alone
 In modern society, individualism is enabled by technology, restructuring of the means of production and the social order, and so we live more individually – less relationship
• liberation
 democracy
 freedom of individualization and choice – equals decisions
 This is at ad variance with much of the scriptural values of the historic religions
• secularization (more later)

Question 27

Secularization • Problem of definition

Answer 27

• This term was a problem in the 1970s – a lot of data was used to describe a lot of information with a lot of different agendas
• While this dominated religion in the 70s and 80s, it was chaotic
• We finally, like the world “cult” thought that the word “secularize/ism” was of no use – and tried to put it away → was not successful
o The concept is needed
o Continues to be a problem in current literature

Question 28

Secularization • Problem of analysis

Answer 28

o The study of religion takes out an awareness of a profound change that was taking place that included a declined in religious monopoly
o Secularization scholarship pulls together a lot of theoretical writing

Question 29

A Typology of Secularism

Answer 29

. The decline of the religion
• 2. Conformity with ‘this world’
• 3. Disengagement of society from religion
o e.g. the school system being separate from any religious body
• 4. Transposition of religious functions
o Instead of going to the mosque, you go to Comic-con.
o Instead of going to the young adults group in the religious organization you commit to something else.
• Something else that meets the two essential human needs: sense of meaning and belonging
• 5. Weber’s Entzauberung (Disenchantment, or loss-of-the-sacred)
o E.g.: Protestant Reformation is seen by many theorists as a secularizing affect – it took away sacred images and therefore removes the sense of wonder, makes it more intellectual, less emotional

Question 30

Religion is patriarchal

Answer 30

It is constructed by men to maintain their own power. It oppresses women and undermines their authority
• Spirituality is free of patriarchy

Question 31

Religion is homophobic

Answer 31

fails to celebrate the full range of sexuality and gender identity
• Spirituality is free of homophobia

Question 32

Religion is otherworldly and transcendentalist

Answer 32

It does not have enough to say about the experience of the sacred in creation. It does not teach us how to live harmoniously with nature; rather, it mandates the human species to have power and “dominion” over the earth.
• In our time of ecological crisis, spirituality asks, “What can a human-centred/human-exclusive religion contribute to the survival of the planet?”

Question 33

Religion is about salvation from Sin

Answer 33

which is understood as doing wrong.

• Spirituality is about saving the planet.

Question 34

Religion seeks perfection as its goal

Answer 34

the contemporary era has found perfection to be unrealistic.

• Spirituality seeks wholeness.

Question 35

Religion is dualistic

Answer 35

instructs the spirit to triumph over the body and its vital desires.
• Spirituality seeks to bring spirit and body, sacredness and sexuality together in a redemptive experience.

Question 36

Religion is hierarchical and elitist

Answer 36

It rules from above, and excludes the voice of the people and democratic understanding.
• Spirituality is for people who do not trust authority figures.

Question 37

Religion is dogmatic and external to our lives

Answer 37

It imposes laws and rules upon us and demands that a person conform to devotional practices, without enquiring into the nature of the self that is to be transformed or offering a psychology or pathway by which the individual can be transformed.
• Spirituality allows for individual personal growth and self-actualization.

Question 38

Religion imposes the Big Story of theology upon our experience without exploring the Little Stories of our individual biographies which might give a theology a foothold in our lives.

Answer 38

• Spiritual people reject religion not because they do not believe, but because they are not believed.

Question 39

Religion is fused with the social establishment and too identified with business, government, and commerce to be able to offer a critique of the world. Religion does not provide enough challenge to society but simply reinforces and supports its basic values and as such cannot represent the life of the spirit.

Answer 39

• Spirituality is secular in the American sense of separation of church and state, in the Canadian sense of separating religion from public life. Young adults value secular society in which individual private spiritual expression is freely possible.

Question 40

Religion is monolithic, frozen, fixed, historic

Answer 40

• Spirituality is dynamic.

Question 41

. Religion is a destination.

Answer 41

• Spirituality is a journey.