Class 4 - Religion, Magic and Worldview

Question 0

Define supernatural.

Answer 0

Supernatural refers to the realm beyond people’s normal experience.

Question 1

Define religion.

Answer 1

Religion is an organized collection of beliefs, cultural systems, and world views that relate humanity to an order of existence.

Question 2

What are “ultimate problems”?

Answer 2

Ultimate problems include life’s meaning, death, evil, and transcendent values.

Question 3

What are transcendent values?

Answer 3

Transcendent values are values that override people’s individual goals and desires.

Question 4

What is a “personified supernatural force”?

Answer 4

Personified supernatural force is supernatural power that resides in supernatural beings, such as deities, ghosts, and other kinds of spirits.

Question 5

What are “other-than-human persons”?

Answer 5

Other-than-human persons are non-human entities that are thought to have person-like qualities including a soul and consciousness.

Question 6

Define mana.

Answer 6

Mana is impersonal force that is freefloating and capable of inhabiting many different things.

Question 7

Define magic.

Answer 7

Magic refers to the strategies that people use to control supernatural force to gain a desired end.

Question 8

Define sorcery.

Answer 8

Sorcery is the malevolent use of magic.

Question 9

Define witchcraft.

Answer 9

Witchcraft labels the activities of people who possess, often without knowing it, supernatural power that is used for evil purposes.

Question 10

Define prayer.

Answer 10

A prayer is a petition directed at a supernatural being.

Question 11

Define sacrifice.

Answer 11

Sacrifice refers to the act of giving up something valuable to influence supernatural beings.

Question 12

Define spirit possession.

Answer 12

Spirit possession occurs when a supernatural being enters an individual and controls that person’s behavior.

Question 13

Define divination.

Answer 13

Divination is the use of supernatural force associated with material objects to provide answers to particular questions.

Question 14

What is a shaman?

Answer 14

Shamans are religious specialists who are believed to control supernatural power.

Question 15

Define priest.

Answer 15

Priests are religious specialists who mediate between people and the supernatural.

Question 16

Define worldview.

Answer 16

Worldview refers to a system of concepts and often unstated assumptions about life. It often contains a cosmology and mythology.

Question 17

Define cosmology.

Answer 17

Cosmology refers to the cultural views about the nature of the world.

Question 18

Define mythology.

Answer 18

Mythology refers to the cultural views about how the world came to be the way it is.

Question 19

What are revitalization movements?

Answer 19

Revitalization movements refer, in the words of A. F. C. Wallace, to “deliberate, organized, conscious efforts by members of a society to construct a more satisfying culture.”

Question 20

Define ritual.

Answer 20

Rituals are “patterned, repetitive, and symbolic enactments of a cultural belief or value.”

Question 21

What is a rite of passage?

Answer 21

A Rite of Passage is a ritual that marks the transformation of a person from one social status to another.

Question 22

Define pilgrimage.

Answer 22

Pilgrimage is a journey that has a purpose and involves a destination that has special meaning.