Review questions chapter 13 1. Globalization refers to the increasing communication and contact between different areas of the world.

This has occurred due to technological advances such as the internet and air travel, and because of immigration from country to country. This has historically been a bad thing for the religions of nonwestern societies, as the norm tends to be that they get crushed by the steamroller that is Western Civilization. However, I believe it can be turned into a positive, because we can learn a lot from the spiritual beliefs of other cultures. If there was no globalization, my beliefs might not be the same today because they have been much better preserved in non-European cultures. Secularism is the turning away from religions either on a national or individual level. In some ways this can be a good thing, like in the concept of separation of church and state, where politics and religion are kept separate. However, I think hardcore secularism is just as bad, if not worse than religious fundamentalism. For example, look at how many people have been slaughtered and are still being oppressed under secularist Fascist and Communist regimes. I also believe that a rejection of any sort of reality beyond what we can detect with our senses is not only dull and boring, but also extremely arrogant and spits in the face of logic and reason. 2. The major themes of the interfaith movement are inclusivism and pluralism. Inclusivism is the belief that all religions can be accommodated within one religion. I believe that this is a potentially dangerous thing, because not everyones spiritual path is the same, and saying that one world religion is valid for everyone is no better than saying an already established religion like Christianity or Islam is the only way. Pluralism is respecting and appreciating people of different faiths and having open discussion with them about their beliefs, which I feel is a much healthier way for people with different views to interact with each other as we all have things we can learn from each other. 3. Religious leaders have responded to materialism in the modern world by encouraging people to think about others, and to approach money-making and business from a more altruistic perspective and to try and reduce greed.