Multiple Choice:

1-c
2-d
3-b
4-c
5-a
6-b
7-c
8-a
9-b
10 - c

1. How does the sociological definition of religion differ from how you previously
thought of religion?
The sociological definition mirrors my personal view of religion pretty well. It is a
system of beliefs that guide people’s actions. My personal view on religion is a
little darker because I believe religion is just a way for powerful people to
maintain power and religion manipulates people into acting a certain way to
please a deity or figure that doesn’t exist. If you look at religious rules, which I’ll
be using Christianity as I know the most on that subject, you will be sent to Hell if
you don’t not only comply with the rules but also if you don’t believe in their God.
That idea is manipulative and I think the overall idea is that is a set of practices
and rules that dictate whether someone’s life was good or bad.

2. How do sociologists manage to study religion if they can’t see the spiritual world?
Rather than studying the spiritual world within a religion, they focus on the
implications on society and how people interact. As sociologists, it’s their job to
look at how people interact and religion is a great place to do that, as it combines
a lot of different people, who interact and are working for a common goal. Rather
than study the gods or the ideas behind a religion they focus on the people who
participate and how they react not only with each other but how the religion
interacts with society.

3. Do you think religion can be studied scientifically? Using the information just
presented, make an argument for or against this practice.
I think it can be studied scientifically, but not in the way that you might think. I
don’t think we can scientifically prove whether religion is accurate or if God is
real. But I do think it is a very interesting and important job to scientifically study
the behavior of individuals who follow a religion. Their actions and why they do
what they do would be a very interesting thing to study and sociologists are
already on it. The study of individuals inside of religion is what can be studied
and should be.