Religion in Sociological Perspective 6th

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 Chapter 5
Becoming and Being Religious

Essay Questions

When it comes to essay questions, students sometimes write poorly because they are guessing about what
the instructor wants, even if the question seems to be perfectly clear. For that reason we strongly
recommend provision of an audience (so students know how much to assume in use of sociological
vocabulary as well as how much must be made explicit) and criteria for evaluation (which is
information that any writer needs to know.) Below are two sample statements that might be used as part
of an essay question.
A. This essay calls for presentation and defense of an informed opinion. You should write for a
well-educated reader, but one unfamiliar with sociological approaches to the study of religion.
You will be graded on a) provision of a clearly stated thesis, b) the clarity and sophistication of
your rationale, and c) the ability to support your argument with strong evidence. Sophistication
of rationale refers to awareness of the complexity of the issues. The side of the argument that you
support is irrelevant to the grading criteria.
B. Your audience for this essay should be senior sociology majors who know sociological
vocabulary, but have never specifically studied the sociology of religion. The criteria for
evaluation will be 1) accuracy of explanation, 2) clarity of illustrations or examples, and 3)
thoroughness in exploring all dimensions of the issue.
Since some of these questions call for careful reflection, you might consider giving students a list of these
and other essay questions in advance.

1. Why do most individuals end up having the same religion as their parents and grandparents,
regardless of where they are born? Use various theories and insights form this unit to explore this
issue.
2. Explain the difference in age effect and cohort effect in trying to understand religious trends in the
United States or Canada.
3. Explain the central trends in individual religious identity and affiliation.
4. How might differences in age-groups (age cohorts) cause change in religious sensibility or religious
affiliation and expression?
5. Using a familiar institution, such as fraternity/sorority, the college itself, or your workplace, illustrate
affective commitment, instrumental commitment, and moral commitment. Discuss ways these
commitments can be mutually reinforcing.
6. Write an essay in which you explain Kanter's model of commitment and give examples of each kind
of commitment mechanism from _____________ (list a monograph used in the course and assigned
to be read by this point).
7. How has religion in North America shifted over the past 50 years from an ascribed to an achieved
element of one’s identity?
8. Take-Home Exam: Write an essay, using concepts from Chapter 5 of your textbook, to analyze a
sample of 20 Facebook friends for religious identity. Follow the directions from the feature on page
117 in your textbook. Is the pattern in the direction of achieved, individualized religious identity as
the authors suggest? Why or why not?

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 Multiple Choice Test Questions
1. Sociologists suggest that most people continue in the religious traditions of their parents and grandparents
because
a. they are incapable of thinking for themselves.
b. the faith is true and eternal, so no change is warranted.
c. childhood socialization into the religion is powerful.
d. many religions use brainwashing techniques and manipulate their children.

2. When some sociologists argue that religion is largely socialized—learned from family and groups the family
channels children into—they are saying that religion is
a. largely ascribed.
b. highly individualistic.
c. increasingly achieved.
d. mostly evangelical and conservative.
e. increasingly diverse in the United States.

3. The authors of your textbook argue that religion in the United States has been changing in recent decades by
becoming
a. more ascribed.
b. more loyal to denominational “brand.”
c. less subject to change over the life course.
d. more achieved rather than ascribed, and more individualistic.
e. more resistant to the influence of popular culture messages.

4. In Kanter's theory, the sacrifice mechanism is one component of which type of commitment?
a. Instrumental.
b. Affective.
c. Moral.
d. Situational.
e. Authoritarian.

5. A young recruit to a religious group is constantly asked to focus on her inadequacies and to confess all
behaviors, thoughts, and feelings which might violate the norms of the group. Leaders frequently point out her
faults and weaknesses as a way of "helping her grow in the spirit." According to Kanter's commitment theory,
which type of commitment mechanism does this represent?
a. Renunciation.
b. Mortification.
c. Investment.
d. Sacrifice.
e. Transcendence.

6. In order to belong to a religious group, a person must give up his previous friends and family and focus all
friendship on the group. In Kanter's theory, this is an example of which mechanism of commitment?
a. Transcendence.
b. Instrumental.
c. Mortification.
d. Investment.
e. Renunciation.

7. In Kanter's theory, which of the following would strengthen moral commitment?

a. Transcendence.
b. Instrumental.
c. Renunciation.
d. Investment.
e. None of the above.

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8. In Kanter's theory, which of the following would strengthen instrumental commitment?
a. Transcendence.
b. Renunciation.
c. Mortification.
d. Investment.
e. Communion.

9. Mortification can help extremely close-knit groups function more harmoniously and smoothly because
a. when members do not have large egos, they are less likely to argue with others and assert their own
opinions.
b. it improves self-esteem of members.
c. it decreases commitment to the organization.
d. it increases affective commitment.
e. it increases the likelihood that members will challenge the leaders when those leaders make a poor
decision.

10. Kanter's research on religious communities has shown that when members make big sacrifices for the group,
a. they become resentful toward the group.
b. their commitment to the group, and especially the organization itself, increases.
c. they demand higher prestige in the group.
d. they begin to oppose communal living and equal sharing among members.
e. they become disaffected and are likely to leave the group soon afterwards.

11. Which commitment mechanism results in individuals deciding that leaving the group is too costly?
a. Mortification
b. Renunciation
c. Sacrifice
d. Transcendence

12. The importance of reference groups in religious commitment reflects the concept of __________, in which
members cut ties with outsiders and define them as evil or insignificant.
a. Moral commitment
b. Brainwashing
c. Rational Choice Theory
d. Renunciation
e. Role Theory

13. The author of your textbook notes, “liberal churches may have lower levels of commitment because they
emphasize individuality and personal self-esteem.” Unlike conservative churches, liberal communities de-
emphasize which commitment mechanism?
a. Sacrifice
b. Communion
c. Transcendence
d Mortification

14. According to the authors of your textbook, the typical sequence in the process of becoming religiously
committed is to be committed to
a. the organization, then to the beliefs, and finally to the members themselves.
b. the beliefs, then to the members, and finally to the organization.
c. the beliefs, then to the organization, and finally to the members themselves.
d. the members as friends, then to the organization, and finally to the belief system.
e. none of the above; cult members are usually recruited through brainwashing.

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15. Research indicates that religion has
a. never been a very important identity factor for people in North America.
b. has never been as focused on denominational loyalty as it has become in the twenty-first century.
c. changed to that the proportion of the American population identifying as Christian has increased with the
evangelical movement and the successes of the “religious right.”
d. not changed much at all, as an identity factor or as preference, for more than two hundred years.
e. become more of a preference—like a menu choice at a restaurant—rather than a core identify issue.

16. Consider the following two statements in relation to the course material: (A) Family religiousness is the most
powerful predictor of adulthood religiousness; and (B) Parent-child transmission of religiousness is not
inevitable. Which of the following is correct?
a. Only A is an accurate statement
b. Only B is an accurate statement
c. Both A and B are accurate statements
d. Neither A nor B are accurate statements

17. The three phases of the “disestablishment of religion” in America identified by Philip Hammond are
a. separation of religion from government (the state), reduction of Protestantism as having a monopoly on
Americanism and the American elite, and separation of religious identity from predominantly
denominational and organizational expressions of faith and loyalty.
b. separation of religion from government (the state), reduction of Protestantism as simultaneous with
Americanism, and separation of children from the influence of their parents.
c. Reduction of Protestantism as having a monopoly on Americanism and being part of the American elite,
increase in religious influence on government and social policy, and separation of adolescent youth from
religious influence by their parents
d. Separation of people from denominational loyalty, separation of adolescence from the religious influence
of their parents, separation of religious influence from everyday decisions about morality and life
choices.

18. _________ refer to the fluctuations in religiosity we see as people move through the life course, and ________
refer to the fluctuations in religiosity we see in an entire population living through a specific time in history.
a. Cohort effects; period effects
b. Generational effects; cohort effects
c. Age effects; cohort effects
d. Age effects; period effects

19. What is the most likely consequence of increasing rates of religious intermarriage and marital dissolution
(divorce, separation) on the intergenerational transmission of religion?
a. It will not have an effect one way or the other.
b. Children will increasingly stay home from religious services while their parents attend
c. Children will increasingly attend religious services while their parents stay home
d. Children and parents will increasingly stay home from religious services

20. What concept was developed to explain the unclear and delayed passage to adulthood experienced by American
youth today?
a. Adolescence
b. Emerging Adulthood
c. Delayed Adulthood
d. Young Adulthood

21. If religious changes occur over time because different groups have experienced different life events and then
events shaped their meaning system and religious loyalties, this is called
a. a folk-religion effect.
b. a transcendence effect.
c. a mortification effect.
d. an aging effect.
e. a cohort effect.

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22. Consider the following two statements in relation to the course material: (A) In terms of identity, Americans
have very little discretion in how they self-identify; and (B) The religious identity of most Americans is
unconventional. Which of the following is correct?
a. Only A is an accurate statement
b. Only B is an accurate statement
c. Both A and B are accurate statements
d. Neither A nor B are accurate statements