Question 1

In Lofland's theory of conversion, which of the following is NOT a predisposing condition for conversion?

Accepted Answer

A) Tension 
B) Religious problem-solving perspective 
C) Religious seekership 
D) Close cult affective bonds 
A) Tension 
B) Religious problem-solving perspective 
C) Religious seekership 
D) Close cult affective bonds D

Question 2

According to the authors of your textbook, the typical sequence in conversion to a new religious movement (NRM) is commitment to

Accepted Answer

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. 
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. D

Question 3

The concept of apostasy involves

Accepted Answer

A) strengthening or intensifying of a faith and increased commitment. 
B) making irrational choices about one's own spiritual self-interest. 
C) a defection or revolt-a leaving of a faith tradition. 
D) Being a "none" insisting that everyone else should also be secular or non-religious. 
A) strengthening or intensifying of a faith and increased commitment. 
B) making irrational choices about one's own spiritual self-interest. 
C) a defection or revolt-a leaving of a faith tradition. 
D) Being a "none" insisting that everyone else should also be secular or non-religious. C

Question 4

As people move into a higher socioeconomic class, they may often modify their religious ideas because

Accepted Answer

A) higher socioeconomic status groups usually have a more authoritarian religion than lower socioeconomic groups 
B) higher socioeconomic groups tend to emphasize obedience to authority more than do lower socioeconomic groups. 
C) people experience a higher comfort level when surrounded by others with similar values and self-interests. 
D) their old socioeconomic class has shunned them. 
E) none of the above. 
A) higher socioeconomic status groups usually have a more authoritarian religion than lower socioeconomic groups 
B) higher socioeconomic groups tend to emphasize obedience to authority more than do lower socioeconomic groups. 
C) people experience a higher comfort level when surrounded by others with similar values and self-interests. 
D) their old socioeconomic class has shunned them. 
E) none of the above.

Question 5

Research shows that probably the most important factor contributing to the process of conversion to a "new religious movement" (i.e.a "cult") is

Accepted Answer

A) a theology that is highly rational and logically consistent. 
B) a change of reference groups. 
C) physical coercion. 
D) mind control. 
E) the economic stability of the group which causes recruits to think the group will offer financial benefits. 
A) a theology that is highly rational and logically consistent. 
B) a change of reference groups. 
C) physical coercion. 
D) mind control. 
E) the economic stability of the group which causes recruits to think the group will offer financial benefits.

Question 6

The rational choice model of conversion suggests that

Accepted Answer

A) new recruits try to resist the role, but find that under the coercive techniques of cults, the only rational choice is to give in and submit to the charismatic leader. 
B) people who join new religious movements do so consciously and deliberately because they believe, often correctly, that these groups will help them to meet certain needs. 
C) compelling social pressures and tensions impel persons toward joining a cult. 
D) new religious movements are rational, deliberate, and active in establishing effective mind control techniques to gain members. 
E) unconscious psychological needs compel the individual to join the group. 
A) new recruits try to resist the role, but find that under the coercive techniques of cults, the only rational choice is to give in and submit to the charismatic leader. 
B) people who join new religious movements do so consciously and deliberately because they believe, often correctly, that these groups will help them to meet certain needs. 
C) compelling social pressures and tensions impel persons toward joining a cult. 
D) new religious movements are rational, deliberate, and active in establishing effective mind control techniques to gain members. 
E) unconscious psychological needs compel the individual to join the group.

Question 7

What argument is given against the claim that NRMs (new religious movements) brainwash their new recruits?

Accepted Answer

A) Most new cult members willingly and actively seeking membership 
B) Religious cults do not hold the sort of intense physical control required for brainwashing 
C) Conventional churches encourage brainwashing within cults because the process intensifies the commitment and investment of remaining members 
D) None.ALL NRMs, in fact, brainwash new members in order to strengthen commitment. 
A) Most new cult members willingly and actively seeking membership 
B) Religious cults do not hold the sort of intense physical control required for brainwashing 
C) Conventional churches encourage brainwashing within cults because the process intensifies the commitment and investment of remaining members 
D) None.ALL NRMs, in fact, brainwash new members in order to strengthen commitment.

Question 8

The idea that churchgoers are rather like consumers, each seeking a church that meets their needs in a competitive market is a perspective introduced by

Accepted Answer

A) symbolic interactionism. 
B) Lofland's process model of commitment. 
C) rational choice theory. 
D) the cognitive creativity theory.. 
E) conflict theory. 
A) symbolic interactionism. 
B) Lofland's process model of commitment. 
C) rational choice theory. 
D) the cognitive creativity theory.. 
E) conflict theory.

Question 9

This question might work best as a take-home exam: Design a study in which you test the validity of Lofland's process model of conversion.What group will you study and what method of data collection will you use? What practical and ethical challenges will you face in conducting your research? How will you know whether Lofland's model is valid or not?
Extensive research by sociologists shows that brainwashing is the primary recruitment technique of

Accepted Answer

A) religious cults (new religious movements). 
B) evangelical sects. 
C) Roman Catholic convents. 
D) mainline Protestant denominations. 
E) none of the above. 
A) religious cults (new religious movements). 
B) evangelical sects. 
C) Roman Catholic convents. 
D) mainline Protestant denominations. 
E) none of the above.

Question 10

The free-rider problem refers to

Accepted Answer

A) religiously-motivated people providing rides for civil rights protestors who were boycotting the city buses. 
B) people who seek illegal tax breaks by using religion as a subterfuge to gain tax-free status. 
C) people in leadership positions who get special prestige and privileges in a religious organization. 
D) people who have little commitment getting the same rewards or services as those who are highly committed, thereby creating dissatisfaction and undermining commitment to the church, temple, or mosque. 
E) poor people who have few resources but who contribute far more than they can afford to the temple, mosque, or church. 
A) religiously-motivated people providing rides for civil rights protestors who were boycotting the city buses. 
B) people who seek illegal tax breaks by using religion as a subterfuge to gain tax-free status. 
C) people in leadership positions who get special prestige and privileges in a religious organization. 
D) people who have little commitment getting the same rewards or services as those who are highly committed, thereby creating dissatisfaction and undermining commitment to the church, temple, or mosque. 
E) poor people who have few resources but who contribute far more than they can afford to the temple, mosque, or church.

Question 11

In the study of religious groups, "nones" are

Accepted Answer

A) Roman Catholic "sisters" who take a vow of chastity and poverty to live a more religious life. 
B) People who do not identify with any of the traditional faith organizations or denominations and respond "none of the above" in surveys of religious affiliation 
C) those people who are militantly anti-religious and reject all forms of spirituality 
D) Common in Europe but virtually nonexistent in the Untied States. 
A) Roman Catholic "sisters" who take a vow of chastity and poverty to live a more religious life. 
B) People who do not identify with any of the traditional faith organizations or denominations and respond "none of the above" in surveys of religious affiliation 
C) those people who are militantly anti-religious and reject all forms of spirituality 
D) Common in Europe but virtually nonexistent in the Untied States.

Question 12

Which of the following explanations for the rise in the number of religious "nones" is not supported by sociological studies?

Accepted Answer

A) Cohort replacement 
B) Increasing numbers of individuals are being raised as religious "nones" 
C) Individuals with liberal political identities are becoming alienated from organized religion 
D) Science has replaced religion as the source of truth and wisdom 
A) Cohort replacement 
B) Increasing numbers of individuals are being raised as religious "nones" 
C) Individuals with liberal political identities are becoming alienated from organized religion 
D) Science has replaced religion as the source of truth and wisdom

Question 13

In supply side rational choice thinking, the "Southern Baptist" denomination is

Accepted Answer

A) a "franchise." 
B) an "entrepreneur." 
C) a "firm." 
D) a "demand." 
E) a "product." 
A) a "franchise." 
B) an "entrepreneur." 
C) a "firm." 
D) a "demand." 
E) a "product."

Question 14

The "supply-side" approach to rational choice theory of religious commitment maintain that

Accepted Answer

A) individual preferences for religious goods are highly variable over time. 
B) reality is socially constructed based on reference groups and their symbols. 
C) the focus should be on individual choices rather than on the firms that are established to meet religious needs. 
D) the leadership initiative and responsiveness in congregations have little impact on loyalty or commitment. 
E) religious communities must produce a product that people want or the "franchise" will likely go out of business. 
A) individual preferences for religious goods are highly variable over time. 
B) reality is socially constructed based on reference groups and their symbols. 
C) the focus should be on individual choices rather than on the firms that are established to meet religious needs. 
D) the leadership initiative and responsiveness in congregations have little impact on loyalty or commitment. 
E) religious communities must produce a product that people want or the "franchise" will likely go out of business.

Question 15

Much of the switching of denominations in the United States and Canada is due to

Accepted Answer

A) conversions due to televangelism programs. 
B) downward social mobility 
C) inter-denominational marriages. 
D) people joining churches composed of folks who are unlike themselves because of a desire for multicultural enrichment. 
E) all of the above. 
A) conversions due to televangelism programs. 
B) downward social mobility 
C) inter-denominational marriages. 
D) people joining churches composed of folks who are unlike themselves because of a desire for multicultural enrichment. 
E) all of the above.

Question 16

The textbook says that religiously committed people often think of their ties as a particular type of relationship.This relationship with the church/religious group may best be described as a

Accepted Answer

A) covenantal relationship. 
B) contractual relationship. 
C) cost/benefit relationship. 
D) family relationship. 
E) high-risk relationship. 
A) covenantal relationship. 
B) contractual relationship. 
C) cost/benefit relationship. 
D) family relationship. 
E) high-risk relationship.

Question 17

What two factors predict high rates of religious "switching" in the United States?

Accepted Answer

A) High levels of education and religious intermarriage. 
B) Lower socioeconomic status and being male. 
C) Low levels of education and recent immigration. 
D) Ethnicity and age. 
E) Declining socioeconomic status and unemployment. 
A) High levels of education and religious intermarriage. 
B) Lower socioeconomic status and being male. 
C) Low levels of education and recent immigration. 
D) Ethnicity and age. 
E) Declining socioeconomic status and unemployment.

Question 18

Which of the following is NOT a criticism of the Lofland conversion model?

Accepted Answer

A) Most research shows that the development of close emotional bonds to members is insignificant. 
B) Having tension or having personal crisis may be a result of conversion rather than a cause. 
C) Reporting tension or personal crisis prior to conversion may be a matter of later revision in interpretation by the person of her pre-cult life; such tension may or may not have been present at the time. 
D) Having a religious problem-solving perspective may be facilitative, but is not necessary to conversion. 
E) Whether weak extra-cult bonds are essential may vary depending on whether the "outsiders" are hostile to the group; if the family is not antagonistic, the strength of the extra-cult bond may not be an issue. 
A) Most research shows that the development of close emotional bonds to members is insignificant. 
B) Having tension or having personal crisis may be a result of conversion rather than a cause. 
C) Reporting tension or personal crisis prior to conversion may be a matter of later revision in interpretation by the person of her pre-cult life; such tension may or may not have been present at the time. 
D) Having a religious problem-solving perspective may be facilitative, but is not necessary to conversion. 
E) Whether weak extra-cult bonds are essential may vary depending on whether the "outsiders" are hostile to the group; if the family is not antagonistic, the strength of the extra-cult bond may not be an issue.

Question 19

Conservative churches, according to your textbook authors, are growing because

Accepted Answer

A) massive numbers of people are leaving mainline liberal churches to join more conservative ones. 
B) people are realizing that conservative churches are more flexible and open to the values of the larger culture than are stodgy, mainline churches. 
C) God is calling people back to the true faith, which is best set forth by conservatives. 
D) the devil is luring people away from mainline churches. 
E) the members generally have higher birth rates and these churches frequently have more commitment mechanisms to retain members. 
A) massive numbers of people are leaving mainline liberal churches to join more conservative ones. 
B) people are realizing that conservative churches are more flexible and open to the values of the larger culture than are stodgy, mainline churches. 
C) God is calling people back to the true faith, which is best set forth by conservatives. 
D) the devil is luring people away from mainline churches. 
E) the members generally have higher birth rates and these churches frequently have more commitment mechanisms to retain members.

Question 20

Within the rational choice theory, there are two major approaches:

Accepted Answer

A) supply side theory and cost/benefits 
B) supply side theory and demand side theory 
C) supernatural compensators and cost/benefits 
D) demand side theory and role theory 
E) role theory and supply side theory 
A) supply side theory and cost/benefits 
B) supply side theory and demand side theory 
C) supernatural compensators and cost/benefits 
D) demand side theory and role theory 
E) role theory and supply side theory

In Lofland's theory of conversion, which of the following is NOT a predisposing condition for conversion?

According to the authors of your textbook, the typical sequence in conversion to a new religious movement (NRM) is commitment to

The concept of apostasy involves

As people move into a higher socioeconomic class, they may often modify their religious ideas because

Research shows that probably the most important factor contributing to the process of conversion to a "new religious movement" (i.e.a "cult") is

The rational choice model of conversion suggests that

What argument is given against the claim that NRMs (new religious movements) brainwash their new recruits?

The idea that churchgoers are rather like consumers, each seeking a church that meets their needs in a competitive market is a perspective introduced by

The free-rider problem refers to

In the study of religious groups, "nones" are

Which of the following explanations for the rise in the number of religious "nones" is not supported by sociological studies?

In supply side rational choice thinking, the "Southern Baptist" denomination is

The "supply-side" approach to rational choice theory of religious commitment maintain that

Much of the switching of denominations in the United States and Canada is due to

The textbook says that religiously committed people often think of their ties as a particular type of relationship.This relationship with the church/religious group may best be described as a

What two factors predict high rates of religious "switching" in the United States?

Which of the following is NOT a criticism of the Lofland conversion model?

Conservative churches, according to your textbook authors, are growing because

Within the rational choice theory, there are two major approaches:

What Do We Mean by the Term Religion

A Social Scientific Approach to Studying Religion

Religion in the Larger Society: Macro Perspectives

The Cultural Construction of Religion: Experience, Myth, Ritual, Symbols, and Worldview

Becoming and Being Religious

Organized Religion: Churches, Sects, Denominations, and Cults

Organized Religion: Denominationalism and Congregationalism

Religion, Economics, and Social Class

Religion and Race

Religion, Gender, and Sexuality

Religion, Inequality, and Social Activism

Secularization: Religion in Decline or in Transformation

Religion Outside the God Box

Religion and Globalization

Filters

Exam 6: Conversion and Switching

In Lofland's theory of conversion, which of the following is NOT a predisposing condition for conversion?

According to the authors of your textbook, the typical sequence in conversion to a new religious movement (NRM) is commitment to

The concept of apostasy involves

As people move into a higher socioeconomic class, they may often modify their religious ideas because

Research shows that probably the most important factor contributing to the process of conversion to a "new religious movement" (i.e.a "cult") is

The rational choice model of conversion suggests that

What argument is given against the claim that NRMs (new religious movements) brainwash their new recruits?

The idea that churchgoers are rather like consumers, each seeking a church that meets their needs in a competitive market is a perspective introduced by

The free-rider problem refers to

In the study of religious groups, "nones" are

Which of the following explanations for the rise in the number of religious "nones" is not supported by sociological studies?

In supply side rational choice thinking, the "Southern Baptist" denomination is

The "supply-side" approach to rational choice theory of religious commitment maintain that

Much of the switching of denominations in the United States and Canada is due to

The textbook says that religiously committed people often think of their ties as a particular type of relationship.This relationship with the church/religious group may best be described as a

What two factors predict high rates of religious "switching" in the United States?

Which of the following is NOT a criticism of the Lofland conversion model?

Conservative churches, according to your textbook authors, are growing because

Within the rational choice theory, there are two major approaches:

What Do We Mean by the Term Religion

A Social Scientific Approach to Studying Religion

Religion in the Larger Society: Macro Perspectives

The Cultural Construction of Religion: Experience, Myth, Ritual, Symbols, and Worldview

Becoming and Being Religious

Organized Religion: Churches, Sects, Denominations, and Cults

Organized Religion: Denominationalism and Congregationalism

Religion, Economics, and Social Class

Religion and Race

Religion, Gender, and Sexuality

Religion, Inequality, and Social Activism

Secularization: Religion in Decline or in Transformation

Religion Outside the God Box

Religion and Globalization

Filters