Exam 17: Religion

__________,whose followers are known as Muslims,is based on the teachings of its founder,Muhammad,who was born in Mecca.

A sect is a loosely organized religious group with practices and teachings outside the dominant cultural and religious traditions of a society.Sect leadership is based on charismatic characteristics of the individual leader,including an unusual ability to communicate and to form attachments with other people.

__________ is the set of beliefs,rituals,and symbols that make sacred the values of the society and place the nation in the context of the ultimate system of meaning.

Secular humanism is the belief that human beings can become better through their own efforts rather than through belief in God and a religious conversion.

__________ Buddhism,which focuses on the life of the Buddha and seeks to follow his teachings,gained its strongest toehold in Southeast Asia.

Trace the development of Christianity.

The Hebrews established a covenant with God.Known as the Ten Commandments,the covenant between God and human beings was given to __________ on top of Mount Sinai.

A central teaching of __________ was that humans are by nature good and that they learn best by having an example or model person from which to learn.

Explain the relationship between the growth of secularization and the rise of religious fundamentalism.Also describe the future of religion in the United States.

For Karl Marx,__________ are systematic views of the way the world ought to be and they are embodied in religious doctrines and political values.They serve to justify the status quo and retard social change.

Describe the basic beliefs of Confucianism.

Define the concept of religion and spirituality.

Discuss the basic beliefs of Hinduism.

Because the term cult has assumed a negative and sometimes offensive meaning because of the beliefs and actions of a few highly publicized cults,some researchers now use the term:

Since Hinduism has no scriptures that are thought to be inspired by a god or gods and is not based on the teachings of any one person,religion scholars refer to it as an ethical religion-a system of beliefs that calls upon adherents to follow an ideal way of life.

The relationship between the individual and something larger than oneself,such as a broader sense of connection with the surrounding world,is referred to as:

Some critics have attempted to eliminate all vestiges of civil religion from public life.However,sociologist Robert Bellah,who has studied civil religion extensively,argues that:

The argument over __________ is the latest debate in a lengthy battle Over the teaching of creationism versus evolutionism in public schools, And is only one of many arguments that will continue to take place Regarding the appropriate relationship between public education and Religion in the United States.

Not only are we seeing the creation of new religious forms,but we are also seeing a dramatic revitalization of traditional forms of religious life.One example of this change is religious fundamentalism,which has found a new audience among young people age eighteen to twenty-four.

Although God guides human destiny,people are responsible for making their own ethical choices in keeping with His law; when they fail to act accordingly to the law,they have committed a sin.Also,fundamental to __________ is the belief that one day the Messiah will come to Earth,ushering in an age of peace and justice for all.