Midterm

The Yoruba religion

has a large and complex pantheon.

Who is Oshun?

An Orisa in the Yoruba tradition

In many African myths, the High God

is separated from humanity.

used to live with humans in an earthly paradise.

African religions originally spread to the Americas through

the Atlantic slave trade.

What was the Maji Maji revolt?

Rebellion against the German colonizers in Tanganyika that drew on indigenous religious beliefs in the power of spirits and sacred waters

What is the best general definition of sacrifice in African contexts?

The dedication of something valuable to a spiritual being

Divination is

the attempt to predict the future through supernatural agents or powers.

A person who has become possessed is known as a

medium.

Which of the following is true about spirit possession?

• People communicate with spirits through the possessed person.

• Women are often more likely to become possessed than men

Western scholars have traditionally used the term witchcraft to describe

the use of supernatural powers to cause misfortune.

Religions like Vodou and Santeria derive influence from religions of which part of Africa?

West Africa

Who receives the title of Ekwe?

A wealthy and successful Yoruba woman chosen by a goddess

African indigenous religions died out long ago.

false

Vodou is most popular in 

Haiti

Ancient Egyptian religions was deeply concerned about the afterlife. 

True

In the Popol Vuh,

• the creation of humans took several tries.

• stories about hero twins are relayed.

Who was Black Elk?

A famous Lakota religious leader

In Wovoka's vision and teachings,

• the Creator told him that the ancestors would rise up.

• If enough people believed and danced, human misery and death would end.

The American Indian Religious Freedom Act was passed in

1978.

Circumcision is a rite of passage in 

Africa

Which of the following is a rite of passage?

• The Kinaalda

•  The Vision Quest

Changing Woman is an important figure in Navajo religious tradition.

True

Among the Pueblo peoples, ancestral spirits are known as kachinas.

True

The trickster figure in myths is often an animal who has adventures and engages in mischief.

True

In many Native American cultures, time is regarded as circular.

True

Many indigenous peoples converted (forcibly or by choice) to the Christianity of the colonizers.

True

Peyote is another name for the Kinaalda.

False

Vision quests are found only in the Mayan religion.

False

Two Spirit people are thought to have both female and male qualities.

True

According to William James, religion is "the feelings, acts and experiences of individual men _______."

in their solitude

French sociologist Émile Durkheim insists in his definition of religion on

the unification brought about by "beliefs and practices," culminating in a "moral community called a Church."

Henotheism acknowledges

a plurality of gods but elevates one of them to special status

Monism is described as

nondualist.

Rudolf Otto's The Idea of the Holy

describes the encounter with "the Holy" as "numinous."

Religious scholar Ninian Smart's "dimensional" scheme divides the various aspects of religious traditions into seven dimensions, which include

doctrinal and ritual.

The attempt to understand a goldfish in a pond is analogous to the study of religion insofar as it illustrates the

need to balance the perspectives of insider and outsider.

The capacity for seeing things from another's perspective is

empathy

This statement is foundational to the field of religious studies.

To know one just one religion is to know none

Neither Freud nor Marx ever tried actually to define religion; rather, they tried to explain it away.

True

Where do we find influences of African religion in the Americas?

Brazil

The Caribbean

 The United States

 All of the above

One of the most fundamental differences in Hinduism is the split between viewpoints that are monistic and

dualistic.

The primordial sound 

Om

For Hindus, the worship of cows is

an expression of respect for creatures that help humanity.

The Laws of Manu is a text from the period 200 ʙᴄᴇ to 200 ᴄᴇ that contains

detailed prescriptions for correct behavior in all aspects of life.

The word karma literally means

action

Samsara is

the continuing cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.

Brahman is the

supreme, unitary reality

The word dharma means

righteousness.

law.

 All of the above

 duty.

The word dalit means

oppressed

The Vedas were composed between

1200 and 900 ʙᴄᴇ

In the Ramayana, Rama is aided by

monkeys and bears

According to the Bhagavad Gita, a person is to

give up the fruit of action.

The Hindu holiday that encourages the inversion of social and gender hierarchies is called

Holi

The Bhagavad Gita contributes to Hindu environmentalism by teaching that

the natural world is both completely dependent upon and permeated by Brahman.

The Hindu dualistic viewpoint understands divine reality as God, a personal being separate from the rest of reality.

True

Krishna's teaching on desireless action in the Bhagavad Gita insists that we should act as little as possible.

False

The caste system refers to hierarchical social organization that depends primarily on a young adult's performance on mandatory exams.

False

Brahmins, with their ritual knowledge, gave legitimacy to kings who might come to power.

True

An avatar is a "descent" of God to earth in a physical form.

True

All Hindus recognize the authority of the Vedas.

False

The god Vishnu has come down to the earth and manifested in physical form as an avatar nine times.

True

The term Aryan was coined from the Sanskrit word to denote the native inhabitants of India.

False

The devotees of Hinduism's three primary are called Vaishnavas, Shaivas, and _______.

Shaktas

During the pilgrimage known as _______, the largest gathering of humans on earth takes place.

Kumbha Mela

The origins of Hinduism may be traced back to the intertwining of two great cultures, that of the _______ civilization and that of the Indo-Aryans.

Indus Valley

Shaktas are devotees of

the Great Goddess, or Devi.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869–1948) was assassinated by a

Hindu

The arati ritual involves

waving lamps before the deity.

The tenth and final avatar of Vishnu is Krishna.

false

Most Hindus believe that moksha is the ultimate goal of Hinduism.

True

Shiva is commonly worshiped in symbolic form, as a multiheaded cobra.

False

Tantra, because of its widespread popularity, eventually became a very public form of Hindu practice that was known about by many.

False

Yoga is mainly a system of physical exercise that promotes the health of the body

False

Many Hindus believe that to die in Varanasi is to be immediately released from samsara.

True

The term Brahman literally means "_______."

expansive

Rama and Krishna are _______ of Vishnu.

avatars

Most of the early sacred works in Hinduism were written in

Sanskrit

All Hindus, without exception, are cremated at death 

False

Five Day Festival of Lights 

Diwali

highest caste 

brahmin

The earliest collection of Buddhist texts and the scriptural foundation of Theravada Buddhism is the

Tipitaka

The first of the Four Noble Truths is that

life is full of suffering

Buddhists refer to impermanence, no-self, and suffering as the

Three Marks of Existence.

The "Four Sights" that led to the Prince Siddhartha's renunciation included an old man, a sick man, a corpse, and a

monk

The Buddha's father tried to insulate his son from the outside world because he was afraid he might become

a spiritual teacher.

In which of the following is Mahayana the most prominent form of Buddhism?

China

An important part of Buddhist teaching is that there is no enduring soul or self.

True

Buddhism has always thrived in India.

False

Which of the following is a country in which Theravada Buddhism thrives?

Sri Lanka

After his enlightenment, the Buddha

spent the rest of his life teaching.

The Sanskrit word nirvana refers to the _______ of desire.

extinguishing

According to the Buddha's doctrine of Interdependent Origination,

all things come into existence in connection with other things

The Buddha taught that the highest obligation of human beings is to know God.

false

Buddhists "take refuge" in the

All of the above

Sangha.

 Dharma.

 Buddha

Vipassana is

mindfulness meditation.

In the third century ʙᴄᴇ, Buddhism was promoted in India by King

Ashoka

The first sermon of the Buddha after his enlightenment was the Sermon in the

Deer Par

The Middle Way is the path between

self-indulgence and self-denial.

Vesak is a celebration of the _______ of the Buddha.

birth

The Buddha taught that

the gods are not helpful in bringing an end to suffering