Theology 154, Sammon: Final MCQ

Based on the etymology of the word itself, what does 'mysticism' mean?

A. Hidden

B. Eccentric

C. Abnormal

D. Radical

A. Hidden

Which of the following is the best characterization of mysticism?

A. It is a way of being and living that rejects the world in order to come close to the divine

B. It is a way of being and living that seeks to find the mystery of God in order to solve it like a puzzle

C. It is a way of being and living that seeks the fullness of mystery not to solve it as a problem but to celebrate it

D. It is a way of being and living that seeks to dispel all mysteries in order to declare the search for God is impossible

C. It is a way of being and living that seeks the fullness of mystery not to solve it as a problem but to celebrate it

When mysticism is described as a new way of seeing, what are the two fundamental features of this seeing?

A. It is a seeing the good in the City of Man, and the Universal, or ethical

B. It is a seeing into the evil and sin of others and the evil and sin of the world

C. It is a seeing hallucinations and seeing spirits

D. It is a seeing what is most real and seeing through illusions about oneself, others, and the world

D. It is a seeing what is most real and seeing through illusions about oneself, others, and the world

This stage of the 3-fold mystical journey involves reaching beyond one's experience to enter into the presence of the living God:

A. Purgation

B. Illumination

C. Union

D. Denial

C. Union

This stage of the 3-fold mystical journey involves a great risk in that the experiences elicited in this stage can easily become worshiped themselves rather than the God to which these experiences point:

A. Purgation

B. Illumination

C. Union

D. Denial

B. Illumination

This stage of the 3-fold mystical journey involves the failure of language to express the experience:

A. Purgation

B. Illumination

C. Union

D. Denial

C. Union

This stage of the 3-fold mystical journey includes a flooding of the mind with the divine light:

A. Purgation

B. Illumination

C. Union

D. Denial

B. Illumination

This stage of the 3-fold mystical journey includes a purification from sin and particular desire, in order to open one to the Good that is present in all desire:

A. Purgation

B. Illumination

C. Union

D. Denial

A. Purgation

This stage of the mystical journey involves a turning away from the partial goods of the world in order to turn toward the Good that is more deeply within every good thing:

A. Purgation

B. Illumination

C. Union

D. Denial

A. Purgation

Which of the following best articulates what is meant by the "new polytheism"?

A. Today, there are many different faith traditions, giving rise to many new ways of believing in God, making our condition a new kind of polytheism

B. Today, there is a marked return of the ancient regimes of polytheism, making them new.

C. Today, there are a number of ways to model God, making our condition one of a new kind of polytheism

D. Today, we live in a time of radical pluralism, providing a plurality of meaning and purposes which function as a new kind of polytheism.

D. Today, we live in a time of radical pluralism, providing a plurality of meaning and purposes which function as a new kind of polytheism.

What does it mean to say that there is no morality without God?

A. Since God names the transcendent Good, all morality by its nature presupposes this as the foundation of any subsequent claims.

B. Since God is the highest being, all morality posits the authority of a highest being.

C. Since God created everything, God created morality, which means there can be no morality without God.

D. Since God creates but never intervenes, morality replaces God's divine intervention.

A. Since God names the transcendent Good, all morality by its nature presupposes this as the foundation of any subsequent claims.

According to Kierkegaard, what does 'purity of heart' mean?

A. That a person refuse to engage in profane practices that stain one's soul/heart.

B. That a person have a singleness of purpose so as to will one thing.

C. That a person ensures that his/her heart is healthy and so pure of any contaminants.

D. That a person refuse to think or act in a lustful way, remaining pure.

B. That a person have a singleness of purpose so as to will one thing.

In what centuries did Ignatius Loyola live?

A. 4th-5th

B. 19th-20th

C. 15th-16th

D. 10th-11th

C. 15th-16th

Which of the following is UNtrue about the life of Ignatius Loyola?

A. His family was of minor nobility but participated in the politics of the day

B. His mother influenced him throughout his whole life, inspiring him, like Augustine, day after day

C. He became a soldier at 17, and eventually goes on to found the Jesuit order

D. He had an active imagination and was inspired by stories of knights and chivalry.

B. His mother influenced him throughout his whole life, inspiring him, like Augustine, day after day

Which of the following is FALSE about the spiritual method of Ignatius?

A. He distinguished between consolation as a lack of peace or joy and desolation as the experience of peace and joy when imagining or contemplating future desires.

B. It is a method that grows out of his experience of recovering from a shattered leg and the books he read while recovering.

C. He develops his method after much time in Spain where he had visions and eventually exchanges his clothes with a beggar.

D. It was a method that was eventually crystalized in his book, The Spiritual Exercises.

A. He distinguished between consolation as a lack of peace or joy and desolation as the experience of peace and joy when imagining or contemplating future desires.

How does the notion of a single-minded purpose relate to the diversity of goods available to a person?

A. It stands as necessarily in conflict with that diversity of goods, since the single is the opposite of the diverse.

B. It in no way conflicts with the diversity of goods but is necessary to support that diversity by ordering it appropriately.

C. It has no bearing whatsoever on how one can pursue a diversity of goods.

D. It is the only way to transform the diversity of goods, which only distracts us, into one uniform good overcoming any sense of diversity

B. It in no way conflicts with the diversity of goods but is necessary to support that diversity by ordering it appropriately.

Which of the following best captures the Ignatian notion of indifferentia?

A. It encourages believers to remain uncaring about the world in order to avoid being tempted into anything evil.

B. It encourages believers to remain apathetic toward other people since, as Seneca once put it 'each time I have been among other people, I have come back a lesser man.'

C. It encourages one to be content with what one has, in gratitude, opening oneself to a 'more' that may or may not arrive.

D. It encourages one to remain literally indifferent to God in order to know whether one really knows God at all.

C. It encourages one to be content with what one has, in gratitude, opening oneself to a 'more' that may or may not arrive.

Amidst all the goods available to a person, what is the strategy that Ignatius encourages believers to implement when making a choice?

A. To read the life of Jesus in a literalist way, sticking tightly to the actual words on the page and working to put those words directly into practice.

B. To engage the life of Jesus in whatever way one wants, free from any and every external influence of interpretation.

C. To engage the life of Jesus in the Bible attentive to the dangers that the imagination poses to one's thinking in order to avoid the temptation to make Jesus on 'object' of the imagination.

D. To engage the life of Jesus as a living presence, entering into his life by the imagination, speaking to Jesus as a friend, requesting of Jesus what one desires

D. To engage the life of Jesus as a living presence, entering into his life by the imagination, speaking to Jesus as a friend, requesting of Jesus what one desires

How many siblings did Catherine of Sienna have?

A. 0

B. 2

C. 23

D. 24

C. 23

During the time when Catherine spent years in isolation, the only time she left her room was for what reason?

A. To use the facilities

B. To attend mass

C. To visit her dying sister

D. To eat her meals

B. To attend mass

Which of the following never actually happened to Catherine?

A. She cut off all her hair when she was 15 in order to dissuade potential suitors.

B. She practiced extreme fasting, self-flaggelation, and keeping strict silence.

C. She died for about four hours and claimed that she had seen heaven, hell, and purgatory.

D. She avoided all conflict with the Pope, refusing to enter into the tensions around his residency

D. She avoided all conflict with the Pope, refusing to enter into the tensions around his residency

What is the primary difference between erotic and agapaic love?

A. Erotic love is concerned with sex while agapaic love is concerned with service

B. Erotic love is a need-based love, while agapaic love is unconditional, self giving love without need

C. Erotic love is total self-giving love without any need, while agapaic love is a need-based love

D. Erotic love is the love that only God can give, while agapaic love is the lone only humans can give

B. Erotic love is a need-based love, while agapaic love is unconditional, self giving love without need

What is the key recognition that Catherine takes away from her time in her cell of self- knowledge?

A. That human beings can only be happy when they are with others

B. That a human person is most suitably created to be alone with God only

C. That human nature is fundamentally receptive, while God's nature is radically generous

D. That human nature sustains itself most properly on the silence of the world, and so should abandon the world and retreat into that silence

C. That human nature is fundamentally receptive, while God's nature is radically generous

What is Catherine's answer to how human beings are capable of loving God if God is total self- giving love, while human beings are finite and limited in love?

A. There is no way for human beings to properly love God so the question should be 'how do we love ourselves?'.

B. God is the one who is not, while we are the ones who are, and this means that there is no way to love God

C. Because God is the infinite source of all being, God's love is purely erotic, with a need for humanity that is also infinite. So we can love God just as he loves us without problems.

D. In order to love God the way that God loves, we must love others free of our need for them

D. In order to love God the way that God loves, we must love others free of our need for them

What role does T. S. Eliot play in the unfolding of Hildegard's eco-theology?

A. As a poet, he spent much time outdoors, communing with nature and the natural world, thus establishing the goodness of creation that Hildegard saw so clearly.

B. As a literary genius, Eliot understood well the connection between writing and the natural world, and his appearance in this chapter is designed to foreground that connection.

C. As the composer of a poem which asks 'dare I eat a peach?' he provokes us into wondering whether there is any way to escape being complicit in the destruction of the environment.

D. As the composer of a poem which asks 'dare I eat a banana?' he shows us that there is really no way for us to escape being complicit in the destruction of our environment.

C. As the composer of a poem which asks 'dare I eat a peach?' he provokes us into wondering whether there is any way to escape being complicit in the destruction of the environment.

Which of the following best captures Genesis's particular anthropology?

A. Human beings are threatened by their environment and therefore must subdue the world and everything in it

B. Human beings are fallen creatures and so cannot but treat the world with violence, which means that they ought to voluntary become extinct.

C. Human beings are God's presence in the world, and so are above and beyond all nature, free to use it as it pleases the human person

D. Human beings are created in God's image, as part of the world and yet set apart from the world, tasked with the responsibility to care for the world

D. Human beings are created in God's image, as part of the world and yet set apart from the world, tasked with the responsibility to care for the world

What, according to the author, is one primary problem with the view of pantheism?

A. It can tend toward a naïve view of the world, neglecting the fact that nature can be violent and threatening, or 'red in tooth and claw' as Tennyson put it.

B. It distances God too far from creation, rendering a God who never intervenes into the world and therefore leaves the world all on its own.

C. It fails to appreciate the "Disney-esque" sentimentalities of the great circle of life, and the Gaia notion that all natural creatures are part of the great world organism

D. It is unable to account for God's immanence, making God too far distant from the world in his transcendence.

A. It can tend toward a naïve view of the world, neglecting the fact that nature can be violent and threatening, or 'red in tooth and claw' as Tennyson put it.

To what order did Hildegard belong as a nun?

A. Dominicans

B. Jesuits

C. Benedictines

D. Augustinians

C. Benedictines

What was Hildegard's disposition towards those who opposed her?

A. She welcomes the challenge of opposition in a very 'open dialectical' sort of way

B. She was very stubborn and could be quite harsh with them

C. She saw opposition as an opportunity to redeem a person from their own stubborn ways

D. She believes that those who opposed her were stubborn and quite harsh toward her and so she ignored them.

B. She was very stubborn and could be quite harsh with them

Which of the following is NOT true with respect to Hildegard?

A. She thought that she was God's prophet, bearing God's message

B. She was a very feisty woman, which in many ways accounts for the resurgence in her popularity today

C. It is not really what she wrote that matters, but rather the fact that she wrote at all since writing was an activity that normally excluded women

D. She composed a theology that integrated God, human beings, and the natural world.

C. It is not really what she wrote that matters, but rather the fact that she wrote at all since writing was an activity that normally excluded women

Which of the following is a mistaken understanding of Hildegard's theological principle of 'veriditas'?

A. It is more than an indication of color, but also includes vigor, vitality, and health

B. It is a property of not only living things, but even of inanimate things such as rocks

C. It is more than the presence of God in the world, veriditas is a name for God himself

D. It is God's love energizing the world, making it living and fruitful.

C. It is more than the presence of God in the world, veriditas is a name for God himself

Which New Testament author and text factors into the analysis of Hildegard's eco-theology?

A. Matthew, chapter 10

B. Peter, His letter chapter 3

C. Paul's Letter to the Romans

D. James's letter chapter 12

C. Paul's Letter to the Romans

What is the purpose for Hildegard recommending a return to the practice of asceticism?

A. To remind us that the world and everything in it is meaningless and must be rejected if we are to come to know God.

B. To call into question our consumptive practices, and enable us to always bear in mind the difference between what we need and what we want.

C. To call into question the need to eat and sleep, since these only make a human person lazy and prevent him or her from every knowing God

D. To remind us that the world and everything in it is really a distraction from God because it is without purpose or end

B. To call into question our consumptive practices, and enable us to always bear in mind the difference between what we need and what we want.

How does the experience of St. Augustine factor into the opening of the account of Julian's theology of suffering?

A. As the author of The City of God, Augustine appears as one who sees how suffering is brought upon us by our own participation in the City of Man.

B. As the author of the Confessions, Augustine writes about the death of his friend, and how it left him with a lacerated heart, through which he came to understand the difficulties of being a self.

C. As the author of the Confessions, Augustine writes about the role that memory plays in one's suffering experiences.

D. As the author of On the Trinity, Augustine points out that Christian worship a God who is Trinity even though the word 'Trinity' appears nowhere in the Bible

B. As the author of the Confessions, Augustine writes about the death of his friend, and how it left him with a lacerated heart, through which he came to understand the difficulties of being a self.

What purpose in the chapter does Elizabeth Wurtzel have?

A. She is the author of Julian's most important biography, which contains a list of all the sufferings Julian endured

B. She is the author of Prozac Nation, in which she speaks of depression as non-genuine suffering caused by something perceived but not real

C. She is the author of Prozac Nation, in which she speaks of depression as genuine suffering caused by the problematic self

D. She is the author of a prominent work of Julian's theology of the body and suffering

C. She is the author of Prozac Nation, in which she speaks of depression as genuine suffering caused by the problematic self

Which of the following is NOT true about Julian?

A. We do not know her real name, nor do we know enough about her in general to know whether she would understand the contemporary issue of depression.

B. She is names Julian because she lived close to St. Julian's Church in Norwich

C. She lived during a time of relative peace and calm, during which the world of Western Europe was basically free from political strife, disease, and war

D. She wrote a book based on her visions, in which she clearly displays a knowledge of the problematic self that is at the root of depression.

C. She lived during a time of relative peace and calm, during which the world of Western Europe was basically free from political strife, disease, and war

Confronted by the pain of being a self and the knowledge that God desires to be near to all His children, what does Julian conclude about human existence?

A. Human existence is really one of joy, because pain and suffering are really illusions

B. Human existence is really miserable, because all human beings have been infected by original sin

C. Human existence is neutral and our experiences of joy and pain are merely experiences that derive from our own choices

D. Human existence is a mixture of weal and woe as true

D. Human existence is a mixture of weal and woe as true

Which of the following is an accurate depiction of the relationship between the natural and gnomic will?

A. The natural will chooses what to eat, while the gnomic will orients the person to eat in a general way

B. The natural will chooses how long or where one should sleep, while the gnomic will accounts for the natural desire to sleep at all.

C. The natural will seeks comfort in natural things, while the gnomic will seeks comfort in knowing things

D. The natural will directs a person to want to eat or sleep, while the gnomic will selects what in particular to eat, or where and how long to sleep

D. The natural will directs a person to want to eat or sleep, while the gnomic will selects what in particular to eat, or where and how long to sleep

When confronted with suffering, what does Julian contend is the best question to ask?

A. From where does this come?

B. Why is this happening to me?

C. Where is this leading me?

D. Who is this God that allows evil?

C. Where is this leading me?

What does the Latin word 'passio' mean?

A. feeling, emotion, suffering

B. passive, passivity

C. Passion, intensity

D. the past, yesterday

B. passive, passivity

What is the work that Julian's theology of suffering calls us to?

A. the work of self-acceptance, even if this means denying the need to serve others since we must be whole before we can help others

B. the work of active service to our neighbors, even above and beyond the love of God

C. the work of receiving the passion of others, of sharing those things that befall them that they can do nothing about

D. the work of rejoicing with those who rejoice, and avoiding those who weep

C. the work of receiving the passion of others, of sharing those things that befall them that they can do nothing about

How does Julian counsel Margery Kempe, a prosperous member of the emerging middle class and mother of fourteen children, when Margery visits her after experiencing spiritual ups and downs, which included visions, priestly abuse, and her own weeping and wailing?

A. She tells her that all visions are of God and that she should trust them

B. She tells her not to automatically trust visions, but reminds her that the true presence of the Holy Spirit brings with it sorrow for sin, devotion, and compassion.

C. She tells her to abandon her faith and her church, since these experiences mire Margery in a more permanent state of woe than weal

D. She did not really listen to Margery, but instead opted to pray for her telling her that the Holy Spirit will confirm her visions

B. She tells her not to automatically trust visions, but reminds her that the true presence of the Holy Spirit brings with it sorrow for sin, devotion, and compassion.

In what way is unbelief of today different from how it was in past centuries?

A. In the past, the question of God was ignored, while today it is rejected in active rebellion

B. In the past, there was a blasé, default mode of culture that found it could do just fine without God, while today only the fool says in his heart there is no God

C. In the past, there was no unbelief since science had not yet discredited faith traditions, while today there is a surge in unbelief due to the rise of the sciences

D. In the past, unbelief took the form of a rebellion against God, while today the question of God is ignored in the blasé default mode of a culture that can do fine without God presence.

B. In the past, there was a blasé, default mode of culture that found it could do just fine without God, while today only the fool says in his heart there is no God

What does Max Weber mean when he says we live in a "disenchanted world"?

A. That we now see the world being subject to divine providence, in which God is so in control of everything that we are left feeling disenchanted.

B. That we now believe we are in control of the world which is subject to human rational management rather than divine providence.

C. That it is an attitude of only those who try to modernize all things through technical mastery and technological advancement.

D. That it is an attitude only of those who wish to protect the environment since they come to rely totally on human power to do so.

B. That we now believe we are in control of the world which is subject to human rational management rather than divine providence.

What was Deitrich Bonnhoeffer's attitude toward those who say they don't believe in God?

A. That deep down, everyone is really religious, and those who claim not to believe in God simply don't' realize it.

B. That because everyone is longing for the divine, those who say they don't believe in God are like children who have yet to 'come of age'.

C. That we should take those who say they don't believe in God at their word because the world has come of age and it is a mistake to convince the world it remains like a child with its faith.

D. He agrees with Anselm and the Psalmist who say that the fool says in his heart there is no God.

A. That deep down, everyone is really religious, and those who claim not to believe in God simply don't' realize it.

D. He agrees with Anselm and the Psalmist who say that the fool says in his heart there is no God.

What is the principle that both Therese and Deitrich Bonnhoeffer both agree on?

A. That if God is truly God, he must be found not only at the margins but also at the center of everyday life, not only in sickness and death, but in health and life.

B. That if God is truly God, he can only be found in those who have been rejected and marginalized by society.

C. That if God is truly God, he can only be found in health and life, since sickness and death are opposed to God's will.

D. That if God is truly God, he can never ultimately be found since he is so transcendent over the world.

A. That if God is truly God, he must be found not only at the margins but also at the center of everyday life, not only in sickness and death, but in health and life.

According to Bauerschmidt's analysis, how does the mystic relate to the world of divine absence, darkness, and unbelief?

A. The mystic's experience is often and as much one of darkness and divine absence as it is an experience of light and divine

B. That mystics are precisely those who are inoculated against unbelief and divine absence.

C. The mystic's experience is only of God's love, light, and glory and so unbelief is something that the mystic cannot even fathom.

D. The mystic is the one who is constituted by the opposite of unbelief.

A. The mystic's experience is often and as much one of darkness and divine absence as it is an experience of light and divine

Which of the following is NOT true about Therese Martin's life?

A. She was 1 of 23 children, and raised in a household that was only marginally Catholic.

B. She was only 24, or 25 when she died of tuberculosis.

C. She was raised in an extremely devout Catholic family and joined the Carmelites at a young age

D. She had mystical ecstasies and illuminations early in life.

A. She was 1 of 23 children, and raised in a household that was only marginally Catholic.

Which of the following best articulates Therese's experience of consolation and desolation?

A. She experienced great consolation at all times, which enabled her to even embrace God while suffering unto her eventual death.

B. For much of her young life she experienced God's consolation, but in the final few years she experienced great desolation which she says did not pass even unto her death.

C. She often experienced the fluctuation of consolation and desolation even unto her eventual death.

D. God gave her great consolation to relieve her of the desolation that would beset her until her death.

B. For much of her young life she experienced God's consolation, but in the final few years she experienced great desolation which she says did not pass even unto her death.

Which of the following is NOT true about Therese's path of the "Little Way"?

A. It was a spiritual path made up of seeking to bring the love of Christ crucified to every day life.

B. It was a path of great sacrifice and grandiose gestures of piety.

C. It was a path that did not involve great sacrifice and grandiose piety.

D. It was a path that recognized God's presence in the every day life of human beings.

B. It was a path of great sacrifice and grandiose gestures of piety.

How does Therese eventually integrate her experience of God's absence in her suffering?

A. She seeks all the evidence she can to eventually come to trust the abyss as God's actual presence.

B. She relies on her feelings of love in order to come to trust the abyss of God's absence.

C. It comes to be seen as a love so immense that it cannot be in any way related to the "night of nothingness."

D. It is transformed into the experience of a God who transcend the fairy tale God and reveals a love so immense it is hardly distinguishable from the "night of nothingness"

D. It is transformed into the experience of a God who transcend the fairy tale God and reveals a love so immense it is hardly distinguishable from the "night of nothingness"

Which of the following best summarizes Hans Urs Von Balthasar's perspective on the object and subjective dimensions of faith (from A. The Light of Faith, I. Pistis and Gnosis)?

A. As a person of the modern period, Von Balthasar contends that the subjective dimension has a priority over the objective.

B. He believes that since God is never 'a being' there can be no objective dimension to faith.

C. He thinks that any talk of the subjective dimension of faith already destroys its integrity because faith only involves God as its object independent of any subjectivity.

D. He maintains that faith is not primarily a subjective act but always includes the whole substance toward which this act is directed, which means it involves both dimensions.

D. He maintains that faith is not primarily a subjective act but always includes the whole substance toward which this act is directed, which means it involves both dimensions.

What is Von Balthasar describing when he writes: "through which the obdurate are to 'experience God's might in their own bodies and thus come to understanding and recognition" (of God)?

A. Heaven

B. Kenosis

C. Divine Judgment

D. Divine Love works.

B. Kenosis

Which of the following best reflects Von Balthasar's view of the relation between faith and knowledge?

A. Faith can be called 'knowledge' in the full sense of the word

B. Faith and knowledge are polar opposites, which is why they need one another.

C. Faith and knowledge are polar opposites, which means one must choose one or the other.

D. Faith is real while all other modes of knowing are false and untrue to reality.

A. Faith can be called 'knowledge' in the full sense of the word

How does the New Testament relate to the Old Testament with respect to the relation between faith and knowing?

A. Contrary to the Old Testament, the New Testament alters faith from an act of knowing to an act of belief.

B. Similar to the Old Testament, the New Testament also views faith as the opposite of knowing, seeing it instead as a leap with any knowledge at all.

C. Contrary to the Old Testament, the New Testament views faith and knowing as two distinct human activities, each remaining separate from the other for its efficacy.

D. Similar to the Old Testament, the New Testament unites faith and knowing in one and the same total human act with an increase of knowledge strengthening faith.

D. Similar to the Old Testament, the New Testament unites faith and knowing in one and the same total human act with an increase of knowledge strengthening faith.

Which of the following describes the "dialectic knowledge about the love of Christ"?

A. That in knowing God, one come to know nothing.

B. That one knows all things immediately by coming to know God.

C. That by loving God one is known by God.

D. That by loving God one knows all things immediately.

D. That by loving God one knows all things immediately.

According to Duffy, what is it that makes belief in God difficult for us today?

A. The fact that we today know more than those "flat-earthers" of the past.

B. The various inventions of our age, which give humanity a power thought at one time to belong only to God.

C. The perennial tragedy and brokenness of human existence.

D. Because now, belief in God is a matter of collective opinion and ideas about how the world started or how it

C. The perennial tragedy and brokenness of human existence.

What was the one event in Eamon Duffy's life that turned out to be the most traumatic for him?

A. The death of his wife and child.

B. The loss of his ability to see and so to read and write.

C. The loss of his parents to an illness that had been sweeping through Ireland.

D. The death of a blind Anglican priest with whom he had developed a close friendship.

C. The loss of his parents to an illness that had been sweeping through Ireland.

or

B. The loss of his ability to see and so to read and write.

In the wake of the loss he suffered, how did Duffy come to see the relationship between the Christian values he wanted to hold onto and the Christian account of reality?

A. He found he could not hold onto the values while denying the account of reality.

B. He found the only way he could hold onto the values was to deny the account of reality.

C. He found he could not hold onto the values without denying the account of reality.

D. He found he could only hold onto the values by accepting some other account of reality.

A. He found he could not hold onto the values while denying the account of reality.

What does Duffy say he found in his weekly routine of going to mass?

A. Only empty gestures and prayers from people who leave to go on sinning once again.

B. A total and complete overcoming of death, pain, and suffering in the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus.

C. A space where death was denied in the wake of the joy of the resurrection.

D. A ritual that asserted our right to rejoice in the face of our impending death and demise.

C. A space where death was denied in the wake of the joy of the resurrection.

According to Duffy, what is the difference between the believer and the unbeliever?

A. That the believer has one more item in his/her mind than the unbeliever, namely, God.

B. That the believer, contrary to the unbeliever, is convinced that reality is to be trusted, that in spite of appearances, the world is very good.

C. That the believer has one more item in her/his universe than the unbeliever, namely, God.

D. That the believer, contrary to the unbeliever, knows that he will be saved in the end.

B. That the believer, contrary to the unbeliever, is convinced that reality is to be trusted, that in spite of appearances, the world is very good.

In what ways can it be said that beauty is a natural form of faith?

A. Both reveal the fundamental desire of the person to solve the mystery of being

B. Both create their own experience in which one must participate in order to truly understand

C. Both are 'objects' out there to be seen from a disinterested, neutral perspective

D. Both require a deep sense of knowing and understanding before one can experience them.

B. Both create their own experience in which one must participate in order to truly understand

When Jesus calls Levi (Matthew), the Pharisees questioned Jesus' disciples asking 'why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners.' Jesus overhears this and responds by saying:

A. Do not judge what livelihood they take for themselves; it is only work, but what truly matters is how one loves one's neighbor

B. Who are you to call anyone a sinner when you are unclean on the inside?

C. Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.

D. When the Son of Man is hungry, it matters not with whom he eats so long as his belly gets full.

C. Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.

What happened after Jesus had transformed 5 loaves and 2 fish into a meal that satisfied 5000 people?

A. there were enough fragments left over to fill 12 wicker baskets full

B. there was just enough to feed everyone with none left over because God does not waste

C. there were several who did not eat but approaching Jesus, he provided them manna from heaven

D. there was enough food left to sell to others and give the money to the poor

A. there were enough fragments left over to fill 12 wicker baskets full

Which of the 2 sons in the parable of the 2 sons did the right thing?

A. The son who returned home after squandering his father's wealth in a foreign land

B. The son who initially said he would not work, but ended up going out into the fields to work

C. The son who initially said he would work even though he never ended up going out to work

D. The son who stayed home with his father while his brother left

B. The son who initially said he would not work, but ended up going out into the fields to work

What sort of obedience is involved in the human experience of beauty?

A. An obedience that arrives only after rational deliberation allows one's will to consent

B. An obedience that submits to the way others see beauty around them

C. An obedience that is immediate, though at times differing for each person, to beauty's self-showing

D. An obedience that is often a burden and involves a painful admission of the fact that a person was wrong in his/her convictions subjectivity

C. An obedience that is immediate, though at times differing for each person, to beauty's self-showing

How are faith and beauty similar in terms of their effect upon human consciousness?

A. Both expand consciousness only through a discursive analysis of concepts and categories

B. Both limit our conscious awareness of the world, making it easier to know things

C. Both provide a power to see a depth of reality that remains otherwise hidden from us

D. Both are immediate communications from God in a way so obvious that it cannot be denied

C. Both provide a power to see a depth of reality that remains otherwise hidden from us

What does it mean to say that both beauty and faith are 'pleromatic plenitudes of intelligible content'?

A. They are constituted by an intelligibility that is so full it exceeds/transcends our structures of cognition or knowing while remaining hospitable to those same structures.

B. They are constituted by an intelligibility that can never be understood, and so are really unintelligible having no bearing on knowledge.

C. They are constituted by a lack of intelligibility and can only be believed without any knowledge or understanding.

D. They are both 'in the eyes of the beholder' and thus bear nothing that is beyond human

A. They are constituted by an intelligibility that is so full it exceeds/transcends our structures of cognition or knowing while remaining hospitable to those same structures.

What does Sarah believe will be others' reaction upon hearing she is to give birth to a son?

A. Joy

B. Sadness

C. Anger

D. Laughter

D. Laughter

What happens when Abraham is asked to sacrifice his son Isaac?

A. With great sadness and a heavy heart, Abraham prepares an altar of wood and sacrifices his son.

B. At the moment Abraham is going to sacrifice Isaac, an angel stops him and he instead sacrifices a ram.

C. At the moment Abraham is going to sacrifice Isaac, an angel stops him and tells him God does not need sacrifices.

D. Just as he had debated God over the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham debates God and successfully gets God to relinquish his command to sacrifice Isaac.

B. At the moment Abraham is going to sacrifice Isaac, an angel stops him and he instead sacrifices a ram.

How does Aquinas answer the question, 'Are the precepts of the Decalogue dispensable?'

A. He firmly and rigorously states that in no way can they be dispensed with

B. He says in one way no, but in another way only if a particular application of the letter

interferes with the intention of the law-giver

C. He states that they can be dispensed with since all human language is finite and arbitrary and incapable of every communicating the intentions of God

D. He claims that the precepts of the Decalogue are not binding since they were given when human beings were very primitive and without the critical resources necessary for understanding the complexity of the world, God, and thought.

B. He says in one way no, but in another way only if a particular application of the letter

interferes with the intention of the law-giver

How does Aquinas evaluate Abraham's act of binding his son Isaac?

A. He views it as an egregious act of disobedience to God's commandment "Thou shalt not kill!"

B. Well aware of the historical context of the event, Aquinas asserts that since Isaac is Abraham's property, it is lawful for Abraham to do with Isaac anything he wishes

C. He insists that since Abraham was chosen by God, Abraham was allowed to dispense with the precepts of the Decalogue, which had not yet even been cemented in stone

D. He claims that in consenting to kill his son, Abraham was not consenting to murder but to divine decree; that is, Abraham consented to obey God.

D. He claims that in consenting to kill his son, Abraham was not consenting to murder but to divine decree; that is, Abraham consented to obey God.

Does Aquinas believe it is ever lawful to kill an innocent person?

A. It depends on how a person is considered; in him or herself, no, but when considered in relation to another, a person who severely disrupts the common good may be killed

B. He states that at no time and in no way may a person kill an innocent since God has revealed in his Decalogue that it is prohibited to kill.

C. He claims that it is never, and in no way, permitted to kill the innocent since God is the God of life and Satan is the evil Lord of death

D. It depends on how one goes about killing; if the killing is done in a merciful way, it is allowed. But if it is done through some violent means, it is never permitted.

A. It depends on how a person is considered; in him or herself, no, but when considered in relation to another, a person who severely disrupts the common good may be killed

According to Augustine, when may a person kill without being guilty of murder?

A. When it is a mercy killing, that is, when the victim is a person who is suffering

B. When it is issued by a just authority, as in the case of a military official or God

C. When the act of killing is done for the right intentions, as determined by the killer

D. He claims that all killing is an act of murder.

B. When it is issued by a just authority, as in the case of a military official or God

According to Augustine, can the essence of God ever appear in itself?

A. Yes, but only to those who are holy enough to see it

B. No, not until human beings progress enough in intelligence

C. Yes, but only to the figures in the Hebrew Scripture (Old Testament)

D. No, because the divine substance is not changeable and exceeds the limits of the finite mind

D. No, because the divine substance is not changeable and exceeds the limits of the finite mind

According to Augustine, did God need to test Abraham?

A. Yes, in order to know whether Abraham really had faith or not

B. Yes, in order to know whether Abraham loved God even more than his son Isaac

C. No, because God knows everything and lacks no knowledge whatsoever

D. Yes, but only in order to enable Abraham to know the firmness of his own faith

D. Yes, but only in order to enable Abraham to know the firmness of his own faith

What does Gustavo Gutierrez mean when he says faith "desacralizes" creation and social praxis?

A. That faith makes everything more sacred than we can ever understand or know.

B. That true faith in God renders all other beliefs false and all social practices evil.

C. That faith makes things to be what they are as non-sacred entities existing in a secular space where God does not exist.

D. That faith enables one to know the true God and to see when anything is falsely made into something sacred that ought not be made sacred.

D. That faith enables one to know the true God and to see when anything is falsely made into something sacred that ought not be made sacred.

According to Gutierrez, what does faith in "creation" - that is, in God's act of creation - mean for the mythical and supernatural character that has been imposed upon it by many ancient, and contemporary, belief traditions?

A. It amplifies these, revealing how creation is a totally supernatural phenomenon requiring the storying of mythologies to make it intelligible to us.

B. It reveals that there is no such thing as the supernatural, because it shows that God simply IS his creation without remainder.

C. It displays that God is not a God who intervenes in history but remains distant and aloof in order to respect the integrity and freedom of what God creates.

D. It reveals creation as God's saving act and as history, and so does away with the mythical and supernatural character of creation, making it the place where humanity and God cooperate to bring about God's salvation as emancipation into God's s

D. It reveals creation as God's saving act and as history, and so does away with the mythical and supernatural character of creation, making it the place where humanity and God cooperate to bring about God's salvation as emancipation into God's s

What sort of response would the CTT give to Dawkins's claim that the God of Abraham, Israel, and Christianity is a "moral monster"?

A. It reveals that Dawkins's claims to be an atheist betray his ignorance, since it shows him to be unknowingly espousing belief in some other 'god' transcendent of the God of the Bible to whom he now holds the God of the Bible accountable.

B. Since Dawkins is an atheist, his point of view has absolutely no value in any way.

C. As a scientist, Dawkins has not right to promulgate any sense of belief about God.

D. It reveals that Dawkins holds certain insights into the historical critical understanding of the Biblical text, bringing into the hermeneutical frame the best findings of our contemporary psychological discourse, thus revealing an aspect of God that the CTT would endorse.

A. It reveals that Dawkins's claims to be an atheist betray his ignorance, since it shows him to be unknowingly espousing belief in some other 'god' transcendent of the God of the Bible to whom he now holds the God of the Bible accountable.

Which of the following is the best definition of doubt according to the Letter of James?

A. Disbelief that some desired end will actually come to pass

B. A failure or refusal to commit oneself to a particular belief

C. The act of questioning a certain phenomenon

D. Committing to a position that might be in error

B. A failure or refusal to commit oneself to a particular belief

Which natural phenomenon does James use as a metaphor to describe the doubter?

A. A rain cloud

B. A gust of wind

C. A bolt of lightning

D. A wave of the sea

D. A wave of the sea

According to James, what does it mean to be a doer of the law?

A. To practice the faith, to live according to the light of Christ rather than relying on ones own

B. To follow all the precepts of the Decalogue no matter how they may be incorporated at a given moment

C. To work hard and exert as much effort as possible so as to earn a place at the Lord's table

D. To honor all humanly constructed social and legal norms in order to come together within the common good

A. To practice the faith, to live according to the light of Christ rather than relying on ones own

"Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things unseen" is a definition of faith from what source?

A. James

B. Paul

C. Hebrews

D. Matthew

C. Hebrews

Which element of faith is emphasized in the Letter to the Hebrews when it states that faith allows one to "gather so great a cloud of witnesses"?

A. Tradition

B. Love

C. Promise

D. Obedience

A. Tradition

What does Hebrews mean when it calls Jesus the "pioneer" and "perfecter" of the faith?

A. That, like Michael Jordan with basketball, Jesus is an inspiration to be a good person

B. That Jesus was the first to be a person of faith, obeying God no matter what

C. That Jesus is not only an inspiration, but becomes the very knowledge of the possibility of a relationship with God

D. That Jesus provides the program for how to come to know God whether Jesus was real or not

C. That Jesus is not only an inspiration, but becomes the very knowledge of the possibility of a relationship with God

Which of the following is INcorrect concerning who Paul was?

A. He was a Jewish citizen of Rome

B. He was originally named Saul

C. He converted to Christianity when he saw how the Jewish authorities were abusing and killing Christians

D. He was converted on his way to Damascus by a blinding light that left him without sight until it was returned to him shortly thereafter

C. He converted to Christianity when he saw how the Jewish authorities were abusing and killing Christians

Which of the following is evidence that Paul understood God in the classical theistic sense rather than the mono-polytheistic/theistic personalist model?

A. He claims that the God of Jesus Christ is the most powerful of all the gods

B. He tells the Greeks that he sees how they worship their gods, but that the true God is not involved in this world at all.

C. He explains to the Greek philosophers that God is all around, not only in everything but God is everything.

D. He claims that God is the one in whom we live and move and have our being.

D. He claims that God is the one in whom we live and move and have our being.

What does Paul believe about the visible and invisible things of reality?

A. He claims that the invisible things of God are clearly seen in the visible things God has made

B. He claims that, like Plato, the only reality is the one beyond this world since this world is a mere shadow of the real world

C. He claims that the invisible things of God can only be seen by those God has chosen to receive his special revelation of knowledge about the world

D. He claims that the visible things of God are clearly seen in the invisible things of the world

A. He claims that the invisible things of God are clearly seen in the visible things God has made

Which of the following models of theology best characterizes Paul's understanding of it?

A. Theology is 'faith seeking understanding' and 'understanding seeking faith'

B. Theology is necessary to know who God is, what the world is, who others are; it is thinking in Christ

C. Theology is idolatry since in 'thinking' about God one reduces God to a concept capable of fitting into the mind, making God no longer God but an idol

D. Theology is unimportant since all one needs to be saved is faith in Christ Jesus

B. Theology is necessary to know who God is, what the world is, who others are; it is thinking in Christ

What does it mean to say that 'faith is God's very Wisdom, Power, and Knowledge'?

A. That in faith a person may summon divine powers and knowledge to be used as that person sees fit.

B. That the sort of knowledge given in faith transcends all forms of human knowing, creating a new category through which the world can be seen with greater clarity

C. That there is no knowledge given in faith, but only the power to obey the authorities that God has chosen

D. That faith is the set of propositions and statements issued by God intended for private belief only

B. That the sort of knowledge given in faith transcends all forms of human knowing, creating a new category through which the world can be seen with greater clarity

What does it mean to say, with Paul, that Love builds up - that it is the most powerful form of knowing?

A. Love is enflamed with a desire that reaches beyond the limits of categories and concepts to the thing itself

B. Love is a feeling and feelings have nothing to do with knowledge but instead frees one from

having to know anything about the beloved

C. Love is something that one experiences in the pit of their stomach, in their shortness of breath, in their rapid heartbeat, all of which are more powerful than knowledge.

D. Love is what makes a person feel good about him or herself, which makes it more powerful than anything that can be known.

A. Love is enflamed with a desire that reaches beyond the limits of categories and concepts to the thing itself

What does it mean to say that faith is illuminate vision?

A. It is a form of physical seeing that follows once something is comprehended fully

B. It is a kind of knowledge that first requires a person to have a complete account of something known

C. Faith is a form of experience that makes something known fit into the limits of their current opinions, tastes, and judgments

D. Faith is a way of seeing enabling one to put his/her interest into something without complete knowledge of that thing opening him/her to see beyond the current limits of taste, opinions, and judgment

D. Faith is a way of seeing enabling one to put his/her interest into something without complete knowledge of that thing opening him/her to see beyond the current limits of taste, opinions, and judgment

How does the model of faith as the fullness of all knowledge relate to tradition?

A. Once a person has faith, traditions are no longer important since that person now has the fullness of all knowledge

B. As the fullness of all knowledge, faith enters into time where it then unfolds itself over time and space through what is known as tradition

C. Faith as the fullness of all knowledge makes tradition relevant since it enables something to be done repeatedly with or without knowledge about why it is done this way

D. When a person accepts faith, it becomes an individual commitment to a set of propositions that provide the fullness of knowledge rendering tradition insignificant

B. As the fullness of all knowledge, faith enters into time where it then unfolds itself over time and space through what is known as tradition

According to Aquinas, which among the following is the best way to understand faith?

A. It is an assent to that which cannot be known by human reason

B. It is believing in something or someone without any doubt about the truth of it

C. It is a cognitive habit that allows a person to assent to truth

D. It is a set of propositions that a person puts his or her belief into

C. It is a cognitive habit that allows a person to assent to truth

Which of the following is not one of the dimensions of every cognitive habit?

A. A material object as that by which the object is known

B. A formal object as that by which the object is known

C. A material object as that which is known materially

D. A formal object as the excess that is made known through the material object

A. A material object as that by which the object is known

According to Aquinas, what is the formal object of faith?

A. Christ's human nature

B. The Sacraments

C. The condition of creatures

D. The First Truth

D. The First Truth

Which of the following is the formal object of mathematics?

A. Numbers

B. Being as quantifiable

C. Being as numerical

D. God

A. Numbers

What is the principle that Aquinas uses in responding to the question whether the object of faith is something complex like a proposition?

A. That a thing known is in the knower according to the mode of the thing known

B. That a thing known is never knowable in itself but entirely dependent on a person's point of view

C. That a thing known is in the knower according to the mode through which it is taught

D. That a thing known is in the knower according to the mode of the knower

D. That a thing known is in the knower according to the mode of the knower

What are the two ways in which the object of faith can be considered?

A. From the part of the thing itself, and the from the part of the First truth

B. From the part of the believer, and from the part of the one who believes

C. From the part of the thing itself, and from the part of the believer

D. From the part of the believer, and from the part of the authorities who communicate to believers

C. From the part of the thing itself, and from the part of the believer

According to Aquinas, can anything false come under faith when considered from the part of the formal object?

A. Yes, because human beings are flawed and often make mistakes when it comes to seeking truth

B. No, because the First Truth is without any falsehood and therefore gives itself with perfect clarity without any need for mediation of any kind.

C. Yes, because it is impossible to know the formal object of faith in any capacity, being so beyond human minds

D. No, because the First Truth is the formal object, which is itself without anything false in it

D. No, because the First Truth is the formal object, which is itself without anything false in it