Religion, Pop Culture, and Us Lecture Notes

Flashcards covering the dimensions of religiosity, Durkheim's structures, Baudrillard's theories of simulation, and specific historical/cultural case studies in Santa Barbara and popular culture.

What are the three categories social scientists usually use to talk about religiosity?

Belief, Behavior, and Belonging

According to Young Earth Creationists (YECs), when was the Earth and the universe created?

Between $6,000$ and $10,000$ years ago, based on a literal interpretation of the Book of Genesis.

What does it mean to proselytize?

To attempt to convert someone from one religion, belief, or cause to another.

What percentage of U.S. adults identified as Christian in the 2023-24 data?

$$62\%$$

How changed did the percentage of U.S. population identifying as religiously unaffiliated between 1972 and 2016?

It went from $5\%$ to $23\%$.

What specific time period is defined as the Cold War Period in the notes?

$1947$–$1991$

According to the notes, what percentage of Americans believe in the God of the Bible or another higher power?

$$88 \%$$

Who is the French Jewish sociologist associated with the concepts of Cult, Totem, Spectacle, and Sacred?

Emile Durkheim ($1858$–$1917$)

What is the difference between a synchronic and a diachronic study?

Synchronic is a snapshot in time, while diachronic is the study of phenomena as they change and develop over a period of time.

In the context of the 'Cult' structure, what does 'interpellation' refer to?

The performance of identifying you as who you are.

Which evangelical church is led by Rick Warren and saw him excommunicated by the SBC in 2023?

Saddleback Church

When and where was Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru) founded?

$1951$ at UCLA

What is the meaning of the Ojibwe term 'Totem'?

A representation of clan, tribe, identity, or group (such as a flag, symbol, or logo).

What was the Supreme Court's outcome in American Legion v. American Humanist Association (2019)?

Alito ruled that the Bladensburg Cross took on a secular meaning as a WWI memorial despite its Christian origin.

Which organization was founded in 2012/2013 and crowdfunded a Statue of Baphomet?

The Satanic Temple

What is 'auto-spectatorship' in the context of the Spectacle?

Viewing that enables a view of one's own self or identity.

What historical event occurred in 1566 involving Protestants destroying Catholic icons?

The Beeldenstorm (or 'Iconoclast Fury')

In wrestling 'Low Theory,' what is a 'mark' versus a 'smark'?

A 'mark' is a fan who thinks the performance is real; a 'smark' (smart mark) is a fan who has inside knowledge and knows it is not 'real.'

What is 'kayfabe' in professional wrestling?

The staged reality that wrestling maintains.

Who defined 'Humbug' as a technique of publicity designed to arouse excitement?

Professor David Walker (drawing from P.T. Barnum)

How much was the luxury streetwear company Supreme sold for in 2020?

$$2.1 \text{ billion}$$

What are the three components of a metaphor?

The Tenor (subject), the Vehicle (image/concept used), and the Ground (shared characteristic).

What are the literal characteristics of a zombie?

1) Mindless automaton, 2) Undead and flesh-eating/brain-eating, 3) Infected/infecting and apocalyptic.

What is the 'corvee system' established during the U.S. occupation of Haiti (1915–1934)?

A system of forced enslavement (civil conscription).

What major events coincided with the release of 'Night of the Living Dead' in 1968?

The Vietnam War, the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., and the Apollo $8$ space flight.

How does Jean Baudrillard distinguish between Representation and Simulation?

Representation is an authentic copy of the original; Simulation is a reproduction of the real that can replace it.

What is 'Hyperreality'?

A real without origin or 'reality,' where the distinction between the real and the simulation is lost.

What is the central belief of New Thought regarding disease?

Phineas P. Quimby called disease an 'error of the mind' caused by an interruption of union with the divine mind.

Who was the founder of the Church of Christ, Scientist (1879)?

Mary Baker Eddy

Which author wrote 'The Secret' (2006), a book on visualization popularized by Oprah Winfrey?

Rhonda Byrne

Who wrote the novel 'Ramona' (1884) which inspired interest in Spanish colonialism?

Helen Hunt Jackson

What event in 1925 led to the legal requirement for Spanish Revival architecture in downtown Santa Barbara?

An earthquake on June $29$, $1925$.

What are the successive phases of the image according to Baudrillard’s 'The Precession of Simulacra'?

1) Reflection of a profound reality; 2) Masks/denatures reality; 3) Masks the absence of reality; 4) No relation to reality; 5) Its own pure simulacrum.

How many unique species are estimated to be in the Channel Islands National Park?

$$145 \text{ unique species}$$

Which 'Invented Religion' introduced the term 'grok'?

The Church of All Worlds (invented by Robert A. Heinlein).