Instructor Exam Questions
This area contains ‘Exam Questions’ that require recollection of chapter contents and additional thought, but no additional research. These can be presented as open book or closed book questions. Questions are provided for each textbook chapter.
Chapter 1: Approaching religious traditions
- Would the academic discipline of history of religions dissolve into component parts of sociology, history, political science, psychology, and so forth if the sui generis claim about religion or religious experience was found to be invalid?
- Historians of religions, like judges, take inside and outside positions without allowing personal views to skew their understanding of the case before them. Taking a position does not mean personally adopting the point of view. Do you think it is possible not to have one's point of view affect one's perspective?
- Discuss the difference between meaning and truth in religion. For a start, focus your analysis on the a-historical ‘existence’ of imaginal players in world religions, such as angels, godlings, and so forth. If religious accounts of them cannot be proved to be ‘historically’ true, do they have any value? If so, say more about the kind of value they have for people. To further explore the issue of religious meaning and truth examine how meaning is created through ritual ‘performance.’ Go further to discuss in what sense religious ritual may or may not convey truth.
Chapter 2: Expressive traditions of Oceania, America and Africa
- Discuss ways in which expressive traditions are similar and/or different from religious traditions that rely heavily on written scriptures as the source of their religious meaning and customs.
- Identify various religious symbols from two of the expressive traditions discussed in chapter 2. Compare and contrast the symbols in terms of how they operate in context. (Hint: Draw on what you know about religious symbols in Candomblé, Navajo sandpainting, Trobriand gardening, Fon divination, and so forth.) Analyze the symbols in terms of concepts introduced in this and the previous chapter such as: hierophany, kratophany, Religious Impression and Religious Expression, homology, and so forth.
- Discuss several obstacles to understanding oral cultures. Then propose ways in which these obstacles might be overcome or handled in the study of expressive traditions.
Chapter 3: Zoroastrian tradition
- Discuss the importance of Truth, charity, labor, and cleanliness in the Zoroastrian religion. To what extent do you think these Mazdean values are culture-bound? Is there anything you find ‘universal’ that might pertain to all humankind in the four key values? Explain.
- Zarathushtra's spiritual biography was elaborated over many centuries. And though none of it can be proved historically, it has religious meaning for the Mazdean community. How do you think religious meaning is created? Do you think religious authorities can create meaning that is harmful? To help formulate an answer, discuss the meaning one might find in this traditional Zoroastrian claim about the religion's founder: At birth, Zarathushtra's first breath was a laugh, not a cry.
- What have been some challenges faced by Zoroastrians through their history? How did they respond to those challenges? Discuss specific historical details from several points in the history of Mazdean tradition.
Chapter 4: Judaic tradition
- Name four events in the history of Judaic tradition, and discuss their importance in the formation of Jewish identity. Choose at least one from each category: (1) biblical stories, (2) the Hellenistic era, (3) medieval times, and (4) modern times.
- Recount the history of the Jerusalem Temple. Take into account several of the following: Solomon, Jeremiah, Babylonians, Cyrus the Great, Nehemiah, Zerubbabel, Herod, the Romans, the Balfour Declaration, and the Wailing Wall (i.e., the western wall of the temple rebuilt by Herod the Great).
- Four negative ideas about women seem to have become culturally embedded in Judeo-Christian culture following the story of Adam and Ḥavah (Genesis 2-3).
- A male God creates a man first, which makes the man superior, and the woman second, which automatically means she is inferior.
- Woman is created as a helpmate, a lower-order companion to stave off male loneliness.
- Woman tempted man and is thus responsible for all human sinfulness.
- Woman is cursed by pain in childbirth.
(Meyers, Carol. (1988) Discovering Eve: Ancient Israelite Women in Context, New York & Oxford: Oxford University Press, page 78)
- If you are familiar with the text, discuss whether you think these views are merited. Regardless of whether or not you are familiar with the Genesis text, state how you would seek to determine whether or not the scripture conveys a negative view of women. For example, discuss what words or phrases would you want to see in the original Hebrew, and explain why.
Chapter 5: Christian tradition
- Discuss the following Christian gospel passage about angel Gabriel's announcement to Jesus's mother that she would have a child, though she was still a virgin. Approach the text from both ‘religionist’ and ‘reductionist’ points of view. Whose perspective do you think helps illuminate the text better? Why?
- The angel went to her and said, Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.”
- “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
- The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you… For nothing is impossible with God.”
- “I am the Lord's servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her. (Gospel of Luke 1:28-32, 34-35, 37-38)
- Note some distinguishing characteristics of various gospels, including the four New Testament gospels as well as some gnostic gospels from the Nag Hammadi library.
- E. Male made the following observation about religious French art of the thirteenth century. What do you think of the last sentence? Discuss how architecture might be able to convey religious teachings.
- In one of the chapters of Notre Dame de Paris
… Victor Hugo says: “In the Middle Ages men had no great thought that
they did not write down in stone.” … Victor Hugo was right. The
cathedral is a book.
(Male, E. (1958) The Gothic Image: Religious Art in France of the Thirteenth Century, trans. D. Nussey, NY: Harper & Row, Publishers, page 390)
Chapter 6: Islamic tradition
- Define the Islamic concept of tawḥīd. How does the notion of tawḥīd affect the everyday lives of Muslims personally, in politics, and in the arts? (Discuss shirk and kufr in these contexts.)
- Name and define the Six Articles of Faith in Islam. Then discuss the way they influence the lives of Muslims individually and in society.
- Define sharī'a. Then discuss how the Muslim sharī'a has shaped and has been shaped by social circumstances in the history of Islam.
Chapter 7: Bahá'í tradition
- Trace the development of Bahá'í tradition through the Báb, Bahá'ulláh, 'Abdu'l-Bahá, and Shoghi Effendi. Summarize each of their contributions and discuss the process of succession.
- Discuss the pros and cons of the following Bahá'í social values: (1) advocacy of inter-racial, inter-cultural marriage, (2) maintainance of non-partisanship working within legitimate government channels, (3) upholding the Bahá'í community as the model for the future mature state of humanity to create an age of the Most Great Peace.
- What do you see as the major stumbling blocks for realization of the Bahá'í ideal of One Humanity? In your view, what are the pros and cons of the religious value of unity as propounded by the Bahá'ís Faith? Explain how unity is supposed to be achieved according to Bahá'í practices and teachings.
Chapter 8: Jain tradition
- Jains and Hindus both use the mantra AUṂ, considering it the holy sound that pervades the universe. Yet each tradition assigns it a different ‘meaning.’ Jains think of AUṂ as the essence of liberation represented by five types of person (arhat, siddha, ācārya, upādhyāya, and sādhu) while some Hindus think of AUṂ in terms of gods that create, sustain, and destroy the universe (Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Śiva). Discuss the importance of assigning a religious ‘meaning’ to the sound of AUṂ.
- Compare and contrast the teachings and practices of the Śvetāmbara and Digambara Jains. Include in your discussion references to the Sthānakavāsīs and Terāpahthīs (which are offshoots of the Śvetāmbaras).
- What are the practical consequences of striving 100% for non-violence? Is it possible to truly live a life without violence (hiṃsā)? Can one do anything without involving a trace of violence? Why do you think Jains say that the ritual of holy death (saṃlekhanā) is not suicide (i.e., non-violent)?
Chapter 9: Buddhist tradition
- Compare and contrast the two branches of Buddhist tradition: Nikāya (Theravāda) and Mahāyāna. In your comparison, do not neglect to take account of several distinctive Mahāyāna schools (i.e., Tibetan, Chan, Pure Land, and Shingon).
- What Buddhist ideas make the most sense for contemporary ‘western’ society? In what ways might they be applied? Do you think that the efforts of the Dalai Lama and/or Sulak Sivaraksa would be useful in the western world? Why or why not? Explain.
- Compare and contrast three forms of Buddhist meditation in terms of their (1) methods, (2) goals and (3) cultural contexts.
Chapter 10: Hindu tradition
- Explain the traditional Hindu practice of the varṇa-āśrama-dharma. Then comment on challenges that Hindus might have in maintaining it in the modern world. Mohandas Gāndhī (1869-1948) said, “Hinduism is nothing without the law of Varna and of Ashrama.” Do you suppose his words would still hold true today? (Gāndhī, M. K. (1962) Varṇashramadharma, compiled by R.K. Prabhu, Ahmedabad: Navajivan Publishing House, page 5)
- Compare and contrast the path of knowledge (jñāna-marga) and the path of devotion (bhakti-marga) in Hindu religious practice. Be specific about the methods by which mokṣa is thought to be attained by each means. In your discussion name at least one proponent of each path.
- List and describe the eight limbs of yoga as outlined by Patañjali in the Yoga Sūtras. Why do you suppose that certain ethical practices accompany the practice of meditation?
Chapter 11: Sikh tradition
- Discuss how the Sikh tradition developed over the course of two centuries under the leadership of the Ten Gurūs. Consider the relationship of Sikhs to the Mughal emperors.
- Discuss the process of lineage transfer in the Sikh tradition. What are the advantages and disadvantages of passing leadership of the panth to (1) spiritually qualified persons; (2) members of one's family; and (3) a holy scripture? What might have been the effect on the Sikh tradition if Gurū Amar Das had passed the Gurūship on to his daughter?
- Sometimes people mistakenly characterize the Sikh tradition as ‘syncretic,’ because it seems to contain elements common to both the Hindu and Islamic traditions. Yet, from an insider perspective, Sikhs feel strongly that their tradition is distinctive. Why do you suppose Sikhs reject the term ‘syncretic’ as applied to their religion? In what ways is the Sikh tradition similar to the Hindu and Islamic traditions?
Chapter 12: Chinese traditions
- Choose three of the following Confucian notions and explain their importance in the development of Chinese culture: xiao, jun-zi, li, ren, wen, and Tian.
- Define the five social relationships that are central to the Confucian tradition. Then contrast them with the Daoist teaching on wu-wei, and the Maist teaching on universal love.
- Compare and contrast the teachings of two to four of these Chinese thinkers: Lao-zi, Confucius, Mo-zi, Mencius, Zhuang-zi, Xun-zi, Ge Hong, Guo Xiang, Zhu-xi, Wang Yang-ming, and Mao Ze-dong.
Chapter 13: Shintō tradition
- Name and describe several types of nature and mythic kami in Shintō tradition. Discuss the impact of the belief in kami on the development of Japanese culture and politics.
- Define the following Shintō values: (1) makoto, (2) wabi and sabi, (3) tsumi and (4) mano no aware. Discuss ways in which each has been incorporated into Shintō ritual or art.
- Pick two or three of the following items, and discuss them in terms of the relationship between politics and religion in Japanese history: Prince Shōtoku, samurai warriors, Tokugawa regime, kokutai, State Shintō, Japanese New Religions, and World War II.
Chapter 14: The challenge of religion
- Debate the merits of Western scientific materialistic assumptions versus some insider religious claims about the authenticity of mystical experience.
- Might atheism qualify as a ‘belief’ in the sense that atheists hold to specific convictions about the nature of reality in relation to a lack of the divine? How would an atheist stance differ from the stance of an ideal historian of religions (whether religionist or reductionist)?
- What do you think may be some causes of the mutual mistrust and misunderstanding that apparently exists between ‘Westerners’ and ‘Muslims’ reported in the Pew Global Attitudes Project 2006 (noted on page 353 of the textbook) as follows:
- “Many in the West see Muslims as fanatical, violent, and as lacking in tolerance. Meanwhile, Muslims in the Middle East and Asia generally see Westerners as selfish, immoral and greedy – as well as violent and fanatical.”
In your discussion, comment on the dichotomy presented by the Pew report that identifies the two groups of people as ‘Westerners’ and ‘Muslims.’