Module 1: Introduction, Hinduism
Introduction: Reading Study/Quiz Questions
1. What does Prothero make of the view that "all religions are essentially the same"? What do
most people really mean when they assert this theory? Does Prothero accept or reject it, and in
either case, on what grounds?
2. When Prothero argues that all/most religions display "family resemblances," what exactly
does he mean? What examples does he provide?
3. What does Prothero claim regarding the relationship between religion and ethics?
4. According to Prothero, why is religion important even, or especially, in the contemporary
world?
5. What is Prothero's theory of religion? What are each of its components? What examples does
he provide?
6. Why does Prothero set up his table of contents as he does? That is, if Hinduism is the oldest of
the religions in this book, why is it listed 4th rather than 1st? [Hint: this has something to do with
how Prothero ranks different traditions in terms of their "greatness"]
7. When Prothero writes about "being honest about religion," in the final pages of the chapter,
what does he mean by this? What specific examples does he provide?
1. According to Stephen Prothero, which of the following "big questions" is in fact pursued by
all religions?
- What are human beings to become?
2. According to Stephen Prothero, which of the following best describes the relationship between
religion and ethics?
- Different religions tend to converge when it comes to ethical teachings.
3. Stephen Prothero ranks the eight religions he discusses in terms of their “greatness,” by which
mean means,
- the degree of global influence each religion currently has
4. On Stephen Prothero's theory of religion, all religions,
- point to a solution
- identify a fundamental problem in human existence
- identify a technique(path)
- offer exemplars
5. According to Stephen Prothero, which of the following statements represents something all
religions would agree with?
- There is something wrong with the world
6. Stephen Prothero discusses “family resemblances” among religions. Religions, he says, tend to
do all the following,
- cultivate techniques of ecstasy and devotion
, - organize themselves into institutions
- profess belief in the supernatural
- tell stories about how life and death began
7. When Stephen Prothero writes about "being honest about religion," he means,
- acknowledging that some religions emphasize the role of belief much more than others
- acknowledging that some religions emphasize practices for calming the mind much more
so than others
- acknowledging that some religions emphasize the need for social justice much more so
than others
- acknowledging that all religions do not ask the same "big questions"
8. According to Stephen Prothero, when intelligent people argue that "all religions are the same,"
they typically mean that,
- the similarities between religions outweigh the differences
9. When Prothero states that "all religions identify a fundamental problem of human existence,"
he means that,
- they each identify a different problem
10. Stephen Prothero argues which of the following regarding the assertion that "all religions are
the same"?
- it ignores major differences in worldview that exist between different religions
- it disregards what is important to most of the people who actually practice religion
- it makes the world more dangerous, rather than less
- as a factual statement, it is simply false
“Scholarly Theories” of Religion Lecture Study/Quiz Questions
1. What is the one theory of religion used by all professional scholars?
2. How, exactly, do each of the scholars discussed in the above lecture define religion?
3. What are the limits or problems with each theory?
1. When asked whether this or that religion is a "religion of peace" or a "religion of violence,"
scholars are likely to argue that,
- there are no religions of peace or religions of violence
2. William James's theory holds that religion,
- is the attempt by human beings to live in harmony and alignment with the divine,
however they understand it
3. Sigmund Freud's theory holds that religion,
- represents a collective mental disorder common among human beings, in which they
spend their lives trying to please an imaginary being
4. One problem with or limit to Paul Tillich's theory of religion is that,
, - on this theory, much of popular culture (e.g., football fandom) now counts as religious
5. Which of the following does not describe the way in which most scholars view the
relationship between religion and violence?
- Whether a religion gives birth to violence depends upon what a specific person or
community does with the religious resources they have inherited
6. Which of the following best describes the way in which most scholars approach defining
"religion"?
- They assume that each scholar will use one or more different theories, depending upon
what they are studying
7. Russell McCutcheon's theory holds that religion,
- is just another way in which human beings attempt to shape society in accordance with
their preferences
8. One problem with or limit to Jeff Kripal's theory of religion is that,
- most people’s religious lives are rather ordinary, with few (if any) experiences that might
count as supernatural
9. Emile Durkheim's theory holds that religion,
- begins with the community which forms around one or more sacred things
10. What is the one theory of religion all scholars use exclusively?
- Scholars use many different theories, depending upon what they are studying
11. Karl Marx's theory holds that religion,
- teaches the poor and powerless to remain silent and obedient in return for the promise of
an eternal afterlife
12. Jeff Kripal's theory holds that religion,
- begins with a human encounter with something vastly greater than human beings, which
typically includes some sort of paranormal phenomena
13. Ninian Smart's theory holds that religion,
- is comprised of seven dimensions, such as myth, ritual, inner experience, ethics,
philosophy, the social group, and material things
14. Stephen Prothero's theory holds that religion,
- posits a fundamental problem of human nature, a solution to that problem, a path for
reaching that solution, and numerous example of people who have done this in the past
15. Paul Tillich's theory holds that religion,
- is that which is of ultimate concern to any particular person
16. Bob Oris's theory holds that religion,
- is all about the relationships human beings have with gods, goddesses, messiah figures,
angels, saints, spirits, ancestors, and other similar beings
17. One problem with or limit to Jeff Kripal's theory of religion is that,
- most people’s religious lives are rather ordinary, with few (if any) experiences that might
count as supernatural
Introduction: Reading Study/Quiz Questions
1. What does Prothero make of the view that "all religions are essentially the same"? What do
most people really mean when they assert this theory? Does Prothero accept or reject it, and in
either case, on what grounds?
2. When Prothero argues that all/most religions display "family resemblances," what exactly
does he mean? What examples does he provide?
3. What does Prothero claim regarding the relationship between religion and ethics?
4. According to Prothero, why is religion important even, or especially, in the contemporary
world?
5. What is Prothero's theory of religion? What are each of its components? What examples does
he provide?
6. Why does Prothero set up his table of contents as he does? That is, if Hinduism is the oldest of
the religions in this book, why is it listed 4th rather than 1st? [Hint: this has something to do with
how Prothero ranks different traditions in terms of their "greatness"]
7. When Prothero writes about "being honest about religion," in the final pages of the chapter,
what does he mean by this? What specific examples does he provide?
1. According to Stephen Prothero, which of the following "big questions" is in fact pursued by
all religions?
- What are human beings to become?
2. According to Stephen Prothero, which of the following best describes the relationship between
religion and ethics?
- Different religions tend to converge when it comes to ethical teachings.
3. Stephen Prothero ranks the eight religions he discusses in terms of their “greatness,” by which
mean means,
- the degree of global influence each religion currently has
4. On Stephen Prothero's theory of religion, all religions,
- point to a solution
- identify a fundamental problem in human existence
- identify a technique(path)
- offer exemplars
5. According to Stephen Prothero, which of the following statements represents something all
religions would agree with?
- There is something wrong with the world
6. Stephen Prothero discusses “family resemblances” among religions. Religions, he says, tend to
do all the following,
- cultivate techniques of ecstasy and devotion
, - organize themselves into institutions
- profess belief in the supernatural
- tell stories about how life and death began
7. When Stephen Prothero writes about "being honest about religion," he means,
- acknowledging that some religions emphasize the role of belief much more than others
- acknowledging that some religions emphasize practices for calming the mind much more
so than others
- acknowledging that some religions emphasize the need for social justice much more so
than others
- acknowledging that all religions do not ask the same "big questions"
8. According to Stephen Prothero, when intelligent people argue that "all religions are the same,"
they typically mean that,
- the similarities between religions outweigh the differences
9. When Prothero states that "all religions identify a fundamental problem of human existence,"
he means that,
- they each identify a different problem
10. Stephen Prothero argues which of the following regarding the assertion that "all religions are
the same"?
- it ignores major differences in worldview that exist between different religions
- it disregards what is important to most of the people who actually practice religion
- it makes the world more dangerous, rather than less
- as a factual statement, it is simply false
“Scholarly Theories” of Religion Lecture Study/Quiz Questions
1. What is the one theory of religion used by all professional scholars?
2. How, exactly, do each of the scholars discussed in the above lecture define religion?
3. What are the limits or problems with each theory?
1. When asked whether this or that religion is a "religion of peace" or a "religion of violence,"
scholars are likely to argue that,
- there are no religions of peace or religions of violence
2. William James's theory holds that religion,
- is the attempt by human beings to live in harmony and alignment with the divine,
however they understand it
3. Sigmund Freud's theory holds that religion,
- represents a collective mental disorder common among human beings, in which they
spend their lives trying to please an imaginary being
4. One problem with or limit to Paul Tillich's theory of religion is that,
, - on this theory, much of popular culture (e.g., football fandom) now counts as religious
5. Which of the following does not describe the way in which most scholars view the
relationship between religion and violence?
- Whether a religion gives birth to violence depends upon what a specific person or
community does with the religious resources they have inherited
6. Which of the following best describes the way in which most scholars approach defining
"religion"?
- They assume that each scholar will use one or more different theories, depending upon
what they are studying
7. Russell McCutcheon's theory holds that religion,
- is just another way in which human beings attempt to shape society in accordance with
their preferences
8. One problem with or limit to Jeff Kripal's theory of religion is that,
- most people’s religious lives are rather ordinary, with few (if any) experiences that might
count as supernatural
9. Emile Durkheim's theory holds that religion,
- begins with the community which forms around one or more sacred things
10. What is the one theory of religion all scholars use exclusively?
- Scholars use many different theories, depending upon what they are studying
11. Karl Marx's theory holds that religion,
- teaches the poor and powerless to remain silent and obedient in return for the promise of
an eternal afterlife
12. Jeff Kripal's theory holds that religion,
- begins with a human encounter with something vastly greater than human beings, which
typically includes some sort of paranormal phenomena
13. Ninian Smart's theory holds that religion,
- is comprised of seven dimensions, such as myth, ritual, inner experience, ethics,
philosophy, the social group, and material things
14. Stephen Prothero's theory holds that religion,
- posits a fundamental problem of human nature, a solution to that problem, a path for
reaching that solution, and numerous example of people who have done this in the past
15. Paul Tillich's theory holds that religion,
- is that which is of ultimate concern to any particular person
16. Bob Oris's theory holds that religion,
- is all about the relationships human beings have with gods, goddesses, messiah figures,
angels, saints, spirits, ancestors, and other similar beings
17. One problem with or limit to Jeff Kripal's theory of religion is that,
- most people’s religious lives are rather ordinary, with few (if any) experiences that might
count as supernatural
