Chapter 13:  Religion and Prejudice: Sexism

1. Though the pattern varies by denomination and theological orientation, levels of sexism among church members generally show that
*a. the most active church members are the most sexist, followed by inactive members.  The least sexist are nonmembers.
b. nonmembers are the most sexist, followed by inactive members.  The least sexist are the most active church members.
c. the inactive church members are the most sexist, followed by nonmembers. The least sexist are active church members.
d. church membership or levels of activity in a church are not related to tendencies to sexism.

2. Regarding gender concepts within the Judeo Christian tradition, which of the following is NOT true?
a. The ten commandments were written primarily to men.
*b. Wisdom, when it is personified in the Old Testament, is always depicted as masculine.
c. The New Testament indicates that Jesus violated many gender role taboos of his day.
d. In the ancient Hebrew tradition (the Christian "Old Testament" period), only males could symbolically be inducted into the covenanted community of God's people.
e. According to the Bible, a woman was "unclean" for seven days after the birth of a son but was "unclean" and defiled for fourteen days after the birth of a daughter.

3. Rosemary Reuther asserts that any belief system that divides all of life into two distinct realms, one of which is "higher" than the other, is universally associated with sexist thinking.  Women are always identified with the "lower" and "evil" side of the polarity.  Reuther calls such thinking
a. aligning actions.
b. dualistic feminization.
*c. hierarchical dualism.
d. malleus maleficarum.
e. rank order asceticism.

4. Roberts says that Jesus broke a number of norms for his day regarding gender relations.  Which of the following was NOT among those?
a. He claimed that a revelation from God had come to a woman.
b. He engaged in service activities, such as washing feet, which was normally assigned to women.
c. He described himself in feminine imagery, describing himself as a "mother hen."
*d. He encouraged women not to marry.
e. He spoke to whom he was not married when they were alone.

5. The "feminization of the American Christianity" began
a. during the Reformation.
b. during the 17th  century.
c. after world War II.
d. right after Pentecost.
*e. during the 19th century.

6. During the 19th century, when the industrial revolution was in full swing in North America, Jesus came to be viewed as
a. independent and self sufficient  (like any industrial leader must be).
b. a stern judge and firm task master (as any successful manager must be).
*c. tender hearted and self sacrificing (as any good mother or nurturer must be).
d. intellectual, thoughtful, and knowing (as upwardly mobile people must be).
e. consumed with his own growth needs (as any modern person must be).

7. According to Roberts, the feminization of American Christianity may have been the result of
a. women beginning to gain power in all areas of life.
*b. the dislodging of religion from direct access to political power.
c. the changing image of women away from perceptions of being irrational and emotional.
d. the wonderous effects of the "miracle motif."
e. all of the above.

8. Compared to women, men are more likely  to
a. rate religion as very important.
b. attend church weekly.
c. be a member of a church.
d. all of the above.
*e. none of the above.

9. One way that religious belonging factors contributed to gender misunderstanding and  discrimination is
*a. strict segregation of the sexes in worship and in other activities.
b. ensuring that men and women were on different sides in all conflicts, so that boundary lines of ethnicity, class, gender, and religion were mutually reinforcing and exclusive.
c. belief systems that defined sex as evil and then defined women as more sexual and sensuous.
d. belief systems that defined women as more spiritual and men as more profane and worldly.

10. Edward Lehman found that pulpit committees in American Baptist churches had a built in bias against hiring female pastors because
*a. they feared that doing so would be controversial and might undermine availability of resources to the organization.
b. pulpit committees were dominated by men .
c. they believe that men are better preachers.
d. contrary to denominational policy, pulpit committees tend to be dominated by persons who believe that the ordination of women is contrary to scriptural teachings.
e. none of the above;  he found no bias against women in the workings of pulpit committees.

11. Protestant congregations MOST likely to seek a woman as pastor are a. medium sized but growing congregations.
b. large, established congregations.
c. any multi staffed congregation needing a senior pastor.
*d. struggling congregations with few resources.
e. all of the the above are equally likely to seek a clergywoman.

12. Which of the following is NOT a finding from Edward Lehman's studies of women in ministry?
a. The majority of church members have no objection to having a woman minister.
b. A large majority of the most committed members (those usually elected to pastor search committees) believe that "most church members" are opposed to having a woman pastor.
c. Official denominational policies and pronouncements encourage local churches to accept women as senior pastors.
*d. The "healthiest" churches (organizationally) are most likely to accept women pastors.
e. Clergywomen still find barriers to placement and success in the ministry.

13. Roberts notes that witch hunts always seem to arise at times of profound social upheaval, tension, and change.  This observation would seem to suggest which theoretical perspective?
a. Structural functional theory.
*b. Conflict theory.
c. Symbolic interaction theory.
d. Rational choice theory.
e. Exchange theory.

14. Historical and anthropological research literature indicate that negative religious views of women (for example as witches, Satan worshippers, or sources of spiritual pollution) tend to develop at times when
*a. men are losing economic advantages.
b. women are losing economic advantages.
c. women withdraw from the labor market .
d. children leave the home.
e. religion is becoming feminized.

15. "Since women are feebler both in mind and body, it is not surprising that they should come under the spell of witchcraft ... All witchcraft comes from carnal lust, which is in women insatiable ... [F]or the sake of fulfilling their lusts they consort even with devils."  This statement is an excerpt from
a. testimony at a Salem witch trial.
b. the book of Deuteronomy in the Old Testament.
c. Aristotle's Pure Reason.
d. Paul's letter to the Roman's in the New Testament.
*e. The Malleus Maleficarum.

16. A misogynist is
a.  a person who practices old time ogynistic rituals.
*b.  a person who exhibits hatred and distrust of women.
c.  a man who has exhibitionist tendencies during religious rituals.
d. a women who is sexually abused during cultic rituals.
e. a person who leads the ceremonial at a Satanic cult ritual.

17. The cognitive structuralist perspective on religious sexism suggests that
a. dualistic theology causes sexism in society.
b. gender traditionalism is functional for the structure of society.
*c. dualistic theology and sexism are both the results of a certain stage of intellectual development or cognitive processing.
d. religious sexism is due to "cognitive mapping" of children through sex exclusive language in church hymns.
e. "intrinsically religious" people are less sexist than extrinsically religious ones.

18. A major thesis of Roberts's chapter on Christianity and sexism is that
a. Christianity, unlike most religions, is almost entirely free of sexism.
b. some Christians are sexist, but they are people with personality disorders and so do not represent the majority of Christians.
*c. a religious group may contribute to prejudice against women and engage in sexist actions, despite the fact that this bigotry contradicts the official meaning system of that denomination.
d. in contrast to religious racism, sexism is a relatively recent phenomenon in the Judeo Christian tradition.
e. all of the above.

19. Which of the following is NOT one of David Bromley's claims about the contemporary Satanic cult hysteria?
a. No  massive cult activity involving murders and animal mutilation is taking place; what is really occurring is a mass hysteria akin in many ways to the witch hunts of yesteryear.
b. Like the witch hunts, the sources of the anti Satanism movement reside in structural tensions within the society involve changing women's roles.
c. Anxiety about care of children has come out in a distorted and mystified expression , accusations of Satanism and formation of urban legends about danger to innocent youth.
d. The solution proposed by many anti Satanists is to try to entice women to return to the traditional role of mother and homemaker.
*e. As gender roles have changed and women have started working outside the home, an important shift has occurred in the United States:  the covenantal realm of life has expanded to take over contractual functions.