MODULE 9

Question 1: Why do you think that the conception of people who have the innate ability to do evil is found in so many different cultures?

Question 2: Do you think Mary from Roman Catholicism should be classified as a goddess? Why or why not?

Question 3: Given the Catholic beliefs in the Trinity, do you believe that the religion should be labeled from an etic perspective as monotheistic or polytheistic? Why?

Question 4: Why do you think atheism is uncommon in the United States? Why is it more common in Europe?

MODULE 10

Question 1: Why do you think that the conception of people who have the innate ability to do evil is found in so many different cultures?

Question 2: Do we have any similar ideas in our modern culture?

Question 3: What conceptions do modern Americans have of witchcraft and witches?

Question 4: In what ways does witchcraft reflect human culture and human nature?

Question 5: What is meant by the statement that the main way of becoming a witch is to be accused of being one? What are the implications for understanding the ways in which witchcraft accusations function in a society?

Question 6: What do you think of the role of the church in theEuropean witch craze? How has the Catholic Church in more modern times dealtwith such issues in its past as the Inquisition and the Crusades? Does themodern church bear any responsibility for these past actions?

Question 7: In many cultures witches are equally male or female, but in Europe and America witches are predominantly female. What was the underlying gender ideology that made this the case? Do you think this is still true? If so, to what extent?

MODULE 11

Question 1: Under what conditions do revitalization movements occur? Do any of these conditions exist in the United States?

Question 2: In what ways are the Satanist and Wiccan religions similar? In what ways are they different?

Question 3: Why do people join high demand religious groups?

Question 4: Why do we label some religions as cults? Do you think this term should be used to describe any religious groups? If so, in what cases?

Question 5: Do you think mind control is possible?

Question 6: Should there by any limits to the free exercise of religion? If so, what?

Question 7: Are UFO religions really religions? Why or whynot? In what ways are descriptions of alien abductions descriptions of areligious experience?

Question 8: The past decades in the United States have seena decline in membership in traditional mainstream religions but an increase inmembership in both New Age/Pagan religions and fundamentalist religions. Inwhat ways are these two types of religious movements very different? In whatways are they similar? Why do you think they have been popular whiletraditional religions have declined?

Question 9: Why do you think religiously motivated violence has increased in recent decades? Why do you think people commit such acts?

Question 10: Mark Jurgensmeyer argues that acts of religious terrorism are highly symbolic and can be analyzed in much the same way that religious ritual is. What are the symbolic elements of such an act? In what ways are they like rituals?