The questions for this exam are intended to give you a chance to make cross-comparisons among the various theories we have looked at, as a way of giving you a larger map of the territory rather than end up only with familiarity with individuals pieces of the terrain, though ability to describe these individual pieces will provide a starting point for your comparisons.  Major aspects that allow for comparisons include these: a common tendency to use functionalist reductionism to explain the origin and function of religion, as well as a range of types of explanation of the origin of religion – intellectualist, psychological, genetic, and sociological. 1.Both Tylor and Feuerbach have somewhat intellectualist theories of religion, in that both think that it is human awareness of certain questions which lead people to believe there are anthropomorphic beings or a Being.  Describe these two different theories of why people believe in spiritual beings or Beings, but also describe the differences between the two theories. 2.Both Marx and Freud accepted Feuerbach’s basic idea that people create God, so to speak, rather than the other way around.  Explain their basic ideas about how and why we do this, particularly the differences in the two theories as to what particular human need or needs are being fulfilled by belief in God. 3.Both Barrett and Guthrie think that the human tendency to believe in anthropomorphic beings have a genetic origin.  Barrett does not much speculate on the origin of this tendency itself.  Guthrie, however, does.  Describe both Barrett’s type of evidence that children do this, and also describe Guthrie’s theory as to the origin of this tendency. 4.Berger provides a sociological theory focused on the problem of human identity and social stability.  He does not provide an explanation, however, of how humankind might have hit upon using “cosmization in a sacred mode” as a way of solving this problem.  First describe his basic theory in some detail.  Then discuss how this might be characterized also as a “functional reductionism.” 5.Feuerbach, Freud, and Barrett (see the last paragraphs on the sheet summarizing his views) all address the response theologians have made to their theories about anthropomorphizations by saying the only valid description of God is non-anthropomorphic.  Describe the non-anthropomorphic notion of God (see #3 on the pink handout with 3 notions of God), and describe how Feuerbach, Freud, and Barrett respond to the theologians.  (You will find material for this in the handout from Feuerbach, and in Pals’ analysis and critique of Freud). .

1. The questions for this exam are intended to give you a chance to
make cross-comparisons among the various theories we have
looked at, as a way of giving you a larger map of the territory
rather than end up only with familiarity with individuals pieces
of the terrain, though ability to describe these individual pieces
will provide a starting point for your comparisons. Major
aspects that allow for comparisons include these: a common
tendency to use functionalist reductionism to explain the origin
and function of religion, as well as a range of types of
explanation of the origin of religion – intellectualist,
psychological, genetic, and sociological.
1.Both Tylor and Feuerbach have somewhat intellectualist
theories of religion, in that both think that it is human
awareness of certain questions which lead people to believe
there are anthropomorphic beings or a Being. Describe these
two different theories of why people believe in spiritual beings
or Beings, but also describe the differences between the two
theories.
2.Both Marx and Freud accepted Feuerbach’s basic idea that
people create God, so to speak, rather than the other way
around. Explain their basic ideas about how and why we do
this, particularly the differences in the two theories as to what
particular human need or needs are being fulfilled by belief in
God.
3.Both Barrett and Guthrie think that the human tendency to
believe in anthropomorphic beings have a genetic origin.
Barrett does not much speculate on the origin of this tendency
itself. Guthrie, however, does. Describe both Barrett’s type of
evidence that children do this, and also describe Guthrie’s
theory as to the origin of this tendency.
4.Berger provides a sociological theory focused on the problem

2. of human identity and social stability. He does not provide an
explanation, however, of how humankind might have hit upon
using “cosmization in a sacred mode” as a way of solving this
problem. First describe his basic theory in some detail. Then
discuss how this might be characterized also as a “functional
reductionism.”
5.Feuerbach, Freud, and Barrett (see the last paragraphs on the
sheet summarizing his views) all address the response
theologians have made to their theories about
anthropomorphizations by saying the only valid description of
God is non-anthropomorphic. Describe the non-
anthropomorphic notion of God (see #3 on the pink handout
with 3 notions of God), and describe how Feuerbach, Freud, and
Barrett respond to the theologians. (You will find material for
this in the handout from Feuerbach, and in Pals’ analysis and
critique of Freud).