MH Religious Studies and Ethics 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which ethical theory holds that the morality of an action is determined solely by its consequences for overall well-being?
- Consequentialism (Correct answer)
- Deontology
- Virtue ethics
- Divine command theory
Correct answer: Consequentialism
Consequentialism, including utilitarianism, evaluates actions based on outcomes, aiming to maximize well-being or minimize harm across all affected parties.
Question 2: Immanuel Kant's 'categorical imperative' in its first formulation states that one should act only according to maxims that could be:
- Universalized as laws for all rational beings (Correct answer)
- Approved by the majority
- Beneficial to personal happiness
- Consistent with religious doctrine
Correct answer: Universalized as laws for all rational beings
Kant's first formulation of the categorical imperative requires that moral actions must be based on principles one could will to be universal laws.
Question 3: In the academic study of religion, Mircea Eliade's concept of 'hierophany' refers to:
- A manifestation of the sacred in the profane world (Correct answer)
- The founding narrative of a religious tradition
- A ritual space designated as holy
- The experience of mystical union with the divine
Correct answer: A manifestation of the sacred in the profane world
Eliade defined hierophany as any appearance of the sacred in ordinary reality — a stone, tree, or event that reveals something holy.
Question 4: The 'is-ought' problem, articulated by David Hume, argues that:
- Moral claims cannot be logically derived from factual statements alone (Correct answer)
- Scientific facts determine ethical norms
- What exists is the same as what ought to exist
- Religious law and natural law always align
Correct answer: Moral claims cannot be logically derived from factual statements alone
Hume observed that arguments frequently slip from descriptions of what 'is' the case to prescriptions of what 'ought' to be, without justifying the transition.
Question 5: The concept of 'theodicy' in religious studies refers to the attempt to reconcile:
- The existence of evil with the existence of an all-good, all-powerful God (Correct answer)
- Different religious traditions with one another
- Faith and scientific rationality
- Individual morality with social ethics
Correct answer: The existence of evil with the existence of an all-good, all-powerful God
Theodicy addresses the philosophical problem of why a benevolent, omnipotent God permits suffering and evil in the world.
Question 6: Which sociologist argued that religion serves the function of binding communities together through collective rituals in 'The Elementary Forms of Religious Life' (1912)?
- Émile Durkheim (Correct answer)
- Max Weber
- Karl Marx
- William James
Correct answer: Émile Durkheim
Durkheim studied Australian Aboriginal religion and concluded that religious rituals create social cohesion by affirming shared values and collective identity.
MH Religious Studies and Ethics 1
Which ethical theory holds that the morality of an action is determined solely by its consequences for overall well-being?