I Believe in Three Trivia Quiz

Answer: Pontius Pilate

Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar are the traditional names of the Three Wise Men (or Magi) who came to greet Jesus and give him gifts of myrrh, frankincense, and gold. These gifts were said to symbolise strength, prayer and purity. Meanwhile, Pontius Pilate was the judge who sentenced Jesus to death for conspiring against the Roman Empire, and has no relation to the Three Wise Men.

Although, he is said to have 'washed his hands' of the responsibility of doing so, suggesting that he was aware that Jesus was not guilty, or that there wasn't the evidence to convict him.

Answer: Vishnu

The three gods are said to embody the creation, preservation and destruction of the world. Brahma embodies creation, Vishnu preservation and Shiva destruction. Vishnu is often depicted as blue with four arms and holding items such as a staff and lotus flower.

He is said to return to the world when its balance is disturbed, and two of his avatars, Rama and Krishna, were written about in the epic stories Ramayana and Mahabharata respectively. The festival Diwali was originally celebrated as Rama (and his wife, Sita) returned to his home kingdom after 14 years of exile, and this festival has been honoured by Hindus since.

Answer: Al-Aqsa Mosque

Al-Aqsa Mosque is said to be a holy site because the prophet Muhammad, who founded Islam, came here once in the middle of night after his time spent in Mecca, considered one of, if not the most holy site for Muslims. Here, he prayed several times a day, and it became significant as a site of prayer, for those who sought liberation for comrades amongst other ideals.

The 'farthest mosque' title was given due to its large distance from Mecca, and it has been in the centre of a fierce battleground, as Israeli and Palestinians have had a long-lasting confrontation over who can enter the mosque.

Answer: Guru Nanak

The official names for the three pillars are Naam Japna (focus on God), Kirat Karni (honest living) and Vand Chakna (sharing in the community). The five virtues and five evils often accompany these three pillars as important aspects of the Sikh religion to follow.

One night, Guru Nanak was said to have gone into a river and did not surface. The fellow villagers thought he had died, but he eventually came back after three days and claimed to have been in communion with God. It was this event that made him have insight into the true nature of God, and he gave up his job to devote himself to spiritual matters. Since this occurred around the turn of the 16th century, Sikhism was thus founded about then.

Answer: Lakshmi

Lakshmi is a goddess of fortune, rather than a way of salvation. The goal of salvation is self-realisation, which is to remove a human from worldly attachments.

Bhakti is a devotion for God and to become one with God, both serving and being a friend to God.
Jnana is salvation through knowledge, through knowing the truth of the world and seeking such a truth. Finding this truth will lead to salvation, although it takes place through several stages.
Karma is salvation through selfless, 'good' behaviours. Selfish actions and wrongdoings will not lead to salvation.

These three paths overlap and can all play a part in the overall 'salvation' of a human. Not all of these paths have to be followed; if one is followed well enough, that can lead to salvation and merging with God.

Answer: Three jewels

The three jewels, or gems, are a metaphor which are central to all believers of Buddhism despite separate sects.

The Buddha denotes the key figure in Buddhism, who is known as the 'awakened one' and thus became enlightened when he 'woke up' to see what the world really is. This can represent the highest spiritual being present within all of us; the potential for us to be enlightened.

The Dhamma/Dharma are the teachings of the Buddha, which are seen as important because they play a role in the enlightenment of those who believe in Buddhism.

The Sangha is an ideal of the Buddha where there is no caste or hierarchy. This jewel embodies the community aspect of Buddhism, and this community is said to help provide a suitable environment to seek enlightenment.

Answer: Medium

The prayers are known as the short, medium and long prayers, and should be prayed as people are moved to pray them. Although there are many other optional prayers, believers must say at least one of these in a day. Those under 15, over 70, ill or weak, and travelers are exempt from this prayer (although travelers have an alternative verse they could recite).

The short prayer is supposed to be said at noon, once a day, and comprises a fairly short paragraph.
The medium prayer is supposed to be said in the morning, noon and evening, comprised of several paragraphs.
Finally, the long prayer is supposed to be said once a day, and, as the name suggests, is by the longest in terms of a single session of the three.

Answer: Heaven

As taught by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Heaven is divided into three kingdoms. Where people go will depend on their worthiness; even though there is a lower and higher kingdom, all of them are said to be above human comprehension.

The Celestial Kingdom is represented by the sun and is highest and most glorious kingdom. Some of the requirements to go to the Celestial Kingdom include being baptised in the name of Christ, being cleansed of all sins, obeying the commandments of God and having an enduring, overcoming faith.

The Terrestrial Kingdom is represented by the moon and those who go here do not bask in God's full glory, or with God, but do still receive some glory. Those who were honourable but blinded to the wicked ways of the world might come here, as might those who did not follow faith stringently whilst alive.

The Telestial Kingdom is represented by the stars. Those resurrected here will be the last of those resurrected, and cannot dwell with God or Jesus. Those who rejected God's scriptures might go here.

Those who deny the witness of the Holy Spirit will go to the Outer Darkness, or Hell, and are known as sons of perdition. They will not inhabit a kingdom of glory.

Answer: Murder

When someone is in danger, usually there are some sins that may be committed if there is good reason to do so (in Judaism). However, in the case of idolatry, sexual misconduct, and murder, one should accept death rather than transgress one of these sins.

In the case of murder, the question was asked in the Talmud, a central text of Judaism, "Rather than slay another person, you must permit yourself to be slain, for how do you know that your blood is redder than his, perhaps his blood is redder than yours?" suggesting that one cannot know who is the 'better' person, so should let themself be killed in such a circumstance.

Answer: True

The Wiccan Rule of Three is similar to karma in Buddhism in terms of the cause-effect cycle: that when an action is taken, there will be a consequence, good or bad. However, in Wiccan belief, the threefold return may be literal (i.e. feeling three times the pain as was delivered) or may apply to three separate regions of one's life (physical, emotional and spiritual realms).

The Wiccan Rede states that "if you harm none, do what you will" and, along with the Rule of Three, helps govern the ethical practices of Wiccan believers.