Against My Religion Trivia Quiz

Answer: Ignatius of Antioch

Not a whole lot is known about the life of Ignatius of Antioch, including when he was born. He was born in Roman Syria and was said to have converted to Christianity at a young age. As a Christian writer, he was one of the first to emphasize the importance of loyalty to a single bishop in a specific area.

As a prisoner, he was transported to Rome by a group of ten Roman soldiers where he was to be put to death. It was unusual for martyrs to be transported from where they lived and there isn't a lot of agreement amongst scholars as to why Ignatius of Antioch was sent to Rome.

While enroute and in chains, he was allowed to meet with other Christians and he wrote a series of letters detailing the journey. In his letters, he wrote that he would likely be killed by lions.

The actual date of his death is also debated but after his death, his remains were transported back to Antioch.

Answer: Kirk Cameron

Kirk Cameron is an American actor who spent a number of years on the TV show "Growing Pains." In his early teens he was an atheist, however, became a born-again Christian at the age of seventeen. He wanted to influence the writing of the show, keeping out anything inappropriate or too adult for young audiences.

When the show ended, he maintained no contact with the rest of the cast and left Hollywood. He formed a ministry called "The Way of the Master" and is a fervent and outspoken advocate for his beliefs.

He released a faith-based movie called "Saving Christmas" which was panned by critics. His very conservative and traditional views are often met with backlash and harsh criticism.

Answer: Leah Remini

Leah Remini joined the Church of Scientology as a child when her mother joined. She was taken to join the paramilitary organization called the Sea Organization which separated parents from children and where children are put to work. In 2013 she left and has been very critical of many of the policies.

She has talked about the inability to ask questions and the fact that she can no longer have contact with current members. She co-produced and hosted a documentary called "Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath" and released a book about her experiences.

She claims that she was bullied, blackballed and underwent thought modification until she finally left. In order for her to have contact with her family, they had to leave as well.

Answer: Michael Servetus

Servetus was a polymath in the early 1500s who was knowledgeable in many sciences including math, astronomy, medicine, anatomy and meteorology. He rejected the Trinity doctrine of the Catholic church and participated in the Protestant Reformation. In 1553 he published a work called "The Restoration of Christianity" that included two critical pieces - one was the first published description of the pulmonary circulatory system in Europe.

The other was the fact that he did not agree with Catholic doctrine that souls are condemned to Hell by God regardless of deed, word or thought. Servetus was denounced as a heretic and while fleeing, was arrested and imprisoned.

He was burned at the stake on a pyre of his own books on October 27th, 1553.

Answer: Galileo Galilei

Alive 1564-1642, Galileo made countless contributions to astronomy. He invented the thermoscope and military compasses and used telescopes to observe planets and starts. He also studied studied speed and velocity, gravity and free fall, the principle of relativity, inertia and projectile motion.

When he championed the fact that the Earth revolved around the sun from both a scientific and religious perspective, he was charged with heresy. He had offended the Pope and Catholic church and was brought to trial and threatened with torture.

He wasn't tortured but was found "vehemently suspect of heresy" (not guilty of heresy) and sentenced to house arrest. He remained there until his death.

Answer: Saint Afra

Saint Afra converted to Christianity after being influenced by the teachings of Bishop Narcissus. She was brought before Diocletian and ordered to renounce her new faith but she refused. There is a source that shares that originally Afra was a prostitute in Augsburg which is where she met the Bishop who was seeking refuge from persecution.

Her family was converted to Christianity and she hid the Bishop. When it was found out that she was a Christian and wouldn't sacrifice to the Pagan Gods, she was condemned to death.

There are two accounts of her death, one is that she was burned at the stake on a small island. Allegedly her mother and two handmaids were also burned at the stake a small time after for burying her in a burial vault. The second account of her death is that she was beheaded, although this one is not how her story is popularly depicted.

Answer: Joan of Arc

Joan of Arc is considered a heroine in France. As a teenager, she said that she received visions telling her to help in the fight against England. She did dress as a male soldier in order to pass through some hostile territory, which later led to the charge of crossdressing.

She participated in military campaigns and helped to boost morale and victory for France. She was captured and turned over to the English who charged her with heresy. While imprisoned, she tried to escape several times, including jumping from a seventy-foot tower.

Her sham of a trial drew much criticism after. There was a low standard of evidence, forced cooperation with the English, and transcripts were falsified. While in prison, Joan asked to continue to wear the clothing of soldiers instead of the more feminine dress as it would help to keep her safe from rape.

She was condemned and burned at the stake.

Answer: Martin Luther

This priest, professor, composer and author lived November 1483 to February 1546. He wrote in German in order to spread his views more broadly and translated the Bible into German. This had a profound impact on Germany and the church. He came to reject teachings and practices of the Catholic church and refused to back down from his writings.

He felt that the church was corrupt and had lost sight of the true meaning of Christianity. His quarrel with Rome came to a head in 1521 when he was called to the Diet of Worms to renounce his views.

He refused and he was excommunicated by the Pope and condemned as an outlaw. Although it took its toll, luckily for him his fate wasn't torture or execution and he lived until 1546, dying at the age of sixty-two.

Answer: Helen Berhane

Helen Berhane is a Christian singer who was arrested in 2004 in Eritrea. She refused to give up her evangelical activities and was imprisoned in a shipping container for almost three years. She was not charged with anything nor was she brought to court.

In addition, she had no legal representation or medical care and Amnesty International took up her case. In 2006 she was quite ill and released from prison. She escaped with her daughter and was granted amnesty in Denmark. In 2010, the UK denied her an entry visa despite hearing her harrowing story of her persecution.

She wrote a book about her experiences called "Song of the Nightingale" which details the horrific and inhumane treatment herself and other Christians received.

Answer: Saint Cecilia

The legend surrounding Saint Cecilia is that despite having taken a vow of virginity, her parents arranged for her to be married to a pagan nobleman named Valerian. At her wedding, she sat off by herself and sang to the Lord, which is why she became known as the Saint of music and musicians. On her wedding night, she told Valerian that he would be punished if he forced her to have sex with him as she was being watched by an angel.

He asked to see the angel and after being baptized, saw the angel standing next to her. Saint Cecilia converted hundreds of people which contributed to her and her husbands downfall. Valerian and his brother were both executed by beheading.

The story of her death is more grisly, there was an attempt to behead her however she lived for three days before finally succumbing to her wounds.

In those three days, though, she kept preaching and asked the Pope to convert her home into a church.