What Can You Say About God? Trivia Quiz

Answer: Thomas Aquinas

Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) was an Italian Dominican friar, Catholic priest and theologian whose philosophies and writings have tremendously influenced the Catholic Church over the centuries and to this day. His teachings on faith and reason are at the core of what is studied by those aspiring to the priesthood.

The quote is from the "Summa Theologica II-II," a comprehensive statement and guide on all the major teachings of the Church. Luther made his mark in the 16th century, Mother Theresa made hers in the 20th, and Thomas Becket was the 12th century cleric who was murdered by followers of King Henry II of England while serving as Archbishop of Canterbury.

Answer: Thomas Jefferson

Falwell, the televangelist and leader of the so called "moral majority" who died in 2007, could never have made such a statement. Lincoln might have, but in fact it was Jefferson who wrote these words in "Notes on the State of Virginia, Query XVIII: Manners" in 1781.

Interestingly, this missive makes it clear that Jefferson was deeply troubled by the existence of slavery, and in fact saw it as morally indefensible and damaging to slave and slave owner as well. It is ironic that eighty years before the civil war, this most powerful, influential "father of our country," himself a slave owner, already saw the institution as doomed. Booker T. Washington was one of the most famous African-Americans of the 19th century.

He was born in 1856, just before the civil war.

As a freed slave, he became, in his time, the preeminent leader of black empowerment through education, founding the Tuskegee Institute and tirelessly working for reform.

Answer: Lenny Bruce

Lenny Bruce (1925-1966) was the ahead-of-his time stand-up comedian who made this statement. His nightclub act was thought provoking, sometimes serious, often bitingly hilarious, sprinkled with obscenities, and so inflammatory as to bring censorship and ultimately the law down upon him.

After being repeatedly harassed and jailed on questionable charges, Bruce eventually succumbed to a drug habit and died at age 40.

Answer: Soren Kierkegaard

Kierkegaard (1813-1855) was an influential philosopher who pioneered and advanced existential philosophy. He wrote extensively on Christianity, ethics, morality and the plight of the individual. The other philosophers were German, and all of them disputed or at least questioned the existence and/or 'utility' of God.

Answer: "The only difference between the saint and the sinner is that every saint has a past and every sinner has a future."

This quote comes from Wilde's 1891 novel "The Picture of Dorian Gray" (p.218). The "ethical man" quote is from Mark Twain. The "God pays" quote is an old Dutch proverb. The "what men ask of God" quote is from that most quoted person in history - Anonymous!

Answer: The Beatles

This was John Lennon and he was speaking about the Beatles. The quote is from a 1966 interview conducted by journalist Maureen Cleaves and published in "The London Evening Standard."

The full quote is: "Christianity will shrink and vanish. I'm right and I'll be proved right. We're more popular than Jesus now; I don't know which will go first- Christianity or rock and roll. Jesus was all right, but his disciples were thick and ordinary. It's them twisting it that ruins it for me."

Ironically, the statement went largely unnoticed in Britain and only generated controversy when reprinted out of context some months later in a teen magazine in the America just before the Beatles began a tour of the States. Some U.S. radio stations stopped playing Beatles records, and there were some community protests with record burnings, especially in the "Bible Belt." Many others came to the defense of the Beatles, but the whole experience soured their tour, and they subsequently retreated into the studio for the remainder of their time as a group.

Answer: "Monkeys are superior to men in this: When a monkey looks into a mirror, he sees a monkey."

Chazal (1902-1981) was was born on the small island in the south Indian Ocean. He began writing down thoughts in his thirties and soon published a volume of "pensées" in his native French. These were mostly short philosophical ruminations on his observation of people and their behavior.

He was struck by man's pride and often commented on it. He also took up painting in his fifties under the influence of French artist Georges Braque. The "sin" quote is from "Timon Of Athens"; the "mercy" quote is from "Hamlet"; the "serve God" quote is from "Henry the VIII."

Answer: inscribed over a fireplace at Princeton University

Einstein began a long teaching relationship when he first visited Princeton in 1921 to receive an honorary degree and give a series of lectures. In describing his opposition to quantum physics, he made this statement, which is in fact carved above a fireplace in the Fine Hall common room on campus. Einstein died in a New Jersey hospital in 1955 at the age of seventy six.

He was cremated and the location of his ashes is unknown. Richard Dawkins is the well known British humanist and atheist.

Answer: "There is no god but God. Muhammad is the prophet of God." - Islam

The statement matched with Islam is taken directly from the Koran, and is the only choice representing real doctrine. It codifies the monotheistic nature of the religion and positions Muhammad as it's founding prophet. The Unitarian Church, one of the least dogmatic of Christian sects, is known for its openness, tolerance, and strong commitment to social activism.

The quote from a 1948 "Time Magazine" article good-naturedly points out how there is great diversity among Unitarians regarding even the most basic issues of doctrine.

Answer: lame.....blind

This quote comes from Einstein's "Esaay on Science and Religion," published in 1954. It has been used by some of a religious persuasion as "proof" or evidence that Einstein was a believer or at least not an atheist. The compatibility of religion and science is a hotly debated subject, with debaters often attempting to line up great thinkers from history to buttress their arguments.

A careful reading of the complete essay still leaves ambiguity as to Einstein's beliefs about religion and God.