Alternative Religions Trivia Quiz

Answer: Druidism

There is little first-hand knowledge on this ancient culture, as all information was passed on orally and learned through mnemonics. Julius Caesar was the writer of the most important knowledge that exists on Druids. He was a priest himself and interested in the beliefs of others.

Remnants of Druidism exist today and, although these are based on the ancient culture, no demonstrable direct links have been found.

Answer: Jediism

Jedi believe that everything originates from the Force and adhere to the Jedi code:
-Jedi are the guardians of peace in the galaxy.
-Jedi use their powers to defend and protect, never to attack others.
-Jedi respect all life, in any form.
-Jedi serve others rather than rule over them, for the good of the galaxy.
-Jedi seek to improve themselves through knowledge and training.

In the 2001 New Zealand census, if it was counted as a religion, Jedi would have been the second largest, after Christianity, with 1.5 percent of the population claiming to be Jedi.

*The Jedi code was sourced from Wikipedia (although there are other websites that I found it on).

Answer: Rastafarianism

Rastafarians accept Haile Selassie I as the incarnation of God, known as Jah, or Jah Rastafari.

The Rastafarian movement emerged in the 1930s, mainly from Jamaica, and regard Zion (Africa - and in particular, Ethiopia) as the 'Promised Land' of Moses. They see themselves as children of God and the true descendants of David, as defined in the Old Testament.

Many Rastafarians are strict vegetarians who don't drink alcohol but smoke cannabis, known as the 'Holy Herb', as this is considered being filled with the Holy Spirit.

Bedwardism is more properly known as Jamaica Native Baptist Free Church, Obeah is a West Indies term used to refer to magic as used for religious reasons (folk magic, sorcery, etc), and the Bahá'í Faith originated in the Middle East in the nineteenth century.

Answer: Thelema

In 1904, Aleister Crowley was involved in a series of events which, in April of the same year, led to him writing the three chapters (220 verses) of The Book of the Law, on which the religion of Thelema is based. Proponents of the religion hold the belief that every person possesses a True Will and that the Law of Thelema is that of Love.

The main point of Thelema is that "each person has the right to fulfill themselves through whatever beliefs and actions are best suited to them (so long as they do not interfere with the will of others), and only they themselves are qualified to determine what these are." (From the Thelema 101 site).

Mandaeism is historically practiced in southern Iraq and western Iran (Khuzestan Province), Ásatrú is similar to the Old Norse faith and Jediism is based on ideas as presented in the 'Star Wars' movies.

Answer: Ásatrú

Ásatrú, Heathenry and Odinism are all forms of Germanic Neopaganism, yet only Ásatrú was founded by Sveinbjörn Beinteinsson.

The Íslenska Ásatrúarfélagiđ ('Icelandic fellowship of Ćsir faith') was recognised in 1973 by the Icelandic government as a religious body. Denmark and Norway have since followed this lead.

Ásatrú is a polytheistic religion with three different types of deities:
-Aesir - the gods of the tribe or clan, representing kingship, order, craft, etc.
-Vanir - gods of the fertility of the earth and forces of nature
-Jotnar - giant-gods who are in a constant state of war with the Aesir, representing chaos and destruction

The four main deities of Ásatrú are as for Germanic religions - Odin, Thos, Freyr and Freyja, with four minor deities - Njord, Tyr, Ullr and Loki.

Heathenry is used to describe both the old and newer faiths as practiced in the Nordic region. It is also used by those who are re-creating the old religion from archaeological and literary sources. In his 1848 Letter to Protestants, Orestes Brownson (first) used the term 'Odinism'. Odinism mainly refers to the Odinic Rite in which members are encouraged to live their lives according to the Nine Charges and the Nine Noble Virtues.

Answer: Raëlism

Raëlism is based on the belief that ancient extraterrestrials resembling humans (Elohim) have contacted people on Earth in order for them to ready humanity for understanding the origin of life on Earth in preparation for a worldwide welcoming of Elohim and their messengers. The world 'Elohim' is a Hebrew word meaning 'those who came from the sky', and is used to refer to the non-Earth humans who Raëlism followers believe created life on Earth.

Followers of Raëlism also believe that Jesus Christ was resurrected through a scientific cloning process, including memory transfer, by the Elohim and, as such, are advocates for furthering the knowledge and practice of cloning.

Falun Gong was founded in China in 1992, Godianism (or Chiism) was founded in Nigeria in 1948, and Unitarian Universalism was formed in 1961 after the merger of two Christian religions (Universalist Church in America and the American Unitarian Association).

Answer: Impregnating as many women as possible

Shamanism comes from the Manchu-Tungus (spoken in Eastern Siberia and Manchuria) word 'saman' and literally translates to 'one who knows'. Various cultures follow this type of religion, with similarities between them being the ability to heal the sick, escorting souls of the dead to the otherworld and to communicate with the otherworld. The Shaman is a person believed to have achieved their power through trance or ecstatic religious experience.

According to Encyclopaedia Britannica online, the term 'Shaman' refers to those religious systems of northern and central Asia. 'Shaman' is also used among indigenous groups in which "the role of healer, religious leader, counselor, and councillor are combined."

Answer: Louisiana Voodoo

The slave trade was a catalyst to the mixing of the Catholic and Voodoo religions with the French-speaking culture of New Orleans and resulting in Louisiana Voodoo (or New Orleans Voodoo). Louisiana Voodoo is similar to, and often confused with, Haitian Vodou and southeastern US hoodoo.

Louisiana Voodoo has no sacred book as its teachings are oral-based. It is a dynamic religion in which beliefs vary from person to person.

Umbanda, Obeah, Abakua are all voodoo religions. Umbanda was developed in Brazil, Obeah was formed in Jamaica, and Abakua was formed in Cuba.

Answer: Wicca

Although based on ancient traditional Witchcraft, Wicca is quite a modern religion. It was popularized by Gerald Gardner (a retired British Civil Servant) in 1954.

According to the Wicca website, "Wicca is a very peaceful, harmonious and balanced way of thinking and life which promotes oneness with the divine and all which exists." It is an appreciation of the simple things in nature and "to be a Witch is to be a healer, a teacher, a seeker, a giver, and a protector of all things."

Although all answer options are termed as neopagan religious movements, of the four, only Wicca uses the (upright) pentagram as a symbol of faith.

Answer: Satanism

There are several different types of Satanism around today, of which most appeared in the 1960s. The Church of Satan was founded in 1966 by Anton LaVey, who was also High Priest of the Church of Satan from its inception until his death in 1997.

The Order of Nine Angles was formed in the UK in the 1960s after a merger of three other neopagan temples. After a period of public notoriety in the 1980s and 1990s, it is believed that the Order of Nine Angles has "gone back to being totally underground, having completed their mission to spread their work". (Satanism website)

The Temple of Set was formed in 1975 by Lt Colonel Michael A Aquino (US Army) and other former priesthood members of the Church of Satan. The Temple of Set claim to be "the world's leading left-hand path religious organization".