Gods and Stories and Beliefs, Oh My! Quiz

Answer: Shinto

Shinto shrines exist throughout Japan, honouring the spirit or "Kami" of the place, typically a site of natural beauty or wonder, such as a mountain or waterfall. Amaterasu, the Sun Goddess, is a major figure in the religion.

Answer: Hinduism

There are many forms of Hinduism, and very many gods and goddesses are woven into the daily fabric of life in India. Hindus work to achieve dharma, a way of life based on good morality. The ultimate goal is to achieve "moksha", which ends the cycle of rebirth and allows the spirit to become part of the absolute soul.

Answer: Buddhism

Siddhartha Gautama lived about 500 years BCE. His teachings on the Middle Way, a path between indulgence and self-denial, promoted meditation and insight to achieve inner peace, end rebirth, which is the continuation of suffering, and to achieve Nirvana (a similar state to the Hindu "moksha").

Answer: Animism

The term Animism stems from the Latin "anima", meaning breath, spirit or life. It is based on the belief that human, animal, plants, rocks and rivers, even the weather, have life and a spiritual existence. It is possibly one of the earliest beliefs held by primitive man, and remains a fundamental tenet, not only of remote tribespeople, who may or may not have a formal "religion", but also of some more organised and sophisticated religions such as Shinto, Buddhism and Hinduism.

Answer: Bahai'i Faith

While Bahá'í is a monotheistic religion, it teaches that each of the world's great religious leaders has brought a progressively advanced set of ideas and morality to his followers. Bahá'í shares with these religions basic values of charity, honesty and good neighborliness.

Answer: Scientology

In 1950 L. Ron Hubbard wrote a self-help psychology book called "Dianetics: the Modern Science of Mental Health". After the collapse of the Dianetics organisation he founded the Church of Scientology, which counts a number of celebrities in its ranks.

Answer: Zoroastrianism

Zoroastrianism is also known as Mazdayasna (Ahura Mazda is the religion's Supreme Being), and owes its origins in Ancient Persia to the prophet known as Zoroaster or Zarathustra.

Answer: Druidry

Modern Druidry started to gain momentum in the Romanticist movement in Britain. Some forms are modern Pagan religions. The essential underlying belief is respect for all beings and harmony with the natural world.

Answer: Rastafari

Rastafari grew out of racial oppression in Jamaica, where slavery was common, and continued to influence the culture of the country into the 21st century. Rastafarians believe that black people who were taken out of Africa as slaves, and those who are descended from them, were living in exile.

Their core belief is that God, in the form of Haile Selassie, will bring about the repatriation of all people in the black community. Although Haile Selassie is considered to be God, he did not regard himself to be God.

In 1920, Marcus Garvey made a prophecy that a black king would "be the Redeemer", so when Haile Selassie was crowned a decade later, some people considered him to be the prophesised king.

Answer: Hellenism

Hellenism is not an organised religion, nonetheless it is alive and well. Also known as Dodekatheism (worship of the twelve gods), adherents practise their own rituals, and try to conform to the ideals of the Ancients: moderation, hospitality, self-control. They also continue to honour the lesser gods of woods and forests, and the ancient heroes.