I Did It My Way Trivia Quiz

Answer: Judaism

The ceremony called a bris or brit milah is traditionally performed when a boy reaches eight days of age (although this can be postponed in cases where it is medically advisable). This time is based on the teaching that seven days is required for the soul to transcend the physical world. After that, the covenant can be meaningfully made between the newborn and God, as has been practiced since the time of Abraham.

Male circumcision is also widely practiced in Islamic cultures, but there is no common agreement as to the ideal age, which varies from infancy until adolescence, with the most common age for circumcision being about five.

Answer: Baha'i

The concept of service is very important to members of the Baha'i faith, which was founded in Iran in 1844 and now has more than 5 million followers. Believers consider all religions to be stages in the ongoing revelation of Faith, and promote interfaith activities along with the establishment of a world community which provides equal rights for all, and the elimination of extremes of wealth and poverty.

Answer: Jainism

Jainism, also called Jain Dharma, is an ancient Indian religion whose members try to progress towards union with divine consciousness (becoming a jina, or conqueror) through peace and non-violence towards all living things. Jains have had significant influence on other religious and political groups in India, as well as individuals such as Mahatma Gandhi.

Their non-violent approach to food obviously makes them avoid meat; many also refuse any food derived from an animal due to the cruelty involved in many farming practices, and most do not eat root vegetables (especially potatoes, garlic and onions), as harvesting them destroys the plant.

There are about 10 million practicing Jains in India early in the 21st century.

Answer: St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church

For Roman Catholics (and members of a number of other Christian denominations) Ash Wednesday is a day of repentance on which they commit themselves to leaving behind sinful attitudes and indulgent behaviors during the liturgical season of Lent, in preparation for the celebration of Jesus' resurrection at Easter. It is a movable feast, celebrated 46 days before Easter. Since Easter is celebrated (in the Western tradition) on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Vernal Equinox (which is considered to be March 21, despite the fact that the astronomical equinox can vary by a few days), Ash Wednesday can occur any time between February 4 and March 10.

Most Orthodox churches start their observance of Great Lent with Clean Monday. Baptists, along with many Protestant churches, may hold a service to observe Ash Wednesday, but the distribution of ashes is not usually a feature of these services. Melbourne City Synagogue is a Jewish place of worship, where Ash Wednesday, Lent and Easter are not observed, as they are Christian traditions.

Answer: Shinto

The practice of Shinto is based on the unification of a number of prehistoric spiritual practices in Japan which were first formally recorded around 700CE. The formal centralization of ritual is thought to have been in response to the arrival of Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism in Japan starting in the 6th century.

Shinto is characterised by the worship of nature and ancestors, with an emphasis on ritual purity and honoring kami. The concept of kami is difficult to encapsulate in translation - it involves spiritual essence and deity, and is associated with both a variety of living (animals, trees) and non-living (waterfalls, rock formations) things. Many Japanese observe Shinto rituals, although they may also incorporate other forms of worship into their practices. In particular, Buddhism and Shinto have formed a syncretic relationship in Japan, and it is common for 'life' activities such as birth or marriage to be observed with Shinto rites, while 'death' activities such as funerals are observed with Buddhist rites.

Answer: Seventh-day Adventists

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is usually considered a non-traditional Christian sect: belief in Jesus Christ is central to their religion, but many other aspects are in sharp contrast to the majority of Christian denominations. They believe that Jesus continually reveals His will by means of revelation to humans, especially the President of the Church. Most of the texts in which they believe this revelation can be found (in addition to the Bible) were dictated by their founder, Joseph Smith.

They include Biblical texts unknown to (or overlooked by) earlier Christian writers, writings of forgotten ancient prophets and Biblical exegesis (commentary on and explanation of the meaning of texts).

Answer: Islam

A Muslim ('one who submits') is a follower of Islam, a religion based on the Qu'uran and on the teachings of the prophet Muhammad. There are five practices that are considered central to Islam, which are called the Five Pillars of Islam. They are Shahadah (the statement recited in prayer affirming that there is one God and that Muhammad is His messenger), Salah (ritual prayer to be completed five times each day), Sawm (fasting from dawn to dusk during Ramadan), Zakat (alms-giving) and Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca during the month of Dhu al-Hijjah).

Answer: Scientology

Scientology is a system of beliefs and practices established by science-fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, starting in 1952. The Church of Scientology was incorporated in New Jersey in 1953, and Scientology is recognized (as of 2010) as a tax-exempt religion in the United States and some other countries, including here in Australia, but not in others, including Canada. 'Auditing' courses are available to members, following appropriate monetary donation, to help them become free of traumatic experiences in their past (both in this life and in previous lives) by consciously re-experiencing them.

This is intended to help them progress from ignorance to the liberation of the immortal alien spiritual being, called a thetan, which is trapped within the physical human body, as well as allowing them to tap into previously-unrealised potentials within themselves.

Answer: Ed Wood

Woodism, about which you can gain information by visiting The Church of Ed Wood, makes the following statement about their beliefs on their homepage:

"We follow the late cult director Edward D. Wood Jr., and we look to him as a savior. We at The Church of Ed Wood use Ed and his films to inject spirituality into those who get little fulfillment from more mainstream religions like Christianity. By looking at his films and his life, we learn to lead happy, positive lives. We strive for acceptance of others and of the self."

And, as the message you receive when accessing the site tells you, "yes, we're TOTALLY serious!"

Answer: Flying Spaghetti Monster

The Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, also referred to as Pastafarianism, has a set of beliefs that are satirically based on Creationism. They include an invisible and undetectable creator resembling spaghetti and meatballs, after whom the religion takes its name. Pirates are considered the original Pastafarians, and it is argued that most of the world's problems are related to the decreasing numbers of pirates in the world. Their holy day is Friday, and all major feasts, including Ramendan and Pastaover, fall on Fridays. To find out more, refer to "The Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster", published by Villard Books.

Pastafarianism is only one example of a parody religion - there are plenty more out there. Some parody religions exist primarily to point out perceived deficiencies in specific existing religions; others combine religious groups to form the basis of their parody; some use their parody religion to question the whole concept of religion; some are really little more than an excuse for locating like-minded people for social interaction. Whether one agrees or disagrees with the position they take, they do serve the useful purpose of making people examine their beliefs, and why they react to these ideas as they do.