Religion and Culture #3 Trivia Quiz

Answer: John Bunyan

John Bunyan (1628-1688) wrote "The Pilgrim's Progress" in 1675. He wrote this work while imprisoned for "non-conformity" for preaching a theology that was at odds with the "Restoration" of Charles II. His most famous work, "The Pilgrim's Progress" uses allegory to symbolize the pitfalls and epiphanies that a Christian might encounter in striving to keep his faith.

His use of names to convey a character's morality is echoed by Dickens.

Answer: Yahweh

Yahweh, the most sacred name of God in Judaism, is represented with four letters from the Hebrew alphabet(YHWH in Roman lettering). In reflection of the name's sacred nature, it is considered blasphemy to verbalize this name by some adherents of Judaism. Due to the similarities between the Tetragrammaton and the Hebrew words for "He is," some scholars have speculated that the etymology of "Yahweh" originates from the event depicted in Exodus 3:14 (Moses and the burning bush). Adonai, also a name for God, is derived from the Greek for "my lords." Likewise, the term "Elohim" is used to denote God in Hebrew. Shalom means "peace" in Hebrew.

Answer: brother to sister

The Five Bonds consist of relationships that are key in the Confucian understanding of "filial piety." The Five Bonds in order are: ruler to subject, father to son, husband to wife, elder brother to younger brother, and friend to friend. Kung Fu Zi, or as he is better known in the West, Confucius (551-479 B.C.E.), taught that successful societies should live in accordance to a strict hierarchy of obedience to rules and rituals.

This structure is fundamentally based on his conceit of the familial structure, but may be expanded outward to include emperors and subjects.

Answer: Jaconazi

The Jewish people, while of the same religio-ethnic group, also constitute an ancient and established world wide community. The vast majority of Jews in Europe and the U.S. are Ashkenazim (Jews who settled in Europe after the diaspora). However, Jewish people have established communities throughout the world. Sephardi Jews originated as a community in the Iberian Peninsula (Portugal and Spain) and Northern Africa.

The community of Mizrahi Jews originated in the Middle East, Central Asian, the Caucasus, and North Africa.

The modern state of Israel includes a mixture of these different Jewish communal groups.

Answer: Soto

Eihei Dogen (1200-1253) wrote some of the most important works of Japanese Buddhism. He and his successor, Keizan, are regarded as the founders of Soto, one of the foremost schools of Zen Buddhism. Dogen began in the Tendai school Japanese Buddhism. However, dissatisfied with that method of teaching, he traveled to China.

Many teachers that he encountered in China's Chan practice used koan, which he found unhelpful. Finally, he discovered the teacher Rujing (1163-1228), through whom Dogen found words that facilitated his liberation. Dogen returned to Japan to help found a new interpretation and practice of Zen. Soto is often interpreted at "just sitting," however, from the writings of Dogen, it is apparent that he was brilliant intellectually as well as a great sitter.

Answer: Augustine of Hippo

Augustine of Hippo (354-430 C.E.) went through some trials (including experimentation in "heretical" philosophies, such as Manicheanism, (a dualistic view of the cosmology) to find his faith in Christianity. In his work "Confessions," Augustine conveys his spiritual journey.

He describes himself as a pleasure seeker in his youth but, persuaded in part by his mother, he eventually becomes the Christian leader and theologian that we know from his writings. Manicheanism is a system of thought that was founded by Mani (210-276CE), a Persian philosopher who claimed apostleship with Jesus of Nazareth. Fundamental to Manicheanism are its strict dichotomies between the light and the darkness; the heavenly and the material worlds.

In Manichean cosmology, the earthly and heavenly worlds are in conflict.

Answer: Epicurus

While the term "epicure" denotes someone who strives for sensual delight, Epicurus, for whom the term was named, instead promoted a life of simplicity and discussion of philosophy. For Epicurus (341-270 BCE), pleasure meant the freedom from pain and not the indulgence of one's carnal desires.

Answer: Eshu

Eshu holds an important role in "Black Atlantic" religions (African based religions practiced in Africa and the Americas). Eshu is the Vodun (Voodoo) deity who assists in sending messages between worlds. While Vodun is primarily a religion of the Americas, the tradition of Eshu is rooted in Yoruba, a West African people with an eponymous religious tradition.

In the Yoruba tradition, Eshu is a trickster as well as a messenger.

Answer: Alan Watts

Alan Watts (1915-1973) was an English philosopher and writer. His works, "Tao: the Watercourse Way" and "The Way of Zen" have been influential in bringing Eastern philosophy and religion to the Western world. They are often used as texts in undergraduate classes on Taoism and Eastern Religion.

Answer: Arjuna

The Bhagavad Gita occurs as a conversation between Krishna and Arjuna in the middle of a war. It is a section of the epic called the Mahabharata.