Holy Trinity Student Parish

Religious Literacy Quiz

Here are the answers to the religious literacy quiz in the November 16, 2008 bulletin.  To figure out how you scored, add up your total points then multiply by two to get your score on a standard 100-point scale.  An A is 90 points or higher.  B is 80-89.  C is 70-79.  A passing grade is 60 points or higher.  After you score your quiz, please post a comment and let us know how you did and your thoughts about religious literacy in the United States.

1. Name the four Gospels.  List as many a you can.  (1 point each.)

Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John

2. Name a sacred text of Hinduism.  (1 point.)

There are many possibilities here.  They include: the Vedas, Brahmanas, Aranyakas, Upanishads, Puranas, Mahabharata, Bhagavad Gita, Ramayana, Yoga Sutras, Laws of Manu, and the Kama Sutra.

3. What is the name of the holy book of Islam? (1 point.)

Quran

4. Where according to the Bible was Jesus born?  (1 point.)

Bethlehem

5. President George W. bush spoke in his first inaugural address of the Jericho road.  What Bible story was he invoking?  (1 point.)

the Good Samaritan

6. What are the first five books of the Hebrew Bible or the Christian Old Testament?  (1 point each.)

Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy

7. What is the Golden Rule?  (1 point.)

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." (Mt 7:12) or a similar sentiment from Rabbi Hillel or Confucius.  ("Love your neighbor as yourself" is not the Golden Rule.)

8. "God helps those who help themselves."  Is this in the Bible?  If so, where?  (2 points.)

No, this is not in the Bible.  In fact, it is contradicted in Proverbs 28:26:  "He who trusts in himself is a fool."  The words are Ben Franklin's.

9. "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God":  does this appear in the Bible?  If so, where? (2 points.)

Yes, in the Beatitudes of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5:3).

10. Name the Ten Commandments.  List as many as you can. (10 points.)

The Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish versiions of the ten Commandments differ.  Give yourself credit for any ten of the following twelve commandments, each of which appears in at least one of those three versions:

1. I the Lord am yur God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage.

2. You shall have no other gods before me.

3. You shall not make yourself a graven image.

4. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.

5. Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy

6. Honor your father and mother.

7. You shall not kill/murder

8. You shall not commit adultery.

9. You shall not steal.

10. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

11. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife.

12. You shall not covet your neighbor's goods.

11. Name the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism.  List as many as you can.  (4 points.)

• Life is suffering.
• Suffering has an origin.
• Suffering can be overcome (nirvana).
• The path to overcoming suffering is the Noble Eightfold Path.

12. What are the weven sacraments of Catholicism?  List as many as you can.  (7 points.)

• Baptism

• Eucharist

• Reconciliation/Penance

• Confirmation

• Marriage

• Holy Orders

• Anointing of the Sick

13. the First Amendment says two things about religion, each in its own "clause."  What are the two religion clauses of the First Admendment?  (1 point each.)

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof."  The words before the comma are referred to as the establishment clause; the words that follow constitute the free exercise clause.

14. What is Ramadan?  In what religion is it celebrated?  (2 points.)

Ramadan is a Muslim holiday characterized by a month of fasting.

15. Match the Bible characters with the stories in which they appear.  Some characters may be matched with more than one story or vice versa.  (7 points.)

• Adam and Eve-Garden of Eden

• Paul-Road to Damascus

• Moses-Exodus, Parting of the Red Sea

• Noah-Olive Branch

• Jesus-Road to Damascus, Garden of Gethsemane

• Abraham-Binding of Isaac

• Serpent-Garden of Eden

This quiz and answers are reprinted from Stephen Prothero's Religious Literacy: What Every American Needs to Know-And Doesn't. 

School of Spirituality

Wisdom! Be attentive!

Orthodox spirituality

Pope John Paull II declared in 1985 to representatives of the Ecumenical Patriarch, "As I have said time and again, the Church must learn anew to breathe with her two lungs, east and west."  Pope Benedict XVI is also committed to healing the divisions between our ancient churches and the Body of Christ by renewing the dialogue with Orthodox Christianity.

Check out our Prayer and spirituality page to get a basic introduction to Orthodox spirituality and find other resources for further study.

God at the Ballot Box

Wednesday, November 19^th

7:00pm-8:30pm

Kiva Room, Eastern Michigan University Student Center

As people of religious faith, whether you voted for Barack Obama or John McCain, it is time for us to come togehter and envision a country where the common good and Catholic social teaching is taken seriously.  Please join us for our last conversation and let your voice be heard.

Adoration

Tuesday, November 18^th

8:15pm-9:00pm

Holy Trinity Chapel

Sermon of Spirits by St. Ignatius of Loyola

Monday, September 17^th

7:00pm-8:00pm

Elizabeth Ann Seton Room, John XXIII Campus Center

Fr. Phil begins a four part series on Ignatian spirituality and discernment.  Please join us as we grow in our spiritual lives.  All are welcome.

Sunday Supper

Sunday, November 16^th

6:00pm-7:00pm

social hall, John XXIII Campus Center

Enjoy a pot-luck meal after the 5:00pm liturgy.  This is a wonderful opportunity for the entire parish to come together; students only need to bring their appetites.

School of Theology

Sunday, November 16^th

3:00pm-4:30pm

University lounge, John XXIII Campus Center

Where do we stand: death, sin, and the need for grace.

Somehow we understand that the world is not how it should be.  We experience pain and suffering, witness evil and destruction, and succumb to death and sin.  We will explore the human experience of sin and death and the Church's understanding of God's pervasive grace.

Coffee Hour

Sunday, November 16^th

social hall, John XXIII Campus Center

Come and enjoy coffee, donuts, and fellowship with your community after the 8:30am and 11:00am liturgies.

Holy Trinity Day of Service

The weather cooperated with us and we had a wonderful and energizing day serving with our community during Neighborhood Senior Services' Fall Chore Day.  We joined with 800+ other volunteers in raking leaves for senior residents of Washtenaw County.  Thank you to all who participated and look for information here and in our bulletin for our next Holy Trinity Day of Service.

Election 2008

The long presidential campaign is finally over and we have a new president-elect.  Thank you to everyone who exercised their right and obligation to participate in civil society and cast their vote in this historic election.  As many commentators have noted, we as a nation, by electing our first African-american president, have transcended our complicated and troubling racial and ethnic history. 

 No matter how you feel about the outcome of this election, we all can agree that this nation and our next president face monumental challenges.  The economy is in crisis, the worst in decades.  We know family and friends here in Michigan who are intimately experiencing that crisis through loss of jobs or foreclosures.  We are fighting two wars that strain our resources.  We desire to overcome the politics of division and yet the political rancor of the recent election seems to polarize us even more.  There is much work to be done.

We can do it.  We can move beyond division and see ourselves as dependent on each other, to recognize as Barack Obama has said that "we are not red states and blue states but the United States".  We can listen to John McCain and "find the necessary comprimises to bridge our differences" and restore this country.  We as people of religious faith must contribute to this nation's healing and restoration for we have much to offer in our commitment to the common good and the fullness of the Gospel.  We can mirror that healing in our own church by seeing our opposition not as enemies but as brothers and sisters in Christ who in all sincerity formed their consciences and voted whether they voted for Barack Obama or John McCain.  We must begin to listen to each other and trust in the hope that our faith gives us. 

You can begin that dialogue at our final conversation in our God at the Ballot Box series November 19^th at 7:00pm in the Kiva Room in the Student Center.  We need people of faith who voted for Barack Obama and we need people of faith who voted for John McCain to come together and talk about what next and where we go from here.  We do not need to agree but we can recognize that our differences need not divide us; for the good of the country and the community we can find common ground. 

Catholic News Service, the news agency of the U.S. bishops, ran this article November 4th on the need for reconciliation.

Pope sends congratulatory message to Obama

Catholic New Services reported November 5th that the Pope congratulated Barack Obama on his historic election and that Benedict XVI is praying that "the blessing of God would sustain him and the the American people so that with all people of good will they could build a world of peace, solidarity, and justice."

Bishops Congratulate Barack Obama on Historic Election;
Urge Him to Defend the Weak, Heal Divisions

Cardinal Francis George of Chicago as president of the bishop's conference sent a letter of congratulations on behalf of all the U.S. bishops.

 

View Barack Obama's acceptance speech and John McCain's concession speech: