People Who Saw a Different Light Quiz

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Lawyer: The 1925 Scopes Trial in Tennessee drew nationwide attention as it hinged on whether a public school could teach the concept of evolution. William Jennings Bryan, perennial presidential candidate and an avowed Christian, testified for the prosecution. Who was the lawyer that cross-examined him on the stand?

Answer: Clarence Darrow

Darrow deeply embarrassed Bryan on what Darrow called 'the absurdities of the Bible'. Darrow during his lifetime tried many controversial cases such as the Leopold and Loeb, the Scopes Trial, defended Eugene Debs regarding the Pullman Strike, and numerous others from the 1880s through the 1930s.

His views on religion are encapsulated in the title of three papers he wrote during his lifetime: "Facing Life Fearlessly", "Absurdities of the Bible" and
"Why I Am An Agnostic".

2. Activist: Many devout Christians deplored her and held her responsible for the ban on prayer in public schools. Who was the woman who established "American Atheists" in 1963?

Answer: Madalyn Murray O'Hair

O'Hair founded American Atheists and was its president from 1963 to 1986. Jon Garth Murray, her son, took over leadership until 1995. The suit which she brought to the Supreme Court was Murray v. Curlett.

In 1995 O'Hair, Jon Murray, and her granddaughter Robin disappeared and the offices of American Atheists closed abruptly. It took several years until the truth emerged. They had been kidnapped by a disgruntled employee David Roland Waters. They were forced to withdraw all the funds from American Atheists in the amount of half a million dollars. Waters spent 80,000 dollars but the rest were in turn stolen from him. After his arrest he led police to where he had buried the bodies. The three were mutilated and decomposed but were identified by dental records.

3. Actor, screenwriter, and director: He started his show business career as a stand-up comedian but evolved into an improbable leading man, a screenwriter, and as a successful and respected director. At the 1978 Academy Awards, a screenplay which he co-wrote won Best Screenplay and was also named Best Film. He was also named Best Director and his co-star won Best Actress. Who is this individual, much of his comedy is based on his Jewish background, now deems himself agnostic?

Answer: Woody Allen

The film, of course, was "Annie Hall" (1977).

In an interview is the Washington Post in 2010, Allen said "To me,... there's no real difference between a fortune teller or a fortune cookie and any of the organized religions. They're all equally valid or invalid, really. And equally helpful...I was interested in the concept of faith in something. This sounds so bleak when I say it, but we need some delusions to keep us going. And the people who successfully delude themselves seem happier than the people who can't."

4. Humanitarian: When she was but 19 months old, she suffered through a case of what many doctors have diagnosed as possible meningitis. She was left both deaf and blind. Aided by a creative and understanding care-giver and through her own indomitable spirit she became the first deaf/blind person to achieve a Bachelor's Degree. Who was this much admired woman?

Answer: Helen Keller

If the life of Helen Keller is to understood, her overcoming her crippling disabilities is overshadowed by her quest for social justice. She aligned with the Socialist Party of America and the Industrial Workers of the World and she campaigned for women's suffrage, labor rights, and socialism.

Her early faith was along traditional Christian lines but as time passed she became more spiritual and humanitarian. She exposed great interest in Swedenborgianism, an offshoot of Christianity that laid emphasis on the spiritual inspiration of Christianity than in its details. Most scholars and have concluded that she sought truth in religion rather than doctrine.

5. Psychotherapist: He looked at human behavior with fresh eyes and opened up a whole new world of thought. His concept of trinity of the id, ego, and superego brought a structure to psychoanalysis. Who was this Austrian neurologist who changed the face of psychiatric thought?

Answer: Sigmund Freud

There is little doubt as to Freud's views on religion as he wrote about the effects of religion prolifically. Here are a few quotes by Freud on religion:

"It would be very nice if there were a God who created the world and was a benevolent providence, and ...a moral order in the universe and... after-life."

"The whole thing is so patently infantile, so foreign to reality, that to anyone with a friendly attitude to humanity it is painful to think that the great majority of mortals will never be able to rise above this view of life."

"God is simply a projection of ...desires, feared and worshipped by human beings out of an abiding sense of helplessness".

6. Film Critic: If I plan to see a new film, I often turn to this film critic as I know I will get an opinion that generally meets my taste. He and Gene Siskel brought film criticism to public thought through their television program "At The Movies" (1986-2010). Who is this critic who co-hosted the program from 1986 to 2006 and continued as a press critic?

Answer: Roger Ebert

Although 'thumps up' or 'thumbs down' go back to Roman times, Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel made the expressions a popular modern catch phase. Siskel died in 1990 and Ebert left the program in 2006 due to health issues. Following is a quote from a 2009 interview where Ebert expressed his religious views:

"Catholicism made me a humanist before I knew the word. When people rail against "secular humanism," I want to ask them if humanism itself would be okay with them. Over the high school years, my belief in the likelihood of a God continued to lessen. I kept this to myself. I never discussed it with my parents. My father in any event was a non-practicing Lutheran, until a death bed conversion which rather disappointed me. I'm sure he agreed to it for my mother's sake...No, I am not a Buddhist. I am not a believer, not an atheist, not an agnostic. I am still awake at night, asking how? I am more content with the question than I would be with an answer".

7. Entrepreneur: Mark Zuckerberg is said to be the youngest billionaire of modern times. Although he was bar mitzvahed at thirteen, early on he proclaimed his atheism. Along with four others he formed one of the most popular sites on the Internet. What is that site called?

Answer: Facebook

Although he can not claim full credit for Facebook, he is the one who benefited financially the most, reportedly over nine billion dollars in 2012. He was Time Magazine's "Man of the Year" in 2010. Also in 2010 the film "The Social Network" was released and although the film is a fictionalized version of how Facebook was developed, it does hint at the complexities of its introduction to the public. If you want verification of his atheism, check out Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook page.

8. Scientist: He is known as "Bill Nye the Science Guy". He is frequently seen as an expert commentator for media when new scientific developments hit the news. From from 1993 to 1998 he hosted "Bill Nye the Science Guy" on television where he aimed science education at children for over 100 episodes. In 2012 he outraged religious leaders over his views on what fundamental issue?

Answer: Public finance of creationism teaching

Nye was upset about movements to require the teaching of creationism on an equal par with traditional science. He argued in a CNN interview that it was ridiculous to teach that the earth was only 10,000 years old, a position that does not explain evolution, dinosaurs, and evidence that science has established.

When asked why over 130,000,000 people said in a survey that they believed in creationism, Nye said that he and other science teachers had done a poor job teaching science.

9. Philosopher: Her philosophical system was called Objectivism. Rather than presenting her concepts in a traditional scholarly paper, she wrote two novels in which she outlined her ideas in dramatic form. Who was the author who wrote "Atlas Shrugged" (1957) and "The Fountainhead"(1943)?

Answer: Ayn Rand

Capitalizing on the success of her novels, Rand went on to publish several scholarly books on Objectivism along with lectures and essays. Rand wrote that reason should be the basis of education and rejected faith and religion. She advocated laissez-faire capitalism as opposed to collectivism. Among those who admire Ayn Rand are Ron Paul, Penn Jillette, Paul Ryan, and Clarence Thomas.

Dorthy Parker reviewed Ayn Rand's "Fountainhead"and wrote: "This is not a novel to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force".

By the way, who is John Galt?

10. Author: He is a prolific author in a variety of subjects. His "Notes From A Small Island"(1995) brought him into prominence. Later, his "A Short History of Nearly Everything" (2003) brought science down to common terms. In "The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid" (2006) he told in humorous tones what it was like to grow up in Des Moines, Iowa. Who is this acclaimed writer?

Answer: Bill Bryson

In his own words Bryson said "I'm not a spiritual person, and the things I've done haven't made me one, but the one thing I did appreciate when I was writing "A Short History" was that conventional science and a belief in god are absolutely not incompatible...If you believe in god, it's much more fantastic to believe that he created this universe billions of years ago and set in motion this long train of activities that eventually resulted in us. I think that's so much more satisfying, more thrilling, than the idea that it was all done in seven days."

Source: Author Rehaberpro

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor LeoDaVinci before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

People of many walks of life have declared themselves to be atheist, agnostic, humanist, or have been concluded to be by scholars and biographers.

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