Labeling Religious Symbols Trivia Quiz

There are four cross shapes recognized in Christianity. The Greek Cross is shaped like a plus sign. The Latin Cross is the most recognizable symbol of Christian religion and shaped like a lower case t. St. Andrew Cross is shaped like an X. St. Anthony Cross is shaped like a capital T.

CLUE: When Constantine converted to Christianity he ordered the cross to be the symbol of Christianity and also outlawed crucifixion as part of the death penalty.

The flaming chalice is the symbol of the Unitarian Universalist or UU for short. The Unitarian Universalist see the flaming chalice as a representation of community warmth. The symbol was created during World War II and seen as a sign of rescue from the Nazis. The Unitarian Universalists light a flaming chalice to begin every service.

CLUE: Theophilus Lindsey was a clergyman who founded the first Unitarian church in London.

The symbol for the Buddhist religion is the Dharma Wheel or Dharmachakra. The wheel represents the completeness of the teachings of Buddha. The eight spokes inside the dharma wheel represents the eight noble paths: right action, right concentration, right effort, right livelihood, right mindfulness, right speech, right thought, right view. The center of the Dharma Wheel represents moral discipline. The rim of the Dharma Wheel represents concentration and meditation.

CLUE: The four noble truths of Buddhism are the truth of suffering, the truth of the origin of suffering, the truth of the cessation of suffering, the truth of the path to end suffering.

The symbol of the Baha'i faith is the nine pointed star. The number nine in the Baha'i faith signifies completeness. The Baha'i house of worship has nine sides.

CLUE: Mírzá Ḥosayn-ʻAlí Núrí (aka: Baháʼu'lláh) was an Iranian religious leader who founded the Baha'i faith in Baghdad in 1863. He claimed to be a manifestation of God.

The symbol of Jainism is the Ahimsa, a very detailed symbol of a hand with a Dharma wheel inside. The hand stands for non-violence. The Dharma Wheel represents the circle of life. Inside the Dharma Wheel are twenty-four spokes. The twenty-four spokes represent the twenty-four teaching of the Jinas which are the core principles of Jainism. The former symbol of Jainism included a swastika. In 1975, the current symbol was adopted, with the swastika removed.

CLUE: The Three Jewels of Jainism are right conduct (avoid committing harm), right faith (seeing not believing), right knowledge (knowing the real universe).

The symbol of the Ìşèşę religion is the circular emblem which resembles a shooting target. The circle is divided into four quadrants which represent the four cardinal directions: east, north, south, west. The Ìşèşę symbol recognizes that everyone and everything is somehow connected.

CLUE: The Yoruba tribe in Africa practices Ìşèșę religion. The religion follows the scripture of Odu Ifà, a collection of two hundred fifty six verses passed down by African priests.

The symbol of the Eckankar religion is EK. To the Eckankar religion, the E and K represent the Spirit or the voice of God to the Eckists. The EK symbol is etched on the tombstones of the members of the Eckankar religion who have died.

CLUE: In 1965, Paul Twitchell created the Eckankar religion in Nevada and based it on the principles of mysticism and that a person could get closer to god by chanting the word HU.

The symbol for the Thelema religion is the Unicursal Hexagram. The Unicursal Hexagram is a six pointed star that represents the weaving together of heavenly and elemental forces. The Unicursal Hexagram is used as a symbol for the Golden Dawn cult.

CLUE: The Unicursal Hexagram symbol was created by Thelema founder Aleister Crowley. He claimed he received the Thelema bible from a voice he named Aiwass. Crowley based the Thelema religion on the belief that everyone should be able to do what they want.

The Taoist religion has the Taijitu as their symbol. It is a circle divided into darkness and light and separated by an 'S' shape. Inside each of the halves is a dot of the other color. The black and white of the Taijitu symbol represents duality. The dot of the opposite color in each half is to show that everyone has a little of the opposite force in them. The 'S' shape that divides the Taijitu represents harmony.

CLUE: The Taijitu symbol is also known as the Yin/Yang. The Yin is the dark side and represents active energy while the yang is the light side and represents receptivity.

The symbol for the Shinto religion is the Torii gate. The gate represents walking from one world into another world. The Torii gate can be made from wood or stone. Passing through the Torii gate is considered a purification ritual.

CLUE: The Shinto religion has its origins in the country of Japan. Shintoists believe in spirits and deities known as Kami.

The Star of David is the symbol for Judaism. It is also known as the shield of David among the Jewish community. The only symbol on the Jewish flag is the Star of David in the color blue. During the holocaust, Jewish people had to wear a yellow Star of David on their clothing to identify themselves as Jewish.

CLUE: Abraham is considered the father of Judaism and Moses received the basic tenets of Judaism and led the Jewish people out of Egypt and into the promised land.

The symbol of the Hindu religion is Sanskrit letters and creates the sound made when praying or meditating. The letter 'A' represents Brahma. The letter 'U' represents Vishnu. The letter 'M' represents Shiva. In the Hindu religion, Aum was the sound made when the universe was created.

CLUE: Aryuveda is the Hindu book of medicine. Atharvaveda is the Hindu book of spells and charms. Rigaveda is the Hindu book of hymns. Samaveda is the Hindu book of religious ceremonies. Veda is the Hindu book of religion. Yajurveda is the Hindu book of sacrificial rituals.

The symbol for the Wiccans is the pentagram. To a Wiccan the five points of a pentagram represent the five elements - air, earth, fire, spirit, water - and how they are all connected. The pentagram is the most recognized symbol of the Wiccans.

Gerald Gardner is considered the creator of Wicca. When developing Wicca, he put together threads of the Freemasons with British, Celtic, and Norse folklore. He added to that what he learned from supposedly observing a witches' coven in England back in 1939.

The symbol for the Sikhism religion is the Khanda. The Sikhs adopted the symbol for their religion in the 1930s during the Ghadar Movement. The double edged sword in the center stands for knowledge while the two swords surrounding it stand for spiritual and temporal sovereignty. The circle behind the double edged sword stands for unity.

CLUE: Guru Nanak was a Bhakti saint born in what is now Pakistan. He was considered to be the founder of Sikhism and one of ten spiritual gurus.

The symbol for the Tenrikyo religion is the five pointed plum blossom in a circle that is also known as a Kyōmon. Originally, The Kyōmon was the family crest for the Nakayama family. Anyone that joins the Tenrikyo faith adopts the Kyōmon as their family crest.

CLUE: Nakayma Miki was a Japanese farmer and religious leader. In 1838, Nakayama Miki said she had a religious revelation from God that led her to create the Tenrikyo religion.

The symbol for the Islamic religion is the crescent moon and star. The crescent moon represents progress while the star represents knowledge. The symbol of the Islam religion was first seen during the Ottoman Empire.

CLUE: Muhammad was the founder of Islam. He told his followers that the angel Gabriel gave him the words which would become the holy book of Islam known as the Quran.