British Religious Figures Trivia Quiz

Answer: Harboring Catholic priests

Margaret Clitherow was a wife and mother who practiced Roman Catholicism in England in the 1500s during a time of great animosity toward Catholics. Harboring priests in one's home was illegal and, beginning in 1584, punishable by death and considered treasonous to the crown. Clitherow had two priest holes in her home where she shielded several priests until her plot was discovered in 1586.

She was executed by being placed on a sharp rock and having large stones placed on her until the weight of the rocks broke her back - a method of execution called pressing.

She was canonized a Catholic saint in 1970 as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales.

Answer: Islam

Ian Dallas was born in 1930 in Ayr, and travelled extensively in his youth. In 1967, in the Moroccan city of Fes, he made the Declaration of Faith, witnessed by the Imam Khatib of the Qarawiyyin Mosque. After further study, he became qualified as an instructor in Sufi Islam, and returned to the United Kingdom to carry out his work.

There he established the Ihsan Mosque in Norwich, and wrote extensively on topics of faith.

Answer: Henry VIII

Henry VIII was given the title "Fidei Defensor", or "Defender of the Faith", after he wrote a pamphlet called "Declaration of the Seven Sacraments Against Martin Luther". Just nine years later, after a heated argument over his marriage issues, Henry signed the Act of Supremacy, which broke England away from the Roman Catholic Church and made Henry the head of a new church - the Church of England.

Answer: Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Martyn Lloyd-Jones is a somewhat controversial religious leader in the United Kingdom. Originally from Wales, he became a minister of the Westminster Chapel in London. Lloyd-Jones was critical of the Anglican Church's efforts to broaden its appeal and believed the Church was changing its creed and beliefs to suit a wider, more liberal public.

He maintained that people who shared his strict evangelical views should leave the Church of England and join what are called free churches. Unlike many evangelical preachers, Lloyd-Jones rarely preached to large crowds and preferred the intimacy of small gatherings.

Answer: Aleister Crowley

Edward Alexander Crowley (1875-1947) gained fame (or infamy, certainly a position of public attention) with his extensive writing on topics of the occult, especially about the rituals and beliefs of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, an occult society that had been established in 1888.

In 1904, he wrote 'The Book of the Law', which he said was dictated to him over three days, and would provide a blueprint for entering the Ĉon of Horus. This was the start of his development of the doctrines of Thelema, which were embodied in the teachings of the occult group A∴A∴, established in 1907.

Answer: Thomas More

Thomas More was once a key adviser and ally of King Henry VIII of England. More was very critical of the Protestant Reformation and of most efforts to deviate from Catholic doctrine. He opposed King Henry VIII's proposed divorce from Catherine of Aragon so he could marry Anne Boleyn. King Henry VIII, growing weary of the anti-monarchy sentiment among his closest religious advisers, required most office holders, both in government and in the Church, to swear allegiance to him as the Head of the Church of England.

More refused to take that oath, was declared a traitor and was executed via decapitation. He was canonized in 1935 and was later made the patron saint of politicians.

Answer: Thomas a Becket

Thomas a Becket was the Archbishop of Canterbury during the reign of Henry II of England. Becket was initially appointed archbishop by Henry II with the understanding that Becket would allow the king to assert royal supremacy over the church and its property. However, Becket reneged on that idea and became a very pious and series priest who abandoned his luxurious lifestyle for one of penance and religion. The two men clashed numerous times and when Becket excommunicated bishops that were more loyal to the king than to the Church, supporters of Henry II murdered Becket at Canterbury Cathedral. His killing was immortalized in T.S. Elliot's play "Murder in the Cathedral" and in many other media.

It has been alleged that Henry II said "will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest" or similar language - a line infamous in British history - while complaining about Becket.

Answer: Augustine

Considered to be the founder of the Roman Catholic Church in England, Augustine was sent to Britain by Pope Gregory the Great to bring Christianity to the people there. While the Romans had made an attempt to convert them to Christianity, the subsequent Germanic invasions had wiped out most traces of the religion.

It was apparently a fearsome assignment, and one from which Augustine and his fellow missionaries wished to be relieved. The pope, however, was determined, and the group made their way to Canterbury, which became the seat of the Church.

Answer: It was the first English rabbinate to be shared between two people

Sylvia Rothschild and Sybil Sheridan shared the rabbinate during this time. These two British Reform rabbis had worked together before this: they edited the 2000 book 'Taking Up the Timbrel: The Challenge of Creating Ritual for Jewish Women Today'. Rabbi Rothschild was ordained in 1987, and acted as Rabbi of Bromley Reform Synagogue from 1987 until 2002. Rabbi Sheridan was ordained in 1994, and was Rabbi of the Thames Valley Jewish Community prior to taking up the job-share position in Wimbledon.

Answer: Puritan

Even though Cromwell had apparently been brought up in the Church of England, at some point before he became Lord Protector, he had confessed in a letter to his sister-in-law that he was "chief among sinners" and had joined a Puritan congregation . After the execution of Charles I, he believed that the establishment of one national church would help to unite England and set about trying to force his religion on everyone. Committees were established to judge the moral standards of preachers and teachers and laws for keeping the Sabbath were strictly enforced.

It was even against the law to have traditional foods or decorations at Christmas!