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Quiz about Famous Prayers
Quiz about Famous Prayers

Famous Prayers Trivia Quiz


Learn about some of the most well known prayers in the world. This quiz will draw from a variety of world religions.

A multiple-choice quiz by skylarb. Estimated time: 6 mins.
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Author
skylarb
Time
6 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
334,836
Updated
Nov 06 22
# Qns
25
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
16 / 25
Plays
1432
Awards
Top 20% Quiz
- -
Question 1 of 25
1. The Roman Catholic and Anglican versions of this prayer says "forgive us our trespasses," while most Protestant versions say "forgive us our debts." Hint


Question 2 of 25
2. What prayer contains the lines, "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might"? Hint


Question 3 of 25
3. What famous prayer contains only the single line "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon me, a sinner"? Hint


Question 4 of 25
4. What prayer--or, more precisely, call to prayer--begins, "Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, I assert that there is no God but Allah"? Hint


Question 5 of 25
5. What do evangelical Christians call the prayer that is typically prayed prior to conversion? Hint


Question 6 of 25
6. What Hindu prayer can be literally translated "May we attain that excellent glory of Savitar the god: So may he stimulate our prayers"? Hint


Question 7 of 25
7. Who is traditionally credited with authorship of the famous prayer that begins, "Lord, make me an instrument for your peace"? Hint


Question 8 of 25
8. A famous prayer of what religion contains the lines "I take refuge in my Gurus" and "I take refuge in the Dharma"? Hint


Question 9 of 25
9. Prior to delivering a sermon, many Christian priests and pastors pray, "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer." Where is this prayer originally found? Hint


Question 10 of 25
10. What prayer, originally written by Reinhold Niebuhr, has been adopted by Alcoholics Anonymous? Hint


Question 11 of 25
11. Where did the beloved prayer that contains the lines "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil" originate? Hint


Question 12 of 25
12. Most Jewish prayers of blessing begin with the words, "Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the ____." What is missing from the blank? Hint


Question 13 of 25
13. Who is traditionally credited with authorship of the famous prayer that begins, "Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me"? Hint


Question 14 of 25
14. What famous Jewish prayer used in mourning rituals begins, "May his great Name grow exalted and sanctified in the world that he created as he willed"? Hint


Question 15 of 25
15. An anonymous but widely known Irish blessing begins "May the ___ rise to meet you, May the wind be always at your back." What is missing from the blank? Hint


Question 16 of 25
16. What man prayed, "Oh, that you would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory" and thereby inspired a best-selling book in the year 2000? Hint


Question 17 of 25
17. What religion's prayer for peace contains the lines "Be a breath of life to the body of humankind, a dew to the soil of the human heart, and a fruit upon the tree of humility." Hint


Question 18 of 25
18. Where is the prayer that begins "Hear, Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one" found? Hint


Question 19 of 25
19. A famous Hindu mantra begins, "From ignorance, lead me to truth. From darkness, lead me to ___." What is missing from the blank?

Answer: (One Word)
Question 20 of 25
20. What is one of the earliest known Christian prayers to refer to the Trinity? Hint


Question 21 of 25
21. What prayer begins with the speaker saying he bows to prophets, liberated souls, spiritual leaders, teachers, and saints? Hint


Question 22 of 25
22. What is missing from the blank in this famous night-time prayer? "Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to ____."

Answer: (one word)
Question 23 of 25
23. "I give thanks before You, Living and Eternal King, that you have returned within me my soul with compassion; how abundant is your faithfulness!" When is this Jewish prayer recited? Hint


Question 24 of 25
24. Who famously prayed, "Lord, make me chaste, but not yet"? Hint


Question 25 of 25
25. "Inspirer of my mind, consoler of my heart, healer of my spirit, Thy presence lifteth me from earth to heaven, Thy words flow as the sacred river..." In which religion is this prayer recited daily? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The Roman Catholic and Anglican versions of this prayer says "forgive us our trespasses," while most Protestant versions say "forgive us our debts."

Answer: The Lord's Prayer

The Lord's Prayer was given by Jesus to his disciples in response to their request that he "teach" them "to pray." Versions of the prayer may be found in both Luke 11:2-4 and Matthew 6:9-13. The prayer is frequently used in the liturgies of many Christian denominations. This prayer is often called "the Our Father" by Catholics because it begins "Our Father, who art in heaven."
Here is the Roman Catholic version in its entirety:

"Our Father who art in Heaven,
Hallowed be thy name;
Thy kingdom come
Thy will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those who trespass against us;
And lead us not into temptation,
But deliver us from evil."
2. What prayer contains the lines, "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might"?

Answer: The Shema

The Shahadah is the basic statement of faith of Muslims: "There is no God but Allah, and Mohammed is his messenger." The Shema Yisrael begins "Hear, Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one. Blessed be the name of his glorious kingdom forever and ever." It then goes on to include the line quoted above and continues, "And these words that I command you today shall be in your heart. And you shall teach them diligently to your children, and you shall speak of them when you sit at home, and when you walk along the way, and when you lie down and when you rise up. And you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."
3. What famous prayer contains only the single line "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon me, a sinner"?

Answer: The Jesus Prayer

This prayer is much esteemed in the Eastern Orthodox church and is a centerpiece of the spiritual classic "The Way of the Pilgrim." In that book, a pilgrim repeats the prayer as part of an aesthetic practice to learn to, as the New Testament says, "pray without ceasing." The prayer is also often said by Anglicans when using the Anglican rosary.
4. What prayer--or, more precisely, call to prayer--begins, "Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, I assert that there is no God but Allah"?

Answer: The Iqama

In Islam, the iqama is the second call to prayer, just before the prayer begins and after the first call to prayer (the adhan).
5. What do evangelical Christians call the prayer that is typically prayed prior to conversion?

Answer: The Sinner's Prayer

The prayer does not have a formal, established content, but is used to refer to any prayer in which the speaker confesses his or her sin to God and expresses a desire to establish a personal relationship with Jesus. Evangelical ministers issuing altar calls will often ask those who respond to repeat, line by line, the "sinner's prayer" with them.
6. What Hindu prayer can be literally translated "May we attain that excellent glory of Savitar the god: So may he stimulate our prayers"?

Answer: The Gayatria Mantra

The Gayatria Mantra is generally considered to be Hinduism's most representative prayer. This mantra is based on a verse from the hymn of the Rigveda, an ancient, sacred collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns. As part of traditional Brahmin practice, it is recited daily at sunrise.

The prayer has many paraphrases, including this one by Swami Vivekanada: "We meditate on the glory of that Being who has produced this universe; may He enlighten our minds".
7. Who is traditionally credited with authorship of the famous prayer that begins, "Lord, make me an instrument for your peace"?

Answer: St. Francis of Assisi

This "Prayer for Peace" is attributed to St. Francis of Assisi. The oldest evidence we have of the prayer, however, is from its printing in a French spiritual magazine in 1912. The prayer is often memorized, recited, and sometimes even sung by Christians of various denominations. The English translation of the prayer is as follows:

"Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen."
8. A famous prayer of what religion contains the lines "I take refuge in my Gurus" and "I take refuge in the Dharma"?

Answer: Tibetan Buddhism

The full prayer is "I take refuge in my Gurus; I take refuge in the Buddhas; I take refuge in the Dharma; I take refuge in the Sangha," and it is typically repeated three times.
9. Prior to delivering a sermon, many Christian priests and pastors pray, "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer." Where is this prayer originally found?

Answer: The Psalms

These words are drawn from Psalm 19:14 and are a regular part of the service in many liturgical Christian churches. The Didache, or "The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles," is a very early Christian catechism of the late first or early second century.
10. What prayer, originally written by Reinhold Niebuhr, has been adopted by Alcoholics Anonymous?

Answer: The Serenity Prayer

The most well known (and probably shortest) from of this prayer is, "God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference." Niebuhr was an American Christian theologian who started his career as a liberal minister in the 1920s but later shifted to a more neo-orthodox position.
11. Where did the beloved prayer that contains the lines "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil" originate?

Answer: The Psalms

The Twenty-Third Psalm is one of the most well known and often recited prayers of all time in the Jewish and Christian traditions. It is best known in its King James version:

"The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever."
12. Most Jewish prayers of blessing begin with the words, "Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the ____." What is missing from the blank?

Answer: Universe

For example, the blessing said for lighting the candles before Shabbat is "Blessed are you, LORD, our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with his commandments and commanded us to light the Shabbat candles." Likewise, the blessing said when affixing a mezuzah (a parchment with verses of the Torah) to a door post is "Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with his commandments and commanded us to affix the mezuzah." And before Hannukah candles are lit, this prayer is said: "Blessed are You, Lord, our God, King of the universe, who has sanctified us with his commandments and commanded us to kindle the Hanukkah lights."
13. Who is traditionally credited with authorship of the famous prayer that begins, "Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me"?

Answer: St. Patrick

The full text of the prayer is:
"Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ where I lie, Christ where I sit, Christ where I arise,
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks to me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
Salvation is of the Lord.
Salvation is of the Christ.
May your salvation, Lord, be ever with us."
14. What famous Jewish prayer used in mourning rituals begins, "May his great Name grow exalted and sanctified in the world that he created as he willed"?

Answer: The Kaddish

The Mourner's Kaddish, which is prayed as part of Jewish mourning rituals, begins with an opening line inspired by Ezekiel 38:23: "I will magnify Myself, sanctify Myself, and make Myself known in the sight of many nations; and they will know that I am the LORD" (NASB).
15. An anonymous but widely known Irish blessing begins "May the ___ rise to meet you, May the wind be always at your back." What is missing from the blank?

Answer: Road

The prayer continues,
"May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields and,
Until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand."
16. What man prayed, "Oh, that you would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory" and thereby inspired a best-selling book in the year 2000?

Answer: Jabez

The prayer is from 1 Chronicles 4:10: "Oh, that you would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that your hand would be with me, and that you would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain" (NKJV). In 2000 Bruce Wilkinson published a best-selling inspirational book based on the prayer called "The Prayer of Jabez: Breaking Through to the Blessed Life."
17. What religion's prayer for peace contains the lines "Be a breath of life to the body of humankind, a dew to the soil of the human heart, and a fruit upon the tree of humility."

Answer: Baha'i

These are the concluding lines of a Baha'i prayer for peace, which begins, "Be generous in prosperity, and thankful in adversity. Be fair in thy judgement, and guarded in thy speech. Be a lamp unto those who walk in darkness, and a home to the stranger. Be eyes to the blind, and a guiding light unto the feet of the erring."
18. Where is the prayer that begins "Hear, Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is one" found?

Answer: Deuteronomy

This prayer, the Shema, is found in Deuteronomy 6:4-9. Many Jews consider it a mitzvah (religious commandment) to recite the prayer twice a day, and it is often said by children before going to sleep. It is also part of the prayer service in Judaism and is traditionally said upon dying as well.
19. A famous Hindu mantra begins, "From ignorance, lead me to truth. From darkness, lead me to ___." What is missing from the blank?

Answer: light

The mantra concludes, "From death, lead me to immortality / Aum peace, peace, peace." It is found in the Bṛhadâraṇyaka Upaniṣad (1.3.28).
20. What is one of the earliest known Christian prayers to refer to the Trinity?

Answer: The Glory Be

The Lord's Prayer, or what Catholics call "The Our Father," makes no mention of the Trinity. Nor does the Shema, which is a Jewish prayer, or St. Francis Assisi's prayer for peace. The "Glory Be," which is also known as the doxology, runs: "Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen."
21. What prayer begins with the speaker saying he bows to prophets, liberated souls, spiritual leaders, teachers, and saints?

Answer: The Navkar Mantra

The Navkar Mantra, with its "five-fold bow," is considered by Jains to be the "first and foremost" of the mantras. It may be prayed at any time of day and is also called the Namokar Mantra.
22. What is missing from the blank in this famous night-time prayer? "Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to ____."

Answer: keep

This classic prayer, which dates back to the 18th century, is prayed by millions of children every night. It typically concludes, "If I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take." There are various other versions of the prayer, including one that contains a second verse that continues, "Angels guide me through the night, until I wake in morning light."
23. "I give thanks before You, Living and Eternal King, that you have returned within me my soul with compassion; how abundant is your faithfulness!" When is this Jewish prayer recited?

Answer: Upon waking up

In Judaism, there are a number of prayers ascribed for specific occasions. This one is said upon waking up. The blessing for surviving illness is "Blessed are you, LORD, our God, King of the Universe, who bestows good things on the unworthy, and has bestowed on me every goodness."
24. Who famously prayed, "Lord, make me chaste, but not yet"?

Answer: St. Augustine

St. Augustine was a Roman African who converted from Manichaeism to Christianity after reading an account of the life of Saint Anthony of the Desert. He is author of "Confessions," "Of the City of God" and "On Free Choice of the Will."
25. "Inspirer of my mind, consoler of my heart, healer of my spirit, Thy presence lifteth me from earth to heaven, Thy words flow as the sacred river..." In which religion is this prayer recited daily?

Answer: Universal Sufism

This prayer, called "Pir," was written in the early 20th century by the founder of the Universal Sufis, Hazrat Inayat Khan. The translation above is taken from the Sufi Order International website, but there are other translations.
Source: Author skylarb

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor CellarDoor before going online.
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