1. Praying in public
   Shaving one's head
2. Refraining from eating for a period of time
   Engaging in foot races

Many religions have a tradition of fasting, which is usually going without food, but in strict cases can mean going without water as well. Yom Kippur is a day of fasting in Judaism, while Islam's Ramadan requires no-food, no-water fasting for about a month. Christian saints fasted regularly, but not in accordance with any particular calendar. Christians still follow this practice.

1. A coming-of-age ceremony
   A housewarming
2. A feast
   A wedding shower

In Judaism, a bar mitzvah is held when a boy turns 13; this represents the age when he is held responsible for observing the law (or failing to do so). For girls, the term is "bat mitzvah" and is traditionally held at age 12, though Reform Jews (who believe in the evolution of the faith) have made this 13, like the boys.

1. A teacher
   A student
2. A messenger or emissary
   A true believer

Taken from the Greek language, "apostle" simply means "one who is sent off." Christians commonly refer to Jesus' Twelve Disciples as the Twelve Apostles because that was their role after Jesus's ascension. However, the gospel of Mark also refers to "the Seventy-Two Apostles," (in Eastern Christian traditions) whom Jesus sent out to preach before his death and resurrection.

1. Abstaining from sex
   Dressing modestly
2. Fasting at regular intervals
   It's a form of meditation

You're probably most familiar with celibacy as it pertains to the Catholic Church, in which priests, nuns and monks must all remain both unmarried and chaste. Other religions put very little stock in celibacy. Judaism, for example, encourages people to marry and have children, both considered a "mitzvah" (commandment).

1. Approved of by society
   Biblical
2. Proper or healthful
   Low-calorie

Here are some interesting facts about the term "kosher." It isn't just applied to food. Sex is also considered kosher when it is performed within marriage and according to Torah. When the word is applied to food, the rules are somewhat flexible. If you are allergic to a particular food, it is no longer kosher for you, even if most other Jews can eat it. This is because that food is no longer healthful for you.

1. Yes, it was the three days Jesus spent in the grave after his crucifixion.
   Yes, it's the final battle between good and evil.
2. Yes, it's a region of hell.
   No, it was just a disaster movie starring Bruce Willis.

Fun fact: the name "Armageddon" (Greek) comes from the plain of Megiddo in the book of Revelation, where "they will gather the kings together" for battle. Megiddo is also mentioned several times in the Old Testament but without any apocalyptic associations.

1. The highest prophet
   Father of fathers
2. It's the proper name of the Muslim God.
   It just means "God."

A common misconception among non-Muslims is that "Allah" is a name, similar to "Zeus" in the Greek pantheon. But Islam, like Christianity, simply refers to God as "God." It's a concept, title and name all in once.

1. The teachings of Christ, overall
   A book of the New Testament
2. A form of religious music
   All of these

This is a term with a variety of meanings. The Bible has four books that are called gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. But "the gospel" is the story of Jesus and salvation, in its entirety, and, of course, there's a sub-genre of Christian music also called "gospel." Outside of Christianity, "gospel" can be a term that means "the unadulterated truth."

1. An allegorical tale
   A commandment set in rhyme
2. A New Testament law that runs counter to the Old Testament
   A fishing net used by the disciples Peter, James and John

Jesus spoke in parables to the crowds, often explaining their true meaning to his disciples in private. He told them, "The kingdom of God has been given to you, not to them (the masses)." While this seems counter to the idea that the gospels should be spread, remember that ​Jesus later authorized his apostles to go out and preach to the world.

1. Becoming human or flesh (e.g., a god)
   Evangelism
2. Resurrection
   Renunciation of faith

This concept is found in more than one religion. Christians might be most familiar with Jesus becoming a man on earth, but in Hinduism, the gods also take on human forms and mix with mortals on earth. (There's a name for a Hindu god in human form; you'll find it elsewhere in this quiz).

1. A husband or brother
   A mother or wife
2. A religious leader
   A friend or ally to Islam

In Arabic, imam generally means "leader." However, it has come to mean someone who leads a religious community, usually by administering a mosque. The term is roughly equivalent to "rabbi" in Judaism, or "pastor" or "priest" in Christianity.

1. That God is a type of animal, often a lion
   That the soul perishes with the body at death
2. That everything in nature has a spirit
   That rocks and crystals have magic powers

It's possible that some animists believe that crystals have powers; we wouldn't rule this out. But the overall belief of animism is that things in nature all have spiritual essences. Some animist religions extend this to manmade objects, like a house. Marie Kondo, the Japanese "tidying lady," is known to ask clients to give thanks to their house for sheltering them.

1. The birth of Jesus
   The crucifixion of Jesus
2. The revelation to the prophet Mohammed
   The restoration of the Temple by the Maccabees

A nativity scene depicts Jesus, Mary and Joseph in a stable, with background decorations that include animals, the shepherds and the three wise men (the Magi, who brought gifts to Jesus). Side note: Even if you're of an artistic bent, we don't recommend creating any kind of art involving the prophet Mohammed. In Islam, it's considered disrespectful.

1. Yes!
2. No, not really.

"Goy" or the plural term, "goyim," simply means a non-Jew, a member of one of the nations other than Israel. The idea that it's insulting probably comes from 20th-century "Borscht Belt" comedy, in which "goys" are usually clueless or dim compared to their Jewish counterparts.

1. The first five books of the Bible
   A prophecy about the end times
2. A set of mystical teachings
   A sacred tattoo

Kabbalah went platinum in the 2000s when celebrities like Madonna began to study it. And, yes, we know that there's no such thing as a "sacred tattoo" in Judaism. In fact, both Orthodox and conservative Judaism forbid tattooing, making it ironic that some celebrities got Hebrew-lettering tattoos to commemorate their studies.

1. That Jesus met with Moses and Elijah while on earth
   That heaven and hell exist on the same plane as earth
2. That the human body will be resurrected along with the soul
   That the communion sacraments turn into the body and blood of Christ

Transubstantiation is probably most important in the Catholic faith. In contrast, Queen Elizabeth I -- the second Protestant monarch of England after her father, Henry VIII -- outlawed the doctrine of transubstantiation for the Church of England.

1. Acceptable food or drink
   A holy book
2. Prayers made toward Mecca
   A period of fasting and reflection

Ramadan is based on the lunar calendar and prohibits eating or drinking during daylight hours. It ends on a date called Eid al-Fitr, which is traditionally announced by an imam who spots the new moon from a mosque tower and declares the end of a month of fasting.

1. Angels
   The creation story
2. The end of the world
   Demons

This term can either refer to the study of, or the lore of, the end times or the end of the world. In the Bible, Matthew 24 is considered eschatological content, as it recounts Jesus' teachings about the last days. The entire book of Revelation is also eschatological.

1. Circumcision
   A funeral
2. The Passover meal
   A wedding

The seder recalls the night the "angel of death" passed over the homes of the Hebrews in Egypt on the night the firstborn of the Egyptians died. More broadly, it recalls God bringing his people up out of Egypt. Interesting sidenote: Jesus' Last Supper with his disciples was a seder.

1. The new moon
   A call to prayers
2. A pilgrimage to Mecca
   A service at a mosque

Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam, the duty of every Muslim. A version of the same word (spelled the same in English, that is, but with a slight variation in Arabic) refers to a person who has made hajj; it means, essentially, "pilgrim."

1. You have become a monk or nun
   You have sinned
2. You have broken the cycle of birth and death
   You have become vegetarian

"Nirvana," like "kosher," has made its way into secular speech and become diluted in meaning. People often use it to mean "extreme happiness." But in Buddhism, it is the end goal: breaking the cycle of birth, death and rebirth that often keeps us in suffering.

1. Baptism
   Passover or Easter
2. Mysticism
   Sin

You might have noticed the similarity of the words "paschal" and "Passover." "Pasche" was the Old English word for Passover. But because Easter is so closely linked to Passover, the term eventually came to describe things related to the latter holiday as well.

1. Baptism
   Communion
2. Conversion
   Sunday services

​This is a more formal term for communion, which some Christian denominations use. Through the term might seem to be derived from "Christ," it's not. It's from the Greek "eu" + "charis," and means "thankful" or "grateful."

1. Fallen into a mystical trance
   Lost or abandoned your faith
2. Become an evangelist
   Written a religious text

​"Apostasy" is a term that can be used about many religions, though we suspect laid-back modern religions, like Wicca, would reject the whole concept: "Hey, he went off to do his own thing; it's all good." (Sidebar: Don't @ us about calling Wicca "modern." It really does trace its roots to the mid-20th century. Claims of a widespread nature religion in Europe before that time are notional at best).

1. The Christian Bible
   The Book of Mormon
2. The Q'uran
   The Talmud

Whether "suras" should be likened to chapters or books is open to debate. These divisions of the Q'uran are shorter than the books of the Jewish or Christian Bible. They also aren't as strictly focused on one topic, either; the suras tend to mix history and teachings freely.

1. Nunhood
   Meditation
2. Wedding
   CrossFit

Although handfasting is now associated with neopaganism, it has ancient roots in the British Isles. The hands of the bride and groom are wrapped with a ribbon and a knot is loosely tied. When they pull their hands out, the knot is pulled tight. It's not hard to see which casual term for getting married came from this tradition!

1. Father
   Brothers
2. Listen!
   Beloved

"Abba" was the Chaldean (a form of Catholicism) word for "father." It is so warm and familiar, some Bible scholars translate it as "daddy," although we might find it odd for Jesus to address God in quite this way. Fun fact: The word survives in English as "abbot," meaning the head monk in a monastery.

1. The cycle of birth, death and rebirth
   Just death
2. Love between a man and woman
   Worldly desires

One of the central tenets of Buddhism is the need to break the cycle of samsara, which isn't "evil," per se, but persists because of our unwillingness to let go of worldly desires. Fun fact: "Samsara" became a popular name for girls in the counterculture of the 1960s.

1. An angel
   A demon
2. A holy book
   The human incarnation of a god

The god Vishnu has had many avatars on earth, though other gods have likewise had human incarnations. The term has been adopted by technology to mean the image a person uses to represent himself or herself online.

1. They are books of history
   They are books of prophecy
2. They are alternative gospels
   They are letters

"Epistle" is simply an old-fashioned word for "letter." It is rarely used anymore, except to describe the books written by Paul, Peter, James and John. This is why these books often open with a salutation and close with greetings to various people in the town to which the author was writing.

1. They have become a priest or pastor.
   They have received a prophetic vision.
2. They have reached an age when they can marry.
   They have confessed and been forgiven.

When a student graduates from seminary, he or she (if the denomination allows female clergy) is ordained. This is also referred to as "taking orders," a phrase heard most often in Catholicism.

1. He is Lord.
   The Lord is coming.
2. Listen!
   Take heart!

Maranatha appears only in 1 Corinthians. However, Christians have taken a liking to this Aramaic word and use it on church bulletins, banners at the front of a sanctuary and so on.

1. The path
   Revelation
2. Submission
   No one knows

While names like "Christianity" and "Judaism" don't have a direct meaning, "Islam" means "submission" and underscores the importance of obedience to God's will.

1. About the end times
   Dictated by an angel
2. Short and to the point
   Unofficial or unproven

You might own a Bible that includes "the Apocrypha." This means it includes books of Jewish scripture that weren't included in the Old Testament. This includes the books of the Maccabees and the wisdom of Ben Sira (the latter is highly recommended if you enjoy Ecclesiastes or Job).

1. Feasts
   Headcoverings
2. Schools
   Wars

The first is an Orthodox Jewish school; the second is Muslim. Both put a strong emphasis on the learning of religious precepts, although other subjects may be taught.