Christian Basics Knowledge Test

Welcome to Christian Basics Knowledge Test

1. Does God have a visible form?

Yes, He resembles an Elder (Dan. 7:9), a King (Isa. 6:1), or a fiery Man (Ezek. 1:26–27).

Yes. As the Holy Trinity, He resembles the Trinity of Angels depicted by St. Andrei Rublev in the icon “The Trinity.”

God has neither spatial form nor visible appearance.

2. Complete the biblical phrase: “God is …”

justice

punishment for sinners

hope

Love

judge

3. How does science relate to religion?

Science fully agrees with religion.

They are fundamentally contradictory.

They belong to different spheres of human experience and are determined by different tasks.

Science is superior to religion because it is based on evidence, while religion is based on faith.

Religion has no concern for science, and science has no concern for religion, since a highly religious person may not be a good scientist, just as a scientist may not be a highly religious person.

4. How is faith understood in Christianity?

Agreement (that God exists)

Reverence toward God

Faithfulness to God

Fear of God

5. Who is God in relation to the human being, and what does He expect from us?

A powerful Being who demands strict obedience to His laws

A loving Father who calls for reciprocal love and love for our neighbors

An impersonal being in whom the human personality must dissolve

There are many gods, and they have different purposes

6. Who is the Holy Spirit?

An Angel of God

An Image of God

God

A symbol of God’s manifestation in the world

7. What should a Christian primarily feel toward God?

Fear of punishment

Hope for entering the heavenly dwellings

A sense of one’s own insignificance

Love

8. Is personal communion between a human being and God possible?

No, it is impossible, because God is an absolutely immaterial, boundless Spirit, whereas man is material and limited

It is fundamentally possible for any person

It is possible, but only for the greatest saints

It is possible, but only through special prayer formulas known to particularly enlightened teachers, saints, or high church hierarchs

9. Adam and Eve were expelled from Paradise because:

They ate a magical fruit

They came to know good and evil

They tried to hide from God

They broke God’s commandment and did not repent

They committed a carnal sin

10. Why is God, after the Fall of man, not openly revealed to all people?

Because God does not violate the freedom of those who do not wish to see or know Him

Because God does not want to be constantly present in a world deformed by sin

Because due to the coarsening of the flesh caused by sin, human spiritual sight has also become coarse

11. Have any fragments of New Testament manuscripts from the first centuries of Christianity survived to this day?

No, everything was destroyed

No, due to corrections and additions made in later centuries

Yes, the Qumran manuscripts (Dead Sea Scrolls)

More than 5000

About 200 unique manuscripts

12. How many commandments are generally distinguished in the Bible?

3

7

19

33

13. Has Divine Revelation to humanity ceased, and if so, when did it end?

Yes, it ceased after the final establishment of the Canon of Holy Scripture

Yes, it ceased after the formation of the Church; since then Divine Revelation has been replaced by pastoral preaching

Yes, it ceased after the end of the era of the Holy Fathers

Yes, it ceased in 787 with the final affirmation of the faith at the Seventh Ecumenical Council

No, it has not ceased

14. Baptism is:

protection from illnesses and failures

correction of destiny

a solemn ceremony of entering the community of believers

spiritual rebirth

15. What do Christians mean by the expression “servant of God”?

that they must unconditionally submit to supernatural forces

that the main virtues are timidity and fear

that the servant of God can no longer be anyone else’s servant

that it is unreasonable to resist God

16. What is the main proof of the truth of Christianity?

the antiquity of the Bible

the possibility of a personal encounter with God — communion with God

the historical character of Christianity

monotheism as the true religion

17. What lies at the foundation of the emergence of Christianity?

the Bible

the Gospel

the Incarnation of God

Holy Tradition

dogmas

18. A church candle is:

a way to appease God

a means for the forgiveness of sins

an offering to the church and a tangible symbol of prayer

a tool to strengthen prayer

19. What are dogmas?

irrefutable doctrinal truths

norms of church discipline

the duties of a believer

a set of church rules

truths that must not be reflected upon

20. Saints canonized by the Church are:

all those who have entered Paradise

those who never committed sins

a certain portion of God’s righteous ones

21. Who are the Holy Fathers?

priests and bishops

believing fathers of families, raising their children in the spirit of Christianity

male saints

spiritual teachers and writers distinguished by the purity of their faith and holiness of life

22. Who is the head of the Church?

Patriarch

Holy Synod

the believing people

Jesus Christ

23. Who is a Christian?

one who reads the Gospel

one who lights candles in church

one who is baptized

a member of the Church of Christ

24. Which of the following conditions is most important to truly be a member of the Church, not just appear to be one?

attending Church services on major holidays such as Easter, Baptism, etc.

being well-versed in the structure of church services and knowing the liturgical rules

participating in the Sacrament of the Eucharist (Holy Communion)

observing certain behavioral norms and rules of piety

25. Is knowledge of the basics of theology necessary for ordinary believers?

yes, it is essential

no, that is unnecessary speculation; faith is enough

priests need deep knowledge, while for ordinary believers it is enough to know the rites and rules of piety (church etiquette)

26. What is the priesthood?

a form of service in the Church

mediation between man and God

a guarantee of salvation

a position in the church

27. Does the effectiveness of Church Sacraments depend on the personal sinfulness of the priest performing them?

yes

no

28. What is the main church service called?

All-Night Vigil

Matins

Liturgy

Great Vespers

Royal Hours

29. The Christian attitude toward icons is expressed in the statement:

the honor given to the image passes on to the one depicted

the icon increases the power of prayer by bringing the depicted person closer to the one praying

the honor given to the image passes on to the person praying

icons accumulate spiritual energy and transmit it to the one praying

30. What is the Church?

people who regularly pray in the church

an organization of clergy

the Eucharistic Assembly

clergy and laity

31. What is Orthodox fasting?

mortification of the flesh

a health diet

a means of elevating the spirit over the flesh

a commandment that cannot be rationally explained

32. How often are Christians commanded to pray?

in the morning, evening, and before meals

before any important undertaking

as directed by a spiritual father

whenever the soul desires

whenever there is time

unceasingly

33. The salvation of a person is accomplished by:

the will of God

the person’s own efforts

the joint action of God and the person

34. The first to enter Paradise after the Fall was:

Apostle Peter

the thief

Adam

Abraham

Prophet David

35. Death is:

a transition into nonexistence

a probabilistic chance of going to Hell or Paradise

a temporary separation of the soul and body

a step on the path to reincarnation

dissolution in God or merging with the world of evil spirits

36. Is it possible to repent at the very moment of death, having ignored God throughout earthly life?

No, without observing the necessary practices during life, this is unacceptable

Yes, but repentance and remorse are not synonyms

37. The Devil is:

an allegorical personification of evil

a fallen spirit, a real personality

a being equal and opposite to God

a mythological character

38. Why does God allow evil?

God does not intervene in earthly life

It is predestined that life consists of joys and misfortunes

It is a consequence of humanity’s fall into sin

Humanity must overcome evil through scientific, technological, and social progress

39. Sin, according to the definition of the Sixth Ecumenical Council, is:

Violation of the Ten Commandments

Pleasure forbidden by God

Disease of the soul

Violation of dogmas

40. Who is without sin (sinless):

Some priests

The Most Holy Patriarch

Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ and the saints

41. According to the Holy Fathers, the first sin and the mother of all sins is:

Gluttony

Drunkenness

Greed for money

Pride

Judgment of others

42. Which branch of Orthodox theology studies passions and virtues?

Liturgics

Anthropology

Asceticism

Ecclesiology

Ascetics

Eschatology

Homiletics

43. The body for a Christian is:

The temple of God

The prison of the soul

Something to be humbled

An object for ascetic feats

The dwelling of the soul

44. According to the New Testament, how should a husband treat his wife?

Authoritatively

Condescendingly

As his own soul

As his own body

As his chariot

45. How should a Christian relate to material possessions?

Impartially

Despise them

Consider them a blessing from God

As a random find to be quickly discarded

46. In Jesus Christ, the divine and human natures are united without confusion and:

Indivisibly

Energetically

Hypostatically

Spiritually

47. In Christian understanding, true love is:

Passionate

Active

Non-emotional

Self-sacrificial

Spiritual

Not joyful

48. Choose the theologically correct statement:

God is a human

God was a human

God became and is a human

All three options are correct

49. Christians are:

Polytheists

Tritheists

Theists

50. Is war a manifestation of humanity’s sinful nature?

Yes, in all cases without exception

No, war is permitted by God, and humans are merely instruments of His Providence

No, because everything that happens in the world occurs by God’s will

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Orthodox Christianity Basics Quiz

Test your knowledge of faith, sacraments, and spiritual life