American Knowledge Quiz

Ever since the Great Awakenings in our nation's history, evangelical Christianity has become more entwined with our political culture. While this has often led to great and positive changes, such as the American Revolution, abolition of slavery, and women's suffrage, these positive changes have been replaced with religious interpretations of biblical law masquerading as public policy. Now we have opposition to abortion, homosexual rights, stem cell research, and even support of war based on skewed and biased interpretations of the Bible rather than arguments based on facts, logic, and scientific research.

Beyond this, I have heard average Americans, national leaders and celebrities, and even, unfortunately, presidential candidates erroneously refer to our nation as being founded on the Bible and getting the basic facts about our Republic and our founding documents and principles terribly wrong. In the wake of the 2006 mid-term elections, I wrote this short quiz to both allow Americans to test their knowledge of our form of government and national ideals, and also to educate the masses as to the facts behind our founding documents and principles.

Feel free to test yourself and pass this around to your family and friends.

How much do you know about the Constitution and the history and culture of our nation?

How many times does the word "God", "Jesus", or "Creator" appear in the Constitution?

A. 2 B. 7 C. 0 D. 3

Does the Constitution require an elected official to be a Christian or otherwise profess a monotheistic faith?

A. Yes B. No

Does the Oath of Office in the Constitution for the President of the United States include the words "So help me God"?

A. Yes B. No

When was the Pledge of Allegiance written, and by whom?

A. 1952, Joseph McCarthy - US Senator

B. 1892, Francis Bellamy - American Socialist

C. 1801, Thomas Jefferson - US President

D. 1777, Francis S. Key - American Poet

When was reference to God added to the pledge? On Currency?

A. 1954, 1956 B. 1801, 1803 C. 1914, 1917

Does the first amendment allow the government to prohibit certain religious groups?

A. Yes B. No

Does the first amendment allow the government to provide benefits to certain religious groups and not others?

A. Yes B. No

How many of our 16 pre-Civil War presidents were Christians?

A. 2 B. 10 C. 8 D. 16

How many non-Christians were in the US Congress in 2006?

A. 5/535 B. 20/535 C. 15/535 D. 55/535

What is the percentage non-Christians are in the US currently?

A. 10% B. 49% C. 23% D. 17%

Sources:

US Constitution, adherents.com, teachingaboutreligion.org, wikipedia.org

(Answers: 1-C, 2-B, 3-B, 4-B, 5-A, 6-B, 7-B, 8-C, 9-A, 10-C)