A quiz for Americans: What Do You Know About The Separation of State and Church?

If you're an American you should take this test about your knowledge of the Establishment Clause of our Bill of Rights. It's an easy and interesting way to learn a few things.

Click this to take the test: Freedom From Religion Foundation - What Do You Know About The Separation of State and Church? After you take the test it will tell you what you got wrong and what the correct answer is.

I took the test. Because this has been something I have been interested in for a long time I was able to get 18 answers correct. There were 21 questions.

Congratulations! You scored 18 correct out of 21!

18 - 21: Wow! First Amendment Scholar

14 - 17: Congratulations! Better informed than most Americans

10 - 13: Passing Grade

6 - 9: Did you attend a parochial school? Try test again.

0 - 5: Are you sure you are not a member of the Religious Right?

You are the 20,844th person to take this test since October 12, 2000.

Average score: 12

Correct answers appear below in blue type.
Your incorrect selections (if any) are shown in red type. (Unanswered questions are counted wrong.)

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1. The U.S. Constitution says that the United States was founded as a Christian nation, based on the

sovereign authority of God
in the First Amendment
in Section VI
in the Preamble
nowhere

2. How many times does the word "God" appear in the U.S. Constitution?

0
1
3
6

3. How many times does the Declaration of Independence refer to Christianity or Jesus?

0
1
3
8

4. The US Constitution guarantees religious liberty for

Christians
all religions
atheists & agnostics
all of the above

5. Where did the separation of church and state originate?

France
Soviet Union
United States of America
Nazi Germany

6. What does the First Amendment say about religion?

nothing
the US is founded upon Christian principles
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting free exercise
that there is no national religion, but each state may set up its own religious practices

7. The phrase "wall of separation between church and state" originated with

the Soviet constitution
a dissenting opinion by former Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter
a letter written by President Thomas Jefferson
a speech by President Ulysses S. Grant

8. Which early colonies practiced freedom of religion?

the Pilgrims and Puritans in Massachusetts
the colony in Virginia
Roger Williams' Providence settlement
all of them

9. The Puritans escaped religious persecution and, in their own colony, allowed religious freedom for

everyone
all Christians
Puritans only
Puritans and Anglicans

10. ". . . the government of the United States is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion; . . ." Where does this phrase appear?

The U.S. Communist party platform
A speech by Abraham Lincoln
American Jewish Congress
U.S. treaty signed by President Adams

11. By an Act of Congress, U.S. currency has carried the motto "In God We Trust" since

the very beginning
1862
1914
1957

12. The Pledge of Allegiance, first published in 1892, has included the words "under God" since

1892
1914
1942
1954

13. Who made the following statement? "Secular schools can never be tolerated because such a school has no religious instruction and a general moral instruction without a religious foundation is built on air; consequently, all character training and religion must be derived from faith . . . We need believing people."

Pat Robertson
Abraham Lincoln
Adolf Hitler
Rev. Jerry Falwell

14. In 1890, bible reading was outlawed from Wisconsin schools. Who was responsible?

a Lutheran family
a Roman Catholic family
an atheist family
a Jewish family

15. The U.S. Supreme Court outlawed student-initiated prayers at high-school football games in 2000. Who were the plaintiffs in that lawsuit?

Roman Catholic and Mormon families
two Jewish families
a Unitarian (agnostic) family
an atheist organization

16. According to the "Lemon test," in order to be constitutional, a law or public act must:

have a secular purpose
have a primary effect that neither advances nor inhibits religion
not result in excessive governmental entanglement with religion
all of the above

17. All American Presidents have been practicing Christians

True False

18. The U.S. Constitution says there shall be no religious test for public office

True False

19. John Adams declared Christmas to be a national holiday

True False

20. A president, being sworn in, is required to place a hand on the Holy Bible and say "so help me, God."

True False

21. Since the First Amendment deals with "Congress," states are free to advance religion if they wish.

True False