c. 2007 Religion News Service
CLEVELAND _ Got interfaith game?
Seeking a fun way to help people learn about the faith of their neighbors, John Cooper, a mechanical engineer from Lincoln, Neb., created 7th Heaven, a board game that tests players’ knowledge of Judaism, Islam and Christianity.
The design is simple. A board contains spaces for two sets of cards. One player picks up a faith card and another player asks a question from a card relating to that faith. Play rotates counterclockwise, with players getting a point for each correct answer. The winner is the first to reach a predetermined score.
But Cooper’s goal for 7th Heaven is majestic.
The hope, he said, is that “the more we understand each other, the easier it may be to coexist on Earth.”
You can test your knowledge with the sample questions below.
QUESTIONS:
1. True or false: Muslims pray five times a day.
2. “The Lord is my Shepherd” is the opening line of which Psalm?
3. What does the huppah, or wedding canopy, symbolize?
4. The day Jesus rose from the dead is remembered by what special day during Holy Week?
5. How old is a boy when he has a bar mitzvah?
6. What does the word “Allah” mean?
7. What is Yom Kippur?
8. On what two levels does Islam seek to promote peace?
9. The four weeks preceding Christmas are known as what?
10. How old was Muhammad when God called him to reveal the Quran?
11. On the night Jesus was betrayed, he celebrated a feast known in the Jewish faith as what?
12. What is Hanukkah?
ANSWERS
1. True. Muslims pray five times a day.
2. The 23rd psalm.
3. It symbolizes the new Jewish home being created by the marriage.
4. Easter Sunday.
5. 13.
6. God.
7. The Day of Atonement when, according to tradition, God seals the Book of Life and Death.
8. Peace within one’s self and peace with others.
9. Advent.
10. 40.
11. The Seder.
12. The Festival of Lights, a celebration marking the rededication of the Temple in Jerusalem.
KRE/RB END BRIGGS350 words
Photos of people playing 7th Heaven are available via https://religionnews.com.
Editors: Resending to correct slug. See mainbar, RNS-INTERFAITH-GAME
