According to Sumerian mythology, humans were originally created as servants for the gods, buit the humans were eventually freed after they became too much trouble for the gods to handle. Like the bible and epic of Gilgamesh, early creation myths of the Sumerians also include a story about a local flood - however in this case the flood is naturally impending and the gods choose not to save mankind. The god of the waters, Enki, warns the hero of the story and sends the instructions for him to build the ark.

Once the storms ensue and the flood approaches, one big difference in the story line compared to the biblical account of Noah's flood is the length of time that it all lasts. In the bible, Noah's flood lasts for 40 days and nights. In the Sumerian myth, how many days and nights does the flood last?

A. 3

B. 7

C. 66

D. 180

For the answer, listen to the latest episode of our podcast!

While the word "witch" evokes a seemingly ancient image, the religion known as Wicca, or witchcraft, only recently developed at the beginning of the 20th century. After its popularization in the 1950s and 60s, Wiccans grew in number, and now they represent the largest non-Christian faith practiced in the United States Air Force.

The most prominent symbol of Wicca is the pentagram, a five-pointed star that is often mis-associated with the Church of Satan, who actually adopted the inverted pentagram as their symbol. In the Wiccan tradition, each point of the pentagram represents one of the classical Greek elements which include air, fire, water, and earth. What is the fifth element, represented by the top point of the pentagram?

A. Sky

B. Spirit

C. Thought

D. Love

For the answer, listen to the latest episode of the podcast!

By the end of the second century, some truly cultivated pagans began to be converted to Christianity and were able to adapt the Semitic God of the Bible to the Greco-Roman ideal, which would be important for founding the Christian orthodoxy in the fourth and fifth centuries. Of the most influential, a young pupil called Origen rose within the ranks of early Christian theologians and was one of the first to promote an entirely symbolic method of reading the Bible, suggesting that it was all an allegory to represent the struggle of the human soul to transcend its organic form.

By the ninth century, the Church condemned Origen's ideas as heretical. However, other ideas from Origen persisted, and even inspired some of the more neurotic theologians to develop doctrines that make secularists cringe today. Bettors, today Origen is perhaps best known for what?

A. Child exorcism

B. Self-immolation (suicide by setting oneself on fire)

C. Ritualistic blood letting

D. Self-castration

For the answer, listen in to the latest episode of our podcast!

In the ancient Semitic regions of northern Israel, Lebanon, and Egypt, the Canaanites took refuge in their national god and vegetation deity Baal. One of the oldest agricultural gods in recorded histroy, Baal originated as a god of storms and rain, and through a supernatural struggle earned his kingship among the Canannites.

Baal's voice was described to be like thunder, and he watered the earth through a hole in his opulent palace on top of a mountain above the world. Baal's primary role is to wint the eternal struggle over the forces of disorder to re-establish fertility to the lands. This combat causes a temporary ill-fortune to Baal while he is forced to the underworld to challenege the forces of chaos, but he annually emerges triumphant to reclaim his Kingship and restore the land.

During Baal's time of absence during the struggle, he sends a sign to his people that he will return by fathering the birth of an anima. What animal does Baal sire to guarantee his power to the Canaanites?

A. Bull

B. Lion

C. Camel

D. Badger

For the answer, listen to the latest episode of our podcast!