Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Alcoholics Anonymous

2007-06-10T15:38:41Z

Banker:

An organization to help alcoholics on the path to recovery from [[alcoholism]]. '''Alcoholics Anonymous''' utilizes a twelve step program to help those suffering from [[alcohol]] [[addiction]] to overcome their addiction, drawing heavily from [[Christian]] [[faith]]. The first of the 12 steps is to ask for and accept the assistance of a higher power, which most believe to be Jesus Christ.

==External Links==
http://www.alcoholics-anonymous.org/

Atheism

2007-06-10T15:34:36Z

Banker:

[[Image:Nogod.jpg|thumb|300px]]
{{cquote|The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." -Psalm 14:1 (KJV)}}
{{cquote|For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, [even] his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse...<ref>Romans 1:20 (KJV)</ref>}}
'''Atheism''', as defined by the ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' and the ''Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy'', is the denial of the existence of any [[God]].<ref>http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/atheism-agnosticism/</ref><ref>http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/1998</ref>

The term "atheism" also includes uncertainty about whether God exists or not, that is, people who never believe in God or actively deny His existence (see also [[agnosticism]]). There are two kinds of atheism, strong atheism, or someone who believes strongly that there is no God, and weak atheism, or someone who believes that there probably is no God. Atheists often equivocate that they actually have a lack of belief in any God, as opposed to having the positive belief that there is no God. This equivocation stems from the fact that if they hold positive beliefs, then their worldview can be categorized as a religion.

== Minority View and Well Known Atheists ==
In recorded history atheism has been a minority view (if we discount Buddhists), although there have been pockets of atheistic thought such as amongst the literati in pre-modern China who followed Confucian teachings.

Well-known atheists include [[Abraham Lincoln]], [[Ayn Rand]], [[Benjamin Franklin]], [[Douglas Adams]], [[Ernest Hemingway]], [[Helen Keller]], [[John Adams]], [[John Lennon]], [[Kurt Vonnegut]], [[Richard Dawkins]], and [[Thomas Edison]].

==Atheism and Communism ==
[[Karl Marx]] coined the saying "Religion is the opium of the people". Karl Marx also wrote: "Communism begins from the outset (Owen) with atheism; but atheism is at first far from being communism; indeed, that atheism is still mostly an abstraction."

[[Vladimir Lenin]] similarly wrote: "A Marxist must be a materialist, i. e., an enemy of religion, but a dialectical materialist, i. e., one who treats the struggle against religion not in an abstract way, not on the basis of remote, purely theoretical, never varying preaching, but in a concrete way, on the basis of the class struggle which is going on in practice and is educating the masses more and better than anything else could."

== Atheist morality ==
Although it is difficult to generalize about atheism because it has no creed in a way that [[Christianity]], [[Judaism]], and [[Islam]] do, atheists typically hold that no religious text can be the only source of morality; they do not look for their morality in revelation, but rather in reason or some other internal force. However, many atheists believe that religious texts contain useful ideas and principles, such as the [[Golden Rule]]. Such people would, however, assert that useful principles entered religion because they are useful, and not the other way around. As atheists do not believe in any form of deity, books purported to be based upon the revealed words of such deities are not considered to have any more inherent moral authority than books written by people, as they consider them to be one and the same.

== Atheist Population ==
It is difficult to accurately determine the proportion of the population that is atheist because survey definitions, and even real life definitions, are often unclear. Some people are unsure of the existence of God, but they are sometimes counted as atheists. People who think that the existence of god cannot be proven or disproven are called agnostics (see [[Agnosticism]]). Furthermore, surveys containing an option for "no religion" are not necessarily identifying atheists. Individuals may believe in some form of god but not subscribe to any particular religion.

Specific research on atheists conducted in 2006 [http://www.harrisinteractive.com/news/allnewsbydate.asp?NewsID=1131 suggests] that the true proportion of atheists is 4% in the United States, 17% in Great Britain and 32% in France.

== Concern about Atheists in America ==
Research in the American Sociological Review finds that atheists are the group that Americans least relate to for shared vision or want to have marry into their family.
<ref>Edgell, Gerteis & Hartmann 2006</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!
! This Group Does Not At All Agree with My Vision of American Society:
! I Would Disapprove if My Child Wanted to Marry a Member of This Group:
|-
| Atheist
| 34.8%
| 47.6%
|-
| Muslim
| 26.3%
| 33.5%
|-
| Homosexual
| 26.9%
| NA
|-
|Conservative Christian
| 13.5%
| 6.9%
|-
| Recent Immigrant
| 12.5%
| Not Asked
|-
| Hispanic
| 7.6%
| 18.5%
|-
| Jew
| 7.4%
| 11.8%
|-
| Asian American
| 7.0%
| 18.5%
|-
|African American
| 4.6%
| 27.2%
|-
| White American
| 2.2%
| 2.3%
|}

==External Links==
*[http://creationwiki.org/Decline_of_atheism Decline of Atheism -CreationWiki]
*[http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_225_report_en.pdf European Commission report on Social values, Science and Technology, includes info on Religious beliefs]

==References==
*[http://www.wonderfulatheistsofcfl.org/Quotes.htm List of well-known Atheists]
<references/>

[[Category:Religion]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]

Scientific theory

2007-06-10T15:29:33Z

Banker: /* Common usage */

A '''scientific theory''' is more substantial than a conjecture or [[hypothesis]], but may not be verified as consistent with empirical data. <ref>For example, scientists may refer to phlogiston theory or ether theory, even though empirical verification was lacking.</ref>

It is a plausible and consistent explanation for observable phenomena.

To be considered [[science|scientific]], a theory must be [[falsifiable]].
This means that there must be some way to do experiments that could counter the theory's predictions, thus disproving the current theory.
<ref>"A theory not only explains known facts; it also allows scientists to make predictions of what they should observe if a theory is true. Scientific theories are testable. New evidence should be compatible with a theory. If it isn't, the theory is refined or rejected." [http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/darwin/evolution/theory.php] </ref>

Generally accepted scientific theories have been tested and survived over time, have evolved when appropriate, and modified toward consistency with newly discovered data, have not been shown to be false and can make predictions about natural phenomena. <ref>http://www.thefreedictionary.com/theory </ref> Scientific theories can sometimes be used as the basis for industrial and technical developments.

A scientific theory does not necessarily have to have strong experimental support or accepted by the scientific community. Scientists often refer to untested theories and competing theories. Theories can be extremely well-confirmed, such as conservation of energy, or speculative, such as [[String Theory]].

Although Science can not in actuality prove anything to be true for ''sure'' all it can say is the the preponderance of evidence shows that to be the most likely answer.

== Common usage ==
Evolutionists frequently argue that the word "theory" means very different things to scientists and non-scientists. For example, a PBS TV show says: <ref>http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/11/2/e_s_1.html</ref>
:''When we use the word "theory" in everyday life, we usually mean an idea or a guess, but the word has a much different meaning in science. This video examines the vocabulary essential for understanding the nature of science and evolution and illustrates how evolution is a powerful, well-supported scientific explanation for the relatedness of all life.''

The American Museum of Natural History exhibit on Darwin says: <ref>http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/darwin/evolution/theory.php</ref>
:''In everyday use, the word "theory" often means an untested hunch, or a guess without supporting evidence. But for scientists, a theory has nearly the opposite meaning. A theory is a well-substantiated explanation of an aspect of the natural world that can incorporate laws, hypotheses and facts.''

In science a theory is something that ties together facts. For example, an apple falling to the ground when you let go of it is a fact. From this we can hypothesize that there is some force pulling it down. The set of observations and mathematical formulae that explain how this force works, and the experiments which demonstrate that those observations and formulae are correct is called the Theory of Gravity.

==Notes and references==
<references/>

[[Category:Science]]