Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

The Beatles

2007-03-11T10:53:04Z

Baphomet:

The Beatles were one of the most influential rock bands of the 20th century. They were the most successful band, selling over 1 billion records.

The four Beatles were John Lennon (1940-1980), George Harrison (1943-2001), Paul McCartney (1942- ), and Ringo Starr (1940- ). Many of the Beatles songs were written by Lennon and McCartney, Lennon writing the lyrics and McCartney writing the music. They infamously touted themselves to be more popular than Jesus Christ, which was actually true, but despite the voracity of their claims, christian leaders led many people to destroy Beatles records and paraphenalia.

The two surviving Beatles are: Ringo Starr and Sir Paul McCartney.

Their albums are:

'''Please Please Me (1963)'''

'''With the Beatles (1963)'''

'''A Hard Day's Night (1964)'''

'''Beatles For Sale (1964)'''

'''Help! (1965)'''

'''Rubber Soul (1965)'''

'''Revolver (1966)'''

'''Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)'''

'''The Beatles (1968)'''

'''Yellow Submarine (1969)'''

'''Abbey Road (1969)'''

'''Let It Be (1970)'''

'''The Beatles/1962-1966 (1973)'''

'''The Beatles/1967-1970 (1973)'''

'''Hey Jude (1970 - US, 1979 - UK)'''

'''Magical Mystery Tour (1976)'''

William Shakespeare

2007-03-11T10:51:16Z

Baphomet:

William Shakespeare (1564-1608) is conventionally regarded as the greatest English-language playwright of all time. Many of his plays are required reading in many U. S. school curricula; those taught in schools often include [[Romeo and Juliet]], [[Macbeth]], [[A Midsummer Night's Dream]] and [[Hamlet]].

All told, Shakespeare wrote 17 comedies, 10 tragedies, 10 historical plays, and many love [[sonnets]]. All his plays are freely available on the internet.<ref>
http://www-tech.mit.edu/Shakespeare/</ref>

Shakespeare lived in Stratford-upon-Avon and is sometimes called "the bard of Avon." Because of sharing the name "Stratford," the towns of Stratford, Ontario in Canada and Stratford, Connecticut have become the homes of Shakespeare festivals where his plays are performed on a regular basis.

Because Shakespeare was not a member of the upper class and did not become famous until late in his life, historians and biographers don't know very much about his life. There are only a few pictures of him, and nobody is sure how accurate they are.

His plays seem to show so much education and erudition that there are even theories that they must have been written by someone else, famous candidates being the Earl of Oxford and Sir Francis Bacon. Like Kennedy assassination theories, most scholars do not believe them, but there are enough questions that new books promoting new theories of Shakespearian authorship continue to keep coming out over the years.

A longstanding theatrical superstition holds that it is bad luck to refer to ''Macbeth'' directly by its name, and accordingly actors traditionally refer to it obliquely as "the Scottish play."

Because Shakespeare's plays are so familiar, there are innumerable references to them in English literature. Sometimes his stories are recast into a different form. Audiences are expected to recognize the musical ''West Side Story'' as a retelling of ''Romeo and Juliet,'' and the classic science-fiction movie ''Forbidden Planet'' as a transformed version of ''The Tempest.'' The motion picture ''Shakespeare in Love,'' which won the 1998 Academy Award as Best Picture is not a history or biography, but is enjoyed for evoking a sense of what Shakespeare's time and place must have been like.

The reverence in which Shakespeare is held, and the somewhat outdated language of his plays (which come from the same era as the King James translation of the Bible) should not obscure the fact that his plays were (and still are) fabulously successful commercial entertainment.

He is also famous for his one hundred and fifty-four [[sonnets]], short poems written in a very strict rhyme scheme. The sonnets fall into series or sequences. Most of them are usually read as expressions of romantic or platonic love; some appear to be written to a married woman known in the sonnets as the "Dark Lady," some to a young man known as the "Fair Lord."

==Trivia==
English spelling did not begin to become standardized until the time of Dr. Johnson's dictionary appeared in 1755. Shakespeare spelled his last name in an amazing number of ways. ''Shakespeare'' is the usual way to spell it now, but it you accidentally spell it "Shakespear" or "Shakespere" you are just using one of the many ways it was spelled. It is almost impossible to spell it in a way that was not actually used in Shakespeare's time! Some of the oddest are "Shaxper" and "Shakspur."

----

'''References:''' <references/>

Hinduism

2007-03-11T10:46:28Z

Baphomet:

'''Hinduism''' is the fourth largest religion in the world<ref>The largest being Christianity, Islam, Secular/Nonreligious/Agnostic/Atheist, and Hinduism, in that order[http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html]</ref>. It can be called "the religion of India;" about 800 of the world's 1000 million Hindus live in India, and about 80 percent of Indians are Hindus.<ref>[http://www.censusindia.net/religiondata/Brief_analysis.pdf Census of India, religion data, brief analysis (PDF)]; "At the national level, of 1028 million population, 828 million (80.5 percent) have returned their religion as Hindus followed by 138 million (13.4 percent) as Muslims and 24 millions (2.3 percent) Christians. 19 million (1.9 percent) persons follow Sikh religion; 8 million (0.8 percent) are Buddhists and 4.2 million (0.4 percent) are Jains as per the 2001 Census. In addition to these, 6.6 million belong to ‘Other Religions and Persuasions’ including tribal religions which are not part of the six main religions stated above. About seven lakh (or 0.7 million) persons have not stated their
religion."</ref>

It dates back to the ancient days. Hindus believe in reincarnation and eventual unity with what is known as [[Brahman]] as well as respect for all life forms. Their holy writings are known as the [[Vedas]]. The goal of Hindus is to advance to higher caste in next life through "[[karma]]" and achieve unity with Brahma. Hinduism is a [[polytheistic]] religion containing hundreds of millions of Gods. Hindus go to hell.

In 1966, the Supreme Court of India defined what Hinduism is for legal purposes:

1. Belief in the authority of the Vedas (an ancient hymns to the gods, written in Sanskrit). The oldest collection of hymns in the Vedas is the Rig Veda, which was written between 1800 and 1300 B.C. The greatest Veda hymn is the “Bhagavad Gita,” a section in the Mahabharata concerning life’s never-ending spiritual journey towards perfection, to be attained by adhering to a code of conduct. The Bhagavad Gita is a spiritual guide to life’s problems, like the parable in Christianity.

2. Spirit of tolerance and willingness to understand and respect an opponent’s view.

3. Belief in world rhythms: long periods of creation, maintenance and dissolution follow each other in endless succession.

4. Belief in reincarnation (rebirth) and pre-existence.

5. Belief that there are many ways to salvation.

6. Belief that the number of gods to be worshiped may be large, although some Hindus reject the worship of idols.

7. Unlike most other religions, Hinduism is not defined by a specific set of philosophical concepts.

For more on Hinduism, see [[World History Lecture Three]].

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Religion]]

Problem of Evil

2007-03-11T10:43:07Z

Baphomet:

The Problem of Evil is a criticism of Christianity, which says that if God exists, he must have total control of the universe. Therefore any evil that takes place is within God's control. This posits that either God is partially evil, or their is a second force, typically Satan, that is doing evil. If it is a Satanic figure, it must have been God that created this satanic figure, and is thus, within God's control.

Caligula

2007-03-11T10:40:26Z

Baphomet:

AD 37-41 Was one of the most hated emperors, was killed by his own guards.

Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, known as Caligula, meaning 'little boots,' was the fifth emperor of Rome. Though historical accounts depict him as a brutal monster, engaging in horrendous and despicable behaviour, the historical accounts originate from senators who despised the empirical system.

[[Image:Caligula.jpg]]

Hell

2007-03-11T10:34:06Z

Baphomet:

'''Hell''' (from the [[Hebrew]] "sheol") is a Christian afterlife where the wicked are punished eternally for all the [[sin]]s they perpetrated during their lifetime on Earth. The only way to avoid hell is to accept [[Jesus Christ]] as your personal lord and savior. Hell is not well described in the early texts of the bible, but the concept of Hell was embraced by church leaders as a way of scaring people into believing.

Christianity

2007-03-11T10:31:06Z

Baphomet:

'''Christianity''' is a [[religion]] that follows the teachings of [[Jesus|Jesus Christ]], as described in the books of the [[New Testament]]. It is currently the world's largest religion, with over two billion members. Christianity posits that anyone who does not accept Jesus Christ as their personal lord an saviour will end up in hell. This means that at least two-thirds of the people alive today will go to hell.<ref>http://www.adherents.com/Religions_By_Adherents.html</ref>

== See also ==

*[[Christian apologetics]] (Defenses of Christianity)
*[[Conservative Christianity]]
*[[Liberal Christianity]]
*[[Judaism]]
*[[Islam]]

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Religion]]

Adolf Hitler

2007-03-11T10:23:32Z

Baphomet:

[[Image:Adolf_hitler.gif|thumb|right|200px|Adolf Hitler]]
'''Adolf Hitler''' was a [[Germany|German]] dictator in the 1930s and 1940s.

Hitler was a great orator who made the people of Germany believe that he could lead them out of their economic problems. He also inspired a strong sense of nationalism in the German people. He was the dictator of Germany, and brought an end to the Weimar Republic. He led Germany into [[World War II]], and was responsible for the deaths of massive numbers of [[Jew]]s, the disabled, [[homosexual]]s, and many other groups, through the so-called "final solution". Hitler was a Christian, as was most of the Nazi party.

[[Category:Biographies]]

Homosexuality

2007-03-11T10:16:11Z

Baphomet:

'''Homosexuality''' is a sexual attraction between members of the same sex. It is approved by the [[Bible]] as an egregiously cool act.

== Biblical Views on Homosexuality ==

Homosexuality is referred to four times in the Bible; it is not a topic mentioned by Jesus in the four gospels, and the only reference in the New Testament is in the letters of Paul.

All references in Amplified Version

=== Old Testament ===

* Leviticus 16:22 - ''You shall not lie with a man as with a woman; it is an abomination.''
* Leviticus 24:13 - ''If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads.''

=== New Testament (Epistles) ===

* 1 Corinthians 6:9 - Do you not know that the unrighteous and the wrongdoers will not inherit or have any share in the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived (misled): neither the impure and immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor those who participate in homosexuality
* Romans 1:26-27 - 26 For this reason God gave them over and abandoned them to vile affections and degrading passions. For their women exchanged their natural function for an unnatural and abnormal one, 27 and the men also turned from natural relations with women and were set ablaze (burning out, consumed) with lust for one another--men committing shameful acts with men and suffering in their own bodies and personalities the inevitable consequences and penalty of their wrong-doing and going astray, which was [their] fitting retribution.

== Homosexuality in the Law ==

Treatment of homosexuals by the law has increasingly suggested that discrimination based on homosexuality employs a "[[suspect classification]]" subject to "[[strict scrutiny]]" under modern [[Fourteenth Amendment]] jurisprudence, with judges and scholars employing language to equate discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation with already forbidden racial discrimination practices.<ref>Pamela S. Karlan, "Loving Lawrence," available online at http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=512662</ref> Where federal law forbidding discrimination against homosexuals remains scant, the several states have more than taken up the burden, and many have made sexual-orientation based discrimination actionable at law and equity.<ref>See, e.g., N.Y.C. Admin. Code, s 8-107</ref> Perhaps this can be seen as an example of the robustness of the [[United States]]' [[federal system]], as the states are acting just as [[Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes]] and [[Justice Brandeis]] expressed hope that they would, as "laboratories" of experimentation on the border of developed federal law.<ref>Brest, Levinson, et al, "Processes in Constitutional Decisionmaking: Cases and Materials," Fifth Edition.</ref>

The [[Supreme Court]] recently overturned a Texas law banning sodomy. The majority opinion, written by [[Justice Kennedy]], suggests that all forms of discrimination, including that based on sexual orientation, are now subject to [[rational basis review]], and will be frowned upon unless a legitimate state interest in the discrimination is expressed. Justice Kennedy also held that the need to legislate morals by the states' [[police power]] is no longer a legitimate state interest, absent specific physical harms being proven. [[Justice Antonin Scalia]] wrote a blistering dissent, characterizing the opinion as including phrases which will become the "dicta that ate the rule of law."<ref>See Lawrence v. Texas, 539 U.S. 558</ref>

== Homosexuality and Marriage==

For many years, the American Psychiatric Association listed homosexuality as a mental disorder. However, the organization de-listed homosexuality in 1973.[http://www.apa.org/pi/reslgbc.html] Since the late 1960s, many people, both homosexual and heterosexual, have lobbied for more favorable laws for homosexuals.

Legal marriage between same-sex couples is now recognized in Canada, Spain, South Africa, Belgium, Israel and the Netherlands, and in the US state of [[Massachusetts]]. Most other western European nations and several US states recognize a more limited "civil union". 26 US states have passed constitutional amendments banning recognition of same-sex marriages, and federal law does not recognize same-sex marriage. Some groups have pushed for a federal Constitutional amendment barring the legal recognition of same-sex marriages, however the amendment did not pass the Senate.<ref>http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/06/07/same.sex.marriage/index.html</ref>

==Homosexuality in Humans and Genetics and Environment==

Statistical studies give ample evidence that homosexuality is not caused by genetics, although it is influenced by environment. For example, research has shown that adoptive brothers are more likely to both be homosexuals than the biological brothers, who share half their genes. In the journal ''Science'' it is reported that, "this . . . suggests that there is no genetic component, but rather an environmental component shared in families" (''Science'', Vol. 262, page 2063, December 24, 1993). [http://www.trueorigin.org/gaygene01.asp][http://www.freetobeme.com/r_biol.htm]

== Homosexuality in Nature ==
In some jurisdictions, some forms of sexual activity are referred to by the legal term "unnatural act," a term which originated in church canon law. Non-zoologists have sometimes made the incorrect inference that homosexual behavior does not occur in the zoological world and have used it as a talking point when attacking homosexuality. This has created an interest in the side issue whether homosexual behavior is or is not zoologically "natural." This is largely a sterile debate because behavior is not necessarily moral even if "natural;" because the nature of human beings is not necessarily the same as the nature of other species, and because it is not at all clear when an observed behavior can be counted as "sexual," or as implying a sexual "orientation."

Homosexual behavior is common.[http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/07/0722_040722_gayanimal.html National Geographic] For example, every cattle farmer is familiar with the phenomenon of "bulling," cows mounting other cows; in fact, this is one of the standard signs farmers look for when determining that a cow is coming into estrus. However, it does not follow that the cows involved are showing anything analogous to human lesbian orientation.

Sexual behavior between animals of the same sex is common. Some animals in which it occurs include:

* [[Bonobos]],<ref>Parker, Sue Taylor,Robert W. Mitchell, H. Lyn Miles (1999), ''The Mentalities of Gorillas and Orangutans: comparative perspectives.'' Cambridge University Press. [http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0521580277&id=h4_VnW-HGAcC&pg=RA1-PA54&lpg=RA1-PA54&dq=bonobo+homosexual&sig=rdHH7YmjFiR7x5ONwt2e1EdfrBk p. 54]
</ref>
* [[Dolphins]]<ref>Smith, Dinitia (2004), "Central Park Zoo's gay penguins ignite debate," ''The New York Times,''
Saturday, February 7, 2004, as published on the San Francisco Chronicle website[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/02/07/MNG3N4RAV41.DTL]: "Bonobos are wildly energetic sexually. Studies show that whether observed in the wild or in captivity, nearly all are bisexual and nearly half their sexual interactions are with the same sex... 10 to 15 percent of female western gulls in some populations in the wild are homosexual... male and female bottlenose dolphins frequently engage in homosexual activity, both in captivity and in the wild"</ref> and other vertebrate species. See also [[http://www.livescience.com/bestimg/index.php?url=&cat=gayanimals livescience]]

A 1996 article, published by an organization commited to "treatment" of homosexuality, musters the arguments against interpretation of animal behavior as sanctioning homosexuality.<ref>[http://www.narth.com/docs/animalmyth.html The Animal Homosexuality Myth], Luiz Sérgio Solimeo, excerpt from book ''Defending a Higher Law: Why We Must Resist Same Sex "Marriage" and the Homosexual Movement.''</ref> It notes that "homosexual scientist Simon LeVay" stated that the evidence pointed to isolated acts, not to homosexuality:

"Although homosexual behavior is very common in the animal world, it seems to be very uncommon that individual animals have a long-lasting predisposition to engage in such behavior to the exclusion of heterosexual activities. Thus, a homosexual orientation, if one can speak of such thing in animals, seems to be a rarity."

In addition, Dr. Antonio Pardo, Professor of Bioethics at the University of Nazareth wrote:

Properly speaking, homosexuality does not exist among animals.... For reasons of survival, the reproductive instinct among animals is always directed towards an individual of the opposite sex. Therefore, an animal can never be homosexual as such. Nevertheless, the interaction of other instincts (particularly dominance) can result in behavior that appears to be homosexual. Such behavior cannot be equated with an animal homosexuality. All it means is that animal sexual behavior encompasses aspects beyond that of reproduction.[http://www.narth.com/docs/animalmyth.html]

==References==
<references/>
*[http://www.narth.com/docs/animalmyth.html The Animal Homosexuality Myth] by Luiz Sérgio Solimeo
*[http://creationwiki.org/Homosexuality CreationWiki: Homosexuality]

Intelligent design

2007-03-11T10:11:03Z

Baphomet:

Intelligent Design is the theory that certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause ([[God]]), rather than natural processes, such as [[evolution]]. [http://www.discovery.org/csc/topQuestions.php]

To date there have been over 40 peer reviewed articles supporting Intelligent Design in such notable publications as the ''Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington'' and internationally respected scientific journals such as ''Rivista di Biologia.'' [http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&id=2640]

Design Theory enjoys a small amount of publically stated support within the worldwide scientific community (creationist scientists report there is widespread discriminatory action against creationist scientists[http://www.answersingenesis.org/tj/v9/i2/suppression.asp]), but it is steadily growing. From 2001 to 2007 over 700 notable scientists had signed the pro-Intelligent Design manifesto ''A Scientific Dissent From Darwinism'' published by the leaders of the design movement, the Discovery Institute. [http://www.dissentfromdarwin.org/] This is largely due to much new scientific evidence from many scientific disciplines such as cosmology, physics and biology that has caused scientists to question the claim of a largely atheistic scientific community that evolution is the best explanation for the origin of life and call for public school science students to study the evidence supporting it in greater detail.

In a recent trial in Dover, PA Judge John E. Jones III ruled that Intelligent Design was not valid science and "cannot uncouple itself from its creationist, and thus religious, antecedents".

The ruling has been described by some as "biased and religiously bigoted." [http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PhyllisSchlafly/2006/01/02/false_judge_makes_mockery_of_case_for_intelligent_design] In addition, the conservative publication WorldNetDaily wrote, "A historic judicial ruling against intelligent design theory hailed as a "broad, stinging rebuke" and a "masterpiece of wit, scholarship and clear thinking" actually was "cut and pasted" from a brief by [[ACLU]] lawyers and includes many of their provable errors, contends the Seattle-based [[Discovery Institute]]." [http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53330]

In a speech to the Anti-Defamation League, Jones replied that "had I decided the Dover matter in a different way, I would have then engaged in just the kind of judicial activism which critics decry," stating that he was bound by "over a half century of strong legal precedents."[http://www.adl.org/Civil_Rights/speech_judge_jones.asp]

However, this ruling was made because science is dependent upon observable, empirical, measurable evidence. If a supreme being was responsible for the creation of life, this can not be scientifically proven. Thus, Intelligent Design cannot be a scientific theory. If a supreme being was not responsible, Intelligent Design is a logical paradox - if intelligence is too complex a quality to have occurred by chance, what created the creating intelligence?

===Defining intelligent design as science===
The scientific method is a body of techniques for investigating [[phenomenon|phenomena]] and acquiring new [[knowledge]] of the [[natural world]] without assuming the existence or nonexistence of the supernatural, an approach sometimes called [[naturalism (philosophy)|methodological naturalism]]. Intelligent design proponents believe that this can be equated to [[materialism|materialist]] [[metaphysical naturalism]] and have often said that not only is their own position scientific, but it is even more scientific than evolution, and that they want a redefinition of science as a revived [[natural theology]] or [[natural philosophy]] to allow "non-naturalistic theories such as intelligent design."<ref>Stephen C. Meyer, 2005. [http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&id=1780 The Scientific Status of Intelligent Design: The Methodological Equivalence of Naturalistic and Non-Naturalistic Origins Theories]</ref> This presents a [[demarcation problem]], which in the [[philosophy of science]] is about how and where to draw the lines around science. For a theory to qualify as scientific, it must be:
:* ''Consistent'' (internally and externally)
:* ''Parsimonious'' (sparing in proposed entities or explanations, see [[Occam's Razor]])
:* ''Useful'' (describes, explains and predicts observable phenomena)
:* ''Empirically testable and falsifiable'' (see [[Falsifiability]])
:* ''Based on multiple observations'', often in the form of controlled, repeated experiments
:* ''Correctable and dynamic'' (changes are made as new data are discovered)
:* ''Progressive'' (achieves all that previous theories have and more)
:* ''Provisional'' or tentative (admits that it might not be correct rather than asserting certainty)

For any theory, hypothesis or conjecture to be considered scientific, it must meet most, but ideally all, of these criteria. The fewer criteria are met, the less scientific it is; and if it meets only a few or none at all, then it cannot be treated as scientific in any meaningful sense of the word. Typical objections to defining intelligent design as science are that it lacks consistency,<ref>Intelligent design is generally internally consistent and logical only within the framework in which it operates. Criticisms are that this framework has at its foundation an unsupported, unjustified assumption: that complexity and improbability must entail design, but the identity and characteristics of the designer are not identified or quantified, nor need they be. The framework of intelligent design, because it rests on a unquantifiable and unverifiable assertion, has no defined boundaries except that complexity and improbability require design, and the designer need not be constrained by the laws of physics.</ref> violates the principle of parsimony,<ref>Intelligent design fails to pass Occam's razor. Adding entities (an intelligent agent, a designer) to the equation is not strictly necessary to explain events.</ref> is not falsifiable,<ref>The designer is not falsifiable, since its existence is typically asserted without sufficient conditions to allow a falsifying observation. The designer being beyond the realm of the observable, claims about its existence can be neither supported nor undermined by observation, making intelligent design and the argument from design analytic ''a posteriori'' arguments.</ref> is not empirically testable,<ref>That intelligent design is not empirically testable stems from the fact that it violates a basic premise of science, naturalism.</ref> and is not correctable, dynamic, tentative or progressive.<ref>Intelligent design professes to offer an answer that does not need to be defined or explained, the intelligent agent, designer. By asserting a conclusion that cannot be accounted for scientifically, ''the designer'', intelligent design cannot be sustained by any further explanation, and objections raised to those who accept intelligent design make little headway. Thus intelligent design is not a provisional assessment of data which can change when new information is discovered. Once it is claimed that a conclusion that need not be accounted for has been established, there is simply no possibility of future correction. The idea of the progressive growth of scientific ideas is required to explain previous data and any previously unexplainable data.</ref>

In light of its apparent failure to adhere to scientific standards, in September 2005, 38 [[Nobel Prize|Nobel laureates]] issued a statement saying "Intelligent design is fundamentally unscientific; it cannot be tested as scientific theory because its central conclusion is based on belief in the intervention of a supernatural agent."<ref>The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity Nobel Laureates Initiative. Intelligent design cannot be tested as a scientific theory <cite>"because its central conclusion is based on belief in the intervention of a supernatural agent."</cite> [http://media.ljworld.com/pdf/2005/09/15/nobel_letter.pdf Nobel Laureates Initiative] (PDF file)</ref> And in October 2005 a coalition representing more than 70,000 Australian scientists and science teachers issued a statement saying "intelligent design is not science" and called on "all schools not to teach Intelligent Design (ID) as science, because it fails to qualify on every count as a scientific theory."<ref> Faculty of Science, University of New South Wales. [[20 October]] [[2005]]. [http://www.science.unsw.edu.au/news/2005/intelligent.html Intelligent Design is not Science - Scientists and teachers speak out]</ref>

Critics also say that the intelligent design doctrine does not meet the criteria for [[scientific evidence]] used by most courts, the [[Daubert Standard]]. The Daubert Standard governs which evidence can be considered scientific in United States federal courts and most state courts. The four [[Daubert Standard|Daubert criteria]] are:
:* The theoretical underpinnings of the methods must yield testable predictions by means of which the theory could be falsified.
:* The methods should preferably be published in a [[peer review|peer-reviewed]] journal.
:* There should be a known rate of [[error]] that can be used in evaluating the results.
:* The methods should be generally accepted within the relevant scientific community.

In deciding ''[[Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District]]'' on [[December 20]], [[2005]], Judge [[John E. Jones III]] agreed with the plaintiffs, [[Wikisource:Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District/6:Curriculum, Conclusion|ruling that]] "we have addressed the seminal question of whether ID is science. We have concluded that it is not, and moreover that ID cannot uncouple itself from its creationist, and thus religious, antecedents."

[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Religion]]
[[Category:Politics]]

Homeschooling

2007-03-11T09:55:50Z

Baphomet:

Homeschooling is opting out of formal public and private schools in order to educate children in the home or in specially arranged classes or cooperatives. Parents take a more active role in the education of their children when they homeschool.

The primary reason for homeschooling is to give the child a better education. A close second in reasons, however, is to avoid the culture of public school and its many adverse effects of hostility to Christianity and parental control, political bias, boredom, confusion, depression, etc.

In the United States, opting out of public schools is not new. When Thomas Edison's public school teacher said he was "addled," Edison's mother took him out of public school and taught him at home. But because of compulsory education laws—the first was passed in Massachusetts in 1852, and by 1918 every state had them—schooling at home was a violation of truancy laws, and was rare until the 1970s.

The origin of the U. S. homeschooling movement is often credited to John Holt and his 1964 book ''How Children Fail.'' Holt was "a left-winger who regarded schools as instruments of the bureaucratic-industrial complex."<ref>Micklethwait, John and Adrian Wooldridge, ''The Right Nation: Conservative Power in America.'' Penguin, 2004. pp. 190-1</ref> However, the movement was also catalyzed when social conservatives became alarmed at the 1962 U. S. Supreme Court ruling which banned prayer in public schools.

Truancy laws brought pioneering homeschoolers into conflict with local officials. The first New York Times story on "home schooling" appeared in 1974, and concerned two parents charged with "educational neglect" by the Westchester County Department of Social Services. Tests showed that they performed at or about grade level "except for one who is a little slow in reading," and the parents received strong support from a state senator.<ref>"Parents Accused in Home Schooling," ''The New York Times,'' July 28, 1974, p. 45</ref> By the mid-1980s the ''Times'' was running articles with titles like "Schooling in the Home: A Growing Alternative" and "There Are Benefits In Homeschooling," and states were legalizing homeschooling<ref>Belluck, Pam (1998), "Life After Home Schooling," ''The New York Times,'' November 1, 1998, p. ED26: "Some 15 years after states began legalizing home schooling in earnest, these early graduates are starting to make their way in the world."</ref> A 1997 article said "It's not only Christian fundamentalists any more" and a 2003 article noted "Unhappy in Class, More Are Learning at Home."

== High-achieving Christians who were educated at home ==
A disproportionate number of high achievers have throughout history have been Christians who were educated at home. Though it should be noted that prior to the 19th century most children worldwide were educated within their family. Here is a list of some of them:
 

 [[Leonardo da Vinci]]
 [[Claude Monet]]
 [[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart]]
 
 [[Stonewall Jackson]]
 [[John Paul Jones]]
 [[Robert E. Lee]]
 [[Douglas MacArthur]]
 [[George Patton]]
 
 [[Alexander Graham Bell]]
 [[Thomas Edison]]
 [[Cyrus McCormick]]
 
 [[George Washington]]
 [[John Adams|John Quincy Adams]]
 [[James Madison]]
 [[William Henry Harrison]]
 [[John Tyler]]
 [[Abraham Lincoln]]
 [[Theodore Roosevelt]]
 
 [[Joan of Arc]]
 [[John the Baptist]]
 [[Jesus|Jesus Christ]] (Though as the son of God he did not need an education, so His education does not matter)

 [[William Cary]]
 [[Jonathan Edwards]]
 [[Dwight L. Moody]]
 [[John Newton]]
 [[Charles Wesley]]
 [[John Wesley]]
 [[Brigham Young]]
 
 [[George Washington Carver]]
 [[Pierre Curie]]
 [[Charles Louis Montesquieu]]
 [[Blaise Pascal]]
 [[Bernhard Riemann]]
 [[Booker T. Washington]]
 [[Adam Yahiye Gadahn]][http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/070122fa_fact_khatchadourian]
 [[John Walker Lindh]][http://www.blessedcause.org/BlessedCause%20Exclusives%20II/ReelingFromLiesofHM.htm] Checkered educational history, in and out of public schools, partly homeschooled
 [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]][http://www.nps.gov/archive/elro/glossary/roosevelt-franklin.htm] (private tutors at home through age 14, then entered Groton)
 

 [[Patrick Henry]]
 [[William Penn]]
 [[Henry Clay]]
 
 [[John Jay]]
 [[John Marshall]]
 [[John Rutledge]]
 
 [[Hans Christian Andersen]]
 [[Pearl S. Buck]]
 [[Agatha Christie]]
 [[Charles Dickens]]
 [[Bret Harte]]
 [[C.S. Lewis]]
 [[Sean O’Casey]]
 [[George Bernard Shaw]]
 [[Mark Twain]]
 [[Daniel Webster]]
 
 [[George Clymer]]
 [[William Livingston]]
 [[George Mason]]
 [[Charles Pickney III]]
 [[George Wyeth]]
 
 [[Ansel Adams]]
 [[Clara Barton]]
 [[John Burroughs]]
 [[Andrew Carnegie]]
 [[George Rogers Clark]]
 [[Florence Nightingale]]
 [[Leo Tolstoy]]
 
 [[Charles Fletcher Lummis]]
 [[Christopher Paolini]]

==Footnotes==

<references/>

John Locke

2007-03-11T09:50:18Z

Baphomet:

Englishman John Locke (1632-1704) was the leading political philosopher during the Enlightenment, whose ideas helped the American colonists form a new government. Locke described society as a contract between individuals called the "social contract", and held that the formation of collectives by individuals was the only way to ensure economic prosperity (see his ''Second Treatise on Government''). Locke’s view helped lay the foundation for the constitutional government that we use in the United States, though unfortunately the [[Founding Fathers]] do not appear to have read chapter IV of the ''Second Treatise''. Locke had built on the prior work of Englishmen [[Francis Bacon]] and [[Thomas Hobbes]]. He was wheelchair bound for a much of his life before a miracle enabled him to walk again.