Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Affirmative Action

2007-10-20T20:35:36Z

Briantrust:

'''Affirmative action''' refers to policies proposed as remedies for the historical effects of race or sex discrimination.

The original concept of affirmative action was that it is desirable to not merely act on non-discrimination passively (i.e., saying "this job is open to any applicant", but then making no efforts to find minority applicants), but should also be done ''affirmatively'', by taking definite actions to find applicants from minorities.

This would be, in its way, admirable. However, in current use, affirmative action goes beyond this, often mandating the use of quotas for setting aside jobs or a portion of college entrance positions for each minority (including also some "minorities" which are actually majorities). In effect, this means selecting applicants by the color of their skin, precisely what the original concept of non-discrimination forbids. This is sometimes called "reverse discrimination," although this term is rather contradictory - discrimination remains discrimination.

Regents v. Bakke effectively outlawed this "sometimes called 'reverse discrimination.'"

[[Dinesh D'Souza]] wrote:
:Many whites have become increasingly scornful of black demands, and vehemently reject racial preferences. Most blacks, by contrast, support affirmative action as indispensable to fighting the enduring effects of white racism. [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/books/chap1/endofrac.htm]

Supreme Court Justice [[Clarence Thomas]] opposes "affirmative action" because it elevates blacks to a higher strata than they can thrive in and gives whites reason to continue to believe blacks are inferior.

==See also==
*[[Barack Obama]]

==External links==
*[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/books/chap1/endofrac.htm] The End of Racism: The White Man's Burden - Dinesh D'Souza

[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:United States law]]

Communism

2007-10-20T16:50:52Z

Briantrust: /* See also */

[[Image:Captive-nations-01b----07-19-06.jpg|thumbnail|200px|right|A monument to the Captive Nations stands at the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation .]]'''Communism''' is [[Karl Marx]]'s proposed establishment of a "classless society" without personal property, however, no Communist society has ever been classless; each has been dominated by a self appointed ''[[Nomenklatura]]''. In less than the past 100 years, Communist governments have claimed between 65 million and 110 million lives.<ref>http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/finalconflict/fcrevb102.html</ref><ref>http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~hpcws/lelivrenoir.htm</ref><ref>http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/COM.ART.HTM</ref><ref>http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/warstat1.htm</ref> <ref>http://www.sarasotamagazine.com/blog/template_permalink.asp?id=365</ref><ref>http://www.firstthings.com/article.php3?id_article=2526</ref> Today, it continues to oppress one-fifth of the world's people.<ref>[http://www.victimsofcommunism.org/history_communism.php Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation], Documenting Communism's Crimes Against Humanity.</ref>
== Communism and Militant Atheism ==
[[Karl Marx]] coined the saying "Religion is the Opiate 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."

The atheism in communistic regimes has been and continues to be [[militant atheism]] and various acts of repression including the razing of thousands of religious buildings and the killing, imprisoning, and oppression of religious leaders and believers.<ref>http://www.academia.org/campus_reports/2000/March_2000_4.html</ref><ref>http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/ecumenism/frroman1.aspx</ref><ref>http://www.nysun.com/article/23082?page_no=1</ref><ref>http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2003/5/7/120250.shtml</ref><ref>http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1058/is_26_116/ai_56249447</ref><ref>http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=35818</ref><ref>http://theworldnow.wordpress.com/tag/around-the-world/asia/china/</ref>

==Theory and horror==
[[Image:HammerAndSickle.png|thumb|right|300px|The Hammer and Sickle, the international symbol of communism, stand for the uprising of the peasants (the sickle) and the workers (the hammer). It has become a symbol of oppression in much of the world in the same way as the [[Swastika]].]]
It is based upon a [[socialist]] economy in which the public, whether the state or other group, owns the "[[means of production]]" and in which the wealth of the nation is rationed among the Party's beneficiaries. Yet party members (there is only one Party) have special stores in which ordinary people are barred, stores which are immune to the perennial shortages which the lower class must endure (see [[queuing]]).

Various Communist doctrines have evolved or been adapted to the time and place they have been implemented. Marxism, developed by [[Karl Marx]], and its modifications under [[Vladimir Ilyich Lenin| Vladimir Lenin]], [[Joseph Stalin]], and [[Mao Zedong]], advocates the overthrow of the existing order by a revolution of the proletariat, the social group which does not control the means of production. The goal of Marxism is supposedly to create a classless society which would result in no longer the need for any [[government]].

Marxist dictum theorizes no form of government is needed. As can be seen, Marxist theory stands in opposition to the [[United Nations]] [[International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights]], Article 25(b)[http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/a_ccpr.htm] which states "Every citizen shall have the right and the opportunity to vote and to be elected at genuine periodic elections". Participation in government is widely considered one of the most basic of [[human rights]]. Marxist theory of no government lacks basic provisions for the protection of [[women's rights]], for example, without courts of law to enforce [[divorce]] [[property]] settlements women would have no legal recourse.

The most famous government to label itself "communist" is the former [[USSR]] or the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; the Communist Party controlled its government from 1922 to 1991. This government was officially [[atheist]] and attempted to suppress all religion. Like many authoritarian regimes, it tried to cultivate reverence for the state as a psychological substitute for religion. Left-wing critics of the USSR charged that it was communist in name only, and had betrayed the revolution which founded it. George Orwell expressed this viewpoint eloquently in his 1945 fable ''[[Animal Farm]]''.

Marxist theory is intended to appeal to its adherents with the phrase, "from each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs", which essentially states point blank a worker does not get paid according to his abilities, and there is no [[incentive]] within the economic theory. Another quote by Marx was, "The theory of the Communism may be summed up in the single sentence: Abolition of private property," i.e. legalized theft.

Marx also coined the disparaging atheistic dictum "religion is the opium of the masses", expressing the fundamental Marxist view that the proletariat have been brainwashed by religion, and thus a ''Nomenklatura'' of ''[[enlightened]]'' party members with this [[esoteric]] knowledge and foresight are justified in enslaving the masses, for their own benefit.

== Communism and Atrocities and Repression ==

Modern communist regimes have engaged in mass killings on a scale of millions of individuals.<ref>http://www.gmu.edu/departments/economics/bcaplan/museum/comfaq.htm#part3</ref> A work entitled ''[[The Black Book of Communism]]'' published by the [[Harvard]] Press focuses on the crimes, terror, and repression of modern communist regimes over a 70 year period.<ref>http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog/COUBLA.html</ref> This book is fairly controversial partly due to the various estimates regarding the millions of people who died under communist regimes.<ref>http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/finalconflict/fcrevb102.html</ref><ref>http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~hpcws/lelivrenoir.htm</ref><ref>http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/warstat1.htm</ref>
<ref>http://www.sarasotamagazine.com/blog/template_permalink.asp?id=365</ref><ref>http://www.firstthings.com/article.php3?id_article=2526</ref>

Similarly, a influential book which concerns itself with Russian communist torture, repression and atrocities is [[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn]]'s ''[[The Gulag Archipelago]]'' which won Solzhenitsyn a [[Noble Prize]].<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/books/98/03/01/home/solz-gulag.html</ref> In 1983, Alexander Solzhenitsyn in which he gave his explanation of the cause of why millions of people died under Russian communism:

<blockquote style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA; padding: .3em;">
"Over a half century ago, while I was still a child, I recall hearing a number of old people offer the following explanation for the great disasters that had befallen Russia: "Men have forgotten God; that's why all this has happened.
</blockquote>

<blockquote style="background: #F9F9F9; border: 1px solid #AAAAAA; padding: .3em;">
Since then I have spend well-nigh 50 years working on the history of our revolution; in the process I have read hundreds of books, collected hundreds of personal testimonies, and have already contributed eight volumes of my own toward the effort of clearing away the rubble left by that upheaval. But if I were asked today to formulate as concisely as possible the main cause of the ruinous revolution that swallowed up some 60 million of our people, I could not put it more accurately than to repeat: "Men have forgotten God; that's why all this has happened."<ref>http://www.icr.org/index.php?module=articles&action=view&ID=276</ref>
</blockquote>

In communist [[North Korea]], abuse and killing in prison camps is occurring today.<ref>http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=5596</ref><ref>http://www.kimsoft.com/korea/nkdefec3.htm</ref> In addition, the North Korean government practices brutal repression and atrocities against North Korean Christians.<ref>http://www.nysun.com/article/23082?page_no=1</ref><ref>http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2003/5/7/120250.shtml</ref>

In 1999, the publication [[Christian Century]] reported that "China has persecuted religious believers by means of "harassment, prolonged detention, and incarceration in prison or `reform-through-labor' camps and police closure of places of worship."<ref>http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1058/is_26_116/ai_56249447</ref> In 2003, owners of Bibles in China were sent to prison camps and 125 Chinese churches were closed.<ref>http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=35818</ref> China continues to practice religious oppression today.<ref>http://theworldnow.wordpress.com/tag/around-the-world/asia/china/</ref>

==Communists cite scripture==

Some Communist ideology has made its way into the Church as a [[Social Gospel]], interpreting the Gospel as less redemptive of sin and more of a public works campaign and activism. The often cite Jesus feeding the masses and warnings to the wealthy who believed self-seeking is all this world has to offer. Communists often cite the Acts of the Apostles, as early Christians practicing some form of sharing for the common good:

:And all that believed were together, and had all things common; And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. (Acts 2:44-45, KJV)

:Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,

:And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.

:And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus,

:Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet.(Acts 4:34-7, KJV)

But as Arnold Toynbee has pointed out, this Marxist view denies the most crucial points,

:The passage in the Acts represents the philanthropy of the primitive Christian Society as flowing from a God-given grace which was the fruit of a belief in the divinity of Jesus. In other words, the charity which is here depicted as moving the primitive Christians to go—in their mutual concern for one another's welfare—to the extreme length of sharing all their worldly goods is not a mere love of Man for Man (which is the limited literal meaning of the word ‘philanthropy’), but is a spiritual relation to which God is a party as well as His human creatures. In fact, this Christian Socialism is a practical application, on the economic surface of life, of the fundamental religious truth that the brotherhood of Man is a consequence of the fatherhood of God - a truth which is driven home with special force by a religion which teaches that God is not only the father and creator of Man, but also his savior who has been incarnate in human shape and has suffered, and triumphed over, Death.<ref>Arnold Toynbee, ''A Study of History'', Annex II to Vol. V, Part C (i) (c) 2, p. 585, ''Marxism, Socialism, and Christianity''.</ref>

==Demise of Communism==
Between 1989 and 1991, many communist governments fell. The [[Berlin Wall]] in [[Germany]], which had become a symbol for the division between the West and communist states, was torn down largely in response to Ronald Reagan in 1989, and there was also a large revolution against Romanian dictator [[Nicolaie Ceausescu]]. In 1991, the USSR broke up into several countries - each which reformed to capitalism. Some of these remained under autocratic governments, but some have embraced [[democracy]].

Although Communism's influence has decreased dramatically in Europe, it still has a strong presence in Asia, where the most famous country governed by a communist one-party system is [[China]], but others (such as [[North Korea]], [[Laos]], and [[Vietnam]]) remain. There is considerable debate as to the extent to which these governments actually implement communist policies. China has not democratized (note especially the crushing of the [[Tiananmen Square protests of 1989]]), but its economic policies have been called "red capitalism" by some commentators, as there is a growing sector that behaves in a less-regulated, free market style. China's economy manufactures a wide variety of products that are sold to non-communist countries, and there is quite obvious tolerance of economic inequality, with some provinces struggling with poverty while others prosper. One of the only remaining Modern communist countries, [[Cuba]], is still kept under economic sanctions by the USA.

President Ronald Reagan speaking to the British House of Commons at the Palace of Westminster said,
{{Cquote|What I am describing now is a plan and hope for the long term -- the march of freedom and democracy which will leave [[Marxism-Leninism]] on the ash heap of history as it has left other tyrannies which stifle the freedom and muzzle the self-expression of the people.<ref>President Ronald Reagan [http://www.iri.org/history_ReaganSpeech.asp Speech to the British Parliament], June 8, 1982. Retrieved from International Republican Institute 05/24/07. </ref>}}

==Notable communists==

Notable communists include [[Stalin]], [[Engels]], [[Lenin]], [[Karl Marx]], [[Pol Pot]] and [[Fidel Castro]].

==See also==
*[[Nazism]]
*[[Hillary Clinton]]

==Notes and references==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
*[http://www.memorialsighet.ro/en/colectie.asp?id=3 Memorial to the Victims of Communism and the Resistance]

[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:History]]
[[Category:Cults]]
[[Category:Liberal Falsehoods]]
[[Category:Communism|*]]

Dinosaur

2007-10-19T15:54:04Z

Briantrust: /* Extinction */

[[Image:Fdt566e4.jpg|right|thumb|350px|Triceratops skeleton at the American Museum of Natural History.]]
'''Dinosaurs''' were large, reptilian creatures which are now generally believed to be extinct. The word '''dinosaur''' was coined in 1841 by Richard Owen<ref>[http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v14/i3/dinosaurs.asp Dinosaurs and dragons: stamping on the legends], ''Answers in Genesis''</ref>, from the [[Greek]] words δεινός (deinos [actual pronunciation: dhinos]) and σαύρα (saura [savra]), meaning "terrible lizard."

==Highlights of the history of dinosaur paleontology==
[[Image:Osborn.jpg‎‎|200px|thumb|right|[[Henry Fairfield Osborn]]]]
In the United States during the 1900s, the public imagination was caught by the discoveries of [[Henry Fairfield Osborn]] (1857-1935) and the great competitive dinosaur hunters, [[Edward Drinker Cope]] (1847-1897) and [[Othniel Charles Marsh]] (1831-1899). Exploring in Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico, they found numerous fossil dinosaurs. Their museums worked out the techniques for mounting and displaying them.

Osborn was a proponent of ''orthogenesis,'' as were many paleontologists up through the middle of the twentieth century. These paleontologists interpreted the fossil record as showing sustained, continuing, unidirectional trends in [[Theory of evolution|evolution]], which they felt required some kind of driving principle in addition to natural selection. As the author of an encyclopedia article on variation and selection put it in 1911,
:Selection cannot create the materials on which it is supposed to operate... Both sides concur in the position assumed by Darwin, that the word "chance" in such a phrase as "chance variation" does not mean that the occurrences are independent of natural causation and so far undetermined, but covers in the first place our ignorance of the exact causation.... No doubt a large amount of variation is truly indefinite, so that many meaningless or useless variations arise... But there are several directions in which the field of variation appears to be not only limited but defined in a certain direction.... When beetles, or medusae, or cats vary, the range of possible variation is limited and determined by the beetle, medusa or cat constitution, and any possible further differentiation or specialization must be in a sense at least orthogenetic - that is to say, a continuation of the line along which the ancestors of the individual in question have been forced. Darwin himself showed that different species in a genus, or varieties in a species, tended to show parallel variations.<ref>Mitchell, Peter Chalmers (1911), ''Variation and Selection,'' ''Encyclopædia Britannica, 11th edition,'' volume 27 (TON-VES), p. 906</ref>

[[Roy Chapman Andrews]] (1884–1960), said to be the prototype for the fictional Indiana Jones, is famous for his discovery of fossil dinosaur eggs in Outer Mongolia.

In the 1970, Robert Bakker catalyzed a new era of dinosaur paleontology with evidence that dinosaurs were fully warm-blooded ([[endotherms]]) and fast-moving.<ref>Benton, Michael J. (2000), ''Vertebrate Paleontology'' [http://books.google.com/books?vid=ISBN0632056142&id=PQuKO7xqjNQC&pg=PA217&lpg=PA217&dq=%22robert+bakker%22&sig=imoHNyurTTCpztNV0Pp2EU7Fj6c p. 217]</ref>

==Dinosaur Species==
Dinosaurs were immensely varied, and included both herbivores and carnivores. Although many have been found in the fossil record, paleontologists expect that they have barely scratched the surface of the vast superorder that the dinosaurs encompassed.<ref>[http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/09/060905-dinosaurs_2.html Vast Majority of Dinosaurs Still to Be Found, Scientists Say], ''National Geographic''</ref>

== Different Perspectives ==

Ever since the discovery of dinosaur fossils, there has been debate about whether and how dinosaurs fit into the history of life on Earth. Young-Earth creationists reject the [[uniformitarian]] time-scale, and therefore believe that humans and dinosaurs co-existed. Creationists also reject the now-popular idea that dinosaurs evolved into birds.

===Creationary Perspective===
[[Image:Michelangeloflood.jpg|thumb|250px|left|''The [[Great Flood|Flood]]'', by [[Michaelangelo]], detail from the [[Sistine Chapel]], 1509.]]
[[Creationism|Young Earth Creationists]] believe, from the biblical account, that dinosaurs were created on day 6 of the [[Creation Week|creation week]]<ref>''Genesis'' 1:25</ref> approximately 6,000 years ago, along with other land animals, and therefore co-existed with humans.
As such, they reject the [[Theory of Evolution]] and the beliefs of evolutionary scientists about the age of the earth.

They believe that dinosaurs lived in harmony with other animals, (probably including in the [[Garden of Eden]]) eating only plants<ref>''Genesis'' 1:29-30</ref>; that pairs of each dinosaur [[kind]] were taken onto [[Noah's Ark]] during the [[Great Flood]] and were preserved from drowning<ref>[http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/3967/ Were dinosaurs on Noah’s Ark?], ''Creation Ministries International''</ref>; that many of the fossilized dinosaur bones originated during the mass killing of the Flood<ref>Carl Wieland, [http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/219/ Dinosaur bones—just how old are they really?], ''Creation'', vol. 21 No. 1 p. 54</ref>; and that possibly some descendants of those dinosaurs taken aboard the Ark are still around today.<ref Name="Today">Robert Doolan, [http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/833/ Are dinosaurs alive today?], ''Creation'', vol. 15 No. 4 p. 12.</ref>

They use [[archaeological]], [[fossil]], and documentary evidence to argue that dinosaurs co-existed with mankind until at least relatively recent times.

Because the term only came into use in the 19th century, the [[Bible]] does not use the word "dinosaur." However, they are alleged to be mentioned in numerous places throughout the biblical account. For example, the [[behemoth]] in [[Job]] and the [[leviathan]] in [[Isaiah]] are sometimes said to be references to dinosaurs,<ref>Allan K. Steel, [http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/1799 Could Behemoth have been a dinosaur?], ''Journal of Creation'' vol. 15 No. 2 p. 42.</ref> <ref>[http://www.answersincreation.org/job4041a.htm], ''Answers in Creation''</ref>, although others have claimed that Behemoth and Leviathan are references to a hippopotamus or elephant and a crocodile respectively. Young-Earth creationists point out that the descriptions don't fit these creatures, including that hippopotamuses and elephants don't have a "tail like a cedar".

==== Extinction ====

Creationists reject the "Great Impact Theory", pointing out multiple problems with this theory. <ref>Jonathan Sarfati, [http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/2426 Did a meteor wipe out the dinosaurs?].</ref>

Creationists assert that evolutionists are frequently coming out with a "New Theory of Dinosaur Extinction" and that their theories are laden with false assumptions. <ref>Michael Matthews, [http://www.answersingenesis.org/docs2002/1115dinosaur.asp Dinosaur demise theory, version #451], ''Answers in Genesis''</ref> It is worth noting, however, that more and more of these theories are being harmonized with one another.<ref>[http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=21082 More Than a Meteor Likely Killed Dinosaurs 65 Million Years Ago], ''SpaceRef.com''</ref>

Dinosaurs most likely died because after the great flood there wasn't enough Oxygen for animals that large to breathe. [http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1038/1038_01.asp]

====Dinosaurs-like creatures in history and modern sightings====

Creationists cite a number of reasons to believe that dinosaurs have existed until relatively recent times, and perhaps still survive.
[[Image:AZ_RockArtDino1a.jpg‎|right|150|thumb|right|Charles W. Gilmore, Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology with the United States National Museum, examined an ancient pictograph which he claimed portrays dinosaurs and man coexisting]]
* There have been a number of claimed sightings of dinosaur-like creatures.
** A thousand people reported seeing a dinosaur-like monster in two sightings around Sayram Lake in Xinjiang according to the Chinese publication, China Today.<ref name="Today" />
** Among those who believe in the existence of the [[Loch Ness Monster]], one popular theory is that it is a living [[plesiosaur]].<ref>"New Quest Is Haunted By 'Nessie'", ''The New York Times,'' July 14, 1992, p. C4: "Believers say it resembles a plesiosaur and was trapped in Loch Ness during the Ice Age 12,000 years ago. The plesiosaurs were marine reptiles who are thought to have lived 65 million to 200 million years ago."</ref>
** Locals in the Congo have reported a creature they name ''Mokele-member''<ref name="Today" /><ref>[http://www.mokelembembe.com/ Mokele-mbembe The Living Dinosaur!]</ref>, and from its description it appears to be a small plant-eating dinosaur. The reports have been taken seriously enough that a biologist from [[Chicago University]] has made several expeditions to find the creature. Another biologist has reported seeing the creature.<ref name="Today" />
* There are drawings of creatures resembling dinosaurs.
** An expedition which included Charles W. Gilmore, Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology with the United States National Museum, examined an ancient pictograph which he claimed portrays dinosaurs and man coexisting.<ref>[http://www.creationism.org/swift/DohenyExpedition/Doheny01Main.htm Doheny Scientific Expedition, Hava Supai Canyon, Arizona], ''Creationism.org''</ref><ref>[http://www.christiancourier.com/articles/read/the_hava_supai_dinosaur_carving The Hava Supai Dinosaur Carving], ''ChristianCourier.com''</ref>.
** The [[Nile Mosaic of Palestrina]], a second century piece of art, is said to appear to be a piece of artwork that shows a dinosaur and man coexisting. <ref>[http://www.s8int.com/dinolit2.html Dinosaurs in Literature, Art & History-- Page 2], ''s8int.com''</ref>
** Engravings in the floor of [[Carlisle Cathedral]] appear to be of dinosaurs. They are on the tomb of bishop Richard Bell, who died in 1496.<ref>See picture on page 241 of Batten, Don, et. al., 2007, ''The Creation Answers Book''.</ref>
* Creatures matching dinosaurs and similar creatures have been described by various people groups.
** The description of the "[[Thunder bird]]" of [[American Indian]]s matches the descriptions of [[pterosaur]]s.<ref name="Today" />

* Descriptions of [[dragon]]s are widespread and match descriptions of dinosaurs, suggesting that dragons were real creatures and were actually dinosaurs
** The World Book Encyclopedia states that: "The [[dragon]]s of legend are strangely like actual creatures that have lived in the past. They are much like the great reptiles [dinosaurs] which inhabited the earth long before man is supposed to have appeared on earth." <ref>Quoted in [http://www.creationscience.com/onlinebook/FAQ25.html What about the Dinosaurs?], ''CreationScience.com''</ref>. Dragons exist in the folklore of many European and Asian cultures.<ref name="WB2000">''Dragon'' entry in World Book Millennium 2000 CD ROM</ref> World Book Encyclopedia says, "In Europe, dragons are traditionally portrayed as ferocious beasts that represent the evils fought by human beings. But in Asia, especially in China and Japan, the animals are generally considered friendly creatures that ensure good luck and wealth."<ref Name="WB2000" />
** Dragons appear in the flag of [[Wales]], in traditional [[China|Chinese]] [[New Years' Day]] celebrations, and in the Chinese [[calendar]]. Every other creature on the calendar is a real creature.
[[Image:Palestrina1.jpg|right|thumb|A portion of the artwork the [[Nile Mosaic of Palestrina]]]]
* That dinosaurs are not known from the fossil record above the [[Cretaceous]] strata is not reason to believe that they have not survived until more recent times.
** Living specimens of orders of animals that were believed to have been extinct for millions of years have been found before, such as the Diatomyidae Squirrel <ref>[[Diatomyidae]] Squirrel [http://news.softpedia.com/news/They-Thought-It-Went-Extinct-11-Million-Years-Ago-19557.shtml]</ref>, the [[Wollemi Pine]] <ref>Wollemi Pine ''Biotechnology Australia'' [http://www.biotechnologyonline.gov.au/enviro/wollemi.cfm]</ref> and the [[Coelacanth]] <ref>Sulawesi Coelacanth. ''University Of California, Berkeley''[http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/vertebrates/coelacanth/coelacanths.html]</ref> <ref>More on the Coelacanth ''marinebio.org''[http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=54]</ref>.

* The recent dinosaur tissue find is a strong rebuttal of the claim that dinosaurs lived millions of years ago. <ref>Carl Wieland, [http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/3042 Still soft and stretchy], ''Creation Ministries International''</ref>



==== Dinosaurs and birds ====
Creationists contend that the idea that birds are descendants of dinosaurs is not demonstrated by the evidence <ref>[http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/3833/106/ Bird evolution?], ''Creation Ministries International''</ref> <ref>Andy McIntosh, [http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/540/ 100 years of airplanes—but these weren’t the first flying machines!], ''Creation'' vol. 26 No. 1 p. 44</ref>, and that the dinosaur-bird connection is even disputed by some evolutionists.

In his article, "Fifteen ways to refute materialistic bigotry", Dr. [[Jonathan Sarfati]] wrote regarding dinosaurs being descendants of birds:
{{cquote|“The same logic applies to the dinosaur-[[bird]] debate. It is perfectly in order for creationists to cite [[Alan Feduccia|Feduccia]]’s devastating criticism against the idea that birds evolved ‘ground up’ from running dinosaurs (the cursorial theory). But the dino-to-bird advocates counter with equally powerful arguments against Feduccia’s ‘trees-down’ (arboreal) theory. The evidence indicates that the critics are ''both'' right — birds did not evolve either from running dinos or from tree-living mini-crocodiles. In fact, birds did not evolve from non-birds at all!<ref>Jonathan Sarfati, [http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/2610 15 ways to refute materialistic bigotry], ''Creation Ministries International''</ref>}}

Creationists also cite the evolutionist [[Ernst Mayr]] who stated the following:
{{cquote|“It must be admitted, however, that it is a considerable strain on one’s credulity to assume that finely balanced systems such as certain sense organs (the eye of vertebrates, or the bird’s feather) could be improved by random mutations." <ref>[http://www.creationscience.com/onlinebook/ReferencesandNotes10.html In the Beginning: Compelling Evidence for Creation and the Flood], ''Center for Scientific Creation''</ref>}}

The March 2003 issue of ''Scientific American'' is also cited by creationists:
{{cquote|Of all the body coverings nature has designed, feathers are the most various and the most mysterious...The origin of feathers is a specific instance of the much more general question of the origin of evolutionary novelties--structures that have no clear antecedents in ancestral animals and no clear related structures (homologues) in contemporary relatives. Although evolutionary theory provides a robust explanation for the appearance of minor variations in the size and shape of creatures and their component parts, it does not yet give as much guidance for understanding the emergence of entirely new structures, including digits, limbs, eyes and feathers...." <ref>Michael Matthews, [http://www.answersingenesis.org/docs2003/0313sciam.asp Scientific American admits creationists hit a sore spot], ''Answers in Genesis''</ref> <ref>[http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=000CD7F6-B16F-1E41-89E0809EC588EEDF Which Came First, the Feather or the Bird?], ''Scientific American''</ref>}}

Creationists also assert that the comparative anatomy analysis done by evolutionists comparing bird bones and dinosaur bones is flawed. <ref>Dr. David N. Menton, [http://www.answersingenesis.org/docs2005/0328discovery.asp "Ostrich-osaurus" Discovery?], ''Answers in Genesis''</ref>

===Evolutionary/Old Earth Perspective===

The view of [[Theory of evolution|evolutionists]] and others who accept the uniformitarian timescale is that dinosaurs existed on earth from 230 million years ago to 65 million years ago. In this view, the entire population of dinosaurs were wiped out by a mass extinction event (usually thought to be an asteroid) about 65 million years ago.
This precludes humans and dinosaurs co-existing.

====Extinction====

According to most scientists, close to 65 million years ago, at the end of the [[Cretaceous]] period, and the beginning of what is called the [[Tertiary]] period, an event occurred which has come to be known as the [[K-T Event]]. This event would have obliterated most life on Earth, plunging the world into something that would now be likened to global nuclear winter, through which few extant species could survive. Although these scientists dispute the nature of the K-T Event (selecting among any number of catastrophes that could have caused the significant global cooling that resulted), most find that the claimed K-T Event was caused by the collision of a massive asteroid with the Earth, the dust and debris from which would have shrouded the sky for thousands of years, cooling Earth considerably.<ref>Kevin O Pope, "Meteorite impact and the mass extinction of species at the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary," Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, available at [http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/95/19/11028]</ref> According to this view, the dinosaurs did not survive this cataclysm.<ref>[http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/08/0823_020823_asteroid.html Prehistoric Asteroid "Killed Everything"], ''National Geographic''</ref> A layer of rock containing high concentrations of [[Iridium]], a metal that is extremely rare on earth but common in asteroids, is said to be due to the vaporization and then fall of dust from the meteorite's impact, and its compression within the subsequent geological record.<ref>''Ibid''</ref>The evidence of a large impact crater can be found in rocks of the Yucatan Peninsula of the supposed age of this layer.<ref>[http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/03/0307_030307_impactcrater.html "Dinosaur-Killer" Asteroid Crater Imaged for First Time], ''National Geographic''</ref> <ref>http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/education/events/cowen1b.html</ref>
Creationists assert that the assumptions underpinning the methods used by modern geologists are incorrect, and even though the validity of a large impact is accepted, this does not consitute proof that the impact caused the extinction of the dinosaurs—although the abundance of dinosaur fossils in rocks found higher in the rock layers than the impact is drastically less than their abundance in rocks lower down.{{fact}}

====An Explosion of new species ====

The mass extinction of the dinosaurs removed a major food competitor, and predator, of smaller animals. As a result of a new "vacancy" in the food chain, following the [[K-T Event]], vast speciation occurred, as the evolutionary pressure of a new cold age propelled animal species to adapt or die out. According to this view, [[mammals]] were some of the main beneficiaries of this explosion: their fur allowed them to adapt to the cold, and their small size allowed them to conserve energy relative to the huge dinosaurs of the previous age.<ref>Bennet, Shostak, Jakotsky, "Life in the Universe," viewable at [http://www.amazon.com/Life-Universe-Jeffrey-Bennett/dp/0805385770]</ref>

====Dinosaurs and Birds====

As a number of feathered fossils (claimed to be dinosaurs) have been discovered, and evolutionary scientists claim the similarity in the bone structure between birds and dinosaurs show that modern birds are a descendants of dinosaurs. This is often cited as an example of [[macroevolution]].<ref>[http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/10/1006_041006_feathery_dino.html New Dinosaur Discovered: T. Rex Cousin Had Feathers], ''National Geographic''</ref> Cladists place modern birds within the clade dinosauria, meaning that they consider all bird species today as, technically, dinosaurs.<ref>[http://tolweb.org/Dinosauria/14883/1999.01.01 Tree of Life Web Project.] 1999. Dinosauria. Version 01 January 1999 (temporary). Accessed 30 May 2007.</ref>

==Dinosaur fossils and Human Fossils and Geological Strata ==
It is sometimes asserted that if human bones aren’t found with dinosaur bones, then dinosaurs and man didn’t live together.<ref name="HaD">Hodge, Bodie, [http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/am/v1/n1/humans-and-dinosaurs If humans and dinosaurs lived together, why don’t we find human fossils with dinosaur fossils?] ''Answers'' 1(1):52, May 2006.</ref>
Creation scientists point out that this is a false assumption; if human bones aren’t found buried with dinosaur bones, it simply means they weren't buried together.<ref name="HaD" />

Evolutionists point out that [[radiometric dating]] of rocks containing dinosaur bones shows them to have formed between 65 million years ago and 250 million years ago, whereas rocks with human bones in them are dated as being much newer (less than 5 million years old). Young Earth Creationists believe that these methods of dating rocks provide false results, and therefore reject this argument.

Creationists note that the fossil record contains mainly marine organisms and that a small sliver of the fossil record contains vertebrates and thus assert that we shouldn't expect to find many human fossils at all.<ref name="HaD" />
Moreover, as the biblical [[Great Flood|Flood]] would be a marine catastrophe, it would be expected that marine fossils would dominate the fossil record. This is in fact what we find.<ref name="NAB">Hodge, Bodie, [http://www.answersingenesis.org/PublicStore/pdfs/SampleChapter/10-2-267.pdf Why Don’t We Find Human & Dinosaur Fossils Together?] (chapter 13 of the New Answers Book), 2006.</ref>

Approximately 70% of the Earth is covered in salt water which would also explain the dominance of marine fossils. In addition, creation scientists assert there may have been a small pre-flood human population and that massive amounts of flood sediment are why we haven’t found human fossils in pre-biblical flood sediments.<ref name="NAB" />
Also, creation scientists point out that we don't find human bones buried with [[coelacanth]]s yet humans and coelacanths coexist today.<ref name="HaD" />

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

[[Category:Dinosaurs]]

Salem

2007-09-02T15:58:20Z

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'''Salem''' is the capital city of [[Oregon]]. There is also a Salem in [[Massachusetts]], famous for [[witch trials]] in the 17th century.

[[Category:United States Towns and Cities]]
[[Category:US State Capitals]]

Pro se

2007-09-02T15:57:06Z

Briantrust:

A [[Latin]] term meaning "on one's own behalf"; in courts, it refers to persons who present their own cases without [[lawyers]]. [[category:legal terms]]

Hohenzollern

2007-09-02T15:56:28Z

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The Hohenzollerns were a European royal family that ruled the Dutchy of [[Prussia]] (1525 - 1701), the Kingdom of Prussia (1701 - 1918) and they ruled the [[German Empire]] (1871 - 1918). However, they were dethroned following [[World War I]].

[[category:royalty]]
[[category:history]]

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band

2007-09-02T15:54:36Z

Briantrust: New page: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is a 1967 album by The Beatles, often considered one of their best. It is widely considered a milestone in rock music, and frequently appears at o...

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is a 1967 album by [[The Beatles]], often considered one of their best. It is widely considered a milestone in rock music, and frequently appears at or near the top of greatest album ever lists. Sgt. Pepper is often considered one of the first [[concept album]]s, and helped popularize psychedelic rock.

Regicide

2007-09-02T15:51:22Z

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'''Regicide''' is the murder of a monarch, such as a [[king]].

[[Category:Crimes]]
[[Category:Crime]]

Latin America

2007-09-02T15:50:47Z

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=='''Latin America'''==
Latin America is in the broadest sense, the entire western hemisphere of the Americas including parts of the [[United States]], [[Brazil]], [[Mexico]] and Central and South America. It does not however include Surinaam, [[Guyana]] and [[French Guiana]] (an integral part of the French Republic). Latin America has 523 million people, far more than the United States population of about 300 million. It is considered largely [[Catholic]] and is Spanish-speaking. Currently it has been known for political activities as U.S. President George W. Bush recently toured on a peace mission to try and curb negative influence steming from [[Venezuala]]n Dictator, President [[Hugo Chavez]].<ref>[http://www.newsmax.com/hottopics/Latin_America.shtml Latin America]. Newsmax.</ref>

==References==
<references/>

[[category:geography]]
[[category:politics]]

The Bell Curve

2007-09-02T15:50:11Z

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[[Image:Bellcurve.jpg|right|thumb|Black IQ scores show a 15 to 18 point gap]]
'''''The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life''''' is a 1994 book by Richard J. Herrnstein and Charles Murray exploring the relationship between [[intelligence]] and success in [[America (USA)|America]]n life. <ref> Human Intelligence: "The Bell Curve" [http://www.indiana.edu/~intell/bellcurve.shtml Indiana University] Accessed June 27 2007</ref> Critics attacked the authors relentlessly over the book's findings.

The book makes two controversial points:
#That in America intelligent people are more successful than average people, and that unintelligent people make more trouble than average people.
#That some ethnic groups have consistently scored lower on intelligence tests, and that [[cultural bias]] in the tests fails to explain this

The book pushes the envelope by dealing with two taboos at once: the authors are simultaneously rocking the boat and upsetting the apple cart. Either point by itself is an [[elephant in the livingroom]]. Tackling both at once got the authors into a lot of hot water, and they have since been given the cold shoulder by many in academia, who take their findings with a grain of salt.

==Quotations about the book==

[[Milton Friedman]] said:
:This brilliant, original, objective, and lucidly written book will force you to rethink your biases and prejudices about the role that individual difference in intelligence plays in our economy, our policy, and our society. [http://www.amazon.com/Bell-Curve-Intelligence-Structure-Paperbacks/dp/0684824299]

Steve Sailer wrote,
:It ignited controversy by arguing that IQ scores are one of the most overlooked tools for understanding how American society is structured. [http://www.isteve.com/2003_QA_with_Charles_Murray_on_Human_Accomplishment.htm]

Murray himself said:
*The reality of a cognitive elite is becoming so obvious that I wonder if even critics of the book really doubt it. The relationship of low IQ to the underclass? Ditto. Welfare reform is helping the argument along, by the way, as journalistic accounts reveal how many welfare mothers are not just uneducated, but of conspicuously low intelligence. The intractability of IQ? Dick and I said that IQ was 40 to 80 per cent [[heritable]]. The identical-twin studies continue to suggest that the ultimate figure will turn out to be in the upper half of that range. More importantly, the literature on 'nonshared environment' has developed dramatically since Dick and I were researching The Bell Curve. Its core finding is that, whatever the role of environment may be in determining IQ, only a small portion of that role consists of influences that can be manipulated (through better child-rearing, better schools, etc.). For practical purposes, the ability of public policy to affect IQ is probably smaller than Dick and I concluded. [http://www.eugenics.net/papers/mssel.html]

==Notes==
<references/>

==Reviews==
*[http://www.slate.com/id/2128199/ Slate review] - makes some thoughtful points

[[category:book]]
[[category:Probability and Statistics]]
[[category:politics]]

Purple Heart

2007-09-02T15:48:14Z

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[[Image:Purple_heart.jpg|thumb|200x200px|A Purple Heart medal]]
The '''Purple Heart''' is a medal given on the behalf of the [[President]] to members of the military who have been wounded or killed while fighting for the [[United States of America]]. The medal features the profile of [[George Washington]].

[[Category:Military honors]]

Alan Shepard

2007-09-02T15:47:06Z

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Rear Admiral '''Alan B. Shepard''' was a American [[astronaut]] born on November 18, 1923, in East Derry, [[New Hampshire]]. He was one of the [[Mercury project]] astronauts, and on May 5, 1961, he became the first American to journey into space on the ''Freedom 7'' spacecraft. In 1971 he landed on the moon as leader of the Apollo 14 mission.

==References==
[http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/shepard-alan.html NASA Biography Page]

[[Category:Space Exploration]]

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

2007-08-31T16:48:22Z

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The Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty or NPT was an agreement between countries that signed the treaty that there would be no more development or use of [[nuclear weapons]]. It also allowed for the surveillance of nuclear facilities by the IAEA also known as the International Atomic Energy Agency. This was signed by the [[United States]], [[United Kingdom]] and [[Soviet Union]] and fifty-nine others on July 1, 1968. Other nations later signed onto this treaty. The only states that have chosen not to sign are [[Cuba]], [[Israel]], [[India]], and [[Pakistan]].

[[category:diplomacy]]

M4 Sherman

2007-08-31T16:47:12Z

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The '''Sherman Tank''' was America's most mass produced tank during [[World War II]]. It was infeior to the German Tiger and King Tiger in fire power, accuracy, and armor. It was too tall to hide being 3.43 meters tall and most would only turn and flee when a Tiger approached. The tank earned a reputation among German tankers as an easy kill, and was nicknamed "Ronson" after a popular brand of cigarette lighter marketed under the tagline "Lights first time, every time"

[[Image:sherman.jpg]]

But it was mass produced and was highly reliable being able to stand all terrain and weather. For every German [[Panther Tank]] produced, 15 Shermans were made and for every German Tiger or [[King Tiger Tank]] that was produced, 50 Shermans were made. This is how the Sherman prevailed, winning in sheer numbers, not quality. Most Shermans had a mounted 50 caliber machine gun and a 75 or 76 mm gun.
The inability of this gun to threaten German tanks led to several efforts to improve firepower. Most famous of these was the Sherman Firefly, a British variant mounting a much longer and more powerful 17pdr gun. The US refused to fit this gun, as they were planning on upgrading their Shermans with a 90mm gun, but all US Shermans remained fitted with the smaller gun at the war's end.
Allied air supremacy during the late war allowed much of the work of knocking out the toughest enemy tanks to be performed from the air instead of in head-to-head tank battles.

The Sherman tank was named for [[Civil War]] General [[William T. Sherman]].

[[Image:M1_sherman.jpg]]

[[category:weapons]]

Nonrival good

2007-08-31T16:39:48Z

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A nonrival good is one that can be used or consumed by one person without reducing the amount left for others. In other words, a nonrival good can be used again and again at almost no additional cost.

Examples of nonrival goods are designs, [[movies]], [[television]], fireworks, algorithms and patents.<ref>http://www.economicprincipals.com/issues/06.11.12.html</ref>

== References ==

<references/>

[[Category:Economics]]

Franks

2007-08-31T16:35:00Z

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The '''Franks''' were a [[Germanic]] people group who, starting from the 4th century AD, settled in the present-day [[Belgium]] and [[Netherlands]], then still part of the [[Roman Empire]], as [[feoderati]]. They eventually conquered all of present-day [[France]], [[Benelux]], and parts of West [[Germany]]. Among their most important kings was [[Clovis|Clovis I]], who conquered Gaul and converted to [[Catholicism]], and [[Charlemagne]].

[[Category:European History]]

Franks

2007-08-31T16:34:46Z

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1983 United States Embassy bombing

2007-08-31T16:33:11Z

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[[Image:Am02.jpg|right|thumb|300px]]
The '''1983 United States Embassy bombing''' (April 18, 1983) was a terrorist attack on a [[United States]] embassy compound in [[Beirut]], [[Lebanon]]. The attack was propagated by a truck bomb, carrying close to one ton of explosives.<ref>http://www.beirut-memorial.org/history/embassy.html</ref> 63 people, including the [[CIA]]'s Middle East director, were killed, and 120 were injured.

The bombing was provoked by US intervention in the [[1982 Lebanese Civil War]]. In 2003, a U.S. District court judge ruled that the attack was carried out by members of [[Hezbollah]].<ref>[http://www.dcd.uscourts.gov/01-2224.pdf Anne Dammarell et al. v. Islamic Republic of Iran]</ref>

==References==
<references/>
[[category:United States History]]

Peasant's Crusade

2007-08-31T16:31:16Z

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The real first crusade which consisted mainly of common people. 1096 AD. It was called for by [[Pope Urban II]], at the behest of the [[Byzantine]] Emperor whose lands were being threatened by [[Muslims]]. It is contrasted by the [[Third Crusade]], also called the "King's Crusade."

{{stub}}

[[category:crusades]]

Peasant's Crusade

2007-08-31T16:30:28Z

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Astronaut

2007-08-31T16:28:13Z

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An astronaut is a person who is trained to explore [[outer space]], planetary moons, etc. in a space-traveling device.

==Alternative Forms==

Astronaut is the American name for a space traveler. In [[Russia]], they are known as Cosmonauts and Taikonauts in [[China]].
{{stub2}}

[[Category:Space Exploration]]

Jim Nicholson

2007-08-31T16:26:48Z

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'''Robert James "Jim" Nicholson''' (born February 4, 1938) is the current States [[Secretary of Veterans Affairs]]. From 1997 to 2001 he served as Chairman of the [[Republican National Committee]] (RNC).

Nicholson is a 1961 graduate of the United States Military Academy at [[West Point]], New York and served eight years in active duty. He was a paratrooper and Ranger-qualified Army officer. He fought in the [[Vietnam War]], where he earned the Bronze Star Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge, the Meritorious Service Medal, Republic of Vietnam Cross of Gallantry and two Air Medals. After thirty years of military service he retired in 1991 with the rank of Colonel.

[[Category:Republican war heroes|Nicholson, Jim]]

Menelaus

2007-08-31T16:26:02Z

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'''Menelaus''' was a king of ancient [[Sparta]] in Greek mythology. He was a central figure in the [[Trojan War]], being the husband of [[Helen of Troy|Helen]] who was abducted by [[Paris (mythology)|Paris]]. He is a major character in [[Homer]]'s [[Iliad]].

{{Nb mythology iliad}}

Request for admission

2007-08-31T16:16:46Z

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'''Request for admission''', or request to admit, is a written statements of facts concerning a case which are submitted to an adverse party and which that party must admit or deny in [[litigation]]. This is a [[discovery]] device. [[category:legal terms]]

Age of Pericles

2007-08-31T16:14:51Z

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[[Image:pericles.jpg|thumb|500px|Pericles]]
Lasting from 461 to 429 BC, this period of [[Greece|Greek]] history was galvanized by the orator [[Pericles]], who strengthened Athenian democracy and is called the "Golden Age of Athens". This the [[Delian League]] was formed to oppose Persia during this period and Greek culture flourished.
[[category:anthropology]]

Ringo Starr

2007-08-31T16:14:21Z

Briantrust: New page: Ringo Starr, born Richard Starkey, was the drummer for The Beatles. Unlike the other members, Starr seldom wrote songs fore the band, writing many more for his solo career (the least s...

Ringo Starr, born Richard Starkey, was the drummer for [[The Beatles]]. Unlike the other members, Starr seldom wrote songs fore the band, writing many more for his solo career (the least successful one of the former Beatles). Starr also took up acting, notaby in the series "Thomas the Tank Engine". He was the oldest of the Beatles.

Thales

2007-08-31T16:08:44Z

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[[Image:Thales.gif|thumb|150px|Thales]]
Thales of Miletus (ca. 624 BC–ca. 546 BC), was a [[Greek philosopher]] and mathematician and one of the seven wise men of antiquity. He was the first Greek philosopher to take an interest in [[mathematics]] and [[science]]. He was the first to apply logical proof to geometry, and proved the six basic propositions of geometry. When he traveled to [[Egypt] he calculated the height of [[pyramids]] using [[geometry]], and would also calculate the distance of ships from the shore. He was born and lived in Miletus, Ionia, now western Turkey.

Thales studied the heavens, trying to come up with an idea that explained the movement of the stars and planets. He is most known for his correct prediction of the "short-term disappearance of the sun," now known as a [[solar eclipse]].

He is said to have died in his seat while watching an athletic contest.

[[category:Greek history]]
[[category:philosophers]]
[[category:mathematicians]]

United Nations General Assembly

2007-08-31T15:56:41Z

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The General Assembly is the main deliberative body of the [[United Nations]].<ref>http://www.un.org/ga/61/background/background.shtml</ref> It consists of representatives of all member states, one vote per nation.

A simple majority is usually required to pass resolutions, but a two-thirds majority is required for significant decisions, such as security, admission of new members and budget.

See also : [[Security Council]]

----

'''Sources:''' <references/>
[[category:politics]]

United States Fleet Forces Command

2007-08-31T15:54:51Z

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The mission of the '''United States Fleet Forces Command''' is to organize, man, train, and equip [[Naval Forces]] for assignment to Combatant Commanders; Deter, detect, and defend against homeland maritime threats; and articulate Fleet warfighting and readiness requirements to the Chief of Naval Operations. <ref>[http://www.cffc.navy.mil/mission.htm United States Fleet Forces Command] </ref>

==References==
<references/>

[[category:United States Navy]]

Pickle

2007-08-31T15:54:14Z

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A '''pickle''' is any foodstuff that has been preserved by anaerobic fermentation in brine or marinating and subsequent storage in an [[acid]] solution such as [[vinegar]].

[[Category:Food and drink]]

Calliope

2007-08-31T15:53:52Z

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'''Calliope''' is the chief [[muse]], and also the muse of poetry. She is credited as [[Homer]]'s muse, and is said to have inspired his [[Iliad]] and [[Odyssey]]. She is always depicted with a writing tablet and golden crown. The instrument calliope is also named for her.

{{Nb mythology greece}}
[[Category:Mythology]]
[[Category:Muses]]

Online slang

2007-08-31T15:52:22Z

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A common [[Internet]] acronym used mostly in chat applications to express amusement, standing for ''Laugh(ing) Out Loud''.

[[Category:Internet slang]]

Sentencing guidelines

2007-08-31T15:51:43Z

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'''Sentencing Guidelines''' are recommended ranges of punishment for criminal [[defendant]]s after they have been convicted of a [[crime]]. [[Judge]]s use guidelines in many jurisdictions in deciding how much punishment, usually measured in months in jail, to impose on a convicted criminal. The federal government, several states, and some nations nations in Europe utilize sentencing guidelines.<ref>http://www.scottishsentencingcommission.gov.uk/docs/consistency/Sentencing%20Guidelines%20Around%20the%20World.pdf</ref>

The United States Sentencing Guidelines establish a base level offense number range for each crime, which amounts to a recommendation to the judge to sentence the defendant somewhere in the range depending on particular circumstances and degree of wrongdoing. Then the base level offense number is combined with the defendant's prior criminal history, if any, to calculate the total number of months in jail for the defendant.

Examples of the base level offense range are bribery (seven to twelve), insider trading (eight), and blackmail (nine), money laundering (17 to 23) and serious drug trafficking charges (26 to 38). At lower levels each point corresponds to roughly a half-year in jail, and slightly longer in higher point ranges. For example, a base level offense of 38 for drug trafficking, with no prior criminal history (category I), corresponds to a range of 235 to 293 months in jail.

For drug offenses, the quantity of drugs (real and fake) determines the base level offense. A large amount of drugs, such as 50 kilograms, would be at the highest base offense level of 38, or about 20 years in jail.<ref>http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/cgi-bin/getcase.pl?court=5th&navby=case&no=9830759cr0</ref> If someone died as a result of the drugs, then the prison sentence can be longer. Note that the defendant himself need not be caught with the drugs; if he is associated with a group that is accused of drug trafficking, then he will often be held responsible for the actions of any other member of the group as a [[conspiracy]].

== References ==

<references/>

[[Category:Legal terms]]

Johnny Damon

2007-08-31T15:47:38Z

Briantrust: New page: '''Johnny Damon''' is a Major League Baseball player who currently plays outfield for the New York Yankees. Prior to that he was a high-profile player for the Boston Red Sox, and p...

'''Johnny Damon''' is a Major League Baseball player who currently plays outfield for the [[New York Yankees]]. Prior to that he was a high-profile player for the [[Boston Red Sox]], and played a role in their [[World Series]] victory in 2004 (the first for the Sox in 86 years). His departure from the Sox to join their arch-rival Yankees in 2006 made him go from being one of Boston's most-loved players to most hated. While playing for the Red Sox he was well-known for his long hair and unkempt beard, causing some to good-naturedly compare his likeness to [[Jesus]].

British India

2007-08-31T15:24:33Z

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[[Image:Taj Mahal...jpg|right|200px]]
'''British India''' refers to the period of direct [[Britain|British]] rule of the Indian Subcontinent between 1858 and its independence in 1947.

The term is also used to refer to those provinces of India that were under direct British administration at that time (such as Bengal, Madras, Bombay, Punjab, Central Provinces and United Provinces), in contradistinction to the 'Princely States' (Hyderabad, Swat, Jammu & Kashmir, Udaipur, Mysore, Baroda and many more) that continued to be administered by Indian princes under British guidance, protection and suzerainty.

Perhaps the greatest symbol if British India was [[Queen Victoria]]'s title of "Empress of India."

[[category:history]]

Texas Rangers (baseball team)

2007-08-31T15:21:38Z

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[[Image:Ameriquest Field.jpg|right|280px]]
The '''Texas Rangers''' are a [[Major League Baseball]] team located in [[Arlington]], [[Texas]]. They play in the American League, Western Division.

One of the more famous owners of the team was the 42nd, and current, [[President]] of the [[United States]], [[George W. Bush]], who owned the team for a period of time. The Rangers are the oldest Major League baseball team never to have played in the [[World Series]].

== Team ==
The Texas Rangers are a team known for having an explosive batting lineup that scores a lot of runs, but also a team that gives up a lot of runs with average or worse pitching. Some of the more famous players their lineup include aged certain to be baseball hall of framer [[Sammy Sosa]] and young rising stars such as [[Michael Young]] and [[Ian Kinsler]]. On the pitching side [[Kevin Millwood]] and the oft injured reliever [[Eric Gagne]] are considered the aces of the unit.

=== Offensive ===
'''Catcher'''
*[[Gerald Laird]]

'''1st Base'''
*[[Mark Teixeira]]

'''2d Base'''
*[[Ian Kinsler]]

'''Shortstop'''
*[[Michael Young]]

'''3d Base'''
*[[Hank Blalock]]

'''Left Field'''
*[[Brad Wilkerson]]

'''Center Field'''
*[[Kenny Lofton]]

'''Right Field'''
*[[Sammy Sosa]]

'''Backup Outfielder'''
*[[Nelson Cruz]]

'''DH'''
*[[Frank Catalanotto]]

=== Pitching Staff ===

'''Starting Pitchers'''
*[[Kevin Millwood]]
*[[Vicente Padilla]]
*[[Brandon McCarthy]]
*[[Robinson Tejeda]]
*[[Kameron Loe]]

'''Relievers'''
*[[Scott Feldman]]
*[[Joaquin Benoit]]
*[[Ron Mahay]]
*[[C.J. Wilson]]

'''Closer'''
*[[Eric Gagne]]
*[[Akinori Otsuka]]

== Related Links ==

*[http://texas.rangers.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=tex Official Website]

{{Nb_sl_mlb_american}}

Tampa Bay Rays

2007-08-31T15:18:41Z

Briantrust:

[[Image:TropGround.jpg|right|280px]]
The ''' Tampa Bay Devil Rays ''' are a [[Major League Baseball]] team in the [[American League]] East Division. They are located in [[Tampa]], [[Florida]]. The Devil Rays play at Tropicana Field.

'''First Game:''' March 31, 1998 vs. Detroit Tigers at Tropicana Field, 6-11.

The Devil Rays are one of only five Major League teams never to have played in the [[World Series]].

==See also==
*[[Boston Red Sox]]
*[[New York Yankees]]

== External links ==
*[http://devilrays.mlb.com/ Tampa Bay Devil Rays Official Website]
*[http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/clubhouse?team=tam Tampa Bay Devil Rays]

[[Image:Baseball Ball a.jpg]]

{{Nb_sl_mlb_american}}

Utopian socialism

2007-08-31T15:13:37Z

Briantrust:

[[Utopia]]n [[Socialism]] was a philosophy which grew in popularity in [[England]] and [[France]] during the early 1800s. It promoted the creation of self-sufficient communities in which the government owned the land and money and politics were open to anyone who wanted to participate.

[[category:political terms]]

Atheism

2007-08-31T15:12:21Z

Briantrust: /* Claims of the Conditionality and Nonconditionality of Atheism */

'''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>

== Biblical Statements Regarding Atheism ==
[[Image:134t.gif|thumb|200px|left|The psalmist [[David]] wrote: "The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God."]]
The writers of the Bible considered the existence of God to be self-evident and [[Moses]] simply wrote: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." ([[Genesis]] 1:1). <ref>http://www.answersingenesis.org/Home/Area/AnswersBook/existence1.asp</ref>

Accordingly, the psalmist [[David]] wrote the following:

"The fool has said in his heart, 'There is no God.'" - [[Psalm]] 14:1 ([[King James Bible|KJV]])

The psalmist David also stated that "The heavens declare the glory of God..." - Psalm 19:1

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Romans that the creation testifies to the existence of God when he wrote the following:

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,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..." - [[Romans]] 1:19-20 (NKJV)

==Tenuousness of Atheism in Prominent People Who Claimed to Atheist==
[[Image:Sartre1.gif|thumb|150px|right|[[Jean-Paul Sartre]]]]
The atheism of notable people who claimed to be atheists has had the characteristic of tenuousness in regards to maintaining thoughts in accordance with atheism. For example, [[Jean-Paul Sartre]] was one of the leading atheists of the 20th Century. Yet Jean-Paul Sartre made this candid confession:
{{cquote|As for me, I don’t see myself as so much dust that has appeared in the world but as a being that was expected, prefigured, called forth. In short, as a being that could, it seems, come only from a creator; and this idea of a creating hand that created me refers me back to God. Naturally this is not a clear, exact idea that I set in motion every time I think of myself. It contradicts many of my other ideas; but it is there, floating vaguely. And when I think of myself I often think rather in this way, for wont of being able to think otherwise.<ref>http://www.johnankerberg.org/Articles/apologetics/AP0702W4.htm</ref>}}
[[Image:darwin.jpg|thumb|150px|left|[[Charles Darwin]]]]
[[Charles Darwin]] wrote in his private notebooks that he was a [[materialism|materialist]] which is a type of atheist.<ref>http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/1877</ref><ref>American Scientist May 1977:323</ref> The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy states the following:
{{cquote|In 1885, the Duke of Argyll recounted a conversation he had had with Charles Darwin the year before Darwin's death:

In the course of that conversation I said to Mr. Darwin, with reference to some of his own remarkable works on the Fertilisation of [[Orchid]]s, and upon The [[Earthworm]]s, and various other observations he made of the wonderful contrivances for certain purposes in nature—I said it was impossible to look at these without seeing that they were the effect and the expression of Mind. I shall never forget Mr. Darwin's answer. He looked at me very hard and said, “Well, that often comes over me with overwhelming force; but at other times,” and he shook his head vaguely, adding, “it seems to go away.”(Argyll 1885, 244] <ref>http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/teleological-arguments/notes.html</ref>}}

==Attempts to Dilute the Definition of Atheism==
[[Image:Scale.jpg‎|thumb|right|150px|Since 1979 the proponents of atheism have made a concerted effort to redefine atheism in order to shift the burden of proof.]]
Since 1979 proponents of atheism have often been attempting to dilute the definition of atheism to mean a mere [[agnosticism|lack of belief]] there is a God or gods.<ref name="DivCon">http://www.thedivineconspiracy.org/athart3.htm</ref>
One of the reasons why some proponents of atheism have been attempting to dilute the definition of the term atheism is to shift the burden of proof regarding the existence of God. <ref name="DivCon" />

In the article, ''Is Atheism Presumptuous''?, atheist [[Jeffery Jay Lowder]], a founder of [[Internet Infidels]], states that "I agree [with Copan] that anyone who claims, "God does not exist," must shoulder a burden of proof just as much as anyone who claims, "God exists." <ref name="DivCon" />
In short, the attempt to redefine atheism is a merely an attempt to make no assertions so no facts need be offered.<ref name="DivCon" /> The attempt to redefine atheism, however, is not in accordance with the standard definitions of atheism that encyclopedias of philosophy employ which is that atheism is a denial of the existence of God or gods.<ref>http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/atheism-agnosticism/</ref><ref>http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/1998</ref><ref name="DivCon" />

==Claimed Types of atheism ==
There are claimed to be different types of atheism, based on different answers to the following questions:
* Why does the atheist deny the existence of God or gods or claim to disbelieve a God or gods exists?
* In what God or gods does the atheist deny or claim to disbelieve?
* How does this denial or claimed disbelief manifest itself?
=== Stated Reasons for Denial or Claimed Disbelief ===
[[Image:Vantil.gif|thumb|150px|left|Christian philosopher and apologist Dr. [[Cornelius Van Til]] affirmed there are no atheists.]]
Atheists state two main reasons for their denial of God or claimed disbelief in God: the claimed conviction that there is positive evidence or argument that God does not exist ([[Strong atheism]]), and the claimed conviction that theists bear the burden of proof to show that God exists, that they have failed to do so, and that belief is therefore unwarranted ([[Weak atheism]]).

Some Christians believe that disbelief is not based on the above reasons, but that atheism stems from rebellion on the part of atheists who ''refuse'' to believe that God exists. They point to statements such as Paul's argument that the existence of God is obvious to all:
: "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..." - Romans 1:20 (KJV)

In regards to a biblical statement on atheism Sir [[Francis Bacon]] stated in his essay ''Of Atheism'' the following regarding atheism:
{{cquote|The [[Bible|Scripture]] saith, The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God; it is not said, The fool hath thought in his heart; so as he rather saith it, by rote to himself, as that he would have, than that he can thoroughly believe it, or be persuaded of it....It appeareth in nothing more, that atheism is rather in the lip, than in the heart of man.<ref>http://www.authorama.com/essays-of-francis-bacon-17.html</ref>}}

In addition, Christian [[philosophy|philosophers]] and [[Christian apologetics|apologists]] Dr. [[Cornelius Van Til]] and Dr. [[Greg Bahnsen]] argued there are no atheists and that atheists are actively suppressing their belief and knowledge of God and enigmatically engage in self-deception.<ref>http://www.cmfnow.com/articles/PA191.htm</ref> The [[England|English]] poet [[Edward Young]] wrote in his famous work ''Night Thoughts'' that "By night, an atheist half-believes a God."<ref>http://www.bartleby.com/100/224.html</ref>

There is also the aforementioned tenuousness of the atheism in Charles Darwin and Jean-Paul Sartre who claimed to be atheists.

=== Which god? ===
Since atheism is the denial of God or of gods or a claimed disbelief in God or gods, it is important first to identify ''which god'' the atheist denies exist or claims to disbelieve. In ancient times, for example, Christians were accused of being atheists because of their denial of the pagan gods, even though they believed in the ''Christian'' God.<ref>Athenagoras, ''A Plea for the Christians, 2d century a.d.[http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/athenagoras-plea.html]</ref> Socrates was also accused of Atheism, although references to God run throughout his recorded statements.<ref>Plato, Apol., 26,c.</ref> Also, [[Albert Einstein]] and [[Baruch Spinoza]] professed belief in "god," but they were [[pantheist]]. Therefore, one can be considered an atheist with respect to one god, but a theist with respect to another. Therefore, in seeking to understand an atheist, it is important to understand first in ''what God'' the atheist denies or claims to disbelieve.

=== Manifestations ===
There are two ways that atheism manifests itself:
* Theoretical atheism: atheists who ''claim'' that God does not exist.
* Practical atheism: atheism of the life - that is, ''living'' as though God does not exist. Dr. [[Martin Luther King]] in his sermon ''A letter to American Christians'' spoke of "practical atheism".<ref>http://www.christianitytoday.com/leaders/newsletter/2001/cln10117.html</ref>

== Claims of the Conditionality and Nonconditionality of Atheism ==
[[Image:Raphael.jpg|right|150px|thumb|[[Plato]] wrote that few men when confronted with pressing danger will not acknowledge divine power.]]
[[Plato]] wrote that "Few men are so obstinate in their atheism, that a pressing danger will not
compel them to the acknowledgement of a divine power."<ref>http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0609D&L=ads-l&P=15696</ref> Reverend William T. Cummings is famous for stating that "There are no atheists in foxholes."<ref>http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0609D&L=ads-l&P=15696</ref> Chaplain F.W. Lawson of the 302d Machine Gun Battalion, who was wounded twice in wartime, stated "I doubt if there is such a thing as an atheist. At least there isn't in a front line trench."<ref>http://listserv.linguistlist.org/cgi-bin/wa?A2=ind0609D&L=ads-l&P=15696</ref>

Although news organization MSNBC featured a story in which atheist veterans claimed that there ''are'' atheists in foxholes,<ref>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14322117/</ref> as previously mentioned, Sir [[Francis Bacon]] wrote: "The [[Bible|Scripture]] saith, The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God; it is not said, The fool hath thought in his heart; so as he rather saith it, by rote to himself, as that he would have, than that he can thoroughly believe it, or be persuaded of it....It appeareth in nothing more, that atheism is rather in the lip, than in the heart of man.<ref>http://www.authorama.com/essays-of-francis-bacon-17.html</ref> In addition, the Bible states that "The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way, But the folly of fools is deceit."(Proverbs 14:8). Also, there is the previously-mentioned theory of Christian [[philosophy|philosophers]] and [[Christian apologetics|apologists]] [[Cornelius Van Til]] and Dr. [[Greg Bahnsen]] who argued there are no atheists and that atheists are actively suppressing their belief and knowledge of God and enigmatically engage in self-deception.<ref>http://www.cmfnow.com/articles/PA191.htm</ref>'''

==Atheism and [[Communism]] ==
[[Karl Marx]] said "[Religion] is the opium of the people," <ref>http://www3.baylor.edu/~Scott_Moore/texts/Marx_Opium.html</ref> and 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." <ref>http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1844/manuscripts/comm.htm</ref>

[[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."<ref>http://www.marxists.org/archive/lenin/works/1909/may/13.htm</ref>

==Criticism==

===Atheism and Logic===
[[Image:Bible_Const2.jpg‎|thumb|225px|right|Dr. [[D. James Kennedy]]]]
[[D. James Kennedy|Dr. D. James Kennedy]] wrote the following regarding the illogicality of atheism:
{{cquote|Atheism is what is called a "[[universal negative]]." One of the laws of logic is that you can't prove a universal negative....You would have to examine every part of the universe....

By the way, you would have to be very, very fast because, who knows, this God, these angels....may be very, very fast, and just after you get somewhere, they may have left for another part of the universe.

This means that you would have to be [[omnipresent]]. You would also have to know everything about every part of the universe, so you would be [[omniscient]]. Then, just at the point when you proved that there was no God, you would also have proven that you were one.<ref>http://www.kennedycommentary.org/default.asp?pg=topicmessage&id=1419</ref>}}

Logician [[Mortimer Adler]] concurs with Dr. Kennedy that the standard definition of atheism which attempts to prove a universal negative is a self- defeating proposition and prominent atheists such as [[Gordon Stein]] and [[Carl Sagan]] have candidly stated that God's existence cannot be disproven.<ref>http://www.thedivineconspiracy.org/athart3.htm</ref>

===Atheism and Reasonable Argument===

Theists often criticize atheism as being contrary to persuasive argument. [[Arguments for the existence of God]] include:
* [[Teleological argument]]: The universe exhibits overwhelming evidence of deliberate, intelligent, purposeful design, which implies an [[intelligent design]]er;
* [[Cosmological argument]]: Every event in our universe necessarily has a cause. However, it is impossible that there should be an unending chain of causes going back. Therefore, there necessarily must be a cause ''distinct'' from the universe as we know it which is capable of causing all things and is itself uncaused. Atheism denies that that [[First Cause]] is God.
* [[Ontological argument]]: Since existence is inherent to the definition of God, it is impossible to conceive of God without conceiving of Him as existing;
* Historical arguments for the existence of God: Arguments stemming from historical accounts and archaeological evidence;
* Experiential arguments for the existence of God: Arguments based on personal experience and human intuition;

===Atheism and Mass Murder===

[[Image:Stalin.jpg‎ |right|225px|thumb|[[Joseph Stalin]]'s atheistic regime killed tens of millions of people.]]
Christian apologist Gregory Koukl wrote that "the assertion is that religion has caused most of the killing and bloodshed in the world.
There are people who make accusations and assertions that are empirically false. This is one of them."<ref name="Koukl">Koukl, Gregory, [http://www.str.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=5527 The Real Murderers: Atheism or Christianity?], 1994</ref>
Koukl details the number of people killed in various events involving theism and compares them to the much higher tens of millions of people killed under atheistic regimes.<ref name="Koukl" />

Koukl summarized by stating:
{{cquote|It is true that it's possible that religion can produce evil, and generally when we look closer at the detail it produces evil because the individual people are actually living in a rejection of the tenets of Christianity and a rejection of the God that they are supposed to be following. So it can produce it, but the historical fact is that outright rejection of God and institutionalizing of atheism actually does produce evil on incredible levels. We're talking about tens of millions of people as a result of the rejection of God.<ref name="Koukl" />}}

The [[theory of evolution]] played a prominent role in regards to communism.<ref>http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/3054/</ref><ref>http://www.icr.org/index.php?module=articles&action=view&ID=276</ref> Communists, in particular [[Stalinism]], favored a version of [[Lamarckism]] called [[Lysenkoism]]<ref>http://www.bookrags.com/research/lysenkoism-wog/</ref>. Many geneticists were imprisoned and executed for their ''bourgeois science'', and agricultural policies based on Lysenkoism that were adopted under Stalin and Mao caused famines and the death of millions<ref>http://www.bookrags.com/research/lysenkoism-wog/</ref>.
[[Image:Solzhenitsyn.jpg‎|thumb|150px|left|[[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn]]]]
[[Nobel Prize]] winner [[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn]] was asked to account for the great tragedies that occurred under the brutal communist regime he and fellow citizens suffered under.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn offered the following explanation:
{{cquote|Over a half century ago, while I was still a child, I recall hearing a number of old people offer the following explanation for the great disasters that had befallen [[Russia]]: "Men have forgotten God; that's why all this has happened.''

Since then I have spend well-nigh 50 years working on the history of our revolution; in the process I have read hundreds of books, collected hundreds of personal testimonies, and have already contributed eight volumes of my own toward the effort of clearing away the rubble left by that upheaval. But if I were asked today to formulate as concisely as possible the main cause of the ruinous revolution that swallowed up some 60 million of our people, I could not put it more accurately than to repeat: "Men have forgotten God; that's why all this has happened." <ref>http://www.icr.org/index.php?module=articles&action=view&ID=276</ref>}}

===Atheists in America and Charity===
Charitable giving by atheists and agnostics in America is significantly less than by theists, according to a study by the [[Barna Group]]:
{{cquote|The typical no-faith American donated just $200 in 2006, which is more than seven times less than the amount contributed by the prototypical active-faith adult ($1500). Even when church-based giving is subtracted from the equation, active-faith adults donated twice as many dollars last year as did atheists and agnostics. In fact, while just 7% of active-faith adults failed to contribute any personal funds in 2006, that compares with 22% among the no-faith adults.<ref>[http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdateNarrow&BarnaUpdateID=272 Atheists and Agnostics Take Aim at Christians] ''The Barna Update'', 2007.</ref>}}
[[Image:112006top.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Atheists and agnostics in America generally give significantly less to charity than [[theism|theists]].]]
Arthur C. Brooks wrote:
{{cquote|The differences in charity between secular and religious people are dramatic. Religious people are 25 percentage points more likely than secularists to donate money (91 percent to 66 percent) and 23 points more likely to volunteer time (67 percent to 44 percent). And, consistent with the findings of other writers, these data show that practicing a religion is more important than the actual religion itself in predicting charitable behavior. For example, among those who attend worship services regularly, 92 percent of Protestants give charitably, compared with 91 percent of Catholics, 91 percent of Jews, and 89 percent from other religions.<ref>Brooks, Arthur C., [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3647/is_200310/ai_n9340592/Religious faith and charitable giving] ''Policy Review'', Oct-Dec 2003, p.2.</ref>}}

ABC News reported the following:
{{cquote|...the single biggest predictor of whether someone will be charitable is their religious participation.

Religious people are more likely to give to charity, and when they give, they give more money: four times as much. And Arthur Brooks told me that giving goes beyond their own religious organization:

"Actually, the truth is that they're giving to more than their churches," he says. "The religious Americans are more likely to give to every kind of cause and charity, including explicitly non-religious charities."<ref>Stossel, John and Kendall, Kristina [http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Story?id=2682730&page=2 Who Gives and Who Doesn't?] ABC News, November 28, 2006</ref>}}

===Atheism and Immoral Views===
The Barna Group also found that atheists/agnostics in America were more likely, than theists in America, to look upon the following behaviors as morally acceptable: illegal drug use; excessive drinking; sexual relationships outside of marriage; [[abortion]]; cohabitating with someone of opposite sex outside of marriage; obsene language; gambling; pornography and obscene sexual behavior; engaging in [[homosexuality]]/[[bisexuality]]. <ref>http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdate&BarnaUpdateID=152</ref>

===Atheism and Questions of Origins===

Atheism provides no useful input in regards to origins. [[Creationism|Creationist]] scientists state that the [[First Law of Thermodynamics|first law of thermodynamics]] and the [[Second Law of Thermodynamics|second law of thermodynamics]] argue against an eternal universe or a universe created by natural processes and argue for a universe created by [[God]].<ref>http://godevidences.net/space/lawsofscience.php</ref><ref>http://www.apologeticspress.org/articles/2329</ref><ref>http://www.creationscience.com/onlinebook/AstroPhysicalSciences14.html</ref> A majority of the most prominent and vocal defenders of the evolutionary position which employs [[methodological naturalism]] since [[World War II]] have been atheists.<ref>Dr. [[Don Batten]], [http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/737/ A ''Who’s Who'' of evolutionists] ''Creation'' 20(1):32
December 1997.</ref><ref>[[Jonathan Sarfati]], Ph.D.,F.M., [http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/3830 ''Refuting Evolution'', Chapter 1, Facts and Bias]</ref> [[Creationism|Creationist]] scientists also assert the [[theory of evolution]] is an inadequate explanation for the variety of life forms on earth.<ref>http://www.icr.org/home/resources/resources_tracts_scientificcaseagainstevolution/</ref> In addition, the current [[origin of life|naturalistic explanations for the origin of life are inadequate]].

==Atheism and the Existence of Evil==

Atheists state that the existence of evil is a problem for [[theism]] which holds to a good and powerful God.<ref>http://www.leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/evil.html</ref> [[Theodicy]] is the branch of study in theology and philosophy that defends the goodness of God despite the existence of evil.<ref>http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_1861719540/theodicy.html</ref> In traditional Christianity and Judaism the book of Job is used to explain the existence of evil.<ref>http://apologetics.com/default.jsp?bodycontent=/articles/doctrinal_apologetics/bowman-job.html</ref> In recent times [[Christian apologetics|Christian apologists]] often cite [[Alvin Plantinga]]'s free will defense in regards to the existence of evil. <ref>http://www.xenos.org/essays/evilpo.htm</ref><ref>http://www3.baylor.edu/~Scott_Moore/handouts/free_will_defense.html</ref> The work of [[St. Augustine]] is also cited in regards to theodicy. <ref>http://www.str.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=5124</ref>

==Atheism and the Foundation of Modern Science==
[[Image:Bacon5.jpg|thumb|right|175px|In his essay ''Of Atheism'' Sir [[Francis Bacon]] wrote: "I had rather believe all the fables in the Legend, and the [[Talmud]], and the [[Koran|Alcoran]], than that this universal frame is without a mind."]]
The birth of modern [[science]] occured in Christianized [[Europe]].<ref>http://www.ldolphin.org/bumbulis/#anchor5343749</ref>
[[Sociology|Sociologist]] [[Rodney Stark]] investigated the individuals who made the most significant scientific contributions between 1543 and 1680 A.D., the time of the [[Scientific Revolution]].
In Stark's list of 52 top scientific contributors,<ref name="Origins">Williams, Alex,[http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/1581/ The biblical origins of science], ''Journal of Creation'' 18(2):49–52, August 2004.</ref> only one ([[Edmund Halley]]) was a skeptic and another ([[Paracelsus]]) was a [[pantheism|pantheist]].
The other 50 were Christians, 30 of whom could be characterized as being devout Christians.<ref name="Origins" />
Sir [[Francis Bacon]], sometimes referred to as "the Father of Modern Science", wrote: "I had rather believe all the fables in the Legend, and the [[Talmud]], and the [[Koran|Alcoran]], than that this universal frame is without a mind."<ref>Bacon, Francis, [http://www.authorama.com/essays-of-francis-bacon-17.html Of Atheism]</ref>

[[Image:Cobb.jpg|left|thumb|200px|[[Rodney Stark]]]]‎In ''False conflict: Christianity is not only compatible with Science--it created it'' Stark writes:
{{cquote|Recent historical research has debunked the idea of a "Dark Ages" after the "fall" of [[Roman Empire|Rome]]. In fact, this was an era of profound and rapid technological progress, by the end of which Europe had surpassed the rest of the world. Moreover, the so-called "Scientific Revolution" of the sixteenth century was a result of developments begun by religious scholars starting in the eleventh century. In my own academic research I have asked why these religious scholastics were interested in science at all. Why did science develop in Europe at this time? Why did it not develop anywhere else? I find answers to those questions in unique features of Christian [[theology]].
Even in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, the leading scientific figures were overwhelmingly devout Christians who believed it their duty to comprehend God's handiwork. My studies show that the "Enlightenment" was conceived initially as a propaganda ploy by militant atheists attempting to claim credit for the rise of science. The falsehood that science required the defeat of religion was proclaimed by self-appointed cheerleaders like [[Voltaire]], [[Denis Diderot|Diderot]], and [[Edward Gibbon|Gibbon]], who themselves played no part in the scientific enterprise......<ref>http://goliath.ecnext.com/coms2/gi_0199-3274629/False-conflict-Christianity-is-not.html</ref>}}

Dr. Charles Thaxton similarly states:
{{cquote|P. E. Hodgson in reviewing [[Stanley Jaki]]'s ''Science and Creation'' said: "Although we seldom recognize it, scientific research requires certain basic beliefs about the order and rationality of matter, and its accessibility to the human mind . . . they came to us in their full force through the Judeo-Christian belief in an omnipotent God, creator and sustainer of all things. In such a world view it becomes sensible to try and understand the world, and this is the fundamental reason science developed as it did in the Middle Ages in Christian Europe, culminating in the brilliant achievements of the seventeenth century."<ref>http://www.leaderu.com/truth/1truth17.html</ref>}}

==Ineffectiveness of Atheist Debaters==

===Doug Jesseph===

In October of 1997, atheist Jeffrey Jay Lowder, a founder of Internet Infidels, stated that he believed that "the most impressive debater to date" was [[Doug Jesseph]].<ref>http://www.infidels.org/infidels/newsletter/1997/october.html</ref> Yet Doug Jesseph claimed in a debate with [[William Lane Craig]] in 1996 that the [[origin of life]] had a detailed atheistic explanation(s).<ref>http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/doug_jesseph/jesseph-craig/jesseph1.html</ref> In 1996, [[John Horgan]] wrote the following regarding what the highly respected origin of life researcher [[Stanley Miller]] believed to the case regarding naturalistic explanations of the origin of life: "Miller seemed unimpressed with any of the current proposals on the origin of life, referring to them as “nonsense” or “paper chemistry.”"<ref>http://www.trueorigin.org/abio.asp</ref> In addition, in 1996, John Horgan wrote the following in ''[[Scientific American]]'': "The origin of life is a science writer's dream. It abounds with exotic scientists and exotic theories, which are never entirely abandoned or accepted, but merely go in and out of fashion."<ref>http://members.iinet.net.au/~sejones/orignl01.html#orgnflfmjrprblmschcknndgg</ref>

===Gordon Stein===

[[Image:Bahnsen.jpg‎|thumb|150px|Dr. [[Greg Bahnsen]] became known as the ''man atheists fear most" due to [[Michael Martin]]'s cancellation of their scheduled debate.]]
In 1985, [[Christian apologetics|Christian apologist]] Dr. [[Greg Bahnsen]] and prominent atheist Gordon Stein had a debate at the University of California, Irvine. [[John Frame]] wrote regarding the debate in which Dr. Bahnsen used the [[transcendental argument for the existence of God]] that "In the end, Stein walked and talked like a broken man."<ref>http://www.frame-poythress.org/frame_articles/Bahnsen.htm</ref> The Greg Bahnsen-Gordon Stein debate was recorded and transcribed and was dubbed "The Great Debate".<ref>http://prosapologian.wordpress.com/2007/08/15/great-debates/</ref><ref>http://www.bellevuechristian.org/faculty/dribera/htdocs/PDFs/Apol_Bahnsen_Stein_Debate_Transcript.pdf</ref>

===Greg Bahnsen and Michael Martin===

[[Greg Bahnsen|Dr. Greg Bahnsen]] became known as the "man atheists fear most".<ref>http://mywebpages.comcast.net/webpages54/ap/biobahn.html</ref>
This is because [[Harvard]]-educated [[Michael Martin|Dr. Michael Martin]] was scheduled to debate Bahnsen but pulled out of the debate at the "eleventh hour".
A press release at the time said that Dr. Martin offered ruses on why he pulled out and didn't want the scheduled debate recorded but the real reason was that "...Michael Martin is afraid that he will be publicly humiliated just as his friend and fellow atheist, Dr. Gordon Stein, was..."<ref>Anon., [http://www.serve.com/thibodep/cr/press.htm Press Release]</ref>

Martin later released his [[transcendental argument for the non-existence of God]] (TANG) in 1996 which was rebutted by Christian apologists.<ref>http://www.reformed.org/apologetics/index.html?mainframe=/apologetics/martin_TAG.html</ref>

=== Creationists tend to win creation-evolution debates ===

As noted earlier, a majority of the most prominent and vocal defenders of the naturalistic evolutionary position since [[World War II]] have been atheists.<ref>[[Don Batten]], [http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/737/ A ''Who’s Who'' of evolutionists] ''Creation'' 20(1):32, December 1997.</ref><ref>[[Jonathan Sarfati]], [http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/3830 ''Refuting Evolution'', Chapter 1, Facts and Bias]</ref>
Robert Sloan, Director of Paleontology at the University of Minnesota, reluctantly admitted to a ''Wall Street Journal'' reporter that the "creationists tend to win" the public debates which focused on the creation vs. [[theory of evolution|evolution]] controversy.<ref>Ankerberg, John, and Weldon, John, [http://www.ankerberg.com/Articles/science/SC0104W1E.htm Truth in Advertising: Damaging the Cause of Science]</ref><ref name="WWD">Fraser, Bill,[http://members.shaw.ca/mark.64/hcib/whowins.html Who wins the Debates?]</ref>
In August of 1979, [[Henry Morris|Dr. Henry Morris]] reported in an [[Institute for Creation Research]] letter the following: “By now, practically every leading evolutionary scientist in this country has declined one or more invitations to a scientific debate on creation/evolution.”<ref name="WWD" />
Morris also said regarding the creation scientist [[Duane Gish]] (who had over 300 formal debates): “At least in our judgment and that of most in the audiences, he always wins.”<ref name="WWD" />
Generally speaking, leading evolutionists generally no longer debate creation scientists.<ref>http://www.icr.org/article/811/</ref>

==Psychology of Atheism==

Dr. [[Paul Vitz]] wrote a book entitled ''Faith of the Fatherless'' in which he points out that after studying the lives of more than a dozen leading atheists and found that a large majority of them had a father who was the following: present but weak; present but abusive, or a father who was absent.<ref>http://www.columbia.edu/cu/augustine/arch/vitz.txt</ref><ref>http://www.probe.org/content/view/36/91/</ref> Dr. Vitz also examined the lives of prominent theists who were contemporaneous to their atheist counterparts and from the same culture and in every instance these prominent theists had a good relationship with his father.<ref>http://www.columbia.edu/cu/augustine/arch/vitz.txt</ref> Dr. Vitz has also noted other common factors he observed in the famous atheists he profiled: they were all intelligent and arrogant.<ref>http://www.columbia.edu/cu/augustine/arch/vitz.txt</ref>

==Atheism and its Decline as a Theoretical Position==

According to Munich theologian [[Wolfhart Pannenberg]] "Atheism as a theoretical position is in decline worldwide."<ref> http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/05/breaking2453432.91875.html</ref> [[Oxford]] scholar [[Alister McGrath]] agrees and has stated that atheism's "future seems increasingly to lie in the private beliefs of individuals rather than in the great public domain it once regarded as its habitat."<ref>http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/05/breaking2453432.91875.html</ref>

==Atheism in Academia==

There is a book by Richard H. Harvey, entitled "70 Years of Miracles." In it Harvey relates his experience in a Chemistry class at Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania in the 1920's.

According to Harvey, his professor Dr. Lee was a [[deist]] who for many years had spent time with each freshman class lecturing against prayer. After a couple of sessions discussing the power of natural laws and the lack of evidence that any god interferes with those laws, Lee would announce that he would drop a flask to the floor and challenged anyone to pray that the flask would remain whole.

Harvey then related that one year, a student finally found the courage to stand up and volunteer to pray. Lee dropped the flask and it rolled off his shoe to the floor without damage. The class cheered and Lee no longer delivered his annual lectures against prayer. [http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/ath/blathm_urb_chalk.htm fair use]

== Other Well Known Proponents of Atheism ==

Prominent atheists and atheist schools of thought include:
* Carvaka school: an atheistic and materialistic offshoot of [[Hinduism]] in the 6th century b.c.
* Samkhya school: an atheistic school of classical Indian philosophy, originating in the 6th century b.c.
* Diagoras: Greek philosopher who denied the existence of the Greek pantheon
* Epicurus: Greek philosopher espousing [[materialism]], and stated that, even if the gods exist, they do not interact with humans and are therefore non-existent for all practical purposes;
* Lucretius: Greek philosopher espousing materialism, and stated that man should not believe in the gods because their ideas about the gods and their fear of death made men unhappy;
*[[Friedrich Nietzsche]]: Prominent 20th century atheist philosopher;
*[[Mao Zedong]]: Chinese Communist leader;
*Paul Kurtz: founder of the Council of [[Secular Humanism]]
*Isaac Asimov
*[[David Hume]]
*[[Bertrand Russell]]
*[[Ayn Rand]]
*[[Richard Dawkins]]
*[[Douglas Adams]]
*[[Ernest Hemingway]]

== Atheist population as a percentage of various countries' populations==

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. In the United States, however, another 14% of the respondents identified themselves as agnostic indicating that 18% of the U.S. population do not ascribe to theistic views.<ref>In addition, 6% declined to say; and 3% indicated they were unsure of their beliefs.</ref>

== American's view of atheists ==

Research in the American Sociological Review finds that among several groups listed, atheists are the group that Americans relate least to in terms of their vision of American society and are the group most likely to be mentioned as one that Americans would not want to have marry into their family.
<ref>Edgell, Gerteis & Hartmann 2006</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Position:
! 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
| 39.6%
| 47.6%
|-
| Muslim
| 26.3%
| 33.5%
|-
| Homosexual
| 22.6%
| 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]
==See Also==
*[[Agnosticism]]

== Notes ==
{{reflist|2}}

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

The Bell Curve

2007-08-31T15:09:36Z

Briantrust:

[[Image:Bellcurve.jpg|right|thumb|Black IQ scores show a 15 to 18 point gap]]
'''''The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life''''' is a 1994 book by Richard J. Herrnstein and Charles Murray exploring the relationship between [[intelligence]] and success in [[America (USA)|America]]n life. <ref> Human Intelligence: "The Bell Curve" [http://www.indiana.edu/~intell/bellcurve.shtml Indiana University] Accessed June 27 2007</ref> Critics attacked the authors relentlessly over the book's findings.

The book makes two controversial points:
#That in America intelligent people are more successful than average people, and that unintelligent people make more trouble than average people.
#That some ethnic groups have consistently scored lower on intelligence tests, and that [[cultural bias]] in the tests fails to explain this

The book thus deals with two taboos at once: the authors are simultaneously rocking the boat and upsetting the apple cart. Either point by itself is an [[elephant in the livingroom]]. Tackling both at once got the authors into a lot of hot water, and he has since been given the cold shoulder by many in academia, who take his findings with a grain of salt.

==Quotations about the book==

[[Milton Friedman]] said:
:This brilliant, original, objective, and lucidly written book will force you to rethink your biases and prejudices about the role that individual difference in intelligence plays in our economy, our policy, and our society. [http://www.amazon.com/Bell-Curve-Intelligence-Structure-Paperbacks/dp/0684824299]

Steve Sailer wrote,
:It ignited controversy by arguing that IQ scores are one of the most overlooked tools for understanding how American society is structured. [http://www.isteve.com/2003_QA_with_Charles_Murray_on_Human_Accomplishment.htm]

Murray himself said:
*The reality of a cognitive elite is becoming so obvious that I wonder if even critics of the book really doubt it. The relationship of low IQ to the underclass? Ditto. Welfare reform is helping the argument along, by the way, as journalistic accounts reveal how many welfare mothers are not just uneducated, but of conspicuously low intelligence. The intractability of IQ? Dick and I said that IQ was 40 to 80 per cent [[heritable]]. The identical-twin studies continue to suggest that the ultimate figure will turn out to be in the upper half of that range. More importantly, the literature on 'nonshared environment' has developed dramatically since Dick and I were researching The Bell Curve. Its core finding is that, whatever the role of environment may be in determining IQ, only a small portion of that role consists of influences that can be manipulated (through better child-rearing, better schools, etc.). For practical purposes, the ability of public policy to affect IQ is probably smaller than Dick and I concluded. [http://www.eugenics.net/papers/mssel.html]

==Notes==
<references/>

==Reviews==
*[http://www.slate.com/id/2128199/ Slate review] - makes some thoughtful points

[[category:book]]
[[category:Probability and Statistics]]
[[category:politics]]