Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Catalonia

2017-10-02T00:55:42Z

ILOVEJESUS2: Added new events

[[Image:Catalonia.gif|right]]
'''Catalonia''' (Catalan: ''Catalunya'') is a self-governing region of north-western [[Spain]]. The administrative capital is [[Barcelona]]. Catalonia is based on the medieval kingdom of [[Aragon]] that merged into a united Spain on the marriage of [[Ferdinand and Isabella]].

Brief independence during the [[Spanish Civil War]] of 1936-39 was ended by the victory of General [[Francisco Franco]] in 1939. Barcelona during the Civil War is notably described in George Orwell's memoir ''Homage to Catalonia''. Catalonia has experienced a relatively high level of ETA activity. The State Department recognizes the [[ETA]] as a terrorist group.<ref>http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2011/03/158808.htm</ref>

Catalonia has its own distinct language, known as the [[Catalan language]].

On October 1st, 2017, Catalonia voted to leave [[Spain]], and the [[EU]], a move which has angered the Spanish government, leading to a brutal crackdown.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/09/30/spain-shuts-down-catalonia-independence-vote-technology-as-tensions-rise.html</ref>

== See also ==
*[[Spanish Golden Age]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Regions of Spain]]

Talk:Matthew 20-28 (Translated)

2017-08-21T00:37:09Z

ILOVEJESUS2: /* question */ new section

== 21:12 ==

Reversion explained: the edit significantly weakened the translation and introduced terms like "cashier" that are out of place. Please discuss first before making a sweeping edit in this entry.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 20:02, 19 November 2009 (EST)

== 28:19 - "Divine Guide" ==
I am curious about the translation of "Holy Ghost" to "Divine Guide". I would have expected "Holy Spirit", but this alternate term is very intriguing and I would like to learn more about it. Can anyone comment on how this term was developed? --[[User:FatherJoseph|FatherJoseph]] 14:57, 12 December 2009 (EST)
:A quick google on both gave me the impression that both are commonly used interchangingly. But personally, I find that 'Divine Guide' flows that fits a lot better with what or who the 'Holy Ghost' is meant to be. It is meant to be an urging or pull on someone's heart or spirit to do good things. Or if I might say so, a Guide. It fits in my mind. [[User:MHarris|MHarris]]
== ἰδού ==
I don't endorse MandersB's tactic to replace every occurrence of ἰδού with ''at the moment''. But he raises some interesting points:
*Andy, if you think that ''behold'' is archaic, why should it occur in the translation at all?
*Shouldn't it be possible to use ''at the moment'' as a translation for ἰδού more than once?
*I checked a couple of dictonaries and failed to find ''at the moment'' as a translation of ἰδού. Could you hint me to your source?
[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 09:50, 5 April 2011 (EDT)

I searched for a week for a source which states that ''at the moment'' is a nuance of ἰδού. I wasn't able to find one. That's why I put a source - tag to the translation. I hope that Aschlafly will show me where this translation comes from.
[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 10:36, 15 April 2011 (EDT)

: I did a Google search on:
:*ἰδού "at that moment"
: and nearly 20,000 items were found. I've added a cite to the content entry here.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 01:14, 16 April 2011 (EDT)

::A google search! Well, for a moment a will join your light-hearted approach:
::*''ἰδού'' and '''''yesterday''''' results in '''77,000''' hits
::*''ἰδού'' and '''''wow''''': '''100,000''' hits
::*''ἰδού'' and '''''later''''': '''200,000''' hits
::As ''wow'' is a demonstrative particle, often stressing what follows, it wouldn't be quite a bad translation! But we both know that such searches are meaningless.

::And please keep in mind that this translation is meant to be a serious project: not everybody will appreciate your attempt of humor. So, back to the real problem: it goes without saying that I expected you to present something like article on the nuances of ''ἰδού'', published in one of the many journals like ''[http://www.sil.org/siljot/index.asp?series=932 Journal of Translation]''. Or a excerpt of a textbook, or a renowned Biblical commentary. Please, could you do so?

::As for the cite you added to the verse: I'm afraid it doesn't show what you expect it to demonstrate. Indeed, ἰδού appears in the original verse and ''at that moment'' appears in the translations of the e.g., [[New International Version]] and the [[New Living Translation]]. But this doesn't imply that ''at that moment'' is the translation of ''ἰδού''! I have stated earlier ([[User_talk:Aschlafly#Matthew_and_John]] - btw, it's in one of the four questions I'd like you to answer):
:::The ''New International Version'' starts the verse with ''At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn..'', but this ''at that moment'' seems to be a translation of the leading καὶ (in fact of the string of καὶ-καὶ-καὶ), while ἰδού is dropped from the sentence altogether - as you observed rightly in [[Bible Translation Issues]].
::The new international version seems to follow the same principles as the NET Bible project, which states:
:::Introductory particles like ἰδού (“behold”) have been translated to fit the context (sometimes “listen,” “pay attention,” “look,” or occasionally left untranslated).
::It seems to me that you are one of the first to translate ἰδού as ''at that/this moment''. And such a novel translation obviously needs an elaborate justification, especially when it is used further on with far-reaching consequences (see [[Counterexamples to Relativity]]).

::[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 10:28, 16 April 2011 (EDT)

I've shown here and at [[Talk:John_1-7_(Translated)#Issue_with_translation_of_John_4:53|Talk:John 1-7]] that besides the repeated claims that there is a nuance ἰδού meaning "suddenly" or "at that time" no serious evidence for the existence of such a nuance is given. So - as the very minimum - I reintroduced the source-tag. [[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 11:35, 3 May 2011 (EDT)

== For the time being... ==

According to [[Bible Translation Issues]] No. 17, I omitted the translation of ἰδού in Matthew 27:51. I think this is a reasonable compromise until ''any '' scholarly source for a translation of ἰδού as ''at this moment'' can be found (see [[Talk:John_1-7_(Translated)#Issue_with_translation_of_John_4:53|here]] for the ongoing discussion ).

[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 09:22, 10 June 2011 (EDT)

: As a general matter of interpretation or translation, ignoring or deleting words is disfavored. The word was not included simply to be ignored.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 22:15, 10 June 2011 (EDT)

::Isn't inventing a new meaning for a word disfavored, too? Until now, you haven't shown any scholarly source which validates your idea that "at this moment" is a "nuance " of ἰδού.

::The source you gave is a list of various translations, which shows that modern liberal translations have a liberal concept of translating. Surely, this can't be model for the CBP, especially as you frown upon these techniques, e.g., [[NIV|here]]?

::ἰδού is an interjection. It doesn't contain information on its own, it just stresses the following text (think of ''wow'' in contempory English) .

::[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 10:34, 11 June 2011 (EDT)

:::Let's discuss this issue further. For starters, will you agree that simply ignoring and essentially erasing the Greek term is not an option for an optimal translation?--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 21:55, 11 June 2011 (EDT)

::::I would rather like to see your review and comment on my extensive edits [[Talk:John_1-7_(Translated)#Issue_with_translation_of_John_4:53|here]], especially as the google search is still the only justification to translate ἰδού as "at that moment"!
::::[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 10:19, 12 June 2011 (EDT)

==Ending the ιδού talk ==

Guess what I did? I translated the dang word! It means 'lo' as in "Lo and behold". 'Look' shortened to 'Lo'. Not 'wow' not anything else that has been said. the Greek word ιδού means 'lo'. Translate it yourself and you will see. Just google "Translate Greek ιδού" and oh my goodness, its the first link! Can we find something else to talk about now? I see the translation isn't included, I don't care if it is or not. It is one word from a gosple made up of many other letters and whatnot. The meaning still remains whether or not you use it. I would edit it to correct the commentary placed next to the scripture in question, but I don't want to mess with anything I don't have a right messing with. [[User:MHarris|MHarris]]

:Your spirited comments are welcome, but "lo" (like "wow") seems beneath the level of the Gospels. I wouldn't expect to find those words in the Constitution, or in a good Bible translation.

:: ιδού does not mean 'wow' it means "Lo, Look/behold". Beneath the level of the Gospels? You think they were written by some elite nobility? It was written by a former tax collector. The scripture in question was most likely a dictated writing of what he experienced or what one of his students found out during his research into his Master's past life while writing a biography. Interjections like 'wow' or 'behold' are perfectly acceptable in these accounts as it is the authors way of expressing the emotions they felt during the event or when they found out about the event.

:Good translations respect the source that is being translated, and preserve as much meaning as possible. If the meaning is "lo" (or "wow"), the point is to explain what is so amazing about what happened. In this context, the amazing attribute is temporal: the veil was torn "at that moment." Hence that is the best translation.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 23:21, 11 June 2011 (EDT)

::I'm pretty sure you are using the word 'temporal' wrong in that statement. But I restate. The meaning is not 'wow' nor should 'lo' be put on the same level as 'wow' though they are both interjections. In the usage of the word, the author was pointing to the veil as evidence as in "LOOK! There is the proof that he is the Lord our Savor! The Great Veil that took two strong men to lift just enough to let a small man though was ripped from the inside out, top down as the LORD cut away the boundary between us and HIM!" the Veil was a large, thick cloth that separated people from the Ark. To give sacrifice, a lamb was killed and it's blood put in a cup, then two men lifted the veil and another man crawled under it. If the sacrifice was accepted, bells would ring. When Jesus died, the veil was cut from the inside out or from were the Ark was to the outside and from top down, or from Heaven to Earth, meaning God cut away the boundary between us and Him though the sacrifice of Jesus Christ our Lord. That is why the word is so important and must be properly translated and added into the scripture. [[User:MHarris|MHarris]]

:::So there is no disagreement about whether the term should be translated and included. It should be. But to translate it as the equivalent of merely an underline or exclamation point is little better than omitting it entirely.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 09:50, 12 June 2011 (EDT)

== At that moment, again... ==

Over the last four months I have asked numerous times for a justification of translating ''ἰδού'' as ''at that moment''. To attempts to explain the translation were made:

*A count of google hits: [[Talk:John_1-7_(Translated)#Issue with translation of John 4:53|Here]], I showed how this approach fails. In great detail. Twice.
*An attempt which based on the assumption that the [[New American Standard Bible]] would use archaic phrases - which it explicitly does not ([[User talk:Aschlafly#New namespace for the CBP|see here]].)

So both ''justifications'' fall flat. Until there is any meaningful, scholarly explanation, I changed the text to a version which may sound a little bit archaic, but is at least correct. Before reverting this entry, I'd like to see some explications which show more than wishful thinking but knowledge of the subject at hand.

[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 09:02, 29 July 2011 (EDT)

== ἰδού - just for the record ==

Aschlafly, you have not shown that any Biblical scholar shares your idea that ἰδού can be translated as "''at this moment''". Neither have you given any scholarly source which supports your idea. This leads to the conclusion that it is your invention.

I won't change the translation back as you are clinging to your ''idée fixe'' - and as there is the possibility to translate the verse this way for other reasons (see my statements above). But nothing good can come from making up new meanings of Biblical words.

However, I deleted the misleading statement: ''The Greek ἰδού adds emphasis, and in this context the timing is obviously what is being emphasized (See, for example, the various translations of ἰδού to include "suddenly" and "at that time" at [http://www.biblestudytools.com/matthew/27-51-compare.html]) - ignoring ἰδού (or any word) in translation is disfavored, see [[Bible Translation Issues]].'' Again, in the quoted translations, not ἰδού but the rapid succession of καὶ is translated as "suddenly" or "at that time".

[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 15:13, 5 September 2012 (EDT)

:I find your point to be nitpicky. Is your claim that "ἰδού καὶ" is translated as "at that time," but not merely "ἰδού", regardless of context?? That seems hardly worth arguing about.

:As to whether Biblical scholars agree, how many of those professors voted for Obama? Perhaps 90% of professors are [[liberals]], and they are unlikely to agree with many original meanings that are [[conservative]].--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 18:06, 5 September 2012 (EDT)

::*Read above: it's not about the "ἰδού καὶ", it's about the καὶ - καὶ - καὶ. The ἰδού just happens to appear in the verse and its translation is omitted by those who choose to start the verse as "Suddenly..." or "At that time..".
::*It's about the Bible - it is worth to be exact or ''nitpicky'' (in fact we can't afford to be sloppy).
::*It's not only about scholars agreeing - it's about you being the only one having another opinion than all these scholars for the last five hundred years!
::*your translation of ἰδού is unprecedented. Taking such a revolutionary step should be better motivated than just saying "I don't vote for Obama".
::[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 18:16, 5 September 2012 (EDT)

:::You make some good points, and I've improved the commentary. But the translation here remains true to the original meaning. Do you think the veil tore at a later time, rather than at the same moment?--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 19:12, 5 September 2012 (EDT)
::::*The commentary is still wrong: If you don't want to ignore ἰδού in your translation, the verse should start "''Behold, suddenly...''"
::::*IMO the witnesses thought that the veil teared at the same moment. This could have been the very moment Jesus Christ "''cried out again in a loud voice and breathed his last''" or - given the distance - a couple of seconds later. I don't know which amount of time God took for this task: after all, he created the world in six days when he was able to do so in a single moment.
::::[[User:AugustO|AugustO]] 01:47, 6 September 2012 (EDT)

:::::"ἰδού" adds emphasis, just as the archaic "behold" did ... centuries ago. Saying or implying that the veil tore later would detract from the obvious purpose and meaning of the verse. "Suddenly" would convey a meaning different from the intent, as though there were some new, intervening force.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 22:46, 7 September 2012 (EDT)

== question ==

''At the Second Advent when Jesus returns, all sinners will be taken off of the Earth and only believers will be left behind. '' Is this supposed to say this? I thought it was refering to the rapture, so is this vandalized or did I miss something? [[User:ILOVEJESUS2|ILOVEJESUS2]] ([[User talk:ILOVEJESUS2|talk]]) 20:37, 20 August 2017 (EDT)

Christian In Name Only

2017-03-16T17:53:03Z

ILOVEJESUS2: /* List of XINOs */ Removed for obvious reasons

A '''Christian in Name Only'''<ref name="name">[http://www.ucg.org/doctrinal-beliefs/christians-name-only/ Christians in Name Only?]</ref> (abbreviated '''XINO'''), also called a '''cultural Christian''',<ref>[http://www.equip.org/perspectives/cultural-christian Are you a Cultural Christian?] from the Christian Research Institute</ref> '''nominal Christian''',<ref>[http://www.comprehensivechristian.com/The-Nominal-Christian-comprehensivechristian.com.asp The Nominal Christian]</ref> or more often, a [[Liberal Christianity|liberal Christian]], is someone who professes to be a [[Christian]] in public, but has a considerable lack of knowledge about the basic tenets of their professed faith. This includes ignorance of the contents of the Bible in general, and may specifically include not being able to name the 4 Gospels, the 10 Commandments, or even that [[Jesus]] gave the [[Sermon on the Mount]]. They also hold beliefs contrary to what Jesus did and taught. Such beliefs include considering such things as [[abortion]]s, [[special rights]] for [[homosexual]]s, [[social justice]], [[gun control]], and cohabitation between unmarried people to be morally acceptable.<ref name="name"/> They also might believe there are other ways to attain salvation rather than accepting Jesus as Savior. When challenged on their views with quotations from Scripture, Christians in name only, if they believe in [[God]] at all, often respond with [[Logical fallacy#Proof by assertion|unsupported assertions]] as to what God really wants.

== Opposition to the term==
<blockquote>
But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; 25 whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in the forbearance of God He passed over the sins previously committed; 26 for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Romans 3:21-26 NASB</blockquote>

This can be taken to mean that there is no such thing as a deal breaker. If you are a [[Paul]]ian Christian and accept the book of Romans as canonical then the one true standard for receiving eternal salvation can be viewed as solely the result of the personal relationship with Jesus, something that cannot be measured from the outside by other people. The counterargument is that Christ said that we will know every tree by its fruit (Matthew 7:15-20,<ref>[[Matthew 1-9 (Translated)#Chapter 7|Matthew ch. 7, Conservative Bible]]</ref> Luke 6:43-45<ref>[[Luke 1-8 (Translated)#Chapter 6|Luke ch. 6, Conservative Bible]]</ref>).

==List of XINOs==
*Any practitioner of [[liberal Christianity]]
*[[George W. Bush]] - Said he believes in multiple ways to Heaven, not just Christ, and is a member of the [[CFR]].
*[[Anders Breivik]] - Mass murderer of 77 victims in Norway.
*[[Reasons the Catholic Church is Unbiblical|The Roman Catholic Church]]
*[[Jimmy Carter]] - 39th President of the United States and member of the Democratic Party
*[[Bill Clinton]] - 42nd President of the United States and member of the Democratic Party
*[[Hillary Clinton]] - A corrupt liberal. Went to a lesson in voodoo for her honeymoon. Involved in the occult. At the October 20, 2016 Al Smith dinner, Clinton stated that salvation (justification) is by faith and good works, which blatantly contradicts the clear teaching of the Bible on salvation and clearly showing she was not a real Christian at that time.<ref>Gutierrez-Cachila, Suzette (October 27, 2016). [http://www.gospelherald.com/articles/67543/20161027/ Hillary Clinton: Both Faith and Good Works Needed for Salvation]. ''The Gospel Herald Society''. Retrieved December 28, 2016.</ref><ref>West, Marsha (October 21, 2016). [http://christianresearchnetwork.org/2016/10/21/clinton-at-al-smith-dinner-in-order-to-achieve-salvation-we-need-both-faith-and-good-works/ Clinton at Al Smith Dinner: “In Order to Achieve Salvation, We Need Both Faith and Good Works”]. ''Christian Research Network''. Retrieved December 28, 2016.</ref>
*[[David Duke]]
*[[John Edwards]] - Former senator from North Carolina, presidential candidate, and member of the Democratic Party
*[[Al Gore]] - 45th Vice President of the United States and member of the Democratic Party<ref>To be precise, he's the head of the Church of [[Global Warming]], that insists that man-made global warming is real, and you must give tithes to it.</ref>
*[[Ted Haggard]] - Disgraced former Pastor of New Life Church.
*[[Adolf Hitler]] - Leader of Nazi Germany. Responsible for the extermination of over 6,000,000 Jews.<ref>Despite being raised [[Roman Catholic]] and claiming that [[Jesus]] was his inspiration, Hitler was only using Christianity to gain favor with the German people. His true beliefs were based off of his [[social darwinism|social darwinistic]] views.</ref> In reality, Hitler was a Darwinian secularist who believed in adult fairy tale of evolution,<ref>[https://answersingenesis.org/charles-darwin/racism/hitler-and-evolution/ Hitler and Evolution]. ''Answers in Genesis''. Retrieved December 31, 2016.</ref> hated and despised Christianity,<ref>John Baskette, [http://answers.org/apologetics/hitquote.html Was Hitler a Christian?]. ''Answers in Action''. Retrieved December 31, 2016.</ref><ref>Bergman, Jerry, Dr. (November 1, 1999). [https://answersingenesis.org/charles-darwin/racism/darwinism-and-the-nazi-race-holocaust/ Darwinism and the Nazi Race Holocaust]. ''Answers in Genesis''. Retrieved December 31, 2016.</ref> and attempted to warp Christianity into a XINO organization that adhered to Nazi beliefs.<ref>Hodge, Bodie (July 13, 2009). [https://answersingenesis.org/sanctity-of-life/the-results-of-evolution/ The Results of Evolution]. ''Answers in Genesis''. Retrieved December 31, 2016.</ref>
*[[Jesse Jackson]] - Media seeking civil rights activist and former candidate for the Democratic nomination for President.
*[[Jehovah's Witnesses]]
*[[Jim Jones]] - Cult leader
*[[Helen Keller]]<ref>Who was a rather radical Socialist, founding member of the anti-[[Christian]] [[ACLU]], and personal friend of [[Planned Parenthood]] founder [[Margaret Sanger]]. Most don't know this about her and only know about her from ''The Miracle Worker''.</ref>
*[[John Kerry]] - Democratic senator from Massachusetts and former presidential candidate.
*[[Joseph Kony]]
*The [[Ku Klux Klan]]
*[[Eddie Long]]
*[[Timothy McVeigh]] - Perpetrator of the Oklahoma City Bombing
*[[Michael Moore]] - Anti-capitalist liberal film maker.
*[[Mormons]]
*[[Barack Obama]] - 44th President of the United States and member of the Democratic Party <ref>Barack Obama may be a special case. There is [[Barack Obama's Muslim Heritage|much evidence]] that he may be a [[Muslim]] who is practicing ''[[taqiyya]],'' an Islamic custom which allows a Muslim to conceal his true religion if the adherent [[deceit|feels it would be beneficial to do so.]]</ref>
*[[Albert Odulele]]
*[[Joel Olsteen]] - Runs a new ageist church concerned about making people feel good instead of accurately teaching the Word of God (the prosperity-gospel).
*[[Nancy Pelosi]] Democratic House Minority Leader.
*[[Fred Phelps]] - Cult leader<ref>The leader of radical Hyper-Calvinist church that protests the funerals of soldiers killed on duty. Due to the indecent and Un-American, and utterly un-Christian nature of this activity, he would appear to be Christian in name only, if that.</ref>
*[[Harry Reid]] - Democratic Senate Majority Leader.
*Much of the [[British Royal Family]], who have endorsed homosexual "marriage" and have let the Anglican Church spiritually decline under their watch.
*[[Al Sharpton]] - Hosts a show on MSNBC and never misses a chance to stir up racial animosity.
*[[Rick Warren]] - Runs a feel-good, new-age style church. Gave the inaugural at Obama's swearing-in as President. [[CFR]] member. Runs his church to gain members, not to preach the gospel.
*[[Oprah Winfrey]] - Talk show host and media mogul. Endorsed Obama in '08 and '12.<ref>a liberal so-called "Christian" and a [[New age movement|New-Age-style]] [[occult]]ist.</ref>
*[[Jeremiah Wright]] - Obama's pastor and preacher of Black Liberation Theology.

==See also==
*[[Indifference]]
*[[Sloth (sin)]]
*[[Cafeteria Christianity]]
*[[Churchian]]
*[[Fast Food Christianity]]
*[[Fluffy bunny]]
*[[Liberal Christianity]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Christianity]]
[[Category:Religion]]

User:ILOVEJESUS2

2016-12-08T22:33:59Z

ILOVEJESUS2:

Hey dudes, I'm a quasi-[[Libertarian]], semi-[[Objectivist]], all around [[Conservative]] who knows a lot and it still growing both physically and spirtually.

I speak English, Spanish, Dalmatian, Toki Pona, and Latin.

===To do...===
Add Thats the way I am to [[Essay:Worst Liberal Movies|Worst Liberal Movies]].

===Milestones===

My 1st edit: VIIIJ/10/2016

My 10th edit: X/24/2016

===Learn about me!===
[[Conservative Values]]

[[Libertarian|Libertarian Values]]-I am not a gay rights activist, if that's what your worrying.

[[Free Market]]

[[Ayn Rand]]-I do, however, have some [[Compassion|compassion]], and [[Generosity|generosity.]]

[[Philosopher]]

User:ILOVEJESUS2

2016-12-08T22:33:27Z

ILOVEJESUS2:

Hey dudes, I'm a quasi-[[Libertarian]], semi-[[Objectivist]], all around [[Conservative]] who knows a lot and it still growing both physically and spirtually.

I speak English, Spanish, Dalmatian, Toki Pona, and Latin.

===To do...===
Add Thats the way I am to [[Essay:Worst Liberal Movies|Worst Liberal Movies]].

===Milestones===

My 1st edit:

My 10th edit: X/24/2016

===Learn about me!===
[[Conservative Values]]

[[Libertarian|Libertarian Values]]-I am not a gay rights activist, if that's what your worrying.

[[Free Market]]

[[Ayn Rand]]-I do, however, have some [[Compassion|compassion]], and [[Generosity|generosity.]]

[[Philosopher]]

John Glenn

2016-12-08T22:31:07Z

ILOVEJESUS2: He died mere hours ago

[[Image:JGlenn.jpg|right|thumb|200px|John Glenn]]
'''John Herschel Glenn''' (Cambridge, Ohio, 1921 - December 8th, 2016 ) was the first American [[astronaut]] to orbit the [[earth]] and the oldest person to orbit the earth.

Glenn served as a [[United States Marine Corps|Marine]] pilot in [[World War II]] and the [[Korean War]]. He flew 59 missions in the [[F4U Corsair]] in the last year of World War II, and flew the [[F9F Panther]] and F-86 Saber over Korea, shooting down three [[MiG-15|MiGs]] in the Saber. On February 20, 1962, Glenn became the first American to orbit the earth, doing so three times in the space capsule ''Friendship 7''.
[[Image:Friendship 7 1962, NASA.jpg|thumb|left|Glenn enters his Friendship 7 capsule, 1962.]]
<blockquote>
''Glenn has been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross on six occasions, and holds the Air Medal with 18 Clusters for his service during World War II and Korea. Glenn also holds the Navy Unit Commendation for service in Korea, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the World War II Victory Medal, the China Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation, the Navy's Astronaut Wings, the Marine Corps' Astronaut Medal, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, and the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.'' [http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/glenn-j.html]
</blockquote>

Getting involved in [[politics]], John Glenn was elected as a [[Democratic]] [[senator]] for the state of [[Ohio]] serving from 1975 until his retirement in 1999.

In [[United States presidential election, 1976|1976]], Glenn was a candidate for the Democratic vice presidential nomination. However, Glenn's keynote address at the Democratic National Convention failed to impress the delegates and the nomination went to Senator [[Walter Mondale]]. Glenn also sought the [[United States presidential election, 1984|1984 Democratic presidential nomination]].

In a 2009 interview in ''Audiology Today'' he expressed approval for good health care available for everyone. During the Korean war he flew 63 missions. His head gear provided some hearing protection as a pilot and astronaut. He wears hearing aids and believes his high-frequency hearing loss is from aging rather than noise exposure. When his Mercury space ship was descending to sea level, he had to keep adjusting the air pressure in his ears by moving his jaw. He also adjusts his ears when scuba diving. After his three orbits around the earth, he wanted to go into space again, but wasn’t allowed to because of the danger of space flight. He worked for the space program another two years until he bumped his head on the edge of his tub. He was hospitalized for a while and had dizziness for almost a year. Because of his fame, he was able to become a U.S. Senator. He joined the committee on aging to help his parents and the aging population. His is opposed to space tourism and wants the space station to continue to do research even if there is another mission to the moon. He went on a space shuttle mission when he was 77 for research on aging. He is fine with women being allowed to be test pilots and astronauts, but considers space flight to be as risky as combat missions. He has never seen what he considers to be a UFO and is open-minded when told about UFOs.<ref>Fabry, D. 2009. ''Rocket Man John Glenn.'' Audiology Today. Reston, VA: American Acadamy of Audiology.</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==

*[http://www.johnglennhome.org/john_glenn.shtml John Glenn]

==Sources==

The New American Desk Encyclopedia, Penguin Group, 1989
* [http://www.acepilots.com/korea_glenn.html Biography] at Acepilots.com

{{DEFAULTSORT:Glenn, John}}

[[Category:Former United States Senators]]
[[Category:Democratic Party]]
[[Category:Astronauts]]
[[Category:Biographies]]

Abraham Lincoln

2016-11-30T20:49:28Z

ILOVEJESUS2: Added more statist views

{{Officeholder
|name=Abraham Lincoln
|image=Abraham-lincoln-by-story.jpg
|party=[[Republican]] [[National Union]]
|spouse=[[Mary Todd Lincoln]]
|religion=[[Christian]]
|offices=
{{Officeholder/president
|country=the United States
|number=16th
|terms=March 4, 1861 – April 15, 1865
|vp=[[Hannibal Hamlin]] (1861–1865) [[Andrew Johnson]] (1865)
|preceded=[[James Buchanan]]
|former=y
|succeeded=[[Andrew Johnson]]
}}
{{Officeholder/representative
|state=Illinois
|district=7th
|terms=March 4, 1847 – March 3, 1849
|preceded=John Henry
|former=y
|succeeded=Thomas L. Harris
}}
|military=y
|allegiance=Illinois Militia
|serviceyears=1832
|battles=Black Hawk War
}}
'''Abraham Lincoln''' was the 16th [[President of the United States of America]] serving from 1861 to 1865. He led his country through its greatest crisis, the [[American Civil War]], abolished [[slavery]] and built a [[Republican Party]] coalition that dominated the [[Third Party System]].

Lincoln was [[homeschooled]] and almost completely self-taught, which likely gave him independent thinking, reliance on logic, and a desire to continue to learn as an adult.<ref>For example, Lincoln successfully proved all of Euclid's theorems while serving in Congress.</ref> He is considered the most eloquent writer of any American president in history thus far. He is also one of the very few whose [[faith]] developed and grew while holding high public office.

Lincoln joined the new [[Republican Party]] after his party, the [[Whig Party]], was increasingly falling apart. With a profound sense of American history, unswerving commitment to [[Republicanism]], and an almost [[Shakespeare]]an command of the language, Lincoln articulated a vision of a new birth of freedom for the American nation. The destruction of the [[Confederacy]], and of the [[Slave Power|slave power]] that menaced [[conservative]] American values, affirmed Lincoln's vision in the [[Gettysburg Address]] (1863) and guaranteed that "government of the people by the people for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

==Early life==
Lincoln grew up in a hard-luck, hard-scrabble environment on
the middle border. His paternal ancestors were English; they migrated from Hingham, England, to Hingham Massachusetts, in 1637. In the 1730s they moved to backwoods Pennsylvania and Virginia. His grandfather moved to Kentucky in 1782, where he was scalped by Indians raiding his farm in 1786. His father Thomas owned some farmland near Elizabethtown, where he farmed and worked as a carpenter.

Abe later wrote:
:''“I was born Feb. 12, 1809, in Hardin County, Kentucky. My parents were both born in Virginia, of undistinguished families-- second families, perhaps I should say. My mother, who died in my tenth year, was of a family of the name of Hanks, some of whom now reside in Adams, and others in Macon Counties, Illinois.”''<ref>See [http://showcase.netins.net/web/creative/lincoln/speeches/autobiog.htm Speeches]</ref>

Abe was born in a backwoods cabin some three miles south of Hodgenville, Kentucky. His father Thomas Lincoln was a sturdy man, committed to pioneering in the new lands of Kentucky and Indiana. He married Nancy Hanks on June 12, 1806, and together they had three children: Sarah, Abraham, and Thomas, who did not survive infancy. The family belonged to a Hardshell Baptist church; Abe ridiculed the preachers and never joined their church, or any other church.

Young Abraham’s earliest memories of his days in Kentucky involved helping his father plant some seeds of corn and sunflower, and a flood that washed them away.
[[Image:Young abraham lincoln.jpg|thumb|200px|left|The oldest-known photograph of Lincoln, about 1847.]]
In December 1816 Thomas had to pack up his family and leave for southwestern Indiana after a slaveowner with a better lawyer won title to his Kentucky property.

Penniless, the family in Indiana lived in a “half-faced” camp; a crude log structure with one side open to the elements, and there the family stayed as squatters on public land until Thomas had finished a permanent cabin; he later bought the land outright on which it stood. Helping Thomas clear the land and plowing the fields was Abe, who in sharp contrast to other boys developed a strong aversion to hunting. The poverty, Lincoln recalled, was “pretty pinching” at times, and by the age of nine he was a tall, lanky boy dressed rather ragged and unkempt.

Then the fall of 1818 brought the hardest blow: Nancy had died of the “milk sickness”, leaving Abraham without the mother whom he deeply loved. Some time later, Thomas had taken the buckboard and the mule, and left Abraham and Sarah on their own for two weeks; when he returned, he was with a new wife, Sarah Bush Johnson; she immediately made up for the absence of Nancy by replacing Abraham’s corn husk mattress with one of down, winning him over the first day. The new step-mother treated both children with an even hand (she herself was a widow with three children, whom she had brought), but she became very fond of Abraham, and he in turn was fond of her, referring to her as his “angel mother” for the rest of his life.

===Education===
Both of Abraham’s parents were nearly completely illiterate, and he himself had not much more than one year of formal education. When he did go to school, it was by “littles” – a little here, a little there – and he would call it “blab” school, which meant that they had to recite their lessons constantly due to lack of paper, pencils, and chalk. “Of course, when I came of age I did not know much. Still, somehow, I could read, write, and cipher to the rule of three; but that was all.” The rule of three means up to one thousand.

His step-mother encouraged his reading as much as possible, and although Abraham did not have access to a large number of books, he would read as much of what was there, and read voraciously. He read John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, ''Aesop’s Fables'', Daniel DeFoe’s ''Robinson Crusoe'', Parson Weems's ''Life and Memorable Actions of George Washington'', Edward Gibbon’s ''Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'', and undoubtedly he read many times the only book his family actually owned, the Bible. He would walk for miles to borrow a book he heard about, and after his chores he would collapse into a heap in front of the fire and read for hours. He would say years later that his best friend was the man who let him borrow a book he hadn’t read yet.

===The Rail-Splitter===
[[Image:Railsplitter.jpg|thumb|200px|right|An artist's impression of a young Abe Lincoln, the ''Rail-Splitter''.]]
The Lincolns moved to Illinois in March, 1830, with Abraham driving the team of oxen himself, a young man of 21, rawboned and lanky at six feet four inches tall. But the years working on the Indiana farm also made him physically powerful, and on his arrival in Illinois he was soon to demonstrate the skill with which he could wield an axe, putting it to good use by clearing the trees and laying the fence on his father’s new farm; the speed with which he could take tree trunks and split them into the rails needed for the fencing just by using his axe earned him the nickname “rail-splitter.” He could make an axe flash and bite deep; one neighbor saying “He could sink an axe deeper into wood than any man I ever saw.” After a good deal of chopping, he could take the axe by its handle and hold it straight out away from his body, without a single quiver. (Sandburg, pg. 14) Good-natured as well, he would make friends easily, despite his awkward-looking stride and backwoods language.
[[Image:Lincoln hair.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Fearing that his friends wouldn't recognize him "without a bad tousle", Lincoln messed his hair up in this picture before the photographer closed the shutter.]]
Soon, he signed on as a deckhand on a flatboat, and made a voyage down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. When he returned he settled in a small town on the Sangamon River called New Salem, working as a store keeper, surveyor, or a postmaster, the later of which allowed him to be the first to read the arriving newspapers. Then talk went about town of Lincoln’s utter honesty, how he would walk six miles to return a few cents to a customer he had accidentally overcharged, or the woman that had bought some tea, and having used the wrong weight for the purchase, Lincoln made the correction and walked the many miles to her house to ensure she got the right order (Sandburg, pp 24–25).

In 1832 he enlisted in the Black Hawk War, and was elected captain of his company, but the only fighting he admitted seeing action in was the “many bloody struggles with the mosquitoes.” After he was mustered out of his company, he aspired for the state legislature, losing the contest the first time he ran, then getting elected and re-elected several times afterward. He had briefly thought about practicing the trade of blacksmithing, but his craving of reading led him to law books, which caused some serious studying. Lincoln passed the bar in 1836, and began a new career practicing law.

===Insulting letters===

In the early 1840s, Lincoln had a habit of writing critical letters that skewered his political opponents unmercifully. In 1842, after the default of the state bank, Lincoln wrote a letter to the editor of the ''Sangamo Journal'' about Illinois' governor, treasurer and auditor's refusal to accept the state's own paper money for payment of debts. The letter directly attacked James Shields, the state auditor, who then challenged Lincoln to a duel. After taking lessons in swordsmanship, Lincoln met Shields on September 22, 1842 on a Missouri sandbar. Two mutual friends rushed to the scene and talked the two combatants into cancelling the duel.<ref>[http://www.historynet.com/abraham-lincoln-prepares-to-fight-a-saber-duel.htm Abraham Lincoln prepares to fight a saber duel]</ref>

==Springfield==
The following year he moved to the new state capital of Illinois, Springfield, becoming law partners with John T. Stuart, Stephan T. Logan, and finally William H. Herndon in 1844, who, although junior in age to Lincoln by a decade, made a good, balanced partner. Few records exist of their law business, and when they got paid for their services they split the cash, no matter who was paid. Lincoln would earn $1,200 - $1,500 annually within just a few years; by comparison circuit judges earned $750. But to earn it he kept busy and worked hard; often he would climb into his buggy and travel the circuit of neighboring counties and practice before the courts there. And often the cases he would be involved in were petty

Years before he had tried, and failed, to push legislation through the state assembly to have the Sangamon River made navigable to New Salem; by 1850 the railroads were bringing business and prosperity to Illinois, and Lincoln, by virtue of the ease the railroad made in traveling to his courts, profited more. He had served as a lobbyist for the Illinois Central Railroad, enabling it to get a state charter; he would defend the company against McClean County’s unsuccessful efforts to tax it. He handles cases for other railroads, banks, manufacturing, and other large companies in the state; he handled some patent suits and a few criminal trials. And he also saved the first bridge to cross the Mississippi River from demolition, when river interests demanded the bridge be taken down.

===The moonlight murder===
In Lincoln’s New Salem days he was introduced to the Clary’s Grove Boys, a group of rowdy men from a nearby town who came into New Salem to bully some of the townsmen. The leader of the group was Jack Armstrong, whose challenge to wrestle the New Salem men usually resulted in Armstrong quickly throwing the unfortunate man to the ground. When he saw Lincoln, Armstrong dismissed the lanky young man as a pushover. When they fought, neither man was able to throw the other. The battle ended in a draw, and the good-natured Lincoln made a new friend. Armstrong would later be one of the men to elect Lincoln to lead the company of volunteers in the Black Hawk War.<ref name="Jack Armstrong">[http://www.mrlincolnandfriends.org/inside.asp?pageID=32&subjectID=2 Jack Armstrong]</ref>

In 1856, Jack Armstrong’s son, William (or "Duff"), was charged with murder. A witness claimed he had seen Duff and another kill a New Salem man late at night by the light of full moon. Lincoln pulled out an almanac and proved that the witness could not have seen anything at all, as the moon was at its quarter and had actually set over an hour before. Duff was acquitted, and Lincoln won the case.<ref name="Jack Armstrong"/>

==Politics==
[[Andrew Jackson]], the hero of New Orleans in the [[War of 1812]] and a Democrat from Tennessee, was in the White House when Lincoln first entered politics. He shared with Jackson the sympathies for the common man, but differed in the role of government as related to it; Jackson stated the government should be separated from the economic enterprise, while Lincoln was of the view that “the legitimate object of government is to do for a community of people whatever they need to have done, but cannot do at all, or cannot do so well, for themselves, in their separate and individual capacities.” Lincoln most associated himself with the Whig Party, as among their members Henry Clay and Daniel Webster both advocated a government should be encouraging business, and the development of the country to that end. It was an easy choice for Lincoln: he saw Illinois as needing such aid to improve the development of its own economy.

In the Illinois State Legislature Lincoln found that politics could be detrimental and harsh, as well as rewarding. An example of the former occurred in 1836, just as he gave a speech in support of his re-election. Democrat John Forquer, also seeking election, used his response and acid tongue to denounce him. "This young man needs to be taken down" he said, pointing to Lincoln, "and I'm afraid the task devolves upon me." The success of Forquer's speech convinced some of Lincoln's own allies that his career was over.

But when Lincoln rose to make his rebuttal, he thought of Forquer, and what he had done recently in conniving with President Jackson to change parties; in reward for doing so he was made Government Land Register with a $3,000 annual salary. Forquer was then able to construct a fine new house in Springfield, complete with a curiosity residents had heard about from science but had never seen before: a lightning rod. Before he entered the state house building that day, Lincoln spent a few minutes at Forquer's house staring at the thing, and having heard Forquer's speech later on, he thought of what he saw. Lincoln's reply was blistering, and sealed Forquer's fate.

:''"Among other things he said, the gentleman commenced his speech by saying that 'this young man,' alluding to me, 'must be taken down.' I am not so young in years as I am in the tricks and the trades of a politician, but, live long or die young, I would rather die now than, like the gentleman, change my politics, and with the change receive an office worth $3,000 a year, and then feel obliged to erect a lightning-rod over my house to protect a guilty conscience from an offended God!"'' (Sandburg, pg.49)

Lincoln also proposed state funding to construct a network of roads, railroads, and canals. Both Whigs and Democrats would join in for the passing of this omnibus bill, but a business depression was created by the [[panic of 1837]], and as a result most of the provisions in the bill were abandoned. 1837 was also marked by the murder of Elijah Lovejoy, a newspaperman from Alton who was killed by a mob due to his anti-slavery views. The legislature introduced resolutions defending Southern slavery while condemning abolitionist societies, as per the U.S. Constitution. In protest of the resolutions Lincoln, with a fellow legislator, drew up a declaration which stated that slavery was “founded on both injustice and bad policy,” while also declaring that “the promulgation of abolition doctrines tends rather to increase than to abate its evils.”
[[Image:Lawyer Lincoln.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Lincoln in the late 1850s, about to debate his rival Stephen A. Douglas.]]
He only served one term in the United States Congress, 1847 to 1849, during which time he did little on legislative matters. He did introduce a bill calling for a gradual emancipation of slaves within the District of Columbia, but since it hinged on the approval of the white citizens there, it only caused mild anger from abolitionists as well as slave holders, and was quietly dropped. His one main issue was over the Mexican War, in which he condemned the American entry into it on false pretenses, particularly blaming current president James K. Polk. He worked toward the nomination of Zachary Taylor for the presidency, and when Taylor had won, Lincoln expected to be rewarded with the job of land commissioner, but failed. He was voted out of office by his constituents, as they felt he was too critical of the war. Disillusioned, he left politics and reentered his law practice.

==Return to politics==
He stayed out for five years, winning several cases before the courts, then in 1854 he had read in the papers that Stephan A. Douglas, his political rival and Democratic senator from Illinois, had placed before Congress a bill which would reopen the territory of the Louisiana Purchase to slavery, as well as allow settlers in the Kansas and Nebraska territories to vote for themselves whether or not they wanted it, a concept which was called “[[popular sovereignty]]” by Douglas. The resulting [[Kansas-Nebraska Act]] would do nothing more than provoke violent opposition; a border war would result between Kansas and Missouri as both pro and anti-slavery forces would cause much bloodshed; and voters in the Old Northwest, Illinois among them, would react vehemently against it, resulting in the destruction of the Whigs as a political party, and the birth of the Republicans, of which Lincoln quickly became a member.<ref>Yervand Kochar. [http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/11/i_am_a_lincoln_republican_1.html I Am a Lincoln Republican], ''American Thinker'', November 14, 2009.</ref> The [[Dred Scott]] decision of 1856, in which a black man who sued for his freedom only to be told that he was never a citizen and had to remain a slave, only added more fuel to the fire, as the states were aligning slave versus free, North versus South.

As the leading member of the Republican Party in Illinois, Lincoln was nominated for the Senate seat held by Douglas at the Republican State Convention in Springfield on June 16, 1858. The acceptance speech he gave has been called the [[Lincoln's "House Divided" Speech|House Divided]] speech, after the opening lines, which were based upon Matthew 12:25:

:''If we could first know where we are, and whither we are tending, we could better judge what to do, and how to do it. We are now far into the fifth year since a policy was initiated with the avowed object, and confident promise, of putting an end to slavery agitation. Under the operation of that policy, that agitation has not only not ceased, but has constantly augmented. In my opinion, it will not cease, until a crisis shall have been reached and passed. "A house divided against itself cannot stand."  I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved -- I do not expect the house to fall -- but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing, or all the other. Either the opponents of slavery will arrest the further spread of it, and place it where the public mind shall rest in the belief that it is in the course of ultimate extinction; or its advocates will push it forward, till it shall become alike lawful in all the States, old as well as new -- North as well as South.''<ref>[http://www.historyplace.com/lincoln/divided.htm "House Divided" Speech], ''The History Place'', June 16, 1858.</ref>

August through October, 1858 saw seven Illinois towns witnessing the [[Lincoln-Douglas debates]]; Douglas the national figure defending the choice of voters whether to accept slavery or not, and the little-known Lincoln taking a stand against slavery on political, social, and moral grounds. Douglas never wavered from defending popular sovereignty, and he also played on the voters' fears of [[black integration]]. Stating blacks were inferior to whites, he appealed to racists by declaring that the government was "established upon the white basis. It was made by white men, for the benefit of white men." (TL 1, pg 106). Lincoln on the other hand knew Douglas was in a war of his own with President [[James Buchanan]]'s administration over acceptance of the Kansas constitution which barred slavery from the state, further alienating Southern Democratic support; the fear was that Douglas would be more appealing to moderate Republicans in the east. Lincoln's strategy therefore was to point out and use the vast difference between the moral indifference to slavery as embodied by Douglas's popular sovereignty, and the moral wrong that slavery actually was as embodied by Republican opposition to it. Douglas was, Lincoln insisted, a man who did not care whether slavery was "voted up or voted down." By his last debate, Lincoln would narrow the differences between himself and Douglas as the basic principle of right and wrong.

:''"That is the real issue. That is the issue that will continue in this country when these poor tongues of Judge Douglas and myself shall be silent. It is the eternal struggle between these two principles -- right and wrong -- throughout the world. They are the two principles that have stood face to face from the beginning of time; and will ever continue to struggle. The one is the common right of humanity and the other the [[divine right of kings]]. It is the same principle in whatever shape it develops itself. It is the same spirit that says, "You work and toil and earn bread, and I'll eat it." No matter in what shape it comes, whether from the mouth of a king who seeks to bestride the people of his own nation and live by the fruit of their labor, or from one race of men as an apology for enslaving another race, it is the same tyrannical principle."''

Douglas for his part knew how formidable his foe was, and declared that if he won, “it would be a hollow victory.” He did win, retaining his Senate seat, but by a narrow margin.

==The 1860 Election==
[[Image:Lincoln and beard.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Soon after his election, a little girl named Grace Bedell wrote to Lincoln, telling him his face would be softened by the addition of a beard; here he just started on her advice.]]
:''My friends, no one, not in my situation, can appreciate my feeling of sadness at this parting. To this place, and the kindness of these people, I owe everything. Here I have lived a quarter of a century, and have passed from a young to an old man. Here my children have been born, and one is buried. I now leave, not knowing when, or whether ever, I may return, with a task before me greater than that which rested upon Washington. Without the assistance of the Divine Being who ever attended him, I cannot succeed. With that assistance I cannot fail. Trusting in Him who can go with me, and remain with you, and be everywhere for good, let us confidently hope that all will yet be well. To His care commending you, as I hope in your prayers you will commend me, I bid you an affectionate farewell.'' Lincoln's Farewell Speech to the citizens of Springfield, February 11, 1861.

On May 18, 1860 at the Republican National Convention held in Chicago, Lincoln was nominated on the third ballot. He then set aside his law practice and gave full-time to the direction of his campaign, with the object of first uniting the Republicans from anything with which the party could disagree over. The Democrats were already divided, having nominated Douglas in Baltimore on the Northern platform of popular sovereignty, and John C. Breckenridge who was elected on a platform of states’ rights and slavery by Southern Democrats. Lincoln won the [[United States presidential election of 1860]], winning a clear majority in popular votes as well as electoral votes, despite winning no votes in the South.
==Presidency==
For the social, political, economic and diplomatic history see [[American Civil War homefront]]

The state of South Carolina proclaimed its secession from the Union in December, 1860, soon after Lincoln’s victory. To try to prevent other states from following, compromises were hurriedly pushed through Congress, one of which, the [[Corwin Amendment]], guaranteed the existence of slavery in perpetuity where it already existed. The failed [[Crittenden Compromise]] would have gone even further and permanently divided the territories between slave and free. Lincoln publicly supported the Corwin Amendment, believing that it was already implicit in the Constitution; however, he opposed the Crittenden Compromise because it would have given slavery additional protections beyond what the Constitution already gave it. Despite these attempted compromises, six more states seceded and joined with South Carolina to form the [[Confederate States of America]].

A crisis was thus forced upon Lincoln before he even entered the White House. The Confederacy claimed [[Fort Sumter]], in South Carolina’s [[Charleston]] Harbor, and ordered its commander, Major [[Robert Anderson]] to turn it over. He refused. Lincoln, still in Springfield, asked [[Winfield Scott]], general in chief of the U.S. Army, to be prepared “to either hold, or retake, the forts, as the case may require, at, and after the inauguration.”

On the 4th of March, 1861, a few weeks after [[Jefferson Davis]] was inaugurated as president of the Confederacy, Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated as the nation's 16th president. In his [[Lincoln's First Inaugural Address|first inaugural address]] he reiterated his stance: to not interfere with slavery where it existed, to prevent slavery from spreading in the territories, but above all to preserve the Union. The substance of what he said was conciliatory, but it also mentioned the obvious

{{quotebox|In your hands, my dissatisfied fellow-countrymen, and not in mine, is the momentous issue of civil war. The Government will not assail you. You can have no conflict without being yourselves the aggressors. You have no oath registered in heaven to destroy the Government, while I shall have the most solemn one to "preserve, protect, and defend it.<ref>Historical Document. [http://www.pbs.org/civilwar/war/lincoln_address1.html Lincoln's First Inaugural Address], ''PBS'', March 4, 1861.</ref>}}

However, communications between the fort and Charleston broke down, and Confederate general [[P.G.T. Beauregard]], believing Fort Sumter had a supply ship on the way, ordered the fort shelled on April 14, 1865. The Civil War had begun.

==Civil War==

[[File:Abraham Lincoln 1863 LOC.jpg|thumb|240px|left|Abraham Lincoln at the front.]]
Lincoln’s goal was to preserve the Union; he would have been happy to preserve the peace as well, but he was willing to engage in a war to preserve it as well, a war he thought would be short. After Fort Sumter he proclaimed a blockade of Southern ports and called for thousands of volunteers to enlist for ninety days. He also believed that an overland war was inevitable, and he ordered forces on a march on the Virginia front, resulting in the first great defeat for the Union at [[Bull Run]] (July 21, 1861). Shortly afterward, Lincoln issued a set of memoranda for the military, of which his basic thought was that armies in the field must advance concurrently and on several fronts.

 
<blockquote>
''“I expect to maintain this contest until successful, or till I die, or am conquered. Or my term expires, or Congress or the country forsakes me.” ''

– Abraham Lincoln, 1862.
</blockquote>

Finding himself as the leader of a country now at war, Lincoln used a description of himself in which he let events control him, and then react to the problem. It was something of himself that was used with success as a politician. In this sense he was being practical, ready to employ an action or decision which would help the cause, and ready to abandon it and use another if the first failed. But his first insight with which he held fast to, that of taking the fight to the enemy’s army, failed many times when successive generals tried to take the fight to the enemy’s capitol and failed, or failed in following up on a rare victory. He had [[George McClellan]] on the Peninsula, but was beaten back during the Seven Days battles. His replacement, [[John Pope]], lost in a repeat of Bull Run. McClellan was back again, winning a victory at [[Antietam]], but failed to follow through in capturing the enemy’s army afterwards. Then [[Ambrose Burnside]], followed by [[Joseph Hooker]], led the [[Army of the Potomac]] to massive defeats at [[Fredericksburg]] and [[Chancellorsville]], respectively. Then [[George Gordon Meade]] was put in, just in time for the [[Battle of Gettysburg]]; Meade would not finish off the enemy either. [[Robert E. Lee]], the commander of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia, commented on the frequent changes in generals. “I’m afraid they’re going to find a general I cannot understand.”

Having seen what he done at [[Donelson]], [[Shiloh]], [[Vicksburg]], and [[Chattanooga]], Lincoln found the fighting general he was looking for in [[Ulysses S. Grant]]. In March 1864 he promoted Grant to lieutenant general and gave him command of all Federal armies. Grant would have his headquarters in the field with Meade’s Army of the Potomac, and his subordinates William T. Sherman, Philip Sheridan, and George H. Thomas would each lead an army to take the fight to the enemy. Halleck would be given a new title, chief of staff, and remain in Washington as the presidential liaison. Secretary of War [[Edwin M. Stanton]] would be responsible for the procurement of men and supplies. By this reorganization Lincoln created the structure of the high command in which all the energies of and resources of the country were mobilized into a grand strategy for the completion of the war. It was all the more remarkable as prior to 1861, he had no knowledge of military theory or affairs; he threw himself into studying the subject that by 1864, he was considered to be something of a military genius.

==Personal life==

Ann Rutledge played a part in stories as being the first woman Lincoln may have fallen in love with. However, evidence is scant, and what surviving letters and documents there are indicate they were close friends. She died in 1835 at the age of 22, and the entire community grieved with Lincoln.
[[Image:Lincoln and tad.jpg|thumb|200px|left|The irrepressible Tad Lincoln, striking a typical pose next to his father, who could barely restrain a smile.]]
The one true love of Lincoln’s life was a well-educated woman with a quick wit, [[Mary Todd]], from a well-to-do family in Springfield. Lincoln endured a courtship that lasted two years (and was broken once), before they were married on November 4, 1842. Together they would have four boys: Robert Todd, Edward Baker (“Eddie”, who died at age 4), William Wallace (“Willie”), and Thomas (“Tad”). Willie and Tad were the first children in the White House, and the halls and gardens were filled with childish romps, especially from the rambunctious, uncontrollable Tad, who once took a group of office seekers there to see the president on a trip through a confusing maze of hanging laundry; drove a herd of goats inside; got into the attic and rang the servants’ bells for hours; and succeeded in getting his doll executed for sleeping on watch.
[[Image:Mary Todd Lincoln.jpg|thumb|200px|Mary Todd Lincoln]]
The Lincolns also had their share of quarrels, and stories passed through the years tended to exaggerate them, but existing letters between the two indicate they were like any other married couple. They were devoted to each other’s company, and when apart they missed each other. "I have fallen in love with her," Lincoln would write to a friend about Mary, "and have never fallen out." Mary did have fits of temper and a sense of insecurity; while in the White House she had spells of simple jealousy which she staged in front of guests; sometimes the scene would be quite embarrassing. She also rang up large bills for her personal wardrobe and redecorating the White House; Lincoln, when he found out one such bill which totaled near $20,000 and coupled with a request for Congress to appropriate the money needed to pay for it, displayed a rare occurrence of pure anger:

:''"It would stink in the nostrils of the American people to have it said the President of the United States had approved a bill overrunning an appropriation of $20,000 for flub dubs, for this damned old house, when the soldiers cannot have blankets!"'' [http://www.historyswomen.com/1stWomen/marytoddlincoln.htm]

The early deaths of Eddie in 1850 and Willie in 1863 may have played a role in Mary’s eccentricity. Lincoln did what he could to support her, even pointing out the presence of a nearby building which housed a sanitarium, hinting that Mary could be placed there if she didn't control herself over Willie's death.

==On slavery==
In 1841, Lincoln had a flatboat trip down the Mississippi, and he saw sitting on board another boat a group of slaves chained together. He described the sight in a letter to Joshua Speed in 1855: “You may remember, as I well do, that from Louisville to the mouth of the Ohio there were, on board, ten or a dozen slaves, shackled together with irons. That sight was a continual torment to me; and I see something like it every time I touch the Ohio, or any other slave-border.”

Though a gradualist, Lincoln hated slavery. “I hate it because of the monstrous injustice of slavery itself,” he declared. “I hate it because it deprives our republican example of its just influence in the world; enables the enemies of free institutions with plausibility to taunt us as hypocrites.” Lincoln often penned fragments on slavery. He would begin it by starting a hypothetical vested interest in slavery, and end it with the only logical conclusion, that is was a great moral wrong.

:''If A. can prove, however conclusively, that he may, of right, enslave B.—why may not B. snatch the same argument, and prove equally, that he may enslave A?''

:''You say A. is white, and B. is black. It is color, then; the lighter, having the right to enslave the darker? Take care. By this rule, you are to be slave to the first man you meet, with a fairer skin than your own.''

:''You do not mean color exactly? You mean the whites are intellectually the superiors of the blacks, and, therefore have the right to enslave them? Take care again. By this rule, you are to be slave to the first man you meet, with an intellect superior to your own.''

:''But, say you, it is a question of interest; and, if you can make it your interest; you have the right to enslave another. Very well. And if he can make it his interest, he has the right to enslave you.'' (Fragment on Slavery, April, 1854)

Lincoln was elected on a platform which pledged no interference with slavery where it had already existed, and he was hesitant to adopt an abolitionist policy. He was concerned about the reaction of the border states should such a policy be enacted. He was concerned about four million newly freed blacks being incorporated into the country’s social, economic, and political life. Some individuals, such as General John C. Freemont, made it a point to proclaim freedom in districts which they had conquered; Lincoln revoked those proclamations. In a letter to Horace Greely, Lincoln plainly stated
:''"My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone, I would also do that."''

Lincoln was willing to play a major part in removing slavery altogether during the war. He first proposed an idea in which slaves were to be freed gradually by the actions of the states, with the federal government sharing the cost of compensation. None of the border states were willing to implement it, and no prominent African-American leader was willing to see newly freed blacks sent to Africa, as part of the idea called for.

But with the victory at Antietam in September 1862, Lincoln brought out an idea which he read before his cabinet, that slaves held in the Confederate States were declared to be free. He would declare it formally with his [[Emancipation Proclamation]] on January 1, 1863. Although it did not include those areas under Union control, and officially it was a war measure, it had a great deal of significance as a symbol, and European countries who had toyed with the idea of recognizing the Confederacy abandoned it and supported the Union.

Lincoln also felt that the freed slaves would be put back in chains at war's end, as the Proclamation itself was not constitutional. But Lincoln was prepared for something else: he drafted the [[Thirteenth Amendment]] to the Constitution, which stated slavery was illegal except for crimes committed. He also urged the Republican Party to add the proposed amendment as a plank to the 1864 presidential campaign, stating slavery was the cause of the war, and that the Proclamation had aimed “a death blow at this gigantic evil;” only by a constitutional amendment could slavery be rendered extinct. After the election, Lincoln did not wait for the new Congress. He got the two-thirds needed for ratification before the year was over, and rejoiced when his state of Illinois led the way.

:''"In giving freedom to the slave, we assure freedom to the free - honorable alike in what we give, and what we preserve. We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of earth. Other means may succeed; this could not fail. The way is plain, peaceful, generous, just - a way which, if followed, the world will forever applaud, and God must forever bless."'' Annual Message to Congress, December 1, 1862.

===Founding Fathers===
Lincoln routinely acknowledged that a clear majority of the [[Founding Fathers]] condemned slavery.<ref name=echoes>[https://books.google.com/books?id=0PVc-rDIKRoC&pg=PA194 Lincoln's Gettysburg Address: Echoes of the Bible and Book of Common Prayer]</ref> In his sixth debate with Steven Douglass, Lincoln argued that the Founding Fathers considered slavery wrong, and firmly expected it to die a natural death.<ref>[https://www.nps.gov/liho/learn/historyculture/slavery.htm Lincoln on Slavery]</ref> In [[Lincoln's Cooper Union Speech]],<ref name=echoes /> as well as in Lincoln's "Peoria Speech", where he pointed out that "only argument they ever admitted in favor of slavery" was necessity, that they blamed the "British King for having permitted its introduction".<ref name=peoria>[https://books.google.com/books?id=CkqG9YhZGygC&pg=PT90 The Writings of Abraham Lincoln]</ref>

<blockquote>In 1794, they prohibited an out-going slave-trade - that is, the taking of slaves from the United States to sell.

In 1798, they prohibited the bringing of slaves from Africa, into the Mississippi Territory - this territory then comprising what are now the States of Mississippi and Alabama. This was ten years before they had the authority to do the same thing as to the States existing at the adoption of the constitution.

In 1800 they prohibited American citizens from trading in slaves between foreign countries - as, for instance, from Africa to Brazil.

In 1803 they passed a law in aid of one or two State laws, in restraint of the internal slave trade.

In 1807, in apparent hot haste, they passed the law, nearly a year in advance to take effect the first day of 1808 - the very first day the constitution would permit - prohibiting the African slave trade by heavy pecuniary and corporal penalties.

In 1820, finding these provisions ineffectual, they declared the trade piracy, and annexed to it, the extreme penalty of death.

While all this was passing in the general government, five or six of the original slave States had adopted systems of gradual emancipation; and by which the institution was rapidly becoming extinct within these limits. Thus we see, the plain unmistakable spirit of that age, towards slavery, was hostility to the principle, and toleration, only by necessity.<ref name=peoria /></blockquote>

==Religion==
Abraham Lincoln, like many other people of his day, believed, at least initially, that "Religion is a private affair between a man and his God." Doubts about Lincoln's faith have arisen mainly because he never officially joined a church, which his political opponents used sometimes to accuse him. He had a love of the Bible and memorized parts of the Bible, and used biblical allusions later on in political speech. Lincoln said once that:
''"I doubt the possibility or propriety of settling the religion of Jesus Christ in the models of man-made [[creed]]s and [[dogma]]s. I cannot without mental reservations assent to long and complicated creeds and [[catechism]]s."''

He also said on another occasion:
:''"That I am not a member of any [[Christian church]] is true, but I have never denied the truth of the [[Scriptures]], and I have never spoken with intentional disrespect of religion in general or of any [[denomination]] of Christians in particular."''

He also made statements that suggest a strong faith, such as when his father was ill:
:''"Tell father to remember to call upon and confide in our great, and good, and merciful Maker who will not turn away from him in any extremity. He notes the fall of a sparrow and numbers the hairs of our heads; and he will not forget the dying man who puts his trust in him. If it is to be his lot to go now, he will soon have a joyous meeting with many loved ones gone before; and where the rest of us, through the help of God, hope ere long to join them."''

As a supporter of the Christian religion and who recognized its beneficial effects, Lincoln stated to a Methodist delegation,

:''"Nobly sustained, as the Government has been, by all the churches, I would utter nothing which might in the least appear invidious against any. Yet without this, it may fairly be said, that the Methodist Episcopal Church, not less devoted than the best, is by its greatest numbers the most important of all. It is no fault in others that the Methodist Church sends more soldiers to the field, more nurses to the hospitals, and more prayers to Heaven than--any other. God bless the Methodist Church Bless all the churches; and blessed be God, who in this our great trial giveth us the churches."''<ref>[http://www.classic-literature.co.uk/american-authors/19th-century/abraham-lincoln/the-writings-of-abraham-lincoln-07/ebook-page-41.aspAbraham Lincoln, "The Writings of Abraham Lincoln"] VO7, p. 41</ref>

Regardless of Lincoln's views on faith as a youth, it seemed to grow as President. Lincoln penciled in "under God" after "one nation" for his [[Gettysburg Address]] delivered on November 19, 1863. The phrase "under God" was not in the early drafts. Mrs. Lincoln recalled her husband's last words just prior to his assassination in Ford's Theater: "He said he wanted to visit the Holy Land and see those places hallowed by the footprints of the [[Savior]]. He was saying there was no city he so much desired to see as Jerusalem."<ref>http://www.amerisearch.net/index.php?date=2004-09-08&view=View</ref>

In 1864, a close friend of Lincoln's, Joshua Speed, confided in Lincoln that he did not accept the Bible as true. Lincoln famously replied, "Take all this book upon reason that you can, and the balance on faith, and you will live and die a happier and better man".
After Lincoln was shot at Ford's theater two clergy claimed that he had made a secret trip from Washington to be baptized. Also a Roman Catholic Priest claimed that Lincoln received the sacrament of baptism in secret. Neither of these claims have any proof in White House records or his personal diary.<ref>[[God and the Oval Office]], by John C. McCollister, W Publishing, 2005.</ref>

==Lincoln's conservatism==
In his [[Lincoln's Cooper Union Speech|Cooper Union Address]], Lincoln spoke of the sectionalism which was fracturing the country as a result of slavery; the Republican Party was new in 1859, and a serious threat to slavery's existence. Lincoln and his party were called radical and destructive, but he counted himself among the earliest defenders of conservative principles, which was in essence a defense of time-honored, traditional values. Lincoln said that out of the 39 framers of the Constitution, 23 of the 39 voted on whether to prevent the spread of slavery, and that 21 of the 23 voted in favor of doing so. Lincoln therefore said that it was the pro-slavery South that was radically breaking with the tradition begun by those that created the Constitution. As Lincoln said:

:''But you say you are conservative - eminently conservative - while we are revolutionary, destructive, or something of the sort. What is conservatism? Is it not adherence to the old and tried, against the new and untried? We stick to, contend for, the identical old policy on the point in controversy which was adopted by "our fathers who framed the Government under which we live;" while you with one accord reject, and scout, and spit upon that old policy, and insist upon substituting something new. True, you disagree among yourselves as to what that substitute shall be. You are divided on new propositions and plans, but you are unanimous in rejecting and denouncing the old policy of the fathers. Some of you are for reviving the foreign slave trade; some for a Congressional Slave-Code for the Territories; some for Congress forbidding the Territories to prohibit Slavery within their limits; some for maintaining Slavery in the Territories through the judiciary; some for the "gur-reat pur-rinciple" that "if one man would enslave another, no third man should object," fantastically called "Popular Sovereignty;" but never a man among you is in favor of federal prohibition of slavery in federal territories, according to the practice of "our fathers who framed the Government under which we live.''

==Lincoln's style of writing==
[[Image:Lincoln seated.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Lincoln in November, 1863, about to leave for Pennsylvania. The reason for his confident look may have been within the envelope lying on the table, believed to contain his draft of the Gettysburg Address]]
A White House visitor, Orville Browning, told Lincoln's personal secretary John Nicolay one day that he had spoke to Lincoln sometime in 1861 on the subject of slavery; that if the right thing about slavery wasn't done, God just couldn't be on the side of the Union. Browning remembered Lincoln's reply: "What if the Almighty takes a different view of slavery than we do?", and right then and there Browning realized that Lincoln had thought very deeply on the subject, much deeper than Browning did.<ref>Douglas L. Wilson. [http://showcase.netins.net/web/creative/lincoln/books/wilson.htm Lincoln's Sword: The Presidency and the Power of Words], ''Lincoln's Sword''.</ref>

Lincoln was known to think long and deeply on various topics, and often he would take notes, write them on little scraps of paper, and stuff them into his tall stovepipe hat for later use. When it was time for use, such as his "House Divided" speech, he pulled them out, laid them on a table, and would commence to writing. He would sift through the subject, adding this, removing that, and sometimes he would stand in his empty room and deliver it out loud to an imaginary audience, testing the effects of what he spoke, and altering it as needed. According to author Garry Wills, Lincoln brought to bear the rhetorical tone of the Greek Revival and Transcendental movements, in which spoken oratory was practiced in government and on the stage. The leading speakers of this time, and whom Lincoln looked upon, were Danial Webster and Henry Clay, both of the Senate, and Edward Everett, a speaker much in demand.

The training he had given himself also enabled him to write a simple letter or a speech on the spot. Words would flow clear when Lincoln wrote in his later years, and he didn't have to do twice one of his finest personal letters, one of consolation to Mrs. Bixby of Boston, who had lost five sons in the war.

:''Executive Mansion,''
:''Washington, Nov. 21, 1864.''

:''Dear Madam,''

:''I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the Adjutant General of Massachusetts that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle.''
:''I feel how weak and fruitless must be any word of mine which should attempt to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot refrain from tendering you the consolation that may be found in the thanks of the Republic they died to save.''
:''I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of your bereavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom.''

:''Yours, very sincerely and respectfully,''

:''A. Lincoln''

What many consider his masterpiece is the [[Gettysburg Address]]. Here Lincoln, going through perhaps a dozen writes and re-writes of what he had thought on the subject, entirely changed the meaning of the war itself in a mere 272 words, and in so doing, according to Wills, remaking America.

==Politics in war==
[[File:Abraham Lincoln by George Peter Alexander Healy, 1869.jpg|thumb|350px|Abraham Lincoln by George Peter Alexander Healy, 1869.]]
That there had to be a certain degree of support to win the war was a given, and Lincoln strove to have unity for that effort in the North. Politics was required, and Lincoln had a special knack for appealing to his fellows and talking to them at their own level and language. He would smooth over lingering differences, and held the loyalty of those who were antagonistic to one another.

But the Democrats remained strong, and frequently clashed. Its member included both war and peace Democrats; the peace side was called “Copperheads”, after the snake which strikes without warning while hidden. Lincoln tried conciliating with both, but with the latter he had to resort to arrest at times, most famously to an Ohio Congressman, Clement L. Valandigham, who was arrested after he had repeatedly exhorted soldiers to desert. He justified his actions on the grounds that the suspension of ''habeas corpus'' was necessary only in times of rebellion, insurrection, or when the public safety may require it, as stated in the Constitution; certainly the Civil War had met those specific conditions. Many would dissent, and openly criticize Lincoln for arbitrarily violating the Constitution that he had sworn to preserve. In response to the criticism in general, and the case of Valandigham in particular, Lincoln wrote:
:''"Must I shoot a simple-minded soldier boy who deserts, while I must not touch a hair of a wiley agitator who induces him to desert? This is none the less injurious when effected by getting a father, or brother, or friend, into a public meeting, and there working upon his feeling, till he is persuaded to write the soldier boy, that he is fighting in a bad cause, for a wicked administration of a contemptable government, too weak to arrest and punish him if he shall desert. I think that in such a case, to silence the agitator, and save the boy, is not only constitutional, but, withal, a great mercy."''<ref>[http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=lincoln;cc=lincoln;type=boolean;rgn=div1;q1=soldier;op2=and;q2=deserts;op3=and;q3=agitator;singlegenre=All;view=text;subview=detail;sort=occur;idno=lincoln6;node=lincoln6%3A569 Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln. Volume 6.], Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865.</ref>
Lincoln faced reelection against Democrat George McClellan in 1864, who promised a restoration of the Union, but waffled on many of its points, even abandoning the Democratic platform of armistice and peaceful separation. Lincoln was able to beat him in the election, assisted by the timely victories of Sheridan in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, and Sherman in Georgia. Overtures of peace from Confederates were not wholly rejected. On February 3, 1865, Lincoln met with Confederate commissioners, among them Vice President Alexander Stephens, on a steamship in Hampton Roads, Virginia. There would be peace, he insisted, if the South would quit the war, abandon slavery, and accept re-unification, and once these conditions were met he would be gracious with pardons. But his terms satisfied neither the Confederacy nor the Radical Republicans in Congress.

His postwar policy was one of compassion. As he explained to his top leaders on board a riverboat, the City Queen, he wanted peace above all else. His Second Inaugural Address expressed his point of healing the wounds caused by the war.
:''With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations."''

When asked specifically, he related the following, according to General Sherman, one of those present:
:''Mr. Lincoln was full and frank in his conversation, assuring me that in his mind he was all ready for the civil reorganization of affairs at the South as soon as the war was over; and he distinctly authorized me to assure Governor Vance and the people of North Carolina that, as soon as the rebel armies laid down their arms, and resumed their civil pursuits, they would at once be guaranteed all their rights as citizens of a common country; and that to avoid anarchy the State governments then in existence, with their civil functionaries, would be recognized by him as the government de facto till Congress could provide others.''
:''I know, when I left him, that I was more than ever impressed by his kindly nature, his deep and earnest sympathy with the afflictions of the whole people, resulting from the war, and by the march of hostile armies through the South; and that his earnest desire seemed to be to end the war speedily, without more bloodshed or devastation, and to restore all the men of both sections to their homes. In the language of his second inaugural address, he seemed to have "charity for all, malice toward none," and, above all, an absolute faith in the courage, manliness, and integrity of the armies in the field.''<ref>[http://www.sonshi.com/sherman24.html General William T. Sherman "Memoirs"], Volume 2, Chapter XXIV, April and May, 1865.</ref>

==Final curtain==

''See also: [[Assassination of Abraham Lincoln]]'' 

Lincoln received the news of Lee’s surrender at Appomattox, Virginia, on April 9, and he was called out to the balcony of the White House that night by a large crowd gathered in celebration. When asked to make a speech, Lincoln noticed a band among them, and made an unusual request.
:''"I have always thought ‘Dixie’ one of the best tunes I have ever heard. Our adversaries over the way attempted to appropriate it, but I insisted that we fairly captured it. I presented it to the Attorney General, and he gave it as his legal opinion that it is our lawful prize. I now request the band to favor me with its performance."''
He entered Richmond the following day, to the joyous delight of free blacks, who welcomed the arrival of "Father Abraham" as they called him, and he paid a visit to the Confederate White House, and sat at the desk of Jefferson Davis. The only thing he asked for was a glass of water.

Just four days later on April 14 he attended a play at Ford's Theater. It was called ''Our American Cousin'', with well-known stage actress Laura Keane and comedian Harry Hawke in the title role. Unseen to the audience was another actor making his way quietly up the stairs to the president's private box, [[John Wilkes Booth]], a Southern sympathizer who had hatched a conspiracy with a few others to kill the president and other leading officials. Booth entered the box, shot Lincoln in the head, stabbed a guest, and dropped to the stage, escaping behind the curtains. Taken across the street to a boarding house, the mortally-wounded Lincoln was laid across a small bed in humble surroundings, similar it seemed, to where he was born. He died at sunrise a few hours later.

"Now he belongs to the ages" Edwin Stanton was heard to say.

<blockquote>
''Dying as he did die, by the red hand of violence, killed, assassinated, taken off without warning, not because of personal hate…but because of his fidelity to union and liberty, he is doubly dear to us, and his memory will be precious forever.'' [http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/today.html]
</blockquote>

==Liberal revisionist history==
Some liberals are taught and claim that Lincoln was a tyrant. That he alone trampled on the Constitution. That the civil war was not about slavery but about taxation. Also, he favored the white race.

The suspension of [[Habeas corpus]] is often brought up as an example. The fact remains that the South trampled the Constitution by breaking away from the Republic to form their own nation. It was the South that launched the first attack. It was the South that fought to keep slavery as a right. While Lincoln's actions may have been controversial, he made the tough decision to save the Republic. A merciful victor who was lenient on the South for their egregious actions. Freedom for the black man was the noble outcome that white Northerners gave their lives for.

Other liberals, however, claim that Lincoln was one of them, [[Censorship|trying to force the narrative]] that the racists switched parties overnight. The take his "old and tired" quote but clip it just right to make it appear that he was a liberal.

==Quotes==
[[File:Lincoln by Augustus Saint Gaudens, 1887.jpg|thumb|Bust of Lincoln by Augustus Saint Gaudens, 1887.]]
* "A friend is a man who has the same enemies you have." <ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=HgM4tztnJFcC&pg=PA275&dq=lincoln+A+friend+is+man+who+has+the+same+enemies+you+have&ei=lV4fSuv8N5TyzQS1yq21Dw Civilization's quotations P.275] by Richard Alan Krieger</ref>

* "Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves; and, under a just God, cannot long retain it" <ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=_-WNU7VapFAC&pg=PA187&dq=Those+who+deny+freedom+to+others+deserve+it+not+for+themselves&ei=NBA8SsSUCp-EzATw0cW6BQ Black Belt Patriotism: How to Reawaken America‎ - Page 187] by Chuck Norris</ref>

* "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." <ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=Mc-aRv_xCpMC&pg=PA11&dq=Nearly+all+men+can+stand+adversity,+but+if+you+want+to+test+a+man%27s+character,+give+him+power&ei=jJFBSo7nHZbozATAipVi Law school 101: survival techniques from pre-law to being an attorney‎ - Page 11] by R. Stephanie Good</ref>

{{Clear}}

==Basic Further reading==
* Carwardine, Richard. ''Lincoln: A Life of Purpose and Power'' (2003), sophisticated biography emphasizing religion and politics [http://www.amazon.com/Lincoln-Purpose-Power-Richard-Carwardine/dp/1400096022/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1249336315&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search]
*Donald, David Herbert. ''Lincoln'', (1995), by a conservative historian; the best scholarly biography [http://www.amazon.com/Lincoln-David-Herbert-Donald/dp/068482535X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1249336403&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search]
* Gienapp, William E. ''Abraham Lincoln and Civil War America: A Biography'' (2002), short bio by scholar; stress on politics [http://www.amazon.com/Abraham-Lincoln-Civil-War-America/dp/0195151003/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1249336352&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search]; also [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=103538783 online edition]
*Goodwin, Doris Kearns. ''Team of Rivals: the Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln'', (2005) well written popular narrative of Lincoln and his cabinet
* McPherson, James. ''Abraham Lincoln'' (2009), 96pp; very short overview by leading expert [http://www.amazon.com/Abraham-Lincoln-James-M-McPherson/dp/0195374525/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1249335698&sr=1-6 excerpt and text search]
* Neely, Mark E. ''The Abraham Lincoln Encyclopedia'' (1984), detailed articles on many men and movements associated with AL
* Thomas, Benjamin P. ''Abraham Lincoln: A Biography'' (1952; 2nd ed. 2008) [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=25051697 online edition], very well written biography by leading scholar
*White, Ronald C. Jr. ''The Eloquent President: A Portrait of Lincoln Through His Words'', (2005)
* White, A. Ronald C. ''A. Lincoln: A Biography'' (2009), good recent biography [http://www.amazon.com/Lincoln-Biography-Ronald-White-Jr/dp/1400064996/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1249335698&sr=1-7 excerpt and text search]
* Wilentz, Sean. "Who Lincoln Was" ''New Republic'' (July 15, 2009) leading scholar rips apart liberal distortions [http://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=2634954a-b287-480e-9fbd-8a4663174031 online edition]
===For children===
* Stone, Tanya. ''Abraham Lincoln'' (DK Biography, 2005) [http://www.amazon.com/Abraham-Lincoln-Biography-Tanya-Stone/dp/0756608341/ref=pd_ts_b_12?ie=UTF8&s=books excerpt and text search]

== Bibliography ==
=== Biographies ===
* Beveridge, Albert J. ''Abraham Lincoln: 1809-1858'' (1928). 2 vol. to 1858; notable for strong, unbiased political coverage [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=3925146 online edition]
* Burlingame, Michael. "Abraham Lincoln: A Life" (2008), 2v 2024 pp, the most highly detailed scholarly biography [http://www.amazon.com/Abraham-Lincoln-Life-Michael-Burlingame/dp/0801889936/ref=sr_1_18?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1249336108&sr=1-18 excerpt and text search]
* Carwardine, Richard. ''Lincoln: A Life of Purpose and Power'' (2003), sophisticated biography emphasizing religion and politics [http://www.amazon.com/Lincoln-Purpose-Power-Richard-Carwardine/dp/1400096022/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1249336315&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search]
*Donald, David Herbert. ''Lincoln'', (1995), by a conservative historian; the best scholarly biography [http://www.amazon.com/Lincoln-David-Herbert-Donald/dp/068482535X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1249336403&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search];
* Guelzo, Allen C. ''Abraham Lincoln: Redeemer President'' (1999) [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=99466893 online edition], conservative religious approach
* Harris William C. ''Lincoln's Rise to the Presidency'' (2007) conservative author argues Lincoln was basically conservative [http://www.amazon.com/Lincolns-Rise-Presidency-William-Harris/dp/0700615202/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196164706&sr=8-3 excerpt and text search]
* Nicolay, John George and John Hay. ''Abraham Lincoln: a History'' (1890); online at [http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/6812 Volume 1] and [http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/11708 Volume 2] [http://books.google.com/books?id=bDEOAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA1&dq=inauthor:nicolay+inauthor:hay&num=30&as_brr=1#PPP19,M1 vol 6] 10 volumes in all; highly detailed narrative of era written by Lincoln's top aides
* Luthin, Reinhard H. ''The Real Abraham Lincoln'' (1960), emphasis on politics
* Neely, Mark E. ''The Abraham Lincoln Encyclopedia'' (1984), detailed articles on many men and movements associated with AL
* Neely, Mark E. ''The Last Best Hope of Earth: Abraham Lincoln and the Promise of America'' (1993), Pulitzer prize winning author
* Oates, Stephen B. ''With Malice Toward None: The Life of Abraham Lincoln'' (1994) [http://www.amazon.com/Malice-Toward-None-Abraham-Lincoln/dp/0060924713/ref=pd_sim_b_img_7 excerpt and text search], good biography by liberal historian
* Randall, James G. ''Lincoln the President'' (4 vol., 1945–55; reprint 2000.) analytic biography by leading conservative scholar
** ''Mr. Lincoln'' excerpts ed. by Richard N. Current (1957) [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5993790 online edition]
* Sandburg, Carl. ''Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years'' (2 vol 1926); ''The War Years'' (4 vol 1939). Pulitzer Prize winning biography by famous liberal poet [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=82392773 vol. 1 online] [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=97896367 vol 2 online]
* Thomas, Benjamin P. ''Abraham Lincoln: A Biography'' (1952; 2nd ed. 2008) [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=25051697 online edition], very well written biography by leading scholar
* White, A. Ronald C. ''A. Lincoln: A Biography'' (2009), good recent biography [http://www.amazon.com/Lincoln-Biography-Ronald-White-Jr/dp/1400064996/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1249335698&sr=1-7 excerpt and text search]

=== Specialty topics ===
===Prewar===
* Angle, Paul M., ''Here I Have Lived: A History of Lincoln's Springfield, 1821-1865,'' (1935) [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=210869 online edition]
* Baker, Jean H. ''Mary Todd Lincoln: A Biography'' (1987) [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=102075782 online edition]
* Boritt, Gabor S. ''Lincoln and the Economics of the American Dream'' (1994). Lincoln's economic theory and policies, by conservative historian
* Fehrenbacher, Don E. "The Origins and Purpose of Lincoln's "House-Divided" Speech," ''The Mississippi Valley Historical Review,'' Vol. 46, No. 4. (Mar., 1960), pp. 615-643. [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0161-391X%28196003%2946%3A4%3C615%3ATOAPOL%3E2.0.CO%3B2-I in JSTOR]
* Foner, Eric. ''Free Soil, Free Labor, Free Men: The Ideology of the Republican Party before the Civil War'' (1970) intellectual history of different prewar faction's in AL's party
* Holzer, Harold. ''Lincoln at Cooper Union: The Speech That Made Abraham Lincoln President'' (2004). [http://www.amazon.com/Lincoln-Cooper-Union-President-Schuster/dp/0743299647/ref=pd_sim_b_img_44 excerpt and text search]
* Jaffa, Harry V. ''A New Birth of Freedom: Abraham Lincoln and the Coming of the Civil War'' (2000) by leading conservative
* Jaffa, Harry V. ''Crisis of the House Divided: An Interpretation of the Issues in the Lincoln-Douglas Debates'' (1999) [http://www.amazon.com/Crisis-House-Divided-Interpretation-Lincoln-Douglas/dp/0226391132/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196166006&sr=8-3 excerpt and text search] by leading conservative
* Nevins, Allan. ''Ordeal of the Union'' 8-volume (1947-1971). 1. Fruits of Manifest Destiny, 1847-1852; 2. A House Dividing, 1852-1857; 3. Douglas, Buchanan, and Party Chaos, 1857-1859. most thorough coverage of the era, with Lincoln at center
* Schneider, Thomas E. ''Lincoln's Defense of Politics: The Public Man and His Opponents in the Crisis over Slavery.'' (2006). 224 pp.

===Wartime===
===Lincoln Administration===
* Burton, Orville Vernon. ''The Age of Lincoln'' (2007), sweeping history from 1840 to 1900. [http://www.amazon.com/Age-Lincoln-Orville-Vernon-Burton/dp/0809095130/ref=pd_bbs_9?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196112530&sr=8-9 excerpt and text search]
* Carwardine, Richard. "Abraham Lincoln and the Fourth Estate: the White House and the Press During the American Civil War." ''American Nineteenth Century History'' 2006 7(1): 1-27. Issn: 1466-4658 Fulltext: Ebsco
* Ford, Lacy K., ed. ''A Companion to the Civil War and Reconstruction.'' Blackwell, 2005. 518 pp.
* Hendrick, Burton J. ''Lincoln's War Cabinet'' (1946) [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=790159 online edition]
* Goodwin, Doris Kearns. ''Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln'' (2005)
* McPherson, James M. ''Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era'' (1988). Pulitzer Prize winner surveys all aspects of the war [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=64327148 online edition]
* Marvel, William. ''Mr. Lincoln Goes to War'' (2006), neo-Confederate attack that blames Lincoln for defeating the Confederacy and freeing the slaves by stretching the Constitution
* Nevins, Allan. ''Ordeal of the Union'' 8-volume (1947-1971). vol 5. The Improvised War, 1861-1862; 6. War Becomes Revolution, 1862-1863; 7. The Organized War, 1863-1864; 8. The Organized War to Victory, 1864-1865; most thorough coverage of the era, with Lincoln at center
* Paludan, Phillip S. ''A People's Contest: The Union and Civil War 1861-1865'' (1996), outstanding history of the homefront [http://www.amazon.com/Peoples-Contest-1861-1865-Modern-Studies/dp/0700608125/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1249336636&sr=1-2 excerpt and text search]
* Paludan, Phillip S. ''The Presidency of Abraham Lincoln'' (1994), thorough treatment of Lincoln's administration [http://www.amazon.com/Presidency-Abraham-Lincoln-American/dp/0700607455/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1249336636&sr=1-4 excerpt and text search]
* Richardson, Heather Cox. ''The Greatest Nation of the Earth: Republican Economic Policies during the Civil War'' (1997)
* Williams, Kenneth P. ''Lincoln Finds a General: A Military Study of the Civil War'' (1959) 5 volumes on Lincoln's control of the war

===Lincolnia===
[[Image:DcLincMor.JPG|right|thumb]]
* Belz, Herman. ''Abraham Lincoln, Constitutionalism, and Equal Rights in the Civil War Era'' (1998)
* Belz, Herman. "Lincoln's Construction of the Executive Power in the Secession Crisis," ''Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association'' 27.1 (2006):[http://www.historycooperative.org/journals/jala/27.1/belz.html online edition]
* Boritt, Gabor S. ed. ''Lincoln the War President'' (1994)
* Briggs, John Channing. ''Lincoln's Speeches Reconsidered.'' (2005). 370 pp.
* Bruce, Robert V. ''Lincoln and the Tools of War'' (1956) on weapons development during the war [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=978110 online edition]
* DiLorenzo, Thomas. ''Lincoln Unmasked: What You're Not Supposed to Know About Dishonest Abe'' (2007) poorly written diatribe by a neo-Confederate
* Donald, David Herbert. ''Lincoln Reconsidered: Essays on the Civil War Era'' (1960)
* Donald, David Herbert. ''We Are Lincoln Men: Abraham Lincoln and His Friends'' (2003), on Lincoln's friends and associates; by leading conservative scholar
* Goodwin, Doris Kearns. "'My Whole Soul Is in It.'" ''Smithsonian'' 2006 36(10): 48+ Fulltext: at Ebsco, essay on the writing of the Emancipation Proclamation
*Hanchett, William. ''The Lincoln Murder Conspiracies'', (1983)
* Harris, William C. ''With Charity for All: Lincoln and the Restoration of the Union'' (1997). AL's plans for Reconstruction; by conservative historian
* Hofstadter, Richard. ''The American Political Tradition: And the Men Who Made It'' (1948) ch 5: "Abraham Lincoln and the Self-Made Myth."
* McPherson, James M. ''Abraham Lincoln and the Second American Revolution'' (1992) [http://www.amazon.com/Abraham-Lincoln-Second-American-Revolution/dp/0195076060/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196164807&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]
* Neely, Mark E. ''The Fate of Liberty: Abraham Lincoln and Civil Liberties'' (1992). Pulitzer Prize winner. [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=79055694 online version]; [http://www.amazon.com/Fate-Liberty-Abraham-Lincoln-Liberties/dp/0195080327/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196164768&sr=8-2 excerpt and text search]
* Perret, Geoffrey. ''Lincoln's War: The Untold Story of America's Greatest President as Commander in Chief'' (2004). well-written but has many factual errors and questionable interpretations [http://www.amazon.com/Lincolns-War-Americas-President-Commander/dp/0375507388/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196164840&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]
* Polsky, Andrew J. "'Mr. Lincoln's Army' Revisited: Partisanship, Institutional Position, and Union Army Command, 1861–1865." ''Studies in American Political Development'' (2002), 16: 176-207
* Potter, David M. ''Lincoln and His Party in the Secession Crisis'' (1942)
* Randall, James G. ''Lincoln the Liberal Statesman'' (1947).
* Schmitz, Neil. "Refiguring Lincoln: Speeches and Writings, 1832-1865," ''American Literary History'', Vol. 6, No. 1. (Spring, 1994), pp. 103–118 [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0896-7148(199421)6%3A1%3C103%3ARLSAW1%3E2.0.CO%3B2-4 in JSTOR]
* Striner, Richard. ''Father Abraham: Lincoln's Relentless Struggle to End Slavery.'' (2006). 295 pp. [http://www.amazon.com/Father-Abraham-Lincolns-Relentless-Struggle/dp/0195325397/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196164883&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]
* White Jr., Ronald C. ''Lincoln's Greatest Speech: The Second Inaugural'' (2001) Pp. 234. [http://www.amazon.com/Lincolns-Greatest-Speech-Second-Inaugural/dp/0743212991/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196164921&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]
* Williams, T. Harry. ''Lincoln and His Generals'' (1967).
* Wills, Garry. ''Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words That Remade America'' (1993) [http://www.amazon.com/Lincoln-Gettysburg-America-Schuster-Library/dp/0743299639/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196164981&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]
* Wilson, Douglas L. ''Honor's Voice: The Transformation of Abraham Lincoln'' by (1999).
* Wilson, Douglas L. ''Lincoln's Sword: The Presidency and the Power of Words'' (2007)

===Historiography and Memory===
* Boritt, Gabor S., ed. ''The Historian's Lincoln'' U. of Illinois Press, 1988, historiography [http://www.amazon.com/Historians-Lincoln-Pseudohistory-Psychohistory-History/dp/0252065441/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196165019&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]
* Braeman, John. "Albert J. Beveridge and Demythologizing Lincoln." ''Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association'' 2004 25(2): 1-24. Issn: 0898-4212 Fulltext: online in History Cooperative. Albert J. Beveridge (1862-1927), former US senator from Indiana began work on a multivolume biography of Abraham Lincoln in 1922. His goal was to demolish the myths surrounding Lincoln and present the facts. Beveridge tended to sympathize with the South and admire Stephen A. Douglas, as well as rely on information collected by William H. Herndon. But, he did more intense research on Lincoln's pre-presidential career than any previous biographer. Beveridge died as he reached 1858.
* Cross, Roland R. "Edgar Lee Masters's Peculiar Biographies of Abraham Lincoln and Vachel Lindsay." ''Journal of Illinois History'' 2004 7(4): 281-296. Issn: 1522-0532. The poet Edgar Lee Masters in 1931 wrote the only hostile biography of Lincoln; he debunks the "myth of Honest Abe." In Masters's view, Lincoln's actions as president was a corruption of true American ideals. The theme has occasionally resurfaced among neoconfederates and extreme libertarians who tolerate slavery but not strong government.
* Fields, Kevin. "Historiographical Trends and Interpretations of President Abraham Lincoln's Reputation and the Morality on the Slavery Question: Part I and II." ''Lincoln Herald'' Lincoln Herald 2004 106(4): 150-167 and 2005 107(1): 11-30. Issn: 0024-3671; Part 1 siscusses William Herndon, John Nicolay, and John Hay.; Part 2 notes the civil rights movement prompted historians to reevaluate Lincoln's attitude toward race and emancipation. Many continued to portray him as the pragmatic, essentially conservative, "reluctant emancipator." However, by the 1980s a postrevisionist consensus had emerged, which emphasized the evolution of Lincoln's attitudes and asserted that freedom for black slaves, and not merely the preservation of the Union, became one of his key objectives.
* McPherson, James M. "No Peace Without Victory, 1861-1865." ''American Historical Review'' 2004 109(1): Xvi, 1-18. Issn: 0002-8762 Fulltext: in History Cooperative and Ebsco.
* Peterson, Merrill D. ''Lincoln in American Memory'' (1994). how Lincoln was remembered after 1865
* Schwartz, Barry and Schuman, Howard. "History, Commemoration, and Belief: Abraham Lincoln in American Memory, 1945-2001." ''American Sociological Review'' 2005 70(2): 183-203. Issn: 0003-1224 Fulltext: in Ingenta
*Trefousse, Hans L. ''"First among Equals?" Abraham Lincoln's Reputation during His Administration.'' 2005. 199 pp.

=== Primary sources ===
* Basler, Roy P. ed. ''Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln,'' 9 vol Rutgers Univ. Press 1953–55
* Basler, Roy P. ed. ''Abraham Lincoln: His Speeches and Writings, '' (1946) [http://www.questia.com/library/book/abraham-lincoln-his-speeches-and-writings-by-abraham-lincoln-roy-p-basler.jsp online edition]
* Lincoln, Abraham. ''Lincoln: Speeches and Writings'' 2 vol Library of America edition, 1989

===Memoirs and interviews===
* Chittenden, Lucius E., [http://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC00587058&id=b-N27vdmIt4C&printsec=titlepage&dq=%22Recollections+of+President+Lincoln+and+His+Administration%22 ''Recollections of President Lincoln and His Administration''], (1891). – [[Google Books]]
* Holzer, Harold, ed. ''Dear Mr. Lincoln: Letters to the President.'' (1993). 380 pp.
* Nicolay, John G. ed. ''Oral History of Abraham Lincoln: John G. Nicolay's Interviews and Essays.'' Michael Burlingame, ed. (1996). 186 pp. [http://www.amazon.com/Abraham-Lincoln-Observations-John-Nicolay/dp/0809327384/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196165058&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]
* ''Herndon's Informants: Letters, Interviews, and Statements about Abraham Lincoln'' edited by Douglas L. Wilson and Rodney O. Davis. (1998) 864pp, with over 600 interviews and letters about Lincoln [http://durer.press.illinois.edu/wilson/ complete text online ??] [http://books.google.com/books?id=s2gilcp4yYQC&source=gbs_navlinks_s excerpt and text search]

== See also ==
*[[American Civil War homefront]]
*[[Gallery of American Heroes]]

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

==External links==
*[http://quod.lib.umich.edu/l/lincoln/ Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln]
*[http://showcase.netins.net/web/creative/lincoln.html Abraham Lincoln Online]
*[http://www.abrahamlincolnarchive.com/Home.aspx Lincoln Archive of original newspaper articles]
*[http://www.historyplace.com/lincoln/ History Place: Lincoln timeline]
*[http://www.nps.gov/liho/index.htm Lincoln's Home National Historic Site]
*[http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/al16.html White House site; short bio on Lincoln]
*[http://www.mrlincolnandfriends.org/inside.asp?pageID=112&subjectID=1 Mr. Lincoln and Friends]
*[http://www.nps.gov/archive/liho/slavery/al02.htm Declaration against slavery, Illinois State Legislature, March 3, 1837]
*[http://www.nps.gov/archive/liho/slavery/al03.htm Lincoln's letter to Joshua Speed, August 24, 1855]
*[http://www.nps.gov/archive/liho/slavery/al05.htm Speech in Peoria, Illinois, October 16, 1854]
*[http://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/pageviewer-idx?c=lincoln;cc=lincoln;q1=erastus;q2=corning;op2=and;op3=and;rgn=works;idno=ACK7441.0001.001;didno=ACK7441.0001.001;view=image;seq=00000227 Letter to Erastus Corning and Others, June 13, 1863, in which Lincoln explains his suspention of ''habeas corpus'']
*[http://www.sonshi.com/sherman.html Memoirs of William T. Sherman ]
*[http://www.swartzentrover.com/cotor/E-Books/misc/Lincoln/ALindex.htm The Life, Public Services and State Papers of Abraham Lincoln by Henry J. Raymond]
*[http://bertschlossberg.blogspot.com/ A. Lincoln, few words/E.Everett, many words]
* [https://librivox.org/author/2233 Works by Abraham Lincoln - text and free audio] - [[LibriVox]]

{{USPresidents}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lincoln, Abraham}}

[[Category:Presidents of the United States]]
[[Category:Republicans]]
[[Category:People who were Educated at Home]]
[[Category:United States History]]
[[Category:American Civil War]]
[[Category:Reconstruction]]
[[Category:Politicians]]
[[Category:Diplomacy]]
[[Category:Abolitionists]]
[[Category:Whig Party]]
[[Category:Conservatives]]
[[Category:Veterans]]
[[Category:Patriots]]

User talk:Thorin Oakenshield

2016-11-30T20:27:56Z

ILOVEJESUS2: Created page with "I'll give you credit, your poem was entertaining.~~~~"

I'll give you credit, your poem was entertaining.[[User:ILOVEJESUS2|ILOVEJESUS2]] ([[User talk:ILOVEJESUS2|talk]]) 15:27, 30 November 2016 (EST)

Liberal whining

2016-11-30T20:13:00Z

ILOVEJESUS2: Added a more obvious meltdown.

'''Liberal whining''' is the tendency of [[liberals]] to immaturely [[protest]] when things don't go their way. This has been known to worsen and progress towards more destructive infractions such as [[liberal vandalism]]. Examples of '''liberal whining''' include the following:

# [[Al Gore]] senselessly demanded pointless recounts repeatedly after his defeat by [[George Walker Bush]] in the [[2000 Presidential Election]]<ref>[http://archive.democrats.com/display.cfm?id=181 A classic example of Gore Liberman supporters' liberal whining. Be advised, this example contains excessive nonsense and liberal whining.]</ref>
# Supporters of [[Barack Obama]] insisted that all or the majority of their opposition were [[racist]] even without any evidence in their favor. Anyone who did not support Barack Obama was automatically considered to be a White supremacist by liberals.<ref>[http://www.wral.com/golo/blogpost/3725043/ According to liberals, McCain Palin supporters are racist! As ususal, the liberals take a few cheap examples, make up a few more, and then use them to slander an entire campaign.]</ref>
# The [[Fairness Doctrine]] is supported by liberal whiners who feel threatened by [[conservative talk radio]].
# Liberals complain bitterly about [[Republican]] use of the filibuster—an entirely legal and valid tool—to stop them from ramming home an agenda unsupported by the American people. Some have threatened to eliminate the filibuster in an attempt to completely deny Republicans any voice in [[Congress]].
# Liberal [[atheists]] complain about any references to God.
# Liberals have been whining about the [[2016 Presidential Election|election of]] [[Donald Trump]] before the results even came in!<ref>https://kiwifarms.net/threads/donald-trump-victory-salt.25651/</ref>

(add more)

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Liberalism}}

Atheism and Mass Murder

2016-10-24T19:58:46Z

ILOVEJESUS2:

[[File:Stalin-140508 27880t.jpg|right|200px|thumb|[[Joseph Stalin]]'s atheistic regime killed tens of millions of people.]]
Concerning '''atheism and mass murder''', [[Christian apologetics|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 (February 20, 2013). [http://www.str.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=5527 "The real murderers: atheism or Christianity?"] Stand to Reason. Retrieved July 19, 2014.</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 [[Atheism|atheistic]] [[communist]] regimes, in which [[militant atheism]] served as the official doctrine of the state.<ref name="Koukl" /> See also: [[Atheism and communism]]

[[Communist]] regimes killed 60 million in the 20th century through [[genocide]], according to ''Le Monde'', more than 100 million people<ref>Wolfe, Claire (2000). [http://web.archive.org/web/20071023054343/http://www.jpfo.org/wolfe-blackbook.htm "Review of ''The Black Book of Communism: Crimes, Terror, Repression'' by Stéphane Courtois et al., trans. by Jonathan Murphy and Mark Kramer"]. Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership website. Retrieved from October 23, 2007 archive at Internet Archive on May 21, 2015. "[[China]]: 65 million [[mass murder|deaths]]; [[USSR]]: 20 million deaths; [[North Korea]]: 2 million deaths; [[Cambodia]]: 2 million deaths; [[Africa]]: 1.7 million deaths; [[Afghanistan]]: 1.5 million deaths; [[Vietnam]]: 1 million deaths; [[Eastern Europe]]: 1 million deaths; [[Latin America]]: 150,000 deaths; [[Communist]] movements or parties not in power: about 10,000 deaths. "Nearly 100 million deaths. Not casualties of war, but [[mass murder|civilian slaughter]]. Deaths in [[gulag]]s and [[concentration camp]]s. Deaths from a bullet to the head. Most of all, deaths by [[starvation]] - the result either of planned [[famine]]s, meted out as punishment to internal foes (as in [[Stalin]]'s USSR), or unintended consequences of [[central planning|central policy]]."</ref> according to ''The Black Book of Communism'' (Courtois, Stéphane, et al., 1997).<ref>Available at:
* Courtois, Stéphane, et al. (1999). [http://archive.org/stream/TheBlackBookofCommunism10/the-black-book-of-communism-jean-louis-margolin-1999-communism_djvu.txt ''The Black Book of Communism: Crimes, Terror, Repression''], trans. by Jonathan Murphy and Mark Kramer (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press). Book archived at Internet Archive. Accessed December 3, 2014.
* Courtois, Stéphane, et al. (1999). [http://www.amazon.com/The-Black-Book-Communism-Repression/dp/0674076087 ''The Black Book of Communism: Crimes, Terror, Repression''], trans. by Jonathan Murphy and Mark Kramer (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press). Amazon.com book page. Retrieved on May 22, 2015.</ref> and according to [[Cleon Skousen]]<ref>Father of [[anti-Communist]] [[conservative]] [[libertarian]] [[:Category:Survivalism|survivalist]] author [[Joel Skousen]].</ref> in his best-selling book ''The Naked Communist''.<ref>In July 2014, the noted [[African-American]] surgeon and political commentator, Dr. [[Ben Carson]], appeared on [[Fox News]] and said, "''The Naked Communist'' lays out the whole [[progressive]] agenda."</ref>

It is estimated that in the past 100 years, governments under the banner of atheistic [[communism]] have caused the death of somewhere between 40,472,000 and 259,432,000 human lives.<ref>Multiple references:
*[http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2004/04/289239.html The Black Book of Communism The Human cost of Communism - 100 Million], IndyMedia, April 4. 2004, Retrieved 5/23/2015
*[http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~hpcws/lelivrenoir.htm "''The Black Book of Communism''"]. Harvard University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences website: Cold War Studies. Retrieved July 19, 2014.
*Rummel, R. J. (November 1993). [http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/COM.ART.HTM "How many did communist regimes murder?"] University of Hawaii website; Freedom, Democracy, Peace; Power, Democide, and War. Retrieved July 19, 2014.
*White, Matthew (February 2011). [http://necrometrics.com/20c5m.htm "Source list and detailed death tolls for the primary megadeaths of the twentieth century"]. Necrometrics. Retrieved July 19, 2014.
*Higgins, David (June 22, 2007). [http://web.archive.org/web/20071008035420/http://www.sarasotamagazine.com/blog/template_permalink.asp?id=365 "Memory and ideology: Washington's newest statue is the Victims Of Communism Memorial"]. Sarasota Magazine website. Retrieved from October 8, 2007 archive at Internet Archive on May 22, 2015.
*Radosh, Ronald (February 2000). [http://www.firstthings.com/article.php3?id_article=2526 "''The Black Book of Communism: Crimes, Terror, Repression''"]. First Things [journal] website. Retrieved July 19, 2014.</ref> Dr. R. J. Rummel, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Hawaii, is the scholar who first coined the term democide (death by government). Dr. R. J. Rummel's mid estimate regarding the loss of life due to communism is that communism caused the death of approximately 110,286,000 people between 1917 and 1987.<ref>Rummel, R. J. (November 1993). [http://www.hawaii.edu/powerkills/COM.ART.HTM "How many did communist regimes murder?"] University of Hawaii website; Freedom, Democracy, Peace; Power, Democide, and War. Retrieved July 19, 2014.</ref>

The [[Reign of Terror]] of the [[French Revolution]] established a state which was anti-[[Roman Catholicism]]/Christian in nature <ref>
*Tallet, Frank [https://books.google.com/books?id=aL4lsWdd-rAC&dq=&hl=en Religion, Society and Politics in France Since 1789], pp. 1-17 1991 Continuum International Publishing
*SPIELVOGEL, Jackson [http://books.google.com/books?id=ni4PSpOxb6MC&dq Western Civilization: Combined Volume] p. 549, 2005,Thomson Wadsworth
*Latreille, A. FRENCH REVOLUTION, New Catholic Encyclopedia v. 5, pp. 972–973 (Second Ed. 2002 Thompson/Gale) ISBN 0-7876-4004-2</ref> (anti-clerical [[deism]] and anti-religious atheism and played a significant role in the French Revolution<ref>[https://chnm.gmu.edu/revolution/chap7c.html War, Terror and Resistence]</ref><ref>''Forging Freedom: The Life of Cerf Berr of M Delsheim'' by Margaret R. O'Leary, iUniverse (June 1, 2012), pages 1-2</ref>), with the official ideology being the [[Cult of Reason]]; during this time thousands of believers were suppressed and executed by the [[guillotine]].<ref>Multiple references:
*{{cite book|url = http://books.google.com/books?id=bf3m7IVAa9gC&pg=PA461&dq=France+atheism+guillotine++Christians+executed&hl=en&sa=X&ei=l4lUUaTRBufG0QGe0IHACA&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=France%20atheism%20guillotine%20%20Christians%20executed&f=false|title =''Christianity: The eBook''|author=James Adair|publisher = JBE Online Books|year=2007|quote=Although the Civil Constitution called for religious liberty, which was extended to Jews as well as Christians, many revolutionaries pushed for the establishment of a new state religion, either the Cult of Reason (atheists) or the Cult of the Supreme Being (Deists). Changes to the calendar eliminated references to Christian holidays, and even the ancient seven-day week, and a list of officially recognized saints included such famous thinkers such as Socrates, Jesus, Marcus Aurelius, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau. A period of political persecution, often with religious overtones, broke out, known as the Reign of Terror. Thousands of people were executed by the guillotine, including many of the original leaders of the French Revolution.|pages=461|accessdate = July 18, 2014}}
*{{cite book|url = http://books.google.com/books?id=9WkBAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA105&dq=Reign+of+Terror+atheism&hl=en&sa=X&ei=HoRUUcD0NeXX0gGNo4HIDQ&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Reign%20of%20Terror%20atheism&f=false|title =''Memoirs of the Reign of George III. to the Session of Parliament ending A.D. 1793'', Volume 5|page=105|author=William Belsham|publisher = G.G. & J. Robinson|year=1801|quote=In allusion to the monstrous transactions of this portentous period, it has been eloquently and energetically observed, 'that the reign of atheism in France was avowed the reign of terror. In the full madness of their career, in the highest climax of their horrors, they shut up the temples of God, abolished His worship, and proclaimed death to be an eternal sleep:—in the very centre of Christendom, Revelation underwent a total eclipse, while atheism, performing on a darkened theatre its strange and fearful tragedy, confounded the first elements of society, blended every age, rank, and sex, indiscriminate proscription and massacre, and convulsed all Europe to its centre, that the imperishable memorial of these events might teach the last generations of mankind to consider religion as the pillar of society, the parent of social order, and the safe-guard of nations.' "It is wonderful that, amid the horrors of this dismal period, while 'the death dance of democratic revolution' was still in rapid movement, among the tears of affliction, and the cries of despair, 'the masque, the song, the theatric scene, the buffoon laughter, went on as regularly as in the gay hour of festive peace.'|pages=105–6|accessdate = July 18, 2014}}
*{{cite book|url = http://books.google.com/books?id=Tt5rqiCP1p8C&pg=PA57&dq=Reign+of+Terror+atheism&hl=en&sa=X&ei=HoRUUcD0NeXX0gGNo4HIDQ&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Reign%20of%20Terror%20atheism&f=false|title =''Christianity, Islam, and Atheism: The Struggle for the Soul of the West''|author=William Kilpatrick|publisher = Ignatius Press|year=2012|quote=Actually, it's helpful to think in terms of two Enlightenments: the Enlightenment that cut itself off from God. The former led to the American Revolution, the Declaration of Independence, the abolition of slavery, and the civil rights movement. The latter led to the French Revolution, the Reign of Terror, the suppression of church by state, and the godless philosophies of Marx and Nietzsche and their offspring—National Socialism and communism. More recently the abandonment of God has led to the regime of cultural relativism that regards rights as arbitrary constructions. "It's this second Enlightenment tradition that Cardinal Ratzinger referred to when he wrote, 'The radical detachment of the Enlightenment philosophy from its roots ultimately leads it to dispense with man.' Actually this transition happened not 'ultimately' but almost immediately. The first instance occurred when Enlightenment worship of abstract 'reason' and 'liberty' degenerated quickly into the mass murders committed during the antireligious Reign of Terror in France. 'Liberty, what crimes are committed in your name', said Madam Rolande as she faced the statue of Liberty in the Place de la Revolution movements before her death at the guillotine. She was one of the early victims of a succession of secular systems based on rootless notions of 'liberty', 'equality', and 'reason'. "As many historians have pointed out, the atheist regimes of modern times are guilty of far more crimes than any committed in the name of religion. Communist governments alone were guilty of more than one hundred million murders, most of them committed against their own people.|pages=57|accessdate = July 18, 2014}}</ref>
Although Communism is one of the most well-known cases of atheism's ties to mass murder, the French Revolution and subsequent Reign of Terror, inspired by the works of [[Denis Diderot|Diderot]], [[Voltaire]], [[Marquis de Sade|Sade]], and [[Jean-Jacques Rousseau|Rousseau]], managed to commit similar persecutions and exterminations of religious people and promote secularism and militant atheism. Official numbers indicate that 300,000 Frenchmen died during Robespierre's Reign of Terror, 297,000 of which were of middle-class or low-class.<ref name="A Primer of the Illuminati">McIlheny, William H. (June 12, 2009). [http://www.thenewamerican.com/culture/history/item/4660-a-primer-on-the-illuminati "A primer on the Illuminati"]. The New American website. Retrieved on May 22, 2015.</ref> Of the amount murdered via the guillotine, only 8% had been of the aristocratic class, with over 30% being from the peasant class.<ref name="Operation Parricide">von Kuehnelt-Leddihn, Erik (October 1989). [http://www.culturewars.com/CultureWars/Archives/Fidelity_archives/parricide.html "Operation Parricide: Sade, Robespierre & the French Revolution"]. ''Fidelity'' magazine. Retrieved from Culture Wars website on May 22, 2015.</ref>

One of the most well known cases of mass murder during the French Revolution was the genocide at Vendée, which has yet to be officially recognized as genocide. Some estimates indicated that Robespierre and the Jacobins planned to massacre well over 15,000,000 Frenchmen,<ref name="A Primer of the Illuminati"/> and that he also intended to commit genocide against the Alsace region of France due to their German-speaking populace.<ref name="Operation Parricide"/> Besides the guillotine, the French Revolution also resulted in various other deaths, including trampling children with horses, burning people in ovens, "Republican Marriages" (which involved stripping people naked, tying them together to a log in a suggestive fashion, and then putting them into the water to drown. In the event that there wasn't enough people of both sexes, they also resorted to "tying the knot" in a homosexual manner), cutting recently raped girls in half after tying them to a tree, crushing pregnant women under wine pressers, cutting up pregnant women and using bayonets to stab the fetus inside before leaving her to die, "catching" infants thrown from a balcony with their bayonets, and using shotguns to ensure people bled out to death.<ref name="Operation Parricide"/>

The aforementioned actions during the French Revolution, especially the Reign of Terror in 1793, would also inspire Karl Marx with the Communist manifesto, specifically telling Frederick Engels in correspondences to each other: “There is only one way of shortening, simplifying, and concentrating the bloodthirsty death-throes of the old society and the bloody birth pangs of the new—revolutionary terror. . . . [...] Once we are at the helm, we shall be obliged to reenact the year 1793. [...] We are pitiless and we ask no pity from you. When our time comes, we shall not conceal terrorism with hypocritical phrases. . . The vengeance of the people will break forth with such ferocity that not even the year 1793 enables us to envisage it...”<ref>Socialism Sucks community (April 30, 2014).[http://www.facebook.com/373757305985421/photos/a.373910375970114.102939.373757305985421/819295658098248/?type=1 "Marxism in America"]. Facebook website. Retrieved on May 22, 2015.</ref>

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" />}}
[[Image:Solzhenitsyn.jpg‎|thumb|160px|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>Humber, Paul G. (October 1987). [http://www.icr.org/article/stalins-brutal-faith/ "Stalin's brutal faith"]. ''Acts and Facts'', vol. 16, no. 10. Retrieved from the Institute for Creation Research website on May 22, 2015.</ref>}}

== The historical record and statistics about atheist leaders and mass murder ==

''See also:'' [[Atheist atrocities]] and [[Atheism and violence]]

[[File:Vox Day.jpg|thumbnail|right|160px|[[Vox Day|Theodore Beale]] ]]

The [[ex-atheists|ex-atheist]] [[Vox Day|Theodore Beale]] notes concerning atheism and mass murder:
{{cquote|Apparently it was just an amazing coincidence that every Communist of historical note publicly declared his atheism … .there have been twenty-eight countries in world history that can be confirmed to have been ruled by regimes with avowed atheists at the helm … These twenty-eight historical regimes have been ruled by eighty-nine atheists, of whom more than half have engaged in democidal acts of the sort committed by Stalin and Mao …

The total body count for the ninety years between 1917 and 2007 is approximately 148 million dead at the bloody hands of fifty-two atheists, three times more than all the human beings killed by war, civil war, and individual crime in the entire twentieth century combined.

The historical record of collective atheism is thus 182,716 times worse on an annual basis than Christianity’s worst and most infamous misdeed, the Spanish Inquisition. It is not only Stalin and Mao who were so murderously inclined, they were merely the worst of the whole [[Atheism and Hell|Hell-bound lot]]. For every Pol Pot whose infamous name is still spoken with horror today, there was a Mengistu, a Bierut, and a Choibalsan, godless men whose names are now forgotten everywhere but in the lands they once ruled with a red hand.

Is a 58 percent chance that an atheist leader will murder a noticeable percentage of the population over which he rules sufficient evidence that atheism does, in fact, provide a systematic influence to do bad things? If that is not deemed to be conclusive, how about the fact that the average atheist crime against humanity is 18.3 million percent worse than the very worst depredation committed by Christians, even though atheists have had less than one-twentieth the number of opportunities with which to commit them. If one considers the statistically significant size of the historical atheist set and contrasts it with the fact that not one in a thousand religious leaders have committed similarly large-scale atrocities, it is impossible to conclude otherwise, even if we do not yet understand exactly why this should be the case. Once might be an accident, even twice could be coincidence, but fifty-two incidents in ninety years reeks of causation!<ref>Ammi, Ken (June 11, 2009). [http://creation.com/atheism#atheism-communism "Atheism [quoting Vox Day]"]. Creation Ministries International. Retrieved on July 19, 2014.</ref>}}

== Atheists attempting to deny/minimize the roles of atheism/atheists in atheist atrocities ==

''See also:'' [[Atheism and historical revisionism]] and [[Atheism and the no true Scotsman fallacy]]

Atheist apologists commonly try to minimize or deny the role of atheism/atheists as far as atheist atrocites.<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmrRC6zD4Zk Atheists Dodge Their History of Atrocities]</ref><ref>[http://creation.com/atheism Atheism]</ref><ref name="voxday.blogspot.com">[http://voxday.blogspot.com/2011/04/mailvox-no-true-atheist-defense.html Mailvox: the "No True Atheist" defense]</ref> It is as if no true atheist could be involved for mass murder.<ref name="voxday.blogspot.com"/>

Atheism was an integral tenet of Maxist-Lennism/[[Maoism|Maoist]]/[[Stalinism]] [[communism]] (see: [[Atheism and communism]]).

Richard Dawkins has attempted to [[Richard Dawkins, atheist atrocities, and historical revisionism|engage in historical revisionism concerning atheist atrocities]] and Dawkins was shown to be in gross error (see also: [[Atheism and communism]] and [[Persecution of Christians in the USSR|Persecution of Christians in the Soviet Union]]).

For more information, please see: [[Atheism and the no true Scotsman fallacy]]

=== Atheist mass murders in history and the historical illiteracy of many atheists ===

As far the [[History of Atheism|history of atheism]] in the 20th century, many atheists are not aware of the murderous atheist regimes which inhabited this historical period (see: [[Atheists and historical illiteracy]]). Part of the reason why many atheists are unaware of widespread atheist atrocities during this period is due to [[atheist indoctrination|atheistic indoctrination in public/secular schools]].

==Explanatory links between atheism and mass murders==

Theodore Beale wrote about the [[secular left]] and mass murder:
{{cquote|...it does, however, cast serious doubt on the common atheist assertion that a godless society will be a peaceful one. The significant question has never been if atheism causes political leaders to kill in large quantities, it is why political leaders who happen to be atheist have been inordinately inclined to kill in large quantities.

As I wrote in [http://www.voxday.net/mart/TIA_free.pdf TIA], the answer is probably to be found in the fact that atheists who have committed great historical crimes are almost exclusively left-wing atheists with [[utopia]]n visions of restructuring human society; [[Ayn Rand]] atheists aren't exactly known for attempting to violently restructure societal order. This is why atheists like [[Bertrand Russell]], [[Sam Harris]], [[Christopher Hitchens]], and especially [[Michel Onfray]] are far more dangerous than those more akin to [[Daniel Dennett]] and even Richard Dawkins.<ref>[http://voxday.blogspot.com/2009/01/atheist-demotivator-4.html Atheist Demotivator #4] by Theodore Beal</ref>}}

=== Other factors ===

Christian philosophers and theologians explain that there are causal links between mass murder and atheism. Atheism, lack belief in God, have the following characteristics that can lend itself to mass murder and can explain why the greatest mass murderers were atheists:<ref>Kreeft, Peter and Tacelli, Ronald, Christian apologetics and de Torre, Joseph, Christian philosophy (2000). ''Contemporary Philosophical Issues in Historical Perspective'' (Manila: University of Asia & the Pacific).</ref>
*Lack of recognition of an ultimate judge of moral actions and a judge who sets injustice aright in a last judgement, and thus do not recognize the immorality of murder.
*Lack of seeing the importance of human beings as images of God and so easily discarding them as merely material things, products of mere chance.
*Lack of acknowledging an external standard of moral perfection, thus ending up with self-created standards which can include killing for political survival.
*Absence of guidance by divine revelation of the moral law, such as "Thou shalt not kill".
*Following an ethic of atheistic evolutionism that is based on the survival and victory of the fittest, which is ultimately a bloodthirsty ethic—an ethic that is eager to kill and to maim. This ethic is about conquering others rather than self-conquest.<ref>Ratzinger, Cardinal Joseph (1999). [http://www.zenit.org/article-13872?l=english "Cardinal Ratzinger's thoughts on evolution: An excerpt from 'Truth and Tolerance'"]. Excerpt published at Zenit website on September 1, 2005. Excerpt retrieved on May 22, 2015.</ref>
* The intolerance of many atheists (see: [[Atheism and intolerance]])

== China ==
The [[atheist]] [[Mao Zedong]] killed tens of millions during his [[Great Leap Forward]] and many more during the purges and slaughters of the [[Cultural Revolution]].
== Nanking massacre ==

''See also:'' [[Nanking massacre]]
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|thumbnail|right|200px|[[Japan]] is one of the most atheistic countries in the world,<ref>
*[http://www.thechapmans.nl/news/Atheist.pdf Top 50 Countries With Highest Proportion of Atheists / Agnostics (Zuckerman, 2005)]
*[http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/05/23/a-surprising-map-of-where-the-worlds-atheists-live/ A surprising map of where the world’s atheists live], ''Washington Post'' By Max Fisher and Caitlin Dewey May 23, 2013</ref> ]]
[[Japan]] is one of the most atheistic countries in the world,<ref>
*[http://www.thechapmans.nl/news/Atheist.pdf Top 50 Countries With Highest Proportion of Atheists / Agnostics (Zuckerman, 2005)]
*[http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/05/23/a-surprising-map-of-where-the-worlds-atheists-live/ A surprising map of where the world’s atheists live], ''Washington Post'' By Max Fisher and Caitlin Dewey May 23, 2013</ref>

In the [[Nanking massacre]] (or Rape of Nanking) the Japanese military murdered 100,000 to 300,000 Chinese after conquering the city of [[Nanjing]] (then called ''Nanking'' in English, just as [[Beijing]] was called ''Peking''.)

It was a [[war crime]] committed by the [[Japan]]ese military during the [[Second Sino-Japanese War]]. The Japanese army committed atrocities against the capital of Nationalist China, famously murder and rape. The death toll is disputed, but most estimates give a total of 100,000 to 300,000 soldiers and civilians killed.<ref>[[Encyclopaedia Britannica]]. [http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9054784/Nanking-Massacre Nanking Massacre]</ref><ref>[http://www.cnd.org/njmassacre/nj.html#NJM Basic Facts on the Nanjing Massacre and the Tokyo War Crimes Trial]</ref>
:In December of 1937, the Japanese Imperial Army marched into China's capital city of Nanking and proceeded to murder 300,000 out of 600,000 civilians and soldiers in the city. The six weeks of carnage would become known as the Rape of Nanking and represented the single worst [[atrocity]] during the World War II era in either the European or Pacific theaters of war.<ref name=genocide>[http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/genocide/nanking.htm The History Place - Genocide in the 20th Century]</ref>

:In addition, the notorious [[Comfort Women]] system was introduced which forced young Chinese women to become [[slave]]-[[prostitute]]s, existing solely for the sexual pleasure of Japanese soldiers.<ref name=genocide/>

== Atheism and abortion ==

''See also:'' [[Abortion and atheism]]

[[Image:115523-004-FA619CA3.jpg|thumb|left|200px| The perverse and cruel [[atheism|atheist]] [[Marquis de Sade]] advocated induced abortion.<ref name="Sade">Farr, A. D. (1980). [http://jme.bmj.com/content/6/1/7.abstract "The Marquis de Sade and induced abortion"]. ''Journal of Medical Ethics'', 6, pp. 7-10. Retrieved from Journal of Medical Ethics website on July 20, 2014.</ref>]]
The father of [[medicine]], [[Hippocrates]], expressly prohibited abortion in his ethical [[Oath]] long before [[Christianity]].

The ''Journal of Medical Ethics'' article declared concerning the [[atheism|atheist]] and [[sadism|sadist]] [[Marquis de Sade]]:
{{cquote|In 1795 the Marquis de Sade published his ''La Philosophic dans le boudoir'', in which he proposed the use of induced abortion for social reasons and as a means of population control. It is from this time that medical and social acceptance of abortion can be dated, although previously the subject had not been discussed in public in modern times. It is suggested that it was largely due to de Sade's writing that induced [[abortion]] received the impetus which resulted in its subsequent spread in western society.<ref name="Sade"/>}}

Not possessing a [[Religion|religious]] basis for [[morality]], [[atheist]]s are fundamentally [[Moral relativism|incapable]] of having a coherent system of morality which is based on the worldview of atheism (see: [[Atheism and morality]]).

The [[Barna Group]] found that atheists and [[agnostics]] in America were more likely, than [[theist]]s in America, to look upon the following behaviors as morally acceptable: [[Illegal drugs|illegal drug use]]; excessive drinking; [[fornication|sexual relationships outside of marriage]]; [[abortion]]; cohabitating with someone of opposite sex outside of marriage; [[Profanity|obscene language]]; [[gambling]]; [[pornography]] and obscene sexual behavior; and engaging in [[homosexuality]]/[[bisexuality]].<ref>[http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/5-barna-update/58-practical-outcomes-replace-biblical-principles-as-the-moral-standard "Practical outcomes replace biblical principles as the moral standard"] (September 10, 2001). Barna Update. Retrieved on July 19, 2014.</ref>

See also: [http://creation.com/abortion-after-birth Atheism, evolutionary belief and infanticide proponents]

== Recommended books ==

*Dimitry Pospielovsky, (December, 1987), ''A History of Marxist-Leninist Atheism and [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] Antireligious Policies'', Palgrave Macmillan, ISBN 0312381328
*Dimitry Pospielovsky, (November, 1987), ''Soviet Antireligious Campaigns and Persecutions (History of Soviet Atheism in Theory and Practice and the Believers, Vol 2)'', Palgrave Macmillan, ISBN 0312009054
*Dimitry Pospielovsky, (August, 1988), ''Soviet Studies on the Church and the Believer's Response to Atheism: A History of Soviet Atheism in Theory and Practice and the Believers, Vol 3'', Palgrave Macmillan, hardcover: ISBN 0312012918, paperback edition: ISBN 0312012926

==See also==

*[[Atheism and violence]]
* [[Atheistic communism and torture]]
* [[Atheism and death]]
* [[Young mass murderers]]
* [[Atheism and morality]]

== External links ==
*[http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/1121/p09s01-coop.html CS Monitor - Atheism, not religion, is the real force behind the mass murders of history] by [[Dinesh D'Souza]]
*[http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20130323/letters/Atheism-and-mass-murder.462571 Times of Malta - Atheism and mass murder] by John Azzopardi

{{Nb Atheism}}

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

[[Category:Atheism]]

Amero

2016-10-03T19:01:25Z

ILOVEJESUS2: Improved some things, the coins as legitimate currency was just a hoax.

The '''Amero''' is the proposed currency for the proposed [[North American Union]]. The introduction of a supranational currency has been discussed since the 1990s<ref>Anon. "The 'Amero' What of sovereignty?"; ''Pittsburgh Tribune-Review''; May 27, 2006. [http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/opinion/archive/s_455425.html]</ref> and novelty coins have been minted annually since 2007.<ref>[http://www.dc-coin.com/unaameropatterncoins.aspx Designs Computer, LLC; ''UNA Amero Pattern Coins'']</ref> If approved, the Amero would replace the United States Dollar, Canadian Dollar, and Mexican Peso. Some commentators have argued that the Amero's introduction would impact each nation's political and economic sovereignty.

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Currency]]

User:ILOVEJESUS2

2016-10-02T17:17:58Z

ILOVEJESUS2: Ditto

Hey dudes, I'm a quasi-[[Libertarian]], semi-[[Objectivist]], all around [[Conservative]] who knows a lot and it still growing both physically and spirtually.

I speak English, Spanish, Dalmatian, Toki Pona, and Latin.

===To do...===
Add Thats the way I am to [[Essay:Worst Liberal Movies|Worst Liberal Movies]].

===Learn about me!===
[[Conservative Values]]

[[Libertarian|Libertarian Values]]-I am not a gay rights activist, if that's what your worrying.

[[Free Market]]

[[Ayn Rand]]-I do, however, have some [[Compassion|compassion]], and [[Generosity|generosity.]]

[[Philosopher]]

User talk:ILOVEJESUS2

2016-10-02T17:16:56Z

ILOVEJESUS2: I just like to keep my talk pages blank until real messages are posted.

User:ILOVEJESUS2

2016-10-02T17:15:58Z

ILOVEJESUS2: Fixing a red link

Hey dudes, I'm a quasi-[[Libertarian]], semi-[[Objectivist]], all around [[Conservative]] who knows a lot and it still growing both physically and spirtually.

I speak English, Spanish, Dalmatian, Toki Pona, and Latin.

===To do...===
Add Thats the way I am to [[Worst Liberal Movies]].

===Learn about me!===
[[Conservative Values]]

[[Libertarian|Libertarian Values]]-I am not a gay rights activist, if that's what your worrying.

[[Free Market]]

[[Ayn Rand]]-I do, however, have some [[Compassion|compassion]], and [[Generosity|generosity.]]

[[Philosopher]]

George Noory

2016-09-15T00:35:17Z

ILOVEJESUS2: Corrected a spelling mistake

'''George Ralph Noory''' (born June 4, 1950) is an American [[Talk radio|radio talk show]] host.

As of 2009, he is the weekday host of the late-night radio [[talk show]] ''[[Coast to Coast AM]]''. He is heard across the United States and [[Canada]] on many [[AM broadcasting|AM]], [[FM broadcasting|FM]] and [[XM Satellite Radio]]. His show is one of the most listened to overnight programs. The program is syndicated by [[Premiere Radio]], a division of [[Clear Channel Communications]].

Noory was born in [[Detroit, Michigan]], but he grew up in [[Dearborn Heights, Michigan|Dearborn Heights]]. He now resides in [[Los Angeles, California|Los Angeles]], [[California]] and occasionally broadcasts from, and frequently mentions on air, [[St. Louis, Missouri]]. Noory has more than 37 years of broadcasting experience.

==Early life, career, and family==
George Noory served nine years in the [[United States Naval Reserve]] as a full Lieutenant. Noory is a [[Roman Catholic]] of [[Lebanese people|Lebanese]] descent. He has said that he became fascinated with [[ufology]] and the paranormal as a child after having an out-of-body experience. As a teenager, Noory joined [[NICAP]], the UFO organization that was a precursor to today's [[MUFON]]. Noory came to St. Louis in 1979 to be news director at [[KSDK]] channel 5 television before making the transition back to radio.

At the age of 28 he became the youngest news director in the country while at [[KSTP-TV|KSTP]] channel 5 in [[St. Paul, Minnesota]].

While living in Detroit he worked in the news department of [[WCAR]] 1130 in Detroit, and later at [[Storer Broadcasting]]'s Detroit CBS affiliate [[WJBK]] channel 2.

Noory was a broadcast major at the [[University of Detroit]].

Noory's family is said to be of Lebanese Christian descent and his father was born in [[Cairo]], [[Egypt]], in 1922. According to Noory, he was brought up as a Roman Catholic and his mother was a devout Catholic. He says he believes in "a God," but some of his views, for instance, on reincarnation and the creation of the human race by aliens contradict typical Christian [[doctrine]].

George Noory is currently divorced and has said on-air that he has been married twice. (He once referred to the odd-hours and stress of working as a late-night talk show host as one of the reasons for his failed marriages.) Noory has three children, and four grandchildren.{{Fact|date=February 2008}}

==Coast to Coast AM==
Noory became a guest host for ''Coast to Coast AM'' before replacing [[Ian Punnett]] as the Sunday night host. His first show was on April 28 2001. On January 1, 2003, Noory took over week-night hosting duties from [[Art Bell]], who had again decided to retire. On January 21, 2006, it was announced that Bell would return to ''Coast to Coast AM'' on Saturdays and Sundays, replacing Punnett on Saturdays, and Noory on the first two Sundays of the month. Bell returned to the air waves January 22, 2006 following his wife's death on January 5, 2006. While Punnett went on to host the ''[[Coast to Coast AM#Coast to Coast Live|Coast to Coast Live]]'' spin-off on Saturday nights, Noory remained the week-night host. With Noory as host and Art Bell doing the weekends, ''Coast to Coast AM'' remained one of the most listened to late night talk radio shows.

Noory has repeatedly announced on-air that he is committed to remaining the principal host of ''"Coast"'' until at least 2012, a year frequently called the so-called "[[Doomsday]]". His commitment is substantiated by a long-term contract with [[Premiere Radio Networks]], a subsidiary of [[Clear Channel Communications]] which also produces radio programs for [[Rush Limbaugh]], [[Laura Schlessinger|Dr. Laura]], and [[Glenn Beck]]. Noory has stood by his foreboding notion that 2012 will be a year of calamitous change on a global scale.

Since then, Noory recently retracted his admission of staying on until 2012. On the August 17, 2007 broadcast, George Noory made a statement during the third hour that he had a meeting a few weeks ago with [[Premiere Radio Networks]] outlining his tenure. He stated that he wishes to sign another five year contract in 2012, extending his hosting duties until about 2017. Noory went on to mention, {{quotation|And then I'll go 3 days a week when I'm 66 years old. That's 9 years away; that's a long time. And they [Premiere Radio Networks] said okay, we'll do it.|George Noory, ''[[Coast to Coast AM]]'', August 17, 2007}} Noory has repeatedly vowed on-air that he will stay on ''C2CAM'' until he is "dragged out."

However, [[WorldNetDaily]] reports interest in a President Noory campaign in 2012. This might be response to comments such as: {{quotation|In every city on my book tour through last year, audiences told me they are crying out for major change in Washington D.C.|George Noory,<ref> This article was written by a regular guest questioning George Noory about accepting a potential White House bid, which can not be considered serious. However, Noory has told his audience not to rule out his working with radio and another outfit simultaneously.{{wikicite|id=idWorldNetPresident2007|reference="(November 15, 2007). George Noory considering Presidential Bid?. WorldNetDaily. http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=58702 accessed 2007-11-16.}}</ref> WorldNetDaily.com on November 15, 2007}}

On March 10, 2007, Noory introduced Art Bell for his Lifetime Achievement Award from "Radio & Records," the radio industry trade journal.<ref>http://www.coasttocoastam.com/gen/page1923.html?theme=light</ref> The next week he replayed his introductory speech and Art Bell's acceptance speech. Noory revealed that although he has worked for ''Coast to Coast AM'' since 2001, that night was the first time he had met Art Bell in person.<ref>http://www.coasttocoastam.com/shows/2007/03/18.html</ref>

==Views on religion==
On various shows George has in various ways let it be known that he believes in God and that God is all knowing and powerful. George has encouraged prayer for various persons. He is opposed to Christian and Muslim fundamentalism though is tactful about it, for example saying to one of his guests "[[Brother]]" Michael Dimond "I can't believe that" when Brother Dimond said that anyone who was not apart of the [[Catholic Church]] would end up in [[Hell]].<ref>http://www.coasttocoastam.com/show/2009/05/25</ref> In another recent show, in which he was interviewing a guest who was raving about the Bible and Planet X, and seemed to be drunk, George said, "forgetting the religiosity" and attempted to get the guest to not quote large chunks of Scripture, most likely so as not to offend or turn off anti-Christian listeners. Interestingly, this guest was supposed to be interviewed for three-hours, but his ranting became so painful that without explanation the guest's interview was dismissed during commercial break.

Though George shows respect to [[mainstream]] [[evolutionists]], he has let it be known that he leans towards [[Intelligent Design]] and can't believe that there is no God and that atheism is evil<ref>http://topicagnostic.com/2008/10/17/coast-to-coast-ams-george-noory-calls-atheists-pure-evil</ref>.

==Controversy==

==="Father" Wingate's racial stereotypes===
Noory hosted a show in which he interviewed guest speaker, priest Wingate, a dissident Catholic and alleged prophet of the End Times. Wingate claimed to have spoken with "our Lord" (as many guests have on Coast to Coast) and that Americans are impatient due to their composition of a mixture of races, and that they were no longer Americans as they once were in the past (the implication being that America was once only composed of whites), and that because countries such as China are of one race only, that they have a common agenda (with the implication that therefore America will fall to such communist countries as China in the end). George did not express agreement with Wingate<ref>http://www.coasttocoastam.com/guest/wingate-father-andrew-c/5739</ref> and appeared to have tried to cut Wingate short from going on further with such claims by taking calls from listeners, but when Wingate attempted to continue George allowed him to.

===Mentally ill guests and pandering===
Notable are the many clearly mentally ill guests who call into Coast to Coast AM, whose obvious rantings George will rarely disagree with, but which he will instead spin as a logical comment or question for the guest to comment on. A clear example of this occurred when one caller called in to talk about a conspiracy hard-drives and having something to do with Russians. George then replied to his guest with, "He's got a point there" despite the caller's comments making little sense.<ref>http://www.coasttocoastam.com/show/2009/02/04</ref>There is no evidence that this was an intentional pandering but may have simply been due to George not having paid attention to what was being said carefully and not wanting to have appeared to be [[asleep at the wheel]]. In contrast, hosts like [[Presbyterian]] host [[Ian Punnet]], who immediately expresses his disagreement with clearly illogical comments, though not always with a logical reply.<ref>http://www.coasttocoastam.com/guest/mayor-adrienne/7359</ref>

==Books==
On 19 September 2006, Noory released his first book with co-author [[William J. Birnes]] entitled ''[[Worker in the Light|Worker in the Light: Unlock Your Five Senses And Liberate Your Limitless Potential]]''. New York: Forge. ISBN 0-7653-1087-2.

==See also==
*[[Art Bell]]
*''Coast to Coast Topics'': [[9/11 Conspiracy theories]], [[New World Order (conspiracy)|New World Order]], [[Chemtrail theory]], [[Classified information in the United States]], [[SETI]], [[Time travel]], [[Central Intelligence Agency]], [[United States Department of Defense]], [[Albert Einstein]], [[Ufology]], [[Lucid Dreaming]], [[paranormal]], [[string theory]], [[near-death experience]], [[ghost]]s, [[electronic voice phenomenon|electronic voice phenomena]], [[Dannion Brinkley]], [[Carl Sagan]], [[solar system]], [[Peak Oil]], [[biodiesel]], [[Global Warming]], and the [[undead]].

Animal

2016-09-14T17:12:27Z

ILOVEJESUS2: Removing troll/statist paragraph, debunking a contridiction.

{{Taxonomy
|image=Vulpes vulpes.jpg
|kingdom=Animalia}}
An '''animal''' is any creature which is a member of the [[Animalia]] kingdom. For most modern biologists, this includes [[human being]]s, although there are several qualitative differences which are of primary importance (see [[anthropology]], [[psychology]], and so on).

Animals must eat [[plant]]s or other organisms to survive. The plants are called "producers" and the animals are "consumers". Animals have complex [[eukaryotic cell]]s, unlike bacteria which have much simpler [[prokaryote|prokaryotic]] cells. Animal cells do not have [[cell wall]]s, only structural [[protein]]s in the [[cell membrane]]; this allows the animal cell a degree of flexibility.

The simplest of all animals are [[sponge]]s, which do not move. Sponges have different cells for different tasks, but these cells are not organized further into [[tissue]]s or [[organ]]s. Sponges also do not exhibit [[symmetry]], unlike all other animals.

The next simplest animals comprise a single species, which fall somewhere between sponges and all other animals. This species, ''Trichoplax adhaerans'', is very small, yet has cells organized into different tissues, though it does not have organs.

True Animals are grouped into a sub-kingdom called Eumetazoa. All True Animals have tissues and organs, except for one type called Myxozoa. These have regressed to a single-celled form.

The simplest eumetazons are the Radiata, a loose group that includes jellyfish, corals, and comb jellies. Most of them belong in the phylum Cnidaria, except for the comb jellies, which comprise the phylum Ctenophora. Radiatans have what is called radial symmetry, where they can be divided into two even halves in many planes, like a wheel or a circle. All cnidarians have special cells called cnidocytes, which produce the sting. Comb jellies have no such cells and are harmless to humans.

==Animals and people==
[[File:RedGreenMacaw.jpg|220px|right|Red Green Macaw.]]
As [[God]] created man in His image, it is of primary importance to distinguish the characteristics of people from animals, such as the eternal spirit, the right to "take dominion" over the natural world of animals and plants, and the prospect of enjoying [[eternal life]]. Liberals say that these things are of secondary importance and insist that humans are merely apes.

For biologists who regard their field of study as belonging to [[physical science]], issues of [[psychology]] and spirituality take a back seat. They emphasize the physical similarities between the [[human body]] and the bodies of other creatures, classifying humans as [[mammal]]s, specifically, [[primate]]s.

Perhaps it is their [[methodological naturalism]] that leads them to ignore major qualitative differences and to speculate that humans are merely animals with somewhat greater intellectual ability. This vision may be more a predisposition than a scientific conclusion.

==Biblical origin of animals==
The Book of [[Genesis]] specifies both when and why [[God]] created animals. The "when" is found in the following passage from Genesis ch. 1, which states that God created aquatic creatures and birds on the fifth day and that on the sixth day He created land animals and then man:
{{Bible quote|And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl [that] may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that [it was] good. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that [it was] good. And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his [own] image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.|book=Genesis|chap=1|verses=20-28|version=KJV}}
The "why" is found in the following passage from Genesis ch. 2, which states that after God had created man, He brought the land animals and [[birds]] in as a way to provide one of the animals as a help mate for [[man]]. Many people claim that there is a contridiction here, saying that in the second chapter of Genesis God created Humans before the animals and that this is different from the first chapter in which the animals were created first and then [[Man]] and [[Woman]] were both created on the same day. However, this comes from a "minor" mistranslation in the text of the King James Bible, when one looks at the slightly older [[Douay-Rheims Bible]], it clearly shows that it is no contridiction.
{{Bible quote|And the Lord God '''having''' formed out of the ground all the beasts of the earth, and all the fowls of the air, brought them to Adam to see what he would call them: for whatsoever Adam called any living creature the same is its name.|book=Genesis|chap=2|verses=18|version=DRV}}

Many older translations, such as the [[Wycliffe]], [[Tyndale]], and [[Geneva Bible|Geneva Bibles]] all make use of the word "had", which shows that animals were created before man.

==See also==
* [[Essay:Animal cruelty]]
* [[Hunting]] with:
** [[Firearm]]s: [[Handgun]], [[Shotgun]] and [[Rifle]]
** [[Archery]]: [[Crossbow]], [[Compound bow]]
* [[Fishing]]

==External links==
*[http://www.aim.org/wls/category/animals/ What Liberals Say - Category: Animals], [[Accuracy In Media]]

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

[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Hunting]]

User:ILOVEJESUS2

2016-09-10T02:33:27Z

ILOVEJESUS2: Adding stuff to do

Hey dudes, I'm a quasi-[[Libertarian]], semi-[[Objectivist]], all around [[Conservative]] who knows a lot and it still growing both physically and spirtually.

I speak English, Spanish, Dalmatian, Toki Pona, and Latin.

===To do...===
Add Thats the way I am to [[Worst Liberal Movies]].

===Learn about me!===
[[Conservative Values]]

[[Libertarian Values]]-I am not a gay rights activist, if that's what your worrying.

[[Free Market]]

[[Ayn Rand]]-I do, however, have some [[Compassion|compassion]], and [[Generosity|generosity.]]

[[Philosopher]]

User:ILOVEJESUS2

2016-09-10T01:03:45Z

ILOVEJESUS2: Created page with Hey dudes, I'm a quasi-Libertarian, semi-Objectivist, all around Conservative who knows a lot and it still growing both physically and spirtually. I speak English, Spanish, Dalmatian, Toki Pona, and Latin. ===Learn about

Hey dudes, I'm a quasi-[[Libertarian]], semi-[[Objectivist]], all around [[Conservative]] who knows a lot and it still growing both physically and spirtually.

I speak English, Spanish, Dalmatian, Toki Pona, and Latin.

===Learn about me!===
[[Conservative Values]]

[[Libertarian Values]]-I am not a gay rights activist, if that's what your worrying.

[[Free Market]]

[[Ayn Rand]]-I do, however, have some [[Compassion|compassion]], and [[Generosity|generosity.]]

[[Philosopher]]

Talk:Essay:Worst Liberal Movies

2016-09-10T00:58:17Z

ILOVEJESUS2: /* Just adding some thoughts. */ new section

I am removing Scarface because it is a remake of a 1932 classic (which had the same plot, and definitely wasn't "liberal"), it in no way "glorifies" gangsterism and drug abuse since at the end of the film it shows the consequences of Tony Montanna's life of crime and drugs (He loses his wife, his best friend and his sister as a result of his reckless ways) and finally, the film is a classic. Even if it is liberal its still one of the most critically acclaimed films of all time and definitely doesn't belong on a list of movies that are the "worst". And as for Ferris Bueller's day off, I'm deleting that one whether you like it or not.
:''And as for Ferris Bueller's day off, I'm deleting that one whether you like it or not.'' Really? Well I am reverting and blocking you - whether you like it or not. Come back with a better, more collaborative, attitude next time. [[User:MaxFletcher|MaxFletcher]] 17:36, 4 September 2011 (EDT)

The name of this article should be changed to "Most overtly liberal movies" since several of the mentioned films are very well made and thus good movies.
--[[User:AlexanderSz|AlexanderSz]] 19:55, 5 December 2011 (EST)

== questionable entries ==

can a new category for movies that are questionably liberal be added. "The Social Network" is not overtly liberal. In the protagonist in a negative light, showing how Facebook ruins his life (his best friend sues him, he seems depressed, etc). It depicts everyone involved as jerks. It is questionably liberal because some liberals like the mean spirited Zuckerberg. Also, V for Vendetta is a libertarian movie. It is anti big government (and I would say anti communism). However it is anti religion, so again, questionably liberal
--[[User:AlexanderSz|AlexanderSz]] 19:55, 5 December 2011 (EST)

If you're going to include a classic film like "Monty Python's Meaning of Life" then you had best rename the article to "liberal movies", as most of these movies are actually brilliant films and are by no means "the worst". But then again the "Best Conservative Movies" list has some dreadful films on it like "Space Jam" and "The Room". This site seems to have a very liberal definition of the term "liberal", and an even more liberal definition of the words "worst" and "best".
--[[User:Danielspence|Danielspence]] 09:42, 13 April 2012 (EST)

:Disagreements about a few of the entries in each list is to be expected.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 19:25, 13 April 2012 (EDT)

::If entries do not reflect the general opinion of Conervapedia users then why aren't they removed? No justification for the inclusion of "The Meaning of Life" has been given. It's inclusion on the list is very dubious. This list previously included classic films such as "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and "Scarface", which I removed without being reinstated afterwards. Why not remove "The Meaning Of Life"?
--[[User:Danielspence|Danielspence]] 21:13, 14 April 2012 (EST)
:::Regarding ''V for Vendetta'', actually, most of the film was left-wing. The original comic may have been libertarian (showing the negative consequences of both totalitarianism and anarchy), but the actual film promoted full out anarchy without covering the negatives. Also, technically, it was supposed to be anti-Nazi, as the Norsefire party was meant to emulate Nazi Germany (which even the left hates). And I have read that there was more pro-communist messages in the film anyways, though I might have to dig it out. Actually, I think the Wachowski Brothers, or at least Larry/Lana Wachowski, were self-confessed Marxists. [[User:Pokeria1|Pokeria1]] 23:31, 10 December 2013 (EST)
:I removed the ''Frozen'' entry, namely because the reason for it being included was simply because of what an obscure pastor and a blog post stated. I'm against the gay agenda, and I personally wouldn't be surprised if Disney churned it out now, but really, John Nolte of Breitbart, who is not only conservative, but in his own words, is very good at spotting Hollywood leftist agendas from a hundred yards away, had viewed ''Frozen'' and could not pick up on any agendas in the film, certainly not the homosexual agenda. At best, the only "gay" it pushed was making people smile, what "gay" originally meant before the homosexuals hijacked the term. Here's the article: http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Hollywood/2014/03/13/Disneys-frozen-is-not-homosexual-propaganda. [[User:Pokeria1|Pokeria1]] 12:39, 11 April 2014 (EDT)

==The Life of Brian==
I will not stand for this film's inclusion on this list, it should be deleted immediately. Perhaps you should actually watch the film for yourself before making silly assumptions about it. BRIAN IS NOT JESUS! He is not portrayed as a Christ-like figure, the Pythons have made it very clear in interviews and documentaries that the film was not made to mock Jesus, or his followers; it simply makes fun of people who don't think for themselves and rely on what other people say, much like the critics of the film, who blasted the film as "blasphemous" on the basis of what other people who hadn't seen the film said. The fact that we are debating this in 2012 is absolutely ludicrous. I could name many other films that were a lot more blasphemous that aren't on this list. The fact that it is on a list of "worst movies" is even more insulting; Even if you were offended by the movie, you can't deny the great wit and satire that is found in this film. The reference to it being "anti-semetic" is just plain untrue.--[[User:Danielspence|Danielspence]] 15:30, 29 August 2012 (EST)

== Bestiality in Avatar? ==

If I recall correctly, in ''The Lord of the Rings'', the human protagonist Aragorn has a "creepy" romance with an Elvish woman. While I am in favour of Avatar's inclusion on this list, I find that particular criticism a bit bizarre. --[[User:Danielspence|Danielspence]] 15:18, 4 October 2012 (EDT)
:I know this is an old topic, but I digress... At least with Lord of the Rings, the Elves were extremely similar enough to humans to pass as such (only difference being that elves had pointy ears). Avatar's situation, however, has him striking a romance with an alien that clearly doesn't even look remotely human (probably the closest thing to them being human being that they were bipeds), so you can probably see why that would be considered bestiality. [[User:Pokeria1|Pokeria1]] 19:00, 21 January 2014 (EST)

== Jackass??? ==

Why is ''Jackass: The Movie'' a liberal movie? Its completely unpolitical.--[[User:JoeyJ|JoeyJ]] 15:10, 1 January 2014 (EST)

:You can remove it if you like. But everything has a political slant or effect, even if a slight one. If a movie leads people away from the [[Bible]] or conservative values, for example, then it does have a political effect.--[[User:Aschlafly|Andy Schlafly]] 16:45, 1 January 2014 (EST)
::But Jackass has no political effect and it does not lead people away from the Bible.--[[User:JoeyJ|JoeyJ]] 08:04, 2 January 2014 (EST)

== Elysium is in a league of its own and deserves its own page. ==

So, I'd like to mention how stupidly liberal Elysium is. In fact, it's so horribly liberal it's conservative. I just have to rant because I've had one of the most horrible times of my life watching that movie.

Spoilers obviously

*See the people living on Earth only seem to be criminals or employed by the wealthy. The wealthy live happily because they are not overpopulating in their domain. In fact, it seems the wealthy can make themselves younger again, and suffer no death where they live, because they've learned to properly balance their consumption, population levels, laws, all the while not aging, etc.

*Scientifically speaking, when the main character enters a "radiation vent" or whatever, he gets radiated by an error in the machine he's stuck in. Thing is, radiation doesn't just "come and go" the way the movie plays it. It's either there in which he was radiated the moment he entered that section, or he was faking it to begin with. And why exactly are they radiating the cargo? It's in a wooden crate meaning the radiation would seep in.

*Criminals illegally break into the border and it seems there are virtually no defense systems whatsoever to prevent this from happening. This seems stupid, because it would obviously need defenses from meteors and comets. Their only "defense" is an evil homeless guy with a bazooka that can shoot space ships from Earth.

*The evil plan didn't make sense. They put "the key" to Elysium in a guy's head to modify Elysium to serve another rich person, but the only way it can work is if they kill the person who has the key. How exactly did he get the key in his head from Earth, and how did the poor people steal it?

*The rich seem to only not want to share "free healthcare" because of one reason: they're mean. The rich are portrayed as soulless monsters who have nothing better to do than be mean. It doesn't seem to explain a logical reason for why they're not sharing this health system which perfectly heals all wounds at seemingly no cost.

*The only person who seems to have a job without relying on wealthy people is some old lady who owns pigs in a cart. The rest are criminals because they themselves are incapable of supporting one another through real work and independent job creation.

*The "health pods" cured a guy who died from a head on collision from a grenade and turned elderly young. But they cant fix the main character? The brain of one guy literally exploded and he's still curable.

*At the end of the movie, the robots are programmed to identify everyone as a citizen of Elysium. The wealthy have pale looks on their faces. For some odd reason, the robots export the healthcare pods away from Elysium, as well as bringing in more people to Elysium. What makes the people there pale isn't the fact that they "can't be mean anymore" as some liberals might assume, but because they can no longer guarantee their own survival on the resources they've earned. And once it's gone, it'll be gone for good. They'll soon reach a mountainous population, unable to feed themselves due to a loss of resources at the colossal level of immigration and unaging pods and a constantly high birthrate.

*What bothers me the most about Elysium isn't the fact that this movie is the political opinion of a British guy about the US, or even how stupidly bias the movie was. What bothered me the most was the critical acclaim the movie got. I feel that if I made a movie about how demonic creatures are entering a holy land of peace: The evil liberdemons who want nothing more than to take all of our wealth, happiness, and means of defending ourselves for their personal interest and kill whomever they feel like, while the main character sacrifices himself to produce a powerful border-barrier that eliminates the ability for soulless liber-demons to cross... I'd be called a bigot. The reviews for Elysium seem to be nothing but positive, with people saying, "it makes you think," "behind all the action is a moral," and all this other crap. Why is this movie held in such high esteem? It does its best to portray anyone conservative as evil while liberals are portrayed as victims and innocents.

Of all things the disgusting experience I had watching that movie has made me more conservative than ever in my life.
[[User:Patriotic|Patriotic]]

== Renaming section ==

Would it be a good idea to rename the '''Anti-Religious''' section to '''Anti-Christian'''?
I say this because the comment for ''Cloud Atlas'' in that section begins, "Supports the idea of reincarnation and features anti-Christian undertones."
Some non-Christian religions support the idea of reincarnation, and I would think most non-religious liberals don't, except the new-age hippy types. It seems that films which are anti-Christian but not secular should be included in the section, but the section heading doesn't reflect that. [[User:ConsMovies|ConsMovies]] 11:43, 9 January 2015 (EST)

== PRothan's removals ==

I know little about these movies, as I watch very few, but it seems that [[User:PRothan|PRothan]] is removing an awful lot of entries, especially for a new member. Are we sure that there removals are appropriate? --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 14:07, 12 May 2016 (EDT)
:PRothan removed Edward Scissorhands from this web page. Edward Scissorhands was pretty much endorsed by Christiananswers.net with a 4 out of 5 stars rating.[http://www.christiananswers.net/spotlight/movies/2005/edwardscissorhands1990.html]. Christiananswers.net is a Bible believing Christian website. My guess is that PRothan may be doing a lot of helpful pruning from this web page.[[User:Conservative|Conservative]] ([[User talk:Conservative|talk]]) 15:03, 12 May 2016 (EDT)
::Okay, good! I hate to be cynical, but when someone creates and account and begins removing large amounts of text, I get suspicious. Glad to hear it then, and thanks for the second opinion! --[[User:DavidB4|David B]] ([[User talk:DavidB4|talk]]) 18:44, 12 May 2016 (EDT)

== The Princess and the Frog ==

I don't really know why The Princess and the Frog is on here. If anything, it promotes conservative values. The main character has been taught the value of hard work by her father and is working hard to save enough money to start her own business, and the prince, who starts the movie as an amoral hedonist who just wants everything given to him, gradually learns the value of sacrifice and caring for other people. It's true that one of the characters who helps them is a "blind voodoo lady", and not Christian, but she's no less Christian than all the fairy godmothers in all the old Disney movies. If no one objects, I'm going to remove this entry. --[[User:Whizkid|Whizkid]] ([[User talk:Whizkid|talk]]) 18:45, 31 May 2016 (EDT)

== Just adding some thoughts. ==

I believe that the movie That's Way I Am should be added to this list. It seems OK at first, but it completely goes backwards off tracks from the main plot to shoehorn in the [[Homosexual Agenda]], and shows the only Christian, right-wing characters as backwards bigots who have raised bullies. Ultimately it promotes [[Liberal Censorship|censorship]] and [[Homosexuality|immorality]]. Please respond with your thoughts.[[User:ILOVEJESUS2|ILOVEJESUS2]] ([[User talk:ILOVEJESUS2|talk]]) 20:58, 9 September 2016 (EDT)