Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Seas in art

2009-06-23T01:51:22Z

JoshB:

<center>
 '''Seas in art''' 

 '''Gallery''' 
</center>

[[Arctic Ocean]]

<center>
<gallery perrow="5">
File:Bradford Icebound Whaling Ship.jpg|Icebound Whaling Ship [[William Bradford (painter)|William Bradford]]
File:Bradford Icebound Ship c1880.jpg|Icebound Ship [[William Bradford (painter)|William Bradford]]
File:Bradford Sealers Crushed by Icebergs.jpg|Sealers Crushed by Icebergs [[William Bradford (painter)|William Bradford]]
File:Georg von Rosen Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld 1886.jpg|Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld by Georg von Rosen.
File:Church Floating Icebergs 1859.jpg|Floating Iceberg [[Frederic Edwin Church]]
File:Church Aurora Borealis.jpg|Aurora Borealis [[Frederic Edwin Church]]
File:Schiertz View from Norskoyenen on Spitsbergen 1879.jpg|View from Norskoyenen on Spitsbergen Franz Wilhelm Schiertz
File:Dutch whalers near Spitsbergen.jpg|Dutch whalers near Spitsbergen Abraham Storck
File:Rockwell Kent May North Greenland.jpg|May North Greenland Rockwell Kent
</gallery>
</center>

[[Atlantic Ocean]]
<center>
<gallery perrow="5">
File:Pieter Bruegel the Elder- Storm at Sea - detail.JPG|Storm at Sea - detail [[Pieter Bruegel the Elder]]
File:Géricault The Raft of the Medusa.jpg|The Raft of the Medusa [[Théodore Géricault]]
File:Aivazovsky The Ninth Wave.jpg|The Ninth Wave [[Ivan Aivazovsky]]
File:Aivazovsky Malta Valetto Harbour.jpg|Malta Valetto Harbour [[Ivan Aivazovsky]]
File:Church Syria by the Sea.jpg|Syria by the Sea [[Frederic Edwin Church]]
File:Monet La Corniche.jpg|La Corniche [[Claude Monet]]
File:Gauguin Women Bathing.jpg|Women Bathing [[Paul Gauguin]]
File:Clausell Marina.jpg|Marina [[Joaquin Clausell]]
Image:Cross The Iles d'Or.jpg|The Iles d'Or [[Henri-Edmond Cross]]
File:Van Rysselberghe Man at the Helm.jpg|Man at the Helm [[Theo Van Rysselberghe]]

</gallery>

 
[[File:Hassam The South Ledges 1913.jpg]]

The South Ledges, Appledore by [[Childe Hassam]]
</center>

[[Indian Ocean]]
<center>

<gallery>

File:Casanova Vasco da Gama.JPG|Vasco da Gama lands at Calicut, May 20, 1498 by Ernesto Casanova
File:Vue Du Havre De Noel, Terre de Kerguelen.jpg|Christmas Harbor surveyed by Cook in 1777 Robert Benard
File:Svetlana Shorey Indian-Ocean-mural.jpg|Indian-Ocean-mural Svetlana Shorey
</gallery>
</center>

[[Pacific Ocean]]
<center>
<gallery perrow="5">
File:La Decouverte echoue sur des Rochers.jpg|The “Discovery” grounded on submerged rocks at the northern end of Vancouver Island.
File:John Meares ships cruising off the coast of Cape Look.jpg|John Meares' ships cruising off the coast of Cape Look
File:Hokusai Sea Wave Kanagawa.jpg|Sea Wave Kanagawa [[Katsushika Hokusai]]
File:Kuniyoshi Utagawa, Sailing boat.jpg|Sailing boat Kuniyoshi Utagawa
File:Gauguin Tahitian Women.jpg|Tahitian Women on the Beach [[Paul Gauguin]]
File:Gauguin Horsemen on the Beach.JPG|Horsemen on the Beach [[Paul Gauguin]]
File:Gauguin Fatata te miti (Near the Sea).JPG|Fatata te miti (Near the Sea) [[Paul Gauguin]]
File:Robert C. Barnfield Captain Cook s Monument.jpg|Princess Ka'iulani and her Governess at Captain Cook's Monument Robert C. Barnfield

</gallery>
</center>

[[Southern Ocean]]
<center>
<gallery>
File:Chambers Bark Auriga in Antartics Waters.jpg|Bark Auriga in Antarctic Waters (detail) [[George Chambers]]
File:David Abbey Paige, pastel.jpg|Antarctica David Abbey Paige, pastel.
File:David Abbey Paige Group of penguins.jpg|Group of penguins David Abbey Paige
File:David Abbey Paige Bear of Oakland moored at the ice.jpg|Bear of Oakland moored at the ice David Abbey Paige
</gallery>
</center>

== Addendum ==

[[Rivers]]
<center>
<gallery>
File:Whistler. The Thames in Ice.jpg|The Thames in Ice [[James Whistler]]
File:Sisley The Seine at Argenteuil.jpg|The Seine at Argenteuil [[Alfred Sisley]]
File:Tanner The Seine.jpg|The Seine Henry Ossawa Tanner

</gallery></center>

== See also ==
[[File:Manet Seascape Calm Weather .jpg|thumb|[[Edouard Manet|Édouard Manet]] Seascape Calm Weather.]]
*[[Gallery of Seascapes]]
*[[American Seascapes]]

[[File:Claude Monet Segelboot in Le-Petit-Gennevilliers.jpg|thumb|left|Sailboat in Le-Petit-Gennevilliers [[Claude Monet]]]]

[[Category:Art]][[Category:Painting]]
my mom got scared, and said, "You're movin' with your auntie and uncle in Bel-Air." I whistled for a cab and when it came near The license plate said fresh and it had dice in the mirror. If anything I could say that this cab was rare, but I thought, "Nah, forget it. Yo, holmes to Bel-Air!" I pulled up to the house about 7 or 8 and I yelled to the cabbie, "Yo holmes smell ya later!" Looked at my kingdom I was finally there, to sit on my throne as the prince of Bel-Air.

51 Pegasi

2009-06-23T01:51:20Z

JoshB:

'''51 Pegasi''' is a star located 50.1 light years away in the constellation [[Pegasus]], which is know for both being very much like our own sun and for the being the first star system outside our own where an [[extrasolar planet]] was discovered in 1995.

From Earth, the [[star]] has an apparent magnitude of 5.49 allowing it to be seen by the unaided eye under very dark conditions, or with binoculars.

==The Star==

51 Pegasi is a yellow-orange main sequence star of spectral class G4-5 Va. The [[star]] is remarkably similar to our own [[sun]], having 1.06 times to mass, 1.15 to 1.4 times the diameter, and 1.30 times the visual luminosity. The star is also 60% more abundant in elements heavier then [[hydrogen]] and [[helium]] ([[metallicity]])<ref>http://solstation.com/stars2/51pegasi.htm</ref>.

The star is believed to be farther along on its path of stellar evolution and appears to be running low on its hydrogen fuel needed for [[stellar fusion]]. The star is estimated to be between 7.5 billion and 8.5 billion years of age<ref>http://www.aip.org/baas/vol_31/030901bas.pdf</ref>.

==Planets==

51 Pegasi was the star where the first extrasolar world was discovered when using radial-velocity methods; astronomers Michel mayor and Didier Queloz announced the discovery the Jupiter class gas giant on October 12, 1995<ref>http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=1995Natur.378..355M&db_key=AST&high=3b4b5e274020634</ref>. Independent confirmation of the world came from [[San Francisco State University]], [[University of California]], and the Lick Observatory. The world is nicknamed "Bellerophon"<ref>http://jumk.de/astronomie/exoplanets/51-pegasi.shtml</ref>.

The world has at least 46 perfect of [[Jupiter|Jupiter’s]] mass and maintains a very close orbit of 0.052 AUs from its parent star. Because of how close the planet is to 51 Pegasi, its obit only takes 4.2 days. Because of this distance, the word is tidally locked. Temperatures are estimated to be 1265K (around 1000 degrees Celsius / 1800 degrees Fahrenheit) on average.

The world is also remarkable because at the time my mom got scared, and said, "You're movin' with your auntie and uncle in Bel-Air." I whistled for a cab and when it came near The license plate said fresh and it had dice in the mirror. If anything I could say that this cab was rare, but I thought, "Nah, forget it. Yo, holmes to Bel-Air!" I pulled up to the house about 7 or 8 and I yelled to the cabbie, "Yo holmes smell ya later!" Looked at my kingdom I was finally there, to sit on my throne as the prince of Bel-Air. a world so close to its parent star was not compatible with planet formation theories at the time, and the world was considered an anomaly. Since then other such “hot Jupiters” have been discovered challenging astronomers to revise the theories of planetary formation, one way is by studying orbit migration.

A terrestrial planet that could maintain liquid water on its surface could hypothetically exist in a [[habitable zone]] that ranges from 1.2 AU to 2.0 AUs away for 51 Pegasi<ref>http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query?bibcode=2001AAS...199.0310N&db_key=AST&high=3cab10bb0312474</ref>. The star is a target for NASA’s Terrestrial Planet Finder (TPF) and the ESA's Darwin in the future.

No other worlds for known at this time.

[[Category:Astronomy]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Links==
*[http://exoplanet.eu/ Extrasolar Planets Encyclopaedia]
*[http://exoplanets.org/ ExoPlanets]

Harry Potter

2009-06-23T01:51:18Z

JoshB:

[[Image:67486ruy.jpg|right|thumb|British edition of '''Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone'''.]]
The '''''Harry Potter''''' books are a hugely popular<ref> The author has sold 350 million books and counting, been translated into 65 languages and had her work made into highly successful movies. [http://abcnews.go.com/International/story?id=3811481&page=1 ABC News] </ref> series of seven fantasy novels by [[J.K. Rowling]] about three children at a British boarding school for 'witchcraft and wizardry': Harry, Ron and Hermione. The children grow from age 11 to 17 in the books, giving them appeal to a broad range of readers including children and teenagers, but also appealing to adults.

==Harry Potter==
'''Harry Potter''' is the [[protagonist]] and the plot of each book focuses on Harry's adolescence and fight against the [[antagonist]] wizard Lord Voldemort. The books combine elements of whimsy reminiscent of ''[[Alice in Wonderland]]'', the strange adult immaturity of ''[[Through the Looking Glass]]'', and the implacable good vs. evil fight of ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]''.

When Harry was a mere baby, his parents were murdered by the evil [[Voldemort]]. Harry didn't know that his parents were [[wizard (fiction)|wizard]]s until his 11th birthday; it came as a giant surprise. [[Hagrid]] took him to [[Diagon Alley]] for robes, books and wand; then on to [[Hogwarts]], a boarding school for wizards and witches. He had many adventures there learning [[magic]] and using it to fight the forces of the [[Voldemort|wizard]] who killed his [[parent]]s when he was an [[infant]]. Lord Voldemort seeks to become immortal by any means. Voldemort also leads forces of "Death Eaters" who follow Voldemort's ideology of a "pure-blood" (wizard who was born to wizard parents) society and persecute Muggles, non-magical folk. Along the way, Harry learns about life and [[death]] and grapples with questions of [[morality]] and [[friendship]]. my mom got scared, and said, "You're movin' with your auntie and uncle in Bel-Air." I whistled for a cab and when it came near The license plate said fresh and it had dice in the mirror. If anything I could say that this cab was rare, but I thought, "Nah, forget it. Yo, holmes to Bel-Air!" I pulled up to the house about 7 or 8 and I yelled to the cabbie, "Yo holmes smell ya later!" Looked at my kingdom I was finally there, to sit on my throne as the prince of Bel-Air.

The seven books in the series have been fabulously successful, selling 300 million copies, and ''[[Forbes]]'' estimates that they have made Rowling the first billion-dollar [[author]] in history.<ref>[http://www.forbes.com/maserati/billionaires2004/cx_jw_0226rowlingbill04.html J. K. Rowling And The Billion-Dollar Empire].</ref> To date, five of them have been made into movies, the sixth to begin filming September 2007.

The ''Harry Potter'' series of [[book]]s are sizable volumes. The 870 pages of ''Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'', even though printed in large type, contain 255,000 words—about twice as long as ''A Tale of Two Cities''. The "Lexile" measure of reading level puts the series between 880L and 950L,<ref>For comparison: ''Charlotte's Web'' 680L, ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' 890L, ''Moby Dick'' 1200L</ref> comparable to sixth-grade texts<ref>[http://www.lexile.com/DesktopDefault.aspx?view=fa&tabindex=4&tabid=22 The Lexile framework for reading].</ref>

== Christian Theme in ''Harry Potter'' ==
{{spoiler}}

Despite some criticism from mainline Christians who oppose ''Harry Potter'' for allegedly endorsing witchcraft, the series includes some aspects that parallel Christianity. Harry's death and rebirth at the end of Book VII (''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows'') can be seen as mirroring the rebirth of [[Christ]]. Just as the savior of humanity was reborn, so Harry Potter, as the fictional savior of the magical world, is reborn. Further, this rebirth carries a special, significant guardianship trait: as Christ died to forgive the sins of humanity, resulting in salvation for all mankind, so Harry's death grants a protective magic to himself and to his friends. It could be said that ''Harry Potter'' teaches the nobility of meaningful sacrifice. No similar traces of Christian allegory can be found in the first six books, only in the final chapters of the seventh.

An alternate interpretation of the Harry Potter books is that the villain, Tom Marvolo Riddle, is himself a parody of the Trinity. <ref>http://www.exposingsatanism.org/harrypotter2.htm</ref> In this reading of the books, the "villains" are analogues for Christ, the Trinity and named angels and prophets. His battles with Harry and the magical world are meant to depict God being thwarted by witchcraft and paganism.

==Praise==
{{spoiler}}

The Harry Potter series has earned a lot of praise for some (but not all) of the moral messages it conveys to readers. A theme throughout the series is Hermione Granger's fight to acheive equal rights for non-wizards, house elves in particular. However, the books also snub political correctness, shown when Hermione tries to free the house elves working at Hogwarts to no avail, who are happy and content with their job. While Hermione's attempt to raise house elves to equal status with wizards is praiseworthy, her attempts to 'free' house elves at the price of their own happiness is not.

The books also encourage readers to turn away from the temptation of evil. Throughout the series Harry is shown to have powers viewed as dark and evil, including a direct link to Voldemort's mind. Despite this, however, he is never tempted to become evil himself as Dumbledore thought he might.

==Criticisms==

The ''Harry Potter'' series is written in a way that embeds fantasy and wizardry into a real world setting. This could potentially lead to some children potentially exploring witchcraft, Wicca, and paganism. Indeed, the Pagan Federation in Britain has received a flood of inquiries from young ''Harry Potter'' fans.<ref>About.com: Agnosticism/Atheism - [http://atheism.about.com/od/harrypotter/i/witchcraft_2.htm Does Harry Potter Promote Wicca or Witchcraft? Is Harry Potter a Pagan Book?] (page 2)</ref>

The [[Catholic Church]] has taken a more neutral position. In 2003, a Vatican representative said the books, "aren't serving as the banner for an anti-Christian theology.... I don't think there's anyone in this room who grew up without fairies, magic, and angels in their imaginary world." <ref>Sink, Mindy (2003), "The Split Verdict on Harry Potter,"
''The New York Times,'' March 8, 2003, p. B6; representative quoted is Rev. Don Peter Fleetwood, who "helped draft a Vatican document on New Age phenomena."</ref>

Some expect children's literature to present characters that are role models and teach simple truths that will help children grow and know the difference between right and wrong. However, the world of ''Harry Potter'' is one in which adult authority figures are complex, imperfect, and occasionally ludicrous. Some teachers in the series are boring, or outright incompetent, while others are supportive and protective (like [[Dumbledore]] and [[Lupin]]). In the first book Harry disobeys the teachers and is successful and later praised, a questionable message for younger minds.

==Literary Criticisms==
{{spoiler}}

It is also possible to accuse the author of poor planning or writing. Throughout the series a constant theme is the almost criminal incompetence of the Ministry of Magic. We are told at various stages throughout the book that some of Voldemorts followers managed to escape justice by lying to the courts that they were controlled by the Imperius curse. However, in book four it is revealed that there is a potion which forces the victim to tell the truth. Why, therefore, didn't the Ministry use this potion on the defendants to find out if they were really controlled or not? This would have led to their imprisonment, preventing them from assisting Voldemort to return to full strength. The use of this potion would also have allowed the Ministry to find out about Peter Pettigrew's betrayal, perhaps leading to his arrest and preventing him from assisting Voldemort to regain his strength (Pettigrew was the man who found Voldemort and nursed him back to a state of health from which it was possible for him to prepare for his rise to power). It is possible that J K Rowling had not thought of this potion at the start of the series, causing her to introduce a near Deus-Ex-Machina miracle on behalf of the evil side.

==Notable Ban Attempts==

On the week of April 10, 2006, Georgia mother of four Laura Mallory filed an appeal with the Gwinnett Board of Education in an attempt to remove the ''Harry Potter'' series from Gwinnett schools. Ms. Mallory (who has only read excerpts of the books) stated on the appeal form that she wished the books removed due to their "evil themes, witchcraft, demonic activity, murder, evil blood sacrifice, spells and teaching children all of this."<ref>[http://www.gwinnettdailypost.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=32&url_subchannel_id=&url_article_id=14074&change_well_id=2]</ref> The local board of education denied the request, as they felt the banning of ''Harry Potter'' would necessitate the banning of all books with reference to witches, including plays like ''[[Macbeth]]'' and even stories like [[Cinderella]].<ref>[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15127464/ Georgia mom seeks ban on Harry Potter]</ref> Ms. Mallory has since appealed the ruling twice to no avail.<ref>[http://www.wtvm.com/Global/story.asp?S=5022462&nav=8fap]</ref> <ref>[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16204853/from/]</ref> <ref>[http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/education/stories/011807dnentpotterprotest.a89cec.html]</ref>

Similar concerns have been voiced by Christian cartoonist [[Jack Chick]], pastor and author [[Dave Hunt]], the British group [[Christian Voice]] and various others. None of these has resulted in any form of legal action.

==Series titles==
*''[[Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone]]'' (original title as published in England and all other English-speaking countries other than U.S.A: ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'')
*''[[Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets]]''
*''[[Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban]]''
*''[[Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire]]''
*''[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix]]''
*''[[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince]]''
*''[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows]]''

Also, three companion books have been made to go along with the series: ''The Tale of the Beedle the Bard'', ''Quidditch Through the Ages'', and ''Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them''. ''Quidditch Through the Ages'' and ''Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them'' are both written under pen names, but all three are written by J.K. Rowling. <ref>www.jkrowling.org</ref>

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Harry Potter Universe]]
[[Category:Novels]]
[[Category:Ghost Stories]]

The God Delusion

2009-06-23T01:51:15Z

JoshB:

'''''The God Delusion''''' is a book by the [[atheist]] [[Richard Dawkins]], in which he attempts to show that belief in [[God]] is irrational.

Dawkins' main objectives are to convince his readers that the existence of [[God]] or any other [[deity]] is highly unlikely, that the Bible is incoherent, that [[morality]] does not come from [[religion]], and that if religion does effect morality, it only does so negatively.

Critics have called the book "surprisingly intolerant".<ref>{{cite book | quote=For a scientist who criticizes religion for its intolerance, Dawkins has written a surprisingly intolerant book, full of scorn for religion and those who believe. | publisher=Publishers Weekly | title=The God Delusion | year=2006 | month=August | url=http://www.amazon.com/God-Delusion-Richard-Dawkins/dp/0618680004 | }}</ref>

Dawkins also intends to teach that atheists can live happy, intelligent, lives—perhaps even happier lives than religious people. He asserts that atheists do not do evil things in the name of [[atheism]], while [[religion|religious]] people have been known to commit atrocities in the name of their religion.

==Chapters==

=== Deeply Religious Non-Believer===
Dawkins attempts to establish [[Albert Einstein]] as an avowed atheist, and to prove that religion is unworthy of any respect.

===The God Hypothesis===
Dawkins explains the different kinds of religion, including the divide between [[Monotheism]] and [[Polytheism]]. He also asserts viciously that the founding fathers of the [[United States of America]] were nonreligious. He continues to explain [[Secularism]], [[Agnosticism]], and some basic assertions of the religious.

===Arguments for God's Existence===
Dawkins summarizes some common [[proof]]s for God and attempts to debunk them.

===Why There Almost Certainly is No God===
Dawkins gives his reasons for believing that God is about as likely as "[[fairy|fairies]] living under his garden", and asks the fallacious question of where God came from.

===The Roots of Religion===
Dawkins gives and explains some thoughts about the origins of religion that have been proposed by atheists, trying to undermine the [[Christianity|church]].

===The Roots of Morality: Why are We Good?===
Dawkins explains why he believes that morality "evolved" from [[animal]]s.

===The 'Good' Book and the Changing [[Moral Zeitgeist]]===
Dawkins suggests that morality does not come from religion, but rather a changing moral ''Zeitgeist''.

===What's Wrong With Religion? Why Be So Hostile?===
Dawkins shows why he believes that religion is [[evil]] and repressive, and must be stopped.

===Childhood, Abuse and the Escape from Religion===
Dawkins explains why he believes that religion is a form of "[[child abuse]]", and that the scars from the "indoctrination" last into [[adult]]hood and even the child's entire life.

===A Much Needed Gap?===
Dawkins concludes his book on a more positive level, giving inspiration to those whom he may have convinced to "de-convert" from their religion.

==Criticism==
''The God Delusion'' has been subject to a great deal of criticisms from the religious and the non-religious alike.

===Andrew Brown: Prospect Magazine===
{{Cquote|
"It has been obvious for years that Richard Dawkins had a fat book on religion in him, but who would have thought him capable of writing one this bad? Incurious, dogmatic, rambling and self-contradictory, it has none of the style or verve of his earlier works."<ref>http://www.prospect-magazine.co.uk/article_details.php?id=7803</ref>
}}
Andrew Brown of Prospect Magazine was unimpressed by Dawkins' book. Brown calls atheism "unnatural" and points out that many atheists were violent in their belief (or lack thereof), citing Stalin killing members of the clergy.

Brown also attacks Dawkins' argument that suicide bombers are caused by religious schools. While Dawkins states that if these children were not taught what he calls "faith without question", suicide bombings would not be an issue. Brown, however, says that religion is not a necessity in suicide bombings. He points out that it is a tactic used by Marxists in Sri Lanka.

===Marilynne Robinson: Harper's Magazine===
<blockquote>
"There is a pervasive exclusion of historical memory in Dawkins's view of science. Consider this sentence from his preface, which occurs in the context of his vision of a religion-free world: 'Imagine . . . no persecution of Jews as 'Christ-killers.'"<ref>http://solutions.synearth.net/2006/10/20</ref>
</blockquote>

Robinson's major complaints about ''The God Delusion'' lie in how sheerly false the book is in many aspects. Although Dawkins claims that "the majority of us believe in free speech", she points out that most countries do not, pointing out that [[China]] (population 1.3 billion<ref>http://geography.about.com/od/populationgeography/a/chinapopulation.htm</ref>) does not. In her review, Robinson basically says that Dawkins purposefully ignored important parts of history in his attempt to convince his readers. "It's a shame," she says, "to see him reduced to one long argument from professorial incredulity."

===Terry Eagleton: London Review of Books===
<blockquote>
"Card-carrying rationalists like Dawkins [...] are in one sense the least well-equipped to understand what they castigate, since they don’t believe there is anything there to be understood, or at least anything worth understanding."
</blockquote>

===Alister McGrath: The Dawkins Delusion?===
''The Dawkins Delusion?'' is a response to Dawkins' ''The God Delusion'' by [[Alister McGrath]].

== Quotes from ''The God Delusion'' ==
"The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully."
::-Chapter 2

"I am one of an increasing number of biologists who see religion as a ''by-product'' of something else."
::-Chapter 5

"By contrast, what I, as a scientist, believe (for example, [[evolution]]) I believe not because of reading a holy book but because I have studied the evidence... Books about evolution are believed because they present overwhelming quantities of mutually buttressed evidence."
::-Chapter 8

"... [Moral absolutism] rules the minds of a great number of people in the world today, most dangerously so in the Muslim world and in the incipient American theocracy... Such absolutism nearly always results from strong religious faith, and it constitutes a major reason for suggesting that religion can be a force for evil in the world."
::-Chapter 8
==See also==
*[[Atheism]]
{{Nb Atheism}}

==References==
<references/>

== External Links ==
*[http://www.richarddawkins.net RichardDawkins.net]

[[Category:Books|God Delusion, The]]
my mom got scared, and said, "You're movin' with your auntie and uncle in Bel-Air." I whistled for a cab and when it came near The license plate said fresh and it had dice in the mirror. If anything I could say that this cab was rare, but I thought, "Nah, forget it. Yo, holmes to Bel-Air!" I pulled up to the house about 7 or 8 and I yelled to the cabbie, "Yo holmes smell ya later!" Looked at my kingdom I was finally there, to sit on my throne as the prince of Bel-Air.

Conspiracy theory

2009-06-23T01:51:13Z

JoshB:

A '''conspiracy theory''' is a belief that the official report on a major event is inaccurate or blatantly false in order to cover up an unattractive occurrence. Generally, conspiracy theories are dismissed by the public as nonsense. Some of the most notable are:

*FDR knowing about the [[Attack on Pearl Harbor]] in advance and encouraging it so America could get in the war; that officers ignored evidence that the attack had started.
*Various theories surrounding [[UFO]]s, [[alien abduction]], and governments "covering up" the existence of extraterrestrials. Usually this is associated with supposed [[alien]] sightings at [[Roswell]], [[New Mexico|NM]]
*The theory that the [[Apollo 11]] lunar landing, commanded by Neil Armstrong, on July 20, 1969, was fake. Supporters analyze photographs, and often claim that satellite photographs of [[Area 51]] resemble a movie studio.
*Various [[9/11 conspiracy theories]].
*"Birthers" conspiracy; People who advocate Obama prove his birth in the U.S. as demanded by the Constitution. Obama created this conspiracy to hide his past history by refusing to release his long-form birth certificate.
*Various theories regarding [[JFK]]'s assassination.
*The [[George W. Bush]] presidential campaign conspired to rig the election in 2000. See also: [[Bush v. Gore]]
*The [[George W. Bush]] presidential campaign conspired with [[Diebold]] and other [[electronic]] [[voting machine]] manufacturers to rig the election in 2004. (See article: [[Diebold]])
*The so-called "[[Vast right-wing conspiracy theory|vast right-wing conspiracy]]" as described by [[Hillary Rodham Clinton]].
*People who disagree and call [[Global Warming]] a lie, they are supposedly funded by [[Big Oil]].
*The theory that a [[neocon]] [[cabal]] controlled the [[George W. Bush|Bush Administration]] and was responsible for the [[War in Iraq]].
*The idea that all paleontologists are falsifying evidence to make the Earth appear [[Young Earth Creationism|older than 6000 years]]
*The [[Jews]] are [[Anti-Semitism|conspiring to destroy civilization]]. (Very popular theory in [[Europe]] from the [[Middle Ages]] on, seems to have lost a lot of currency outside the [[Middle East]] since the [[Holocaust]].)<ref>[http://newint.org/features/2004/10/01/conspiracism/ "ZOG Ate My Brains"]</ref>
*Denial of the Holocaust's existence and/or claims of exaggeration. [[Iran|Iranian]] president [[Mahmoud Ahmadinejad]] is among this theory's supporters.
*The theory that the Iraq War was started by [[Big Oil]] in order to gain access to cheap [[petroleum]].
*Various theories regarding [[population control]], including a supposed deliberate conspiracy to make foods and the [[environment]] unsafe, legalization of [[abortion]] and [[contraception]] to prevent [[population growth]], and jets spraying toxic "[[chemtrails]]" over rural areas. Usually supporters claim ease of controlling smaller groups of people.
*A "[[New World Order]]" brought about by a one-world government with a global [[currency]]. Usually this is combined with [[premillenialist]] and/or [[dispensationalist]] views of the [[Bible|Biblical]] Book of [[Revelation]]. Implanted [[RFID]] chips, mandated by the [[Antichrist]] and used for financial purposes, are thought to be the "[[Mark of the Beast]]."
*The influence of [[secret societies]], [[fraternal organizations]], and various [[religion|religious groups]]. [[Freemasons]], the [[Illuminati]], the [[United Nations]], the [[Catholic Church]], [[Judaism]], and the Catholic "Society of Jesus" ([[Jesuits]]) are popular targets. Often these groups are accused of being behind so-called "[[shadow government|shadow governments]]." [[FEMA]] has been accused of being a "shadow government" as well.
*Various claims regarding the [[income tax]], including the [[ratification]] process of the [[Sixteenth Amendment]]. The legitimacy of the [[Federal Reserve]] and the [[IRS]] are questioned by these people, and most favor a return to the [[gold standard]].
*A supposed part-human, part-reptile (or part-alien) bloodline with politically- and financially-powerful members. Former British [[soccer]] player [[David Icke]] promotes these theories.<ref>http://www.davidicke.com/</ref>

==Common elements of Conspiracy Theories==
The target blamed for everything may change, but most destructive conspiracy theories believe the same things:

* The world is divided into 'us' and 'them'. We are "good," and they are "evil."
* Our opponents are evil and subversive... possibly not even human.
* "They" are responsible for our troubles – We are blameless and without fault.
* Time is running out, and we must act immediately to avoid disaster.
<ref>[http://newint.org/features/2004/10/01/conspiracism/ "ZOG Ate My Brains", again]</ref>

Conspiracy theories provide an important element of certainty in a world that seems random and perverse. Believing that a small, evil group controls everything is actually more reassuring to some minds than believing [[Coincidence theory|things just happen by random circumstance]]. Often it can be entertaining, and many [[documentaries]] and [[TV|TV specials]] have been produced about conspiracy theories.

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Conspiracy Theory]]
[[Category:Terms]]
my mom got scared, and said, "You're movin' with your auntie and uncle in Bel-Air." I whistled for a cab and when it came near The license plate said fresh and it had dice in the mirror. If anything I could say that this cab was rare, but I thought, "Nah, forget it. Yo, holmes to Bel-Air!" I pulled up to the house about 7 or 8 and I yelled to the cabbie, "Yo holmes smell ya later!" Looked at my kingdom I was finally there, to sit on my throne as the prince of Bel-Air.

Pascal's wager

2009-06-23T01:51:12Z

JoshB:

'''Pascal's Wager''' is a [[philosophy|philosophical]] proposition which takes the following form:

[[God]] either exists or not.

#If God does not exist and you do not not believe in God, you gain nothing and lose nothing.
#If God does exist and you do not believe in God, you are condemned to [[hell]] for eternity; infinite loss.
#If God does not exist and you do believe in God, you gain nothing and lose nothing.
#If God does exist and you do believe in God, you will receive an eternity in [[heaven]]; infinite gain.

[[Blaise Pascal]] reasoned that, given the relative gains and losses for each scenario, the only sensible course for a rational human being was to believe in God since the potentially infinite gains and losses which occur if God exists outweigh any possible loss in a finite situation if God does not exist. This is true regardless of what probability one assigns to God's existence as long as some possibility is assigned.

[[Category:Philosophy]]
[[Category:Theology]]
[[Category: Articles with unsourced statements]]
my mom got scared, and said, "You're movin' with your auntie and uncle in Bel-Air." I whistled for a cab and when it came near The license plate said fresh and it had dice in the mirror. If anything I could say that this cab was rare, but I thought, "Nah, forget it. Yo, holmes to Bel-Air!" I pulled up to the house about 7 or 8 and I yelled to the cabbie, "Yo holmes smell ya later!" Looked at my kingdom I was finally there, to sit on my throne as the prince of Bel-Air.

Jimmy G. Tharpe

2009-06-23T01:51:09Z

JoshB:

'''Jimmy Gid Tharpe, Sr.''' (May 12, 1930 – November 25, 2008), was an Independent Baptist [[clergy]]man in Shreveport, [[Louisiana]], who founded the unaccredited theologically conservative [[Louisiana Baptist University|Louisiana Baptist University and Theological Seminary]], originally established in 1973 as '''Baptist Christian University'''. Earlier, Tharpe established '''Baptist Christian College''' (1961-1996) and the secondary school, '''Baptist Christian Academy''' (1964-1988), both accredited institutitions.

==Early years and education==

Tharpe was born to Lester H. Tharpe (1905-1972), a fisherman,<ref name=ssdi>{{cite web|url=http://ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/ssdi.cgi|title=Social Security Death Index|publisher=rootsweb.com|access date=December 24, 2008}}</ref> and the former Fern Crump (1910-1963) in Sibley, five miles south of Minden, the seat of Webster Parish in northwestern Louisiana. The senior Tharpe was an alcoholic who converted to [[Christianity]] but frequently doubted his salvation and sometimes returned to drinking.<ref>Jimmy G. Tharpe, ''Mr. Baptist'', Springfield, Missouri: 21st Century Press, 2003, pp. 19, 24-25</ref> Jimmy Tharpe played [[baseball]] in his youth and graduated in 1947 from Sibley High School, renamed and relocated early in the 21st century as Lakeside High School. As a youth, Tharpe attended the First [[Methodist]] Church in Sibley, along with his mother and sometimes his father, where he was called to the ministry and at twenty became the Sunday school superintendent. After his marriage on April 21, 1950, to the former Mary Edith Moore (August 17, 1932—March 23, 2007),<ref name=ssdi/>of Sibley, whom he once courted every day for a month, Tharpe switched to Missionary Baptist affiliation and joined the Calvary Missionary Baptist Church in Minden, under pastor [[L.L. Clover]] (1902-1975).<ref>Statement of Jack Donald Tharpe, Sibley, Louisiana, December 15, 2008</ref>The Methodist minister in Sibley, L.M. Sawyer, urged Tharpe to remain with his congregation and broke down when Tharpe told him that he had switched to Missionary Baptist, a change which would require [[baptism]] by immersion because Baptists do not recognize the Methodist "sprinkling" procedure.<ref>Tharpe, ''Mr. Baptist'', pp. 37-38, 40</ref>

Tharpe was one of the first two graduates of the [[Louisiana Missionary Baptist Institute and Seminary]]<ref name=lbu>{{cite web|url=http://www.lbu.edu/faculty&staff.htm|title=Louisiana Baptist University, faculty and staff listing|publisher=lbu.edu|access date=December 24, 2008}}</ref>, established in Minden in 1952 by pastor Clover.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.calvarybaptistminden.com/pages/aboutcalvary.html|title=History of Calvary Missionary Baptist Church, Minden, Louisiana|publisher=calvarybaptistminden.com|access date=December 24, 2008}}</ref> At seventeen, Tharpe began working for the Illinois Central Railroad. When he entered LMBIS in 1952, Tharpe told Clover that he wanted to keep his job and study part-time. Clover told him that such a decision would demonstrate a lack of faith, that Tharpe must be full-time in the ministry to succeed, and depend on [[God]] for his sustenance.<ref>Tharpe, ''Mr. Baptist'', p. 143</ref>LMBIS is affiliated with the American Baptist Association, a Landmark Baptist entity based in Texarkana, [[Texas]], the organization of Missionary Baptist churches distinct from Southern Baptists or Independent Baptists.<ref name=mph>{{cite web|url=http://www.nwlanews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=11318&Itemid=33|title=[[Obituary]] of Jimmy G. Tharpe, November 30, 2008|publisher=''Minden Press-Herald''|access date=December 24, 2008}}</ref>

After LMBIS, Tharpe procured a master of arts degree from Trinity College ([[Florida]]), signed by the college president T.W. Watson. Trinity was then in Clearwater but since relocated to Temple Terrace in Hillsborough County near [[Tampa, Florida|Tampa]]. He was in-house at Florida Trinity for only two summers but transferred credits from Methodist-affiliated Centenary College of Shreveport and East Texas Baptist University in Marshall, toward the master's degree.<ref>Tharpe, ''Mr. Baptist'', p. 143</ref> Trinity no longer offers master's degrees. Evangelist [[Billy Graham]] graduated from Florida Trinity when the institution was known as Florida Bible Institute. Tharpe years later received his doctor of philosophy degree from [[National Christian University]] based in Lytle, south of San Antonio, Texas, but with a campus also in [[Dallas, Texas|Dallas]]. His memoirs do not give the years of any of his degrees.<ref>Tharpe, ''Mr. Baptist'', p. 12</ref>

Tharpe also received numerous honorary degrees, including a doctor of divinity from [[Tennessee Temple University]] in Chattanooga, and a doctor of humane letters from [[Midwestern Baptist College]] of Pontiac, [[Michigan]]. While in Pontiac, he was invited to speak at the Detroit Baptist Temple located there.<ref name=lbu/>

==Biblical teachings==

Tharpe taught the principle that a believer in Christ could not lose the gift of salvation regardless of subsequent [[sin]]. In his memoirs, he writes, "When a child of God sins, the chastisement of God will come. . . . When [[Samson]] (who was a man of God) sinned, he lost his eyes, his respect, and finally lost his life. He didn't lose his salvation. He lost his joy, then his life. God's word teaches that [[Moses]] died a premature death because he smote the rock instead of speaking to it. He died because of disobedience to God. [[King David|David]] sinned by committing [[adultery]], then tried to hide it by [[murder]]. God did not take his salvation, but he did take his joy. David said in [[Psalm]] 51:12, "restore unto me the joy of thy salvation.." Losing your joy is probably the worst of all chastisements. Yet, God chastens his children.<ref>Tharpe, ''Mr. Baptist'', pp. 192-193</ref>

In regard to the [[New Testament]] church, Tharpe taught that Jesus "did not organize a big, universal, mystical body. He organized a local church with a group of baptized believers who [[covenant]]ed together in an assembly to carry out His commands. It is a privilege to be a part of it. Great blessings are in store for those who keep the doors of the church open. People who put Christ first, who will dare to be different, who will suffer for his cause, are the ones who believe that His church is great."<ref>Tharpe, ''Mr. Baptist'', p. 203</ref>

==Ministerial matters, 1952-2003==

Tharpe's active ministry began in 1951 as a Methodist. In 1952, he entered LMBIS under Clover's close tutelage and organized and pastored Trinity Baptist Church in Doyline, also in Webster Parish, then a Missionary Baptist congregation, located west of his native Sibley.<ref>Tharpe, ''Mr. Baptist'', pp. 60-61</ref>In 1956, Tharpe was called to Baptist Tabernacle in Shreveport, then a Missionary Baptist institution planted in 1954 by Foster Dare Lott, Sr. (1920-1966), the state and local missionary for Missionary Baptists, who was originally commissioned from Calvary Church in Minden. Lott was known for tent revivals, an old practice still popular in [[rural]] communities during the 1950s.<ref>Tharpe, ''Mr. Baptist'', p. 36</ref> Tharpe pastored Baptist Tabernacle (not to be confused with another congregation which it later began, Shreveport Baptist Temple) for forty-seven years until his retirement in 2003. In his memoirs, Tharpe said that the pain of leaving Trinity Baptist, which began with five members, was so difficult that he never wanted to leave another congregation again and was committed to finishing his ministry at Shreveport Tabernacle.<ref>Tharpe, ''Mr. Baptist'', p. 54</ref>

During the 1960s, Shreveport Tabernacle was switched from Missionary Baptist to Independent Baptist affiliation because of a dispute within Missionary Baptist ranks between Lott and Clover which climaxed at an associational meeting in Bossier City, Louisiana. Tharpe stood with Lott and his colleague, C.K. House, and against the association leadership. In effect, Tharpe was evicted from Missionary Baptist fellowship for siding with Lott. Shreveport Tabernacle and several smaller churches were even forbidden to use the Missionary Baptist facility, the Boggs Springs Youth Encampment in southwest Arkansas. Shreveport Tabernacle hence built its own youth camp. Years later, Tharpe and Clover encountered each other again at a funeral in Sarepta, also in Webster Parish, and managed to put aside the old animosities. Clover told Tharpe that he had regarded Tharpe as one of his most capable students at the seminary and was pleased with Tharpe's success at Shreveport Tabernacle. Upon Clover's death, Mrs. Tommie B. Clover (1905-2002) gave Tharpe many of her husband's books.<ref>Tharpe, ''Mr. Baptist'', p. 51-53</ref>

Tharpe was also responsible for the establishment of some seventy-five churches in Louisiana and Texas,<ref name=mph/>the last having been Sibley Baptist Tabernacle in Tharpe's hometown. On a number of Sundays, Tharpe preached at Sibley Tabernacle in a 9 a.m. service and returned to Shreveport for the 11 a.m. worship.<ref>Tharpe, ''Mr. Baptist'', p. 60-61</ref>

==Baptist Christian College==

Baptist Christian College began as an institution for ministerial and other church-related vocations. In 1964, the bachelor's degree in elementary education was added for teachers in Christian schools. In 1967, Louisiana Department of Education granted state teacher certification to those completing the BCC curriculum, a move which allowed BCC graduates to teach in public schools. In 1971, offerings in secondary education were added with state certification for the graduates. The Louisiana Board of Regents licensed BCC in 1993, but the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools refused to grant accreditation. With federal funding available, BCC grew in numbers and programs. It became particularly known as "the Cradle of Coaches" for its training of successful athletes into coaching careers. BCC athletes won state championships, produced "All Americans": nine in [[basketball]], six in baseball, and three in [[football]]. In time, too rapid expansion with off-campus and prison inmate programs and the ending of federal funds caused BCC to close its doors after thirty-five years.<ref>Tharpe, ''Mr. Baptist]], pp. 129-132</ref>

Edith Tharpe, like her husband was a Sibley High School alumnus. She received her bachelor's degree from BCC and then procured master's and Ph.D. degrees by commuting to Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana. Her doctoral dissertation is on "Teacher Morale", a part of which was subsequently featured in a national magazine. Her career outside the home was as the dean of the BCC Education Department.<ref>Tharpe, ''Mr. Baptist'', pp. 144-145</ref>

==Baptist Christian Academy==

The accredited Baptist Christian Academy began in 1964 with grades one through eight. High school was added thereafter for the promotion of Christian education. When [[public school]] desegregation came to Caddo Parish in the late 1960s, BCA had more requests for admission than space was available. Tharpe recalls in his memoirs "After a year of weeding the tares from the [[wheat]], we had a good school, and for years maintained a strong and healthy enrollment. Then, one by one, new schools sprang up, and many [parents] who had come begging left to go to schools more conveniently located. Many who left were among the founders of these newly-created schools.<ref>Tharpe, ''Mr. Baptist'', pp. 132-133</ref>

Tharpe noted that over the years, Shreveport parents grew tolerant of desegregated schools and many withdrew their children from private schools because it was more affordable to family pocketbooks. Enrollment in all private schools slowly declined, and two institutions, First Baptist Academy and Calvary Baptist Academy, cut back to grades one through eight. Baptist Christian Academy closed entirely in 1988. Tharpe said that "we lasted a long, long time and, sadly, joined the ranks of those who gave in to the diminishing preference in Christian education."<ref>Tharpe, ''Mr. Baptist'', p. 134</ref>

==Louisiana Baptist University==

Louisiana Baptist University was founded in 1973 as a graduate school distinct from the four-year Baptist Christian College. The stated purpose of LBU is to provide graduate educational opportunities for pastors and Christian workers while they are simultaneously working at their churches. LBU has trained thousands of pastors and church workers, including more than a dozen Christian college or seminary presidents. Tharpe retired from LBU in 1992 and was succeeded by [[Neal Weaver]] (born 1940). LBU serves about 100 in-class ministerial students and another approximately 1,200 in distance education from 48 states and some 40 other nations. The institution has strived to maintain the latest technology in distance education.<ref name=weaver>Statement of Dr. [[Neal Weaver]], Shreveport, Louisiana, December 12, 2008</ref>

The name Louisiana Baptist University and Theological Seminary was coined in 1994 to separate the identity of the school more clearly from Baptist Christian College, which, as it developed, closed two years thereafter. LBU was previously housed in the Centrum Building on Hollywood Avenue in Shreveport. It relocated to a 12,500-square-foot facility off Interstate 20 at 6301 Westport Avenue in the center of West Shreveport.<ref>Tharpe, ''Mr. Baptist'', pp. 135-137</ref>

Numerous LBU faculty and administrators procured degrees from LBU, a practice questioned by the accrediting bodies. Rick Walston, who compiled ''Walston's Guide to Christian Distance Learning'' said that LBU has not sought accreditation from either a secular board or a Christian agency.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=OIFgESgQlzsC&pg=PA243&lpg=PA243&dq=jimmy+g.+tharpe&source=web&ots=drBbJ1clNw&sig=znfYkNxtXO4FqIe9r0CLf-Y1UrE&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=4&ct=result|title=''Walston's Guide to Christian Distance Learning''|publisher=Google Books|access date=December 24, 2008}}</ref>

==Friends of the ministry==

Tharpe invited Shreveport Mayor Clyde Fant, a Democrat, to the dedication of the santuary building of Shreveport Tabernacle. In his memoirs, Tharpe referred to Fant, a Southern Baptist, as "a remarkable person and instrumental in helping us in so many ways. . . . He was such a great mayor and did a lot for the church to make the dedication day possible."<ref>Tharpe, ''Mr. Baptist'', pp. 58-59</ref>

Tharpe gives special consideration to two [[Episcopal]]ians who aided the ministry. Shreveport attorney George Whitfield Jack, Jr. (1906 - deceased) represented Baptist Tabernacle before the Securities and Exchange Commission, which was investigating the sale of church bonds. A government administrator in Fort Worth, Texas, had told Tharpe that the church had two weeks before it must declare bankruptcy, but Jack's trip quickly resolved the matter.<ref>Tharpe, ''Mr. Baptist'', pp. 71-74</ref>

Tharpe also developed a close friendship with Republican [[Governor]] [[Mike Foster|Murphy J. "Mike" Foster, Jr.]], whom Tharpe supported in the 1995 jungle primary before Foster began to emerge as the leading candidate. The Episcopalian Foster invited Tharpe to lead the prayer at Foster's inauguration ceremony. Tharpe presented Foster with an honorary degree from LBU. Earlier, Tharpe had accorded such honors to former Republican Governor [[David C. Treen]].<ref>Tharpe, ''Mr. Baptist'', pp. 91-92, 112-113.</ref>

Others listed as "Friends of the Ministry" are the late [[Jerry Falwell]] of [[Liberty University]] in Lynchburg, [[Virginia]], [[Lee Roberson]], the founder of Tennessee Temple University, Falwell mentor [[B.R. Lakin]], and [[R.G. Lee]] of [[Bellevue Baptist Church]] in Memphis, Tennessee. Two [[Western (genre)|Western]] [[film]] stars, Lash La Rue (1917-1996) and [[Dale Robertson]], best known for his old television series ''Tales of Wells Fargo'', are also mentioned in Tharpe's memoirs. Tharpe declared "Lash La Rue" day at Baptist Tabernacle and baptized the Louisiana-born actor, who had already declared his belief in Jesus Christ.<ref>Tharpe, ''Mr. Baptist'', pp. 74-76, 86-87, 115</ref> Missionary Baptist policy restricts formal pulpit speaker to members of that denomination, but Tharpe said that he felt he should offer access to any traditional believer in the Gospel regardless of denominational ties.<ref>Tharpe, ''Mr. Baptist'', pp. 53-54</ref>

==Death and legacy==

Tharpe, a diabetic for the last two decades of his life, recovered from a stroke in the 1990s but died of congestive heart failure.<ref name=weaver>Statement of Dr. Neal Weaver, Shreveport, Louisiana, December 12, 2008</ref> Tharpe was survived by six children, all of Shreveport, Kathy T. Martin (born 1951) and husband, Charles Philip Martin (born 1949); Sharon Stevens (born 1953) and husband, Al D. Stevens; Jimmy G. Tharpe, Jr. (born 1954) and wife, Kimberly; Deborah T. "Debbye" Langley (born 1955) and husband, Gregory James Langley (born 1952); Roger David Tharpe (born 1957) and wife, the former Karen Ann Pharr, and Brenda Gayle Scott (born 1964) and husband, Paul Scott; twenty grandchildren; twenty-four great-grandchildren, and two brothers, George Norman Tharpe (born 1932) and wife, Darlene, and Jack Donald Tharpe (born 1935) and wife, Barbara, all of Sibley. Tharpe's only sister, Bonnie Lee, died at the age of eight.<ref name=stimes>{{cite web|url=http://www.legacy.com/shreveporttimes/Obituaries.asp?Page=Lifestory&PersonId=120691357|title=Obituary of Jimmy G. Tharpe, November 28, 2008|publisher=''Shreveport Times''|access date=December 24, 2008}}</ref>

Services were held on November 29, 2008, at Baptist Tabernacle. Interment followed at Forest Park West Cemetery in Shreveport.<ref name=stimes/>

On December 1, 1978, Tharpe was inducted into the Preacher's Hall of Fame in Fort Worth, an honor bestowed on living ministers. In the ceremony, it was noted that Tharpe "is in constant demand as a speaker all over America and in many foreign lands." Inducted along with Tharpe was Dr. [[Wendell Zimmerman]], one of the original founders of [[Baptist Bible College]] of Springfield, [[Missouri]].<ref>Tharpe, ''Mr. Baptist'', pp. 221-222</ref>Tharpe is also honored through the J.G. Tharpe Life Center at Baptist Tabernacle, 8501 East Kingston Road, Shreveport, LA 71118,<ref name=stimes/>One of Tharpe's grandsons, Dustin Aaron Tharpe (born 1982), became in 2008 the student pastor at Baptist Tabernacle.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.baptisttabernacle.net/staff.html|title=Baptist Tabernacle staff|publisher=baptisttabernacle.net|access date=December 24, 2008}}</ref>

In 2003, Tharpe published his autobiography entitled ''Mr. Baptist''.<ref>Jimmy G. Tharpe, ''Mr. Baptist'', Springfield, Missouri: 21st Century Press, 2003, 224 pp, ISBN 0-9728899-2-2</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tharpe, Jimmy G.}}
[[Category:Clergy]]
[[Category:Fundamentalists]]
[[Category:Louisiana People]]
my mom got scared, and said, "You're movin' with your auntie and uncle in Bel-Air." I whistled for a cab and when it came near The license plate said fresh and it had dice in the mirror. If anything I could say that this cab was rare, but I thought, "Nah, forget it. Yo, holmes to Bel-Air!" I pulled up to the house about 7 or 8 and I yelled to the cabbie, "Yo holmes smell ya later!" Looked at my kingdom I was finally there, to sit on my throne as the prince of Bel-Air.

Billy Sunday

2009-06-23T01:51:05Z

JoshB:

[[image:BillySunday006.jpg|200px|thumb|Billy Sunday]]
'''Billy Sunday''' (his real name; in full, ''William Ashley Sunday'') (1862-1935) was, during his heyday—roughly 1910-20—the most famous [[evangelist]] in [[United States of America|America]]. In his [[revival]] meetings hundreds of thousands of people accepted his invitation to come forward and "hit the sawdust trail" (publicly declare their commitment to [[Christ]]). Over a hundred million people heard Sunday in person, and by his account he [[convert]]ed a million of them.<ref name=time/> His large-scale events, which blended preaching with elements of salesmanship, showmanship, and business-like organization, were unlike anything that had preceded him.<ref>[http://www.billysunday.org/literature/NYC_Campaign_Organization.php3 Plan for the New York City campaign]: suggests the level of detail and preparation that went into a Billy Sunday evangelistic campaign</ref>

==Baseball player to preacher==
[[image:Billysundaycard.jpg|150px|thumb|left|Billy Sunday on a baseball card]]
His first career was as [[baseball]] player with the [[Chicago Cubs|Chicago White Stockings]] from 1883-7, the [[Pittsburgh Pirates|Pittsburgh Alleghenies]] in 1888-90, and briefly with the [[Philadelphia Phillies]].<ref>[http://www.baseball-reference.com/s/sundabi01.shtml Billy Sunday statistics], baseballreference.com</ref> He was a well-known and notable player (though not stellar), famous for his running speed in the outfield and as a base stealer. He was clocked rounding the bases in fourteen seconds, and in footraces he beat out both the fastest runner in amy mom got scared, and said, "You're movin' with your auntie and uncle in Bel-Air." I whistled for a cab and when it came near The license plate said fresh and it had dice in the mirror. If anything I could say that this cab was rare, but I thought, "Nah, forget it. Yo, holmes to Bel-Air!" I pulled up to the house about 7 or 8 and I yelled to the cabbie, "Yo holmes smell ya later!" Looked at my kingdom I was finally there, to sit on my throne as the prince of Bel-Air. competing baseball league and a professional sprinter.<ref>Those races were reported in the ''Chicago Tribune,'' Aug. 21, 1885 and Nov. 9, 1885. The races are discussed in ''Sunday at the Ballpark: Billy Sunday's Professional Baseball Career 1883-1890'', by Wendy Knickerbocker, Scarecrow Press, 2000, p. 42-43, 45-47.</ref> A hard drinker off the field, in 1886 he was literally picked out of the gutter, drunk, by workers at the Chicago's [[Pacific Garden Mission]], was converted, and stopped drinking.

In the spring of 1891 Sunday resigned his Philadelphia Phillies contract of $3000 for 6-7 months of work for an $83/month job as "Secretary of the Religious Department" at the Chicago [[YMCA]]. Two years later he became an advance man for revivalist [[J. Wilbur Chapman]], and learned how to organize revival meetings. In January of 1896 he went out on his own and hosted his first revival meeting in Garner, [[Iowa]], and he was ordained as a [[Presbyterian]] minister in 1903.<ref name=cc>[http://www.christianchronicler.com/history1/fundamentalism_and_billy_sunday.html Fundamentalism and Billy Sunday], ''Billy Sunday Was His Real Name'', by William McLoughlin, University of Chicago Press, 1955, p. 8-11.</ref>

By 1914, he was a national celebrity, conducting campaigns in big cities which lasted many weeks and attracted tens of thousands of people. In 1917, he conducted a ten-week campaign in [[New York]] in which 98,000 people accepted Christ.<ref>Lyle Dorsett, ''Billy Sunday and the Redemption of Urban America'', Grand Rapids: Wm. Eerdmans, 1991, p. 106-107.</ref>Gale's ''American Decades'' says that by 1920 he was the best-known evangelist in America.

==Preaching style==
[[Image:Billysundaypose.jpg|right]]
Sunday was unabashedly uneducated and spoke in the plain speech of ordinary people, a marked contrast to the dignified style of other [[minister]]s. This was unusual, even shocking at the time. [[School]]s trained students in [[elocution]] and [[rhetoric]]. Ministers and public speakers were expected to use formal, educated [[English]]. A 1920 book for English teachers bracketed Sunday with a humorist famous for introducing [[slang]] into written English:
:...all of us enjoy baseball slang, and [[George Ade]] and his rival in slang, Billy Sunday, are popular because they use these picturesque shortcuts that in many instances are destined to become the main paths of verbal expression.<ref>Hall-Quest, Albert Law (1920) ''The Textbook: How to Use and Judge it'', Macmillan, [http://books.google.com/books?id=a3bfVRnNovwC&pg=PA159&dq=%22billy+sunday%22+%22george+ade%22 p. 22]</ref>

A 1907 profile tells of him retelling [[New Testament]] stories in his own style:
:"Oh, but the [[Devil]] is a smooth guy! ... So the devil went out in the wilderness after the Saviour. Now, Christ was a man. He had all the attributes of a man. He was tired, he was hungry, he was lonely, just the way you and I would have been. And the Devil walks up to him and says—" [Here the preacher drew himself into ... a personification of the sneering arrogance of [[Mephistopheles]]...] "He says, 'Son of God, hey?'"
The commentator notes that at the first meetings, local ministers had "looked at each other and were horrified," but were won over, and quotes one as saying
:"The man has trampled all over me and my [[theology]]. He has kicked my teachings up and down that platform like a [[football]]. He has outraged every ideal I have had regarding my sacred profession. But what does that count, as against the results he has accomplished? My congregation will be increased by hundreds. I didn't do it. Sunday did it. It is for me to humble myself and thank God for his help. He is doing God's work. That I know."<ref>Denison, Lindsay (1907), "The Rev. Billy Sunday and his War on the Devil." ''The American Magazine'' '''64'''(5), September 1907, [http://books.google.com/books?id=8eYvAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA451-IA2&dq=%22billy+sunday%22#PPA454,M1 p. 454]</ref>

Billy Sunday gave his speech vigorous physical accompaniment. Sunday's "tabernacles" held audiences of about fifteen thousand people, to whom he spoke without any sound equipment. To one observer, his platform manners recalled those of the [[Broadway]] performer [[George M. Cohan]], and with good reason:
:Needing to arrest the attention of an incredibly large number of people, he adopts various evolutions that have a genuine emphatic value. It is a physical language... Sunday gives to his words a drive that makes you tense in your seat. Whipping like a flash from one side of the table to the other, he makes your mind keep unison with his body."<ref name=tnr>"Billy Sunday," ''The New Republic,'' March 20, 1915, from ''The New Republic Book,'' [http://books.google.com/books?id=x7IiAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA183&as_brr=1#PPA183,M1 p. 183]</ref>
A 1917 biographer referred to his "acrobatic preaching," saying "Sunday is a physical sermon. In a unique sense he glorifies [[God]] with his body."<ref name=ellis>Ellis, WIlliam T. (1917), [http://www.archive.org/details/billysundaymanan00ellirich Billy Sunday: The Man and His Message]; online text at archive.org</ref> A description of him in action says
:He begins to dance like a [[shadow boxing|shadow-boxer]]. He slaps his hands together with a report like a broken electric lamp. He poses on one foot like a fast ball pitcher winding up. He jumps upon a chair. In the stress of his routine he may stand with one foot in the chair and another on the lectern. All the while he is flaying the "whisky kings," the German war lords, slackers, suffragettes, or the local ministry. And, if his story of the [[sinner]] come home to salvation fits the gesture, he may emphasize the moral by throwing himself on the floor with an outstretched arm groping for the home plate like a baserunner sliding safely in with a stolen run.<ref name=nytobit/>
Sometimes he smashed chairs in his "rage against Satan." He perspired heavily from this vigorous performance;<ref name=cc/> reporters sitting near the stage had to endure a "fine rain of perspiration from the evangelist's flailing arms and contorted brow."<ref name=time/>

==The "Sawdust Trail"==
Sunday is associated with the phrase "to hit the sawdust trail." After starting in tents, he conducted his meetings in roughly-built wooden "tabernacles." [[Sawdust]] covered the ground in lieu of a floor. At the climax of his meetings, he would call on people to come up the aisles and declare their commitment to Christ.

William T. Ellis wrote in 1914,<ref>Ellis, William T, ''Billy Sunday: The Man and His Message with His Own Words Which Have Won Thousands for Christ," John C. Winston Co., Philadelphia, 1914</ref> "Out in the Puget Sound country, where the sawdust aisles and the rough tabernacle made an especial appeal to the woodsmen, the phrase 'hitting the sawdust trail' came into use in Mr. Sunday's meetings." Ellis calls it a "luminous" substitute for "the older stereotyped phrases: 'going forward,' 'seeking the altar.'" and contrasts Sunday's approach with "the more conventional method, used by older evangelists, [of asking for] a show of hands."

The [[Encyclopedia of Evangelism]] says that Billy Sunday would "invite—more often, taunt—his auditors to 'hit the sawdust trail.'"<ref name=ee>''The Encyclopedia of Evangelism,'' 2002, Westminster John Knox Press, [http://books.google.com/books?id=syUupeVJOz4C&pg=PA506&dq=%22hit+the+sawdust+trail%22&as_brr=3&sig=l8C08mCLjLPKvJp68kpRRbZhhvU#PPA12,M1 Altar Call]</ref>

==Beliefs==
Sunday famously claimed that he did not know "any more about theology than a [[jack rabbit]] knows about [[pingpong]]."<ref name=time>[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,937270-1,00.html Huckster in the Tabernacle], Time Magazine, Oct. 10, 1955 (review of William G. McLoughlin's book ''Billy Sunday Was His Real Name'')</ref> The [[New York Times]] classified him as a [[fundamentalist]]—"perhaps the most interesting Fundamentalist, next to Mr. [[William Jennings Bryan|Bryan]]."

He fiercely opposed [[alcohol]]:
:[[whisky|Whiskey]] and [[beer]] are all right in their place, but their place is in [[hell]].... The [[saloon]] is the sum of all villainies. It is worse than war or pestilence. It is the crime of crimes. It is parent of crimes and the mother of sins. It is the appalling source of misery and crime in the land and the principal cause of crime. It is the source of three-fourths of the taxes to support that crime. And to license such an incarnate fiend of hell is the dirtiest, low-down, damnable business on top of this old earth.<ref>[http://billysunday.org/sermons/booze.html Famous 'Booze Sermon'], billysunday.org</ref>

He opposed [[dance|dancing]]: "You must want a lot of prostitutes or you wouldn't sow dances... Somebody says to me: 'Mr. Sunday, are you going to include the [[square dance]]?' They all look alike to me. It does not take very long to cut the corners off. Sure it is harmful, especially for girls. Young men can drink and [[gamble]] and frequent houses of ill fame, but the only way a girl can get recreation is in a narrow gauge buggy ride on a moonlight night or at a dance. If you can't see any harm in this kind of thing, why I guess the Lord will let you out as an idiot."<ref>[http://www.biblebelievers.com/billy_sunday/sun12.html Theatre, Cards, and Dance], sermon by Billy Sunday</ref> He opposed [[cigarette]]s: "I say to you, young girl, don't go with that godless, God-forsaken, sneering young man that walks the streets smoking cigarettes. He would not walk the streets with you if you smoked cigarettes."<ref name=ellis/>

He believed in a literal [[Hell]], and invoked it frequently in his sermons. He said "If we had more preaching on Hell from the pulpit, we would have less Hell in the congregation."<ref>[http://www.swordofthelord.com/archives/DangerofDelay.htm The Danger of Delay], sermon by Dr. Curtis Hutson (1934–1995)</ref>. In a sermon, he said "If you ever had any doubt about a literal Hell, a fiery Hell, where the wicked must remain forever, it would all vanish as I see Jesus Christ in [[Gethsemane]], agonizing because men would not accept Him and were going to Hell."<ref>[http://www.biblebelievers.com/billy_sunday/sun16.html Gethsemane], sermon by Billy Sunday</ref>

He considered the [[theory of evolution]] to be "bunk, junk, and poppycock."<ref name=hartt>Hartt, Rolin Lynde (1923), "Deep Conflict Divides Protestantism," ''The New York Times'' December 16, 1923, p. XX5</ref> He once dismissed it by saying, "I don't believe in the bastard theory that men came from protoplasm by the fortuitous concurrence of atoms."<ref>Quoted in ''Billy Sunday Was His Real Name'', by William McLoughlin, University of Chicago Press, 1955, p. 132.</ref>

He was inclusive toward [[Negroes]], welcoming them to his services. In 1918 he supported "industrial equality," stating that "If the Negro is good enough to fight in the trenches and to buy Liberty bonds, his girl is good enough to work alongside any white girl in the [[munitions]] factories."<ref>[http://dbs.ohiohistory.org/africanam/page1.cfm?ItemID=2568 Billy Sunday for Industrial Equality for Negro Citizens], Ohio History Society</ref>

He favored women's right to [[vote]]. He favored sex education:<ref name=ames>[http://www.ameshistoricalsociety.org/residents_sunday.htm Famous Ames Residents: Billy Sunday], Ames Historical Society</ref> ("Prudery is no more a sign of virtue than a [[wig]] is of hair").

He favored [[labor union|labor unions]], but within limits: "It would be the greatest calamity of history if [[Eugene V. Debs]] ever became [[president of the United States]].... hell would hold a jubilee and [[heaven]] would hang a crepe on her door.... I have championed the cause of the union man all my life, but I'm dead against the radical in whatever form he may appear."<ref>Karsner, David (1922), ''Talks with Debs in Terre Haute,'' New York Call; [http://books.google.com/books?id=m0-D2Q74BxwC&pg=PA57&ie=ISO-8859-1#PPA56,M1 p. 57]</ref>

==Converts and financial success==
He was financially successful, a point which his critics noted. It was his practice to keep the proceeds of the last day of his campaigns. He published his results measured both by numbers of converts and by dollars in thank offerings. Through 1916, he made over twenty appearances in cities ranging in size from small ([[Erie, Pennsylvania]]; [[Canton, Ohio]]) to large ([[Boston]], [[Philadelphia]], [[New York City|New York]]), and claimed a total of over 600,000 converts and $680,000 in donations<ref name=nytobit>"Billy Sunday Dies, Evangelist was 71," ''The New York Times,'' November 7, 1935, p. 1. Totals calculated from numbers in article.</ref> (equivalent to about $13 million today).<ref name=westegg>[http://www.westegg.com/inflation/ The Inflation Calculator]</ref>. In 1920 [[Dun and Bradstreet]] estimated his worth at $1.4 million ($16 million today).

==Criticism==
A 1916 writer commented that
:When people who have read Billy Sunday say he is irreverent, or frivolous, or that he is a poseur, or that (as some people seem to think) he is a mere financial adventurer or speculator in sermons, the most common reply one hears from people who have heard him is, "I thought so, too, until I went and listened to him and watched him." Then for a few minutes one hears the more or less helpless [[apologist]] for Billy ... trying to explain (like explaining the flavour of a [[raspberry]] to one who won't taste one).<ref>Lee, Gerald Stanley (1916): ''We; a Confession of Faith for the American People During and After the War'', Doubleday, Page, [http://books.google.com/books?id=dGgAAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA537&dq=%22billy+sunday%22&as_brr=1#PPA537,M1 p. 537]</ref>

Some questioned the permanence of Sunday's "conversions." Following the famous 1917 revival in New York, the [[Federal Council of Churches]] found that only 200 of the 68,000 were permanent converts.<ref name=nytobit/> In 1921, a commentator wrote:
:In spite of the thousands that have hit the sawdust trail, however, it is difficult to believe that more than a tiny proportion of his auditors are religiously affected by him. Very few give any signs of seriousness or "conversion." The great majority of those who hit the trail are merely people who want to shake his hand.... His audiences are curious to see him and hear him. He is a remarkable public entertainer, and much that he says has keen humor and verbal art and [[horse sense]]. But ... he leaves an impression of being at once violent and incommunicative, a salesman for [[Christianity]] but not a guide or friend.<ref>Hackett, Francis (1921), ''The Invisible Censor,'' B.W. Huebsch, Inc.; [http://books.google.com/books?id=ln1ixFuVoUsC&pg=PA23&ots=a2iRPCJG_X&dq=%22billy+sunday%22+shaking+shake+hand&ie=ISO-8859-1&sig=hNWhl_TXHcL53rx0MTSo9CUmPHs#PPA30,M1 p. 30] (of reprint)</ref>
Sunday's reply to such criticisms was "They tell me a revival is only temporary; so is a bath, but it does you good."<ref>[http://www.fbbc.com/messages/billys.htm Sayings of Billy Sunday]</ref> He felt that it was the local [[clergy|clergy's]] job to retain the people he converted: "If you are too lazy to take care of the baby after it is born, don't blame the doctor."<ref name=tnr>"Billy Sunday," ''The New Republic,'' March 20, 1915, from ''The New Republic Book,'' [http://books.google.com/books?id=x7IiAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA183&as_brr=1#PPA183,M1 p. 183]</ref>

Sunday was criticized by the liberal clergy of the day. Left-leaning [[Leon Milton Birkhead]] called Sunday's theology "a [[mediaeval]] belief that Christianity somehow is a fire-escape from a future hell." In 1916 [[Unitarian]] minister [[Joel H. Metcalf]] said "I cannot see how any cultivated person can be other than terribly revolted by the extreme sensationalism, the coarse jokes, the super-slang, the bawd characterizations, the ribald Billingsgate, and the dancing dervish contortions of the revivalist, where perspiration seems to be confused with inspiration."<ref>[http://personal.tmlp.com/richard/1916.htm Liberalism and the Modern Revival], sermon by Joel H. Metcalf, Winchester Star (Winchester, VA), December 8, 1916</ref>

Sunday fascinated the liberal intelligentsia of the time, who often made him a target of their mockery. [[Sinclair Lewis]]' novel [[Babbitt]] includes a character named Mike Monday, "the distinguished evangelist, the best-known [[Protestantism|Protestant]] pontiff in America.... As a prize-fighter he gained nothing but his crooked nose, his celebrated vocabulary, and his stage-presence. The service of the Lord had been more profitable." In his novel, a visit by Monday is opposed by "certain [[Episcopalian]] and [[Congregationalism|Congregationalist]] ministers," whom Monday calls "a bunch of gospel-pushers with dish-water instead of blood, a gang of squealers that need more dust on the knees of their pants and more hair on their skinny old chests." Later, Lewis was to write [[Elmer Gantry]], a novel about an evangelical preacher with resemblances to Sunday. (Sunday in turn referred to Lewis as "Satan's cohort.")<ref>[http://www.bookrags.com/studyguide-elmer-gantry/intro.html Elmer Gantry study guide], bookrags.com.</ref>

[[C. E. S. Wood]] in ''Heavenly Discourse'' depicts Billy Sunday as going to Heaven, addressing St. Michael and God as "Hello, Mike. Howdy, Pardner," and offering to conduct a revival there: "I can pack heaven so tight the [[flea]]s will squeal, and all I want is the gate-receipts for the last performance." [[Carl Sandburg]]'s poem, "To A Contemporary Bunkshooter," attacked Sunday using demotic speech similar to Sunday's own.<ref>Sandburg, Carl (1916), ''Chicago Poems,'' [http://www.bartleby.com/165/54.html To A Contemporary Bunkshooter], online text at Bartleby.com</ref>

==External links==
*[http://www.biblebelievers.com/billy_sunday/ Billy Sunday sermons], full text of eighteen of his sermons
*[http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Great%20Men%20of%20God/billy_sunday-video.htm Video] of Billy Sunday preaching
*[http://www.wheaton.edu/bgc/archives/sunday/sunday02.html Billy Sunday archives]
==See also==
* [[Third Great Awakening]]
==Notes and references==
<references/>

{{DEFAULTSORT: Sunday, Billy}}
[[Category:Clergy]]
[[Category:Fundamentalism]]
[[Category:Revivals]]
[[Category:Progressive Era]]
[[Category:1920s]]