Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Atheist Delusions

2015-12-16T21:13:04Z

KyleOptimum: Making a sentence more concise

'''''Atheist Delusions: The Christian Revolution and Its Fashionable Enemies''''' is a 2009 book by theologian, philosopher, and cultural commentator [[David Bentley Hart]]. The book explores many of the historical and popular misconceptions of [[Christianity]]'s detractors.

Hart's thesis is that Christianity transformed the ancient world by:
* bringing liberation from [[fatalism]]
* conferring [[dignity]] on humans
* making [[charity]] the greatest of the [[virtue]]s

The so-called [[Age of Reason]] was, he argues, "the beginning of the eclipse of reason’s authority as a cultural value". Hart concludes by warning of the effcts on our culture of a continued decline of Christian spiritual and moral values.

''Atheist Delusions'' was published on 21 April 2009.
== See also ==
*[[Resources for leaving atheism and becoming a Christian]]
==Further Information==
http://yalepress.yale.edu/yupbooks/book.asp?isbn=9780300111903

[[Category:Atheism]]

Faith Freedom International

2015-12-16T21:10:37Z

KyleOptimum:

'''Faith Freedom International''' (often abbreviated as '''FFI''') is an organization critical of [[Islam]]. The organization was founded by [[Ali Sina]], a former [[Muslim]], and is geared towards showing Muslims the perceived fallacies within the Qu'ran, and the teachings of the Muslim prophet [[Muhammad]].<ref>[http://www.faithfreedom.org/index.htm FFI Home Page]</ref>

<references/>

==See also==

*[[Atheism]]
{{Nb Atheism}}

[[category:religious Organizations]]
[[Category:Atheism]]

DDT

2015-12-16T20:51:43Z

KyleOptimum:

'''Dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane''', commonly known as DDT, is a synthetic organic chemical compound that was first made in 1874 by Othmar Zeidler, an German-Austrian chemist.

In 1939, Paul Hermann Müller<ref>In 1948 Müller was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine "for his discovery of the high efficiency of DDT as a contact poison against several arthropods."</ref>, a Swiss chemist working for Geigy Pharmaceutical, discovered its pesticidal qualities. It was soon put to good use by Allied forces in World War II to help control [[malaria]] and [[typhus]], especially in the Asian and Pacific theatres.

Following the war it was used widely with great success to eliminate the last pockets of malaria from North America and Europe. In 1955 the [[World Health Organization]] started a program to eradicate malaria worldwide, largely through the spraying of DDT. Brazil, Egypt, the former Soviet Union and several Asian and Caribbean countries were freed from malaria, and 700 million people from risk of infection.

DDT was also widely adopted as an agricultural pesticide and it was, perhaps, overused by farmers.

==Campaign to ban DDT==

Although not toxic in small amounts, DDT, when accumulated in bodies through the food chain, has an adverse effect on bird lives. In 1962, naturalist Rachel Carson published ''[[Silent Spring]]'', a bestselling book that campaigned for regulation of the use of DDT.

* Rachel Carson sounded the initial alarm against DDT, but represented the science of DDT erroneously in her 1962 book Silent Spring. Carson wrote "Dr. DeWitt's now classic experiments [on quail and pheasants] have now established the fact that exposure to DDT, even when doing no observable harm to the birds, may seriously affect reproduction. Quail into whose diet DDT was introduced throughout the breeding season survived and even produced normal numbers of fertile eggs. But few of the eggs hatched." DeWitt's 1956 article (in Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry) actually yielded a very different conclusion. Quail were fed 200 parts per million of DDT in all of their food throughout the breeding season. DeWitt reports that 80% of their eggs hatched, compared with the "control"" birds which hatched 83.9% of their eggs. Carson also omitted mention of DeWitt's report that "control" pheasants hatched only 57 percent of their eggs, while those that were fed high levels of DDT in all of their food for an entire year hatched more than 80% of their eggs. [http://www.junkscience.com/ddtfaq.html]

Then, public sentiment escalated into calling for an [[DDT ban|outright ban of DDT]] and other synthetic pesticides.

In 1970, DDT was banned in Norway and Sweden. The U.S. banned it in 1972, and the UK in 1984. Most developed countries have banned its use but it is still used for disease control in some tropical countries where no other methods exist. The quantities required for public welfare are a small fraction of the amount previously used for agricultural purposes.

In 2001, 98 countries ratified the [[Stockholm Convention]], which calls for the elimination of DDT and other persistent organic chemicals after May 17, 2004, except for emergency health crises. However, in the absence of a suitable replacement, DDT is still allowed for disease vector control. In 2006 the World Health Organization announced that it will use DDT for [[indoor residual spraying]] (IRS) in epidemic and endemic areas to reduce childhood mortality from malaria. <ref>[http://malaria.who.int/docs/IRS-position.pdf] WHO - Indoor Residual Spraying - position paper</ref>

==See also==
[http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/ipcsneng/neng0034.html International Chemical Safety Card of DDT]

==Notes and References==
<references/>

[[Category:Chemical Compounds]]

Shadow Party

2015-12-16T20:48:09Z

KyleOptimum:

According to Discoverthenetworks.org:
{{cquote|[The] '''Shadow Party''' is a nationwide [[liberal]] network of more than five-dozen unions, non-profit activist groups, and think tanks whose agendas are ideologically to the left, which are engaged in campaigning for the Democrats. Its activities include fundraising, get-out-the-vote drives, political advertising and opposition research. The Shadow Party was conceived and organized principally by [[George Soros]], [[Hillary Clinton]] and [[Harold M. Ickes|Harold Ickes]].<ref name="discover">[http://www.discoverthenetworks.org/groupProfile.asp?grpid=6706 Shadow Party] Discover The Networks</ref>}}

Soros and his wife, Susan, contributed $13 million to the Shadow party cause in 2004<ref name="discover" />.

According to Frontpagemag.com:
{{cquote|The Shadow Party emerged from the dense thicket of campaign finance reforms engineered by Senators [[John McCain]] and [[Russ Feingold]]... This created an imperative that found its inevitable loophole [in soft money]... McCain-Feingold deprived the Democrats of their soft money, but the Shadow Party has provided an alternate channel for collecting unlimited contributions... under McCain-Feingold, they may no longer pass that money along to the [[Democratic]] Party, at least not directly. The solution? They give it to the Shadow Party instead<ref>[http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Read.aspx?GUID=1C995DDB-9F7D-4EB7-83A2-5304F950EB41 The Shadow Party: Part I] Front Page Magazine, October 6, 20004</ref>}}

==See Also==
* [[George Soros]]
* [[Media Matters]]
* [[Center for American Progress]]
* [[MoveOn]]
* [[Mainstream Media]]
* [[ACORN]]
* [[VoteVets.org]]

==Books==
* [http://www.shadowparty.com/ The Shadow Party]

==References==
<references/>
[[Category:Political Organizations]]
[[Category:Liberals]]
[[Category:Democratic Party]]

==External Links==
* [http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=106448 AP to distribute Soros-funded 'journalism', WND, August 09, 2009]

{{liberalism}}

Pseudoscience

2015-12-16T20:43:56Z

KyleOptimum:

'''Pseudoscience''' is [[theory]] or speculation which has the trappings and [[rhetoric]] of [[science]], and is presented as science, but does not follow the [[scientific method]]. Pseudoscientific theories are typically not [[falsifiable]], and their purveyors show unwillingness to allow outsiders to observe, test, or replicate their findings.

== Falsifiability ==
The most cited element of scientific theory is [[falsifiability]], established by [[philosopher]] [[Karl Popper]]<ref>[http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/popper/#BacHisTho Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, see in particular sections 2 and 3]</ref>. A falsifiable theory makes predictions, which can be used to test it. Thus, the theory of gravity is falsifiable, as it predicts that an apple held above the ground and released will fall. If it fails the test, it is discarded, and if it passes, it is not proven, but better supported.

== Disproven Science ==
The term pseudoscience is also often applied to theories which ''are'' falsifiable and have in fact been falsified and discarded. [[Phrenology]] predicted that psychological traits could be inferred from the shape of the skull, but no actual link was ever found. Various [[astrology|astrological]] theories predicted regular planetary effects on the earth and human health, but testing those failed.

The existence of [[God]] is thus not considered scientific theory, as no test can possibly be conceived which categorically disproves His existence. The same is the case for [[string theory]], which is a mathematical unification of scientific theory, but makes no predictions. Such things fall outside the realm of science.

== Charlatanism ==
The label ''pseudoscientist'' is commonly given to cranks and [[charlatan]]s, who claim abnormal powers and abilities, but refuse to demonstrate them in objective, controlled, monitored environments. For example, Uri Geller claims to be able to bend spoons without applying pressure to them, but he cannot do it in front of scientists or journalists<ref>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3vGGf-ZIkc Uri Geller debunked by James Randi and Johnny Carson</ref>. Countless conjurers and mediums claim to be able to speak with the dead, but controlled circumstances revealed that they were really only conducting clever psychological tricks.

== Metaphysics ==
[[Spiritual]], [[metaphysical]], [[philosophical]], and [[religious belief]]s are occasionally confused with pseudoscience, as there is often an overlap in rhetoric, and charlatans blur the lines between scientific and philosophical ideas of knowledge.

== Public belief ==
Despite evidence and logic against pseudoscientific theories, many remain popular among the public. Homeopathic medicine is available at most health-food stores and is a multi-billion dollar business, and 31% of Americans believe in astrology.

Notably, twice as many [[Democrats]] believe in astrology as [[Republicans]], showing a strong bent of irrationality and scientific [[illiteracy]] among [[liberals]].<ref>http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/index.asp?PID=359</ref>

There is no definitive or objective definition of the term "pseudoscience", so it is also sometimes used as a pejorative term. Pseudoscientists consider their work to be real science rather than pseudoscience. In addition to this, oftentimes theories which conflict with their theories are considered by them to be pseudoscience. Theories which are considered to be psuedoscience by the public may transition into being considered science if substantial evidence is found to support the theory. For example, before the theory of plate tectonics was fully developed, it was considered pseudoscience, whilst its predecessors, theories which involved an expanding Earth, are now considered pseudoscience.<ref>R. G. A. Dolby, ''Uncertain Knowledge: An Image of Science for a Changing World'', Published by Cambridge University Press, 2002. ISBN 0521892627, 9780521892629, 380 pages. [http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=xd3ylT3WTLEC&pg=PA191&dq=pseudoscience+pejorative&num=100&as_brr=3 Page 191]</ref><ref>Brian Stableford, ''Science Fact and Science Fiction'', Published by CRC Press, 2006, ISBN 0415974607, 9780415974608, 729 pages. [http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=uefwmdROKTAC&pg=PA410&dq=pseudoscience+pejorative&num=100&as_brr=3 Page 410]</ref>

==Examples of pseudosciences==
[[Image:5712dawkins.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Within the [[evolution|evolutionary]] science community and the [[creation science]] community, Richard Dawkins has faced charges of engaging in pseudoscience and also has faced charges of committing elementary errors.<ref>http://www.truefreethinker.com/articles/send-clowns-–-richard-dawkins-obliges</ref><ref>http://creation.com/the-greatest-hoax-on-earth/main.php</ref> For more information, please see: [[Richard Dawkins and pseudoscience]] ]]
* [[Animal magnetism]]
* [[Astrology]]
* [[Big Bang]] astronomy
* Much of the work of [[Richard Dawkins]]<ref>http://www.truefreethinker.com/articles/send-clowns-–-richard-dawkins-obliges</ref><ref>http://creation.com/the-greatest-hoax-on-earth/main.php</ref> (see: [[Richard Dawkins and pseudoscience]])
* [[Biodynamic agriculture]]
* [[Darwinism]]
* [[Dianetics]]
* [[Dominionism]]
* [[Evolution|Evolutionary biology]]<ref>http://www.icr.org/home/resources/resources_tracts_scientificcaseagainstevolution/</ref><ref>http://www.grisda.org/origins/04004.htm</ref><ref>http://www.uncommondescent.com/darwinism/there-is-no-theory-of-evolution/</ref> <ref>http://members.iinet.net.au/~sejones/PoE/pe05scnc.html</ref><ref>http://www.parentcompany.com/science_kit/sk3b.htm</ref><ref>http://www.apologeticspress.org/rr/reprints/Evolution-Fact-or-Theory.pdf</ref>
* [[Free Energy]]
* [[Graphology]]
* [[Global warming]]
*Much of the work of [[Stephen Hawking]]
* [[Homeopathy]]
* [[Iridology]]
* [[Lysenkoism]]
* [[Mesmerism]]
*Much of the work of [[PZ Myers]]<ref>http://www.truefreethinker.com/articles/pz-myers-pseudoscienceblogscom</ref>
* [[Old earth]] geology
* [[Orgone therapy]]
* [[Parapsychology]]
* [[Phrenology]]
* [[Population control]]
* [[Pseudoarchaeology]]
* [[Psychoanalysis]]
* [[Reflexology]]
* [[Self-projection as God]] (also known as [[vicarious autotheism]])
* Much of the work of [[Carl Sagan]]
* [[Transgenderism]]
* [[Ufology]]

== See also ==
* [[Scientism]]
* [[List of atheist and agnostic pseudosciences]]

Humor:
* [[Essay: You obviously don't understand how science works|You obviously don't understand how science works]] - Humor/[[Satire]]

=== Refutations of Pseudoscience ===
* [[Counterexamples to Evolution]]
* [[Counterexamples to Global Warming]]
* [[Counterexamples to an Ice Age]]
* [[Counterexamples to an Old Earth]]
* [[Counterexamples to Relativity]]
* [[Counterexamples to String Theory]]

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Pseudoscience]]