Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Salem Witch Trials

2008-03-03T01:04:55Z

Lvolz:

In May-October 1692, in the town of [[Salem]], in [[Massachusetts]] Bay Colony, several girls who were listening to the [[voodoo]] tales of a [[West Indian]] [[slave]], [[Tituba]], said they were possessed by [[devil]]s. They then proceeded to accuse three women of witchcraft.

Under the [[Puritan]] rule of the colony at the time, the existence of [[witch]]es was accepted as clear fact on scriptural grounds. In accordance with [[Exodus]] 22:18, "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live," witchcraft was criminalized and considered a capital offense.

These women were brought to trial and, under pressure, stated the names of others who were working together to possess the girls. The Puritans governing Salem then saw this as an opportunity to use the legal procedure of court trials to identify and uncover the ways of the occult. Public trials were held and testimony was elicited in an attempt to bring forth the workings of the devil.

These three women, along with sixteen others who were were accused of witchcraft were hanged. Nearly 150 were imprisoned. Those who had reservations about the proceedings often found themselves to be accused. It is interesting to note that to avoid hanging, all the accused had to do was admit their guilt, but many refused. The refusal to admit guilt to save their lives may be attributed to the sturdy Puritan-based morality of the community at the time. One man would not even dignify the proceedings by entering a plea and was pressed to death. <ref>
Five men were convicted and hanged, and one man, Giles Corey, was pressed to death for refusing to cooperate with the court. [http://www.salemwitchmuseum.com/education/faq.shtml] </ref>

After many executions, a change in the rule of evidence for these trials excluded "spectral evidence," which was testimony by afflicted persons that they had been visited by a suspect's specter. With that change the subsequent trials resulted overwhelmingly in acquittals rather than convictions, and the later pardons were issued for several of those who had been convicted.<ref>http://www.law.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/SAL_ACCT.HTM</ref>

Ironically, due to the notoriety of the trial that has survived to this day, tourist influence has now made Salem known for a high density of [[occult]]-themed shops.

Secular Humanists contend that all those convicted of witchcraft in Salem were innocent, however, we know from the Bible that there are witches, and it is unfair to the accusers and the court to presume that none of the convicted witches were guilty and deserving of execution.

== References ==

<references/>
[[category:History]]

Solar System

2008-02-24T23:46:19Z

Lvolz:

The '''Solar System''' is the [[Sun]] and all the objects in orbit around the sun.<ref>Freedman, Kaufmann: ''Universe'', 7th edition</ref> Objects orbiting the sun include planets, moons, asteroids, and comets.

==Planets==
A [[planet]] is defined as an object that orbits the [[sun]], is massive enough that its own gravity pulls it into a nearly round shape, and is dominant enough to clear away objects in its neighborhood. <ref>http://www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/solarsystem/planetsf-20060824.html</ref> There are 8 planets in the solar system. They are, in order of increasing distance from the sun:<ref>The third grade</ref>
*[[Mercury]]
*[[Venus]]
*[[Earth]]
*[[Mars]]
*[[Jupiter]]
*[[Saturn]]
*[[Uranus]]
*[[Neptune]]

The first four planets are [[terrestrial planets]], the last 4 planets are [[jovian planets]]. Terrestrial planets are small in size, have high densities, and consist of rocky materials. Jovian planets are large in size, have low densities, and consist of gaseous materials.

Some creation scientists believe that the Copernican Theory that the Earth rotates and revolves around the Sun is false and that in fact the Sun revolves around a non-moving Earth, as revealed in the Bible. <ref>http://www.fixedearth.com/</ref> The Copernican Theory is the beginning of the naturalistic revolution which led men away from reliance on biblical authority and eventually resulted in the false Theory of Evolution.

==Dwarf Planets==
A [[dwarf planet]] is an object that orbits the sun and has a round shape. The crucial difference between a planet and a dwarf planet is that a dwarf planet is not large enough to clear the neighborhood of its orbit. Currently recognized dwarf planets are:<ref>http://www.answers.com/topic/dwarf-planet</ref>
*[[Pluto]][[#Note|[1]]]
*[[Eris]]
*[[Ceres]]
===Note===
[1]Pluto was considered a planet until 2006.<ref>http://www.thenewstribune.com/soundlife/story/261408.html</ref>

==Asteroids==
[[Asteroids]] are irregularly shaped chunks of rocks in the solar system. They exist mostly in 2 places:

*The [[asteroid belt]], which is between the orbits of [[Mars]] and [[Jupiter]]
*The [[Kuiper belt]], which shares its orbit with [[Pluto]]

==Comets==
[[Comets]] are chunks of dust and ice. Some are in an [[ellipse|elliptical]] orbit around the sun, meaning that they will return someday. Some are in a [[hyperbola|hyperbolic]] orbit around the sun, meaning that they will only come into the solar system once and will never return.

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Astronomy]]
{{Solarsystem}}

Solar System

2008-02-24T23:33:32Z

Lvolz:

The '''Solar System''' is the [[Sun]] and all the objects in orbit around the sun.<ref>Freedman, Kaufmann: ''Universe'', 7th edition</ref> Objects orbiting the sun include planets, moons, asteroids, and comets.

==Planets==
A [[planet]] is defined as an object that orbits the [[sun]], is massive enough that its own gravity pulls it into a nearly round shape, and is dominant enough to clear away objects in its neighborhood. <ref>http://www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/solarsystem/planetsf-20060824.html</ref> There are 8 planets in the solar system. They are, in order of increasing distance from the sun:<ref>The third grade</ref>
*[[Mercury]]
*[[Venus]]
*[[Earth]]
*[[Mars]]
*[[Jupiter]]
*[[Saturn]]
*[[Uranus]]
*[[Neptune]]

The first four planets are [[terrestrial planets]], the last 4 planets are [[jovian planets]]. Terrestrial planets are small in size, have high densities, and consist of rocky materials. Jovian planets are large in size, have low densities, and consist of gaseous materials.

Some creation scientists believe that the Copernican Theory that the earth rotates and revolves around the sun is false and that in fact the sun revolves around a non-moving earth, as revealed in the Bible. <ref>http://www.fixedearth.com/</ref> The Copernican Theory is the beginning of the naturalistic revolution which led men away from reliance on biblical authority and eventually resulted in the false Theory of Evolution.

==Dwarf Planets==
A [[dwarf planet]] is an object that orbits the sun and has a round shape. The crucial difference between a planet and a dwarf planet is that a dwarf planet is not large enough to clear the neighborhood of its orbit. Currently recognized dwarf planets are:<ref>http://www.answers.com/topic/dwarf-planet</ref>
*[[Pluto]][[#Note|[1]]]
*[[Eris]]
*[[Ceres]]
===Note===
[1]Pluto was considered a planet until 2006.<ref>http://www.thenewstribune.com/soundlife/story/261408.html</ref>

==Asteroids==
[[Asteroids]] are irregularly shaped chunks of rocks in the solar system. They exist mostly in 2 places:

*The [[asteroid belt]], which is between the orbits of [[Mars]] and [[Jupiter]]
*The [[Kuiper belt]], which shares its orbit with [[Pluto]]

==Comets==
[[Comets]] are chunks of dust and ice. Some are in an [[ellipse|elliptical]] orbit around the sun, meaning that they will return someday. Some are in a [[hyperbola|hyperbolic]] orbit around the sun, meaning that they will only come into the solar system once and will never return.

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Astronomy]]
{{Solarsystem}}

Cretaceous-Tertiary Mass Extinction

2008-02-24T17:05:10Z

Lvolz:

Evolutionary biologists and geologists generally believe that a mass extinction of [[dinosaurs]] and other organisms happened 65 million years ago at the end of the [[Cretaceous Period]]. The primary cause of this extinction is generally believed to be an asteroid or comet impact, linked to the large crater found off the Yucatan Peninsula.<ref>[http://www.lpl.arizona.edu/SIC/impact_cratering/Chicxulub/Discovering_crater.html Chicxulub Impact Event: Discovering the Crater.] Accessed April 24, 2007.</ref>

Some creation scientists believe that virtually the entire geologic record within which fossils, including dinosaur fossils, are found were laid down during the Flood or its immediate aftermath, thus there was no K/T event. <ref> [http://www.trueorigin.org/cfjrgulf.asp Assessing Creationist Stratigraphy With Evidence from the Gulf of Mexico.] Accessed February 24, 2008.</ref> Every dinosaur kind was created by God during creation week approximately 6,000 years ago, and Noah may have taken dinosaurs with him on the Ark.

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
*[http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/sl9/back3.html The K-T Event] - NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory

[[Category:Geology]]