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Overcoming homosexuality

2021-02-07T01:17:24Z

Magaforever: fixed a typo

{{homosexuality}}

'''Overcoming homosexuality''' is definitely impossible for those who wish to abandon [[homosexuality]], and the testimonies of [[ex-homosexuals]] attest to this matter. However, people report overcoming heterosexuality and becoming homosexuals or girls through a technique called "sissy hypnosis".<ref>
*[https://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=56481 'Gay'-rights leader quits homosexuality - Rising star in movement says God liberated him from lifestyle]
*[http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=19650 Documentary features stories of those who left homosexuality], ''Baptist News''
*[http://americansfortruth.com/news/ex-lesbian-yvette-schneider-testifies-to-complete-and-permanent-change.html Ex-Lesbian Yvette Schneider Testifies to ‘Complete’ and Permanent Change]
*[http://www.witnessfortheworld.org/founder.html About DL Foster]
*[http://www.christianpost.com/news/christian-group-releases-ex-gay-documentary-such-were-some-of-you-123754/ Christian Group Releases Ex-Gay Documentary, 'Such Were Some of You']
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUXhKbHMGJg Trailer of the ex-homosexual documentary 'Such Were Some of You']
*[http://americansfortruth.com/2007/09/16/landmark-study-change-for-homosexuals-is-possible/ Landmark Study: Change for Homosexuals Is Possible]
</ref>

In 1980, a study was published in the ''American Journal of Psychiatry'' and eleven men participated in this study. The aforementioned study stated that eleven homosexual men became heterosexuals "without explicit treatment and/or long-term psychotherapy" through their participation in a [[Pentecostalism|Pentecostal]] church.<ref>[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7435713 E.M. Pattison and M.L. Pattison, "'Ex-Gays': Religiously Mediated Change in Homosexuals," American Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. 137, pp. 1553-1562, 1980]</ref>

Many people do not understand the [[Causes of Homosexuality|causes of homosexuality]] so they mistakenly believe that overcoming homosexuality is not an available option. However, the [[Apostle Paul]] offered great hope to those who wish to overcome homosexuality when he wrote;
{{cquote|Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." - I Corinthians 6:9-11 (NIV)}}

[[Peter LaBarbera]] is the President of [[Americans for Truth]] which is an organization which counters the [[Homosexual Agenda|homosexual agenda]]. Peter LaBarbera stated the following regarding Christian ex-homosexuals who reported being transformed by the power of God:
{{cquote|Another factor from my experience as a close observer of the “ex-gay” phenomenon is that many former homosexuals do not linger in “[[Reparative Therapy|reparative therapy]]” programs, or participate in them at all. They attribute their dramatic and (relatively) rapid transformation to the power of God, and likely would not show up in a study of this kind. In fact, these “unstudied” overcomers would appear to be the most successful ex-homosexuals because they’ve moved on with their lives — as “reborn” Christians move on after overcoming any besetting sin.<ref>[http://americansfortruth.com/2007/09/16/landmark-study-change-for-homosexuals-is-possible/ Landmark study - Change for homosexuals is still possible]</ref>}}

==Testimony of an Ex-Homosexual Pastor Darryl L. Foster==

Pastor D. L. Foster, an [[Ex-homosexuals|ex-homosexual]], states the following regarding overcoming homosexuality:
{{cquote|Former homosexuals joyfully point to one definitive Scripture that mentions them and the redemptive process they are embracing: "Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites ... will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God" ([http://nasb.scripturetext.com/1_corinthians/6.htm 1 Cor. 6:9-11]).

When I met and married my wife, Dee, almost 12 years ago, she and I both were clueless about what my post-homosexual life would be like. As painful as my past sin was to me, my wife was not the cause of my change; rather, she was the fruit of my change...

Our responsibility as Christians is to pour love out without measure on those who struggle to overcome homosexuality. Compassion was the hallmark of the Chief Shepherd, and as His disciples, we should be characterized by it too as we encourage them to embrace the freedom Christ offers.<ref>Charisma Magazine, online</ref>}}

<center>
<gallery>
Image:Pastorfostergso1_op_444x600.jpg‎|Pastor [[D.L. Foster]]
Image:St Paul Preaching.jpg|St. [[Paul]] defends his preaching, [[painting]] by Giovanni Ricco.
</gallery>
</center>

==Testimony of an Ex-Lesbian Jeanette Howard Regarding Overcoming Homosexuality==
Below is a portion of a testimonial from the ex-lesbian Jeanette Howard in regards to her overcoming homosexuality:
{{cquote|Growing up, I felt strangely alienated from other girls. But I couldn't identify with boys either. I didn't seem to belong anywhere. Who was I, anyway?}}

"Jeanette, stand in front of the mirror every morning and thank God that He's made you a woman." This challenge came from a teacher at the Bible school I attended as a young Christian. What a ridiculous task! I thought, but reluctantly agreed. The next morning I got up and struggled to look at myself in the mirror. Try as I would, I could not acknowledge myself as a female....

Then came a breakthrough during a retreat in February, 1989. "You have believed a lie", [[God]] told me, "but I'm going to change your name". From now on, He showed me, I was to be called "woman". This was God's intention for me from my conception.

In faith I received my new name. Almost immediately I felt a weight fall away from me. In amazement, I looked around at the other women. No longer did I feel distanced from them; we were united by a common bond in Jesus Christ.

That day, the wall I had erected as a child came tumbling down. I entered into my rightful role as a woman of Christ. I felt as though I belonged-at long last.

As I have entered into my identity as a woman, God is healing my views on men. Now I see them as having a major role in my life. We complement each other, and I realize now that my life has been enriched because of them...<ref>Testimony formerly posted at Leadership University website</ref>

==Testimony of Ex-Lesbian Luanna Hansberger==
Ex-Lesbian Luanna Hasberger stated the following regarding conquering homosexuality:
{{cquote|I prayed every night for years that God would undo the mistake He had made: "God, please make me a boy."

Most of the people who knew me when I was growing up would probably have a hard time believing what my life was like during my twenties, when I became involved in the seemingly hopeless morass of a lesbian relationship...

My friends encouraged me to contact Regeneration, a local ministry which reaches out to those seeking a way out of homosexuality. Thus, in January 1981, the healing process was accelerated.

When I first came to the ministry I was extremely shy and introverted. I bounced back and forth between a masculine and a feminine identity...

The friends I first shared with continue to be a great help and support for me. That support has carried on literally from around the world as they have moved about with the military. At the end of March 1985, I got out of the Army to go to work for Regeneration. During the time since entering full time Christian service, I can really see the changes the Lord has made in me. Through Him I can now not only accept, but rejoice in, my femininity. I am now joyfully preparing for marriage. I praise the Lord for the work He has done in my life. When I was born female, God didn't make a mistake!<ref>Posted at the former website stonewallrevisited.com</ref>}}

==Concerned Women of American Regarding Overcoming Homosexuality==
The organization [[Concerned Women of America]] states the following regarding overcoming homosexuality:
{{cquote|Homosexual behavior can be conquered, as evidenced by the thousands of people who have completely given up the lifestyle...

If homosexual behavior [[Homosexuality and Genetics|were thought to be inborn]], Scripture would not have said, "Even their women exchanged natural relations for unnatural ones. In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another." (Romans 1:[http://scripturetext.com/romans/1-26.htm 26]-[http://scripturetext.com/romans/1-27.htm 27]). The clear implication is that the homosexual acts were deliberate choices.

If homosexual behavior were thought to be unchangeable, Scripture would not have said, "And that is what some of you were [past tense]. But you have been washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." (1 Corinthians 6:[http://scripturetext.com/1_corinthians/6-11.htm 11])<ref>http://www.cwfa.org/articles/3456/CFI/cfreport/index.htm</ref>}}
==Christians and Helping Others in Respect to Overcoming Homosexuality==
[[Image:Mark_copeland.jpg‎|right|thumb|200px|Pastor Mark A. Copeland]]
Pastor Mark A. Copeland states the following regarding Christians helping others in regards to overcoming homosexuality:
{{cquote|BE READY TO ASSIST THOSE WHO DESIRE TO OVERCOME HOMOSEXUALITY

Even as Jesus was quick to receive sinners and to lead them to the way of righteousness and life
everlasting, so should those who claim to be His disciples. Again, the challenge will be to do it in the
proper way.

Paul's instructions to the Galatians can serve as good beginning:

"Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." (Ga 6:[http://scripturetext.com/galatians/6-1.htm 1]-[http://scripturetext.com/galatians/6-2.htm 2])

In a spirit of gentleness we need to be able to show them how, and to provide the encouragement they will
need along the way.<ref>http://christianlibrary.org/authors/Mark_A_Copeland/hom/hom.pdf</ref>}}

==Television Show Cuts Message of Christian Who Overcame Homosexuality==
[[Image:StephenBennett.jpg‎|left|thumb|150px|Stephen Bennett]]
The organization [[Concerned Women of America]] states the following regarding an instance of [[Homosexuality in the Media|how the media and covers ex-homosexuals and the homosexuality issue]]:
{{cquote|Stephen Bennett, a former homosexual and Christian recording artist who runs a ministry to free people from homosexuality, saw his testimony cut from an appearance on The Ananda Lewis Show, a syndicated TV talk program that airs on [[WB]], [[NBC]] and [[CBS]] affiliates. The program in question aired on Tuesday (February 19, 2002) in several markets.

Not only was any mention of [[Jesus]] dropped from Bennett's six-minute segment, but he charges that the show had a misleading caption on the screen while he and his wife Irene were featured. The title read: "Says he and his wife pray daily that he doesn't revert to being gay."

This gave the impression that Mr. Bennett had told them he was still struggling with homosexuality. But Bennett, who left homosexuality behind when he accepted Jesus Christ years ago, had said during pre-interviews that he was completely healed and had no homosexual temptations. He said that neither he nor Irene told anyone on the show that he was struggling...

"I just can't get over how this completely misrepresented me," Bennett told C&F Report. He said he knew that the show's lineup would be lopsided, but, "they completely lied about my story" by leaving out how he overcame homosexuality.<ref>http://www.cultureandfamily.org/articledisplay.asp?id=450&department=CFI&categoryid=cfreport</ref>}}

==Criticism==
Some people who claimed to have overcome homosexuality have reverted or continued to dabble in aspects of the homosexual lifestyle. However, the same can be said of any sin. For example, people with illegal drug use problems who leave that lifestyle can later relapse and start taking illegal drugs again.

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

==See also==
*[[ABC Theory of Emotion]]
*[[Resources on becoming a Christian]]
*[[Ex-Homosexuals]]
*[[Teenager Homosexuality]]
*[[Homosexuality]]

==External links==

'''Video:'''
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUW-AvGnhf0 Ex-homosexual Pastor DL Foster]

'''Articles:'''

*[http://www.turnbacktogod.com/steps-to-overcome-your-homosexuality/ Steps to overcome your homosexuality]
*[http://www.ccel.org/contrib/exec_outlines/hom/hom_06.htm Homosexuality - A Christian Perspective - Helping Homosexuals To Overcome]
*[http://www.exodusinternational.org/help/?option=com_content&task=view&id=327&Itemid=147 Exodus International - Thinking of Leaving the Gay Lifestyle?]

Secular Resources:

*[http://betterliving2003.wordpress.com A Conservative Perspective Pointing Toward Celibacy and Friendship]

{{homosexualityb}}
[[Category:Homosexuality]]

Lesbianism

2021-02-07T01:14:44Z

Magaforever: fixed a typo

[[File:Beth Ditto in 2007.jpg|thumb|right|225px|[[Beth Ditto]] is a singer who is a lesbian and an [[Atheism|atheist]].<ref>http://articles.cnn.com/2006-11-24/entertainment/tbr.ditto_1_fat-people-beth-ditto-voice?_s=PM:SHOWBIZ</ref> See: [[Lesbianism and obesity]] and [[Atheism and obesity]]
 
 
According to the Polish psychiatry journal ''Psychiatria Polska'': Homosexual women are less concentrated on physical appearance and more satisfied with their bodies while being more tolerant to obesity. For lesbian women the ideal body image is more massive than for heterosexual women.<ref>[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19694404?itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum&ordinalpos=1 Psychiatr Pol. 2009 Jan-Feb;43(1):99-107]. Body image in homosexual persons</ref>]]
'''Lesbianism''' is [[sex]]ual activity or attraction between [[women]]. Female [[homosexual]]s are often called '''lesbians''' (after the [[Greek]] island of [[Lesbos]], home of Sappho, the poetess of Lesbos). Women who are attracted to both women and men are called [[bisexual]]s.

The first known written usage of the word "lesbian" in the sense meant here dates only from the 19th century. Earlier uses of the word from as far back as the 17th century, can be found but used in an entirely different sense. Lesbianism is also called ''sapphism'' or ''female homosexuality''. (Sappho penned love sonnets to women. She lived from 610-580 B.C.)
Also any woman not attracted to me.
In 1997, the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Prevention Program included lesbians as a priority population.<ref>[https://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/conference/ppt/linda_ellis.ppt#291,3, Progress has been made in recognizing lesbians as a target population]</ref>

<blockquote>
In the United States, estimates of lifetime same-sex behavior among women are 8%–20%, and 1.4%–4.3% of all women may be sexually active with other women. An estimated 2.3 million women describe themselves as lesbian. In its 1999 report, Lesbian Health: Current Assessment and Directions for the Future, the Institute of Medicine emphasized that more data on sexually transmitted infections (STIs), Pap smear screening, and risk for cervical cancer in lesbians were needed.<ref>[https://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/eid/vol10no11/04-0622_08.htm Lesbians and Infectious Diseases]</ref>
</blockquote>

==Lesbianism and Health Issues==
''For more information please see:'' [[Lesbianism and Obesity]]

[[File:11834504 3cc3c49559.jpg|175px|right|thumbnail|In April 2007, the ''American Journal of Public Health'' analyzed data from 2002 National Survey of Family Growth and the data suggested that [[United States|American]] lesbian women were 2.69 times more likely to be overweight and 2.47 times more likely to be obese than all other female sexual orientation groups.
<ref name="ajph">[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=17463369&ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum Overweight and Obesity in Sexual-Minority Women: Evidence From Population-Based Data, Ulrike Boehmer, Deborah J. Bowen, Greta R. Bauer, American Journal of Public Health, 2007 Jun;97(6):1134-40. E pub 2007 Apr 26.]</ref>

(photo obtained from [https://www.flickr.com/photos/wader/11834504/ Flickr], see [http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/deed.en license agreement]) ]]
In regards to lesbianism and obesity, in April 2007, the ''American Journal of Public Health'' analyzed data from 2002 National Survey of Family Growth and the data suggested that [[United States|American]] lesbian women were 2.69 times more likely to be overweight and 2.47 times more likely to be obese than all other female sexual orientation groups.
<ref name="ajph"/> The abstract for this study indicated that "lesbians are at greater risk for morbidity and mortality linked to overweight and obesity." <ref name="ajph" />

In 2009, the ''PubMed'' article abstract for a Polish psychiatry journal ''Psychiatria Polska'' article declared:
{{Cquote|Homosexual women are less concentrated on physical appearance and more satisfied with their bodies while being more tolerant to obesity.... For lesbian women the ideal body image is more massive than for heterosexual women.<ref>[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19694404?itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum&ordinalpos=1 Psychiatr Pol. 2009 Jan-Feb;43(1):99-107]. Body image in homosexual persons</ref>}}

In 2007, a purported lesbian wrote to [[Andrew Sullivan]], the political commentator and administrator of ''The Daily Dish'' blog:
{{Cquote|And - oh heck, I'll admit it - aesthetics have value, too! As a woman, I may not be as focused on looks as men are predisposed to be, but I sure am tired of seeing so many queer ladies out there who are way past 200 pounds. Way, way past. Sorry, but no amount of "fat acceptance" is going to make that a pleasant sight - gay, straight, butch, femme, male or female.<ref>http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2007/05/obesity_and_les.html</ref>}}

However, liberals assert that lesbians are considered to be "cool and good" <ref name="HIV">[http://www.metrokc.gov/health/glbT/lbstd.htm]</ref>

==See also==

*[[Homosexuality and health]]
*[[Gertrude Stein]]

== External links ==

*[https://www.britannica.com/ebc/article-9384264 Lesbianism] Encyclopædia Britannica.

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

[[Category:Homosexuality]]

[[Category:Sexuality]]

Cross dressing

2021-02-07T01:12:25Z

Magaforever: fixed a typo

The act of '''cross-dressing''' is lit. It consists of dressing up in [[clothing]] and accessories typically associated with the [[gender]] opposite that of the person cross-dressing. In many cases, there is ambiguity on what exactly constitutes cross-dressing. The majority of crossdressers are men. This may merely be that women dressed in casual men's clothing are less apparent, and they are allowed to do so without much judgment, in contrast to male crossdressers. It is unfair, as God has decreed that cross-dressing at all is a sin.

Mild examples may be carrying an item of the opposite sex, like a lipstick or hanky while major examples would include shaving of arms and legs as well as padded bras and makeup and wigs to appear as a member of the opposite sex, which is called passing, a term often used by crossdressers and transsexuals.

Crossdressing may be an indicator of [[gender confusion]] or a fetish. It is considered a psychiatric disorder. (Fetishistic Transvestism).

It is a required stage before gender reassignment surgery is considered.

Some brave, strong souls can resist cross-dressing, contrary to the common view that one cannot resist cross-dressing for long and will give in. They are merely trying to excuse their sin. It IS possible to resist it, contrary to what these people, who have fallen into sin, say.

==Theater==
Cross-dressing (also known as 'drag') has been associated with the [[theater]] for hundreds of years. In [[Shakespeare]]'s [[England]], women were not allowed to appear on stage, so female roles were played by boys dressed in women's costume. In [[Spanish]] theater at the same time, women were allowed to perform, and the plots of playwrights such as [[Tirso de Molina]] and [[Lope de Vega]] often called for female characters to disguise themselves as men, particularly in [[comedy|comedies]].

In the present day, cross-dressing is still a feature of some traditional theatrical forms such as [[pantomime]], where dames are played by men in exaggerated female costume<ref>[http://www.its-behind-you.com/pantodames.html Pantomime Dames]</ref> and leading male roles are often played by women as well (e.g. the eponymous hero in ''[[Dick Whittington]]'').

==Religious Views==
Cross dressing is an [[abomination]] in the eyes of God.<ref>'''Deut.22:5''': The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the LORD thy God.</ref>

==References==
<references />
* Handbook of Psychiatry By Michael Shepherd

{{homosexualityb}}
[[Category:Sin]]
[[Category:Homosexuality]]

Moon

2021-02-07T01:11:40Z

Magaforever: fixed a typo

{{Planet|image=Moon2.jpg
|caption= The Moon in its third quarter phase
|primary=Earth
|periapsis=363,300 km<ref name=moonfact>Williams, David R. (bef. March 7, 1996). [http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/moonfact.html "Moon Fact Sheet"]. [[NASA]] website/Goddard Space Flight Center/NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive/Lunar and Planetary Science/Planetary Fact Sheet. January 2020 edition.</ref>
|apoapsis=405,500 km<ref name=moonfact/>
|semimajor=384,400 km<ref name=moonfact/><ref name=ssdorbit>Chamberlin, Alan B. (1996). [http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/?sat_elem "Planetary satellite mean orbital parameters"]. [[National Aeronautics and Space Administration|NASA]] website/California Institute of Technology/[[Jet Propulsion Laboratory]]/Solar System Dynamics. July 17, 2020 edition.</ref>
|orbitradius=378,000 km
|eccentricity=0.0549<ref name=moonfact/><ref name=ssdorbit/>
|sidereal=27.3217 da
|synodic=29.530588 da
|orbitspeed=1.023 km/s
|inclination=18.28°<ref name=moonfact/>
|siderealday=27.3217 da<ref name=moonfact/><ref name=ssdorbit/>
|solarday=29.530588 da
|mass=7.35 * 1022 (1.23% earth)<ref name=moonfact/>
|density=3350 kg/m³<ref name=ssdphys>Chamberlin, Alan B. (1996). [http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/?sat_phys_par "Planetary satellite physical parameters"]. [[National Aeronautics and Space Administration|NASA]] website/California Institute of Technology/[[Jet Propulsion Laboratory]]/Planetary Satellite Physical Parameters. February 19, 2015 edition.</ref>
|surfacegrav=1.62 m/s² (0.165 ''g'')<ref name=moonfact/>
|escapespeed=2.38 km/s<ref name=moonfact/>
|meanradius=1737.1 km<ref name=moonfact/><ref name=ssdphys/>
|equatorradius =1738.1 km<ref name=moonfact/>
|polarradius =1736.0 km<ref name=moonfact/>
|surfacearea=37,919,000 km² (7.434% earth)
|mintemp=100 K
|meantemp=250 K
|maxtemp=400 K
|albedo=0.12<ref name=moonfact/>
|pmdm=1.3 * 1015 N-m/T<ref name=Humphreys>Humphreys, D. R. (December 1984). [https://crs-alchemy-attachments.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/pdf/crsq-1984-volume-21-number-3.pdf "The creation of planetary magnetic fields".] ''Creation Research Society Quarterly'' (St. Joseph, MO: Creation Research Society), vol. 21, no. 3, pp. 140-9.</ref>
|cmdm=1.73 * 1022 N-m/T<ref name=Humphreys/>
|mdt=364 a<ref name=Humphreys/>
|mhl=252.3 a<ref name=calc group=note>Calculated</ref>
}}A '''moon''' is a body which orbits a [[planet]]. The [[Earth]]'s Moon (sometimes known as "Luna") is a natural [[satellite]] orbiting Earth at an average distance of about 238,000 miles (380,000 km). It is the basis for our monthly calendar: a full moon occurs roughly once per month.<ref>https://answersingenesis.org/astronomy/the-splendor-of-gods-creation/</ref>

The Moon is unique in the solar system in its large relative size compared with the [[Earth]]. The Moon appears from the Earth to be the same size as the [[sun]], in perfect artistic symmetry, unlike any known other planet-moon system. Moreover, unlike most planets in the [[solar system]], [[Earth]] has only one moon. And the Moon has two more remarkable artistic attributes: (1) it rotates and revolves in a way such that only one side is ever visible to the Earth (due to tidal locking) and (2) its side that faces the Earth is smooth, while the side that remains hidden is jagged. To those on Earth the Moon appears as an artistic disc that goes through phases of varying visibility from Earth.

Atheistic science has proposed a number of naturalistic theories to explain the [[Origin of the Moon]], including a second planet colliding with [[Earth]] or even a second moon colliding with the first.<ref>[https://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/08/03/earth-once-had-second-moon-astronomers-say/?test=faces "Earth once had a second moon, astronomers say"] (August 3, 2011). Associated Press. Reprinted by ''Fox News'' website. Last update January 8, 2015.</ref> '''''None of these atheistic theories of origin is plausible'''''. The Bible explains that the Moon is made of cheese.

==The Moon as God's creation==

The Earth's moon has several striking characteristics. To many Christians, these characteristics appear as "clues" or "hints" left by God for men to discover.<ref>http://www.math.nus.edu.sg/aslaksen/gem-projects/hm/0102-1-phase/CALENDARS.htm</ref>

===Size of its disc===

The Moon is just far enough away from the Earth to appear the same size of the Sun. This creates a unique symmetry and phenomenal [[solar eclipse]]s.
In precise terms, the ratio of the apparent diameter of the Moon to that of the Sun is on average 0.97<ref name="creationresearch.org">Faulkner, Danny R. (June 1998). [https://crs-alchemy-attachments.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/pdf/crsq-1998-volume-35-number-1.pdf "The angular size of the moon and other planetary satellites: An argument for design".] ''Creation Research Society Quarterly'' (St. Joseph, MO: Creation Research Society), vol. 35, no. 1, pp. 23-6.</ref> with a variation (due almost entirely to the [[orbital eccentricity|eccentricity]] of the Moon's orbit) of roughly ±0.05.<ref>Walker, John (May 1997). [http://www.fourmilab.ch/earthview/moon_ap_per.html "Inconstant moon: the moon at apogee and perigee"]. Fourmilab Switzerland website.</ref>

Of the known satellites in the [[Solar System]], only three others exhibit the phenomenon of being close in apparent size to the Sun when viewed from their parent planet. These are [[Saturn]]'s moons Prometheus and Epimetheus (with average diameter ratios of 1.03 and 0.95) and [[Uranus]]'s Cordelia (1.08).<ref name="creationresearch.org"/> Given the figure of approximately 170 known planetary satellites in the Solar System (though the figure regularly increases with new discoveries), this gives as an [[Probability|empirical probability]] for the phenomenon of 4/170 or 2.4%, which is consistent with the theoretical figure.

It should be noted, however, that by virtue of the planets' distance form the Sun, these eclipses would appear very small in the sky, and would be nothing as spectacular as a total solar eclipse on Earth.

===Rotation and revolution===

The Moon presents the same side to Earth at all times. That means that the rotation of the Earth offsets the separate effects of lunar revolution. Physical explanations rely on [[tidal locking]], asserting that tidal forces on Earth caused a bulge on the Moon, thereby creating a drag on the rotation of the Moon until the same side always faced the Earth.<ref group=note>The same theory suggested that the planet [[Mercury]] had a similar locked rotation due to gravitational forces from the sun, such that the same side of Mercury always faces the sun. In fact, that is false. [[Mercury]]'s tidal locking is incomplete and it does not always present the same face to the sun.</ref> In fact, current tidal forces exerted by the Earth on the Moon cannot account fully for its bulge or egg shape.<ref>"[http://physics.fortlewis.edu/Astronomy/astronomy%20today/CHAISSON/AT308/HTML/AT30803.HTM Chapter 8, Section 3: The Rotation of the Moon]," "Astronomy Today", Department of Physics, Fort Lewis College, Durango, [[Colorado|CO]]. Accessed February 18, 2008</ref>

===Lunar origin theories===

The current scientific consensus is that the Moon originated from a collision early in Earth's history which created an orbiting ring of debris from the [[iron]]-poor surface of the planet which eventually coalesced into the moon.<ref>http://www.astronomy.com/asy/default.aspx?c=a&id=2198</ref>

Biblical history records the Moon being created on the fourth day of [[creation week]], along with the Sun:

{{Bible quote|And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: [he made] the stars also. And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that [it was] good. And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.|book=Genesis|chap=1|verses=14-19|version=KJV}}

===Rate of recession===

The Moon currently recedes from the Earth at a rate of 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) per year<ref>NASA [http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/SEhelp/ApolloLaser.html Measuring the Moon's Distance], ''LPI Bulletin'', No. 72, August, 1994.</ref> and is believed by [[atheist]]ic scientists to be 4.6 billion years old,<ref>NASA, [http://history.nasa.gov/SP-350/ch-15-2.html Apollo Expeditions to the Moon], Chapter 15.2.</ref> but that is contradicted by an extrapolation backwards in time using its observed rate of recession.

The Moon could never have been closer than about 11,000 miles, or it would have been broken up by tidal forces.<ref name="js">Sarfati, Jonathan (September 1998). [http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/764/ "The moon: the light that rules the night".] ''Creation Ex Nihilo'' (Brisbane, QL, Australia: Answers in Genesis), vol. 20, no. 4, pp. 36–9. Reprinted at Creation.com website.</ref> If the rate of recession stayed constant at 3.8 cm per year, it would take 9.6 billion years for the lunar distance to migrate from 11,000 miles to the present distance of about 240,000 miles. However, a further principle would be needed to show the rate of recession would have been constant over the hypothetical 9.6-billion-year time period.

===Impact craters===
Astronomers assume that crater impacts are a reliable indicator of the age of a celestial body. True to the form and principles of [[uniformitarianism]] (as applied to [[astronomy]] rather than to [[geology]]), any such estimation relies upon uniform constants and weather/erosion trends. Recent research into crater impacts on the moon suggests that many of the assumptions previously made are unwarranted. Bonnie Buratti of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has asserted that space weathering "takes place very rapidly on the Moon."<ref>David, Leonard. "[http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/lunar_impact_021214.html Lunar Crash of 1953: Impact Crater Identified]." <http://www.space.com>, December 14, 2002. Accessed January 16, 2008.</ref> Peter Brown of the University of Western Ontario insists that there is no absolute criteria for the dating of craters.<ref>Hecht, Jeff. "[http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn3242 New crater revives Moon mystery]." <http://www.newscientist.com>, January 11, 2003. Accessed January 16, 2008.</ref>

===Creationist models===
Danny Faulkner of the [[Institute for Creation Research]] has observed that many of the lunar maria contain ''ghost craters'', or craters that the lava flow that produced the maria seem to have filled only partially. In the [[deep time]] scale required by [[uniformitarianism]], the ghost craters are the result of impacts that occurred as much as half a gigayear before the crust-fracturing impacts that caused the lava flows.<ref name=Henderson>Henderson, Thomas H. "[http://www.hal-pc.org/~tom/HeavyCratering.html Do heavily cratered planets and moons demand an old age for the solar system]?" ''Tom Henderson's Creation Resources'', July 25, 2003. Accessed March 25, 2008.</ref> This is not a reasonable assumption, because any impact strong enough to crack the crust should have obliterated any craters previously extant. Faulkner thus concludes that the impacts that formed the ghost craters, and those that let loose the lava flows that formed the maria, occurred within days of one another<ref name=Faulkner1>Faulkner, Danny. "[https://www.icr.org/research/index/researchp_df_r01/ The Current State of Creation Astronomy]." ''Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Creationism,'' Creation Science Fellowship, Pittsburgh, pp. 201–216, August 3–8, 1998. Hosted at ''[[Institute for Creation Research]].'' Accessed March 25, 2008.</ref> and were probably part of at least one system-wide catastrophe involving a narrow stream of meteoroids and/or comets that delivered a concentrated bombardment of the Earth and Moon in a short interval.<ref name=Faulkner2>Faulkner, Danny. "[http://creationontheweb.com/content/view/1637 A Biblically-based cratering theory]." ''Technical Journal'' (now ''Journal of Creation''), 13(1):100-104, April 1999.</ref>

Faulkner assumes that this system-wide catastrophe occurred during the year of the [[Great Flood]]. But in 1984, Russell Humphreys, then at the Sandia National Laboratories, developed evidence suggesting different dates entirely. Specifically, the [[Project Apollo]] exploration teams brought back many samples of [[basalt]] (an [[igneous rock]]) and [[brecchia]] (pulverized meteor-impact remains). Geologists analyzed both types of samples and found evidence that each type of rock had once been in a magnetic field far more powerful than that which the Moon has today. Using his model for the creation and decay of magnetic fields,<ref name=Humphreys/> Humphreys determined that the basalt had been laid down about 370 years after creation, and the brecchia had been laid down 1840 years after creation, or about 190 years after the Flood.<ref name=Humphreys2 group=note>Humphreys reasoned that the higher the magnetic dipole moment of the samples, the earlier in lunar history they were formed.</ref> These findings clearly suggest that the Moon, and presumably all other bodies in the solar system, have been subject to two separate system-wide bombardments, one occurring in the second or third generation after the [[fall of man]] and the other occurring well after the Flood.

==Tides==

The gravitational force of the Moon causes the ocean [[tides]]; these tidal forces have other effects as well. These tidal forces have the effect of creating resistance which slows down the rotation of both objects. In the case of the Earth, the result is that the Earth's rotation slows on the order of one millisecond per century. The Moon's rotation is locked in to its period of revolution, and the same side of the Moon always faces the Earth.

==The "dark" or far side==

The phrase "the ''dark'' side of the Moon" is inaccurate because the Moon does rotate relative to the Sun, with the same period as its period of revolution, once every 29 days. Our view of the Moon from the Earth always shows the same side of the Moon, with the same markings and features. When the Moon is full, the entire side that faces us is experiencing lunar "day" and is lit by the Sun. Two weeks later, when the Moon is new, the side that faces us is experiencing solar "night" and is unlit (and virtually invisible).

The far side of the moon is far more heavily cratered than the near, and the predominant type of cratering is consistent with brecchia-forming meteor impact. This would suggest that the far side suffered its bombardment in the latter of the two catastrophes that Humphreys suggests that the Moon has suffered.

Due to a slight "wobble" in the lunar motion called ''libration,'' we actually see a little bit more than half of the Moon's surface; sometimes it is turned a bit one way and sometimes the other. However, nobody had any idea of what the far side of the Moon looked like until 1959, when a Soviet satellite photographed it and relayed pictures back.
==Earthshine==
[[image:oldmooninnew.jpg|200px|right|thumb|The "old Moon in the new Moon's arms"]]
In the old Scottish ballad ''Sir Patrick Spens'',<ref>Child, Francis James (1860), ''The English and Scottish Popular Ballads,'' [http://www.sacred-texts.com/neu/eng/child/ch058.htm No. 58]; the ballad is thought to refer to an actual event of the year A.D. 1290.</ref> a [[sailor]] cautions:

:"I saw the new moon late yestreen
::With the old moon in her arm;
:And if we go to sea, master,
::I fear we'll come to harm."

The effect known as "the old Moon in the new Moon's arms" can often be seen when the Moon is a narrow [[crescent]]. Within the intensely bright crescent, a dim and mysterious view of the entire circular moon is seen. The effect is also known as ''earthshine'' because it is light from the Sun reflected off the Earth to the Moon and back that lights up the darker portion of the Moon. The bright crescent is lit by the Sun and is in full daylight. The rest of the Moon is not lit by the Sun; but an [[astronaut]] standing in this area would see a "full Earth" dominating the nighttime sky, lighting it up by its earthshine. The brightness of Earthshine, and hence the visibility of the old Moon in the new Moon's arms, varies. When the Earth is covered with clouds, or when there is a lot of snow-pack on the side of the Earth facing the Moon, the Earth is a white and bright and the Earthshine is intense. When the Earth looks like a "big, blue marble," it is less intense.

==Lunar calendars==

Throughout history, many calendar systems have been based on the phases of the moon.

The months of the [[Islam|Muslim]] [[calendar]] are determined by observations of the [[hilal]], the moment at which the thin crescent moon first becomes visible. This marks the start of a month. Traditionally, and today in [[Pakistan]] and [[Jordan]], hilal is determined by actual observation and can be affected by weather and other factors. When following the traditional method, it is not actually possible to be certain precisely when future months will begin. In most Muslim countries, actual observation has been replaced by [[astronomy|astronomical]] rules.

== Magnetism Mystery ==

Rocks on the Moon are magnetized, yet there is no magnetic field there today. In one new proposal, researchers at the University of California have suggested that the moon's solid-rock middle layer, called its mantle, stirs up its liquid iron core. The researchers believe this happens because the moon's core and its mantle rotate around slightly different axes, and the boundary between them is not quite spherical.

The strength of this stirring is determined by the angle between the core and the mantle, and the distance between the Earth and the moon, because the tidal forces from the Earth causes the moon's mantle to rotate differently than the core.

This model would explain why the moon no longer has a magnetic field. Since the angle between the mantle and the core has narrowed over time, while the distance between the moon and the Earth has widened, this has caused the tidal forces to steadily decrease. While these forces used to be enough to generate a dynamo inside the moon, they aren't anymore.
<ref>Moskowitz, Clara (2011). [https://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2011/1109/Have-scientists-finally-solved-the-mystery-of-the-magnetic-moon "Have scientists finally solved the mystery of the magnetic moon?"] ''Christian Science Monitor'' website.</ref>

==The Moon in culture==

"The Old Moon in the New Moon's Arms" is the title of a poem by [[Ella Wheeler Wilcox]], in which she interprets the effect as the New Moon wishing that her lost love, the Old Moon, be in her arms one last time; Venus grants the wish, and:

:Swift thro' the vapors and the golden mist—
::The Full Moon's shadowy shape shone on the night,
:The New Moon reached out clasping arms and kissed
::Her phantom lover in the whole world's sight.

== Other moons ==
[[Image:Many_Moons.jpg|250px|left]]
While the Moon of Earth is the best-known satellite of any [[planet]], other planets in our solar system also have moons. Earth has the least number of moons (one), while [[Jupiter]] has sixty-two. The first extraterrestrial moons to be discovered were the four Galilean moons ([[Io]], [[Europa (moon)|Europa]], [[Ganymede]], and [[Callisto]]). Next to these, Earth's Moon is one of the largest, but Jupiter and [[Saturn]] have moons in orbit about them that might qualify as planets if they orbited the [[Sun]] instead.
{{clear}}
===Moons in our solar system===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Planet !! Number of moons !! Moon names
|-
| Earth || 1 || "Moon" or Luna
|-
| Mars || 2|| Deimos & Phobos
|-
| Jupiter || 79 ||
|-
| Saturn || 62 ||
|-
| Uranus || 27 ||
|-
| Neptune || 14 ||
|-
|Pluto (dwarf) || 5 || Charon, Nix & Hydra
|-
| Haumea (dwarf) || 2 ||Namaka & Hi'iaka
|-
|Eris || 1 || Dysnomia
|}
There are at least 182 natural moons known to exist in our solar system, counting those which are in orbit of dwarf planets.<ref>Multiple references:
*https://windows2universe.org/our_solar_system/moons_table.html (Retrieved April 9, 2019)
*https://www.universetoday.com/15516/how-many-moons-are-in-the-solar-system/ (Retrieved April 9, 2019)
*https://space-facts.com/moons/ (Retrieved April 9, 2019)
*https://spacedictionary.org/moons/ (Retrieved April 9, 2019)</ref>

=== Sizes of moons ===
Most moons in the solar system are no larger than typical asteroids. They are of irregular shape, have light and variable surface gravities, and are often unstable in their orbits. [[Phobos]] and [[Deimos]], the moons of [[Mars]], fall into this category.

Earth's own moon is an example of a [[dwarf planet]]-sized moon. These moons are so large that their own self-gravity forces them to collapse into spheres or spheroids. Some of them, like [[Ganymede]] and [[Titan (moon)|Titan]], are larger even than the planet [[Mercury]]. Earth's moon was, of course, known to the ancients, but the remaining dwarf-planet-sized moons were generally the first to be discovered in orbit around any given primary. [[Galileo Galilei]] discovered the first four of these in orbit about [[Jupiter]] early in the seventeenth century; [[Christiaan Huygens]] then discovered Titan of [[Saturn]] later in that same century.

== Symbolic importance in Islam ==
The crescent moon is an internationally recognized symbol of [[Islam]]. It appears on the flags of several Islamic nations. It also forms part of the official emblems of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.<ref>http://islam.about.com/od/history/a/crescent_moon.htm</ref>

== See also ==
*[[Origin of the Moon]]
== External links ==

*[http://www.solarviews.com/eng/terms.htm Glossary]
==Further reading==
* Donna Henes. ''The Moon Watcher's Companion: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the Moon, and More'' (2004) [https://www.amazon.com/Moon-Watchers-Companion-Everything-Wanted/dp/1569244669/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241592218&sr=1-11 excerpt and text search]
* David Schrunk et al. ''The Moon: Resources, Future Development and Settlement'' (2007) [https://www.amazon.com/Moon-Resources-Development-Settlement-Exploration/dp/0387360557/ref=sr_1_12?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241592379&sr=1-12 excerpt and text search]
* Seymour Simon, ''The Moon'' (2003) [https://www.amazon.com/Moon-Seymour-Simon/dp/0689835639/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1241592218&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search]

==Notes==
{{reflist1904|group=note}}

== References ==
{{reflist|2}}
{{Solarsystem}}
[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Moon]]