Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Athenian democracy

2007-03-25T23:41:11Z

SpiritOf79: agora

The world's first democracy, Athenian democracy consisted of an assembly open to all males in Athens over the age of 18. All members could speak out at the assembly (the ''[[agora]]'') and it decided policy issues for Athens, and passed legislation. Cleisthenes, who died in 508 B.C., established this democracy.

A council of 500, consisting of randomly selected Athenian citizens over the age of 30, set the agenda for the assembly and supervised its activities.

In practice Pericles dominated Athenian democracy until he died in 429 B.C.

Tibet

2007-03-25T23:03:14Z

SpiritOf79: created stub

{{stub}}
Tibet is a mountainous country located between [[India]] and [[China]]. It was overrun by the Chinese in 1959, and the local [[Buddhist]] culture was supressed.

Dalai Lama

2007-03-25T23:00:39Z

SpiritOf79:

The '''Dalai Lama''' is regarded by [[Tibet]]ans as one of a succession of incarnations of the [[Bodhisattva]] of compassion, Chenrezig ("the Seeing-Eye" Lord), who long has been considered to be the patron deity of [[Tibet]]. The current Dalai Lama, [[Tenzin Gyatso]] is the 14th incarnation of Chenrezig, and is both the head of state of Tibet and the spiritual leader of Tibetan [[Buddhism]] . His Holiness has lived in exile in [[Dharamsala]], which is located in northern [[India]], since 1950. Dharamsala has been the seat of the Tibetan political administration since the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1949.

==External links==
*[http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/200105/07_newsroom_dalai/bios.shtml Thirteen Previous Dalai Lamas]
*[http://www.dalailama.com/ Official web page of the 14th Dalai Lama]

Keith Emerson

2007-03-25T22:50:01Z

SpiritOf79: typo

{{stub}}'''Keith Emerson''' is a famous rock keyboardist and pianist who is well-known for his transcriptions of classical works like ''Pictures at an Exhibition'' and Dvorak's ''New World Piano Concerto''. He was a member of the progressive rock band "[[Emerson, Lake, & Palmer]]" along with [[Greg Lake]] and [[Karl Palmer]].

[[Category:Music]]

User talk:SpiritOf79

2007-03-25T22:32:41Z

SpiritOf79:

<big>'''''Welcome'''''</big> To Conservapedia, [[User:SpiritOf79|SpiritOf79]]! --[[User:Hojimachong|'''Hojimachong''']][[User_Talk:Hojimachong|talk]] 18:31, 25 March 2007 (EDT)

:Thanks, bless you! [[User:SpiritOf79|SpiritOf79]] 18:32, 25 March 2007 (EDT)

Bolshevik Revolution

2007-03-25T22:30:38Z

SpiritOf79: its never known as the november revolution

{{needcite}}

The '''Bolshevik Revolution''' was the second phase of the Russian Revolution in 1917. It was the first Marxist communist revolution in history. The Bolshevik Revolution is also known as the October revolution (See [[Bolshevik Revolution#Trivia|Trivia]]).

The October Revolution was organised by [[Leon Trotsky]], as Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin was still in political exile in Finland following an [[July Days|attempted coup]] four months earlier. The reason this coup succeeded was because the Provisional Government, which had ruled Russia since the February Revolution earlier in 1917, had become deeply unpopular due to its continuation of the Russian war effort in the First World War and several public relations disasters. It was also crippled because the Russian military, which had in the time of the Tsars been famous for its loyalty to the state, no longer listened to their government due to their experiences of fighting in the First World War.

The Bolsheviks first took over Petrograd (now St Petersburg) and Moscow, with relatively little loss of life; less than 10 deaths occured in the takeover of Petrograd. Afterwards a bitter civil war was fought between the Reds (The Bolsheviks), and the Whites, a coalition of former Tsarist supporters, liberals, and moderates, which decided control of Russia.

==Trivia==

The confusion about the naming of the October or November Revolution is because at the time the Russians still used the Julian calendar, which meant that it was around a month behind the more modern states who used the Gregorian calendar, so for the other states the revolution occured in November, but to the Russians it occured in October.

==References==
*Corin, Chris; Fiehn, Terry (2002). ''Communist Russia under Lenin and Stalin''. ISBN 0-7195-7468-9

*Sebag Montefiore, Simon (2004). ''Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar''. ISBN 0-75381-766-7

{{stub}}

[[Category:History]]

Ramayana

2007-03-25T22:22:59Z

SpiritOf79: typo

An Indian Epic story about the adventures of Ramachandra and his wife Sita. It was written betweeen 400 and 200 BC.

Lot

2007-03-25T14:06:49Z

SpiritOf79: typos

Lot was a relative of Abraham who came with him from [[Ur]] of the [[Chaldees]] (Genesis 11). Lot is famous for living in [[Sodom]]. He offered his daughters to the [[Sodomites]] when they wanted to get two angels who were staying at his house (Genesis 19). When God decided to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot fled with his wife and daughters. Even though they were told not to look back, Lot's wife looked back and was turned into a pillar of [[salt]]. Later, Lot's daughters got him drunk and lay with him in order to bear children. The sons of Lot and his two daughters were [[Moab]] and [[Ammon]] (Genesis 19:37-38).

Viviparous development

2007-03-25T14:05:29Z

SpiritOf79: cf Oviparous

Development that occurs inside a female, allowing the offspring to gain nutrients and vital substances from the mother through a [[placenta]]. This is in contrast with [[Oviparous]] development, where the young grow inside of an [[egg]].

<ref>Wile, Dr. Jay L. ''Exploring Creation With Biology''. Apologia
Educational Ministries, Inc. 1998</ref>

{{stub2}}

==References==

<references/>

[[Category:Biology]]

Brimstone

2007-03-25T13:57:47Z

SpiritOf79: created redir page to Sulfur

#REDIRECT [[Sulfur]]

Sulfur

2007-03-25T13:56:41Z

SpiritOf79: expanded

'''Sulfur''' is the 16th element of the periodic table. It is a solid nonmetal that makes up part of the Earth's crust, and is a part of gunpowder and batteries.

The name comes from the [[Latin]] word ''sulphurium'', which means brimstone. <ref>http://environmentalchemistry.com/yogi/periodic/S.html</ref> 'Brimstone' is an ancient word for sulfur, and occurs in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible. In [[Genesis]] 19, God destroys Soddom and Gomorrah with 'fire and brimstone', and brimstone has traditionally been associated with [[Hell]] and the [[Devil]].

Elemental yellow sulfur itself is almost odorless, but many sulfur compounds have strong odors. Hydrogen sulfide has the offensive odor of rotten eggs. The mercaptan family of compounds that give skunks their odor, and which are deliberately added to natural gas because they can be detected in extremely low concentrations, are organic sulfur compounds, as is the compounds that give garlic and onions their smell.

==References==
<references/>

Gravitation

2007-03-24T15:44:07Z

SpiritOf79: expanded GR->General Relativity

'''Gravitation''' is a phenomenon which attracts all objects within the universe to each other <ref>New Oxford American Dictionary, 2nd Edition</ref>. In modern physics, it is explained by the general theory of relativity. Before general relativity, gravitation was described by Isaac Newton's law of universal gravitation, which is still useful in most situations.

The [[Theory of Gravity]] was one of the earliest triumphs of modern [[physics]]. It now stands as both one of the most successful and most mysterious areas of that field. On one hand, the [[Theory_of_Relativity|General theory of Relativity]] is one of the most successful [[Scientific_Theory|scientific theories]] to date. On the other hand, how General Relativity can be reconciled with [[Quantum_mechanics|quantum physics]] remains an open question, and it seems clear that it must be replaced by a more fundamental theory. This uncertainty about the exact mechanism of gravitational interactions is an area scientists are keen to investigate more.

Everything in the universe that has mass attracts every other thing that has mass. How much depends on the size of the masses and the distance between them. For normal objects, this pull is minute, but you can measure the pull between a very large object like the [[Earth]] and another object like you by standing on the scales. Your weight is the measure of the pull of gravity between you and the planet you are standing on. This force depends on your mass and the mass of that planet, but it also depends on your distance from the centre of the planet. The further you are from the planet's centre, the weaker the pull between it and your body. If you double your distance, the force is one quarter. At ten times the distance, the force is one hundredth. It drops off with the square of the distance. This is called the [[Inverse Square Law.]] <ref>http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/forces/isq.html</ref>The force never becomes zero, no matter how far you travel.

Astronauts in the [[space shuttle]] appear to be weightless because they are in a container which is falling. The reason the space shuttle doesn't fall to earth is that it is moving very fast sideways at the same time as it is falling, so it falls in a curve. Its speed makes its curved path the same as the Earth’s curve, so it never comes down but stays in orbit, in free fall.

Gravitation is responsible for making objects accelerate towards each other as well as for the formation of the [[Earth]] and [[Sun]], the [[stars]] and the [[planets]].

== References ==
<div class="references-small">
<references />

Water

2007-03-24T14:41:55Z

SpiritOf79:

Water is an odorless, tasteless, colorless substance. Its chemical formula is H2O, two hydrogens and one oxygen atom.

The shape of the water molecule is a shallow V, and the interactions between the atoms result in the oxygen atom having a strong negative charge and the hydrogen atoms have a strong positive charge. Thus the water molecule is a strong electrical [[dipole]], which accounts for some of its properties. Although we are accustomed to think of the word "solvent" in connection with organic solvents like gasoline or benzene, water is an extremely powerful solvent, a fact that is sometimes overlooked because water is so familiar.

Water is essential to life as we know it, and all living organisms are comprised mostly of water, but too much water is harmful to life - this is why [[Noah]] built an ark to preserve pairs of each animal during the [[Great Flood]].

Water, compared to other compounds, has a number of unusual properties, such as expanding rather than contracting when it freezes. As noted by Lawrence Henderson in his 1913 book, ''The Fitness of the Environment,'' its ability to support life is directly related to some of these unusual properties.

Uranium

2007-03-24T14:36:27Z

SpiritOf79: New page: {{stub}} Uranium is a radioactive element, atomic number 92. It is a dense, metallic substance, and its compounds are highly toxic.

{{stub}}
Uranium is a radioactive element, atomic number 92. It is a dense, metallic substance, and its compounds are highly toxic.

Big Bang theory

2007-03-24T14:30:29Z

SpiritOf79: rm Categories: 'Theory of evolution' and 'evolutionism' - non-existant, and irrelevant ot big bang

{{stub}}
The '''Big Bang Theory''' models the Universe as expanding outwards from a very hot, dense state approximately 14 billion years ago. It was first proposed by [[Georges-Henri Lemaitre]] and evidence for the expansion was observed by [[Edwin Hubble]]<ref>Hubble, E. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Volume 15, Issue 3, pp. 168-173.</ref>. Later [[George Gamow]] predicted that the Big Bang would leave an observable microwave background radiation. This radiation was subsequently discovered by [[Bell Labs]] and found to be close to that predicted by Gamow (Gamow predicted a background radiation level equivalent to a roughly 3 K black body object, and the observed level is that of a 2.725 K body).

Observations of distant supernovae indicate that the Universe is actually undergoing accelerated expansion<ref>Riess, A. G., et al. The Astronomical Journal, Volume 116, Issue 3, pp. 1009-1038.</ref><ref>Perlmutter, S., et al. The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 517, Issue 2, pp. 565-586.</ref>. Modern galaxy surveys[https://www.sdss.org/dr5]<ref>Tegmark, M., et al. Physical Review D, vol. 74, Issue 12.</ref> and recent observations of the microwave background[http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/]<ref>See, for example, http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0603449</ref> have corroborated these claims.

==Creationist and Theistic Evolutionary Views==
[[Young Earth Creationism|Young earth creationist]] scientists hotly contest the Big Bang Theory. They trace lineages in the Bible to estimate the age of the Earth to be around 6,000 years.

In contrast to young earth creationists, [[Old Earth Creationists|Old Earth Creationists]] and [[Theistic Evolution|Theistic evolutionists]] agree that the Big Bang occured.[http://www.reasons.org/resources/fff/2000issue03/]. Some Old Earth Creationists and Theistic Evolutionist argue that the Big Bang is in fact mentioned in the Bible. [http://www.reasons.org/resources/fff/2000issue03/index.shtml#big_bang_the_bible_taught_it_first] However, the Bible makes no mention of the "Big Bang". While the universe has been observed to be expanding, this need not be used as evidence of a Big Bang, because the Bible states in Jeremiah that God "stretched out the heavens".

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Naturalism]]

Southeast Asia Treaty Organization

2007-03-24T14:22:39Z

SpiritOf79: +wlinks

The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization was an organization which sought to stop [[Communism]]. Its members included the [[United States]], [[Great Britain]], [[France]], [[Thailand]], [[Pakistan]], [[Australia]], [[New Zealand]], The [[Solomon Islands]], [[New Caledonia]], [[Pitcairn Island]], [[Tristan de Cunha]], and the [[Philippines]].

Fossils

2007-03-24T14:19:58Z

SpiritOf79: /* Scientific View */ wlink

{{stub}}

Fossils are preserved remains of once-living organisms. They are usually formed when mineral-rich water makes its way into the deceased being's body. The minerals within the water aggregate within the spaces within the body and solidify. Once the organism's tissues have dissolved away, all that is left behind is a rock mold of the creature's shape.

== Scientific View ==

Scientists often use fossils to evaluate the theory of [[evolution]]. They record the species that they find and compare them to living species in order to create a [[fossil record]] of life of Earth.[http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/geotime/radiometric.html] [http://www.fossilmuseum.net/]

Scientists use a process known as [[radiometric dating]] to determine the age of the fossils. Radiometric dating is a technique in which scientists observe the ammount of an elemental [[isotope]] within the fossil, then use the known decay rates of isotopes to calculate when the organism died. There are a number of different methods, some of which can be used to date a specimen that died up to three billion years ago. [http://www.gpc.edu/~pgore/geology/geo102/radio.htm]

== Creationist View ==

Many [[Young Earth Creationists]] disagree with the idea that fossils could be millions of years old because they believe the Earth to have been created only several thousand years ago. They point to the fact that some dinosaur bones have been found that still contain organic matter as evidence that these creatures were alive only several thousand years ago rather than 65 million years ago. They also point out that sometimes bones can fossilize very quickly if they are in the right place, so even though scientists predict that the process will usually take a very long time, this is not always the case.[http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v21/i1/dinosaurbones.asp]

This organic matter present in dinosaur bones is debatable and inconclusive at present. "Red blood cells" found in a T. rex fossil have not been proven to be red blood cells. Creationists often use the argument for rapid fossilization but the requirements for rapid fossilization are very specific and unusual in real life. There are a lack of articles in any of the major scientific journals on the matter. Judging from the large number of fossils from different rock layers and rock types around the world it would be unlikely that they all formed from these very specific conditions.

<ref>Wile, Dr. Jay L. ''Exploring Creation With Biology''. Apologia Educational Ministries, Inc. 1998</ref>

==References==
<references/>

Fossils

2007-03-24T14:19:35Z

SpiritOf79: typo, formatting

{{stub}}

Fossils are preserved remains of once-living organisms. They are usually formed when mineral-rich water makes its way into the deceased being's body. The minerals within the water aggregate within the spaces within the body and solidify. Once the organism's tissues have dissolved away, all that is left behind is a rock mold of the creature's shape.

== Scientific View ==

Scientists often use fossils to evaluate the theory of [[evolution]]. They record the species that they find and compare them to living species in order to create a [[fossil record]] of life of Earth.[http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/geotime/radiometric.html] [http://www.fossilmuseum.net/]

Scientists use a process known as [[radiometric dating]] to determine the age of the fossils. Radiometric dating is a technique in which scientists observe the ammount of an elemental [isotope] within the fossil, then use the known decay rates of isotopes to calculate when the organism died. There are a number of different methods, some of which can be used to date a specimen that died up to three billion years ago. [http://www.gpc.edu/~pgore/geology/geo102/radio.htm]

== Creationist View ==

Many [[Young Earth Creationists]] disagree with the idea that fossils could be millions of years old because they believe the Earth to have been created only several thousand years ago. They point to the fact that some dinosaur bones have been found that still contain organic matter as evidence that these creatures were alive only several thousand years ago rather than 65 million years ago. They also point out that sometimes bones can fossilize very quickly if they are in the right place, so even though scientists predict that the process will usually take a very long time, this is not always the case.[http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v21/i1/dinosaurbones.asp]

This organic matter present in dinosaur bones is debatable and inconclusive at present. "Red blood cells" found in a T. rex fossil have not been proven to be red blood cells. Creationists often use the argument for rapid fossilization but the requirements for rapid fossilization are very specific and unusual in real life. There are a lack of articles in any of the major scientific journals on the matter. Judging from the large number of fossils from different rock layers and rock types around the world it would be unlikely that they all formed from these very specific conditions.

<ref>Wile, Dr. Jay L. ''Exploring Creation With Biology''. Apologia Educational Ministries, Inc. 1998</ref>

==References==
<references/>

Breasts

2007-03-24T14:17:33Z

SpiritOf79: Redirecting to Mammal

#REDIRECT [[Mammal]]

The Crusades

2007-03-24T14:14:20Z

SpiritOf79: typo

[[Image:Crusader.jpg|thumb|200px|right|A returning [[Crusader]]]]
The Crusades lasted 176 years from 1095 until 1271

The most famous military activity in the feudal period was the “Crusades”, a
series of wars covering nearly 200 years, from A.D. 1096-1291. Only the First
Crusade and to a lesser extent the Third Crusade were successful. One of the
main purposes of the crusades was to make [[Jerusalem]] safe for Christian
pilgrimages. At the request of the Byzantine Emperor, who wished for a
mercenary force to aid his reconquest of his lands, in 1095 [[Pope Urban II]]
called for feudal [[knights]] to retake the [[Holy Land]] from the [[Seljuk
Turks]]. The Seljuk Turks seemed almost invincible as fighters, having
conquered [[Asia Minor]] and even beating the once-mighty [[Byzantine Empire]].
The Seljuk Turks ruled from the 1000s to the 1200s, and did particularly well under one particular ruler, [[Malik Shah]], who died in 1092. But some Muslims
were unhappy with being ruled by the Turks, and once Malik died dissension in
the Islamic world grew.

The Byzantine emperor, [[Alexius Comnenus]], had inherited an empire that had
been destroyed by Seljuk and Patzinak Turks and he asked the pope for mercenary
help to defeat the Muslims. He promised a reunion of the [[Eastern Orthodox
Church]] and the [[Western Church]] and to give Byzantine lands (“[[fiefs]]”)
to victorious knights from the [[feudal]] west.

At the [[Council at Clermont]] in southern France, Pope Urban II gave a famous
speech. Promising [[absolution]] and assurance of salvation to anyone who died
in the crusade, he urged a huge crowd to protect Christian pilgrims from the
Turks. He demanded that all internal feuds end and he threatened
[[excommunication]] for anyone who continued to bicker internally. Those who
decided to fight in the crusades were said to be “taking up the cross,” because
they would stitch small crosses onto their tunics.

At first [[Peter the Hermit]] answered the call of Pope Urban and led an
unprepared group of peasants in the first mission, which failed. But news of
its failure led to renewed determination by the Christians, and a well-equipped
religious mission led by the Normans was formed. This became known as the First
Crusade.

When the western forces reached [[Constantinople]] to join with Alexius’
soldiers, the western army was almost 20,000 men. It proceeded to capture
[[Nicaea]] in 1097, and went onward to Jerusalem despite intense fighting,
mostly between the various factions within the Crusade as opposed to with any
Muslim enemies and hardship.

In 1099 the First Crusade invaded and succeeded in capturing Jerusalem, and set
up four feudal kingdoms that would remain for nearly 100 years. However, the
Christian crusaders massacred the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and many other
towns in the process. But it was a huge military victory and Jerusalem was
temporarily made safe for the pilgrims.

A mixture of Christian spirituality and military adventure motivated the
participants in the Crusades like never before in history and perhaps never
since. Genovese Merchants participated also in the hope of undermining
Venice's trade links with Muslim Egypt. Many of the crusaders were acting to
advance the cause of Christianity. This was not necessarily true for all of
the crusaders. Criminals who fought were pardoned, and a crusader was exempt
from taxation from the time that he “took up the cross,” until he returned from
the war.

A Second Crusade in 1147-49 was a failure, owing to the French King's insistence
on betraying and attacking his only Muslim ally, Damascus. In 1187 the Muslims
captured Jerusalem under their leader [[Saladin]], and the Third Crusade
(1189-92) had the limited success of obtaining a truce from Saladin that
promised to allow Christian pilgrimage to Jerusalem. That Crusade was led by
the leaders of [[France]] and the [[Holy Roman Empire]] and [[King Richard]]
the Lion-Hearted of England. The first returned home after an argument with
Richard at Acre, and the second drowned; only King Richard saw the mission
through.

Two subsequent crusades were tragic. The Fourth Crusade (1202-04) Never reached
the Holy Land and ended with the crusaders’ sacking Constantinople — a Christian
City — wounding it forever and embittering the East against the West further
than the previous Crusades had done. A Children’s Crusade (1212) consisted of
peasants leading up to a thousand children on a mission of love to Jerusalem,
but the children were captured by Christian Genovese merchants and sold as
slaves to, ironically, the Muslim powers of North Africa. The later Crusades
saw a revival in religious motivation, indeed, the Fifth Crusade and the
Crusade of St. Louis both nearly succeeded in regaining Jerusalem by way of
attacking Egypt and failed only through the greed of men like Robert of Artois.

It seems that the Christian armies lost sight of our goals to bring and spread
love and Christianity along the way, got drunk with power and glory and decided
to pillage towns and murder people (note that this is breaking many commandments
“thou shalt not murder.” “thou shalt not steal”), although this murder and
pillage did, in it's own perverse way, spread the faith through fear, and
focused instead on founding feudal states instead of the Catholic Theocracy
dreamed of by Diambert of Pisa, the second Patriarch of Jerusalem.

The Crusades went against our Christian teachings and the words of Christ, “love
thy neighbor as thyself” “turn the other cheek” etc.

Hammer

2007-03-24T13:22:00Z

SpiritOf79: New page: A hammer is a tool made from a square piece of matal on a (usually wooden) handle. The handle may be long or short. Hammers are used for hitting nails, pounding chisels, etc. The hammer wa...

A hammer is a tool made from a square piece of matal on a (usually wooden) handle. The handle may be long or short. Hammers are used for hitting nails, pounding chisels, etc. The hammer was one part of the symbol of the [[Soviet Union]], the [[hammer and sickle]].

Comet

2007-03-24T13:11:56Z

SpiritOf79: expanded a little

{{stub}}
A comet is a ball of ice consisting of frozen gases as well as water, typically having a diameter of less than five kilometers. A comet develops a tail made of ice, gas and dust when it is close enough to the sun for some of the ice to melt. Comet tails can be millions of kilometers in length.

Comets in orbit around stars may be highly eplitical rather than circular ( such as planets ) which takes them past the orbit of pluto. Some mass of the comet will sublimate with each pass by the sun and after many passes the comet may no longer be active and be simply an asteroid.

Islam

2007-03-24T12:53:52Z

SpiritOf79: rm incorrect apostrophe

'''Islam''' is a [[monotheism|monotheistic]] religion based on the teachings of [[Muhammad]], a 7th century Arab political and religious figure. The word "Islam" means "submission." The followers of Islam are called [[Muslim|Muslims]] or Moslems. Muslims follow the teaching of Muhammad, whom they believe to be God's last and greatest prophet. Muslims believe that God (Allah, in Arabic) revealed the [[Qu'ran]] to Muhammad. The [[Qu'ran]] is considered to be the pure and holy word of Allah. Like [[Christianity]], and [[Judaism]], Islam originated in the [[Middle East]] and claims to trace its roots back to [[Abraham]]. Muslims do not believe that Muhammad was the founder of Islam, rather that he restored the original faith of Abraham and the prophets, which had been corrupted and/or misinterpreted over time. Islam is the second largest religion in the world, with over 1.4 billion followers, the number of Muslims is rapidly growing, mainly due to high birth rates in Muslim countries. Both Christian and Muslim sources agree that conversions to Islam outnumber those to Christianity.<ref>[http://www.religioustolerance.org/worldrel.htm RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD: Numbers of adherents; names of houses of worship; names of leaders; rates of growth...]</ref>
<ref>[http://www.orthodoxytoday.org/articles6/AlJazeerahAfrica.php Translation of AL-Jazeerah interview between Maher Abdallah and Shiekh Ahmed Katani]</ref>

[[Image:Mecca.jpg|thumb|right|300px|[[Mecca]], the Islamic holy city.]]

===Five Pillars of Islam===

*'''Shahadah (Profession of Faith)''' -The Shahadah is the Muslim profession of faith. 'ašhadu 'al-lā ilāha illā-llāhu wa 'ašhadu 'anna muħammadan rasūlu-llāh, a loose English translation reads "''There is none worthy of worship except the God, and [[Muhammad]] is the messenger of God''" This testament can be seen as the foundation of all of the other tenets of Islam.

*'''Salat (Ritual Prayer)''' -All Muslims are required to Pray to Allah five times each day while facing [[Mecca]].

*'''Zakat (Charity)''' Able Muslims must donate to the poor based on the wealth one has accumulated. In current usage it is interpreted as 2.5% of the value of most valuables and savings held for a full [[lunar year]].

*'''Sawm (Fasting)''' All able-bodied Muslims (children, the elderly, and the ill are exempt) must fast during daylight hours during the daylight hours of the entire month of [[Ramadan]]. According to Muslims, this purifies the body and soul. Some Muslim sects allow military, police and emergency services personnel to receive an exemption from fasting from an imam, on the grounds that their work supports the community or national good.

*'''Hajj (Pilgrimage)''' All able-bodied Muslims must make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lives.

[[Image:Quran.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Pages from the Koran, the holy book of the Islamic religion.]]

==Islam and Christianity==

While Muslims do not believe Jesus to be the Son of God or in the resurrection, they consider him to be one of God's most important prophets. However, the Qu'ran warns against worshiping Jesus, for fear of [[idolatry]].<ref>[http://www.ccg.org/_domain/ccg.org/Islam/Islam.htm Christian Churches of God Articles on Islam], March 10, 2007</ref>

The Qur'an states that Christians will be punished, though the nature of the punishment is not specified: ''“Unbelievers are those that say: ‘God is the Messiah, the son of Mary.’ He that worships
other deities besides God, God will deny paradise, and the Fire shall be his home. None shall help the evil-doers.
Unbelievers are those that say: ‘God is one of three.’ There is but one God. If they do not
desist from saying so, they shall be sternly punished.” (5:73-75)''

However, Islam does recognize Christians and Jews as "people of the book" since both refer to one God only, and recognize Abraham (Ibrahim in [[Arabic]]) as a founding prophet.

==Islam and Paganism==

Although most Muslims profess belief in a single, almighty [[Allah|God]], some Western scholars believe that some Muslim beliefs, like some of the [[church]], can be traced back to distinctly polytheistic antecedents. Some, for example, have attempted to link Allah to a moon deity, though Allah is cited in the Koran as the God of Abraham and Isaac (Judaism and Christianity). <ref>Abramahov, "Islamic Theology". Edinburgh University Press: Edinburgh, 1988. [http://www.amazon.com/Islamic-Theology-Binyamin-Abrahamov/dp/0748611029/sr=8-4/qid=1172042917/ref=pd_bbs_sr_4/105-1837174-2630046?ie=UTF8&s=books]</ref> Others have pointed to the pagan roots of various Muslim prohibitions, such as the ban on pork (also practiced in Orthodox Judaism) originating in the 3rd-century AD Damascene [[cult]] of the pig-god Jamal. <ref>Ibid.</ref> There is some evidence that some traditional Muslim scholars have been suppressing this information as well as various recently-recovered scrolls that hint at early Muslim human sacrifice, which was also a part of early Judaism. However no such claims have been properly verified. <ref>Esposito, "The Oxford History of Islam", p. 523. Oxford University Press: Oxford, 1999. [http://www.amazon.com/Oxford-History-Islam-John-Esposito/dp/0195107993/sr=8-1/qid=1172042853/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-1837174-2630046?ie=UTF8&s=books]</ref>

==Sharia==

[[Sharia]] is the body of Islamic law. The term means "way" or "path"; it is the legal framework within which public and some private aspects of life are regulated for those living in a legal system based on Muslim principles of jurisprudence. It is not actually part of the canonical Koran; that is to say, it is not believed to be the direct word of Allah by Muslims, but rather the interpretation of it.

Sharia deals with many aspects of day-to-day life, including politics, economics, banking, business law, contract law, sexuality, and social issues. Some Islamic scholars accept Sharia as the body of precedent and legal theory established before the 19th century, while other scholars view Sharia as a changing body, and include Islamic legal theory from the contemporary period.{{fact}}

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Religion]]

Turkiye

2007-03-24T12:51:52Z

SpiritOf79: typo

{{stub}}
Turkey is a kind of bird. [[Benjamin Franklin]] thought that the turkey should be the national bird of [[America]], but really the national bird is the [[bald eagle]]. Turkey is a traditional [[thanksgiving]] food. It is usually stuffed.

Turkey is also a country in Europe. It's currently negotiating membership with the [[European Union]]. Turkey is one of the few countries of which the majority of the population is [[Muslim]] that has a clear division between the state and religion. Turkey is one of the few Islamic countries that is a true democracy.

[[Category:Countries]]
[[Category:Food and drink]]