Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Scientology

2015-11-28T21:44:33Z

Teen Conservative: got rid of something

[[File:Supernatural-Scientology-Cross.jpg|thumb|Supernatural-Scientology-Cross.]]
'''Scientology''' is a new religion<ref>[http://www.ucalgary.ca/~nurelweb/papers/irving/scient.html Irving Hexham, Professor of Religious Studies, University of Calgary]</ref> established in the [[United States]] by science fiction author [[L. Ron Hubbard]] in 1954. His 1950 book ''Dianetics'' told readers they could rid themselves of negative past experiences, called "engrams", to live happier lives. Later Hubbard added idea involving the human soul, or "thetan" (each person's spiritual self or soul that passes through countless [[reincarnation]]s across trillions of years), and the origins of life and the universe. The organization has often been the subject of extreme controversy. <ref>[http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Scientology/index.aspx Scientology Basics]</ref>It has been described by judiciary in various countries as a dangerous and mind controlling cult <ref>See eg. ''Re: B & G'' (Minors) (Custody) (High Court of England), which can be found [http://www.xenu.net/archive/audit/latey.html here] or Church of Scientology California v Gerry Armstrong, which can be found [http://www.gerryarmstrong.org/archives/283 here]</ref>.

Unlike [[Christianity]], [[Islam]], or [[Judaism]], there is no single definitive text having authority. Instead, there are multiple books, read by adherents to increase their understanding of Scientology principles.
''Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health'', his seminal work on the subject, came out in 1950 and became a multi-million bestseller.<ref>Dianetics has sold over 21 million copies and is the best selling self-help book of all time. [http://www.religioustolerance.org/scientol1.htm ]</ref>
''The Way to Happiness'' is a 1980 booklet that lists 21 moral precepts.
:"Piece by piece, his teachings are revealed to church members through a progression of sometimes secret courses that take years to complete and cost tens of thousands of dollars." <ref> [http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-scientologysidea062490,0,7631220,full.story Defining the Theology.] </ref>

<blockquote>
''The goal of the Scientology [[religion]] is to achieve complete certainty of one's spiritual existence, one's relationship to the Supreme Being, and his role in eternity;'' <ref> [http://www.bonafidescientology.org/ Scientology.] </ref> but [[Heaven]], Hubbard said, ''is a "false dream" and a "very painful lie" intended to direct thetans toward a non-existent goal and convince them they have only one life.'' <ref> [http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-scientologysidea062490,0,7631220,full.story Defining the Theology.] </ref>
</blockquote>

Although Scientology argues its beliefs are not incompatible with Christian [[faith]], this is not so. Scientology is inconsistent with the beliefs of Christian faith; however ''we may observe that Scientology does entertain a fine goal in attempting to improve the world and man's lot within it, whether materially or spiritually. Many practitioners are dedicated and selfless in seeking such ends.'' Scientology is also known for its [[conservative]] stance on social issues (supporting [[Proposition 8]] in California, for example), which is commendable. Scientology's founder L. Ron Hubbard also recognized that [[homosexuality]] is immoral and a behavioral disorder, rather than a "healthy alternative lifestyle" as liberals shamelessly insist.<ref> [http://www.abundantgraceministries.org/new_page_5.htm From Science Fiction to Space-age Religion.] </ref>The official Scientology position on homosexuality is that someone who is a homosexual is "trapped within a past life when they were of the opposite sex."<ref>see eg.'' A history of Man'', Hubbard. 1952</ref>
== Basic Beliefs ==

* Belief in Deity: The nature of the Supreme Being is revealed personally.
* Incarnations: There are no particular human incarnations of [[God]].
* Origin of Universe and Life: All is manifestation of the universal spirit.
* After Death: Rebirths continue forever.
* Why Evil?: Untrue ideas can result in wrongdoing.
* Salvation: Salvation and enlightenment is achieved through the practices and techniques of Scientology.
* Undeserved Suffering: Suffering occurs as part of the spirit's entrapment here in the physical universe.
* Death: It is sometimes a blessing, or irrelevant.
* Contemporary Issues: Scientology favors the use of their methodology for spiritual/mental healing and social betterment.

<blockquote>
The Creed of the Church of Scientology was written by L. Ron Hubbard shortly after the Church was formed in Los Angeles on February 18, 1954. <ref> [http://www.bonafidescientology.org/Creed/index.htm The Creed of the Church of Scientology.] </ref>
</blockquote>

== In the news ==
October 26, 2009.

<blockquote>

Paul Haggis, an Oscar-winning [[Canadian]] filmmaker has quit the Church of Scientology after 35 years over the organization's tolerance of "gay-bashing," its lying over the use of "disconnection," and its decision to release the intimate confessions of some of its former members who turned into critics. <ref> [http://www.canada.com/entertainment/movie-guide/Canadian+filmmaker+quits+Church+Scientology/2147889/story.html Canadian filmmaker quits Church of Scientology] </ref> (disconnection which means that a recruit is told to cut off from parents.)
</blockquote>

Tue Oct 27, 2009.
<blockquote>

A [[Paris]] court convicted the Church of Scientology of fraud and fined it more than euro 600,000 ($900,000) on Tuesday, but stopped short of banning the group's activities.

The group's French branch said it would appeal the verdict.

The court convicted the Church of Scientology's French office, its library and six of its leaders of organized fraud. Investigators said the group pressured members into paying large sums of money for questionable financial gain and used "commercial harassment" against recruits. <ref> [http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091027/ap_on_re_eu/eu_france_scientology Church of Scientology convicted of fraud in France] </ref>

</blockquote>

==Controversy and criticism==

Both the status of Scientology as a religion<ref>http://www.factnet.org/Scientology/scirelg.htm</ref> and its beliefs as well as its practices and manner of operation have been a subject of condemnation by both religious and secular sources.<ref>http://www.watchman.org/profile/sientpro.htm]</ref><ref>http://www.watchman.org/sci/historyofterror.htm</ref><ref>http://www.believersweb.org/view.cfm?ID=607</ref><ref>http://www.apologeticsindex.org/cpoint7</ref>
<ref>http://www.clambake.org</ref> Scientology is classified as a cult by the governments of France and Germany.

Christian apologist Craig Branch of Watchman Fellowship begins a documented examination of Scientology by stating,
<blockquote> Controversy continues to rage around Scientology, due mostly to the totalitarian and abusive nature of its practices. The evolution and history of Scientology raises serious and fundamental questions about freedoms and protections of religion and even what or who defines a religion. Scientology is an anomaly on even a diverse religious landscape. It does, in fact, involve religious belief (in what most outsiders would regard as science fiction). But that belief appears to have been built chiefly as a cover for exploitive commercial operations...Scientology's history of terror and abuse appears to be the result of its founder's delusion and paranoia. <ref>http://www.watchman.org/Sci/scientologymafia.htm</ref></blockquote>

Such charges are due in part to the tendency of Scientology to engage in intimidation and unethical or unlawful practices against those who have criticized or publicly opposed it, from former members, to national publications, to the [[United States]] government. This has resulted in Scientology being termed a "religious mafia", and "a commercial enterprise that masquerades as a religion."<ref>http://www.apologeticsindex.org/s04.html</ref><ref>cf. Scientology: the Sickness Spreads," Reader's Digest, September, l981, reprint, p.2</ref> In response to journalist Paulette Cooper's 1972 book, ''The Scandal of Scientology'',<ref>http://www.clambake.org/archive/books/tsos/sos.html</ref> Scientology launched filed 19 lawsuits against her,<ref>http://www.paulettecooper.com/scandal.htm</ref> contrived a false bomb threat made in her name, and planned and implemented various other attempts over the course of almost 15 years. A strategy called ''Operation Freakout'' sought "To get P.C incarcerated in a mental institution or jail, or at least to hit her so hard that she drops her attacks."<ref>http://www.shipbrook.com/jeff/CoS/docs/pcof1.html</ref><ref>http://www.holysmoke.org/pc/freako.htm</ref>

This plan was prevented from full implementation when a 1977 FBI raid on Scientology headquarters revealed the Scientology plot, among 48,000 documents detailing strategies against critics of the church. Comprehensive evidence revealed the theft of government documents by Scientology, spies planted in the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service, and the planting of listening devices, as part of ''Operation Snow White''.

The raid finally resulted in the conviction of Mary Sue Hubbard, wife of the Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard, and 10 more Scientologists. All received prison terms, though all are now free.<ref>Robert W. Welkos and Joel Sappell, 'Burglaries and Lies Paved a Path to Prison'' The Los Angeles Times, June 24, 1990</ref><ref>http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-scientologysidec062490,0,111873,print.story</ref><ref>The Watchman Expositor (Vol. 14, No. 5)</ref>

The original objective of Operation Snow White was to expose and expunge "all false and secret files of the nations of operating areas", and included plans to use blackmail, and to infiltrate and steal potentially damaging classified files on Scientology activities in various countries, from [[Algeria]] to the United States.<ref>http://xenu.net/archive/go/ops/go732/go732.htm</ref> These ranged from ''Operation Project DIG (AUDITION)'' in Australia, which called for giving compromising information on Conservative politicians to the Australian Labor Party so that the latter "could give the Federal Labor something to smear Victorian Conservatives with", to ''Project GRUMPY'' in Germany, which upheld obtaining files "by any means" from police, Interpol and immigration authorities.<ref>http://xenu.net/archive/go/ops/go732/go732p.htm</ref>

In 1991 [[Time magazine]] wrote a major exposé of Scientology, describing it as ''The Cult of Greed'', being <blockquote>
a hugely profitable, global racket that survives by intimidating members and critics in a Mafia-like manner. Scientology is quite likely the most ruthless, the most classically terroristic, the most litigious, and the most lucrative cult the country has ever seen.
<ref>[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,972865,00.html Time, ''The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power'' pp. 32-33]</ref></blockquote>

Scientology unsuccessfully sued Time magazine over the revelatory story.<ref>http://www.watchman.org/sci/historyofterror.htm</ref>

Numerous other [[author]]s and publication have been additional targets of Scientology retaliation.<ref>http://www.lermanet.com/scientologynews/index.html</ref> In 1995, ''The American Jurist'' Magazine published, ''Dangerous Science: The Church of Scientology's Holy War against Critics'', which notes, <blockquote>
It is typical of the Church of Scientology to use lawsuits -- very many of which are dismissed as frivolous -- to intimidate, harass and quell its critics and defectors into silence. This scheme is even written into the church's doctrine.<ref>[http://www.lermanet.com/scientologynews/amjurist1195.html The American Jurist, November 1995]</ref> </blockquote>

Many other authorities have voiced concurring opinions,<ref>http://www.factnet.org/Scientology/crtquot.htm</ref> and or provided documented examples.<ref>http://www.lermanet.com/scientologyscandals/criminal.htm</ref><ref>[http://www.solitarytrees.net/pickets/sp944.htm ''Church of Scientology probes Herald reporter - Investigation follows pattern of harassment''. The Boston Herald, March 19, 1998</ref><ref>http://www.scientology-lies.com</ref>

In 1996, the popular ''Cult Awareness Network'', abbreviated as ''CAN'', a primary Scientology critic, was forced into bankruptcy by Scientology. An undercover Scientologist had infiltrated CAN, then 50 Scientologists filed suit against it, many containing almost identical language, after having sought to join the organization almost simultaneously and being denied. CAN's link to cult deprogramming enabled Scientology to file a lawsuit which resulted in a massive fine which added to CAN's legal debt, forcing bankruptcy. Legal maneuvering resulted in Scientology having control of the name and equipment, etc. and files of the old CAN, through Scientology associates. The files were then turned over to the ''Foundation for Religious Freedom'',<ref>http://www.apologeticsindex.org/c19.html</ref> one of many which serve as a "front" group for Scientology, or which are inordinately favorable to them.<ref>http://www.apologeticsindex.org/f00.html#ffrf</ref><ref>http://www.xenu.net/archive/IRS/#VIII</ref><ref>http://www.holysmoke.org/cos/cult-front-groups-latest.htm</ref>

An addition source of controversy has been the death of 36 year old Lisa McPherson at Scientology's Clearwater headquarters, which she was undergoing "care".<ref>http://www.watchman.org/sci/mcpherson.htm</ref>

Doctrinally Scientology is non-Christian (Hubbard even denied there was a Christ<ref>http://www.lermanet2.com/cos/nochrist.html</ref>), and is seen to be manifesting a form of [[New Age]] belief.<ref>http://www.watchman.org/sci/hubrel03.htm</ref> One researcher concludes that it is "an oversimplified form of regular psychotherapy mixed with hypnosis."<ref>Russell Miller,''Bare Faced Messiah'', Chapter 9</ref>

It is also pointed out that Satanist Aleister Crowley, was Hubbard's mentor and he lived with Crowley protege John Parsons, engaging in sex magic at their black magic mansion hospice (Los Angeles Times, 24 June 1990, p. A1).<ref>http://www.watchman.org/profile/sientpro.htm</ref>
<ref>http://www.clambake.org/archive/books/tsos/sos.html</ref>

Liberal religious cult apologist<ref>http://www.rickross.com/apologist.html</ref> J. Gordon Melton dismisses the charge that Scientology is a cult, as he does in regard to certain other dangerous groups.<ref>http://www.apologeticsindex.org/m06.html</ref><ref>http://www.apologeticsindex.org/c31.html</ref>

===Negative quotes===
Quotes from Scientology and other material<ref>http://www.xenu.net/archive/judge_quotes.html</ref> <ref>http://www.factnet.org/Scientology/shortquotes.htm</ref><ref>http://www.factnet.org/Scientology/sciequot.htm</ref> are often published in support of the critical position.

<blockquote>
If attacked on some vulnerable point by anyone or anything or any organization, always find or manufacture enough threat against them to cause them to sue for peace." - L. Ron Hubbard, Hubbard Communications Office Policy Letter, 15 August 1960, Dept. of Govt. Affairs
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
The purpose of the suit is to harass and discourage rather than to win. The law can be used very easily to harass, and enough harassment on somebody who is simply on the thin edge anyway, well knowing that he is not authorized, will generally be sufficient to cause his professional decease. If possible, of course, ruin him utterly. - L. Ron Hubbard, A Manual on the dissemination of material.
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
So we listen. We add up associations of people with people. When a push against Scientology starts somewhere, we go over the people involved and weed them out. Push vanishes." - L. Ron Hubbard, Manual of justice, 1959
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
A truly Suppressive Person or group has no rights of any kind and actions taken against them are not punishable.- L. Ron Hubbard, Hubbard Communications Office Policy Letter, 1 March 1965, HCO (Division 1) Ethics, Suppressive Acts, Suppression of Scientology and Scientologists</blockquote>
<blockquote>
[The court record is] replete with evidence [that Scientology] is nothing in reality but a vast enterprise to extract the maximum amount of money from its adepts by pseudo scientific theories… and to exercise a kind of blackmail against persons who do not wish to continue with their sect…. The organization clearly is schizophrenic and paranoid, and this bizarre combination seems to be a reflection of its founder, L.Ron Hubbard.” – Judge Breckenridge, Los Angeles Superior Court
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
Scientology is evil; its techniques are evil; its practice is a serious threat to the community, medically, morally, and socially; and its adherents are sadly deluded and often mentally ill… (Scientology is) the world’s largest organization of unqualified persons engaged in the practice of dangerous techniques which masquerade as mental therapy.” – Justice Anderson, Supreme Court of Victoria, Australia</blockquote>
<blockquote>
Scientology is quite likely the most ruthless, the most classically terroristic, the most litigious and the most lucrative cult the country has ever seen. No cult extracts more money from its members."
- Cynthia Kisser, the network's Chicago-based executive director, as quoted in Time, 5/6/91
</blockquote>

==Independent Scientologists==

Since the early 1980's there has been a schism within Scientology. Various members have left the church citing oppressive ethics policies, excessive fundraising, widespread altering of the Hubbard scriptures and dissatisfaction with church practices such as Disconnection and Fair Game. Many of these groups call themselves ''Independent Scientologists'' and some prefer the name ''Free Zoners''. Because the individual practices of these groups vary, it is difficult to characterise them accurately. Some, such as [http://freezoneearth.org/clearbird/clearbird2004/index.htm Clearbird] aim to restore the Tech exactly as Hubbard intended <ref>[http://freezoneearth.org/clearbird/clearbird2004/sub2/appendix/00ktw.htm ClearBirds Keeping Tech Working]</ref>, whereas others prefer to use only those parts of the tech they consider valuable and ignore those parts that are harmful or oppressive, such as [http://www.ronsorg.com/ Ron's Orgs]. A prominent former high ranking member of the Church, Marty Rathbun, offers auditing and other spiritual counselling independent of the Church. He appears to embrace a somewhat liberal approach to Hubbard's writings, publicly stating that some of the teachings of Hubbard are not intended to be believed as ''literally true'' <ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JguNbFJo3c Interview with Peter Boyles on KHOW radio in Denver]</ref>.

The official Church of Scientology has a policy of harassing these independent groups. In one classic case, they sent a film crew out to Marty Rathbun's house and harassed him for 6 months under the guise of filming a documentary <ref>[http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/scientologys-heretic-how-marty-rathbun-became-the-archenemy-of-l-ron-hubbard-devotees-7618944.html Scientology's 'heretic': How Marty Rathbun became the arch-enemy of L Ron Hubbard devotees, ''The Independent'' 07 April 2012]</ref> They attempted to have Marty Rathbun arrested for assault after he eventually lashed out against one of the film crew. However the police refused to press charges saying: <blockquote>
no jury, they said, would possibly convict Rathbun after learning of the circumstances he had endured during the previous five months. All charges were dropped. "We took a totality of the circumstances," said a spokesman. "We examined the level of provocation and the extent of the injury, which was literally a scratch <ref>[http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/scientologys-heretic-how-marty-rathbun-became-the-archenemy-of-l-ron-hubbard-devotees-7618944.html ''The Independednt'', ibid]</ref>.
</blockquote>

It should be noted that the Church of Scientology officially denies their involvement in this harassment, however this is not credible and contradicts other official statements from the Church <ref>[http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2012/04/scientology_karin_pouw_lori_hodgson.php#more Scientology Admits Connection to Slimy Anonymous Attack Websites, ''Village Voice'' April 13 2012]</ref>

==Further reading==
*[http://www.watchman.org/sci/index.htm Various Christian doctrinal and historical articles on Scientology]
*[http://www.believersweb.org/view.cfm?ID=607 An exhaustive information source on Scientology]
*[http://www.factnet.org/Scientology/scirelg.htm Scientology as a "Religion"]
*[http://www.clambake.org Extensive information critical of Scientology from secular source]
*[http://www.waltermartin.com/scient.html Christian apologist Walter Martin on Scientology, audio and text]
*[http://www.xenutv.com Video source, including report by ABC’s Nightline]

== See also ==
*[[Scientific fraud]]
*[[Forgery]]

==External links ==
* [http://www.scientology.org/home.html Welcome to Scientology.]
* [http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/2001/06/What-Scientologists-Believe.aspx Beliefnet: What Scientologists Believe]
* [http://www.scientology.org/#/videos/ Official Church of Scientology]
* [http://www.bonafidescientology.org/ A REFERENCE WORK PRESENTED BY THE CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY INTERNATIONAL]
* [http://www.abundantgraceministries.org/new_page_5.htm From Science Fiction to Space-age Religion.]
* [http://www.xenu.net/index.html Operation Clambake]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{liberalism}}

[[Category: Religion]]
[[Category:Pseudoscience]]
[[Category:Scientology]]
[[Category:Featured articles]]

Scientology

2015-11-28T21:42:38Z

Teen Conservative: Changed a few incorrect details.

[[File:Supernatural-Scientology-Cross.jpg|thumb|Supernatural-Scientology-Cross.]]
'''Scientology''' is a new religion<ref>[http://www.ucalgary.ca/~nurelweb/papers/irving/scient.html Irving Hexham, Professor of Religious Studies, University of Calgary]</ref> established in the [[United States]] by science fiction author [[L. Ron Hubbard]] in 1954. His 1950 book ''Dianetics'' told readers they could rid themselves of negative past experiences, called "engrams", to live happier lives. Later Hubbard added idea involving the human soul, or "thetan" (each person's spiritual self or soul that passes through countless [[reincarnation]]s across trillions of years), and the origins of life and the universe. The organization has often been the subject of extreme controversy. <ref>[http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Scientology/index.aspx Scientology Basics]</ref>It has been described by judiciary in various countries as a dangerous and mind controlling cult <ref>See eg. ''Re: B & G'' (Minors) (Custody) (High Court of England), which can be found [http://www.xenu.net/archive/audit/latey.html here] or Church of Scientology California v Gerry Armstrong, which can be found [http://www.gerryarmstrong.org/archives/283 here]</ref>.

Unlike [[Christianity]], [[Islam]], or [[Judaism]], there is no single definitive text having authority. Instead, there are multiple books, read by adherents to increase their understanding of Scientology principles.
''Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health'', his seminal work on the subject, came out in 1950 and became a multi-million bestseller.<ref>Dianetics has sold over 21 million copies and is the best selling self-help book of all time. [http://www.religioustolerance.org/scientol1.htm ]</ref>
''The Way to Happiness'' is a 1980 booklet that lists 21 moral precepts.
:"Piece by piece, his teachings are revealed to church members through a progression of sometimes secret courses that take years to complete and cost tens of thousands of dollars." <ref> [http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-scientologysidea062490,0,7631220,full.story Defining the Theology.] </ref>

<blockquote>
''The goal of the Scientology [[religion]] is to achieve complete certainty of one's spiritual existence, one's relationship to the Supreme Being, and his role in eternity;'' <ref> [http://www.bonafidescientology.org/ Scientology.] </ref> but [[Heaven]], Hubbard said, ''is a "false dream" and a "very painful lie" intended to direct thetans toward a non-existent goal and convince them they have only one life.'' <ref> [http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-scientologysidea062490,0,7631220,full.story Defining the Theology.] </ref>
</blockquote>

Although Scientology argues its beliefs are not incompatible with Christian [[faith]], this is not so. Scientology is inconsistent with the beliefs of Christian faith; however ''we may observe that Scientology does entertain a fine goal in attempting to improve the world and man's lot within it, whether materially or spiritually. Many practitioners are dedicated and selfless in seeking such ends.'' Scientology is also known for its [[conservative]] stance on social issues (supporting [[Proposition 8]] in California, for example), which is commendable. Scientology's founder L. Ron Hubbard also recognized that [[homosexuality]] is immoral and a behavioral disorder, rather than a "healthy alternative lifestyle" as liberals shamelessly insist.<ref> [http://www.abundantgraceministries.org/new_page_5.htm From Science Fiction to Space-age Religion.] </ref>The official Scientology position on homosexuality is that someone who is a homosexual is "trapped within a past life when they were of the opposite sex."<ref>see eg.'' A history of Man'', Hubbard, 1952</ref> On the issue of [[abortion]].

== Basic Beliefs ==

* Belief in Deity: The nature of the Supreme Being is revealed personally.
* Incarnations: There are no particular human incarnations of [[God]].
* Origin of Universe and Life: All is manifestation of the universal spirit.
* After Death: Rebirths continue forever.
* Why Evil?: Untrue ideas can result in wrongdoing.
* Salvation: Salvation and enlightenment is achieved through the practices and techniques of Scientology.
* Undeserved Suffering: Suffering occurs as part of the spirit's entrapment here in the physical universe.
* Death: It is sometimes a blessing, or irrelevant.
* Contemporary Issues: Scientology favors the use of their methodology for spiritual/mental healing and social betterment.

<blockquote>
The Creed of the Church of Scientology was written by L. Ron Hubbard shortly after the Church was formed in Los Angeles on February 18, 1954. <ref> [http://www.bonafidescientology.org/Creed/index.htm The Creed of the Church of Scientology.] </ref>
</blockquote>

== In the news ==
October 26, 2009.

<blockquote>

Paul Haggis, an Oscar-winning [[Canadian]] filmmaker has quit the Church of Scientology after 35 years over the organization's tolerance of "gay-bashing," its lying over the use of "disconnection," and its decision to release the intimate confessions of some of its former members who turned into critics. <ref> [http://www.canada.com/entertainment/movie-guide/Canadian+filmmaker+quits+Church+Scientology/2147889/story.html Canadian filmmaker quits Church of Scientology] </ref> (disconnection which means that a recruit is told to cut off from parents.)
</blockquote>

Tue Oct 27, 2009.
<blockquote>

A [[Paris]] court convicted the Church of Scientology of fraud and fined it more than euro 600,000 ($900,000) on Tuesday, but stopped short of banning the group's activities.

The group's French branch said it would appeal the verdict.

The court convicted the Church of Scientology's French office, its library and six of its leaders of organized fraud. Investigators said the group pressured members into paying large sums of money for questionable financial gain and used "commercial harassment" against recruits. <ref> [http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091027/ap_on_re_eu/eu_france_scientology Church of Scientology convicted of fraud in France] </ref>

</blockquote>

==Controversy and criticism==

Both the status of Scientology as a religion<ref>http://www.factnet.org/Scientology/scirelg.htm</ref> and its beliefs as well as its practices and manner of operation have been a subject of condemnation by both religious and secular sources.<ref>http://www.watchman.org/profile/sientpro.htm]</ref><ref>http://www.watchman.org/sci/historyofterror.htm</ref><ref>http://www.believersweb.org/view.cfm?ID=607</ref><ref>http://www.apologeticsindex.org/cpoint7</ref>
<ref>http://www.clambake.org</ref> Scientology is classified as a cult by the governments of France and Germany.

Christian apologist Craig Branch of Watchman Fellowship begins a documented examination of Scientology by stating,
<blockquote> Controversy continues to rage around Scientology, due mostly to the totalitarian and abusive nature of its practices. The evolution and history of Scientology raises serious and fundamental questions about freedoms and protections of religion and even what or who defines a religion. Scientology is an anomaly on even a diverse religious landscape. It does, in fact, involve religious belief (in what most outsiders would regard as science fiction). But that belief appears to have been built chiefly as a cover for exploitive commercial operations...Scientology's history of terror and abuse appears to be the result of its founder's delusion and paranoia. <ref>http://www.watchman.org/Sci/scientologymafia.htm</ref></blockquote>

Such charges are due in part to the tendency of Scientology to engage in intimidation and unethical or unlawful practices against those who have criticized or publicly opposed it, from former members, to national publications, to the [[United States]] government. This has resulted in Scientology being termed a "religious mafia", and "a commercial enterprise that masquerades as a religion."<ref>http://www.apologeticsindex.org/s04.html</ref><ref>cf. Scientology: the Sickness Spreads," Reader's Digest, September, l981, reprint, p.2</ref> In response to journalist Paulette Cooper's 1972 book, ''The Scandal of Scientology'',<ref>http://www.clambake.org/archive/books/tsos/sos.html</ref> Scientology launched filed 19 lawsuits against her,<ref>http://www.paulettecooper.com/scandal.htm</ref> contrived a false bomb threat made in her name, and planned and implemented various other attempts over the course of almost 15 years. A strategy called ''Operation Freakout'' sought "To get P.C incarcerated in a mental institution or jail, or at least to hit her so hard that she drops her attacks."<ref>http://www.shipbrook.com/jeff/CoS/docs/pcof1.html</ref><ref>http://www.holysmoke.org/pc/freako.htm</ref>

This plan was prevented from full implementation when a 1977 FBI raid on Scientology headquarters revealed the Scientology plot, among 48,000 documents detailing strategies against critics of the church. Comprehensive evidence revealed the theft of government documents by Scientology, spies planted in the Justice Department and Internal Revenue Service, and the planting of listening devices, as part of ''Operation Snow White''.

The raid finally resulted in the conviction of Mary Sue Hubbard, wife of the Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard, and 10 more Scientologists. All received prison terms, though all are now free.<ref>Robert W. Welkos and Joel Sappell, 'Burglaries and Lies Paved a Path to Prison'' The Los Angeles Times, June 24, 1990</ref><ref>http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-scientologysidec062490,0,111873,print.story</ref><ref>The Watchman Expositor (Vol. 14, No. 5)</ref>

The original objective of Operation Snow White was to expose and expunge "all false and secret files of the nations of operating areas", and included plans to use blackmail, and to infiltrate and steal potentially damaging classified files on Scientology activities in various countries, from [[Algeria]] to the United States.<ref>http://xenu.net/archive/go/ops/go732/go732.htm</ref> These ranged from ''Operation Project DIG (AUDITION)'' in Australia, which called for giving compromising information on Conservative politicians to the Australian Labor Party so that the latter "could give the Federal Labor something to smear Victorian Conservatives with", to ''Project GRUMPY'' in Germany, which upheld obtaining files "by any means" from police, Interpol and immigration authorities.<ref>http://xenu.net/archive/go/ops/go732/go732p.htm</ref>

In 1991 [[Time magazine]] wrote a major exposé of Scientology, describing it as ''The Cult of Greed'', being <blockquote>
a hugely profitable, global racket that survives by intimidating members and critics in a Mafia-like manner. Scientology is quite likely the most ruthless, the most classically terroristic, the most litigious, and the most lucrative cult the country has ever seen.
<ref>[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,972865,00.html Time, ''The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power'' pp. 32-33]</ref></blockquote>

Scientology unsuccessfully sued Time magazine over the revelatory story.<ref>http://www.watchman.org/sci/historyofterror.htm</ref>

Numerous other [[author]]s and publication have been additional targets of Scientology retaliation.<ref>http://www.lermanet.com/scientologynews/index.html</ref> In 1995, ''The American Jurist'' Magazine published, ''Dangerous Science: The Church of Scientology's Holy War against Critics'', which notes, <blockquote>
It is typical of the Church of Scientology to use lawsuits -- very many of which are dismissed as frivolous -- to intimidate, harass and quell its critics and defectors into silence. This scheme is even written into the church's doctrine.<ref>[http://www.lermanet.com/scientologynews/amjurist1195.html The American Jurist, November 1995]</ref> </blockquote>

Many other authorities have voiced concurring opinions,<ref>http://www.factnet.org/Scientology/crtquot.htm</ref> and or provided documented examples.<ref>http://www.lermanet.com/scientologyscandals/criminal.htm</ref><ref>[http://www.solitarytrees.net/pickets/sp944.htm ''Church of Scientology probes Herald reporter - Investigation follows pattern of harassment''. The Boston Herald, March 19, 1998</ref><ref>http://www.scientology-lies.com</ref>

In 1996, the popular ''Cult Awareness Network'', abbreviated as ''CAN'', a primary Scientology critic, was forced into bankruptcy by Scientology. An undercover Scientologist had infiltrated CAN, then 50 Scientologists filed suit against it, many containing almost identical language, after having sought to join the organization almost simultaneously and being denied. CAN's link to cult deprogramming enabled Scientology to file a lawsuit which resulted in a massive fine which added to CAN's legal debt, forcing bankruptcy. Legal maneuvering resulted in Scientology having control of the name and equipment, etc. and files of the old CAN, through Scientology associates. The files were then turned over to the ''Foundation for Religious Freedom'',<ref>http://www.apologeticsindex.org/c19.html</ref> one of many which serve as a "front" group for Scientology, or which are inordinately favorable to them.<ref>http://www.apologeticsindex.org/f00.html#ffrf</ref><ref>http://www.xenu.net/archive/IRS/#VIII</ref><ref>http://www.holysmoke.org/cos/cult-front-groups-latest.htm</ref>

An addition source of controversy has been the death of 36 year old Lisa McPherson at Scientology's Clearwater headquarters, which she was undergoing "care".<ref>http://www.watchman.org/sci/mcpherson.htm</ref>

Doctrinally Scientology is non-Christian (Hubbard even denied there was a Christ<ref>http://www.lermanet2.com/cos/nochrist.html</ref>), and is seen to be manifesting a form of [[New Age]] belief.<ref>http://www.watchman.org/sci/hubrel03.htm</ref> One researcher concludes that it is "an oversimplified form of regular psychotherapy mixed with hypnosis."<ref>Russell Miller,''Bare Faced Messiah'', Chapter 9</ref>

It is also pointed out that Satanist Aleister Crowley, was Hubbard's mentor and he lived with Crowley protege John Parsons, engaging in sex magic at their black magic mansion hospice (Los Angeles Times, 24 June 1990, p. A1).<ref>http://www.watchman.org/profile/sientpro.htm</ref>
<ref>http://www.clambake.org/archive/books/tsos/sos.html</ref>

Liberal religious cult apologist<ref>http://www.rickross.com/apologist.html</ref> J. Gordon Melton dismisses the charge that Scientology is a cult, as he does in regard to certain other dangerous groups.<ref>http://www.apologeticsindex.org/m06.html</ref><ref>http://www.apologeticsindex.org/c31.html</ref>

===Negative quotes===
Quotes from Scientology and other material<ref>http://www.xenu.net/archive/judge_quotes.html</ref> <ref>http://www.factnet.org/Scientology/shortquotes.htm</ref><ref>http://www.factnet.org/Scientology/sciequot.htm</ref> are often published in support of the critical position.

<blockquote>
If attacked on some vulnerable point by anyone or anything or any organization, always find or manufacture enough threat against them to cause them to sue for peace." - L. Ron Hubbard, Hubbard Communications Office Policy Letter, 15 August 1960, Dept. of Govt. Affairs
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
The purpose of the suit is to harass and discourage rather than to win. The law can be used very easily to harass, and enough harassment on somebody who is simply on the thin edge anyway, well knowing that he is not authorized, will generally be sufficient to cause his professional decease. If possible, of course, ruin him utterly. - L. Ron Hubbard, A Manual on the dissemination of material.
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
So we listen. We add up associations of people with people. When a push against Scientology starts somewhere, we go over the people involved and weed them out. Push vanishes." - L. Ron Hubbard, Manual of justice, 1959
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
A truly Suppressive Person or group has no rights of any kind and actions taken against them are not punishable.- L. Ron Hubbard, Hubbard Communications Office Policy Letter, 1 March 1965, HCO (Division 1) Ethics, Suppressive Acts, Suppression of Scientology and Scientologists</blockquote>
<blockquote>
[The court record is] replete with evidence [that Scientology] is nothing in reality but a vast enterprise to extract the maximum amount of money from its adepts by pseudo scientific theories… and to exercise a kind of blackmail against persons who do not wish to continue with their sect…. The organization clearly is schizophrenic and paranoid, and this bizarre combination seems to be a reflection of its founder, L.Ron Hubbard.” – Judge Breckenridge, Los Angeles Superior Court
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
Scientology is evil; its techniques are evil; its practice is a serious threat to the community, medically, morally, and socially; and its adherents are sadly deluded and often mentally ill… (Scientology is) the world’s largest organization of unqualified persons engaged in the practice of dangerous techniques which masquerade as mental therapy.” – Justice Anderson, Supreme Court of Victoria, Australia</blockquote>
<blockquote>
Scientology is quite likely the most ruthless, the most classically terroristic, the most litigious and the most lucrative cult the country has ever seen. No cult extracts more money from its members."
- Cynthia Kisser, the network's Chicago-based executive director, as quoted in Time, 5/6/91
</blockquote>

==Independent Scientologists==

Since the early 1980's there has been a schism within Scientology. Various members have left the church citing oppressive ethics policies, excessive fundraising, widespread altering of the Hubbard scriptures and dissatisfaction with church practices such as Disconnection and Fair Game. Many of these groups call themselves ''Independent Scientologists'' and some prefer the name ''Free Zoners''. Because the individual practices of these groups vary, it is difficult to characterise them accurately. Some, such as [http://freezoneearth.org/clearbird/clearbird2004/index.htm Clearbird] aim to restore the Tech exactly as Hubbard intended <ref>[http://freezoneearth.org/clearbird/clearbird2004/sub2/appendix/00ktw.htm ClearBirds Keeping Tech Working]</ref>, whereas others prefer to use only those parts of the tech they consider valuable and ignore those parts that are harmful or oppressive, such as [http://www.ronsorg.com/ Ron's Orgs]. A prominent former high ranking member of the Church, Marty Rathbun, offers auditing and other spiritual counselling independent of the Church. He appears to embrace a somewhat liberal approach to Hubbard's writings, publicly stating that some of the teachings of Hubbard are not intended to be believed as ''literally true'' <ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JguNbFJo3c Interview with Peter Boyles on KHOW radio in Denver]</ref>.

The official Church of Scientology has a policy of harassing these independent groups. In one classic case, they sent a film crew out to Marty Rathbun's house and harassed him for 6 months under the guise of filming a documentary <ref>[http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/scientologys-heretic-how-marty-rathbun-became-the-archenemy-of-l-ron-hubbard-devotees-7618944.html Scientology's 'heretic': How Marty Rathbun became the arch-enemy of L Ron Hubbard devotees, ''The Independent'' 07 April 2012]</ref> They attempted to have Marty Rathbun arrested for assault after he eventually lashed out against one of the film crew. However the police refused to press charges saying: <blockquote>
no jury, they said, would possibly convict Rathbun after learning of the circumstances he had endured during the previous five months. All charges were dropped. "We took a totality of the circumstances," said a spokesman. "We examined the level of provocation and the extent of the injury, which was literally a scratch <ref>[http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/scientologys-heretic-how-marty-rathbun-became-the-archenemy-of-l-ron-hubbard-devotees-7618944.html ''The Independednt'', ibid]</ref>.
</blockquote>

It should be noted that the Church of Scientology officially denies their involvement in this harassment, however this is not credible and contradicts other official statements from the Church <ref>[http://blogs.villagevoice.com/runninscared/2012/04/scientology_karin_pouw_lori_hodgson.php#more Scientology Admits Connection to Slimy Anonymous Attack Websites, ''Village Voice'' April 13 2012]</ref>

==Further reading==
*[http://www.watchman.org/sci/index.htm Various Christian doctrinal and historical articles on Scientology]
*[http://www.believersweb.org/view.cfm?ID=607 An exhaustive information source on Scientology]
*[http://www.factnet.org/Scientology/scirelg.htm Scientology as a "Religion"]
*[http://www.clambake.org Extensive information critical of Scientology from secular source]
*[http://www.waltermartin.com/scient.html Christian apologist Walter Martin on Scientology, audio and text]
*[http://www.xenutv.com Video source, including report by ABC’s Nightline]

== See also ==
*[[Scientific fraud]]
*[[Forgery]]

==External links ==
* [http://www.scientology.org/home.html Welcome to Scientology.]
* [http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/2001/06/What-Scientologists-Believe.aspx Beliefnet: What Scientologists Believe]
* [http://www.scientology.org/#/videos/ Official Church of Scientology]
* [http://www.bonafidescientology.org/ A REFERENCE WORK PRESENTED BY THE CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY INTERNATIONAL]
* [http://www.abundantgraceministries.org/new_page_5.htm From Science Fiction to Space-age Religion.]
* [http://www.xenu.net/index.html Operation Clambake]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{liberalism}}

[[Category: Religion]]
[[Category:Pseudoscience]]
[[Category:Scientology]]
[[Category:Featured articles]]

Greek mythology

2015-11-21T22:26:05Z

Teen Conservative: Added section

'''Greek mythology''' is a collection of the religion and stories of the ancient [[Greeks]]. Many of these Greek beliefs have been preserved and passed down to us today. As was common in that time period in [[Europe]] and the [[Middle East]] (with the exception of [[Judaism]]) the concept of gods was usually as part of a pantheon that were basically more powerful forms of humans complete with petty rivalries and human frailties. They were worshipped just as much out of fear as out of reverence.

Stories also abounded of heroes and fantastical beasts. The most courageous acts of courage were from humans, or at least those who were half human. The concept of intermarriage or mating between gods and man caused many demi-gods who would then go on and continue to mate with humans themselves. Many parts of ancient Greece claimed some connection with godhood as did much of the world (again, except for Judaism).

<br> <center> [[Image:WAR OF THE GIANTS.jpg|550px|War of the Giants]] </center>

==Important Figures in Greek Mythology==
[[File:Map greek sanctuaries.jpg|thumb|Greek sanctuaries.]]
The '''Achaeans''' was a collective name for the ancient [[Greeks]] and their allies who fought against the [[Troy|Trojans]] during the [[Trojan War]].

'''Aeacus''' was a son of [[Zeus]], the father of [[Peleus]], and grandfather of [[Achilles]].

'''[[Aelous]]''' is the god of the winds.

'''Aetolia''' is a region in northwestern [[Greece]].

'''Agamemnon''' is a mythical king of Mycenae. During the [[Trojan War]], as described in [[Homer]]'s ''[[Iliad]]'', Agamemnon was the Supreme commander of the Greek forces. He was a member of the House of Atreus, which is considered to have been cursed due to its violent history, and was brother to [[Menelaus]], king of [[Sparta]]. With his wife, [[Clytemnestra]], Agamemnon had four daughters: [[Chrysothemis]], [[Electra]], [[Iphianissa]], and [[Iphigenia]]; he also had one son, [[Orestes]]. During the Trojan War, Agamemnon sacrificed Iphigenia to [[Artemis]], to ensure strong winds for the voyage to Troy. During the war, he captured [[Priam]]'s daughter, [[Cassandra]], and brought her back to [[Mycenae]] with him. However, upon his return, he discovered that Clytemnestra had taken a new husband, [[Aegisthus]]. Clytemnestra killed both Agamemnon and Cassandra after luring them to a banquet.

'''Agrius''' was a prince of [[Calydon]], the son of [[Portheus]].

'''Altes''' was king of the [[Leleges]] and father of [[Laothoë]] (a wife of [[Priam]]).

'''Althaea''' was the mother of [[Meleager]].

'''Antilochus''' was the son of [[Nestor]], brother of [[Thrasymedes]], and a favorite of [[Achilles]] after the death of [[Patroclus]]. He was killed by [[Memnon]] of [[Ethiopia]] during the [[Trojan War]]. Achilles was recovering Antilochus' body when [[Paris]] hit him with an arrow in his [[Achilles heel|heel]], killing him.

'''Antimachus''' was the father of the [[Troy|Trojans]] [[Pisander]], [[Hippolochus]], and [[Hippomachus]].

'''Argissa''' was a city in [[Thessaly]], in the kingdom of [[Polypoetes]].

'''Argos''' was a [[city-state]] in [[ancient Greece]], largely eclipsed by [[Sparta]] in prominence and importance. Argos played a role in the mythology of the [[Trojan War]] at which time it was said to be ruled by [[Diomedes]]. "Argos" could also refer to the entire Argolid, which was the kingdom of [[Agamemnon]]. As Agamemnon was the commander of the entire Greek force, "Argos" also could refer very generally to all of allied Greece during the Trojan War. The kingdom of [[Achilles]] was sometimes referred to as "Pelasgian Argos".

'''Bellerophon''' was the hero of [[Greek mythology]] who tamed and rode the flying horse [[Pegasus]] during his victory over the three-headed monster Chimera.

'''Bootes''' meaning, the ox-driver or wagoner, was a son of Ceres; inventor of the plough in the Greek mythology; and was said to have been translated along with his ox to become a [[constellation]] in the northern sky, the brightest star in which is [[Arcturus]]. <ref>{{Nuttall|Boötes}}</ref>

'''Caeneus''' was a [[Lapith]] hero of the generation of [[Nestor]], father of [[Coronus]].

'''Calydon''' was a city in [[Aetolia]], the site of a legendary battle between [[Aetolians]] and [[Curetes]].
[[Image:Chimera.jpg|thumb|Chimera]]
'''Calypso''', in Greek mythology was a [[nymph]], and a daughter of [[Atlas]], queen of the island of [[Ogygia]], who by her fascinating charms detained [[Ulysses]] beside her for 7 of the 10 years of his wanderings home from Troy; she died of grief on his departure.<ref>{{Nuttall|Calypso}}</ref>

'''Charon''', in [[Greek]] [[mythology]] was the [[ferryman]] of the ghosts of the dead over the [[Styx]] into [[Hades]], a grim old figure with a mean dress and a dirty beard, peremptory in exacting from the ghosts he ferried over the obolus allowed him for passage-money.<ref>{{Nuttall|Charon}}</ref>

The '''Chimera''' or '''Chimaera''' (pronounced keye-MIR-uh) was "a fire-breathing she-monster in [[Greek mythology]] having a lion's head, a goat's body, and a serpent's tail."<ref>http://mw1.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chimera</ref> The monster was slain by Bellerophon, riding the winged horse, Pegasus. The term has multiple uses in modern [[biology]]. One prominent definition is an animal that has multiple different populations of genetically distinct [[cell]]s that originated from different [[zygote]]s. Some humans are naturally chimeric, sharing cells from a twin (often one that was never born) or a parent.<ref>http://www.theage.com.au/cgi-bin/common/popupPrintArticle.pl?path=/articles/2003/11/27/1069825920727.html </ref> In popular usage, a chimera means something deliberately created with a combination of human and animal [[cell]]s. Such combination is often opposed on [[religious]] and [[ethical]] grounds. Some [[Catholic]] bishops have argued that such [[embryo]]s should not be created but should be brought to term if created in contrast to proposed legislation in [[Great Britain]] which would allow both the creation of chimeras and outlaw the implantation of a chimera once created.<ref>http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2007/06/uk-catholic-bis.html </ref><ref>http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/06/26/nchimera126.xml </ref>

'''Coronus''' was the son of [[Caeneus]], father of the [[Achaean]] [[Leonteus]].
[[Image:Cyclop.jpg|right|thumb|Cyclop]]
The '''Curetes''' were [[Aetolians]] living in [[Pleuron]], who made war on the Aetolians of [[Calydon]].

The '''Cyclopes''' are members of the Greco-mythical race of giants with a single eye in the middle of their forehead, like monsters. The most famous of these was [[Polyphemus]], descendant of [[Poseidon]] from Homer's [[Odyssey]].

'''[[Dionysus]]''' ("twice-born") was the god of wine. He was known to the Romans as [[Bacchus]].

'''Echo''' was a [[nymph]] in [[Greek mythology]]. Because of an affair she had with [[Zeus]], she was cursed by [[Hera]] to be able to speak only by repeating what she heard.

'''[[Eurydamas]]''' was an interpreter of dreams, and father of the [[Troy|Trojans]] [[Abas]] and [[Polyidus]].

The '''Gigantes''' (monstrous giants) are (according to the poet [[Hesiod]]) the children of [[Uranus]] and [[Gaia]]. The [[titan]]s are as well often imagined to be of great size and strength, hence the word titanic. Also the [[Cyclopes]], in mythology, are giants with one eye. [[Goliath]], the champion of the [[Philistines]], was a giant, as well as [[Gog]] the giant of the Amorites, (''og in Hebrew means "gigantic"''). <ref>Hebrew Bible</ref>.

'''Hercules''' was the son of [[Zeus]], the king of the gods, and the mortal woman Alcmena. Possessing great strength, he was constantly tormented by Zeus' goddess wife, [[Hera]], who sought to have him killed to blot out the reminder of Zeus' infidelity. Even as an infant two snakes were sent to kill Hercules in his crib, but instead he strangled them with his great strength. Hera later made Hercules insane so that he killed his family, and, once he recovered his sanity, planned to commit suicide until [[Theseus]] convinced him not to. [[Image:Hercules.jpg|Hercules fights against a lion|thumb]] The legends of Hercules are many, including his Twelve Labors, and his eventual death due to poison through trickery and his killing of a lion. Hercules has become a major part of western culture and has had TV shows based on the character as well as many movies. The Hercules of mythology is often more savage and his character more unstable than what is usually shown in these adaptations.

'''Jason''' was a person from [[pagan]] Greek mythology. He sailed (on his ship the Argo with [[Hercules]] and [[Orpheus]] and the other Argonauts) to Colchis to retrieve the [[Golden Fleece]]. King Aeetes of Colchis assigned Jason several tasks he had to perform before he could retrieve the Golden Fleece; these tasks were supposed to be impossible, but King Aeetes’s daughter [[Medea]] had fallen in love with Jason so she aided him in the tasks. With Medea’s aid (Medea was a powerful [[witch]] as well as being a princess), Jason won the Golden Fleece and he and Medea were married and he had two children by her. Later in his life, he [[divorce]]d Medea so he could marry King Creon's daughter; in revenge for this betrayal Medea killed Jason’s new bride and both of the children she had by him, leaving him to mourn their loss. <ref>Encyclopedia Mythica[http://www.pantheon.org/articles/j/jason.html]</ref> [[Jason]] is also a [[Christian name]] for a boy.

In ancient [[Crete]], the '''labyrinth''' was said to have been designed by [[Daedalus]] to hold the mythical monster, the [[Minotaur]].
[[Image:Labyrinth.gif|thumb|200px|Labyrinth: The [[Minotaur]] at the center of the Labyrinth]]
'''Laodamia''' was a daughter of [[Bellerophon]], the mother of [[Sarpedon]] by [[Zeus]], killed by the goddess [[Artemis]]

'''Leonteus''' was an [[Achaean]], son of [[Coronus]], co-commander with [[Polypoetes]] of the [[Lapiths]] from [[Argissa]] during the [[Trojan War]].

'''Medea''' ,(from the Greek for cunning), was a [[sorceress]], daughter of [[Aeetes]], king of [[Colchis]]. She helped [[Jason]] to obtain the [[Golden Fleece]] and married him. However, she was deserted in [[Corinth]] and avenged herself by killing their two children.

'''Medusa''' was one of the [[Gorgon]]s. Legends said that she was the fairest of the beautiful Gorgon sisters- yet also the [[vain]]est. By means of deflating Medusa's [[ego]], the [[goddess]] [[Athena]] changed the belle's gorgeous golden tresses into a mass of lethal [[snake]]s. Nevertheless, Medusa still continued to spend hours in front of the mirror, even though suitors shied away, because she was possessing of many more attractive qualities as well. Outraged at Medusa's [[narcissism]], Athena decided to punish all of the Gorgon sisters. She exiled them to a deserted, isolated island. Then she put an additional curse on them: if a mortal ever looked at them straight in the eyes, s/he would turn to stone. Over the years spent alone in their new domain, they eventually turned into [[monster]]s, with characteristics such as long, yellow [[fang]]s, clammy skin, and monstrous size. After many brave heroes had been reduced to statues by her lethal glare, Medusa was eventually slain by [[Perseus]], who avoided looking at her eyes by instead observing her through her reflection in Athena's reflective [[shield]]. He succeeded in beheading the monster, and, when she died, [[Pegasus]], the winged horse, flew out of her neck.
[[Image:Medusa.gif|thumb|Medusa]]
'''Melas''' was the son of [[Portheus]], brother of [[Oeneus]].

'''Meleager''' was the son of [[Oeneus]] and [[Althaea]], prince of the [[Aetolians]] in [[Calydon]].

'''Memnon''' was king of [[Ethiopia]], allied to [[Troy]], during the [[Trojan War]].

The '''Minotaur''' was half-man and half-bull. It was the offspring of Pasipha, the wife of King [[Minos]] of [[Crete]], and a bull<ref>http://www.pantheon.org/articles/m/minotaur.html</ref>. [[Poseidon]] had given a bull to Minos to sacrifice to the god, but it was so beautiful, the the king could not sacrifice it and kept it instead. As punishment, Poseidon made the queen, Pasipha, fall in love with the bull and their offspring was the minotaur. At first the minotaur wreaked havoc throughout Crete, but eventually Minos caught it and imprisoned in the labyrinth, a maze designed by the architect Daedalus that was so complex that no one could escape from it. For food, the minotaur was given fourteen Athenians every year who were put in the maze and hunted by the minotaur. After a time, however, the Athenian hero [[Theseus]] came to Crete to be fed to the minotaur, but instead, with the help of Minos' daughter Ariadne, killed it with his bare hands.

The [[Titan]] '''Mnemosyne''' was the mother of the [[Muse|Muses]] by [[Zeus]].

'''Mount Olympus''' is the place of the gods in [[Greek mythology]]. It towers up from the center of the earth. Here at least twelve major gods live and hold court. The myths are vague on whether it is an actual [[mountain]] that can be traveled to by foot or only a region of the [[heaven]]s.

The '''Myrmidons''' were the people of [[Phthia]] in southern [[Thessaly]]. They were ruled by [[Peleus]] and commanded during the [[Trojan War]] by [[Achilles]].

'''Narcissus''' was a man in Greek myth who fell in love with his own reflection. In the Roman poet [[Ovid]]'s retelling of the myth, Narcissus is the son of the river god Cephissus and the nymph Liriope. [[Tiresias]], the seer, told his parents that the child "would live to an old age if it did not look at itself." Many nymphs and girls fell in love with him but he rejected them. One of these nymphs, [[Echo]], was so distraught over this rejection that she withdrew into a lonely spot and faded until all that was left was a plaintive whisper (the origin of the word "echo"). The goddess Nemesis heard the rejected girl's prayers for vengeance and arranged for Narcissus to fall in love with his own reflection. He stayed watching his reflection and let himself die. It is quite possible, however, that the connection between Echo and Narcissus was entirely Ovid's own invention, for there is no earlier references to this story in literature.
[[Image:Michelangelo Caravaggio 065.jpg|right|thumb|''Narcissus'' by [[Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio]]]]
'''Neleus''' was the father of [[Nestor]], former king of [[Pylos]].

The '''Nereids''' were [[Greek]] sea-goddesses, daughters of [[Nereus]].

'''Nereus''' was a sea-god of the [[Ancient Greeks]], known as the "Old Man of the Sea." He was the father of [[Thetis]] and all the [[Nereids]].

'''Oedipus''', mythical king of [[Thebes]] who killed his father and married his mother in ''[[Oedipus Rex]]'', a [[Greek tragedy]] by [[Sophocles]].

'''Oeneus''' was king of [[Calydon]], son of [[Portheus]], father of [[Tydeus]] and [[Meleager]].

'''Orestes''' was the son of [[Agamemnon]], commander of all the Greek forces at [[Troy]], and the grandson of [[Atreus]]<ref>http://www.pantheon.org/articles/o/orestes.html</ref>. After his father was murdered by his mother, Orestes, who was very young, went into exile. Orestes was determined to avenge his father and when he had grown up, he returned to kill his mother [[Clytemnestra]] and her new husband [[Aegisthus]], Orestes' uncle. Despite divine laws against killing family, Orestes killed them both and freed his sister [[Electra]] whom they had imprisoned. As punishment for the murders, Orestes was pursued by the [[Erinyes]] until [[Athena]] forgave him.

'''Orion''' was a handsome [[giant]] and [[hunter]], who was struck blind by [[Dionysus]] for attempting an outrage on [[Merope]], but recovered his eyesight on exposing his eyeballs to the arrowy rays of Aurora, and became afterwards the companion of [[Artemis]] on the hunting-field, but he fell a victim to the jealousy of [[Apollo]], the brother of Artemis, and was transformed by the latter into a constellation in the sky, where he figures as a giant wearing a [[lion's skin]] and a [[girdle]] or [[belt]] and wielding a [[club]].<ref>{{Nuttall|Orion}}</ref>

'''Peleus''' was the son of [[Aeacus]], king of the [[Myrmidons]], father of [[Achilles]], and husband of [[Thetis]].

'''Pelops''' was the son of [[Tantalus]] who served him to the gods at a feast. Fortunately, the gods realized what was happening before eating Pelops, and so were able to re-assemble him. Pelops later married [[Hippodamia]] after beating her father in a chariot race. He had two sons: [[Atreus]] and [[Thyestes]].

'''Perseus''' is a great hero, a [[demigod]] and the son of [[Zeus]] and Danae. He slays the [[gorgon]] Medusa and rescues [[Andromeda]]. The tale of Perseus and Medusa was artfully retold by [[Nathaniel Hawthorne]] in his story, "The Gorgon's Head."<ref>Hawthorne, Nathaniel (1852), ''A Wonder-Book for Girls and Boys.'' [http://www.ibiblio.org/eldritch/nh/wb1b.html The Gorgon's Head], online</ref> In [[astronomy]], '''Perseus''' is a not-very-conspicuous [[constellation]] located near [[Cassiopeia]]. The [[Perseids]] are an annual meteor shower, peaking on August 12th; the [[meteor]]s in this shower appear to radiate from a center in Perseus, hence the name.

'''Phaeton''' was the son of the sun god [Helios]] <ref>http://www.pantheon.org/articles/p/phaeton.html</ref>. When his mother told him who his father was, he set out to meet him and discover whether he indeed was the sun god's son. He met Helios who confirmed what his mother said, and, to prove it, swore by the river [[Styx]] that he would grant any request of Phaeton's. Unfortunately, what Phaeton wanted most was to drive the god's chariot for a day. Although Helios knew that this would be deadly folly, he had sworn by the Styx and so had no choice but to leave his son to his fate. Phaeton began driving the chariot, but quickly lost control, threatening the Earth so that [[Zeus]] was forced to kill him. This myth was used to teach what happened when mortals forgot their place and thought that they were the gods' equals.

'''Phthia''' was a sector of southern [[Thessaly]], the kingdom of [[Peleus]], and home of [[Achilles]] and the [[Myrmidons]].

'''Pirithous''' was a son of [[Zeus]], king of the [[Lapiths]], and father of [[Polypoetes]].

'''Pleuron''' was a city in [[Aetolia]].

'''Portheus''' was an [[Aetolian]] hero, father of [[Agrius]], [[Melas]], and [[Oeneus]], grandfather of [[Tydeus]].

'''Proteus''' was the king of [[Argos]] who plotted against the life of [[Bellerophon]].

'''Sisyphus''' was a cunning and [[deceit]]ful man who was known for his trickery. He is best known for his punishment of being forced to roll a boulder up a hill for all of eternity. Perhaps his greatest trick was tricking [[Thanatos]], the personification of Death, to demonstrate a set of shackles on himself. Thanatos remained shackled under the care of Sisyphus for a period of time, during which no mortal could die. [[Ares]], the god of war, became upset that his battles would not result in death, and finally rescued Thanatos. Before Sisyphus died, he asked his wife not to perform the sacrifice usually performed in such a situation. Once sent to the underworld, he then complained that his wife was neglecting this duty, and asked for permission to return to ask his wife to perform this duty. He received this permission, but once he came back, he would not return. [[Hermes]], the messenger of the gods, brought Sisyphus back. As a punishment for his trickery, Sisyphus was sent to [[Tartarus]], the worst part of Hades, and condemned to roll a boulder up a hill for all of eternity. The boulder would always roll back down the hill once Sisyphus brought it to the top. The myth of Sisyphus is used as a metaphor for repetitive and useless activities.

'''Tantalus''' was the father of [[Pelops]], whom he cut up and served to the Greek gods at a feast. In punishment, the gods sent him to [[Tartarus]], where he was always up to his waist in water and just out of reach of some delicious-looking grapes. From this myth we get the word ''tantalizing'', and also one of [[Aesop]]'s Fables.

'''Tethys''' can refer to several different things: *the Greek [[Titan]] who was the mother of rivers *one of the Cassini moons of [[Saturn]] *a post-Panthalassic ocean that separated [[Gondwana]] and [[Lorasia]] during the [[Mesozoic]] Era.

'''Theseus''' was a mythological character, the son of Aegeus and Aethra of [[Athens]]. He was raised by his mother away from his father, but his mother had been instructed to send Theseus to claim his place as his father's heir once he was strong enough to roll away a boulder that was guarding a sword and shoes belonging to Aegeus. After a time, he rolled away the boulder and prepared to journey to his father's kingdom. Because the roads to Athens were filled with dangerous bandits, Theseus' mother and grandfather tried to convince him to take the safe route by sea, but Theseus was determined to prove his valor and become a hero by traveling over land. As he traveled, he encountered numerous outlaws, but he killed them all, and by the time he reached Athens he had built a reputation as a good and courageous fighter, so much so that his father, on the advice of [[Medea]], intially tried to poison him before realizing that Theseus was his son. Theseus went on many other adventures, most notably sailing to [[Crete]] to kill the [[Minotaur]]. Periodically, the Athenians were forced by King Minos of Crete to give him seven young men and seven young women to be put into the Labyrinth and fed to the Minotaur. One year, Theseus volunteered and, instead of being eaten by the Minotaur, killed it. Unfortunately, this episode ended in the death of Aegeus. Before leaving, Theseus had told Aegeus that if he came back alive, he would raise white sails on his ship as he returned, but he forgot and instead kept the ship's usual black sails, causing Aegeus to think him dead. In grief the King killed himself.

'''Tydeus''' was the son of [[Oeneus]], father of [[Diomedes]].

'''Zeus''' was the leader of the gods.

==Afterlife==
The ideas of an afterlife was already well established by the 6th century B.C. The first thing that happened was the deceased was laid to rest, with a coin typically in his mouth. This was for the toll in afterlife. They then met Charon, who sailed them across the River Styx. They then entered Hades, which was guarded by the three-headed guard dog, Cereabus, who was also Hades' "pet". They then went to wherever they were supposed to go, according to Hades. Either Tartarus(Hell), The Field of Punishment, The Field of Asphodel, for ordinary people, and finally, Elysium, of the Elysian Fields, which was for good people who achieved great things in life.
==See also==
* [[Other gods]]
* [http://www.conservapedia.com/Category:Greek_Deities Greek Deities] Internal link.
* [[Oracle at Delphi]]

==External links==

*[http://www.online-mythology.com/theseus/ Theseus]
*[http://www.theoi.com/Gigante/GigantesKyklopes.html KYKLOPES]
*[http://www.crystalinks.com/cyclops.html Cyclops]
*[http://www.pantheon.org/articles/c/cyclopes.html Cyclopes]
*[http://www.theoi.com/Cat_Gigantes.html Gigantes]
*[http://www.crystalinks.com/giants.html Giants]
*[http://www.pantheon.org/articles/g/gigantes.html Gigantes]
*[http://www.theoi.com/Gigante/Gigantes.html Gigantes]
*[http://www.loggia.com/myth/echo.html Echo and Narcissus in Greek Mythology]
*[http://www.greekmythology.com Greek Mythology]

==References==
<references/>

{{Nb mythology greece}}
{{Nb mythology iliad}}
{{Ten Commandments}}

[[Category:Divine Beings]]
[[Category:Greek Mythology]]
[[Category:Ancient Greece]]
[[Category:Greek Deities]]
[[Category: Mythology]]
[[Category:Astronomy]]
[[Category:Trojan War]]

Netherlands

2015-10-11T01:28:07Z

Teen Conservative: changed population info

{{Country|
|map=Netherlands rel87.jpg
|map2=Netherlands location.PNG
|flag=Netherlandsflag.gif
|arms=
|capital=Amsterdam
|government=Constitutional monarchy
|language=Dutch
|king=Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands
|president=
|chancellor=
|pm=Mark Rutte
|area=41,526 km² (18,41% water)
|pop=16,908,443
|pop-basis=2015 estimate
|gdp-year=2006 (est)
|gdp-pc=$35,078
|currency=Euro (€) (EUR)
|idd=31
|tld=.nl
}}
The '''Netherlands''' (Dutch: ''Nederland'') is a country in the [[European Union]] in northwestern Europe, north of Belgium and France. It is a part of [[the Kingdom of the Netherlands]]. It is bordered by [[Belgium]] and [[Germany]], and has a total population of 16.9 million (2015). Its system of government is [[constitutional monarchy]]. The country is often referred to as "Holland", which was originally the name of two densely populated provinces of the country (North-Holland and South-Holland). The cities of [[Amsterdam]], [[Rotterdam]] and [[The Hague]] all lie in these provinces, that have always been the most influential regions in the Netherlands. The official language is [[Dutch]] and the people are referred to in English as Dutchmen or collectively as the Dutch.

The major ethnic groups in the Netherlands are [[Dutch]] 94%, Surinamese 2%, Asians 2% and others 2%.
==Dike system==
The term "Netherlands" means "low country," and it is a very low-lying country. About a quarter of the land area, containing more than half of the population, is actually below sea level, and would flood if the sea were not held back by a system of [[dike]]s. The Dutch have a saying that "God created the earth, but the Dutch made Holland".

A major breach of the dikes occurred in 1953, killing 1800 people.
To avoid a repeat of the disaster the Dutch began construction of the "Delta Project" to protect the country from future inundations. Begun in 1953 and completed in 2002 the Delta Project is considered a modern wonder of civil engineering. After [[Hurricane Katrina]], a delegation of American engineers was invited by the Dutch government to see how the project works and how its technology can be applied in the United States for low-lying cities like [[New Orleans]].
==Major cities==
[[Amsterdam]], named for the Amstel river, is the largest city, and the capital of the Netherlands. Amsterdam is ringed by an extensive system of concentric canals. The seat of government, however, is located for historical reasons in [[The Hague]] (''Den Haag'').

[[Eindhoven]], a city of the southern province of Brabant, is the location of the giant electronics corporation, Philips (full name: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.), with annual revenue equivalent to about $40 billion. (The U.S. corporation [[General Electric]] has revenues of about $150 billion, but much of it is from non-electronics businesses). The Eindhoven area is known for its high concentration of high-tech industires, which include ASML, the world primary producer of lithography system for the production of semiconductors, and ''Océ'', a leading producer of printers and copiers.

[[Groningen]] is home to many branches of ''KPN'', the former state company of Post, Telegraphy and Telephony. It had its headquarters in Groningen when it was still state run, and move to [[The Hague]] since. ''KPN'' stands for ''Koninklijke PTT Nederland'', or ''Royal PTT Netherlands''. Groningen is also home to ''Gasunie'' (Gasunion), a public-private partnership that exploits the natural gas reseves in the province of Groningen and the adjoint [[North Sea]].

[[File:Jongkind A Windmill near Delft 1857.jpg|thumb|left|[[Johan Barthold Jongkind]], A Windmill near Delft, 1857.]]
Delft is a small town in [[South Holland]], situated between [[Rotterdam]] and [[The Hague]]. It is noted for the blue-and-white Delft pottery, and as the home of the great artist [[Jan Vermeer]].

Arnhem is a city in Gelderland, lying on the north bank of the Lower Rhine river. It was the scene of a major battle during [[Operation Market Garden]] in September 1944, when British and allied paratroop forces captured its strategic road bridge before being overwhelmed by German forces in the area.

Leeuwarden ([[Frisian]]: ''Ljouwert'') is the capital of the northern province of Friesland; it was also the home town of the spy [[Mata Hari]] and the artist [[M.C. Escher]].
It has a population of 92,000.

Utrecht is a city of the central province of Utrecht. It is the seat of a bishopric and is a major communications hub and rail center. With a population of 290,000, it is the fourth largest city in the Netherlands.
The city is best known as the site of lengthy peace negotiations to end the [[Wars of Spanish Succession]] in the 18th century. The resulting peace, called the [[Treaty of Utrecht]], was signed in April of 1713.

Hoek van Holland ("Hook of Holland", literally 'corner of Holland') is a port in [[South Holland]], and is administratively part of the city of [[Rotterdam]]. It lies at the outflow of the Nieuwe Waterweg [[canal]] and the [[North Sea]], and is the base for ferry services to [[Harwich]] in eastern [[England]].

==Provinces==

South Holland contains the cities of [[The Hague]] and [[Rotterdam]].

Flevoland is the youngest of the twelve provinces, having the least population (ca. 360,000). It was created in 1986 on two [[polder]]s: just 80 years ago, there was no dry land but the [[Zuidersee]]. Its capital is [[Lelystad]].

Friesland is a coastal province in the north, home to the [[Frisian]] language and people.

Gelderland borders [[Germany]] to the east, and extends north to the [[Ijsselmeer]]. Gelderland includes the major cities of [[Nijmegen]] and [[Arnhem]], as well as the extensive heathland known as the Veluwe, now a national park.

North Brabant is often referred to as ''Brabant'', as there is no ''south Brabant'' in the Netherlands.
The southern part of the former ''duchy of Brabant'' (including the important cities of [[Antwerp]] and [[Louvain]]) now belongs to Belgium. While [[Eindhoven]] is the biggest city in North Brabant, its capital is [['s-Hertogenbosch]].

==Business==
The Netherlands is the home of the Anglo-Dutch oil company [[Royal Dutch Shell]] . Other well known Dutch or partly Dutch multinationals are [[Unilever]], a company owning many household brands, ''ING Group'', a banking group, ''Ahold'', an international chain of supermarkets, ''Reed Elsevier'', a publishing house, ''Nielsen Company'', owner of the [[Yellow Pages]], and ''Randstad Holding'', a company providing [[human resource services]]. The famous ''Dutch East India Company'', which dominated trade in with South-East Asia in the 17th century, is regarded as the first multinational in history.
==Customs==
The Netherlands has long been famous for its production of flowers, and also for a related economic event, the "[[tulip mania]]" of 1636-1637. [[Tulip]]s were traded on stock exchanges, and bid up to fantastic prices by people who understood that the prices were crazy but hoped to sell at a profit to even crazier investors. Many people mortgaged their homes for a single tulip bulb and in one case an entire brewery was exchanged for a few bulbs. As with all [[economic bubble]]s, when bidding began to lag people tried to sell and the bubble burst with disastrous consequences. Since then the Dutch have been renowned for their carefulness with money and have established a significant presence in the banking and financial sectors.

===Drug policies===
The Netherlands is noted for its low-crime rate (although comparable to other western European nations) and [[libertarian]] legislation. Examples are licensed prostitution in designated areas of major cities, such as Amsterdam's Red Light District, the legal soft [[drugs]] sold in the country's many coffee shops, [[abortion]] rights, [[same-sex marriage]]s and [[euthanasia]].

Consuming and carrying (for personal use only) the "soft drugs" ([[marijuana]], [[hashish]] and [[hallucinogenic mushrooms]]) were made legal in the Netherlands in 1976 in a final attempt to stop drug-related crime in the 1970s. Soft drugs can be legally purchased by individuals over 18 in the famed (licensed) coffee shops, that do sell coffee as well, but are prohibited from serving alcohol.
The Dutch policy regarding soft drugs (and previously prostitution) is called "gedoogbeleid" (condonement policy). This means that although certain behavior is officially prohibited by law, a condonement clause prevents law enforcement agencies from prosecuting this behavior. This clause is, legally speaking, not a law and can be reverted much easier than a regular law.

The main reason for this policy is to try to split the market for "soft drugs" from the one for "hard drugs", this to avoid that users "upgrade" from soft to "hard drugs" (the latter are still illegal). So in short, the law tries to prevent citizen's exposure to hard drugs by providing a legal context in which to purchase cannabis. The policy also allows the police to focus on the war on hard drugs and criminal trade, and avoid the exhaustive bureaucratic costs associated with low-profile possession busts. In fact, most major cities in the world have similar non-prosecution policies, but the Dutch one is the only nationwide one.

Growing marijuana and hashish for commercial purposes is still officially illegal (it is legal to own up to four plants per household), causing coffee shop owners to rely on illegal homegrown products. Only two state run companies are exempted from this rule in order to grow marijuana for medicinal purposes. Leftist movements have stated that the government should make its mind up: "either make growing marijuana and hashish legal, or ban soft drugs altogether".

Some argue that the legal status of soft drugs has had no significant adverse effects on Dutch society.{{who}} This is probably due to the fact that it has become a more or less socially accepted drug like alcohol and tobacco, removing the need for dealers and effectively terminating cannabis' status as an anti-establishment symbol, and in effect diminishing its' popularity somewhat amongst youth. Some disagree:
* {{marijuana-passive-Dutch}}

==Queen's Day==

April 30th is known as Queen's Day - the national holiday to mark the official birthday of the monarch. This is actually the birthday of former Queen Juliana (Queen Beatrix's mother) but has been kept as the official holiday because of the better weather (King Willem-Alexander's actual birthday is 27 April). From 2014 shall Willem-Alexander's birthday be introduced as the new national holiday. Queen's Day is the one day of the year when ordinary Netherlanders are permitted to sell goods on the streets without a license. Consequently the whole country is turned into a gigantic flea market (garage sale). The primary effect of this is that people buy goods they do not want or need, solely in order to sell them the following year. In an act of patriotism, most of the populace wear orange colored clothing (the national color) to identify with the Royal House Of Orange-Nassau.

Those not involved with selling their surplus belongings celebrate the national holiday at outdoors parties in the cities or with fine weather, spend the free day on a terrace of a pub, or cycle in the national ''Fietsen op Dijken'' tour around the nation's dikes.

==Anne Frank==
[[Anne Frank]] was a famous Jewish girl who hid from Nazis in the house of friends in Amsterdam. She wrote a diary which was later published and became a best seller. Her family left Germany in 1933 because of the Nazis, but the Nazis caught up with her and sent her to Belsen death camp where she died before end of war in 1945. Anne Frank's house in Amsterdam is now a popular tourist attraction.

==Society==

[[Same sex marriage]] has been recognized by the Dutch government since 2001.<ref>[http://marriage.about.com/cs/samesexmarriage/a/samesex.htm About.com]</ref> Furthermore, legal [[prostitution]], [[euthanasia]], [[abortion]] and its drug policy (see above) make The Netherlands the most liberal country in the world by most standards. Religion was once the dominant factor in Dutch society and politics, but since the 1970s plays a secondary role in society, with only 9% of the population being [[Protestant]] (2009) and just under 30% are [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholics]]. There is, however, a rising [[Muslim]] population (4%) which has caused social strains. An overall decline in religion can be seen as of 2004. These days The Netherlands are considered one of the least churchgoing countries in Europe.

==History==
* see [[History of the Netherlands]]

== See also ==

*[[Painting of the Dutch Century]]
*[[Gallery of Flemish and Dutch painting]]
*[[Flemish School of Painting]]
*[[Gallery of Dutch Still life Masterpieces]]
*[[Countries of the world - Gross Domestic Product per capita]]

==Bibliography==
===Guides===
* DK. ''Amsterdam'' (2008) [http://www.amazon.com/Amsterdam-EYEWITNESS-TRAVEL-GUIDE-Publishing/dp/075662441X/ref=pd_bbs_9?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1209443999&sr=8-9 excerpt and text search]
* DK. ''Netherlands'' (2008) [http://www.amazon.com/Holland-Eyewitness-Travel-Guides-Ewart/dp/0789493055/ref=pd_bbs_8?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1209443999&sr=8-8 excerpt and text search]
* ''Lonely Planet the Netherlands'' (2007) [http://www.amazon.com/Lonely-Planet-Netherlands-Travel-Guides/dp/1741042992/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1209443999&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]
* ''Michelin the Green Guide Netherlands'' (2007) [http://www.amazon.com/Michelin-Green-Guide-Netherlands-Guides/dp/2067123319/ref=pd_bbs_sr_10?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1209443999&sr=8-10 excerpt and text search]
===Current conditions===
* Delsen, Lei. ''Exit Polder Model? Socioeconomic Changes in the Netherlands'' (2002) [http://www.questia.com/read/113099417?title=Exit%20Polder%20Model%3f%20%20Socioeconomic%20Changes%20in%20the%20Netherlands online edition]
* Mathijs, Ernest, ed. ''The Cinema of the Low Countries.'' (2004). 268 pp.
* Vuijsje, Herman. ''The Politically Correct Netherlands: Since the 1960s.'' (2000). 244 pp.
* White, Colin, et al. ''The Undutchables: An Observation of the Netherlands, Its Culture And Its Inhabitants'' (2005)
===History surveys===
* Arblaster, Paul. ''A History of the Low Countries.'' (2006). 298 pp.
* Blom, J. C. H. and E. Lamberts, eds. ''History of the Low Countries'' (2006) 504pp [http://www.amazon.com/History-Low-Countries-J-Blom/dp/1845452720/ref=pd_bbs_8?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1209443552&sr=8-8 excerpt and text search]; also [http://www.questia.com/read/1379132?title=History%20of%20the%20Low%20Countries complete edition online]
* Hooker, Mark T. ''The History of Holland'' (1999) 264pp [http://www.amazon.com/History-Holland-Greenwood-Histories-Nations/dp/0313306583/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1209805742&sr=1-17 excerpt and text search]
* Israel, Jonathan. ''The Dutch Republic: Its Rise, Greatness, and Fall, 1477-1806'' (1995) a major synthesis; [http://www.questia.com/read/91981119?title=The%20Dutch%20Republic%3a%20Its%20Rise%2c%20Greatness%2c%20and%20Fall%2c%201477-1806 complete online edition]; also [http://www.amazon.com/Dutch-Republic-Greatness-1477-1806-History/dp/0198207344/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1209443552&sr=8-2 excerpt and text search]
* Kossmann, E. H. ''The Low Countries 1780-1940'' (1978)
* van Oostrom, Frits, and Hubert Slings. ''A Key to Dutch History'' (2007)
* Pirenne, Henri. ''Belgian Democracy, Its Early History'' (1910, 1915) 250 pp. history of towns in the Low Countries [http://www.questia.com/read/1276323?title=Belgian%20Democracy%2c%20Its%20Early%20History online free]
* Rietbergen, P.J.A.N. ''A Short History of the Netherlands. From Prehistory to the Present Day''. 5th ed. Amersfoort: Bekking, 2002. ISBN 9061094402
* Vlekke, Bernard H. M. ''Evolution of the Dutch Nation'' (1945) 382 pp. [http://www.questia.com/read/82243176?title=Evolution%20of%20the%20Dutch%20Nation online edition]

==Online resources==
* [http://www.iisg.nl/ International Institute of Social History (IISH)]
* [http://www.minbuza.nl/history/en/home History of the Netherlands, introduction from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs]
* [http://www.zum.de/whkmla/region/lowcountries/dutchrevolt.html Dutch revolt: maps]

==References==
<references/>

{{European Union}}

[[Category:European Countries]]
[[Category:NATO members]]
[[Category:European History]]
[[Category:Netherlands]]
[[Category:Dutch History]]

Texas

2015-10-09T01:46:09Z

Teen Conservative: changed name

{{USState
|name=Texas
|flag=Texas_State_Flag.gif
|motto="Friendship"
|nick=The Lone Star State
|capital=Austin
|language=English
|governor=Greg Abbott
|gparty=Republican
|senator2=John Cornyn
|s2party=Republican
|s2phone=(202) 224-2934
|s2email=http://cornyn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.ContactForm Contact
|senator1=Kay Bailey Hutchison
|s1party=Republican
|s1phone=(202) 224-5922
|s1email=http://hutchison.senate.gov/contact.cfm Contact
|population=
|date=December 29, 1845 (28th)
}}
'''Texas''' is the largest [[conservative]] state in population, and is predicted to surpass California in population within a few decades. Texas was the twenty-eighth state to enter into the union and was admitted on December 29, 1845. Texas is the second largest in population after [[California]] and has the second largest land-area after [[Alaska]]. It has the largest land-area in the continental [[US]]. Before its admission, it was its own [[Republic of Texas|country]], having gained [[Texas War of Independence|independence]] from [[Mexico]].

The capital of Texas is [[Austin]], and the largest city is [[Houston]]. It was solidly [[Democrat]]ic from about 1900 to the 1970s, then [[Republican]]s gradually took control and now dominate the political atmosphere of Texas.

Up until the 1980's Texas had a booming oil industry, starting with the Spindletop oil gusher. For many years Texas was one of the largest oil producers in the world, with the West of Texas oilfields famous around the globe.

Currently, Texas is shifting from the oil industry to the service sector. It has a growing tech industry and is home to many well-known corporations such as [[Dell]], [[Texas Instruments]] and [[Hewlett Packard]].

The current governor of Texas is [[Republican]] [[Greg Abbott]].

==Several Texas Cities Rank Among the Most Conservative American Cities==
The most conservative Texas cities among the [[most conservative American cities]] are #2 [[Lubbock, Texas|Lubbock]], #3 Abilene, #5 [[Plano]], and #14 [[Arlington, Texas|Arlington]].<ref>[http://americancityandcounty.com/content/study-ranks-americas-most-liberal-and-conservative-cities 2005 study rankings on liberal and conservative cities]. Posted Oct 27, 2014. Accessed March 18, 2015</ref>

==History==
{{main|History of Texas}}

Six national flags have flown over Texas. Spain, France (which had a small brief settlement), Mexico, the [[Republic of Texas]], the [[Confederate States of America]], and the [[United States of America]] have ruled Texas. <ref name="txonlinehandbook">http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online
</ref>

===Spain: 1519-1821===
Spain sent in several exploration teams, but they found no gold and gave negative reports that warned about the arid land and the hostile Indian tribes. Spanish settlers moved to [[New Mexico]] instead.

Spain opened a mission at San Antonio in 1718 along with several small missions and military outposts, primarily to keep France from expansing from its base in Louisiana. Spain began issuing permission for American settlement, but was replaced by Mexico in 1821.

===France: 1685-1690===
France was looking to expand its new colony in the Louisiana area, and French nobleman Robert de La Salle led an expedition looking for the mouth of the Mississippi river. However, he got lost and shipwrecked on the coast of Texas, and founded the colony Fort St. Louis in 1695. However, the colony was beset with many problems, including famine, disease, and attack from Native Americans. After five years, many of the inhabitants were dead, La Salle was murdered by his own crew, and the survivors had abandoned the colony.

===Mexico===
In January 1821, the Spanish authorities in Mexico City granted American [[Moses Austin]] permission to settle 300 families in Texas. After the death of Austin and after Mexico's successful revolt against Spain, the Mexican provisional government confirmed this concession to [[Stephen F. Austin]], the "Father of Texas." The younger Austin obtained contracts to settle 900 additional families, most of whom arrived by 1833. Austin's colonies formed the nucleus of the American settlements in Texas.

===Republic of Texas===
''March 2, 1836 - December 29, 1845''

[[Image:Texas1835.jpg|thumb|550px|Texas in 1835]]

Texas leaders gathered at [[Washington-on-the-Brazos]] to sign the Texas Declaration of Independence on March 2, 1836. Four days later the [[Alamo]] fell after a 13 day siege by Mexican troops led by [[Antonio López de Santa Anna|Gen. Antonio López de Santa Anna]]. The massacre of all the defenders gave rise to the rallying call "Remember the Alamo". Santa Anna's Mexican troops were defeated on April 21 at the Battle of [[San Jacinto]] near present-day Houston. Mexico, however, refused to recognize the independence and when Texas joined the U.S. in 1845, the [[Mexican American War]] became inevitable.

Texas was a favorite destination of German immigrants in the 140s and 1850s. The state grew rapdily because of cattle herds and cotton farming; there were few cities.

===Confederate States of America===
Texas joined the Confederacy ''March 2, 1861-March 15, 1865''. The coast was blockaded, and after the fall of Vicksburg in 1863 it became almost impossible to send men, horses or cattle to the east. Texas became a backwater with little military action.

===United States of America===
''December 29, 1845-March 2, 1861 and March 15, 1865-present''.

Texas' [[Reconstruction]] experience was similar to other rebel states. Texas was hardly damaged by the war, and attracted a large number of immigrants from the deep South after 1865, while few Europeans arrived. Cotton and cattle continued as the dominant economic base, with [[Cattle Drives]] used to move the cattle to railheads in Kansas and Missouri before the railroads reached Texas.

==Politics==
Texas is a mostly conservative state. It has consistently voted [[Republican]] in presidential elections since 1980, last favoring the [[Democrats]] in 1976 when [[Jimmy Carter]] won the state. In 2012 Romney received 4.56 million votes, compared to Obama's 3.31 million.<ref>http://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/historical/presidential.shtml</ref> Currently, the Texas Senate has 19 Republicans and twelve Democrats, and the State House consists of 101 Republicans and 49 Democrats. Republicans also have a 23-9 edge in the federal House delegation.

==Elected Officials==

===Federal===
*Sen. [[Kay Bailey Hutchison]] (R)
*Sen. [[John Cornyn]] (R)
*Rep. [[Louie Gohmert]] [R, TX-01]
*Rep. [[Ted Poe]] [R, TX-02]
*Rep. [[Sam Johnson]] [R, TX-03]
*Rep. [[Ralph Hall]] [R, TX-04]
*Rep. [[Jeb Hensarling]] [R, TX-05]
*Rep. [[Joe Barton]] [R, TX-06]
*Rep. [[John Culberson]] [R, TX-07]
*Rep. [[Kevin Brady]] [R, TX-08]
*Rep. [[Al Green]] [D, TX-09]
*Rep. [[Michael McCaul]] [R, TX-10]
*Rep. [[Mike Conaway]] [R, TX-11]
*Rep. [[Kay Granger]] [R, TX-12]
*Rep. [[Mac Thornberry]] [R, TX-13]
*Rep. [[Ron Paul]] [R, TX-14]
*Rep. [[Ruben Hinojosa]] [D, TX-15]
*Rep. [[Silvestre Reyes]] [D, TX-16]
*Rep. [[Bill Flores]] [R, TX-17]
*Rep. [[Sheila Jackson Lee]] [D, TX-18]
*Rep. [[Randy Neugebauer]] [R, TX-19]
*Rep. [[Charles Gonzalez]] [D, TX-20]
*Rep. [[Lamar Smith]] [R, TX-21]
*Rep. [[Pete Olson]] [R, TX-22]
*Rep. [[Quico Canseco]] [R, TX-23]
*Rep. [[Kenny Marchant]] [R, TX-24]
*Rep. [[Lloyd Doggett]] [D, TX-25]
*Rep. [[Michael Burgess]] [R, TX-26]
*Rep. [[Blake Farenthold]] [R, TX-27]
*Rep. [[Henry Cuellar]] [D, TX-28]
*Rep. [[Gene Green]] [D, TX-29]
*Rep. [[Eddie Bernice Johnson]] [D, TX-30]
*Rep. [[John Carter]] [R, TX-31]
*Rep. [[Pete Sessions]] [R, TX-32]

===Statewide===
*Governor [[Rick Perry]] (R)
*Lt. Governor [[David Dewhurst]] (R)
*Attorney General [[Greg Abbott]] (R)
*Agriculture Commissioner [[Todd Staples]] (R)
*Land Commissioner [[Jerry Patterson]] (R)
*State Comptroller [[Susan Combs]] (R)

==Energy==
[[File:Texas-oil.jpg|thumb|350px|right]][[File:Oil-symbol.jpg|thumb|300px|right]]

Texas leads the Nation in fossil fuel reserves and in non-hydropower renewable energy potential. Texas crude oil reserves represent almost one-fourth of total U.S. oil reserves, and Texas natural gas reserves account for almost three-tenths of total U.S. natural gas reserves. Although Texas’s oil reserves are found throughout the State in several geologic basins, the largest remaining reserves are concentrated in the Permian Basin of West Texas, which contains more than 20 of the Nation’s top 100 oil fields. Similarly, deposits of natural gas are found in abundance in several Texas production basins, with the largest fields heavily concentrated in the East Texas Basin in the northeastern part of the State. Texas’s fossil fuel reserves also include substantial deposits of lignite coal, found in narrow bands in the Gulf Coast region, and bituminous coal, found in north central and southwestern Texas.<ref> See [http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/state/state_energy_profiles.cfm?sid=TX Energy Information Administration, State Report 2009]</ref>

Texas is also rich in renewable energy potential, including wind, solar, and biomass resources. Wind resource areas in the Texas Panhandle, along the Gulf Coast south of Galveston, and in the mountain passes and ridgetops of the Trans-Pecos offer Texas some of the greatest wind power potential in the United States. Solar power potential is also among the highest in the country, with high levels of direct solar radiation (suitable to support large-scale solar power plants) concentrated in West Texas. Due to its large agricultural and forestry sectors, Texas has an abundance of biomass energy resources. Although Texas is not known as a major hydropower State, substantial untapped potential exists in several river basins, including the Colorado River of Texas and the Lower Red.

Due to its large population and an energy-intensive economy, Texas leads the Nation in energy consumption, accounting for more than one-tenth of total U.S. energy use. Energy-intensive industries in Texas include aluminum, chemicals, forest products, glass, and petroleum refining.

===Petroleum===
The State’s signature crude oil type, known as West Texas Intermediate (WTI), remains the major benchmark of crude oil in the Americas.

Texas leads the United States in both crude oil production and refining capacity. Texas’s first major oil boom began in 1901 with the discovery of the Spindle Top oil field in the upper Gulf Coast basin. Since then, major discoveries have been made in East Texas, West Texas, and offshore in the Gulf of Mexico. Texas oil production increased until 1972, when it peaked at more than 3.4 million barrels per day. Afterward, production declined rapidly, and in recent years Texas crude oil output has fallen to less than one-third of its 1972 peak.

Although Texas oil production is in decline, the State’s signature crude oil type, known as West Texas Intermediate (WTI), remains the major benchmark of crude oil in the Americas. Because of its light consistency and low-sulfur content, the quality of WTI is considered to be high, and it yields a large fraction of gasoline when refined. Most WTI crude oil is sent via pipeline to Midwest refining centers, although much of this crude oil is also refined in the Gulf Coast region.

Texas’s 26 petroleum refineries can process nearly 4.8 million barrels of crude oil per day, and they account for more than one-fourth of total U.S. refining capacity. Most of the State’s refineries are clustered near major ports along the Gulf Coast, including Houston, Port Arthur, and Corpus Christi. These coastal refineries have access to local Texas production, foreign imports, and oil produced offshore in the Gulf of Mexico, as well as the U.S. government’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve, which operates two large storage facilities in Bryan Mound and Big Hill, Texas. Many of Texas’s refineries are sophisticated facilities that use additional refining processes beyond simple distillation to yield a larger quantity of lighter, higher value products, such as gasoline. Because of this downstream capability, Texas refineries often process a wide variety of crude oil types from around the world, including heavier, lower value varieties.

Refineries in the Houston area, including the Baytown refinery, the Nation’s largest refinery, make up the largest refining center in the United States. From Houston, refined product pipelines spread across the country, allowing Texas petroleum products to reach virtually every major consumption market east of the Rocky Mountains. This network includes the Colonial Pipeline system (Koch), which is the largest petroleum product pipeline system in the United States and is vital for supplying markets throughout the South and East Coast.

Texas’s total petroleum consumption is the highest in the Nation, and the State leads the country in consumption of asphalt and road oil, distillate fuel oil, jet fuel, liquefied petroleum gases (LPG), and lubricants. Texas LPG use is greater than the LPG consumption of all other States combined, due primarily to the State’s active petrochemical industry, which is the largest in the United States. Four separate motor gasoline blends are required in Texas to meet the diverse air quality needs of different parts the State, including reformulated motor gasoline blended with ethanol required in the metropolitan areas of Houston and Dallas-Forth Worth. The agriculture-rich Texas Panhandle has several corn- and milo-based ethanol plants that are operational or under construction.

===Natural Gas===
Texas is the Nation’s leading natural gas producer, accounting for more than one-fourth of total U.S. natural gas production. In the early days of Texas oil production, natural gas found with oil was largely considered a nuisance and was often flared (burned off) at the wellhead. Although some Texas cities and towns located near oil fields began using natural gas for energy, it was not until the State banned flaring after World War II that oil producers began to find new markets for natural gas. Two pipelines that once carried crude oil to the East Coast were converted to carry natural gas and a new natural gas pipeline to California was built, setting the stage for strong natural gas production growth in the 1950s and 60s. Texas natural gas production reached its peak in 1972 at more than 9.6 billion cubic feet of annual production. Since then, output has declined steadily to less than three-fifths of that level.

Today, an expansive network of interstate natural gas pipelines extends from Texas, reaching consumption markets from coast to coast, including those in California, the Midwest, the East Coast, and New England. Texas has 10 natural gas market hubs located in both East and West Texas, more than any other State, and its natural gas storage capacity is among the highest in the Nation. Most of Texas’s 34 active storage facilities are depleted oil and gas fields converted for storage use, although many sites have also been developed in salt dome formations. These storage facilities allow Texas to store its natural gas production during the summer when national demand is typically lower and to ramp up delivery quickly during the winter months when markets across the country require greater volumes of natural gas to meet their home heating needs. However, due to the growing use of natural gas for electricity generation in the United States, Texas has occasionally withdrawn natural gas from storage during the summer months to help meet peak electricity demand for air-conditioning use.

Texas consumes more natural gas than any other State and accounts for about one-fifth of total U.S. natural gas consumption. Texas natural gas demand is dominated by the industrial and electric power sectors, which together account for more than four-fifths of State use. Because Texas demand is high, and because the State’s natural gas infrastructure is well connected to consumption markets throughout the country, several companies have proposed building liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminals along the Gulf Coast in Texas.

===Coal, Electricity, and Renewables===
Natural gas-fired power plants typically account for about one-half of the electricity produced in Texas and coal-fired plants account for much of the remaining generation. Although Texas produces a substantial amount of coal from 13 surface mines, including five of the 50 largest in the United States, the State relies on rail deliveries of subbituminous coal from Wyoming for the majority of its supply. Nearly all of the coal mined in Texas is lignite coal, the lowest grade of coal, and all of it is consumed in the State, mostly in arrangements where a single utility operates both the mine and an adjacent coal-fired power plant. Although lower in energy content than other varieties of coal, lignite coal is also low in sulfur, an important consideration in the State’s efforts to lower emissions. Texas consumes more coal than any other State and its emissions of carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide are among the highest in the Nation.

Texas is a major nuclear power generating State. Two nuclear plants, Comanche Peak and South Texas Project, typically account for about one-tenth of the State’s electric power production. Until the recent uprating (capacity improvement) of the Number 2 reactor at Palo Verde in Arizona, the two South Texas Project nuclear reactors were the largest in the Nation.

Although renewable energy sources contribute minimally to the Texas power grid, Texas leads the Nation in wind-powered generation capacity, and substantial new wind generation capacity is under construction in Texas. Texas surpassed California as the country’s largest wind energy producer in 2006. Currently, there are over 2,000 wind turbines in West Texas alone, and the numbers continue to increase as development costs continue to drop and wind turbine technology improves. At 736 MW, the Horse Hollow Wind Energy Center in central Texas is the largest wind power facility in the world.

Texas produces and consumes more electricity than any other State. Despite large net interstate electricity imports in some areas, the Texas Interconnect power grid is largely isolated from the integrated power systems serving the eastern and western United States, and most areas of Texas have little ability to export or import electricity to and from other States. Texas per capita residential use of electricity is significantly higher than the national average, due to high demand for electric air-conditioning during hot summer months and the widespread use of electricity as the primary energy source for home heating during typically mild winter months.

==Education==
The weakness of education in Texas has always (and still is) an important priority. The Texas Declaration of Independence from Mexico included the following grievance against the government of Mexico pertaining to education:

<blockquote>''It has failed to establish any public system of education, although possessed of almost boundless resources, (the public domain,) and although it is an axiom in political science, that unless a people are educated and enlightened, it is idle to expect the continuance of civil liberty, or the capacity for self government.''</blockquote>

Even today Texas is in the forefront of education in the country as the [[No Child Left Behind Act|No Child Left Behind( NCLB) Act]] is being implemented. The administration of George W. Bush used Texas as a model for many of the reforms in the NCLB Act because of his previous experiences as governor of Texas.

In 2006 Texas ranked #25 out of 50 states on a composite index of public education.<ref>See "Which State Is Smartest?" (2007) at [http://www.morganquitno.com/edrank.htm] </ref>
Texas ranks:<ref> see Carol Keeton Strayhorn, Texas State Comproller, "Major Challenges Facing Texas Education Today" at [http://www.window.state.tx.us/comptrol/wwstand/wws0512ed/]</ref>
* #49 in verbal SAT scores in the nation (493) and #46 in average math SAT scores (502).
* #36 in the nation in high school graduation rates (68%).
* #33 in the nation in teacher salaries. Teacher salaries in Texas are not keeping pace with the national average. The gains realized from the last state-funded across-the-board pay raise authorized in 1999, which moved the ranking from 33 to as high as 26th in the nation, have disappeared over the last five years.
* Texas was the only state in the nation to cut average per pupil expenditures in fiscal year 2005, resulting in a ranking of #40 nationally; down from #25 in fiscal year 1999.
* #6 in the nation in student growth. The general student population in Texas public schools grew by 11.1% between school years 1999 and 2005, with the largest percent of growth seen among low income and minority children.

===Public Education===
The Texas public education system consists of 1,033 independent and common school districts. There are an additional 190 charter school districts. Public school enrollment has continued to increase at a rapid pace. In the 2000-2001 school year, public school enrollment was at 4,059,619 students. By the 2006-2007 school year, the public school enrollment had increased by over 500,000 students to a mark of 4,594,942 students.
===Higher Education===
The University of Texas System and the Texas A&M System are two of the largest higher education systems in the nation, with numerous branch campuses. [[The University of Texas at Austin]] is the largest institution in the UT System, while Texas A&M is the flagship of the rival system. Thanks to ownership of oil fields, their endowments in 2006 reached $13.2 billion and $5.6 billion. The best endowed private schools were Rice University in Houston with $4.0 billion, Southern Methodist University in Dallas ($1.1 billion); Baylor College of Medicine ($1.0 billion), and Texas Christian University in Ft. Worth ($1.0 billion).

The state of Texas is home of many notable institutions of higher learning.

* [[Baylor University]]
* [[Rice University]]
* [[Texas_A_and_M_University | Texas A&M]]
* [[University of Texas at Austin]]

==Notable Texans==
[[Image:Texascapbuilding.JPG‎ |thumb|350px|The Texas capitol building in [[Austin]]]]
*[[Lance Armstrong]], who holds the record for most consecutive [[Tour de France]] victories, was born in Plano.
*[[George W. Bush]], 43rd President of the United States, former Governor of Texas.
*[[Pat Garrett]], the policeman who shot [[Billy the Kid]], lived in multiple locations in Texas.
*[[Sam Houston]] was the president of Texas when it was an independent nation, and lent his name to Texas's largest city.
*[[Howard Hughes]], the reclusive billionaire who was the subject of the movie ''The Aviator'', was born in Humble.
*[[Lyndon B. Johnson]], former president, lived and died in Stonewall.
*[[Ted Nugent]], controversial conservative musician, lives near Crawford.
*[[Ross Perot]], former presidential candidate, lives in Dallas
*[[Stevie Ray Vaughn]], musician.
*[[Claudia Johnson "Lady Bird Johnson"]], Born December 22, 1912. Lady Bird Johnson was the wife of President Lyndon B. Johnson. She is also known for her involvement in improving the physical conditions along the nations highways.

==See also==
* [[Dallas]]
* [[History of Texas]]
* [[Vote with your feet]] ([[strategic relocation]]) to a [[Free States Movement|Free state]] to escape the [[most liberal American cities]] of the leftist [[Welfare state]] - [[Nanny state]] - progressive [[Police state]]
* [[American_Redoubt#Texas_Redoubt|Texas Redoubt]]

==Bibliography - Further Reading==
* [[Joel Skousen|Skousen, Joel]], ''Strategic Relocation - North American Guide to Safe Places'', 3rd Edition Perfect Paperback, 2011, ISBN-10: 1568612621, ISBN-13: 978-1568612621. Detailed profile on [[:Category:Texas Cities and Towns|Texas cities and towns]].

* [[James Wesley Rawles|Rawles, James Wesley]]. ''[[Rawles on Retreats and Relocation]]''. 1st. Clearwater, [[Idaho]]: The Clearwater Press, 2007. Detailed profile on Texas cities and towns.

===Basic further reading===
*[http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/ The Handbook of Texas Online] ''- Published by the Texas State Historical Association'' thousands of scholarly articles on every aspect of Texas history
* [http://www.texasalmanac.com/ ''texas Almanac'' annual compendium of statistics]
* Bailey, Alvin R., Jr. and Light Townsend Cummins, eds. ''A Guide to the History of Texas.'' 1988. [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=71910759 online edition]
* Campbell, Randolph B. ''Gone to Texas: a History of the Lone Star State'' (Oxford University Press, 2003, 500 pages.], standard scholarly survey [http://www.amazon.com/Gone-Texas-History-Lone-State/dp/0195138430/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3/103-4827826-5463040?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190683778&sr=8-3 excerpt and text search]; also [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=103945805 complete online edition]
* Fehrenbach, T. R. ''Lone Star: A History of Texas and the Texans '' (2007), popular survey [http://www.amazon.com/Lone-Star-T-R-Fehrenbach/dp/1579125379/ref=pd_bbs_1/103-4827826-5463040?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190683778&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]
* McDonald, Archie P. ''Texas: A Compact History'' (2007) [http://www.amazon.com/Texas-Compact-Archie-P-McDonald/dp/193333715X/ref=pd_bbs_4/103-4827826-5463040?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190683778&sr=8-4 excerpt and text search]
*Wooster, Ralph A. and Robert A. Calvert, eds. ''Texas Vistas'' (1987) reprinted scholarly essays

==External Links==
* [http://www.city-data.com/city/Texas.html Texas Cities] on [[City-data.com]]

==References==
<references/>

{{USstates}}

[[Category : Texas| ]]
[[Category : Western United States]]
[[Category : Red States]]
[[Category : The South]]
[[Category : Southern United States]]
[[Category : Gulf Coast of the United States]]
[[Category : Regions of the United States]]
[[Category : United States Geography]]
[[Category : United States of America]]
[[Category : Geography]]
[[Category : Oil Industry]]
[[Category : Oil]]

Roman Numerals

2015-09-28T05:21:53Z

Teen Conservative: changed a number

'''Roman Numerals''' are numeric symbols, originally used by the Roman Empire, to show numeric values, such as LXII for 62, or MMXV for 2015. A Roman numeral can contain the following letters, to denote each value:

:* I = 1
:* V = 5
:* X = 10
:* L = 50
:* C = 100
:* D = 500
:* M = 1000

== Large Numbers ==
To write large numbers, like for instance five thousand, [[Roman]]s would not use MMMMM. Rather, they would write V and put a horizontal bar "–" over the V. A bar over a letter represents one thousand times that letter.

== Subtraction ==
Letters are put in order from greatest to least. A lesser letter occurring before a greater letter is subtraction. When subtracting, only subtracting a power of ten such as I, X, or C is allowed. For example, subtracting a V is not allowed, because VX could be more simply written as just V, and LC is the same as just L. Also, only one digit can be subtracted. For example, IIX is not 8 but rather use VIII for 8. Finally, one letter cannot be subtracted from another letter if it is ten times greater than it, so one would not be able to subtract X from M since M is one hundred times greater than X. Yet, X can be subtracted from either L or C, as XL (40) or XC (90). In Roman times, while any combination of numerals, which totals as the appropriate number, was considered sufficient, only the above method was considered proper. In rare cases, the number 9 is written as VIIII, rather than IX.

:* Example 1983 = MCMLXXXIII
:* Example 1200 = MCC
:* Example 2011 = MMXI

== Modern Use ==

While the system of [[Arabic numerals]] has become the standard contemporary numeral system, Roman numerals are still used today in limited settings. They express years on building [[Cornerstone|cornerstones]] or denote an epoch which dates [[art]] or [[literature]]. They also count installments in a series, such as movie sequel numbers, each [[Super Bowl]], or each Olympiad of the [[Olympics]]. Roman numerals also designate the ordering of monarchs (i.e., [[Queen Elizabeth II]] or France's [[King Louis XIV]]).

[[Category:Mathematics]]
[[Category:Roman History]]

Grand Theft Auto

2015-09-09T01:46:56Z

Teen Conservative: added words

'''Grand Theft Auto''' is a popular [[video game]] series that allows players to engage in various illegal and immoral activities ([[murder]], [[stealing]], [[street racing]] certain aspects of [[drug dealing]] soliciting prostitutes, [[vandalism]], [[assault]] etc.) in order to complete missions to advance in the game. Its title references the legal term used to classify the theft of an automobile. It has been subject to criticism and controversy as it encourages the player to perform various [[crime]]s ranging from [[speeding]] to serial [[murder]]<ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,352835,00.html 'Grand Theft Auto' Promo Campaign Kept Quiet], [[Associated Press]], ''[[Fox News Channel]]'', April 28, 2008. "As Bellic, players can hijack cars, earn cash for criminal activities, flee from police, drive drunk, kill innocent bystanders and patronize strip clubs."</ref> which may contribute to an increase in aggressive behavior in the player.<ref>http://www.apa.org/science/psa/sb-anderson.html</ref> The games contain parodies of conservatism, along with liberalism, and the main characters are often critical of conservatives, along with liberals. Grand Theft Auto V, released in September 2013 for the PS3 and the Xbox 360, is the newest game in the franchise.
== Hidden Sexual Mini Game ==
One of the games, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, originally contained a minigame featuring adult content involving the main character and any of his girlfriends, it is activated through the use of a modification file called Hot Coffee mod. Rockstar North denied ever creating the minigame. Recently, the fourth game has turned from it's glamorization of Crime life to a more realistic and dark portrayal, with the story less about climbing a ladder of crimes to the top and more about the character simply trying to solve the problems his cousin has caused and then facing the problems that come from trying to leave the world of crime. The game series has a long history dating back to 1997. The first game, Grand Theft Auto, now known as Grand Theft Auto 1, was a 2D driving/shooting game that attracted criticism due to the ability to kill cops and civilians. Grand Theft Auto III, released in 2001 had graphic depictions of carnage. In all of the games, the player can shoot and kill civilians and police officers at will. The storylines of all of the games revolve around fulfilling "missions" that range from everything from killing enemy gang members to stealing cars and even spraying over enemy gang tags in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
== Grand Theft Auto IV ==
The release of Grand Theft Auto IV on April 29, 2008 ushered in the fourth generation of Grand Theft Auto games. It can be argued that each generation of Grand Theft Auto games take place in their own fictional universe in which references to other characters and other cities/settings are made. For example, in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, references are made to the GTA III rendition of Liberty City, one of the games missions even takes place in Liberty City in which the player has to take a jetplane and fly to a marker which "lands" the player in a watered down, unfinished, and incompletely rendered version of Liberty City in which he has to kill a mob boss, 5 years after moving out of the city. The GTA III rendition and the GTA IV rendition of Liberty City are both completely different and bear very little if any resemblance to each other.
== Popularity ==
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, more than half a decade after it's initial release is still considered the most popular GTA game due to the fact that it takes place in not one, but three cities a handful of small towns in the countryside. The PC version introduces the ability to adjust visual quality and screen resolution settings according to the hardware capabilities of the PC's graphics adapter (graphics processing unit). Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas follows the story of Carl Johnson, a former gang member of the Grove Street Families that fled his home town of Los Santos in 1987 after his brother was killed. He comes home permanently to avenge the drive by shooting of his mother by the enemy gang, the Ballas.

Its predecessor, [[Grand Theft Auto: Vice City]] takes place in a fictional Miami like city in 1986. It was inspired by the Al Pacino film [[Scarface]] as well as the television series [[Miami Vice]]. It follows the story of a man named Tommy Vercetti, a mob affiliate, born in Liberty City, who returns after being
released from prison.

== In Game Currency ==
Ways of making money in the Grand Theft Auto series of games include, but are not limited to: killing people and taking their money, completing storyline and side missions, burglarizing houses (San Andreas), robbing local businesses at gun point (note: does not work well in gun stores) and taking over enemy gang territory (San Andreas). Money can also be earned by going on rampages in malls (Vice City Stories)

== Controversy ==
The game has been criticized by parent's watchdog groups and a now disgraced lawyer named Jack Thompson due to the fact that the game promotes performing acts of gang violence and enables the player to be a patron of gentlemen s clubs in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Grand Theft Auto IV, The Lost & Damned, and The Ballad of Gay Tony. A functionality introduced in San Andreas and the entire GTA IV era allow the player to receive lap dances in exchange for the in game currency.
== See Also ==
*[[RAGE]]
*[[RenderWare]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Video Games]]

User:Teen Conservative

2015-09-07T21:37:39Z

Teen Conservative: added user page

Hi, as you can probably guess I am a teen conservative, and 14 to be exact. I am a conservative and have changed the minds of many students at my school. I won't give into the liberal media, and its lies.
I hope to have a good time on here.

Judaism

2015-09-07T21:24:15Z

Teen Conservative: edited

[[Image:StarofDavid.gif|right|thumb|The Star of David, a symbol of Judaism]]
'''Judaism''' was one of the first [[monotheistic religions]], dating back to around 2000 BC. Judaism is the first [[Abrahamic faith]], tracing its origins to [[Abraham]], as can the religions of [[Christianity]] and [[Islam]]. The core of the Judaism as it exists today took shape from a later time period when [[Moses]] led the [[Hebrews]] from [[Egypt]] and climbed [[Mount Sinai]], bringing back the [[Ten Commandments]].

The five books of Moses—the [[Torah]]—in which the [[Mosaic Law]] is found, are generally considered to be the core of the Jewish Scripture, and are supplemented by the works of the prophets and other writings. The works of the prophets are grouped under Nevi'im, and the other writings are known as Ketuvim. The first letters of each part combined were used to create the name of the full Hebrew Bible: the Tanakh, which Christians call the [[Old Testament]]. The [[Talmud]] is another ancient Jewish writing considered by some Jews to contain traditions dating back to Moses himself, yet the Talmud also contains discussion by rabbis involving extensive disagreement and lively discussion, over interpretation of these traditions. The Talmud is not part of the [[Bible]] and the degree to which the Talmud itself is considered to be inspired varies across Judaism, with the [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox]] generally giving it the most weight. Most Muslims and Christians, including [[Messianic Jews]], however, consider the theological findings and argumentation of the Talmud to be invalid after the advent of the birth of [[Jesus Christ]].

Tikkun Olam—to help "repair the world"—is a Hebrew phrase originated in the early rabbinic period.

==Sabbath==
[[Image:Menora exb HSTR7337.jpg|right|thumb|Yarmulke and Menorah]]
Many Jews observe a weekly day of rest (the [[Sabbath]]) that begins shortly before sundown on Friday and ends after sunset on Saturday. During this time no work may be done, business transactions are forbidden, and light switches are not to be turned on or off. Jews celebrate the Sabbath by lighting candles before the Sabbath, singing songs, going to synagogue, called shul, by some, and learning.

==Branches within Judaism==
There are many different branches of Judaism. There are five large branches:
*[[Orthodox Judaism]]
*[[Conservative Judaism]]
*[[Reform Judaism]]
*[[Reconstructionist Judaism]]
*[[Messianic Judaism]]
There has been much controversy as to whether Messianic Judaism is truly Judaism, or a branch of Christianity which respects and practises Jewish customs. However, Messianic Judaism celebrates traditional Jewish holidays and does not celebrate [[Christmas]] or [[Lent]], as like [[Jehovah's Witnesses]] they believe these holidays to be paganistic in origin. There are also certain theological differences between Messianic Judaism and traditional Christianity.<ref>[http://www.messianicworship.com/html/differences.html FAQ - Messianics and Christians]</ref>

==Ethnicities==
[[File:Remarkable Jews.jpg|thumb|300px|[[Albert Einstein]], [[Maimonides]], [[Golda Meir]] and Emma Lazarus (American poet born in New York City)]]
*[[Sephardi]] Jews.
*[[Ethiopian Jews]]
*[[Mizrahi (sometimes spelled Mizrachi)|Mizrahi]] Jews.
**[[Yemenite Jews]]
*[[Ashkenazi]] Jews.

<blockquote>
The traditional explanation, and the one given in the [[Torah]], is that the Jews are a nation. The Hebrew word, believe it or not, is ''"goy."'' The Torah and the rabbis used this term not in the modern sense meaning a territorial and political entity, but in the ancient sense meaning a group of people with a common history, a common destiny, and a sense that we are all connected to each other. <ref> [http://www.jewfaq.org/judaism.htm What Is Judaism?] </ref>
</blockquote>
{{Clear}}

===The Diaspora===
"Diaspora" (Greek meaning "seeded throughout") is the term used to refer to the various dispersions of the Jews throughout the world through the eras of history. Its Hebrew linguistic forerunner is "Galut" meaning the "uncovering", betraying the understanding that being exiled from the Land of Israel is an exposing of Israel to vulnerability and danger. Some commonly known "Galuyot" (plural for Galut) are:

* the forced exile and assimilation among other peoples of the Northern Tribes of Israel by the Assyrians in 721, 722. Modern Israel has recognized among the in-gathering of this exile (Kibbuts Galuyot) the ''Bnei Menashe'' (Sons of Manessaeh) of northern [[India]]. These members of the "Lost Tribe" are now allowed to freely immigrate to Israel under the Law of Return. ''(see [[Religion in India]])''

* the ''Falashas'' of [[Ethiopia]], among whom, like the Bnei Menashe, Jewish practices such as circumcision at 8 days and the keeping of Passover are maintained by those eligible for citizenship under the Israeli Law of Return. The are racially native African in appearance. They believe themselves to have become Jewish from the days of Solomon and the Queen of Ethiopia. That was the basis for the Ethiopian emperor Haile Selase (Holy Trinity) taking the title "Lion of the Tribe of Judah".

* The Galut of Babylon, the so called "''Iraqis''" exiled by the Babylonians at the time of their conquest of Judah and Jerusalem (c. 538 B.C.) This Galut developed a rival to Palestinian Jewry of the first centuries and provided the second corpus of religious literature to the developing Talmud. This was in the common language of Babyon at the time - Aramaic. This corpus came to be called the Gemara ("completion"). The [[Gemara]] dates from about 200 A.D.to 500 A.D. The Gemara and the earlier Palestinian Hebrew corpus, the Mishna, dating from 200 B.C. to 200 A.D. comprise the Talmud, which regulated most of Jewish internal life, until the western European "emancipation" and assimilation of the Jews - starting in the 18th and 19th centuries. The Talmud is still regulatory for Orthodox Jews.

*The Galut of the Jews by the Roman [[Titus]] after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 A.D. They were triumphantly displayed in Rome and dispersed in the lands along the Rhine Valley known in the Hebrew tongue as Ashkenaz - which is known now as Germany. There they learned the language of the land which developed into Modern German. The Jews called their language, the early stage of German, Yiddish. From the Rhine, many of the "''Ashkenazis''" moved (were moved) to Eastern Europe, many fleeing from there, to America, to Israel, to Latin America, etc. learning new languages, but also speaking their old language, not Hebrew, but Yiddish. This, with the common religion, enabled the fostering of unity and brotherhood.

*the 1492 A.D. exile from [[Spain]], where the Jews had previously settled in the time of the [[Moors]] and some attaining to high positions and appointments as physicians, prime ministers, and poets under the Islamic conquest. This was the Golden Age of Jewry in Spain. At their expulsion ("gerush") from Spain they settled mainly around the Mediterranean basin - North Africa, Greece, Turkey, and also many going to Holland and from there to the American Colonies. The first synagogue in America was created due to this dispersion. These Jews soon were speaking the language of the their host countries - Arabic, Turkish etc. but also speaking the language of Old Spain. "Spain" in Hebrew is Sefarad, so the language is Sephardic and the dispersion is of the ''Sephardim'' (sometimes spelled Sepharadim).

*the Yemenites (''Temanim''). Yemen means "right (direction)" in Semitic languages. When facing the temple from the west, the "right" points south. Therefore, "Teiman" also means "south". This dispersion is the southerly dispersion to what is now Yemen, gaining momentum during the Himyaritic Kindom in Yemen which had adopted Judaism. With the founding of the Modern State of Israel, most Yemenite Jews have immigrated to Israel and speak Arabic as well as Hebrew.

The term "''Mizrachi''" means "easterner" and it covers a number of eastern dispersions as opposed to the Ashkenazi who were westerners - from Europe. Coming into Israel during Ottoman Turk rule (1517-1917), many immigrating Jewish families who were not European were given the name Mizrahi by the Turkish immigration authorities as they were all "lumped together" as Easterners.

The Return of the Jews to Israel is seen as a fulfillment of the Scriptures and is called Kibbutz Galuyot, the ingathering of the Exiles. Here are some of the scriptures that both tell about the ingathering of the exiles and which have provided a major influence for the some of the dispersions to return to the Land of Israel:

" I will bring your offspring from the east, and gather you from the west, To the north I will say 'Give them up', and to the south, 'Do not hold them'. Bring back my sons from far away, my daughters from the end of the earth. Isaiah 43: 5,6

"Those whom Adonai has redeemed return, they come to Zion shouting for joy. everlasting joy in their faces, joy and gladness go with them, sorrow and lament are ended." Isaiah 51:11

"He who has scattered Israel, gathers him, He guards them as a shepherd guards his flock...they shall come back from the enemy country, There is hope for your descendants" Jeremiah 31: 10,16

"The Lord says this: 'I am going to take the sons of Israel from the nations, where they have gone. I shall gather them together from everywhere and bring them home to their own soil. I shall make them into one nation and into My own land and on the mountains of Israel.'" . Exekiel 37:21,22

==Main Holidays==
[[File:People at a Bar Mitzvah in the Western Wall tunnel.jpg|thumb|At a Bar Mitzvah in the Western Wall tunnel.]]
:''Main article: [[Jewish holidays]]''

*'''[[Rosh Hashanah]]'''—New Years. Marks the creation of the world.

*'''[[Yom Kippur]]'''—the Day of Atonement. Observant Jews consume no food or drink for the entire day.

*'''[[Pesach]]'''—celebrating the liberation from Egyptian slavery. Observant Jews hold a special festive meal, called a ''Seder,'' on the first and second night of Passover and do not eat leavened bread for the duration of the festival.

*'''Shavuot'''— Pentecost or Feast of Weeks. Traditionally celebrates God's giving the Ten Commandments at Mt. Sinai.

*'''Sukkot''' —Tabernacles or Feast of Booths. Observant Jews eat and sleep in temporary shelters shaded by cut vegetation.

*'''Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah'''—The day after Sukkot is a separate holiday, known as the "Eighth Day Feast." It also marks the completion of the cycle of reading the Torah in synagogues. The end of Deuteronomy is read, followed by the first chapter of Genesis.

*'''[[Purim]]'''—celebrates the thwarting of a plot to kill all Jews it is recorded in the Book of Esther, which is read aloud in its entirety in the synagogue.

*'''Tisha B'Av'''—also known as the Ninth of Av, 9th of Av, is a fast day that mourns the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem.

*'''[[Chanukah]]''' (there are several English spellings)—celebrates the re-dedication of the Temple after the revolt against the Greeks recorded in the Talmud and other non-Biblical texts. Jews light candles each night for eight nights, adding one candle each night. Chanukah is not a holiday recorded in the Bible and is considered a minor holiday from a religious standpoint, however from a secular Jewish perspective it has taken on a position of great prominence in modern times passing all other holidays as far as degree to which it is celebrated.

==Calendar==
The Jewish calendar combines lunar and solar features. During Temple times, months began when the new moon was sighted in Jerusalem. An extra month was added when needed to keep the Pesach festival in the spring. Today a complex algorithm, over a thousand years old, is used to determine when months begin. As a result, the dates of the Jewish holidays in the civil calendar vary from year to year. A day on the Hebrew calendar lasts from one sundown to the next, so for purposes of religious observances a day begins at sundown of the preceding civil day.

==Jewish Scripture==
Jewish Scripture consists of 24 books, broken down into three sections:

*'''[[Torah]]'''—The Five Books of [[Moses]]: [[Genesis]] (Bereshit), [[Exodus]] (Shemot), [[Leviticus]] (Vayikra), [[Numbers]] (Bamidbar) and [[Deuteronomy]] (Devarim).

*'''Nevi'im''' —The Prophets: Joshua (Yehoshua), Judges (Shoftim), Samuel (Shmuel), Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and the 12 minor prophets

*'''Ketuvim'''—The Writings: [[Psalms]], Proverbs, Job), Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, [[Esther (Biblical book)|Esther]], [[Daniel (Biblical book)|Daniel]], Ezra, Chronicles.

The Torah is divided into portions that are read during synagogue services over the course of the liturgical year. Jews refer to all 24 scrolls as the ''Tanakh,'' an acronym of the names of the three sections. The Old Testament is the Tanakh, except with some different naming and a different ordering than the Jewish version. Some Jews find the term Old Testament to be offensive, as its meaning can be interpreted to mean the covenant of God with the Jews has been superseded and no longer applies.

==The Twelve Tribes of Israel==
The most famous of the tribes of Israel is Judah. From this tribe came [[King David]] ''“your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever”'' 2 Samuel 7:16, '' Acts 13:34. No matter what tribe you originate from, all are considered Israeli.

[[Jacob]], grandson of [[Abraham]] and son of [[Isaac]], came to be known as the father of Israel, for it is written that God changed his name to Israel. <ref>[http://www.keyway.ca/htm2002/tribeisr.htm The Tribes Of Israel by Wayne Blank] The Church of God Bible Studsy</ref> The descendants of these twelve 'sons' of Jacob became the twelve tribes of Israel.

In Northern Israel [[Gad]], [[Reuben]], [[Simeon]], [[Dan]], [[Naphtali]], [[Asher]], [[Issachar]], [[Zebulun]] and [[Joseph]]. In Southern Israel, the tribes [[Benjamin]] and [[Judah]]. The [[Levi]] were to serve as as the priests and their assistance for all tribes having their own levitical cities within the other tribes while having no land as inheritance for for themselves.

Each tribe was composed of a group of families, united by blood ties and constituting a social and political unit. As time went on, the stronger tribes tended to absorb the weaker ones. <ref>[http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/RefArticle.aspx?refid=762510356&vv=450 Twelve Tribes of Israel] MSN Encarta</ref>
After the death of King Solomon, and in the time of his son, Rehoboam, the twelve tribes divided into two camps. The south was known as [[Judah]] with Jerusalem as their capital, while the ten northern tribes made up the kingdom of Israel whose capital was [[Samaria]]. In 721/2 B.C. , the northern kingdom of Israel was conquered and the elite and powerful taken away by the Assyrians (leaving the weak and powerless) and resettled among various client kingdoms of their empire. The Assyrians, in like manner, settled other conquered peoples in various places of conquered Israel in order to dilute and weaken the population causing them to be compliant to the Assyrian overlords. This is how the "Samarians" were to arise, present in the time of Jesus and and present to this day - a mixed semi-Judaized population with their religious center on Mt. Gerizim in Samaria rivaling Jerusalem. The northern dispersion came to be called popularly "the Lost 10 Tribes of Israel". But some of the "10 Lost Tribes" were not lost. At the time of Assyrian conquest of Israel, archaeology reveals, the city walls of the capitol city of the Southern Kingdom, Jerusalem, were suddenly and greatly expanded. This is because, it is thought, of the sudden influx to the southern brothers of the fleeing northerners. See also in the Diaspora section above, the Bnei Menashe, and see [http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/973487.html]

The Southern Kingdom was conquered by Babylonians in 586/7 B.C. with much population taken to Babylon, which was to become a center for Judaism (and the Babylonian Talmud) rivaling Jerusalem itself. Cyrus, Emperor of Persia was to allow the Jews to return to their ancestral homeland, but many Jews preferred to remain in Babylon (most of these "Iraqis" would return to Israel with the erection of the modern State of Israel).

Alexander the Great, 333 B.C. would wrest the Middle East, and "Judah" with it, from the hands of the Persians, and after him, at the breakup of his Empire into Seleucid (northern) and Ptolomaic (southern) parts, the Seleucids took control of the Judah and Galilee (bringing "[[Hellenism]]" - the amalgamation of Greek with local cultures), and the occasion for the the revolt of the Jews against Seleucid overlord Antiochus and the beginning of the celebration among the Jews of [[Hanukah]] - the remembrance of the successful revolt, the setting up once again of a Jewish Kingdom in the promised land, and the re-dedication ("Hanukah") of the Temple (which had been desecrated). In 63 A.D., Pompey and the Roman rule would wrest power from the Hellenistic Greeks, and thus the Roman rule in the Land at the time of Jesus. The Kingdom of Judah, with its King Herod, was intended by Rome to be a buffer state between Rome and its hated adversary Kingdom - that of Persia. In this context there arose, another movement, followers of "the way" of Jesus, the forefront of another Kingdom, that was not of this world, the leading servants of which, would sit on the seats of the now ''12 tribes'' of Israel, and knowing themselves, as the "Israel of God".

Note: Among modern Jews, there is no knowledge of descent from any of the particular tribe of the 12 tribes of Israel, except Jews with the family name of Levi or Cohen (and a very few others). "Levi" is from the tribe of Levites and means "accompanier", that is the ones who accompany the priest and offering assistance in the service of the Temple. "Cohen" means priest. With the last great dispersion from the Holy Land, that of 70 AD at the hands of the Romans, with its destruction of "the House" - the Temple of God, the levitical and priestly families, now exiled to Rome and Italy were careful to record and remember their genealogies back to the tribe of Levi, as it would be they who would once again be called to function when God when would make possible the return to the Land of Israel and the rebuilding of the Temple.

==Post Biblical Jewish Development and Literature==
The Jewish [[canon]] of Scripture was defined at the Jamnia (Yavneh) on the Mediterranean coast of Israel at 90A.D., about two decades after the destruction of the Second Jewish Temple in Jerusalem by the Romans. Jews now also lived in great numbers outside of the Land of Israel, particularly in Mesopotamia (the Land between the Rivers of the Euphrates and the Tigris), and in Alexandria, Egypt. Mesopotamian Jewry, with its large core from the exile to Babylon continually added to, was mainly Aramaic speaking while Egyptian Jewry was Greek speaking. Aramaic Jewry began the translation of the Hebrew Scriptures into [[Aramaic]], this came to be known as the [[Peshitta]] ("simple" or common). This development was accelerated particularly when the queen of [[Adiabene]], Helena (Shlomzion HaMalka, converted with others to Judaism. The Old Testament Peshitta (there is also the New Testament Peshitta as believers in Jesus translated the Greek New Testament into Aramaic) contains influence from the Jewish literature known as the [[Targum]]. Queen Helena was buried in Jerusalem around 70 A.D.

The Alexandrian Jews also translated, even earlier, the Torah into their language, Greek. Later books were added to the Septuagint by anonymous translators. This is known as the Septuagint (translated by 70 or 72 Jewish scholars). The Septuagint was used by Greek speaking Jews and was naturally turned to by the Greek speaking believers in Jesus. Later Jewish scholars retranslated the Bible into Greek, as the Septuagint was seen as having issues in translations of words, these translations were done by Symmachus, Aquilas, and Theodotios, all converts to Judaism. Around the same time of this process, the Rabbinical School at Jamnia (Yavneh) under Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai, decided that what was canonical for Judaism was only those books which had already been accepted as Scripture and were found in the Hebrew language. This eliminated most of the Apocrypha which was found mostly in Greek and Latin (but the book of Ecclesiasticus - "Ben Sirach" - has now been found in Hebrew and considered canonical by the Dead Sea community of Jews) as well as elevating the ''Hebrew'' Scriptures over just the Scriptures of Israel no matter in which language. Eventually over time, not only did the Septuagint drop out of Jewish usage, but so did the other Greek translations.

They were replaced by various translations of the Bible into Aramaic, one of the best known of these was the translation by Onkelos, a convert to Judaism, although Jewish scholars still used the Hebrew translation of the Bible, the laity preferred the Aramaic translations because Hebrew became out of use expect for Jewish scholars.

===="Jamnia" and Protestantism====
Though the connection of Jamnia and Protestantism is little known, it is a real one and one that exerted much influence on the developing Protestant Church and its outlook. The Hebrew canon of Scripture with its emphasis on Hebrew language originals sanctioned at Jamnia, which would exclude the Jewish but Greek language books we now know as Intertestamental or Apocryphal, would be the basis of a continuing textual study and ammendation according to the passing on of readings and comments by succeeding Jewish authorities, scholars, and rabbis. This work would be carried on through the fifth century, the time of the Masoretes - the "tradition (of Scripture) bearers". The receiving and handing on of how Scripture texts were to be read and sung, and what they meant.

When the [[Renaissance]] took hold in Europe, great interest was shown in the rediscovering both of the Greek classics, entailing the renewed study of Greek for this purpose, and the study of Hebrew language. Here now was the possibility for many scholars, and the emerging Protestant ones among them, to study the Hebrew Scriptures directly in the original language instead of the necessity of working through the Greek ([[Septuagint]]) and Latin ([[Vulgate]]) translations. But the Hebrew source resorted to by these scholars was the [[Masoretic]] text - following the School of Jamnia - without the Apocrypha. From then on, the heritage and perspective of the Protestant Reformation churches was that the Bible excluded the Apocrypha, though some of the churches would use the Apocrypha as "secondary" readings.

===The Talmud===
In Israel, there arose a literature, mainly in the common Hebrew of the day. It is known as the Mishna ("secondary"). This was primarily the recordings of discussions of Biblical laws with view to application to the present life and experience of Jews in Israel and in the [[diaspora]]. Changing conditions required more current applications. The Mishna developed over four centuries (200 B.C. to 200 A.D.) and is divided into 6 orders, numerous tractates, and smaller units (mishnayot). Most of the Mishna is comprised of "''Halakha''"- that is, legal discussions, decisions, having, in many cases, enforceable applications either by the Jewish community directly or by the Roman or otherwise authorities. The non legal aspects of the Mishna - the anecdotes, stories, remembrances of the rabbinic lives, etc. are called ''[[Aggadah]]'' ("the telling").

The Palestinian Hebrew Mishna, having spread to Mesopotamia, came to be regulatory to the Babylonian Jews, and, as the Mishna had become a "commentary" on the Hebrew Bible, so the Babylonian Jews developed a commentary on the Mishna itself. This was called the Gemara ("completion") and is in their own language, [[Aramaic]]. The formation of the Gemara took from 200 A.D. to 500 A.D. The whole Talmud then was a work of 700 years. The Mishna and the Gemara together is called the Talmud ("the Learning"). The Talmud then became regulatory until modern times for Jewish life elsewhere with but a few non-mainstream groups not accepting it.

The process of G-d sanctioned and ordained commentary (the Talmud) on the Scriptures is a legacy of the one movement that survived the first century Roman destruction of the temple and Jewish authority in Israel. The [[Saduccees]] disappeared as did the [[Essenes]] and the Herodians. But not so the [[Pharisees]]. The Pharisees believed that with the written Torah given to Moses on Sinai, there was also an Oral Torah given to him, by which the written was to be interpreted and applied. According to this tradition this Oral Torah was transmitted to others - Joshua, then the seventy, the prophets, and then to certain pairs (Zugot) finally finding its expression through the discussions and decisions embodied in the Talmudic literature. Through this the Jews created over 600 laws that they had to obey. Having a "portable" law and, so to speak, a "constitution" in the Talmud, Jews then were able to survive as Jews when they no longer had a land to live in and define them.

==Dietary laws==
Observant Jews follow a strict and complex set of rules governing what they may eat and drink. Permissible foods are called ''[[kosher]].'' Per Biblical commandments, only animals that chew their cud and have cloven hooves may be eaten and they must be properly slaughtered. Additionally, all birds other than "birds of prey" are kosher, so long as they are properly slaughtered. Anything which comes from the sea must have fins and scales. According to most traditions, dairy products cannot be mixed with meat from animals or birds. Vegetables must be checked for insects, as insects are considered "treyf," meaning not kosher. Additional rules apply during [[Pesach]].

==Life cycle==
Jewish boys are circumcised eight days after birth, in a ceremony called a bris where the circumcision is performed by a specially trained rabbi, termed a moyl. They become adults for religious purposes when they turn 13, an event marked by a ceremony called a [[Bar Mitzvah]]. Similar ceremonies for girls when they turn 12, called [[Bat Mitzvah]], were introduced in in the 20th century.

[[Jewish law]] only recognizes marriages between Jews. [[Divorce]] is permitted, but there are exacting rules that must be followed for the divorce to be valid, including the husband presenting a bill of divorce (''Get'') to his wife.

Jewish law requires bodies to be buried promptly, preferably no later than the day after death. [[Cremation]] is not permitted. There are prescribed stages of [[mourning]] for the first year after the death of a close relative (parent, sibling, spouse of child). The anniversary of such a death is observed with gifts to [[charity]] and the recitation of a prayer, ''[[Kaddish]],'' praising God's name.

==Jewish Identity==
Definitions of Jewish identity have changed over the years, and among the various Jewish religious and cultural groupings. Whereas, the Old Testament, stresses the importance of the male side of the family for the most important aspects of cultural decision and prerogatives, thus furthering identity through the Father (male) and his clan, present Orthodox Jewish identity is defined as coming through the mother. If the mother is Jewish, regardless of the father's religion, then the child is Jewish. Reformed Judaism disregards the Orthodox Jewish definition and stresses that Judaism is equally applicable as a religious designation whether through the mother or the father, in line with de-emphasizing the racial, cultural, and genetic background in favor of stressing the ethical content in Judaism. This is in line with Reform Judaism's stress on equality between the sects even in the house of worship. The Orthodox Jewish emphasis on the parentage through the mother as constituting Jewish identity, has brought about paradox and contradiction with Judaism's own sources. Whereas it is clear from Scripture that faith in the revealed will of God and His movement in History is what constituted the people, starting from Abraham, as a People, and then as a Nation and the formation, consequently, of identity, Orthodox Judaism recognizes as Jews those who are atheistic or agnostic, free thinkers, repudiators of all religous, and even those who have become members of other religions. These are considered still Jewish, howbeit, Jews who are not good Jews. The only exception possibly in the Jewish conception of acceptability under the definition of "Jewish" are Jews who have become Christians or members of [[Messianic Judaism]]. Yet, even these, though considered apostate, are considered Halakhically (according to Jewish orthodox religious law) as being Jewish. The modern state of Israel exhibits a contradiction in the question of Jewish identity. Orthodoxy is the accepted form of Judaism, and consequently, a non Jew having converted to Judaism under Reformed Jewish rite or Conservative Jewish rite are not considered Jewish for purposes of becoming citizens of Israel under Israel's Right of Return law. But neither are Messianic Jews eligible (Israeli Supreme Court decision) for citizenship under the Law of Return, even if they be born to a Jewish mother. This is in violation of halakhic definition but is in accord with common Israeli sentiment. What is rapidly being destroyed in the modern state of Israel and which does hearken back to the predominant Biblical definition is the purely racial and cultural catagorizing as to who might be considered a Jew. This is because of the immensity and varliagation in the origins of new immigrants to Israel - Ethiopia (Falasha origin), Iraq (6th cent. exile from Jerusalem), Turkey and Greece (1492 expulsion from Spain origin), Argentinia, China, India (both the long known B'nei Israel and the recently emerged B'nei Menasha of the Northern Kingdom dispersion), the former Soviet Union, the United States, Yemen (Himyaritic Kingdom conversion origin), etc.

==Jewish Humor==
Jewish humor is first of all not jokes about Jews made by non-Jews, nor is it jokes about Jews made to ridicule, making parody of characteristics considered Jewish traits. Jewish humor is humor made by Jews sometimes using material from the Jewish life and experience to highlight Jewish fallibilities to show them either as means of overcoming or defense, or to show them as universals shared by all peoples. Jewish humor is appreciated by both Jews and non Jews, thereby showing the truth of the commonality of Jews with all peoples. Because Jewish humor often is gently self-deprecating or willing to expose the foibles of Jews themselves, which Jews understand intuitively, Jewish comedians succeed, without raising rancor, in finding the humorous situation of other nationalities, without raising rancor. An example is the Sid Caesar's "German General" (below)

ex. 1. A man comes into the office of the Rabbi, while his wife waits her turn outside. Sitting next to the Rabbi is the Rebbitzen, his wife. The man comes in seats himself, and begins his tirade against his wife. She doesn't cook well, always complains, talks too loud, hours on the phone with the girls, on and on.
The rabbi listens carefully, and finally, slams his palm on the desk and says "You're right!" The man goes out and in comes the wife, seats herself, and then begins on her husband, never at home, when he comes, takes off his shoes and his shirt and leaves them on the floor, burps in public, on and on. The Rabbi listens, gets illuminated, slams his palm on the table and says, "You're right!" The wife leaves, and the Rebbitzen explodes and turning to him says, "How can they both be right, what kind of a counsel is that to say, Are you crazy?" The Rabbi, squints at her, slams his palm on the table and says, "You're right!"

ex. 2. Moses Mendelssohn was the father of reform Judaism and a favorite at the court of Fredrick the Second. Fredrick would often make fun of the helpless Moses before the nobles of the Court. This day, Fredrick wrote a note which said "Moses Mendelssohn is the First Ass of the Kingdom", and passed it around for all to see and snicker at. When it got to Moses, he read it, went into ecstasy with delight, holding it to his breast, finally saying to Fredrick, "O my lord, I have been so touched and honored by your note mentioning my name and I humbly ask of you that you sign it for my continual reverence." Fredrick nodded, signed it handing it back to Moses, who immediately rose from his knees, held out the note, and read it in loud and emotion packed tone, "Moses Mendelssohn is the First Ass of the Kingdom, Fredrick the Second."

ex. 3. The visual comedy of Jewish American comedian Sid Caesar [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybqVRYCXFPM] , [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0SG4YhiuYU]

==See also==
* [[Rothschild family]]
* [[What is Torah, what is Talmud]]
* [[Jewish communities in America]]
* [[Bible]]
* [[Israel]]
* [[Israel Tourism]]
* [[Synagogue]]
* [[Orthodox Judaism]]
* [[Passover Seder]]
* [[Singing the Hebrew Scriptures]]
* [[Hebrew]]
* [[Aramaic]]
* [[Aramaic Judaism, Jewish Aramaic Christianity, and John 1:1]]
* [[Aramaic Church]]
* [[Adiabene]]
* [[Had Gadya]]
* [[Kaddish]]
* [[Midrash]]
* [[Targum]]
* [[Christians and the Law of Moses: an essay]]
* [[The Sign of the Cross: of Jewish Origin]]
* [[Essay: The earliest Christian Church, a prison in Armageddon]]
* [[Jewish Biblical way of interpretation: a solution for New Testament understanding]]
* [[New Testament understanding through the Jewish perspective]]
* [[Inspiration of Holy Scripture: An Eastern Christian and Jewish Perspective]]
* [[Messianic Judaism]]
* [[Messiah]]
* [[Jewish persecution]]
* [[Suicide bomber: a personal account]]
* [[Jewish holidays]]
* [[Jewish philosophy]]
* [[Gallery of Jewish Painting]]
* [[Liberal Judaism]]
* [[Judaism and Islam]]

==External links==
* [http://bertschlossberg.blogspot.com/ Turkey's Islamic scholar, Rabbi Meir Lau, and Cain speechless before Abel]
* [http://bertschlossberg.blogspot.de/2013/03/then-from-egypt-to-israel-now-from.html Then, from Egypt to Israel: Now, from Russia and the U.S.]
* [http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/jewish/jewishsbook.html Internet Jewish History Sourcebook]
* [http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/ Jewish Virtual Library]
* [http://www.jewfaq.org/index.htm Judaism 101] Tracey R Rich.
* [http://www.jewishstudies.virtualave.net/ Academic Jewish Studies Internet Directory]
* [http://www.AskMoses.com AskMoses.com for questions about Judaism]
* [http://www.Chabad.org Chabad's Website]
* [http://www.aim.org/wls/category/jews/ What Liberals Say - Category: Jews], [[Accuracy In Media]]
* [http://www.aish.com Aish.com/]
* [http://www.beingjewish.com/ BeingJewish.com]
* [http://jewishanswers.com/ JewishAnswers.com]
* [http://torah.org/ Torah.org]
* [http://simpletoremember.com SimpleToRemember.com]
* [http://njop.org National Jewish Outreach Program (outreaches to assimilated Jews)]
* [http://ArtScroll.com ArtScroll.com]
* [http://Shamash.org Shamash.org]
* [http://shemayisrael.com/ ShemaYisrael.com]
* [http://jewishworldreview.com/ JewishWorldReview.com]
* [http://heebmagazine.com/ Heeb magazine.] The New Jew Review.
* [http://bertschlossberg.blogspot.de/2013/04/dear-people-this-may-seem-to-you-to-be.html Under the "Pillar of a Cloud"]
* [http://bertschlossberg.blogspot.de/2013/03/music-form-heaven-to-bible-to-mike-back.html Music from Heaven, to the Bible, to the Mike, and back to heaven]

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Judaism|*]]
[[Category:Anti-Semitism]]
[[Category:Religion]]
[[Category:Bible]]
[[Category:Old Testament]]
[[Category:Featured articles]]

Human reproduction

2015-09-07T21:10:51Z

Teen Conservative: change

[[Image:Sperm-egg.jpg|thumbnail|Sperm cell hitting an egg cell]]

'''Human reproduction''' is the process by which children are conceived and born. In order for human reproduction to occur under normal circumstances, male and female must engage in [[sexual intercourse]]. Exceptionally, reproduction may take place without intercourse via procedures such as [[in vitro fertilization]].
==Spiritual aspects==
[[Image:Soul_Conception.jpg|thumbnail|Artist's conception of soul joining the fertilized egg at conception.]]

Human reproduction serves to create new human beings and with each of these new human beings comes a [[soul]]. The soul appears with the person at the moment of [[conception]], making him a complete human being from this moment. This is why [[abortion]] is [[murder]]: the abortionist has rent the soul from a living human body, the soul being the source of a full life for human beings. If hypothetically there were no soul present in the human at the time of conception and it entered the body at some later stage, then until that moment the [[fetus]] would be nothing more than an animated body, similar to how animals and plants are alive but without souls. Thus, if this were the case, abortion would not be murder, but rather a termination of a non-human entity, at least until the soul finally joined the body. However, there has never been any evidence presented that the soul can enter the body at any time later than conception. Since the soul is intrinsic to human beings, it absolutely must be present at conception and therefore abortion is murder.

There are many religious beliefs, even within [[Christianity]], on the origin of the soul that accompanies a new human being. Some believe portions of the souls of the parents combine to form the new soul. Some believe a free-floating soul becomes trapped within the body. Some believe a soul is created with the fusion of the gametes, in a meta-chemical process. Believers in [[reincarnation]] say that the soul of a previously deceased person or animal (in this religion non-human animals are believed to have souls as well) enters the new body, so that there is a spiritual [[memory]] of the previous life.

==Biological aspects==

The ultimate act of intimacy serves to unite the male and female [[gamete]]s, the [[sperm]] and [[egg]], respectively. These gametes carry just one half of the [[gene]]tic material ([[chromosome]]s) from each parent, and when they combine the new [[embryo]] contains a full set of chromosomes. The process of the gametes combining is called [[fertilization]], and takes place inside the woman's body, in the [[Fallopian tubes]] or [[uterus]]. The embryo then attaches itself to the uterine lining, and is nourished by the placenta (which in turn receives its nourishment from the mother's body) while it develops. This development takes roughly nine months (see [[Naegele's Rule]]).

At the end of this process of protected development, what was once an embryo is now born as a new baby. Human babies are relatively helpless, and depend on the care and love of both parents in order to survive to maturity themselves.

Humans are not able to reproduce alone by [[budding]], [[parthenogenesis]], or [[self-cloning]] as some species are capable of. In addition, human [[sex]] is fixed at conception, unlike some species'; females are not able to become male or vice versa to deal with homogeneous populations of one gender.

== References ==
<references/>

[[Category:Sexuality]]

== External Links ==
*[http://www.opposingviews.com/questions/when-does-life-begin Opposing Views: When Does Life Begin?]
*[http://www.aim.org/wls/category/sex/ What Liberals Say - Category: Sex], [[Accuracy In Media]]

Creativity Movement

2015-09-07T20:53:48Z

Teen Conservative: added category

The '''Creativity Movement''', formerly known as the ''World Church Of The Creator'', is an [[atheistic]] [[white supremacist]] organization.<ref name="Ideology">{{cite web|url = http://books.google.com/books?id=RonIunZ521sC&pg=PA247&dq=atheism+white+supremacy&hl=en&ei=u_OOTaGaM6Xi0gHJztygCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CDYQ6AEwAzgK#v=onepage&q&f=false|title =Contemporary voices of white nationalism in America|publisher = [[Cambridge University Press]]|quote=World Church of the Creator, an organization that espouses an atheistic and white supremacist religious philosophy known as Creativity.|accessdate = 2011–03–27}}</ref><ref name="Atheistic">{{cite web|url = http://books.google.com/books?id=HB1wyFPRGm4C&pg=PA23&dq=atheism+white+supremacy&hl=en&ei=Re-OTfbHHuuD0QHOycm1Cw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CEgQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=atheistic&f=false|title =The new white nationalism in America: its challenge to integration|publisher = [[Cambridge University Press]]|quote=For instance, Ben Klassen, founder of the atheistic World Church of the Creator and the author of ''The White Man's Bible'', discusses Christianity extensively in his writings and denounces religion that has brought untold horror into the world and divided the white race.|accessdate = 2011–03–27}}</ref><ref name="Atheism">{{cite web|url = http://books.google.com/books?id=rBgn3xB75ZcC&pg=PA493&dq=competing+atheistic+white+racist+movement&hl=en&ei=5uWOTeSkCamw0QH7m92bCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=competing%20atheistic%20white%20racist%20movement&f=false|title =The World's Religions: Continuities and Transformations|publisher = [[Taylor & Francis]]|quote=A competing atheistic or panthestic white racist movement also appeared, which included the Church of the Creator/ Creativity (Gardell 2003: 129–134).|accessdate = 2011–03–27}}</ref> The movement has denounced [[Christianity]],<ref name="Atheistic">{{cite web|url = http://books.google.com/books?id=HB1wyFPRGm4C&pg=PA23&dq=atheism+white+supremacy&hl=en&ei=Re-OTfbHHuuD0QHOycm1Cw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CEgQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=atheistic&f=false|title =The new white nationalism in America: its challenge to integration|publisher = [[Cambridge University Press]]|quote=For instance, Ben Klassen, founder of the atheistic World Church of the Creator and the author of ''The White Man's Bible, discusses Christianity extensively in his writings and denounces religion that has brought untold horror into the world and divided the white race.|accessdate = 2011–03–27}}</ref> and purports to promote [[Agape|love]] for all of mankind.<ref name="Ludwig Feuerbach">{{cite web|url = http://books.google.com/books?id=GTEKAQAAMAAJ&pg=PA266&dq=christianity+love+for+mankind&hl=en&ei=CFSbTbyAJcrUgQekjsCSBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CEEQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=christianity%20love%20for%20mankind&f=false|title =The Essence of Christianity |author=Ludwig Feuerbach|publisher = John Chapman|quote=Christ loved men: he wished to bless and unite them all without distinction of sex, age, rank or nationality. Christ is the love of mankind to itself embodied in an image–in accordance with the nature of religion as we have developed it–or contemplated as a person, but a person who (we mean, of course, as a religious object) has only the significance of an image, who is only ideal. For this reason love is pronounced to be the characteristic mark of the disciples.|accessdate = 2011–03–27}}</ref> It denounces religion for bringing horror into the world by dividing the white race.<ref name="Atheistic">{{cite web|url = http://books.google.com/books?id=HB1wyFPRGm4C&pg=PA23&dq=atheism+white+supremacy&hl=en&ei=Re-OTfbHHuuD0QHOycm1Cw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CEgQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=atheistic&f=false|title =The new white nationalism in America: its challenge to integration|publisher = [[Cambridge University Press]]|quote=For instance, Ben Klassen, founder of the atheistic World Church of the Creator and the author of ''The White Man's Bible'', discusses Christianity extensively in his writings and denounces religion that has brought untold horror into the world and divided the white race.|accessdate = 2011–03–27}}</ref> Adherents of the Creativity Movement are [[evolution]]ists.<ref>[http://creativitymovement.net/books/introduction.pdf What you should know about the Creativity Movement - Creativity Movement website]</ref>

Ben Klassen, the founder of the Creativity Movement, described the organizational structure of the movement as "monolithic and... authoritarian".<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmymHdG3Ndo Ben Klassen PM on Race & Reason - Part 2 of 3 - YouTube video]</ref><ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJeMUbMV8X0 Tom Metzger's Race & Reason with Ben Klassen PM]</ref>

==Founding==
The Creativity Movement was founded in 1973 by Ben Klassen. He founded it as "white racial religion" which seeks to unite whites in a common religion. He described it as an atheistic religion, in which white people are the supreme race.

== See also ==

*[[Western atheism and race]]

*[[Atheist cults]]

== External links ==

*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jY441ou-Vac CNN: Militant Atheism and Racism - The Creativity Movement]

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Atheism}}
[[Category:Atheism]]
[[Category:Hate Groups]]
[[Category:Racist Organizations]]

Bernie Sanders

2015-09-06T06:12:46Z

Teen Conservative: Edited Category.

{{Officeholder
|name=Bernie Sanders
|image=Sanders.jpg
|party=[[Independent]] (Caucuses with Democrats)
|spouse=Jane O'Meara
|religion=[[Judaism]]
|offices=
{{Officeholder/senator
|state=Vermont
|terms=January 3, 2007 – Present
|preceded=Jim Jeffords
|former=n
|succeeded=
}}
{{Officeholder/representative
|state=Vermont
|district=at-large
|terms=January 3, 1991 – January 3, 2007
|preceded=Peter Smith
|former=n
|succeeded=Peter Welch
}}
}}

'''Bernard "Bernie" Sanders''', born September 8, 1941 (age {{age|1941|9|8}}), is the only self-identified [[socialist|democratic socialist]] in the [[United States Congress]], and in 2006 became the first admitted socialist elected to the U.S. Senate to represent [[Vermont]]. Previously, he served in the House of Representatives for eight terms, after serving several terms as mayor of Burlington, the state's largest city. He usually caucuses with [[Democrats]]. He has a 100% pro-[[abortion]] voting record, but speaks out more on economic issues.

He said this to [[Alan Greenspan]], Chairman of the [[Federal Reserve]], during a Financial Services Committee hearing in 2003: "The country club and the cocktail parties are not [[real America]]. You have defended over the years the abolition of the minimum wage and giving huge tax breaks to billionaires. But today you reached a new low, I think, by suggesting that manufacturing in America doesn't matter."

Sanders has claimed that the [[Fox News Channel]] led America into the war in [[Iraq]], and called on other news organization to "not to follow Fox down the road to war again."<ref>http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070822/ap_en_tv/tv_fox_iran_1</ref>

At a press conference on April 30, 2015, Sanders announced that he is running for the Democratic nomination in the [[2016 presidential election]]. He held an "official launch" on May 26.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/04/29/vermont-sen-bernie-sanders-am-running-for-president/</ref>

Some consider Sanders to be one of the few honest liberal politicians.

==Controversial votes==
During Bernie Sanders 2006 Senatorial campaign, [[Republican]] opponent Rich Tarrant made an issue over Sanders 2003 vote against the [[Amber Alert]]. Which is a notification to the general public, by various media outlets in [[Canada]] and in the [[United States]], when police confirmed that a child has been abducted. The bill passed in the House of Representatives 410-14. Every United States Senator voted for it, including Vermont Senators [[Patrick Leahy]] and [[Jim Jeffords]]. He was also one of only nineteen Congressman to vote against the Women's Rights HIV Testing –Passage. Which would allow sexual assault victims to find out the HIV status of their suspected assailant.

After countless stories of election fraud by the group ACORN, Bernie Sanders was one of seven Democrats that voted to continue funding [[ACORN]]. The vote failed and ACORN was stripped of funding in the Senate <ref>[http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0909/27153.html Senate denies ACORN funding, Politico, September 14, 2009]</ref> Bill Wilson of [[Americans for Limited Government]] said, "The ACORN Housing Corporation has long been pushing the very loose-lending policies that helped destroy the housing industry. And now it has been exposed for working with prostitutes, as well. Yet, these seven Senators [Sanders] have knowingly voted to keep sending taxpayer money to a highly corrupt organization of pushers and pimps," <ref>[http://politicomafioso.blogspot.com/2009/09/alg-condemns-7-senators-for-voting-to.html ALG Condemns 7 Senators,Politico Mafioso, September 16, 2009]</ref>

==2016 Campaign==
At a press conference on April 30th, 2015, Sanders announced his campaign for president of United States of America. He as of September 2015, is in second place nationally behind the Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton. Though, few truly think he will be the nominee, let alone president.

==="Socialist America"===
He is self-identified as a socialist, which makes him the only openly socialist senator. If he is somehow elected he would also be the first openly socialist president( however many people consider Barack Obama to be a socialist ), and doing so would transform America into a weak socialist country.

===Age Issue===
If he is somehow elected president, he would be the oldest person to ever serve as president, at 75 years old on January 20th, 2017. It is also likely that he would die in office due to his age. He is considered to be too old, and by some even senile.

==References==
<References/>

==External links==
*[http://www.sanders.senate.gov/ Senate site]
*[https://berniesanders.com Bernie Sanders 2016 campaign website]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanders, Bernie}}
[[Category:United States Senators]]
[[Category:110th United States Congress]]
[[Category:111th United States Congress]]
[[Category:112th United States Congress]]
[[Category:113th United States Congress]]
[[Category:114th United States Congress]]
[[Category:Democratic Party]]
[[Category:Third Party Politicians]]
[[Category:Socialists]]
[[Category:Vermont]]
[[Category:American Jews]]
[[Category:Anti Second Amendment]]
[[Category:2016 Presidential Candidates]]

Bernie Sanders

2015-09-06T06:10:56Z

Teen Conservative: Edited Category.

{{Officeholder
|name=Bernie Sanders
|image=Sanders.jpg
|party=[[Independent]] (Caucuses with Democrats)
|spouse=Jane O'Meara
|religion=[[Judaism]]
|offices=
{{Officeholder/senator
|state=Vermont
|terms=January 3, 2007 – Present
|preceded=Jim Jeffords
|former=n
|succeeded=
}}
{{Officeholder/representative
|state=Vermont
|district=at-large
|terms=January 3, 1991 – January 3, 2007
|preceded=Peter Smith
|former=n
|succeeded=Peter Welch
}}
}}

'''Bernard "Bernie" Sanders''', born September 8, 1941 (age {{age|1941|9|8}}), is the only self-identified [[socialist|democratic socialist]] in the [[United States Congress]], and in 2006 became the first admitted socialist elected to the U.S. Senate to represent [[Vermont]]. Previously, he served in the House of Representatives for eight terms, after serving several terms as mayor of Burlington, the state's largest city. He usually caucuses with [[Democrats]]. He has a 100% pro-[[abortion]] voting record, but speaks out more on economic issues.

He said this to [[Alan Greenspan]], Chairman of the [[Federal Reserve]], during a Financial Services Committee hearing in 2003: "The country club and the cocktail parties are not [[real America]]. You have defended over the years the abolition of the minimum wage and giving huge tax breaks to billionaires. But today you reached a new low, I think, by suggesting that manufacturing in America doesn't matter."

Sanders has claimed that the [[Fox News Channel]] led America into the war in [[Iraq]], and called on other news organization to "not to follow Fox down the road to war again."<ref>http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070822/ap_en_tv/tv_fox_iran_1</ref>

At a press conference on April 30, 2015, Sanders announced that he is running for the Democratic nomination in the [[2016 presidential election]]. He held an "official launch" on May 26.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/04/29/vermont-sen-bernie-sanders-am-running-for-president/</ref>

Some consider Sanders to be one of the few honest liberal politicians.

==Controversial votes==
During Bernie Sanders 2006 Senatorial campaign, [[Republican]] opponent Rich Tarrant made an issue over Sanders 2003 vote against the [[Amber Alert]]. Which is a notification to the general public, by various media outlets in [[Canada]] and in the [[United States]], when police confirmed that a child has been abducted. The bill passed in the House of Representatives 410-14. Every United States Senator voted for it, including Vermont Senators [[Patrick Leahy]] and [[Jim Jeffords]]. He was also one of only nineteen Congressman to vote against the Women's Rights HIV Testing –Passage. Which would allow sexual assault victims to find out the HIV status of their suspected assailant.

After countless stories of election fraud by the group ACORN, Bernie Sanders was one of seven Democrats that voted to continue funding [[ACORN]]. The vote failed and ACORN was stripped of funding in the Senate <ref>[http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0909/27153.html Senate denies ACORN funding, Politico, September 14, 2009]</ref> Bill Wilson of [[Americans for Limited Government]] said, "The ACORN Housing Corporation has long been pushing the very loose-lending policies that helped destroy the housing industry. And now it has been exposed for working with prostitutes, as well. Yet, these seven Senators [Sanders] have knowingly voted to keep sending taxpayer money to a highly corrupt organization of pushers and pimps," <ref>[http://politicomafioso.blogspot.com/2009/09/alg-condemns-7-senators-for-voting-to.html ALG Condemns 7 Senators,Politico Mafioso, September 16, 2009]</ref>

==2016 Campaign==
At a press conference on April 30th, 2015, Sanders announced his campaign for president of United States of America. He as of September 2015, is in second place nationally behind the Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton. Though, few truly think he will be the nominee, let alone president.

==="Socialist America"===
He is self-identified as a socialist, which makes him the only openly socialist senator. If he is somehow elected he would also be the first openly socialist president( however many people consider Barack Obama to be a socialist ), and doing so would transform America into a weak socialist country.

===Age Issue===
If he is somehow elected president, he would be the oldest person to ever serve as president, at 75 years old on January 20th, 2017. It is also likely that he would die in office due to his age. He is also considered to be too old, and even senile.

==References==
<References/>

==External links==
*[http://www.sanders.senate.gov/ Senate site]
*[https://berniesanders.com Bernie Sanders 2016 campaign website]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanders, Bernie}}
[[Category:United States Senators]]
[[Category:110th United States Congress]]
[[Category:111th United States Congress]]
[[Category:112th United States Congress]]
[[Category:113th United States Congress]]
[[Category:114th United States Congress]]
[[Category:Democratic Party]]
[[Category:Third Party Politicians]]
[[Category:Socialists]]
[[Category:Vermont]]
[[Category:American Jews]]
[[Category:Anti Second Amendment]]
[[Category:2016 Presidential Candidates]]

Bernie Sanders

2015-09-06T06:07:37Z

Teen Conservative: Added Categories.

{{Officeholder
|name=Bernie Sanders
|image=Sanders.jpg
|party=[[Independent]] (Caucuses with Democrats)
|spouse=Jane O'Meara
|religion=[[Judaism]]
|offices=
{{Officeholder/senator
|state=Vermont
|terms=January 3, 2007 – Present
|preceded=Jim Jeffords
|former=n
|succeeded=
}}
{{Officeholder/representative
|state=Vermont
|district=at-large
|terms=January 3, 1991 – January 3, 2007
|preceded=Peter Smith
|former=n
|succeeded=Peter Welch
}}
}}

'''Bernard "Bernie" Sanders''', born September 8, 1941 (age {{age|1941|9|8}}), is the only self-identified [[socialist|democratic socialist]] in the [[United States Congress]], and in 2006 became the first admitted socialist elected to the U.S. Senate to represent [[Vermont]]. Previously, he served in the House of Representatives for eight terms, after serving several terms as mayor of Burlington, the state's largest city. He usually caucuses with [[Democrats]]. He has a 100% pro-[[abortion]] voting record, but speaks out more on economic issues.

He said this to [[Alan Greenspan]], Chairman of the [[Federal Reserve]], during a Financial Services Committee hearing in 2003: "The country club and the cocktail parties are not [[real America]]. You have defended over the years the abolition of the minimum wage and giving huge tax breaks to billionaires. But today you reached a new low, I think, by suggesting that manufacturing in America doesn't matter."

Sanders has claimed that the [[Fox News Channel]] led America into the war in [[Iraq]], and called on other news organization to "not to follow Fox down the road to war again."<ref>http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070822/ap_en_tv/tv_fox_iran_1</ref>

At a press conference on April 30, 2015, Sanders announced that he is running for the Democratic nomination in the [[2016 presidential election]]. He held an "official launch" on May 26.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/04/29/vermont-sen-bernie-sanders-am-running-for-president/</ref>

Some consider Sanders to be one of the few honest liberal politicians.

==Controversial votes==
During Bernie Sanders 2006 Senatorial campaign, [[Republican]] opponent Rich Tarrant made an issue over Sanders 2003 vote against the [[Amber Alert]]. Which is a notification to the general public, by various media outlets in [[Canada]] and in the [[United States]], when police confirmed that a child has been abducted. The bill passed in the House of Representatives 410-14. Every United States Senator voted for it, including Vermont Senators [[Patrick Leahy]] and [[Jim Jeffords]]. He was also one of only nineteen Congressman to vote against the Women's Rights HIV Testing –Passage. Which would allow sexual assault victims to find out the HIV status of their suspected assailant.

After countless stories of election fraud by the group ACORN, Bernie Sanders was one of seven Democrats that voted to continue funding [[ACORN]]. The vote failed and ACORN was stripped of funding in the Senate <ref>[http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0909/27153.html Senate denies ACORN funding, Politico, September 14, 2009]</ref> Bill Wilson of [[Americans for Limited Government]] said, "The ACORN Housing Corporation has long been pushing the very loose-lending policies that helped destroy the housing industry. And now it has been exposed for working with prostitutes, as well. Yet, these seven Senators [Sanders] have knowingly voted to keep sending taxpayer money to a highly corrupt organization of pushers and pimps," <ref>[http://politicomafioso.blogspot.com/2009/09/alg-condemns-7-senators-for-voting-to.html ALG Condemns 7 Senators,Politico Mafioso, September 16, 2009]</ref>

==2016 Campaign==
At a press conference on April 30th, 2015, Sanders announced his campaign for president of United States of America. He as of September 2015, is in second place nationally behind the Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton. Though, few truly think he will be the nominee, let alone president.

==="Socialist America===
He is self-identified as a socialist, which makes him the only openly socialist sitting senator. If he is somehow elected he would also be the first openly socialist( however many people consider Barack Obama to be a socialist ). He would transform America into a weak socialist country.

===Age Issue===
If he is somehow elected president, he would be the oldest person to ever serve as president, at 75 years old on January 20th, 2017. It is also likely that he would die in office due to his age. He is also considered to be too old, and even senile.

==References==
<References/>

==External links==
*[http://www.sanders.senate.gov/ Senate site]
*[https://berniesanders.com Bernie Sanders 2016 campaign website]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanders, Bernie}}
[[Category:United States Senators]]
[[Category:110th United States Congress]]
[[Category:111th United States Congress]]
[[Category:112th United States Congress]]
[[Category:113th United States Congress]]
[[Category:114th United States Congress]]
[[Category:Democratic Party]]
[[Category:Third Party Politicians]]
[[Category:Socialists]]
[[Category:Vermont]]
[[Category:American Jews]]
[[Category:Anti Second Amendment]]
[[Category:2016 Presidential Candidates]]

Bernie Sanders

2015-09-06T05:59:07Z

Teen Conservative: Added Category

{{Officeholder
|name=Bernie Sanders
|image=Sanders.jpg
|party=[[Independent]] (Caucuses with Democrats)
|spouse=Jane O'Meara
|religion=[[Judaism]]
|offices=
{{Officeholder/senator
|state=Vermont
|terms=January 3, 2007 – Present
|preceded=Jim Jeffords
|former=n
|succeeded=
}}
{{Officeholder/representative
|state=Vermont
|district=at-large
|terms=January 3, 1991 – January 3, 2007
|preceded=Peter Smith
|former=n
|succeeded=Peter Welch
}}
}}

'''Bernard "Bernie" Sanders''', born September 8, 1941 (age {{age|1941|9|8}}), is the only self-identified [[socialist|democratic socialist]] in the [[United States Congress]], and in 2006 became the first admitted socialist elected to the U.S. Senate to represent [[Vermont]]. Previously, he served in the House of Representatives for eight terms, after serving several terms as mayor of Burlington, the state's largest city. He usually caucuses with [[Democrats]]. He has a 100% pro-[[abortion]] voting record, but speaks out more on economic issues.

He said this to [[Alan Greenspan]], Chairman of the [[Federal Reserve]], during a Financial Services Committee hearing in 2003: "The country club and the cocktail parties are not [[real America]]. You have defended over the years the abolition of the minimum wage and giving huge tax breaks to billionaires. But today you reached a new low, I think, by suggesting that manufacturing in America doesn't matter."

Sanders has claimed that the [[Fox News Channel]] led America into the war in [[Iraq]], and called on other news organization to "not to follow Fox down the road to war again."<ref>http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070822/ap_en_tv/tv_fox_iran_1</ref>

At a press conference on April 30, 2015, Sanders announced that he is running for the Democratic nomination in the [[2016 presidential election]]. He held an "official launch" on May 26.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/04/29/vermont-sen-bernie-sanders-am-running-for-president/</ref>

Some consider Sanders to be one of the few honest liberal politicians.

==Controversial votes==
During Bernie Sanders 2006 Senatorial campaign, [[Republican]] opponent Rich Tarrant made an issue over Sanders 2003 vote against the [[Amber Alert]]. Which is a notification to the general public, by various media outlets in [[Canada]] and in the [[United States]], when police confirmed that a child has been abducted. The bill passed in the House of Representatives 410-14. Every United States Senator voted for it, including Vermont Senators [[Patrick Leahy]] and [[Jim Jeffords]]. He was also one of only nineteen Congressman to vote against the Women's Rights HIV Testing –Passage. Which would allow sexual assault victims to find out the HIV status of their suspected assailant.

After countless stories of election fraud by the group ACORN, Bernie Sanders was one of seven Democrats that voted to continue funding [[ACORN]]. The vote failed and ACORN was stripped of funding in the Senate <ref>[http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0909/27153.html Senate denies ACORN funding, Politico, September 14, 2009]</ref> Bill Wilson of [[Americans for Limited Government]] said, "The ACORN Housing Corporation has long been pushing the very loose-lending policies that helped destroy the housing industry. And now it has been exposed for working with prostitutes, as well. Yet, these seven Senators [Sanders] have knowingly voted to keep sending taxpayer money to a highly corrupt organization of pushers and pimps," <ref>[http://politicomafioso.blogspot.com/2009/09/alg-condemns-7-senators-for-voting-to.html ALG Condemns 7 Senators,Politico Mafioso, September 16, 2009]</ref>

==2016 Campaign==
At a press conference on April 30th, 2015, Sanders announced his campaign for president of United States of America. He as of September 2015, is in second place nationally behind the Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton. Though, few truly think he will be the nominee, let alone president.

He is a self proclaimed socialist.

If he is somehow elected president, he would be the oldest person to ever serve as president, at 75 years old on January 20th, 2017. It is also likely that he would die in office due to his age. He is also considered to be too old, and even senile.

==References==
<References/>

==External links==
*[http://www.sanders.senate.gov/ Senate site]
*[https://berniesanders.com Bernie Sanders 2016 campaign website]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sanders, Bernie}}
[[Category:United States Senators]]
[[Category:110th United States Congress]]
[[Category:111th United States Congress]]
[[Category:112th United States Congress]]
[[Category:113th United States Congress]]
[[Category:114th United States Congress]]
[[Category:Democratic Party]]
[[Category:Third Party Politicians]]
[[Category:Socialists]]
[[Category:Vermont]]
[[Category:American Jews]]
[[Category:Anti Second Amendment]]
[[Category:2016 Presidential Candidates]]

Bernie Sanders

2015-09-06T05:52:58Z

Teen Conservative: Added Category

{{Officeholder
|name=Bernie Sanders
|image=Sanders.jpg
|party=[[Independent]] (Caucuses with Democrats)
|spouse=Jane O'Meara
|religion=[[Judaism]]
|offices=
{{Officeholder/senator
|state=Vermont
|terms=January 3, 2007 – Present
|preceded=Jim Jeffords
|former=n
|succeeded=
}}
{{Officeholder/representative
|state=Vermont
|district=at-large
|terms=January 3, 1991 – January 3, 2007
|preceded=Peter Smith
|former=n
|succeeded=Peter Welch
}}
}}

'''Bernard "Bernie" Sanders''', born September 8, 1941 (age {{age|1941|9|8}}), is the only self-identified [[socialist|democratic socialist]] in the [[United States Congress]], and in 2006 became the first admitted socialist elected to the U.S. Senate to represent [[Vermont]]. Previously, he served in the House of Representatives for eight terms, after serving several terms as mayor of Burlington, the state's largest city. He usually caucuses with [[Democrats]]. He has a 100% pro-[[abortion]] voting record, but speaks out more on economic issues.

He said this to [[Alan Greenspan]], Chairman of the [[Federal Reserve]], during a Financial Services Committee hearing in 2003: "The country club and the cocktail parties are not [[real America]]. You have defended over the years the abolition of the minimum wage and giving huge tax breaks to billionaires. But today you reached a new low, I think, by suggesting that manufacturing in America doesn't matter."

Sanders has claimed that the [[Fox News Channel]] led America into the war in [[Iraq]], and called on other news organization to "not to follow Fox down the road to war again."<ref>http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070822/ap_en_tv/tv_fox_iran_1</ref>

At a press conference on April 30, 2015, Sanders announced that he is running for the Democratic nomination in the [[2016 presidential election]]. He held an "official launch" on May 26.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/04/29/vermont-sen-bernie-sanders-am-running-for-president/</ref>

Some consider Sanders to be one of the few honest liberal politicians.

==Controversial votes==
During Bernie Sanders 2006 Senatorial campaign, [[Republican]] opponent Rich Tarrant made an issue over Sanders 2003 vote against the [[Amber Alert]]. Which is a notification to the general public, by various media outlets in [[Canada]] and in the [[United States]], when police confirmed that a child has been abducted. The bill passed in the House of Representatives 410-14. Every United States Senator voted for it, including Vermont Senators [[Patrick Leahy]] and [[Jim Jeffords]]. He was also one of only nineteen Congressman to vote against the Women's Rights HIV Testing –Passage. Which would allow sexual assault victims to find out the HIV status of their suspected assailant.

After countless stories of election fraud by the group ACORN, Bernie Sanders was one of seven Democrats that voted to continue funding [[ACORN]]. The vote failed and ACORN was stripped of funding in the Senate <ref>[http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0909/27153.html Senate denies ACORN funding, Politico, September 14, 2009]</ref> Bill Wilson of [[Americans for Limited Government]] said, "The ACORN Housing Corporation has long been pushing the very loose-lending policies that helped destroy the housing industry. And now it has been exposed for working with prostitutes, as well. Yet, these seven Senators [Sanders] have knowingly voted to keep sending taxpayer money to a highly corrupt organization of pushers and pimps," <ref>[http://politicomafioso.blogspot.com/2009/09/alg-condemns-7-senators-for-voting-to.html ALG Condemns 7 Senators,Politico Mafioso, September 16, 2009]</ref>

===2016 Campaign===
At a press conference on April 30th, 2015, Sanders announced his campaign for president of United States of America. He as of September 2015, is in second place nationally behind the Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton. Though, few truly think he will be the nominee, let alone president.

He is a self proclaimed socialist.

If he is somehow elected president, he would be the oldest person to ever serve as president, at 75 years old on January 20th, 2017. It is also likely that he would die in office due to his age. He is also considered to be too old, and even senile.

==References==
<References/>

==External links==
*[http://www.sanders.senate.gov/ Senate site]
*[https://berniesanders.com Bernie Sanders 2016 campaign website]

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[[Category:United States Senators]]
[[Category:110th United States Congress]]
[[Category:111th United States Congress]]
[[Category:112th United States Congress]]
[[Category:113th United States Congress]]
[[Category:114th United States Congress]]
[[Category:Democratic Party]]
[[Category:Third Party Politicians]]
[[Category:Socialists]]
[[Category:Vermont]]
[[Category:American Jews]]
[[Category:Anti Second Amendment]]
[[Category:2016 Presidential Candidates]]