Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

User:Tg97

2020-12-13T04:41:22Z

Tg97: /* Dislikes */ that was cringe and I don't fully agree with it anymore

Jackie Evancho

2020-06-02T21:37:35Z

Tg97:

'''Jackie Evancho''' (born April 9, 2000) is an American singer. She became famous from ''[[America's Got Talent]]'' in 2010.

Evancho sang the [[The Star-Spangled Banner|national anthem]] at [[Donald Trump]]'s 2017 inauguration. Initially, she did not display outright animosity towards him. However, she has criticized him for his opposition to [[Transgender activism|trans rights]] because she has a brother who says he is a [[Transgender|trans girl]].

[[Category:Women Singers]]

Jackie Evancho

2020-06-02T21:37:14Z

Tg97: Created page with "'''Jackie Evancho''' (born April 9, 2000) is an American singer. She became famous from ''America's Got Talent'' in 2010. Evancho sang the The Star-Spangled Banner|nati..."

Leek

2020-04-01T23:22:51Z

Tg97: fixing wikitext

[[Image:Leeks.jpg|thumb|right|300px]]
''For the town with the same name, see [[Leek, Staffordshire]].''

The '''leek''' (''Allium ampeloprasum'') is a vegetable of the ''Alliaceae'' family, related to the [[onion]] and to [[garlic]]. The major part of the plant consists of a column of thick leaves tightly packed in concentric rings, the outer leaves green, the inner white. It is commonly used as an ingredient in [[soup]]s (particularly leek and potato soup and its derivative, ''vichyssoise''), [[pie]]s, etc.

The leek is a symbol of [[Saint David]], in token of his austere monastic lifestyle, and, by extension, is also a symbol of [[Wales]].<ref>{{cite book|title=In Season Now|page=54|date=June 2015|publisher=Healthy Food|issn=1176-8746}}</ref>

From the nineteenth century, the growing of giant leeks has been a popular pastime in working class areas in north-east [[England]] and other areas where mining and heavy industry were prevalent; 'Leek shows' are held in [[autumn]] in [[church]] halls, community centres and [[pub]]s across the region. They are highly competitive: growers guard their secret recipes for fertilisers closely, and the sabotage of potential prize leeks by rival growers is far from unknown.

== References ==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Vegetables]] [[Category:Wales]]

Christina Grimmie

2020-04-01T23:21:47Z

Tg97: proofreading mostly

'''Christina Victoria Grimmie''' (March 12, 1994 – June 11, 2016) was an [[American]] [[singer]], songwriter, and one-time actress at first known for her covers of songs on [[YouTube]], and later her participation on music reality television show ''The Voice''.

==YouTube success==

On YouTube, Christina Grimmie was shown to have had interests ranging from singing, playing [[video games]] like ''Legend of Zelda'', ''League of Legends'', and ''Super Smash Bros.'', and spending time with her family.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/user/zeldaxlove64/about</ref> She was undaunted to openly admit she was a Christian.

After watching videos of people doing covers of songs on YouTube back in 2009, Christina's friend Lauren suggested that Christina try the same.<ref>https://youtu.be/nLtgOTqStkw</ref> Her mother Tina Grimmie initially was uncomfortable to this move for the fear of her daughter being the target of online predators. Ultimately this proved to be prophetic, albeit out of context. When Christina's YouTube channel exploded with views and positive comments, [[Selena Gomez]]'s parents found out and offered for Christina opportunities to further her career.

==Beyond YouTube==

Christina Grimmie was a contestant on The Voice in 2014, taking 3rd place, and received offers to sign with various record companies. She was signed with Island Records until they dropped her when she declined to "undress to impress".<ref>http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertainment/celebrity/voice-usa-pop-sensation-christina-5269151</ref> Seeing how [[Miley Cyrus]] turned out, she made a wise decision.

Grimmie has released two EPs, ''Find Me'' (2011) and ''Side A'' (2016), and one full-length album, ''With Love'' (2013).

==Death==

On June 10, 2016, Christina Grimmie announced that she was going to be at a meet and greet to meet fans (or "frands" as she prefers to call them) at [[The Live Plaza]] in [[Orlando, Florida]]. Unfortunately, she was murdered by a deranged fan at [[The Live Plaza]] in [[Orlando, Florida]], not long before the shooting spree at a homosexual nightclub.

==Posthumous releases==
In August–September 2016, Grimmie's family uploaded a series of music videos for her ''Side A'' EP, which she filmed before she died.<ref>Gutelle, Sam. "[http://www.tubefilter.com/2016/08/15/christina-grimmie-snow-white-music-video/ Late YouTube Star Christina Grimmie’s Family Releases New Videos On Her Channel]." August 15, 2016. Tubefilter. Tubefilter, Inc.</ref>

Grimmie appeared in the film ''The Matchbreaker'', released on October 7, 2016.

Her family continued to release music that Christina had been working on. The EP ''Side B'' was released on April 21, 2017 and the album ''All is Vanity'' was released on June 9, 2017, both on the Republic Records label. The song "Little Girl", which was about her mother having breast cancer, was released on May 11, 2018.

==References==

<References/>

[[Category:Women Singers]]
[[Category:Singers]]
[[Category:Christians]]
[[Category:Religious People]]

Mystery:Does God Have a Sense of Humor?

2019-04-22T19:40:49Z

Tg97:

[[Image:Campaign sign Mendham NJ 2018.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Campaign sign of the real candidate Robert Crook, posted throughout Mendham, NJ, in Oct. 2018.]]
[[Image:Michelangelo creation-of-sun-and-moon.jpg|alt=creationism|right|thumb|250px|"But the one who rules in heaven laughs. The Lord scoffs at them." - [[Psalm]] 2:4 (ESV)]]
Much humor is poking fun at how seriously people take themselves, which may reflect [[God]]'s laughing at man. [[Proverbs 1-8 (Translated)#8:31|Proverbs 8:31]] states that [[God]] finds amusement with the human race. Also, a humble, self-deprecating willingness to "turn the other cheek" as urged by the Bible is an essential part of a sense of humor, and something many [[liberal]]s lack. Here are some examples of humor that could first be for God's amusement, then man's:

*'''political scandals''': liberals once mocked General David Petraeus by calling him "General Betray Us"; liberal President Obama subsequently appointed him as head of the CIA, whereupon he caused a massive scandal that betrayed liberals by embarrassing them.
*'''football''': [[Tim Tebow]]'s completion of ten passes for 316 yards, at 31.6 yards per competition, in his stunning playoff victory against the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]], echoed his promotion of [[John 1-7 (Translated)#Chapter 3|John 3:16]] and caused a million searches on the internet for that verse.
*'''politics''': within weeks after [[Barack Obama]] was sworn in as president in 2009, Obama-supporter [[Bruce Springsteen]] was the half-time performer at the [[Super Bowl]]. His most famous song is "Born in the U.S.A.," but he did not even perform it, presumably because that is an unwanted controversy about Obama.
*'''names''': remarkable skills seem to be given to people who have unusual names to match or induce humor. Jaime Sin was such an extraordinary priest that he was elevated to the esteemed position of "Cardinal", making him "Cardinal Sin."<ref>http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/bishop/bsin.html</ref> Other examples include "Usain Bolt" (the fastest sprinter in world history), "Learned Hand" (one of the finest judges in history), "Michael Arms" (an [[2012 Summer Olympics|Olympic]] rower from [[New Zealand]]),<ref>https://www.bbc.com/sport/olympics/2012/athletes/047f7705-2b90-4267-94da-e2c02de08d98</ref> "Billy Sunday" (one of the most famous Christian preachers in American history), "Richie Incognito" (an [[NFL]] all-Pro offensive lineman who made headlines for badgering a teammate),<ref>http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5002565</ref> "Marcus Smart" (a star basketball player who did the not-so-smart shoving of a fan who heckled him during a game),<ref>http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-basketball/story/2014-02-09/marcus-smart-suspension-length-punishment-shove-push-fan-oklahoma-state-texas-tech-video-return-out</ref> "Lester Wire" (inventor of the first electric traffic signal),<ref>http://www.examiner.com/article/salt-lake-original-the-electric-traffic-signal</ref> and "[[George McGovern]]" (a former U.S. Senator and presidential candidate). Also, there are many whites named "Black" and many African Americans named "White". Russell Brain was a famous neurologist whose textbook, ''Brain's Diseases of the Nervous System'', is still in wide use. The consonants of the name of longtime [[RNC]] Chairman [[Reince Priebus]] spell "RNC P.R. B.S."
*'''nutty theories''': the originator of the "Oxfordian theory" that the Earl of Oxford was the secret author of [[Shakespeare]]'s poems and plays was a [[British]] schoolteacher named "J. Thomas Looney."<ref>https://heyprof.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/oxfordian-theory-of-shakespeare-authorship.pdf</ref>
*'''[[John 1-7 (Translated)#2:1|the wedding at Cana]]''': it was a huge ''faux pas'' for the host to run out of wine, leaving the guests stranded with nothing to drink (the water was probably not drinkable), but the last laugh was by the servants and [[Jesus]] when they gave a welcomed surprise to the host without explaining the source.
*'''implausible absurdities''': the election outcome for the 2000 presidential election was implausibly close in [[Florida]], and apparently [[Al Gore]] lost because some [[Democrat]] voters misread the "butterfly ballot" caused by [[conservative]] [[Pat Buchanan]]'s candidacy.
*'''logic''': man has a sense of humor, and man was created in the image of [[God]]. Hence God has a sense of humor.
*'''history''': man's sense of humor improved with the discovery and expansion of Christianity, which indicates their strong correlation. [[Friedrich Nietzsche]], after attacking Jesus and God in the last books he would ever write, went insane.
*'''sociology''': the massive carvings of caricatures of human beings found, without a plausible explanation, on [[Easter Island]].
*'''political [[atheist]]s''': atheistic political figures are known for their lack of a sense of humor, such as [[Attila the Hun]] and [[Adolf Hitler]], which suggests that the opposite of God is a lack of sense of humor
*'''religious''': the encounter on the road to Emmaus, described at [[Luke 17-24 (Translated)#Chapter 24|Luke 25:13-31]], strongly suggests that God has intervened in amusing ways; also, God sometimes uses [[sarcasm]], as in [[Amos (Translated)#Chapter 4|Amos 4:4]].
*'''scientific''': snowstorms have disrupted [[global warming]] conferences; regions that promote the [[global warming]] hoax have been subjected to brutally cold weather and record-breaking snowstorms.
*'''zoology''': there are various animals, such as the duck-billed platypus, the cheeky monkey or the long-necked giraffe, that seem designed in order to amuse.
*'''[[atheism]]''': atheistic nations like [[North Korea]] are known for their lack of a sense of humor.
[[File:Richard Dawkins photo.jpg|alt=Richard Dawkins|thumbnail|250px|right|The movie ''[[The Atheist Delusion]]'' features the [[New Atheism|new atheist]] [[Richard Dawkins]] being the object of audience laughter due to something unreasonable he said.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChWiZ3iXWwM The Atheist Delusion Movie (2016) HD]</ref> Dawkins indignantly asked the audience, "Why is that funny?".<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChWiZ3iXWwM The Atheist Delusion Movie (2016) HD]</ref> See also: [[Atheism and humor]] ]]
*'''[[ontological argument|ontological]]''': God is defined as the greatest being conceivable, and it's better to have a sense of humor than not; therefore God has a sense of humor.
*'''intrinsic humor''': some humor is funny to virtually everyone who has a sense of humor - which would be impossible in the absence of intrinsic humor. Yet intrinsic humor would be impossible unless God appreciated it also.
*'''contradictions and disbelief''': contradictions and surprise are the essence of humor, and God's allowance of their basis to continue to exist suggests that God may find amusement in it.
*'''media''': Within weeks after the [[lamestream media]] made the unlikely claim that [[Fidel Castro]]—who had not been seen in public since the frail dictator went to a hospital for a very grave condition in July 2006—had met the [[Pope]], a five-day suspension was imposed on [[Florida Marlins]] manager Ozzie Guillen for expressing admiration that Fidel Castro has such longevity.
*'''inexplicable humor''': [[liberals]] in [[Colorado]] wanted to expel the successful, but outspokenly [[Christian]], [[Tim Tebow]], but he ended up in a much bigger media market as a result, and received even more publicity.
*'''dreams''': some dreams might be God playing a trick for amusement purposes on you.
*'''the Bible''': see [[humor in the Bible]]
*'''idolatry''': some who idolize [[Obama]] think that he is an atheist, when in fact he is likely a [[Muslim]]
*'''Miracle Catch of Fish''' (John 21:1-25) - God chose to reveal himself in a humorous by telling the fishermen, who had unsuccessfully tried all night to catch a fish, to cast their nets on the other side of the boat, which nearly broke the net with such a large catch of fish.
*'''[[Adultery]]''': The seventh commandment Thou shalt not commit adultery shows God has a sense of humor because when a womanizer from Arkansas had an affair with Miss [[Monica Lewinsky]] he tarnished his presidential reputation and created a field day for conservatives.

== Secular left, humor and hypocrisy ==

''See also:'' [[Atheism and humor]] and [[Atheist hypocrisy]]

Although the [[secular left]] is known for ridiculing [[religion]] since at least the time of [[French Revolution]] (see: [[Atheism and mockery]]), the secular left is known for its humorlessness when it comes to others mocking of its ideology (See also: [[Atheism and humor]] and [[Atheism and intolerance]]).

== References ==

<references/>
[[Category:Mystery]]
[[Category:Theology]]
[[Category:Humor]]

Baruch Goldstein

2019-03-02T01:47:49Z

Tg97:

'''Baruch Goldstein''' is an [[Israeli]] who shot and killed 30 [[Muslim]]s in 1994 as they prayed at the [[Tomb of the Patriarchs]] in [[Hebron]]. [http://tech.mit.edu/V114/N13/israel.13w.html]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goldstein, Baruch}}
[[Category:Israel]]

Race and intelligence

2019-03-02T01:46:28Z

Tg97:

'''Race and intelligence''' were believed to be related in the pre-scientific era of [[psychology]] that was marred by [[racism]] in general and [[Eugenics]] in particular. It was only in the 1960s and 1980s that scientists began to separate out cultural artifacts, realizing that all people are actually endowed with intelligence unrelated to skin color. Factors causing differences in academic achievement and [[IQ]] scores were found to be mostly cultural (see [[Expectancy theory]]).

==See also==

*[[Arthur Jensen]]
*[[Charles Murray]] - author of ''[[The Bell Curve]]''
[[Category:Racism]]
[[Category:Psychology]]

Immanuel Kant

2019-02-19T04:38:55Z

Tg97:

[[Image:Gfdyre.jpg|right|thumb|Immanuel Kant]]
'''Immanuel Kant''' (1724–1804) was a [[German]] [[philosopher]]. Kant was among the last of the major [[Enlightenment]] thinkers, and was one of the most influential intellectuals in world history. [[Karl Marx]] named Kant to be in effect the [[political]] [[philosopher]] of the [[French Revolution]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Kant |author=Garett Thomson |publisher=Albert Marenčin vydavateľstvo PT|location=Bratislava |year=2004 |page=93 |isbn=978-80889-12576 |url= |language=Slovak}}</ref>

==Early life==
Born in [[Konigsberg|Königsberg]], Kant started his life work in philosophy from the works of [[David Hume]], who awakened Kant from his "dogmatic slumber" and led him to make his "Copernican revolution in philosophy."<ref>The New American Desk Encyclopedia, Penguin Group, 1989</ref> He also held some support for the French Revolution, including its violent excesses, due to it promoting human freedom, and considered it the crowning event of his life.<ref>http://members.tripod.com/~american_almanac/dehoyos.htm</ref>

==Pure reason==
In his ''A Critique of Pure Reason'' Kant examined pure [[reason]] as a basis of knowledge. The problem Hume had left Kant was a sharp divide between the ''[[a priori]]'' (things that can be known without experience) and the ''a posteriori'' (things that could only be known with experience) together with a devastating critique of induction. Hume insisted that ''a priori'' knowledge was entirely ''analytic'' (did not speak of the world) and that the sense data of our experience could never support a proposition that went beyond that experience. Such a position leads to a radical and absolute skepticism about even the possibility of knowledge. "A Critique of Pure Reason" seeks to counteract that skepticism by establishing the existence of ''synthetic a priori'' truths, truths that speak of the world but that are known logically prior to looking at the world. To establish those truths Kant looked at the way reason pictures the world. No reasoning being can have an experience other than one that involves ''time'' and ''space''. In common language in order to see something it has to be somewhere (i.e. in space) and it has to be there at sometime (i.e. in time). Time and space are necessary conditions of all experience and, thus, we can know of their existence logically prior to any particular experience.

Having established time and space as necessary preconditions of experience Kant proceeded to question how reason must operate on the experiences presented to it. In this part of the work, Kant establishes several "categories" through which reason operates, categories that effect the conclusions that reason must come to.

Kant also suggested a material origin for the solar system (prior to Kant, the origin of the solar system was considered to be immaterial and possibly even ''a priori''). Kant's own suggestion for a moral daily life was the [[categorical imperative]]: ''Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law''. It does not mean that an act is moral only if it works as a rule for everyone as that is consequentialist. Kant uses the example of suicide out of self-love being wrong in that it is contradictory to love oneself and want to commit suicide. Thus, the maxim is contradictory and cannot be a universal law. A problem does exist regarding the potential situation where duties would conflict. If a murderer asks you where someone is hiding, one is bound by duty to both tell them where the other is hiding, and to not tell them as the other would surely die. In this instance, not lying is a maxim as is not doing harm to others. The Categorical Imperative gives no instruction on what to do in this situation. One must look to the freedom of the will Kant predicates upon all rational creatures. The freedom of the will is key to possessing the ability to understand and act in accord with the moral law that Kant offers a secondary rule—never act in a way that would abridge or disrespect the freedom of the will in the other. To solve the dilemma above, one would lie to the murderer, as to not would be both to violate the freedom of the will in the other, and the categorical imperative. The categorical imperative can be contrasted with the [[hypothetical imperative]], which says that you should act according to any maxim which might possibly be willed. He remained single throughout his life, though he said, toward the end of it, that he could not afford a wife in his youth and did not need one in his old age. Kant's aim was to make philosophy truly scientific.

The empiricist [[Alfred Nobel]] however found Kant's ''[[metaphysics]]'' hard to digest and ventured on an ironical remark: "Kant's style is so heavy that after his ''pure reason'' the reader longs for ''unreasonableness''."<ref>{{cite web
|author=Åke Erlandsson
|title=Alfred Nobel and his interest in literature
|publisher=Nobelprize.org; The Official Web Site of the Nobel Prize
|date=23 July 1997
|url=https://www.nobelprize.org/alfred_nobel/biographical/articles/erlandsson/
|chapter=San Remo, Paris, Bofors (1891-1896)
|access date=08.03.2012
|quote=However, like the empiricist he was, he found Kant's metaphysics harder to digest: "Kant's style is so heavy that after his pure reason the reader longs for unreasonableness."
}}</ref>

Although assumed to counter Hume's idea of pure reason, there is evidence to suggest that Kant's treatise was meant to ''advance'' Hume's ideas.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20030703051759/http://examinedlifejournal.com/articles/template.php?shorttitle=humeandkant&authorid=49</ref>

== Philosopher of Protestantism vs. of Evolutionary thought ==
Kant was raised and died a Lutheran but questioned and analyzed his own faith. Kant transformed [[Protestantism]] from a dependence on a literal interpretation of the Bible into a dependence on each person’s own mind as the ultimate religious authority. He shifted the [[faith]] away from the Bible and towards a dogmatic [[Mind#Voluntarism|voluntarism]] and sentimentalism. Phenomena "are nothing but ideas, and cannot exist at all beyond our minds." He concluded that revelation and churches can at best be "adventitious aids."

Protestant Lutheran theologians such as Slovak [[Jozef Rohacek]], however, regarded Kant as a strong anti-Christian personality that significantly helped extremist [[Evolutionism]] {{#tag:ref|In this respect, Rohacek defines Radical Evolutionism as [[naturalistic]] worldview based on speculative way of thinking, on fabricated apparent evidence incapable to withstand thorough investigation and on reluctance to any meaningful critical exposition.<ref name="Rohacek"/>|group=note}} towards undreamed-of expansion. Rohacek argues that although Kant's evolutionary philosophy (expressed in such evolutionary ideas such as, for example, cursory speculations on human evolution<ref>{{cite book
|author=Keith Ansell-Pearson et al.
|title=Nietzsche and Modern German Thought
|publisher=Routledge
|location=London, New York
|year=2002
|page=36
|pages=320
|isbn=0-415-04442-1
|url=http://books.google.no/books?id=NV9rxpyjYtEC&pg=RA1-PA37&lpg=RA1-PA37&dq=Kant+Orang-utang&source=bl&ots=SZg7FVm7Vh&sig=u2jzhzEbRtVedNPt8JcbNKsY1kU&hl=en&sa=X&ei=tM9kT54iyYjiBNLvjeQH&ved=0CEQQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=Kant%20Orang-utang&f=false
|quote=...he was familiar with Kant's rudimentary speculations on evolution...it is surprising to hear Kant say that "man is an animal endowed with the capacity for reason, can make of himself a rational animal -and as such he first preserves himself and his species." Elsewhere reason is referred to as a "weapon" in the service of survival. ...And in the same context he further assumes that the Orang-Utang or the Chimpanzee would develop the organs for walking, manipulating objects and speaking until it had a human form.}}</ref>{{#tag:ref|cf.German philosopher Immanuel Kant even went as far as to suggest that: "It is possible for a chimpanzee or an orangutan, by perfecting its organs, to change at some future date into a human being. Radical alterations in natural conditions may force the ape to walk upright, accustom its hands to the use of tools, and learn to talk."<ref>{{cite web
|author=Irina Gray
|title=Orangutan: The Man of the Forest
|publisher=Tropical-Rainforest-Animals.com
|year=2009
|acess date=17.03.2012
|url=http://www.tropical-rainforest-animals.com/orangutan.html
|note=Taken from: Silverberg, R. (1964). Man before Adam: The Story of Man in Search of His Origins. Philadelphia: Macrae Smith, p. 51. Retrieved January 20, 2009 from Questia.com}}</ref>|group=note}}<ref>{{cite book
|author=Emanuel Kant
|title=Anthropology
|publisher=
|location=
|year=1798
|url=http://books.google.no/books?id=GWwIcgAACAAJ&dq=Immanuel+Kant:+Anthropology&hl=en&sa=X&ei=QtxkT7SqJ7TY4QTW8q30Bw&redir_esc=y
|quote="da ein Orang-Utang oder ein Schimpanse die Organe, die zum Gehen, zum Befühlen der Gegenstände und zum Sprechen dienen, sich zum Gliederbau eines Menschen ausbildete, deren Innerstes ein Organ für den Gebrauch des Verstandes enthielte und durch gesellschaftliche Kultur sich allmählich entwickelte"
|language=German}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
|author=Lance Workman, Will Reader
|title=Evolutionary Psychology: An Introduction
|publisher=Cambridge University Press
|location=Cambridge, UK
|year=2004
|isbn=0-521-80532-5
|url=http://books.google.no/books?id=9Ni9ggiew1UC&pg=PA3&lpg=PA3&dq=Kant+Orang-utang&source=bl&ots=R60vwXGjFr&sig=USO8QrsUpeD3Yf-lmxLmYaW83Nk&hl=en&sa=X&ei=tM9kT54iyYjiBNLvjeQH&ved=0CEcQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=Kant%20Orang-utang&f=false
|quote=...in 1798 the German philosopher Immanuel Kant wrote in his work Anthropology that "An Orang-Utang or a chimpanzee may develop the organs which serve for walking, grasping objects, and speaking - in short, that he may evolve the structure of man, with an organ for the use of reason." ...Notice also that Kant does not merely refer to the physical change: "an organ for the use of reason" is a physical faculty. In this way Kant presaged evolutionary psychology by two centuries.}}</ref> and contribution to the Kant-Laplace [[nebular hypothesis]]) was in many aspects nothing pioneering, as the general idea of Evolution is as old as philosophy itself{{#tag:ref|"Neither Kant nor Laplace, let alone Darwin were first who presented the idea of evolution of the universe and biological organisms. Long before Christ, around 600 B.C., in the era of [[Jeremiah]] and [[Fall of Jerusalem|destruction of Jerusalem]] by [[Babylonians]], [[Anaximander]] of Miletus claimed that an ''Apeiron'' (i.e. something indefinite, undefinable, eternal and inexhaustible) principle gives rise to all things. From this primordial matter rose by bursting the Earth, and then Sun, Moon and stars which are surrounding it in symmetrical distance. In his hypothesis, Anaximander lets more complex animals to be evolved from more simple ones, exactly as stated by later Darwinian evolutionary theory. Evolution of a man took in his view the longest process."<ref name="Rohacek"/>|group=note}}, yet his ideas gained unparallelled popularity and he achieved with his powerful spirit and ''categorical imperative'' to undermine the faith of many people or even of scholars who were not well-versed in the Bible and its truths. Kant's ethic is based on so-called ''autonomism'', i.e. the view that the ultimate goal of a man's moral behavior is the man itself. Kant, for whom God was only an idea,{{#tag:ref|cf. [[Liberal Theology]]|group=note}} is perceived as a forerunner for later Darwin's evolutionary thought.<ref name="Rohacek">{{cite book
|author=Jozef Rohacek
|title=Evolucionizmus vo svetle pravdy alebo čo má každý vzdelaný človek vedieť o evolucionizme (Evolutionism in the light of truth or what should every literate person know about evolutionism)
|publisher=Svetlo, Library of [[Blue Cross]]
|location=Bratislava, now Slovakia
|year=1936
|url=
|pages=6–11, 48–50
|quote= }}</ref>

==Kant and Judaism==
In her book ''Hitler’s Philosophers'', Y. Sherratt points out that Kant “decreed in fact that pure morality sought ‘the [[euthanasia]] of Judaism.’”<ref>{{cite web |title=Hitler’s philosophical enablers|author=George J. Marlin| date=June 12, 2013 |url=http://www.thecatholicthing.org/2013/06/12/hitlers-philosophical-enablers/|accessdate=January 11, 2015|quote=Hitler embraced Kant [superficially] because he concluded “the greatest service Kant has rendered to us. . .[was] the complete refutation of the teachings which were the heritage of the middle ages and of the dogmatic philosophy of the [Catholic] church.” Hitler was also attracted to Kant’s view that Judaism was superstitious and irrational: “the Jewish religion is not really a religion at all, but merely a community of a mass of men of one tribe.” Sherratt points out that Kant “decreed in fact that pure morality sought ‘the euthanasia of Judaism.’”}}</ref> This seems to be an extension to Kant's belief that the [[golden rule]] was self-evident and thus provable by reason alone, and so rejecting it was rejecting reason<ref>''Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysic of Morals'' (1785), 2nd section.</ref> [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]], following [[Nietzsche]], did not share Kant's belief in the golden rule.

==The Theory of Island Universes==
[[Edwin Hubble]] maintained that five years after [[Thomas Wright]] published his views on the stellar system in 1750, Kant developed his speculations further into a form that was immediately accepted and which persisted unchanged as conception of eventually so called [[theory of island of universes]] until "recent years" (from perspective of 1936).<ref name="Observational Approach">{{cite web
|title=The Observational Approach to Cosmology
|author=Edwin Hubble
|publisher=Oxford University Press
|year = 1937
|url= http://ned.ipac.caltech.edu/level5/Sept04/Hubble/Hubble_contents.html
|access date=27.09.2012
}}</ref>

==Globalism==
Immanuel Kant ultimately advocated for [[globalization]] and [[globalism]] in his 1795 treatise ''Perpetual Peace: A Philosophical Sketch'', where he advocated that, in the name of peace, war is to be rendered outlawed and that a nebulous [[world government]] that was governed by mere treaties would replace it, and also implied some [[Socialism|socialistic]] beliefs by denouncing the accumulation of wealth as "a threat to peace". Elements of this view were ultimately adopted by [[Woodrow Wilson]] for his [[League of Nations]] concept, which ironically came about after Germany lost World War I, as well as being adopted for the [[United Nations]] and [[European Union]]. There were several key flaws in his view, however: Namely, even if one could outlaw war, it is next to impossible to actually enforce said law.<ref>https://www.newcriterion.com/issues/2017/6/populism-x-the-imperative-of-freedom "The alternative view regards the nation state with suspicion as an atavistic form of political and social organization. The nation state might still be a practical necessity, but, the argument goes, it is a regrettable necessity inasmuch as it retards mankind’s emancipation from the parochial bonds of place and local allegiance. Ideally, according to this view, we are citizens of the world, not particular countries, and our fundamental obligation is to all mankind. "This is the progressive view. It has many progenitors and antecedents. But none is more influential than “Perpetual Peace: A Philosophical Sketch,” a brief essay that Immanuel Kant published in 1795 when he was seventy-one. The burden of the essay is to ask how perpetual peace might be obtained among states. The natural condition of mankind, Kant acknowledges, is war. But with the advent of “enlightened concepts of statecraft,” mankind, he suggests, may be able to transcend that unfortunate habit of making war and live in perpetual (ewigen) comity. "Kant lists various conditions for the initial establishment of peace—the eventual abolition of standing armies, for example—and a few conditions for its perpetuation: the extension of “universal hospitality” by nations was something that caught my eye. Ditto “world citizenship.” “The idea of . . . world citizenship,” he says at the end of the essay, “is no high-flown or exaggerated notion. It is a supplement to the unwritten code of the civil and international law, indispensable for the maintenance of the public human rights and hence also of perpetual peace.” "Kant makes many observations along the way that will be balm to progressive hearts. He is against “the accumulation of treasure,” for example, because wealth is “a hindrance to perpetual peace.” By the same token, he believes that forbidding the system of international credit that the British empire employed “must be a preliminary article of perpetual peace.” Credit can be deployed to increase wealth, ergo it is suspect. Kant says that all states must be “republican” in organization. By that he means not that they must be democracies but only that the executive and legislative functions of the state be distinguished. (Indeed, he says that democracy, “properly speaking,” is “necessarily a despotism” because in it the executive and legislative functions of governments are both vested in one entity, “the people.”) He looks forward to the establishment of a “league of nations” (Völkerbund), all of which would freely embrace a republican form of government. "It would be hard to overstate the influence of Kant’s essay. It stands behind such progressive exfoliations as Woodrow Wilson’s “Fourteen Points,” not least the final point that looked forward to the establishment of a League of Nations. You can feel its pulse beating in the singing phrases of the 1928 Kellogg-Briand Pact, which outlawed war. It is worth noting that among the initial fifteen signatories of that noble-sounding pact, along with the United States, France, and England, were Germany, Italy, and Japan. What does that tell us about the folly of trusting paper proclamations not backed up by the authority of physical force? It is one thing to declare war illegal; it is quite another to enforce that edict. "Kant’s essay also directly inspired the architects of the United Nations and, in our own day, the architects of the European Union and the battalions of transnational progressives who jettison democracy for the sake of a more-or-less nebulous (but not therefore un-coercive) ideal of world citizenship. "I would not care to wager on how many of the hysterics who congregated at airports across the country to protest Donald Trump’s effort to make the citizens of this country safer were students of Kant. Doubtless very few. But all were his unwitting heirs. “Universal hospitality”: how the protestors would have liked that! (Though to be fair to Kant, he did note that such hospitality “is not the right to be a permanent visitor.”) I have no doubt that the motivation of the protestors had many sources. But to the extent that it was based on a political ideal (and not just partisan posturing or a grubby bid for notoriety and power), the spirit of Kant was hovering there in the background. "Kant was not without a sense of humor. He begins his essay by noting that he took his title from a sign outside a Dutch pub. “Pax Perpetua” read the sign, and below the lettering was the image of a graveyard. Perhaps the universal perpetuity of death is the only peace that mankind may really look forward to. Kant clearly wouldn’t agree, but it was charming of him to acknowledge that the idea of a genuine perpetual peace for mankind might be regarded by many as nothing more than a “sweet dream” of philosophers."</ref> Additionally, this view assumes that the [[Idea of Progress]] – a related philosophical view that Kant also promoted – is correct, even though it actually has numerous flaws.

==Writings==

Books:

*''Critique of Pure Reason'' (1781, 1787)
*''Metaphysic of Morals''
*''Critique of Practical Reason'' (1788)
*''Metaphysical Elements of Ethics''
*''General Introduction to Metaphysic of Morals''
*''Science of Right''
*''Critique of Judgement'' (1790)

::''"Two things fill the mind with ever-increasing wonder and awe, the more often and the more intensely the mind of thought is drawn to them: the starry heavens above me and the moral law within me."'' Critique of Practical Reason, 1799.

Articles (published in the 1780s and 1790s):

*"An Answer to the Question: What Is Enlightenment?"
*"What Does It Mean to Orient Oneself in Thinking?"
*"On the Miscarriage of All Philosophical Trials in Theodicy"
*"Religion within the Boundaries of Mere Reason"
*"Perpetual Peace: A Philosophical Sketch"

:::::''“What can I know? What ought I do? For what may I hope?”''

== See also ==
*[[Kant-Laplace nebular hypothesis]]
*[[Philosophy]]
*[[Nationalism vs. globalism]]

==Notes==
<references group=note/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kant-science/ Kant's Philosophy of Science]
*[http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kant-metaphysics/ Kant's Critique of Metaphysics]
*[http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kant-mind/ Kant's View of the Mind and Consciousness of Self]
*[http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kant-aesthetics/ Kant's Aesthetics and Teleology]
*[http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kant-religion/ Kant's Philosophy of Religion]
*[http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kant-development/ Kant's Philosophical Development]
*[http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kant-moral/ Kant's Moral Philosophy]
*[http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kant-leibniz/ Kant and Leibniz]
*[http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kant-judgment/ Kant's Theory of Judgment]
*[https://librivox.org/author/1312 Works by Immanuel Kant - text and free audio] - [[LibriVox]]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kant, Immanuel}}

[[Category:German Philosophers]]
[[Category:Enlightenment]]
[[Category:Theology]]
[[Category:Lutherans]]
[[Category:Globalists]]

Jozef Rohacek

2019-02-10T01:05:57Z

Tg97: grammar

'''Jozef Rohacek''' (1877 - 1962), in Slovak "''Jozef Roháček''", was a [[Slovakia|Slovak]] Lutheran theologian and priest, writer and Protestant activist who was the first person to translate the Bible from the original languages into the Slovak language.<ref>{{cite web
|author= Beáta Jarošová
|title= Štefan Markuš: "Bibliu netreba len obdivovať, treba ju čítať" (Stefan Markus: "Biblia should not be just admired, but read")
|publisher=Petit Press
|date=18.12.2011
|url=http://zilina.sme.sk/c/6186321/stefan-markus-bibliu-netreba-len-obdivovat-treba-ju-citat.html
|language=Slovak
|quote=
}}</ref> The 1st edition of the complete [[Lutheran]] Slovak [[Bible]] was edited by the [[British and Foreign Bible Society]] in 1936. The revised edition was printed in Kutná Hora (present-day [[Czech Republic]]) in 1951, already under the reign of the Communist Party in former [[Czechoslovakia]], what was considered almost a miracle.<ref>{{cite book
|title= Životopisy - Kristína Royová, Jozef Roháček, Ružena Vraná, Viera Roháčková
|last= Holéczy
|first= Daniel E.
|year= 1991
|publisher= Cicero
|location=
|isbn=
|page=
|pages=42
|url=
|language= Slovak
|accessdate=11.1.2011}}</ref>

== Biography of Jozef Rohacek ==
Jozef Rohacek was born in Stara Tura, [[Slovakia]] (at that time part of the [[Austro-Hungarian Empire]]) and due to problems of his own family to make for living he was adopted by his relatives, who were unable to have their own children. His uncle who was running itinerant trade in Vienna got used to take kid with him for business trips and this way small Jozef managed to learn German. In spring of 1894, the young lad came in contact with sisters, who would have a significant impact on his further life. Kristína Royová helped him to find funds for enrolling in missionary school in Neukirchen, [[Germany]]. There he studied, among other subjects, Hebrew, Greek, English and French. During the [[First World War]] he was among the German-speaking soldiers in the Austro-Hungarian army and military hospitals as field pastor. Since he was also still active as missionary evangelist, he maintained the contacts with Slovak civilians what was the pretext for accusations of Panslavism and arrest just shortly after the war was finished. For more than a year he was illegally kept in prison without any proceeding at court being initiated, while his wife was struggling without any income with their three small children. After his release he enrolled in both the Faculties of Theology and Philosophy in Bratislava, present-day Slovakia. His method for Bible translation was based on adhering to original texts, the usage of precious Hebrew commentaries that he occasionally received from persecuted [[Jews]] and the avoidance of other existing translations. He died in 1962 during the communist reign in former Czechoslovakia.<ref>{{cite web
|author=Daniel E. Holéczy
|publisher=Stara Tura, City Hall
|title=Prof. Jozef Roháček
|date=18.5.2007
|url=http://www.staratura.sk/item/prof-jozef-rohacek/
|language=Slovak}}</ref>

==Publications==
*1910, [[Budapest]], BFBS: Translation from original languages of [[Gospel of Mark]]
*August 1912, [[Budapest]], [[BFBS]]: Translation from original languages of four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John)
*March 1924, [[Prague]], [[BFBS]]: Translation from original languages of the [[New Testament]] and [[Psalms]].
*1936,[[BFBS]]: Translation from original languages of the whole [[Bible]]
*1936, [[Bratislava]], Svetlo: ''Evolucionizmus vo svetle pravdy alebo čo má každý vzdelaný človek vedieť o evolucionizme ([[Evolutionism]] in the light of truth or what should every literate person know about [[evolutionism]])''

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Lutherans]]
[[Category:Slavic Authors]]
[[Category:Theologians]]

Christina Grimmie

2019-02-09T23:12:10Z

Tg97: /* Posthumous releases */

'''Christina Victoria Grimmie''' (March 12, 1994 – June 11, 2016) was an [[American]] [[singer]], songwriter, and one-time actress at first known for her covers of songs on [[YouTube]], and later her participation on music reality television show The Voice.

==YouTube success==

On YouTube, Christina Grimmie was shown to have had interests ranging from singing, playing [[video games]] like Legend of Zelda, League of Legends, and Super Smash Bros., and spending time with her family.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/user/zeldaxlove64/about</ref> She was undaunted to openly admit she was a Christian.

After watching videos of people doing covers of songs on YouTube back in 2009, Christina's friend Lauren suggested that Christina try the same.<ref>https://youtu.be/nLtgOTqStkw</ref> Her mother Tina Grimmie initially was uncomfortable to this move for the fear of her daughter being the target of online predators. Ultimately this proved to be prophetic, albeit out of context. When Christina's YouTube channel exploded with views and positive comments, Selena Gomez's parents found out and offered for Christina opportunities to further her career.

==Beyond YouTube==

Christina Grimmie was a contestant on The Voice in 2014, taking 3rd place, and received offers to sign with various record companies. She was signed with Island Records until they dropped her when she declined to "undress to impress".<ref>http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertainment/celebrity/voice-usa-pop-sensation-christina-5269151</ref> Seeing how Miley Cyrus turned out, she made a wise decision.

Grimmie has released two EPs, ''Find Me'' (2011) and ''Side A'' (2016), and one full-length album, ''With Love'' (2013).

==Death==

On June 10, 2016, Christina Grimmie announced that she was going to be at a meet and greet to meet fans (or "frands" as she prefers to call them) at [[The Live Plaza]] in [[Orlando, Florida]]. Unfortunately, she was murdered by a deranged fan at [[The Live Plaza]] in [[Orlando, Florida]], not long before the shooting spree at a homosexual nightclub.

==Posthumous releases==
In August–September 2016, Grimmie's family uploaded a series of music videos for her ''Side A'' EP, which she filmed before she died.<ref>Gutelle, Sam. "[http://www.tubefilter.com/2016/08/15/christina-grimmie-snow-white-music-video/ Late YouTube Star Christina Grimmie’s Family Releases New Videos On Her Channel]." August 15, 2016. Tubefilter. Tubefilter, Inc.</ref>

Grimmie appeared in the film ''The Matchbreaker'', released on October 7, 2016.

Her family continued to release music that Christian had been working on. The EP ''Side B'' was released on April 21, 2017 and the album ''All is Vanity'' was released on June 9, 2017, both on the Republic Records label. The song "Little Girl", which was about her mother having breast cancer, was released on May 11, 2018.

==References==

<References/>

[[Category:Women Singers]]
[[Category:Singers]]
[[Category:Christians]]
[[Category:Religious People]]

Prayer

2019-02-09T20:01:02Z

Tg97: Undo revision 1491977 by Rossmiller (talk)

[[Image:Prayer.jpg|right|300px|Praying Hands]]
In [[Christianity]] and many other religions, '''prayer''' is the process of directly connecting to [[God]], usually for the purpose of deliberate communication.

Prayer is immensely helpful in many ways. It can help overcome addiction, such as [[video game]] usage, [[gambling]], and football-watching, and it provides comfort in times of trouble. It is a way to reach out for forgiveness, and develop the ability to forgive. It also is a way to request God's help or provision. Prayer is a powerful way to defeat anxiety.

Through prayer our thoughts and hopes are heard and understood. Oftentimes, prayer will result in feeling God's presence or feeling like one is touched by God. This feeling of a connection is cited by many theists as proof of God's existence. It is through prayer that man can understand God's will in his life and ask God for the courage and strength to carry his message to the world. Prayer is common throughout the [[Bible]] in both the [[Old Testament]] and the [[New Testament]].

== Studies confirming the efficacy of prayer for Christians ==

''See also:'' [[Studies on prayer]]

The [[Christian apologetics|Christian apologist]] [[Gary Habermas]] wrote: "Double-blind prayer experiments: where people pray for others with terminal illness. Habermas admitted that most such experiments have not worked, but the three that he knows of that have indeed worked were cases of orthodox-Christians praying for the sick."<ref>[http://www.christianpost.com/news/christian-apologist-10-reasons-for-the-fall-of-atheism-106531/ Christian Apologist: 10 Reasons for the Fall of Atheism] by [[Gary Habermas]]</ref>

== A guideline of how one should pray ==

In Christianity, Jesus gives a guideline of how one should pray to God with The Lord's Prayer:<blockquote>"Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed by thy name, thy kingdom come, they will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread, forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever, [[Amen]]."<ref>Matt 6:9-13</ref><ref>[http://www.lifeofchrist.com/teachings/sermons/mount/lordsprayer.asp Instructions for praying]</ref></blockquote>

God is the only heavenly object of prayer in the Bible

One way that is a great way to pray when you are praying privately (i.e. talking to God as though he is a close friend)is to just thank Him, thank Him for creating you, the world you live on, the stars, the sun, the galaxy, and everything else. We rarely thank him, but more so we usually ask for help, but it is good to thank him whenever you can.

==Private and public prayer==

There are many instances in the Bible of praying in private and also of praying within a group, and sometimes even of praying in public.

<blockquote>"But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed."<ref>{{Bible ref|Luke|5|16}}</ref></blockquote>

[[Image:Jesus praying.jpg|thumb|Jesus praying at Gethsemane]]

Jesus also instructed:<blockquote>"But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."<ref>Matt 6:6</ref></blockquote>

Even though he was with his [[Twelve Disciples|disciples]], Jesus also went off alone to pray on the [[Mount of Olives]] when he was about to be seized and [[crucified]].<ref>Luke 22:39-41</ref>

There are also many examples in the Bible of group prayer or praying in front of others:
* [[Solomon]] prayed publicly in dedicating the [[temple]] ({{Bible ref|1_Kings|8|22-61}}).
* [[Daniel (prophet)|Daniel]] prayed alone in his room, but by an open window where he could be seen ({{Bible ref|Daniel|6|10-11}}).
* Jesus sometimes prayed with his disciples ({{Bible ref|Luke|9|18}}).
* The Church prayed for Peter's miraculous release from prison ({{Bible ref|Acts|12|5}}).
* Jesus prayed in public, such as in {{Bible ref|Matthew|19|13-15}} when Jesus prayed for the children brought to him.

Other religions, and even different traditions within Christianity have developed their own practices related to prayer.<ref>[http://www.thenazareneway.com/modes_of_prayer.htm "The Modes of Prayer," from the Nazerine Way of Essenic Study]</ref>

Modern societies often oppose and discourage public prayer. For example, in the United States, government [[school]]s forbid [[classroom prayer]].

Nearly six-in-ten adults in the U.S. say they pray at least once a day.<ref>[http://religions.pewforum.org/ The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life] U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, 2008</ref>

== St. Francis Vocation Prayer ==

Most High, Glorious God,

enlighten the darkness of our minds.

Give us a right faith, a firm hope and a perfect charity,

so that we may always and in all things

act according to Your Holy Will. Amen.

==Different types of prayer in the Bible==

The Bible is much a book or prayer, containing about 650 different prayers,<ref>http://www.bible.ca/ntx-prayer.htm</ref> and consisting of various types. Some types that are categorized are,

*1. Prayer of supplication. (1 kg. 8: 37-40; 54-55; Lk. 11: 9-13; Ja. 5: 17-18)
*2. Prayer of intercession. (Gn 18: 22-33; 1 kg. 18: 41-46; 2 Kings 4: 32-36 Acts 12: 1-18)
*3. Prayer of faith. (Mk. 11:12-14; 11: 20-25, Luke 7: 1-10; Ja. 5: 13-18, Mt. 9: 18-26)
*4. Prayer of agreement. (Gn. 11: 1-9; Ex. 17: 8-13; Psalm 133: 1-3; Mt. 18: 19-20; Acts 4:23; Heb. 10: 24-25)
*5. Prayer of praise and thanksgiving. (Ps. 100; 149:4-9; Acts 16:16-34; 1Thes. 5:15-19) <ref>http://www.wordlibrary.co.uk/article.php?id=11</ref>

==Quotes on prayer==

*Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual, fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. James 5:16 ([[Bible]])

*In what name they were to present their petitions: Ask in my name. To ask in Christ's name is, (1.) To plead his merit and intercession, and to depend upon that plea. (2.) It is to aim at his glory and to seek this as our highest end in all our prayers. - Matthew Henry

*We look upon prayer as a means of getting things for ourselves; The Bible idea of prayer is that we may get to know God Himself. - Oswald Chambers

*Prayer crowns God with the honor and glory due to His name, and God crowns prayer with assurance and comfort. The most praying souls are the most assured souls. - Thomas B. Brooks

*The great thing in prayer is to feel that we are putting our supplications into the bosom of omnipotent love. - Andrew Murray

*We have to pray with our eyes on God, not on the difficulties. - Oswald Chambers

*Teach us to pray that we may cause The enemy to flee, That we his evil power may bind, His prisoners to free. - Watchman Nee

*Prayer is the great engine to overthrow and rout my spiritual enemies, the great means to procure the graces of which I stand in hourly need. - John Newton

*Pray, always pray; when sickness wastes thy frame, Prayer brings the healing power of Jesus' name. - A. B. Simpson

*Prayer is the force as real as terrestrial gravity. As a physician, I have seen men, after all other therapy had failed, lifted out of disease and melancholy by the serene effort of prayer. Only in prayer do we achieve that complete and harmonious assembly of body, mind and spirit which gives the frail human reed its unshakable strength. - Dr. Alexis Carrel

*Every time we pray our horizon is altered, our attitude to things is altered, not sometimes but every time, and the amazing thing is that we don't pray more. - Oswald Chambers

*One night alone in prayer might make us new men, changed from poverty of soul to spiritual wealth, from trembling to triumphing. - Charles Haddon Spurgeon

*The less I pray, the harder it gets; the more I pray, the better it goes. - Martin Luther

*He who has learned to pray has learned the greatest secret of a holy and a happy life. - William Law

*If you can't pray as you want to, pray as you can. God knows what you mean. - Vance Havner

*It is not so true that "prayer changes things" as that prayer changes me and I change things. God has so constituted things that prayer on the basis of Redemption alters the way in which a man looks at things. Prayer is not a question of altering things externally, but of working wonders in a man's disposition. - Oswald Chambers

*We read of preaching the Word out of season, but we do not read of praying out of season, for that is never out of season. - Matthew Henry

*To God your every Want In instant Prayer display, Pray always; Pray, and never faint; Pray, without ceasing, Pray. - Charles Wesley

*Pray, always pray; beneath sins heaviest load, Prayer claims the blood from Jesus' side that flowed. Pray, always pray; though weary, faint, and lone, Prayer nestles by the Father's sheltering throne. - A. B. Simpson

*Sometimes we think we are too busy to pray. That is a great mistake, for praying is a saving of time. - Charles Haddon Spurgeon

*Tomorrow I plan to work, work, from early until late. In fact I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer. - Martin Luther

*In prayer it is better to have a heart without words than words without a heart. - John Bunyan

*Refusal to pray is passive rebellion against God, "in whose hand thy breathe is." - Anonymous

*All the prayers in the Scripture you will find to be reasoning with God, not a multitude of words heaped together. - Stephen Charnock

*Prayer is not eloquence, but earnestness; not the definition of helplessness, but the feeling of it; not figures of speech, but earnestness of soul. - Hannah More

*The best prayers have often more groans than words. - John Bunyan

*Unless I had the spirit of prayer, I could do nothing. - Charles G. Finney

*A man's state before God may always be measured by his prayers.- J. C. Ryle

*Oh, what a cause of thankfulness it is that we have a gracious God to go to on all occasions! Use and enjoy this privilege and you can never be miserable. Oh, what an unspeakable privilege is prayer! - Lady Maxwell

*The tree of mercy will not drop its fruit unless shaken by the hand of prayer. - Thomas Watson<ref>Watson, Thomas. The Lord's Prayer. London: Banner of Truth Trust, 1999. Print. The Fourth Petition, Page 196</ref>

Perhaps the most noted author on prayer is the late Methodist minister [[E. M. Bounds]] (1835 - 1913):

*Prayer honors God, acknowledges His being, exalts His power, adores His providence, secures His aid.

*By prayer, the ability is secured to feel the law of love, to speak according to the law of love, and to do everything in harmony with the law of love.

*Praying which does not result in pure conduct is a delusion. We have missed the whole office and virtue of praying if it does not rectify conduct. It is in the very nature of things that we must quit praying, or quit bad conduct.

*Natural ability and educational advantages do not figure as factors in this matter of prayer; but a capacity for faith, the power of a thorough consecration, the ability of self-littleness, an absolute losing of one's self in God's glory and an ever-present and insatiable yearning and seeking after all the fullness of God.

*The goal of prayer is the ear of God, a goal that can only be reached by patient and continued and continuous waiting upon Him, pouring out our heart to Him and permitting Him to speak to us. Only by so doing can we expect to know Him, and as we come to know Him better we shall spend more time in His presence and find that presence a constant and ever-increasing delight.

*Importunity is a condition of prayer. We are to press the matter, not with vain repetitions, but with urgent repetitions. We repeat, not to count the times, but to gain the prayer. We cannot quit praying because heart and soul are in it. We pray "with all perseverance." We hang to our prayers because by them we live. We press our pleas because we must have them, or die.<ref>[http://www.famousquotesandauthors.com/topics/prayer_quotes.html Famous Quotes and Authors.com Prayer Quotes and Quotations]</ref>

==Effectual prayer==

All faithful Christians attest to answered prayer, as well as countless people who have prayed in times of crisis. An [[evangelical Christian]], [[George Mueller]] (1805-1898), probably best known as the "Father of Orphans", prayerfully met the needs of thousands of children. Mueller and his wife decided to depend on God alone to supply their needs - never again to approach people about them - and 68 years later Mueller had prayed in over seven and a half million dollars, and logged in his journal 50,000 specific answers to prayer - 5,000 were answered on the very day of their asking.<ref>http://www.eaec.org/faithhallfame/georgemuller.htm</ref>

==Prayer in government==
Prayer is a mandated part of governmental affairs within a [[theocracy]] such as [[Islam]], while voluntary prayer may play a part within governments which recognize [[separation of church and state]]. In contrast, refusal to acknowledge God is seen as practically conveying atheism, with prayer being excluded as part of [[atheistic]] systems such as [[Communism]].

In America, upon landing the pilgrims "Being thus arrived in a good harbor, and brought safe to land, they fell upon their knees, and blessed the God of heaven who had brought them over the vast and furious ocean and delivered them from all the perils and miseries thereof…" <ref>William Bradford
November 9, 1620; http://www.dailyencouragement.net/seasonal/pilgrim_history.html</ref>

Three days before George Washington took the oath of office as the first president of the United States, Congress passed the following resolution:

Resolved, That after the oath shall have been administered to the President, he, attended by the Vice President and members of the Senate and House of Representatives, shall proceed to St. Paul’s Chapel, to hear divine service. (Annals of Congress, Vol. 1, p. 25, April 27, 1789)

Samuel Provoost (1742–1815), the newly appointed chaplain of the United States Senate and first Episcopal bishop of New York, performed “divine service” at St. Paul’s Chapel on April 30, 1789, immediately following Washington’s inauguration.

In the aftermath of the Civil War and the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, the Rev. John G. Butler, pastor of Luther Place Memorial Church in Washington, D.C., and chaplain of both the U. S. House of Representatives (1865–1875) and the Senate (1886–1893), organized interfaith inaugural prayer meetings in the nation’s capital commencing in 1869. These services continued well into the twentieth century.<ref>http://www.nationalcathedral.org/about/presidentialInaugurals.shtml</ref>

In America, prayer and worship services have regularly been part of Inauguration Day activities.<ref>http://inaugural.senate.gov/history/daysevents/morningworshipservice.cfm</ref>

===Prayers by American Presidents===

In September 1789, Congress asked President George Washington to “recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging, with grateful hearts, the many signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a Constitution of government for their safety and happiness.”

Washington complied, and in early October sent a proclamation to the governors of the states.The proclamation asked the governors to make Thursday, November 26 a day of Thanksgiving, saying:

<blockquote>

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor--and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me “to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.”
</blockquote>

<blockquote>
Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be--That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks--for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation--for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war--for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed--for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted--for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.
</blockquote>

<blockquote>
And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions--to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually--to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed--to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shown kindness onto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord--To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us--and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand at the City of New-York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.

<ref>The Massachusetts Centinel, Wednesday, October 14, 1789</ref><ref>https://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=40032</ref><ref>[http://www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/firsts/thanksgiving/original.html Thanksgiving Proclamation - The Original]</ref>
</blockquote>

*George Washington, an undated prayer for guidance from Washington's prayer journal, Mount Vernon:

<blockquote>
O eternal and everlasting God, I presume to present myself this morning before thy Divine majesty, beseeching thee to accept of my humble and hearty thanks, that it hath pleased thy great goodness to keep and preserve me the night past from all the dangers poor mortals are subject to, and has given me sweet and pleasant sleep, whereby I find my body refreshed and comforted for performing the duties of this day, in which I beseech thee to defend me from all perils of body and soul....

Increase my faith in the sweet promises of the gospel; give me repentance from dead works; pardon my wanderings, and direct my thoughts unto thyself, the God of my salvation; teach me how to live in thy fear, labor in thy service, and ever to run in the ways of thy commandments; make me always watchful over my heart, that neither the terrors of conscience, the loathing of holy duties, the love of sin, nor an unwillingness to depart this life, may cast me into a spiritual slumber, but daily frame me more and more into the likeness of thy son Jesus Christ, that living in thy fear, and dying in thy favor, I may in thy appointed time attain the resurrection of the just unto eternal life bless my family, friends, and kindred.
</blockquote>

*Thomas Jefferson; a prayer for the Nation (Washington D.C., March 4, 1801):

<blockquote>
Almighty God, Who has given us this good land for our heritage; We humbly beseech Thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of Thy favor and glad to do Thy will. Bless our land with honorable ministry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion, from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people, the multitude brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endow with Thy spirit of wisdom those whom in Thy name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that through obedience to Thy law, we may show forth Thy praise among the nations of the earth. In time of prosperity fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in Thee to fail; all of which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
</blockquote>

*Abraham Lincoln; a prayer for peace (Second Inaugural address, March 4, 1865):

<blockquote>
Fondly do we hope, fervently do we pray, that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away. Yet if God wills that it continues... until every drop of blood drawn with the lash shall be paid another drawn with the sword... so still it must be said that the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to see the right, let us finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and for his orphans, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and a lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.</blockquote>.

*Franklin D. Roosevelt; a prayer in dark times (D-Day, June 6, 1944):

<blockquote>
Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity...

Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith. They will need Thy blessings. Their road will be long and hard. For the enemy is strong. He may hurl back our forces. Success may not come with rushing speed, but we shall return again and again; and we know by Thy grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph...

Embrace these, Father, and receive them, Thy heroic servants, into Thy kingdom. And for us at home--fathers, mothers, children, wives, sisters, and brothers of brave men overseas, whose thoughts and prayers are ever with them--help us, Almighty God, to rededicate ourselves in renewed faith in Thee in this hour of great sacrifice... Give us strength, too--strength in our daily tasks, to redouble the contributions we make in the physical and the material support of our armed forces.

With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogances. Lead us to the saving of our country, and with our sister nations into a world unity that will spell a sure peace--a peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men. And a peace that will let all men live in freedom, reaping the just rewards of their honest toil.
</blockquote>

*John F. Kennedy; a prayer of gratitude (Thanksgiving Day, 1963):

<blockquote>
Let us therefore proclaim our gratitude to Providence for manifold blessings--let us be humbly thankful for inherited ideals--and let us resolve to share those blessings and those ideals with our fellow human beings throughout the world.

On that day let us gather in sanctuaries dedicated to worship and in homes blessed by family affection to express our gratitude for the glorious gifts of God; and let us earnestly and humbly pray that He will continue to guide and sustain us in the great unfinished tasks of achieving peace, justice, and understanding among all men and nations and of ending misery and suffering wherever they exist.
</blockquote>

Jimmy Carter; a prayer for a meaningful life (inaugural address, January 20, 1977, and Thanksgiving speech to the nation, November 27, 1980):

<blockquote>
I would like to have my frequent prayer answered that God let my life be meaningful in the enhancement of His kingdom and that my life might be meaningful in the enhancement of the lives of my fellow human beings.

I call upon all the people of our Nation to give thanks on that day for the blessings Almighty God has bestowed upon us, and to join the fervent prayer of George Washington who as President asked God to "impart all the blessings we possess, or ask for ourselves to the whole family of mankind.
</blockquote>

Ronald Reagan; a prayer for healing (from a speech to the American people, February 6, 1986):

<blockquote>
To preserve our blessed land we must look to God... It is time to realize that we need God more than He needs us... We also have His promise that we could take to heart with regard to our country, that "If my people, which are called by my name shall humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

Let us, young and old, join together, as did the First Continental Congress, in the first step, in humble heartfelt prayer. Let us do so for the love of God and His great goodness, in search of His guidance and the grace of repentance, in seeking His blessings, His peace, and the resting of His kind and holy hands on ourselves, our nation, our friends in the defense of freedom, and all mankind, now and always.

The time has come to turn to God and reassert our trust in Him for the healing of America... Our country is in need of and ready for a spiritual renewal. Today, we utter no prayer more fervently than the ancient prayer for peace on Earth.

If I had a prayer for you today, among those that have all been uttered, it is that one we're so familiar with: "The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious unto you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace...." And God bless you all.
</blockquote>

George H. W. Bush; a prayer to help others (Inaugural address, January 20, 1989):

<blockquote>
My first act as President is a prayer. I ask you to bow your heads.

Heavenly Father, we bow our heads and thank You for Your love. Accept our thanks for the peace that yields this day and the shared faith that makes its continuance likely. Make us strong to do Your work, willing to heed and hear Your will, and write on our hearts these words: "Use power to help people."

For we are given power not to advance our own purposes, nor to make a great show in the world, nor a name. There is but one just use of power, and it is to serve people. Help us to remember it, Lord.

The Lord our God be with us, as He was with our fathers; may He not leave us or forsake us; so that He may incline our hearts to Him, to walk in all His ways... that all peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God; there is no other.<ref>http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Faith-Tools/Meditation/2005/01/Prayers-Of-The-Presidents.aspx?p=2</ref>
</blockquote>

==Prayer in other religions==

In [[Hinduism]], Prayer is an integral part of the daily living. Chanting of [[mantras]] is the most important form of prayer in Hinduism. Some devotees meditate chanting different names of the Gods. Prayer is also a vital part of [[Islam]]. As part of their faith, they are required to say five prayers at certain times of the day facing Mecca. Each prayer must be recited in [[Arabic]].<ref>http://muslimvoices.org/muslim-prayer/</ref>

== How not to Pray ==

See the above section.

In the [[Sermon on the Mount]], [[Jesus]] warned against hypocrisy in prayer:<blockquote>"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full."<ref>Matt 6:5</ref></blockquote>

At the time, the religious authorities believed it was necessary to pray at specific times of the day, and would often make sure they were in large crowds of people when those times arose so that they could be seen and heard by all. Jesus did not approve of this.

Jesus also warned against a high word-to-substance ratio in prayer:<blockquote>"And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him."<ref>Matt 6:7-8</ref></blockquote>

Pagan prayers at the time believed that there was power in continuous repetition of words, that if you said a word often enough, then you could eventually own that object or claim that power for yourself. Jesus condemned this.

==2 Peter 2:15: "''after my departure''"==

"'''I will make every effort ''even after my departure'' that you may always be able to remember these things'''" 2 Peter 1:15.

This verse is read by some as scriptural evidence of the apostolic doctrine of the [[intercession of the saints]] after they have ''departed in sleep'' to be with the Lord. Roman Catholic commentators, [[Cornelius a Lapide]] and others, have connected the words “''after my decease''” with the verb “''I will endeavour'',” and have thus construed the [[Exegesis|exegetical]] meaning of the Apostle’s words into an interpretation that makes them an argument for his continued watchfulness and superintendence over the development of the Church’s doctrine even after his death.

Others exegetically read it instead as Peter's promise while he is alive to "''make every effort that you may always be able to remember these things even after my departure''" (that is, so that they will not forget what he taught them concerning all things pertaining to life and godliness, 2 Peter 1:3-11.) It is thus read as an insistent parallel restatement of the immediately preceding verse, "''I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to arouse you by way of reminder.''"

One reading sees Peter determined to do this both before and after he dies, the other reading sees Peter, while he is alive, determined to make them remember even after he dies, "''as long as I am in this body''".
===interpretive translation===
The particular interpretive reading of the Greek text by the individual exegete determines (in this case, for the English translator) where to position the phrase "''after my departure''" in the translated text. This is expressed in the observation of [[Hermeneutics|hermeneutical studies]] that "the Bible is always read through the doctrinal lenses of the interpreter's personal theology, opening the eyes of some and closing others to what is actually there." Compare the following renderings of 2 Peter 1:15 in English:

:"'''I will make every effort ''even after my departure'' that you may always be able to remember these things.'''"
:"'''I will make every effort that you may always be able to remember these things ''even after my departure.'''''"

See the [http://biblehub.com/interlinear/2_peter/1-15.htm Interlinear Bible link]. Compare multiple versions of [http://biblehub.com/multi/2_peter/1-15.htm 2 Peter 1:15] and multiple [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/2_peter/1-15.htm commentaries].
===the Greek grammar of this text===
The Greek grammar favors the first reading, which supports the interpretation that Peter's stated intention is to assist them from heaven even after he dies. This is also the Orthodox and Catholic doctrine. The words ΔῈ ΚΑΊ following on ΣΠΟΥΔΆΣΩ seem to imply that the author would do something else besides the ὙΠΟΜΙΜΝΉΣΚΕΙΝ, whereby his readers after his death would be put in a position to remember what he now writes to them and all he taught. (Compare Jesus' words in John 14:25-26.) Other interpreters see some ambiguous evidence of possible grammatical latitude in the Greek structure of the sentence which allows the second reading. Such a reading by not referring to what Peter will do "''after my departure''" supports the Protestant doctrine that denies the traditional Catholic and Orthodox teaching about the intercession of the saints. The doctrine of the active intercessory ministry of the saints in heaven is dismissed by [[Evangelical Christianity|Evangelical]] theology as being a corrupt compromise with [[Superstition|superstitious]] [[Paganism|pagan]] [[polytheism]], and a [[blasphemy|blasphemous denial]] of the [[mediation]] of the One Mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/1_timothy/2-5.htm 1 Timothy 2:5]
===controversy: confusing the meaning of intercession and mediation===
Controversy over teachings about the prayers of the saints on behalf of the living is primarily rooted in confusing the meanings of "'''[[intercession]]'''" and "'''mediation'''". Many modern dictionaries give the current meanings as [[synonym]]ous, that the one is the other. Older usages of these terms show that they are not the same thing.

To [[intercede]] is to speak on behalf of another, to defend their cause, and to seek for favor or forgiveness from an estranged or hostile party (see 2 Samuel 14). In some situations, the intercessor seeks the decision of a judge to render a favorable decision or verdict.

To mediate is to bring together two parties at odds and estranged from one another by favorably representing the interests of both to each other by intercession, and then actively assisting them to completely remove actual barriers to their unity, by providing when necessary all the means of substantial reparation for all damage done by one party to the other or done mutually by each to the other. The mediator seeks to avoid having any recourse to a judge, and in principle will not himself or herself make a judgment either for or against either party involved in the dispute. In very extreme cases, the mediator, to avoid having the matter brought before a judge and to bring about actual peace, has personally arranged to make the absolutely necessary reparation required to remove the offense, and at great personal cost, solely to bring both parties together totally reconciled. Once this necessary reparation has been made, both of them afterward are able (if they will) to acknowledge that the very cause of what divided them has been completely removed. It no longer exists, and because it is gone there is no longer any substantial reason for their avoidance of each other and for acts of war, the one against the other, and the shutting out of the offending party. The compassionate act of the mediator has made this agreeable union possible. (U.S. law prohibits an authorized mediator acting directly to personally remove the cause of the dispute in order to resolve the conflict. See [[Conflict of interest]].)
====in summary====
An ''intercessor'' pleads the case, seeking a favorable judgment or at best a total dismissal of the charge brought against the [[Defendant|accused]] by the [[plaintiff]]. A ''mediator'' arranges for a full reconciliation through resolution of the conflict by proposing a just reparation or settlement agreeable to both parties, without pronouncing judgment in the matter, and without recourse to a judge. The case has been "settled out of court". See Matthew 5:25-26; Luke 12:57-59.
===prayer as petition===
In addition to differences in variant Christian understandings and misunderstandings of intercession and mediation, there is also a difference in variant Christian understandings of the meaning of the word "prayer", which anciently meant simply "petition".
:Most basically and fundamentally, to "[http://www.thefreedictionary.com/pray "'''pray'''"]" (verb) is "to [http://www.thefreedictionary.com/petition "'''petition'''"]" (''TheFreeDictionary.com'') Compare Conservapedia article '''Prayer'''.

Petitions to the governing authorities of a nation or people were usually introduced with the phrase, "''we pray you to'' [do this or that]". [[Attorney]]s for the prosecution and the defense even today frequently address the court (the bar), in words spoken or written, with the word "pray": for example, "''Your Honor, the defense prays the court to ...''". Formal petitions by governors to the king or queen anciently addressed that sovereign lord or lady first with a preamble acknowledgement of their authority, followed by the words: "''The people pray Your Majesty'' [to do this or that, ''or'' to cause to cease this or that] ''for the benefit of the realm''".

In ordinary society individuals often begged other individuals for a favor or benefit by praying them to consider some factor in their favor or some distress that needs to be addressed; for example a mother praying her husband, the father of their daughter or son, to forgive what the son or daughter has done.

Those who were not members of the court of the emperor or sovereign, nor members of the legislative body of the nation, but who wished to appeal for some relief or benefit for themselves or on behalf of another, normally petitioned a member of the court in favor with the ruler or governing council to favorably represent them and to personally present the petition or prayer on their behalf for due consideration, and request the sovereign or ruling body to render a favorable decision. This is the proper form. An individual with no official standing in the administration of the nation who entered and approached to represent himself or herself as having a legitimate petition would be held in contempt as [[Presumption|presumptuous and bold]], as having no respect for the authority of the court by going over their heads. In the military they would be guilty of circumventing the "appropriate chain of command". In none of these instances is divine worship meant by a prayer of petition to authority.
===narrowing the definition of prayer===
When the word prayer is narrowly defined and understood to mean '''''only''''' speaking to God, then its fuller meaning has been stripped away and its language has been abused and violated. Most often this occurs unconsciously, because of how the word is normally used in [[American]] culture. Many are surprised to discover its broader legitimate meaning as found in authoritative dictionaries of the English language.
===Reformation teaching: restricting the meaning of "pray"===
The Protestant Reformers in their struggle against the Catholic Church sought to promote pure piety and worship of God by eliminating the practice of prayers for the intercession of the saints in God's court of heaven by strictly defining prayer as meaning only petition to God. From this came the understanding that prayers to the saints to pray for us to God is a form of pagan idolatry, with the worship of saints taking the place of the worship of God (Colossians 2;18-19). They represented the intercession of the saints as the placing of a barrier between the Christian and the Savior, and as a disguised form of the pagan doctrine of the lesser and greater ascending levels of gods and goddesses who alone had right of access to the throne of God the Unknown. The Reformers sought to emphasize the sovereign dignity of each individual Christian as having a right to bypass the saints with direct access to the Majesty on High through Jesus Christ alone, as having the right to approach "''boldly''" the throne of grace without any necessity for intercession by any other being in heaven or on earth to support their prayers. ([http://biblehub.com/multi/hebrews/10-19.htm Hebrews 10:19]; [http://biblehub.com/multi/ephesians/3-12.htm Ephesians 3:12]; [http://biblehub.com/multi/1_john/4-17.htm 1 John 4:17]).

In the civil sphere of human activity the Reformers also objected to the distance that [[Monarchy|autocratic]] rulers maintained between themselves and their subjects by the bureaucratic structure of levels of administrators and ministers, governors and officials, officers and clerks, often perceived as interfering and obstructing the petitions of the people and as refusing to reasonably submit them to the ruler.

However, many regarded the Protestant interpretation of scripture in support of the dignity of individual human autonomy under Christ before God's Throne as an expression of [[Anarchism|philosophical anarchy]], and as subversively dangerous to the stability of Christian society; and also as being at its core strongly opposed to the virtue of [[humility]] (Romans 13:1-7). See [[Individualism]]. The Reformers were regarded as confusing "''arrogance''" and "''insulting effrontery''" with godly "''confidence''", and as regarding arrogant behavior on behalf of the Gospel as confident assurance in the face of ungodly opposition (Acts 4:13). The Catholic [http://reign.wikia.com/wiki/Charles_V,_Holy_Roman_Emperor Holy Roman Emperor Charles V] saw the Reformation movement as subversive to his reign, and an attack on Christianity through rejection of the established authority of the Catholic Church, and on this basis persecuted Protestants as fomenters of [[Revolution|insurrection]] and as anarchists.

[[Anarchism|Anarchy]] as a political philosophy is based on the individualist position that '''''no''''' human authority over individuals is '''''ever''''' legitimate and must be either passively disregarded (ignored, the KJV "''despised''") or actively resisted and overthrown. Thus no visible ruling authority or government on earth has been authorized or established by God. The Reformers saw proof of this in the suppression of the Reformation by Sovereigns, Popes and Patriarchs, who saw the leaders of the Reformation as rebelliously resisting what God has appointed (Romans 13:1-4).

The Reformation saw the established authorities of Church and State in their day as entrenched and stubborn ungodly evils to be rejected and finally eliminated before the Kingdom of God could be established on earth. They represented the corruption and abuse of authority by particular self-serving leaders in the Church in violation of the [[doctrine]] of the Church as evident proof that the whole of the doctrine of the Church itself was corrupted by the Devil. By the same reasoning the betrayal of Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, is representative of Christ's teaching. But even in our own day the corrupt practices of many politicians is not proof that the [[Constitution]] is the primary foundation of their corrupt betrayal of the ideals of the American Republic. The Reformers condemned those who said the emperor, the pope and the Church should be obeyed in accordance with what Paul had written in Romans 13:1-4. The Prophet [[Jeremiah]] was condemned by Judean false prophets and influential politicians as a traitor for declaring God's command to submit to the ungodly pagan rule of [[Nebuchadnezzar]] of [[Babylonian Empire|Babylon]] ([http://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/11-21.htm Jeremiah 11:21][http://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/29-27.htm Jeremiah 29:27] and [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/jeremiah/38-4.htm Jeremiah 38:4]), but that is what God had commanded.

During the original [[Communist Revolution]] in the early 20th century, revolutionary elements were called [[Anarchist]]s. The anarchist position is represented today in the United States by the [[Libertarian|Libertarian Party]] whose members use much milder methods of political persuasion, and in every election for president the Libertarian Party presents a Libertarian candidate.

Jesus told his followers to obey those corrupt leaders of the Jewish faith who represented Moses, but not to do what they do. ([http://biblehub.com/commentaries/matthew/23-2.htm Matthew 23:2-3]). As applied in principle to the leadership of the Catholic Church in the sixteenth century, the Protestant Reformers in '''[[conscience]]''' and in full accordance with their interpretation of the Bible found this obedience impossible, because of what they saw as irreparable evils and pagan influences entrenched within the doctrines of Catholicism. The command of Paul in Romans 13:1-4 and of Peter in 1 Peter 2:13-17 and of Hebrews 13:17 when applied with regard to the established authority of the Holy Roman Emperor, of the Pope and of the Catholic Sovereigns of Europe, was for the Reformers equally abhorrent and impossible in conscience for them to obey, even if it was in the Bible. They had reached the conclusion that the Holy Spirit was '''''not''''' guiding the Catholic Church into all truth, but had departed from her, and that Jesus Himself had '''''not''''' remained with her, but that '''[[Satan]]''' was ruling the Church instead. This is also the fundamental claim of [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints]]. On this basis many Orthodox and Catholic Christians depart and join Protestant churches.

Catholic and Orthodox [[Apologetics|apologists]] respond that this implies that Jesus broke his promises in John 14:15-17, 25-26; 15:26; 16:12-13; 17:9-11; Matthew 16:18-19; 28:19-20; and they point to Jesus' word about the church in Matthew 18:17-20 as being always true and reliable, and to the fact that Paul testified to Timothy that the Church is the "''pillar and ground of truth''" and to the Ephesians that the wisdom of God is revealed even to the powers in heaven through the Church (1 Timothy 3:15 and Ephesians 3:10). On this basis many Protestant Christians depart from their churches and become Catholic and Orthodox.

As applied to both sides of the controversy see the counsel of [[Gamaliel]] in '''Acts 5:38-39''' and the word of the angel in '''Revelation 22:10-11'''. See especially '''2 Timothy 2:23-26'''. These verses express the guiding principle of [[Ecumenical Movement|Ecumenism]].

Generally, abuse of language by changing or narrowing the meanings of key words in the culture of a whole people or within a particular subculture of the population is a strategy of cults and anti-Christian interests as a way to promote their ideas. [[George Orwell]] illustrated this in his novel '''''[[1984]]'''''. This has more recently been seen in attempts to redefine the meanings of [[marriage]] and [[Sex#Norms of social conduct|gender]], and the promotion of murder as compassionate medical care and as preventive medicine. See [[Eugenics]] and [[Planned Parenthood]].

The Protestant Evangelical and Fundamentalist churches have redefined the word "prayer" to mean '''''only''''' petition to God so that any kind of prayer addressed to any other person on earth or in heaven is a sin of idolatry offensive to God. But they do not hesitate to ask (request, petition) the police and fire rescue teams for help. They do not hesitate to ask (request, petition) their pastors and prayer groups and friends for help to join them in prayer and to pray for them and intercede with them to God on behalf of those who have need of prayer.

Orthodox and Catholic Christians claim that this is all that they mean by asking for the intercession of the saints in heaven for their help on behalf of themselves and others, because they are alive and their power and authority comes from God alone who has appointed them as protectors and helpers of souls for their salvation and for his glory alone. They claim that in honoring the saints alive in heaven they are honoring God, "''but it is the same God which worketh all in all''" 1 Corinthians 12:6, "''For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him''" Luke 20:38.

The Christian Fundamentalist response is that the saints are dead and can do nothing, and only God can answer prayer. Compare [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/matthew/17-3.htm Matthew 17:3]; [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/matthew/22-32.htm 22:32]. See also [http://www.biblicalcatholic.com/apologetics/a96.htm '''Communion of Saints: Dead or Alive in Christ?''']

It is a basic fact of human nature that if any practice, [[Religion|religious]] or [[secular]], pagan or Christian, Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, Fundamentalist, Independent, Non-denominational, [[Humanism|Humanist]], is represented or misrepresented as an [[evil]], then those who believe what they are told about that practice, and who wish to do good, will sincerely avoid that practice as being a sin, a thing harmful to individuals and to society as a whole, and will oppose it, either publicly in speeches, sermons, and public [[media]], or privately in their conversations with each other.

===the doctrinal agendas of Bible translators===
The beliefs of committees of biblical translation and of individual translators have directly affected their translations of particular passages of the scriptures into English, sometimes deliberately slanted to support their doctrinal beliefs ([[Cafeteria Christian#Proof texts|Proof texts]]). '''2 Peter 1:15''' is only one example. See the following:
*[http://bibleprobe.com/falsebibles.htm '''False versions of the Bible''' (bibleprobe.com)].
*[http://www.bible-researcher.com/kjvdefects.html '''''The Revised New Testament and History of Revision'' (1881) "Defects of the King James Version"''' (bible-researcher.com)] [[Isaac H. Hall]].

== See also ==
*[[Classroom prayer]]
*[[Hail Mary]]
*[[Rosary]]
*[[Sinner's prayer]]
*[[The Lord's Prayer]]
*[[Nicene Creed]]
*[[Transmigration of Words in Religion: an essay]]

== References==
<references/>

== External links ==
* [http://www.studylight.org/enc/isb/view.cgi?number=T7055 Prayer, The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia]
*[https://books.google.com/books?id=T22qP23L0wwC&pg=PA73&lpg=PA73&dq=Notable+Prayers+in+the+Bible&source=bl&ots=BzZZpk-8P2&sig=m5Rju2WEIf8glC-qe_Gc8gC6lFw&hl=en&ei=HT76Scy3IpO-Mui_lLwE&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6#PPA8,M1 All the Prayers of the Bible, with commentary. Online book by Herbert Lockyer]
*[http://peacebyjesus.witnesstoday.org/BIBLE-PRAYERS.html Compilation of most of the prayers in the Bible]
*[http://christianity.about.com/od/prayersinthebible/qt/bibleprayersind.htm Collection of Notable Prayers Found in the Bible]
*[http://www.catholic.org/prayers/ Prayers] Catholic Online.
*[http://www.scborromeo.org/prayers.htm Prayers]
*[http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1879016,00.html The Biology of Belief]
*[http://www.prayface.com Online Prayer]
*[http://www.mrmatthewhenry.com Read Matthew Henry's classic prayerbook 'A Method for Prayer' for free]

[[Category:Religion]]
[[Category:Christianity]]

God

2019-02-09T20:00:58Z

Tg97: Undo revision 1491978 by Rossmiller (talk)

''This article is about the biblical God. For the term as used to refer to any divine being, see [[Other gods]]''
[[Image:Alphaomega.jpg|thumb|200px|God is the Alpha and Omega, the first and last, the beginning and the ending <ref>Revelation 22:13</ref>]]
{{trinity}}
{{cquote|'''Genesis 1:1''' In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.}}
'''God''' is the sovereign creator and eternal ruler of all things and beings that exist, whether in the physical [[universe]] or in the spiritual realm ([[Heaven]]). Not only is God the creator and ruler of the things and beings within those two realms, but He is also the creator of the realms themselves. God created the physical universe, and before He acted in this creation, the universe did not exist. Likewise God did with the spiritual realm.

== God is Revealed: How we know about God ==

Other than creation itself, God is revealed in several ways, including [[theological correlates]], conscience, and special revelation (the [[Bible]], and prophets). Most importantly though, God is revealed in [[Jesus Christ]], who is the Son of God.

[[File:Mezquita Catedral Cordoba.jpg|frame|center|[[Cathedral]] Cordoba, Spain.]]

== Attributes or Character of God ==
[[File:Rembrandt Ascension.jpg|thumb|[[Rembrandt]], Ascension.]]
The attributes of God are things that describe who He is. Similar to the way one might describe a close friend to another individual, so too do these attributes describe God's character and nature. Attributes of God include but are not limited to [[Wisdom]], [[Infinitude]], [[Sovereignty]], [[Holiness]], [[Trinity]], [[Omniscience]], [[Faithfulness]], [[Love]], [[Omnipotence]], Self-existence, Self-sufficiency, [[Justice]], [[Immutability]], [[Mercy]], [[Eternal]], [[Goodness]], Graciousness, and [[Omnipresence]]. These attributes all work in complete and perfect harmony with one another.

God exercises eternal and righteous judgment of the wicked in [[hell]], because of an inherent problem in the human heart, namely [[Sin]]. According to the [[Bible]], the sacrifice of [[Jesus Christ]] on the cross of [[Calvary]] and then [[resurrection]], is God's merciful and gracious response to the problem of the human heart.

=== God is Triune ===
{{main|Trinity}}

Although the Bible does not use the term, it is clear that God is a triune God, or three in one.
These are sometimes referred to as ''God the Father'', ''God the Son'' ([[Jesus Christ|Jesus]]), and the ''[[Holy Spirit]]''.

The first hint of the Trinity is in {{Bible ref|Genesis|1|26}} which relates God saying, "Let us make man in our image", indicating that God is a plurality.

The three persons of God are treated as equivalents in these words of Jesus shortly after His resurrection:
{{Bible quote|Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.|book=Matthew|chap=28|verses=19|version=NIV}}

==== Jesus is God ====
[[Image:Pieta.jpg|thumb|270px|[[Pieta]], [[Michelangelo]].]]

The first verse of the [[Gospel of John]], in which Jesus is referred to as the "Word", makes clear that Jesus is synonymous with God:
{{Bible quote|In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.|book=John|chap=1|verses=1|version=NIV}}
This verse not only says that "the Word" (Jesus) is synonymous with God, but also says that the Word was "in the beginning", which means that He existed before all else existed, something that is only true of God.

This is reinforced two verses later, in which Jesus is described as the creator.
[[Genesis]] refers to God as being the Creator.
{{Bible quote|Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.|book=John|chap=1|verses=3|version=NIV}}

==== The Holy Spirit is God ====

In the following passage, the [[Holy Spirit]] is referred to as God:
{{Bible quote|Then Peter said, "Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land? Didn't it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn't the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God."|book=Acts|chap=5|verses=3-4|version=NIV}}

=== God is omniscient ===
{{main|omniscience}}

God knows everything:
{{Bible quote|This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything.|book=1_John|chap=3|verses=19-20|version=NIV}}

Because God is outside of [[time]], He can see and knows the [[past]] and the [[future]] as well as the present.

== "God" sometimes used to refer to God the Father ==
[[Image:Velasco Padre Eterno.jpg|thumb|left|180px|God the Father by [[Jose Maria Velasco]] (1840-1912).]]
In the Bible, the word "God" (θεός) does not always refer to God's being as a whole, but more specifically refers to the Person of the Father (God the Father). Here are some verses which demonstrate this:
{{cquote|'''John 3:16''' (NASB) For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.}}
{{cquote|'''1 John 4:10''' (NASB) In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.}}
Notice how in each case, "Father" can be substituted for "God." For example, "For the ''Father'' so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son," and "not that we loved the ''Father'', but that He loved us and sent His Son."
{{Clear}}

== Terminology ==

The Bible uses several different words to refer to God.
"God" itself is not a name, but an [[Old English]] word meaning ''supreme being, deity'',<ref>[http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=god God] Online Etymology Dictionary.</ref> which the translators who translated the Bible in to English chose as the appropriate English word for the [[Hebrew]] ''elohim'' and the [[Greek]] ''theos'' used in the [[Old Testament]] and [[New Testament]] respectively.<ref name="DPK">Kruse, Dale P.,[http://www.layevangelism.com/advtxbk/sections/sect-10/sec10-9.htm More on the ''Names'' of God In the Bible], Advanced Training Program of Evangelism.</ref>

The other main term for God is the Hebrew ''adonai'', usually translated ''Lord''.
There are various compound words also used in the Bible, such as ''el shaddai'', which means ''God Almighty'' ("''el''" is a short version of ''elohim'').<ref name="DPK" />

''YHWH'' is given in the Bible as God's actual name. In most English Bibles it is translated as ''Lord'', in small capitals. The name has various other English versions, including Yehovah, Jehovah, and Yahweh.<ref>McHyde, Tim, [http://www.escapeallthesethings.com/yahweh.htm God’s Name: LORD, Yahweh, Yahveh, YHWH, YHVH, Jehovah or Yehovah?]</ref>

== Resources on becoming a Christian ==
[[File:Hoffman Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane.jpg|thumbnail|170px||Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane by Heinrich Hofmann.]]

''see also:'' [[Resources on becoming a Christian]]

'''Below are some resources on becoming a [[Christian]]:'''

*[http://www.jesusfilm.org/film-and-media/watch-the-film Jesus film - free access]

*[http://www.thewordfortoday.org/?page=C2000 Free audio Bible and Bible audio streaming]

*[http://www.gotquestions.org/repentance.html Repentance]

*[http://www.allaboutgod.com/ AllAboutGod.com]

*[[Video testimonies of Christians]]

'''Tips on choosing a Christian church:'''

*[http://www.allaboutreligion.org/choosing-a-christian-church-faq.htm Choosing a Christian Church]

'''Spiritual growth as a Christian:'''

*[http://www.navpress.com/product/9781576839324/The-Pursuit-of-Holiness-Jerry-Bridges The Pursuit of Holiness] by Jerry Bridges
*[http://www.navpress.com/product/9780891099413/The-Practice-of-Godliness-Jerry-Bridges The Practice of Godliness] by Jerry Bridges
*[http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/529785.The_Complete_Book_of_Discipleship The Complete Book of Discipleship: On Being and Making Followers of Christ]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== See also ==
*[[Other gods]]
*[[Atheism]]
*[[Christianity in Conservapedia]]
*[[Bible Art Gallery]]

== External links ==
*[https://www.gotquestions.org/who-is-God.html Who is God?], at [[GotQuestions]]
*[https://www.gotquestions.org/what-is-God.html What is God?], at [[GotQuestions]]
*[https://www.gotquestions.org/is-there-a-God.html Is there a God?], at [[GotQuestions]]
*[https://answersingenesis.org/jesus-christ/jesus-is-god/10-biblical-reasons-jesus-is-god/ 10 Biblical Reasons Jesus Is God], by Simon Turpin at [[Answers in Genesis]], August 8, 2017
*[http://www.theopedia.com/God Theopedia - God]
*[http://christiananswers.net/dictionary/god.html ChristianAnswers.net - God]
*[http://wikible.org/en/God Wikible.org - God]

{{Conservatism}}

[[Category:Christianity]]
[[Category:Divine Beings]]

Second Law of Thermodynamics

2019-02-09T20:00:54Z

Tg97: Undo revision 1491975 by Rossmiller (talk)

The '''Second Law of Thermodynamics''' is a fundamental truth about the tendency towards disorder in the absence of intelligent intervention. This principle correctly predicts that heat will never flow from a cold body to a warmer one, unless forced to do so by a man-made machine. Or, as [[Isaac Asimov]] observed,
{{Cquote|Another way of stating the second law then is: The universe is constantly getting more disorderly. Viewed that way, we can see the second law all about us. We have to work to straighten a room, but left to itself it becomes a mess again very quickly and very easily. Even if we never enter it, it becomes dusty and musty. How difficult to maintain houses, and machinery, and our bodies in perfect working order: how easy to let them deteriorate. In fact, '''''all we have to do is nothing, and everything deteriorates, collapses, breaks down, wears out, all by itself -- and that is what the second law is all about'''''.|||Isaac Asimov, Smithsonian Institute Journal, June 1970, p. 6, emphasis added}}

The Second Law of Thermodynamics is the result of the intrinsic uncertainty in nature, manifest in [[quantum mechanics]], which is overcome only by intelligent intervention. As explained in the [[Letter to the Hebrews]] 1:10-11, the universe shall "wear out" like a "garment", i.e., entropy is always increasing.

This law makes it impossible to build a [[perpetual motion machine]] - the increase in entropy inevitably derails the system even if energy remains constant.

The Second Law of Thermodynamics disproves the [[atheistic]] [[Theory of Evolution]] and [[Theory of Relativity]], both of which deny a fundamental uncertainty to the physical world that leads to increasing disorder.

Stated in physics terminology, the Second Law states that the [[entropy]] of an isolated or [[closed system]] never decreases.<ref>Much of this article could be considered to be a continuation of the [[thermodynamics]] article, which see. That article provides some historical background, along with an explanation of the relationship between the Second Law and the increase in entropy.</ref>

==Entropy and disorder ==

In this context "increasing disorder" means the decline in organization that occurs without intelligent intervention. Imagine your old room at your parent's house. Remember how easy it was to let the room turn into a uniform mess (disorder) and remember how hard it was to clean it up until it fit a specific, non-uniform design (order). Not cleaning up would always result in an increase of entropy in your room!

The flow of energy (by heat exchange) to places with lower concentrations is called the "heat flow."

The often-heard argument that this law disproves an eternal universe is true, because in that case maximum entropy would have been reached already. A counterargument to this would be to suggest that the universe is still in the process of approaching maximum entropy.

There are many different ways of stating the Second Law of thermodynamics. An alternative statement of the law is that heat will tend not to flow from a cold body to a warmer one without intelligent intervention, or work, being done, as in the case of a [[refrigerator]]. Other statements include that it is impossible for an [[engine]] to convert [[heat]] perfectly (I.e. at 100% efficiency) into [[work]]. These statements are qualitative and stating the Second Law in terms of [[entropy]] makes the law quantitative.

This law makes it impossible to build a [[perpetual motion machine]] - the increase in entropy inevitably derails the system even if its [[energy]] remains constant (as described by the [[Conservation of Energy|first law of thermodynamics]]).

The Second Law can be expressed mathematically as:

<math>\frac{dS_{universe}}{dt} \ge 0</math>

where <math>\frac{dS_{universe}}{dt}</math> is the rate of change of [[entropy]] of the [[universe]] with respect to time.

Another way of viewing the Second Law is in terms of probability. In nature there is no one to clean up the universe, only chances. The chance of something becoming orderly is essentially zero, which it is a certainty that things will become more disorderly.

On a universal scale a tidy room would be a universe which has pockets of above average concentrations of energy (if you - incorrectly - assume relativity [[E=mc²]] this includes matter as well.)

==Second Law compared with other physical laws==

Thermodynamics occupies an unusual place in the world of science, particularly at the high school and undergraduate levels. The Second Law is the one that is especially peculiar. (In fact, the other laws are comparatively mundane. The first law is just a statement that heat is a form of energy, and that energy, whether in the form of heat or not, is conserved. This was a very nontrivial result at first, but, with the understanding of heat and temperature that later developed, it's quite unremarkable. The third law is a statement that absolute zero can't be reached by any finite number of Carnot cycles.<ref>[https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Carnot_engine Carnot Engine]</ref> While true, its significance pales in comparison to that of the Second Law.)

Perhaps what makes the Second Law so remarkable is that it describes ''irreversible'' phenomena. In particular, it describes the observed fact that heat energy, in bodies that are not being externally manipulated by compression, etc., flows only from a warmer body to a cooler one. When a warmer body is placed in contact with a cooler one, heat energy will flow (always preserving total energy, of course) from the warmer one to the cooler one. The warmer one will cool off as it releases its energy, and the cooler one will warm up. This process will continue until the two bodies reach the same temperature, or "thermal equilibrium".

Until the development of [[statistical mechanics]], no one knew why this was so, or what temperature actually meant. What was known was simply that a body with a higher temperature would send heat to a body with a lower temperature, no matter what the bodies were made of.

The fact that this kind of heat flow is irreversible makes the whole field of thermodyamics lie outside of the realm of classical Newtonian mechanics or Relativistic mechanics. In Newtonian or Relativistic mechanics, every phenomenon can go in reverse order. The catchy phrase [[Arrow of time]] (or "time's arrow") was coined by [[Arthur Eddington]] to denote this one-way behavior not shared by other theories of physics.<ref>''The Nature of the Physical World'', Arthur Eddington, MacMillan, 1929, ISBN 0-8414-3885-4</ref>

The field of statistical mechanics attributes the increase in entropy to the statistical tendencies of huge aggregates of particles at the molecular or atomic level. While Newtonian and Relativistic mechanics can, in principle, precisely describe assemblages of any number of particles, in practice they are not directly applied to the behavior of bulk material. That is, they are not applied to a number of particles on the order of Avogadro's number.

Statistical mechanics makes no assumptions about the microscopic cause of the seemingly random behavior. Statistical mechanics was developed in the 19th century prior to quantum mechanics, and does not depend on the [[Heisenberg uncertainty principle]]. The quantum mechanical uncertainty goes away at the microscopic level once the system is observed and the wave function collapses.

It needs to be emphasized that the peculiarities of thermodynamics, with the phenomenon fo irreversibility and the "arrow of time", ''in no way'' contradict the (reversible) processes of classical Galilean, Newtonian, Lagrangian, or Hamiltonian physics, or of special or general relativity. Those formulations are precise in the regimes in which the behavior of individual particles are analyzed. When two gas molecules collide in the [[Kinetic theory]], that collision is perfectly reversible. It is only when one goes into a problem domain in which the bulk behavior of huge numbers (on the order of Avogadro's number) of particles are analyzed, without regard for the individual particles, that thermodynamics and statistical mechanics come into play.

==Elementary probability and statistics==

If you flipped a coin 20 times and it came up heads each time, you would consider that to be a remarkable occurrence. (Perhaps so much so that you would inspect the coin to be sure it didn't have heads on both sides.) If you tried it and got tttthtththhhththhthh, you would probably not consider it remarkable. Yet each of these outcomes is equally probable: about 1 in 106. If you shuffled a deck of cards and found them all in exact order from the 2 of clubs to the ace of spades, you would consider that to be very remarkable. But if you got the distribution shown in the illustration on page 314 of Alfred Sheinwold's ''5 Weeks to Winning Bridge'', you would probably consider it just "random". Yet each of these orderings has the same probability of occurring—1 in 52 factorial, which is about 1066.<ref>Actually, we're ignoring the fact that bridge players sort their cards by suit, and the diagram shows the result of the sorting.</ref>

For small sets such as coin tosses or card shufflings, what constitutes "random" vs. "well ordered" is in the eye of the beholder. If a room in your house started in a state that most people would consider "neat and tidy", and you went into that room every day, picked up a random obect, and threw it against a random wall, after a month most people would consider the room a mess. But, once again, this is hard to quantify. The kinds of statistical analyses that are required for the study of thermodynamics have to be much more careful than this. The kind of folksy quotations in popular articles about messy rooms, as in the Isaac Asimov quote, may sell magazines, but they don't shed much light on how thermodynamics works.

What is needed is an analysis of ''aggregate properties'', not individual items. We need to quantify the results. For the case of the coin toss, we might ask how many times we got heads. The probabilities can be worked out; they are a "Gaussian distribution", also known as a "bell curve". The probability of heads 0 times out of 20 is 1 in 1048576. Getting heads exactly 1 time is .00002, and so on, as shown in this table. Notice that getting heads exactly 10 times is the most probable outcome, but its probability is still only 18%. If we did the experiment a larger number of times, the probability of exactly 50% heads would still be higher than any other, but it would be quite small. What is important is the probability of getting a certain number of heads ''or less''.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Number of times it
comes up heads
!Probability of that
exact number
!Probability of that
number or less
|-
|0
|10-6
|10-6
|-
|1
|.00002
|.00002
|-
|2
|.00002
|.0002
|-
|3
|.0011
|.0013
|-
|4
|.0046
|.0059
|-
|5
|.0148
|.0207
|-
|6
|.0370
|.0577
|-
|7
|.0739
|.1316
|-
|8
|.1201
|.2517
|-
|9
|.1602
|.4119
|-
|10
|.1762
|.5881
|-
|11
|.1602
|.7483
|-
|12
|.1201
|.8684
|-
|13
|.0739
|.9423
|-
|14
|.0370
|.9793
|-
|15
|.0148
|.9941
|-
|16
|.0046
|.9987
|-
|17
|.0011
|.9998
|-
|18
|.00002
|.99998
|-
|19
|.00002
|.99999
|-
|20
|10-6
|1.000
|}
With really large numbers, the probability of any particular outcome is vanishingly small; the only sensible measure is the accumulated probability, or the probability density, measured in a way that doesn't involve individual outcomes.

==Extreme probability and statistics==

The Second Law of Thermodynamics derives from this fundamental principle:
::The properties of an aggregate of measurements, when the individual measurements are not predetermined, tend toward the "most probable" distribution.

The measurements could be things like whether a coin came up heads, whether a card in a deck has a certain value, or the energy of a gas molecule. The fundamental truth of this, for reasonable numbers of things like coins or cards, is quite sensible on the intuitive level. These principles were worked out, by Fermat and others, in the 17th and 18th century. The same principles apply when the numbers are enormous, on the order of Avogadro's number, but some intuitive conclusions can be misleading.

When dealing with thermodynamics, we are dealing with the statistical aggregate behavior of macroscopic pieces of matter, so we have to increase the number of items from 10, or 52, to something like [[Avogadro's number]]. So the number of possible situations, instead of being 106 or 1066, is something like 10Avogadro's number, that is, 101023. The enormity of such a number makes a huge amount of difference. If you flip a coin Avogadro's number of times, it will come up heads about half the time, as before. But, for all practical purposes, we can say that it will come up heads ''exactly'' half the time. The number of heads might be off by a few quintillion (this is the "law of large numbers"), but that won't make any practical difference.

*You can't ask any questions about individual items—air molecules don't have labels like "Jack of Diamonds". You can only ask questions about the aggregate behavior of macroscopic pieces of space.
*While the probabilities of certain outcomes can be mathematically calculated, they are so small that, as a practical matter, we can say that '''they do not occur'''. People sometimes like to say things like "The Second Law of Thermodynamics means that it is very unlikely that heat will travel from a colder object to a warmer one." That's a fallacious way of thinking about it. It is a [[statistical impossibility]]—it just doesn't occur.
*An example is the question of how likely it is that all the air molecules in a room will move to one corner, asphyxiating everyone.<ref>Actually, conservation of momentum requires that we consider half the molecules going to one corner and the other half to the opposite corner.</ref> This is sometimes worked out in physics classes. But the conclusion has to be that this occurrence, or anything remotely resembling it, might have a probability on the order of 1 in 101023—it just doesn't happen.

==Aren't we cheating when we say that heat flows from a warmer body to a colder one, when all we really know is that it "probably" flows that way?==
Well, yes, and no. The laws of probability and statistical mechanics are precisely true, since they are mathematical theorems. They are as precise as that 2+2=4 exactly. It's their application to the real world of molecules and such that is merely "probably" correct. When we say that heat flows downward in macroscopic objects (ice cubes, teapots, Carnot engines<ref>[https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Carnot_engine Carnot Engine]</ref>), what we really mean is that it flows downward with a probability of 99.999<put in Avogadro's number of 9's here>999 percent.
Everyone, scientists and lay people alike, accept this as true. It is the basis for just about everything, including breathing. No one ever questions the reading on the pressure gauge of a gas canister on the grounds that it is only probably correct, or is surprised when one blows into a balloon and it expands.

So the fine philosophical point about it being only probably correct is just that—a fine philosophical point.

==So is the second law falsifiable?==
Absolutely. The laws of statistics and probability are mathematical theorems and are absolutely true. The only thing for which falsifiability is an interesting question is the application of those theorems to the real world. Statements like "if you flip a coin 10 times it will never come up heads each time" is both falsifiable and false. One can easily imagine an experiment that would refute it—flip the coin and have it come up heads 10 times. One could even do the experiment, getting that result, if one had the patience for it.

But when we go from 10 coins to macroscopic objects like ice cubes or teapots, one can still imagine an experiment. If all the air molecules in one's house spontaneously moved to the East wall or the West wall, the pressure on those walls would make the house blow up, probably taking several nearby houses with it. So an observation of this phenomenon would refute the second law, whether it's ever been observed or not. (It hasn't.)

==Application to molecular behavior==

[[Statistical mechanics]] is the application of probability to enormous numbers like this. It was developed, along with the [[kinetic theory]], by [[James Clerk Maxwell]], [[Ludwig Boltzmann]], [[Rudolf Clausius]], [[Benoît Paul Émile Clapeyron]], and others, during the 19th century. The development of the kinetic theory of gases, statistical mechanics, and thermodynamics revolutionized 19th century physics. It was recognized that, while we can't analyze the behavior of every molecule, we can analyze the statistical behavior of macroscopic assemblages. When gas molecules collide, they can transfer energy in a manner that leads to the principle of ''equipartition of energy''. This, plus the constraints on conservation of the total energy, leads to the ''Maxwell-Boltzmann'' distribution of molecular energies. From this, one can deduce the properties of volume, pressure, and temperature, leading to Boyle's law and Charles' law, among others. Temperature was found to be just the average energy per molecule. (Actually, the average energy per "degree of freedom".)

The fact that heat only flows downhill, and that entropy never decreases, is now just a consequence of the "most probable distribution" principle, or equipartition principle, from mathematical statistics, albeit at a vastly larger scale.

===Example of the Statistical nature of the Second Law===

To see this divide a container two and suppose that 1 half contains 20 molecules and the other none. What we expect to happen is for the molecules to spread out and have roughly half (10) in each half of the container. We can calculate the number of micro-states, <math>w</math>, which correspond to each macro-state:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Macro-state
!Number of Micro-states, <math>w</math>
!Entropy <math>S</math>
|-
|All particles in one half
|1
|<math>\ln{1} =0</math>
|-
|1 in left and 19 in right
|20
|<math>\ln{20} =3.00</math>
|-
|10 in left and 10 in right
|184756
|<math>\ln{184756} =12.1</math>
|}

Note that the Boltzmann constant has taken a value of 1 to simplify the maths.
So the state that we would expect to find the system in, the last one, has the highest entropy. However, the system could be in this state (10 in left, 10 in the right) and, just by chance, all the molecules could make their way to the left hand side of the box. This corresponds to a '''decrease''' of entropy. This example could be expanded up to a room, so why do we never see all the air in a room suddenly move to one end? The reason is that it is so unlikely, perhaps less than <math>10^{-10^{26}}</math>, that it essentially never occurs.<ref>{{cite book
|author=Hugh D. Young and Roger A. Freedman
|title=University Physics with Modern Physics
|publisher=Pearson
|location=San Francisco
|isbn=
|pages=
|quote=
|language=English}}</ref> Hence it may be '''assumed''' that for most systems entropy '''never''' decreases. This is known as the [[fluctuation theorem]].

==Thermodynamic definition of entropy==

One of the things that came out of the development of statistical mechanics was the definition of entropy as a differential
::<math>dS = \frac{dQ}{dt}</math>    '''S''' = entropy, '''Q''' = heat energy, '''T''' = temperature

The definition as a differential implies that it can be considered to be independent up to an additive constant. This is true; for problems in thermodynamics it doesn't matter whether a constant is added to the entropy everywhere. (But this is not true for the definitions used in combinatorics and mathematical statistics.)

The definition as a differential could mislead one into thinking that integration around some closed path could lead to a different value, that is, that '''dS''' is not an ''exact form''. This is not correct—'''dS''' is an exact form, and entropy is a true state variable. A mole of uniform Nitrogen at [[standard temperature and pressure]] (STP) always has the same entropy, once one chooses the additive constant for the system. (It is <math>29.1\ \log T\ \frac{Joules}{Kelvin}</math>; see below.) A mole of nitrogen that is partly at one temperature and partly at another will have a lower entropy; the entropy will increase as the gas fractions mix.

The measure of entropy of a specific thing is in Joules per Kelvin, as can be seen from the definition as '''dQ'''/'''T'''. Entropy is an "extensive" quantity' like energy or momentum—two teapots have twice the entropy of one teapot. So the entropy of some kind of substance (e.g. nitrogen at STP) could be measured in Joules per (mole Kelvin). This happens to be the same dimensions as the ''universal gas constant'' '''R'''.

==Entropy in popular culture—intuitive notions of entropy and "randomness"==

The tendency toward disorder is something that is accessible on an intuitive level—shuffling a deck of cards destroys their order, rooms don't clean themselves up, and so on. This phenomenon is often described by "popular science" writers, such as the Isaac Asimov quote at the beginning of this page. As a further example of this, a Google search for "entropy" yields "lack of order or predictability; gradual decline into disorder",<ref>https://www.google.com/search?q=entropy&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8</ref> with synonyms like "deterioration" and "degeneration".

This is all very true, because the underlying phenomena of mathematical statistics are the same, but the difference in scale makes an enormous difference, and this can be misleading if one tries to draw thermodynamical conclusions from this intuitive notion.

When one bridges the gap between thermodynamics and the intuitive notions of entropy from ordinary statistics, one comes up with the statistical definition of entropy:
::<math>S = k\ \log\Omega</math>
where '''k''' is ''Boltzmann's constant'' of <math>1.38065 \times 10^{-23}\ \frac{Joules}{Kelvin}</math> and <math>\Omega\,</math> is the number of possible configurations of whatever is being analyzed. Boltzmann's constant is in Joules per Kelvin rather than Joules per (mole Kelvin), because the mole has been replaced with the individual molecule.

The equivalence of the thermodynamical and statistical definitions of entropy is derived by statistical mechanics, and, in particular, the principle of ''equipartition of energy''.

For a mole of an ideal gas undergoing a temperature change
::<math>\Delta{}S = C_p\ \log\frac{T_{final}}{T_{initial}}</math>
where <math>C_p</math> is the heat capacity at constant pressure. This can be integrated to get
::<math>S = C_p\ \log{}T</math>
For a diatomic ideal gas such as Nitrogen, <math>S = C_p = 3.5 R = 29 \frac{Joules}{(mole) (Kelvin)}</math>
so
<math>S = 29 \log{}T \frac{Joules}{(mole) (Kelvin)}</math>

People are generally accustomed to how probabilities work in everyday life. Poker players know what the odds are that a hand is a full house or a straight flush, and Blackjack players know the odds of going over 21 on the next card. They have a feel for the shape of the bell curve. But when the sample size is what it is in thermodynamics, this intuition fails completely—the bell curve becomes incredibly sharp and high. The odds of getting heads 1/4 of the time or less on 20 coin tosses is, as noted above, 2.07%. But if the coin is tossed Avogadro's number of times (6.022 x 1023), it will, with virtual certainty, come up heads 3.011 x 1023 times, give or take a few trillion. Any measurable deviation is a [[statistical impossibility]].

Using the definition of entropy from mathematical statistics, the entropy of a completely random deck of cards is K log 52!, which is 2.16 x 10-21 Joules per Kelvin. The entropy of a sorted deck is zero.

This misleading nature of statistics at the thermodynamical level can lead to some misconceptions. As an example, the entropy effects of shuffling or sorting a deck of cards are utterly insignificant compared with the effects of thermodynamic entropy. A mole of Nitrogen (22.4 L, 28 g) at 20 degrees Celsius, containing a random deck of cards, has the same entropy as a mole containing a completely sorted deck at 20.0000000000000000000015 degrees Celsius. One can easily be misled if one ascribes macroscopic visible phenomena of apparent randomness to the Second Law of Thermodynamics.

The temptation is to let one's perception of "disorder", or "messiness", or "degradation", as in the Isaac Asimov quote given above, or the result of Googling "entropy", color one's views of the Second Law. The Second Law says very specific things about heat flow. Perceptions of "disorder" generally do not involve heat flowing from a warmer body to a cooler one.

As an example, a person sorting a deck of cards, or cleaning up their room, of course needs some external source of low entropy in order not to violate the Second Law. That entropy reduction effect is easily provided by the food one eats and the air one breathes. The "entropy budget" required to sort a deck of cards can be provided by the metabolism of about 10-29 grams of sugar. Of course a human metabolizes vastly more food energy during that time.

As another example, the devastation of a forest fire could be thought of as leading to a less ordered state. But in fact the entropy of the ashes is probably lower than that of the trees, because energy is released during the combustion. In any case, the forest grows back. Where does the "entropy budget" come from? Sunlight.

As another example, an apple left lying around will "deteriorate". But it is also true that apple trees turn dirt into apples. Once again, the entropy budget comes from sunlight.

In fact, entropy changes locally all the time, on a vastly larger scale than cards, rooms, apples, people, or fires—higher during the day, lower at night, higher in Summer, lower in Winter. Entropy is constantly being "wasted". Where does the entropy reduction required to offset this come from? The Earth is a giant heat engine, with energy from the Sun falling on the daylight side, and "waste" energy emitted into space from the night side. This sunlight powers virtually everything that happens on Earth.

==Entropy and information==

Information is in the eye of the beholder. The first ten million digits of pi can be considered to be a very precise and detailed piece of information, or they can be considered to be ten million digits of random garbage.<ref>The digits of pi are believed to be truly random. They have passed every statistical test for randomness. No patterns are known.</ref> In the former case, the digits have an entropy of zero; in the latter case the entropy is 3.2 x 10−21 Joules per Kelvin.

The entropy of the human genome, in each cell, is 6 x 10-14 Joules per Kelvin when the base pairs are considered to be random, and zero when the base pairs are in a given human's specific genetic configuration. The metabolism of 2.5 x 10-22 grams of sugar, or one nanosecond of sunlight falling on one square centimeter, can provide the "entropy budget" to copy a cell's genome. That is, it can turn the random base pairs floating in the intracellular fluid into a copy of an existing set of chromosomes. This is done every time a cell divides. Of course the process is far from 100% efficient. 10-8 grams of sugar, or 4 seconds of sunlight falling on one square meter, are sufficient, under 100% thermodynamic efficiency, to copy the DNA of all the cells in one's body. Avogadro's number really is very large.

==Reversibility and irreversibility==

[[Reversible process|Reversibility]] is a theoretical concept related to the Second Law of Thermodynamics. A process is reversible if the net heat and work exchange between the system and the surroundings is zero for the process running forwards and in reverse. This means the process does not generate entropy. In reality, no process is completely reversible. Irreversibility is a quantity sometimes called "lost work" and is equal to the difference between a process' actual work and reversible work. Irreversibility is also equal to a process' entropy generation multiplied by a reference temperature.

==Trend toward uniformity in the universe==

The universe will always become increasingly uniform, that is: heat will spread until the entire [[universe]] has the [[temperature]] and energy level (in an [[isolated system]] heat will always spread from a place where there is a lot of heat to a place where there is less until balance is achieved), forces will continue to work until a universal balance has been achieved.

In this final state the universe is one uniform space where nothing happens and no work (moving something) can be done since there are no above average concentrations of energy left.
This state is called maximum entropy and is said to be in perfect disorder (although intuitively its uniformity would seem to be a state of perfect order) because it has become impossible to determine what happened in the past. ''i.e.'' There are an infinite number of ways (histories of the universe) maximum entropy could have been reached.

==The types of systems governed by the Law==

The Second Law of Thermodynamics is essentially a conservation law, like conservation of energy, or momentum, or mass. As such, it only applies to isolated systems. One would not perform an experiment to show conservation of energy in a swinging clock pendulum if one pushes on the pendulum, and one can't show conservation of momentum of a baseball at the instant that it is hit by a bat. By the same token, the Second Law can't be trusted when applied to a system that heat energy is entering or leaving. Adding or removing matter would be an even more serious failure.

There is only one type of system that the Second Law of Thermodynamics applies to: an [[isolated system]]. An isolated system is one that does not exchange matter or energy with its surroundings.

Hence the Second Law of Thermodynamics does not strictly apply to the following types of system:
* [[Closed system]] - Exchanges energy, but not matter, with its surroundings
* Open system - Exchanges both matter and energy with its surroundings

The boundary of any system can always be expanded to produce an isolated system, even if that system has to be the entire universe.

==Liberal abuse of the Second Law of Thermodynamics==

The Second Law of Thermodynamics is abused by many people, claiming that it buttresses their arguments for a wide variety of things to which it simply doesn't apply. It has become common in recent years for [[Environmentalism|environmentalists]] to claim that the Second Law of Thermodynamics implies limits to [[economic growth]]. Their reasoning is that because free energy in resources such as [[petroleum|oil]] decreases with time, then economic growth can only be finite. (The supply of oil is finite, but the consequences of that are not consequences of the Second Law.) However, this simplistic [[liberal]] reasoning ignores the [[false zero-sum game|non-zero sum]] nature of [[free market economics]], whereby improvements in technology deliver gains for all at no further cost. Indeed, one of the most vital economic goods, knowledge, or more generally information, can be said to be free from thermodynamic limitations entirely.<ref>[http://www.discovery.org/a/2053] Discovery Institute cofounder and futurist George F. Gilder put it eloquently as follows: ''Gone is the view of a thermodynamic world economy, dominated by "natural resources" being turned to entropy and waste by human extraction and use. Once seen as a physical system tending toward exhaustion and decline, the world economy has clearly emerged as an intellectual system driven by knowledge.''</ref> Liberals also vastly exaggerate the limitations that natural resources impose on human economies. Some estimate that the [[Earth]] can harbor 100 billion people. God Himself gives His explicit assurance that the Earth will be generous as long as the human race exists in [[Genesis]]: "And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth." (Gen. 1:28, KJV)

== Creation Ministries International on the Second Law of Thermodynamics and evolution ==

[[Image:Jonathansafarti.jpg|thumbnail|right|250px|right|[[Jonathan Sarfati]] ]]
''See also:'' [[Creation Ministries International on the second law of thermodynamics|Creation Ministries International on the second law of thermodynamics and evolution]]

The Second Law of Thermodynamics attracts a lot of attention in religious websites and books. [[Creation Ministries International]] has a great wealth of information on why the Second Law of Thermodynamics is incompatible with the [[evolution]]ary [[paradigm]].

Some of their key resources on this matter are:

*[http://creation.com/the-second-law-of-thermodynamics-answers-to-critics The Second Law of Thermodynamics: Answers to Critics] by Dr. [[Jonathan Sarfati]]

*[http://creation.com/thermodynamics-and-order-questions-and-answers Thermodynamics Questions and Answers]

*[http://creation.com/thermodynamics-and-evolution Thermodynamics and evolution]
::{{Cquote|I tend not to use entropy arguments at all for biological systems. I have yet to see the calculations involving either heat transfer or Boltzmann microstates involved for natural selection. Until creationists can do that, they should refrain from claiming that organic evolution contradicts the Second Law; a trite appeal to “things become more disordered according to the Second Law” is inadequate.|||Jonathan Sarfati, in the cited work}}

*[http://creation.com/some-thermodynamics-criticisms-and-answers Some thermodynamics criticisms — and answers]

The main argument against [[evolution]] using the second law of thermodynamics is that [[evolution]] requires a decrease in entropy (disorder). However, the second law of thermodynamics states that entropy increases, so the two are contradictory. These resources misrepresent the Second Law of Thermodynamics, ignoring the fact the [[earth]] is not an isolated system (energy is added from the [[sun]] for example).

== The 1st and 2nd law of thermodynamics and the universe having a beginning ==

''See also:'' [[Atheism and the origin of the universe]]

According to Ohio State University professor Patrick Woodward, the [[First Law of Thermodynamics]] "simply states that energy can be neither created nor destroyed (conservation of energy)."<ref>[https://chemistry.osu.edu/~woodward/ch121/ch5_law.htm 1st Law of Thermodynamics], Ohio State University, Professor Pat Woodward (teaches for the Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry [https://chemistry.osu.edu/faculty/woodward])</ref>

The [[Christian apologetics]] website ''Why believe in God?'' declares about the Second Law of Thermodynamics:
{{cquote|The second law of thermodynamics, or the law of increased entropy, says that over time, everything breaks down and tends towards disorder - entropy! Entropy is the amount of UNusable energy in any systems; that system could be the earth's environment or the universe itself. The more entropy there is, the more disorganisation and chaos.

Therefore, if no outside force is adding energy to an isolated system to help renew it, it will eventually burn out (heat death). This can be applied to a sun as well as a cup of tea - left to themselves, both will grow cold. You can heat up a cold tea, you cannot heat up a cold sun. NOTE: when a hot tea in an air tight room goes cold (loses all it's energy) not only do we NOT expect the process to reverse by natural causes (ie. the tea will get hot again), but both room temp and tea temp will be equal. Keep that in mind as you read the next paragraph.

Look at it like this, because the energy in the universe is finite and no new energy is being added to it (1st law), and because the energy is being used up (2nd law), the universe cannot be infinite. If our universe was infinite but was using up a finite supply of energy, it would have suffered 'heat death' a long time ago! If the universe was infinite all radioactive atoms would have decayed and the universe would be the same temperature with no hot spots, no bright burning stars. Since this is not true, the universe must have begun a finite time ago.<ref>[http://www.whybelieveingod.net/istheuniverseinfinite.htm Is the Universe Infinite? Past beliefs and implications], Why believe in God? website</ref>}}

Thus, the First Law of Thermodynamics and the Second Law of Thermodynamics suggests that the [[universe]] had a beginning.<ref>
*[http://www.creationencounter.com/space/lawsofscience.php CAN LAWS OF SCIENCE EXPLAIN THE ORIGIN OF THE UNIVERSE?]
*[http://cavern.uark.edu/~cdm/creation/universeorigin.htm Evidence for the Supernatural Creation of the Universe] by Patrick R. Briney, Ph.D.
*[http://www.apologeticspress.org/apcontent.aspx?category=9&article=3704 The Laws of Thermodynamics Don't Apply to the Universe!] by Jeff Miller, Ph.D.
*[http://www.apologeticspress.org/apcontent.aspx?category=9&article=2106 God and the Laws of Thermodynamics: A Mechanical Engineer’s Perspective] by Jeff Miller, Ph.D.
*[http://creation.com/if-god-created-the-universe-then-who-created-god If God created the universe, then who created God?] by Jonathan Sarfati, Ph.D.
*[http://creation.com/eternal-universe Has the universe always existed?]</ref> This argument is similar to the argument for the [[big bang]], that the universe is expanding now, so in the past it must have been smaller, and since there is a limit to how small the universe can be, it points to a beginning. In this argument, it is entropy that has a lower limit.

However, the statistical nature of the second law mean that it is not firmly true. If the universe is infinite in time, then eventually all possibilities, no matter how small, are played out. In this way, the universe could reach maximum entropy and then happen, by chance, to return to a low entropy state. This would happen an infinite number of times. Hence we could be in the process of entropy increasing and the universe need nor have a beginning.

== The 1st and 2nd laws of thermodynamics, theism and the origins of the universe ==

In the articles below, [[Theism|theists]] point out that the First Law of Thermodynamics and the Second Law of Thermodynamics point to the universe having a divine origin:

*[http://www.creationencounter.com/space/lawsofscience.php Can the laws of science explain the origin of the universe?]

*[http://cavern.uark.edu/~cdm/creation/universeorigin.htm Evidence for the Supernatural Creation of the Universe] by Patrick R. Briney, Ph.D.

*[http://www.apologeticspress.org/apcontent.aspx?category=9&article=3704 The Laws of Thermodynamics Don't Apply to the Universe!] by Jeff Miller, Ph.D.

*[http://www.apologeticspress.org/apcontent.aspx?category=9&article=2106 God and the Laws of Thermodynamics: A Mechanical Engineer’s Perspective] by Jeff Miller, Ph.D.

*[http://creation.com/if-god-created-the-universe-then-who-created-god If God created the universe, then who created God?] by Jonathan Sarfati, Ph.D.

*[http://creation.com/eternal-universe Has the universe always existed?]

== See also ==

*[[Arrow of time]]
*[[Thermodynamics]]
*[[Essay:Commentary on Conservapedia's article on the second law of thermodynamics]]
*[[Genetic entropy]]
*[https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Ideal_gas_law Ideal Gas Law]
*[https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Carnot_engine Carnot Engine]

==External links==

*[http://www.livescience.com/50941-second-law-thermodynamics.html Second law of thermodynamics], Livescience.com

'''Evolution and the second law of thermodynamics:'''

*[https://evolutionnews.org/2018/02/the-second-law-argument-a-timeline/ The Second Law Argument: A Timeline]

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Physics]]
[[Category:Thermodynamics]]
[[Category:Second Law of Thermodynamics]]

Bible

2019-02-09T19:59:49Z

Tg97: Undo revision 1491979 by Rossmiller (talk)

[[Image:800px-Crop Book of Isaiah 2006-06-06.jpg|thumb|300px|right|The Holy Bible, opened to the Book of Isaiah.]]
{{Bible}}

The '''Bible''' is the most [[logic]]al, insightful and influential collection of [[book]]s and [[letter]]s ever written. It includes the most beautiful book ever written, the [[Gospel of Luke]], the most profound book ever written, the [[Gospel of John]], and the most intellectual [[treatise]] ever written, the [[Epistle to the Hebrews]]. [[Biblical scientific foreknowledge]] has anticipated or guided nearly every great human achievement.

The Bible is unique in the literature of the world,<ref name=LiteraryCriticism>See [[Historical-critical method (Higher criticism)]], in particular the findings of the following supportive sources of literary criticism:
*The Bible’s message is both ‘divine’ and ‘human’. —[http://www.saintjohnsabbey.org/liturgy-answers/bibles-message-both-divine-and-human/ St. John's Abbey: ''The Bible’s message is both ‘divine’ and ‘human’.'' Friday, January 17th, 2014, Benedictine Father Michael Kwatera, a monk of St. John’s Abbey in Collegeville, MN.]
*The more conservative theologians who employ the historical-critical method believe that the Scriptures are more than the writings of mortal men. —[http://www.wlsessays.net/files/BeckerHistorical.pdf The Historical-Critical Method of Bible Interpretation, By Siegbert W. Becker], page 4.
*Unique among all the world's literature, the Bible is really God's word in human language. —[http://bibleasliterature.wordpress.com/lesson-1/ The Bible as Literature: The Bible ~ A Literary Work and an Artistic Presentation of Human Experience].</ref> and was extensively studied by the greatest modern thinkers, including [[Isaac Newton]], [[Louis Pasteur]], [[Bernhard Riemann]], [[Alexander Hamilton]], [[Georg Cantor]], [[John von Neumann]], and [[Kurt Godel]].

Shorter than you might think, the Bible consists of two parts: 27 short books and letters of the [[New Testament]] of the [[Christian]] [[faith]], and 39 Hebrew and Aramaic books recognized by both Christianity and Judaism, which are included among the collection of 46 writings known as the [[Old Testament]].<ref>Christianity includes a few additional books with the Jewish [[Old Testament]], which have always been accepted as inspired scripture since the time of the apostles by the Orthodox and Catholic Churches which constitute the majority of Christianity, and later rejected as [[apocrypha]]l by the [[Reformation]]. See [[Biblical Canon]].</ref> The text of the Old Testament was originally written in [[Hebrew]] and [[Aramaic]], and was later translated and expanded in [[Greek]] by rabbinical scholars in the [[Septuagint]] Bible of the Greek-speaking Jews which was the Bible of the [[Apostles]].<ref>"Bible of the apostles". See the following four sources:
*[http://www.scripturecatholic.com/septuagint.html Septuagint Quotes in the New Testament]
*[http://www.ecclesia.org/truth/septuagint.html The Septuagint (LXX): History of the Septuagint]
*[http://www.crivoice.org/canonot.html Canons of the Hebrew Bible]
*[http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Apocrypha-Books/ Official King James Bible online: Apocrypha Books]</ref> The [[New Testament]] itself was originally written in Greek and was soon afterward added to the Septuagint, forming the Greek Bible of the ancient [[Christian]] church. The Bible has been translated into more than 2,000 languages.

The Bible is the best selling book in history, a testament to its timeless and compelling message.<ref>The Bible continues to be the best-selling book ever. Americans alone buy 25 million Bibles a year, according to Publisher's Weekly. Bible sales are now reaching $609 million a year, with specialty Bibles available for myriad "niche" audiences, from motorcycle riders to campers, brides and archaeologists. "Immerse," a water-resistant Bible for troops overseas, is now available from publisher Bardin & Marsee. [http://www.washtimes.com/national/20070529-111815-7952r.htm Polls: Most believe Bible as God's word] - Jennifer Harper, ''The Washington Times'' - May 30, 2007</ref> In addition, the Bible has had an immense, positive influence on literature, culture, and history. According to the website Guinness World Records, "A survey by the Bible Society concluded that around 2.5 billion copies [of the Bible] were printed between 1815 and 1975, but more recent estimates put the number at more than 5 billion."<ref>[http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/best-selling-book-of-non-fiction/ Best-selling book of non-fiction], Guinness World Records</ref>

[[Jesus Christ]] himself may have authored the perfectly written [[Epistle to the Hebrews]], which was composed in magnificent Greek and which discloses information that could have been known only to Jesus.<ref>The [[Epistle to the Hebrews]] contains an explanation of the stature of Jesus relative to angels. For a contrary view that fails to discuss the likelihood that Jesus wrote the [[Epistle to the Hebrews]] or the information in that book which would be known only to Jesus, one commentator suggests that [[Barnabas]] or [[Apollos]] may have been the author (see [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=acts%2018:24-28&version=KJV Acts 18:24-28]). [http://www.judaismvschristianity.com/hebrews.htm Judaism versus Christianity. The Book of Hebrews. Who wrote the Book of Hebrews?] (judaismvschristianity.com). See also [https://bible.org/article/argument-hebrews The Argument of Hebrews] (bible.org).</ref>

Most [[Christians]], Protestant and Catholic, agree on the 27 books of the [[New Testament]], and while the Old Testament of the Orthodox Bible includes 50 books, for a total of 77, and the Old Testament of the Catholic Bible includes 46 books, for a total of 73, the Protestant Bible includes only the 39 books of the [[Old Testament]] which entirely correspond to the [[Biblical Canon#Palestinian canon (A.D. 4th century)|24 books of the Hebrew canon of the Jews]], for a total of 66.<ref>The Protestant Bible excludes the following books which have always been included in the Catholic Bible, the same books excluded from the canon by the Jews after the rise of Christianity in the 1st century:
# The Wisdom of Solomon
# Tobit
# Sirach
# Judith
# 1st Maccabees
# 2nd Maccabees
# Baruch [http://www.catholicbible101.com/theholybible.htm]
The Orthodox Greek Bible since the 1st century has always included Psalm 151 as appended to Psalm 150, and the Third Book of the Maccabees, and, in an appendix to the Old Testament, the Fourth Book of the Maccabees, a treatise on the superiority of wisdom. These were never included among the Protestant Apocrypha in the 16th century—but they also have never been included among the books of the Old Testament in Protestant Bibles. Martin Luther and the leaders of the Reformation did not address their canonical status, and did not discuss them. The Book of 1 Esdras has always been included in the Orthodox Bible among the Historical Books between 2 Chronicles and Ezra, but is regarded since the Council of Trent by both Catholics and Protestants as non-canonical and apocryphal and is not included by them in the Old Testament. The Latin apocalyptic 2 Esdras, which was never part of the Greek Old Testament, but was included in the Vulgate, is not included in the canon of standard Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant Bibles, and is included with 1 Esdras and Prayer of Manasseh in the Protestant Apocrypha. The same 2 Esdras is included as ''Ezra Sutuel'' in the canon of the Ethiopic Bible of the [[Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church|Orthodox Ethiopian Church]], which as a whole differs both in the Old and New Testament from that of any other churches. The Ethiopic canonical books, written in the [[Geez language]] and on parchment, are numerous. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church has 46 books of the Old Testament and 35 books of the New Testament, bringing the total of canonized books of the Ethiopian Orthodox Bible to 81. The canon of the Ethiopic Bible appears to date back to the 5th century. See [http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1292150/Worlds-illustrated-Christian-bible-discovered-Ethiopian-monastery.html World's first illustrated Christian bible discovered at Ethiopian monastery, By Daily Mail Reporter. Updated: 11:33 EST, 5 July 2010] Carbon dating gives a date between 330 and 650.</ref> The English King James Version of the Protestant Bible has 593,493 words in the Old Testament and 181,253 words in the New Testament.<ref>[http://www.christiananswers.net/bible/about.html ChristianAnswers.Net. About the Bible] (christiananswers.net)</ref>

==Name==
The word "Bible" had its origins in an ancient [[Phoenicia]]n seaport called [[Byblos]], which was so-named as a result of the trade and manufacture of writing material based on the [[papyrus]] or byblos reed, used extensively in antiquity for making [[scroll]]s and [[book]]s. The [[Greek language|Greek]] word ''biblos'' was based upon this, and it came to be the word for ''book'' (a small book was termed ''biblion''), and by the 2nd century A.D. Greek [[Christianity|Christians]] had called the Scriptures ''ta Biblia'' ('''τα βιβλία''' ''the books''), which was transferred to [[Latin]] by dropping the ''ta''; the word made its way to Old French where the plural was dropped in favor of the singular, hence becoming the [[English]] word ''Bible''.<ref>Unger, pg 143; Moulton; Blass</ref>

==Unique witness to truth==

The Bible is the most ancient collective document of writings in antiquity witnessing to the revelation of the one living God to the community of the people he has chosen and formed to be his priests and witnesses to all the peoples of the earth. This people chosen and called out from every nation and language on earth testifies that God is one being of three Persons, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, who loves all that he has created, and that there is nothing in all the whole created universe that he did not create through the power of his Word. The Bible is the collective testimony of this community of people chosen out of all the peoples of the earth that God is the one original cause of all existence, creator of the universe and all that it contains both visible and invisible. They have borne witness in the several sacred scriptures contained in the Bible that this one unique God has acted and continues to act in history.

The Bible is unique in antiquity in its witness that God has made one of his creations, the whole human race, to be above the physical animal nature of the body and be like himself with dominion over the whole earth and all its creatures. The Bible testifies that God himself has called this human creature, male and female, to a personal relationship with him as a whole community of love and goodness and mercy in his image as his living temple and dwelling place on earth and to give evidence of his reality and to acknowledge him in all they do and say.

The Bible is unique in all of ancient literature in that it testifies to the rebellion and fall of the human race, to the reality of sin and its effects, to the facts of evil and of righteousness, to objective physical and moral standards of right and wrong, of justice and judgment, and to the reality of invisible intelligent beings, both those who have rebelled against God and those who perpetually serve him.

The Bible contains the only stable, reliable written witness of his own community to the rest of the world that the '''Word''' of this one God is the perfect image of his own divinity, his only-begotten Son, who became one with us, in solidarity with each human being and the whole of the fallen human community, as a sinless flesh-and-blood man whose act of complete renunciation and self-sacrifice made perfect reparation for the offense of the whole of the human community, to save us from the merited ruin which is going to come on the whole rebellious, resistant, fallen human community occupied with its own selfishness. The Bible is the witness of God's people that his Word is his Son, that his name is Jesus, and that he is the supreme Anointed One ("''Christos''") of the people of Israel. The Bible is the unique written witness of the people he has called to himself that he established his Church as the holy temple of his Holy Spirit, with the divine commission to testify to him to the whole world and make disciples of those who are willing to come to him and worship in word and deed. The Bible is their unique written record that in the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ God the Father has called all humanity to partake in a share of his own divinity, in selfless goodness, mercy and love, in eternal, everlasting life, as the gift of his love.

The Bible is the first book in antiquity to declare the revelation that death is not final, and that there will be a physical resurrection of all the dead at the end of time. In its collected writings the people of God have testified to the revelation of the total condemnation of the wicked who have chosen to reject both him and the gift of communion with him, and in it they have collectively testified to the revelation of the total salvation from ruin and the gift of communion with him of those who have not resisted him and his way of living and acting and whom he has made holy by his own power alone. No other book is like it. The whole community of believers past and present in its leadership has discerned and testified to this day that the whole collection of the books of the Bible is inspired by God, and that God is their true author. The Bible is the Word of God expressed in the written form of human language. Its chief value is as a stable unchanging resource for understanding the mind of God, for establishing a just society with just laws and true justice, for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that each leader of the community (each "''man of God''") may be fully equipped for every good work as a witness to the one true God. [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2timothy%203:16-17&version=KJV 2 Timothy 3:16-17]

But just as Jesus has appeared to many to be no more than an ordinary human being, and just as Christianity has appeared to many to be no more than a merely human institution of religion, so the Bible too has appeared to many to be no more than a traditional collection of ordinary human literature. However, even the tools of [[Historical-critical method (Higher criticism)|ordinary literary criticism]] have clearly shown the Bible to be more than a collection of merely human literature, and its scriptures to be much more than ordinary human writings.<ref name=LiteraryCriticism/>

==Books of the Bible==
===The Old Testament===
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|-
!colspan="2" align="center" style="color: black; height: 30px; background: tan no-repeat scroll top left;"|Old Testament layout
|-
!align ="center" style="color: white; height: 30px; background: navy no-repeat scroll top left;"|Jewish
!align ="center" style="color: white; height: 30px; background: navy no-repeat scroll top left;"|Christian Protestant
|-
|1 Genesis
|Genesis
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|2 Exodus
|Exodus
|-
|3 Leviticus
|Leviticus
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|4 Numbers
|Numbers
|-
|5 Deuteronomy
|Deuteronomy
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|6 Joshua
|Joshua
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|7 Samuel
|Judges
|-
|8 Kings
|Ruth
|-
|9 Isaiah
|1st Samuel
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|10 Jeremiah
|2nd Samuel
|-
|11 Ezekiel
|1st Kings
|-
|12 The Minor Prophets
|2nd Kings
|-
|13 Psalms
|1st Chronicles
|-
|14 Proverbs
|2nd Chronicles
|-
|15 Job
|Ezra
|-
|16 Song of Songs
|Nehemiah
|-
|17 Ruth
|Esther
|-
|18 Lamentations
|Job
|-
|19 Ecclesiastes
|Psalms
|-
|20 Esther
|Proverbs
|-
|21 Daniel
|Ecclesiastes
|-
|22/23 Ezra (with Nehemiah)
|Song of Solomon
|-
|24 Chronicles
|Isaiah
|-
|
|Jeremiah
|-
|
|Lamentations
|-
|
|Ezekiel
|-
|
|Daniel
|-
|
|The Minor Prophets
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!colspan="2" align="center" style="color: black; height: 30px; background: tan no-repeat scroll top left;"|Dates of each Book
|-
!align ="center" style="color: white; height: 30px; background: navy no-repeat scroll top left;"|Protestant Old Testament
!align ="center" style="color: white; height: 30px; background: navy no-repeat scroll top left;"|New Testament
|-
|Genesis, 1440-1400 B.C.
|Matthew, A.D. 60-65
|-
|Exodus, 1440-1400 B.C.
|Mark, A.D. 60-65
|-
|Leviticus, 1440-1400 B.C.
|Luke, A.D. 58-65
|-
|Numbers, 1440-1400 B.C.
|John, A.D. 95
|-
|Deuteronomy, 1440-1400 B.C.
|Acts, A.D. 58-65
|-
|Joshua, 1400-1360 B.C.
|Romans, A.D. 58
|-
|Judges, c. 1020 B.C.
|1st Corinthians, A.D. 57
|-
|Ruth, c. 1090 B.C.
|2nd Corinthians, A.D. 57
|-
|1st Samuel, c. 931–722/21 B.C.
|Galatians, A.D. 56
|-
|2nd Samuel <ref>[https://bible.org/article/introduction-book-first-samuel Bible.org Introduction to First Samuel]</ref>
|Ephesians, A.D. 62-63
|-
|1st Kings, 609-600 B.C.
|Philippians, A.D. 58-60
|-
|2nd Kings, 609-600 B.C.
|Colosians, A.D. 61-63
|-
|1st Chronicles, c. 400 B.C.
|1st Thessalonians, A.D. 52
|-
|2nd Chronicles, c. 400 B.C.
|2nd Thessalonians, A.D. 53
|-
|Ezra, c. 400 B.C.
|1st Timothy, A.D. 62-65
|-
|Nehemiah, c. 400 B.C.
|2nd Timothy, A.D. 65-66
|-
|Esther, 464-425 B.C.
|Titus, A.D. 65
|-
|Job, 1440-1400 B.C.
|Philemon, A.D. 65
|-
|Psalms, 1004-965 B.C.
|Hebrews, A.D. 63-64
|-
|Proverbs, 965-925 B.C.
|James, A.D. 63-64
|-
|Eccleisiastes, 965-925 B.C.
|1st Peter, A.D. 64
|-
|Song of Solomon, 965-925 B.C.
|2nd Peter, A.D. 65
|-
|Isaiah, 785-697 B.C.
|1st John, A.D. 90-100
|-
|Jeremiah, 587-538 B.C.
|2nd John, A.D. 90-100
|-
|Lamentations, 587-538 B.C.
|3rd John, A.D. 90-100
|-
|Ezekiel, 592-572 B.C.
|Jude, c. A.D. 70-75
|-
|Daniel, 539-520 B.C.
|Revelation, A.D. 96-98
|-
|Hosea, 753-731 B.C.
|
|-
|Joel, 835-796 B.C.
|
|-
|Amos, 787-747 B.C.
|
|-
|Obadiah, 848-841 B.C.
|
|-
|Jonah, 771-754 B.C.
|
|-
|Micah, 715-687 B.C.
|
|-
|Nahum, 661-612 B.C.
|
|-
|Habbakuk, 625-608 B.C.
|
|-
|Zephaniah, 621-608 B.C.
|
|-
|Haggai, 520 B.C.
|
|-
|Zechariah, 520 B.C.
|
|-
|Malachi, 455 B.C.
|
|}
The Hebrew Old Testament of the Bible, also called Tanakh, consists of twenty-four books. The books themselves were originally written in [[Hebrew]], and later on in the [[Aramaic]] language of Palestine (the original texts of the Hebrew books of Daniel and Ezra, for example, have major portions written in Aramaic). The Greek language version written after the conquest of [[Alexander the Great]] is known as the [[Septuagint]], and to it the Jews added more texts that they also valued for their [[piety]], wisdom and history, most of them translated from Hebrew or Aramaic originals. By A.D. the 1st century this Septuagint collection had become the Greek Old Testament Bible of the apostles.<ref>Most Protestant Christians are unaware that the overwhelming majority of Old Testament quotations and references in the New Testament are numerous quotations from the Septuagint including the books Martin Luther separated as [[Apocrypha]]. See the following four sources:
*[http://www.scripturecatholic.com/septuagint.html Septuagint Quotes in the New Testament]
*[http://www.ecclesia.org/truth/septuagint.html The Septuagint (LXX): History of the Septuagint]
*[http://www.cresourcei.org/canonot.html Canons of the Hebrew Bible]
*[http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/Apocrypha-Books/ Official King James Bible online: Apocrypha Books]
Biblical researchers in the 20th and 21st centuries have also discovered manuscripts and linguistic evidence that appear to prove that most of the Apocrypha, except the Book of Wisdom (originally written in Greek?), were originally written in Hebrew or Aramaic (Syriac) prior to the Christian era. [http://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/apocrypha/ Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Apocrypha] [http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/apocrypha.html The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha] (jewishvirtuallibrary.org)</ref> [[Melito]],<ref>[http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=1017 Catholic Online: St. Melito of Sardis], [http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/melito.html Early Christian Writings: Melito of Sardis]</ref> a bishop of [[Sardis]] in [[Lydia]] (in what is now [[Turkey]]), is said to have coined the phrase ''Old Testament'' about A.D. 170. The Greek Old Testament has been a continuous part of the Christian Bible in the eastern Churches in Palestine, Greece, Turkey, and the whole of the [[Levant]] since the 1st century.

The Hebrew Old Testament is divided in three parts within the Jewish community: the [[Torah|'''T'''orah]] ("Law"), or [[Pentateuch]], the five books of [[Moses]]; the [[Nevi'im|'''N'''evi'im]] ("Prophets"), and the [[Ketuvim|'''K'''etuvim]] ("Writings,” or [[Hagiographa]]) (abbreviated '''T'''a'''N'''a'''K'''h, hence, "Tanakh", ). Here the arrangement of the books differs somewhat from the Old Testament as used by Christians, with three of the twenty-four (Samuel, Kings, Chronicles) each being divided into two books, and Ezra being divided into Ezra and Nehemiah; however the actual writing of each book remains the same. The Christian order of the books of the Bible follows the Chronology of the events and the personages being related, according to their arrangement in the Septuagint, while in the Jewish order, though there is a chronological framework, the order follows more the importance, influence, "weight of usage" within Judaism. Thus, for orthodox Judaism, The Torah of [[Moses]] comes first (the 5 books of Moses), and is the most authoritative of all Scripture. Under the [[Pharisee|Pharasaic]] theory that Moses was also given the Oral law, explicating how the Written law was to be applied, at the same time as he was given the written law contained in the Bible, the Oral Law too was passed on through the generations, and was later in A.D. the 3rd century first put into writing in the Mishna (compiled by [[Judah haNasi]] <ref>[http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/hanasi.html Yehudah HaNasi (Judah the Prince) (A.D. 135 - 219)], [http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/8963-judah-i Jewish Encyclopedia: Judah I]</ref>) and the Gemara (gathered by the [[Amoriam]] <ref>Amoraim (Aramaic: plural אמוראים [ʔamoʁaˈʔim], singular Amora אמורא [ʔamoˈʁa]; "those who say" or "those who speak over the people", or "spokesmen"), were renowned Jewish scholars who "said" or "told over" the teachings of the Oral Torah, from about 200 to 500 CE in Babylonia and the Land of Israel. See [http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0002_0_01018.html Jewish Virtual Library: AMORAIM]</ref>) finally composing the [[Talmud]], and is regarded as equally authoritative with the Torah of Moses.<ref>There is a similar teaching in the Christian New Testament, in the Second Letter to the Thessalonians ([http://biblehub.com/multi/2_thessalonians/2-15.htm 2:15]) and in the First Letter to the Corinthians ([http://biblehub.com/multi/1_corinthians/11-2.htm 11:2]). This seems to be the Biblical justification for the Catholic and Orthodox teaching that the fullness of the Christian faith is contained in both scripture and tradition, "letter" and "word". See [[Sola scriptura]]</ref> Then the Prophets come next in authority. But the category of the Hebrew Prophets for the Jews is much broader than the category of the Prophets as considered by the Christian ordering. The "Prophets" in the Tanakh includes what Christians consider "History" - such as the books of the Kings - but it also includes what Christians call the Former and the Latter, or the Major and the Minor prophets. The last in authority for every day life of the Jew, in terms of "regulation", actually form a great influence in the Synagogue worship - the Writings, with a heavy emphasis on the Psalms.

====Torah====
The Five books of Moses, in their Hebrew and English names:
*<big>בְּרֵאשִׁית</big> Bereisheet ("in the beginning"), or [[Genesis]]
*<big>שְׁמוֹת</big> Shemot (“names”), or [[Exodus]]
*<big>וַיִּקְרָא</big> Vayikra (“and God called”), or [[Leviticus]]
*<big>בְּמִדְבַּר</big> Bemidbar (“in the Wilderness”), or [[Numbers]]
*<big>דְּבָרִים</big> Devarim (“words”), or [[Deuteronomy]]

The first eleven chapters of ''Genesis'' provide the account of the [[Creation]], the history of God's early relationship with humanity, and the [[Deluge]] of [[Noah]]. The remaining thirty-nine chapters detail the account of God's covenant with the early Hebrew nation, led by the patriarchs [[Abraham]], [[Isaac]] and [[Jacob]] (or Israel), and one of Jacob's children, [[Joseph]]. It tells the beginnings of God's chosen people, of how God commanded Abraham to leave his family and home to settle in the land of [[Canaan]], and how the Children of Israel later moved to Egypt. The remainder of the Torah, beginning with ''Exodus'' and ending with ''Deuteronomy'', tells the story of the great Hebrew leader [[Moses]], and of the Hebrews through their sojourn and slavery in Egypt, their escape from bondage, and their wanderings in the desert until finally they stand ready to enter the Promised Land.

====Nevi'im====
The [[Nevi'im]] ("Prophets") is the story of the rise toward, and ultimately reaching, the Hebrew monarchy; the sad period of anarchy and revolt leading to the division into the two kingdoms of Judah and Israel; and the prophets who judged the kings of both in God's name. It ends with the conquest and dissolution of the Northern Kingdom of Israel and its Assyrian exile, and then the conquest of the Kingdom of Judah, the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, and the Babylonian exile. The Minor Prophets are considered a single book in the Nevi'im; in Christianity they have been split into twelve separate books and named for their authors.
*<big>יְהוֹשֻׁעַ</big> [[Joshua (Biblical book)|Joshua]]
*<big>שׁוֹפְטִים</big> [[Judges (Biblical book)|Judges]]
*<big>שְׁמוּאֵל א</big> [[I Samuel]]
*<big>שְׁמוּאֵל ב</big> [[II Samuel]]
*<big>מְלָכִים א</big> [[I Kings]]
*<big>מְלָכִים ב</big> [[II Kings]]
*<big>יְשַׁעְיָהוּ</big> [[Isaiah (Biblical book)|Isaiah]]
*<big>יִרְמְיָהוּ</big> [[Jeremiah (Biblical book)|Jeremiah]]
*<big>יְחֶזְקֵאל</big> [[Ezekiel (Biblical book)|Ezekiel]]
* [[The Minor Prophets]]
**<big>הוֹשֵׁעַ</big> [[Hosea (Biblical book)|Hosea]]
**<big>יוֹאֵל</big> [[Joel (Biblical book)|Joel]]
**<big>עָמוֹס</big> [[Amos (Biblical book)|Amos]]
**<big>עֹבַדְיָה</big> [[Obadiah (Biblical book)|Obadiah]]
**<big>יוֹנָה</big> [[Jonah (Biblical book)|Jonah]]
**<big>מִיכָה</big> [[Micah (Biblical book)|Micah]]
**<big>נַחוּם</big> [[Nahum (Biblical book)|Nahum]]
**<big>חֲבַקּוּק</big> [[Habakkuk (Biblical book)|Habakkuk]]
**<big>צְפַנְיָה</big> [[Zephaniah (Biblical book)|Zephaniah]]
**<big>חַגַּי</big> [[Haggai (Biblical book)|Haggai]]
**<big>זְכַרְיָה</big> [[Zechariah (Biblical book)|Zechariah]]
**<big>מַלְאָכִי</big> [[Malachi (Biblical book)|Malachi]]

====Ketuvim====
The [[Ketuvim]], or "Writings," contain lyrical poetry, philosophical reflections on life, and the writings of the prophets and other Jewish leaders during the exile in [[Babylon]].
*<big>תְּהִלִּים</big> [[Psalms]]
*<big>מִשְׁלֵי</big> [[Proverbs]]
*<big>אִיּוֹב</big> [[Book of Job]]
*<big>שִׁיר הַשִּׁירִים</big> [[Song of Songs]], also called [[Song of Solomon]] in the Protestant Christian Bible.
*<big>רוּת</big> [[Book of Ruth]]
*<big>אֵיכָה</big> [[Lamentations]]
*<big>קֹהֶלֶת</big> [[Ecclesiastes]]
*<big>אֶסְתֵּר</big> [[Esther]]
*<big>דָּנִיֵּאל</big> [[Daniel (Biblical book)|Daniel]]
*<big>עֶזְרָא</big> [[Ezra]], divided into the two books of <big>עֶזְרָא</big> Ezra and <big>נְחֶמְיָה</big> [[Nehemiah]] in the Christian Bible.
*<big>דִּבְרֵי הַיָּמִים א</big> ''and'' <big>דִּבְרֵי הַיָּמִים ב</big> [[Books of Chronicles]]

[[David]] has been named as the author of the ''Psalms''; [[Solomon]] is traditionally believed to have written ''Song of Songs'' in his youth, the ''Proverbs'' in his prime, and ''Ecclesiastes'' during his old age. The prophet [[Jeremiah]] is thought to have written the aptly-named ''Lamentations'' at the beginning of the exile to Babylon. The ''Book of Ruth'' is the only biblical book that centers entirely on a non-Jew, a [[Moabite]] who married a Jew and became an ancestor of both David and [[Jesus Christ]]. ''Esther'' is unique as it is the only book in the Hebrew Tanakh not to mention God. Moses is traditionally considered to be the author of ''Job''.

===The melodies of the Old Testament===
The Hebrew of the present day Old Testament is composed of the Hebrew consonants and, added on by the [[Masoretic Text|Masoretes]] at a later stage, the vowels. Along with these two elements, other signs were added which indicated the melodies that were sung along with the words or phrases. Some of the signs were positioned above the individual consonants, some below, and some to the side. Some of these melody signs were associated with others providing a musical pattern that corresponds with the opening of a thought, similar to the beginning of a sentence (ex. "merkha"), the continuation of a thought (ex. "munakh"), tying in one word with the following, as one melody flowed into the next, the "resting" or completion of a thought, much in "the same way that a comma (ex. "azla"), though not ending a sentence, makes for the "semi"-ending or minor completion of a thought, a major break in the run of thoughts ("etnachta"), though the run of thought would be resumed until the major completion ("sof pasuq"), much in the same way the a period brings to a stop and a completion as a sentence ends. Thus the musical signs in the Hebrew text also provide an interpretation of the text current to the times in which the signs were incorporated as part of the text, the Masoretic vowel-pointing excluding those former tonal readings which clearly represented Christian textual interpretations. The signs that tie one word to another providing one thought are called "conjunctive" signs and the signs that separate words and the thought of them are called "disjunctive". An example of the use of these signs to interpret the Hebrew text is the well known prophesy of the One to come. The Hebrew letters can either be understood to read "His name shall be called Wonderful counsellor of (''from, sent by, representing'') the mighty God", or "His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God". The melody signs (called in Hebrew "Ta'mei HaMikra) decide for the latter. After "Wonderful" there is a disjunctive, after "Counsellor" there is a disjunctive, and after "Mighty" (but adj. after the noun in Hebrew order) there is a conjunctive. It is possible to reconstruct to some extent the melody and the interpretation of the Old Testament current in the first century and therefore the melody and the interpretation used by Jesus Himself.<ref name=Steinberg>[http://www.adath-shalom.ca/history_of_hebrew2a.htm History of the Ancient and Modern Hebrew Language, By David Steinberg. Phonemic Structure of Hebrew] David.Steinberg@houseofdavid.ca. http://www.houseofdavid.ca Home page
http://www.adath-shalom.ca/history_of_hebrewtoc.htm</ref> This is because of the following: the present day melodies of the various dispersions of the Jews are to a great extent different one from the other. Some of these dispersions are the Ashkenazi, representing the Jews exiled from Israel by the Romans in A.D. 70 and then on to the Rhine Valley, and then onto parts of Eastern Europe, Western Europe, America, etc., the Sephardim who saw the beginnings of their dispersion from Spain in the 15th Century and then on to Greece, Turkey, North Africa. Holland, and America, the Yemenites, the Bnei Israel of India, the Jews of Ethiopia, etc. etc., Yet, with the diversity in melodies of the Scriptures, there are certain features which are either identical or strikingly similar. Musicologist, [[Joel Segal]], pointed out over 40 years ago, that this could only have been possible if these dispersions were at one time together in the same place. The only time that all these dispersions were together in the same place was prior to the great dispersion of the first century and the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.

===Old Testament Apocrypha===
The deuterocanonical books and others that the Reformation designated [[Apocrypha]] were written during the four hundred years between the time of Ezra and Malachi and the birth of Christ (one of them, 2 Esdras, possibly in A.D. the 1st century). The term itself comes from the Greek word ''apokruphos'' ("hidden" or "concealed") which was first applied to them by Jerome according to the opinions of the Jewish sources he consulted in Palestine, and although the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches, among others, have always included the deuterocanonical Apocrypha in their versions of the Bible, considering them to be canonical (and they do have an actual history and literary value) the fourteen texts (10 books and portions of 2 others) which make up the whole of the Protestant Apocrypha have been rejected as non-canonical by both the Jewish faith since the 2nd century and by most Protestant denominations of the Christian church since the 16th century due to what, according to Reformation doctrine, they consider to be "''historical, geographical, or literal inaccuracies; the teaching of doctrines which contradict inspired Scripture; and a lack of elements and structure which give genuine Scripture its unique characteristic''" (Unger, pg. 70<ref>See also the following sources for more extensive expression of this Evangelical Christian opinion: Unger, Merril F. Unger's Bible Dictionary, Moody Press, Chicago, IL (1966; new edition 2006); Unger, Merril F. The New Unger's Bible Dictionary, (2006); 1416pp; Unger, Merril F. Unger's Bible Handbook, Moody Press, Chicago, IL (1967).</ref>). Three of the Apocrypha, 1 and 2 Esdras and Prayer of Manasseh, although part of Jerome's Vulgate, were not included among the canonical books listed at the Council of Trent and are considered by Catholics to be apocryphal works, and as not among the accepted deuterocanonicals. See [[Biblical Canon]].

Protestants do not include Psalm 151 and 3 and 4 Maccabees among the Apocrypha, but they also do not include these in their Bibles. The Reformation did not address the question of their canonical status. The Catholic Church did not include them in the canon of the Council of Trent, and they do not appear in regular editions of the Catholic Bible. They continue to be part of the [[Orthodox Church|Orthodox Bible]].

The Apocryphal books had been used in both Israel and Egypt and (except the Latin 2 Esdras which was part of the Vulgate) are part of the Old Testament in the Greek language used by Jews all over the Greek speaking world - particularly Alexandria, Egypt. This version is called the Septuaginta. The Septuaginta after the 1st century fell into disuse among Jews for two reasons -
:1. Greek speaking Christians were using the Septuaginta in their efforts to bring Jews to faith in Jesus Christ
:2. A number of the Apocryphal books were also apocalyptic, that is, focusing on the last days, the Kingdom of God in battle against the kingdoms of this world and the downfall of this world's empires. This was considered dangerous and liable to provoke Rome against the Jews.
Alternative Greek translations to the Septuaginta, which was considered "loose" by the Rabbis, were adopted. These were the translations of three proselytes to Judaism, Theodosious, Aquillas, and Symmachus. The Jewish Rabbinic [[Council of Jamnia|"Council" of Jamnia]] (Yavneh on the Mediterraenian coast of Israel) in A.D. 90, under the leadership of Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai, effectively excluded the Apocryphal books (along with the Septuaginta) from the Jewish Canon by requiring, for a book to be considered canonical, that it have been written in Hebrew (and Aramaic). This immediately excludes ''all'' of the Christian scriptures included in the entire New Testament, since they were written in Greek and in the 1st century. Actually, a number of the apocryphal books, or portions thereof, had been written originally in Hebrew, most notably, the Book of Ben Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) found in Hebrew at Qumran with the rest of the Dead Sea Scrolls, but this was unknown to Yohanan Ben Zakkai and the Council of Jamnia in the first century. Under the impetus of Renaissance learning, Protestant scholars went directly to the Hebrew text and began to translate the Bible directly from the original languages of Hebrew and Greek, instead of having to go through the Latin Vulgate. But they consulted the Hebrew text of the Talmudic rabbinical version of the synagogue (eventually to be called the "Masoretic text") of the canon of books that had been recommended by the Council of Jamnia and afterward consistently authorized by subsequent rabbinical authorities representing Judaism. They also disregarded the witness of the canonical listing of the books of the Christian Orthodox Greek Bible, which had not been determined by the Council of Trent under the Roman Pontiff but had always been the traditional Old Testament as read from the time of the apostles and the most ancient Christian Church. In this way, most Protestant churches came to not include the Apocryphal books in their Canon of Scripture. One of the reasons the Roman Catholic Church held to the Vulgate was because it had been translated by Jerome from the Hebrew text before the text had been revised and altered by the Masoretes, and today it is considered a valuable witness to the earlier Hebrew Bible.
:"It has also proved of primary importance as an early and excellent witness to the sacred text."
::—The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915)<ref>[http://www.bible-researcher.com/vulgate1.html The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915) The Vulgate, by Samuel Angus.]</ref>

The following are the books which are most frequently referred to by the title ''Apocrypha'':
*[[1 Esdras]]
*[[2 Esdras]]
*[[1 Maccabees]]
*[[2 Maccabees]]
*[[Book of Tobit]]
*[[Book of Judith]]
*[[Book of Wisdom]]
*[[Book of Sirach|Ecclesiasticus]], also known as Sirach
*[[Book of Baruch]]
:*[[Epistle of Jeremiah]] is sometimes listed as separate book or the last chapter of Baruch
*[[Prayer of Manasseh]]
*Greek language additions to the [[Book of Esther]]

Additions to the book of Daniel
*[[The Prayer of Azariah and Song of the Three Holy Children]]
*[[Story of Susanna]]
*[[Bel and the Dragon]]

With the exception of 1 and 2 Esdras and the Prayer of Manasseh, the remaining seven books and the parts of Esther and Daniel listed here are accepted as divinely inspired, canonical scriptures in the Holy Bible by the Catholic and Orthodox branches of Christianity;<ref>The '''Catholic Church''' is the world's largest [[Christianity|Christian]] body comprised of several distinct [https://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/catholic_rites_and_churches.htm "Rites"]. The [[Catholic Church|Catholic Church (Latin Rite)]] is the largest religious body in the United States, with over 60 million adherents (4 times as large as the second largest church, the Orthodox). [http://www.pewforum.org/2013/02/13/the-global-catholic-population/ “The Global Catholic Population,” © 2011, Pew Research Center.] [http://www.adherents.com/largecom/com_romcath.html The Largest Catholic Communities] 
The '''Eastern Orthodox Church''', officially called the '''Orthodox Catholic Church''', and also referred to as the '''[[Orthodox Church]]''' and '''Orthodoxy''', is the second largest [[Christianity|Christian church]] in the world, with an estimated 225–300 million adherents, most of whom live in [[Eastern Europe]], the [[Middle East]], and [[Russia]]. {{cite web |last1=Calivas |first1=Rev. Alciviadis C. |title=The Greek (Eastern) Orthodox Church |publisher=Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Of America |year=1983 |url=http://www.goarch.org/ourfaith/ourfaith7061 |accessdate=7 May 2014 |ref=none }} {{cite web |last1=Fairchild |first1=Mary |title=Christianity:Basics:Eastern Orthodox Church Denomination |publisher=about.com |url=http://christianity.about.com/od/easternorthodoxy/p/orthodoxprofile.htm |accessdate=22 May 2014 |ref=none }} {{cite web |title=Christianity |work=Major Branches of Religions Ranked by Number of Adherents |publisher=adherents.com |url=http://www.adherents.com/adh_branches.html#Christianity |accessdate=22 May 2014 |ref=none }}</ref><ref name=Prot>See [http://www.888c.com/worldChristianDenominations.htm Percentage of Christians in Protestant Denominations (29.5%)].</ref> however, they are not accepted as canonical by the majority of Protestant branches of Christianity, though many Protestants still see them as having value.

====The problem with rabbinical authority defining the biblical canon====

According to the ordinary reading of the New Testament and the consensus of the majority of Christians from the 1st century to this day, the authority of the kingdom of God had been wholly taken away from the Jews in the 1st century and given to the leaders of the Gentiles and Jews in Christ long before the Council of Jamnia. See:
:[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew%2015:13-14&version=KJV Matthew 15:13-14]
:[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew%2016:18-19&version=KJV Matthew 16:18-19]
:[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew%2018:17-18&version=KJV Matthew 18:17-18]
:[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew%2021:43&version=KJV Matthew 21:43]
:[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew%2028:18-20&version=KJV Matthew 28:18-20]
:[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke%201:32-33&version=KJV Luke 1:32-33]
:[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke%2010:16&version=KJV Luke 10:16]
:[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=luke%2022:29-30&version=KJV Luke 22:29-30]
:[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=acts%207:51-53&version=KJV Acts 7:51-53]
:[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1corinthians%204:1&version=KJV 1 Corinthians 4:1]
:[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1corinthians%206:2-3&version=KJV 1 Corinthians 6:2-3]
:[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1timothy%203:14-15&version=KJV 1 Timothy 3:14-15]
:[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=hebrews%2013:17&version=KJV Hebrews 13:17]
:[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1john%204:2-6&version=KJV 1 John 4:2-6]
:[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2john%201:9-11&version=KJV 2 John 9-ll]

Between A.D. 90-95, long after the descent of the Holy Spirit of God at Pentecost and the spread of Christianity and the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem and the devastation of the city and the expulsion of the Jews, the Jewish [[Council of Jamnia]] revised the canon of the Old Testament, by ensuring that the books involved conformed to the Torah, were written in the Hebrew language, written in Palestine, and written before 400 B.C. As a result, the Apocrypha was excluded from the Hebrew canon.<ref>[https://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/canon1.html The Jewish Canon and the Christian Canon] (web.cn.edu) Linguistic evidence shows that other Septuagint books which were excluded by rabbinical authority after A.D. 90 certainly had an original Hebrew or Aramaic text. See
*[http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/apocrypha.html Jewish Virtual Library. Jewish Holy Scriptures: The Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha, by Michael E. Stone]
*[http://archive.churchsociety.org/crossway/documents/Cway_102_ApocryphaBackground.pdf BACKGROUND AND HISTORY TO THE APOCRYPHA, By David Phillips] Article reprinted from Cross†Way Issue Autumn 2006 No. 102 (archive.churchsociety.org)
*[http://churchsociety.org/issues_new/doctrine/misc/apocrypha/iss_doctrine_misc_apocrypha_origin.asp The Origin of the Apocrypha]
*[https://books.google.com/books?id=dtlDAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA203&lpg=PA203&dq=apocryphal+books+having+evidence+of+hebrew+or+aramaic+origin&source=bl&ots=CkMPwQMciG&sig=y6w4tnI_wvIqyzCWqCoN3xo8mvQ&hl=en&sa=X&ei=VGGcVP2RH4r2yQT7toKYAw&ved=0CFMQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=apocryphal%20books%20having%20evidence%20of%20hebrew%20or%20aramaic%20origin&f=false The Apocrypha of the Old Testament: With Historical Introductions, a Revised Translation, and Notes Critical and Explanatory, by Edwin Cone Bissell. Scribner, 1890. 680 pages], page 208ff, citing evidence that the "additions to Esther" were also translated from the Hebrew. (Google eBook)</ref> The books excluded by this criteria were relatively recent Jewish contributions of the 3rd through the 1st centuries before Christ which had become part of Jewish culture. The rabbinical authorities simultaneously excluded as condemned and false the writings of the "heretics" (the ''minim'', including Christians, called nozrim, no§rim, "Nazarenes"), and cursed Christians in a synagogue service "benediction" against them and others. Palestinian texts of the Eighteen Benedictions from the Cairo Genizah <ref>[http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/treasures-in-the-wall The New Yorker: Page-Turner. March 1, 2013 Treasures in the Wall, by Emily Greenhouse] (newyorker.com) [http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/Genizah.html Jewish Virtual Library: Modern Jewish History: The Cairo Genizah, by Alden Oreck]</ref> present a text of the benediction which identifies the minim:<blockquote>"''For the apostates may there be no hope unless they return to Your Torah. As for the no§rim and the minim, may they perish immediately. Speedily may they be erased from the Book of Life, and may they not be registered among the righteous. Blessed are You, O Lord, Who subdues the wicked.''"</blockquote>While other specimens of the Palestinian liturgy show slight variation, the no§rim, (usually translated “Christians”) and minim are included in the best texts of this benediction. The fact remains that the no§rim were included with apostates and heretics and the wicked in the Genizah documents.<ref>[http://lawrenceschiffman.com/?s=the+benediction+against+the+minim Professor Lawrence H. Schiffman: The Benediction Against the Minim] (lawrenceschiffman.com) [http://www.defendingthebride.com/bb/curse.html DEFENDING THE BRIDE. THE CURSE AGAINST CHRISTIANS AT JAMNIA ABOUT 90 AD] (defendingthebride.com) [https://www.academia.edu/6811953/The_Jewish_Council_of_Jamnia_and_Its_Impact_on_the_Old_Testament_Canon_and_New_Testament_Studies The Jewish “Council” of Jamnia and Its Impact on the Old Testament Canon and New Testament Studies, Tim Gordon October 20, 2007] (academia.edu/6811953)</ref> Martin Luther and the leaders of the [[Reformation]] cite as authoritative and determinative the canon of the Hebrew Bible as defined by rabbinical authorities who excluded and condemned as false the entire New Testament scriptures and Jesus as the Messiah <ref name=Luther>Luther rejected the seven books of the Old Testament, citing the Palestinian Canon as his authority. Clearly his reasons were doctrinal. However, his decision poses serious difficulties. What authority from God would Jews have in the Christian era to determine which books of the Old Testament were or were not divinely inspired? In 1529, Luther proposed adoption of the 39-book canon of rabbinic Judaism as the Old Testament canon of the Christian Bible. He justified his decision to exclude seven books from the Old Testament canon of 46 books by an appeal to precedent, citing Jerome who, around A.D. 400 had expressed concerns also voiced by his rabbinical sources that these books in Greek had no Hebrew counterparts. Research into the Dead Sea Scrolls found at Qumran has discovered Hebrew copies of some of the disputed books, which makes their rejection on this ground unsupportable. Luther's principal reason for opposing these Old Testament books seems to be that they contain textual support for doctrines he had rejected, such as praying for the dead (2 Maccabees 12:42-45). See [http://www.totustuus.com/luther Luther and the Canon of the Bible, by Jim Seghers] [http://www.olswahiawa.org/uploads/2/1/8/4/21845996/session_3.pdf The Canon of the Bible] [http://catholicdefense.blogspot.com/2011/07/can-protestants-rely-upon-council-of.html Wednesday, July 20, 2011. Can Protestants Rely Upon the "Council of Jamnia" for Their Bible?]</ref> because "''unto them were committed the oracles of God.''" (see [http://biblehub.com/multi/romans/3-2.htm Romans 3:2]). This is an historical fact, and it presents a serious problem, known in logic ''as [[non sequitur]]''. If the Jews have been so entrusted with the word of God that they had therefore been given the divine authority to also determine the ''canon'' of sacred scripture, as Luther and the Reformation Protestants maintain, then the whole New Testament is excluded from the canon of the holy Bible because it does not meet the four established rabbinical criteria for what is sacred inspired scripture. See [[Logical fallacy]]

===The New Testament===
The New Testament is a collection of twenty-seven books and letters, written by the early Christian community, and written primarily in [[Greek]]. The emphasis of the New Testament is the life, teachings, and gift of salvation from the central figure of the whole work, Jesus of Nazareth. These books are grouped into the following:

====[[Gospels|The Gospels]]====
The ''Gospels'' contain the history of Jesus. The ''Acts of the Apostles'' are a continuance of the Gospels, documenting the history of the early church, beginning immediately following Jesus' death and resurrection. Of the authors, only Matthew and John had met Jesus; they were among His disciples during His earthly ministry. Eusebius, in his ''Ecclesiastical History'', says:<blockquote>"Matthew and John are the only ones that have left us recorded comments, and even they, tradition says, undertook it from necessity. Matthew also, having '''first proclaimed the Gospel in Hebrew''' when on the point of going also to other nations, '''committed it to writing in his native tongue''', and thus supplied the want of his presence to them by his writings. But after, when Mark and Luke had already published their Gospels, they say that John, who during all this time was proclaiming the gospel without writing, at length proceeded to write it on the following occasion. The three Gospels previously written, having been distributed among all, and also handed to him, they say that he admitted them, giving his testimony to their truth; but that there was only wanting in the narrative the account of the things done by Christ, among the first of his deeds, and at the commencement of the Gospel. And this was the truth." —Book III, Chapter XXIV.<ref>''The Ecclesiastical History Of Eusebius Pamphilus: Bishop Of Caesarea, In Palestine'', translated from the Greek, by the Rev. C. F. Crusé, A.M., assistant professor in the University of Pennsylvania. With Notes from the Edition of Valesius. London: George Bell and Sons, York Street, Covent Garden. 1874. ''Legacy Reprint Series''. Book III, Chapter XXIV The order of the Gospels. page 97</ref> (''book in the public domain. Boldface emphasis added'') .</blockquote> Eusebius relates the already-existing tradition in his day that Matthew wrote the first Gospel. In every manuscript of the New Testament, Matthew is always placed first, and for almost 1900 years the traditional view prevailed unchallenged that Matthew was the first Gospel written. This is called the [[Augustinian hypothesis]], which holds that Matthew was the first Gospel, written by Matthew the Evangelist. Mark, according to tradition a Roman, and a companion of Peter, was author of the second Gospel, but beginning in the 19th century [[Heinrich Julius Holtzmann]] together with other German scholars, abusing the literary tools of [[Historical-critical method (Higher criticism)|historical-critical methods]] in opposition to Christian tradition, declared on their authority as German scholars that Mark's gospel was the first to be written down, about A.D. 50. This theory is called "Marcan priority", and it was aggressively spread as part of [[Otto von Bismarck|Bismarck's]] anti-Catholic 'Kulturkampf' policy.<ref>[http://www.ewtn.com/library/SCRIPTUR/KULTGOS.TXT Kulturkampf and the Gospel, by John Beaumont] [http://www.churchinhistory.org/pages/booklets/farmer%28n%29.htm Church in History. The ChurchinHistory Information Centre. BISMARCK AND THE FOUR GOSPELS 1870 - 1914, by William R. Farmer (University of Dallas) Editor of A NEW CATHOLIC BIBLE COMMENTARY. The theory that Mark's Gospel was published before Matthew's is widely held in German and English speaking countries. This article shows how this theory, with little supporting evidence, came to be spread as part of Bismarck's anti-Catholic 'Kulturkampf' policy. BIBLIOTHECA EPHEMERIDUM THEOLOGICARUM LOVANIENSIUM. THE FOUR GOSPELS. 1992] (churchinhistory.org)</ref> This view is widely held by liberal biblical scholars in German and English speaking countries. In the United States acceptance of Marcan Priority has often been a test of the "academic competency" of those faculty members who teach Biblical Studies.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=UYKvAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA282&lpg=PA282&dq=academic+persecution+regarding+Augustinian+hypothesis&source=bl&ots=iDysvbe5ii&sig=oNOrQku42-Tx-n-yBzhQtzAeQls&hl=en&sa=X&ei=VHKkVNa7IceiyAStsYKYAw&ved=0CEQQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q=academic%20persecution%20regarding%20Augustinian%20hypothesis&f=false Mark's Gospel--Prior or Posterior?: A Reappraisal of the Phenomenon of Order, By David Neville]</ref> Luke is traditionally considered to be the author of both the third Gospel and the ''Acts''.
*[[Gospel of Matthew]]
*[[Gospel of Mark]]
*[[Gospel of Luke]]
*[[Gospel of John]]
*[[Acts of the Apostles]]

====[[Pauline Epistles]]====
The Pauline Epistles are letters (epistles) written to early Christian communities written by the [[Apostle Paul]].
*[[Epistle to the Romans]]
*[[First Epistle to the Corinthians]]
*[[Second Epistle to the Corinthians]]
*[[Galatians|Epistle to the Galatians]]
*[[Epistle to the Philippians]]
*[[Epistle to Philemon]]
*[[First Epistle to the Thessalonians]]
*[[Second Epistle to the Thessalonians]]
*[[Ephesians|Epistle to the Ephesians]]
*[[Epistle to the Colossians]]
*[[First Epistle to Timothy]]
*[[Second Epistle to Timothy]]
*[[Epistle to Titus]]
*''Possibly the [[Epistle to the Hebrews]]''

[[Liberal]] Bible scholarship over the last two centuries has denied that Paul wrote Ephesians, 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus; and doubted that he wrote Colossians and 2 Thessalonians. However, all the epistles listed above except Hebrews say they are written by Paul. As they are authoritative Scripture which "cannot lie", their claims should be believed.

There is speculation that Paul may have written the ''Epistle to the Hebrews'', which does not mention an author; however, under the pure divine power of the Holy Spirit of God the Father through Jesus Christ himself—"he has spoken through the Prophets"—it could easily have been written by any early Christian except for Timothy, who is mentioned by name in the final chapter. The controversy, however, does not affect the genuineness of the epistle.<ref>Unger, pg. 748; Eusebius ''The History of the Church'' 3:3</ref>

The Council of Trent (1546) dogmatically affirmed that the Epistle to the Hebrews is one of the fourteen genuine epistles of Paul.
:—[http://www.bible-researcher.com/trent1.html Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent. The Fourth Session. Celebrated on the eighth day of the month of April, in the year 1546. English translation by James Waterworth (London, 1848)]

====[[General Epistles]]====
*[[Epistle of James]]
*[[First Epistle of Peter]]
*[[Second Epistle of Peter]]
*[[First Epistle of John]]
*[[Second Epistle of John]]
*[[Third Epistle of John]]
*[[Epistle of Jude]]

====Revelation====
The [[Book of Revelation]] is the last work in the New Testament as well as the whole Bible, written close to A.D. 100 by the [[Apostle John]] during his exile on the Greek island of [[Patmos]]. Revelation is concerned with the condition of the [[Seven Churches of Asia]] before going deeply into a description of the [[Last Days]] prior to the beginning of the [[Millennial Age]].

Most [[Fundamentalism|Fundamentalists]] hold to "[[Dispensationalism]]", an interpretive theory of the meaning of Revelation and other prophecies that was developed in the 19th century by British theologian [[John Nelson Darby]] (1800–82) and the [[Plymouth Brethren]], and is summarized in the ''[[Scofield Reference Bible]]'' edited and [[Christian Zionism#Dispensationalism|annotated]] by [http://poweredbychrist.homestead.com/files/cyrus/scofield.htm Cyrus I. Scofield] (1909, 1917). See [http://www.biblestudytools.com/commentaries/scofield-reference-notes/ Scofield's Reference Notes]

==Non-uniformity of language and style of original Scriptures==

Both the Old Testament and the New Testament, in the original languages of Hebrew (and Aramaic) and Greek, exhibit a non uniformity of style and language. This is in sharp contrast to most modern translations which treat the Scriptures throughout as if they are one book instead of the many books they are. Modern translations can be erudite, dignified, folksy and common, clear and geared for the "common man", or replete with language resonant with literary associations for the "accomplished" reader. But they are that way throughout. The Biblical originals, on the other hand, for example, embedded in the Hebrew within the narrative of the deeds of the prophetess Debora, have in the Song of Deborah (Judges chapter 5) a much more ancient and even archaic Hebrew than that of the main text of the book, probably emanating from a chant from the time of Deborah herself, plainly evident to any person who has studied Hebrew language. The same with the narrative and poetic portions concerning Moses. The human authors, inspired by God, were careful to preserve the integrity of the original inspired songs which they had faithfully recorded or otherwise copied and included in their narratives. There are even different Hebrew languages (rather dialects) from the same historical period but from different authors living during the same time, having come from different origins and cultural levels.<ref name=Steinberg/>

For the New Testament, an example of non-uniformity can be found in the stark differences of language in the Gospel of Luke, written by Luke the physician. The early accounts, those concerning the birth of Jesus and early life, are written in a stilted and often crude Greek while the rest of the Gospel is written in fine Greek befitting of the background and ability of a learned physician. But when the stilted and crude Greek is retranslated, word for word and phrase for phrase, into the Hebrew current in the first century in most parts of Israel (a technique called "back translation"), it becomes excellent Hebrew - Mishnaic Hebrew. This is because of the intent and fastidiousness of Luke, who derived his material, as he says, from people that had been "on the scene", and his success in transmitting it faithfully as he had received it. Both the Old and New Testaments, for various reasons, exhibit little or no concern to "level through" or override the content of what they are saying by stylistic considerations.

===Inspiration===
Although the Old Testament is written by many [[homo sapiens|human]] authors, New Testament authors know that these men were writing under the inspiration of God.

The apostle [[Paul]] wrote that "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16).
Similarly the apostle [[Saint Peter|Peter]] wrote, "Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:20-21).

====Formation of New Testament and Jewish technical transmission====
In the first century and prior, the ear was more important than the eye, as far as retaining in memory. Jews would receive orally, that is, from hearing, the laws that they believed originated with Moses and then passed them on to others, down through the generations. It was important to link the present rabbis by names who taught it with the rabbis by name who had passed it on to them, on back as far as possible to Moses on Mt. Sinai. This was the startling difference of Jesus. By saying "You have heard it said, but I say unto you...", He was by-passing Moses and the others after and getting His teaching direct from the Father.

This Jewish way of receiving (QBL) and handing on (MSR) is summed up in the lead saying of the "Ethics of the Fathers" tractate of the [[Mishna]], "Moses received Torah from God at Sinai. He transmitted it to Joshua, Joshua to the elders, the elders to the prophets, the prophets to the members of the Great Assembly [Sanhedrin] (1:1)." The teaching thus transmitted was memorized word for word by groups of disciples (Talmidim) together, thereby minimizing, by the common knowledge and public repetitions, all innovations and errors, though there might well have been "stylizing" for ease of retention and recall, receiving and handing on (transmission).

This methodology, with its technical Hebrew terminology appears in the New Testament with the same technical meaning and purpose, for how the earliest Christian teaching was carried on prior to the formation of the New Testament and during the time of its formation. This ensured the validity of the teaching and its authenticity going back, not to Moses, but to the time of Jesus Himself. "For I handed over (Gk. pare'doka, Heb. MSR) to you at the first what I also received (Gk. pare'labon, Heb. QBL) that Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, and that He was raised on the third day, according to the Scriptures..." l Cor. 15:3. Paul knew all of the "deposit of faith" three ways, in the usual "collaborative" way of God - from Scriptures (the Old Testament), from experience (seeing the living Christ on the road to Damascas), and from authenticated oral tradition/transmission involving "receiving" and "handing on".

==Authority of Bible in religious communities==
The role of the Bible in the life of differing communities varies widely by both the inner tenents of the community and the outer influences bearing on the community.
===Judaism===
Orthodox Judaism through the centuries, while it was only marginally affected by growing secularization and modern learning, held to a "differing levels of authority" understanding of the authority of the Hebrew Bible. This did not imply different levels of inspiration, but rather that importance to the regulation of life was prime for the Torah of Moses, the 5 books of the Law. But the Pharasaic teaching also posited an Oral Law given to Moses by God that was passed on through the centuries through Joshua, the prophets, pairs of Rabbis, until this day. The Oral law is found in the Talmud (Mishna and the Gemara together). The oral law became the decisive interpreter, teacher and regulator of the Written Law and determined the course of Jewish Orthodox life. The second section of the Old Testament, the Prophets, is known to the Jewish Community primarily through the synagogue readings of the prophets, the Haftorah, that are assigned to conclude the weekly reading of the Law. The Psalms, the most formative of all the Writings, besides being common throughout the synagogue services, are used in various devotional prayer contexts. Orthodox Judaism has little been affected by modern Higher Criticism of the Bible. Reformed Judaism, originally developed in Germany, and Conservative Judaism, to a lesser extent, have been greatly affected.

===Mainline Protestants===
Mainline Protestantism, represented in the major Protestant churches, denominations, sects and their seminaries, has greatly been affected by "modernism" based on advanced scholarly research, especially from Germany in the 19th century. Those who abused the legitimate tools "Higher Criticism" chose as a fundamental liberal [[premise]] to ignore God's participation in the production of Scripture. Prime among these theories is the Documentary theory of Penteteuch origins (Wellhausen-Graff) that posits that Moses wrote little or nothing. Instead, they propose that the Bible originated in four unknown hypothetical sources coming from various periods. These four sources are termed J (for the use of "Jehovah" for the name of God), E (for the use of "Elohim"), P (priestly), and D (Deuteronomic). The "spirit" of the New Testament (according to their understanding of what they think is the probable main attitude of the writers, derived from the overall impression gained from a generally humanist religious point of view) is far more important than the text of either Testament for modern Protestant theology.

====Orthodox Jewish critique of Documentary theory====
Jewish Orthodox scholars have pointed to flaws in the Documentary Hypothesis. For instance, Orthodox Jewish Scholar Cassuto has pointed out that rather than the names for God varying according to author and period, they vary according to emphasis from the same period, that of Moses - "Jehovah" being used for God in his dealing with His covenental people Israel, and "Elohim" being used when His dealings with mankind are emphasized. Likewise the two terms usually translated "making a covenant", ''lkhrot brit'' (to "cut" a covenant) and ''lehaqim brit'' (to "raise" a covenenat) are not from two sources but mean two different things - to initiate a covenant and to fulfill a covenant.

===Evangelical Protestants===
Evangelical Protestantism believes strongly in the divine inspiration and inerrancy of the whole Bible and has been the most receptive of the doctrine of the full sufficiency of Biblical Authority. Believing in full inspiration of the whole of Scripture does not mean to evangelicalism the equal importance of all Scriptures for the healthy growth of the Christian community. This is because Evangelicalism, following Scripture's own self-disclosure, believes in progressive revelation throughout Biblical time, culminating in Jesus Christ, and no further (thus obviating the role of Tradition). Thus Evangelicalism, does not hold to the application of Mosaic Legislation, and other biblical elements that Orthodox Judaism holds to. This applies to faith and to morals. The Mosaic regulation on executing a rebellious child does not present a problem for evangelical thought as, according to Paul and Hebrews, the Law has been rendered obsolete by the New Covenant. The Destruction of the Temple and of the place for sacrifice of all kinds, present no problem for evangelicalism, as they did for Judasim, as Christ's sacrifice on the cross has now "fulfilled" the prescriptions of the Law and the ceremonials attached. Thus there is a sort of "levels of authority" understanding for evangelicalism similar to the levels of authority of Judaism (but for different reasons).

Evangelical Churches vigorously promote the reading of Scripture through Sunday sermons and Bible study programs. Emphasis is placed on "each one understanding". Coupled with American individualism, and lack of traditional vehicles of authority, this sometimes leads to splintering of worshiping communities and the insistence that each man's interpretation "is as good as any other". Nevertheless, "The Fundamentals" defined in 1910 are strongly retained by the Evangelical Churches - the divinity of Christ, His death for sins and Resurrection from the dead, His second coming.<ref>''[http://web.archive.org/web/20030101082327/http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Parthenon/6528/fundcont.htm The Fundamentals: A Testimony To The Truth'', 1910–1915, 4 Vol.] [http://www.biola.edu/about/history/ Bible Institute of Los Angeles,] ed. [http://www.dbts.edu/journals/1996_1/ACDIXON.PDF A. C. Dixon], [[Reuben Archer Torrey]].</ref>

===Eastern Orthodox===
The Orthodox Churches throughout the world, whether Greek, Russian, Romanian, the various middle eastern varieties, emphasize the role of the synod (Council) of Bishops, based on the example of the "Council" of Jerusalem in the book of Acts, as the divinely authorized agent of interpretation and application of the Scriptures. Understanding that Jesus' words, "He (the Holy Spirit) will lead you into all truth", Orthodoxy believes that the synod of bishops, no one of whom is held to be individually infallible, are given guidance from the Holy Spirit so that the Scriptures are rightly applied to the Christian Community, enabling the Church to never stray from Christ, that is, the Church is given "indefectability". A minority of Orthodox Church thought holds to "infallibility" in synodal decision rather than, or instead of, "indefectability". The Scriptures in the Orthodox churches are buttressed by creedal formulations, the decisions of belief of past synods, and are less susceptible to the liberalist abuses of the legitimate methods of modern Higher Criticism. The Resurrection of Christ, virgin birth, return of Christ from Heaven to Earth, are all part and parcel of these churches. Individual interpretation of Scripture and manner of life are limited, then, by the teaching authority (the magisterium) granted to the Episcopate - the Synod of bishops.

===Roman Catholic===
The Roman Catholic Church, like the Orthodox Churches, has a strong sense of the Authority ([[Magisterium]]) given to the Bishops by Christ to teach, interpret, defend the Faith and therefore to exercise the responsibility to interpret to the Faithful both Holy Scripture and Apostolic Tradition. But since Vatican II, there has been an increased effort to bring Scriptural knowledge to the laity, and now there has been an increase of Scripture reading and study programs throughout most sections of the Church. This as been abetted by the Catholic Charismatic movement which has had the effect of promoting individual appropriation of the gifts and graces of the Holy Spirit, and with that, the correlate devotional and intellectual use of Holy Scriptures. However, the role of "Magisterium", that is the Teaching Authority, sets firm limits to individual interpretation. The Roman Catholic church understands that, though Magisterial authority is given to all the bishops, the definitive exercise of the Magisterium is limited to one bishop - the bishop of Rome, the Pope, and to the bishops in communion together with him. Further, Catholicism teaches that the Pope, when he declares dogma (teaching) ''[[Ex cathedra|ex-Cathedra]]'' (from the chair), he speaks infallibly (on matters of faith and morals). The first time the Pope promulgated dogma ''ex-cathedra'' formally was to promulgate the doctrine itself of Papal Infallibility, based on Scripture, history, and reason.<ref>[http://www.papalencyclicals.net/Councils/ecum20.htm Papal Encyclicals Online. Decrees of the First Vatican Council] [http://www.catholic.com/tracts/papal-infallibility Catholic Answers. Papal Infallibility]</ref> The Pope, through the Vatican prelates and all the bishops can regulate much of Catholic community life, and some of the regulation is based on the interpretation of Scripture or the application of the traditional interpretation of Scripture. An example of this is the prohibition of abortion. The Church has accepted in a fundamentally modified form most of the legitimate modern [[Historical-critical method (Higher criticism)|Higher Critical methodology]] of studying Scripture, including the [[Documentary Hypothesis]] of origins first developed within German Protestantism. But the effects of this on the tenets of the Christian Faith are profoundly mitigated due to the creedal affirmations of the Church developed centuries ago and to the [[discernment]] of Papal authority. Thus the Roman Catholic Church does not waver on the Deity of Christ, the Trinity, the death and resurrection of Christ, and the Second Coming.

==Evangelical Understanding of the History of the Bible==
Rejecting the "Higher Criticism" accepted by the mainline Protestant denominations, Evangelicals and many Catholics hold to a more traditional history of the Bible. This section summarizes their views.

[[Image:Gospel of Luke in Arab.gif|thumb|This tenth-century Egyptian codex was donated to Pope Eugenius IV by the Coptic delegates at the Council of Ferrara-Florence. Translated from a Coptic original, it is one of the earliest Arabic versions of any part of the New Testament, none of which can be dated before the late eighth or ninth centuries.]]

Traditionally, the oldest books of the Bible are certainly the five books of the Torah and the Book of Job. In 1st Kings 6:1, Solomon is stated to have begun building the Temple "''in the 480th year after the children of Israel were come up out of the land of Egypt''". It has been established by a majority of conservative scholars and historians that Solomon had begun building the Temple in the fourth year of his reign, apparently in 961 B.C., making the probable [[date of the Exodus]] under Moses 1441 B.C. During the following forty years Moses wrote the Torah and the Book of Job, completing them before his death at [[Mt. Nebo]] about 1400 B.C. According to Biblical scholar and historian Robert D. Wilson the Torah as it stands dates from the time of Moses, the five books constitute one continuous work, and was written by a single individual, Moses himself (Wilson, pg 11).<ref>Wilson, Robert D. ''A Scientific Investigation of the Old Testament'', Sunday School Times, Inc, Philadelphia, PA (1926)</ref>

The remaining books of the Old Testament were written at various times since the death of Moses, with ''Malachi'', the last Hebrew Old Testament book, being written about 455 B.C. During this period each of the books was written and re-written on parchment or papyrus, with editors taking great care in their work; a single Biblical book hand-written today can take weeks to complete. The older scrolls were disposed of by burial or storage in a ''Geniza'' room when worn from normal usage (the Cairo Geniza is famous for the antiquity of the scrolls discovered within it) because the Jews have a devout horror of destroying the sacred script containing the transmitted revelation of God; as a result, the oldest surviving examples of Biblical manuscripts are those which have been carefully preserved either by direct actions of people (such as monasteries), or by removal from forces of decay. Currently, the oldest surviving manuscripts are those found carefully stored in clay jars within the caves of Qumran in 1948 and known as the [[Dead Sea Scrolls]], dating between 250 B.C. to A.D. 70; the complete ''Isaiah'' scroll of this collection dates to 150 B.C.

Around 200 B.C. the Septuagint, a Greek-language version of the Old Testament, was completed. This was due to the Hellenization of large areas of the Middle East after the conquest of Alexander the Great, making Greek the de facto language for everyday communications and business. The Septuagint marks the first time in history that the Bible was translated into a foreign language. An ancient fragment of the Septuagint containing the Tetragrammaton (Greek, "four letters", that is, of the name of God, YHWH) has been dated between 50 B.C. and A.D. 50.<ref>[http://www.eliyah.com/lxx.html Tetragrammaton Found in Earliest Copies of the Septuagint]</ref>

See [[Literalist Bible chronology]].

===Early New Testament history===
In 1st Timothy 5:8, Paul quoted as scripture ''"the laborer is worthy of his hire."'' This line is found nowhere else in the Bible except Matthew 10:10 and Luke 5:7. In 2nd Peter 3:15-16, Peter classes Paul's letters with "other scriptures". Both lines are indicative of the writing down and general use of the New Testament prior to A.D. 60 (Halley, pg. 741-742).<ref>Halley, Henry H. Halley's Bible Handbook, Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI (1965)</ref> Spurious "gospels" which are known to have appeared by A.D. 100, make references to the New Testament. [[Clement of Rome]], writing in his own letter to the Corinthians in A.D. 95, refers to ''Matthew'', ''Luke'', ''Corinthians'', ''Hebrews'', ''1st Timothy'', and ''1st Peter'' (Halley, pg. 743).

The oldest surviving New Testament fragment of which there is a reliable date is the [[John Rylands Fragment]] (P52) of the ''Gospel of John'', dating from 117-138 A.D., just decades from when the Gospel was first written.<ref>[http://www.biblefacts.org/history/oldtext.html N.T. Ancient Manuscripts]</ref> The time span between the writing of the New Testament and the oldest surviving fragments are well under two hundred years. By comparison, Greek classics such as [[Herodotus]], [[Plato]], [[Euripides]], and [[Homer]] have a time span well over a thousand years each between the date of the oldest known fragment of writing and the time period they were first written.

==Translations==
===The Peshitta===
The second translated version of the Hebrew Old Testament and the Greek New Testament (after the Greek Septuaginta) was in the Aramaic language, the Peshitta (Aram. "''simple, common''"). In A.D. 36, both the Queen of Adiabene (the last existing Province of that Assyrian Empire hated and feared by the Jews), known in Greek as Queen Helena (not the mother of Constantine), and known to the Jews as Queen Shlom Zion ("Peace of Zion"), and her son King Ezad were converted to Judaism. Queen Helena's conversion, as well as others of the Kingdom, furthered the already developing translation of the Hebrew Scriptures in her Kingdom's language -Aramaic. That developing translation came to be known as the Peshitta - meaning simple or common speech, in much the same way as the Hebrew Bible would be translated into Latin by Jerome, with extensive help from a Rabbi, and the resultant translation would be called the Vulgate - meaning simple or common speech. The Peshitta, retaining elements of the then Jewish "[[Targum]]ic" (interpretive) and other Jewish understandings of the Hebrew Bible (see [[Midrash]]), is primarily based on the Pre-Masoretic Hebrew Scriptures - though certain books, such as the Prophet Isaiah, are translations primarily from the Septuagint. The development of the Old Testament Peshitta translation is held by some to have taken place alternatively in Adiabene's nearby neighbor Edessa.

As Thomas and his followers went to India, others (possibly Adai [Thaddeus] among them, the Galilean from Caesarea Phillipi) arrived in [[Adiabene]]. Having gone probably to the synagogues first, as did the Apostle Paul, they found already there, if not a populous citizenry, then an elite governmental element, conversant with the Biblical message in Aramaic. From these people, hearing the preaching of the messengers from Israel, came believers in Jesus Christ, and soon after, came the translation of the Greek New Testament Scriptures into Aramaic, and so the Peshitta was increased by inclusion of the New Testament in Aramaic. Most of the deuterocanonical and apocryphal books of the Old Testament are found in the Syriac, held to have been translated from the Hebrew and not from the Septuagint. The rest of the Old Testament known to the early Syrian church was substantially that of the Palestinian Jews but it arranged them in a different order. First there was the Pentateuch, then Job, Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, the Book of Sirach and most of the deuterocanonical and apocryphal books of the Old Testament, Ruth, Canticles, Esther, Ezra, Nehemiah, Isaiah followed by the Twelve Minor Prophets, Jeremiah and Lamentations, Ezekiel, and lastly Daniel. Unlike the Greek canon of the New Testament Scriptures, the Peshitta originally did not include the following books: the Second Epistle of Peter, the Second Epistle of John, the Third Epistle of John, the Epistle of Jude and the Book of Revelation. But these books translated into the Syriac (as Christian Aramaic is known) are now part of the Peshitta and used by the Aramaic-based churches today, primarily in India and the Middle East - the Syrian Catholic Church, the Assyrian Church of the East (Holy Apostolic and Catholic Church of the East), the Indian Orthodox Church, the Chaldean Catholic Church, the Maronite Church, the Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church, the Syro-Malabar Church and the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church.<ref>See the following articles and resources:
*[http://www.bible-researcher.com/syriac-isbe.html International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915) Article: Syriac Versions. Thomas Nicol]
*[http://www.peshitta.org/initial/peshitta.html History of the Peshitta]
*[http://www.peshitta.org/ Aramaic/English Interlinear New Testament]
*[http://scrollandscreen.com/syriac/index.htm Biblical Studies and Technological Tools. Syriac Tools and Resources] ''access to Syriac Old and New Testaments''
*[http://aramaicnt.org/articles/problems-with-peshitta-primacy/ Problems with Peshitta Primacy]
*[http://madenkha.net/holy_bible/ Index of Holy Bible] ''online access to Aramaic Text of Old and New Testaments of Peshitta''</ref>

Adiabene and its surroundings then became the sending center for a mission to the East that would eventually take advantage of the newly rediscovered monsoon winds blowing for months across the Arabian sea, making it possible for ships' pilots to no longer hug the coasts. And taking advantage of the "[[Silk Road]]" all the way from Antioch in Syria to China, they took the message of Jesus Christ to India (bringing about the Aramaic [Syriac] language churches of Kerala) and even to China itself. And so, the Peshitta, written in the Middle East, for a while became the Scriptures of the Far East Churches of Jesus Christ, particularly in India.

See [[Monophysite]]

===The Vulgate===
[[Jerome]], a Latin scholar deeply interested in the study of the Scriptures, completed the second edition of the Bible in the Latin language. The ''[[Vulgate]]'' was meant to replace the inaccuracies of the earlier ''[[Vetus Latina]]'' (the Old Latin version), the standard Bible of the early Catholic Church in Latin. Jerome had moved to [[Jerusalem]] in 382, and set to work on what eventually became a fresh Latin translation of the Old Testament from the Greek of the ''Septuagint'' and a translation of the Greek New Testament into Latin; then from 390-405 he decided to re-translate his Old Testament directly from the Hebrew text then in use by the Jewish community, which pre-dated the revision of the [[Masoretic Text|Hebrew text]] later written by the Masoretic Hebrew scholars of Judaism between the 7th and 10th centuries. The ''Vulgate'' Bible of 76 books (49 Old Testament books and 27 New Testament books) had a marked influence in church history, and it remained the standard Latin Bible in the Roman Catholic Church for centuries. After the Council of Trent defined the canon of the holy Bible as 73 books of scripture "with all their parts", and 1 and 2 Esdras and Prayer of Manasseh had been placed in an appendix to the definitive Clementine Vulgate critical edition, the Vulgate was henceforth the dogmatically defined canonical Bible of the Catholic Church. After 1450 years of use the Vulgate was finally replaced by the ''[[Nova Vulgata]]'' in 1979. The earliest surviving complete manuscript of the entire Latin Bible is the Codex Amiatinus, produced in eighth century England at the double monastery of Wearmouth-Jarrow.<ref>The Codex Amiatinus is the most celebrated manuscript of the Latin Vulgate Bible, remarkable as the best witness to the true text of St. Jerome and as a fine specimen of medieval calligraphy. [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04081a.htm Catholic Encyclopedia: Codex Amiatinus] [http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-tyne-27372773 BBC News Tyne and Wear. 15 May 2014. Codex Amiatinus Bible returns to its home in Jarrow] [http://www.facsimilefinder.com/facsimiles/codex-amiatinus-facsimile Codex Amiatinus Facsimile Edition]</ref>

===Early English translations authorized by Rome===

Vernacular translations into English and other languages have been authorized by the [[Holy See]] since as early as A.D. 600. Partial translations of the Bible into languages of the English people can be traced back to the end of the 7th century, including translations into Old English and Middle English.<ref>[http://www.bible-researcher.com/anglosaxon.html Anglo-Saxon Versions of Scripture (A.D. 600–1150)] (bible-researcher.com)</ref> A number of Old English Bible translations survive, as do many instances of glosses in the vernacular, especially in the Gospels and the Psalms.<ref>See Roberts, Jane (2011). “Some Psalter Glosses in Their Immediate Context”, in ''Palimpsests and the Literary Imagination of Medieval England'', eds. Leo Carruthers, Raeleen Chai-Elsholz, Tatjana Silec. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 61-79, which looks at three Anglo-Saxon glossed psalters and how layers of gloss and text, language and layout, speak to the meditative reader. See Marsden, Richard (2011), "The Bible in English in the Middle Ages", in The Practice of the Bible in the Middle Ages: Production, Reception and Performance in Western Christianity (New York: Columbia University Press, 2011), pp. 272-295.</ref>

The age of Middle English (1066-1500) beginning with the Norman conquest and ending about 1500 covers the period of authorized and unauthorized Middle English Bible translations.

===Heresies based on abusive use of vernacular translations===

The abuse of vernacular translations of Sacred Scripture made available to the common people was a prominent feature of heresies during the roughly 400-year period from 1100 to 1500.

====Albigenses====
For example, the [[Albigensians]] (also called [[Cathar]]i "''the pure''"), prevalent during the 12th and 13th centuries in western Europe, particularly in southern France and northern Italy, rejected the authority of Church and State (Jude 8; Romans 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-17). They appealed to the Scriptures as authority for their doctrines, mostly the New Testament, because the Old Law was regarded by them according to their teaching as mainly a demoniacal creation. Like [[Marcion]] in the 2nd century, they taught the [[Manichaeanism|Manichaean]] doctrine of two Gods, and that the evil God created matter and the whole physical universe to entrap and enslave divine spirits of light, and was the God of the Old Testament and the God of the Jews. They forbade marriage, sexual relations between spouses, condemned the begetting of children, and praised those who chose to starve themselves to death.<ref>[http://www.therealpresence.org/archives/Heresies_Heretics/Heresies_Heretics_006.htm Albigensianism, by Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.] [http://www.stisidore-yubacity.org/faqalbigenses.html What is the Albigenses/Albigensian Heresy? Albigenses] [http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/dictionary/index.cfm?id=31727 Dictionary: Albigensians] (catholicculture.org)</ref>

====Waldenses====
Another example is Waldo (Valdo), from the city of Lyons, also variously referred to as Valdes, Valdesius, Valdensius. References to the movement he founded call his disciples "[[Waldensians]]", "the poor of Lyons", "the Leonese", "the Poor of Lombardy", or simply "the Poor". He arranged for the Gospels and some other books of the Bible to be translated into common speech which he read very often, but without understanding their real meaning. The translations produced were full of mistakes and mistranslations which changed the meaning of the scriptures. Infatuated with his own interpretation of these defective scriptures he usurped authority by presuming to preach the Gospel in the streets, where he made many disciples, and involved them, both men and women, in a similar act of presumption by sending them out, in turn, to preach. These people, ignorant and illiterate, went about through the towns, entering houses and even churches, disturbing families, disrupting worship services, ignoring civil statutes and laws, and spreading many errors. The principal heresy of the Waldensians was contempt for (ignoring of) ecclesiastical power and rejection of governmental authority. They capitalized on the fact that the common people were scandalized by evident corruption and abuses of legitimate authority by individuals in Church and in secular government who, like [[Balaam]] and [[Judas]], betrayed Christ for the sake of gain, in direct and indifferent disobedience to the teaching of the Church. And they opportunistically misrepresented these clearly [http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/aberration aberrent] scandals as if they were authentically representative of the actual teaching and doctrine of the Church (thereby committing what has been defined as sins of [[calumny]] and [[detraction]], fueled by actual [[scandal]]). The Waldensian dispute then, centered on the issue of authority. The fact that they translated the scriptures badly, studied these translations, drew their own conclusions as to what they meant, and "presumed" to preach whatever they believed, without reference to the clergy, was unacceptable.<ref>[http://www.xenos.org/essays/waldensian-movement-waldo-reformation Xenos Christian Fellowship. The Waldensian Movement From Waldo to the Reformation, by Dennis McCallum] (xenos.org)</ref>

====Cults====
A similar phenomenon has animated movements in the 20th and 21st centuries, "[[cult]]s" which claim authority from their founders' particular interpretations of the Bible, doctrines which have resulted in bizarre and self-destructive behavior, all "''based on the Word of God''", such as [[Jonestown]], the [[Branch Davidians]] of [[David Koresh]], and the [[Heaven's Gate]] U.F.O. group. In the 21st century in the United States, the extremist teaching of [[Fred Phelps]] and the [[Westboro Baptist Church]] presents a milder example, claiming the authority of the Bible for their disruptive activities.

===="Clear and present danger"====
In the late Middle Ages, because of the evident, ongoing, and repeated "''[[clear and present danger]]''" to society and to the mental, moral and physical health of the people, so consistently resulting from the direct and apparent association of heretical movements with the act of translating the Bible into the vernacular for anyone to read and interpret as he or she pleased, the Catholic Church began to severely curtail authorization for new translations into the vernacular and subsequently rarely granted permission to anyone who desired to undertake the task during that troubled period, in an attempt to avoid contributing to the problem by providing additional material which, in those days, would certainly give only more occasion for abuse of the meaning of the ''Holy Scriptures'', added to contempt for the authority of the office of the leaders of the Church and the stability of society under the legitimate authority of the office of duly appointed governors, princes and kings.

See [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew%207:6&version=NABRE Matthew 7:6], also [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2corinthians%202:17&version=NABRE 2 Corinthians 2:17] and [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2corinthians%2011:2-20&version=NABRE 11:2-20], [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=galatians%201:6-9&version=NABRE Galatians 1:6-9], [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=colossians%202:18-19&version=NABRE Colossians 2:18-19], [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2peter%201:20-2:3&version=NABRE 2 Peter 1:20-2:3] and [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2peter%203:14-17&version=NABRE 3:14-17]. —See also [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=exodus%2022:27&version=NABRE Exodus 22:27( KJV 22:28 )], [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=numbers%2016:1-11&version=NABRE Numbers 16:1-11],[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=romans%2013:1-5&version=NABRE Romans 13:1-5], and [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=jude%201:8&version=NABRE Jude 8], [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=jude%201:11&version=NABRE 11], [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=jude%201:17-19&version=NABRE 17-19]. Compare [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=romans%202:17-24&version=NABRE Romans 2:17-24]

See [[Cafeteria Christianity]] and [[Cafeteria Catholic]].

''For a more detailed treatment, see '''[https://www.catholic.com/tract/the-great-heresies The Great Heresies''']''

==Printing==
[[Image:Gutenburg1.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Printers copy of a page from a Gutenberg Bible, printed in Germany about 1469.]]
[[Johannes Gutenberg]] of [[Mainz]], [[Germany]] invented the first mechanical printing press in 1448. His machine consisted of a large press which when cranked down, pressed a sheet of paper upon a platform in which were set thousands of inked metal letter typefaces (called "movable type"), set in place to read for a particular page. The first book in history printed by this method was the [[Gutenberg Bible]], in the ''Vulgate'' Latin version, of which 180 were printed, and approximately 50 survive today in varying conditions around the world.

The Gutenberg Bible marked another first: printed Bibles could be mass-produced to get them into the hands of many people at a low cost. They first had to be translated out of Latin into a common language, and [[Martin Luther]] made the great German translation, 1522-1534. The Protestant Reformers emphasized that laymen should study the Bible, and printing made it possible for them to go beyond the interpretations shown in [[stained glass windows]] (the "Bible of the illiterate") to the actual text.

==English language versions of the Bible==

===Wycliff's Bible===
The first translation of the whole Latin Bible into English by dissident scholars in the English Catholic Church was made under the supervision of the English cleric [[John Wyclif]] in the 1380s, with the assistance of Nicholas Hereford and John Purvey. Wyclif held that the Bible should be placed directly in the hands of the people, but was this was opposed by the English Church hierarchy of his day; indeed, one of Wyclif's opponents, Henry Knighton, compared giving the Bible to the people in English to "casting pearls before swine". Archbishop Arundel of Canterbury promulgated a ban on all English Bibles in 1407, and possession of one was considered evidence of [[heresy]].

Wyclif's was a scholarly translation, based on the [[Latin]], [[Greek]], and [[Hebrew]] texts, but was found to be unwieldy due to its adherence to Latin grammar (in which, for instance, verbs tend to be at the end of sentences). A second Wycliffite translation was prepared late in this period, which avoided this problem, but due to the fact that it could only be distributed in manuscript form, it was an expensive volume. Outside of the nobility and gentry, it was more common to see only a single [[The Gospels|Gospel]], or a copy of the Psalms, rather than an entire Bible, which cost more than the average working person could earn in a year.

Over the next century, its form of English gradually became antiquated, leading English Protestants such as [[William Tyndale]] to feel that an entirely new translation was needed.

===Tyndale===
During the middle of the 16th century there was a renewed sense of the need to get the Bible directly into the hands of the common man; prior to that the Bible was restricted to readings in the Church alone. The Reformers were a group of people who were shocked at the differences between what the Roman Catholic Church was practicing as opposed to their readings (interpretations) of what the Bible stated can or cannot be done (this was one of the causes of the [[Reformation]]). At great cost to themselves, the Reformers began the work of translating the Bible in the various languages of Europe; the printing press would ensure the newly translated Bibles would be mass-produced.

[[William Tyndale]] was committed to getting the Bible into the hands of his English countrymen. Expressing open defiance of the Pope, Tyndale declared that if God would spare his life he would make it possible for even an ordinary farmer to know more about the Scriptures than the Pope.<ref>[http://creationwiki.org/Biblical_canon#Tyndale CreationWiki. Bible Canon#Tyndale] (creationwiki.org)</ref> Tyndale's translation of the New Testament was completed on the Continent by 1525. By April, 1526, 6,000 copies were printed and delivered to England. Official opposition led to the destruction of most of them, not because of the translation of the Biblical text itself, but because Tyndale also held and published views which were considered heretical, first by the Catholic Church, and later by the Church of England, which was established by King [[Henry VIII]] in 1536.<ref>Act of Supremacy, (1534) English act of Parliament that recognized Henry VIII as the “Supreme Head of the Church of England.” [https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/574743/Act-of-Supremacy Encyclopedia Britannica. Act of Supremacy: England (1534)] [http://www.britainexpress.com/History/tudor/supremacy-henry-text.htm Henry VIII 's Act of Supremacy (1534) - original text]</ref> His Bible translation also included notes and commentary promoting these views.<ref>[http://www.tyndale-bible.com/tyndale-bible-history.html TYNDALE BIBLE HISTORY. William Tyndale (1494-1536). The History of William Tyndale and his Bibles] [http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=4749&CFID=4143742&CFTOKEN=81204680 Tyndale's Heresy, by Matthew A. C. Newsome] [http://www.bible-researcher.com/tyndale4.html Tyndale] (bible-researcher.com) [http://www.greatsite.com/timeline-english-bible-history/william-tyndale.html English Bible History. William Tyndale] (greatsite.com) [http://wesley.nnu.edu/sermons-essays-books/william-tyndales-translation/ The Wesley Center Online: '''William Tyndale's Translation'''] ''online access to the text of Tyndale's Bible''.</ref> Tyndale's translation was banned by the authorities. Even King Henry VIII in 1531 condemned the Tyndale Bible as a corruption of Scripture. In the words of King Henry's advisors: "the translation of the Scripture corrupted by William Tyndale should be utterly expelled, rejected, and put away out of the hands of the people, and not be suffered to go abroad among his subjects." <ref>Henry Grey Graham, Where we got the Bible: Our debt to the Catholic Church © 1977 Tan Books and Publishers, Inc. 153 pages. ASIN: B0006YDQ5Q p. 128-130.</ref> Bishop [[Tunstall]] of London <ref>[http://www.luminarium.org/encyclopedia/tunstall.htm Cuthbert Tunstall]</ref> declared that there were upwards of 2,000 errors in Tyndale's Bible.<ref>[http://catholicapologetics.info/apologetics/general/charge.htm The Charge of Burning Bibles]</ref> The following year Tyndale himself, at the instigation of agents of Henry VIII and the Anglican Church, was arrested and, for his efforts, charged with heresy, and, on May 21, 1536, was executed, burned at the stake. Nevertheless, the printing press rendered it impossible to completely suppress such a book, and new copies were printed on the Continent and smuggled into [[England]]. His efforts at translating the Bible led to the [[Matthews Bible]] (1537) and the [[Bishop's Bible]] (1568), but with many of his notes radically edited by censors or editors, or entirely removed, and these versions led to the [[Geneva Bible]] (1599), and finally to the [[King James Bible|King James Version]], where ninety percent of the text closely follows Tyndale's translation.

===Authorised or King James Version===
[[Image:E-sword.jpg|thumb|200px|right|The internet has increased the availability of the Bible worldwide. Shown here is a screenshot to [[E-Sword]], a freely-downloadable Bible study program.<ref>[http://www.e-sword.net E-Sword]</ref> (Rick Meyers, 2007)]]
In 1601 King [[James I]] selected forty-seven of the ablest scholars in [[England]] to undertake the creation of a standard Bible in English, based upon careful translations of the [[Masoretic Text]] used by the Jewish community, and the best Greek translations (especially the ''[[Textus Receptus]]'') then available. The scholars were divided into six committees in [[Oxford]], [[Westminster]], and [[Cambridge]], with each scholar dedicating himself to doing a portion of the Bible, often consulting each other to check the flow and harmony of the work in progress. The result was the 1611 Authorised Version, known in [[United States of America|America]] as the [[King James Bible|King James Version]].

In its early days, the KJV was heavily criticized; but in time, with official pressure, it won the field and became "the Bible" for English-reading people—a position it held for almost 400 years.<ref>''Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary''. "Bible Translations", Jack P. Lewis and Charles W. Draper. p. 214.</ref>

The effects of the Authorised Version were profound. Using less than 2,500 different words in its vocabulary, this Bible was written in a poetic style matched by few. The work influenced the writings of [[Shakespeare]]. [[John Milton]] has numerous images taken from this Bible in his ''[[Paradise Lost]]''. The direct style of writing caused it to be easily available to the common man. Poets and writers, such as [[Herman Melville]], [[Walt Whitman]], [[Emily Dickinson]] and many others were deeply inspired by it. It altered the course of English history, with England growing to a world power since the book's publication. When asked by a visiting dignitary what made England great, [[Queen Victoria]] pulled out her copy of the Bible and declared "This is the secret of England's greatness."

====Problems with the King James Version====

{{main|Badger skins (Bible)}}

Beginning in the 17th century, the same century in which it was published, Protestant scholars, orientalists, hebraists and linguists began pointing out defects in the [[King James Bible|Authorized King James Version]].<ref>[[Isaac H. Hall]]. [http://www.bible-researcher.com/kjvdefects.html ''The Revised New Testament and History of Revision'' (1881) "Defects of the King James Version"]
:"Our translators of the seventeenth century, in a great many instances, misunderstood the sense."</ref> One of these was the translation of 'orot tachashim as "badgers' skins", because it so plainly violates the biblical context of [[Leviticus]] [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=leviticus%2011:4-8&version=KJV chapter 11:4-8], [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=leviticus%2011:24-28&version=KJV 24-29], [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=leviticus%2011:42-45&version=KJV 42-45], and [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=leviticus%205&version=KJV Leviticus chapter 5]. "Badgers' skins" is the King James Version (AV) translation of the Hebrew word '''תחשׁ''' '''''taḥash''''', and of the Hebrew term (singular) '''עור תחשׁ''' '''''uwr taḥash / 'or taḥash''' "skin taḥash"'', and of the plural form '''ערת תחשׁים''' '''''uwr't taḥashim / 'orot taḥashim''' "skins taḥashim"''. [[Adam Clarke]] himself ([http://biblehub.com/commentaries/clarke/exodus/25.htm ''Adam Clarke's Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible'' (1831) Exodus 25]) has pointed out the substantial inaccuracy of the KJV interpretive translation:
:"badgers' skins, (rather violet-coloured skins)...Badgers' skins — ערת תחשים oroth techashim. Few terms have afforded greater perplexity to critics and commentators than this."
See [[Badger skins (Bible)#Protestant commentaries 17th through 19th centuries|Protestant commentaries 17th through 19th centuries]]

The original meaning of ''' תחשׁ ''t'''a'''ḥ'''a'''š / taḥash / tachash / techash / t'khesh''''' has been debated for centuries. According to ''Encyclopaedia Judaica'' the AV and JPS 1917 translation ''[[badger]]'' has no basis in fact.<ref name=Enc.Jud.>''Encyclopaedia Judaica'' 2nd Edition Volume 19:435. TAḤASH.</ref><ref>''Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary'' page 161. Badger Skins</ref> Translating ערת תחשׁים ''skins taḥashim'' as "badgers' skins" also presents a [[contradiction]]. The Book of Leviticus, chapter 11, forbids touching the carcasses of all animals that walk on '''paws''', because they are '''טָמֵא''' ''tame'' [[Taboo|unclean]]. This is no trivial matter, as [[God]] Himself is thus represented in the KJV as commanding the handling and use of skins of carcasses He forbids the Israelites to touch, and as commanding them to cover the tabernacle and the ark of the covenant with unclean skins and then commanding them to remove from the camp all that is unclean so that nothing unclean will be seen by Him in the camp ([http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=numbers%205:2-3&version=KJV Numbers 5:2-3]; [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=deuteronomy%2023:14&version=KJV Deuteronomy 23:14]). They are forbidden to defile the tabernacle, the sanctuary of the LORD ([http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=leviticus%2020:2-3&version=KJV Leviticus 20:2-3]; [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=leviticus%2021:10-12&version=KJV 21:10-12]), and they are commanded to cover it with '''טָמֵא''' ''tame'' [http://bibleapps.com/hebrew/2931.htm unclean/polluting/defiling "badgers' skins" (KJV).] Even on the sole [[hermeneutics|hermeneutical principle]] of "Scripture interprets Scripture" this is not accurate, and it presents a serious difficulty. [[John Grigg Hewlett]], D.D. (''Bible difficulties explained'' 1860) says:<blockquote>"It would involve a great inconsistency, that the ark of the covenant, which was considered so holy, that no human hand could touch it with impunity, except the hands of those who had been consecrated to God, that it should constantly be covered with the skins of unclean animals...Therefore the coverings of purple, or blue, which our translators have called 'badgers' skins', were of a material that was accounted pure, and could not impart any impurity to those who prepared them, or to those whose office it was to adjust them amidst the vicissitudes of the camp of Israel."<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=J5kCAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA159&SOURCE=gbs_toc_r&cad=3#v=onepage&q=badger&f=false ''Bible difficulties explained'' (1860) "Badgers' skins" pages 159–163].</ref></blockquote>

The KJV was first published in 1611, a year after the [[Douay-Rheims|Douay-Rheims Bible]]. The later KJV revision of 1769 <ref>[http://www.bible-researcher.com/canon10.html Changes in the King James Version]</ref> is the version generally published today as the King James Bible, and is the form of the text cited here:

[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=leviticus%205:2&version=KJV Leviticus 5:2] "if a soul touch any unclean thing...he also shall be unclean and guilty"
 [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=leviticus%205:5-6&version=KJV Leviticus 5:5-6] "he shall confess that he hath sinned"
 [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=leviticus%2011:5-8&version=KJV Leviticus 11:5-8] "and their carcase shall ye not touch, they are unclean to you"
 [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=leviticus%2011:24-28&version=KJV Leviticus 11:24-28] "and whatsoever goeth upon his paws...those are unclean unto you"
 [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=leviticus%2011:43-44&version=KJV Leviticus 11:43-44] "Ye shall not make yourselves abominable...neither shall ye make yourselves unclean...neither shall ye defile yourselves"
 [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=leviticus%2022&version=KJV Leviticus 22] "Say unto them, Whosoever ''he be'' of all your seed among your generations, that goeth unto the holy things, which the children of Israel hallow unto the LORD, having his uncleanness upon him, that soul shall be cut off from my presence: I ''am'' the LORD."
 [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=numbers%204:15-20&version=KJV Numbers 4:15-20] "but they shall not touch ''any'' holy thing, lest they die"
 [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=deuteronomy%2023:14&version=KJV Deuteronomy 23:14] "For the LORD thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy: that he see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee."

The Committee appointed by [[James I of England]] that was tasked with the translation of the Bible was made of men who had read the Bible in Hebrew and Greek and Latin and knew these passages. Yet they chose to translate ''tachashim'' as unclean badgers "''that goeth upon paws''" whose carcasses the Israelites were forbidden to touch.

[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=exodus%2025:1-8&version=KJV Exodus 25:1-8] "Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering...rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins"
 [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=exodus%2026:14&version=KJV Exodus 26:14] "and a covering above of badgers' skins"
 [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=exodus%2035:7&version=KJV Exodus 35:7] "and rams' skins dyed red, and badgers' skins"
 [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=exodus%2035:23&version=KJV Exodus 35:23] "and red skins of rams, and badger skins"
 [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=exodus%2036:19&version=KJV Exodus 36:19] "and a covering of badgers' skins above that"
 [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=exodus%2039:34&version=KJV Exodus 39:34] "And the covering of rams' skins dyed red, and the covering of badgers' skins"
 [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=numbers%204:6-25&version=KJV Numbers 4:6-25] "a covering of badgers' skins...the covering of badgers' skins"
 [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ezekiel%2016:10&version=KJV Ezekiel 16:10] "and shod thee with badgers' skin"

Readers of the KJV saw a grave difficulty here because of the apparently great inconsistency that the holy ark of the covenant and the Tabernacle of the LORD should be constantly covered with skins of unclean animals which made unclean anyone who touched them. The Douay-Rheims Bible had translated the skins as [[Badger skins (Bible)#Douay-Rheims Bible|"''violet skins''"]].

The ''[[motivation]]'' for interpreting and translating ''tachash skins'' in the Bible as being skins of creatures the Israelites are clearly forbidden to touch is unclear, and a mystery, what is known in [[Logic]] as a [[non sequiter]] (Lat. "''it does not follow''"). The ''[[purpose]]'' being served by a deliberate translation of תחשׁ as badger and of ערת תחשׁים as badgers' skins, by scholars who have a thorough knowledge of the whole of the Bible, and of the history of the Hebrew language and of the ''fauna'' and varied customs of the ancient Middle East, is also a ''non sequiter'' mystery, involving an [[Evidence|evident]] contradiction of the context of the Bible. Alternate word choices, harmoniously consistent with the biblical context, and attested by the ancient sources as cited in scholarly published commentaries both technical and general, were available to the translators, who chose not to use them. Their translation covers the tabernacle, the ark and the sacred vessels with the equivalent of ''' טָמֵא ''' ''tame'' unclean [[Pig|swine]]s' skins ([http://biblehub.com/multi/leviticus/11-8.htm Leviticus 11:3-8], [http://biblehub.com/multi/leviticus/11-27.htm 11:24-28]). The inconsistency is not in the ancient biblical text, but in the interpretations of translators which violate its context.<blockquote>"A text without a context is a pretext for a [[Cafeteria Christianity#Proof texts|proof text]]." Donald A. Carson, ''Exegetical Fallacies''.<ref>Carson, Donald A., Ph.D. ''Exegetical Fallacies'', Nov. 30, 1983, 2nd edition Mar. 1, 1996. Baker Publishing Group. 160 pages. ISBN 978-0801020865.</ref></blockquote>

Study Bible footnotes, along with published articles, Bible dictionaries, commentaries, encyclopedias, and books on the Bible, and a multitude of internet online blogs and pages, which strongly support the translation of ערת תחשׁים as badgers' skins or as the skins of any kind of sea mammal, often omit the fact that within the context of the Bible these creatures are classified as unclean, defiling '''שִׁקַּץ ''' ''sheqats'' abominations, as loathsome, abhorrent, detestible, filthy and disgusting for the people of Israel. Those that do mention it offer various speculative [[Excuse|rationale]]s, [[debate]]s and [[Editorial|discussions]] to explain why in their [[opinion]] God would command the Israelites to cover the tabernacle and the ark of the covenant and the sacred vessels for worship with skins of unclean animals and abominations they are explicitly forbidden to touch, skins and hides that according to the word of the LORD defile any Israelites who touch them. Many of them assert that the prohibitions in Leviticus 11 are ''dietary'' rules only ([http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=leviticus%2011:2&version=KJV Lev. 11:2], [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=leviticus%2011:46-47&version=KJV 11:46-47]), and declare that touching and wearing skins and leather of unclean animals is permitted as long as their flesh is not eaten.<ref name=opinion>Eight examples:
*[http://www.chabad.org/library/bible_cdo/aid/9912/jewish/Chapter-11.htm#showrashi=true Chabad.ORG —Rashi's commentary Vayikra-Leviticus-Chapter 11],
*[http://ravkooktorah.org/TRUMA61.htm Terumah: Tachash Skins in the Tabernacle, Rabbi Chaim Morrison],
*[http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/681556/jewish/Can-I-wear-pigskin-shoes.htm Can I wear pigskin shoes? By Shmuel Kogan],
*[http://www.jewishtreats.org/2012/11/picking-up-pigskin.html Jewish Treats: Juicy Bits of Judaism, Daily: MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2012 —Picking Up Pigskin],
*[http://www.jewsingreen.com/2005/08/pigskin-boots Jews in Green: Jews serving proudly:—News: Pigskin Boots, Posted by Lt Joe Friedman on 03 Aug 2005],
*[http://www.jewfaq.org/animals.htm Judaism 101. Treatment of Animals. Tza'ar Ba'alei Chayim <big>'''צער בעלי החיים'''</big>: Cruelty to Animals © Copyright 5756-5771 (1995-2011), Tracey R Rich],
*[http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200003867 Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY: Insight, Volume 2 it-2 pp. 883-884 Sealskin. Copyright © 2014 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania],
*[http://www.kjvtoday.com/home/badgers-skin-or-another-type-of-leather-in-exodus-255-et-al KJV Today: "Badgers' skin" or another type of leather in Exodus 25:5 et al.?] —''compare multiple commentaries on:'' [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/leviticus/5-2.htm Leviticus 5:2]; [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/leviticus/11-8.htm 11:8] and [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/leviticus/11-27.htm 11:27]</ref> These commentaries say that touching the carcass of these animals is only a minor offense which did not require an atoning sacrifice, and that it applied only to ''kohanim'' (priests) and applied to the laity only during the three feasts of Passover/Unleavened Bread, Weeks/Pentecost, and Booths/Tabernacles (Deut. 16). And some cite the ''Talmud'' as their authority, for example, Tractate ''Rosh Hashana'' 16b,<ref>[http://halakhah.com/pdf/moed/Rosh_HaShanah.pdf Babylonian Talmud, Seder ''Mo'ed'', Tractate ''Rosh Hashana'', Folio 16b] —''scroll down to page'' 40</ref> and the ''Sifra'', ''Torath Kohanim'' 11:74,<ref>'''Sifra''' (Aramaic <big>'''סִפְרָא'''</big>, "book" or "The Book"), a ''midrash halakhah'' from the school of R. Akiva on the Book of Leviticus. See [http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/13646-sifra ''Jewish Encyclopedia'': Sifra]; ''Encyclopaedia Judaica'' Vol 18 San-Sol 18:560-562 SIFRA; See [http://he.wikisource.org/wiki/%D7%A1%D7%A4%D7%A8%D7%90 Sifra Hebrew text, ed. I. H. Weiss 1862 Vienna.]</ref> and Rashi's commentary,<ref name=opinion/> providing us with an example of what the prophet Jeremiah said, <blockquote>"How can you say, 'We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us'? But behold, the false pen of the scribes has made it into a lie" ([http://biblehub.com/multi/jeremiah/8-8.htm Jeremiah 8:8]).</blockquote> They omit any reference to that part of Leviticus which decrees that wilfully touching the carcasses of unclean animals (which must be done to harvest their skins) is a '''sin''', which even Rashi's commentary confirms. No mention is made by them of the law in the Torah which says: "Ye shall not make yourselves abominable...neither shall ye make yourselves unclean...neither shall ye defile yourselves" (Leviticus 11:43-44) <ref>See: '''Exodus''' 31:14; '''Leviticus''' 7:19, 21; 10:10; 11:43-44; 18:20, 24, 30; 20:25; 21:4, 11; 22:8; '''Numbers''' 5:3; 6:7; 19:13, 20; 35:33-34; '''Deuteronomy''' 23:14; 27:26.</ref> and that anyone who wilfully does this will be cut off.<ref>see [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=leviticus%205:2-6&version=KJV Leviticus 5:2-6], [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=leviticus%205:17-19&version=KJV 5:17-19]; [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=numbers%2015:29-31&version=KJV Numbers 15:29-31]; [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=numbers%2019:20&version=KJV 19:20.]</ref> Some commentaries on the Old Testament supporting ''badgers' skins'' and ''sea mammals' skins'' as the covering of the tabernacle cite the New Testament example of [[Saint Paul]] working with Simon the tanner (Acts 9:43; 10:6, 32), as if both of them were examples of Jews wilfully working with the skins of ''non-kosher'' beasts. Some cite Pliny's ''Natural History'' 2:56,<ref>previously cited in the 19th century: [http://www.biblicalcyclopedia.com/B/badger.html ''McClintock and Strong's Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature'' (1887) B: badger]; [http://biblehub.com/commentaries/clarke/exodus/25.htm ''Adam Clarke's Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible'' (1831) Exodus 25]</ref> which says that [pagan] temples had roofs of sealskin, as if this applied to the Israelites under the Law of Moses, and cite Eduard Rüppell's short-lived ''taxonomic'' designation of the dugong as ''Halicore tabernaculi'' "dugong of the tabernacle" as an additional support for their opinion.<ref>While travelling the Middle East around the Red Sea and the [[Arabian Peninsula]], Rüppell observed a variety of [[dugong]] which he subsequently designated ''[[Taxonomy|taxonomically]]'' as ''Halicore tabernaculi'' (1843) according to his view that the skin of this animal was certainly used as the outer covering of the tabernacle of the Hebrews, because the Bedouin harvested its skin for tent-curtains and for shoes and called it ''tukhesh, duchash''. His taxonomic designation ''Halicore tabernaculi'' did not last long (1843-1847) and has since been recombined several times, more recently as ''Dugong dugon'' (1963-1998). Three sources:
*[https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/512932/Eduard-Ruppell ''Encyclopaedia Britannica''. "Eduard Rüppell"]
*[http://www.probertencyclopedia.com/B_DUGONG.HTM The Probert Encyclopedia of Nature. "Dugong".] "A variety [of dugong] was discovered in the Red Sea by Ruppell, and called Halicore tabernaculi."
*[http://paleodb.org/cgi-bin/bridge.pl?action=checkTaxonInfo&taxon_no65051&is_real_user=0 The Paleobiology Database:] —''when the page comes up, at'' "You must enter a taxon name" ''move cursor to'' "Full search"—''menu will appear; select'' "classifications of taxa in groups" ''and click—when'' "Taxonomic classification search form" ''appears enter '''''Halicore tabernaculi''''' in the top search field (ignore the rest), click'' [Show classification]—''page will display "Halicore tabernaculi'' Rüppell 1843"—''click highlighted link'' "Halicore tabernaculi"–''page will show list "Dugong dugon'' Illiger 1811: Classification of '''Trichechus dugon''' (''Halicore tabernaculi'' Ruppell/Rupell 1843): the listing of the zoological taxonomic nomenclature of the dugong on that page is here rearranged in chronological order:
:'''''Trichechus dugung''''' Erxleben 1777 (this nomenclature lasted 22 years)
:'''''Dugong indicus''''' Lacépède 1799 (this nomenclature lasted 12 years)
:'''''Dugong dugong''''' Illiger 1811 (this nomenclature lasted 21 years)
:'''''Halicore hemprichii''''' and '''''Halicore lottum''''' Ehrenberg 1832 (this nomenclature lasted 11 years)
:'''''Halicore tabernaculi''''' Rüppell 1843 (4 years)
:'''''Halicore australis''''' Owen 1847 (this nomenclature lasted 51 years)
:'''''Halicore cetacea''''' Heuglin, recombined as '''''Halicore dugung''''' Trouessart 1898 (this nomenclature lasted 65 years)
:It was recombined as "'''''Dugong dugon'''''" Scheffer and Rice 1963 also Husar 1978, Domning 1994, 1996, and Rice 1998 (this nomenclature has lasted for 35 years+).</ref> The 1843 published ''scientific'' nomen ''Halicore tabernaculi'', expressing as it did the personal opinion of a ''professional zoologist'', Eduard Rüppell, was soon discarded by the scientific community, but it has nevertheless persuaded many to this day that science has established that the ''dugong'' was indeed the animal whose skins were used to cover the tabernacle. However, it has no fins or scales. According to the Bible this creature is an abomination to the Jews (loathsome / abhorrent / detestible / filthy / disgusting) (Leviticus 11:10-12).<ref>[http://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/1200003867?q=Bible&p=sen Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY: Insight, Volume 2 it-2 pp. 883-884 Sealskin.]</ref> [[Jesus]] himself commented on the practice of constantly seeking pretexts for making exceptions to the ''[[Torah]]:''<blockquote>"You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition!" (Mark 7:9 RSV).<ref>[http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=mark%207:9-13&version=KJV Mark 7:9-13]; [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew%2015:1-9&version=KJV Matthew 15:1-9]; [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew%2023:16-22&version=KJV 23:16-22]</ref></blockquote>

====King James Only====

Advocates of the [[King James Only]] movement are fully persuaded that the translators of the King James Version of the Bible always chose the correct reading [interpretation] of the biblical text, under the infallible guidance of the Holy Spirit Himself, and that therefore the translation ''badgers' skins'' is the most accurate possible English translation of the Hebrew ערת תחשׁים and עור תחשׁ and תחשׁ . They declare without reservation that the King James Bible is the divinely preserved, infallible Word of God, and that it is the only and final authority on all matters of faith and morals and practice for the whole of the English-speaking world.<ref>James D. Price. [http://www.truth.sg/resources/KJV%20Onlyism%20-%20a%20New%20Sect%20-%20Introduction%20-%20Dr%20J%20Price.pdf ''King James Onlyism: A New Sect.'' Introduction: The King James Only Doctrine Is a New Idea].</ref>
:–See the [http://www.kjvbibles.com/kjpreface.htm '''''Preface to the King James Version of 1611'''''].<blockquote>"...wee affirme and avow, that the very meanest translation of the Bible in English, set foorth by men of our profession (for wee have seene none of theirs of the whole Bible as yet) containeth the word of God, nay, '''is the word of God'''..."</blockquote>

::::—''from the'' Preface to the King James Version of 1611: The Translators to the Reader. (''boldface emphasis added'')

See '''[[Logical fallacy]]'''.

=== Other versions ===
Although the KJV remains the most popular English version, the 19th and 20th centuries have seen an explosion in the number of English translations available. Among the most popular are:
*[[New International Version]]
*[[English Standard Version]]
*[[New American Standard Version]]
*[[Living Bible|The Living Bible]]
*[[The Message]]
*[[New King James Version]]

==Other Languages==
Today, the Bible has been translated into languages spoken by the vast majority of people on Earth, and even portions of it have been translated into the fictional language of [[Klingon]] from the world of [[Star Trek]], .<ref>[http://www.kli.org/wiki/index.php?Klingon%20Bible%20Translation%20Project Klingon Bible Translation Project]</ref> The past two decades saw the emergence of [[Internet]] use; the creation of the Bible as a software program was inevitable, and several, such as [[E-Sword]] and Theophilos, are available at no cost with a wealth of Bible-study material as well.

==Bible Scientific Foreknowledge==
[[Bible scientific foreknowledge]] holds that the Bible shows an understanding of scientific knowledge beyond that believed to exist at the time the Bible was composed. Many Christian scientists and apologists such as the Christian scientists and apologists at [[Creation Ministries International]], [[Answers in Genesis]], and [[CreationWiki]] assert that the [http://creationwiki.org/index.php/Bible_scientific_foreknowledge Bible contains knowledge that shows an understanding of scientific knowledge beyond that believed to exist at the time the Bible was composed].<ref>[http://creationwiki.org/index.php/Bible_scientific_foreknowledge Bible Scientific Foreknowledge]</ref><ref>[http://www.clarifyingchristianity.com/science.shtml Clarifying Christianity. Science and the Bible] (clarifyingchristianity.com)</ref><ref>[http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v17/i1/medicine.asp Modern medicine? It's not so modern! by David A. Wise] (answersingenesis.org)</ref>

==Humor in the Bible==

{{main|Humor in the Bible}}

The Bible, especially the Old Testament, contains irony, puns, sarcasm, etc. It may be noted that the sense of what is humorous varies from people to people and from nation to nation, as well as varying from age to age. What caused a chuckle, smile, or laughter in the biblical "genre" was more connected with ''satisfaction'' at the vindication of righteousness among men. Thus to our day and age, and the commonality of people, for believers and non believers, the meaning of the spewing up of Jonah on the shores (even the great fish could not stomach him!) might be viewed as God working out His original will in history. Jonah's flight from responsibility being aborted, for the people in the "days and ages" of the Bible, there was the added satisfaction derived from the understanding that God was not mocked by the rebellion of Jonah. Likewise that the "many cattle" also found repentance and acceptance by God, would not have brought the smile of glee, mingled with doubt, but the smile of satisfaction that God's wide heart found its exultant victory over the measly, narrow perspective of the renagade prophet. There was no shame to stifle the Biblical chuckle at the "hows" of the vindication of God's justice. Yet, what we consider humorous also appears:

For example:

*After noticing that his father-in-law Laban was not treating him as in the past, Jacob decided to flee with his family. Rachel, one of Jacob's wives, stole her father Laban's teraphim (statues used for idolatry and/or divination). Laban pursued them and intercepted them in the Gilead mountains (Genesis 31:30): "Why have you stolen my gods?" Laban said to Jacob. The Midrash comments that it cannot be much of a god if it can be stolen (Midrash Genesis Rabbah 74:8). Jonsson (1985, 44-45) suggests that there is humor (albeit "rough" humor) in the fact that, not only was Laban deceived, but his idols were actually underneath his daughter Rachel's posterior while she claimed that the "manner of women" was upon her. This idol did not get much respect. [http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/economic/friedman/bibhumor.htm]

*In the Orthodox Bible, in the Epistle of Jeremiah, the prophet declares with delightful contempt the stupidity of the idols of Babylon. Their faces have to be wiped to get the dust off them. They have weapons in their hands but cannot punish anyone who offends them. They are as useless as a broken dish. Their eyes are clogged with dust from the feet of the worshippers entering to adore them. Their priests lock them up like a man who has offended the king and has been sentenced to death. Bats, swallows and birds perch on their heads, and so do cats. If they are tipped over, they cannot get up. Their priests howl and shout before them as some do at a funeral feast for a man who has died. When fire breaks out in their temples the priests run away and the idols are burned in two like logs. Robbers strip them naked and they cannot help themselves. The door of a house that protects its contents, or a wooden pillar in a palace holding up the roof is better than these useless gods. Like a scarecrow in a cucumber patch guarding nothing, so are these gods.

*In the book of Esther, Haman, the prime minister of King Ahasuerus of Persia who hates Mordecai the Jew and has built a gallows 50 cubits high to hang him on it, has entered the court to ask for Mordecai's death. The king, meanwhile, not being able to sleep, hears in the reading of the records that Mordecai once saved the king from assassination, and that Mordecai received no reward. The king seeks an opinion from one of his court and asks who is immediately available. Haman enters, and the king asks him what should be done to honor the man who pleases the king, and Haman thinks to himself, "Who should the king wish to honor more than me?" So he makes his recommendation, to dress the man in the king's own robes, to set a crown on his head, to set him on the king's own horse, and have the king's most noble prince conduct him throughout the city proclaiming, "Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delights to honor." The king then told Haman, "Quickly! Take the robes and the horse, as you said, and do it to Mordecai the Jew. Omit nothing you mentioned." When he had obeyed the king, he ran home, mourning, with his head covered.

*In the [[Acts of the Apostles]] is a serious incident which has some wonderfully slapstick comedic overtones (19:11-16). God had been doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, and even cloths that he had touched were applied to the sick and to possessed persons and they were completely cured. So some traveling Jewish [[Exorcism|exorcists]] decided to use the Name of Jesus as a ''word of power'' over people who were possessed, by saying, "I ''adjure'' you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches".<ref>[http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/adjure "adjure"] (oxforddictionaries.com). See [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01142c.htm Catholic Encyclopedia: adjuration]. [http://www.stubbornthings.org/authority-justice-law/ Authority, Justice, Law] (stubbornthings.org) ''the authority required to legitimately adjure''.</ref> When the seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, did this, the evil spirit said, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know: ''but who are you?''", and he leaped on them and beat them so badly they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.

==Paronomasia in the Bible==
The Bible frequently uses [[paronomasia]] (wordplay, puns); for example:
:"With the jawbone of an ass (''hamor''), heaps upon heaps (''hamor hamortayim''), with the jawbone of an ass have I smitten a thousand men" (Judges 15:16). In Hebrew, the word for both "ass" and "heap" is ''hamor''. (See also Judges 14:12-14).

:"And he had thirty sons that rode on thirty ass colts (''ayarim''), and they had thirty cities (''ayarim''), which are called Havvoth-jair unto this day, which are in the land of Gilead" (Judges 10:4). The Hebrew word ''ayarim'' can mean both "ass colts" and "cities." Another more "dynamic translation" might render in English the play on words in this verse as: "He had thirty sons who rode thirty burros who had thirty boroughs."

:"And they were both naked (''arummim''), the man and his wife, and were not ashamed" (Genesis 2:25). The next verse says, "Now the serpent was more cunning (''arum'') than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made (Genesis 3:1). In one verse the term ''arum'' is used to mean "naked" and in the next verse the same basic root denotes "cunning" or "subtle." In both places the meaning includes "smooth". The serpent was "smooth-bodied" and "smooth-tongued".

:"the king sent an Athenian senator to compel the Jews to forsake the laws of their fathers and cease to live by the laws of God, and also to pollute the temple in Jerusalem and call it the temple of Olympian Zeus, and to call the one in Gerizim the temple of Zeus the Friend of Strangers, as did the people who dwell in that place" (2 Maccabees 6:1-2). The Jews equated Olympian Zeus with the Syrian Baal Shamen (“the lord of the heavens”), a term which the Jews mockingly rendered as ''shiqqus shomem'', “desolating abomination” (Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11; 1 Maccabees 1:54; Matthew 24:15; Mark 13:14).

There are many other examples in the OT:
:Genesis 9:27; 25:26; 48:22
:Exodus 2:10
:Ruth 1:20
:Ecclesiastes 7:1 a '''שֵׁם''', '''שֶׁמֶן'''
:Isaiah 63:1
:Micah 1:10-15

In the New Testament, see for example:
:Philemon 1:11, Ὀνήσιμον—ἄχρηστον—εὔχρηστον ''Onesimon—achreston—euchreston''. Onesimus in Greek literally means "profitable". In the Greek New Testament, "useless" is ἄχρηστον achrēston, and "useful" is εὔχρηστον euchrēston. The prefix "a-" is a negative, meaning "not-". The prefix "eu-" is a positive, meaning "good-". The phrase in the Greek text of Philemon verse 11 is: τόν ποτέ σοι '''ἄχρηστον''' , νυνὶ δὲ καὶ σοὶ καὶ ἐμοὶ '''εὔχρηστον'''

:Matthew 16:18 σὐ εἶ '''Πέτρος''' (a huge rock), καὶ ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ '''πέτρᾳ''' (huge boulder, rock) οἰκοδομήσω μου τὴν ἐκκλησίαν.<ref>See Strong's numbers [http://biblehub.com/greek/4073.htm ''4073''] and [http://biblehub.com/greek/4074.htm''4074'']. Curiously, Strong's definition of "small rock, pebble", is inaccurate: "''properly, a stone (pebble), such as a small rock found along a pathway''". Protestant Greek scholars like D.A. Carson and Joseph Thayer admit there is no distinction in meaning between petros and petra in the Koine Greek of the New Testament.
:*Joseph H. Thayer, '''Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament''' (Peabody: Hendrickson, 1996), 507
:*D.A. Carson, “'''Matthew''',” in Frank E. Gaebelein, ed., '''The Expositor’s Bible Commentary''' (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1984), vol. 8, 368.
According to Greek linguists, ''petra'' means a ‘rock’, usually a ‘large rock’ which is the same exact Greek meaning of ''petros'' — large rock. It does not mean ‘pebble’ or ‘small stone’. The Greek word for ‘pebble’ or ‘small stone’ is ''lithos'', not ''petros''.
 
If, as seems probable, our Lord spoke in Aramaic, the word used would be ''Kepha'' (בֵּיפָא, compare Hebrew בֵּפִים in Jeremiah 4:29, Job 30:6 = ‘rocks’; see Strong's number [http://biblehub.com/greek/2786.htm ''2786'']). Aramaic makes no grammatical difference in masculine and feminine forms for "rock" as does Greek. "''You are Kepha, and on this kepha I will build my church''". This is the reading in the ancient Syriac ''Peshitta'' translation of the New Testament.
 
The Greek text of the paronomasia in Matthew 16:18 makes the reference to St. Peter grammatically certain, although some doubt whether Christ meant that St. Peter, as the leader of the Apostolic band, is the human foundation of the new Church (see Ephesians 2:20; Revelation 21:14), or whether he meant that it is built on the foundation of the confession of Peter, Σὺ εἷ ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος. The first view "''on Peter''" is the more reasonable from the literal standpoint of Greek grammatical structure, and would probably have been almost universally accepted had it not been for the insistently persistent [[Triumphalism|triumphalist]] assertion of some Roman Catholic commentators, and the invincibly prejudiced antipathy of some [[Protestantism|Protestant]] [[apologetics|apologists]] against Catholicism which prompts them to forcibly misrepresent the meaning of ''petros'' against its thoroughly attested Greek meaning. [[Orthodox Church|Orthodoxy]] also stoutly rejects the Catholic biblical [[exegesis]] of Matthew 16:18 as establishing Petrine Primacy.
 
See discussion in [http://patrickmadrid.com/bam-bam-the-“pebbles”-argument-goes-down-2/ Bam! Bam! The "Pebbles" Argument Goes Down - Patrick Madrid (patrickmadrid.com)]</ref>
There are also possible examples of paronomasia in Matthew 2:23; Matthew 3:9.

:In Matthew 2:23 the words Ναζωραῖος κληθήσεται ''Nazoraios klethesetai'' are not found in Hebrew or Aramaic in any of the books of the Old Testament prophets (''Nazoraios''= an inhabitant of Nazareth). They appear to many interpreters to be an allusion to Isaiah 11:1 where Messiah is called '''נֵצֶר''' (''netzer'' = a branch), and possibly also to the word '''נָצַר''' (''netzer'' = to preserve); see Isaiah 49:6.

:In Matthew 3:9 (see Luke 3:8) John the Baptist says δύναται ὁ θεὸς ἐκ τῶν λίθων τούτων ἐγεῖραι τέκνα τῷ Ἀβραάμ ''dynatai o Theos ek ton lithos touton egeirai tekna to Abraham''. The Hebrew words for the Greek λίθοι ''lithoi'' ("stones") and τέκνα ''tekna'' ("children") are similar in sound: "God can from these stones (אֲבָנִים ’ăbânîm) raise up children (בָּנִים bânîm) to Abraham."

In the paronomasia of John 2:19-21 Jesus refers to destruction of the temple and to raising it up again:{{cquote|Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body.}}Scholars have pointed out the multiple examples of paronomasia in the profound double meanings used in John's Gospel.<ref>

*[https://www.studylight.org/dictionaries/hdn/p/paronomasia.html Paronomasia - Bible Dictionaries: Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament (studylight.org)]
*[https://archive.org/details/paronomasiakindr00russrich Paronomasia and Kindred Phenomena in the New Testament: A Dissertation, by Russell, Elbert, 1871-1951 - University of Chicago (archive.org)]
*[http://www.atsjats.org/publication_file.php?pub_id=171 The Role of Misunderstanding in the Fourth Gospel, Edwin E. Reynolds, Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies, Silang, Cavite, Philippines (atsjats.org) pdf]
*[http://www.directionjournal.org/issues/gen/art_598_.html Literary Features in the Gospel of John: An Analysis of John 3:1-21 - ''Direction: A Mennonite Brethren Forum''; Fall 1988 · Vol. 17 No. 2 · pp. 3–17 (directionjournal.org)]</ref>

==Bible Translations==
The Bible has been translated many times and in many ways so anyone, from the youngest child to the most learned scholar, can read the entire scripture in their own language and at their own reading level. Early versions in the languages of their people include the Septuagint, Syriac [http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/sacredtexts/syriacbib.html Peshitta] and [[Vulgate]], also the [https://archive.org/details/rosettaproject_arb_gen-1 Arabic], the [http://lexicity.com/coptic-biblical-texts.html Coptic], and Persic [http://www.wordproject.org/bibles/parallel/g/farsi.htm Farsi]. Here are some common English versions:

*[[American Standard Version]]
*[[Amplified Bible]]
*[[Douay-Rheims]]
*[[English Standard Version]]
*[[Good News Version]]
*[[Holman Christian Standard Bible]]
*[[King James Version]]
*[[Living Bible]]
*[[New American Standard Version]]
*[[New English Bible]]
*[[New International Version]]
*[[New King James Version]]
*[[Revised Standard Version]]
*[[Septuagint]]
*[[Wycliffe Bible]]
*[[Conservative Bible]] - still a work-in-progress here at Conservapedia

==Bible versions==
Apart from Bibles that include the Apocrypha, ''The [[New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures]]'' is a distinct version that was produced to justify many of the unique doctrines of [[Jehovah's Witnesses]].

[[Joseph Smith]], founder of [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints]] also produced his own version of the Bible which was published after his death: see [http://www.help4rlds.com/pwtu/PWTUChap9.pdf Joseph Smith’s ''Inspired Version'' of the Bible pdf]

Online multiple versions are also available for comparison by entering '''Bibles online''' in the search-engine window of the computer.
:Simultaneous multiple versions of any one Bible verse are available at biblehub.com.
:A drop-down menu of a multiple selection of Bible translations and versions is available on the biblegateway.com site.

:For example: See a sample of the biblehub.com site with multilingual versions and translations of [http://biblehub.com/multi/john/3-16.htm '''John 3:16'''].

:For example: See a sample of the biblegateway.com site with drop-down menu feature: [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=john%203:16&version=NABRE '''John 3:16 NABRE''']

Below at External links is featured online access to several versions of the Bible in English: '''[[Bible#English]]'''

===Greek Bible online===

'''''Greek/English Bible''''' [http://www.ellopos.net/elpenor/greek-texts/septuagint/ Greek original according to the text used by the Church of Greece. English translation by L.C.L. Brenton, published side by side] Greek Septuagint and Greek New Testament

===Clementine Vulgate online===

'''''The Clementine Vulgate''''' [http://www.saintsbooks.net/books/The%20Clementine%20Vulgate%20-%20%28vulsearch.sourceforge.net%29.pdf BIBLIA SACRA JUXTA VULGATAM CLEMENTINAM EDITIO ELECTRONICA PLURIMIS CONSULTIS EDITIONIBUS DILIGENTER PRÆPARATA A MICHAELE TVVEEDALE .pdf]

===1611 Authorized Version online===

'''''Authorized Version''''' [http://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/1611-Bible/ Official King James Bible Online. original 1611 King James Bible, Old Testament, New Testament, Apocrypha]

== See also ==
*[[Bible exegesis]]
*[[Biblical Canon]]
*[[Maccabees, Books of]]
*[[Christian apologetics|Evidence supporting the Bible]]
*[[Bible apologetics website resources]]
*[[Bible prophecy]]
*[[Biblical accuracy]]
*[[Famous Bible paintings]]
*[[Gematria]]
*[[Midrash]]
*[[Targum]]
*[[Pseudepigrapha]]
*[[Aramaic Church]]
*[[Judaism]]
*[[Essay: The Way of Salvation]]
*[[Essay: How to choose a Bible]]
*[[Conservative Bible Project]]
*[[Inspiration of Holy Scripture: An Eastern Christian and Jewish Perspective]]
*[[New Testament understanding through the Jewish perspective]]
*[[Messianic Prophecies]]
*[[Gospel reading in the Church: the Turgama]]
*[[Wicked Bible]]
*[[Badger skins (Bible)]]
*[[Biblical timeline]]
*[[Literalist Bible chronology]]
*[[Harmony of the Gospel (Conservative Version)]]
*[[Revelation, Book of (historical exegesis)]]

==External links==
===Bible societies ===
*[http://www.americanbible.org/ American Bible Society]
*[http://www.biblesociety.org/ United Bible Society]
*[http://www.ibs.org/ The International Bible Society (New York/Colorado Springs)]
*[http://www.wbtc.com/site/PageServer World Bible Translation Center]
*[http://www.wycliffe.org/home.htm Wycliffe Bible Translators]
*[http://www.labibliaweb.com/ La Biblia] In Spanish.

===Online, internet, and downloadable Bibles===
====Hebrew====
* [http://www.mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0.htm Hebrew-English Bible] ([[Jewish Publication Society of America|JPS]] 1917 translation; includes Hebrew audio)
* [http://tanakhml2.alacartejava.net/cocoon/tanakhml/d13.php2xml?sfr=1&prq=1&pnt=tru&acc=tru&dia=tru&enc=heb XML Hebrew-English (KJV) Bible]
* [http://www.spcm.org/english/Hebrew_OT/ Old Testament in Hebrew]

====Greek====
* [http://www.ccel.org/w/westcott/gnt/toc.htm Koine Greek New Testament]
* [http://www.htmlbible.com/sacrednamebiblecom/moderngreek/ Modern Greek Bible]

====Latin====
* [http://www.LatinVulgate.com/ Latin Vulgate] — Latin Vulgate with parallel Douay-Rheims and King James English translations
* [http://www.sacredbible.org/ SacredBible.org] — Latin Vulgate translation of the Bible
* [http://www.spcm.org/english/Vulgate/ Jerome's Latin Vulgate (405 A.D.)]

====English====
* [http://www.audio-bible.com/bible/bible.html AudioBible] — Audio version of the King James Version.
* [http://www.blueletterbible.org/ Blue Letter Bible] — On-line interactive reference library continuously updated from the teachings and commentaries of selected pastors and teachers who hold to the conservative, historical Christian faith.
* [http://www.e-sword.net E-sword] — Downloadable Bible for Windows.
* [http://www.onlinebible.net/ The Online Bible North America] — Downloadable Bible for Windows.
* [http://www.theophilos.sk/ Theophilos Bible program]
* [http://www.spcm.org/english/ASB/ American Standard Version].
* [http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/ English Standard Version] from Good News/Crossway (the publisher).
* [http://www.verselink.org/ King James Version with dictionary].
* [http://www.spcm.org/english/KJV/ King James Version].
* [http://www.newlivingtranslation.com New Living Translation]
* [http://bible.oremus.org/ New Revised Standard Version].
* [http://www.europepourchrist.org/biblesite/WEB/ World English Bible].
* [http://www.dynamicbible.com/ King James Version built using AJAX technologies], with Strongs and Greek Morphological Codes by Robinson.
* [http://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/index.htm#index The Hypertext Bible] with side-by-side translations in English, Latin, Greek, and Hebrew at the [[Internet Sacred Text Archive]]
* [http://www.biblegateway.com/ Bible Gateway at GospelCom.net] text search in any one of many translations in numerous languages.
* [http://www.biblereadthrough.com/ Bible Read-Through] — read through the Bible in a year aid.
* [http://www.TheFreeBible.com/ TheFreeBible.com] Bible software downloads
* [http://www.scripture4all.org/ Interlinear (word-by-word) translation of the Christian Bible] Hebrew and Koine Greek
* [http://www.aramaicpeshitta.com/aramaic_nt_resources.htm Aramaic New Testament resources]
* [http://www.spcm.org/en/versions.php Over 40 versions of the Bible]
* [http://www.armenianchurchlibrary.com/Bibletranslationsandstudies.html Eastern and Western Armenian Bible]
* [http://www.bible9.com/ Online Bible (King James Version & Old Testament)]
* [http://www.spcm.org/LSG_FR/ Bible — Louis Segond de 1910]
* [http://www.latinvulgate.com/christverse.aspx Complete Sayings of Christ]
* [http://bible.crosswalk.com/ParallelBible/ Crosswalk.com Parallel Bible]
* [http://www.blueletterbible.org/search.html#verse Blue Letter Bible]
* [http://recoveryversion.org/ Recovery Version Bible]

====Spanish====

* [http://www.wbtc.com/site/PageServer?pagename=downloads_spanish Spanish Bible] PDT version
* [http://www.labibliaweb.com/cid/1 Versiones de la Biblia] In Spanish.

====Turkish====
* [http://www.incil.info Turkish Bible] (Turkish Old and New Testament)

====Finnish====
* [http://www.raamattu-kirja.com Finnish Bible] (Finnish Old and New Testament)
* [http://vastaus.net Raamattu] (Study Finnish Bible)

====Japanese====
*[http://www.ibsstl.org/bibles/japanese/index.php On-line version hosted by the International Bible Society]
*[http://www.bible.or.jp/e/index.html Japan Bible Society]

====Others====
* [http://agards-bible-timeline.com/q2_bible_english.html Bible Timeline]
* [http://www.myjewishlearning.com/texts/bible/TO_Torah_880.htm?OVRAW=Torah&OVKEY=torah&OVMTC=standard My Jewish Learning.com]
* [http://search.americanbible.org/ American Bible Society] to search NASB, KJV, CEV, ASV and others.
* [http://etext.virginia.edu/kjv.browse.html University of Virginia Library] KJV word proximity search.
* [http://www.1enormousidea.com/Default.aspx?tabid=42 Many translations in English, verse by verse]
* [http://www.bible-marathi.com Nava Karar] NT Translation from Greek to Marathi
* [http://www.bible-researcher.com/links12.html Gender-neutral Bible translations].
* [http://www.evangelicalbible.com/why.htm Word-for-Word vs.Thought-for-Thought translation] Outlines the difference between formal and dynamic equivalent translation philosopy.
* [http://www.kli.org/wiki/index.php?Klingon%20Bible%20Translation%20Project Klingon Bible].

===Commentaries and analysis===

* [http://bibleseo.com/ Bible study topics] - Bible studies and exposition online
* [http://www.ldolphin.org/icc-am.html Biblical chronology] by Alan Montgomery, B.Sc.(Hon)
* [http://www.dinur.org/resources/resourceCategoryDisplay.aspx?categoryID=411&rsid=478 Biblical History], The Jewish History Resource Center — Dinur Center for Research in Jewish History, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
* [http://www.chabad.org/article.asp?aid=63255 Judaica Press Translation] — online Jewish translation of the Tanakh.
* [http://www.angdatingdaan.org/biblicaltopics/bib_bible_1.htm Reading and Understanding the Bible].
* [http://en.bibleinfo.com/ Source for Bible Answers].
* [http://www.amazingfacts.org/school/af_logon.asp Amazing Facts Bible Studies].
* [http://www.iishj.org/images/Bible.pdf Learning Bible Today] — a historical approach the Bible.
* [http://eword.gospelcom.net/comments/gill/ John Gill's Exposition of the Bible] — verse by verse commentary.
* [http://www.ccel.org/ccel/henry/mhc.i.html/ Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible] — unabridged.
*[http://www.verselink.org/ Topical References]
*[http://www.verselink.org/ Bible Dictionaries and Encyclopedia]
*[http://bible.wikia.com/wiki/Bible_Wiki Bible Wiki], a database covering the people, places, books, doctrine and history of the Bible.

==Bibliography==
* Achtemeier, Paul J., ed. ''Harper's Bible Dictionary'' (1985), 1190pp; mainstream scholarship
* Ackroyd, P.R., ed. ''The Cambridge History of the Bible: From the Beginnings to Jerome; the West from the Fathers to the Reformation; the West from the Reformation to the Present Day'' (3 vol 1978), standard summary of scholarship; [http://www.amazon.com/Cambridge-History-Bible-Beginnings-Jerome/dp/0521099730/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243248143&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search vol 1]; [http://www.amazon.com/Cambridge-History-Bible-Fathers-Reformation/dp/0521290171/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243248143&sr=8-2 excerpt and text search vol 2]; [http://www.amazon.com/Cambridge-History-Bible-Reformation-Present/dp/0521290163/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1243248143&sr=8-3 excerpt and text search vol 3]
* Coggins, R.J. ''Introducing the Old Testament'' (Oxford University Press: 1990), 172pp. [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=22765464 online edition]
* Morgan, Robert, and John Barton. ''Biblical Interpretation'' (Oxford University Press: 1988), 342 pp [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=74356941 online edition]
* Sakenfeld, Katharine Doob, ed. ''The New Interpreters Dictionary of the Bible'' ('''NIDB''') (5 vol 2009), the latest mainstream scholarship
*Unger, Merril F. ''Unger's Bible Dictionary'', Moody Press, Chicago, IL (1966; new edition 2006); Evangelical
**Unger, Merril F. ''The New Unger's Bible Dictionary'', (2006); 1416pp; Evangelical
*Unger, Merril F. ''Unger's Bible Handbook'', Moody Press, Chicago, IL (1967); Evangelical.
*Halley, Henry H. ''Halley's Bible Handbook'', Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI (1965); Evangelical
* Sandys-Wunsch, John. ''What Have They Done to the Bible: A History of Modern Biblical Interpretation'' (2005) Scholarly history of transations and interpretations to 1900; [http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0814650287 excerpt and text search]
* Williamspn, Peter. ''Catholic principles for interpreting scripture: a study of the Pontifical Biblical Commission's The interpretation of the Bible in the Church'' (2001); Catholic; [https://books.google.com/books?id=kooFtFGQsfsC&dq=intitle:bible+intitle:interpretation&lr=&as_drrb_is=b&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=2000&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=&num=30&as_brr=0&as_pt=ALLTYPES excerpts and text search]
*Wilson, Robert D. ''A Scientific Investigation of the Old Testament'', Sunday School Times, Inc, Philadelphia, PA (1926).

===Language===
*Blass, Frederich, and others. ''A Greek Grammar of the New Testament and other early Christian literature,'' translated by Robert W. Funk; University of Chicago Press, Chicago, IL (1961); German edition ''Grammatik des Neutestamentlichen Griechisch'' Friedrich Rehkopf, editor, 14th edition. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1976.
*Moulton, James H., and others. ''A Grammar of New Testament Greek'' (two volumes), edited by Wilbert Francis Howard, T&T Clark Publishers, Harrisburg, PA (1985); originally published 1920, Edinburgh, Scotland.
*Bauer, Walter. ''Griechisch-Deutsches Wörterbuch zu den Scriften des Neuen Testaments und der frühchristlichen Litteratur''. Kurt Åland and Barbara Åland, editors; 6th edition. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin, Germany (1988). Heading βιβλίον, columns 281-82.

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Bible| ]]
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Isaac Newton

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'''Sir Isaac Newton''' (1642-1727) was an [[England|English]] [[physicist]], [[astronomer]], [[mathematician]], [[theologian]], [[alchemy|alchemist]] and government official. He is one of the most well known [[scientist]]s in world history for his [[Theory of Universal Gravitation]], his Laws of Motion, and his theories in optics, as well as invention of differential [[calculus]].<ref>Newton's discovery of calculus was independent of, and likely before, a similar discovery of calculus by the German scientist [[Gottfried Leibniz]]. (Each accused the other of plagiarism, but neither could prove it. [http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/biography/Newton.html Newton Biography]).</ref> In addition, Newton invented the reflecting [[telescope]], and made numerous other contributions to his fields of study. His [[Classical mechanics]] comprises the four main fields of modern physics (alongside the later fields of [[electricity]] and [[magnetism]], [[thermodynamics]], and quantum mechanics).

Proving the value of [[Biblical scientific foreknowledge]], Newton attributed his insights to his efforts in translating the [[Bible]]: "Amongst the Interpreters of the last age there is scarce one of note who hath not made some discovery worth knowing; and thence seem to gather that [[God]] is about opening these mysteries."<ref>http://www.pretribulation.com/isaac-newton.htm</ref>

Newton's view of science was that far more remained undiscovered. "I do not know what I may appear to the world; but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the sea-shore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me."<ref>[http://www.bartleby.com/100/195.1.html Bartlett's Quotations]</ref>

Newton rejected basing scientific theories on assumptions rather than observations. "Hypotheses non fingo," Newton famously declared, which is Latin for "I feign no hypotheses."
* [Newton] "... believed that ideas in science should be tested and only accepted if their usefulness could be demonstrated." [http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v12/i3/newton.asp]
This stands in contrast with the [[Theory of Relativity]] that is contrary to Newtonian physics.

Newton emphasized that conclusions are drawn from experiments, "But hitherto I have not been able to discover the cause of those properties of gravity from phenomena, and I frame no hypotheses; for whatever is not deduced from the phenomena, is to be called an hypothesis; and hypotheses, whether metaphysical or physical, whether of occult qualities or mechanical, have no place in experimental philosophy."<ref>https://books.google.com/books?id=mlLAG5EUZqQC&pg=PA428&dq=I+have+not+been+able+to+discover+the+cause+of+those+properties+of+gravity+from+phenomena,+and+I+frame+no+hypotheses;+for+whatever+is+not+deduced+from+the+phenomena+is+to+be+called+a+hypothesis,+and+hypotheses,+whether+metaphysical+or+physical,+whether+of+occult+qualities+or+mechanical,+have+no+place+in+experimental+philosophy.&hl=en&ei=h_xmTdWUE4KCsQObj82mBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&ved=0CFAQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q&f=false</ref>

In 1705, in recognition of Isaac Newton's role as master of the [[Mint]], [[Queen Anne]] [[knighted]] him.<ref>[http://www.answersingenesis.org/creation/v12/i3/newton.asp Sir Isaac Newton (1642/3–1727): A Scientific Genius, by Ann Lamont]</ref> It was the first knighthood to be given for scientific achievement rather than prowess on the battlefield or work in government.<ref>[http://www.doesgodexist.org/NovDec01/IsaacNewtonAndGodsLawOfGravity.html Isaac Newton and God's Law of Gravity]</ref>

Newton is often seen as one of the most influential men in all of history and perhaps the greatest scientist ever. His work was influential in shaping the philosophical outlook of the entire [[Enlightenment]], especially after writers such as [[Voltaire]] published simplified versions comprehensible to the non-scientist.

==Life==
Newton was born on [[Christmas]] day December 25, 1642<ref>He was born a little more that a year after Galileo died. [[Italy]] and England used different calendars, however, so there is a mistake to the effect they died in the same year. Galileo died in 1641 by the English calendar.</ref> in Woolsthorpe, Lincolnshire; his father, also Isaac, died before his birth. The senior Isaac Newton (1606–1642) was a wealthy but illiterate farmer who left extensive lands as well as goods worth £459, including a flock of 235 sheep and a herd of 46 cattle. The annual income was about £150, and Newton drew on that income to supplement his college fellowship while at Cambridge. The Newtons were a well-to-do, upwardly mobile family of farmers, but never had a prominent member. When he was a little more than two years old, his mother Hannah (1610–1679), remarried, and his upbringing was taken over by his maternal grandmother. He began his schooling in neighboring villages, and, at ten, was sent to the grammar school at Grantham, the nearest town of any size. He boarded during terms at the house of an apothecary from whom he may have derived his lifelong interest in chemistry. The young Newton seems to have been a quiet, not particularly bookish, lad, but very ready with his hands; he made sun dials, model windmills, a water clock, a mechanical carriage, and flew kites with lanterns attached to their tails. Throughout his life he built mechanical devices and fashioned his own tools for high-precision work.

In 1656, Newton's mother, on the death of her second husband, returned to Woolsthorpe and took her son out of school with the idea of making him a farmer. He hated farming. His mother, after considerable persuasion by his teacher at Grantham, who had recognized his intellectual gifts, allowed him to prepare for entrance to [[Cambridge University]]. In June 1661, he was admitted to prestigious Trinity College as a lowly "sub-sizar" (a student required to do work-study). The main curriculum was the study of Aristotle, but early in 1664, as Newton's notebooks indicate, he began an intensive self-study of geometry, Copernican astronomy and optics. On his own he read Descartes, Pierre Gassendi, Galileo, Robert Boyle, Thomas Hobbes, Kenelm Digby, Joseph Glanville, and Henry More. He was a loner with only one friend, but he was stimulated by the distinguished mathematician and theologian Isaac Barrow, Lucasian Professor of Mathematics, who recognized Newton's genius and did all he could to foster it.

Newton took his bachelor's degree in January 1665 and was selected for a scholarship in 1664 and a fellowship in 1667. Upon taking his MA he became one of Trinity college's sixty fellows, with an income of £60, part of which came in the form of room and board. He had no duties at Trinity over the next 28 years; he did no teaching apart from a few lectures (to nearly empty halls) and tutoring an occasional student. At the urging of Isaac Barrow in 1669 he wrote out some of his findings, which circulated in manuscript. He invented the reflecting telescope, which caused a sensation in London in 1671 and his election to the Royal Society. Newton became Lucasian professor of mathematics in 1669 at £100 per annum. Added to his fellowship and family estate, Newton was well off. He spent most of his time with experiments in alchemy and speculations in Arian theology, which had no influence whatever at the time or later. Newton made enemies easily, with an almost paranoid style of [[disputation]]. Many scientists in the era were repeatedly charging each other with plagiarism, and sometimes hid their discoveries in code so that in future years they could decode the message and claim priority. In 1704 he published his great book on ''Opticks'', which had been mostly written three decades before.

After his death and burial, Newton was exhumed so he could be buried in a more prominent location in [[Westminster Abbey]]. During this exhumation process, it was discovered that Newton had large amounts of [[mercury (element)|mercury]] in his body, probably as a direct result of his [[alchemy|alchemical]] experiments. Exposure to large amounts of mercury may explain Newton’s eccentricity in his latter years, as well as his cause of death.<ref>[http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/biography/Newton.html Newton Biography]</ref>

==National affairs==
Publication in 1687 of the ''Principia'', considered by many to be the most important scientific publication ever, made Newton one of the best known intellectual figures in Europe. At the same time Newton became a leader of the University against King [[James II]], who was promoting Catholicism there. When James was overthrown, Newton's political reputation soared. In 1694 he suffered an emotional breakdown and his intellectual productivity ended. In 1696 he left Cambridge for London, where he became Warden of the [[mint|Royal Mint]]. The appointment was intended as an honorary sinecure for England's most famous intellectual, but Newton characteristically threw himself into a successful effort to reform the nation's coinage and crack down on counterfeiters. He became Master of the Mint in 1699; in 27 years as Master he averaged an income of about £1650 a year, one of the highest salaries in London. He was president of the Royal Society from 1703 to his death, turning that honorific position into an operational one that upgraded the Society's usefulness. In 1705 he became the first scientist in European history to be knighted.

Newton never married, but he brought his niece to London as his hostess and lived in upper class style.

==Year of great discovery==
The year 1666 is known as Newton's ''annus mirabilis'' (miraculous year—more precisely the two years 1665-1666), about twenty-four years of age. He later recalled, "For in those days I was in the prime of my age for invention & minded Mathematicks & Philosophy more than at any time since." (By "philosophy" he meant physics.)

===Calculus===
Newton broke ground with his innovative work founding the field of [[calculus]]. He had been motivated by the need for alternate ways to compute [[pi]]. He isolated a formulation of pi as the area under an [[arc]] of the unit circle; thus to calculate pi he would only have to compute this area. Whereas [[Pierre de Fermat]] had already worked out how to compute the areas under [[polynomial]] curves, Newton faced a curve given by a formula involving a [[square root]]. To solve this problem, he re-expressed the square root in terms of an infinite sum of polynomials—this was the motivating idea for his generalized binomial theorem. The standard binomial theorem gave an expansion for ''(x+y)n'' for any nonnegative [[integer]] ''n''. The resulting expression involves binomial [[coefficient]]s. Newton's work extended this theorem to all [[real]] values of ''n'', by using [[convergent]] [[infinite series]] and generalized binomial coefficients. Therefore, to compute the area under the arc, he simply had to use Fermat's theorem to compute the area under each of the polynomial terms of the infinite series and then add them together (proving along the way that this sum converges).

Proceeding from this method, Newton formulated the idea of [[integration]]—a computation of the area under any curve by using infinite series of areas. He followed that with a method for [[differentiation]], and came upon the [[fundamental theorem of calculus]], which relates differentiation and integration. Having invented the calculus, he put aside mathematics for two years and turned to physics.

Although Newton had communicated his discoveries in the calculus privately, he did not publish anything formal about it until finally, in 1704, he published ''Opticks''. In the meantime the German mathematician [[Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz]] had developed his own very similar version of the calculus. Both mathematicians used similar ideas of infinitesimals to smooth out details of division by zero and other seeming mathematical obstacles.

Although Leibniz acknowledged that Newton was earlier, a nasty priority conflict broke out in the 1710s. Newton and his (mainly English) followers accused Leibniz of plagiarism, and the Germans retaliated in kind. The modern view is that both mathematicians discovered the calculus independently. The symbolism in modern use comes from Leibniz and 18th century French mathematicians.

===Optics===
While waiting out [[The Plague]] he began to investigate the nature of [[light]]. White light, according to the prevailing theories, was homogeneous. His first experiments with a [[prism]] provided the true explanation of color. Passing a beam of sunlight through a prism, he observed that the beam spread out into a colored band of light ([[spectrum]]) like a rainbow.<ref>[http://www.webexhibits.org/colorart/bh.html Newton and the color spectrum]</ref> While others had undoubtedly performed similar experiments, it was Newton who showed that the differences in color were caused by differing degrees of refrangibility. A ray of violet light, for example, when passed through a refracting medium, was refracted through a greater angle than a ray of red light. His conclusions, checked by ingenious experiments, were that sunlight was a combination of all the colors and that the colors themselves were monochromatic (his term was "homogeneal"), and separated merely because they were of differing refrangibility.

== Gravity ==
[[Image:Isaac Newton apple.JPG|right|230px]]
Newton developed the [[Theory of Universal Gravitation]], more commonly known as gravity, when, according to Newton himself, he was thinking about the moon and saw an apple fall one day. It fell straight down, and why was that? Then he had one of the most astonishing and brilliant thoughts in human history: the moon and the apple were just alike and both were being drawn straight toward the earth. What then kept the moon up there, or the four moons of Jupiter in their orbits? His theory stated that all matter is attracted to matter by a force, whose strength increases proportionally to the mass of the objects involved, and inversely proportional to the squared distance between them. The moons stayed in place because they had a momentum that offset gravity and forced them into elliptical orbits.

Newton's theory is based on action-at-a-distance which has always been opposed by some scientists, and now most physicists endorse the very different [[theory of relativity]]. Both theories predict identical results at small scales, similar results at the scale of the [[solar system]] and very different results at [[Cosmology|cosmological]] scales beyond the [[solar system]].

Newton had already made great progress in his devising "method of fluxions" (the infinitesimal calculus). During the plague years he recorded his first thoughts on gravitation, inspired by watching an apple fall. It fell straight down—why was that? He was trying at that time to determine what type of force could hold the moon in its path. The fall of the apple led him to think that it might be the same gravitational force, suitably diminished by distance, that had acted on the apple. Thereby he discovered the law of [[gravitation]] (attraction is proportional with inverse distance squared). He verified his conjecture approximately by a numerical calculation. He did not, at the time, pursue the matter, because the problem of calculating the combined attraction of the whole earth on a small body near its surface was obviously one of great difficulty.<ref>The problem was enormously simplified when he later used his calculus to prove that, for purposes of gravity, a uniform sphere of any size can be considered as a single mass located at one point, the center.</ref>

Newton struggled with how to conceptualize gravity. He had early rejected Descartes's vortex account of the cause of the motion of the planets. Descartes had argued that forces were transmitted through contact and that this required that matter be continuous and that hence there could be no vacuums. As early as 1665 Newton attempted to find a physical explanation of the cause of gravity but never found a suitable answer. As Newton said later in his ''Principia,'' "I have not as yet been able to deduce from phenomena the reason for these properties of gravity, and I do not feign hypotheses. For whatever is not deduced from the phenomena must be called hypothesis; and hypotheses, whether metaphysical or physical, or based on occult qualities, or mechanical, have no place in experimental philosophy". Thus Newton offers no explanation of gravity but shows through his mathematics that it "acts" in accordance to the mathematical laws he offers us in the ''Principia''. This was a difficult approach for his contemporaries to accept. [[Robert Hooke]], in particular, saw experimentation as the heart of science and disapproved of Newton's focus on theory and mathematics.

==Three laws==
See [[Classical mechanics]]

Later in life, as a holder of the Cambridge Lucasian chair of mathematics, Newton worked out his initial ideas into a set of mechanical laws, with his second and most important law: Force is the rate of change of momentum with respect to time. This can often be simplified, in the case of constant mass to the well known <math>\scriptstyle F = m a</math>. Newton was the first to understand the concept of inertial forces, notably the centrifugal force, although Christian Huyghens was close to understanding this effect. In 1684 Newton proved that [[Johannes Kepler|Kepler's laws]] follow from his own second law in conjunction with his gravitational law. This proof completed the astronomical revolution initiated by [[Nicolaus Copernicus]].

==Principia Mathematica==
Newton avoided publishing his results, preferring to communicate them to close colleagues. It took [[Edmond Halley]] great efforts to convince Newton to write his opus magnum ''Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica'' ("Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy" written in Latin, it was called the ''Principia'') that appeared in 1687. A second expanded edition appeared in 1713. It was a work on [[Classical mechanics|mechanics]] that used Newton's new principle of universal gravitation to explain falling bodies on the earth and the motions of planets and comets in the heavens. The first part covers dynamics and includes Newton’s three famous laws of motion. The second part concerns fluid motion; the third part deals with "the system of the world" ("De mundi systemate"), that is, the unification of terrestrial and celestial mechanics under the principle of gravitation and the explanation of Kepler’s laws of planetary motion. The material was very advanced and difficult, especially since the underlying calculus was deliberately hidden from view. Scientists across Europe immediately recognized its importance and tried to read it.

==Newtonianism==
Feingold (2004) explains the rapid dissemination of Newton's science came first via the members of the Royal Society, both British and Continental. The scientists, mathematicians, and philosophers of Germany, Holland, France, and Italy read the editions of the ''Principia'' and the ''Opticks'' and taught the ideas to their students. Newton's work was widely accepted, except in Italy, where the Catholic Church, having silenced Galileo, tried as well to suppress Newton's ideas. Despite the importance of Descartes to the French, Newton carried the day in France. [[Voltaire]] in particular made Newton the great hero of the modern world of ideas. Voltaire's ''Elemens de la philosophie de Neuton,'' (1737), was a success that rendered Newton intelligible and his work accessible, to the nonspecialists and amateurs who flourished in the [[Enlightenment]]. In Germany [[Leibniz]] praised Newton's ''Principia'', but was uncomfortable with Newton's position regarding gravity. It was philosophically untenable to merely dismiss the problem of its cause. French scientists, especially [[Pierre Simon Laplace]] (1749-1827) developed and systemized Newton's ideas into modern [[Classical mechanics]] in the late 18th century.<ref>Roger Hahn, ''Pierre Simon Laplace, 1749-1827: A Determined Scientist.'' (2005). 310 pp.</ref>

Newton's science dominated science and educated thought throughout the 18th century, being seen as the highest achievement of pure reason and classical culture.<ref>Feingold, ''The Newtonian Moment'' (2004); Larry Stewart, ''The Rise of Public Science: Rhetoric, Technology, and Natural Philosophy in Newtonian Britain, 1660-1750.'' (1992)</ref> In the 19th century, however, Romantic scientists went in entirely new directions, exploring non-Newtonian topics in electricity, magnetism and thermodynamics, and in mathematics turning to topics unrelated to calculus, like group theory. The leading German poet, [[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe]] - who was also a renowned Natural philosopher - even tried to challenge Newton's optics.

== Religious Beliefs ==
Newton was an [[Arian]] (Illegalized in Europe since the First Council of Nicaea) who rejected the Trinity and was ambiguous about the divinity of Christ. As his leading biographer concludes, "Well before 1675, Newton had become an Arian in the original sense of the term." That is, he emphasized the powers of God the father and deemphasized Jesus.<ref>Westfall, ''Never at Rest'' p. 103. Westfall notes, p. 350, "No evidence at all indicates that Newton ceased to be an Arian."</ref> He considered himself a [[Christian]] who accepted the [[Bible]] as the Word of [[God]],<ref>"I have a fundamental belief in the [[Bible]] as the Word of God, written by those who were inspired. I study the Bible daily." Tiner, J.H. (1975). Isaac Newton: Inventor, Scientist and Teacher. Milford, Michigan, U.S.: Mott Media.</ref> after the age of 25 he devoted much—perhaps most—of his thinking to religion. His unorthodox views violated the rules at Cambridge University, but his colleagues protected him. Newton wrote the book ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=cIoPAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA1&dq=%22An+Historical+Account+of+Two+Notable+Corruptions+of+Scripture%22#v=onepage&q=&f=false An Historical Account of Two Notable Corruptions of Scripture]'' and removed the parts of 1 John 5:7-8 and 1 Timothy 3:16 that do not appear in the earliest [[Koine Greek]] [[New Testament]] manuscripts. The first one is called the ''[[Johannine Comma]]'' in Latin. These passages in the KJV are (with the unoriginal parts added later in '''''red'''''):

:7 For there are three that bear record ['''''in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. 8 And there are three that bear witness in earth,'''''] the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one. (1 John 5:7-8)
:And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God ['''''was manifest in the flesh'''''], justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. (1 Timothy 3:16)

And in [[Koine Greek]]:

:7 ὅτι τρεῖς εἰσιν οἱ μαρτυροῦντες ['''''ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, ὁ Πατήρ, ὁ Λόγος, καὶ τὸ Ἅγιον Πνεῦμα· καὶ οὗτοι οἱ τρεῖς ἔν εἰσι. 8 καὶ τρεῖς εἰσιν οἱ μαρτυροῦντες ἐν τῇ γῇ'''''] τὸ πνεῦμα καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ καὶ τὸ αἷμα, καὶ οἱ τρεῖς εἰς τὸ ἕν εἰσιν. (1 John 5:7-8)
:και ομολογουμενως μεγα εστιν το της ευσεβειας μυστηριον θεος ['''''εφανερωθη εν σαρκι'''''] εδικαιωθη εν πνευματι ωφθη αγγελοις εκηρυχθη εν εθνεσιν επιστευθη εν κοσμω ανεληφθη εν δοξη. (1 Timothy 3:16)

Newton was a sincere religious believer, who said his discoveries were inspired by [[God]]. He devoted more time to the study of Scripture than to science. Newton wrote, "This most beautiful system of the sun, planets, and comets, could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent Being... All variety of created objects which represent order and life in the universe could happen only by the willful reasoning of its original Creator, Whom I call the Lord God."

Newton believed that God's creation of the universe was self-evident given its grandeur.<ref>Webb, R.K. ed. Knud Haakonssen. “The emergence of Rational Dissent.” Enlightenment and Religion: Rational Dissent in eighteenth-century Britain. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge: 1996. p19.</ref> He also warned against using his laws to replace the creator. He said, "Gravity explains the motions of the planets, but it cannot explain who set the planets in motion. God governs all things and knows all that is or can be done."<ref>Tiner, J.H. (1975). Isaac Newton: Inventor, Scientist and Teacher. Milford, Michigan, U.S.: Mott Media.</ref>

Newton wrote over a million words on religion—nearly all in unpublished hand-written manuscripts and unavailable for research until the 20th century. Although older scholars did not have access to his writings, "Among contemporary scholars, the consensus is that Newton was an Arian," concludes Pfizenmaier (1997).<ref>Thomas C. Pfizenmaier, "Was Isaac Newton an Arian?," ''Journal of the History of Ideas,'' Vol. 58, No. 1 (Jan., 1997), pp. 57-80 [http://www.jstor.org/stable/3653988 in JSTOR]</ref> Arians were Christians but the Arian theology died out as an organized force a thousand years before; Newton read the old texts and identified himself with Arius and his beliefs.

In an effort to debunk widespread claims of his time that the world would be ending soon, Newton wrote a private manuscript estimating that the world would not end prior to the year A.D. 2060.<ref>http://www.isaac-newton.org/newton_2060.htm</ref>

== Quotes ==

* "Opposition to godliness is [[Atheism]] in profession and idolatry in practice. Atheism is so senseless and odious to mankind that it never had many professors." - Sir Isaac Newton<ref>Newton, Isaac. ''A Short Scheme of the True Religion''. Unpublished writing quoted in Brewster, David (1855).</ref>

==References==
<references/>

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* Sepper, Dennis L. ''Newton's Optical Writings: A Guided Study.'' Rutgers U. Press, 1994. 224 pp. [http://www.amazon.com/Newtons-Optical-Writings-Masterworks-Discovery/dp/081352038X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196337057&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search]
* Shapiro, Alan E. ''Fits, Passions, and Paroxysms: Physics, Method, and Chemistry and Newton's Theories of Colored Bodies and Fits of Easy Reflection.'' Cambridge U. Press, (1993). 400 pp.
* Thrower, Norman J. W., ed. ''Standing on the Shoulders of Giants: A Longer View of Newton and Halley: Essays Commemorating the Tercentenary of Newton's Principia and the 1985-1986 Return of Comet Halley.'' U. of California Press, 1990. 429 pp.
* Westfall, Richard S. ''Never at Rest: A Biography of Isaac Newton.'' 2 vol. Cambridge U. Press, 1981. 895 pp. the major scholarly biography [http://www.amazon.com/Never-Rest-Biography-Cambridge-Paperback/dp/0521274354/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196337354&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search]
** Westfall, Richard S. ''The Life of Isaac Newton.'' Cambridge U. Press, (1993). 328 pp., short version [http://www.amazon.com/Life-Isaac-Newton-Canto-original/dp/0521477379/ref=sip_rech_dp_10 excerpt and text search]
* Westfall, Richard S. "Newton, Sir Isaac (1642–1727)", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (2004); online edition
* White, Michael. ''Isaac Newton: The Last Sorcerer.'' (1998). 416 pp. Newton as alchemist [http://www.questia.com/read/9931462 online edition]
===Newton and religion===
* Dobbs, Betty Jo Tetter. ''The Janus Faces of Genius: The Role of Alchemy in Newton's Thought.'' (1991), links the alchemy to Arianism
* Force, James E., and Richard H. Popkin, eds. ''Newton and Religion: Context, Nature, and Influence.'' (1999), 342pp . Pp. xvii + 325. 13 papers by scholars using newly opened manuscripts
* Ramati, Ayval. "The Hidden Truth of Creation: Newton's Method of Fluxions" ''British Journal for the History of Science'' 34: 417-438. [http://www.jstor.org/stable/4028372 in JSTOR], argues that his calculus had a theological basis
* Snobelen, Stephen D. "'God of Gods, and Lord of Lords': The Theology of Isaac Newton's General Scholium to the Principia," ''Osiris,'' 2nd Series, Vol. 16, (2001), pp. 169–208 [http://www.jstor.org/stable/301985 in JSTOR]
* Snobelen, Stephen D. "Isaac Newton, Heretic: The Strategies of a Nicodemite," ''British Journal for the History of Science'' 32: 381-419. [http://www.jstor.org/stable/4027945 in JSTOR]
* Pfizenmaier, Thomas C. "Was Isaac Newton an Arian?," ''Journal of the History of Ideas,'' Vol. 58, No. 1 (Jan., 1997), pp. 57–80 [http://www.jstor.org/stable/3653988 in JSTOR]
* Westfall, Richard S. ''Never at Rest: A Biography of Isaac Newton.'' 2 vol. Cambridge U. Press, 1981. 895 pp. the major scholarly biography [http://www.amazon.com/Never-Rest-Biography-Cambridge-Paperback/dp/0521274354/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196337354&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search]
* Wiles, Maurice. ''Archetypal Heresy. Arianism through the Centuries.'' (1996) 214pp, with chapter 4 on 18th century England; pp 77–93 on Newton [http://www.amazon.com/Archetypal-Heresy-Arianism-through-Centuries/dp/0199245916/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1221655973&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search],

===Primary sources===
* Newton, Isaac. ''The Principia: Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy.'' U. of California Press, (1999). 974 pp.
* Newton, Isaac. ''The Optical Papers of Isaac Newton. Vol. 1: The Optical Lectures, 1670-1672.'' Cambridge U. Press, 1984. 627 pp.
* Newton, Isaac. ''Opticks'' (4th ed. 1730) [https://books.google.com/books?id=GnAFAAAAQAAJ&dq=newton+opticks&pg=PP1&ots=Nnl345oqo_&sig=0mBTaXUI_K6w-JDEu_RvVq5TNqc&prev=http://www.google.com/search?q=newton+opticks&rls=com.microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBox&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sourceid=ie7&rlz=1I7GGLJ&sa=X&oi=print&ct=title&cad=one-book-with-thumbnail online edition]
* Newton, Isaac. ''The Mathematical Papers of Isaac Newton,'' 8 vols. (Cambridge University Press, 1967–81).
* Newton, Isaac. ''The correspondence of Isaac Newton,'' ed. H. W. Turnbull and others, 7 vols. (1959–77).
* Brackenridge, J. Bruce. ''The Key to Newton's Dynamics: The Kepler Problem and the Principia: Containing an English Translation of Sections 1, 2, and 3 of Book One from the First (1687) Edition of Newton's Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy.'' U. of California Press, 1996. 299 pp.
* ''Newton's Philosophy of Nature: Selections from His Writings'' edited by H. S. Thayer, (1953), [http://www.questia.com/read/5876270 online edition]
* Newton, Isaac. ''Observations upon the Prophecies of Daniel, and the Apocalypse of St. John'' [https://www.gutenberg.org/files/16878/16878-h/16878-h.htm The Project Gutenberg EBook]

==External links==
*[http://www.relativitycalculator.com/Newton_Axioms.shtml Isaac Newton's Laws of Motion]
*[http://www.college-optometrists.org/index.aspx/pcms/site.college.What_We_Do.museyeum.online_exhibitions.observatory.newton/ Newton & the Colour of Light]
* [https://librivox.org/author/2836 Works by Sir Isaac Newton - text and free audio] - [[LibriVox]]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Newton, Isaac}}

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Counterexamples to an Old Earth

2019-02-09T19:59:32Z

Tg97: Undo revision 1491983 by Rossmiller (talk)

[[File:Moon2.jpg|thumbnail|200px|right|"Tidal friction causes the moon to recede from the earth at 4 cm per year. It would have been greater in the past when the moon and earth were closer together. The moon and earth would have been in catastrophic proximity ([[Roche limit]]) at less than a quarter of their supposed age."<ref name="Age of the earth">[http://creation.com/age-of-the-earth Age of the earth]</ref> see: [http://creation.com/the-moon-the-light-that-rules-the-night Recession of the moon from the earth] ]]
It takes only one counterexample to disprove the theory of an [[Old Earth]]. Most of the "evidence" for an [[Old Earth]] is based on claims that lack falsifiability, such as [[radiometric dating]], and hence would not even satisfy minimum requirements for admissibility in a court of law. If each of the following 63 counterexamples to an Old Earth were to have merely a 10% chance of being valid, then the probability that the Earth is billions of years old is less than one half of 1%. In other words, '''''the Earth must be young with a likelihood of 99.6%'''''.<ref>The same analysis could be applied to the [[Young Earth]] theory, but no valid counterexamples have been found in centuries of atheist attempts. In addition, there are over 100 proofs of a young [[earth]] and [[universe]] (See [http://creation.com/age-of-the-earth ''Age of the earth: 101 evidences for a young age of the earth and the universe'']).</ref>

In addition, much additional scientific evidence points to a [[Young earth creationism|young]] [[Age of the Earth|age of the earth]] and the universe, and the biblical creation organization [[Creation Ministries International]] published articles entitled ''[http://creation.com/age-of-the-earth 101 evidences for a young age of the earth and the universe]'' and [http://creation.com/how-old-is-the-earth How old is the earth?] both of which summarize some of the evidence for a young age of the earth. Further arguments can be found in the article [[arguments for a recent creation]]

The motivation for [[atheist]]s to insist on falsely teaching that the Earth is old is to pull students away from [[God]]'s immediate presence and to turn them away from [[Jesus Christ]]. Atheists are also motivated, and biased, by the fact that their [[evolutionism|evolutionist]] theories require the world to be some implausible billions of years old.

== Counterexamples ==
The growing (but very non-exhaustive) list of counterexamples to the theory of an [[Old Earth]] includes:

=== History ===
[[File:Sphinx pyramid.jpg|thumb|200px|Although frequently cited by Old Earth supporters against a young earth, [[New Chronology|revised and well-supported Egyptian chronology]] actually provides strong evidence in favor of a young Earth.]]
# The oldest direct evidence of life—written documents, clothing, remnants of civilizations, tree rings, etc.—is no older than about 3,000 B.C. and certainly younger than 4,000 B.C., the approximate date of origin of the Earth, based on a straightforward reading of the [[Bible]]. While adherents to a belief in an old earth claim of artifacts existing further back than 4,000 B.C., those people come to their conclusions due to their presuppositions (i.e. the lens through which they see the world) that evolution is true, that the Earth is old, and that humans were originally dumb and became more intelligent as time went on.<ref>Mortenson, Terry (July 7, 2015). [https://answersingenesis.org/archaeology/trillions-of-artifacts/ Trillions of “Artifacts”—Who’s Really Got the Problem?]. ''Answers in Genesis''. Retrieved April 13, 2017.</ref><ref>Climer, Phillip (May 23, 2012). [https://answersingenesis.org/archaeology/archaeology-and-the-bible/ Archaeology and the Bible]. ''Answers in Genesis''. Retrieved April 13, 2017.</ref>
# Over 270 cultures have flood legends that distinctly resemble the biblical flood account.<ref>[https://answersingenesis.org/the-flood/flood-legends/legends-of-the-flood/ Legends of the Flood]. ''Answers in Genesis''. January 30, 2014. Retrieved August 18, 2016.</ref><ref>White, Monty (March 29, 2007). [https://answersingenesis.org/the-flood/flood-legends/flood-legends/ Flood Legends]. ''Answers in Genesis''. Retrieved August 18, 2016.</ref> While critics like to say the biblical flood account is descended from other stories, in reality, it is the other way around, as the biblical flood account is far superior to any flood legend in multiple ways.<ref>Lacey, Troy & Anderson jr, Lee (October 1, 2013). [https://answersingenesis.org/the-flood/flood-legends/the-genesis-flood-not-just-another-legend/ The Genesis Flood—Not Just Another Legend]. ''Answers in Genesis''. Retrieved August 18, 2016.</ref> Creation legends also exist, but once again, the biblical account is superior.<ref name="AncientMyths">Ham, Steve (March 29, 2011). [https://answersingenesis.org/creationism/creation-myths/is-genesis-111-a-derivation-from-ancient-myths/ Is Genesis 1–11 a Derivation from Ancient Myths?]. ''Answers in Genesis''. Retrieved August 18, 2016.</ref>
# Noah, his sons, and his further descendants mentioned in the Bible are found and named in numerous cultures and there is much extra-biblical evidence for their existence, showing that they were real people who made a real impact.<ref name="Dispersion">Hodge, Bodie (August 19, 2010). [https://answersingenesis.org/tower-of-babel/was-the-dispersion-at-babel-a-real-event/ Chapter 28 - Was the Dispersion at Babel a Real Event?]. ''Answers in Genesis''. Retrieved August 18, 2016.</ref> There are royal genealogies in Europe that trace their family lines back to Noah.<ref name="Dispersion"/>
# Ancient cultures all over the world built ziggurat-like structures, such as the Egyptians, Babylonians, and Mesoamericans. This is strong evidence that they originated from one area and that the Tower of Babel was a real, ziggurat-shaped tower.<ref name="Dispersion"/>
# In history, the closer one gets to Babel, geographically speaking, the earlier the civilizations in that area first developed, giving strong evidence that all civilizations were originally from Babel and were dispersed from that location all over the Earth.<ref name="Dispersion"/><ref name="SecretsLandis">Landis, Don (2015). [https://answersingenesis.org/store/product/secrets-ancient-man/?sku=10-2-463 ''Secrets of Ancient Man'']. Green Forest, Arkansas: Master Books. ISBN: 9780890518663.</ref> Even secular historians accept this<ref>http://www.ancient.eu/image/1068/</ref> and call Sumer the "cradle of civilization".<ref>Mark, Joshua J. (April 28, 2011). [http://www.ancient.eu/sumer/ Sumer]. ''Ancient History Encyclopedia''. Retrieved September 5, 2016.</ref><ref>Mark, Joshua J. (September 2, 2009). [http://www.ancient.eu/Mesopotamia/ Mesopotamia]. "'Ancient History Encyclopedia''. Retrieved September 5, 2016.</ref>
# The Sumerian King List is remarkably similar to the biblical genealogy in Genesis 5. There is a very close correlation between the two lists (if one excludes Adam and Noah in the Bible), the flood is mentioned, and the kings all have long life-spans, providing strong evidence that the Sumerians recognized the history recorded in the Bible as fact.<ref name="AncientMyths"/>
# While many evolutionists point to [[Egyptian chronology|Egyptian history]] (which, according to them, dates back long before the biblical creation and flood dates) as proof against a young Earth, a growing number of academics are recognizing that many of the traditional sources for Egyptian history are both inaccurate and misinterpreted, and [[New Chronology|revised dates for Egyptian history]] align remarkably well with biblical history.<ref>McClellan, Matt (August 24, 2011). [https://answersingenesis.org/archaeology/ancient-egypt/ancient-egyptian-chronology-and-the-book-of-genesis/ Ancient Egyptian Chronology and the Book of Genesis]. ''Answers Research Journal''. Retrieved August 18, 2016.</ref><ref>Mitchell, Elizabeth (July 22, 2010). [https://answersingenesis.org/archaeology/ancient-egypt/doesnt-egyptian-chronology-prove-bible-unreliable/ Chapter 24 - Doesn’t Egyptian Chronology Prove That the Bible Is Unreliable?]. ''Answers in Genesis''. Retrieved August 18, 2016.</ref><ref>Mitchell, Elizabeth (April 1, 2008). [https://answersingenesis.org/archaeology/ancient-egypt/dating-the-pyramids/ Dating the Pyramids]. ''Answers in Genesis''. Retrieved August 18, 2016.</ref> Additionally, radiocarbon dating has given additional evidence that the Egyptian civilization began more recently than originally thought.<ref>Mitchell, Elizabeth (September 19, 2013). [https://answersingenesis.org/archaeology/ancient-egypt/radiocarbon-dating-shortens-the-timeline-for-ancient-egypt/ Radiocarbon Dating Shortens the Timeline for Ancient Egypt]. ''Answers in Genesis''. Retrieved August 18, 2016.</ref>
# Because of their worldview, evolutionists believe that ancient man was not as intelligent as today and did not possess superior technology. However, many archaeological findings in numerous ancient civilizations have proven otherwise—that ancient man was very intelligent, possibly even more so than modern day society, as well as more technologically advanced in some ways.<ref name="SecretsLandis"/><ref>Landis, Don (2012). [https://answersingenesis.org/store/product/genius-ancient-man/?sku=10-2-423& ''The Genius of Ancient Man'']. Green Forest, Arkansas: Master Books. ISBN: 9780890516775.</ref><ref>Ham, Ken (December 31, 2012). [https://answersingenesis.org/archaeology/ancient-technology/geniuses-not-brutes/ Geniuses, Not Brutes!]. ''Answers in Genesis''. Retrieved August 18, 2016.</ref>
# Many different cultures throughout history have legends and realistic accounts from historians of dragons. There is very strong evidence that dinosaurs were alive and a very real part of ancient cultures (and even some more recent ones), affirming a young Earth and the biblical account of origins.<ref>Hodge, Bodie (October 1, 2011). [https://answersingenesis.org/dinosaurs/dragon-legends/dragon-legends-truths-behind-the-tales/ Dragon Legends—Truths Behind the Tales]. ''Answers in Genesis''. Retrieved August 18, 2016.</ref><ref>[https://answersingenesis.org/dinosaurs/dragon-legends/dragons-fact-or-fable/ Dragons: Fact or Fable?]. ''Answers in Genesis''. Retrieved August 18, 2016.</ref> In fact, there have been some reports of dinosaurs living in the remote jungles of [[Africa]] today.<ref>Ham, Ken (October 25, 2007). [https://answersingenesis.org/dinosaurs/when-did-dinosaurs-live/what-really-happened-to-the-dinosaurs/ Chapter 12 - What Really Happened to the Dinosaurs?]. ''Answers in Genesis''. Retrieved August 18, 2016.</ref>
# There is a striking similarity in the way diverse, worldwide cultures see [[constellations]]. In very diverse cultures, the constellations that the people see are the same, and the meanings of many are the same, including the Big and Little Dippers, showing that people had to have developed them together, rather than on opposite directions of the globe.<ref name="Nelson">Nelson, Brooke C. (October 5, 2016). [https://answersingenesis.org/astronomy/stars/do-big-and-little-dipper-support-bible-timeline/ Do the Big and Little Dipper Support the Bible’s Timeline?]. ''Answers in Genesis''. Retrieved October 16, 2016.</ref><ref name="Henry">Henry, Jonathan F. (December 2008). [http://creation.com/constellations-a-legacy-of-babel Constellations: legacy of the dispersion from Babel]. ''Creation.com'' (taken from ''Journal of Creation 22(3):93–100''). Retrieved October 16, 2016.</ref> Academics (including secular ones) have been able to trace back, through the [[Precession of the equinoxes|precession]] of the Earth, when the constellations were developed by man, and the dates found have been, roughly speaking, between 2800 BC and 2100 BC, right in line with the date of the dispersion at Babel.<ref name="Nelson"/><ref name="Henry"/> Additionally, it has also been found that the latitude of where the developers of the constellations lived was, roughly speaking, between 30 and 42 degrees latitude, again in line with the locations of Ararat and Babel.<ref name="Nelson"/><ref name="Henry"/>
# It has been well-documented that people in the past vastly exceeded modern humans physically and mentally.<ref>Pierce, Larry (April 5, 2017). [https://answersingenesis.org/bible-history/what-were-early-post-flood-people-like/ What Were Early Post-Flood People Like?]. ''Answers in Genesis''. Retrieved April 5, 2017.</ref>

=== Astronomy ===
# The [[moon|Moon's]] orbit is a very strong counterexample: the moon is receding from the [[Earth]] at a rate<ref>"Measurements show that the Moon is receding from Earth at a rate of about 3.8 centimeters per year." [http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEhelp/ApolloLaser.html Measuring the Moon's Distance] ''Apollo Laser Ranging Experiments Yield Results'' by Fred Espenak, GSFC Planetary Systems Laboratory (LPI Bulletin, No. 72, August, 1994).</ref> that means it cannot be more than 1.37 billion years old, much less than the often claimed 4.5 billion years.<ref>[http://creation.com/the-moon-the-light-that-rules-the-night Recession of the moon from the earth]</ref> In fact, this assumes the moon would star off touching the earth and so within the [[Roche limit]], which would not be possible without causing instability in its orbit, tidal catastrophes on Earth, and other problems that would have prevented the Earth and the Moon being as they are today. Additionally, the [[moon]]'s orbit is becoming increasingly and unexpectedly eccentric, suggesting a lack of long-term stability,<ref>http://arxiv.org/abs/1102.0212</ref> which further disproves the theory of an [[Old Earth]].
# [[Spiral galaxies]] appear to be young, and only implausible proposals of the existence of [[dark matter]] can reconcile the spirals with a belief in an old universe.
# The expansion of the universe is accelerating, something that would not occur if the [[Big Bang]] had happened billions of years ago; the acceleration suggests that the Big Bang (or creation) was recent.<ref>Some insist there is hokey, unseen "[[dark energy]]" and "[[dark matter]]" to try to explain the acceleration.</ref>
# The planetary orbits in the Solar System - including Earth's - are unstable and unsustainable over the long periods claimed by Old Earth believers.<ref>[http://www.newsweek.com/id/201582 Newsweek: "An embarrassing little secret of astronomy ...."]. (Newsweek has inexplicably taken down its article, but it is quoted by Google and other links)</ref><ref>[http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v459/n7248/full/nature08096.html Existence of collisional trajectories of Mercury, Mars, and Venus with the Earth] by J. Laskar & M. Gastineau, ''Nature'' 459, 817-819 (11 June 2009). Believers in an Old Earth speculate that the instability would not result in problems in a billion years, but other computer simulations could be developed to demonstrate multi-body instability for the solar system far more recent than that.</ref>
# At least one [[spiral galaxy]] spins in the direction opposite to the spin of its tail, suggesting an age that is too young to have generated the tail, and contradicting the theory that the tails of spiral galaxies were formed over a long period of time.<ref>[http://www.unisci.com/stories/20021/0207023.htm "Hubble Shows Galaxy Rotating In The Wrong Direction"]</ref>
# The oldest star in the universe is only 6000 light years away from Earth, precisely as predicted by the [[Bible]] and a Young Earth model.<ref>http://www.astrobio.net/also-in-news/the-oldest-star-in-the-known-universe/</ref>
# The surface of [[Pluto]] was found during the [[New Horizons mission]] to have far fewer craters than expected, and it was found to have a nitrogen atmosphere that is leaking away at too fast a rate for it to be millions or billions of years old.<ref>[https://answersingenesis.org/astronomy/solar-system/plutos-young-surface/ Pluto’s Young Surface]. ''Answers in Genesis'' (from ''Answers Magazine''). October 1, 2015. Retrieved November 4, 2016.</ref> Both of these evidences provide strong evidence for a young universe.

=== Biology and genetics ===

# Blue-eyed people are known to be only 6,000 to 10,000 years old. Moreover, the number of blue-eyed people is steadily diminishing, further suggesting that humans have not been in existence long.<ref>https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/18/world/americas/18iht-web.1018eyes.3199975.html</ref>
# "[http://creation.com/bugs-in-brine DNA in “ancient” fossils]. DNA extracted from bacteria that are supposed to be 425 million years old calls into question the age calculation, because DNA could not last more than thousands of years."<ref name="Age of the earth"/>
# The intelligence of humans is rapidly declining, whether measured by SAT scores,<ref>''See, e.g.'', David G. Savage, "The Long Decline in SAT Scores," Educational Leadership 290 (Jan. 1978). [http://www.ascd.org/ASCD/pdf/journals/ed_lead/el_197801_savage.pdf]</ref> music, personal letters,<ref>E.g., Civil War letters.</ref> quality of political debates,<ref>E.g., contrast the Lincoln-Douglas debates with debates today.</ref> the quality of news articles,<ref>''The Federalist'' was written for the newspaper audience in the late 1780s, but is far too intellectual for newspapers today.</ref> and many other measures. This means that if one goes back far enough, intelligence would measure at ridiculous heights, if humans were even tens of thousands of years old.
# The age of onset of [[puberty|sexual maturity]] is rapidly changing, suggesting that life is in a short-term rather than long-term equilibrium.<ref>For evidence of a rapidly-changing age for sexual maturity in fish, see http://icesjms.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/46/3/235</ref>[[Image:Jellyfish.jpg|right|thumb|"[http://creation.com/fossils-questions-and-answers Living fossils] — [[jellyfish]], graptolites, coelacanth, stromatolites, Wollemi pine, and hundreds more. That many hundreds of species could remain so unchanged, for even up to billions of years in the case of stromatolites, speaks against the possibility that these species are millions and billions of years old."<ref name="Age of the earth"/>]]
# The high observed rate of [[extinctions of species]]<ref>[https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-10-26/animals-face-extinction-threat-as-conservation-efforts-slow-report-says.html One in five species are at risk of extinction]</ref> and harmful [[genetic mutation]]s suggest a relatively short period for the existence of life rather than a long one.
# "[http://creation.com/fossils-questions-and-answers Living fossils] — [[jellyfish]], graptolites, coelacanth, stromatolites, Wollemi pine and hundreds more. That many hundreds of species could remain so unchanged, for even up to billions of years in the case of stromatolites, speaks against the millions and billions of years being real."<ref name="Age of the earth"/>
# The age of onset balding or of graying of hair is rapidly decreasing, with many teenagers now experiencing baldness or premature graying ([[CNN]]'s [[Anderson Cooper]] began graying as a teenager and was fully gray long before age 40);<ref name="Graying">http://articles.sfgate.com/2006-06-18/living/17299704_1_hair-taylor-hicks-american-idol</ref> many celebrities (such as [[American Idol]] winner Taylor Hicks graying in his 20s)<ref name="Graying"/> and athletes (such as Cal Ripken, Jr. graying and balding in his mid-30s)<ref>"There's a man, close-cropped gray hair, looks older than 35": Sports Illustrated's description of Cal Ripken at 35. [http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1163438/index.htm#ixzz12ONbgydd] By age 50 he was bald too.</ref> increasingly experience premature graying or balding.
# The age of onset of [[cancer]] is markedly decreasing,<ref>http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/109865519/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0</ref> suggesting rapid changes inconsistent with an alleged long existence to life. "Someone born in 1990 would have twice the risk of colon cancer and four times the risk of rectal cancer than at the same age had they been born in 1950, according to researchers at the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute."<ref>http://www.click2houston.com/health/born-in-the-90s-your-colon-cancer-risk-could-be-rising_</ref>
# The number of natural, pure-bred bred dogs declines over time as dogs naturally crossbreed; a short period of time is suggested by the fact that there are over 100 different natural, pure breeds of dog thriving today.
# Lack of genetic diversity among the ''Homo sapiens'' species. Were evolution and the old earth theory true, the human population would show much larger genetic variance.<ref>http://www.godandscience.org/evolution/descent.html#rpafAHIwKHS7</ref> Some scientists have calculated that a troop of 55 chimpanzees contains more genetic diversity than the entire human race; this demonstrates that chimpanzees descended from a large initial population while humans have descended from a much smaller one, which indeed we know to have been two people.
# Frequent occurrences of numerous deaths of birds and fish, which if extrapolated over millions of years would result in little or no such life today.<ref>http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/technology&id=7884786</ref>
# The separation between salt and freshwater fish, coupled with their inability to survive in the opposing environment, shows a lack of millions of years of evolution to enable them to spread to the opposing environment.
# Furthermore, the separation of land and aquatic life and a similar inability for the organisms to survive in the other environment shows a lack of millions of years of evolution to enable them to spread to the opposing environment.
# Biodiversity on Earth is declining too rapidly to be consistent with a long-term (Old Earth) equilibrium, with the Living Planet Index (LPI) showing "a global decline of 27% between 1970 and 2005. The terrestrial index declined by 25%, freshwater by 29% (this index is calculated to 2003 due to the lack of data available for latter years), and marine by 28%."<ref>http://www.zsl.org/science/research-projects/lpi,1162,AR.html</ref>
# The [[Bible]] makes references to the [[dinosaurs]]. There is no explanation for this if dinosaurs supposedly lived hundreds of millions of years ago.<ref>http://www.christiancourier.com/articles/93-dinosaurs-and-the-bible</ref>
# Even evolutionist studies have shown (despite the dating errors) that the vast majority of species on Earth arose around the same time and that genetic boundaries exist between the various animal kinds.<ref>Multiple references:
*Hood, Marlowe (May 28, 2018). [https://phys.org/news/2018-05-gene-survey-reveals-facets-evolution.html Sweeping gene survey reveals new facets of evolution]. ''Phys.org''. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
*Ham, Ken (June 7, 2018). [https://answersingenesis.org/natural-selection/speciation/study-90-percent-of-species-have-recent-origin/ Study: 90% of Species Have a Recent Origin]. ''Answers in Genesis''. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
*Davis, Billy; Jordahl, Steve (May 31, 2018). [https://www.onenewsnow.com/science-tech/2018/05/31/when-your-dna-research-pokes-holes-in-darwin When your DNA research pokes holes in Darwin]. ''OneNewsNow''. Retrieved June 7, 2018.</ref>
# Evolutionist studies have found that all male humans have the same Y-[[chromosome]] while females have greater chromosomal diversity.<ref>Stanford University. "Wars and clan structure may explain a strange biological event 7,000 years ago." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 29 May 2018. < https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/05/180529185356.htm >.</ref> This is in line with the Genesis account, which shows that only Noah's Y-chromosome lineage survived the flood, being passed along to his sons and beyond, while seven or eight x-chromosome lineages survived.<ref>Cater, Robert W. (May 11, 2010). [https://creation.com/noah-and-genetics Adam, Eve and Noah vs Modern Genetics]. ''Creation Ministries International'. Retrieved June 16, 2018.</ref>
# The sulfurization of organic matter, once thought to take tens of thousands of years, has been found to only take hours to complete.<ref>[https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/08/180830180058.htm Faster than we thought: Sulfurization of organic material: New research is changing our understanding of the carbon cycle]. ''ScienceDaily'' (from ''Washington University in St. Louis''). August 30, 2018. Retrieved September 16, 2018.</ref>
# An analysis of mitochondrial DNA shows that humans and most animal kinds came from common ancestors that lived later than 4000 BC, indicating a recent creation and the existence of a genetic "bottleneck" resulting from the [[Great Flood]].<ref>Jeanson, Nathaniel T. (July 27, 2018). [https://answersingenesis.org/genetics/animal-genetics/hundreds-thousands-species-few-thousand-years/ Hundreds of Thousands of Species in a Few Thousand Years?] ''Answers in Genesis''. Retrieved December 28, 2018. From a non-creationist perspective that still indicates a surprisingly young earth:
*Guillen, Michael (November 24, 2018). [https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/did-a-mysterious-extinction-event-precede-adam-and-eve Did a mysterious extinction event precede Adam and Eve?] ''Fox News''. Retrieved December 28, 2018.</ref>

=== Geology ===

Geological counterexamples to an Old Earth include:
[[Image:Roth-01.gif|right|thumb|250px|"[[Paraconformity|Paraconformities]] — where one rock stratum sits on top of another rock stratum but with supposedly millions of years of geological time missing, yet the contact plane lacks any significant erosion; that is, it is a “flat gap”. E.g. Coconino sandstone / Hermit shale in the [[Grand Canyon]] (supposedly a 10 million year gap in time).".<ref name="Age of the earth"/> See: [http://creation.com/age-of-the-earth Age of the earth] ]]
# Based on erosion rates, [[Niagara Falls]] is known to be less than 15,000 years old, even as admitted by [[atheist]]ic scientists who believe in an [[Old Earth]].<ref>The theory of an [[Ice Age]] to carve Niagara Falls less than 15,000 years ago is inconsistent with its shape and with much other geological evidence.</ref>
# Sedimentary rock strata covering large areas seldom contain more than one major sediment type, i.e. sandstone, claystone, or limestone. How would it have been possible for just one type of sediment to be deposited over large areas for thousands of years, followed by thousands of years of another type and so on? Obviously, the sediments were not deposited over thousands of years each, but were contained in moving waters and sorted out during major flooding. This kind of sorting has been proved by Guy Berthault's experiments and by observation of flood deposits in Colorado in 1965, flood deposits at Mount St. Helens in the 1980s and others. John Baumgardner et al showed that megatsunamis over 2 km high would have been capable of rapidly eroding undersea continental slopes and depositing it over large continental areas in weeks to months. An asteroid swarm would have been capable of causing such tsunamis by tidal action. See Genesis and Historical Geology: A Personal Perspective GUY BERTHAULT <ref>http://creation.com/images/pdfs/tj/j12_2/j12_2_213-217.pdf</ref> Also <ref>http://sedimentology.fr</ref> and Noah’s Flood: The Key to Correct Interpretation of Earth History <ref>https://www.socalsem.edu/noahs-flood-the-key-to-correct-interpretation-of-earth-history</ref>
# The interior of the earth is as hot as the sun—far hotter than atheists thought—and such heat would have dissipated and the radioactivity decayed if the earth were old.<ref>http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22297915</ref>
# The magnetism of the Earth is vanishing so quickly that it will disappear in 1,500 to 2,000 years;<ref>http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3693932/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/earths-magnetic-field-weakening/</ref> extrapolating backwards does not permit an Old Earth.
# [[Paraconformity|Paraconformities]] — where one rock stratum sits on top of another rock stratum but with supposedly millions of years of geological time missing, yet the contact plane lacks any significant erosion; that is, it is a “flat gap.” E.g. Coconino sandstone / Hermit shale in the [[Grand Canyon]] (supposedly a 10 million year gap in time).<ref name="Age of the earth"/> See: [http://creation.com/age-of-the-earth Age of the earth].
# The frequency of large [[earthquakes]] (more than 6.99 on the Richter scale) doubles roughly every 40 years,<ref>http://www.earth.webecs.co.uk/</ref> rendering long-term stability impossible. Large earthquakes have increased by more than 20% in only the last decade.<ref>http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eqarchives/year/eqstats.php Meanwhile, there is a claim that the global risk of big earthquakes has not increased over the last hundred years [http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2011/12/12/1118525109.abstract Peter M. Shearer, Philip B. Stark: ''Global risk of big earthquakes has not recently increased''] [http://www.pnas.org PNAS], Dec 19, 2011, doi: 10.1073/pnas.1118525109</ref> "Researchers are left scratching their heads, trying to understand possible reasons for the uptick in seismic activity in Oklahoma."<ref>http://journalrecord.com/2014/06/16/stc-mining-in-ok-eqs-energy/#ixzz3BKBRvmOW</ref>
# The continued existence of fragile natural arches without having collapsed despite a short time period for erosion and stresses on them.<ref>http://www.naturalarches.org/big9.htm</ref>
# An extrapolation of time between the collapse of weaker arches<ref>https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/11/AR2008081102290.html</ref> with still-standing stronger arches supports a young earth age.
# The massive [[Great Lakes]] and freshwater lakes near the equator could not have existed for millions of years, and several of these lakes are rapidly receding in volume; the third largest saltwater lake, Oroumieh Lake, could completely evaporate within the next five years.<ref>http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110525/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iran_environmental_disaster</ref>
# The existence of inland saltwater lakes at high altitudes, such as Mono Lake and the [[Great Salt Lake]], suggest a recent global [[flood]].
# The relative purity of underground well water, which would be a muddy slurry had millions of years of erosion taken place.
# The plentiful supply of high concentrations of underground well water, which would be expected based on familiar principles of [[entropy]] to dissipate over a long period of time.
# Earthquakes alter the Earth's rotation several times each century;<ref>http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/2010872/japan_quake_changed_earths_rotation/</ref> extrapolating by orders of magnitude in time would have resulted in the occurrence of much larger earthquakes that would have destabilized the rotation<ref>A similar analysis may be performed for the likelihood of devastating collisions with meteors as time is extrapolated by orders of magnitude.</ref>
# The lack of erosion between rock layers.<ref>http://www.amazon.com/review/R1WTZL8GG4H9K0</ref><ref>http://www.knowthebible.net/id115.html</ref>
# Levels of contamination in water are rising, as water proceeds through the [[water cycle]] it becomes progressively more contaminated. If earth (and life) had existed for billions of years, a limit would have been reached long ago where water (essential to life) became too contaminated for life to continue.
# All [[carbon dating]] of water supplies, even the most ancient and the deepest underground reservoirs, result in relatively young ages,<ref>http://www.betalabservices.com/PDF/Geyh.pdf</ref> and no water has been found suggesting an Old Earth.
# The ratio of strontium isotopes in seawater, which should change due to long-term erosion, has varied by only 0.35% throughout history. In fact, its value today is exactly the same as in the oldest samples, which are claimed to be from 500 million years ago.
# The relatively recent separation of the still-moving continents from one land mass—denied for 100 years by [[atheist]]s before they accepted it—suggest a young earth or at least a relatively recent cataclysmic event.
# Fresh tracks of motion by stationary rocks are still visible in some areas, baffling Old Earth scientists for more than 60 years; Old Earth magazines refer to them as "self-moving rocks."<ref>http://www.usnews.com/science/articles/2011/02/18/rafting-for-rocks?s_cid=rss:rafting-for-rocks</ref>
# Beaches have long been eroding far too quickly for the Old Earth theory; "between 80 and 90 percent of the sandy beaches along America’s coastlines have been eroding for decades," sometimes by as much as 50 feet per year.<ref>http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=what-causes-beach-erosion</ref>
# Land is sinking into the oceans at a rate of at least 7 inches per century,<ref>http://www.app.com/article/20110319/NJNEWS/103190327/Global-warming-rising-seas-threaten-New-Jersey-expert-says</ref> which would have rendered most of the United States under water if the Earth were not young.
# The flow of water in the [[Colorado River]] has been declining since the early 20th century, even after usage is considered, and the man-made Lake Mead is at risk of drying up in the next decade.<ref>https://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/13/us/13mead.html</ref>
# Erosion of rock is far faster than atheist geology previously thought [http://news.sciencemag.org/climate/2014/01/scienceshot-fastest-mountain-erosion-record]. Secular science now admits that mountains don't last long, but remain strangely silent on the obvious implication. Also in the same article: extra soil created by erosion scrubs greenhouse gas CO2 from atmosphere.
# Contrary to evolutionary assumptions that diamonds formed in conditions where there was no water, researchers collected diamond samples from deep within the Earth's crust and found in 2018 ice embedded in the diamonds.<ref>Gramling, Carolyn (March 8, 2018). [https://www.sciencenews.org/article/diamonds-reveal-sign-deepest-water-known-inside-earth Diamonds reveal sign of the deepest water known inside Earth]. ''ScienceNews''. Retrieved March 19, 2018.</ref> This is consistent with the biblical accounts of the creation and the global flood, including 2 Peter 3:5–6.

[[Image:516XZRGNCKL AA240 .jpg|right|300px]]
[[William R. Corliss]] also provides scores of anomalies, which challenge the [[Old Earth]] [[paradigm]].<ref>[http://www.science-frontiers.com/sourcebk.htm#Geology Geological Catalogs] (Science Frontiers)</ref> An accomplished author,<ref name="sf">[http://www.science-frontiers.com/ Science Frontiers] (Corliss' web-site)</ref>
Corliss has written 13 books for the [[National Aeronautics and Space Administration]] (NASA), a dozen educational booklets for the [[Atomic Energy Commission]] (AEC), and a dozen articles for the [[National Science Foundation]] (NSF).<ref>Corliss, 2002</ref> The science magazine ''[[New Scientist]]'' had an article which focused on the career of William Corliss.<ref>Adrian Hope, ''Finding a Home for Stray Fact'', New Scientist, July 14, 1977, p. 83</ref> ''New Scientist'' wrote regarding Corliss's work: "All I can say to Corliss is carry on cataloging."<ref>Quoted on the [http://www.science-frontiers.com/sourcebk.htm Science Frontiers web-site]</ref> [[Arthur C. Clarke]] described Corliss as "[[Charles Fort|Fort]]'s latter-day - and much more scientific - successor."<ref>Clarke, Arthur C. (1990) ''Astounding Days: A Science Fictional Autobiography''. Gollancz. Page 110</ref>

=== Paleontology ===
#Recent discoveries of surviving soft dinosaur tissue upset the Darwinist claim that they became extinct 65 million years ago.<ref>Armitage, M.H. and K.L. Anderson. 2013. Soft sheets of fibrillar bone from a fossil of the supraobital horn of the dinosaur Triceratops horridus. Acta Histochemica 115:603-608.</ref><ref>Armitage, M.H. and K.L. Anderson. 2014. Light and electron microscope study of soft bone osteocytes from a Triceratops horridus supraorbitalhorn. Microscopy & Microanalysis (Hartford, CT).</ref> View Armitage's presentation of his results at the Southern California Academy of Sciences meetings in 2013 and 2014.<ref>Mark H Armitage - Report Of Soft Tissues In A Triceratops Horn (conglomeration of talks presented at the Southern California Academy of Sciences meetings in 2013 and 2014).[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqDV_MTQSxg]</ref> A number of other peer-reviewed papers found similar results.<ref>[http://kgov.com/dinosaur-soft-tissue-original-biological-material Documented by Bob Enyart of Real Science Radio]</ref>
#Fossils have been found, such as footprints, showing that dinosaurs and mammals lived together at the same time.<ref>Borg, Julie (February 9, 2018). [http://www.bpnews.net/50342/dinosaur-party-or-evidence-of-the-flood Dinosaur party or evidence of the flood?] ''Baptist Press''. Retrieved February 22, 2018.</ref>

=== Science & Discovery ===
# A stalemate of significant and valid discoveries in the last several decades.<ref>Though there has been some progress in this timeframe, many of the "discoveries" are liberal propaganda, or are scientifically weak.</ref>

=== Biblical testimony ===

The Bible contains multiples pieces of evidence showing its authenticity including [[Bible history]], [[Biblical archaeology|Bible archaeology]] and [[Bible prophecy]]. Competent and honest [[Bible exegesis]] indicates the earth is approximately 6,000 years old.<ref>[http://creation.com/should-genesis-be-taken-literally Should Genesis be taken literally?]</ref>

''See also:'' [http://creation.com/history-questions-and-answers How reliable is biblical chronology?]

== Highly recommended resources for more in-depth information and evidence ==

=== Websites ===

*[https://answersingenesis.org/ Answers in Genesis] official website
*[http://www.icr.org/ Institute for Creation Research] official website
*[https://creation.com/ Creation Ministries International] official website

=== Books ===

*Virtually any book concerning creation and [[Christian apologetics]] published by [http://www.masterbooks.com/ MasterBooks]
*Jeanson, Nathaniel T. (2017). ''[https://answersingenesis.org/store/product/replacing-darwin/ Replacing Darwin: The New Origin of Species]''. Green Forest, Arkansas: Master Books. ISBN: 9781683440758.
*Mortenson, Terry, ed. (2016). ''[https://answersingenesis.org/store/product/searching-adam/ Searching for Adam: Genesis & the Truth About Man's Origin]''. Green Forest, Arkansas: Master Books. ISBN: 9780890519752.
*Landis, Don (2015). ''[https://answersingenesis.org/store/product/secrets-ancient-man/ Secrets of Ancient Man]''. Green Forest, Arkansas: Master Books. ISBN: 9780890518663.
*Boyd, Steven W.; Snelling, Andrew A. ''[https://answersingenesis.org/store/product/grappling-chronology-genesis-flood/?sku=10-3-129 Grappling with the Chronology of the Genesis Flood: Navigating the Flow of Time in Biblical Narrative]''. Green Forest, Arkansas: Master Books. ISBN: 9780890517093.
*Hodge, Bodie (2013). ''[https://answersingenesis.org/store/product/tower-babel-book/ Tower of Babel: The Cultural History of Our Ancestors]''. Green Forest, Arkansas: Master Books. ISBN: 9780890517154.
*Landis, Don (2012). ''[https://answersingenesis.org/store/product/genius-ancient-man/ The Genius of Ancient Man]''. Green Forest, Arkansas: Master Books. ISBN: 9780890516775.
*Snelling, Andrew A. (2010). ''[https://answersingenesis.org/store/product/earths-catastrophic-past/?sku=10-3-124& Earth’s Catastrophic Past: Geology, Creation & the Flood]''. Green Forest, Arkansas: Master Books. ISBN: 9780890518748.
*[[Walt Brown|Brown, Walt]] (2008). ''[[In the Beginning|In the Beginning: Compelling Evidence for Creation and the Flood]] (8th Edition)''. Center for Scientific Creation; 8th edition (December 1, 2008). ISBN: 978-1878026095.
*[[William R. Corliss]], Anomalies in Geology: Physical, Chemical, Biological (A Catalog of Geological Anomalies), 1989. ISBN 915554-23-2
*William R. Corliss Neglected Geological Anomalies, 1990. ISBN 915554-24-0
*William R. CorlissInner Earth: A Search for Anomalies (A Catalog of Geological Anomalies), 1991. ISBN 915554-25-9
*William R. Corliss, Carolina Bays, Mima Mounds, Submarine Canyons (A Catalog of Geological Anomalies), 1988. ISBN 915554-22-4

===Films===
*''[[Is Genesis History?]]'' (2017; [https://isgenesishistory.com/ website])
*''Genesis: Paradise Lost'' (2017; [https://genesismovie.com/ website])

=== Other recommended links ===
*[http://creation.com/age-of-the-earth Age of the earth -101 evidences for a young earth and universe] by [[Creation Ministries International]]
*[http://creation.com/refuting-evolution-chapter-8-how-old-is-the-earth How old is the earth?] - ''Refuting evolution'' - Chapter 8 by Dr. [[Jonathan Sarfati]] at [[Creation Ministries International]]
*[http://www.preteristcentral.com/Debunking%20Old%20Earth%20Creationism%20&%20a%20Regional%20Flood.html Debunking the Old Earth Theory]
*[https://answersingenesis.org/creationism/young-earth/most-compelling-scientific-evidence-of-young-earth/ What Is the Most Compelling Scientific Evidence of a Young Earth?], by Dr. Terry Mortenson at [[Answers in Genesis]]. Originally published on February 27, 2006.
*[https://answersingenesis.org/theory-of-evolution/millions-of-years/seven-reasons-why-we-should-not-accept-millions-of-years/ Seven Reasons Why We Should Not Accept Millions of Years] by Dr. Terry Mortenson at [[Answers in Genesis]]. Originally published on July 17, 2006.
*[http://www.creationwiki.org/Young_earth_evidence Young earth evidence] on [[CreationWiki]]

== See also ==
*[[Literalist Bible chronology]]
*[[Radiometric dating]]
*[[Arguments for a recent creation]]
*[[Earth age opinions of prominent Christians - pre-1800]]

== Footnotes ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=35em}}

{{Counterexamples}}

[[Category:Counterexamples]]
[[Category:Geology]]

The Wizard of Oz

2019-02-09T19:59:27Z

Tg97: Undo revision 1491985 by Rossmiller (talk)

[[Image:OZ-TITLE.JPG|thumb|300px|right|Cover to an early edition of ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'']]
[[Image:BAUM.JPG|thumb|right|200px|L. Frank Baum]]
'''''The Wizard of Oz''''' is a very popular children's book written by L. Frank Baum in 1900, which started a [[Oz series|series]]. Baum himself adapted the book into a successful Broadway musical (1902), and others adapted it into a movie (1939). There have been many later film and dramatic spinoffs, as well as books, trinkets, and toys based on the Wizard and the other memorable characters. '''''The [[politically incorrect]] Wicked Witch of the West was so terrifying that she caused widespread nightmares, and the actress's reenactment nearly 40 later on [[Sesame Street]] sparked so many complaints that the episode was banned'''''.<ref>http://birthmoviesdeath.com/2013/02/25/the-time-the-wicked-witch-of-the-west-was-too-scary-for-sesame-street</ref>

Dorothy, the Wizard, the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, Cowardly Lion, flying monkeys, Munchkins, the yellow brick road, the dream city of Oz, Toto,—and especially the Wicked Witch—have become icons of American popular culture. They appear regularly in editorial cartoons and the funny papers, and even in everyday conversation. Political cartoonists used the Wizard image as early as 1906; in recent years Wizard themes appear in editorial cartoons on a weekly basis in the U.S.

Academics, especially economists and historians, use the story to study the images of [[politics]] and [[economics]] in the [[U.S.]] in the 1890s. Several hundred college level economics courses feature a unit on ''the Wizard of Oz'' to analyze money policy.

The author was L. Frank Baum (1856-1919); the illustrator of the 1900 book and 1902 play was editorial W. W. Denslow (1856-1915).<ref>see Michael Patrick Hearn, "The Man Behind the Man Behind Oz: W. W. Denslow at 150," ''AIGA'' (July 05, 2006) at [http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/the-man-behind-the-man-behind-oz-w-w-denslow-at-150]</ref> The book was a runaway best seller, though the two coauthors became alienated, and both went bankrupt. Baum recouped by moving to Hollywood and writing a new series of Oz books; the series was continued after his death in 1919, with 40 Oz books in all. The first book became a smash Chicago hit musical in 1902 and moved to Broadway in 1903. Best known is the spectacularly successful Hollywood movie adaptation of 1939, starring Frank Morgan as the Wizard, [[Judy Garland]] as Dorothy, and Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch of the West, this movie (along with ''[[Gone with the Wind]]'') was one of the first widely popular successes of Technicolor filmography.<ref>https://www.quora.com/What-was-the-first-movie-made-in-color</ref>

==The books==
'''''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz''''' appeared in 1900 as a children's book written by L. Frank Baum (1856-1919) and illustrated by W. W. Denslow (1856-1915). This was part of their effort to create a body of American literature in the fairy tale genre; they had already collaborated on Father Goose books. The Wizard was a great success, and Baum followed it with thirteen more books set in the land of Oz. He lost Denslow as an illustrator and was never able to recapture the success of his original work. After Baum died, Ruth Plumly Thompson continued the series with nineteen more stories, and other authors wrote additional books. The Land of Oz was one of the earliest of what fantasy fans now call "fictional universes." Like the Sherlock Holmes stories, it has attracted a large number of devoted fans, who like to discuss and write about the land of Oz as if it actually exists.

The classic 17th century Christian allegory ''[[Pilgrim's Progress]]'' inspired some of the characters and dangers described in the Wizard of Oz.<ref>http://www.amerisearch.net/index.php?date=2004-08-31&view=View</ref>

==Plot line==
[[Image:DOROTHY1.JPG|thumb|right|200px|Denslow's drawing of Dorothy's introduction to the Scarecrow, from the 1st edition of book, 1900]]
The book opens not in an imaginary far-off place, but in real life [[Kansas]], which in the 1890s was well known for the hardships of rural life and for destructive tornadoes (also called cyclones). The [[Panic of 1893]] caused widespread distress in rural America. In 1896, and again in 1900, the agrarian wing of the [[U.S. Democratic Party, history|Democratic Party]] had seized control and nominated the firebrand orator [[William Jennings Bryan]], from Omaha, who crusaded across the land promising his panacea of "free silver" (whereby the government would turn cheap silver into real dollars farmers could use to pay their debts). His supporters truly believed it would transform America in a veritable utopia. Baum and Denslow, Republicans, rejected this notion and use the book to poke fun at Bryan (who is depicted as the Cowardly Lion).

The silverite revolution—a cyclone—sweeps away Dorothy and Toto to a colorful land of unlimited resources that nevertheless has serious political problems. This utopia is ruled in part by wicked witches. Dorothy's cyclone/revolution destroys the Wicked Witch of the East, slave-driver over the little people (Munchkins), who now celebrate their liberation. The Witch had controlled the powerful silver slippers (which were changed to ruby in the 1939 film).

The Good Witch of the North (the northern electorate) tries to help Dorothy, but she is not very smart, does not realize the power of the slippers, and sends Dorothy down the very dangerous gold road to the Wizard, who she mistakenly believes is so powerful that he can grant her wishes. (The northern vote elected McKinley in 1896 and he passed the gold standard into law.)

Along the Yellow Brick Road, Dorothy picks up her coalition, the Scarecrow, Tin Woodman, and Cowardly Lion, who all want the Wizard to grant their urgent wishes.

The national capital, the Emerald City, is a dream-like place based on the "White City," the common name for the Chicago World's fair of 1893, which Baum and Denslow attended often. The emerald green is an illusion (everyone must wear green glasses), symbolizing the fraudulent world of greenback paper money that only pretends to have value.
The Wizard/president is annoyed by his guests—by the demands of the people. He is a corrupt politician, a shrewd manipulator who seeks power for himself, ignores the needs of the people, and rules by fooling with people's minds. He selfishly sends them to destroy his enemy, the Wicked Witch of the West. If she gets them, he is rid of a nuisance. If they kill her, he will be pleased and then worry what to do next.

The Wicked Witch of the West represents the trusts, who took control of small businessmen and made them cogs in their empire, just as the Witch does with the heroes, using the Flying Monkeys as her tools. The trust issue was in the headlines, with a popular solution—one actually used in 1911 against [[Standard Oil]] to dissolve them. Dorothy heaves a bucket of water and dissolves the Wicked Witch.

The heroes return to Oz to claim their reward and expose the Wizard for a media-manipulating fraud. He has no real power and must leave Oz the way he came - on a hot air balloon. (Politicians were synonymous with metaphors like "hot air" and "full of gas.") But he is a shrewd psychologist and realizes the heroes already possess what they think they lack; they just lack self-confidence. He fills the Scarecrow's head with bran for a brain, implants a heart-shaped silk cushion inside the Tin Woodman (who now realizes his compassionate nature), makes the Lion drink a dish of "courage" and becomes king of the beasts again. He promises to take Dorothy back to Omaha, his hometown, but that plan misfires. The Good Witch of the South (the southern) vote appears. (In 1896 the South voted solidly for Bryan and free silver.) She is smarter than her sister the Good Witch of the North, and tells Dorothy to click her silver slippers three times—that believing will make it come true, and Dorothy arrives home again. It is a classic adventure story of travel to distant lands, and a story of running away from home and returning, a favorite theme for children.

==Sources==
Baum and Denslow did not simply invent the Cowardly Lion, Tin Woodman, Scarecrow, gold-colored Yellow Brick Road, Silver Slippers, cyclone, flying monkeys, Emerald City, little people, Uncle Henry, witches and the wizard. The images and characters used by Baum and Denslow were based on the political images that were well known in the editorial cartoons of the 1890s. Baum and Denslow built a story around them, added Dorothy whose innocence and purity are more effective than the witches' magic. They added a series of lessons to the effect that everyone possesses the resources they need if only they had self-confidence. Positive thinking was a prevalent trend in this period, and Baum was involved with the Theosophy Movement (similar to Christian Science) that emphasized the power of pure thoughts over material evils. Baum's point is that evil is in the mind, and it takes positive thinking, not a political revolution, to destroy it.

Baum in the 1890s edited the major national magazine for advertising in store windows, and was familiar with the elaborate mechanical displays of the Christmas story that attracted tens of thousands of spectators to the display windows of Marshall Field's, Carson Pirie Scott, and other Chicago department stores.<ref>Culver (1988)</ref> The spellbinding mechanical ingenuity (based on intricate clockwork) led many viewers to believe there must be a man behind the screen who worked all the levers.

Many of the events and characters of the book resemble the actual political personalities, events and ideas of the 1890s. The 1902 stage adaptation mentioned, by name, President [[Theodore Roosevelt]], oil magnate [[John D. Rockefeller]], Senator [[Mark Hanna]] and other political celebrities. (No real people are mentioned by name in the 1900 book.) Even the title has been interpreted as alluding to a political reality: oz. is an abbreviation for ounce, a unit familiar to those who fought for a 16 to 1 ounce ratio of silver to gold in the name of [[Bimetallism]]<ref>Baum's son said he thought his father got the name from a file cabinet labeled A-N and O-Z.</ref>

==Impact on readers==
The 40 Oz books had a significant impact on their young middle class readers who read them in English, Spanish, Russian, French, German, Romanian, Latin, Hebrew, or Arabic editions. Novelist Gore Vidal recalls:
{{quotebox|Like most Americans my age (with access to books) I spent a good deal of my youth in Baum's Land of Oz. I have a precise, tactile memory of the first Oz book that came into my hands. It was the original 1910 edition of ''The Emerald City of Oz.'' I still remember the look and the feel of those dark blue covers, the evocative smell of dust and old ink. I also remember that I could not stop reading and rereading the book. But 'reading' is not the right word. In some mysterious way, I was translating myself to Oz, a place which I was to inhabit for many years .... With The Emerald City, I became addicted to reading."<ref>Quoted in , Nicholas Von Hoffman, "Flimflam Land. ''Civilization,'' Feb/Mar2000, Vol. 7, Issue 1</ref>}}

==Allegorical devices==
{| {{table}}
| align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|'''Intellect'''
| align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|'''Emotion'''
| align="center" style="background:#f0f0f0;"|'''Will'''
|-
| Hunk||Hickory||Zeke
|-
| Scarecrow||Tin Man||Lion
|-
|
|}
*Dorothy represents a complete person or the human mind as a whole, while her three companions represent [[intellect]], [[emotion]] and [[will]].
*Dorothy, naive, young and simple, represents the American people. She is Everyman, lost in a crazy utopia who wants to get back to normalcy and the love of her family. She resembles the young hero of ''Coin's financial school'', a very popular silverite pamphlet of 1893. In her innocence and purity she is all powerful and personally kills two witches—she is Columbia, the symbol of the nation's conscience. Columbia was the usual representation of democracy in editorial cartoons (since replaced by the Statue of Liberty.)

*The cyclone was used in the 1890s as a metaphor for a political revolution that would transform the drab country into a land of color and unlimited prosperity. The cyclone was used by editorial cartoonists of the 1890s to represent political upheaval.

*The Tin Woodman was a stock symbol in cartoons and advertising. He was originally a human but was cursed by the Wicked Witch of the East so that every time he swung his axe he sliced off party of his body. As a good workman he replaced each part with tin, but now is all tin and has no heart. He is the worker dehumanized by industrialization, a common theme in Socialist literature of the day, such as expressed by Socialist candidate [[Eugene V. Debs]] in the 1900 election. The Woodman is rusted and helpless—ineffective until he starts to work together with the Scarecrow (the farmer), in a Farmer-Labor coalition that was much discussed in the 1890s, which culminated in the [[Farmer-Labor Party]] in Minnesota.<ref>The party is now part of Minnesota's Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party</ref>

*The Munchkins are the little people—ordinary citizens. This 1897 ''Judge'' cartoon shows famous politicians as little people after they were on the losing side in the election.

'''Toto''': Prohibitionist party (also called "Teetotalers") 
'''Scarecrow''': western farmers 
'''Cowardly Lion''': a cowardly politician, perhaps [[William Jennings Bryan]] 
'''Wicked Witch of the East''': Eastern factory owners and industrialists 
'''Wicked Witch of the West''': the trusts; one popular solution to the trust problem was to dissolve them, as Dorothy does.<ref>Littlefield (1964), followed by others. saw her as the western drought which thus could be ended by water; Clanton (1991) suggests she represents the evils of left-wing Populism, or perhaps South Carolina' Pitchfork Ben Tillman,</ref>
'''Flying Monkeys''' Pinkerton agents hired to break strikes 
'''Wizard''': President [[William McKinley]] 
'''Oz''': abbreviation for ounce of gold 
'''Yellow Brick Road''': gold standard 
'''Cyclone''': political revolution, the free silver movement 
'''Emerald City''': national capital 
'''Silver Slippers''': the free coinage of silver 

Editorial cartoonists in recent decades have made heavy use of Oz imagery in political cartoons; the first to do so was W.A. Rogers whose 1906 cartoon ridiculed mud-slinging publisher [[William Randolph Hearst]] as the ''Wizard of Ooze"

==Political interpretations==
Historians and economists have interpreted the 1900 book (as well as the 1902 play and 1939 movie) as an allegory of the political, economic and social upheavals of America of the 1890s.

Both Baum and Denslow had been actively involved in politics in the 1890s. Baum edited a Republican newspaper in South Dakota; Denslow was an editorial cartoonist for a major Chicago daily.

Readers who grew up with the entire Oz series are often baffled by the political interpretation (for there is no politics in the continuation volumes), and deny that Baum intended any sort of modernized fairy tale. However, Baum explained in his introduction:
{{quotebox|The old time fairy tale, having served for generations, may now be classed as "historical" in the children's library; for the time has come for a series of newer "wonder tales" in which the stereotyped genie, dwarf and fairy are eliminated, together with all the horrible and blood-curdling incidents devised by their authors to point a fearsome moral to each tale. Modern education includes morality; therefore the modern child seeks only entertainment in its wonder tales and gladly dispenses with all disagreeable incident. Having this thought in mind, the story of 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' was written solely to please children of today. It aspires to being a modernized fairy tale, in which the wonderment and joy are retained and the heartaches and nightmares are left out.<ref>L. Frank Baum, introduction to [https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext93/wizoz10h.htm The Wonderful Wizard of Oz]</ref>}}

<center>
<gallery perrow="5">
Image:COIN1894.JPG|''Coin's Financial School'' (1894), a famous silverite book; Coin is a boy who outsmarts all the economics professors by showing the wisdom of "bimetallism" (i.e. free silver) and refuting the fallacies about gold
Image:96SILVER.JPG|July 19, 1896 ''Puck'' cartoon shows farmer hung up on pole and helpless, his free silver wagon destroyed by the gold express of William McKinley
Image:HANNA96.JPG|1896 cartoon shows McKinley campaign manager [[Mark Hanna]] as a wicked witch, with flying bats and small dog
Image:MCKINLEY-MYSTERY1896.JPG|Candidate McKinley as mystery man behind a curtain in 1896 editorial cartoon, surrounded by party wizards
Image:HEARST06.JPG|Cartoonist W.A. Rogers in 1906 sees the political uses of Oz: he depicts Hearst as a mud-throwing Scarecrow stuck in his own Ooze in ''Harper's Weekly''
Image:Trusts-Verdict-10July1899.jpg|Cartoon from ''Verdict'' magazine July 10, 1899 shows an ape on behalf of the trusts raping Columbia (America) and under an attack (the arrow) by democracy. Denslow made it a flying monkey and dropped the scary rape theme.
Image:Cleveland-Lion 1885.JPG|1885 ''Puck'' cartoon shows President Cleveland as a powerful lion, and shows other politicians as (flying?) monkeys.
Image:1897MCK-WIZ.JPG|1897 ''Judge'' cartoon shows McKinley as a Witch/Mother Hubbard, and little Toto-like dog as Uncle Sam. Editorial cartoonists sometimes depicted politicians as witches—and included little dogs as characters.
Image:OZ5-2-94.JPG|Cyclone as metaphor for political revolution; the Aunt-Em-type farm woman is labeled 'Democratic Party'; ''Puck'' May 2, 1894
Image:MUNCHKINS-LITTLE-PEOPLE.JPG|Munchkins resemble the Little People in this 1896 ''Judge'' cartoon that makes fun of silverite politicians; the Yellow Kid (center) was the very first comic strip character.
Image:TIN1890.JPG|1890 ''Puck'' cartoon ridicules President Harrison (who called for a tariff on tin), as a Tin Man, proving the use of the Tin Man as political metaphor in 1890s.
Image:Gm070316.jpg|Conservative editorial cartoonist Glenn McCoy parodies fearful Democratic candidates in March 16, 2008, cartoon
</gallery></center>

==Metaphors==
[[Image:TIN3.JPG|right|thumb|200px|Influence of ''The Wizard of Oz in early advertising: the Tin Man in a Sapolio soap ad.]]
* The Tin Man was a common feature in political cartoons and in advertisements in the 1890s. Indeed, he had been part of European folk art for 300 years.<ref>Archie Green, ''Tin Men'' (2002) [http://www.amazon.com/Tin-Folklore-Society-Archie-Green/dp/0252073754/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195302792&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search] covers the history of images of tin men in European and American illustrations for 300 years.</ref>

* The oil needed by the Tin Woodman had a political dimension at the time because Rockefeller's [[Standard Oil]] Company stood accused of being a monopoly (which was later ruled correct in a lawsuit brought by the federal government, and ultimately affirmed by the US Supreme Court.) In the 1902 stage adaptation the Tin Woodman wonders what he would do if he ran out of oil. "You wouldn't be as badly off as John D. Rockefeller," the Scarecrow responds, "He'd lose six thousand dollars a minute if that happened."<ref>Swartz, ''Oz'' p 34</ref>

* The lion that Dorothy, Scarecrow and Tin-Man encounter in the enchanted forest may be a reference to [[William Jennings Bryan]], the Democratic candidate for president in 1896. Cartoons often portrayed leading politicians as lions, and Bryan was described as having a great roar with no bite. People asked in early 1900, when the book was written, if he had the courage to oppose the McKinley Administration.

* In 1900 by far the most famous farmer in America was [[Henry Cantwell Wallace]], editor of the leading farm magazine, ''Wallace's Farmer''. Everyone called him "Uncle Henry."<ref>Henry Wallace and Richard S. Kirkendall. ''Uncle Henry: A Documentary Profile of the First Henry Wallace'' (1993) [http://www.amazon.com/Uncle-Henry-Documentary-Profile-Agricultural/dp/0813804248/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195302873&sr=8-3 excerpt and text search]</ref>

* "Aunt Em" is a puzzle. Baum's mother-in-law was named [[Matilda Joslyn Gage]], and might be "Aunt M." Mary Lease the Populist spellbinder has been suggested. ("Raise less corn and more hell!" was her shocking message, but Aunt Em is not like her.) Gage was a leader of the woman suffrage movement, but nothing about the book's character suggests suffrage interests.

* The poppies which surround the Emerald City are likely a reference to the opium poppies and the Boxer Rebellion in China of 1899.<ref>See the fascinating analysis by Martin Blythe, "Oz is China" (2006) [http://www.sexualfables.com/OzisChina.php online edition]</ref>

*Politicians of the era often talked about wizards. For example, one senator debating the gold and silver issue in early 1900 said, “We all know of the performances of the world’s magicians, but it has remained for the Wizard of Missouri [Senator Cockrell] to wave his magic wand or his magic head and double the price of the silver of the world.”<ref>''New York Times'' February 16, 1900 p 1</ref> Baum may have turned the Wizard of Missouri into the Wizard of Oz, who frightened people with his giant magic head.

* President McKinley was often called a "wizard" for his political skills. The Wizard of Oz seems to be the president of the Land of Oz. The "man behind the curtain" echoes the response to automated store window displays.
* Dogs were often used in political cartoons to represent politicians or parties. Perhaps "Toto" is a play on the word "teetotaler", and represents the Prohibitionists of the era, who were aligned with [[William Jennings Bryan|Bryan]] in the 1896 election.
* "Oz" is the abbreviation for "ounce," and it has been suggested that Baum was making a political allusion to [[bimetallism]], a hot political topic of the day. The 1901 theatre version used many current political allusions, mentioning by name President Roosevelt and oilman John D. Rockefeller. In a press release for the 1903 reissue of Wizard, Baum wrote:<ref>http://home.earthlink.net/~jcorbally/eng218/rcross.html</ref>
{{quotebox|I have a little cabinet letter file on my desk that is just in front of me. I was thinking and wondering about a title for the story, and had settled on the "Wizard" as part of it. My gaze was caught by the gilt letters on the three drawers of the cabinet. The first was ''A-G''; the next drawer was labeled ''H-N'' and on the last were the letters ''O-Z''. And "Oz" it at once became.<ref>http://www.snopes.com/language/literary/oz.asp</ref>}}

==Adaptations==
[[Image:OZ-1903.JPG|thumb|left|200px|poster for 1903 Broadway version features an adult Dorothy for an adults-only audience; it was one of the first great Broadway musicals]]
The Wizard inspired 40 official Oz books, 40 films, more than 100 unofficial novels, and innumerable websites, editorial cartoons, TV commercials, television shows, games, radio programs, video games, music videos, comic strips, musicals, toys, dolls, Japanese animes, ceramic firgurines, and even pornography, most of them based on the 1939 movie.<ref>Sherman, (2005)</ref> The copyright for the original books published before 1923 has expired, but the 1939 film will be under copyright for decades to come.

The earliest musical version of the book was produced in Chicago in 1902, and moved to Broadway in 1903, where it was a smash hit and set a record with 293 performances. It used the same characters, but was aimed at adult audiences. Baum inserted current political references to the script. For example, his actors specifically mention President Theodore Roosevelt, Senator Mark Hanna, and John D. Rockefeller by name.<ref>Swartz, ''Before the Rainbow'', pp 34, 47, 56</ref>

The musical comedy version of 1902-3 was a rewritten version for an adult audience, with many sexual innuendos and a very sexy Dorothy.

===''The Wizard of Oz'' (1939)===
[[Image:Woz movie.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Cast of ''The Wizard of Oz'' (''l-r'') Bert Lahr, Ray Bolger, Judy Garland, Jack Haley (MGM/Turner, 1939)]]
The book was loosely adapted into a 1939 motion picture, ''The Wizard of Oz,'' which has over the course of years become one of the most beloved movies of all time. It was released when Technicolor was still a relatively new process—the three-strip process having been introduced in 1932. It plays on the novelty of color by presenting the first reel, when Dorothy is awake and in the real world of [[Kansas]], in sepia tone, then switching to color for the scenes set in Oz.

The film was successful and well reviewed and won two Academy Awards (for its score, and for the song "Over the Rainbow".) When it was released, the ''New York Times'' called it "a delightful piece of wonderworking," and said, "not since Disney's Snow White has anything quite so fantastic succeeded half so well," but complained about the special effects: "With the best of will and ingenuity [they cannot], without a few jolts and split-screen overlappings, bring down from the sky the great soap bubble in which the Good Witch rides and roll it smoothly into place."<ref>Nugent, Frank S. (1939), "The Screen in Review: 'The Wizard of Oz, Produced by the Wizards of Hollywood, Works Its Magic on the Capitol's Screen—March of Time Features New York," ''The New York Times,'' August 18, 1939, p. 16</ref> During its production and following its release, it was thought to be a very good film, but nothing extraordinary: just part of the stream of fine, professional product that "the industry" in Hollywood knew how to manufacture. Not until it began to be shown on television did it rise to the status it now enjoys. It was first shown on CBS in 1956, then in 1959, then annually as a holiday event. (Viewers then had to be cautioned about the sepia tone opening reel lest they fear their color television sets were malfunctioning).

The plot of both the book and movie revolve around a little girl named Dorothy who, along with her dog Toto, finds herself transported into a world called Oz. Along the way, she befriends the Scarecrow, the Tinman, and the Cowardly Lion. Often considered a classic of children's literature, ''The Wizard of Oz'' deals with friendship, courage, and resourcefulness.

===''The Wiz'' (1978)===
''The Wiz'' was a Broadway hit musical with an all-black cast emphasizing the liberation from slavery. It was later made into a 1978 movie directed by Sidney Lumet, and starring Diana Ross as Dorothy and Michael Jackson as the Scarecrow. Gregory Maguire wrote ''Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West'' (1995). The 2003 Broadway musical "Wicked" (based on Maguire's novel) was a popular hit, with the Wizard's corruption emphasized.

==See also==
* [[Oz]], for the other 40 Oz books

==Bibliography==
* Barrett, Laura. "From Wonderland to Wasteland: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The Great Gatsby, and the New American Fairy Tale," ''Papers on Language and Literature,'' (Spring 2006) [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3708/is_200604/ai_n17178497 online edition]
* Baum, L. Frank. ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' (1900), [https://books.google.com/books?id=E84u2-3Viu4C&dq=inauthor:Frank+inauthor:Baum&num=30&as_brr=1 online edition with black and white illustrations]; [https://www.gutenberg.org/etext/55 online version from Gutenberg, without illustrations]
* Blythe, Martin. "Oz is China: A Political Fable of Chinese Dragons and White Tigers," in ''Sexual Fables'' (2006) [http://www.sexualfables.com/OzisChina.php online edition]
* Clanton, Gene. ''Populism: The Humane Preference in America, 1890-1900'' (1991)
* Culver, Stuart. "Growing Up in Oz." ''American Literary History'' 4 (1992) 607-28. [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0896-7148%28199224%294%3A4%3C607%3AGUIO%3E2.0.CO%3B2-H in JSTOR]
* Culver, Stuart. "What Manikins Want: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and The Art of Decorating Dry Goods Windows and Interiors", ''Representations'', 21 (1988) 97-116.
*Dighe, Ranjit S. ed. ''The Historian's Wizard of Oz: Reading L. Frank Baum's Classic as a Political and Monetary Allegory'' (2002) [http://www.amazon.com/Historians-Wizard-Oz-Political-Monetary/dp/0275974197/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195301722&sr=8-2 excerpt and text search]
* Erisman, Fred. "L. Frank Baum and the Progressive Dilemma" in ''American Quarterly'' Vol. 20, No. 3 (Autumn, 1968), pp. 616–623. [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0003-0678%28196823%2920%3A3%3C616%3ALFBATP%3E2.0.CO%3B2-E online at JSTOR]
* Flynn, Richard. "Imitation Oz: The Sequel as Commodity." The ''Lion and the Unicorn'' 20.1 (1996): 121-131.
*Gardner, Todd. "Responses to Littlefield" (2004), [http://www.turnmeondeadman.net/OZ/Responses.html online version]
* Geer, John G. and Thomas R. Rochon, "William Jennings Bryan on the Yellow Brick Road," ''Journal of American Culture'' Vol. 16 No. 4, Winter, 1993, pp. 59–64.
* Gessel, Michael; Koupal, Nancy Tystad; and Erisman, Fred. "The Politics of Oz: a Symposium." ''South Dakota History'' 2001 31(2): 146-168. Issn: 0361-8676
* Gilead, Sarah. "Magic Abjured: Closure in Children's Fantasy Fiction" in ''PMLA'' Vol. 106, No. 2 (Mar., 1991), pp. 277–293. [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0030-8129%28199103%29106%3A2%3C277%3AMACICF%3E2.0.CO%3B2-L in JSTOR]
* Griswold, Jerry. "There's No Place But Home: The Wizard of Oz. " ''The Antioch Review'' 45A (1987): 462-75.
*Hansen, Bradley A. "The Fable of the Allegory: The Wizard of Oz in Economics," ''Journal of Economic Education'' (2002) [http://www.indiana.edu/~econed/pdffiles/summer02/bhansen.pdf online edition]
* Hearn, Michael Patrick. ''The Annotated Wizard of Oz''. (2000, 1973), highly detailed guide to the 1900 book; ignores all political issues and metaphors, and ignores the source of the illustrations
* Hudlin, Edward R. "The Mythology of Oz: An Interpretation." ''Papers on Language and Literature'' 25.4 (1989): 443-462.
* Jensen, Richard. ''The Winning of the Midwest: Social and Political Conflict, 1888-1896'' (1971), ch. 10, uses the ''Wizard'' to explain the politics of the 1890s
* Karp, Andrew. ''Utopian Tension in L. Frank Baum's Oz'' in ''Utopian Studies'', 1998. [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5001388159 online edition]
* Kim, Helen M. "Strategic Credulity: Oz as Mass Cultural Parable" in ''Cultural Critique'' No. 33 (Spring, 1996), pp. 213–233. [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0882-4371%28199621%290%3A33%3C213%3ASCOAMC%3E2.0.CO%3B2-T online at JSTOR]
* Leach, William. ''Land of Desire: Merchants, Power, and the Rise of a New American Culture'' (1993), pp. 248–260. [http://www.amazon.com/Land-Desire-Merchants-American-Culture/dp/0679754113/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195301631&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]
* Leach, William. "The Clown from Syracuse: The Life and Times of L. Frank Baum." introduction to Leach, ed. ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' 1991. pp 1–34.
* Littlefield, Henry M. "The Wizard of Oz: Parable on Populism" ''American Quarterly'' Vol. 16, No. 1 (Spring, 1964), pp. 47–58; Littlefield was the first scholar to explore the allegories, though he mistakenly thought Baum supported Populism [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0003-0678%28196421%2916%3A1%3C47%3ATWOOPO%3E2.0.CO%3B2-J in JSTOR]; [http://www.amphigory.com/oz.htm another online version]; [http://www.ozclub.org/reference/littlefield.html another version]
* Nesbet, Anne. "In Borrowed Balloons: The Wizard of Oz and the History of Soviet Aviation" in ''The Slavic and East European Journal'' Vol. 45, No. 1 (Spring, 2001), pp. 80–95. [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0037-6752%28200121%291%3A45%3A1%3C80%3AIBBTWO%3E2.0.CO%3B2-W online at JSTOR]
* Parker, David. "The Rise and Fall of ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' as a 'Parable on Populism'" ''The Journal of the Georgia Association of Historians,'' vol. 15 (1994), pp. 49–63 [http://www.halcyon.com/piglet/Populism.htm online edition]
*Riley, Michael O. ''Oz and Beyond: The Fantasy World of L. Frank Baum''. (1997) University of Kansas Press ISBN 0-7006-0832-X [http://www.amazon.com/Oz-Beyond-Fantasy-World-Frank/dp/070060832X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195302255&sr=8-2 excerpt and text search]
* Ritter, Gretchen. ''Goldbugs and Greenbacks: The Anti-Monopoly Tradition and the Politics of Finance in America'' (1997) [http://www.amazon.com/Goldbugs-Greenbacks-Antimonopoly-Tradition-1865-1896/dp/0521653924/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195301565&sr=8-1 excerpt and text search]
*Ritter, Gretchen. "Silver slippers and a golden cap: L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and historical memory in American politics." ''Journal of American Studies'' (August 1997) vol. 31, no. 2, 171-203.
* Rockoff, Hugh. "The 'Wizard of Oz' as a Monetary Allegory," ''Journal of Political Economy'' 98 (1990): 739-60, the source most often used by economists [http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0022-3808%28199008%2998%3A4%3C739%3AT%22OOAA%3E2.0.CO%3B2-5 online at JSTOR]; [http://ideas.repec.org/a/ucp/jpolec/v98y1990i4p739-60.html another online edition]
* Rogers, Katharine M. ''L. Frank Baum: Creator of Oz: A Biography'' (2002) [http://www.amazon.com/L-Frank-Baum-Creator-Biography/dp/031230174X/ref=sid_dp_dp excerpt and text search]
* Sherman, Fraser A. ''The Wizard of Oz Catalog: L. Frank Baum's Novel, Its Sequels and Their Adaptations for Stage, Television, Movies, Radio, Music Videos, Comic Books, Commercials and More'' (2005)
* Swartz, Mark Evan. ''Oz Before the Rainbow: L. Frank Baum's "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" on Stage and Screen to 1939'' (2000).
* Quentin P. Taylor, "Money and Politics in the Land of Oz," (Dec 2004) [http://www.independent.org/publications/tir/article.asp?issueID=40&articleID=504 Independent]
* Velde, Francois R. "Following the Yellow Brick Road: How the United States Adopted the Gold Standard" Economic Perspectives. Volume: 26. Issue: 2. 2002. [http://www.questia.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5000776148 online edition] [http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=377760 also online here]
* Von Hoffman, Nicholas. "Flimflam Land." ''Civilization,'' (Feb/Mar2000), Vol. 7, Issue 1, in [[EBSCO]]
*Ziaukas, Tim. "100 Years of Oz: Baum's 'Wizard of Oz' as Gilded Age Public Relations" in ''Public Relations Quarterly,'' (Fall 1998) [http://www.halcyon.com/piglet/books8-Ziaukas.htm online version]

==External links==
* [https://books.google.com/books?as_q=&num=30&btnG=Google+Search&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&as_libcat=0&as_brr=1&as_vt=oz&as_auth=Frank+Baum&as_pub=&as_sub=&as_drrb=c&as_miny=&as_maxy=&as_isbn= full text of 6 Oz books by Baum]
*[http://www.turnmeondeadman.net/OZ/Responses.html A history of the debate]
*[http://www.mega.nu:8080/ampp/oz.html Collection of material relating to Oz as a political allegory]
*[http://www.niquette.com/books/sophmag/humbug.htm Humbug: The Most Destructive Film in History] by Paul Niquette
*[http://www.llewellyn.com/archive/fate/25/ Oz as a spiritual allegory]
*[http://www.halcyon.com/piglet/oznends.htm Pros and cons of ''Oz'' as an allegory]

==Trivia==

*In 2009, the movie will celebrate its 70th anniversary.
*The movie can supposedly be synched with [[Pink Floyd]]'s classic album ''[[The Dark Side of the Moon]]''.<ref>http://www.ingsoc.com/waters/info/oz.html</ref>
*A "yellow brick road" can be found in Liberal, Kansas.
*Many parodies of it have been made. Recently, one such was The Wizard of Ha's on ''[[Veggie Tales]]'', with changes to match the Story of the Prodigal Son.

==Notes and references==
<references/>

==External links==
* [https://librivox.org/the-wonderful-wizard-of-oz/ The Wonderful Wizard of Oz], by [[L. Frank Baum]] - Audiobook at [[LibriVox]]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wizard of Oz, The}}
[[Category:Literature]]
[[Category:Movies]]
[[Category:Fantasy]]
[[Category:Progressive Era]]
[[Category:New Deal]]
[[Category:Witchcraft]]

Gun control

2019-02-09T19:58:54Z

Tg97: Undo revision 1491987 by Rossmiller (talk)

'''Gun control''' is a term used by [[liberal]]s when advocating [[unconstitutional]] laws designed to disarm people by restricting the lawful purchase, ownership, or carrying of [[gun]]s, under the guise of "public safety." Studies show that increasing lawful access to guns results in less crime,<ref>''Shall issue: the new wave of concealed handgun permit laws'', Cramer C and Kopel D. Golden CO: Independence Institute Issue Paper. October 17, 1994</ref> but, despite the fact that gun ownership is a Constitutional right, [[Leftist]]s push gun control because it increases the dependency of voters on government for protection while disarming citizens from any [[self-defense]] against violent crime or [[tyranny]] such as [[genocide]].

The political effect of gun control is to shift voters leftward, and hence gun control is pushed hard by the [[liberal media]] and [[leftist]] politicians.<ref>[http://www.gmu.edu/departments/economics/wew/quotes/repeal.html Quotes of Leftists Demanding Gun Control]</ref> In the [[United Kingdom]], which already has the strictest gun control in Europe, [[leftists]] demand control over 120,000 ''deactivated'' guns, although their activation and use constitute only 0.04% of all gun offenses there. But leftists want gun control because fewer guns means greater dependency on government.<ref>http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article3168607.ece</ref> Gun control can be considered a form of [[doublespeak]].

In a stunning blow to the gun control effort just after Independence Day 2018, the case ''Defense Distributed v. U.S. Department of State'' resulted in a settlement<ref>[https://www.dailywire.com/news/32872/doj-settles-landmark-gun-suit-safeguarding-second-amanda-prestigiacomo DOJ Settles In Landmark Gun Suit, Safeguarding The Second Amendment]</ref> and an admission on part of the [[Department of Justice]] that stated:

<blockquote>Non-automatic firearms up to .50-caliber – including modern semi-auto sporting rifles such as the popular [[AR-15]] and similar firearms – are not inherently military.<ref>[http://joshblackman.com/blog/2018/07/10/doj-second-amendment-foundation-reach-settlement-in-defense-distributed-lawsuit/ DOJ, Second Amendment Foundation Reach Settlement In Defense Distributed Lawsuit]</ref></blockquote>

==Background==
Gun control is a denial or limitation by [[government]]s of the right to armed [[self-defense]]. "In contrast to most other weaponry, firearms are preeminently defensive in effect."<ref name=polsby>{{cite news|url=http://www.constitution.org/2ll/2ndschol/76holo.htm |work=Washington University Law Quarterly|title=OF HOLOCAUSTS AND GUN CONTROL|quote=This essay seeks to reclaim a serious argument from the lunatic fringe. |first=Daniel|last=Polsby|date=Fall 1997|accessdate=July 14, 2016}}</ref> as promised by the [[Second Amendment]] of the Constitution of the [[United States of America]]. Genocide has occurred only after gun control first disarmed the citizenry.<ref name=polsby/>

Proponents use the discredited – but superficially appealing – claim that fewer lawfully-owned guns lead to less crime, although guns are primarily defensive weapons<ref>People who support gun control claim that gun control laws significantly reduce violent crime. [http://home.sprynet.com/~owl1/irrationality.htm Why People Are Irrational about Politics]</ref><ref>Gun control primarily restricts the lawful acquisition and use of guns. Over 99% of the guns restricted by most gun control regulation are used in a lawful manner.</ref> (see [[Concealed carry]]).

Gun control laws cause enormous hardships. In May 2012, a gun control law resulted in a 20-year prison sentence against an [[African American]] woman for merely firing warning shots against her husband, and there was widespread outrage in [[Florida]] against this unconscionable sentence.<ref>https://www.cnn.com/2012/05/11/justice/florida-stand-ground-sentencing/index.html?hpt=hp_t3</ref>

In the United States the three primary [[federal]] gun control laws are:
* [[National Firearms Act]] (1934)
* [[Gun Control Act]] (1968)
* [[Brady Bill]] (1993)

These laws have further been amended by other laws such as the Firearms Owners Protection Act (1986) and the Omnibus Crime Bill (1994).
Seeking a loophole in the federal gun laws, in 2009 Montana passed a law "making guns that are made and kept within state boundaries exempt from federal regulations" including "background checks, licensing and registration."<ref>http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=6367553</ref> However, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held that all gun sales affect interstate commerce to the point that federal regulation attaches to guns even if the gun owners and manufacturer promise to keep that make of gun within a single state.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2013/08/23/10-36094.pdf|title=''MSSA v. Holder''|work=Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals|date=August 23, 2013|format=PDF|accessdate=April 22, 2016}}</ref>

==Weapon forfeiture==
One of the main stated goals of gun control is to prevent criminals from using weapons to commit crimes. So, in addition to laws regulating the sale and possession of weapons, some laws specify forfeiture if a weapon was used during the course of committing a crime. For example, [http://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacode/title19.2/chapter22.2/section19.2-386.29/ Virginia Code § 19.2-386.29] provides:
<blockquote>All pistols, shotguns, rifles, dirks, bowie knives, switchblade knives, ballistic knives, razors, slingshots, brass or metal knucks, blackjacks, stun weapons, and other weapons used by any person in the commission of a criminal offense, shall, upon conviction of such person, be forfeited to the Commonwealth by order of the court trying the case.</blockquote>
There are also federal laws specifying the forfeiture of weapons used during a crime.<ref>E.g.,16 U.S. Code § 128</ref>

So, to the extent that opponents of gun control laws claim that the government is trying to "take away" guns, such provisions are the focus of their concerns.

== The Fallacy and Motivation for Gun Control ==
[[Image:No Weapons Allowed.gif|right]]
Gun control potentially causes an increase in crime by restricting its main deterrent: [[self-defense]]. A study by Professor Gary Kleck, initially a liberal critic of gun control, caused him to change his mind on this issue when the evidence showed that crime was predominantly ''prevented'' when people could carry guns. ''See Point Blank: Guns and Violence in America''.<ref>http://www.largo.org/effects.html</ref> In the United States, law-abiding uses of guns outnumber criminal uses by about a factor of 1000 to 1,<ref>http://www.americanselfdefense.com/gunfacts3.0.pdf (p. 60)</ref> and the removal of guns from everyone eliminates the lawful use of self-defense and its deterrent effect. "[[Americans]] use firearms to defend themselves from criminals at least 764,000 times a year."<ref name="Gallup_LAT">"This figure is the lowest among a group of 9 nationwide surveys done by organizations including Gallup and the Los Angeles Times." (Just Facts - [http://www.justfacts.com/guncontrol.asp Gun Control])</ref> Specific examples of guns being used successfully in [[self-defense]] are easy to find.<ref>Two 70-ish store owners stopped armed robberies of their stores by shooting at the bandits. "The person came in and pointed the gun at him and my father shot him. I'm proud of him." [http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/buffaloerie/story/253849.html Buffalo News]</ref><ref>[http://sittingduckpolicy.com/ Sitting Duck Policy: True Stories of Self-Defense]</ref> "In 1982, a survey of imprisoned criminals found that 34% of them had been "scared off, shot at, wounded or captured by an armed victim."<ref name="Gallup_LAT"/> When Florida began allowing its citizens to carry a concealed weapon, [[Florida]]'s firearm homicide rate fell by 37% while the national average ''increased'' by 15%.<ref name="Gallup_LAT"/> As explained below, the political effect of gun control is to cause voters to become more dependent emotionally on government and more supportive of bigger government.

Studies by [[John Lott]] and others indicate that gun control causes higher crime rates.<ref>[http://www.johnrlott.com/ John Lott's Website]</ref> [[Washington, D.C.]] has one of the highest crime rates in America even though it completely bans private handguns.<ref>[http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/dccrime.htm District of Columbia Crime Rates 1960 - 2006]</ref> "Switzerland, Israel, Denmark and Finland, all of whom have a higher gun ownership rate than America, all have lower crime rates than America, in fact, their crime rates are among the lowest in the Western World."<ref>Slashdoc - [http://www.slashdoc.com/documents/71244 gun control]</ref> Lott demonstrates that in Britain, [[Australia]] and [[Canada]], increased gun control in the late 1990s led to increased crime, the exact opposite of what the proponents of the gun control promised.<ref>John R. Lott Jr. and Eli Lehrer - [http://johnrlott.tripod.com/op-eds/IBDGunConFailure.html Add Gun Control To Litany Of Misbegotten Gov't Plans]</ref> States in the [[U.S.]] that have enacted concealed-carry laws enjoy lower crime rates.<ref>[http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=4706 Cato report]</ref>

[[image:Robbery victims per 100K.png|300px|thumb|Source data: Australian Bureau of Statistics]]
[[image:Robbery victims.png|300px|thumb|Source data: Australian Bureau of Statistics]]

In Australia, where gun ownership was less widespread and the gun control measures were less strict, there was an immediate increase in robbery and armed robbery after the gun control went into effect in 1996 (see chart at right).<ref>

Gun control passed in Australia because "public was immediately whipped into a gun control frenzy by the press" after the "Port Arthur massacre" in Tasmania on April 28, 1996, in which 32 were shot dead and 19 injured. "Although polls done prior to the massacre indicated that the public was satisfied with the amount of 'gun control' they already had, a major newspaper did a poll just a few days after the massacre (while all minds were "clear") and, not surprisingly, found high levels of support for extreme gun control measures. This poll would be used forever by the commonwealth government and other gun controllers to claim that Australians supported the new gun laws to come." - [http://www.gunsandcrime.org/aussiegc.html Gun Control in Australia] (by gunsandcrime.org)</ref>

There is no clear evidence supporting a decrease in crime from gun control.<ref name="Results">[http://www.gunsandcrime.org/auresult.html Results of the Australian Gun "Buyback" & New Gun Laws], October 2001</ref><ref>[http://bjc.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/azl084v1 Study showing lack of promised benefits from gun control]</ref> Although from 1979 to 1996, 11,110 Australians died by gunshot representing an annual average of 617. In the seven years after new gun laws were announced (1997 to 2003), the yearly average almost halved, to 331. In the decade up to and including Port Arthur There have been 11 mass shootings where 100 people were shot dead and another 52 wounded, while in In the 10 years since 1996 and the new gun laws, not one mass shooting (more than five victims) has occurred in Australia (although in 2002 a gunman killed two and wounded four at Monash University) <ref name="theage.com.au">http://www.theage.com.au/news/opinion/a-safer-place-after-howards-gun-buyback/2006/04/27/1145861484114.html?page=fullpage#contentSwap1</ref>

Subsequent to gun control in England:<ref>http://www.reason.com/news/show/28582.html</ref>
[[File:Send_a_gun_to_a_British_home.jpg|thumb|right|[[Second Amendment]]-supporting [[American]] [[citizen]]s gifted their [[firearm]]s to [[gun free zone]]-gun control supporting [[British]] citizens during [[World War II]] via [[The American Committee for the Defense of British Homes]]]]

:"from 1997 to 2001, the rate of violent crime more than doubled. Your chances of being mugged in London are now [as of 2002] six times greater than in New York. England's rates of assault, robbery, and burglary are far higher than America's, and 53 percent of English burglaries occur while occupants are at home, compared with 13 percent in the U.S., where burglars admit to fearing armed homeowners more than the police. In a United Nations study of crime in 18 developed nations published in July, England and Wales led the Western world's crime league, with nearly 55 crimes per 100 people."<ref>However this increase in recorded violent crime between 1997 and 2001 is explained by the Home Office as a result of changes in the definition of violent crime and new counting rules introduced in 1998. [http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs04/rdsolr1804.pdf Violent Crime in England and Wales] According to the British Crime Survey, which is considered a more reliable guide to trends in crime [http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs06/crime-statistics-independent-review-06.pdf], violent crime fell 24% between 1997 and 2001/02, and burglary fell 40% over the same period.[http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs05/hosb1105tab201.xls Trends in BCS incidents of crime]</ref>

Gun control in Britain and Australia has been followed by a predictable shift to the left politically by voters as they lost their instrument of self-defense and became more emotionally dependent on government. Contrast that with the [[United States]], where an effort to push gun control after the [[Columbine massacre]] failed in 2000 and the government has remained as [[conservative]]—if not more so—ever since.

The emasculation of the citizenry by gun control also arguably reduces the resistance of a society to intimidation, and exacerbates fear of consequences from causing offense. Subsequent to the passage of strict gun control in [[England]] some teachers have avoided teaching controversial subjects such as the [[Holocaust]], the Arab-Israeli conflict and the [[Crusades]] during history classes.<ref>http://www.dfes.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/RW100.pdf</ref>
Teaching Emotive and Controversial History 3-19 (p. 15) The anti-self-defense attitude of British authorities has also turned criminals into "victims" and victims who fight back into "criminals." One particularly egregious case involved a farmer being sentenced to life imprisonment for defending himself in his home after the home was repeatedly burglarized <ref>http://www.theinternetparty.org/commentary/c_s.php?td=200107200000&section_type=com</ref>

== Trends ==
After decades of increasing gun control laws, the current trend in the [[United States]] is in the direction of more gun rights. The 1994 Omnibus Crime Bill included a ban on certain new rifles labeled assault rifles solely because of features of their appearance, and on new high-capacity magazines. This law recently expired and was not renewed by [[Congress]]. Also, Washington D.C.'s gun ban was struck down as unconstitutional by the U.S. Court of Appeals on March 9, 2007.<ref>The New York Times - [https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/09/washington/09cnd-gun.html?hp Appeals Court Says Gun Ban Violates 2nd Amendment]</ref><ref>The Washington Post - [https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/09/AR2007030902416.html D.C.'s Ban On Handguns In Homes Is Thrown Out]</ref>

By removing the deterrent effect of guns, gun control causes dramatic increases in crimes committed with other weapons:<ref name="bbc">http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/2656875.stm</ref>

:You are now six times more likely to be mugged in [[London]] than [[New York]]. Why? Because as common law appreciated, not only does an armed individual have the ability to protect himself or herself but criminals are less likely to attack them. They help keep the peace. A study found American burglars fear armed home-owners more than the police. As a result burglaries are much rarer and only 13% occur when people are at home, in contrast to 53% in England.

Supporters of gun control argue that homicide with guns is much less in [[England]] than in the [[United States]],<ref>In 2005/06, the total number of victims of homicide by shooting (including crossbows) in England and Wales was 50 and there were 212 victims of homicide by sharp instruments. Home Office Statistical Bulletin - [http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs07/hosb0207.pdf Homicides, Firearm Offences and Intimate Violence 2005/2006][http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/hosb0104.pdf] The data for gun deaths in the United States include guns used in self-defense, as in fending off an assault, robbery or rape, and there were a total of 11,350 gun deaths (including deaths of criminals) in 2005. US Department of Justice, FBI - [http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/05cius/data/table_01.html Crime in the United States by Volume and Rate per 100,000 Inhabitants, 1986 - 2005]</ref> but that was true even before gun control and is likely due to cultural reasons. "A study comparing New York and London over 200 years found the New York homicide rate consistently five times the London rate, although for most of that period residents of both cities had unrestricted access to firearms. When guns were available in England they were seldom used in crime. A government study for 1890-1892 found an average of one handgun homicide a year in a population of 30 million."<ref name="bbc" />

Gun control laws are often seen to conflict with the [[Second Amendment]] to the [[United States Constitution]], which recognizes the right to bear arms. The Second Amendment reads: "A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a [[Free States Movement|free State]], the [[unalienable rights|right]] of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."

The "right to keep and bear arms" is a right guaranteed to the American citizen by the Bill of Rights through the virtue of a selective reading of said Bill. The phrase "a well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state" precedes the statement, and most federal Courts of Appeals have held that this phrase requires that the "right to bear arms" relates to the collective rights of state militias, as opposed to the individual's rights to have any weapon desired. Just recently, the Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit went against nine other circuits in holding that the Second Amendment constitutes an individual right.<ref>The New York Times - [https://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/10/washington/10gun.html?_r=1&oref=slogin Court Rejects Strict Gun Law as Unconstitutional]</ref><ref>FOX News - [http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,258067,00.html Appeals Court Strikes Down Washington, D.C. Handgun Ban]</ref> However, according to the judge writing for the majority in this case, its decision does still allow for "reasonable restrictions" on gun ownership and use, such as carrying of guns by intoxicated individuals, or in churches.

Only six cities in the United States ban handguns: [[Washington, D.C.]], [[Chicago]], and four of its suburbs.<ref>David Kopel, "The Democrats and Gun Control," Wall St.J., Page A19, April 17, 2008 [http://online.wsj.com/article_email/SB120839466717921537-lMyQjAxMDI4MDE4NzMxOTc0Wj.html]</ref> Some specific locations have also been labeled "[[gun-free zone]]s," including schools, shopping malls, movie theaters, corporate offices, and more. In most cases, mass-shootings take place in these gun-free zones, since those who obey the rules do not carry, while those already planning to break the law disregard this rule. When attempted in areas where firearms are permitted, [[Mass shootings prevented by armed citizens|mass-shootings have often been quickly stopped by armed citizens]].

Support for stricter gun control laws fell deeply between 1992 and 2012, and while it rose in the succeeding six years, support levels remained far lower than in 1992.<ref>Hawkins, Awr (October 20, 2018). [https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2018/10/20/poll-gun-control-support-down-17-percent-over-past-28-years/ Poll: Gun Control Support Down 17 Percent Over Past 28 Years]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved October 21, 2018.</ref>

==Overview==
"Gun control" can include:

* Restricting which persons can own firearms.
* Restrictions on the number of firearms a person may own, or purchase during a given time period
* Requirements that privately owned firearms be registered with the government.
* Bans on certain types of firearms; for example, "handguns" or assault rifles
* Restrictions on where firearms may be carried, for example into restaurants or post offices
* Requiring a "background check" and/or a "waiting period" to purchase a firearm
* Restricting when and where firearms may be bought and sold, for example banning their sale through the mail
* Requiring licenses or some other form of permission from the government to buy and/or sell a firearm
* Requiring some form of permission from the government to carry a firearm in public, either concealed or openly
* Laws granting special gun rights for some people, for example, retired law enforcement officers, which are denied the rest of the public, which was used in several southern states.
* Outright bans on carrying firearms in public
* Outright bans on private possession of firearms, though this has never occurred in the United States (with the exception of some municipalities, prior to those bans being struck down in court)

===Arguments in favor===
"The only purpose of a gun is to kill people."

Advocates point to the number of accidental deaths caused by children gaining access to improperly-stored guns. According to the [[Brady Campaign]], a [[liberal]] organization that advocates for gun control, in the United States, " 1 out of 3 homes with kids have guns and nearly 1.7 million children live in a home with an unlocked, loaded gun."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bradycampaign.org/key-gun-violence-statistics|title=Key Gun Violence Statistics|accessdate=July 14, 2017}}</ref>

Another argument is that of suicide prevention. Guns are highly effective tools for committing suicide with a reported success rate of over 95%, whereas other common methods such as overdoses and cutting have a less than 10% success rate.

===Arguments against===
{{coulter-armed-self-defense}}

[[Emily Miller]] wrote,
"New York City Mayor [[Michael R. Bloomberg]] has spent tens of millions of his billions trying to get his gun bans instituted in the rest of America, even though these laws have never stopped criminals from getting guns."<ref>[https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/aug/26/miller-bloomberg-loses-stop-and-frisk-and-nra-gets/ Bloomberg loses stop and frisk, and NRA gets blamed: The mayor’s default disgust for gun owners tarnishes his life-saving program] - [[Emily Miller]]</ref>

Critics, such as Awr Hawkins of [[Breitbart.com]], have argued that background checks, a form of gun control, have done nothing to prevent gun crimes.<ref name="Hawkins"/>

Hawkins has also pointed out that despite [[France]] having very strict gun control laws, the nation has had many [[List of Islamist terrorist attacks|Islamic terrorist attacks]] that used a variety of weapons, including guns and rifes.<ref>Hawkins, Awr (April 21, 2017). [https://www.breitbart.com/london/2017/04/21/france-2015-to-present-strict-gun-control-a-paper-tiger/ France 2015 to Present: Strict Gun Control a Paper Tiger]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved April 22, 2017.</ref>

Since 1950, 97.8% of mass public shootings have occurred in [[gun-free zone]]s.<ref>[https://crimeresearch.org/2018/06/more-misleading-information-from-bloombergs-everytown-for-gun-safety-on-guns-analysis-of-recent-mass-shootings/ UPDATED: Mass Public Shootings keep occurring in Gun-Free Zones: 97.8% of attacks since 1950]. ''Crime Prevention Research Center''. June 15, 2018. Retrieved November 10, 2018.</ref><ref>Hawkins, Awr (November 20, 2018). [https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2018/11/20/study-97-8-percent-mass-shootings-since-1950-gun-free-zones/ Study: 97.8% of Mass Shootings Since 1950 Occurred in ‘Gun-Free Zones’]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved November 20, 2018.</ref> On the other hand, a 2018 analysis of FBI data by Jacob Paulsen found that 94% of all mass shootings [[Mass shootings prevented by armed citizens|were thwarted by law-abiding armed citizens]].<ref>Duke, Selwyn (November 28, 2018). [https://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/crime/item/30766-guns-saving-lives-study-armed-citizens-thwart-active-shooters-94-of-the-time Guns Save Lives — Armed Citizens Thwart Active Shooters 94 Percent of the Time]. ''The New American''. Retrieved November 28, 2018.</ref>

==Constitutional Debate==
The [[Second Amendment]] reads:

"A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."

Most constitutional scholars agree that since the amendment refers to "the right of the People" instead of the right of the militia, it protects an individual right to own guns. The reason for this was the fact that the supplying of guns for the military and militas was already provided for in Article I Section 8 as a power of Congress. The extent of that right was something hotly debated for decades, until the Supreme Court ruling of 26 June 2008, Heller v District of Columbia.

The majority opinion, written by Justice [[Antonin Scalia]], held for the first time that the Constitution provides an individual right to bear arms, such as for self-defense, rather than a right that applies only to a state militia.

The decision upheld an appellate court ruling striking down Washington, D.C.'s 1976 handgun ban. The case marked the first time in more than 70 years that the Supreme Court had addressed the Second Amendment ''and the first time it spoke directly about the implication of an individual right''. The court struck down two of the District of Columbia's gun control laws: its handgun ban and its requirement that other firearms kept at home have a trigger lock or be disassembled.

Relying on the broader historical record, Justice Scalia wrote:
{{cquote|'''putting all of these textual elements together, we find that they guarantee the individual right to possess and carry weapons in case of confrontation.'''}}

Scalia noted that the ruling should not be interpreted to "cast doubt on long-standing prohibitions on the possession of firearms by felons or the mentally ill, or laws forbidding the carrying of firearms in sensitive places such as schools and government buildings." <ref>[http://www.scotusblog.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/07-2901.pdf Supreme Court Opinion, District of Columbia v Heller]</ref>

==Racism of gun control==
In the [[United States of America]], gun control has a strong racist origin and reasoning. Before the Civil War ended, State "Slave Codes" prohibited slaves from owning guns. After President [[Abraham Lincoln]] issued the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, and after the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution abolishing slavery was adopted and the Civil War ended in 1865, States persisted in prohibiting blacks, now freemen, from owning guns under laws renamed "Black Codes." They did so on the basis that blacks were not citizens, and thus did not have the same rights, including the right to keep and bear arms protected in the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, as whites. This view was specifically articulated by the [[U.S. Supreme Court]] in its infamous 1857 decision in ''[[Dred Scott v. Sandford]]'' to uphold slavery.

The United States Congress overrode most portions of the Black Codes by passing the Civil Rights Act of 1866. The legislative histories of both the Civil Rights Act and the Fourteenth Amendment, as well as The Special Report of the Anti-Slavery Conference of 1867, are replete with denunciations of those particular statutes that denied blacks equal access to firearms. [Kates, "Handgun Prohibition and the Original Meaning of the Second Amendment," 82 Mich. L. Rev. 204, 256 (1983)] However, facially neutral disarming through economic means laws remain in effect.

After the adoption of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1878, most States turned to "facially neutral" business or transaction taxes on handgun purchases. However, the intention of these laws was not neutral. An article in Virginia's official university law review called for a "prohibitive tax...on the privilege" of selling handguns as a way of disarming "the son of Ham," whose "cowardly practice of 'toting' guns has been one of the most fruitful sources of crime.... Let a negro board a railroad train with a quart of mean whiskey and a pistol in his grip and the chances are that there will be a murder, or at least a row, before he alights."<ref>Comment, Carrying Concealed Weapons, 15 Va L. Reg. 391, 391-92 (1909); George Mason University Civil Rights Law Journal (GMU CR LJ), Vol. 2, No. 1, "Gun Control and Racism," Stefan Tahmassebi, 1991, p. 75.</ref> Thus, many Southern States imposed high taxes or banned inexpensive guns so as to price blacks and poor whites out of the gun market.

Today, "gun control" laws continue to be enacted so as to have a racist effect if not intent:

* Police-issued license and permit laws, unless drafted to require issuance to those not prohibited by law from owning guns, are routinely used to prevent lawful gun ownership among "unpopular" populations.
* Public housing residents, approximately 3 million Americans, are singled out for gun bans.
* "Gun sweeps" by police in "high crime neighborhoods" whereby vehicles and "pedestrians who meet a specific profile that might indicate they are carrying a weapon" are searched are becoming popular, and are being studied by the [[U.S. Department of Justice]] as "Operation Ceasefire."
* Some U.S. cities with high minority populations, such as Washington, D.C., are singled out for gun bans.
* "Project Exile" began in the U.S. city of Richmond, Virginia and mandated that people arrested for technical firearms violations (note: not for violent crimes committed with a firearm, but for technical violations of the law) be tried in federal court where they would be subject to lengthy mandatory minimum sentences rather than in state court under the more lenient Virginia laws. As with many other restrictions this was aimed primarily at the city's Black residents. It has since been copied in many other cities.

The [[Ku Klux Klan]] began also as a gun-control organization.<ref>http://www.examiner.com/article/kkk-began-as-gun-control-organization-confirms-racist-roots-of-gun-control</ref>

== Sexism of gun control ==

Firearms, especially lower recoiling ones such as many handguns, allow any person to wield enough power to stop another person from attacking them.<ref name="genderDiscrimination1">http://www.learnaboutguns.com/2008/03/19/firearms-rights-are-a-gender-equality-issue-too/</ref> Many women (quite reasonably) fear the threat of attack by a physically stronger man, and a firearm could prevent many of these attacks, but gun bans leave these women vulnerable. Take the case of the “North Side Rapist” in Chicago, a city where hand guns are banned, as an example: The rapist broke in to the women's homes, and at least one of the women heard him break in and then climb the stairs. Had this woman had a handgun, she almost certainly could have stopped the rapist before it was too late. This would have prevented her from enduring such a horrific crime, as well as preventing the rapist's future victims from experiencing the same thing. Instead, Chicago law prevented her from being able to defend herself, and gave the advantage to the rapist/home-invader. This is not an isolated incident, and similar events happen every day across the county.

== Elitism of gun control ==

Many of the most ardent American anti-gun politicians, such as Chicago's Mayor Daley, are protected by taxpayer-sponsored armed body guards, but deny law abiding citizens the right to defend themselves with a gun.<ref name="classDiscrimination1">http://www.learnaboutguns.com/2008/04/16/a-double-standard-anti-gun-politicians-and-their-gun-toting-bodyguards/</ref> These politicians seemingly believe themselves to be part of an elite group who deserve to be protected against violent criminals, while ordinary law-abiding citizens are left with less-effective means to defend themselves, and must instead rely on the police arriving in time.

== Gun control outside the United States ==
{{See also|Gun Control in Nazi Germany}}
Gun control advocates cite foreign countries to argue that gun control can reduce crime, but such comparison can be difficult due to the presence of other factors. For example, they cite [[Singapore]] as having gun control and a lower crime rate than the United States, but Singapore has a population of 5 million people and one of the highest literacy and average wealth in the world. It lacks many of the freedoms found in the United States and strictly imposes harsh physical punishment, such as caning and the [[death penalty]], for crimes that are not punished so harshly in the United States. The real issue of the security in Singapore is its tight criminal control, not the gun control itself.

Gun control supporters also cite [[Gun Control in Japan|Japan's gun control laws]], which severely restrict gun ownership and crime rates are relatively low. But [[Japan]] also lacks many freedoms and diversity which exist in the United States, and Japan has strong cultural deterrents to crime. Ironically, Japan is home to [[Tokyo Marui]], the world's largest airsoft gun manufacturer, which designs airsoft guns that are made to the same scale and with the same materials as the real counterpart and which have been mistaken by police for real guns.

In the [[European Union]], gun control is more strict than in the United States, but gun ownership differs widely between member states, from 36 per 100 people in [[Cyprus]] to one per 100 in [[Poland]]." In [[Switzerland]], on the other hand, gun ownership is quite widespread, which no doubt contributes to its reputation as a peaceful and neutral country.<ref>[http://archives.cnn.com/2001/WORLD/europe/09/27/switzerland.shooting Gun control in Switzerland]</ref> In November 2007, the [[European Parliament]] passed legislation to tighten and harmonize gun control across the EU, and oblige each member state to set up a computerized database of firearms, as it "hoped to prevent Europe from becoming a gun-friendly culture like the United States". Parliament wanted to limit cross-border trade from states with less control to those with tougher laws, such as from [[Lithuania]], where replica guns can cost as little as [[Euro|€]]100 (US$150), to the United Kingdom, where most replicas are outlawed.

In Australia, gun violence has always been significantly lower than other types of violence.<ref>http://www.gunsandcrime.org/aussiegc.html</ref> Australia has not experienced considerable violence problems with legally purchased guns. It has always had a much lower homicide rate than the more violent culture in the United States.<ref>In Australia the gun related homicide rate is 0.44 per 100,000 of population. In the US it is about 8 times as high at 3.72 per 100,000 of population.</ref> From 1979 to 1996, 11,110 Australians died by gunshot representing an annual average of 617. In the seven years after new gun laws were announced (1997 to 2003), the yearly average almost halved, to 331. In the decade up to and including Port Arthur There have been 11 mass shootings where 100 people were shot dead and another 52 wounded, while in In the 10 years since 1996 and the new gun laws, not one mass shooting (more than five victims) has occurred in Australia (although in 2002 a gunman killed two and wounded four at Monash University).<ref name="theage.com.au"/>

Gun control began in Australia in response to fears that guns would be used by home-grown Communist Revolutionaries.<ref>http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1083528 This study discusses the parallel policies of early-mid 20th century Britain and Australia.</ref> The most restrictive reforms were made in 1996 and 2002, following highly publicized shootings.<ref name="ReferenceA">http://www.theage.com.au/news/opinion/a-safer-place-after-howards-gun-buyback/2006/04/27/1145861484114.html</ref>

Both sets of reforms (1996 and 2002) were lead by Prime Minister [[John Howard]] of the Coalition (Australia's conservative government). Howard was well known as an anti-gun advocate.<ref name="ReferenceB">http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/anger-lingers-among-those-who-lost-their-firearms/2006/04/27/1145861489398.html</ref> The move offended gun supporters, many of whom had traditionally supported the Coalition.<ref name="ReferenceB"/> Despite the loss of this voting group, Howard won elections following both reforms (in 1998 and 2004).

There is controversy over the success of Australia's gun restrictions. Studies suggest overall gun violence has decreased since the 1996 and 2002 bans.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> However, Australia's bike and drug gangs, the main perpetrators of gun violence, still easily access illegal firearms.<ref>http://www.theage.com.au/news/in-depth/a-disarming-cause/2006/04/27/1145861489519.html</ref> Further, the overall homicide rate remains constant.<ref>http://www.theage.com.au/news/opinion/a-safer-place-after-howards-gun-buyback/2006/04
/27/1145861484114.html?page=2</ref>

== Gun Control and Genocide ==

Gun control "contributes to the probability of its government engaging" in [[genocide]], including the three worst instances in the 20th century:<ref>"[A] society's weapons policy might be one of the institutional arrangements that contributes to the probability of its government engaging in some of the more extreme varieties of outrage. ... [I]t is [] an arresting reality that not one of the principal genocides of the twentieth century, and there have been dozens, has been inflicted on a population that was armed." [http://ls.wustl.edu/WULQ/75-3/753-4.html Washington University Law Quarterly]</ref>

*From 1911, [[Turkey]] imposed gun control and then, from 1915 to 1918, killed 3.5 million out of 5 million Ottoman Christians, including 1.5 million out of 2 million Armenians, 750,000 out of 1 million Assyrian Christians, and 250,000 million out of 1 million Pontic Greeks.

*In 1917, the [[Soviet Union]] imposed gun control and over the next 24 years about 20 million defenseless dissidents were killed.

*In 1938, [[Nazi Germany]] imposed gun control and then from 1942-1945, Europe under its control led by [[Adolf Hitler]] killed 6 million out of 9 million European Jews,<ref>https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10008193</ref> with 3 million going to the death camps and another 3 million in war, as well as 2 million Poles, and 27 million Soviet civilians.<ref>http://www.self.gutenberg.org/articles/eng/World_War_II_casualties_of_the_Soviet_Union</ref> The American Gun Control Act of 1968 is modeled off the Nazi Gun Control Act of 1938, while the FOID (Firearms Owner's ID), adopted by Illinois in 1968, is modeled off Nazi gun licensing.<ref>http://mobile.wnd.com/2012/12/the-nazi-roots-of-u-s-gun-control-laws/</ref>

*In 1935, [[China]] established gun control, and then from 1966-1976, 35 million political dissidents were killed in [[Mao Zedong]]'s Cultural Revolution. In ''Quotations from Chairman Mao Tse-tung'', Mao said, “Every Communist must grasp the truth; Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun."

*In 1975, [[Cambodia]] established gun control and between 1975 and 1979, three million out of nine million Cambodians were exterminated.

*In 1970, [[Uganda]] imposed gun control. Between 1971 and 1979 300,000 Christians and political oppositionals were killed.<ref>http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/66751/gun-control-amin/dave-kopel#</ref>

"The Nazis made only two important changes to the Weapons Law that was in place when they came to power. First, they forbade Jews from owning guns or any other weapon. Second, they exempted members of the Sturmabteilung (SA) and many Nazi party officials from the law's strictures."<ref name=polsby/> The German Firearms Act of 1937 stated "No civilian is to have a firearm without a permit and permits shall not be issued to persons suspected of acting against the state. ''For Jews, this permission will not be granted.'' Those people who do not require permission to carry weapons include the whole of the SS, and the SA - including the Deaths Head group, and the officers of the Hitler youth." <ref name="Volokh">[http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a38d04d5c7c40.htm The Journalist's Guide to Gun Policy Scholars and Second Amendment Scholars], Professor Eugene Volokh, FreeRepublic.com, March 15, 2000</ref>

Adolf Hitler said, "The most foolish mistake we could possibly make would be to permit the conquered eastern peoples to have arms. History teaches that all conquerors who have allowed their subject races to carry arms have prepared their own downfall by doing so." <ref name="Volokh" />

[[Josef Stalin]], former dictator of the [[USSR]] and murderer of over 20 million people, infamously supported gun control in the fear that his evil regime might be torn down and so only soldiers could have firearms.

== Gun Control and Dictators ==

"One man with a gun can control 100 without one" - [[Vladimir Lenin]]

"This year will go down in history. For the first time, a civilized nation has full gun registration! Our streets will be safer, our police more efficient, and the world will follow our lead into the future." - [[Adolf Hitler]], 1935.

"A system of licensing and registration is the perfect device to deny gun ownership to the bourgeoisie." - [[Vladimir Lenin]]

"Ideas are more powerful than guns. We would not let our enemies have guns, why should we let them have ideas?” - [[Joseph Stalin]]

"All political power comes from the barrel of a gun. The communist party must command all the guns, that way, no guns can ever be used to command the party." [[Chairman Mao]]

"The most foolish mistake we could possibly make would be to allow the subject races to possess arms. History shows that all conquerors who have allowed their subject races to carry arms have prepared their own downfall by so doing." - quoted in [[Hitler]]'s Tischegesprache Im Fuhrerhauptquartier 1941-1942.

"If the opposition disarms, well and good. If it refuses to disarm, we shall disarm it ourselves." - [[Joseph Stalin]]

== Gun Control and young mass murderers ==

{{Main|Young mass murderers}}

Strict gun control failed and still fails to prevent mass murderers from starting killing sprees while the victims are unable to defend themselves.

Compare the cases of Pekka-Eric Auvinen ([[Finland]]) and Robert Steinhäuser ([[Germany]]) with the case of Matthew Murray. The latter was stopped by an armed citizen before he could harm more victims; Auvinen killed 8 people and Steinhäuser killed 16. Both Finland and Germany have gun control laws.

U.S. Senator from [[West Virginia]] [[Joe Manchin]] supported legislation to establish universal background checks across the nation. He pushed it after the [[Sandy Hook massacre]], despite the fact that even he admitted that the legislation would not have stopped the massacre, since the shooter stole the weapons he used.<ref name="Hawkins">Hawkins, Awr (April 21, 2017). [https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/04/21/joe-manchin-trump-fortitude-make-senate-pass-gun-control/ Joe Manchin: Trump Has the ‘Fortitude’ to Make Senate Pass Gun Control]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved April 22, 2017.</ref> Background checks have been shown to be ineffective in preventing other shootings as well.<ref name="Hawkins"/>

==See also==
* [[List of state constitutions containing a RKBA provision]]

==Further reading==
*Charles, Robert (March 28, 2018). [http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2018/03/28/if-second-amendment-falls-our-entire-bill-rights-falls.html If the Second Amendment falls, our entire Bill of Rights falls]. ''Fox News''.

==External links==

=== Opposed to gun control ===
*[http://www.2asisters.org/ Second Amendment Sisters]
*[http://www.nra.org/ The National Rifle Association]
*[http://www.nrapublications.org/AC/index.asp Armed citizens defending themselves.]
*[http://www.a-human-right.com/ A Human Right] Discussion of the human right to self-defense with a firearm.
*[http://www.learnaboutguns.com/ Learn About Guns] Firearm information and politics.
*[http://www.gunowners.org/ Gun Owners of America] A no-compromise pro-gun lobby in Washington, D.C.
*[http://www.aim.org/wls/category/gun-control/ What Liberals Say - Category: Gun Control]
*[http://www.guncite.com/ GunCite: Gun Control and Second Amendment Issues]
*[http://jpfo.org/ Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership]
*[http://nssf.org/ National Shooting Sports Foundation]
*[http://concealedcampus.org/ Students for Concealed Carry]
*[http://www.theblaze.com/contributions/the-long-racist-history-of-gun-control-in-america/ The Long, Racist History of Gun Control in America]

=== In favor of gun control ===
*[http://www.guninformation.org/ Gun Control and the Second Amendment]
*[http://www.huppi.com/kangaroo/L-switzerland.htm Myth: Switzerland proves that high gun-ownership doesn't increase murder]
*[http://www.bradycampaign.org/ Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence]
*[http://www.vpc.org/ Violence Policy Center]
*[http://www.lwv.org/ League of Women Voters]

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

{{Second Amendment topics}}

[[Category:Gun Free Zones]]
[[Category:Gun Control]]
[[Category:United States Political Terms]]
[[Category:Second Amendment]]

Benefits of capitalism

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Tg97: Undo revision 1491988 by Rossmiller (talk)

[[Capitalism]] has many benefits compared to other economic forms.

#In general, capitalism produces more wealth.
#Capitalism actively rewards positive traits like hard work and ingenuity. Similarly, it punishes negative traits such as laziness and theft.
#Capitalism is more compatible with [[democracy]] than other systems. In fact, there are few republics or democracies in the modern world that are not capitalistic.
#Capitalism is more compatible with [[freedom of speech]] and [[Christianity]] than alternative systems.
#[[Free market]]s are the natural state of trade. Unlike [[socialism]], which requires government interference, capitalism can develop naturally. Therefore, capitalist societies tend to have smaller governments.
#Free markets can conduct certain functions that are normally handled by the government. Therefore, capitalist societies tend to be more efficient and free from government control.
#The competition between markets and businesses will create more productivity in the work place, allowing the rate of technological innovation to increase. This will cause the society to advance while the costs of goods and services will decrease.
#Governments in capitalist societies tend to generate more wealth, since more wealth is being produced. Therefore, capitalist societies tend to be stronger.
#Capitalist societies usually do not have large [[black market]]s. Therefore, capitalist societies tend to have less crime.
#Capitalist nations promote free trade allowing more nations to cooperatively work together for more economic liberty. This will likely mitigate disputes between nations.

[[Category:Economics]]

Public schools in the United States

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Tg97: Undo revision 1491989 by Rossmiller (talk)

[[File:800px-Warning signs at CHS.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Because of violence, vandalism, and other undesirable elements, this public school has a glaring sign warning of the on-campus surveillance cameras at its parking lot entrance.]]
'''Public schools in the [[United States]]''' are government sponsored institutions intended to teach children up through 12th grade. They are generally split into lower-level "Grade School," "Middle School" and "High School." There are also some "Technical Schools" for training in specific skills.

Public schools have become predominantly [[liberal]] and [[atheistic]]<ref>[http://www.exodusmandate.org/art_exodus_from_public_schools_gets_helping_hand.htm Exodus from "public schools" gets a helping hand], Exodus Mandate, Sept 15, 1998</ref><ref>For example, "in 2005, officials at East Brunswick High School adopted a policy prohibiting representatives of the school district from participating in student-initiated prayer." [http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=61806]</ref><ref>From 2004 to 2006, a [[public school]] banned [[Bible]] study by children ... ''during recess''. A teacher complained about the use of the Bible and the principal then censored the study activity, according to a sworn statement by a teacher told to stop it. Principal "Summa, having learned of a complaint by a teacher and of the students' Bible study, told fourth-grade teacher Virginia Larue to nix the group's recess meeting. ... Larue later told one of Luke's Bible study colleagues the group could no longer meet at recess."[http://knoxnews.com/news/2008/jan/03/recess-bible-study-spurs-lawsuit/]</ref><ref>[[Atheists]] routinely impose their views on [[public schools]], though liberals deny it. For example, a court prohibited a moment of silence in [[Illinois]] "Township High School District 214 after atheist activist Rob Sherman challenged" it.[http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-moment_of_silence_bothmay30,0,7722271.story]</ref>
government institutions that employ 3 million people and spend more than $410 billion annually at a cost of more than $10,000 per student. [[Liberals]] censor [[classroom prayer]], the [[Ten Commandments]], sharing of [[faith]] in classrooms during school hours, and teaching [[Bible]]-based [[morality]].<ref>''See, e.g.'', ''[[Stone v. Graham]]'' (1980) (excluding Ten Commandments from public school).</ref><ref>A public school banned [[Bible]] study by children ... ''during recess''. A teacher complained about the use of the Bible and the principal then censored the study activity, according to a sworn statement by a teacher told to stop it. [http://knoxnews.com/news/2008/jan/03/recess-bible-study-spurs-lawsuit/]</ref> Mandatory [[Homosexual Agenda|homosexual indoctrination]] is common as early as elementary school in more [[liberal]] states.<ref>http://www.massresistance.org/media/video/brainwashing.html</ref> The failures of underperforming public schools are a paradigm of [[socialism]], along with [[landfills]] and the [[Canada|Canadian]] health care system.

The following are characteristics of US public schools:

*30% of public school students fail to graduate from [[high school]],<ref name="graduate">"Only 70% of all students in public high schools graduate, and one study found that only 32% of all students in the high school class of 2001 left high school qualified to attend four-year colleges."[http://www.manhattan-institute.org/html/ewp_03.htm]</ref> and more 40% of minorities fail to graduate;<ref>"Only 71 percent of kids graduate from high school within four years, and for minorities, the numbers are even worse -- 58 percent for Hispanics and 55 percent for African Americans," [Bill Gates] wrote. "If the decline in childhood deaths [in developing countries] is one of the most positive statistics ever, these are some of the most negative."[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/29/AR2009032901353.html?wpisrc=newsletter]</ref> the real drop-out rate may be 50%.<ref>http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/47272207.html</ref>
*Nearly 70% of students leave high school unqualified to attend four-year college, and many are unable to hold a steady job.<ref name="graduate"/>
*A 2007 study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse found that 77% of students between eighth and 12th grade had used illicit drugs.<ref>According to Monitoring the Future, a study funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, illicit drug use is up among students between eighth and 12th grade. In 1991, 62 percent had used illicit drugs. In 2007, the number jumped to 77 percent. [http://www.battlecreekenquirer.com/article/20081207/NEWS08/812070305/1002]</ref> Fatal overdoses are common but underreported.<ref>Fatal overdoses are common, although often underreported.[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B01E5DB123EF932A25750C0A9629C8B63 Reporting of a heroin overdose by 16-year-old [[public school]] student was an exception to the underreporting].</ref> Public schools are required to present [[Drug education|drug "education"]] to kids.
*More than 60% of public school teenagers (in one regional study) watch more than 3 hours of television a day, compared with a national average of 35%<ref>http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/dec/01/memphis-youth-make-progress-on-risky-behavior/ (study of Memphis students)</ref>
*About half of the viable pregnancies among girls attending public school end in [[abortion]]s and about half end in birth. Public schools "[[Sex education|educate]]" kids about sex.<ref>"There is zero shame [to [[teenage pregnancy]]]," the school nurse observed.[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/12/AR2008121203507.html]</ref>
*"About 160,000 students miss school daily because they [[fear]] being [[Bully|bullied]]," and students viciously fight each other and post videos of it on [[YouTube|Youtube.com]].<ref>One victim is now "being [[homeschooled]] at state expense."[http://starbulletin.com/2008/05/18/news/story01.html]</ref>
*20% of students had been dangerously "[[binge drinking]]" in the previous 30 days, and 50% of seniors regularly drink illegally, according to a 2007 study of Ottawa County, Michigan.<ref>The Grand Rapids Press The Grand Rapids Press: Ottawa County confronts teen drinking, By Greg Chandler, December 04, 2008 [http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2008/12/ottawa_county_confronts_teen_d.html]</ref><ref name="Oregon">http://www.mlive.com/chronicle/news/index.ssf/2008/12/ottawa_co_youth_survey_surpris.html</ref>
*10-20% of students become [[Addiction|addicted]] to [[cigarettes]]<ref name="Oregon"/><ref>http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/dec/01/memphis-youth-make-progress-on-risky-behavior/</ref>
*More than 10% of public high schools have a [[Homosexual Agenda|pro-homosexual]] student club
*The majority of public school students are completely ignorant about the Bible, even as [[Bible history|history]] and literature
*35% of students are overweight
*Health screening of public schools in Memphis, Tennessee, found that nearly 10% of students have mental health problems.
*California public schools, largest in the nation, now rank at the bottom in academic achievement.
{{See also|Public school culture}}
==History==
===Religious origins===
In 1647, [[Massachusetts]] [[Puritans]] enacted the second law, after Scotland in 1616,<ref>The Social, Economic & Political Reasons for the Decline of Gaelic in Scotland [http://www.scottishhistory.com/articles/highlands/gaelic/gaelic_page1.html]</ref> establishing universal public [[school]]s in the English-speaking world to block the attempts by "ould deluder Satan to keepe men from the whole knowledge of the Scriptures".<ref>''Family Encyclopedia of American History'' (Reader's Digest 1975)</ref> Each settlement larger than 50 families was required to pay a [[teacher|schoolmaster]] to teach reading, writing and religious doctrine to the [[children]] in the community. Beginning in 1670, Massachusetts provided [[taxation|tax]] funding for school maintenance. This model was then copied throughout the colonies, and even throughout the world.

====Curricula used====
According to [[Noah Webster]], "the books used were chiefly or whole Dilworth's Spelling Books, the Psalter, Testament and Bible".<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DYVX2qf5xIAC&pg=PA118|last1=Gutjahr|first1=Paul C.|title=An American Bible: A History of the Good Book in the United States, 1777-1880|date=1999|work=[[Stanford University]] Press|pages=118}}</ref> Other sources such as the U.S. Office of Education note the following books used: The ABC, the Horn Book, the New England Primer, the Bible, Catechisms, and the Psalters.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gwENAAAAIAAJ&pg=RA8-PA19|title=Statistics of Land-grant Colleges and Universities, Volume 1, Issues 1-26|date=1921|work=Office of Education|pages=18–19}}</ref>

''[[The New England Primer]]'' is of particular note given its widespread use over such a long period of time.<ref name=encyclopedia>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e6YoCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA874|title=Encyclopedia of Christian Education, Volume 3|date=2015|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|pages=874}}</ref> The ''Primer'', also known as ''The Little Bible'', was in use in schools for over 150 years.<ref>[https://www.britannica.com/topic/The-New-England-Primer The New-England Primer], [[Encyclopedia Britannica]]</ref>

===Importation of the Prussian model===
In the mid 19th century, [[Horace Mann]], an early education reformer, studied the methods of [[Prussian Education]] and brought them back to the [[United States]]. According to [[John Dewey]]:
{{cquote|Horace Mann and the disciples of [[Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi|Pestalozzi]] did their peculiar missionary work so completely as intellectually to crowd the conservative to the wall. For half a century after their time the ethical emotion, the bulk of exhortation, the current formulae and catchwords, the distinctive principles of theory have been found on the side of progress, of what is known as reform. The supremacy of self-activity, the symmetrical development of all the powers, the priority of character to information, the necessity of putting the real before the symbol, the concrete before the abstract, the necessity of following the order of nature and not the order of human convention - all these ideas, at the outset so revolutionary, have filtered into the pedagogic consciousness and become the commonplace of pedagogic writing and of the gatherings where teachers meet for inspiration and admonition.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JXkBAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA332|last1=Dewey|first1=John|title=Journal of Proceedings and Addresses|date=1901|work=[[National Education Association]]}}</ref>}}
Mann would travel to [[Prussia]] in 1843 to visit the schools and study them.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UrxSUMN4-FsC&pg=PA224|last1=Karier|first1=Clarence J.|title=The Individual, Society, and Education: A History of American Educational Ideas|date=1986|publisher=University of Illinois Press|isbn=978-0252013096|quote="In 1843, it was these Pestalozzian practices which so impressed Horace Mann on his visit to the Prussian Schools.}}</ref>

====Secularization====
According to historian Ellwood Cubberly:
{{cquote|He(Horace Mann) will always be regarded as perhaps the greatest of the "founders" of our American system of free public schools. No one did more than he to establish in the minds of the American people the conception that education should be universal, non-sectarian, and free, and that its aim should be social efficiency, civic virtue, and character, rather than mere learning or the advancement of sectarian ends.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J_tEAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA167|last1=Cubberley|first1=Ellwood. P|title=Public Education in the United States: A Study and Interpretation of American Educational History; an Introductory Textbook Dealing with the Larger Problems of Present-day Education in the Light of Their Historical Development|date=1919}}</ref>}}

John Dewey regarded Horace Mann as the "patron saint of progressive education."<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t7QTC8NuGL8C&pg=PA181|last1=Dewey|first1=John|title=The Later Works, 1925-1953: 1935-1937|publisher=SIU Press|date=1987}}</ref>

===20th century===
Many children did not attend public school for the first two centuries. It was not until 1852 that Massachusetts became the first state to require attendance<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7V83obZcnvkC&pg=PA34|last1=Mathison|first1=Sandra|last2=Ross|first2=E. Wayne|title=Battleground : Schools|date=2007|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|quote=""Mann was eventually successful, and in 1852 Massachusetts passed the first compulsory education laws in North America."}}</ref> by students aged 6 through 16, and it was not until 1918 that all states had [[compulsory attendance]] laws. High schools did not generally exist until after the [[Civil War]], and the first American [[kindergarten]] didn't exist until 1856 in Watertown, Wisconsin.

==Improvement of early childhood education==
Many public schools have launched pre-kindergarten programs for 3 and 4-year-old children. Some states have shifted from half-day kindergartens to programs that match the school day schedule of the other grades. Currently, 14 states and the District of Columbia require full-day kindergarten.

Research has demonstrated the importance of testing third graders for reading ability. Seventeen states and the District of Columbia require non-proficient readers to repeat third grade if they fail a reading test.

Historically, early childhood education focused on reading and writing. However, the research shows that young children's minds are receptive to math and logic. So public schools are adding Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM Education) to the lower grades.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ncsl.org/research/education/strengthening-the-kindergarten-third-grade-continuum.aspx|title=Strengthening the Kindergarten-Third Grade Continuum|date=December 21, 2016|accessdate=June 17, 2017}}</ref>
==Views on morals==

===So-called "character education"===

In response to the perception that public schools have stopped teaching morality, many state education departments have or are in the process of developing "morality" that avoid good and evil, right and wrong, and instead present under the heading of "character" education.<ref>[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3971/is_199910/ai_n8866284]</ref> The lack of appreciation for right and wrong can surprise outsiders, and even school principals. When one public school student was charged with [[felony]] [[computer crime]] for altering the grades of 20 students, the principal said, we "want to teach them what's right and wrong, and it's tough for some kids to catch on to the idea that changing grades is the wrong thing to do."<ref>http://cw2.trb.com/news/kwgn-student-grade-felony,0,7871401.story</ref> The impact of the removal of morality from the [[public school]] curriculum (which is also used in private schools) is that "more than one in three boys (35 percent) and one-fourth of the girls (26 percent) — a total of 30 percent overall — admitted stealing from a store within the past year."<ref>http://charactercounts.org/programs/reportcard/index.html</ref> Liberal politicians are the most frequent opponents of initiatives designed to build moral fiber in the public school system, with organizations like the [[ACLU]] and teacher's unions devoting a significant amount of their resources towards this end. In 2010, a school board in [[North Dakota]] decided to change the name of their mascot from the "Satans." Liberals unrolled a large-scale media campaign that blanketed the district with pro-Satan propaganda in an attempt to keep the name, but they were unsuccessful.<ref>http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-03-11/news/ct-perspec-0311-things-20120311_1_devil-man-great-deceiver-native-americans</ref>

=== Prayer ===

{{See also|Classroom prayer}}

The White House announced the release of Revised Religious Guidelines for America's Public Schools on May 29, 1998. Within this announcement, President [[Bill Clinton|Clinton]] stated, "Nothing in the [[First Amendment]] converts our public schools into religion-free zones, or requires all religious expression to be left behind at the school house door."—President Clinton, July 12, 1998<ref>http://www.ed.gov/PressReleases/05-1998/wh-0530.html</ref>

In 2003, the Education Department released the following guidelines that clarified and added requirements to Public Schools to ensure the religious rights of students.<ref>http://www.freedomforum.org/templates/document.asp?documentID=17550</ref>
<blockquote>
Schools that don’t allow students to pray outside the classroom or that prohibit teachers from holding religious meetings among themselves could lose federal money, the Education Department said late last week. 
 
The guidance reflects the [[George W. Bush|Bush]] administration’s push to ensure that schools give teachers and students as much freedom to pray as the courts have allowed. 
The department makes clear that teachers cannot pray with students or attempt to shape their religious views.
The instructions, released by the department on Feb. 7, broadly follow the same direction given by the [[Clinton administration]] and the courts. Prayer is generally allowed provided it happens outside the class and is initiated by students, not by school officials. 
 
The department, however, also offered some significant additions, including more details on such contentious matters as moments of silence and prayer in student assemblies. And for the first time, federal funds are tied to compliance with the guidelines. The burden is on schools to prove compliance through a yearly report.
</blockquote>

===Teaching the Bible in public schools ===
The [[National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools]]<ref>http://www.bibleinschools.net/</ref> (NCBCPS) provides a program for teaching the Bible in public schools. Currently, the NCBCPS's Bible curriculum has been voted into 462 school districts (over 1,900 high schools) in 38 states. Over 210,000 students have already taken this course nationwide, on the high school campus, during school hours, for credit.

However, many public schools suffer from a [[liberal bias]], resulting in policies opposed the Bible and Christianity, while topics favored by leftists, such as other religions or the [[homosexual agenda]], are promoted.

===Teaching of Islam in the public schools===
Public school textbooks have been found to be portraying [[Islam]] in a positive light. Some world history textbooks in [[Florida]] claim ''Muslims profess to worship the same God as Christians and Jews'', women historically had more rights in the Islamic world than the Christian world, and [[Jihad]] is not a violent movement, among other falsehoods. These lies have caused patriots some areas of the state to complain to local school boards, but not much has been done by the boards to actually remove the Islamic propaganda.

In California seventh grade social studies classes, students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of the civilizations of Islam in the Middle Ages. Hence, Islam is one of eleven units taught in the class.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.snopes.com/politics/religion/islam.asp|title=Islam Studies in California Schools|date=April 5, 2015|accessdate=July 30,3027}}</ref><ref>Nazarian, Adelle (February 2, 2015). [https://www.breitbart.com/california/2015/02/02/is-islamic-indoctrination-being-taught-in-la-public-schools/ Is Islamic Indoctrination Being Taught in LA Public Schools?] ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved July 30, 2017.</ref> In addition, a [[San Diego]] school district worked with [[CAIR]] to add "anti-Islamophobia" classes.<ref>Moons, Michelle (April 23, 2017). [https://www.breitbart.com/california/2017/04/23/san-diego-school-district-pushes-forward-cair-assisted-anti-islamophobia-plan-for-fall/ San Diego School District Pushes CAIR-Assisted ‘Anti-Islamophobia’ Plan]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved July 30, 2017.</ref>

==Censorship==

Public schools enforce liberal ideology through aggressive censorship of right-wing and conservative students, including for speech or conduct occurring off school grounds. Conservatives, as well as some libertarian organizations, have challenged instances of school censorship under well-established legal precedent protecting free speech against all state actors, including public schools. <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nj.com/ocean/index.ssf/2018/03/gun_group_says_it_will_sue_school_after_students_a.html|title=HS students' suspension over gun range photo ignites uproar, potential lawsuit|date=April 5, 2015|accessdate=July 30,3027}}</ref>

==Gender disparity==
Public schools as of late have seen girls' scores soar above boys' because schools have been geared toward the needs of girls and schools seek to emasculate boys by preventing healthy roughhousing and having psychiatrists prescribe boys drugs such as Ritalin. Then boys often come to hate school because radical feminists seek to prevent men from being men and forcing males to go through counseling to "discuss their feelings" and other liberal values treating all students as if they were female. Colleges, because of this trend, see a trend of 60/40 female to male ratio because of feminist drivel such as romance novels in literature and ineffective therapy and attempts to push feminine traits on boys and young men making them frustrated and fed up with the system unless they agree to the school's desire to become effeminate.

Schools commonly suspend students for defending themselves from violent bullying, even though that is illegal under the laws of all 50 states which protect the right to self-defense.

Liberal ideology has also eliminated most male role models in public schools, such that less than a quarter of the teachers are men now.<ref>http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=28</ref>

In areas on such standardized tests as ACT and SAT, girls have typically scored higher in areas such as mathematics and science. Colleges have become majority female, and the feminization of men is strong on college campuses with events that openly advocate female superiority. Females are also intent on emasculating males by forcing them to see "chick flicks" and concerts of female singers which also promote feminist nonsense, strongly continuing a trend that begins in high school which results in a large number of males taking up historically female programs such as psychology and nursing; this begins in school where teachers and administrators teach boys and girls to be girls and not only condone but encourage such emasculation which only continues throughout the boys' lives as learned behaviors are strongest during the crucial formative years these boys are in school.

Most U.S. public schools receive federal funding. Those that do are subject to [[Title IX]] which among other things requires equal access to extra curricular activities and sports.

==Suppression and intolerance of alternative views==
Several courts, including the [[U.S. Supreme Court]], which frequently engage in [[judicial activism]], have ruled that teaching [[creationism]]<ref>https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/482/578/case.html</ref> and [[intelligent design]] in public schools is unconstitutional because they claim that such teachings would amount to a government establishment of religion, which is prohibited by the First Amendment.<ref>''See'' ''Kitzmiller'', 400 F.Supp.2d at 765</ref> Hypocritically, nothing has been done to remove the religions of Secular Humanism and Islam from the schools.

==Educational outcomes==

===Declining literacy ===
Since the rapid expansion and liberalization of public schools after [[World War II]], students' [[literacy]] levels have dropped significantly. While the average 14-year-old had a vocabulary of 25,000 words in 1945, the equivalent student in 2000 had a vocabulary of only 10,000 words, a severe disadvantage in an increasingly textual world.<ref>''Utne Reader'' (July–August 2000), 28-9.</ref>

===Liberal bias in textbooks===
{{See also|Textbook bias}}

[[Textbook]]s (K-12) have been systematically analyzed in a study funded by the U.S. government. The 1986 findings were that massive, systematic [[liberal bias]] exists, resulting in several information blackouts in four key areas of modern American life—[[marriage]], [[religion]], [[politics]], and [[business]]. While an actual conspiracy was then ruled out, the cause was found to be a "a very widespread [[secular]] and [[liberal]] mindset" pervading "the leadership in the world of education [and textbook publishing]".<ref>''Censorship: Evidence of Bias in Our Children's textbooks'', [[Paul C. Vitz]], Servant Books, 1986, ISBN 0-89283-305-X</ref>

Professor Larry Schwikart, of the [[University of Dayton]], wrote a book about biased textbooks. False claims common in those texts included that the [[Founding Fathers]] wanted a "wall of [[Separation of church and state|separation" between church and state]], that "[[Abraham Lincoln|Lincoln]] issued the [[Emancipation Proclamation]] only because he needed [[Black Soldiers in the Civil War|black soldiers]]", and that "[[Mikhail Gorbachev]], not [[Ronald Reagan]], was responsible for ending the [[Cold War]]".<ref>http://www.emailwire.com/release/20086-Controversial-Historian-on-the-Price-of-Business-Show.html</ref>

Evidence for bias in school textbooks includes promotion of [[Homosexual]] agenda, support of liberal viewpoint, as well as support of the unproven theory of evolution. Most Biology textbooks do not provide the [[Creationist]] viewpoint a chance, or even a second thought.

===Non-Dismissal of tenured teachers===
Due to the strength of the nation's teachers' [[Labor union|union]], it is nearly impossible to fire a bad performing teacher with [[tenure]]. The process can take years and involves countless steps to even attempt. The union claims that the protections are needed against arbitrary and malicious lawsuits.

The New York public schools system has approximately 700 teachers accused of insubordination to sexual misconduct. They remain in seclusion from the classroom but are paid full salaries until their cases are heard, sometimes from months to years later. All because their union contract makes it extremely difficult to fire them.<ref>[https://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/us_rubber_rooms/2009/06/22/227959.html 700 NYC Teachers Paid to Do Nothing] AP, June 22, 2009</ref>

[[File:Pathtodismissal.JPG|center|thumb|800px| Flow chart for firing teachers in the nations second largest [[school district]], Los Angeles Unified School district]]
== 4-day week ==
In order to save on transportation costs and reduce time spent on travel, many states have been experimenting with holding school on four days a week leaving the fifth day for medical appointments and athletic events. In such programs, the school day is lengthened to provide the same number of hours per week of instruction. The option is more frequently used in large rural school districts. These states include: Arizona, California, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Wisconsin, Wyoming and Washington. In states which have legislation permitting a 4-day school week, each school district decides whether to implement it. Arkansas, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Virginia and Washington have no schools using the option.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ncsl.org/issues-research/educ/school-calendar-four-day-school-week-overview.aspx|title=Four-Day School Weeks|accessdate=June 17, 2017}}</ref>
==Notable graduates==
=== Before 1962 ===
Given that public schools educate about 90% of [[Americans]], it is astounding how few prominent Americans attended public school after the banning of school-sponsored prayer in 1962. Here is an impressive list of people who attended public schools ''before'' the banning of school-sponsored prayer.

*[[Ronald Reagan]]<ref>http://www.dixonil.com/reagan/reagan2.htm</ref> graduated from Dixon High School, Illinois
*[[Dwight D. Eisenhower]]<ref>http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/press_releases/2007/PR07_11_August_02_2007_Eisenhower_Co_Sponsor_Little_Rock.pdf</ref> attended Abilene High School in Abilene, Kansas
*[[Richard M. Nixon]]<ref>http://www.nndb.com/edu/836/000068632/</ref> attended Fullerton and Whittier High Schools, California
*[[Gerald Ford]]<ref>http://www.visitgrandrapids.org/ford-facts.php</ref> attended Grand Rapids South High School, Michigan
*[[Lyndon B. Johnson]]<ref>http://www.nndb.com/people/062/000023990/</ref> attended Johnson City High School, Texas
*[[Harry S Truman]]<ref>http://www.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/103truman/103visual1.htm</ref> attended Independence High School, Missouri
*[[H. Ross Perot]]<ref>http://www.famoustexans.com/rossperot.htm</ref> attended public schools and Texarkana Junior College, Texas
*[[Richard Cheney]]<ref>http://www.nndb.com/people/598/000022532/</ref> graduated from Natrona County High School in Casper, Wyoming.
*[[Colin Powell]] graduated from Morris High School, NY in 1954 and received his B.A. in geology from the City College of New York in 1958 <ref>http://gale.cengage.com/free_resources/bhm/bio/powell_c.htm</ref>
*[[Billy Graham]] graduated from Sharon High School, NC in May 1936<ref>http://online-bibleconcordance.com/Ministers/BillyGraham.aspx</ref>
*[[Michael Medved]] graduated from Palisades High School, CA <ref>michaelmedved.townhall.com/About.aspx</ref>
*[[The Wright Brothers]] attended public schools in Richmond, India and Dayton OH but did not graduate <ref>http://www.kyrene.org/schools/brisas/sunda/inventor/wright/index.html</ref>
*[[Roy Jay Glauber]], Nobel laureate, graduated from Bronx High School of Science, Bronx, NY in 1941.<ref>http://www.nndb.com/people/738/000138324/</ref>
*[[Frederick Reines]], Nobel laureate, attended Union Hill High School, NJ, during the late 1930s.<ref>http://www.nndb.com/people/052/000099752/</ref>
*[[Oliver North]], US Army Officer, political commentator, graduated from Ockawamick High School in 1961.<ref>http://libraryoflibrary.com/E_n_c_p_d_Ollie_North.html</ref>

=== After 1962 ===
Here is a mostly unimpressive list of people who attended public school ''after'' school-sponsored prayer was banned in 1962:

*[[Brad Pitt]], actor, graduated from Kickapoo High School in Springfield, Missouri, 1981; dropped out of college.<ref>http://www.rolemodel.net/brad_pitt.cfm
</ref>
*[[Tom Cruise]], actor, attended several public high schools including Glen Ridge High School, New Jersey during the 1970s.<ref>http://www.nndb.com/people/791/000022725/
</ref>
*[[John Sununu]], former one-term Senator from [[New Hampshire]], graduated from Salem High School in the 1970s;<ref>http://www.sununu.senate.gov/biography.html</ref> claiming to be [[pro-life]], Sununu arranged for the nomination of [[David Souter]] to the [[U.S. Supreme Court]], where he then repeatedly voted on the side of [[abortion]]
*[[John Edwards]], indicted in 2011 on allegations arising from his affair with a mistress, was a former one-term Senator from [[North Carolina]] and two-time unsuccessful candidate for nomination for president, attended public school in Robbins, N.C. during the 1960s.<ref>http://www.pbs.org/newshour/vote2004/primaries/edwards_bio.html</ref>
*[[Spike Lee]], producer, actor, graduated from John Dewey High School, Brooklyn, NY.<ref>http://movies.nytimes.com/person/99175/Spike-Lee/biography</ref>
*[[Laura Bush]] attended James Bowie Elementary School, San Jacinto Junior High School, and Midland Lee High School in Midland, Texas (Graduated 1964); came out in support of [[gay marriage]] and [[abortion]] in 2010.<ref>http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/laura-bush-supports-gay-marriage-abortion/story?id=10629213</ref>
*[[William J. Clinton]]<ref>http://www.hotsprings.org/things_to_do/historic_hotsprings/presidents_hometown.asp</ref> graduated from Hot Springs High School in Arkansas in 1964, and became the only president impeached in the 20th century.
*[[Anthony Weiner]], a congressman who resigned in disgrace in 2011 after first denying but then confirming an indecent use of [[Twitter]], and later dropped out of the race for New York City Mayor following a second sex scandal, graduated from a public high school in [[Brooklyn]].
*[[Steve Jobs]], founder of [[Apple Inc.]], graduated from Homestead High School in Cupertino, CA in 1972; his colleague, [[Steve Wozniak]], graduated from the same high school in 1968.
*[[Eminem]], a liberal [[rapper]], repeatedly failed 9th grade in public school and ultimately dropped out.
*[[Alan Colmes]], a liberal news commentator, attended public school in [[New York City]].
*[[Sarah Palin]], vice presidential candidate on the [[Republican Party]] ticket in 2008 and favorite of some [[Tea Party]] groups, went to [[Wasilla High School]] and graduated in 1982 and then attended 5 different colleges before becoming more [[conservative]] later in life.<ref>http://outhouserag.typepad.com/outhouserag/2008/09/sarah-palin-198.html</ref>
*[[Rick Perry]], [[Texas]] governor, infringed on [[parental rights]] by requiring young girls to receive an HPV vaccine.
*[[Kenneth D. Cockrell]], [[Texas]] Graduated from Rockdale High School, Rockdale, Texas, in 1968. A veteran of five spaceflights, Cockrell has logged more than 1,560 hours in space.<ref>http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/cockrell.htmll</ref>
*[[Russell Alan Hulse]], [[New York]] Graduated from Bronx High School of Science, Bronx, New York, in 1966. Winner of the 1993 Nobel Prize in Physics.<ref name="alumni.bxscience.edu">http://alumni.bxscience.edu/?page=NotableAlumni</ref>
*[[Richard Axel]], [[New York]] Graduated from Stuyvesant High School, New York, New York, in 1963. Winner of the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.<ref>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Axel</ref>
*[[Hugh David Politzer]], [[New York]] Graduated from Bronx High School of Science, Bronx, New York, in 1966. Winner of the 2004 Nobel Prize in Physics.<ref name="alumni.bxscience.edu"/>
*[[Christine O'Donnell]] graduated from Moorestown High School in 1987.<ref>[http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=201010100363&nclick_check=1 "Delaware politics: From middle-class New Jersey, moral activist Christine O'Donnell knew 'God was calling'", ''Delaware Online'']</ref>
*[[Scott Walker]] graduated from Delavan-Darien High School in 1986.<ref>[http://walworthcountytoday.com/news/2010/sep/07/rock-county-close-home-walker/ Ames, Ann Marie, "Rock County Close to Home for Walker", ''Walworth County Today'', Sept. 7, 2010]</ref>
*[[Paul Ryan]], an establishment [[Republican]], graduated from Joseph A. Craig High School, Janesville, WI in 1988.<ref>http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2012/06/16/politics/wis-ryan/</ref>
*[[Sharron Angle]] (born 1949) graduated from Wooster High School in Reno, Nevada.<ref>[http://www.sharronangle.com/sharron-angle-biography "Sharron Angle, Biography"]</ref>
*[[Jon Huntsman]], Republican Presidential candidate and former Governor of Utah, attended Highland High School in Salt Lake City, Utah before he dropped out in 1978 to pursue a career as a rock and roll keyboardist.<ref>[http://www.jon2012.com/jon]</ref>
*[[Michelle Bachmann]], Republican member of the House of Representatives graduated from Anoka High School, Anoka, Minnesota in 1974.<ref>[http://www.startribune.com/local/north/129276683.html?refer=y]</ref>
*[[Mike Huckabee]], former Republican Governor of Arkansas, graduated from Hope High School, Hope Arkansas, in 1974.<ref>[http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=108]</ref>
*[[Benjamin Netanyahu]], Prime Minister of Israel, Graduated from Cheltenham High School, Wyncote, Pennsylvania, in 1967.<ref>[http://cheltenhamalumni.org/BIOS/netanyahu-benjamin.htm]</ref>
*[[Rand Paul]], Republican Senator, Graduated from Brazoswood High School, Clute, Texas in 1981.<ref>[http://politics.laws.com/rand-paul]</ref>

==See also==
* [[Public school culture]]
* [[Atheism and public schools]]
* [[Parental rights]] (focusing on the rights of parents to control the education, upbringing and discipline of their children)
* [[Education in the United Kingdom]]
* [[Essay:Worst Liberal Falsehoods in School]]

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

{{Liberalism}}

==External links==
*[http://beforeitsnews.com/story/1610/466/Dumb_As_A_Rock:_You_Will_Be_Absolutely_Amazed_At_The_Things_That_U.S._High_School_Students_Do_Not_Know.html Dumb As A Rock: You Will Be Absolutely Amazed At The Things That U.S. High School Students Do Not Know]
*[http://jobs.aol.com/articles/2012/03/28/9-notorious-teacher-sex-scandals/?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000058?test=latestnews 8 Bizarre Teacher Scandals You Won't Believe]
*[https://www.thenewamerican.com/print-magazine/item/31250-education-s-future-globalization-of-indoctrination Education’s Future: Globalization of Indoctrination], by Alex Newman of ''The New American, February 6, 2019.
*[https://www.thenewamerican.com/print-magazine/item/31260-benefits-of-homeschooling Benefits of Homeschooling], by Israel Wayne of ''The New American'', February 7, 2019.
*[https://www.thenewamerican.com/print-magazine/item/31230-the-case-for-christian-education The Case for Christian Education], by Israel Wayne of ''The New American'', February 7, 2019.
*[https://www.thenewamerican.com/print-magazine/item/31271-get-them-out Get Them Out!], by Dr. Duke Pesta & Alex Newman of ''[[The New American]]'', February 8, 2019.

[[Category:Schools]]
[[Category:United States History]]

Conservative parables

2019-02-09T19:58:42Z

Tg97: Undo revision 1491991 by Rossmiller (talk)

'''Conservative parables''' are stories that illustrate a [[conservative]] insight. The stories are typically based on real events.

== The Broken Bicycle ==

One morning in [[New York City]] a crowd of pedestrians waited for the streetlight to change so that they could cross the intersection. The sidewalk corner was crowded with people, as it often is, and one pedestrian stepped slightly into the street in anticipation of crossing it. But at that moment a messenger on a bicycle was moving quickly through the intersection, and was thrown off balance by hitting the pedestrian's foot. The bicycle crashed, destroying it beyond repair.

The crowd gasped in horror, but the bicyclist was unharmed. His bicycle, however, had been ruined. One bystander, observing that the fault was due to the pedestrian, wanted to donate so that the bicyclist could buy a replacement. But the bystander could not afford to give him much money. So instead the bystander took out a $5 bill and handed it to the bicyclist in front of the crowd.

Others then followed that example and made donations of their own to the bicyclist. Before long he had enough to buy a replacement for his bicycle, and was back at work by the afternoon.

== The Desperate Smoker==
[[Image:Ashtray.jpg|thumb|150px|Is charity really charity if it just goes up in [[cigarette|smoke]]?]]
A smoker was in a drug store to purchase a pack of [[cigarette]]s. Short on cash, he emptied all his pockets in order to scrounge up with every last penny he had. The cashier counted all the change but found it was ten cents short of the total required for the cheapest pack of cigarettes.

The smoker desperately turned to the man standing behind him and asked him for a dime. The bystander clearly had a spare dime.

Should the bystander give the smoker a dime so he can purchase the pack of cigarettes?

The bystander, who is generous by nature, did something more difficult for him: he denied the request and instead urged the smoker to "kick the habit."

The smoker then gathered all his change and left the store.

== The Fasting Woman ==
A woman had been fasting for several days and was quite weak. It was Sunday morning, and she wondered whether she had enough strength to attend church. It would have been easy to justify not going, as she had already shown her love and devotion to God that week. But she decided to attend the services anyway. Without eating any breakfast, she prepared herself for the late morning service. She got dressed, gathered her purse and belongings, and drove off to the church.

The church was filled for the late-morning service, with many hundreds of worshipers. The woman sat near the back and watched the pews fill up with members of the community, young and old. The service was about to begin. The woman then heard an unusual commotion outside, including several loud noises and shouts. She turned around several times to look at the door to the church. Her intuition told her something was wrong.

Suddenly, a large, armed man burst through the door and began firing his gun at the hundreds of worshipers, children and all. The woman mustered all her strength and pulled out her own gun from her bag. She then shot the intruder. Stunned, and expecting to die from her shot, the intruder reacted by killing himself. The worshipers in the church were all saved. Afterwards, the woman said that she had been "praying to God that he direct me" in what to do in life.<ref>[http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/14817480/detail.html ''God Guided Me And Protected Me.''] 7 News: The Denver Channel</ref>

== The Troubled Pregnancy ==

A pregnant woman was doing missionary work in the Philippines. Due to contaminated drinking water in an impoverished area, the woman contracted amoebic dysentery while pregnant. This required that she take strong medications in order to recover.

The woman's doctor told her that the medication inevitably caused irreversible damage to the developing unborn child in her womb. The doctor advised the woman to have an [[abortion]]. The doctor told the woman that she would be burdened with a disabled child and it would be better to get rid of the unborn child now through [[abortion]].

The woman refused to have the [[abortion]] and subsequently gave birth to a baby boy.

Twenty years later, the baby boy -- [[Tim Tebow]] -- was recognized as the best college football player in the [[United States]] by winning the [[Heisman Trophy]], the first to win that prestigious award as only a sophomore.<ref>[https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/dec/07121108.html This parable is based on the birth and life of Tim Tebow]</ref>

== The Lost $40 ==

One day a teenager received $40 from his father. The teenager then had to drive somewhere, and he put the $40 on the seat of his car. After going in and out of the car several times, and driving with the windows open, the $40 was gone. He searched and searched for it, but could not find it anywhere.

He then spent dozens of hours agonizing over the lost $40, obsessed with having lost it. It bothered him for weeks, even months. He still remembered it years later.

One day he realized that, based on the prevailing wage for teenagers of $8 per hour, that $40 was worth no more than about 6 hours of his time (after taxes). If he had simply worked rather than worry, he would have quickly "found" the $40 and accomplished something in the process.

== The Flop ==

A skinny young man with limited athletic ability had a determination to do his very best and win. He picked the high jump event, but could clear only about 5' 3", nowhere near what was needed to win any competitions. But he worked tirelessly, trying all known techniques for jumping over a bar. Still, he could not improve to the point where he could win.

Yet he did not give up, and harnessed his competitive spirit to invent a revolutionary style of jumping back-first over the bar. Though lacking the athletic gifts of his competitors, the young man improved his jumping ability by a foot and more. He began to win.

His peculiar style attracted mockery and name-calling, as people derided his technique as the "flop". But that did not faze him, and he continued to jump in the direction opposite to all his competitors. Despite winning the national college high jump event, experts still considered his success to be a fluke and his approach to be a joke.

When it came time for the [[Olympics]], no one considered the young man to have a chance, and his more athletic competitors were favorites to win the high jump event. The whole world was riveted to the television screen as the young man flawlessly cleared every height as the bar was raised again and again. When the bar was finally raised to an Olympic record height of 7' 4 1/4", only the young man and his "flop" were able to jump over it. He had won the gold medal.

Virtually immediately everyone else, including those who had mercilessly mocked him, began praising and imitating his style. To this day it is known as the "[[Fosbury Flop]]."<ref>http://www.usatf.org/halloffame/TF/showBio.asp?HOFIDs=57</ref>

== The Difficult Science Problem ==

Physics 401 was the most difficult course in the entire college, having problem sets that would take many hours to complete each week. The students often worked on the homework together, as allowed and even encouraged by the professor. Students were also able to consult books and online resources in solving problems.

As the course progressed, the problems became increasingly difficult and complex. Some students were better than others at solving the problems. Reputations developed about which students had answers, and which ones did not.

Near the end of the course, the teacher assigned a particularly difficult problem to the class. The night before it was due, the students gathered as they had been throughout the course, and worked as hard as they could to find the answer. One student who had a reputation for not being as smart claimed he had the answer, and started to explain it to the others. But the smarter students quickly rejected his approach to the problem and told him to be quiet. Despite trying several times to describe his answer, he was ignored.

The next day the students handed in their homeworks, and the following week the professor returned their graded papers. He said that only one student had answered the difficult problem correctly. That student was the one who had tried to explain it to the others, but they would not listen.

The one student had found the correct answer in a book not used by the other students.

== The [[Prodigal Son]] Has Children ==

A good man had two sons. One of them was defiant and insisted on ignoring and disobeying his father, leaving him, and then squandering his money on immoral living in a distant land. He refused to return to his father to ask forgiveness.

Eventually the defiant son had children of his own. Living in squalor, his own suffering children would ask him about their grandfather. One day his own children asked why they never visit Grandpa.

For the first time the man looked at himself objectively, and realized how illogical and wrong it was for him to abandon his own father. He finally returned to home to ask for forgiveness, and brought his children with him.

==The Conservative Conference==

A [[conservative]] conference was scheduled for Sept. 25, 2001, expecting most attendees to travel by air. Unfortunately, on Sept. 11, 2001 there was the [[9/11]] terrorist hijacking of airplanes and a national crisis resulting in the grounding of airplanes for a week and widespread panic.

As a result, most conferences were cancelled, and the few that were held were poorly attended. Airplanes flew nearly empty for several weeks after they were allowed to fly.

Though he expected few others to attend, one [[conservative]] rejected the objections of his family and flew out to the conference. He saw only two other passengers on his 140-seat airplane. He checked into the hotel and felt that at least he could cheer up the conference organizers when no one else showed up.

But to his great surprise, everyone else showed up. The other attendees concluded that both [[logic]] and [[faith]] weighed in favor of traveling to the conference. There was no logical reason for staying home, and [[faith]] eliminated any anxiety. In fact, the [[conservatives]] did not even waste time discussing their decisions to attend, at a time when nearly all other travelers acted irrationally and avoided airplanes.

== The Convert ==

Born in 1910, this child suffered from a physical handicap as a youngster and could not attend regular school. He had to wear leg braces and was eventually enrolled in a school for "physical defectives." But that school was managed by the same organization that ran the school for "mental defectives" and, as he later explained, there was "some overlapping in the curriculum." As a result,
he spent his days in basket-weaving classes, and was deprived of any formal academic instruction until age 10.

But he worked hard, and eventually found his way to the [[London School of Economics]], the top school of its kind in the world.

He was an avid [[socialist]], as were most of his fellow students. But in his senior year, he happened to take an [[economics]] seminar taught by Professor [[Arnold Plant]]. That course was devoted to the "[[invisible hand]]." It did not have any readings, and focused on stimulating discussions instead.

This young man's prior educational background may not have given him as much knowledge as his classmates, but it did give him an open mind. This single course changed his life, as he embraced the logic and power of the free market.

Later he immigrated to the United States and became an economics professor. But unlike most of his colleagues, he avoided mathematical equations and formulae, bucking the modern trend in his field.

His extraordinary insight was that the free market always reaches the most efficient level of productive activity, in the absence of [[transaction costs]].

In 1991, he was the sole recipient of the Nobel Prize in Economics. His name is [[Ronald Coase]]. To this day [[liberals]] fail to give him the recognition he earned.<ref>[http://www.jpands.org/vol12no2/schlafly.pdf The Coase Theorem: The Greatest Economic Insight of the 20th Century]</ref>

== The Wall ==

The leader of a nation traveled to a distant land, and planned to deliver a speech there. This leader was not known for having great intelligence, and in fact was often ridiculed within his own country. He wondered what he should say in the foreign country while he was there.

For decades, there had been a massive wall in this foreign land which denied its inhabitants the freedom to travel and visit relatives, or simply move to places having greater opportunity. Inhabitants who tried to surmount the wall were shot and killed. The region enclosed by the wall was subjected to communism; outside the wall capitalism and freedom existed.

The leader began to focus on the wall in connection with his planned speech, and proposed uttering the bold command, "tear down this wall."

But his top advisers, who were very experienced in politics and foreign policy, were adamantly against such a bold statement. They insisted on removing it from the speech. As each draft circulated these experts took the phrase out, but each time the leader inserted this phrase back in. The experts felt the phrase made the leader look foolish and hopelessly naive, and could not possibly have a positive effect. The experts were sure it would subject their leader to even more ridicule than he already endured.

But the leader did not care about the potential for ridicule, and he wanted to say what he felt was best for his audience. He ignored his experts and delivered the bold command as part of his speech.

The leader's advisers were horrified when they heard the words delivered in the actual speech. They braced for a backlash and criticism.

But two years later, to the amazement of the entire world, this wall that had stood for decades was torn down exactly as the leader courageously suggested.<ref>http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/070610/18speeches.htm</ref>

== The Fly Ball ==

One Sunday afternoon a dozen teenagers gathered for a game of coed softball against a rival team from another [[church]]. As the first team's coach assigned his players to positions in the field, he noticed a new player on his team whom he had seen only before in church services. She suffered from a severe case of [[cerebral palsy]], making it difficult for her to walk or use her arms. But she always had a smile on her face, and she brought a [[softball]] glove to play.

The coach, against his better judgment, told her to be the right-fielder. The coach knew that in softball the ball is hit to the right field less frequent than to other positions. This was supposed to be a friendly game between churches, but turned out to be far more competitive than that.

The game went smoothly for several innings. But the other team was good, and it was hitting the ball hard.

The inevitable disaster then struck in the 6th inning, with several runners on base and two outs. A batter for the other team hit a line drive directly at the right fielder.

The coach, and indeed his entire team, turned in dreadful anticipation as they watched the ball travel at a high speed right at the player with cerebral palsy.

The player held up her glove and the ball smacked directly into its pocket. She had caught the third out. Her team erupted in cheers and her ever-present smile glowed even wider. Her team went on to win the game.

'''''Her teammates were inspired more by her catch than by anything else they saw the entire year'''''.

== The Story of Two Psychiatrists -- Or How To Deal With Liberal Critics ==
''Rowland Evans, the famed columnist, was having lunch with Ronald Reagan in 1987, six years into his presidency, a milestone by which the previous five presidents had been defeated, resigned in disgrace, refused to consider reelection, or assassinated. Somehow, Reagan was shining through, making it look easy, and was enormously popular. Evans, a tough old newsman, was in awe. He looked Reagan in the eye and said, “You know, Mr. President, I’ve known you for more than twenty years. I first met you in 1966, and the amazing thing is that you don’t look any older now than you did back then, and the criticism never gets you down. How do you do it?”''

In response, Reagan offered a parable. "Let me explain it this way":

Let me tell you the story of the two psychiatrists — the old psychiatrist and the young psychiatrist — who had a practice together. They’d come into their office every day just bubbling with enthusiasm, always happy, upbeat, smiling, and chipper. Then they’d go into their separate suites and have patients come in and lie on the couch all day and talk about the woes in their lives. At 6:00 p.m. they’d come out and the young psychiatrist would be devastated, wiped out by the day, with a stomachache, and just miserable. The old psychiatrist would be just as chipper and smiling and upbeat as he was when he went in that morning. This went on for a number of months.

Finally one day they came out at 6:00 p.m., the young psychiatrist devastated as usual, and the old psychiatrist just as happy and smiling as he was when went in. The young psychiatrist stopped him and said, “I don’t understand it. We do the same thing every day, and I leave wiped out by hearing patients all day, and you come out after patients have been streaming in and out of your office just as upbeat as ever. How do you do it?”

'''The old psychiatrist paused a minute and said, “I never listen.” ''' <ref>[http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=33189 Bob Novak, a Giant of Journalism ]</ref>

== Welfare ==

So, I was talking to this little girl Catherine, the daughter of some friends, and she said she wanted to be President some day.

Both of her parents, [[liberal]] [[Democrats]], were standing there with us - and I asked Catherine - "If you were President what would be the first thing you would do?"

Catherine replied - "I would give houses to all the homeless people."

"Wow - what a worthy goal you have there, Catherine." I told her, "You don't have to wait until you're President to do that, you can come over to my house and clean up all the dog poop in my back yard and I will pay you $5. Then we can go over to the grocery store where the homeless guy hangs out, and you can give him the $5 to use for a new house."

Catherine thought that over for a second, while her mom looked at me seething, and Catherine replied, "why doesn't the homeless guy come over and clean up the dog poop and you can just pay him the $5?"

And I said, "Welcome to the [[Republican Party]]."

==The University Assignment==

A young student studying his first [[Politics]] assignment picked to answer the question - "Have we reached the end of political ideology?" The young student, as this was his first paper, studied hard and long to argue that there has been a rise in conservative thought in recent years as a response to growing [[globalization]] and encroaching [[liberalism]]. The lecturer gave the paper low marks despite solid referencing and an extensive bibliography. The young student felt slighted by this as he had put in many hours work. Instead of bowing down and re-writing the assignment according to [[professor values|his lecturer's standards]], the student petitioned the head of department to have his paper and final mark reviewed and also got several others to back him. In the end the student got an A grade.

== The Little Red Hen - Ronald Reagan Version ==
'''''"About a year ago I imposed a little poetry on you. It was called "The Incredible Bread Machine" and made a lot of sense with reference to matters economic. You didn't object too much so having gotten away with it once I'm going to try again. This is a little treatise on basic economics called 'The Modern little Red Hen.'"''''' <ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=wS6LcPIDRFIC&lpg=PA381&dq=%22Ronald%20Reagan%3A%20the%20power%20of%20conviction%20and%20the%20success%20of%20his%20presidency%22%20%22Little%20Red%20Hen%22&pg=PA380#v=onepage&q=&f=false ''Ronald Reagan'' By Peter J. Wallison]</ref>

----

Once upon a time there was a little red hen who scratched about the barnyard until she uncovered some grains of wheat. She called her neighbors and said 'If we plant this wheat, we shall have bread to eat. Who will help me plant it?'

"Not I, " said the cow.

"Not I," said the duck.

"Not I," said the pig.

"Not I," said the goose.

"Then I will," said the little red hen. And she did. The wheat grew tall and ripened into golden grain. "Who will help me reap my wheat?" asked the little red hen.

"Not I," said the duck.

"Out of my classification," said the pig.

"I'd lose my seniority," said the cow.

"I'd lose my unemployment compensation," said the goose.

"Then I will," said the little red hen, and she did.

At last the time came to bake the bread. "Who will help me bake bread?" asked the little red hen.

"That would be overtime for me," said the cow.

"I'd lose my welfare benefits," said the duck.

"I'm a dropout and never learned how," said the pig.

"If I'm to be the only helper, that's discrimination," said the goose.

"Then I will," said the little red hen.

She baked five loaves and held them up for the neighbors to see.

They all wanted some and, in fact, demanded a share. But the little red hen said, "No, I can eat the five loaves myself."

"Excess profits," cried the cow.

"Capitalist leech," screamed the duck.

"I demand equal rights," yelled the goose.

And the pig just grunted.

And they painted "unfair" picket signs and marched round and around the little red hen shouting obscenities.

When the government agent came, he said to the little red hen, "You must not be greedy."

"But I earned the bread," said the little red hen.

"Exactly," said the agent. "That's the wonderful free enterprise system. Anyone in the barnyard can earn as much as he wants.
But under our modern government regulations productive workers must divide their products with the idle."

And they lived happily ever after, including the little red hen, who smiled and clucked, "I am grateful, I am grateful."

But her neighbors wondered why she never again baked any more bread....

== Socialism ==
===Socialism In The Classroom===
An economics professor at Texas Tech said he had never failed a single
student, but had once failed an entire class.

The class (students) insisted that socialism worked since no one would be poor and
no one would be rich, a great equalizer. The professor then said, "OK, we
will have an experiment in this class on socialism."

"All grades will be averaged and everyone will receive the same grade so no
one will fail and no one will receive an A," said the professor.

After the first test the grades were averaged and everyone got a B. The
students who had studied hard were upset while the students who had studied
very little were happy.

But, as the second test rolled around, the students who had studied little
studied even less and the ones who had studied hard decided that since they
couldn't make an A, they also studied less. The second Test average was a D.

No one was happy. When the 3rd test rolled around the average grade was an F.

The scores never increased as bickering, blame, name calling, all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for anyone else.

To their great surprise they all failed.

The professor told them that socialism, too, would ultimately fail because of the same basic human principles of incentive.

The harder people try to succeed the greater their reward (capitalism), but when a government takes all the reward away (socialism) no one will try or succeed.

= Other Parables =
== The Drowning Man ==
A conservative and a liberal are walking along the beach when they see a man drowning a hundred feet off shore. The conservative throws him a 50-foot rope and shouts to the victim "You provide the other fifty feet." The liberal throws the man a 200-foot rope ... and lets go of both ends.

== The Missing Child ==
A little girl is late home from school one day. Her mother becomes increasingly worried and after 15 minutes have passed is beside herself with anxiety. Afraid to leave the house in case the child returns, and desperate to go look for her, she is on the verge of telephoning the police when the child waltzes in through the door as though nothing is amiss. Relieved and angry the mother cries: "Where have you been?! I've been so worried!"

The child answers that she had been with the woman who lived just next door, who had very recently lost her husband. "What have you been doing bothering the poor lady next door?" the mother asks crossly.

"I haven't been bothering her, I've been comforting her," says the little girl.

"Comforting her? You're just a child, what could you do to comfort her?"

"I sat in her lap and I cried with her."

Sometimes there are ''no'' solutions, no smart come-backs, no quick fixes that can be determined through intellectual reasoning or policy making. As Dreher says: '''Politics and economics won’t save us; if our culture is to be saved at all, it will be by faithfully living by the Permanent Things, conserving these ancient moral truths in the choices we make in our everyday lives.'''<ref>Dreher, Rod. "A Crunchy Con Manifesto" [http://crunchycon.nationalreview.com/about/ National Review Online]. 26 December 2007.</ref><ref>Cottrell, Stephen. ''I Thirst.'' (Zondervan; Grand Rapids, [[Michigan]]; 2003.) ISBN 0-310-25069-2</ref>

== The Atheist and the Believer ==
An [[Atheism|atheist]] and a believer were having a discussion. "I don't believe in anything I can't understand!" cried the atheist. "Ah," said the believer gently. "Then your beliefs must be very small."

== Communism ==

"How do you tell a communist? Well, it's someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell an anti-Communist? It's someone who ''understands'' Marx and Lenin." <ref>[http://listverse.com/2009/02/21/20-great-quotes-from-ronald-reagan/ Ronald Reagan; Communism]</ref>

== Umgawa ==
by R.W. Grant

While junketing in Africa
Our senator one day
A friendly tribe did gather 'round
To hear what he would say.

Said he, "I bring enlightment!"
"Umgawa!" they all cried
"If you'd but follow our advice!"
"Umgawa!" they replied.

"I'll tell you how our system works,
I'll tell you how it's run:
We serve the public good by force!
And this is how it's done:

"If one needs what others earn
No longer need one steal it!
Our government now does the job
And people hardly feel it!

"Umgawa!" they cried out again -
The senator continued then:
And we will show you how it's done,
And we will show the way,
So you may have Utopia
As in the U.S.A.!"

Our senator was finished now.
The chief rose with a smile:
"Thank you for your words," he said,
"Now stay with us a while!"

The senator was pleased as punch
With witnessing that day
The happy people at their work,
The children at their play,
As he was greeted all about:
"Umgawa!" was the happy shout.

And now the chieftain said, "My friend,
Come see our cattle which we tend!"
So off across the pasture now
The senator was led -
But suddenly the chief said "Wait!"
He took his arm and said:

"A word of caution ere we pass -
Don't step before you look -
Lest, my friend, you tread upon
Umgawa underfoot!"

== The Graduate's Gift ==

An arrogant young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer's showroom, and knowing his wealthy father could easily afford it, he told him that was all he wanted.

As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation, his father called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautifully wrapped gift box. Curious, and somewhat disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the young man's name embossed in gold.

Angry, he shouted at his father and said "with all your money, you give me a Bible?" and stormed out of the house.

Many years passed and the young man had become very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father now was getting old, and thought perhaps he should go see him. He had not seen him since that graduation day. Before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care of things.

When he arrived at his father's house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search through his father's important papers and saw the still gift-wrapped Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. His father had carefully underlined a verse, Matt.7:11, "And if ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Heavenly Father which is in Heaven, give to those who ask Him?"

As he read those words, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer's name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had wanted. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words PAID IN FULL.

== The Pitcher, the Chicken, and the Crow ==
A thirsty chicken and a thirsty crow were each given a pitcher of water. First they tried reaching into the pitchers with their beaks, but neither could reach the water. Then they tried pushing the pitchers over, but they were heavy and sturdily built so they would not tip.

The chicken began flapping its wings and strutted up to the crow. "No fair!" squawked the chicken "the greedy farmer hasn't given us enough water." The crow shrugged, and began hopping around the pitcher, looking at it this way and that.

The chicken strutted off and went to complain to the farmer. It squawked and squawked, but the farmer ignored it. It went back to the crow, who was grabbing pebbles in his beak and dropping them into its pitcher with pebbles. "Come with me!" it said, "Let's demand that the farmer give us our water!" The crow ignored it and returned to his work.

The chicken went again to the farmer and decided to take its protest to the next level. It scratched and pecked at the farmer's leg, cutting the skin, until the farmer angrily kicked it away. Indignant, the chicken went back to the crow, squawking more than ever. "That brutal farmer kicked me," it complained. "when all I was doing was demanding my rights."

By this point the crow was standing on the top of his pitcher, happily drinking. He had dropped enough pebbles into the pitcher that the water level had risen nearly to the top. The chicken saw this and walked up to the crow to complain. "Unfair!" it cried. "I want water too."

The crow looked over at the chicken and told him: "I have water because while you were complaining, I was looking for a way to get the water. The first two ways did not work, but I kept trying until I came up with something better. Then I patiently put in the hard work to put my plan into action, and now, finally, I can drink. You can do the same with your pitcher, and you will have water too. You are bigger and stronger than me, so it will be even easier for you."

The chicken strutted over to his pitcher and picked up one pebble and dropped it in and sat down. "This is hard work!" it complained "I'm thirsty and I'm tired."

The crow looked over at the chicken and said "just this one time I will be charitable. You can drink from my pitcher, but next time you must do the work yourself."

The chicken hopped up and stuck its head down. Because its beak was shorter than the crow's, it could not quite reach the water.

"You cheated me!" it cried, "I cannot reach the water!"

"I am sorry," said the crow, "but you are only a few pebbles short. Surely you can do the tiny bit of work yourself."

The crow flew off, its thirst satiated. The chicken scratched at the ground and squawked and squawked but nobody would listen and it stayed thirsty.

== References ==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Conservative]]
[[Category:Parables]]
== See also ==

*[[Essay:Greatest Conservative Parables]]
*[[New Testament understanding through the Jewish perspective]] Example 3 [the enacted parable]
{{Conservatism}}

Satan

2019-02-09T19:58:03Z

Tg97: Undo revision 1491992 by Rossmiller (talk)

[[Image:GustaveDoreParadiseLostSatanProfile.jpg|right|thumb|Gustave Doré's depiction of Satan from John Milton's Paradise Lost.]]

'''Satan''' or the '''[[Devil]]''' is the embodiment of [[evil]]. Satan plays a major role in [[Christian]] theology and literature, and in other religions under different names. He is the tempter and spiritual enemy of mankind. He is the adversary of [[God]], although subordinate to Him and able to act only by his sufferance, and is represented frequently as the leader or prince of all apostate angels and as ruler of [[hell]].

"Satan is the force that loves to find the guilt and weakness in people, to humiliate them with it, to convince them that, because they are not good, God cannot love them."<ref>[http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/258360/iritei-stuff-satan-prosecutor-mike-potemra The Rite Stuff: Satan as Prosecutor] - Mike Potemra</ref> [[Leftist]] [[Saul Alinsky]] dedicated to Lucifer his book ''Rules for Radicals'', which inspired some [[liberal]] activists.

==Old Testament==
Satan was once a member of the divine council of God referenced in the [[Old Testament]]. He is referenced 11 times in [[Job]] and 4 other times in the Old Testament. The [[New Testament]] mentions Satan 34 times in all, starting with the first book [[Matthew]] and ending with the last [[Revelation]]. In the Christian tradition, he rebelled against God and is now the enemy of God and man alike. He is the father of lies, and no good is found in him. He leads a host of fallen angels, (or [[demon]]s), who know their days are numbered before they will be cast in the lake of fire, so they seek to take as many humans as possible with them.

== New Testament==
In the [[New Testament]], Satan tries to tempt [[Jesus]] in the desert, and fails. Jesus warns extensively to beware of Satan, as does [[Paul]].

In Christian theology, Satan's goal is to lead people away from the love of God, by tempting or tricking them. The only sources of supernatural power in the world are from either God (good) or Satan (evil). In the book of [[Genesis]], Satan takes the form of a snake and tempts Eve with fruit from a tree. This causes sin to come into the world. Kelly (2006) demonstrates how assumptions—such as the identification of the Eden serpent with Satan, probably first made by Justin Martyr in the second century—have hardened into fact.

Satan, in the Book of Job, listens to God speak highly of Job and accuses Job to God before the host of angels that Job praises God only because he is blessed and would curse God if he was forced to suffer. God allows Satan to do what he will except to spare his life, and Satan causes Job to suffer immensely. (Job remained true to God through his hardships; Satan accused him further and punished him further, but could not get Job to break).

==Possession==
[[Jesus]] makes references to demonic possession on multiple occasions that He then casts out. Some believe that Satan is able to possess and control living humans on Earth even today. Even more, some others believe that Satan actually has done this in the past as well. Specifically, Satan is said to have entered Judas during [[The Last Supper]] (John 13:27). The Catholic church believes that priests (and sometimes only bishops) are able to exorcise this possession through Jesus.

==Terms==
The word ''Satan'' derives from the Hebrew "ha-satan", meaning the "accuser", "tempter", "persecutor", "calumniator", or "adversary". He "was a liar and a murderer from the beginning." (John 8:44) Synonyms include '''Lucifer, The Devil, Mephistopholes, Mephisto, Beelzebub, the Evil One, the Tempter,''' and '''The Prince of Darkness.''' The term "demon" generally refers to one of the fallen angels who join into Satan's attempt to overthrow God.

The adjectives include "devilish," "demonic", and "diabolic". Those who worship Satan are called [[satanism|Satanists]], Satan-worshippers, devil-worshippers, or demonists.

=== Lucifer ===
'''Lucifer''' is a name literally meaning "Son of the Morning" (or "Light-Bearer"), and is mentioned in the Bible only in the [[book of Isaiah]] (Isaiah 14:12). Though in Christian tradition Lucifer is equated with Satan, the immediate context of the passage is Isaiah's prophecy against the king of Babylon, [[Nebuchadnezzar]], and the name "Lucifer" was not present at all in the original manuscripts (in the Latin Vulgate, the phrase "Son of the Morning" was transliterated as a proper name).

Whomever Lucifer may be, the Isaiah makes strong prophecy against him, condemning him for 5 pronouncements:

* I will ascend into [[heaven]]
* I will exalt my throne above the stars of God
* I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north
* I will ascend above the heights of the clouds
* I will be like the most High

Those who take this passage to be a reference to Satan believe that it gives more history of what caused his downfall, that he was created by God as one of His most powerful angels (possibly a [[Seraphim|Seraph]]), but that he fell from grace after he in his pride rebelled against his Creator. Some, however, believe that there is no grounding to interpret the passage as a history of Satan, citing that the passage uses highly figurative and poetic language that was meant as a prophecy against Babylon and nothing more.

[[Image:Paradise Lost 12.jpg|right|thumb|''The fall of Lucifer'' by Gustave Doré.]]

===Beelzebub===
Literally "lord of the flies," this is believed to be a deliberately insulting perversion of the name "Beelzebul."<ref name="oxfordbiblicalstudies.com">http://www.oxfordbiblicalstudies.com/article/opr/t94/e242</ref>

===Beelzebul===
Literally "Lord of Heaven" or "Lord of the House," this name is believed to have originated from the name Baal-Zebul, and may refer to the god of Ekron (see 2 King. 1:2-3).<ref name="oxfordbiblicalstudies.com"/>

== Jewish Views ==
In the Jewish tradition, Satan is an angel who faithfully serves God as a prosecuting attorney — one who accuses men of wickedness and impiety. At the direction of God, Satan may be permitted to test these accusations, such as in Job. In this view, Satan's goal is not to lead men away from their faithfulness to God, but merely to reveal the true depths of their devotion, although in [[I Chronicles]] 21:1 Satan provoked [[David]] to take a [[census]] of the people of Israel against the will of God and 70,000 men are slain because of it. [[II Samuel]] 24:1 supports the view of Satan as God's prosecuting attorney by reporting that it was the Lord Who moved David to take the census; the two passages can easily [[Scripture interprets Scripture|be reconciled]] if Satan acted as God's agent.

==Jehovah's Witnesses==

[[Jehovah's Witnesses]] believe that Satan was at one time an [[angel]] who lived among the many millions of Angels that existed before the [[world]] was created. They believe that at some point he developed the desire to be worshiped by [[humans]] and other angels and so set himself in opposition to worship of [[Jehovah]], his [[God]] and Father. This they believe occurred in the Garden of Eden, and not prior to the Earths creation. [[Jehovah's Witnesses]] teach that Satan used a serpent as his mouthpiece, the same way a ventriloquist uses a dummy, to bring the first [[human]] couple under his control.

Jehovah's Witnesses teach that God has allowed Satan to rule mankind for several reasons such as:

*Satan has challenged God's Right to rule his creations, not his power....

*Satan accuses God of bribing Humans for their loyalty with protection and blessings....

*Satan has accused Humans of being loyal to God out of selfish reasons....

*Satan claims that he can rule mankind better than God....

Jehovah's Witnesses teach also that [[God]] decided that time, rather than a display of force, is needed to settle these issues. This, they believe, has giving Satan thousands of years to prove that Mankind is better off without God, that He (Satan) can rule Mankind successfully, and that the Humans that Do serve God do so only out of selfish reasons.

Jehovah's Witnesses teach that Satan does not live in any kind of [[Hell]] or world of the dead, but on the [[Earth]] as it's current ruler, along with as many as a third of the Angels of [[Heaven]]. They teach that Satan had lived in Heaven up until 1914, when Jesus and his Angels cast him out of Heaven, bringing woe to the Earth. this is their reasoning on Why the world has experienced two World wars, increasing lawlessness, an increase in disease and pollution, and the overall conditions on earth today.

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Satan delegates authority to each Demon as he see's fit, and over what he see's fit, sometimes including whole Nations and kingdoms. They believe that Satan and his demons are in every way the enemy of God, rather than working alongside him. They teach that Satan will continue to rule the world until [[Armageddon]], when Jesus Christ and his heavenly Angels come to earth and bind him, eventually killing him, freeing the world of all opposition towards True worship.

==Defenses==
The three classic defenses against Satan are:

* mockery, which Satan cannot withstand due to his pride
* sunlight or exposure, from which Satan hides
* the [[Holy Spirit]], meaning "The Advocate" (i.e., defense lawyer), or the ''Armor of God''.<ref>Ephesians 6:1-17</ref>

Note that Satan lacks self-restraint, which often leads him to failure. In addition, Satan delights in [[deceit]], even to the point of causing his downfall.

==Dante, Milton, Goethe and others==
Some national literary depictions of Satan have become highly regarded classics, but by a strange coincidence of causes are presented by their authors, to a man, in their native language rather than a Classical language.

*The first part of Medieval Italian [[Dante Alighieri]]'s three-part poem, ''[[The Divine Comedy]]'' (1320), known to all in the set phrase "[[Dante's Inferno|Dante's ''Inferno'']]" (pronounced Dan-tay).

*[[John Milton]]'s English poem, ''[[Paradise Lost]]'' (1667).

*[[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe]]'s German play ''[[Faust (Goethe)|Faust]]'' (1831).

These three are considered among the greatest poems of their respective literatures.

*[[Christopher Marlowe]]'s English play, ''The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus'' (1604).

*''Lucifer'' (1654), play by Dutch author Joost van den Vondel.

In Western art and popular culture the devil is used to represent evil influences or motivations.

==Similarity to Prometheus==
Some writers have pointed out that a few popular depictions of Satan are similar to that of Prometheus.<ref>Werblowsky, Raphael Jehudah Zwi. Lucifer and Prometheus: A Study of Milton's Satan. Routledge, reprinted 1999 and 2001; originally published 1952.
</ref>
==See also==

* [[Devil]]
* [[Revelation, Book of (historical exegesis)]]
* [[Atheism and satanic deception]]
* [[Salem Witch Trials]]

==Further reading==
* Caldwell, William. "The Doctrine of Satan: I. In the Old Testament," ''The Biblical World,'' Vol. 41, No. 1 (Jan., 1913), pp. 29–33 [http://www.jstor.org/stable/3142352 in JSTOR]
* Caldwell, William. "The Doctrine of Satan: II. Satan in Extra-Biblical Apocalyptical Literature," ''The Biblical World,'' Vol. 41, No. 2 (Feb., 1913), pp. 98–102 [http://www.jstor.org/stable/3142425 in JSTOR]
* Caldwell, William. "The Doctrine of Satan: III. In the New Testament," ''The Biblical World,'' Vol. 41, No. 3 (Mar., 1913), pp. 167–172 [http://www.jstor.org/stable/3142755 in JSTOR]
* Empson, William. ''Milton's God'' (1966)
* Jacobs, Joseph, and Ludwig Blau. "Satan," ''The Jewish Encyclopedia'' (1906) [http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=270&letter=S&search=Satan#ixzz0UQlw0zPS online] pp 68–71
* Kelly, Henry Ansgar. ''Satan: A Biography.'' (2006). 360 pp. [https://books.google.com/books?id=gPIpQg0lRbMC&pg=PA12&dq=intitle:satan+inauthor:kelly&lr=&as_drrb_is=q&as_minm_is=0&as_miny_is=&as_maxm_is=0&as_maxy_is=&num=30&as_brr=3#v=onepage&q=&f=false excerpt and text search] ISBN 0-521-60402-8, a study of the Bible and Western literature
* Kent, William. "Devil." ''The Catholic Encyclopedia'' (1908) Vol. 4. [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04764a.htm online older article]
* Osborne, B. A. E. "Peter: Stumbling-Block and Satan," ''Novum Testamentum,'' Vol. 15, Fasc. 3 (Jul., 1973), pp. 187–190 [http://www.jstor.org/stable/1560340 in JSTOR] on "Get thee behind me, Satan!"
* Rebhorn Wayne A. "The Humanist Tradition and Milton's Satan: The Conservative as Revolutionary," ''Studies in English Literature, 1500-1900,'' Vol. 13, No. 1, The English Renaissance (Winter, 1973), pp. 81–93 [http://www.jstor.org/stable/449871 in JSTOR]
* Russell, Jeffrey Burton. ''The Devil: Perceptions of Evil from Antiquity to Primitive Christianity'' (1987) [http://www.amazon.com/Devil-Perceptions-Antiquity-Christianity-Paperbacks/dp/0801494095/ref=pd_sim_b_1 excerpt and text search]
* Russell, Jeffrey Burton. ''Satan: The Early Christian Tradition'' (1987) [http://www.amazon.com/Satan-Christian-Jeffrey-Burton-Russell/dp/0801494133/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_c excerpt and text search]
* Russell, Jeffrey Burton. ''Lucifer: The Devil in the Middle Ages'' (1986) [http://www.amazon.com/Lucifer-Devil-Middle-Cornell-Paperbacks/dp/080149429X/ref=pd_sim_b_1 excerpt and text search]
* Russell, Jeffrey Burton. ''Mephistopheles: The Devil in the Modern World'' (1990) [http://www.amazon.com/Mephistopheles-Modern-Jeffrey-Burton-Russell/dp/0801497183/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_c excerpt and text search]
* Russell, Jeffrey Burton. ''The Prince of Darkness: Radical Evil and the Power of Good in History'' (1992) [http://www.amazon.com/Prince-Darkness-Radical-Power-History/dp/0801480566/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255995689&sr=1-1 excerpt and text search]
* Schaff, D. S. "Devil" in ''New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge'' (1911), [[Mainline]] Protestant; vol 3 pp 414–417 [http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc03.d.iii.html online]
* Scott, Miriam Van. ''The Encyclopedia of Hell'' (1999) [http://www.amazon.com/Encyclopedia-Hell-Miriam-Van-Scott/dp/0312244428/ref=pd_bxgy_b_text_b excerpt and text search] comparative religions; also popular culture
* Wray, T. J. and Gregory Mobley. ''The Birth of Satan: Tracing the Devil's Biblical Roots'' (2005) [http://www.amazon.com/Birth-Satan-Tracing-Devils-Biblical/dp/1403969337/ref=pd_sim_b_1 excerpt and text search]

== Notes ==
<references/>

== External links ==
*[http://www.1timothy4-13.com/files/teach/accuser.html The accuser of the brethren - commentary on Revelation 12:7-12] - Dr. J.B. Buffington
*[https://www.thenewamerican.com/culture/faith-and-morals/item/30460-antifa-witches-a-glimpse-into-the-source-of-the-demonic-rage-surging-about-us “Antifa Witches”: A Glimpse Into the Source of the Demonic Rage Surging About Us], by William F. Jasper of ''[[The New American]]''

[[Category:Abrahamic Religions]]
{{DivineComedy}}

Evolution syndrome

2019-02-09T19:57:58Z

Tg97: Undo revision 1491993 by Rossmiller (talk)

[[Image:5712dawkins.jpg|alt=Richard Dawkins|thumbnail|260px|right|In February 2010, the news organization ''The Telegraph'' reported that [[agnosticism|agnostic]] and [[evolution]]ist [[Richard Dawkins]] was "embroiled in a bitter online battle over plans to rid his popular internet forum for atheists of foul language, insults and 'frivolous gossip'."<ref name="telegraph">http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/7322177/Richard-Dawkins-in-bitter-web-censorship-row-with-fellow-atheists.html</ref> In addition, Richard Dawkins [[Abrasiveness of Richard Dawkins|has a reputation for being abrasive]].]]
'''Evolution [[syndrome]]''' is the tendency of some people to insist compulsively that human [[evolution]] from animals ''must'' somehow be true, and to spend nearly all of their time pushing that belief on others.<ref>[http://evolution.berkeley.edu/evolibrary/article/evo_01]</ref> It is reflected on the [[internet]] by people who devote a significant amount of their postings to pushing their belief in evolution and insisting on [[censoring]] or demonizing alternative views of the issue. They are particularly against teaching any alternative theories to children in school. A childish insistence on [[last wordism]] is a common characteristic of evolution syndrome.

Sufferers of evolution syndrome tend to be college students or graduates who wanted to excel in math or physics, but lacked the ability or work ethic to do so. They are frustrated "wannabes" with respect to academic recognition. But they find that [[liberals]] will praise their intelligence if they promote evolution. This is analogous to a struggling ball player deceitfully turning to steroids to enhance his performance, and thereby make it to the "Big Leagues."

Evolution syndrome blinds its victims to the logical fallacy of their [[materialism]]: if human senses have merely evolved, then it is to be expected that human senses have not developed to the point of being able to detect all of reality. Much of reality would still be "unseen" to an evolving human. Yet victims of evolution syndrome insist that there is nothing unseen, and no [[God]].

The primary effect of evolution syndrome is to keep its victims away from learning the [[Bible]]. Victims of this syndrome claim to be educated, yet justify their complete ignorance about the Bible in their slavish commitment to their evolution belief system.

Characteristics of evolution syndrome include:

*Frequent use of bizarre jargon such as "[[quote mining]]," "[[moving the goalposts]]," and "fundie"
*A belief that consensus can somehow define scientific truth, even though consensus cannot define mathematical truth
*An utter lack of [[open-mindedness]]
*A reluctance to debate when large audiences will see the debate. See: [[Creation vs. evolution debates|Creation scientists tend to win the creation vs. evolution debates]]
*[[Liberal style]]
*A superficiality or pseudo-intellectualism
*A lack of critical thinking
*Over-reliance on name-calling
[[Image:Olive baboon.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Scienceblogger Chad Orzel described the commentators on [[PZ Myers]]' Scienceblogs.com site [[Pharyngula (blog)|Pharyngula]], and other Scienceblogs.com commentators, as "screechy monkeys."<ref name="truefree">http://www.truefreethinker.com/articles/pz-myers-and-pavlovs-monkeys</ref>]]
*Ruthlessly demanding "provable fact" by the other side while themselves insisting on unproven theories
*Utter intolerance for [[Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed|other positions in science]]
*A complete lack of curiosity and knowledge about anything that might contradict [[materialism]], such as [[migration]] and [[homing]]
*[[Deliberate ignorance]] about the [[Bible]], despite its historical value, and even though evolutionists pretend to be learned
*A tendency to be irrational [[atheism|atheists]] (see: [[Causes of atheism]])
*A tendency to favour non-democratic political ideals such as [[socialism]] or [[fascism]]
*An over-reliance on academic authority
*A tendency to be easily amused by [[deceit]]

Evolution syndrome particularly afflicts people who have some educational background without having the intellectual depth of more accomplished peers. They are like minor league baseball players who take steroids to try to get to the major leagues: they think that harping on evolution will gain them credibility they lack based on their intellect. Evolution syndrome can be seen on [[wiki]]s, [[Usenet]] groups, faculty positions below full professorships, and some less selective doctoral programs.

There is a high incidence of [[atheism]] among this group and indeed, many if not most atheists suffer from evolution syndrome. Whether atheism is a cause of evolution syndrome or vice-versa is still to be discovered, but the number of [[theistic evolution]]ists suggest that the link is not absolute.

Keeping an open mind, not obsessing about one's own views, and avoiding the insistence that others should share in one's view are key to avoiding evolution syndrome.

== The behavior of the fans of Richard Dawkins and PZ Myers and other matters ==

In February 2010, the news organization ''The Telegraph'' reported that [[agnosticism|agnostic]] and evolutionist [[Richard Dawkins]] was "embroiled in a bitter online battle over plans to rid his popular internet forum for atheists of foul language, insults and 'frivolous gossip'."<ref name="telegraph" /> In addition, Richard Dawkins [[Abrasiveness of Richard Dawkins|has a reputation for being abrasive]].

In 2010, the [[Christian apologetics]] website [[True Free Thinker]] wrote:
{{cquote|Scienceblogger [http://scienceblogs.com/principles/2008/04/the_cost_of_not_framing.php Chad Orzel described] the commentators on [[PZ Myers]] ' Scienceblogs.com site [[Pharyngula (blog)|Pharyngula]], and other Scienceblogs.com commentators, as "screechy monkeys."<ref name="truefree" />}}

In addition, there is a widespread problem with [[Atheist bullying|atheist cyberbullying]] on [[YouTube]] toward [[Christian]] and [[creationism|creationist]] YouTube channels. [[CreationWiki]] has developed a web page entitled [http://creationwiki.org/Creationist_YouTube_video Creationist YouTube video] designed to show creationists how to thwart atheist/evolutionist cyberbullies.
[[File:Question-Evolution-Campaign.jpg|thumbnail|250px|right|The [[Question evolution! campaign]] by [[Creation Ministries International]] is a worldwide campaign which poses 15 questions that evolutionists cannot satisfactorily answer.<ref name="qevo">[http://creation.com/question-eviolution Question evolution! campaign] by [[Creation Ministries International]]</ref> The 15 questions posed to evolutionists can be found [http://creation.com/15-questions HERE] ]]

== Question evolution! campaign ==

''See also:'' [[Question evolution! campaign]]

Since [[World War II]] a majority of the most prominent and vocal defenders of the [[evolution|theory of evolution]] which employs [[methodological naturalism]] have been atheists.<ref>
* Dr. Don Batten,[http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/737/ A ''Who’s Who'' of evolutionists] ''Creation'' 20(1):32, December 1997.
* [[Jonathan Sarfati]], Ph.D.,F.M., [http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/3830 ''Refuting Evolution'', Chapter 1, Facts and Bias]
</ref> In 2011, a campaign called the [[Question evolution! campaign]] was launched by the [[Bible|biblical]] [[creation]] organization [[Creation Ministries International]] which is a worldwide "[[grassroots|grass-roots]] movement to challenge the anti-[[Christianity|Christian]] [[dogma]] of [[evolution]]".<ref name="qevo" /> The focus of the Question evolution! campaign is on "15 questions that evolutionists cannot satisfactorily answer."<ref name="qevo" /> The 15 questions posed to evolutionists (and undecided individuals) can be found [http://creation.com/15-questions HERE] The campaign will be primarily conducted in the [[United States]], the [[United Kingdom]], [[Canada]], [[Europe]], [[Australia]], [[New Zealand]], [[Singapore]] and [[South Africa]].<ref name="qevo" />

== See also ==

*[[Atheism and obsession with God]]
*[[Disturbed character]]
*[[Evolution of the gaps]]
*[[Richard Dawkins]]
*[[Evolution]]
*[[Atheism]]
*[[Creation denial]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Syndromes]]
[[Category:Conservapedia Terms]]
[[Category:Liberal Traits]]

Deliberate ignorance

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Tg97: Undo revision 1491994 by Rossmiller (talk)

'''Deliberate ignorance''' (sometimes '''willful ignorance''') is the practice of refusing to consider or discuss logic or evidence disproving ideologically motivated positions. Related concepts are [[wishful thinking]] and the [[fallacy of invincible ignorance]]. Examples of deliberate ignorance include:

* [[liberal denial]] about the ability to leave the harmful [[homosexual]] lifestyle, as thousands have successfully done
* [[Howard Dean]], a physician, former Governor, and longtime politician, refusing to recognize that [[taxpayer-funded abortion]] increases the number of [[abortion]]s<ref>http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/015/210vssua.asp?</ref>
* [[abortionists]] refuse to address the undisclosed harm to the mothers who have [[abortions]]
* refusing to acknowledge the inferior credentials of the critics of [[Richard Sternberg]], whom they ostracize for having published an [[intelligent design]] article
* [[Democrats]] refusing to acknowledge [[Barack Obama]]'s appeal to unpatriotic donors and supporters
* [[materialists]] refuse to address the impossibility of material explanation for [[animal migration|migration]] and [[homing]]
* [[evolutionists]] refuse to address the lack of a plausible evolutionary path for the [[whale]] and the other [[counterexamples to evolution]].
* Believing that only one ideology could ever make mistakes; constantly demonizing that ideology while [[special pleading|ignoring the faults of one's own]] (a particularly [[Liberal]] fault).
* [[liberals]] refuse to address how [[socialism]] destroys productivity
* [[Liberals]] who [[Bible denier|refuse to acknowledge]] the many fundamental truths in the [[Bible]] and even dismiss out-of-hand the many examples of [[Biblical scientific foreknowledge]] but refuse to read the Bible.
* Advocates of the [[global warming theory]] refuse to consider any scientific evidence which shows that natural causes have always had a greater effect on terrestrial air temperature than human activity.
* [[Liberal Christianity|Liberal]] [[Cafeteria Christianity|cafeteria Christians]] refuse to consider [[Bible]] verses that contradict their preconceived notions of what the Bible should say.
* Liberal Internet discussion boards quickly delete posts that present facts contradicting liberal ideology and ban users making such posts.
* Believing sentimental fallacies about public figures even when all the objective facts clearly indicate that said fallacies are false.
* [[Liberals]] who claim that the [[first amendment]] says that public officials are not allowed to acknowledge America's Christian heritage.
* Pushing a "scientific" theory for political purposes or because it fits one's belief system or preconceived notions, while [[no true Scotsman|dismissing actual scientific evidence]] that discredits the theory

Common expressions of '''deliberate ignorance''' include:

*"I find that hard to believe!" (Howard Dean, June 11, 2008, in response to a fact ignored by [[liberals]]<ref>http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/015/210vssua.asp?</ref>)
* "I'm not aware of that!" (without admitting a failure to look)
* "I've never seen that in the [[New York Times]]!"
* "That's not what it said in my ([[public school]]) textbook!"
* "Let's talk about something else!"
* "I'm not interested in that!"
* "That [[Logical fallacy#Appeal to pity|offends me]]!" (used as an excuse not to consider facts or logic)
* "You're persecuting me!" (when the "persecution" consists only of pointing out inconvenient facts or logic)
* "That's not true in my experience," with the implication that it therefore [[black-swan fallacy|cannot be true at all]]

Deliberate ignorance is clearly quoted from the Bible in 2 Peter 3:3-6: "Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” But they ''deliberately forget'' that long ago by God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed." (NIV) This is only referring to the denial of God's magnificent handiwork in the creation.

== Crime of deliberate ignorance ==

'''Deliberate ignorance''' can be a crime. For example, jurors were instructed "to consider whether ... former Enron Corp. executives deliberately ignored accounting fraud as the energy trader fell into bankruptcy."<ref>http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2006/05/11/enron_jury_to_consider_deliberate_ignorance/</ref>

== Shift of meaning of "ignorance" ==

The word "ignorance" used to pertain more to the willful act of ignoring information more than "not knowing" it. So phrases like "willful ignorance" or "deliberate ignorance" would mean "willful willful not knowing" or "deliberate willful not knowing".

A translation of a 13th-century Church doctor completed in the 1920s<ref>Aquinas, Thomas (1274). "Whether ignorance is a sin?" ''Summa Theologica'', translated by the Fathers of the English Dominican Province (London: Burns, Oates and Washbourne and New York: Benzinger Brothers, 1915), part I of second part, Q. 76, A. 2, Answer.</ref> retains this definition of "ignorance" as ignoring. As a solution for referring to a lack of knowledge that may or may not be willful, the word "nescience" is used. However, this word is virtually unknown today.

== References ==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Rhetoric]]
[[Category:Liberal Traits]]

Essay:Best New Conservative Words

2019-02-09T19:57:02Z

Tg97: Undo revision 1491999 by Rossmiller (talk)

[[Image:Tax-spend.jpg|thumb|300px|The "tax-and-spend" slogan stuck to [[Harry Hopkins]] like a well-fitted suit.]]
[[Conservative]] terms, expressing [[conservative insights]], originate at a faster rate and with higher quality than [[liberal]] terms do. Conservative triumph over liberalism is thus inevitable.

Each year the [[English language]] develops about a thousand new words. The [[King James Version]] of the [[Bible]] contains only about 8,000 different words;<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/8013859.stm</ref> many good words have developed since.

Powerful new conservative terms have grown at a [[geometric progression|geometric rate]], roughly doubling every century. For each new conservative term originating in the 1600s,<ref>The King James Version of the Bible was published in 1611, by then [[William Shakespeare]] had written nearly all his plays.</ref> there are two new terms originating in the 1700s, four new terms in the 1800s, and eight new terms in the 1900s, for a pattern of "1-2-4-8". This suggests that the future will be increasingly conservative.

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Century
!# New Conservative Terms
|-
|1600s
|38
|-
|1700s
|79
|-
|1800s
|158
|-
|1900s
|324
|-
|2000s
|45 (preliminary)
|-
|}

==Conservative words and terms==

{{clear}}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!New Term
!Origin date
!Comments
|-
|a.m.
|1762
|"a.m." means "before noon" in [[Latin]] (ante meridiem); it became popular much as "[[A.D.]]" did. Also, a morning [[work ethic]] is a conservative concept.
|-
|abortuary
|1983
|an abortion clinic, which in reality is a mortuary for unborn children
|-
|[[abstract nonsense]]
|1940s
|a pejorative term for unnecessarily abstract mathematics of doubtful rigor; [[liberal denial]] insists that this term, which describes something as "nonsense", is somehow not negative!
|-
|[[accountability]]
|1794
|the willingness or obligation to be held responsible for one's actions - a fundamental conservative ideal, unlike liberals who believe that "society", and not individuals, is responsible for their wrongdoing.
|-
|[[accuracy]]
|1660
|conservatives strive for accuracy, while many liberals are masters of [[deceit]]
|-
|Achilles' heel
|1864
|an inevitable weak point of vulnerability amid overall strength, highlighting the need for [[God]] even by the strongest
|-
|act of [[God]]
|1787<ref>From ''Pollard v. Shaaffer'', 1 U.S. 210, 213 (1 Dall. 210) (Pa. S.Ct. 1787): "In the case before the court, if the lessee had covenanted for himself and his assigns, to deliver up the tenements in good order and repair, notwithstanding they should be destroyed by act of God or of an Enemy, then this action would certainly lie, because of the special express words; but when there are no such words, but only generally to repair &c. would it be reasonable to construe these words so as to extend to the cases put?"</ref><ref>Merriam-Webster asserts a date of origin of 1635 in its online version [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/act%20of%20god], but 1859 in its 10th edition print version.</ref>
|an extraordinary, unforeseeable event, such as a massive flood or earthquake; term was probably inspired as a reference to the [[Great Flood]]
|-
|[[action-at-a-distance]]
|1693
|[[Newton]]'s acceptance of this concept—which became fundamental to [[electrostatics]] and [[quantum mechanics]] and has a basis in Christianity<ref>''See, e.g.'', [[Jesus]]'s cure of the centurion's slave.</ref>—was central to the development of his theory of gravity.<ref>http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/newton-philosophy/#ActDis</ref> [[Materialists]] censor this concept, while Einstein criticized it as "spooky".
|-
|[[activism]]
|1915
|this differentiates conservatives from inactive people; this term might have originated in connection with [[Prohibition]] and efforts to pass the [[Eighteenth Amendment]]
|-
|[[addictive]]
|1939
|the intrinsic characteristic of certain things or activities to induce repetitious involvement, usually with a harmful effect on the participant, as in [[gambling]], or [[video games]].
|-
|administrative state
|1948<ref>The title of a book: "The Administrative State" by Dwight Waldo (1948).</ref>
|originally used in a descriptive manner by admirers of it, the term is frequently used in a pejorative manner by conservatives due to the lack of accountability of an overbearing bureaucracy.
|-
|aerobics
|1967
|invented by the [[Christian]] Dr. Kenneth H. Cooper<ref>http://www.christianadvice.net/famous_christians.htm</ref> to describe his self-help program to improve health; he gave the title "Aerobics" to his ground-breaking book in 1968, and eventually it revolutionized attitudes toward exercise.
|-
|[[agency capture]]
|1985<ref>The concept originated a bit earlier, but its first best articulation was when a federal court recognized that "agency capture" is "where the regulated become the regulators." ''Huron Valley Hospital, Inc. v. Pontiac'', 612 F. Supp. 654, 663 (E.D. Mich. 1985).</ref>
|the misuse of Big Government (agencies) by Big Business to choke off free enterprise through regulations that impede competition
|-
|agitprop
|1929
|propaganda designed to incite agitation, originally coined to describe communist propaganda
|-
|[[alarmism]]
|1867
|needless warnings, as in the politically motivated claims of [[global warming]]
|-
|{{#ifexist: alcoholism | [[alcoholism]] | alcoholism }}
|1860
|excessive or addictive drinking of alcohol
|-
|[[algorithm]]
|1849
|an efficient and consistent step-by-step methodology for achieving a goal, the opposite of [[liberal style]]
|-
|altar call
|1899
|an invitation by a preacher for people to come forward to the altar to signify their personal commitment to [[Christ]], and many do
|-
|[[altruism]]
|1853
|selfless assistance of others; this also occurs in the animal kingdom, and is a [[counterexample to evolution]]
|-
|ambulance chaser
|1896
|a lawyer who searches for victims to persuade them to sue for his profit
|-
|[[American dream]]
|1911<ref>1911 is the date given by the "OED", which refers to the Oxford English Dictionary. The Merriam-Webster dictionary gives a date of 1931.</ref>
|the vision that, with hard work, anyone in American can attain happiness and prosperity
|-
|[[American exceptionalism]]
|1835
|the idea that the United States and the American people hold a special place in the world, by offering opportunity and hope for humanity
|-
|American Way
|1930s
|later conservative entrepreneurs used this to coin a new name for what became a highly successful and uniquely American business model: "Amway"
|-
|[[anti-Christian]]
|1900s
|opposing Christian ideals and institutions
|-
|anticompetitive
|1854
|interfering with open competition and the enormous benefits that flow from it
|-
|[[antilife]]
|1929
|term criticizing a tendency to oppose life and lifesaving care
|-
|[[antitrust]]
|1890
|the origin is the passage of the [[Republican]]-sponsored [[Sherman Act]] to prohibit restraints of trade, one of the greatest pieces of legislation in all of history
|-
|apathetic
|1744
|term critical of the those who are deliberately inactive and disengaged mentally
|-
|apologetic
|1649
|offered in support or defense, especially of Christianity (typically used today as the noun "apologetics").
|-
|apology tour
|2009
|the term is used to criticize someone who repeatedly apologizes for a country or institution that does a great deal of good; this term became popular to criticize the newly elected [[Barack Obama]] for going on a foreign tour to bash the [[United States]], which was misleading and broke a tradition of presidents not doing that.
|-
|[[Apostles' Creed]]
|1658
|a concise statement of [[Christian]] [[faith]] that began with the original [[Apostles]] and has guided billions since. (The earliest historical evidence of the creed's existence is in a letter written by the Council of Milan in 390 A.D.<ref>[http://www.christianitytoday.com/biblestudies/articles/churchhomeleadership/080730.html Christianity Today]</ref>)
|-
|apparatchik
|1941
|an official who blindly does what he thinks his government superiors want, as in [[communism]]
|-
|[[apple pie]]
|1780
|honesty, simplicity, wholesomeness. Relating to, or characterized by traditionally American values.<ref>[https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/apple%20pie Merriam-webster- Apple pie]</ref>
|-
|arm-twisting
|1945
|behind-the-scenes pressure tactics used in politics, primarily by [[liberals]], in order to compel people to vote and act in ways they would not do otherwise
|-
|assimilate
|1880s<ref>estimate only; this originated sometime in the late 1880s.</ref>
|the desired absorption of immigrant groups into the culture and mores of the resident population
|-
|[[atheistic]]
|1625-35
|An adjective pertaining to or characteristic of atheists or atheism; containing, suggesting, or disseminating atheism.
|-
|attention span
|1934
|correlated with intelligence, the attention span is how long someone can concentrate on something. It is rapidly shortening; the Lincoln-Douglas debates 150 years ago lasted for hours, but none do today.<ref>http://www.help4teachers.com/ras.htm</ref> The average length of sentences in speech is another indication of attention span, and it has been shortening significantly.
|-
|[[Austrian economics]]
|1900s<ref>A more precise date is welcome; "Austrian school" was coined a bit earlier, initially as a derisive term.</ref>
|an approach to economics that emphasizes the purposeful decisions of individuals, and which was belatedly recognized by a 1974 [[Nobel Prize]] to [[Friedrich von Hayek]]; these economic ideas influenced [[Ludwig von Mises]], [[Ron Paul]], and 1987 Nobel Laureate James M. Buchanan.
|-
|axiomatic
|1797
|self-evident (first usage), and later it developed the meaning of being based on a set of axioms
|-
|[[baby boom]]
|1920<ref>[http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/baby-boomer.html Baby boomer] phrases.org.uk, retrieved August 30, 2012</ref>
|an increase in birthrate, which is a good thing; note that what is known as post-World War II baby boom actually started before the war, contrary to what textbooks teach. Perpetuating the mistake, the U.S. Census Bureau counts the generation born between 1946 and 1964 as the baby boomers.<ref>[http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/cb06-ffse01-2.html Newsroom: Facts for Features - Special Edition - The Oldest Baby Boomers Turn 60!]</ref>
|-
|back burner
|1963
|inactive status away from attention, as in "RINOs try to put social issues on the back burner"
|-
|bag lady
|1979
|a woman, typically unmarried, whose life tragically degenerated into a homeless existence of wandering in a city while carrying bags of worthless possessions
|-
|[[bailout]]
|1951
|wasting taxpayer money to rescue, temporarily, a failing company
|-
|bake sale
|1903<ref>[http://www.redstate.com/barrypopik/2011/03/27/origin-of-the-bake-sale-and-maddows-bakesales-for-bombersbakesales-or-billionaires/ Citizen Patriot of Jackson, Michigan, “Albion,” pg. 6, (Nov. 21, 1903)]</ref>
|the activity of volunteers, typically women, baking good food and selling it to raise money for a worthy cause
|-
|balkanize
|1919
|to break a region or neighborhood into divisive components; the opposite of the American concept of assimilation or "[[E pluribus unum]]"
|-
|bargain hunter
|1911
|a [[conservative]] trait that helps keep [[inflation]] low. First usage in courts occurred when the Minnesota Supreme Court struck down a regulation and explained that the improper regulation was too broad and not limited to protection against schemes that deceive a "veteran bargain hunter." ''Kanne v. Segerstrom Piano Mfg. Co.'', 118 Minn. 483, 487, 137 N.W. 170, 171 (1912).
|-
|[[baseball]]
|1815
|an American original that is governed by rules rather than a clock; the stars and fans are overwhelmingly conservative
|-
|[[bedrock]]
|1840-1850
|an American term for unbroken solid rock underneath fragments or soil, which adopted the figurative meaning of strong values: "bedrock principles"<ref>http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/bedrock</ref>
|-
|beltway mentality
|1986
|popularized by [[Paul Weyrich]] though possibly first used by then-Governor [[John Sununu]] ("captives of yourselves"), it refers to a governing style that sees only as far as the highway that surrounds its capital, especially the one around D.C.
|-
|benchmark
|1842
|a quality standard for which people can strive
|-
|[[Best of the Public]]
|2009
|A term coined by [[Andy Schlafly]] to express the idea that one does not need [[liberal]] credentials that so-called "experts" have. Indeed, many great historical figures would have failed the liberal "expert" test.
|-
|[[Bias|biased]]
|1649
|to show prejudice for or against something; American society is rapidly becoming ''biased'' against Christian and Conservative beliefs
|-
|[[Bible Belt]]
|1925
|southern regions of the [[United States]] where people read the [[Bible]] and attend church, rather than try to avoid both as in the [[liberal]] Northeast and West Coast
|-
|Biblophobic
|2012<ref>http://www.christianpost.com/news/pastor-greg-laurie-i-hate-the-word-homophobic-83209/</ref>
|hatred or fear of the [[Bible]]
|-
|Bidenism
|1992
|an idiotic remark that would subject the politician to enormous ridicule if he were a [[conservative]], but when spoken by [[liberal]] [[Joe Biden]] the media are just fine with it
|-
|[[Big Brother]]
|1949
|government constantly watching its citizens; [[George Orwell]] first coined this term in his classic, ''[[1984]]''
|-
|Bilderbergers
|1964<ref>First coined by [[Phyllis Schlafly]] in ''A Choice Not an Echo'' (1964) as "DeBilderbergers" based on the Dutch origin of the name.</ref>
|a secret political society that was first exposed in ''[[A Choice Not an Echo]]''; the society consists of elite [[globalists]] who have met annually since 1954 to try to exert influence over the world
|-
|biological clock
|1955
|how each woman begins to lose her ability to have children at age 27, no matter how much [[feminists]] try to conceal this scientific fact from women
|-
|Blame America Crowd<ref>Or "Blame-America-First Crowd"</ref>
|1984
|Michael Barone quoted [[Jeane Kirkpatrick]] as saying that the "San Francisco Democrats" (site of the Democratic National Convention in 1984) "always blame America first."<ref>http://www.creators.com/opinion/michael-barone/the-blame-america-first-crowd.html</ref>
|-
|blank check
|1884
|irresponsibly giving someone unlimited spending authority or power, as in "a Con Con would be a blank check to destroy the nation"
|-
|blather
|1719
|nonsensical or insignificant babble, as in "liberal blather is common in the [[lamestream media]]"
|-
|blue curtain
|2016
|Michigan and Pennsylvania, which for nearly 30 years were "safe" Democratic states in presidential elections totaling a whopping 36 electoral college votes in 2016, but won by [[Donald Trump]] in a massive upset aided by their lack of [[early voting]] that is manipulated by [[Democrats]] in other states.
|-
|[[Blue Dog Democrat]]
|1995
|a person who adheres to conservative principles within the Democratic party, once called a Boll Weevil; as of 2009 there are 45-50 Blue Dog Democrats in the [[House of Representatives]], which is enough to form a majority with [[Republicans]]
|-
|bona fides
|1910<ref>Estimate for the emergence in popularity of this meaning of the term.</ref>
|evidence or confirmation of someone's good faith or authenticity
|-
|boomerang
|1825
|originally coined to describe a throwing device that returns to the thrower, the term became increasingly useful to describe how wrongful conduct returns to bite the perpetrator
|-
|boondoggle
|1935
|"popularized during the [[New Deal]] as a contemptuous word for make-work projects for the unemployed." <ref>http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=boondoggle&searchmode=none</ref> The term gained popularity in [[Canada]] following a corruption scandal tied to the [[Liberal]] government in 2000.
|-
|bootstrap
|1913
|unaided effort, personal merit, hard work
|-
|bork
|1988
|coined by [[William Safire]] to refer to how Democrats savage a conservative nominee, such as their defeat of Supreme Court nominee [[Robert H. Bork]].
|-
|born-again
|1961
|it takes an open mind and heart
|-
|borrowed time
|1898
|a bit more time in life than one has earned, which is best spent by accepting the truth of the [[Bible]]
|-
|bottom line
|1967
|the essential point, without the [[liberal claptrap]]<ref>The original usage of the term the "bottom line" had nothing to do with money.</ref>
|-
|brainstorm
|1894
|a burst of productive thought
|-
|brainwashing
|1950
|derived from the Chinese term "xǐnǎo" soon after the [[communist]] takeover of China, "brainwashing" means forced abandonment of [[faith]] in favor of regimented [[atheism]]. In a more general sense, it refers to the manipulation and control of the human mind through torture and propaganda techniques.
|-
|[[Brexit]]
|2016
|the slogan for the successful campaign in the [[United Kingdom]] to leave the [[EU]], it has since been copied to describe movements in additional countries to reject [[globalism]], such as "[[Frexit]]."
|-
|bright-line rule
|1971<ref>First used by [[U.S. Supreme Court]] Justice [[John Harlan II]] in ''United States v. Jorn'', 400 U.S. 470, 486 (1971), where he rejected adopting a bright-line rule for that case.</ref>
|a clear, unwavering line dividing what is allowed from what is prohibited; increasingly favored to avoid confusion and requirements that arbitrarily change. Championed by [[Supreme Court]] Justice [[Antonin Scalia]].
|-
|bromide
|1836<ref>Its figurative meaning probably dates from the late 1800s.</ref>
|hackneyed, unoriginal statement lacking in substance, similar to [[liberal claptrap]]
|-
|brinkmanship
|1956
|the art of displaying a willingness to use military force in order to obtain a just resolution to a conflict between nations
|-
|[[bureaucracy]]
|1818
|
|-
|busywork
|1910
|meaningless activity under the pretense of accomplishing something
|-
|can-do
|1903 <ref>according to the Oxford English Dictionary. [https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/can-do Miram-webster] gives the date of 1945</ref>
|Phrase coined in a short story by [[Rudyard Kipling]] that has come to refer to an attitude that espouses individual ability and responsibility and not reliance on [[entitlements]]
|-
|[[Cantorize]]
|2014<ref>named after the upset landslide defeat of the [[House]] [[Majority Leader]] [[Eric Cantor]] in his own primary. Made popular by [[Sarah Palin]] on national television in 2016 by declaring that she will campaign against [[Speaker of the House]] [[Paul Ryan]] in his primary.</ref>
|to be removed from a high political position by a vote in one's own primary
|-
|[[capitalism]]
|1850-1855
|creating jobs and wealth based on a private invention, ownership and investments rather than state-controlled resources
|-
|career politician
|1974<ref>First use found by ''Conservapedia'' was in an article describing a controversy in communist [[Yugoslavia]] over their "career politicians," published in the ''New York Times'' and authored by Malcolm W. Browne, sect. 4, p. 3, col. 1.</ref>
|a term originally used for the entrenched communist government officials in Yugoslavia, with whom even President Tito was fed up; today it applies to the thousands of self-serving politicians who avoid productive jobs
|-
|[[carpetbagger]]
|1868
|a politician who moves to a new area to be elected to a government position, as in [[Hillary Clinton]] moving to [[New York]] to become a U.S. Senator
|-
|carte blanche
|1645-1655
|unconditional authority or power, without any limits on misuse of that power
|-
|cash discount
|1917
|a reduction in price for payment by cash, in recognition of how cash is more efficient
|-
|catharsis
|1775
|facilitating forgiveness and spiritual renewal by expression, as in writing or teaching or confession
|-
|caucus
|1763
|citizens or representatives gathering to meet and reach political decisions as a group while harnessing aspects of the [[best of the public]]; first coined by [[John Adams]]<ref>The future author of the Massachusetts Constitution who also played a role in developing the [[Declaration of Independence]].</ref> when he described a meeting of political Boston elders as a "caucus club"; the word may be from an Algonquian term for a group of advisers or elders.
|-
|cesspool
|1782
|an evil or corrupt place or state.
|-
|chaperone
|1720
|care and well-being of youths overseen by adults
|-
|charisma
|1930
|literally "a gift from God", charisma is a personal magic of leadership found in [[conservative]] public figures (but beware of the liberal tendency to put style before substance!)
|-
|Chicken Little
|1895
|one who falsely predicts disaster, especially for silly reasons: "global alarmists" are the Chicken Littles of our time<ref>In characteristically [[liberal]] style, the online Merriam-Webster spins the [[global warming]] example usage by saying the data showed he wasn't a Chicken Little.</ref>
|-
|Chinese wall
|1900
|a beneficial, impregnable wall that safeguards against wrongdoing
|-
|choice, not an echo
|1964<ref>Popularized by the bestselling book entitled "[[A Choice Not An Echo]]" by [[Phyllis Schlafly]] in 1964.</ref>
|a pithy slogan that objects to politics-as-usual as controlled by insiders regardless of which political party wins
|-
|Christmas card
|1883
|another conservative innovation that apparently did not exist earlier, even though mail did; cards that say "Seasons Greetings" are a cheap imitation now.
|-
|Christmas tree
|1835
|the immensely popular custom of using an evergreen tree to support ornaments, cards and gifts, and symbolize life impervious to the darkness and cold of winter
|-
|chump change
|1968
|a term that highlights the insignificance of an amount of money; used especially against a miser or someone who makes the mistake of thinking money is more important than [[Christ]]
|-
|churchgoer
|1687
|a person who makes an effort, during the 168 hours in a week, to attend a church service
|-
|circle the wagons
|1800s
|regroup with family and friends, when under attack. usage from settlers in the old US west.
|-
|citizen's arrest
|1941
|private enforcement of the law without the need of a taxpayer-funded police officer
|-
|civil defense
|1939
|civilians protecting themselves and their community against attack or natural disasters
|-
|claptrap
|1799
|pretentious, verbose, and often liberal nonsense; example usage: "the professor wasted the rest of the class on his [[liberal claptrap]]"
|-
|class act
|1976
|exemplify conservative principles with values, integrity and a work ethic
|-
|class warfare
|1848
|this concept was initially coined by [[Karl Marx]] in ''[[The Communist Manifesto]]'', but it has become so discredited that it is now used mostly by conservatives to point out liberal demagoguery
|-
|closed shop
|1904
|a business that requires membership in a union as a condition of working there; 22 conservative states prohibit this
|-
|clueless
|1943
|hopelessly ignorant about something important, as liberals often are
|-
|[[Coase theorem|Coasean]]
|1980s
|an efficient result or bargain based on market forces without the distortions caused by [[transaction costs]]
|-
|cogent
|1659
|compelling with the powerful force of reason, the opposite of [[liberal]] claptrap
|-
|cold turkey
|1921
|defeating an addiction by completely turning away from it, often by using power of the [[Bible]] and [[Christ]]
|-
|[[Cold War]]
|1945
|coined by [[George Orwell]] shortly after he wrote ''Animal Farm'',<ref>http://www.worldwar2history.info/war/causes/Cold-War.html</ref> as recognition that communist nations were at war with American freedom even in the absence of actual military conflict
|-
|collectivism
|1857
|when decision-making by a group takes priority over the good ideas of an individual, often preventing progress
|-
|Columbian
|1757
|relating to Christopher Columbus ''or the United States''
|-
|commie
|1940
|abbreviation for "communist" that captures their simple-minded totalitarianism
|-
|common sense
|1726
|sound judgment based on facts
|-
|competitive
|1829
|
|-
|[[Con Con]]
|1980s
|popularized by [[Phyllis Schlafly]] to highlight the deception and risks inherent in proposed national constitutional conventions
|-
|conniption
|1833
|hysteria or alarm, as in "having a conniption fit"; a typical response by [[liberals]] when confronted with their [[double standards]] and illogical positions
|-
|conservation of charge
|1949
|overall charge does not change in an isolated system; it is neither created nor destroyed; the concept was first suggested by [[Benjamin Franklin]] but the date of origin for this term is surprisingly recent
|-
|[[conservative]]
|1808<ref>"[T]his is one of those rare cases when the [Oxford English Dictionary] gets something wrong. America, not Britain, deserves credit for inventing the word. Jacob Wagner, a Massachusetts federalist, first used ''conservative'' in its modern political sense in a letter dated May 13, 1808." David Lefer, ''The Founding Conservatives'', page 5 (2013).</ref>
|principles of limited government, personal responsibility, moral values, and productivity
|-
|[[conservative field]]
|1870s?
|a type of physical force over a region such that items moving throughout the region can store energy ''without loss'', as in the planetary system and electrical products<ref>The mathematical definition of a conservative field -- which arises in [[multivariable calculus]] -- is that a scalar potential exists for the function and, alternatively, it is [[irrotational]].</ref>
|-ly
|[[consumer surplus]]
|1890<ref>First coined by Cambridge University Professor Alfred Marshall in his acclaimed text, ''Principles of Economics'' (1890).</ref>
|the extra benefit received by consumers above the price they paid for a good or service, illustrating the value of the [[free market]]; specifically, consumer surplus is the difference between what consumers would have paid for something, and the lower price they did pay.
|-
|constant
|1832
|(noun) something unchanging in value
|-
|constitutionality
|1787
|its date of origin is the year of the [[Constitutional Convention]] that proposed the [[U.S. Constitution]]
|-
|contrarian
|1657
|someone who advocates views contrary to that of others; this type of person frustrates [[liberal]] attempts to gain control
|-
|cooking the data
|1830
|[[Charles Babbage]] used it in his book, "Reflections on the Decline of Science in England."<ref>http://www.scientus.org/Church-Science-History.html</ref>
|-
|copacetic
|1890s<ref>Merriam-Webster officially lists its date of origin as 1919 and its source as unknown, but that is well after when Robinson says he developed it.</ref>
|Bill “Bojangles” Robinson, tap dancer extraordinaire, claimed the invention of this word; it was first popularized by African Americans
|-
|cop-out
|1942
|taking the easy way out, usually by shirking one's responsibilities
|-
|copyright
|1735
|extending private property to protect expressive works
|-
|corporate socialism
|1970s
|the tendency of large corporations to act in a socialistic manner, at the expense of meritocracy and productivity
|-
|correlate
|1742
|(verb) to show that one thing relates to another, such as [[atheism]] or [[homosexuality]] and selfishness or lack of charity; [[liberal]]s falsely rely on anecdotes to deny the general relationship
|-
|[[countability (Mathematics)|countability]]
|1874
|[[Georg Cantor]], loathed by the leading contemporary [[mathematicians]], developed this in proving that the real numbers are ''uncountable''
|-
|counterexample
|1957
|an example that is contrary to the proposition. A common point in logical, reasoned debate.
|-
|counterfactual
|1946
|especially assumptions that are contrary to fact; Chief Justice [[John Roberts]] wrote for the [[U.S. Supreme Court]], "petitioners' standing does not require precise proof of what the Board's policies might have been in that counterfactual world."<ref>''Free Enter. Fund v. Pub. Co. Accounting Oversight Bd.'', 130 S. Ct. 3138, 3163 (2010) (5-4 decision).</ref>
|-
|counterproductive
|1959
|interfering with a worthy goal. Example usage: "nearly everything a liberal supports is counterproductive."
|-
|counter-reformation
|1840
|a movement in response to another movement, as in a counter-reformation to the [[homosexual agenda]]
|-
|cover-up
|1927
|concealment by government officials of the truth about a matter of public concern
|-
|crackpot
|1884
|crazy talk, lunacy, a person on the fringe of reality
|-
|[[creation science]]
|1970s
|a term coined by the [[Young-Earth creationism|young-Earth creationist]] [[Henry Morris]].<ref>https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/28/AR2006022801716.html</ref>
|-
|[[Credentialism]]
|1967
|the often-false belief that credentials make someone a better or more competent person
|-
|creativity
|1875
|an ability, unique to God and his likeness, to make something from nothing
|-
|cross-examination
|1824
|the most effective tool against [[liberal]] [[deceit]], better than even the requirement of an oath
|-
|crystal clear
|1815
|liberals are the opposite
|-
|[[culture war]]
|1991
|widespread use after the book ''Culture Wars: The Struggle to Define America'' by James Davison Hunter
|-
|cyberbullying
|2000s
|a type of obnoxious and hurtful liberal behavior on the internet
|-
|[[dark money]]
|2010
|money that influences politics in secretive ways without traceability to its mega-donors, such as [[George Soros]]
|-
|de minimis
|1948
|an inconsequential amount. Sample usage: "Liberals typically spend at most de minimis time reading the Bible."
|-
|[[deadweight loss]]
|1930s<ref>Confirmation of the first use is desired.</ref>
|the loss in overall wealth and efficiency imposed by monopolies and taxation, due to the loss in extra value that someone would have received beyond what he would have paid for a good at a free market price
|-
|death panel
|2009
|a provision of [[Obamacare]] that will enable a panel of government bureaucrats to decide who receives medical treatment
|-
|[[death tax]]
|1989
|interestingly, the term was coined by Canadians opposed to the high estate tax on their assets held in the United States; [[Frank Luntz]] is credited with later popularizing this term in the United States.<ref>''See'' Dr. Frank Luntz, ''Words That Work: It's Not What You Say, It's What People Hear''</ref>
|-
|debunk
|1923
|derived from "bunkum" (nonsense), a term that originated in 1845 based on a silly, tiresome speech made by Congressman Felix Walker on the floor of Congress in 1820 in which he said his real audience was his constituents in Buncombe County, NC
|-
|decentralization
|1846
|the dispersion of power, as in a shift from national to local control
|-
|decrypt
|1935
|military code-breaking, which played an instrumental role in World War II in deciphering enemy codes that many felt were unbreakable; illustrates the "can do" approach of conservatism in a patriotic way
|-
|[[deep state]]
|2017
|the entrenched bureaucracy in [[Washington, D.C.|D.C.]] that opposes and undermines attempts by a [[conservative]] president to scale back government
|-
|[[defeatism]]
|1918
|a negative attitude that becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy
|-
|defensive driving
|1964
|a style of driving a car that always focuses on avoiding accidents, even those potentially caused by others; nearly a half-century later, dictionaries still do not recognize this term
|-
|deflation
|1891
|an increase in the value of savings
|-
|defund
|1948
|refers especially to termination of government funding of a wasteful or hurtful program
|-
|deliberative assembly
|1774<ref>''Introduction to Robert's Rules of Order, Newly Revised'' (19th Ed. 2000), xxv.</ref>
|used by Edmund Burke in describing the British parliament during a speech to voters in Bristol; he meant a body of persons meeting to discuss and decide common action under parliamentary law
|-
|demagogue
|1648
|the initial meaning of "demagogue" was positive, but preacher Robert South gave it a negative connotation in 1716 by observing that a "plausible, insignificant word, in the mouth of an expert demagogue, is a dangerous and a dreadful weapon."
|-
|demonic
|1662
|in its serious usage, "demonic" refers to actions that seem to be influenced by [[evil]] or by [[Satan]] himself, such as when someone acts out of character in a wrongful way, or when a group goes in a bad direction, or when random chance takes an unlikely bizarre turn; demonic also explains why some events or activities become more overbearing than they should
|-
|denaturalization
|1858<ref>Jones v. McMasters, 61 U.S. (20 How.) 8 (1858). An earlier use of 1800 is cited by Merriam-Webster but for a different, non-legal meaning.</ref>
|taking away the citizenship of a naturalized citizen (a "[[natural born citizen]]" cannot be denaturalized).
|-
|[[deregulation]]
|1963
|Reagan won in 1980 by campaigning on this.
|-
|design by committee
|before 1958
|pejorative term directed against collective production by a group
|-
|despotism
|1727
|a ruler with unlimited powers
|-
|[[deterrence]]
|1861
|Disincentive of committing a crime based on the amount of punishment
|-
|devalue
|1918
|describing an unwelcome attitude or act, as in "devaluing human life"
|-
|devil's advocate
|1760
|someone who espouses the position of the wrong side, in order to test, sharpen and strengthen the right side
|-
|devotee
|1645
|ardent follower, supporter, or loyalty to. 56 years separates devotee and devoted
|-
|disinformation
|1950s
|false information spread (and sometimes manufactured) by groups with a strong political agenda
|-
|division of labor
|1776
|increasing productivity through specialization of labor, as in a husband working in manufacturing while his wife cares for children
|-
|dog and pony show
|1970
|an overblown event, typically having more fanfare than substance; liberals like to run a "dog and pony show" in towns having a large public university, where students brainwashed by liberal professors are led like cattle to the events
|-
|[[domino effect]]
|1966
|how the fall of one nation to communism can result in its harmful spread to neighboring nations
|-
|double standard
|1894
|applying harsher criticism against one group, such as churchgoers or conservatives, than against another group, such as atheists or liberals; recognition of a double standard by the [[Prodigal Son]] led him to repent and convert
|-
|doublethink
|1949
|a term first coined by [[George Orwell]] in his dystopian novel ''[[1984]]''; it means simultaneously holding contradictory beliefs, which is a characteristic of [[status worship]]
|-
|doubting Thomas
|1848
|someone who believes only what he can see and touch, and doubts all else
|-
|[[drain the swamp]]
|2016
|popularized by [[Donald Trump]], it is an expression that President [[Ronald Reagan]] once used in 1983 to “drain the swamp” in reference to big government in D.C.
|-
|drifter
|1897
|someone whose residency wanders about aimlessly, failing to become a permanent, productive member of any community
|-
|duh science
|2000
|First coined by the ''LA Weekly'' to criticize the ''[[LA Times]]'' for failing to criticize a publicly funded study that concluded that pessimistic people are often in bad moods.<ref>Originally "duh!" science: "But couldn't we have been treated to just a soupcon of critical thinking, some irony even -- perhaps a glancing reference to the wisdom of public funding for 'duh!' science?"
"L.A. TIMES WHO KNEW? DEPARTMENT", ''LA Weekly'' p. 12 (Jan. 14, 2000).</ref>
|-
|dumb down
|1933
|
|-
|dumpster diving
|1982
|Searching through dumpsters for food or other material that can used rather than discarded; first known use: "Restaurant and store owners have complained about drunks panhandling during the day and 'dumpster diving' through trash at night."<ref>Phil Long, "Special Wing for Drunks Suggested at Future Jail," Miami Herald D1 (Nov. 24, 1982).</ref> It is also a popular method used by watchdog groups; they rummage through the trash of organizations they consider to be corrupt, hoping to find evidence to use against them (televangelist Robert Tilton's ministry was brought down in such a manner; thousands of prayer requests -- with all the donations removed -- were found in the dumpster of his attorney).
|-
|duplicitous
|1928
|someone—particularly a liberal politician—who deceptively says one thing when he really intends to do something else
|-
|Eagle Scout
|1913
|the highest rank in the [[Boy Scouts]], the term also means "a straight-arrow and self-reliant man."<ref>Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (1994).</ref>
|-
|earmark
|2009
|"A provision in congressional legislation that allocates a specified amount of money for a specific project, program or organization."<ref>Merriam-Webster's Dictionary (2009).</ref>
|-
|economic rent
|1889
|revenue above the minimum amount to keep a good or service on the market, typically due to monopoly power; notice the date of origin was only one year prior to passage of the conservative [[Sherman Act]] in 1990
|-
|editorialize
|1856
|"to introduce opinion into the reporting of facts"<ref>Merriam-Webster (1994).</ref>
|-
|educrat
|1968
|a liberal education bureaucrat
|-
|[[efficiency]]
|1633
|ultimately from the Latin ''efficientem'', meaning ''"working out, or accomplishing"''<ref>[http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=efficient Online Etymological Dictionary]</ref>
|-
|egotism
|1714
|the root of atheism, as explained by Paul in Romans 1:21-22; the root of depression and anxiety also
|-
|electioneering
|1780s
|to work for the success of a particular candidate, party, ticket, etc., in an election.
|-
|[[elementary proof]]
|1865
|a mathematical proof based on the minimum assumptions associated with real analysis; term probably does not predate [[complex analysis]] and its first use may have been the English mathematician James Joseph Sylvester's paper, "On an elementary proof and generalisation of Sir Isaac Newton's hitherto undenionstrated rule for the discovery of imaginary roots."<ref>http://www.archive.org/stream/circular129johnuoft/circular129johnuoft_djvu.txt</ref>
|-
|[[elitism]]
|1950
|
|-
|[[embryoscopy]]
|1967<ref>The first endoscopic image of the unborn child was in 1967, by Mandelbaum. The date of origin of the term "embryoscopy" may have been later, but likely before the 1990s.</ref>
|Search this term on the internet and see the spectacular photos of the unborn child ("embryo") that were "scoped" by tiny cameras.
|-
|empowerment
|1986
|facilitating power for the ordinary; see also [[best of the public]]
|-
|empty nest
|1962
|a home after the children have grown and left
|-
|[[entitlement]]
|1944
|
|-
|entrepreneur
|1852
|
|-
|[[ethnic voting]]
|1900s
|widely recognized and even advocated by some,<ref>http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/1/5/2/3/4/p152345_index.html</ref> yet the dictionary doesn't yet recognize it
|-
|etiquette
|1740
|social standards of behavior that promote dignity and discourage inept communications (or lack thereof)
|-
|[[Eurabia]]
|1970s
|A satirical word based on the idea that Europe is rapidly becoming Islamized.
|-
|[[Eurosceptic]]
|1970s
|someone who opposes joining the super-socialist [[European Union]]; some prefer the term "Eurorealist" to express this opposition, and sometimes "Eurosceptic" is used to criticize opponents of the EU
|-
|everyman
|1906
|the typical person
|-
|exceptional
|1787
|same year of origin as the [[U.S. Constitution]]!
|-
|exculpatory
|1781
|often used in the phrase "exculpatory evidence," it took nearly 50 years to develop this term after origination of the legal term suggesting guilt: "incriminate"
|-
|existence proof
|1950
|overcoming denial that something is possible by referencing its existence
|-
|expatriate
|1768
|to give up one's own citizenship, or be banished by one's own nation
|-
|explain away
|1704
|a weaker form of [[liberal denial]], "explain away" the truth is the only way that some remain liberal as they grow older
|-
|expose
|1803
|(noun) a statement of the facts, typically to discredit wrongdoing by government
|-
|eyeball-to-eyeball
|1962
|"We're eyeball to eyeball, and I think the other fellow just blinked" was a conservative statement by Secretary of State Dean Rusk during the [[Cuban Missile Crisis]].<ref>http://www2.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/nsa/cuba_mis_cri/annals.htm</ref>
|-
|facade
|1845<ref>1845 is the date of origin for the figurative use. The literal use dates back to 1650s, meaning the front of a building.</ref>
|Example usage: "The facade of a liberal politician is often conservative."
|-
|fair shake
|1830
|approaching an idea or concept with an open mind
|-
|fairy tale
|1749
|a fanciful fictional story - sample usage: "[[Evolution]] is a fairy tale for adults who don't want to read and accept the logic of the [[Bible]]."
|-
|faith healing
|1885
|
|-
|faithless elector
|2016
|an elector in the [[Electoral College]] who violates his pledge to support the candidate chosen by the voters in his state, and instead votes for someone else or abstains; the [[liberal media]] thereby referred to electors who might betray Trump
|-
|[[fake news]]
|2017<ref>The term was used by [[liberals]] in late 2016, and had sporadic use going back even as early as the 1890s, but did not become common until 2017 when President Trump began using it.</ref>
|Popularized by President [[Donald Trump]] in describing false smears by the [[liberal media]] against him and other [[conservatives]].
|-
|false flag
|2015
|deceptive tactic by [[ISIS]] and other insurgents to commit heinous acts but falsely make it look like the governing regime did it. The origin of the name comes from a ship sailing under the false flag of its adversary until it got close enough to fire upon them.
|-
|[[family values]]
|1916
|widespread use after a speech by Vice President [[Dan Quayle]], 1992
|-
|fat farm
|1969
|a place where obese people—such as self-centered [[atheists]]—might go to try to lose weight
|-
|father figure
|1934
|someone who fulfills the essential role of a father
|-
|faux conservative
|1990<ref>First coined by ''The Economist'', in "[[New England]]'s governors; All change" (September 22, 1990), in reference to Lowell Weicker's "loss in 1988 to a Faux-conservative Democrat, Mr [[Joseph Lieberman]]."</ref>
|
|-
|federal government
|1787
|used by [[Alexander Hamilton]] in the first phrase of the ''[[Federalist Papers]]'' to signify a government that is not fully sovereign, as the States are
|-
|[[federalism]]
|1789
|the unique system of dual sovereigns, state and federal (national), established by the [[U.S. Constitution]]
|-
|fear-mongering
|1938<ref>The ''[[New York Times]]'' attributed the first use -- ironically -- to President [[Franklin Delano Roosevelt]].</ref>
|stir up exaggerated fear by the public, typically to expand government
|-
|feedback
|1920
|an all-important element of accountability and improvement, and a key consideration in good engineering design
|-
|[[fellow traveller]]
|1925
|may have existed earlier, but popularized in 1924 by Leon Trotsky. Describes a sympathizer of a cause but who does not formally belong to the cause, such as a [[communist]] sympathizer who is not part of the communist party. The term was invented by the communists in its original, non-negative sense, but the conservatives were the first to use it as a pejorative term.
|-
|[[fiscal cliff]]
|2012
|first coined by Federal Reserve Chairman [[Ben Bernanke]], it refers to the effect on the economy of a sharp drop in spending and perhaps an increase in taxes scheduled to take effect at approximately the same time.<ref>http://www.benjaminfedwards.com/blog/?p=197</ref>
|-
|[[Flip flop (politics)|flip-flop]]
|1976
|''verb'', meaning to change political position, typically due to [[liberal]] pressure. First used by the Republican S.I. Hayakawa campaign to describe California Democratic incumbent U.S. Senator John Tunney, whom Hayakawa defeated in an upset.
|-
|force-feed
|1901
|what liberals do to students in [[public schools]] today in training them to be [[atheist]]ic socialists
|-
|[[Essay: Fornonormativity|fornonormativity]]
|2016
|A state of a society, organization, or group in which fornication and related behaviors are presupposed to be normal, morally good, and expected. In a fornonormative social milieu, people who abstain from or oppose certain behaviors are considered deviant or worse.
|-
|forward-looking
|1800
|planning for the future rather than dwelling on the past
|-
|Founding Fathers
|1914
|the several dozen [[Christian]] men <ref>[http://www.adherents.com/gov/Founding_Fathers_Religion.html Religious Affiliation of the Founding Fathers of the United States of America, Adherents.com]</ref> who helped draft the formative documents of the United States
|-
|[[free enterprise]]
|1820
|
|-
|free lunch
|1949
|something acquired ostensibly without paying for it, as in welfare; often used to remind people that "there's no such thing as a free lunch" in order to point out that it must cost someone something, now or later.
|-
|[[free market]]
|1907
|
|-
|free speech
|1873
|shorthand for "freedom of speech," but with a connotation that extends to non-citizens and listeners; first used in a U.S. Supreme Court opinion in dissent in the [[Slaughter-House Cases]] by Justice Bradley
|-
|free world
|1949
|areas of the world free of communism
|-
|freeloader
|1934
|someone who avoids paying or working for his share of a benefit
|-
|frontiersmen
|1814
|living and working in a self-sufficient manner and with courage in a new land.
|-
|fuzzy math
|1937
|non-computational math designed to obscure the differences between the correct answers and the incorrect—but perhaps politically motivated—answers
|-
|galvanize
|1802
|as in, "the liberal proposals ''galvanized'' the grassroots in opposition"
|-
|[[gambit]]
|1656
|a sacrifice that obtains an advantageous position, as in the game of [[chess]] ([[Bobby Fischer]]'s queen's gambit was a masterpiece) or in real life (the [[Passion of Christ]])
|-
|gamble
|1726
|to intentionally take a risk for the sake of the risk itself, often addictive and even [[demonic]] as in [[gambling]]
|-
|gang up
|1925
|group pressure
|-
|gateway drug
|1982
|abuse of alcohol/marijuana eventually leads to harder drugs cocaine/heroin
|-
|[[gerrymandering]]
|1812
|coined by a newspaper editor to criticize the manipulation of the lines of a new district into a salamander shape<ref>http://www.allbusiness.com/information/publishing-industries/251259-1.html</ref> that favored election of a liberal politician
|-
|gimmick
|1922
|originally meant a deceptive mechanical device for controlling a [[gambling]] machine, and then its meaning expanded to include all trickery to attract attention
|-
|girlie men
|1988
|popularized by [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]], beginning when he campaigned for President [[George H.W. Bush]] by referring to his [[liberal]] opponents as "girlie men"
|-
|Giving Tuesday
|2012
|a day of charity during the [[Christmas]] season, in response to "Black Friday" and "Cyber Monday"
|-
|[[globalism]]
|1997
|Merriam-Webster states it was first used in 1943<ref>https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/globalism</ref> and the OED gives a date of 1965 for the exact term "globalism";<ref>http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50095613/50095613se2?single=1&query_type=word&queryword=globalism&first=1&max_to_show=10&hilite=50095613se2</ref> the term "globalization" was first used in the mid-1980s in a different, complimentary sense.
|-
|God-fearing
|1835
|Living by the rules of God; living in a way that is considered morally right.
|-
|godsend
|1820
|
|-
|go-getter
|1921
|
|-
|[[gold standard]]
|1831
|the highest standard. With respect to currency, when money could be exchanged for a fixed amount of gold.
|-
|golden parachute
|1981
|a pejorative term for a pre-arranged handout to a corporate executive when fired, as when the company is taken over by new ownership
|-
|good book
|1860
|the [[Bible]]
|-
|[[Good Samaritan]]
|1640
|how genuine charity is the best approach
|-
|goon
|1926
|a dim-witted thug, espec. one who intimidates on behalf of a union
|-
|government school
|1955
|coined by [[economist]] [[Milton Friedman]] as a more accurate name for [[public schools]]
|-
|[[grade inflation]]
|1975
|the tendency by Liberal educationalists and public schools to increase marks, irrespective of merit or actual achievement.
|-
|[[gradualism]]
|1835
|a form of [[liberal creep]]
|-
|grandstand
|1917
|to act in an insincere or exaggerated manner in order to try to impress onlookers
|-
|[[grassroots]]
|1901
|
|-
|gravy train
|1927
|easy money for little or no work, in contrast with the work ethic; notice how the [[Great Depression]] hit two years later
|-
|greasy spoon
|1902
|a free enterprise term for a small, cheap restaurant - which in many places is just what the public wants; reflects Jesus' [[Biblical scientific foreknowledge]] about the digestive system
|-
|[[Great Awakening]]
|1730-1740
|Christian spiritualism recurs periodically. See [[Essay:The Coming Fifth Great Awakening in America]].
|-
|[[Gresham's Law]]
|1858
|the tendency in a free market for bad money (which loses its value) to drive out (be used more often in transactions) than good money (which retains its value), because people want to horde the good money while getting rid of the bad money; a similar effect can be seen when profanity drives out intelligent discussion
|-
|[[groupthink]]
|1952
|a style of thought consisting of conformity to a manufactured consensus and self-deception; coined by William H. Whyte in 1952.
|-
|half-baked
|1855
|an idea that can appear reasonable at first, but with just a little thought it is recognized to be absurd
|-
|hallmark
|1721
|purity, authentic, official seal, distinguishing feature
|-
|handout
|1882
|describes charity and government giveaways
|-
|happy talk
|1973
|senseless banter among broadcasters in the [[lamestream media]], as a substitute for real news; more generally, happy talk is unjustifiably feel-good rhetoric that implicitly denies the real existence of [[Hell]].
|-
|hardworking
|1774
|
|-
|harmless error
|1861
|an insignificant violation of a duty or procedural rule; first used in ''Western Ins. Co. v. The Goody Friends'', 29 F. Cas. 764 (S.D. Ohio 1861) (referring to a duty)
|-
|hatchet job
|1944
|still looking for the context of its first use; today it means an article, typically by a liberal, that misleadingly smears someone, typically a conservative
|-
|Hawthorne effect
|1962
|the increase in achievement resulting merely from being observed; this was demonstrated by experiment at the Hawthorne Works of Western Electric in Cicero, Illinois
|-
|heartland
|1904
|the central portion of the United States known for its [[conservative]] values and lack of control by the [[liberal media]] and [[Hollywood]]
|-
|heckler's veto
|1965
|coined by University of Chicago Law Professor Harvey Kalven, Jr., a strong supporter of free speech in politics, this term has been used in [[Supreme Court]] decisions by Justices [[Sam Alito]],<ref>''See'' ''Pleasant Grove City v. Summum'', 129 S. Ct. 1125 (2009); ''see also'' ''Child Evangelism Fellowship of N.J., Inc. v. Stafford Twp. Sch. Dist.'', 386 F.3d 514 (3rd Cir. 2004).</ref> [[Antonin Scalia]], and [[Clarence Thomas]].<ref>''Good News Club v. Milford Cent. Sch.'', 533 U.S. 98 (2001)</ref>
|-
|high maintenance
|1980s<ref>The use of the term was picked up and repeated in a movie released in 1989, ''When Harry Met Sally'' (1989).</ref>
|someone, often liberal, who repeatedly demands attention and unproductive help from others
|-
|hindsight
|1866
|understanding of an event or decision with the benefit of wisdom gained afterward
|-
|[[hippie]]
|1965
|someone who rejects traditional morality and does what he wants, often growing long hair and smoking [[marijuana]] rather than working hard; this term became increasingly pejorative over time
|-
|hissy fit
|1970
|an unjustified tantrum, typically female in nature, as in "[[feminist]]s had a hissy fit when [[Lawrence Summers]] suggested (but criticized) the possibility that women have weaker scientific aptitude than men, and Summers ultimately resigned."
|-
|hoax
|1796
|to deceive the public into believing something that is false, often to pull people away from the [[Bible]].
|-
|Hobson's choice
|1649<ref>this term has the entertaining history of originating with an English liveryman who required customers to "choose" the horse closest to the door.</ref>
|an ostensible choice that disguises a lack of freedom, because each alternative is completely unacceptable. This term is invoked to criticize an illusory freedom of choice. This term has been used in 48 cases by Supreme Court Justices, more often by conservatives than by liberals.
|-
|hokey
|1927
|phony, in an obvious or corny way (in 1908, "hokum" originated, which means pretentious nonsense<ref>https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hokum</ref>)
|-
|Holy Week
|1710
|the week leading up to [[Easter]], including the [[Passion]], [[Crucifixion]] and [[Resurrection]]
|-
|[[home rule]]
|1855<ref>[http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/home-rule Dictionary.com estimates the first use as being at 1855-60]</ref>
|self-government on an issue at a local level, as in curriculum in education being established by a school district rather than the state or federal government
|-
|[[homemaker]]
|1876
|a wife and mother whose efforts are wisely spent running the household for the family
|-
|[[homeschool]]
|1980<ref>the OED assigns a date of origin of 1850 to "homeschool".</ref>
|
|-
|hometown
|1912
|the place where someone grew up and typically obtained some benefit
|-
|[[homosexual agenda]]
|1989
|used to promote the agenda in the book ''After the Ball'', but then used to criticize the movement by Justice [[Antonin Scalia]] in his dissent in ''Lawrence v. Texas'' (2003)''
|-
|honor system
|1903
|an approach to discipline that emphasizes and encourages trust, honesty and personal responsibility rather than constant supervision
|-
|human rights
|1766
|rights of all peoples, such as to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" as set forth in the [[Declaration of Independence]]
|-
|hype
|1931
|originally meant to deceive or "put on," and then its meaning shifted slightly to represent extravagant promotion of something as the liberal media often do
set forth in the [[Declaration of Independence]]
|-
|hypergamy
|1883
|the preference of many women to "marry up," which requires a society where men tend to make more than women do
|-
|hyphenated American
|1889
|President Theodore Roosevelt said in 1915, "There is no such thing as a hyphenated American who is a good American."
|-
|hypothesis
|1656
|a suggestion, typically scientific in nature, which must be tested and proven before asserted as truth
|-
|hysteria
|1801
|From the Latin ''hystericus'', from Greek ''hystera '' meaning ''"womb"''<ref>[https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hysteria Meriam Webster Dictionary]</ref> (an old notion that hysteria was caused by the [[womb]]).
|-
|idealist
|1829
|a person guided by ideals
|-
|illiteracy
|1660
|liberals seek to produce illiterate voters who lack independence, and many graduates of the [[public schools]] are illiterate today
|-
|inalienable
|1640s
|cannot be taken away, especially by government, as in "unalienable rights" in the [[Declaration of Independence]]
|-
|inattentive
|1741<ref>Date of origin given by the Online Etymology Dictionary; Merriam-Webster cites an earlier date of origin, perhaps with a narrower meaning.</ref>
|more than 150 years before the discovery in physics of the connection between attentiveness/observation and uncertainty/chaos, this conservative word cautioned against inattentiveness
|-
|incentivize
|1970
|create a reward to encourage good work
|-
|incidental inequality
|2009
|inequalities that result as side effects of an objectively just system
|-
|incoherent
|1626
|the term often applies to liberal [[double standard]]s
|-
|incompleteness
|1931
|a system of logic or mathematics that includes propositions that are impossible to prove or disprove; term coined as a result of [[Kurt Gödel]]'s work in 1931
|-
|incrementalism
|1966
|imposing bad political or social change slowly
|-
|indecisive
|1726
|can result from a lack of [[faith]] and determination
|-
|[[independence]]
|1640
|free will
|-
|[[individualism]]
|1827
|values, rights and duties arise from the individual
|-
|[[inerrancy]]
|1834
|free from error, as in "biblical inerrancy"
|-
|infinitesimal
|1706
|vanishingly small and approaching [[zero]], as in the [[faith]] of an [[atheist]]
|-
|inflationary
|1920
|policies causing inflation of the monetary supply
|-
|informed consent
|1967
|consent to surgery is meaningful only if informed, a requirement that should apply to abortion
|-
|initiative
|1793
|self-starting first step toward improvement, overcoming a tendency of complacent underachievement
|-
|inoculate
|1721
|to safeguard against future harm by developing immunity against it. Sample usage: "Conservapedia inoculates against [[liberal claptrap]]."
|-
|insightful
|1907
|what conservatism is about: gaining insights into the truth, and bettering individuals and society with them
|-
|inside baseball
|1978<ref>https://www.nytimes.com/1988/06/19/magazine/on-language-inside-baseball.html (popularized in the 1970s, but a date of origin earlier in the 1900s is likely)</ref>
|strategy and tactics known to the well-informed participants, but mysterious to most observers
|-
|intangible
|1914
|something valuable that cannot be seen or touched, such as goodwill
|-
|intellectual property
|1845
|"we [should] protect intellectual property, the labors of the mind, productions and interests as much a man's own, and as much the fruit of his honest industry, as the wheat he cultivates, or the flocks he rears." ''Davoll v. Brown'', 7 F. Cas. 197 (Cir. Ct. Mass. 1845) (Woodbury, federal judge).
|-
|[[intelligent design]]
|1991<ref>A few isolated references to this phrase, without its full current significance, can be found dating back to the mid-1800s</ref>
|coined in ''Darwin on Trial'', a book by Philip Johnson, who is considered the father of the intelligent design movement and who co-founded the [[Discovery Institute]]'s Center for Science and Culture in 1996<ref>http://biologos.org/resources/johnson-phillip-e</ref>
|-
|interventionism
|1923
|"governmental interference in economic affairs at home or in political affairs of another country"<ref>Merriam-Webster (1994).</ref>
|-
|invisible hand
|1776
|coined by Adam Smith in the ''Wealth of Nations'' and widely used today.
|-
|[[invisible hand of marriage]]
|2008
|discovered on Conservapedia, it is the unseen force of productivity that results from marriage (only between a man and woman).
|-
|Iron curtain
|1945
|coined by Winston Churchill in a speech in Missouri just after World War II, to describe the communist's figurative wall against freedom
|-
|[[irreducible complexity]]
|1935
|coined<ref>[[Alan Turing]] reportedly used the term for a completely different meaning that went nowhere. [http://www.uncommondescent.com/intelligent-design/nasty-feelings-in-the-ool-community-toward-yockey/]</ref> and later adopted and developed by [[Michael Behe]] to describe structure or system that could not possibly have evolved, because removing any part makes it nonfunctional, thereby showing that [[God]] must have created it whole into biology; if the [[Nobel Prize]] were not dominated by [[atheism]], Behe could win one for this insight.
|-
|[[Islamofascism]]
|1990?
|A form of totalitarian Muslim fundamentalist rule, or extreme Islamism.
|-
|ivory tower
|1910
|a description of the pampered culture of liberal [[professor values|professors]], and how far out of touch with the truth it is
|-
|jabberwocky
|1872
|meaningless talk; coined by [[Lewis Carroll]], a [[conservative]] [[mathematician]], in his classic book "Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There"
|-
|[[John Hancock]]
|1903
|a personal signature, especially in a bold style that stands up for principles as John Hancock did with his signing the Declaration of Independence
|-
|[[judicial activism]]
|1947
|first coined in an article in ''Fortune'' magazine by Arthur Schlesinger, Jr.,<ref>http://dic.academic.ru/dic.nsf/enwiki/278089</ref> and repeatedly used in U.S. Supreme Court opinions since 1967,<ref>''United States v. Wade'',
388 U.S. 218 (1967).</ref> yet as of 2009 [[Merriam-Webster]] dictionary still fails to recognize this widely used term.
|-
|judicial prejudice
|2009
|the bias of a judge in favor of a political correct identity group intended to rig outcome equality in favor of that group based on subjective bias rather than objective justice.
|-
|[[judicial restraint]]
|1942
|"Assuming that this court has power to act, it does not necessarily follow that it should act. ... In a number of situations, and in a number of cases, it has been held that courts should voluntarily refrain from using or asserting power. Where the use or assertion of power might be destructive of a well defined purpose of law or of a declared public policy such voluntarily imposed '''judicial restraint''' may be commendable."<ref>Osage Tribe of Indians v. Ickes, 45 F. Supp. 179, 184-85 (D.D.C. 1942) (emphasis added).</ref>
|-
|[[judicial supremacist]]
|2004
|one who advocates that the courts should be supreme over the other branches of government for certain legal issues; first coined in a book by [[Phyllis Schlafly]]; first used by the judiciary by the Michigan Supreme Court in ''Paige v. City of Sterling Heights'', 476 Mich. 495 (2006).<ref>A similar yet different concept, "judicial supremacy," was coined by [[conservative]] Supreme Court Justice [[Robert H. Jackson]] as the title of his book,'' The Struggle for Judicial Supremacy: A Study of a Crisis in American Political Power'' (New York: Knopf, 1941).</ref>
|-
|[[judicial taking]]
|1982
|the deprivation of private property due to a court decision; this concept was introduced by conservative Justice [[Potter Stewart]] in 1967, and the term was used for the first time independently by the Michigan and Hawaii Supreme Courts in the same month (!) in December 1982, and then used often in law review articles and Circuit Court decisions in the 2000s, and then four Justices of the [[U.S. Supreme Court]] endorsed the principle in a decision in 2010, with two others accepting the possibility.
|-
|[[junk science]]
|1962<ref>http://rated.com/dir/Society/Issues/Environment/Opposing_Views/Junk_Science</ref>
|the corruption of the scientific method to advance other, often political, goals (such as [[Global Warming]])
|-
|jury nullification
|1948
|the power of a jury to overrule the law and acquit an ostensibly guilty defendant; the power was established in the colonies in 1735 in the trial of [[John Peter Zenger]], but this term was first used in state court by Pfeuffer v. Haas, 55 S.W.2d 111 (Tex. Civ. App. 1932) and in federal court by ''Skidmore v. Baltimore & O. R. Co.'', 167 F.2d 54 (2nd Cir. 1948)
|-
|Kafkaesque
|1946
|illogical, nightmare-like situations, which typically arise from [[Leftist]] control of a bureaucracy
|-
|killjoy
|1776
|one who spoils the pleasure of others.<ref>[https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/killjoy Killjoy 1776 Mer-Web]</ref> ''Example''-Vandals seek to disrupt conservative wikis, an education project. They are a killjoy to the learning process.
|-
|kiss of death
|1943
|from Judas's betrayal of Jesus with a kiss, Mark 14:44-4
|-
|kleptocrat
|1819
|A politician who seeks status and personal gain at the expense of the governed
|-
|kowtow
|1826
|obsequious, unthinking obedience to someone or something, used especially in the context of dictatorships and liberal belief systems
|-
|Kremlinology
|1958
|the study of the otherwise indecipherable behavior of the government of the [[communist]] [[Soviet Union]]. Refers to the Kremlin, the traditional seat of Russian government (Soviet or not).
|-
|kudos
|1831
|praise for real achievement
|-
|la-la land
|1979<ref>First known use was in an article by Tom Zito, "Mr. Mike's Mania; Sick Humor, Very Well Indulged," [[Washington Post]] F1 (Nov. 8, 1979): "But now, it's off to La-La land, and his movie deal. 'The thing about Southern Californians,' he says, 'is this: They wake up and say, 'Gee, what a wonderful morning. I think I'll make a salad.' And that takes them the whole day. ..."</ref>
|a term for the decadent, liberal culture of [[Hollywood]]-driven [[Los Angeles]], originally capitalized as "La-La land."; Merriam-Webster is in denial about this etymology and claims a later origin of 1983.
|-
|[[labor camp]]
|1900
|forced work prison
|-
|[[laissez-faire]]
|1825
|opposing governmental interference in economic affairs beyond what is minimally necessary
|-
|lame duck
|1761
|one falling being in achievement, especially a public official whose power is limited because his term in office is set to expire without possibility of reelection.
|-
|[[lamestream media]]
|2009
|coined by Bernie Goldberg to describe the clueless [[Mainstream media]] that repeat superficial, discredited liberal claptrap
|-
|landslide
|1838
|In the political sense, an overwhelming election victory. A clear, democratic expression of popular will.
|-
|leadership
|1821
|an ability and willingness to lead, often by example
|-
|learning curve
|1922
|initial, extra time and effort that is typically necessary before someone becomes productive
|-
|[[Left Coast]]
|1990s
|a more descriptive term for the West Coast of the United States
|-
|leftism
|1920
|principles and doctrine of leftists
|-
|level-headed
|1876
|"balanced", "having common sense and sound judgment"
|-
|[[liberal creep]]
|2008
|liberal bias that gradually creeps or distorts an entry, definition, explanation, description, or historical account.
|-
|life vest
|1939
|a pro-life invention
|-
|lifelong
|1855
|something, usually a commitment, that lasts a lifetime, as in "a lifelong commitment to [[Christ]]"
|-
|[[limousine liberal]]
|1969
|a multi-millionaire who pretends to be compassionate about the poor, but supports liberal policies that increase burdens on working Americans
|-
|litmus test
|1952
|use of a single political issue to determine if a candidate or nominee is acceptable
|-
|local
|1824<ref>This date refers to its first usage as a ''noun'', which is an estimate of its adoption as a concept.</ref>
|common usage: "all politics is local"
|-
|lockstep
|1802
|mindless conformity, often to liberal values
|-
|locomotive
|1829
|a great engine of economic growth during the [[Industrial Revolution]]
|-
|lone wolf
|1909
|a person who prefers to work, act, or live alone,<ref>[https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lone%20wolf Lone wolf, Merriam-Webster]</ref> synonymous with self-sufficiency
|-
|loose cannon
|1973
|an undisciplined person or program that dangerously lacks forethought; used in mid-November 1976 to describe $11 billion in unspent appropriations by the Ford Administration: "'That money,' says Arnold Packer, a senior Senate Budget Committee economist who is helping Carter draw up his shadow budget, 'is like a loose cannon rolling around the deck' because a sudden reappearance of the funds could be inflationary." (''BusinessWeek'')
|-
|lowest common denominator
|1854
|the lowest in work ethic, morals, or knowledge among a group; typically used to criticize the liberal practice of dumbing down content
|-
|low-information voter
|2007
|a term that explains why people vote for Democrats
|-
|lunatic fringe
|1913
|coined by U.S. President [[Theodore Roosevelt]] to describe members of eccentric, radical or extremist groups<ref>http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=lunatic</ref>
|-
|machismo
|1948
|a word never used favorably by feminists!
|-
|Main Street
|1743
|the many small towns in America, and their conservative values
|-
|mainstay
|1787
|the primary support, typically for something good
|-
|man of [[God]]
|1748
|a clergyman
|-
|manhunt
|1846
|notice how sexist the term is, and yet [[liberals]] have not been able to convert it to "personhunt"
|-
|man-hater
|1970s<ref>This was during the epic struggle -- and defeat -- of the so-called [[Equal Rights Amendment]].</ref>
|William Safire wrote in the ''New York Times'' in 1983, "Misandry, from the Greek misandros for 'hating men,' is in the 1961 Merriam-Webster New International Dictionary, and the Oxford Dictionary Supplement traces it to 1946. The word is pronounced as 'Ms. Andry,' but I wonder why we need the Greek word for it. What's wrong with good, old-fashioned man-hater?"<ref>Sunday, Oct. 30, 1983, Section 6, Page 12, Column 3.</ref>
|-
|make-work
|1923
|inefficient or useless activity that has the false appearance of being productive; a favorite endeavor of liberals
|-
|[[market failure]]
|1958<ref>Coined as the title of a scholarly article by Francis M. Bator, "The Anatomy of Market Failure," ''The Quarterly Journal of Economics'' (1958) [http://instruct1.cit.cornell.edu/Courses/econ335/out/bator_qje.pdf]</ref>
|instances where the free market does not provide a desirable result, as when information is withheld from an unsuspecting consumer
|-
|manifest destiny
|1845
|Providential design over future events, which originated in the context of expanding the United States to the Pacific Ocean
|-
|[[Mardi Gras]]
|1699
|The annual celebration on the eve of [[Ash Wednesday]] and [[Lent]], particularly in the historically [[Catholic]] city of [[New Orleans]].
|-
|marriage redefinition
|2003
|descriptive term used to criticize the legalizing of same-sex marriage in [[Canada]].
|-
|materialism
|1748
|the view of life that physical matter is all that exists; as an "ism", the term criticizes such view
|-
|meat and potatoes
|1951
|the most interesting or fundamental part
|-
|[[Medal of Honor]]
|1898
|a special American honor for bravery on the battlefield
|-
|[[media bullying]]
|2008<ref>http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Media_bullying&oldid=430831 (Apr. 14, 2008)</ref>
|first coined by ''Conservapedia'', media bullying is aggressive bias by the media in the attempt to influence a politician or others, typically toward a [[liberal]] goal
|-
|melting pot
|1912
|requires "social and cultural assimilation" for successful immigration<ref>Merriam-Webster dictionary (1994)</ref>
|-
|[[meritocracy]]
|1958
|a system in which the talented are chosen and moved ahead on the basis of their achievement
|-
|[[microeconomics]]
|1947
|the study of the economics of the individual person or business
|-
|micromanage
|1985
|insistence on controlling details, typically by liberals to [[censorship|censor]] progress; [[Ronald Reagan]] was critical of this style by [[Democrat]] Presidents
|-
|Midwest conservative
|2006
|used initially to describe right-leaning politicians from the Midwest including [[Gerald Ford]] when he passed away, the term captures the mixture of common sense, intellectualism, and [[faith]] that leads the conservative movement from the heartland.
|-
|mind control
|1944
|a pejorative term for how an atheistic government influences what people believe, especially through public education
|-
|mindset
|1909
|close-minded point-of-view, typically in adherence to a liberal falsehood and often to the exclusion of Christ
|-
|missile defense
|1980s
|popularized by President Ronald Reagan as part of [[SDI]]
|-
|mission creep
|1991
|the liberal tendency to incrementally broaden the original goals of an organization or mission; used by Tucker Carlson to describe the defect in the investigation by Robert Mueller of the Trump Administration in 2017
|-
|missionary
|1625
|someone sent on a mission, typically a religious mission
|-
|mobocracy
|1754
|rule by a mob, as at Wikipedia
|-
|monogamy
|1612
|this has the same date of origin as "productive", and that may not be a coincidence!
|-
|moonlighting
|1957
|working more than a full-time job in order to be as productive as possible; the [[work ethic]] at its best
|-
|moral majority
|1979
|coined by [[Jerry Falwell]] to describe the movement of growing moral, Christian conservatives.
|-
|motivation
|1873
|can you believe the word did not exist before 1873?!
|-
|moxie
|1930
|determined enthusiasm, initially coined as a trademark for a popular soft drink sold at baseball games and elsewhere
|-
|muckety–muck
|1912
|a pejorative term for an arrogant person who holds a title or position considered to be important by others
|-
|muckraker
|1910
|a person who searches out and publicly exposes [[deceit]]<ref>[https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/muckraker Merriam-Webster - Muckraker]</ref>
|-
|Murphy's Law
|1958
|if something can go wrong, then it will go wrong: this was a conservative insight by an engineer Edward Murphy
|-
|muscle car
|1967
|placing a powerful engine in a classic two-door car for highly efficient performance; also celebrate masculine style against erosion by feminism
|-
|myopic
|1990s
|originally a term in optometry (1752), 1990's used to describe liberals' lack of foresight
|-
|namby-pamby
|1745<ref>In 1726, poet Henry Carey first coined this term to ridicule rival poet Ambrose Philips, whose verses were unsophisticated. The modern meaning of the term developed a bit later.</ref>
|weak, indecisive, and, when describing a male group, also effeminate
|-
|name-dropping
|1950
|a term critical of the [[liberal]] practice of seeking to impress others by casually mentioning personal association with prominent people, despite its lack of relevance to the conversation
|-
|nanny state
|1978
|"Under the New Economic Policy, [the new French Prime Minister Raymond] Barre has made it clear that industrial lame ducks can no longer count on the generosity of Nanny i.e. the state - for bailing out."<ref>Leo Ryan, "Economy Shored up: France's new surge of liberalism," The Globe and Mail (Canada) (Aug. 1, 1978)</ref> Note how two powerful new conservative terms led to a third here!
|-
|negativism
|1824
|mental attitude that tends that is skeptical about almost everything, except one's own views
|-
|newspeak
|1949
|political or media expressions using circumlocution and euphemisms to disguise or distract from the truth; first coined by [[George Orwell]] in ''[[1984]]''
|-
|neopopulism
|2012
|a form of populism that is [[conservative]], as articulated by the book ''Neopopulism as Counterculture''.<ref>By Thomas Dahlberg and Erick Kaardal (Vision Series: 2012).</ref> In a somewhat different way, the populism-based election of [[Donald Trump]] was also a conservative neopopulism.
|-
|noel
|1811
|a Christmas carol or, when capitalized, Christmas itself
|-
|non-justiciable
|1922<ref>Used by the state attorneys for West Virginia (including Philip Steptoe, founder of Steptoe & Johnson) in ''Pennsylvania v. West Virginia'', 262 U.S. 553 (1923): "It is not the 'subject of judicial cognizance,' Hans v. Louisiana, 134 U.S. 1, 15; Louisiana v. Texas, 176 U.S 1, 15; Missouri v. Illinois, 180 U.S. 208, 233, or 'susceptible of judicial solution.' Louisiana v. Texas, 176 U.S. 1, 18, 22; Missouri v. Illinois, 180 U.S. 208, 233, 234."</ref>
|a difficult issue that the courts should not attempt to resolve, often because it is too political in nature
|-
|non-locality
|1920s
|[[action at a distance]] at the atomic level; even though proven, it is still opposed by those who believe in [[relativity]] and still not recognized by Merriam-Webster
|-
|nonstarter
|1902
|an idea—typically a [[liberal]] one—that has no possibility of being productive
|-
|null set
|1906<ref>http://www.leidenuniv.nl/fsw/verduin/stathist/1stword.htm</ref>
|Example usage: "the contribution of [[Leftism]] to progress is the null set."
|-
|nullification
|1798
|assertion of authority by a State against encroachment by the federal government, in defense of liberty
|-
|obstructionism
|1879
|deliberate interference with free speech or legislative progress, as when liberal legislators (the "fleebaggers") fled Wisconsin to try to block a reform
|-
|Old Glory
|1862
|the ''United States of America'' flag, Stars & Stripes
|-
|one-size-fits-all
|1996<ref>Was there an earlier conservative use? Frank Zappa's album cover in the 1970s does not count!</ref>
|Lee Wishing, director of communications for conservative [[Grove City College]], in criticism of how the government administers student loans: "Unfortunately, with government programs, it's one size fits all."<ref>http://www.eagleforum.org/educate/1996/dec96/er-dec96.html</ref> The 2008 Republican platform states, "We reject a one-size-fits-all approach and support parental options, including home schooling, and local innovations such as schools or classes for boys only or for girls only and alternative and innovative school schedules."<ref>http://platform.gop.com/2008Platform.pdf</ref>
|-
|one-trick pony
|1980
|a person or group that relies repeatedly on the same gimmick, as in "the media are a one-trick pony in their criticism of [[Rand Paul]]"
|-
|open-minded
|1828
|see [[Essay:Quantifying Openmindedness]]
|-
|[[opportunity cost]]
|1911
|
|-
|optimism
|1759
|
|-
|ordered pair
|1870s
|developed by the [[Christian]] [[Georg Cantor]], this [[conservative]] concept was part of the [[set theory]] that he invented and revolutionized mathematics with, despite opposition by the establishment
|-
|organic food
|1950s
|a grassroots conservative response, led by mom-and-pop consumers and pharmacies, against government-approved pesticides and mandatory fluoridation
|-
|originalism
|1985
|taken from original intent, The belief that the United States Constitution should be interpreted in the way the authors originally intended it
|-
|originality
|1742
|[[Liberals]] not only lack originality, but (like Justice [[Hugo Black]]) are often hostile to its possibility.
|-
|Orwellian
|1960s
|terminology or style that advances the power of big government but is hurtful or nonsensical<ref>http://www.ntu.org/main/press.php?PressID=604</ref>
|-
|ostensibly
|1765
|having an outward appearance that may not reflect the underlying truth; good potential use is Luke 3:23 in describing Jesus as the son of Joseph
|-
|outflank
|1765
|to move swiftly around an opponent, a military tactic mastered by [[conservative]] [[General]] [[George Patton]] to crush the [[Germans]] in [[World War II]]
|-
|overthink
|1987<ref>started its sharp increase in usage in this year</ref>
|to think so much about a problem or issue as to miss more advantageous, simpler approaches. Sample usage: [[Donald Trump]]'s successful style illustrated that his rivals were overthinking politics.
|-
|pack heat
|1940s
|carry a concealed firearm, allowed by permit in nearly every state, yet liberal bias has made dictionaries slow to recognize this term
|-
|parenting
|1958
|children raising
|-
|Parkinson's Law
|1955
|how bureaucracies expand regardless of the productivity, and how inefficient work expands to fill the time available for its completion
|-
|parochial school
|1755
|a donation-supported, religious alternative to the mistake of [[public schools]]
|-
|[[Parthian shot]]
|1832
|a negative term for the tactic of expressing a criticism while one exits, just as the ancient Parthians would shoot arrows while retreating in battle. This tactic is common among those who reject [[conservative]] truths, as seen when left-leaning editors leave ''Conservapedia''.
|-
|[[partial-birth abortion]]
|1995<ref>Used by congressman Charles Canady to name the "Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act" to prohibit the horrific procedure.</ref>
|a hideous "dilation and extraction" [[abortion]] late in pregnancy that dismembers the child and punctures his head
|-
|passive-aggressive
|1946
|aggressively obstinate by failing to act, as [[liberals]] are in refusing to read the [[Bible]] with an open mind
|-
|[[patent troll]]
|2001
|a company that obtains or buys up patents for the sole purpose of asserting infringement claims, and without any intention of actually manufacturing the invention; the term was first coined by Peter Detkin, in-house counsel to Intel
|-
|patriotism
|1726
|
|-
|Pavlovian
|1926
|a conditioned, automatic and unthinking response to a signal; it has been used twice by [[conservative]] Supreme Court Justices. "It is well established that this Court does not, or at least should not, respond in Pavlovian fashion to confessions of error by the [[Solicitor General]]." ''De Marco v. United States'', 415 U.S. 449, 451 (1974) ([[Rehnquist]], J., dissenting); "'[[Incorporation doctrine|Incorporation]]' has become so Pavlovian that my Brother BLACK barely mentions the [[Fourteenth Amendment]] in the course of an 11-page opinion dealing with the procedural rule the State of [[Florida]] has adopted for cases tried in Florida courts under Florida's criminal laws." '' Williams v. Fla.'', 399 U.S. 78, 144 (1970) ([[Potter Stewart|Stewart]], J., dissenting and concurring).
|-
|pejorative
|1882
|a word that has negative connotations in describing something, which the [[liberal media]] use while pretending that the term is neutral, such as "nativism" or "isolationism"
|-
|perestroika
|1986
|increasing economic freedom and free speech under [[communism]], which led to the unraveling of the [[communist]] [[Soviet Union]]
|-
|perpetual war
|1947
|Coined by historian Charles A. Beard,<ref>Charles A. Beard is best known for interpreting the Constitution as being primarily motivated by economic interests.</ref> it has been used most recently by [[Ann Coulter]]
|-
|[[personhood]] <ref>[http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/personhood Personhood] Dictionary.com</ref>
|1955
|Inherent rights guaranteed to all human beings from the beginning of their biological development, including the pre-born, partially born. Also, the state or fact of being a person.
|-
|Philadelphia
|1682
|coined by [[William Penn]] and meaning "city of brotherly love," the concept captures the "[[best of the public]]" approach
|-
|[[phonics]]
|1684
|conservatives have long championed phonics to promote literacy, Bible-reading, and informed voters; liberals take the opposite position
|-
|phony
|1900<ref>This surprisingly recent origin appears to be derived from a British confidence game.</ref>
|needed to address [[liberal deceit]]
|-
|[[photo bias]]
|1992<ref>A letter to the editor by a reader of the [[liberal]] ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' observed, "This is the third time in recent weeks that a weird or disfigured picture of Mr. Quayle has appeared in your Sunday paper."</ref>
|a common trick of the [[liberal media]] to push the reader to the political left on an issue, as in displaying a man without teeth as an opponent of a liberal bill or candidate.
|-
|Pickwickian
|1836
|a simple and generous quality, usually a person in the mold of Samuel Pickwick, a character in [[Charles Dickens]]' ''Pickwick Papers''
|-
|[[pie in the sky]]
|1911
|an unrealistic claim of value about a future [[materialism|materialistic]] benefit
|-
|piece of cake
|1936
|Sample usage: with church and the [[Bible]], life can be a piece of cake, but without [[Christ]] it can be very difficult
|-
|plasticity
|1783
|having a plastic quality that conforms to molding or pressure; in pejorative usage, someone who easily conforms to [[peer pressure]] or [[liberal]] falsehoods
|-
|poetic justice
|1890
|when virtue is rewarded and/or wrongdoing is punished in an indirect or unexpected way
|-
|point of order
|1745<ref>[http://www.thefreedictionary.com/point+of+order Free dictionary gives a range of 1745-1755 for first usage]</ref>
|an objection to how a proceeding or discussion is being conducted, typically in opposition to [[liberal style]] and bias
|-
|[[political capital]]
|2004
|popularized by President [[George W. Bush]] after he won reelection and declared that he would "spend" the political capital by implementing his agenda
|-
|political machine
|1905
|a pejorative term for local and typically Democratic power structures that prevent outsiders from winning elections; first used by George Washington Plunkitt to criticize the Tammany Hall machine for which he served
|-
|[[politically correct]]
|1983
|This term originated among radicals at the [[University of Wisconsin-Madison]] to enforce radical orthodoxy, but immediately flipped in usage to become a term of mockery of radicals.<ref>For an early different usage of the word, see 1793 J. WILSON in U.S. Rep. (U.S. Supreme Court) 2 (1798) 462 Sentiments and expressions of this inaccurate kind prevail in our..language... ‘The United States’, instead of the ‘People of the United States’, is the toast given. This is not politically correct.</ref> The term may have come from Chairman Mao in 1936.
|-
|politicize
|1846
|seeking political gain at the expense of truth or quality<ref>The Merriam-Webster definition (1994 ed.) is incomplete and unclear: "to give a political tone or character to"</ref>
|-
|politics of envy
|2011
|used by Australian [[conservative]] Christopher Pine to describe the philosophy behind taking money from private schools and giving it to public ones.
|-
|Pollyanna
|1913
|a very optimistic, cheerful, and exuberant person who lights up the world around her; the main character in the best-selling children's book by that name written by Eleanor H. Porter (published in 1913)
|-
|portability
|1965
|the degree to which something—particularly software—may be easily moved with minimal expense from one technology platform to another; parables are effective because of their portability among languages
|-
|pork barrel
|1909
|government as a source of handouts that redistribute money from hard-working people to those who avoid work
|-
|[[post-abortive]]
|1986
|the unexpected trauma and physical harm—which can worsen over time—that is experienced by a woman after having an [[abortion]]; coined by Dr. Kaye Cash in an editorial describing what she learned during a 365-mile walk in southeast Arkansas to speak with the public about abortion<ref>Editorial by Kaye Cash, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Little Rock, AR), October 23, 1986.</ref>
|-
|Potemkin village
|1935
|a phony facade designed to distract the public from a disgraceful condition, typically used to describe deception by government against the people
|-
|potential
|1817<ref>Usage here refers to "promise", not "possibility".</ref>
|
|-
|pothead
|1959
|someone who smokes marijuana and doesn't realize how it destroys people
|-
|powerhouse
|1881
|source of energy and strength - which is what the conservative movement is
|-
|[[price discrimination]]
|1920
|charging different prices for exactly the same service or good; first coined by the British economist (and critic of [[John Maynard Keynes]]) Arthur Cecil Pigou in ''The Economics of Welfare''.
|-
|[[price fixing]]
|1920
|the setting of prices in interference of the [[free market]]; it is illegal for private companies to do this, but government itself sometimes does it
|-
|prioritize
|1961
|to recognize that some goals and activities are more important than others, and then focus accordingly
|-
|private sector
|1952
|non-governmental businesses and jobs functioning in free enterprise
|-
|privatize
|1940
|to return a business or enterprise from state to private control; to de-nationalize.
|-
|proactive
|1933
|
|-
|Procrustean
|1832
|a pejorative description of the one-size-fits-all mentality, which disregards individual differences
|-
|productive
|1612
|
|-
|productivity
|1810
|the gap of about 200 years between the creation of "productive" and "productivity" is astounding
|-
|[[pro-life]]
|1960
|
|-
|property right
|1853
|
|-
|provocateur
|1919
|someone who spends more time causing unproductive conflicts rather than advancing knowledge, accomplishing legitimate goals, or helping anyone
|-
|pseudoscience
|1844
|worthless claims written with the appearance of scientific rigor to gain an aura of credibility
|-
|public charge
|1880
|an official term used by the government to describe someone who depends on payments from government
|-
|publicity stunt
|1969<ref>Earlier usage in the 1900s may have occurred, but the term "stunt" was not coined until 1878.</ref>
|Used on April 10, 1969 by Republican Senators who withdrew from a tour and probe by Senator [[Ted Kennedy]], criticizing him for his "publicity stunt" in preparation for his expected run for the presidency; the [[Chappaquiddick incident]] sunk his chances three months later.
|-
|puff piece
|1980s
|a biased story by the [[lamestream media]] to promote someone who shares their [[Leftist]] views
|-
|punctual
|1675
|consistently showing up on time, rather than a disrespectful tardiness
|-
|quantify
|1840
|
|-
|race card
|1995<ref>This is the date of its widespread familiarity.</ref>
|"Playing the race card" consists of relying on racial emotions or charges of racism in order to overcome the truth and logic in politics, legal proceedings, or otherwise; this term became familiar in the criticism of the defense and acquittal of O.J. Simpson for the murder of his ex-wife and her friend.
|-
|reasonable doubt
|1770
|a Christian concept for the benefit of the souls of jurors, not the accused; first used in English by [[John Adams]] (before that, in [[canon law]]) in addressing the jury during his defense of the Boston Massacre perpetrators: "Where you are doubtful never act: that is, if you doubt of the prisoner's guilt, never declare him guilty; that is always the rule, especially in cases of life."<ref>http://digitalcommons.law.yale.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=fss_papers</ref>
|-
|rapture
|1629
|spiritual ecstasy [http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=rapture]
|-
|[[recidivism]]
|1886
|the tendency for people lacking in [[faith]] and determination to revert to prior patterns of harmful behavior, such as repeat criminal offenders
|-
|recuse
|1949
|self-removal by a decision-maker (especially a judge) because of possible bias with respect to the pending issue
|-
|red tape
|1736
|excessive bureaucracy and procedural complexity which frustrate meaningful activity and progress
|-
|refudiate
|2010
|combination of ''refute'' and ''repudiate'', as coined by [[Sarah Palin]]
|-
|[[relativism]]
|1865
|the view that ethical truths are not absolute, but depend on the person or group that holds them
|-
|[[responsibility]]
|1737
|HAMILTON Federalist No. 63 (1988) II. 193 Responsibility in order to be reasonable must be limited to objects within the power of the responsible party.
|-
|rethink
|1700<ref>Date of origin given by the 10th Edition of the ''Merriam-Webster'' dictionary; its online dictionary has an earlier date.</ref>
|to reconsider, a sign of [[Essay:Quantifying Openmindedness|openmindedness]]
|-
|reverse discrimination
|1969
|the use of quotas or affirmative action to use race or gender to discriminate against a better qualified person
|-
|revisionism
|1903<ref>The first use of this term, now obscure, refers to a Marxist movement that preferred evolutionary rather than revolutionary change.</ref>
|distortions of history to promote liberal bias
|-
|revolving-door
|1973
|the liberal practice of repeatedly transferring into and out of government in a way that impedes progress and access by others, like the same people going round-and-round in a real revolving door
|-
|right-of-way
|1768
|a right to pass through, other rights notwithstanding
|-
|[[RINO]]
|1992
|First known use in print: "[[Bill Clinton]] would have been proud .... The [[Republican]]s were moving out and the [[Democrat]]s and 'RINOs' (Republicans In Name Only) were moving in."<ref>John DiStaso in the [[conservative]] ''New Hampshire Union Leader'', in December 1992 shortly after Clinton's election.</ref>
|-
|[[RINO Backer]]
|2012
|a more important term than "RINO", because what matters most is whether someone will stand up for a [[conservative]] position and candidate when the [[liberal media]] demand that everyone flock to the liberal side.
|-
|riot act
|1715<ref>Its colloquial use, as in "read them the riot act," began in 1819.</ref>
|the Riot Act was a law passed in England in 1715 to authorize officials to disperse riots
|-
|risk averse
|1970s<ref>Its first use in a published law review article or court decision was in ''Joint Committees as an Alternative Form of Arbitration Under the NLRA'', 47 Tul. L. Rev. 325 (Feb. 1973).</ref>
|the antidote to [[gambling]], being risk averse attains the immense benefits that result from minimizing [[uncertainty]]
|-
|Rock of Gibraltar
|1776
|unwavering strength amid adversity
|-
|Rogue state
|1993
|(Originally used in 1993 then reintroduced in 2002.) A 'rogue state' displays no regard for international law. It attempts to acquire weapons of mass destruction and other military technology with which to threaten neighbouring countries and support terrorism. Rogue states often reject human values and brutalize their own people.
|-
|rubber-stamp
|1918
|unthinking repetition or endorsement of something, despite having the responsibility to make an independent decision, as in "Democrats rubber-stamp demands by the abortion industry."
|-
|rugged
|1897<ref>http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=rugged</ref>
|sample usage: "rugged individualism," which describes the American character
|-
|running start
|1926
|taking initiative earlier than required, in order to achieve more
|-
|run of the mill
|1930
|meaning "merely average, commonplace," the term is critical of a failure to strive for excellence
|-
|sacred cow
|1910
|a person or idea, typically liberal, that becomes immune from criticism because of its political usefulness rather than its truthfulness, as in the theories of [[evolution]] and [[relativity]]
|-
|scam
|1963
|a deceptive scheme, which is what most liberal theories are. Interestingly, the origin of the term "scam" is unknown, but its timing near the beginning of the 1960s is telling.
|-
|scapegoating
|1943
|a term criticizing how people, particularly liberals, deflect accountability and blame from themselves to others; inspired by Leviticus 16:8.
|-
|salutary neglect
|1775
|coined by the [[conservative]] [[Edmund Burke]] in his 1775 speech to the British [[House of Commons]] entitled "On Moving His Resolutions for Conciliation with the Colonies"<ref>http://www.archive.org/stream/burkesspeechonco00burkuoft/burkesspeechonco00burkuoft_djvu.txt</ref>
|-
|school choice
|1980
|popularized by [[Milton Friedman]] in his book, ''Free to Choose''
|-
|school of hard knocks
|1912<ref>coined by George Ade, a popular Midwestern columnist and author, in his book "Knocking the Neighbors": [https://archive.org/stream/knockingofneigh00abegrich/knockingofneigh00abegrich_djvu.txt]</ref>
|education by difficult, painful experiences
|-
|[[scientific fascism]]
|2009
|a coordinated effort by a group of scientists to enforce a certain point of view upon others.
|-
|scofflaw
|1924
|a word invented by the [[best of the public]] as part of contest to describe people who are contemptuous of laws and repeatedly violate them
|-
|scrutinize
|1671
|its original meaning was to examine votes, and thus prevent [[liberal]] attempts at voter fraud
|-
|[[secularism]]
|1850-55
|attempts to educate, particularly through [[public school]], without including [[faith]] or even acknowledgment of [[God]]
|-
|Segway
|2001
|Dean Kamen's trademark spelling of "segue" for use of Yankee Ingenuity to improve efficiency, to refer to a form of battery-powered transportation.
|-
|[[self-defense]]
|1651
|
|-
|self-destruct
|1968
|often the tragic result of liberal falsehoods
|-
|[[Discipline|self-discipline]]
|1838
|
|-
|self-preservation
|1614
|preservation of oneself from destruction or harm
|-
|self-reliant
|1848
|
|-
|separation of powers
|1748
|the fundamental principle of the [[U.S. Constitution]], separation of powers originated from "The Spirit of the Laws" by the French political philosopher [[Montesquieu]].<ref>http://www.ncsl.org/research/about-state-legislatures/separation-of-powers.aspx</ref> Separation of powers establishes checks and balances as a safeguard against the concentration of power.
|-
|shotgun marriage
|1929
|pregnancy => get married. Think of someone besides yourself for a change.
|-
|show trial
|1937
|trials, especially in communist countries, which have preordained outcomes but are used for propaganda purposes
|-
|sidewalk counseling
|1975
|the practice of volunteers exercising their right of [[free speech]] to advise women against [[abortion]] as they walk on sidewalks toward abortion clinics; liberals have passed laws to restrict and [[censorship|censor]] this
|-
|[[silent majority]]
|1969
|coined by President [[Richard Nixon]] in his speech to the nation on Nov. 3, 1969<ref>http://watergate.info/nixon/silent-majority-speech-1969.shtml</ref>
|-
|silver lining
|1871
|a benefit that is not obvious to see, particularly amid a disappointment
|-
|skullduggery
|1867
|underhanded or unscrupulous behavior
|-
|silent majority
|1955<ref>first use was [[British]] but the term was popularized by the Nixon Administration in response to protests against the [[Vietnam War]]</ref>
|the term is reminder not to give a heckler, a protester, or a vocal minority more deference than they deserve when the silent majority properly opposes their views
|-
|[[slippery slope]]
|1900s
|term has been widely used for decades to expose the fallacy of "it doesn't hurt to try"
|-
|small talk
|1745
|inconsequential, shallow conversation that is usually a waste of time
|-
|[[small town values]]
|1984
|term was first used by [[Democrat]] [[John Glenn]] in his failed presidential run in 1984, in a futile effort to appear more conservative than [[Ronald Reagan]]
|-
|smoke and mirrors
|1979
|something intended to disguise or draw attention away from an often embarrassing or unpleasant issue.<ref>[https://www.merriam-webster.com/netdict/smoke%20and%20mirrors Smoke and Mirrors, Merriam-Webster]</ref> Widely used during the 1990s to describe [[Bill Clinton]]'s political strategy.
|-
|smoke-filled room
|1920
|a pejorative term describing how a few political insiders sometimes pick a candidate or make a decision in a secret room (in the old days, filled with cigar smoke)
|-
|smoking gun
|1974
|a law-and-order term, "smoking gun" was first used as figurative term in a reported judicial decision in ''Rodgers v. United States Steel Corp.'', 1975 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 12775 (W.D. Pa. Apr. 20, 1975), and many literal uses of the term in court decisions before that!
|-
|soapbox
|1907
|staging for a typically liberal, unproductive rant having little substance
|-
|soccer mom
|1987
|a mother who devotes herself to her children's activities; this is a significant voting bloc or demographic group
|-
|social engineering
|1925
|an increasingly pejorative term for liberal attempts to create a "nanny state"
|-
|[[socialist]]
|1827
|someone who advocates government control over the economy, and particularly state control of the means of production
|-
|social justice rhetoric
|2009
|language and rhetorical ploys equating equality of outcome with justice
|-
|sophomoric
|1813
|pretending to know much, when in fact the person knows little and is even immature
|-
|soul-searching
|1924
|personal reflection about one's own values and morality
|-
|sour grapes
|1760
|disparagement of something by someone who failed to attain it, rather than admitting his own faults
|-
|[[Tax-and-spend|spend-and-tax]]
|2009<ref>http://blog.heritage.org/2009/03/02/morning-bell-the-obama-tax-and-spend-economy-is-here/</ref>
|a variation on "tax-and-spend" (see below), "spend-and-tax" consists of spending the money first and then trying to justify raising taxes based on the deficit created by the spending
|-
|spin doctor
|1984
|someone ensuring that others interpret an event from a particular point of view.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/22/world/asia/22policy.html?_r=2 General Petraeus describes Axelrod by Bob Woodward]</ref>
|-
|spot-on
|1949
|precisely correct, as in a prediction or in overcoming imprecision in a challenging task; its origin is from the military
|-
|squirrelly
|1928
|like a squirrel; jumpy and unpredictable; as in liberals get squirrelly when confronted with facts.
|-
|squish
|1981
|someone who pretends to be conservative when it is popular, but then caves into [[liberals]] as soon as they start to criticize him
|-
|[[stagflation]]
|1965
|inflation ''and'' high [[unemployment]] ''and'' stagnant demand by consumers, typically due to [[liberal]] policies as in the late 1970s under President [[Jimmy Carter]]
|-
|stalking horse
|1788
|a candidate or issue that serves to increase the chances that ''another'' will win, as in "antifederalists attempted to win elections by using 'the stalking horse of amendments.'"<ref>''Centinel'', 1788 (quoted in ''The Federalist party in Massachusetts to the year 1800'', By Anson Ely Morse).</ref>
|-
|[[statism]]
|1919
|advocates for centralized government and government ownership
|-
|[[Statue of Liberty]]
|1900
|a phrase used to describe it more than a decade after its completion
|-
|status quo
|1833
|a useful baseline for assessing and promoting conservative growth
|-
|stay-at-home
|1806
|typically usage is "stay-at-home mom," the mainstay of successful, productive family life
|-
|stem-winder
|1875
|first-rate of its kind, especially a political speech; term inspired by the innovation for the watch to be wound by stem rather than by a key
|-
|straightforward
|1806
|something liberals are not
|-
|straw man
|1896
|an imaginary argument or example set up for the purpose of easily knocking down, while distracting from valid arguments
|-
|strategy
|1810
|a careful plan or method, the opposite of liberal style
|-
|street-smart
|1974
|the non-bookish intelligence necessary to survive and thrive in an unstructured, rough-and-tumble environment analogous to a tough neighborhood in a big city
|-
|Stupaked
|2010
|hurt by someone who reassured everyone he would do the right thing, but then switched at the last minute to do the opposite (refers especially to [[abortion betrayal]]s)<ref>Columnist Kathleen Parker is credited with first coining this term.</ref>
|-
|[[subsidiarity]]
|1936
|the concept (opposed by liberals) that responsibilities performed by local or subordinate organizations should not be usurped by centralized government
|-
|sugarcoat
|1865
|popularized by [[Abraham Lincoln]] to say that secession is a sugarcoated word for rebellion
|-
|supply-side
|1976
|the economic theory that reducing taxes expands economic activity by encouraging greater earnings and investments; proven successful during the Reagan Administration in the 1980s
|-
|survivalist
|1970
|one who is determined and prepared to stay alive, and even thrive, if liberals cause a breakdown of society
|-
|take-charge
|1954
|proactive leadership for the greater good
|-
|takeover
|1917
|as in the takeover of government by the communist revolution in that year
|-
|takings
|1926<ref>''Marion & R. V. R. Co. v. United States'', 270 U.S. 280, 285 (1926) (the Supreme Court referring for the first time to "takings by eminent domain")</ref>
|use of the power of [[eminent domain]] by government to convert private property to a public use, typically disfavored by the property owner
|-
|tax-and-spend
|1937
|not yet recognized by Merriam-Webster, it is included in dictionary.com and it means the liberal policy of raising taxes and increasing government spending
|-
|taxpayer
|1816
|the word highlights who is really paying for things
|-
|tea party
|2007
|an amorphous group of ordinary citizens unified against a more expensive government
|-
|[[Tebowing]]
|2011
|bending on one knee in public to give glory to God (named after [[pro-life]] [[NFL]] [[QB]] [[Tim Tebow]])
|-
|teetotaler
|1834
|someone who does not drink any alcohol, and thereby avoids supporting the alcoholic industry
|-
|[[term limits]]
|1861
|can you believe this is not in the dictionary yet? Merriam-Webster omits it, but dictionary.com has it<ref>http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/term+limit</ref>
|-
|terrorism
|1795
|this was during the French Revolution
|-
|[[textualism]]
|1952
|first used by Justice [[Robert Jackson]] in his influential concurrence in ''[[Youngstown Sheet and Tube Co. v. Sawyer]]'', 343 U.S. 579 (1952), it now describes the legal philosophy of Justice [[Antonin Scalia]]
|-
|[[Thanksgiving Day]]
|1674
|a tradition older than the [[United States]]
|-
|[[think tank]]
|1940s
|first coined in [[Britain]] to describe intelligence organizations that helped the military, think tanks became part of the rise of conservatism in the 1970s and 1980s; is ''Conservapedia'' the think tank of the future?
|-
|thought police
|1949
|“The most gifted of [the public], who might possibly become a nuclei of discontent, are simply marked down by the Thought Police and eliminated.” - George Orwell, ''1984''.
|-
|time-tested
|1930
|an approach that has proven to be beneficial over time, like heterosexual marriage
|-
|top-notch
|1900
|the highest quality, which requires respect for merit to recognize
|-
|tort reform
|1970<ref>http://faculty.lls.edu/workshops/documents/nockleby.pdf (citing the late 1960s and 1970s for the beginning of the movement)</ref>
|a movement placing sensible limits on runaway liberal lawsuits
|-
|[[totalitarianism]]
|1926
|term which identifies the similarities of fascist and communist regimes and ideologies and urges resistance
|-
|tour de force
|1802
|a feat of skill
|-
|trademark
|1838
|extends the concept of private property to the marks used by business
|-
|traditionalist
|1856
|"adherence to the doctrines or practices of a tradition...the beliefs of those opposed to modernism, liberalism, or radicalism"<ref>https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/traditionalist</ref>
|-
|[[transaction cost]]
|1961
|Economist [[Ronald Coase]] won a [[Nobel Prize]] for this.
|-
|[[transistor]]
|1948
|named by John R. Pierce and developed at the [[conservative]] [[Bell Labs]], this invention epitomized Yankee ingenuity; Pierce was a critic of claims of [[artificial intelligence]] and was the future developer of [[Telstar]], a precursor to the [[Strategic Defense Initiative]]
|-
|transparency
|1615
|allowing people who are affected by decisions to see how and why those decisions are really being made.
|-
|tree huggers
|1970s
|still not recognized by the dictionary, this term criticizes extreme environmentalists, but they proudly use the term also to describe what they literally do
|-
|trivia
|1920
|insignificant detail, which can sometimes obscure what is important and distract people from the Bible; liberal [[Wikipedia]] is filled with trivial junk
|-
|Trojan horse
|1837
|describes a type of liberal [[deceit]]: subversion from within
|-
|[[Trump Derangement Syndrome]]
|2017
|an irrational, hysterical opposition to President [[Donald Trump]]
|-
|[[Trump effect]]
|2016
|based on the leadership of [[Donald Trump]], voluntary decisions by American companies to keep manufacturing jobs in the [[United States]] rather than move them offshore
|-
|trust but verify
|1980s
|popularized by President Ronald Reagan as the approach to use towards communist [[deceit]]
|-
|two-party system
|1925
|a system of government and politics in which two political parties of roughly comparable strength dominate, as in the [[United States]]
|-
|typewriter
|1829
|invented by a homeschooled American, used to better spread conservative ideas
|-
|ugly duckling
|1883
|an unpromising appearance but often with great unseen potential
|-
|ultra vires
|1793
|beyond the authority, especially of a government or corporate official
|-
|un-American
|1818
|contrary to American values
|-
|unborn child
|1791
|the rights of the unborn child have been recognized in English law since the 1600s, but the specific term "unborn child" itself may have been first used by an attorney arguing before the New Jersey Supreme Court in ''Den v. Sparks'', 1 N.J.L. 67 (Sup. Ct. 1791)
|-
|uncertainty principle
|1929
|an underlying chaos (uncertainty) at the atomic level in the physical world after the [[Fall of man]], which renders a [[perpetual motion machine]] and life beyond 120 years impossible
|-
|underachiever
|1952
|a typically liberal person who fails to accomplish what he could
|-
|underdog
|1859
|[[David]] v. [[Goliath]], [[Cinderella]], [[best of the public]], etc.
|-
|[[underemployed]]
|1908
|having less than full-time or suitable employment
|-
|underwater basket weaving
|1950s
|A pejorative that describes worthless college courses and a declining educational system; see [[Worst College Majors]].
|-
|unforced error
|1995<ref>Christine Wallace, "Coalition needs a new partner," ''Australian Financial Review'' p. 17 (May 15, 1995) ("John Howard's unforced error in a pre-recorded interview [was] to tell ABC-TV's Paul Lyneham that things would only be 'cooking with gas' if variable mortgage rates began to fall, when precisely that happened in between recording the interview and it going to air, [and this] is a gift to Labor with an election in sight ....")
|incorporated into politics from tennis, this term means an unnecessary mistake that was not caused by a difficult question or conduct by the other side.</ref>
|-
|unscripted
|1950
|speaking sincerely without parroting a script; "[[Rand Paul]] and [[Chris Christie]] are effective because, unlike [[Obama]], they are unscripted."
|-
|unsung hero
|1860
|someone who accomplishes good without receiving recognition for it
|-
|useful idiot
|1920<ref>[http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=135140 Attributed originally to Lenin], but since used by others like [[Nobel Prize]] winner (Literature) Doris Lessing to describe how she was manipulated by the [[communists]]: “I was taken around and shown things as a ‘useful idiot’... that’s what my role was. I can’t understand why I was so gullible.” [http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/documentaries/2010/07/100624_doc_useful_idiots_lenin.shtml]</ref>
|Sample usage: "There are not as many useful idiots on college campuses for the Obama reelection campaign in 2012 as there were in 2008, and it's doubtful he can fill a stadium rally unless the campaign pays students to attend."
|-
|vacuous
|1850s<ref>This word as a prior date of origin for its physical meaning.</ref>
|lacking any insight or depth of thought - common among [[liberal claptrap]]
|-
|vandalism
|1798
|malicious destruction of someone else's property
|-
|vaporware
|1984
|a new computer program that is not really available as hyped in the media; see also the parable of the two sons at Matthew 21:28-32
|-
|venture capital
|1943
|capitalism at its best: funding new and risky enterprises to create wealth for many
|-
|veracity
|1623
|devotion to truthfulness
|-
|vet
|1904<ref>http://www.slate.com/id/2199254/?from=rss</ref>
|a verb meaning to screen for flaws
|-
|veto
|1629
|a power by one branch of government to restrain another branch, and thereby attain less government overall
|-
|[[victimization]]
|1840
|
|-
|volunteer
|1618
|someone who freely offers to help
|-
|wannabe
|1981
|a word that criticizes liberal [[status worship]]
|-
|War on Terror
|2001
|no listing at Merriam-Webster; on February 2, 2009 (less than two weeks after inauguration), Obama dropped use of this term.<ref>[http://pewforum.org/news/display.php?NewsID=17455 Obama administration drops 'war on terror' phrase] Pew Forum, February 2, 2009</ref>
|-
|washed-up
|1928
|no longer productive, as in "the washed-up liberal professor has not contributed anything to his field in 30 years."
|-
|waterloo
|1816
|a final defeat or setback, coined merely one year after the [[English]] defeated [[Napoleon]] at the [[Battle of Waterloo]]; there has never been a "waterloo" for [[Christianity]] or [[conservatism]]
|-
|weasel word
|1900<ref>[http://www.unz.org/Pub/Century-1900jun-00304 The Stained-Glass Political Platform, by Stewart Chaplin (1900)]</ref>
|a word that is not conservative and which avoids being direct or substantive; named after the weasel's habits as criticized by [[Shakespeare]] in ''Henry V'' and ''As You Like It''.
|-
|welfare queen
|1976
|a disparaging term for someone who collects excessive welfare payments through fraud, manipulation, or laziness. First used by [[Ronald Reagan]] during his 1976 Presidential campaign.
|-
|welfare state
|1941
|a government that views its primary responsibility to be to give handouts to individuals to make sure they have what they need
|-
|wildcatter
|1883
|a pro-energy term that describes someone who drills for oil in fields not known to have oil
|-
|wishful thinking
|1925
|in [[liberal denial]] of [[evil]] and the [[devil]], [[liberals]] engage in unjustified wishful thinking
|-
|wishy-washy
|1873<ref>An archaic meaning of poor quality dates to 1690.</ref>
|easily changing in opinion, usually due to peer pressure
|-
|woman's intuition
|1890<ref>Notice how this predates the modern [[feminists]], who would tend to consider this term [[politically incorrect]].</ref>
|a perception more common in women that something or someone is to be avoided without yet understanding why.
|-
|word poverty
|2001<ref>http://www.aft.org/pubs-reports/american_educator/summer2001/lang_gap_moats.html</ref>
|popularized by President [[George W. Bush]]
|-
|wordsmith
|1873
|someone who seeks to use language effectively, as many conservatives strive to do
|-
|work (physical sense)
|1826
|a physical measure<ref>Work equals force times distance.</ref> of effort used to increase energy
|-
|work ethic
|1951
|a habit of working as a moral good
|-
|workaholic
|1968
|coined by a Southern Baptist pastor to describe the work habits of himself and other ministers<ref>https://www.nytimes.com/2000/01/02/magazine/the-lives-they-lived-on-language-wordplayers.html</ref>
|-
|worldview
|1858
|a comprehensive way of looking at life and the world; sometimes used to criticize a liberal's irrational belief system
|-
|Yankee
|1758
|Inhabitants of New England, United States. Dutch slang in 1698- Americanized 50 years later.
|-
|Yankee Ingenuity
|1761
|America's inhabitants had a knack for clever design and capitalist success. The early Americans had applied their exceptional skills prior to the terms existence, see [[Eli Whitney]] and [[Benjamin Franklin]].
|-
|yellow journalism
|1898
|the practice, started by newspaper publishers Joseph Pulitzer and his rival William Randolph Hearst, of sensationalizing and biasing newspaper headlines and articles in order to influence public opinion
|-
|yes-man
|1913
|someone, often a [[liberal]], who agrees (and votes) as he is told
|-
|zero-sum
|1944
|activities or political approaches in which a gain can only be achieved at a corresponding loss to someone else. For example, Facebook revenue is "zero-sum" because it results from users wasting their time (or ruining their marriages); reading or translating the [[Bible]] is not zero-sum.
|-
|[[ziggurat]]
|1877
|predicted by [[Biblical scientific foreknowledge]] in the story of the [[Tower of Babel]], the existence of the ziggurats were unknown to the Western world throughout most of history
|-
|}

__TOC__ 

== Sources ==

*[https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ Merriam-Webster dictionary]
*[http://dictionary.reference.com/ Dictionary.com]

== See also ==
* Essay:Best New Conservative Words
* [[Conservative Words Not Yet Recognized by the Dictionary‎]]
* [[Downgraded Conservative Terms]]
* [[Essay:New Liberal Terms]]
* [[Essay:Surprising Dates of Origin for Terms]]
* [[Linguistic Analysis of Candidates]]
* [[Conservative Bible Project]]
* [[Essay:Conservapedia's Law]]
* [[Secularized Language‎]]
* [[Terms Difficult to Classify]]
* [[Language]]: [[Etymology]], [[Vocabulary]], [[Word]]

[[Category:Linguistics]]
[[Category:Language]]

{{Conservatism}}
{{Conservapedia}}

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

[[Category:Essays]]
[[Category:Featured articles]]
[[Category:Essays about Conservatism]]
[[Category:Glossaries]]
[[Category:Lists]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Best New Conservative Words}}

Intelligent design

2019-02-09T19:56:43Z

Tg97: Undo revision 1492000 by Rossmiller (talk)

:''Not to be confused with [[creationism]]''
[[Image:Intelligent design.jpg‎|alt= Intelligent design|thumbnail|300px|right|Intelligent design theorists contend that the core feature of life consists of information processing systems that cannot be fully explained as being the result of unintelligent causes alone. When [[evolution]]ist [[Richard Dawkins]] was young, he recognized that the complexity of life indicates a designer.]]

'''Intelligent design''' '''(ID)''' is the empirically testable<ref>"Dembski and Wells argue calmly and convincingly that intelligent design theory is empirically testable (in spite of Darwinists' shrill protests to the contrary) by indicating precisely what it would take to refute the theory, namely a clear demonstration that systems exhibiting [[irreducible complexity]] with specified complexity can in fact arise spontaneously by purely material processes" source: [http://www.amazon.com/The-Design-Life-Discovering-Intelligence/dp/0980021308 The Design of Life: Discovering Signs of Intelligence in Biological Systems - Amazon page]</ref> theory that the natural world shows signs of having been designed by a purposeful, intelligent cause.<ref>
An inference that certain biological information may be the product of an intelligent cause can be tested or evaluated in the same manner as scientists daily test for design in other sciences. [http://www.uncommondescent.com/id-defined/ ID Defined]</ref> As [[Jonathan Wells]] wrote, "ID ... asserts only that some features of living things are better explained by an intelligent cause than by unguided processes." <ref>http://www.evolutionnews.org/2009/11/wired_science_one_long_bluff028441.html</ref> Wells, among others, uses ID to rebut the [[evolution|Darwinian]] assertion that the features of living things are "inexplicable on the theory of [[creation]]" but fully explicable as products of unguided natural forces.<ref>http://www.discovery.org/a/9151</ref>

The central idea of Intelligent Design theory is that [[design]] is empirically detectable, just as the detectability of design in man-made objects is straightforward, non-controversial, and often intuitive (see: [[design detection]]). With respect to the origin and development of cosmological and biological systems, Intelligent Design theory holds that the same principles provide a logical inference of design in nature. That is, without necessarily "proving" actual intelligent design in nature, the observable material evidence provides a reasonable basis from which to infer design, and such an inference supports a legitimate scientific hypothesis of ''intelligent'' design. As such, Intelligent Design theory is a scientific disagreement with the core claim of materialistic theories of [[evolution]] such as chemical and Darwinian evolution <ref>Darwinian Evolution: A materialistic theory of the history of the diversification of organisms from common ancestors through a process of descent with modification. The theory postulates that evolutionary change is the result of material causes [i.e., unintelligent causes due to the interactions of matter, energy, and the forces of nature], driven primarily by random variation and natural selection. The forces include gravity, the electromagnetic force and the weak and strong nuclear forces that define the structure of atoms. With respect to explaining the cosmos, the laws of chemistry and physics such as the laws of motion and thermodynamics dictate that material causes operate in generally periodic or regular patterns at best, and in entropy-increasing randomness at worst. ''See'', "Thirty-eight Nobel Laureates, ''Nobel Laureates Initiative,'' (The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity, September 9, 2005), stressing to Kansas State Board of Education: “[E]volution is understood to be the result of an unguided, unplanned process of random variation and natural selection.”</ref> that the design exhibited in our universe is merely ''apparent'' design, i.e., ''unintelligent'' design caused by unguided, purposeless, natural forces of physics and chemistry alone.<ref>As used in this article, "materialism" is used synonymously with "naturalism". Naturalism is a philosophical doctrine that material causes alone are adequate to account for all natural phenomena and that teleological (design) conceptions of nature are invalid.</ref>

In a broader sense, Intelligent Design is simply the science of design detection—how to recognize patterns arranged by an intelligent cause for a purpose. Design detection is used in a number of scientific fields, including anthropology, archeology, forensic sciences, cryptanalysis and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence ('''[[SETI]]'''). An inference that certain cosmological and biological features of the natural world may be the product of an intelligent cause can be tested or evaluated in the same manner as scientists daily test for design in other sciences.<ref>For example, Stephen C. Meyer, Senior Fellow of the Center for Science and Culture at the Discovery Institute, notes at [http://www.discovery.org/a/1671 A Note to Teachers Stephen C. Meyer and Mark Hartwig, Pandas and People: The Central Question of Biological Origins May 1, 1993], the problem with limiting explanations to only "natural" causes: "Archaeologists routinely distinguish manufactured objects (e.g., arrowheads, potsherds) from natural ones (e.g., stones), even when the differences between them are very subtle. These manufactured objects then become important clues in reconstructing past ways of life. But if we arbitrarily assert that science explains solely by reference to natural laws, if archaeologists are prohibited from invoking an intelligent manufacturer, the whole archaeological enterprise comes to a grinding halt."</ref>

Intelligent Design theory, like all theories of origins, is scientifically and religiously controversial. All theories of origins are scientifically controversial because they often amount to [[Subjectivism|subjective]] historical narratives that seek to explain unobserved and unobservable singular past events that occurred many years ago and that cannot be adequately tested in the laboratory. They are religiously controversial because all religions, including non-theistic religions, depend on a particular origins narrative. Intelligent Design proponents believe institutions of science, including government agencies, public schools and universities, should strive for objectivity and academic freedom in facilitating origins teaching and research. Objectivity in the evaluation and interpretation of material evidence ensures that all evidence-based explanations for natural phenomena can be considered fairly on their respective merits, regardless of their ultimate metaphysical or religious implications. Institutions of science should promote objectivity and academic freedom, especially where minority viewpoints challenge scientific orthodoxy.

Despite its many strengths, many [[Young Earth Creationism|biblical creationists]], while acknowledging those strengths, criticize the Intelligent Design theory for refusing to specify the identity of the designer, refusing to bring the Christian God and the Bible into the picture, and for accepting long ages and a theistic theory of evolution.<ref name="Whitcomb"/><ref name="PurdomChapter13"/>

== Intelligent Design, Evolution, and the Nature of Origins Science ==
'''[[Origins science]]''' is the scientific inquiry about biological and cosmological origins.<ref>''See'', '''Statement of Objectives Regarding Origins Science''', definition of Origins Science, '''Intelligent Design Network''' http://www.intelligentdesignnetwork.org/Statement_of_Objectives_Feb_12_07.pdf</ref> Scientists investigating such origins seek to propose explanations for the direct cause of unobserved events and processes that occurred in the very remote past that can not be duplicated under presently observable conditions and that are not amenable to experimental confirmation. Explanations can only be inferred from the evidence. Intelligent design theorists argue that the evidence naturally leads to an inference of design. Darwinists argue unguided purposeless causes ''despite'' the clear evidence of design. Because no explanation can be tested by experimental methods, the historical nature of origins science can only lead to inferences, and the question is simply which inference is most reasonable.
[[Image:Ernst_Mayr.jpg|thumb|150px|left|[[Ernst Mayr]]]]
Preeminent 20th century Darwinist [[Ernst Mayr]], billed as “one of the great shining figures of evolutionary biology” <ref>Ernst Mayr, ''What Evolution Is'' (New York: Basic Books, 2001); back cover, quote attributed to John Maynard Smith.</ref> correctly noted in his book entitled ''What Evolution Is'':

<blockquote>
"Evolution is a historical process that cannot be proven by the same arguments and methods by which purely physical or functional phenomena can be documented. Evolution as a whole, and the explanations of particular evolutionary event, must be inferred from observations." <ref>Ernst Mayr, ''What Evolution Is'', (New York: Basic Books, 2001), p. 12.</ref>
</blockquote>
[[Image:Stephen Meyer.jpg|thumb|100px|right|Dr. [[Stephen Meyer]] Director and Senior Fellow of the Center for Science and Culture at the Discovery Institute]]

In a more detailed description of the method for investigating and explaining origins Mayr said:

<blockquote>
“...Darwin introduced historicity into science. Evolutionary biology, in contrast with physics and chemistry, is a historical science – the evolutionist attempts to explain events and processes that have already taken place. ''Laws and experiments are inappropriate techniques for the explication of such events and processes.'' Instead one constructs a historical narrative, consisting of a tentative reconstruction of the particular scenario that led to the events one is trying to explain.” <ref>Ernst Mayr, ''Darwin’s Influence on Modern Thought'', p. 80, (July 2000, Scientific American) emphasis added.</ref>

</blockquote>

Mayr's statement does not define "evolution", but his point is valid.<ref>"Evolution" is in quotes because one of the problems faced in debating "evolution" is the lack of a precise definition. If "evolution" is used to mean "micro-evolution" (minor changes like finch beak variation observed within some species), then "evolution" is uncontroversial. However, if (as Mayr intends, but does not state) by "evolution" is meant "unguided, purposeless processes to produce new and beneficial changes in living systems", then Mayr is correct -- "evolution" is not experimentally confirmable, and, exactly like Intelligent Design, can only be inferred from observations.</ref> More objectively, his statement should be that origins (whether cosmological or biological) are due to a historical process that cannot be proven . . . but must be inferred from observations. Thus the methods used to discern the cause of historical events and processes differ from those of inductive, experimental science, and inferences based on observations should not be limited only to inferences of unintelligent causation. As with other historical sciences like archeology, historical geology, forensics and cryptanalysis, origins science asks different kinds of questions and uses different methods than do inductive sciences. The inductive sciences, on the one hand, ask questions about how the natural world generally operates based on direct experimental observation. The historical sciences, on the other hand, use abductive reasoning that asks how certain or probable observable phenomena came to be, the answer to which often cannot be discovered through direct observation. Dr. [[Stephen C. Meyer]] fully develops this line of thought.

The distinction between inductive and historical sciences is not an idea inspired by intelligent design theory. The '''[[National Academy of Sciences]]''' (NAS) makes the same distinction to defend "evolution" as science.<ref>As noted above, with respect to Mayr's statement, "evolution" is in quotes here again because the NAS fails to use the term with a precise meaning. If "evolution" is used to mean "micro-evolution" (the minor change like finch beak variation, usually inconsequential, but observed within some species), then of course "evolution" is scientific and verifiable by experimentation. However, if by "evolution" is meant "unguided, purposeless processes to produce new and beneficial changes in living systems", then "evolution" is not experimentally confirmable, as the NAS notes. However, as the NAS notes, such lack of being able to be experimentally confirmed does not remove a hypothesis from the realm of science (otherwise, as the NAS confirms, "evolution" would not be science).</ref> In its publication ''Teaching about Evolution and the Nature of Science'',<ref>''Teaching about Evolution and the Nature of Science'' Washington DC, National Academy Press, (1998), p. 55.</ref> the NAS responds to the question, "How can evolution be scientific when no one was there to see it happen?":

<blockquote>
This question reflects a narrow view of how science works. Things in science can be studied even if they cannot be directly observed or experimented on. Archaeologists study past cultures by examining the artifacts those cultures left behind. . . . Something that happened in the past is thus not "off limits" for scientific study. Hypotheses can be made about such phenomena, and these hypotheses can be tested and can lead to solid conclusions.<ref>http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/evolution98/evol5.html</ref>
</blockquote>

Intelligent design theorists agree; one must not take a “narrow view” of science, such that certain disciplines like archeology, the '''[[SETI]]''' project, forensics, and intelligent design are removed from the realm of science. Such disciplines propose hypotheses, and the testing of these hypotheses is often only effective by proposing competing hypotheses and objectively analyzing the evidence to determine which hypothesis correlates best with the evidence. As '''Carol Cleland''' elaborates in her paper entitled ''Historical Science, Experimental Science and the Scientific Method'', in actual practice historical researchers tend to search for “positive evidence—a smoking gun.” <ref>Carol Cleland, ''Historical Science, Experimental Science and the Scientific Method'' (Geology, November 2001, Vol. 29, No. 11), pp. 987-990.</ref> Ms. Cleland explores the necessary role of hypothesis testing for scientific disciplines not amenable to classical experimental testing. Hypothesis testing by formulating multiple competing hypotheses is essential in the context of historical sciences, such as cosmology, geology, and biogenesis. According to Cleland, “A smoking gun is a trace that picks out one of the competing hypotheses as providing a better causal explanation for the currently available traces than the other.” <ref>Carol Cleland, ''Historical Science, Experimental Science and the Scientific Method'' (Geology, November 2001, Vol. 29, No. 11) p. 988.</ref>

== Methods of Intelligent Design Detection ==

''See also:'' [[Irreducible complexity]] and [[Argument from beauty]]
[[File:Fire-investigator.jpg|275px|right|thumbnail|Design detection is used in a variety of [[science]]s including [[forensic]] science that investigates the cause of a death or fire.]]
Design detection asks whether an effect or pattern that arose unobserved in the past is due to intelligent or unintelligent material causes. Is the pattern or effect a design or just an occurrence?

Design detection is used in a variety of sciences including forensic science that investigates the cause of a death or fire. It is also used in archeology, anthropology, cryptanalysis, copyright infringement, the search for extraterrestrial intelligence and the search for function or purpose in genetic sequences. It is key to the current debate over the origin of the cosmos and life. Are these “effects” or patterns that arose long ago the product of an intelligent or material cause? Are the effects designs, i.e., the result of intelligent manipulation, or just occurrences?

The question of causation turns on whether the characteristics of a given pattern or effect are within the capacity of the cause to which it may be attributable. Do unintelligent material causes have the ability or capacity to account for the occurrence of a replicating cell? Does Darwinism's unintelligent material causes, consisting of random variation and natural selection, have the capacity to account for the diversity of life once it gets started? To start the analysis, one should first compare and contrast the capacities of intelligent causes and unintelligent material causes and the kinds of patterns those capacities produce.

===The Capacity of Unintelligent Material Causes ===
Unintelligent material causes consist simply of the interactions of the properties of matter, energy and the forces. These interactions are generally governed by the laws of chemistry and physics, such as the laws of motion and thermodynamics. These causes do not have the capacity to “know” the environment within which they exist and then seek to change it for a particular future purpose. In other words, as stated by evolutionary biologist '''Douglas J. Futuyma''', they lack forward looking "foreknowledge. . . only an intelligent mind, one with the capacity for forethought, can have purpose.”<ref>“Darwin's immeasurably important contribution to science was to show how mechanistic causes could also explain all biological phenomena, despite their apparent evidence of design and purpose. By coupling undirected, purposeless variation to the blind, uncaring process of natural selection, Darwin made theological or spiritual explanations of the life processes superfluous. ......Darwin undid the essentialism that Western philosophy had inherited from Plato and Aristotle, and put variation in its place. He helped to replace a static conception of the world with the vision of a world of ceaseless change. Above all, his theory of random, purposeless variation acted on by blind, purposeless natural selection provided a revolutionary new kind of answer to almost all questions that begin with "Why?" It cannot be sufficiently emphasized that before Darwin, both philosophers and people in general answered "Why?" questions by citing purpose. Only an intelligent mind, one with the capacity for forethought, can have purpose. Thus questions like "Why do plants have flowers?" or "Why are there apple trees?"? or plagues, or storms? were answered by imagining the possible purpose that God could have had in creating them.” Douglas J. Futuyma, '''Evolutionary Biology''', Third Edition,(Sinauer Associates, Inc. 1998) p. 5, 8.</ref>

Material causes are to nature as thoughts are to a dead man. The past, present and future is irrelevant to material causes for they can't comprehend it. Unintelligent material causes are not merely blind watchmakers, they are mindless, purposeless, and meaningless. Lacking a mind, they lack the capacity to “make” anything. Unintelligent material causes can adequately account for physical systems like the occurrence of rocks, rivers, wind and rain. However, it is not clear how they account for time-dependent living systems or themselves.

The laws of motion explain that matter stays in its state of rest, or of uniform motion in a straight line, unless it is compelled to change that state by forces impressed upon it. Thus, patterns produced by material causes reflect an intersection of forces which start or stop the motion of matter. An intervening warm spell that melted a glacier carrying rocks and boulders caused them to come to rest in an unsorted pattern as glacial till. Similarly, when the Mississippi River hits the Gulf of Mexico it drops a load that forms a fan-shaped delta.

The starting and stopping of matter may also be produced by interactions due to the properties of atoms, electrons and molecules. In a snowflake, the particular chemical properties of hydrogen atoms and oxygen atoms at a specific temperature and pressure, necessitate that they join together and stop in regular hexagonal lattices. Crystals of salt and other minerals “grow” through the stopping of atoms otherwise in motion until the source of new material is depleted or the conditions conducive to the growth change.

With this combination of law and chance, unintelligent material causes produce patterns both random and regular. Sand dunes and snowflakes exhibit regular and periodic patterns driven by constant forces. Random patterns also arise as systems are suddenly interrupted as in the case of an auto accident or a melting glacier that drops an unsorted load.

Although material causes can move matter uniformly and also start it and stop it suddenly, physical systems generally move from states of order to states of disorder per the second law of thermodynamics.

===The Capacity of Intelligent Causes===
Intelligent causes produced by minds are ubiquitous to the natural world. Humans have minds, as do birds and beavers. We are also finding that cellular systems appear to have a kind of internal intelligence. The immune system consists of cells that act as forward observers that look for foreign invaders. Those observers on the front line send messages to command central that develops weapons to be used to defend against the attack.

Intelligent causes differ from unintelligent material causes in that intelligent causes have minds hooked up to input and output devices that have the capacity to manipulate unintelligent material causes for a purpose. Intelligent causes perceive the present, store the perception in memory to build experience and then process the experience and knowledge to predict what will occur in the future. Intelligent causes have knowledge that can be processed by processors to generate “foreknowledge,” while unintelligent material causes have neither. Intelligent causes also have the capacity to choose to change the future so that a desired or intended goal or purpose is achieved and to generate outputs efficient to achieve the purpose. Intelligent causes use unintelligent material causes and the stuff unintelligent material causes produce to make a bird's nest, a beaver's dam or an aqueduct.

Patterns produced by a mind like the dam, nest or aqueduct often reflect millions of precise starting and stopping points not found in systems driven only by the uniform motion of regular natural forces, stopped only by accidental opposing forces. Patterns produced by intelligent causes integrate starts and stops for a purpose. The integration becomes clear when the pattern is both complex and useful. The integrated stopping points are evident in the case of the nest, dam and aqueduct. But for the stopping of matter at integrated precise points, the assembly would not function as a whole. This article reflects thousands of instances where matter has been started and then stopped – integrated - to produce precise, and hopefully understandable, meaning. Unlike patterns produced by the chemical and physical necessity of matter in uniform motion, designs consist of patterns of stopping points that are integrated for a particular purpose. Minds tie events together to for a purpose. Material causes do not. When the patterns are both complex and purposeful the inference to an intelligent cause is compelling.
[[Image:Saint Thomas Aquinas.jpg|right|thumbnail|175px|[[St. Thomas Aquinas]] ]]
In the 13th Century, the famous Christian Philosopher, [[Thomas Aquinas]], noted that systems which have a purpose either have a mind or are driven by one:

<blockquote>
"We see that things which lack intelligence, such as natural bodies, act for an end....... Now whatever lacks intelligence cannot move towards an end, unless it be directed by some being endowed with knowledge and intelligence; as the arrow is shot to its mark by the archer."<ref>St. Thomas Aquinas, '''The Summa Theologica''', (1265-1274).
</ref> </blockquote>

Thus design detection begins with a search for purpose. If a pattern exhibits an apparent purpose, the inquiry turns to whether the apparent purpose is just an illusion. Perhaps the pattern can be adequately explained by unintelligent material causes alone. If not, then logic suggests that mind may be the more adequate explanation for the pattern.

===Formal Design Detection Methodology===

Formal design detection is not often used. Design detection methodology is not often employed because the human mind has an inherent capacity to distinguish between patterns arranged by a mind for a purpose and those that have not. Scientists have found that minds engage in subconscious pattern matching, which is a means of intuitively distinguishing between designs and occurrences.

Formal analysis is employed when a dispute arises about the cause of a pattern. Examples include investigations of deaths and peculiar fires that look for signs of murder or arson. Archaeologists debate over whether a rock is a rock or an artifact. Astronomers analyze radio and light waves in search of messages from alien minds. So far all of the tests of extraterrestrial radio waves for intelligence have been negative. The cause of life and its diversity are major areas of dispute as much is at stake. Religious and other world views depend on the best explanation for those events.

====Formal Design Detection -- ''The Explanatory Filter''====
[[Image:Wm Dembski.jpg|right|thumbnail|200px|Dr. [[William Dembski]] ]]
Dr. [[William Dembski]] is a leading intelligent design theorist, and has written several books on the subject, including ''Intelligent Design: The Bridge Between Science & Theology'',<ref>http://www.amazon.com/Intelligent-Design-Between-Science-Theology/dp/083082314X/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/104-1803249-2067114?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1194228951&sr=1-2</ref> and ''The Design Inference: Eliminating Chance through Small Probabilities (Cambridge Studies in Probability, Induction and Decision Theory)''.<ref>http://www.amazon.com/Design-Inference-Eliminating-Probabilities-Probability/dp/0521678676/ref=sr_1_7/104-1803249-2067114?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1194229141&sr=1-7</ref> Dr. Dembski has a Ph.D. in mathematics and philosophy, and an M.Div. from Princeton Theological Seminary. One of Dembski's contributions to the intelligent design movement is to set forth one method of detecting design, a method he describes as the "[[explanatory filter]]".

Dembski describes his three-part '''explanatory filter''' together with an example of its use in a paper published at '''Access Research Network'''.<ref>http://www.arn.org</ref> In the paper, entitled ''The Explanatory Filter: A three-part filter for understanding how to separate and identify cause from intelligent design'',<ref>http://www.arn.org/docs/dembski/wd_explfilter.htm</ref>

Dembski found that all formal design detection methodologies can be reduced to three logical steps in what he refers to as an explanatory filter. The filter first asks whether a given pattern is best explained by some chemical or physical necessity or law? If not, can it be explained by chance. If chance and necessity can't explain the pattern, does it exhibit a “specification” or apparent purpose? If a complex pattern reflecting the integration of numerous stopping points does exhibit purpose and can't be explained by chance or necessity, then the scientific, logical inference to the best explanation is design.

===Informal Design Detection Methodology===
====Intuition, Common Sense and Confirmation====
An inference of design first springs from intuition – subconscious pattern-matching that alerts the mind to a pattern that reflects a purpose or pre-existing intention. We see knives in the back of dead man and intuitively start looking for a mind that arranged the event – a suspect. If the data are strong enough common sense causes us to follow up on that lead, not ignore it. Common sense reflects a judgment about the most prudent of a set of possible choices. If the evidence leads toward design, then common sense suggests an exploration of the lead in an effort to confirm or disconfirm it.

Therefore, at a basic level design detection is a matter of common sense, an intuitive determination we all make based on our everyday experiences with intelligently designed things. The intuitive, common sense approach is the primary method used by scientists such as archaeologists. No one expects an archaeologist to provide a rigorous "proof" that a pot or sculpture found in the ground is the result of an intelligent being. The archaeologist may not know who made the pot or why (and usually has no way to find out), but the fact of intelligent design is rarely in question. As in a similar concept of attaching intelligent agency to an event in law, we can rationally say ''res ipsa loquitur'', or "the thing speaks for itself". There is no principled reason to ignore the common sense approach when it comes to living biological systems. We may not know who made living systems or why, but the fact of intelligent design can be easily and intuitively grasped.
[[File:WilliamPaley3.jpg|thumb|230px|left|William Paley]]
Perhaps the best example of the common sense approach to design detection was that put forth by William Paley in his famous "watchmaker analogy". William Paley (July 1743 – May 25, 1805) was a British theologian and philosopher. He used the watchmaker analogy as an argument for the existence of God in his book ''Natural Theology''. Paley states his analogy:
<blockquote>
In crossing a heath, suppose I pitched my foot against a stone, and were asked how the stone came to be there; I might possibly answer, that, for anything I knew to the contrary, it had lain there forever: nor would it perhaps be very easy to show the absurdity of this answer. But suppose I had found a watch upon the ground, and it should be inquired how the watch happened to be in that place; I should hardly think of the answer I had before given, that for anything I knew, the watch might have always been there... There must have existed, at some time, and at some place or other, an artificer or artificers, who formed [the watch] for the purpose which we find it actually to answer; who comprehended its construction, and designed its use... Every indication of contrivance, every manifestation of design, which existed in the watch, exists in the works of nature; with the difference, on the side of nature, of being greater or more, and that in a degree which exceeds all computation.

</blockquote>

Scientists who hold Darwinism dogmatically object to the common sense approach, not based on the fact of design, but on the metaphysical implications of considering true, intelligent design. Attempting to conflate the "what" of design with the "who" in biological systems is the tactic of those philosophically opposed to a supposed supernatural designer, i.e., those who fear a "divine foot in the door" of science. But such fear should not be tolerated by true scientists; design can be detected independent of any inquiry into the identity of the designer. Imagine archeology being rejected as science because there is absolutely no way to identify the designer of a clearly designed pot; such notions should be rejected by true scientists. Permitting the logical, common sense inference of intelligent design in the face of material evidence of design should be expected of honest scientists.

== Evidence for Intelligent Design in Nature ==

''See also:'' [[Irreducible complexity]] and [[Anthropic principle]]

[[Image:Phillip_johnson_arn.gif|thumbnail|150px|right|[[Phillip E. Johnson]], Jefferson E. Peyser Professor of Law, Emeritus]]
Virtually all scientists, including evolutionists,<ref>The term "evolutionist" is used in its "strong form" to describe those who hold and defend the position that all the variety of life is the result solely of naturalistic processes. Therefore, the term refers to those who rule out any intelligent causation for any aspect of life (if intelligence plays any role whatsoever, then whatever the theory, it is a form of intelligent design). While everyone is an "evolutionist" if "evolution" is defined in its weak form as simply "change over time" or "micro-evolution" such as finch beak variation, not everyone is an "evolutionist" if "evolution" is used, as herein, to mean "unguided, purposeless processes to produce new and beneficial changes in living systems". Evolutionists who oppose Intelligent Design believe that unintelligent processes of physics and chemistry can explain the creation of every novel and beneficial feature of the various species, including wings, eyes, and brains. Darwinism is the leading naturalistic evolutionary theory, holding that all life forms descended as modified forms of previous life forms in an unguided, unintelligent process, i.e., Darwin's "descent with modification".</ref> observe design in nature. Fossils exhibit design. Living body plans exhibit design. Micro-biological features such as DNA exhibit design. The evidentiary question is not a question of the '''''existence''''' of design in nature, but the '''''cause''''' of design in nature.

Only two causes are available to explain the design evident in nature: '''''unintelligent''''' causes and '''''intelligent causes'''''. '''Unintelligent causes''' include the natural actions of physics and chemistry, operating alone by natural laws in space and time. Unintelligent causes cannot produce true design, so Darwinists dismiss the evident design in nature as merely the "appearance" of design.

Intelligent design proponent [[Phillip E. Johnson]] illustrates the obstinancy of evolutionary scientists to recognize intelligent causation of design in nature when he wrote the following:
[[Image:Francis Crick.jpg|thumb|px130|left|[[Francis Crick]], co-discoverer of the structure of [[DNA]]]]
{{cquote|"One of the world's most famous scientists, probably the most famous living biologist, is Sir [[Francis Crick]], the British co-discoverer of the structure of DNA, a Nobel Prize winner...In his autobiography, Crick says very candidly biologists must remind themselves daily that what they study was not created, it evolved; it was not designed, it evolved. Why do they have to remind themselves of that? Because otherwise, the facts which are staring them in the face and trying to get their attention might break through. What we discovered when I developed a working group of scientists, philosophers, et al., in the United States was that living organisms look as if they were designed and they look that way because that is exactly what they are."<ref>http://www.ldolphin.org/ntcreation.html</ref>}}

'''Intelligent causes''' include the actions of an intelligent agent (which may be unknown, such as in anonymous works of art, or in archeological finds) manipulating physics and chemistry to create something that physics and chemistry alone cannot. Only intelligent causes can produce true design.

The question is not, therefore, "is there evidence of design in nature?" Rather, the scientific question is, "Based on the evidence of design observed in nature, what causes best explain design?" Framed this way, potential explanations, or theories, are not limited by a predetermined bias, such as only unintelligent causes (e.g., Darwinism) or only intelligent causes (e.g., creationism). The question simply asks, "in accordance with the scientific method, what causes can be logically inferred from the evidence?"

With the proper question in mind, it is easy to see that virtually all the evidence used to support Darwinism is equally evidence in support of Intelligent Design. '''Cosmological''' evidence for design is described at '''[[Evidence for intelligent design in cosmology]]''' section. '''Biological''' evidence for intelligent design includes '''''general evidence''''' and '''''special evidence''''', and both are discussed at '''[[General and Special Evidence for Intelligent Design in Biology]]'''. For all material evidence, the evidentiary value can be determined by use of the '''[[Evidence Filter]]'''.

=== Anthropic principle ===

''See also:'' [[Anthropic principle]]

There is a strong body of evidence for a Designer that comes from the fine-tuning of the universal constants and the solar system.<ref name="creation.com">[http://creation.com/the-universe-is-finely-tuned-for-life The universe is finely tuned for life] by Jonathan Sarfati</ref>

The anthropic principle states that the reason the constants of nature appear so finely tuned to life, is that if it were otherwise, life such as ourselves would not have developed. Hence we should not be surprised that the laws of physics are enable life such as ourselves to exist.

Former [[Atheism|atheist]] Sir [[Fred Hoyle]] states, "commonsense interpretation of the facts is that a super-intelligence has monkeyed with physics, as well as chemistry and biology, and that there are no blind forces in nature."<ref name="creation.com"/>

==Examples of Intelligent Design Theory Used in Science==
[[File:11943452 115b299206.jpg|thumbnail|275px|right|[[Forensic]] scientists use design detection when they consider observable evidence of an historic unrepeatable event such as a crime. ]]
Intelligent design detection is uncontroversial in many well-accepted scientific disciplines. In each of the scientific disciplines listed below, scientists evaluate the evidence objectively, that is, there is no pre-determined rule of interpretation that dictates that only ''unintelligent'' causes can be considered.

'''Forensic sciences''': [[Forensic]] scientists use design detection when they consider observable evidence of an historic unrepeatable event such as a crime. For example, a forensic investigator investigating a death uses scientific evidence to determine whether the death was caused by unintelligent causes (i.e., by accident), or by intelligent causes (i.e., murder).

'''Archeology''': Archaeologists are virtually dependent upon the science of design detection. Working with present-day evidence left from the past, archaeologists seek to determine whether artifacts were caused by unintelligent causes (i.e., clay) or intelligent causes (i.e., a clay pot).

'''Cryptanalysis''': Cryptanalysis is the scientific endeavor of code breaking. Code breakers examine the observable evidence of a string or pattern of characters to determine if it contains a message or if it is simply a string of random, meaningless characters.

'''Arson investigation''': Arson investigators observe evidence and attempt to explain the cause of a fire; was it caused by unintelligent causes (i.e., accidental ignition), or by intelligent causes (i.e., arson).

'''Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence''': The name says it all. These scientists are observing evidence in the form of radio signals to determine if the signals are the result of unintelligent causes (i.e., background radiation in space), or by intelligent causes (i.e., extraterrestrial intelligence).

Each of the above scientific disciplines utilize design detection to determine if the cause of observed evidence is due to unintelligent or intelligent agency. Usually, such as in the case of archaeologists observing clay pots, the detection and determination of design is intuitive and assumed without further justification. No rigorous analytical method is required of archaeologists to support a finding of design; nothing beyond the simple, rational recognition of what is consistent with the human experience of intelligent design is necessary.

== Intelligent design theorists and life on other planets ==

[[The Privileged Planet]] is an intelligent design theory documentary which argues that the earth contains a rare and finely-tuned array of factors which makes earth suitable for complex life.<ref>[http://www.privilegedplanet.com/ The Privileged Planet documentary website]</ref>

The proposal that first life came about through natural processes has not fared well in recent times. The prominent [[origin of life]] researcher [[Stanley Miller]] said the origin of life problem was more difficult than he or anyone else had imagined.<ref name="Why Abiogenesis is impossible">[http://www.creationresearch.org/crsq/articles/36/36_4/abiogenesis.html Why Abiogenesis is impossible]</ref>

== Religious Implications of Origins Science ==
Any theory of origins unavoidably impacts religion.<ref>One should not make the mistake of equating "religion" with only traditional theistic religions like [[Christianity]], [[Judaism]], or [[Islam]]. As used herein the term is used as defined in the Statement of Objectives Regarding Origins Science: Religion: A broad range of theistic and non-theistic religions and religious belief systems.</ref> As stated in Article II.C of the '''Statement of Objectives Regarding Origins Science''':<ref name="intelligentdesignnetwork.org">http://www.intelligentdesignnetwork.org/Statement_of_Objectives_Feb_12_07.pdf</ref>
<blockquote>
Implications of scientific explanations of origins unavoidably impact religion, ethics, morality, government and politics. The implications of materialistic explanations (such as Darwinism) of origins support the central tenets of non-theistic religions,<ref>Non-theistic religions are religions and belief systems that presuppose that no God intervenes in the natural world and that material causes, such as unguided evolutionary change, are adequate to explain natural phenomena. Non-theistic religions include [[atheism]], [[Secular Humanism]], and [[Scientism]], as well as some forms of [[Buddhism]] and other eastern religions. By way of example, the Humanist Manifesto I sets forth the first two "affirmations" of religious humanism as "FIRST: Religious humanists regard the universe as self-existing and not created; and, SECOND: Humanism believes that man is a part of nature and that he has emerged as a result of a continuous process." Thus, Darwinism supports the central tenets of a religious belief.</ref> while the implications of teleological<ref>Teleological: Exhibiting or relating to design or purpose, especially in nature. ''See'', Merriam-Webster Online</ref> explanations (such as Intelligent Design) support the central tenets of theistic religions. Both theistic and non-theistic religions and worldviews address questions of ethics, morality, government and politics.<ref>ibid, Article II.C</ref>
</blockquote>
[[Image:Atheism.jpg|thumb|right|195px|[[Paul-Henri Thiry]], Baron d'Holbach (1723 - 1789) was an early advocate of [[atheism]] in [[Europe]].]]
Therefore, it should not be surprising that most theists are sympathetic to intelligent design because the science of intelligent design supports the theology of theistic religions like [[Christianity]]. Likewise, it is not surprising that virtually all atheists are Darwinists because the science of Darwinism supports the theology of non-theistic religions such as religious humanism (having a theology of atheism). The simple fact is that worldviews and interpretations of evidence go hand in hand. If, for example, your world view prohibits explanations involving intelligent design, then you will reject intelligent design in spite of the evidence, not because of it.

For this reason, as stated in Article III.A. of the '''Statement of Objectives Regarding Origins Science''', if '''truth''' is the goal:
<blockquote>
Institutions of science should ignore religious and ethical implications of competing historical hypotheses and strive for '''objectivity'''<ref>Objective: Not influenced by personal bias or prejudice; based on facts. An objective position is one that is Secular, Neutral, and Non-ideological.</ref> in the conduct and teaching of origins science. Institutional objectivity may be achieved by encouraging healthy competition among scientists holding differing scientific views regarding origins, consistent with the scientific method.<ref>ibid, Article III.A</ref>
</blockquote>

This is because, as stated in Article II.B. of the '''Statement of Objectives Regarding Origins Science''':
<blockquote>
The adequacy of scientific explanations of origins depends on an analysis of competing possibilities. Origins explanations use a form of '''abductive'''<ref>Abduction, or abductive reasoning, is the process of reasoning to the best explanations. In other words, it is the reasoning process that starts from a set of facts and derives their most likely explanations. See, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abductive_reasoning</ref> reasoning that produces competing Historical Hypotheses, that lead to an inference to the best current explanation rather than to an explanation that is logically compelled by experimental confirmation. Due to inherent limitations on the experimental validation of historical hypotheses, testing requires rigorous competition between alternative hypotheses so that their relative strengths and plausibilities may be compared. While competition among multiple hypotheses decreases subjectivity, it may nevertheless result in no adequate current explanation.<ref>ibid, Article II.B</ref>
</blockquote>

==Objections to Intelligent Design==
===Creationist Objections to Intelligent Design===
Many Biblical creationists and other theists object to Intelligent Design as failing to identify the alleged designer and refusing to bring the Christian God and the Bible into the picture.<ref name="Whitcomb">Whitcomb, John C., Ph.D. (2006). [http://www.icr.org/article/history-impact-book-the-genesis-flood/ The History and Impact of the Book, "The Genesis Flood"]. ''ICR.org'' (from ''Acts & Facts. 35 (5)''). Retrieved October 26, 2016.</ref> This objection is expressed well by Georgia Purdom, Ph.D. of '''[[Answers in Genesis]]''' in an article entitled '''''Does the Identity of the Creator Really Matter?''''' Dr. Purdom sums up the major objection:

<blockquote>
However, the major problem with the ID movement is a divorce of the Creator from creation. The Creator and His creation cannot be separated; they reflect on each other.<ref>http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/am/v1/n1/intelligent-design-movement</ref>
</blockquote>

The reader is encouraged to read Dr. Purdom's full article, as it fairly and thoroughly deals with the objection at hand. Building on the same thoughts, the Managing Director of [[Creation Ministries International]], Dr. [[Carl Wieland]], notes:

<blockquote>
The Intelligent Design Movement’s motivation appears to be the desire to challenge the blind acceptance of the materialistic, godless, naturalistic philosophy of Darwinian evolution. They confront many of the philosophical underpinnings of today’s evolutionary thinking. As a movement, they are unwilling to align themselves with biblical creationism.<ref name="CMI IDM">[http://creationontheweb.com/content/view/2560 CMI’s views on the Intelligent Design Movement]</ref>
</blockquote>

Referring to Intelligent Design as the Intelligent Design Movement (IDM), Weiland pinpoints the specific objection as:
<blockquote>
The IDM’s refusal to identify the Designer with the Biblical God, and in particular with the history in the Bible, means that:
</blockquote>

<blockquote>
Acceptance of ID thinking en masse could just as easily lead to New-Age or Hindu-like notions of creation, as well as weird alien sci-fi notions.<ref>See the 2004 book by CMI speaker Gary Bates: Alien Intrusion: UFOs and the Evolution Connection. [footnote in original]</ref> In such instances, a Christian might well see that the metaphorical exorcism of one socio-philosophical demon would have achieved merely its replacement by others, possibly worse.
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
There is no philosophical answer to their opponents’ logically-deduced charge that the Designer was monstrous and/or inept (‘look at all the horrible, cruel, even defective things in the living world’), since bringing up the Fall is deliberately, tactically excluded. (However, the Fall was a major event in history, that changed everything. The world we are looking at now is a world that has been corrupted by sin, not the original world that God designed). Thus, the movement’s success could very likely even be counterproductive, by laying the Biblical God open to ridicule and contempt in new ways.<ref name="CMI IDM" />
</blockquote>

In addition to the fair criticisms listed above, biblical creationists also criticize the intelligent design theory for continuing to accept long ages and the theory of evolution along with the existence of some designer.<ref name="PurdomChapter13">Purdom, Georgia, Dr. (May 6, 2010). [https://answersingenesis.org/intelligent-design/is-the-intelligent-design-movement-christian/ Chapter 13 - Is the Intelligent Design Movement Christian?]. ''Answers in Genesis'' (from ''The New Answers Book 2''). Retrieved October 25, 2016.</ref>

====Response to Creationist Objections====
[[Image:Carl wieland.jpg|thumbnail|150px|right|Dr. [[Carl Wieland]] ]]
Intelligent design theorists appreciate the criticisms of creationists such as Purdom and Wieland, and, in fact, most intelligent design theorists are creationists themselves. And while most intelligent design theorists would agree with Dr. Purdom that the Creator and his creation "reflect on each other," they would disagree that "the Creator and His creation cannot be separated." The "separation" is epistemological, that is, there is a distinction between ''how'' one can know anything about the creation versus the creator. Just as a painter can be separated from a painting, so that the painting is labelled "anonymous", and just as an archaeologist can infer a designer of a clay pot without knowing the designer's actual identity, the ''fact'' of a creator in nature can be determined scientifically, but the ''specific'' creator cannot.

Intelligent design theorists recognize that the scientific method places limits as to the kind of knowledge that can be determined scientifically. Intelligent design theorists hold that intelligent design is a logical inference based on observation of material evidence in nature. That is, intelligent design can be determined as a matter of science alone in full accord with the scientific method. But science can say little about who the designer is.

The intelligent design position is expressed well in an article by Casey Luskin entitled '''''Principled (not Rhetorical) Reasons Why Intelligent Design Doesn't Identify the Designer'''''. Luskin states, referring to a law review article he co-authored:

<blockquote>
David DeWolf, John West and I also address this issue in our recent Montana Law Review article:
It is important to stress that the refusal of ID proponents to draw scientific conclusions about the nature or identity of the designer is principled rather than merely rhetorical. ID is primarily a historical science, meaning it uses principles of uniformitarianism to study present-day causes and then applies them to the historical record in order to infer the best explanation for the origin of the natural phenomena being studied. ID starts with observations from “uniform sensory experience” showing the effects of intelligence in the natural world. As Pandas explains, scientists have uniform sensory experience with intelligent causes (i.e. humans), thus making intelligence an appropriate explanatory cause within historical scientific fields. However, the “supernatural” cannot be observed, and thus historical scientists applying uniformitarian reasoning cannot appeal to the supernatural. If the intelligence responsible for life was supernatural, science could only infer the prior action of intelligence, but could not determine whether the intelligence was supernatural.<ref>http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&id=4306, citing David K. DeWolf, John G. West, and Casey Luskin, “Intelligent Design Will Survive Kitzmiller v. Dover,” 68 Montana Law Review 7, 30 (Spring, 2007) (internal citations removed).</ref>

</blockquote>
Further, it appears that Dr. Weiland's concern that "[a]cceptance of ID thinking en masse could just as easily lead to New-Age or Hindu-like notions of creation, as well as weird alien sci-fi notions" is unfounded. Certainly some who are honestly convinced of true intelligent design might entertain "sci-fi notions," but the evidence supports the opposite—i.e., those convinced of design are more likely to entertain thoughts of a supernatural God. Like Aristotle of ancient Greece, those who reasonably and honestly are convinced of true design in nature are more likely to follow the pattern Dr. Pordum highlighted from Romans 1:18-20. That is, the creation speaks to a supernatural, infinite, eternal creator.

Take the example of former atheist Anthony Flew, as discussed by intelligent design theorist Phillip E. Johnson, in an article entitled '''''Intelligent Design in Biology: the Current Situation and Future Prospects'''''. First Johnson reiterates:

<blockquote>
The goal of the Intelligent Design Movement is to achieve an open philosophy of science that permits consideration of any explanations toward which the evidence may be pointing.<ref name="discovery.org">http://www.discovery.org/a/3914</ref>
</blockquote>

However, Johnson notes with respect to the practical effects of such an open philosophy:

<blockquote>
One early sign of the way the world is headed came in December 2004, when there was much comment in newspapers and internet discussion groups about famed atheist philosopher Anthony Flew. Flew had just announced that he had converted to philosophical theism (though not to Christianity or any other specific religion, at least as yet), on the basis of scientific discoveries and related reasoning, which had convinced him that there is an intelligent designer of the natural universe. Flew seems to have investigated the phenomenon of design in the natural world for reasons similar to my own. He wanted to decide for himself whether evidence and logic point in the direction of a creating intelligence, or whether God is nothing more than a subjective idea created by human imagination. Perhaps these questions about the reality of god are religious in nature, but they are important questions that deserve to be investigated dispassionately instead of being barred from consideration because powerful groups define “science” as committed a priori to naturalism.
</blockquote>

<blockquote>

Although as yet Flew does not adhere to Christianity or any other creedal faith, he has taken a giant step in that direction. In an article in the London Independent for December 27, 2004, an Oxford University theologian wrote: “What kind of God could it [i.e. Flew’s designer] refer to? One who created the universe–elementary particles, strong and weak forces, atoms and molecules, yet, for example, has no relation to the emergence of a clever humanity? Or could it be a God who was intelligent enough to create galaxies, and amazingly intricate systems like DNA, yet not intelligent enough to communicate with humankind? Although Flew does not believe in revelation, and may not feel that the Book of Genesis provides a useful account of creation, he does not seem to have quite this kind of minimalist God in mind either. In fact when pressed as to whether his ‘First Cause’ embraced omniscience, Flew admits that a First Cause, if there is one, has clearly produced everything that is going on, and this implies creation ‘in the beginning.’”<ref name="discovery.org"/>

</blockquote>

Intelligent design theorists leave the identity of the designer open as a matter of scientific discipline. Even though everyone, including creationists must rely on special revelation (i.e., the Bible) to know specifics about the designer, everyone can know the fact of design based on general revelation (i.e., nature).

===Methodological Naturalist Objections to Intelligent Design===
Many scientists object to intelligent design on the basis that intelligent design "is not science."

The validity of this objection depends on what is meant by the terms "intelligent design" and "science". If "science" is defined objectively (as in Websters dictionary: 3 a: knowledge or a system of knowledge covering general truths or the operation of general laws especially as obtained and tested through scientific method b: such knowledge or such a system of knowledge concerned with the physical world and its phenomena.<ref>http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/science</ref>) and "intelligent design" is defined as in this article, then intelligent design is clearly, without question "science", and the objection of methodological naturalists is overcome.

The term "methodological naturalism" describes a form of science in which science is assumed to be necessarily practiced as if naturalism were itself true (see also [[scientific materialism]]). Of course, "naturalism", which is a philosophy that holds there is no immaterial substance in the universe, i.e., all is matter alone, is an assumption-based philosophy. "Naturalism", like "materialism" as a philosophy holds that there is no supernatural in the universe, no spirit, no soul, and, of course, no God.

Methodological naturalists are scientists that, while perhaps not themselves being full-fledged naturalists (although growing numbers are), insist that science be practiced as if naturalism were true. If this method of practicing science is adhered to, then intelligent design cannot be science, because intelligent design posits the possibility of a ''supernatural'' designer.

One way to illustrate the objection is this: Consider two definitions of science:

<blockquote>
1. Science is the activity of seeking explanations for natural phenomena.

</blockquote>
<blockquote>
2. Science is the activity of seeking only natural (i.e., unintelligent) causes as explanations for natural phenomena.

</blockquote>
The first definition above is an objective, bias-free definition, for which intelligent design qualifies as science. However, the second definition above is one in which the objective definition has been qualified by the term "natural", which assumes there ''are'' natural, i.e., unintelligent, causes for natural phenomena.

The second definition is the definition that methodological naturalists insist be adopted as ''the'' definition for science. However, the "natural causes alone" criteria for gaining scientific knowledges is based upon an assumption that there ''is'' a natural cause for all natural phenomena. If intelligent design is true, scientists operating by the second definition above will never be able to come to the truth. The insistence on only "natural causes" imports a philosophical bias into the objective definition, which is then defended based not on '''''knowledge''''', but an '''''assumption'''''. Therefore, methodological naturalists "define out" of science intelligent design based on a philosophical assumption.

====Response to Naturalist Objection====

The simple response to methodological naturalism, which is the only principled basis for excluding intelligent design from science, is that methodological naturalism improperly and unnecessarily restricts the realm of science.

By any objective definition of science, including dictionary definitions, intelligent design is science. But the controversy begs a larger question. Historically, the practice of science can be considered in two broad categories.
[[Image:Francis_Bacon.jpg|thumbnail|150px|[[Francis Bacon]]]]
First there is the inductive method espoused by [[Francis Bacon]]. Bacon pioneered the modern notion that science should let "evidence lead the inquiry" and "general axioms ought to be the end, not the beginning, of the scientific process."<ref>See, Cornelius G. Hunter, ''Science's Blind Spot, the Unseen Religion of Scientific Naturalism, (Brazos Press, 2007), p. 15.</ref> Bacon specifically formulated his scientific method to ensure that religious speculation (including speculation about naturalism) was excluded from the scientific process. Thus, Bacon's scientific method proceeded based on observations of nature, and logical inferences derived from those observations.

Second, there is the deductive method espoused by René Descartes. Descartes argued that science needed mechanical, or naturalistic, descriptions that could explain, rather than merely label, the effects.<ref>See, Hunter, p. 17.</ref> According to Cornelius Hunter, in his book ''Science's Blind Spot, the Unseen Religion of Scientific Naturalism,'' Descartes proposed a method of science in which "What science needed were naturalistic descriptions, even if they were not known to be true explanations. Thus, Cartesian explanations were hypothetical; Descartes argued that having a plausible yet incorrect description was better than no description at all."

Therefore, whether or not intelligent design is "science" depends on what approach one takes to science. If one takes the Baconian approach, letting the evidence lead the inquiry without presuppositions, intelligent design is science. Moreover, if one takes the Cartesian approach, intelligent design of biological systems can still be science; it depends on what hypothetical constraints are put upon scientific inquiry. Methodological naturalists place the "natural causes only" constraint on all scientific inquiry, and, therefore, define out of science the notion of any non-natural designer.

Intelligent design theorists maintain that the "natural causes only" constraint might be correct for operational science, but for historical sciences in which one is attempting to reconstruct a historical narrative based on present-day evidence, such a constraint does not make sense. For one thing, intelligent design theorists maintain that there is a difference between inductive and/or deductive sciences (each of which can be used in experimental sciences), and the "historical sciences". Intelligent design is scientific in both inductive and historical sciences (and deductive, without limiting biases), but can have its greatest value as a historical science.

The broad categories of "experimental sciences" and "historical sciences" ask different kinds of questions and use different kinds of methods. The inductive sciences, on the one hand, ask questions about how the natural world generally operates. The historical sciences, on the other hand, ask different kinds of questions. Rather than trying to understand how the natural world operates, the historical sciences seek to understand how things came to be. Dr. Stephen C. Meyer develops this line of thought fully in an article entitled ''Science and the Laws of Nature''.

The distinction between experimental and historical sciences is not an ID-inspired idea. The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) makes the same distinction to defend the historical nature of evolution. In its publication ''Teaching about Evolution and the Nature of Science'', the NAS responds to the question, "How can evolution be scientific when no one was there to see it happen?":

<blockquote>
This question reflects a narrow view of how science works. Things in science can be studied even if they cannot be directly observed or experimented on. Archaeologists study past cultures by examining the artifacts those cultures left behind. . . . Something that happened in the past is thus not "off limits" for scientific study. Hypotheses can be made about such phenomena, and these hypotheses can be tested and can lead to solid conclusions.<ref>''Teaching about Evolution and the Nature of Science'' (Washington DC, National Academy Press, 1998), p. 55</ref>
</blockquote>

With respect to hypothesis testing, see, Carol Cleland, '''''Historical Science, Experimental Science and the Scientific Method''''', (''Geology'', November 2001, Vol. 29, No. 11, 987-990).

The fact is that historical sciences operate by different methods, including different methods of testing, than do experimental sciences. Historical sciences attempt to construct a historical narrative to explain current observed phenomena. The only way to "test" historical narratives is by comparing with competing historical narratives to see which one more closely aligns with the observed phenomena.

Intelligent design, therefore, is not only science, but as a competing historical narrative, it is a valuable scientific challenge to the naturalistic historical narrative of Darwinism. Without it, Darwinism ceases being science, and becomes an unchallengeable dogma.

== History of Intelligent Design ==
[[File:Aristotle.jpg|thumb|150px|right|[[Aristotle]] ]]
In many respects the history of intelligent design corresponds to the history of science in general; since the days of [[Aristotle]] most scientists have assumed design based on the clear evidence at hand. Moreover, the history of the modern intelligent design movement must be seen in the context of the ages-old tension between materialistic science and non-materialistic science. For a timeline directed specifically to the history of intelligent design and the creation - evolution controversy, see the '''IDEA Center's''' ''"Primer: History of intelligent design and the creation - evolution controversy".'' <ref>http://www.ideacenter.org/contentmgr/showdetails.php/id/1119</ref>

Plato and Aristotle both argued that nature is ''teleological'', a term that comes from the Greek ''telos'' meaning "directed by goal or purpose". In other words, the evidence of nature leads logically to the idea that behind the purely natural is some kind of rational, non-natural order, something Plato referred to as "Form" and which Aristotle referred to as "Idea". Both were led to their conclusions by the commonsense notion that if the world really did consist of chance configurations of atoms, then knowledge would be impossible. (See Nancy Pearcey, ''Total Truth'', Appendix 3, p. 390.)<ref>Nancy R. Pearcey, ''Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from Its Cultural Captivity'' (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2004)(http://www.amazon.com/Total-Truth-Liberating-Christianity-Captivity/dp/1581347464/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1195005366&sr=1-1)</ref>

[[Image:Pearcey.jpg|thumb|150px|left|Nancy Pearcey]]
Modern intelligent design theory is simply a response to the resurgence of dominant materialistic thought, primarily as expressed by institutions of science such as universities and various academies of science. As '''Nancy Pearcey''' states: "By tracing the debate over Darwinism all the way back to [[Epicurus]] (a Greek materialist) we can place the theory in a much larger context. Darwinism was not entirely new, invented out of whole cloth." Likewise, the modern intelligent design movement can be placed in a larger context as a challenge to modern materialistic thought as enforced in modern science.

For more indepth study of the history of intelligent design, see '''William Dembski's''' work entitled ''Intelligent Design''.<ref>http://www.designinference.com/documents/2003.08.Encyc_of_Relig.htm</ref> In particular, Dembski's bibliography and comments are reproduced here:

Bibliography
<blockquote>

Beckwith, Francis J. Law, Darwinism, and Public Education: The Establishment Clause and the Challenge of Intelligent Design. Lanham, Md., 2003. 

Behe, Michael J. Darwin’s Black Box: The Biochemical Challenge to Evolution. New York, 1996. 

Dawkins, Richard. The Blind Watchmaker: Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe without Design. New York, 1986. 

Dembski, William A. No Free Lunch: Why Specified Complexity Cannot Be Purchased without Intelligence. Lanham, Md., 2002. 

Forrest, Barbara. “The Wedge at Work: How Intelligent Design Creationism Is Wedging Its Way into the Cultural and Academic Mainstream.” In Intelligent Design Creationism and Its Critics: Philosophical, Theological, and Scientific Perspectives, edited by Robert T. Pennock, pp. 5–53, Cambridge, Mass., 2001. 

Giberson, Karl W. and Donald A. Yerxa. Species of Origins: America’s Search for a Creation Story. Lanham, Md., 2002. 

Hunter, Cornelius G. Darwin’s God: Evolution and the Problem of Evil. Grand Rapids, Mich., 2002. 

Manson, Neil A., ed. God and Design: The Teleological Argument and Modern Science. London, 2003. 

Miller, Kenneth R. Finding Darwin’s God: A Scientist’s Search for Common Ground between God and Evolution. San Francisco, 1999. 

Rea, Michael C. World without Design: The Ontological Consequences of Naturalism. Oxford, 2002. 

Witham, Larry. By Design: Science and the Search for God. San Francisco, 2003. 

Woodward, Thomas. Doubts about Darwin: A History of Intelligent Design. Grand Rapids, Mich., 2003. 
</blockquote>

Bibliographic Essay

<blockquote>[[Larry Witham]] provides the best overview of intelligent design, even-handedly treating its scientific, cultural, and religious dimensions. As a journalist, Witham has personally interviewed all the main players in the debate over intelligent design and allows them to tell their story. For intelligent design’s place in the science and religion dialogue, see Giberson and Yerxa. For histories of the intelligent design movement, see Woodward (a supporter) and Forrest (a critic). See Behe and Dembski to overview intelligent design’s scientific research program. For a critique of that program, see Miller. For an impassioned defense of Darwinism against any form of teleology or design, see Dawkins. Manson’s anthology situates intelligent design within broader discussions about teleology. Rea probes intelligent design’s metaphysical underpinnings. Hunter provides an interesting analysis of how intelligent design and Darwinism play off the problem of evil. Beckwith examines whether intelligent design is inherently religious and thus, on account of church-state separation, must be barred from public school science curricula.

</blockquote>

== Global intelligence design movement ==

''See also:'' [[Global intelligent design movement]]

''Evolution News and Views'' reported concerning the intelligent design movement:
{{cquote|Along with the absurd stereotype that support for ID is limited to right-wing fundamentalist Christians … there’s also the Darwinist agitprop point that advocates of the theory are rare outside the United States. Hardly! An unacknowledged strength of the ID movement is its international character.

Asia is an up-and-coming ID hot spot, as ENV has reported. See here for Signature in the Cell and Explore Evolution [links omitted for Discoveroid books] in their recent and handsome Korean editions.

Europe and Asia aside, how about Brazil? From South America’s most populous nation, accounting for half the continent’s total population, comes news of the First Brazilian Intelligent Design Congress, scheduled for November 14–16 this year at [details of the event].<ref>[http://www.evolutionnews.org/2014/10/intelligent_des_20090211.html Intelligent Design's Secret Weapon: The World] by David Klinghoffer October 3, 2014 11:53 AM</ref>}}

==Resources==
=== Quick Start ===
For a quick, concise overview of what intelligent design is all about, link to the following relatively short articles:

'''''Intelligent Design: The Scientific Alternative to Evolution'''''.<ref>http://idnetohio.cinti.net/media/NCBQ3_3HarrisCalvert.pdf</ref> Written by William S. Harris and John H. Calvert (of '''Intelligent Design Network, Inc.'''),<ref name="ReferenceA">http://www.intelligentdesignnetwork.org/</ref> this article is a one-stop mini-compendium on what intelligent design is, what it claims, and why it's important.

'''''The Evolution Controversy: Understanding the Basic Issues in the Debate Between Biological Evolution and Intelligent Design'''''. By Jody F. Sjogren, Robert P. Lattimer, and Douglas D. Rudy, and presented by Science Excellence for all Ohioans (SEAO).<ref>http://www.sciohio.org/start.htm</ref> Read and understand this and you will, as the title says, understand the basic issues.

'''''Intelligent Design: The Origin of Biological Information and the Higher Taxonomic Categories.'''''<ref>http://www.discovery.org/scripts/viewDB/index.php?command=view&program=CSC - Scientific Research and Scholarship - Science - MainPage&id=2177</ref> By Stephen C. Meyer of the Center for Science & Culture,<ref name="http://www.discovery.org/csc">http://www.discovery.org/csc/</ref> this article first appeared in the peer reviewed Proceeding of the Biological Society of Washington, August 20, 2005. Dr. Meyer argues that no current materialistic theory of evolution can account for the origin of the information necessary to build novel animal forms. He proposes intelligent design as an alternative explanation for the origin of biological information and the higher taxa.

===Web Based Resources===
====The Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture====
'''The Center for Science and Culture'''<ref name="http://www.discovery.org/csc"/> is a '''[[Discovery Institute]]''' program that encourages schools to improve science education by teaching students more fully about the theory of evolution, as well as supporting the work of scholars who challenge various aspects of neo-Darwinian theory and scholars who are working on the scientific theory known as intelligent design.

In addition to scientific research and scholarship, the Center's '''Evolution News and Views''' blog<ref>http://www.evolutionnews.org/</ref> presents analysis of that relevant news coverage, as well as original reporting that accurately delivers information about the current state of the debate over Darwinian evolution.

A related website, '''intelligentdesign.org'''<ref>http://www.intelligentdesign.org/</ref> provides up-to-date information and learning resources.

====Access Research Network====
The '''[[Access Research Network]] (ARN)'''<ref name="arn.org">http://www.arn.org/</ref> is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing accessible information on science, technology and society.

'''ARN's''' articles and publications cover a host of issues which focus on such topics as intelligent design theory, genetic engineering, euthanasia, computer technology, environmental issues, creation/evolution, fetal tissue research and medical issues. ARN provides information needed to orient one's self in today's scientific and technological world in order to make informed decisions.

====The Intelligent Design Network====
'''Intelligent Design Network, Inc.'''<ref name="ReferenceA"/> is a nonprofit organization that seeks institutional objectivity in origins science. Objectivity results from the use of the [[scientific method]] without philosophic or religious assumptions in seeking answers to the question: Where do we come from?

The Intelligent Design Network produced a Statement of Objectives <ref name="intelligentdesignnetwork.org"/> regarding origins science. The Statement acknowledges that explanations of the origin of the universe and of life and its diversity are scientifically controversial. Further, due to its controversial nature, Origins Science requires a scientific enterprise guided by '''scientific objectivity'' rather than a preconceived view of origins, whether Materialistic (e.g., Darwinism) or Teleological (e.g., creationism). For this reason, according to the Statement, government and public education institutions supporting Origins Science should strive for objectivity as they inform the public about the state of our scientific knowledge regarding origins.

====The Intelligent Design and Evolution Awareness (IDEA) Center====

The '''Intelligent Design and Evolution Awareness (IDEA) Center'''<ref>http://www.ideacenter.org/</ref> is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting intelligent design theory and fostering good - spirited discussion and a better understanding over intelligent design theory and the creation - evolution issue among students, educators, churches, and anyone else interested. The Center's primary focus is to help students form "IDEA Clubs" on university and high school campuses.

====ID the Future====
Intelligent Design's "Super Blog", '''ID the Future'''<ref>http://www.idthefuture.com/</ref> offers podcasts as part of its mission of exploring the issues central to evolution and intelligent design (ID). IDTF provides listeners with the most current news and views on evolution and ID through brief interviews with key scientists and scholars developing the theory of ID, as well as insightful commentary from '''Discovery Institute''' senior fellows and staff on the scientific, educational and legal aspects of the debate.

====Uncommon Descent====
The intelligent design weblog of [[William Dembski]], Denyse O'Leary, and friends, '''Uncommon Descent'''<ref>http://www.uncommondescent.com/</ref> holds that...
Materialistic ideology has subverted the study of biological and cosmological origins so that the actual content of these sciences has become corrupted. The problem, therefore, is not merely that science is being used illegitimately to promote a materialistic worldview, but that this worldview is actively undermining scientific inquiry, leading to incorrect and unsupported conclusions about biological and cosmological origins. At the same time, intelligent design (ID) offers a promising scientific alternative to materialistic theories of biological and cosmological evolution—an alternative that is finding increasing theoretical and empirical support. Hence, ID needs to be vigorously developed as a scientific, intellectual, and cultural project.

====Real Science Radio====
Denver-based Real Science Radio has interviewed a dozen scientists and scholars associated with Seattle's Discovery Institute including Paul Nelson, [[Stephen Meyer]], [[Richard Sternberg]], Ann Gauger, and Doug Axe, all listed on RSR's single Intelligent Design page.<ref>https://rsr.org/id/</ref>

====The Post-Darwinist====
Toronto-based '''Denyse O'Leary's''' blog,<ref>http://post-darwinist.blogspot.com/</ref> covering the intelligent design movement from a journalist/author's perspective.

===Books, Tapes, DVD's===

====Discovery Institute====
The '''Discovery Institute's Center for Science and Culture''' "Essential Readings" list<ref>http://www.discovery.org/csc/essentialReadings.php</ref> includes links to books and articles by leading intelligent design proponents.

====Access Research Network====
Books available from '''Access Research Network's'''<ref name="arn.org"/> book catalog<ref name="astore.amazon.com">http://astore.amazon.com/a0ed97-20</ref> and videos/tapes (including DVD's)<ref name="astore.amazon.com"/><ref>[http://www.arn.org/origins-101.html ARN Videos]</ref> include the latest information on the subject of intelligent design.

==See also==

*[[Intelligent design movement]]
*[[Atheism and reason]]
*[[Irreligion and superstition]]
*[[Creation Science]]
*[[Living fossil]]

== External links ==
*[http://www.intelligentdesign.org/ IntelligentDesign.org]

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

[[Category:Intelligent Design| ]]
[[Category:Science]]
[[Category:Biology]]
[[Category:Religion]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]
[[Category:Politics]]

Atheism and disco music

2019-02-09T19:55:32Z

Tg97: confusing, and actually redundant

[[File:04232012dae jpg semana de la cultura155.JPG|thumbnail|200px|right|Women at the Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education, Mexico City where a disco event was held.
 
 
Atheism is unpopular among Latinos and a significant majority of atheists are men (see: [[Atheism and Latino Americans]] and [[Atheism and women]]).]]
Unlike various religious traditions, [[atheism]] has no tradition of dance (See: [[Atheism and dance]]). No atheist song was ever popular within the disco music genre.

In addition, disco music is a genre of dance music that contains of elements of soul, funk, pop, and salsa. Atheism has never been popular within the African-American community nor has it been popular among Latinos (See: [[Atheism and Latino Americans]] and [[Western atheism and race]]). As far as pop, atheism has never been broadly popular among Americans (see: [[Views on atheists]]) and pop music often incorporates elements of music popular among urban, ethnic communities.

Additionally, disco music often deals with relations between men and women and atheism has a significantly majority of men (see: [[Atheism and women]]).

Furthermore, disco music is frequently upbeat and atheism is not commonly seen as being upbeat - particularly in [[theism|theistic]] countries (See: [[Hopelessness of atheism]] and [[Atheism and depression]]).

Within gospel music, one of the most popular songs which incorporated a disco music style was Tremaine Hawkins' gospel song ''Fall Down''.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWsOzgnCp4M Tremaine Hawkins - Fall Down]</ref>

== ABBA and criticism of Swedish secular leftists ==

The most successful Euro disco group was ABBA.

Although the Swedish group ABBA did not incorporate atheistic themes within their music, Björn Ulvaeus is now an outspoken advocate of "godlessness".<ref>[http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2013/09/10/abba-founder-godlessness-makes-swedens-pop-music-great/ ABBA Founder: Godlessness Makes Sweden’s Pop Music Great], Wall Street Journal</ref>

In Sweden most [[leftism|leftists]] are [[secular left]]ists. The ''Wall Street Journal'' states concerning leftists and ABBA's music: "For leftists in Sweden in the seventies we became the Antichrist,” Ulvaeus recalls. He adds that the group was accused of “being commercial and shallow.”<ref>[http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2013/09/10/abba-founder-godlessness-makes-swedens-pop-music-great/ ABBA Founder: Godlessness Makes Sweden’s Pop Music Great], Wall Street Journal</ref>

== See also ==

*[[Atheist music]]
*[[Atheism and hip hop music]]

== Notes ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
[[Category:Atheism]]

Alexander Perls

2018-10-28T20:57:14Z

Tg97: Created page with "'''Alexander Perls''' (born May 11, 1976) is an Atheist electronic musician. Although Perls is an Atheist, many of his songs contain Christian language.<ref>Perls..."

'''Alexander Perls''' (born May 11, 1976) is an [[Atheist]] [[electronic music]]ian.

Although Perls is an Atheist, many of his songs contain [[Christian]] language.<ref>Perls, Alexander. "[https://genius.com/009-sound-system-trinity-lyrics Trinity]". Via Genius.</ref> Due to the mocking tone in some of these songs, it would not be unreasonable to understand his work as atheist music.<ref>Perls, Alexander. "[https://genius.com/009-sound-system-speak-to-angels-annotated Speak to Angels]". Via Genius.</ref>

Perls's song "Dreamscape" (released under the pseudonym 009 Sound System) has been nicknamed the "National Anthem of YouTube".<ref name=gp>[https://play.google.com/store/music/artist/009_Sound_System?id=A5q5e2lmip6pquuovnjfdkwtjru&hl=en 009 Sound System], Google Play.</ref> If a YouTube video uses a song that the copyright holders do not allow on YouTube, YouTube will give the uploader the opportunity to replace the soundtrack with a song from a list of royalty-free songs. 009 Sound System became popular in the early days of YouTube because its songs were on the top of this list and many users did not care enough about music to make much effort in their selection.

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Musicians]]
[[Category:Atheists]]

Overrated Sports Stars

2018-07-02T23:41:24Z

Tg97:

[[File:Peyton Manning.jpg|thumb|Peyton Manning]]
The [[lamestream media]] like to promote athletes based not on skill, but for [[liberal]] reasons. Here are the most overrated sports stars (none are among the [[Essay:Greatest Conservative Sports Stars|Greatest Conservative Sports Stars]]).<ref>This list includes 25% of those on [[liberal]] [[ESPN]]'s list of the top 20 athletes of the last 20 years: [http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2018/03/20/espn-ranks-peyton-manning-no-4-tom-brady-no-20-in-its-top-20-athletes-list/]</ref> Three on this list—Lance Armstrong, Tom Brady and Tiger Woods—have been punished for cheating.

#[[Andre Agassi]] — his rival [[Pete Sampras]] was far better,<ref>Sampras defeated Agassi four out of the five times they met in Grand Slam finals. Overall, Sampras won 20 out of his 34 matches against Agassi. [http://www.espn.co.uk/tennis/sport/story/295861.html]</ref> but Sampras is [[conservative]]. Agassi is a big donor to [[Democrat]] politicians.
#[[Lance Armstrong]] — favored by the [[liberal media]] because he publicly denied belief in [[God]], he pulled off perhaps the biggest scam in the history of sports by "winning" the [[Tour-de-France]] seven times with what has been described as [http://cyclinginvestigation.usada.org/# "the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen."] See also: [[Irreligion and unsportsmanlike conduct]]
#[[David Beckham]] — retired early to the American MLS league and then became a benchwarmer in the French League. His own [[British]] [[2012 Summer Olympics]] team did not even want him; his real skill seems to be in catering to the [[liberal media]].
#[[Tom Brady]] — probably the biggest sissy ever to play in the NFL, Brady gives up yardage rather than be tackled, and even ducks playing in Pro Bowl games.<ref>https://sports.yahoo.com/tom-brady-pro-bowl-experience-112236350.html</ref> On any team other than the Patriots, which is built around his weaknesses, Brady has played relatively poorly, such as when he did play in Pro Bowl games. He apparently required team staff to cheat by underinflating footballs for him for years, until finally caught in the 2015 AFC Championship game and suspended at length for it.<ref>Brady refused to apologize for his cheating and instead destroyed evidence.</ref> Brady has a relatively weak throwing arm, zero running speed, and requires tremendous pass protection to play well. The [[liberal media]] covers for him because his [[liberal]], foreign-born wife is [[Anti-Trump]] and bosses Brady around.
#[[Kobe Bryant]] — was an overhyped bust at the [[2012 Summer Olympics]]; hasn't won a single title without super-coaching by Phil Jackson, who observes that Bryant is not on the high level of [[Michael Jordan]]; Bryant's Lakers were pathetic in 2012-2013 while he was playing.
#Jason Collins — saw constant media coverage over him for being a homosexual even though he isn't even that good at basketball.
#Jim Harbaugh — out-coached to lose the [[Super Bowl]] in 2013, Harbaugh was next paid a massive multimillion-dollar contract to coach in college, where he led his Michigan team to a pathetically weak 5-2 start, yet the media continue to promote him with absurd stories like "5 Ways Jim Harbaugh Inspires His Team."<ref>[http://www.forbes.com/sites/johnbaldoni/2015/10/24/5-ways-jim-harbaugh-inspires-his-team/ Forbes story]</ref>
#[[LeBron James]] — over-promoted by the media to an absurd extent. Outspoken Christian star [[Steph Curry]] is better, and another Christian star, [[Kevin Durant]], outscored James (and Kobe Bryant) in the 2012 Olympics. LeBron has sometimes even underachieved in key playoff games. He helped Cleveland win a come-from-behind title in 2016, but again received absurd over-hype, such as the media claiming he is "superhuman". In 2018, LeBron's team was swept 4-0 by the Warriors as led by the underrated Durant and Curry.
#[[Magic Johnson]] — lucky enough to play on [[Kareem Abdul-Jabbar]]'s Lakers to win some titles, but was crushed by [[Michael Jordan]] and the Bulls; no problem, Magic was a critic of President [[George H.W. Bush]], which thrilled liberals.
#*People look at him, and say, 'Hey, it's OK to get HIV because I'm living with it.' That is the wrong message. [http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-500202_162-57319698/20-years-since-magic-johnsons-hiv-stunner/]
#Colin Kaepernick — Quarterback Alex Smith did most of the dirty work giving the 49ers a good enough record to make it to the playoffs after Smith was injured Kaepernick was named the starter, but they lost the Super Bowl. Following Smith's release, the 49ers have struggled while Smith's new team, The Kansas City Chiefs have done well. Liberals protect him because he is likely a [[communist]].<ref>http://www.upi.com/Sports_News/NFL/2016/11/27/Colin-Kaepernick-praises-good-things-done-by-communist-Fidel-Castro/9581480294777/</ref>
#[[Peyton Manning]] — a [[quarterback]] who won only two [[NFL]] championships in 17 seasons, on teams that carried him to victory with overpowering defenses; the media unjustifiably hyped Manning as one of the best ever and gave him numerous regular season honors. The [[liberal media]] treated him like the Second Coming of [[Christ]] in order to oust [[conservative]] [[Tim Tebow]] from his leadership position in the [[swing state]] of [[Colorado]] prior to the [[Presidential Election 2012]]. After replacing Tebow, Manning eventually caused a humiliatingly early exit for the Broncos from the 2013 playoffs by throwing two big interceptions and was even worse in a humiliating [[Super Bowl]] loss in 2014 and a first-round playoff loss in 2015. Called "a choke artist in the playoffs" for his many upset losses in the big games.<ref>http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1482869-denver-broncos-is-peyton-manning-a-playoff-choke-artist</ref>
#[[Steve Nash]] — an [http://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2009/3/25/809516/steve-nash-on-media-bias-t outspoken liberal who supported Obama], Nash was chosen ''twice'' by the [[lamestream media]] as the [[NBA]] MVP despite never leading his team to even an NBA Finals. Even worse, the former coach of Nash was then hired by the Lakers in late 2012, rather than a far better coach who was available.
#[[Danica Patrick]] - has won a single race in the Indy Car series, but has yet to win a race in either the NASCAR Sprint Cup or Nationwide series, finishing no higher than fourth, although ESPN promotes her first and foremost when showing highlights of the NASCAR races in which she participates. The [[lamestream media]] adores her for her participation in controversial GoDaddy television advertisements.[[File:C Ronaldo.jpg|thumb|200px|Cristiano Ronaldo.]]
#[[Ben Roethlisberger]] - he only won the Super Bowl twice, which isn't that many times, considering the team he's on has won six Super Bowl rings. Despite this, there is more hype about him then there really needs to be, in similar ways to Tom Brady.
#[[Cristiano Ronaldo]] - his spectacular talents have been ruined by his self-obsession, vanity, and cravings of celebrity. He is now officially "sad", despite being one of the luckiest men alive.
#Wayne Rooney - burst onto the scene as a 16-year-old and called "The English [[Pele|Pelé]]." 10 years on and he has still failed to fulfill his potential, especially at international level, and still behaves like a childish and immature 16-year-old.
#Ronda Rousey — A bully and a jerk. She threatened to beat up Justin Bieber (who has absolutely no martial arts experience) over childish nonsense. She's only really famous because of her sex appeal & supporting [[Bernie Sanders]].<ref>http://www.maxim.com/entertainment/ronda-rousey-bernie-sanders-president-2015-11</ref> Ironically she was beaten by Holly Holm (who is supporting Trump<ref>http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/celebrities-who-support-donald-trump/16/</ref> and has predictably not received any media attention<ref>However, Holm is not helped by the lack of female MMA name fighters; the only one of note -- Cyborg -- has routinely tested positive for performance enhancing drugs.</ref>).
#Michael Sam — was heavily promoted by the media for being a homosexual despite not being a first-round draft pick and getting cut from the Rams before the start of the season.
#Mark Sanchez — while playing quarterback for the [[New York Jets]] he was touted as the team's best QB over [[conservative]] [[Christian]] [[Tim Tebow]], despite Sanchez falling apart at the end of the 2011–12 season and continuing to perform poorly in the 2012-2013 season. When Tebow came to the Jets, [[liberals]] championed the former [[USC]] star Sanchez as the superior player despite his mediocre play throughout his career. As a result, Tebow was forced out of the Jets team and released at the end of the 2012-13 season.
#Ndamukong Suh - he intentionally hurts various NFL players so that they may not play football ever again. He also really isn't near as good as people hype him up to be, considering two of out the three seasons he was with the [[Miami Dolphins]], they went 6-10. He also only made the playoffs two out of the five seasons with the [[Detroit Lions]].
#[[Tiger Woods]] — hasn't won a major golf tournament in nearly a decade, and yet he's still the only one liberals want to promote while reporting on tournaments - even when he's not even playing, as in the 2014 [[Masters]]. Woods has had a string of bizarre, unexplained injuries not typical among professional golfers. Masters' winner Sergio Garcia responded to criticism of him in the media by Tiger Woods by saying that is "probably the first thing he's told you guys that's true in 15 years."<ref>http://www.businessinsider.com/sergio-tiger-woods-lying-2013-5</ref> Woods turned in an improper score card during the 2013 Masters (not taking his penalty for an illegal drop), for which a player would ordinarily be disqualified but apparently favoritism for Woods avoided the DQ.<ref>https://deadspin.com/tiger-woods-avoids-disqualification-from-the-masters-fo-472775923</ref>

{{Clear}}
== See also ==

*[[Underrated Sports Stars]]
*[[Irreligion and unsportsmanlike conduct]]
*[[Conservapedia proven right]]
*[http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/08/pro-football-nfl-hall-of-fame-who-doesnt-belong-worst-troy-aikman-canton "Troy Aikman and 16 others who don't belong in the Hall of Fame"]
*[[Amanda Beard]]

== References ==

<references/>
[[Category:Sports]]

Heavy metal music

2018-07-02T23:35:28Z

Tg97:

'''Heavy metal''' is a musical genre that was developed mainly in the United States of America and the United Kingdom, primarily noted for an emphasis on distortion, palm muting, aggressive lyrical content, bass-heavy sounds, as well as the influence of blues scales and classical structures. Heavy Metal has also spawned numerous sub genres which omit or improve upon standard technique, or invent new one altogether, giving heavy metal as a genre an impressive variety of styles and sounds. Heavy metal's origins are both rooted in the cultural upheavals that occurred during the 1960s, such as the conflict in Vietnam and the reevaluation and mass rejection of previous social schema, and the enormous influence of bands such as [[The Jimi Hendrix Experience]], [[Led Zeppelin]], [[Iron Butterfly]], and [[Black Sabbath]] that are regarded as proto-metal as well as hard rock. Other musical influences include psychedelic rock, blues rock, and the still developing progressive rock genre. Though heavy metal initially borrowed heavily from the blues in terms of playing style, this was later largely discarded by future metal acts such as [[Judas Priest]].

The first style of rock which grew from this was distorted [[blues]] sound created by [[San Francisco]] based [[psychedelia]] band, '''Blue Cheer''', whose influence on electric blues bands could be seen from [[Cream (rock band)|Cream]] to [[Jimi Hendrix]] to '''ZZ Top'''. The second style was [[progressive rock]], which in 1968 was led by [[England|English]] band '''King Crimson''', combining jazz, classical, experimental, psychedelic and folk music. The precursor to this sound was [[The Beatles]], arguably the first band to leave the standard rock format, creating longer song structures, many of which were narrative or [[opera|neo-operatic]]. This was the main inspiration for later bands such as '''Camel''', [[Genesis (band)|Genesis]] and [[Yes (band)|Yes]].

By 1969, the influence of these seminal artists had saturated those parts of the public consciousness which were focused on rock music as a developing art form, and contributed to the explosion of hard rock by, for example, [[Led Zeppelin]] and [[Deep Purple]] and the so-called "proto-metal" of '''Black Sabbath'''. This year is now seen as the watershed moment in the development of what soon became heavy metal.

Black Sabbath originally began as an electric blues outfit named "Earth", but after discovering there was already a band using that name, changed to Black Sabbath after the 1964 [[Boris Karloff]] movie of the same name. Developing a new sound that was born both out of a change in attitude and the loss of lead Guitarist Tony Iommi's finger tips, Black Sabbath are largely credited with developing the more heavily distorted and crunchy elements that later became staples of the heavy metal style.

==1970s==
In 1973 the leading exponents of heavy metal were undoubtedly Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, and Black Sabbath, each having a technical prowess and a compositional inventiveness unseen before in mainstream popular music. This era also marked the beginnings of [[Satanism|Satanic]] imagery and of the spectacular, energetic live shows which became a hallmark of later heavy metal spin offs. Led Zeppelin's [[guitar]]ist Jimmy Page had a strong personal fascination with the [[occult]], while many of Black Sabbath's lyrics dealt with it as well. Unlike many future bands, however, Black Sabbath never claimed to be Satanic. Singer Ozzy Osbourne claims that they were actually looking for a way to tap into the success and popularity of the horror genre, where people willingly paid to see a movie or read a novel intended solely to frighten them; to do so, they began to purposely write dark, ominous songs in an attempt to be music's answer to horror films.

Live shows were becoming bigger and more theatrical, notably Led Zeppelin's "rock till you drop" performances lasting two hours, and Alice Cooper's colossal shows following in the American tradition of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, promising "The Greatest Show On Earth". Cooper's shows featured [[boa]] constrictors, horrific freak-show mannequins, and dramatic fake-beheading scenes. Other key artists that emerged at this time included High Tide, Black Cat Bones, Black Widow, Uriah Heep, UFO and Blue Oyster Cult, and glam rockers Kiss. Each of the four members of Kiss took the on-stage persona of a cartoon-like character using elaborate face make-up and a science fiction style clothing. Another American band, Aerosmith, took the basic R 'n' B and rock 'n' roll structures of bands such as the Faces and Rolling Stones and transformed them into a new harder form. The late 70s saw a decline in the popularity of heavy metal, as the Punk movement, beginning in 1976, dominated the musical counterculture.

==1980s==
During the 1970s four British bands were formed that would arguably become the most dramatically influential of the genre during the 1980s: [[Def Leppard]], [[Iron Maiden]], [[Judas Priest]] and [[Motorhead]]. The 1980s also gave rise to the American thrash metal movement with notable bands being [[Anthrax]], [[Metallica]] and its offshoot, [[Megadeth]] and [[Slayer]]. During the 1980s [[Glam Metal]] also became very popular with bands including [[Motley Crue]], [[Ratt]], [[Bon Jovi]], [[Twisted Sister]] and [[Stryper]].

==1990s==
The advent of Grunge in the early 90s is seen as the end of Glam Metal dominance. Nirvana's 'Nevermind' caused widespread public interest in alternative forms of music. [[Groove Metal]] became popular with Pantera's 'Cowboys from Hell' and Sepultura's 'Chaos AD'. The normally marginalized sub-genres of metal, that began forming in the early to mid 80s, soon enjoyed much wider exposure. [[Black Metal]], especially in the Scandinavian countries, began to see a huge rise in popularity.<ref>fact</ref> [[Marduk]], [[Mayhem]], and [[Burzum]] were see at the forefront of the early black metal scene, and continued to see popularity due to the controversies that surrounded the bands, such as Marduk's fascination with the Third Reich and anti-Christian lyrical content; the murder of Mayhem's lead guitarist Euronymous by Burzum's Varg Vikernes, as well as the lyrical content and album themes of everything post 'Deathcrush'.

==Criticism==

Due to its association with the counter culture movement and the more extreme forms that it has taken over the years, heavy metal has faced criticism from parents groups, school administrators, politicians, music critics, religious organizations, feminists, environmentalists, and multiculturalists.

A musicologist wrote:

:The development of heavy metal music in the '60s and its continuing popularity through the '70s, '80s, and '90s coincides, for one thing, with the period of the greatest popularity horror films and books have ever known. Both mark a transitional moment in our history: the end of Pax Americana; new economic crises; de-industrialization, the decline of unions and the rise of low-pay service jobs; revelations of corrupt leadership; powerful social movements challenging dominant policies on race, gender, ecology, and consumer rights; new challenges to the stability of social institutions such as the family; and redefinitions of political themes such as freedom. Much of the culture of the past twenty years has functioned to restore the sense of security undermined by these disruptions. Heavy metal, like horror films, has provided ways of producing meaning in an irrational society.<ref>[http://www.superseventies.com/stairway.html Dr. Robert Walser, Professor of Musicology, Dartmouth College] - author of ''Running With the Devil: Power, Gender, and Madness in Heavy Metal Music''</ref>

Heavy metal music has been known to glamorize anti-Christian practices such as Satanism, promiscuity, Nazism,<ref>[[Black Metal#National Socialist Black Metal|National Socialist Black Metal]]</ref> alcoholism, drug and tobacco abuse, occultism, gambling, and having tattoos. Despite this, there are bands with all of the musical characteristics of heavy metal—fast drums, distorted guitars, screamed or growled vocals, that put forth a Christian message. This genre is known as [[Christian metal]], and is also sometimes referred to as White metal or unblack metal.

[[Feminism|Feminists]] will also commonly criticize heavy metal for being "sexist", similarly to how they do it with [[rock and roll]], [[country music]], and [[rap]]. Also, [[multiculturalism|multiculturalists]] have also been known to criticize heavy metal, rock and roll, and country for being "racist". [[Environmentalism|Environmentalists]] have also criticized it for "causing noise pollution".

Popular artists who do not perform Christian music but are Christians personally include Zakk Wylde (guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne, and leader of Black Label Society), Alice Cooper, Ted Nugent, Rob Halford (Judas Priest),Tom Araya (lead singer of Slayer), James Hetfield (Metallica), and Dave Mustaine (Megadeth).

==Fans==
Studies of fans of heavy metal show that they are surprisingly gentle and easy-going. One such study compared heavy metal fans to fans of classical music, observing that they were quite similar in that they were creative and at ease but not outgoing.<ref>[http://www.wired.com/listening_post/2008/09/study-country-f/ Study: Country Fans Work Hard, Metal Fans Are Gentle]</ref> At concerts fans are generally respectful of and look after one another.

==Etymology==
The term was first used in a musical context by [[Canada|Canadian]] rock band Steppenwolf in their 1968 hit record<ref>Billboard Hot 100 singles chart: highest position #2</ref> "Born To Be Wild," which featured the line: "I like smoke and lightning, heavy metal thunder..." The song received worldwide exposure the following year when it was used in the soundtrack of the 1969 [[counterculture]] movie ''[[Easy Rider]]''. However, the phrase "heavy metal" had previously been used in 1962 by [[William Burroughs]] in his novel ''The Soft Machine'',<ref>ISBN 0802133290 ISBN 978-0802133298</ref> which featured a character named "Uranian Willy, the Heavy Metal Kid". In 1964, Burroughs used it to describe mass technological destruction to the point of biological toxicity in his novel ''Nova Express''.<ref>ISBN 0802133304 ISBN 978-0802133304</ref>

==References==
<references/>

==See also==
*[[Black Metal]]
*[[Christian Metal]]

[[Category:Rock & Roll]]

Birth defect

2018-05-14T03:27:09Z

Tg97:

A '''birth defect''' is a structural, functional, or metabolic abnormality present at birth that results in physical or mental disability or death. There are more than 4,000 known birth defects, which may be caused by [[gene]]tic or [[environment]]al factors. In the US, about 150,000 babies are born each year with birth defects.

Some birth defects can be corrected by surgery after birth. Some examples are cleft palate, extra fingers or toes, webbed feet, club foot and 'hole in the heart'.

Birth defects may be caused by nutritional deficiencies of the mother and can be avoided by ensuring a good diet with supplemental vitamins and minerals and also by avoiding [[alcohol]] and [[tobacco]]. [[Folic acid]] is a common supplement.

There are potential birth defects that are genetic, and tests may be available to detect the condition in the womb or to test the parents and predict a potential risk if conception occurs. The parents can then assess the risk factors and decide to plan or avoid a pregnancy. They may also choose to conceive a child using [[in vitro fertilization]] and pre-implantation genetic diagnosis, or if the child is already conceived, [[Abortion|end the pregnancy]].

In the 1960s many birth defects were also caused by the usage of Thalidomide, a hypnotic drug administered to mothers to ease their pain during birth. The usage of this drug caused various defects, the majority of cases being deformities of the arms and legs.

== Testing ==
Two of the tests for birth defects in fetuses are chorionic villus sampling (CVS) and [[amniocentesis]]. CVS tests cells from the [[placenta]] and amniocentesis tests cells from the amniotic fluid. However, it is not well understood what happens to abnormal cells.<ref name="cambridge">"[https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/early-stage-embryos-with-abnormalities-may-still-develop-into-healthy-babies Early-stage embryos with abnormalities may still develop into healthy babies]". 29 March 2016. University of Cambridge. Accessed 13 May 2018.</ref>

A study published in 2016 found that in mice embryos where half the cells have an abnormal number of chromosomes, the abnormal cells are killed by [[apoptosis]] and the embryo continues to develop normally.<ref name="cambridge" />

== References ==
{{reflist}}
* http://kidshealth.org/parent/system/ill/birth_defects.html
* McGraw-Hill Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

[[Category:Genetics]]

Down syndrome

2018-05-14T03:03:03Z

Tg97:

'''Down syndrome''' (also written as '''Down's syndrome''', technical name '''Trisomy 21'''<ref>http://www.ds-health.com/trisomy.htm</ref>) is a genetic disorder caused by an extra copy of [[chromosome]] 21. It is the most common syndrome caused by chromosomal abnormalities in human beings. The greatest risk factor for having a child with Down syndrome is increased maternal (and, to a lesser extent, paternal) age.

== History ==
The name comes from [[British]] [[physician]] [[John Langdom Down]], who described the syndrome in his [[1862]] paper, "Observations on an Ethnic Classification of Idiots". Down conjectured that the syndrome was a "degeneracy" of [[caucasians]] to [[mongols]] (the [[mongolian]] race was one of the five racial classifications commonly used at the time), and the term '''mongolism''' was inspired by his paper. Currently, the terms "mongolism" and "mongoloid" are considered offensive. 

== Signs and symptoms ==
The most important medical aspect of Down syndrome is [[mental retardation]]. Individuals with Down syndrome have mild to severe mental retardation. It is impossible to reliably predict what the eventual level of function of a child with Down syndrome will be.

Other characteristics of Down syndrome (not all of which affect every individual who has Down's) are :
* Single [[transverse palmar crease]]
* Epicanthic folds and oblique eye opening
* Smaller limbs
* Weak muscle tone
* Enlarged, protruding [[tongue]]
* [[Congenital heart defect]]- Atrioventricular septal defects
* [[Gastroesophageal reflux disease]]
* [[Otitis]] and hearing deficits
* [[Sleep apnea]]
* [[Thyroid]] hormone problems
* Increased risk of [[Leukemia]], but reduced risk of other forms of [[cancer]]
* Early onset [[Alzheimer's disease]]

People with Down Syndrome have significantly lesser rates of cancer than other people;<ref>[http://www.downsyn.com/cancer.php]</ref> in fact, recent studies about the correlation of Down Syndrome and cancer may even provide a cure for cancer.<ref>http://www.nature.com/news/2009/090520/full/news.2009.493.html</ref>

The greatest risk factor in is increased maternal age, the majority of children with Down syndrome are born to mothers under the age of 35, because the vast majority of children as a whole are born to younger mothers.

== Treatment ==
On July 13, 2013, researchers at University of Massachusetts—Worcester took cells from Down syndrome people and were able to turn off the extra chromosomes that cause the disorder, though available treatment is still a long way from now.<ref>https://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/jul/17/downs-syndrome-cells-fixed-chromosome-therapy</ref>

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Genetics]]
[[Category:Syndromes]]

Donald Trump

2017-10-15T19:39:56Z

Tg97: Undo revision 1381169 by Karajouisafilthycunt (talk)

{{Officeholder
|name=Donald John Trump
|image=Donald Trump official photo.jpg
|party=[[Republican]] (1987–1999, 2009–2011, 2012–present) formerly [[Democrat]] (until 1987, 2001–2009), [[Reform Party|Reform]] (1999–2001), and [[Independent voter|Independent]] (2011–2012)
|spouse=Ivana Trump Marla Maples [[Melania Trump]]
|religion=[[Presbyterian Church (USA)|Presbyterian]]
|offices={{Officeholder/president
|country=the United States
|number=45th
|terms=January 20, 2017-Present
|vp=[[Mike Pence]]
|preceded=[[Barack Obama]]
|former=n
}}
}}
:''For his achievements as U.S. President, see [[Donald Trump achievements]].''
'''Donald John Trump''' (b. [[Queens]], [[New York]], on June 14, 1946), nicknamed "'''The Donald'''", is 45th [[President of the United States of America]], as a result of winning the [[2016 presidential election]] as the [[Republican Party]] nominee. Before he became an outspoken politician, he gained fame as a businessman, entrepreneur, and [[television]] personality.

==Financial worth & education==
Trump has engaged in many financial pursuits and estimated that his net worth was $10 billion, as of July 2015.<ref>LoGiurato, Brett (July 25, 2015). [http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-net-worth-2015-7 "We finally know a lot more about Donald Trump's 'massive' net worth"]. Business Insider website.</ref> ''Forbes'', however, estimates his net worth is $3.7 billion as of March 2017.<ref>[http://www.forbes.com/profile/donald-trump/ "The world's most powerful people: #2 Donald Trump"]. (March 6, 2017). Forbes.com website.</ref> He graduated from the New York Military Academy in 1964 and first attended college at [[Fordham University]] for two years before transferring to the more competitive [[University of Pennsylvania]] and completing his undergraduate studies at its Wharton School of Finance and Commerce.

Early media profiles of Trump claim he graduated "first in his class" from Wharton.<ref>Whitman, Alden (January 28, 1973). [http://www.nytimes.com/1973/01/28/archives/a-builder-looks-backand-moves-forward-builder-looks-back-but-moves.html "A builder looks back—and moves forward".] ''New York Times''. Retrieved from ''New York Times'' website.</ref> The evidence suggests otherwise and yet Trump has never sought to correct or clarify this potentially significant error.<ref>Geist, William E. (April 8, 1984). [http://www.nytimes.com/1984/04/08/magazine/the-expanding-empire-of-donald-trump.html "The expanding empire of Donald Trump".] ''New York Times Magazine''. Retrieved from ''New York Times'' website.</ref>

==Candidacy==
On June 16, 2015, he declared his candidacy for the Republican nomination in the [[2016 presidential election]].<ref>Multiple references:
*[http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/06/16/trump-announces-white-house-bid-joins-crowded-gop-field/ "Trump announces White House bid, joins crowded GOP field"] (June 16, 2015). Fox News website/Politics. The front-runner in a record-breaking field of 17 [[Republican]] candidates, Trump announced that he did not anticipate "throwing punches" against his rivals in the first GOP debate.
*Chiacu, Donna and Torbati, Yeganeh (August 2, 2015). [http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/08/02/us-usa-election-debate-idUSKCN0Q70NI20150802 "Trump says won't be 'throwing punches' in U.S. Republican debate"]. Reuters/Politics. But at the debate the [[Fox News Channel]]—particularly its [[feminist]] non-journalist [[Megyn Kelly]]—ambushed Trump with out-of-context quotations designed to smear him as somehow being anti-women. This ignited a national controversy that lasted for days, and Trump called upon Kelly to apologize, which she refused to do.</ref> Unlike most other U.S presidential candidates, Trump sharply criticizes the media and talks about issues that no elected official dares touch. For example, Trump stands up against [[feminists]], unlike most politicians. In another example, in 2011 Trump persistently doubted whether [[Barack Obama]] had been born in the [[United States]], which caused Obama's approval ratings to drop below 40% until Obama finally caved in to Trump and produced what Obama claimed was his birth certificate. Trump then scoffed at Obama's conduct.

'''''In February 2011, Trump announced that he is [[pro-life]], and at the final presidential debate on Oct. 19, 2016, Trump gave the strongest endorsement of the pro-life position of any presidential nominee in history'''''.

Trump's central campaign theme has been to oppose [[illegal immigration]] and [[free trade]], and nominated Senator [[Jeff Sessions]] as [[Attorney General]] to enforce standing legislation on the issue. As reported by [[Breitbart News Network|Breitbart]], "Sen. Sessions, Chairman of the Senate’s Immigration Subcommittee, is widely regarded as the gold standard on immigration. Sessions has also become the intellectual thought leader in the Republican Party on appealing to the blue collar voters who have been abandoned by their political leaders." <ref>Hahn, Julia (August 14, 2015). [http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/08/14/game-change-trump-consults-with-sen-jeff-sessions-on-immigration-strategy/ "Game change: Trump consults with Sen Jeff Sessions on immigration strategy"]. Breitbart website/Big government.</ref> In the later campaign Trump focused more on [[ISIS]] and terrorism.

At the final presidential debate between [[Hillary Clinton]] and Trump on October 19, 2016, Clinton chastised Trump for running a newspaper advertisement in 1987 critical of the [[Reagan Administration]]. But Trump persuasively explained that he has always disagreed with Reagan's support of free trade, as many other [[conservatives]] disagree with Reagan on this issue.

==Religious beliefs==
{{Main|Donald Trump's religious views}}
Donald Trump attended the First [[Presbyterian]] Church in Jamaica, [[Queens]]. He told the [[Christian Broadcasting Network]] that he still considers himself a [[Presbyterian]] and attends services for all major holidays and Sundays, and that "The [[Bible]] is certainly THE book." He receives Bibles from fans in the mail, and he either stores them or gives them away to others.<ref>Haberman, Maggie (April 11, 2011). [http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0411/52942.html "Donald Trump talks about religion"]. Politico website.</ref>

In July 2015, Trump stated in an interview that "Why do I have to repent or ask for forgiveness, if I am not making mistakes?"<ref>Nothstine, Ray (July 23, 2015). [http://www.christianpost.com/news/trump-why-do-i-have-to-repent-or-ask-for-forgiveness-if-i-am-not-making-mistakes-video-141856/ Trump: 'Why Do I Have to Repent or Ask for Forgiveness If I Am Not Making Mistakes?' (Video)]. ''The Christian Post''. Retrieved March 13, 2017.</ref> He also stated that "I think if I do something wrong, I think, I just try and make it right. I don't bring God into that picture. I don't."<ref>Scott, Eugene (July 18, 2015). [http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/18/politics/trump-has-never-sought-forgiveness/ Trump believes in God, but hasn't sought forgiveness]. ''CNN''. Retrieved December 4, 2016.</ref> January 2016, Trump stated that "I have a great relationship with God," but that "I don’t like to have to ask for forgiveness."<ref>Key, Pam (January 17, 2016). [http://www.breitbart.com/video/2016/01/17/trump-i-dont-like-to-have-to-ask-for-forgiveness-from-god/ Trump: ‘I Don’t Like to Have to Ask for Forgiveness’ from God]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved March 13, 2017.</ref> When confronted by [[Cal Thomas]] in an interview in mid 2016 about his not asking God for forgiveness, Trump stated that he would ask God for forgiveness.<ref>Chumley, Cheryl (August 6, 2016). [http://www.wnd.com/2016/06/trump-answers-question-who-do-you-say-jesus-is/ Trump answers question: 'Who do you say Jesus is?] ''WorldNetDaily''. Retrieved March 13, 2017.</ref> In October 2016, [[Ben Carson]] stated that Trump did ask forgiveness from God with [[James Robison]].<ref>Showalter, Brandon (October 10, 2016). [http://www.christianpost.com/news/ben-carson-donald-trump-asked-god-for-forgiveness-prayed-with-james-robison-170650/ Ben Carson: Donald Trump Asked God for Forgiveness, Prayed With James Robison]. ''The Christian Post''. Retrieved March 13, 2017.</ref>

According to exit polling in the 2016 election, Trump won 81 percent of evangelical Christians compared to 16 percent for Clinton, a record high and even more than [[George W. Bush]] won in 2004, showing strong support for Trump from evangelical Christians.<ref name="townhall.com">O'Brien, Cortney (November 12, 2016). [http://townhall.com/tipsheet/cortneyobrien/2016/11/12/white-evangelical-voters-showed-up-this-time-n2243931 Evangelical Voters Showed Up Big Time For Trump]. ''Townhall''. Retrieved December 8, 2016.</ref><ref name="wsj.com">Lovett, Ian (November 9, 2016). [http://www.wsj.com/articles/evangelicals-back-donald-trump-in-record-numbers-despite-earlier-doubts-1478689372 Evangelicals Back Donald Trump in Record Numbers, Despite Earlier Doubts]. ''The Wall Street Journal''. Retrieved December 8, 2016.</ref>

==Career==
[[File:Trump business.jpg|right]]
Donald Trump began his career at [[Trump Organization]]. In his college years, he helped revitalize one of his father's failing real estate ventures. Trump began opening hotels and casinos, which provided him with the cash flow to engage in other ventures. He owns the world-famous [[Trump Tower]] and is the founder of the publicly traded Trump Hotel Casinos & Resorts. Trump also owns the Trump brand, which sells a variety of items, such as bottled water, steak, and even mortgages. Trump has authored a number of books and weathered changing business fortunes, but despite the challenges that he has encountered, he has continued to be a successful businessman and entrepreneur.

Trump [[Donald Trump presidential campaign, 2000|ran unsuccessfully]] for the nomination of the [[Reform Party]] in 2000. Trump considered [[presidential election 2012|running for President in 2012]] as a [[Republican]]. He, among others, questioned the citizenship of [[Barack Obama]], citing his failure to produce his birth certificate. After Obama produced his birth certificate, Trump and the other [[birther]]s continue to doubt its authenticity. Obama's approval ratings were around 40% during the peak of the controversy. Trump later exited the race, and gave the customary endorsement to [[Mitt Romney]] as the other [[Republican]] contenders did.

==Major properties==

*Trump World Tower: 845 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY.

*Trump Tower: 725 Fifth Ave, New York, NY 10022 Personal Residence

*Bank of America Center (San Francisco)

*The Trump Building at 40 Wall Street

*Trump Park Avenue

*AXA Financial Center, 1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY

*Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago

*Trump International Hotel & Casino Las Vegas

*Mar-A-Lago Palm Beach

*Four golf courses in the U.S.

==Media==
[[File:Donald Trump star.JPG|thumbnail|left|Hollywood Walk of Fame]]
In 2003 Trump began as the host and executive producer of the reality [[television]] show ''The Apprentice'' and ''The Celebrity Apprentice'', where contestants compete for a position in Trump's organization. On this show, Trump popularized his catchphrase "You're fired!"

Trump used to own the un-Christian Miss Universe Pageant, which objectified the female body and promoted lust and infidelity. Controversy arose when one of the winners, Tara Conner, was caught breaking pageant rules by drinking and other activities. Trump gave her a second chance after personally speaking with her and allowed her to retain her crown as she attended rehabilitation. For several weeks after this, [[Rosie O'Donnell]] berated Trump for his decision on ''The View''. A bitter media war ensued with the two exchanging insults.

Trump has made many guest appearances, usually as himself, on many TV shows and in several movies.

Childish [[liberals]] are vandalizing Trump's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame three times a day. A person asked about the vandalism said Trump has it coming.<ref>Press Association (April 8, 2016). [http://www.onenewspage.com/video/20160408/4211707/Donald-Trump-Hollywood-Walk-of-Fame-Star.htm "Donald Trump's Hollywood Walk of Fame Star vandalised three times a day"]. One News Page website article and video [0:37]. 0:15 advertising wall required to view.</ref>

==Political positions==

====Social Issues====
[[File:Donald-Trump-Rosa-Parks.jpg|right|350px|thumb|Donald Trump received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor from the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations in 1986 for improving the lives of African-American urban youths. From left to right: [[Anita Bryant]], [[Mohammad Ali]], [[Rosa Parks]], and Donald Trump.]]
At the 2011 [[CPAC]] conference, Trump announced he is [[pro-life]].<ref>Rahn, Will (February 10, 2011). [http://dailycaller.com/2011/02/10/trump-at-cpac-points-to-white-house-run/ "Trump at CPAC points to White House run"]. The Daily Caller website.</ref> Trump would not fund Planned Parenthood and the government should not give funds to any organizations that perform abortions<ref>Carroll, Lauren (May 1, 2016) [http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2016/may/01/ted-cruz/donald-trump-hillary-clinton-planned-parenthood/ "Do Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton agree on Planned Parenthood funding?"] Politifact website.</ref> However, he supports abortion in cases of rape, incest, or danger to the mother or child.<ref>Ertelt, Steven (February 1, 2016). [http://www.lifenews.com/2016/02/01/mike-huckabee-defends-donald-trumps-abortion-conversion-he-is-pro-life-now/ "Mike Huckabee defends Donald Trump’s abortion conversion: 'He is pro-life now'"] LifeNews.com.</ref>

Trump says that the legalization of [[same-sex "marriage"]] doesn't matter because it's "settled law" now,<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20120831060550/http://www.gop.com/2012-republican-platform_We/#Item3 "Republican platform: We believe in America"] (bef. August 31, 2012). GOP.com website. Archived at Internet Archive on August 31, 2012.</ref> even though five liberal members of the Supreme Court illegally made ''[[Obergefell v. Hodges]]'' into "law" via [[judicial activism]] based on their personal feelings about the issue. Trump believes that homosexual couples have the same adoption rights as straight couples,<ref>Guo, Jeff (August 10, 2016). [http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/08/10/how-donald-trump-is-slowly-teaching-republicans-to-embrace-gay-rights/ "Donald Trump is teaching the GOP a different way to embrace gay rights".] ''Washington Post'' website.</ref> Despite what the Left claims, Donald Trump has voiced open support the LGBTQ community, and was the first Republican President to do so.{{cn}} He has stated that he will do everything he can do to protect the LGBTQ community, from Islamic extremists.

Trump says that a business should be able to deny service to a customer if the request conflicts with the owner’s religious beliefs?<ref name="christiantoday.com">Hicap, Jonah (June 2, 2015). [http://www.christiantoday.com/article/donald.trump.vows.to.be.the.greatest.representative.of.christians.if.he.wins.white.house/55023.htm "Donald Trump: 'I will be the greatest representative of Christians if I win the White House'"]. Christian Today website.</ref> Trump would not require health insurance providers to offer free birth control.<ref>Associated Press (February 11, 2012). [http://web.archive.org/web/20151128095810/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/washington/story/2012-02-11/obama-birth-control-cpac/53046728/1 "GOP conservatives unite against birth control coverage"]. ''USA Today'' website/News/Washington. Retrieved from November 28, 2015 archive at Internet Archive.</ref>

Trump doesn't think that universities should provide “trigger warnings” and “safe spaces” for students.<ref>Hashmi, Siraj (November 10, 2016). [http://redalertpolitics.com/2016/11/10/safe-spaces-handed-election-donald-trump/ "Safe Spaces handed the election to Donald Trump"]. Red Alert Politics website.</ref>

Trump believes that marital rape be classified and punished as severely as non-marital rape?<ref>Diamond, Jeremy (July 28, 2015). [http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/28/politics/donald-trump-adviser-michael-cohen-rape/ "Trump distances himself from top aide's rape comment"]. CNN website/Politics.</ref>

Trump would not add "Gender Identity" to anti-discrimination laws.<ref>http://www.advocate.com/politics/2016/5/24/donald-trump-claims-accommodating-transgender-people-too-expensive</ref>

Trump wouldn't support a [[separation of church and state]] by removing references to God on money, federal buildings, and national monuments.<ref name="christiantoday.com"/>

Trump says that after a psychological examination to show they fully understand this choice, terminally ill patients be allowed to end their lives via [[assisted suicide]].<ref>http://wingspanonline.net/?p=2398</ref>

Trump supports the [[death penalty]].<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/1989/05/01/nyregion/angered-by-attack-trump-urges-return-of-the-death-penalty.html</ref>

Trump thinks that the military should allow women to serve as long as they can pass the same physical tests as men.<ref>http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/donald-trump-women-combat-tricky/2015/12/06/id/704736/</ref> (Compare [[gender norming]].)

Trump says that board members of a business should be the most qualified regardless of gender.<ref>http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3269718/Trump-gives-young-feminist-brush-equal-pay-abortion-going-make-good-job-happen-pro-life.html</ref>

Trump does not believe that the government can show a confederate flag on public property.<ref>http://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-tees-off-on-the-confederate-flag/</ref>

Trump believes that women should be allowed to wear a Niqāb, or face veil, to civic ceremonies.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFVCZhFsNR8</ref>

====Healthcare Issues====
Trump does not support the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) and would open the markets so insurers can compete across state lines and reduce costs.<ref name="donaldjtrump.com">https://www.donaldjtrump.com/positions/healthcare-reform</ref><ref name=Educ>Breitbart.tv (February 9, 2011). [http://www.breitbart.com/video/2011/02/09/pro-life-donald-trump-would-eliminate-dept-of-education-impose-25-tax-on-china-imports-if-president/ "Pro-life Donald Trump would eliminate Dept of Education, impose 25% tax on China imports if president"]. Breitbart.com.</ref> However, he has also said, "I like the mandate."<ref>[http://dailycaller.com/2016/02/19/trump-on-obamacare-i-like-the-mandate-video/ "Trump On Obamacare: ‘I Like The Mandate’"]</ref>

Trump thinks that the government should regulate the prices of life-saving drugs.<ref>http://www.politico.com/story/2016/01/trump-backs-
medicare-negotiating-drug-prices-218215</ref>

Trump supports the legalization of marijuana for medical use.<ref>http://www.foxnews.com/transcript/2015/06/18/exclusive-donald-trump-on-what-made-him-run-for-president-on-hannity/</ref>

''Donald Trump has not yet answered if he supports the privatization of veteran's healthcare.''

Trump believes that the federal government increase funding of health care for low income individuals (Medicaid).<ref>http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-09-15/trump-calls-for-expanded-medicaid-birth-control-without-doctor</ref>

====Controversy with Barack Obama====
[[File:Donald Trump Speaking in Fountain Hills.jpg|thumb|Trump speaking in Fountain Hills, Arizona in March 2016.]]
Trump has also questioned Barack Obama's constitutional eligibility to be President, in light of the ongoing questions surrounding his birth certificate.<ref>[http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=280533 "Trump: Obama spending millions to hide his past"] (March 28, 2011). WorldNetDaily website.</ref> Trump questioned whether the Obama Administration was successful in negotiating with foreign countries. Trump declared during the 2016 election that he no longer would question Obama's eligibility.

====Economic Issues====

Trump’s economic plan is designed to make the country more competitive by implementing policies that apply to all companies: cutting taxes, including the corporate tax rate, repealing and rolling back stifling regulations, including the biggest of them all, Obamacare and those clobbering the energy sector, renegotiating trade deals such as NAFTA, and killing off the nascent Trans-Pacific Partnership.<ref>Crowley, Monica (December 7, 2016). [http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/dec/7/donald-trump-and-the-art-of-getting-it-done/ Donald Trump and the art of getting it done]. ''The Washingon Times''. Retrieved December 10, 2016.</ref>

Trump would not require employers be required to pay men and women the same salary for the same job as there are too many other variables such as education, experience, and tenure that determine a fair salary.

''Trump has not answered whether welfare recipients be tested for drugs.''

Trump said he would require businesses be required to provide paid leave for full-time employees during the birth of a child or sick family member.

Trump would raise the federal minimum wage.

Trump believes there should be more restrictions on current welfare benefits.

Trump would instate a 35% tariff on all imports from China even though he used Chinese steel to build all of his Trump Towers.<ref>http://www.newsweek.com/how-donald-trump-ditched-us-steel-workers-china-505717</ref>

Trump would also lower the corporate tax rate.<ref>https://www.donaldjtrump.com/press-releases/an-america-first-economic-plan-winning-the-global-competition</ref>

Trump says that the U.S. shouldn't continue to participate in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).<ref>http://money.cnn.com/2016/09/16/news/economy/donald-trump-nafta-mexico-china-tariff/</ref>

Trump would cut public spending in order to reduce the public debt.<ref>http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/donald-trump-believe-candidate-stands-10-issues/</ref>

Trump believes that the government is currently over-regulating private businesses and that it shouldn't require businesses to pay salaried employees, making up to $46k/year, time-and-a-half for overtime hours.<ref>http://www.politico.com/tipsheets/morning-shift/2016/08/trump-v-overtime-rule-215883</ref>

Trump thinks that the government should prevent “mega mergers” of corporations that could potentially control a large percentage of market share within its industry.<ref>http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-10-22/trump-would-block-proposed-at-t-time-warner-merger-if-elected</ref>

Trump said that labor unions, in theory help the economy but have recently become corrupt and should have their powers limited.<ref>http://projects.newsday.com/opinion/newsday-editorial-board-interviews-donald-trump/#nypd</ref>

Trump would increase the tax on profits from the sale of stocks, bonds, and real estate.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4I5QUGRf-Q&feature=youtu.be</ref>

Trump believes economic stimulus will aid the country during times of recession.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/03/us/politics/trump-clinton-infrastructure.html?_r=0</ref>

Trump thinks the Federal Reserve Bank should be audited by Congress.<ref>http://www.reuters.com/article/usa-election-trump-fed-idUSL1N12Y1ZG20151103</ref>

Trump doesn't support the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) as this will incentivize companies to move U.S. jobs overseas.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/07/us/politics/transcript-of-the-republican-presidential-debate-in-new-hampshire.html</ref>

Trump would eliminate the estate tax.<ref>http://thehill.com/policy/finance/290825-clinton-to-criticize-trumps-plan-to-repeal-the-estate-tax</ref>

Trump would end all government subsidies and let the free market run its course.<ref>http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/17cfa1a0-0b9e-11e5-a06e-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3e0UlsdmX</ref>

''Trump has not answered if pension payments be increased for retired government workers.''

Trump favors an increased sales tax in order to reduce property taxes even though sales tax would not provide a steady stream of income.<ref>http://www.taxjusticeblog.org/archive/2015/06/donald_trumps_regressive_and_r.php#.VYr8_hNViko</ref>

Trump supports pension plans for federal, state, and local government workers be transitioned into privately managed accounts.<ref name="donaldjtrump.com"/>

Trump said that the U.S. government should not bailout Puerto Rico.<ref>http://mms.tveyes.com/PlaybackPortal.aspx?SavedEditID=c89b639c-07de-4a0f-a634-dda08e3de95a</ref>

Trump believes citizens should not be allowed to save or invest their money in offshore bank accounts as too many wealthy citizens are abusing loopholes in offshore banking laws to evade taxes.<ref>http://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-puts-his-money-in-companies-that-stash-cash-abroad/</ref>

Trump would not apply an in-state sales tax apply to online purchases of in-state buyers from out-of-state sellers.<ref>http://bigstory.ap.org/article/ce65fe3f0bbd43c19cf17c5c8da8d958/trump-amazons-bezos-uses-washington-post-avoid-taxes</ref>

Trump thinks that the government classify Bitcoin as a legal currency.<ref>https://www.cryptocoinsnews.com/trump-presidency-boost-bitcoin-price/</ref>

====Department of Education====
At the 2011 [[CPAC]] conference, he stated that he wants to eliminate the Department of Education.<ref name=Educ/>

====Foreign policy====

Donald Trump is a [[nationalism|nationalist]] who promised to "put America first".<ref>[http://insider.foxnews.com/2017/06/07/trump-touts-new-infrastructure-plan-cincinnati-states-america-first-message 'It's Time Finally to Put America First': Trump Touts New Infrastructure Plan]</ref> See: [[Donald Trump and nationalism]]

In July 2015 Trump explained he wants to improve relationships with [[Russia]]n president [[Vladimir Putin]].<ref>Johnson, Simon (July 31, 2015). [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/11775145/Donald-Trump-Id-get-on-very-well-with-Putin-if-I-were-president.html "Donald Trump: I'd get on 'very well' with Putin if I were president"]. The Telegraph [U.K.] website.</ref> In an interview with [[ABC]] he said that Putin won't make a military move into [[Ukraine]]. Furthermore, Trump argued in a tweet that the conflict over [[Crimea]] was the fault of the Obama administration.<ref>[http://edition.cnn.com/2016/07/31/politics/donald-trump-russia-ukraine-crimea-putin/ Trump says Putin is 'not going to go into Ukraine,' despite Crimea]</ref> Trump later accused Russia of taking [[Crimea]] by force and asked whether Obama was too soft on Russia.<ref>[http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-russia-latest-tweet-accuse-crimea-obama-too-soft-distance-campaign-team-white-house-a7581511.html Donald Trump accuses Russia of taking Crimea by force in attempt to distance himself from campaign allegations]</ref>

Trump says the [[Iran]] deal is bad, but as president, he would enforce it anyway.

After his election as U.S. president, [[Israel]]i prime minister [[Benjamin Netanyahu]] called Trump "a true friend of the State of Israel."<ref>[http://www.politico.com/story/2016/11/netanyahu-trump-israel-true-friend-231094?lo=ap_c4 Netanyahu calls Trump 'a true friend' of Israel]. ''Politico''. November 9, 2016. Retrieved November 12, 2016.</ref> On February 2, 2017, however, Trump stated that building new settlements in the [[West Bank]] "may not be helpful" to achieving peace in the [[Middle East]], and he appeared to shift his formerly strong stance on moving the U.S. embassy to [[Jerusalem]] as he had previously stated.<ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/02/03/trump-to-israel-settlements-may-not-help-achieve-peace-in-middle-east.html Trump to Israel: Settlements ‘may not help’ achieve peace in the Middle East]. ''Fox News''. February 3, 2017. Retrieved February 5, 2017.</ref>

Trump had stated that [[NATO]] was obsolete, but in April 2017, he changed his position, stating that it was "no longer obsolete."<ref>[http://www.breitbart.com/news/the-latest-trump-says-nato-no-longer-obsolete/ The Latest: Trump says NATO ‘no longer obsolete’]. ''Breitbart News'' (from the ''Associated Press''). Retrieved April 21, 2017.</ref><ref>Hagen, Lisa (April 21, 2017). [http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/328558-trump-nato-is-no-longer-obsolete Trump: NATO is ‘no longer obsolete’]. ''The Hill''. Retrieved April 21, 2017.</ref>

====Global warming====
Trump does not believe in the [[Climate Change]] hysteria, once stating the "Nobel committee should take the Nobel Prize back from [[Al Gore]]."

====Second Amendment rights====
Trump is strongly pro-[[Second Amendment]] and against [[leftist]] [[gun control]] and gun free zones. As president, Trump has promised to re-arm military personnel on all American military bases as well as [[ROTC]] recruitment centers, which were disarmed by the [[Clinton Administration]] policy.<ref name=Educ/> Trump was strongly endorsed by the [[National Rifle Association]] in one of its earliest endorsements in an election campaign.<ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/05/20/nra-to-endorse-trump.html# Trump wins NRA endorsement, blasts Clinton on gun stance at forum]. ''Fox News''. May 20, 2016. Retrieved October 22, 2016.</ref>

====Homosexual agenda====
For all practical purposes, Trump seems to be on the side of the [[homosexual agenda]]. He supports the creation of new law by the [[U.S. Supreme Court]], as in a new right to [[homosexual marriage]], and declares it the "law of the land" even though Congress passed no such law.

Trump has attended multiple [[same-sex marriage]] ceremonies, but has also said in the past that he opposes same-sex marriage. Trump's views are not yet known on other aspects of the [[homosexual agenda]], such as whether Trump would ban [[conversion therapy]] for minors as [[Chris Christie]] did. The [[Fox News Channel]] debate in August avoided these issues, but future debates will probably require Trump to declare his position.

====Immigration====
See the discussion in the introduction above. This is Trump's main campaign issue.

A central part of his immigration plan is to build a giant wall on the border with Mexico. Trump estimates it will cost $8 billion, approximately 35 to 40 feet high and stretch 2000 miles.<ref>[http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/02/09/donald-trump-the-wall-is-probably-8-billion Trump Border Wall]</ref> During the campaign, Trump promised that Mexico will pay for the wall, but after taking office, he clarified that payment could be in the form of a tax on Mexican imports or other revenues measures after the Mexican government showed opposition towards Trump's plan.

Trump has also proposed to temporarily ban [[Muslims]] from entering the United States, until "our leaders figure out what the hell is going on," in order to protect Americans from the threats posed by [[Islamic]] [[refugee]]s (and those pretending to be<ref>[http://m.washingtonexaminer.com/isis-fighters-infiltrating-syrian-refugees-uk-is-warned/article/2572051 ISIS fighters infiltrating Syrian refugees, UK is warned]</ref>) entering the country.<ref>[http://www.donaldjtrump.com/media/donald-trump-insists-muslim-ban-is-about-safety-not-religion Donald Trump Insists Muslim Ban Is About Safety, Not Religion]</ref>

Efforts have been made by hostile journalists to paint Trump as advocating a [[Muslim registry]], but what he actually proposed was a [[database for Syrian refugees]].

====Political contributions====
He has been criticized for his substantial contributions to [[Democrat]] lawmakers; the majority of those lawmakers are located in the states he resides in: New York and Florida. The amount he has donated since 2008 is $25,000, which is insignificant considering his wealth.<ref>Allin, Olivia (April 30, 2011). [http://www.ontheredcarpet.com/Donald-Trump-calls-nations-leaders-stupid-people-and-blood-sucking-politicians/8104644 "OTRC: Donald Trump calls nation's leaders 'stupid people' and 'blood-sucking politicians'"]. OnTheRedCarpet [news]. Retrieved from ABC7 [KABC Television, Los Angeles] website.</ref>

Trump is not known to be beholden to any big-money donors.

====Tariffs====
[[File:Donald Trump RNC July 2016.jpg|thumb|Trump accepting the GOP nomination in Cleveland on June 21, 2016.]]
At the 2011 [[CPAC]] conference, he stated that he supports a 25% tariff on Chinese goods.<ref name=Educ/> The number floated around in 2016 is a 45% tariff. Trump was speaking in regards to China and the [[World Trade Organization]],<ref>[http://www.wsj.com/articles/chinese-finance-ministerlou-jiwei-takes-aim-at-donald-trumps-trade-policies-1460892988 Chinese Finance Minister Lou Jiwei Takes Aim at Donald Trump’s Trade Policies, WallStreetJournal, April 17, 2016]</ref>

{{cquote|In a statement from his campaign, Mr. Trump charged that [[China]] was “in total violation of WTO regulations” and that the U.S. “has incompetently allowed them to get away with this” and has failed to impose “equal or greater taxes and tariffs” on China. If he is elected president, Mr. Trump said, China “will learn to deal fairly and justly or we will not deal at all” with Beijing.}}

====Vaccines====
Trump believes that [[vaccines]] cause [[autism]]<ref>Ferris, Sarah (September 16, 2015). [http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/253980-trump-links-vaccines-to-autism-epidemic "Trump links vaccines to autism 'epidemic'"]. The Hill website/Policy/Healthcare.</ref> and has argued against requiring that so many vaccines be given to infants.

==== Eminent domain====
Trump believes that the government has the right to take private property upon paying just compensation for both infrastructure and to promote economic development.

==== Supreme Court====
Trump opposed filling the Supreme Court seat held by [[Antonin Scalia]] before the next President takes office. When asked who he might select to the Supreme Court, he said that his sister, a sitting federal court judge, would make a great Supreme Court justice.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/423196/trump-praises-his-sister-pro-abortion-extremist-judge-ramesh-ponnuru|title=Trump Praises His Sister, a Pro-Abortion Extremist Judge|date=Aug 27, 2015|accessdate=February 21, 2016}}</ref>

==Hillary Clinton==
Trump had pledged, if elected president, to appoint a special prosecutor to further investigate [[Hillary Clinton]]'s use of a private email server whilst Secretary of State, but Hillary took her crushing defeat so hard that Trump charitably softened his stance after winning.<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/22/us/politics/donald-trump-hillary-clinton-investigation.html Donald Trump Drops Threat of New Hillary Clinton Investigation] New York Times - Nov. 22, 2016</ref> A few of Trump supporters, such as [[Ann Coulter]] and [[Breitbart]], expressed disappointment but Trump rose in overall public approval.<ref>[http://www.newsmax.com/Politics/ann-coulter-slams-trump-clinton/2016/11/22/id/760220/ Ann Coulter Slams Trump's Decision on Clinton] Newsmax.com - Nov. 22, 2016</ref><ref>[http://www.breitbart.com/radio/2016/11/23/peter-schweizer-letting-hillary-off-hook-definition-rigged-system/ Peter Schweizer: Letting Hillary off the Hook Is ‘Definition of a Rigged System’] Breitbart.com - Nov. 23, 2016</ref>

==2016 presidential election==
[[File:Donald Trump (29273256122) Phoenix.jpg|thumb|250px|Donald Trump on August 31, 2016.]]
{{Main|2016 U.S. presidential election}}
===Path to the Nomination===
In the 2015 [[Value Voters Debate|Value Voters]] poll, Trump performed poorly, coming in fifth, indicating many [[Christian]] [[conservatives]] had not yet warmed up to him.<ref>Flores, Reena (September 26, 2015). [http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-conservative-poll-donald-trump-could-not-win/ "The conservative poll Donald Trump could not win"]. CBSNews website.</ref> Trump is a big supporter of [[gambling]], which most Christians, other religious groups, and [[conservatives]] oppose. But by 2016 Trump was winning more support from [[evangelical]]s than any other Republican candidate.

Trump won the Republican primary, receiving more votes than any other Republican primary candidate in history.<ref>Hoft, Joe (June 7, 2016). [http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2016/06/trump-trumps-wins-historic-race-record-fashion/ HISTORY! Trump Shatters Republican Primary Vote Record by 1.4 Million Votes]. ''The Gateway Pundit''. Retrieved November 10, 2016.</ref>

===General election===
Trump faced former liberal Democrat Secretary of State [[Hillary Clinton]] in the general election. Trump's campaign was vastly outspent, outraised, and out-staffed by Clinton's.<ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/11/10/more-with-less-trumps-lean-machine-beats-clintons-big-bank-account.html More With Less: Trump's lean machine beats Clinton's big bank account]. ''Fox News''. November 10, 2016. Retrieved November 11, 2016.</ref> The [[mainstream media]] was extremely biased against and unfair towards Trump.<ref>Kurtz, Howard (November 11, 2016). [http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/11/11/media-remain-hostile-to-donald-trump-even-as-some-pundits-admit-blew-it.html Media remain hostile to Donald Trump even as some pundits admit they blew it]. ''Fox News''. Retrieved November 11, 2016.</ref><ref>[http://www.billoreilly.com/b/Media-Bias-to-the-Extreme/39285014073786148.html Media Bias to the Extreme]. ''BillOReilly.com''. November 11, 2016. Retrieved November 12, 2016.</ref> According to a study, 91% of the media coverage concerning Trump was negative and 96% of campaign contributions from the media went to Clinton.<ref>Bedard, Paul (March 19, 2017). [http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/anti-trump-media-91-coverage-negative-96-of-donations-to-hillary/article/2617828 http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/anti-trump-media-91-coverage-negative-96-of-donations-to-hillary/article/2617828]. ''Washington Examiner''. Retrieved April 27, 2017.</ref>

It was widely expected that Clinton would easily win the election, and the elite pollsters and "political insiders" all predicted a massive Clinton victory.<ref>Vogel, Kenneth P. & Isenstadt, Alex (November 9, 2016). [http://www.politico.com/story/2016/11/how-did-everyone-get-2016-wrong-presidential-election-231036 How did everyone get it so wrong?]. ''Politico''. Retrieved November 10, 2016.</ref><ref>Catanese, David (October 24, 2016). [http://www.usnews.com/news/the-run-2016/articles/2016-10-24/republicans-last-hope-the-polls-are-wrong Republicans’ Last Hope: The Polls Are Wrong]. ''U.S. News & World Report''. Retrieved November 10, 2016.</ref> At least once, when a poll was released that actually showed Trump leading, Clinton's campaign dismissed it as "bad polling".<ref>Nelson, Louis (November 1, 2016). [http://www.politico.com/story/2016/11/clinton-campaign-bad-poll-abc-washington-post-230591 Clinton camp on new survey showing Trump ahead: It’s ‘bad polling’]. ''Politico''. Retrieved November 10, 2016.</ref> Instead, Trump won the election in a massive, historical upset, winning even states such as [[Pennsylvania]], [[Michigan]], and [[Wisconsin]], which a Republican had not won for 20–30 years.<ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2016/11/08/first-polls-close-in-2016-race-trump-projected-to-win-ind-ky-clinton-wins-vt.html Trump wins presidency, defeats Clinton in historic election upset]. ''Fox News''. November 8, 2016. Retrieved November 10, 2016.</ref><ref>Blake, Aaron (November 9, 2016). [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/11/08/donald-trumps-path-to-victory-is-suddenly-looking-much-much-wider/ Donald Trump just blew up the electoral map]. ''The Washington Post''. Retrieved November 10, 2016.</ref> The predictions were off the mark dramatically. The actual polls themselves were broadly correct showing Clinton leading over Trump by about 2%.<ref>[http://www.redstate.com/jaycaruso/2017/07/16/latest-job-approval-poll-president-trump-awful]</ref> However Trump 'flipped' key districts and states smashing Clinton's so-called 'Blue firewall'.<ref>Flint, Joe & Alpert, Lukas I. (November 9, 2016). [http://www.wsj.com/articles/bad-polling-in-hand-media-misses-mark-badly-with-election-predictions-1478710860 How the Media’s Election Predictions Badly Missed the Mark]. ''The Wall Street Journal''. Retrieved November 10, 2016.</ref> Trump's election victory was described by ''[[Politico]]'' as "the most stunning upset in American history."<ref>Goldmacher, Shane & Schreckinger, Ben (November 9, 2016). [http://www.politico.com/story/2016/11/election-results-2016-clinton-trump-231070?lo=ap_c1 Trump pulls off biggest upset in U.S. history]. ''Politico''. Retrieved November 9, 2016.</ref>

While the GOP increased its vote share across the entire nation, Trump made the largest gains in the rural [[Midwest]] and [[Rust Belt]].<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/11/08/us/elections/how-trump-pushed-the-election-map-to-the-right.html How Trump Reshaped the Election Map]. ''The New York Times''. November 9, 2016. Retrieved November 12, 2016.</ref> Although Clinton won the popular vote 65,515,369 (48.05%) to 62,853,327 (46.09%), according to unofficial results, the large vote totals came from states which have resisted voter identification reforms.<ref>[http://www.inquisitr.com/3719036/3-million-illegal-immigrants-voted-gregg-phillips-votestand-donald-trump-final-popular-vote-count-2016-predictions/ 3 Million Illegal Immigrants Voted, Claims Gregg Phillips Of VoteStand: Donald Trump’s Final Popular Vote Count Alleged To Be Better Than 2016 Predictions], Patrick Frye, ''The Inquisitr'', November 15, 2016</ref> Trump won the [[electoral college]] vote, 306 to 232, with the incomplete vote count reported.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/election/results|title=Election Results|accessdate=Nov. 12, 2016}}</ref> Trump won more votes in the general election than any Republican candidate in U.S. history, and he won the largest number of electoral votes since [[George H. W. Bush]].<ref>Hoft, Jim (November 22, 2016). [http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2016/11/trump-breaks-record-votes-republican-candidate-history/ Trump Breaks Record for Most Votes by Republican Candidate in History]. ''The Gateway Pundit''. Retrieved November 22, 2016.</ref> In addition, Trump won 2,623 counties—the largest number for both a Republican or Democrat since [[Ronald Reagan]] in 1984—while the Democrats won only 489, something even the liberal [[PolitiFact]] admitted to be true.<ref>Jacobson, Louis (December 4, 2016). [http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2016/dec/04/mike-pence/mike-pence-says-donald-trump-won-most-counties-rep/ Mike Pence says Donald Trump won most counties by a Republican since Ronald Reagan]. ''PolitiFact''. Retrieved December 4, 2016.</ref> Geographically speaking, Trump accordingly won 85 percent of the nation<ref>Wallace, Tim (November 16, 2016). [http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/11/16/us/politics/the-two-americas-of-2016.html?_r=0 The Two Americas of 2016]. ''The New York Times''. Retrieved December 5, 2016.</ref> and 61 percent of the states (including Maine's 2nd district). With the historic flip of Elliott County, Kentucky, every rural, white-majority Southern county voted for the Republican nominee for the first time in history.<ref>Simon, Jeff (December 9, 2016). [http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/09/politics/elliott-county-kentucky-democratic-streak-broken-by-donald-trump/index.html How Trump ended Democrats' 144-year winning streak in one county]. ''CNN''. Retrieved January 15, 2017.</ref>

According to exit polling, Trump won 81 percent of evangelical Christians compared to 16 percent for Clinton, a record high and even more than [[George W. Bush]] won in 2004,<ref name="townhall.com"/><ref name="wsj.com"/> even though some have disputed the accuracy of such exit polling methods.<ref>Showalter, Brandon (November 16, 2016). [http://www.christianpost.com/news/81-percent-evangelicals-vote-trump-eric-teetsel-joe-carter-171542/ Did 81 Percent of Evangelicals Really Vote for Trump? Not So Fast, Some Say]. ''The Christian Post''. Retrieved December 8, 2016.</ref> This is largely due to Trump's conservative policies that align well with the Bible, including opposition to abortion.

While liberal, establishmentarian world leaders made generally nuanced statements in response to Trump's election upset, conservative, right-wing leaders, including the leaders of insurgent parties in European nations, reacted positively to Trump's election.<ref>Ashkenas, Jeremy; Aisch, Gregor (December 5, 2016). [http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/12/05/world/europe/populism-in-age-of-trump.html?_r=0 European Populism in the Age of Donald Trump]. ''The New York Times''. Retrieved December 5, 2016.</ref>

In addition to Trump's defeat of Clinton, the Republican Party kept control of the House and Senate, outperforming expectations.<ref>Bresnahan, John (November 9, 2016). [http://www.politico.eu/article/republicans-on-cusp-of-keeping-the-senate/ Republicans hold the Senate in a stunner]. ''Politico''. Retrieved November 9, 2016.</ref><ref>Hughes, Siobhan (November 9, 2016). [http://www.wsj.com/articles/republicans-are-confident-about-retaining-control-of-the-house-1478634160 Democrats Gain Seats in House, But GOP Retains Majority]. ''The Wall Street Journal''. Retrieved November 9, 2016.</ref> The Republican Party performed well—much better than expected—in state races, winning trifectas in [[Kentucky]], [[Iowa]], [[Missouri]], and [[New Hampshire]], and Democrats only had six trifectas and total control in five states, a record low.<ref>Greenblatt, Alan (November 9, 2016). [http://www.governing.com/topics/elections/gov-republicans-add-dominance-state-legislatures.html Republicans Add to Their Dominance of State Legislatures]. ''Governing''. Retrieved November 9, 2016.</ref><ref>Siegel, Josh (November 9, 2016). [http://dailysignal.com/2016/11/09/republicans-maintain-strong-control-of-state-capitols-what-that-means/ Republicans Maintain Strong Control of State Capitols. Here’s What That Means.] ''The Daily Signal''. Retrieved November 9, 2016.</ref> The GOP won 25 trifectas, the largest since 1952.<ref>Lieb, David A. (December 29, 2016). [https://www.pressreader.com/usa/chicago-tribune/20161229/281822873464433 GOP-Controlled States Aim to Reshape Laws]. ''Chicago Tribune'' (from the Associated Press). Retrieved December 30, 2016.</ref> The GOP now controlled the highest amount of governorships since 1922,<ref>Lieb, David A. (November 9, 2016). [http://www.usnews.com/news/us/articles/2016-11-09/republicans-expand-control-of-governorships-legislatures Republicans governorships rise to highest mark since 1922]. ''U.S. News & World Report''. Retrieved November 9, 2016.</ref> and it controlled the most state legislative chambers in history.<ref>Bosman, Julie & Davey, Monica (November 11, 2016). [http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/12/us/republicans-expand-control-in-a-deeply-divided-nation.html Republicans Expand Control in a Deeply Divided Nation]. ''The New York Times''. Retrieved November 14, 2016.</ref>

Despite expectations that Trump's election victory would cause the markets to plunge, the [[Dow Jones Industrial Average]] actually performed very strongly, closing at the highest level it had ever reached in history after the second day.<ref name="MarketRally">La Monica, Paul R. (November 10, 2016). [http://money.cnn.com/2016/11/10/investing/markets-stocks-donald-trump-rally/index.html The 'yuge' Donald Trump market rally continues]. ''CNN Money''. Retrieved November 10, 2016.</ref> It is rare for the stock market to rise immediately after a U.S. presidential election regardless of the winner.<ref name="MarketRally"/> The stock market had its best week in five years due to optimism of a Trump presidency.<ref>Craig, Victoria (November 11, 2016). [http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/2016/11/11/trump-optimism-propels-dow-to-best-week-in-five-years.html Trump Optimism Propels Dow to Best Week in Five Years]. ''Fox Business''. Retrieved November 12, 2016.</ref>

After the election, childish [[leftists]] and [[anarchists]], who could not accept the results of the election, strongly protested Trump's victory and committed outrageous and extreme acts of vandalism and violence,<ref name="Protests">Chiaramonte, Perry (November 10, 2016). [http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/11/10/trump-protests-intensify-as-doubts-swirl-about-spontaneity.html Trump protests intensify, as doubts swirl about spontaneity]. ''Fox News''. Retrieved November 11, 2016.</ref> even brutally attacking and beating at least one alleged Trump supporter.<ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/11/10/video-emerges-group-beating-chicago-man-while-yelling-dont-vote-trump.html Video emerges of mob beating Chicago man while yelling 'don't vote Trump']. ''Fox News''. November 10, 2016. Retrieved November 11, 2016.</ref> Many of these protests were likely organized and coordinated, as many protestors were bused in by Coach buses.<ref name="Protests"/> This occurred on the heels of Hillary Clinton, the Clinton campaign, and major mainstream media condemning in the harshest terms Trump and his supporters' complaints of a "rigged election," and failure to accept the results would damage democracy. Clinton, President Obama, and the media highlighted the protests and failed to condemn the leftist violence and protests as detrimental to democracy.

==President of the United States==
{{See also|Donald Trump achievements}}
===Transition===
The day after being elected president, Trump released a solidly conservative agenda for his first 100 days in office, even though ending the [[abortion|legalized murder of the unborn]] was not on the agenda.<ref>Kelly, Amita & Sprunt, Barbara (November 9, 2016). [http://www.npr.org/2016/11/09/501451368/here-is-what-donald-trump-wants-to-do-in-his-first-100-days Here Is What Donald Trump Wants To Do In His First 100 Days]. ''NPR''. Retrieved November 10, 2016.</ref>

On November 30, 2016, before Trump had finalized all his cabinet appointments, it was still described by Politico as "a conservative dream team that has Republicans cheering and liberals in despair" due to the many strong conservatives Trump had appointed, in contrast to moderates like [[George W. Bush]].<ref>Restuccia, Andrew; Cook, Nancy; Woellert, Lorraine (November 30, 2016). [http://www.politico.com/story/2016/11/trump-conservative-dream-team-231972 Trump's conservative dream team]. ''Politico''. Retrieved November 30, 2016.</ref><ref>[http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/11/30/politico-donald-trump-cabinet-conservative-dream-team/ Politico: Donald Trump’s Cabinet a ‘Conservative Dream Team’]. ''Breitbart News''. November 30, 2017. Retrieved May 18, 2017.</ref> Accordingly, ''[[Newsweek]]'' called Trump's incomplete cabinet the most conservative cabinet in U.S. history.<ref>Cooper, Matthew (December 9, 2016). [http://www.newsweek.com/trump-cabinet-picks-nominees-conservative-530477 Donald Trump Is Building the Most Conservative Presidential Cabinet In U.S. History]. ''Newsweek''. Retrieved December 10, 2016.</ref> ''[[The Washington Times]]'' noted how Trump was defying Washington establishment norms in his cabinet picks.<ref>Hurt, Charles (December 6, 2016). [http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/dec/6/donald-trumps-cabinet-picks-define-business-as-not/ Trump defines business as not-usual for D.C.] ''The Washington Times''. Retrieved December 10, 2016.</ref>

''[[The Wall Street Journal]]'' stated that "it’s nearly impossible to identify a clear ideological bent" in Trump's appointments.<ref>Seib, Gerald (December 5, 2016). [http://www.wsj.com/articles/donald-trump-shuffles-the-ideological-deck-1480955194 Donald Trump Shuffles the Ideological Deck]. ''The Wall Street Journal''. Retrieved December 5, 2016.</ref> However, this can be easily explained by the fact that Trump has used some of his cabinet nominations to unite the GOP by appealing to most of its factions, even though Trump's appointments are still very conservative.

During the transition period, the Obama Administration engaged in surveillance and information-gathering of Trump, in order to investigate any alleged ties to Russia. This was confirmed by GOP U.S. Representative [[Devin Nunes]] on March 22, 2017,<ref>Derespina, Cody (March 23, 2017). [http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/03/23/trump-basks-in-nunes-surveillance-news-so-that-means-im-right.html Trump basks in Nunes surveillance news: 'So that means I'm right']. ''Fox News''. Retrieved March 23, 2017.</ref> and by Evelyn Farkas, the deputy assistant secretary of defense under Obama, on March 29, 2017.<ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/03/29/former-obama-official-discloses-rush-to-get-intelligence-on-trump-team.html Former Obama official discloses rush to get intelligence on Trump team]. ''Fox News''. March 29, 2017. Retrieved March 29, 2017.</ref><ref>Poor, Jeff (March 29, 2017). [http://www.breitbart.com/video/2017/03/29/fmr-obama-official-reveals-pre-inauguration-effort-to-gather-intel-on-incoming-trump-team/ Fmr Obama Official Reveals Pre-Inauguration Effort to Gather Intel on Incoming Trump Team]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved March 30, 2017.</ref>

===Inauguration===
[[File:Donald Trumpswearing in.jpg|thumb|200px|Trump being sworn in, January 20, 2017.]]
Trump was inaugurated on January 20, 2017, giving one of the strongest inauguration addresses in American history.<ref>Boyle, Matthew (January 20, 2017). [http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/01/20/america-first-president-donald-trump-brings-the-rain-in-inauguration-address/ ‘America First’: President Donald Trump Brings the Rain in Inauguration Address]. ''Breitbart''. Retrieved January 20, 2017.</ref><ref>McCaskill, Nolan D. (January 20, 2017). [http://www.politico.com/story/2017/01/key-points-of-trumps-inaugural-speech-233900 Key moments from Trump's inauguration speech]. ''Politico''. Retrieved January 20, 2017.</ref><ref>Scott, Patrick; Midgley, Robert (January 20, 2017). [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/01/20/donald-trump-just-delivered-american-inauguration-speech-ever/ Donald Trump just delivered the most 'American' inauguration speech ever]. ''The Telegraph''. Retrieved January 20, 2017.</ref> His first bill signed as president was to allow retired general and Defense Secretary nominee [[James Mattis]] to be confirmed.<ref>Kopan, Tal (January 20, 2017). [http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/20/politics/donald-trump-first-law-actions/ President Donald Trump signs first bill into law]. ''CNN''. Retrieved January 20, 2017.</ref> That same day, Trump instituted a national day of patriotism,<ref>[http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-measures-idUSKBN1542IH Trump takes first actions on Cabinet, declares day of patriotism: spokesman]. ''Reuters''. January 20, 2017. Retrieved January 20, 2017.</ref> and a few days later Trump officially designated his inauguration day the '''''National Day of Patriotic Devotion'''''.<ref>[https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2017/01/24/2017-01798/national-day-of-patriotic-devotion National Day of Patriotic Devotion -- Proclamation 9570 of January 20, 2017]. ''Federal Register''. January 24, 2017. Retrieved February 2, 2017.</ref><ref>Shelbourne, Mallory (January 23, 2017). [http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/315735-trump-declares-inauguration-day-national-day-of-patriotic-devotion http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/315735-trump-declares-inauguration-day-national-day-of-patriotic-devotion]. ''The Hill''. Retrieved February 2, 2017.</ref>

Despite the fact that leftists knew for two months that Trump would be inaugurated president, hateful, anti-American, and immature leftists engaged in violent protests and did major acts of vandalism and even injuring the police who were sent in.<ref>Vargas, Theresa; Hartz, Taylor; Hermann, Peter (January 20, 2017). [https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/protesters-bring-shouts-skirmishes-and-shutdowns-to-inauguration-celebration/2017/01/20/00ea4c72-df11-11e6-acdf-14da832ae861_story.html?utm_term=.c4443fa64f5a Inauguration protesters vandalize, set fires, try to disrupt Trump’s oath, as police arrest 200]. ''The Washington Post''. Retrieved January 20, 2017.</ref><ref name="LimoFire">Lawler, David (January 20, 2017). [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/01/20/anti-donald-trump-activists-try-block-access-inauguration/ Donald Trump protests: Limo 'set on fire' and 217 arrested as police use tear gas on black-clad activists]. ''The Telegraph''. Retrieved January 20, 2017.</ref> At least 217 protesters were arrested.<ref name="LimoFire"/><ref>Weber, Joseph (January 20, 2017). [http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/01/20/trump-supporters-protesters-rally-before-sunrise-on-inauguration-day.html Hundreds of protesters arrested in Inauguration Day clashes]. ''Fox News''. Retrieved March 31, 2017.</ref><ref>Noble, Andrea; McDermott, Ryan M. (January 20, 2017). [http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/jan/20/donald-trump-inauguration-protests-begin-turn-viol/ D.C. police report 217 arrested during Inauguration Day riots]. ''The Washington Times''. Retrieved March 31, 2017.</ref>

Despite having no power to block Trump's cabinet nominees and having no reason to delay the process,<ref>Pergram, Chad (January 20, 2017). [http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/01/20/senate-battle-erupts-over-dem-delay-confirming-trump-nominees.html Senate battle erupts over Dem 'delay' confirming Trump nominees]. ''Fox News''. Retrieved January 23, 2017.</ref> liberal Senate Democrats delayed confirmation of Trump's nominees, so that only two were confirmed on Trump's first day in office.<ref>Dinan, Stephen (January 22, 2017). [http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/jan/22/trumps-cabinet-picks-delayed-by-democrats-only-two/? Donald Trump’s Cabinet picks delayed by Democrats, only two confirmed]. ''The Washington Times''. Retrieved January 23, 2017.</ref> This was a large difference from other recent presidents,<ref>Phillips, Amber (January 21, 2017). [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/01/20/donald-trump-will-start-his-presidency-with-the-smallest-confirmed-cabinet-in-decades/?utm_term=.9d7692169687 Donald Trump is starting his presidency with the smallest confirmed Cabinet in decades]. ''The Washington Post''. Retrieved Janaury 23, 2017.</ref> who, with the exception of [[George H. W. Bush]], had much larger numbers confirmed in the first week.<ref>Bluey, Robert (January 22, 2017). [http://dailysignal.com/2017/01/22/trumps-nominees-face-unprecedented-democrat-obstructionism/ Trump’s Nominees Face ‘Unprecedented’ Democrat Obstructionism]. ''The Daily Signal''. Retrieved January 23, 2017.</ref>

===Tenure===
Due to his promotion and support of conservative, America First policies, President Trump faced large opposition from the Left, including from within the government bureaucracy.<ref>Singman, Brooke (January 1, 2017). [http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/01/31/trump-faces-bureaucratic-battle-in-implementing-agenda.html Trump faces bureaucratic battle in implementing agenda]. ''Fox News''. Retrieved February 1, 2017.</ref><ref>Kurtz, Howard (February 3, 2017). [http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/02/03/empire-strikes-back-why-trumps-private-talks-with-foreign-leaders-were-leaked.html The empire strikes back: Why Trump's private talks with foreign leaders were leaked]. ''Fox News''. Retrieved February 3, 2017.</ref> (The fact that members of the Deep State have grown visibly scared of reports stating such confirms this view;<ref>[http://www.breitbart.com/big-journalism/2017/03/22/politico-obama-admin-bureaucrats-panicked-by-breitbart-spotlight-dont-question-our-loyalty/ POLITICO: Obama Admin Bureaucrats ‘Panicked’ by Breitbart Spotlight: Don’t Question Our Loyalty!] ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved March 22, 2017.</ref> in May 2017, it was reported that 60% of [[National Security Council]] employees were Obama-Administration holdovers<ref>Wong, Kristina (May 17, 2017). [http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/05/17/trump-under-siege-more-than-60-percent-of-nsc-employees-placed-by-obama/ Trump Under Siege: More than 60 Percent of NSC Employees Placed by Obama]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved May 18, 2017.</ref>) Additionally, Senate Democrats continued to unduly delay Trump's cabinet nominees at historic and unprecedented proportions—by February 8, 2017, only [[George Washington]] had fewer cabinet nominees confirmed by this length of time into his presidency.<ref>Singman, Brooke (February 8, 2017). [http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/02/08/trump-facing-historic-delays-in-confirmation-push.html Trump facing historic delays in confirmation push]. ''Fox News''. Retrieved February 8, 2017.</ref>

On January 23, 2017, Trump signed an order which withdrew the United States from the globalist [[Trans-Pacific Partnership]].<ref>Chakraborty, Barnini (January 23, 2017). [http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/01/23/trump-signs-executive-order-withdrawing-us-from-tpp-trade-deal.html Trump signs executive order withdrawing US from TPP trade deal]. ''Fox News''. Retrieved January 23, 2017.</ref> That same day, Trump signed an order reinstating the [[Mexico City Policy]], which defunded International Planned Parenthood and other organizations that promote foreign abortions.<ref>LaBarbera, Peter (January 23, 2017). [https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/breaking-trump-signs-order-defunding-international-planned-parenthood-forei BREAKING: Trump signs order defunding International Planned Parenthood, foreign abortions]. ''LifeSite News''. Retrieved January 23, 2017.</ref><ref>Hellman, Jessie (January 23, 2017). [http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/abortion/315652-trump-signs-executive-order-reinstating-global-gag-rule-on Trump reinstates ban on US funds promoting abortion overseas]. ''The Hill''. Retrieved January 23, 2017.</ref>

Trump was very busy and productive in his first week and showed he was serious about his campaign promises, undoing Obama's illegitimate legacy and instituting conservative executive orders.<ref>Davenport, David (January 27, 2017). [http://www.forbes.com/sites/daviddavenport/2017/01/27/how-trump-managed-to-undo-obamas-legacy-in-one-week/#3ae6bcba5bbf How Trump Managed To Undo Obama's Legacy In One Week]. ''Forbes''. Retrieved January 27, 2017.</ref><ref>Said-Moorhouse, Lauren (January 26, 2017). [http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/26/politics/executive-orders-presidents-actions-presidential-memoranda/ What's Trump done so far? His productive first week and how it stacks up to previous presidents]. ''CNN''. Retrieved January 27, 2017.</ref><ref>[https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/01/28/president-trumps-first-week-action President Trump's First Week of Action]. ''whitehouse.gov''. January 28, 2017. Retrieved January 28, 2017.</ref> This caused the [[stock market]] to increase, and the [[Dow Jones]] passed 20,000 points for the first time in history.<ref>Imbert, Fred (January 25, 2017). [http://www.cnbc.com/2017/01/25/us-markets.html Dow closes above 20,000 for first time as Trump orders send stocks flying]. ''CNBC''. Retrieved January 25, 2017.</ref><ref>Craig, Victoria (January 25, 2017). [http://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/2017/01/25/dow-races-past-20k-in-reinvigorated-trump-rally.html Dow Races Past 20K in Reinvigorated Trump Rally]. ''Fox Business''. Retrieved January 25, 2017.</ref> On March 1, 2017, the day after Trump made his first address to a joint-session of Congress, the stock market rose dramatically again, with the Dow Jones passing the 21,000 mark for the first time in history.<ref>Witkowski, Wallace; Mahmudova, Anora (March 1, 2017). [http://www.marketwatch.com/story/wall-street-stocks-set-to-resume-rally-on-fed-rate-hike-hopes-trump-relief-2017-03-01 Dow closes above 21,000 as stocks soar after Trump speech]. ''MarketWatch''. Retrieved March 1, 2017.</ref><ref>Holcomb, John (March 1, 2017). [https://townhall.com/tipsheet/justinholcomb/2017/03/01/stock-market-booms-past-21000-for-the-first-time-in-history-n2292388 The Trump Bump: Stock Market Hits 21,000 for the First Time in History]. ''Townhall''. Retrieved March 1, 2017.</ref><ref>DeSoto, Randy (March 1, 2017). [http://www.westernjournalism.com/stock-market-hits-new-high-follow-trumps-speech-to-congress/ Stock Market Hits New High Following Trump’s Speech To Congress]. ''Western Journalism''. Retrieved March 1, 2017.</ref>

As evidence of this intense [[mainstream media]] opposition to President Trump, a study published close to the 100th-day mark of Trump's presidency showed that 89% of media coverage regarding Trump was negative.<ref>
* Harper, Jennifer (April 19, 2017). [http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/apr/19/donald-trump-media-coverage-is-89-percent-negative/ As first 100 days in office approaches, media coverage of Trump is 89% negative: Study]. ''The Washington Times''. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
* Noyes, Rich; Ciandella, Mike (April 19, 2017). [http://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/rich-noyes/2017/04/18/honeymoon-hell-liberal-media-vs-president-trump Honeymoon from Hell: The Liberal Media vs. President Trump]. ''NewsBusters -- Media Research Center''. Retrieved April 21, 2017.</ref> Additionally, Trump was on track to become the most mocked president on late-night comedy TV in at least 25 years.<ref>[http://www.breitbart.com/big-hollywood/2017/05/04/study-trump-track-mocked-president-late-night-25-years/ Study: Trump On Track to Be Most Mocked President on Late-Night TV in 25 Years]. ''Breitbart News''. May 4, 2017. Retrieved May 4, 2017.</ref>

On April 26, 2017, the Department of Homeland Security, acting under an executive order established by President Trump, established the Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement Office (VOICE), created to help support victims of illegal immigrant crime, and it established the DHS-Victim Information and Notification Exchange, which was created to help those victims track the custody status of the illegal criminals.<ref>
* Singman, Brooke (April 26, 2017). [http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/04/26/dhs-announces-office-for-victims-illegal-immigrant-crime.html DHS announces office for victims of illegal immigrant crime]. ''Fox News''. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
* McHugh, Katie (April 26, 2017). [http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/04/26/dhs-kelly-voice-victims-illegal-alien-criminals/ DHS Kelly Creates VOICE For Many Victims of Illegal Alien Criminals]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
* McHugh, Katie (April 25, 2017). [http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/04/25/dhs-unveil-voice-office-victims-illegal-alien-crime/ DHS to Unveil VOICE Office for Victims of Illegal Alien Crime]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved April 26, 2017.</ref> However, leftists took to pranking the phone line created, showing disrespect to the victims of illegal immigration.<ref>Singman, Brooke (April 27, 2017). [http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/04/27/ice-rips-pranksters-jamming-hotline-to-report-space-aliens.html ICE rips pranksters jamming hotline to report space aliens]. '' Fox News''. Retrieved April 27, 2017.</ref>

Canadian Prime Minister [[Justin Trudeau]] described President Trump as being very authentic – the way he acts in public is like how he does in private.<ref>Yilek, Caitlin (August 31, 2017). [http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/canadian-prime-minister-justin-trudeau-trump-is-surprisingly-authentic/article/2633107 Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau: Trump is surprisingly 'authentic']. ''Washington Examiner''. Retrieved August 31, 2017.</ref>

====Temporary immigration and refugee suspensions====
Trump received criticism from liberals and [[establishment]] Republicans<ref>McHugh, Katie (January 31, 2017). [http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/01/31/establishment-republicans-bash-trumps-executive-order-on-immigration-refugee-resettlement/ Establishment Republicans Bash Trump’s Executive Order on Immigration, Refugee Resettlement]. ''Breitbart''. Retrieved January 31, 2017.</ref> when he signed an executive order temporarily banning immigration from certain high-risk Islamic countries as well as refugee entry. Despite this criticism, 49 percent of the American public supported the decision compared to 41 percent opposed, according to the "mainstream" Reuters,<ref>Kahn, Chris (January 31, 2017). [http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-immigration-poll-exclusive-idUSKBN15F2MG Exclusive: Only a third of Americans think Trump's travel ban will make them more safe]. ''Reuters''. Retrieved January 31, 2017.</ref> and 57% percent of likely American voters supported the ban according to Rasmussen.<ref>[http://m.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/current_events/immigration/january_2017/most_support_temporary_ban_on_newcomers_from_terrorist_havens Most Support Temporary Ban on Newcomers from Terrorist Havens].'' January 2017. Retrieved February 2, 2017.</ref> Additionally, while the leftist [[establishment]] European leaders opposed the ban, a strong majority—55% average—of Europeans support the ban, according to a poll in 10 [[European Union]] nations.<ref>Shaw, Adam (February 9, 2017). [http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/02/09/majority-europeans-in-favor-trump-style-muslim-ban-poll-shows.html Majority of Europeans in favor of a Trump-style Muslim ban, poll shows]. ''Fox News''. Retrieved February 9, 2017.</ref><ref>Jamieson, Alastair (February 8, 2017). [http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/europes-border-crisis/majority-leading-eu-nations-support-trump-style-travel-ban-poll-n718271 Majority in Leading EU Nations Support Trump-Style Travel Ban: Poll]. ''NBC News''. Retrieved February 9, 2017.</ref> On March 6, 2017, Trump signed a second executive order concerning the temporary suspension of refugees and others from certain high-risk countries after the first one was blocked by the courts. The second order made some clarifications and minor improvements over the first, such as exempting green card holders from the ban and excluding [[Iraq]] from it as it had developed an acceptable vetting process.<ref>Munro, Neil (March 6, 2016). [http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/03/06/trump-new-refugees-executive-pushes-back-judges/ Donald Trump Signs Executive Order Banning Travel from Six Terror-Tied Countries]. ''Breitbart''. Retrieved March 6, 2017.</ref><ref>Chakraborty, Barnini (March 6, 2017). [http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/03/06/trump-signs-new-immigration-order-narrows-scope-travel-ban.html Trump signs new immigration order, narrows scope of travel ban]. ''Fox News''. Retrieved March 6, 2017.</ref>

Trump showed he would not tolerate incompetent leftist administration officials when he fired acting [[United States Department of Justice|Attorney General]] Sally Yates (a left-wing Obama holdover) when she refused to defend his refugee and immigration ban executive order.<ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/01/30/acting-ag-tells-justice-department-staff-not-to-defend-trumps-refugee-order.html Trump fires acting AG after Justice Department staff told not to defend refugee order]. ''Fox News''. January 30, 2017. Retrieved January 31, 2017.</ref><ref>[https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/01/30/statement-appointment-dana-boente-acting-attorney-general Statement on the Appointment of Dana Boente as Acting Attorney General]. ''whitehouse.gov''. January 30, 2017. Retrieved January 31, 2017.</ref> Trump emulated [[Ronald Reagan]]'s firing of the striking PATCO workers in 1981 by doing so,<ref>Boyle, Matthew (January 30, 2017). [http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/01/30/trumps-patco-moment-emanating-reagan-president-takes-control-federal-government-protect-country-citizens/ Trump’s PATCO Moment: Emanating Reagan, the President Takes Control of Federal Government to ‘Protect the Country and Its Citizens’]. ''Breitbart''. Retrieved January 31, 2017.</ref> contrary to the [[mainstream media]] spin.<ref>Kurtz, Howard (February 1, 2017). [http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/02/01/trumps-firing-defiant-obama-holdover-why-hes-no-richard-nixon.html Trump's firing of a defiant Obama holdover: Why he's no Richard Nixon]. ''Fox News''. Retrieved February 1, 2017.</ref> That same night, Trump replaced the acting director of [[Immigration and Customs Enforcement]] (another Obama holdover) with a more competent official who had a reputation for enforcing immigration laws.<ref>Chamberlain, Samuel (January 31, 2017). [http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/01/31/trump-names-thomas-homan-acting-director-ice-replacing-obama-holdover.html Trump names Thomas Homan acting director of ICE, replacing Obama holdover]. ''Fox News''. Retrieved January 31, 2017.</ref><ref>Berman, Mark; Zapotosky, Matt (January 30, 2017). [https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/01/30/trump-appoints-new-immigration-and-customs-enforcement-director-noted-for-his-work-deporting-illegal-immigrants/?utm_term=.addf12ae690a Trump appoints new Immigration and Customs Enforcement director noted for his work deporting illegal immigrants]. ''The Washington Post''. Retrieved January 31, 2017.</ref>

====Reducing regulations and government====
:''For more information, see [[Donald Trump achievements: Deregulation and government size]]''
In the first six weeks of Trump's presidency, over 90 regulations were repealed, whether through executive orders, Acts of Congress, or other means.<ref>Farand, Chloe (March 6, 2017). [http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-federal-state-regulations-month-oval-office-white-house-us-president-deregulate-a7614031.html Donald Trump disassembles 90 federal state regulations in just over a month in White House]. ''The Independent''. Retrieved March 7, 2017.</ref><ref>[https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/3480299-10-Examples-Industries-Push-Followed-by-Trump.html#document/p60/a341284 Trump-Era Trend: Industries Protest. Regulations Rolled Back. A Dozen Examples]. ''The New York Times'' (through ''DocumentCloud''). Retrieved March 7, 2017.</ref> Trump also signed numerous executive actions promoting a smaller government.

====Supreme Court====
{{See also|Donald Trump achievements: The courts|Trump Supreme Court}}
On January 31, 2017, Trump nominated Neil Gorsuch to the [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]].<ref>Klukowski, Ken (January 31, 2017). [http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/01/31/trump-nominates-judge-neil-gorsuch-supreme-court/ Trump Nominates Judge Neil Gorsuch to Supreme Court]. ''Breitbart''. Retrieved January 31, 2017.</ref><ref>Hurley, Lawrence; Holland, Steve (January 31, 2017). [http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-court-trump-idUSKBN15F1OW Trump picks conservative judge Gorsuch for U.S. Supreme Court]. ''Reuters''. Retrieved January 31, 2017.</ref> The nomination was well received by many conservatives.<ref>Chamberlain, Steve (January 31, 2017). [http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/01/31/reaction-to-trumps-supreme-court-pick-split-along-partisan-lines.html Conservatives hail Trump's Supreme Court pick]. ''Fox News''. Retrieved January 31, 2017.</ref><ref>Ertelt, Steven (January 31, 2017). [http://www.lifenews.com/2017/01/31/president-donald-trump-nominates-pro-life-friendly-judge-neil-gorsuch-to-the-supreme-court/ President Donald Trump Nominates Pro-Life-Friendly Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court]. ''LifeNews.com''. Retrieved January 31, 2017.</ref> Others, most notably [[Andrew Schlafly]], disagreed with the nomination due to concerns about Gorsuch's position on abortion.<ref>Dannenfelser, Marjorie (January 31, 2017). [http://townhall.com/columnists/marjoriedannenfelser/2017/01/31/the-truth-about-trumps-prolife-scotus-list-n2279232 The Truth about Trump’s Pro-life SCOTUS List]. ''Townhall''. Retrieved February 1, 2017.</ref><ref>http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Template:Mainpageright&diff=1302133&oldid=1301962</ref>

====Public trust====
According to a poll conducted by [[Emerson College]] on February 5–6, 2017, more Americans trust the Trump Administration than the media.<ref>McHugh, Katie (February 9, 2017). [http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/02/09/poll-voters-trust-trump-administration-media/ Poll: Voters Trust Trump Administration More Than Media]. ''Breitbart''. Retrieved February 9, 2017.</ref>

====Economic progress====
{{See also|Donald Trump achievements: Economic policy and labor}}
In May 2017, the unemployment rate fell from 4.4% from 4.3%, the lowest since May 2001, as the number of unemployed persons was little changed at 6.9 million and the labor force participation rate fell to 62.7 percent.<ref>[https://tradingeconomics.com/united-states/unemployment-rate United States Unemployment Rate]. ''tradingeconomics.com''. Retrieved June 14, 2017.</ref>

According to a Rasmussen survey, consumer confidence is the second-highest it’s been in the index’s history. The market cap of the U.S. stock market has risen more than $3 trillion since Mr. Trump was elected. Small-business confidence has surged to a 12-year high.

==Books==
*''Trump: The Art of the Deal'' with Tony Schwartz (1987)
*''Trump: Surviving at the Top'' with Charles Leerhsen (1990)
*''Trump: The Art of the Comeback'' with Kate Bohner (1997)
*''The America We Deserve'' with Dave Shiflett (2000)
*''Trump: How to Get Rich'' with Meredith McIver (2004)
*''Trump: Think Like a Billionaire: Everything You Need to Know about Success, Real Estate and Life'' with Meredith McIver (2005)
*''Why We Want You to Be Rich: Two Men, One Message'' with Meredith McIver and Robert T. Kiyosaki (2006)
*''Think Big and Kick Ass in Business and Life'' with Bill Zanker (2007)
*''Trump: Never Give Up: How I Turned My Biggest Challenges into Success'' with Meredith McIver (2008)
*''Think Like a Champion: An Informal Education in Business and Life'' with Meredith McIver (2009)
*''Midas Touch: Why Some Entrepreneurs Get Rich—and Why Most Don't'' with Robert T. Kiyosaki (2011)
*''Time to Get Tough: Making America #1 Again'' (2011)
*''Crippled America: How to Make America Great Again'' (2015)

==Quotes==
===Quotes as U.S. President===
====Inaugural address====
*"....today we are not merely transferring power from one administration to another, or from one party to another, but we are transferring power from Washington, D.C., and giving it back to you, the people."<ref name="InaugTransc">[http://www.politico.com/story/2017/01/full-text-donald-trump-inauguration-speech-transcript-233907 Full text: 2017 Donald Trump inauguration speech transcript]. ''Politico''. January 20, 2017. Retrieved January 20, 2017.</ref>
*"We assembled here today our issuing a new decree to be heard in every city, in every foreign capital, and in every hall of power, from this day forward: a new vision will govern our land, from this day forward, it's going to be only America first. America first."<ref name="InaugTransc"/>
*"[We will] unite the civilized world against radical Islamic terrorism, which we will eradicate completely from the face of the Earth."<ref name="InaugTransc"/>
*"When you open your heart to patriotism, there is no room for prejudice."<ref name="InaugTransc"/>

====Other====
*"In America we don’t worship government, we worship God."<ref>Miller, S.A. (May 13, 2017). [http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/may/13/donald-trump-tells-liberty-university-graduates-we/ Trump at Liberty University: ‘We don’t worship government, we worship God’]. ''The Washington Times''. Retrieved May 13, 2017.</ref><ref>Moons, Michelle (May 13, 2017). [http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/05/13/president-donald-trumps-1st-commencement-speech-america-dont-worship-government-worship-god/ President Donald Trump’s First Commencement Speech: ‘In America We Don’t Worship Government, We Worship God’]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved May 13, 2017.</ref>
*"I didn’t get elected to serve the Washington media—I got elected to serve the forgotten men and women and that’s exactly what I’m doing."<ref>Spiering, Charlie (May 17, 2017). [http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2017/05/17/donald-trump-vows-to-fight-on-no-politician-in-history-has-been-treated-worse-or-more-unfairly/ Donald Trump: ‘I Didn’t Get Elected to Serve the Washington Media’]. ''Breitbart News''. Retrieved May 17, 2017.</ref><ref>Singman, Brooke (May 17, 2017). [http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/05/17/trump-takes-on-media-during-coast-guard-commencement-speech.html Trump takes on media during Coast Guard commencement speech]. ''Fox News''. Retrieved May 17, 2017.</ref>
* "The problem in Venezuela is not that socialism has been poorly implemented, but that socialism has been faithfully implemented."

===Quotes from the 2016 campaign for President===
[[File:Donald Trump and Mike Pence RNC July 2016.jpg|thumb|Trump and his running-mate, [[Mike Pence]], at the 2016 Republican National Convention.]]
Trump's tactics of naming and shaming candidates has been proven very effective. He called Jeb Bush 'low-energy Jeb' and it stuck. Then came Marco Rubio as 'Little Marco.' Next came 'Lyin' Ted' for Ted Cruz. For the Democrats, he calls Hillary Clinton 'Crooked Hillary'. He doesn't give Bernie Sanders the same treatment though he has referred to him as a Communist.

*“We will no longer surrender this country or its people to the false song of [[globalism]].”
*"I think we have a president who, as a president, is totally incompetent, and he doesn’t know what he’s doing. I think he has no idea what he’s doing. And our country is going to [[hell]]."<ref>http://time.com/4210983/republican-debate-barack-obama-incompetent/</ref>
*"I will be the greatest jobs president that [[God]] ever created."
*"I’m using my own money. I’m not using the lobbyists. I’m not using donors. I don’t care. I’m really rich."
*"Free trade is terrible. Free trade can be wonderful if you have smart people. But we have stupid people."
*"Nobody would be tougher on ISIS than Donald Trump. Nobody. Within our military, I will find the General Patton, or I will find General MacArthur, I will find the right guy."
*"I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will have [[Mexico]] pay for that wall."
*"I think the big problem this country has is being politically correct."<ref>http://video.foxnews.com/v/4406746003001/watch-a-replay-of-fox-news-prime-time-presidential-debate/?#sp=show-clips</ref><ref>https://www.google.com/search?q=a+big+problem+with+our+country+is+too+politically+incorrect&oq=a+big+problem+with+our+country+is+too+politically+incorrect&aqs=chrome..69i57j69i64l3.8295j0j7&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=119&ie=UTF-8</ref>
*"Becoming the nominee of the party of [[Abraham Lincoln]] has been the greatest honor of my life.<ref>http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/294401-trump-claims-party-of-lincoln-mantle-in-speech-at-black</ref>

====General election debate quotes====
*"Because you would be in jail." (Trump in response to Clinton saying that it would be a good thing that he "is not in charge of the law in our country")<ref name="2ndTranscript">[http://www.politico.com/story/2016/10/2016-presidential-debate-transcript-229519 Full transcript: Second 2016 presidential debate]. ''Politico''. October 10, 2016. Retrieved October 11, 2016.</ref>
*"Now she’s blaming the lie on the late great Abraham Lincoln. ...Honest Abe never lied. That’s the good thing. That's the big difference between Abraham Lincoln and you." (Trump in response to Clinton's excuse for having "'a public and private position on certain issues.'")<ref name="2ndTranscript"/>
*"Hillary has experience, but it’s bad experience."<ref>Goodenough, Patrick (September 27, 2016). [http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/patrick-goodenough/ Trump: 'Hillary Has Experience, But It's Bad Experience']. ''cnsnews.com''. Retrieved November 10, 2016.</ref>

===Quotes from Twitter===
[[File:Screenshot 2015-09-28-12-11-31-1.png|right|300px|Thumb|Tweet from Billionaire Carl Icahn]]

{{Cquote| '''Somebody said I’m the Ernest Hemingway of 140 characters.'''}}

* "An 'extremely credible source' has called my office and told me that @BarackObama's birth certificate is a fraud."<ref>Trump, Donald J. (August 6, 2012, 1:23 pm). [http://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/232572505238433794 "An 'extremely credible source' has called my office and told me that @BarackObama's birth certificate is a fraud."] Tweet by @realDonaldTrump.</ref>
* "It’s amazing how people can talk about me but I’m not allowed to talk about them."<ref>Trump, Donald J. (November 13, 2012, 12:23pm). [http://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/268449146711703553 "It’s amazing how people can talk about me but I’m not allowed to talk about them."] Tweet by @realDonaldTrump.</ref>
* "This very expensive GLOBAL WARMING bull**** has got to stop. Our planet is freezing, record low temps,and our GW scientists are stuck in ice."<ref>Trump, Donald J. (January 1, 2014, 4:39pm). [http://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/418542137899491328 "This very expensive GLOBAL WARMING bull**** has got to stop. Our planet is freezing, record low temps,and our GW scientists are stuck in ice."] Tweet by @realDonaldTrump.</ref>

====2015====
* "So many 'politically correct' fools in our country. We have to all get back to work and stop wasting time and energy on nonsense!" (August 8, 2015)
* "Notice that illegal immigrants will be given ObamaCare and free college tuition but nothing has been mentioned about our VETERANS #DemDebate" (October 13, 2015)
* "They laughed at me when I said to bomb the ISIS controlled oil fields. Now they are not laughing and doing what I said." (November 13, 2015)
* "President Obama said 'ISIL continues to shrink' in an interview just hours before the horrible attack in Paris. He is just so bad! CHANGE." (November 14, 2015)
* "Refugees from Syria are now pouring into our great country. Who knows who they are - some could be ISIS. Is our president insane?" (November 17, 2015)
* "Eight Syrians were just caught on the southern border trying to get into the U.S. ISIS maybe? I told you so. WE NEED A BIG & BEAUTIFUL WALL!" (November 19, 2015)

====2016====
* "Hillary said that guns don't keep you safe. If she really believes that she should demand that her heavily armed bodyguards quickly disarm!" (January 3, 2016)
* "I wonder if President Obama would have attended the funeral of Justice Scalia if it were held in a Mosque? Very sad that he did not go!" (February 20, 2016)
* "The organized group of people, many of them thugs, who shut down our First Amendment rights in Chicago, have totally energized America!" (March 12, 2016)
* "Why is it that the horrendous protesters, who scream, curse punch, shut down roads/doors during my RALLIES, are never blamed by media? SAD!" (March 20, 2016)
* "Do you all remember how beautiful and safe a place Brussels was. Not anymore, it is from a different world! U.S. must be vigilant and smart!" (March 22, 2016)
* "For the 1st time in American history, America’s 16,500 border patrol agents have issue[d] a presidential primary endorsement—me! Thank you." (April 1, 2016)
====2017====
*"The FAKE NEWS media (failing @nytimes, @NBCNews, @ABC, @CBS, @CNN) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!"<ref>Greenwood, Mark (February 17, 2017). [http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/320168-trump-the-media-is-the-enemy-of-the-american-people Trump tweets: The media is the 'enemy of the American people']. ''The Hill''. Retrieved February 27, 2017.</ref>
* "Mike Flynn should ask for immunity in that this is a witch hunt (excuse for big election loss), by media & Dems, of historic proportion!" (March 31, 2017)
* "That's right, we need a TRAVEL BAN for certain DANGEROUS countries, not some politically correct term that won't help us protect our people!" (June 5, 2017, while the Dept. of Justice was arguing in court that his Executive Order was not a "travel ban")
* "Fake News is at an all time high. Where is their apology to me for all of the incorrect stories???" (June 13, 2017)

===Other quotes===
* "[T]he country is going to hell."<ref>Cassidy, Chris (March 19, 2015). [http://www.bostonherald.com/news_opinion/us_politics/2015/03/country_is_going_to_hell_claims_donald_trump "'Country is going to hell,' claims Donald Trump"]. BostonHerald.com website.</ref>
* "We have no leader in this country.”<ref>Reisner, Hiram (April 22, 2011). [http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/donaldtrump-karlrove-gop-birther/2011/04/22/id/393742 "Trump: I'd just take Libyan oil"]. NewsMax website.</ref>
* "Our leaders are stupid, they are stupid people."<ref>Pierce, Tony (April 29, 2011). [http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2011/04/donald-trump-in-vegas-our-leaders-are-stupid-they-are-stupid-people.html "Donald Trump in Vegas: 'Our leaders are stupid; they are stupid people'"]. Los Angeles Times website/Top of the Ticket blog.</ref>
* "I can tell you I am [the 2012 Obama campaign's] worst nightmare."<ref>Mooney, Alexander (April 11, 2011). [http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/04/11/trump-says-he-is-obama-campaigns-worst-nightmare/comment-page-6/ "Trump says he is Obama campaign's worst nightmare"]. Cable News Network website/politicalticker blog.</ref>
* "Obama has no solutions."<ref>Coz, Steve (August 19, 2012). [http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/trump-gibbs-fox-obama/2012/08/19/id/449050/ "Trump fires back at Obama campaign smear"]. Newsmax website/Newsfront.</ref>
*"Everything in life is luck."<ref name="Telegraph">http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/us-election/12107003/Donald-Trump-faces-questions-over-Two-Corinthians.html</ref>
*"[Barack Obama] is probably the least transparent president in the history of the country."<ref name="Telegraph"/>
*"Not teaching your kids about money is like not caring whether they eat."<ref name="Telegraph"/>

== Liberal denialism and Donald Trump ==

:''See also:'' [[Liberal denialism and Donald Trump]] and [[Liberal denial]]

Post the 2016 U.S. Presidential election many liberals were in denial that Donald Trump was going to be president of the United States. Before the election, many liberal media outlets took the line that Donald Trump could not win the [[Republican]] primary and could not win the presidential election.<ref>
*[https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/11/09/the-wrongest-media-predictions-about-donald-trump/?utm_term=.febb2623a89f The wrongest media predictions about Donald Trump The wrongest media predictions about Donald Trump], ''Washington Post'', 2016</ref>

=== Political scientists, denialism and Donald Trump ===

{{See also|Atheism and science}}

Few, if any, [[Political science|political scientists]] predicted early on that Donald Trump would win the Republican primary and then would subsequently be elected president of the United States. Furthermore, most pollsters indicated that Trump would lose the election.

27 percent of American political scientists believe in the existence of God while 76 percent of American doctors said they believe in God.<ref>
*[http://www.livescience.com/379-scientists-belief-god-varies-starkly-discipline.html Scientists belief in God varies starkly by discipline], Livescience.com
*[http://www.nbcnews.com/id/8318894/ns/health-health_care/t/survey-most-doctors-believe-god-afterlife/ Most doctors believe in God], NBC News</ref> Most American [[atheism|atheists]] lean to the left politically (see: [[Atheism and politics]]). Compared to [[medical science]], which has many effective medicines and surgical procedures, the social science of political science is often unreliable.

===Trump and the mainstream media===
{{See also|Mainstream media and Donald Trump}}
The leftist [[mainstream media]] despises Trump and fails to report objectively when covering him.

=== Angry secular leftists and Donald Trump ===

:''See also:'' [[Donald Trump and American atheists]] and [[Secular leftists and psychogenic illness]]

American [[secular left]]ists were extremely angry and upset in the aftermath of Donald Trump's election victory (see: [[Donald Trump and American atheists]]).

In certain cases, it became debilitating (see:: [[Secular leftists and psychogenic illness]]). The website Marketwatch reported concerning the aftermath of the 2016 presidential race: ''Trump’s win is causing a surge in demand for mental health services''<ref>[http://www.marketwatch.com/story/trumps-win-is-causing-a-surge-in-demand-for-mental-health-services-2016-11-10 Trump’s win is causing a surge in demand for mental health services], Marketwatch 2016</ref>

The ''Religion News Service'' reported:
{{Cquote|For the last decade, [[Atheism|atheists]], [[secular humanism|humanists]] and others [[secular]]ists have worked hard to organize a “secular vote” that would counter the political clout of the [[religious right]].

President-elect Donald J. Trump’s victory dealt that movement a body blow when he garnered 81 percent of the white [[Evangelical Christians|evangelical]] vote and 60 percent of the white [[Roman Catholic|Catholic]] vote. [[Mormonism|Mormons]], too, voted overwhelmingly for Trump...

[Trump's] platform was seen as anti-secular in many atheist and humanist circles. He said he would appoint religiously conservative Supreme Court justices, ban [[Islam|Muslim]] immigrants, favor [[Christianity]] and repeal the [[Johnson Amendment]], which prohibits certain tax-exempt organizations from endorsing political candidates — issues antithetical to organized atheism and [[humanism]].<ref>[http://religionnews.com/2016/11/09/dealt-a-body-blow-atheists-and-humanists-regroup/ Dealt a body blow, atheists and humanists regroup] by Kimberly Winston, ''Religion News Service'', November 9, 2016</ref>}}

==See also==
* [[Donald Trump's religious views]]
* [[Trump Administration]]
* [[Essay:Donald Trump One Two Body Blow]]
* [[The Chalkening]]
* [[Trump University]]
* [[Kathryn Steinle]]
* [[Sarah Root]]
* [[Alveda King]]
* [[Trump effect]]

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

==External links==
* [http://www.greatagain.gov Presidential transition website GreatAgain.gov]
* [http://www.trump.com Official website]
* [http://www.LyingCrookedHillary.com LyingCrookedHillary.com]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gw8c2Cq-vpg The Untruth About Donald Trump] by [[Stefan Molyneux]], Published on Jan 18, 2016
* [http://www.untruthaboutdonaldtrump.com UntruthAboutDonaldTrump.com]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yyoauXmzjg Do Emotions Trump Facts?] [[Thomas Sowell]] on Donald Trump - Rebutted! by Stefan Molyneux
* [http://shouldtrumprun.com/ Should Donald Run? Polling]
* [http://gop12.thehill.com/2011/04/trump-explains-conversion-on-abortion.html Trump explains his pro-life conversion]
* [https://www.donaldjtrump.com Donald Trump 2016 campaign website]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZq3iCn2y74 Inside of Trump's Boeing 757]
* 100 groups have signed [http://www.pseagles.com/Coalition_letter_Supreme_Court this coalition letter] re: Trump's [[Trump Supreme Court|nomination to the Supreme Court]].
{{USPresidents}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trump, Donald}}

[[Category:Donald Trump]]
[[Category:Celebrities]]
[[Category:Business People]]
[[Category:American Authors]]
[[Category:2016 Presidential Candidates]]
[[Category:Best Selling Authors]]
[[Category:Conservatives]]
[[Category:Pro Second Amendment]]
[[Category:Republicans]]
[[Category:Liberal Conservatism]]
[[Category:Billionaires]]
[[Category:United States Presidential Election, 2016]]
[[Category:2016 presidential election]]
[[Category:The 100 Americans The Left Hates Most]]

English language

2017-09-14T02:48:27Z

Tg97: adding information

The '''English language''' is the predominant language of the [[United States of America|United States]], the [[United Kingdom]], [[Australia]], and [[Canada]],<ref>http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0855611.html</ref> as well as other former members of the [[British Empire]]. Due to the enormous economic, scientific, political and cultural influence of the these nations, English functions as the world's major international language.

==History and Development==

English is considered a member of the Germanic language family, one of the oldest surviving Germanic languages within the North-Sea Germanic/Ingvaeonic sub-grouping of this family, with a vocabulary based upon Saxon, Angle, and Jute descent. The language has changed considerably in its existence; predecessors to modern English are highly distinct and are often mistaken for a completely different language, as evident in Old-English and Middle English. In the middle ages, loanwords entered from Latin, due to its use as a literary and ecclesiastical language, and from Old Norse.<ref>Jordan, John-Erik. "[https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/139-norse-words 139 Old Norse Words That Invaded The English Language]". Babbel Magazine. Lesson Nine GmbH.</ref> [[French]], amongst other Romance languages, has had a large impact on the language as well, due to the conquest of England by the French speaking Normans in 1066 AD. French also had a great impact on the language as it was the Lingua-Franca, considered so up until [[World War II]] (when English itself became the Lingua-Franca), in subjects such as law, science, philosophy, and politics.

Scholars typically identify several key factors in the development of the language in regards to the insurgence of non-native terminology. These times include the influence of French, mentioned above, the commerce England had with Spain, introducing Spanish to the language, and the effect of the [[Renaissance]] and [[Enlightenment]] period, which brought Latin and Greek based words to the language. Based on the history of the English language, it is sometimes compared to a common [[Creole]] language due to the many factors that have helped it develop over hundreds of years.

After World War II, the rise of the United States as a world superpower led to English replacing French as the Lingua-Franca, becoming the world's most used language for diplomacy, commerce, science, and so forth. Because of this, Modern English is considered the world's most important international language by many.<ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/4080401.stm</ref>

==Spelling==
English spelling, technically phonetic based on the Latin alphabet, has changed considerably over time. Because England had vast differences in pronunciations and [[dialects]], and because there was no standardized agreement of how to represent each sound nor which Roman letters corresponded to which sound, spelling was quite variable. Standard spellings did not come about until the late seventeenth century. In or around 1828 in the United States, the lexicographer [[Noah Webster]] argued for simplifying some spellings which were no longer phonetic, such as the -our in words such as "colour". Most, though not all, of his proposed changes were adopted, such that US English spelling differs from UK English in some hundreds of instances. UK English spelling is the standard in the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, and most of the Commonwealth of Nations including Canada and Australia; US English spelling is the standard in the [[United States]] and its territories.

The term "English" may also be used to refer to a person from the United Kingdom born in the country of England, or to describe something from England or with characteristics particular to that place.

== Differences with other languages ==
In contrast with German, the English language requires designation of ongoing activities by appending "ing" to the verb, as in "he was running into the end zone when he dropped the football" or "I am teaching writing". Notice that a form of the verb "to be" is used as a helping verb; thus, constructions like "I do teaching writing" are ungrammatical.

English is considered a weakly inflected language. This means that the grammatical functions of words do not primarily depend on suffixes, prefixes, or vowel changes. Instead, meaning primarily depends on word order. Although Old English was highly inflected, this property was lost during the period of [[Viking]] occupation and the [[Danelaw]]. Old Norse and Old English shared a similar core vocabulary, but varied in their inflections.<ref name="hannan">Hannan, Daniel. (2013). ''Inventing Freedom: How the English-Speaking Peoples Made the Modern World''. New York: HarperCollins. P. 75.</ref> In England, these inflections were dropped through interactions between speakers of the two languages.<ref name="hannan" /> Today, English and [[Danish language|Danish]] are two of the least inflected Indo-European languages, although it is unlikely that the version of Old Norse spoken in England influenced the Danish language.

English is one of the few languages where grammatical gender is almost entirely determined by biological sex.<ref>Stratton, Clarence. (1963). "Gender". In ''The World Book Encyclopedia''. Chicago, IL: Field Enterprises Educational Corporation.</ref> Males are masculine, females are feminine, and inanimate objects are neuter. An exception is ships, which are sometimes treated as feminine.

==See also==
* [[Official English]]
* [[Anglosphere]]

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:English language| ]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]

Danelaw

2017-09-14T02:08:23Z

Tg97:

'''Danelaw''' was the name, first given during the 11th century, to the part of [[England]] which had been subject to [[Denmark|Danish]] rule following invasion and conquest in the late 9th century. King [[Edgar]] (ruled 959-975) recognised the traditional or customary laws of his subjects of Danish origin and this practice was still appearing in documents during the 12th century, which defined the area as all of eastern England between the [[River Thames|Thames]] and the [[River Tees|Tees]]. The Danes left a permanent imprint on not only on legal and administrative practices but also on place names, language and culture.

[[Category:English History]]

Morality

2017-08-08T03:47:29Z

Tg97:

[[File:Morality.gif|right|200px]]
'''Morality''' consists of right and wrong in one's personal conduct. Various forms of [[atheism]] and [[libertarianism]] can mislead someone into ignoring the importance of morality in guiding him to a productive life.

== Morality versus law ==

Jurisprudence is traditionally (but not completely) divided between those who advocate Natural Law and those who advocate Legal Positivism. Both agree that morality is distinct from the [[law]], but it is only advocates of Natural Law who believe that law should be based on morality, whereas Legal Positivists believe that there is no inherent connection.
Natural Law supporters point to examples such as [[slavery]], which was once legal in many places, but is now illegal, because people had the law changed because they considered slavery immoral. A legal positivist would not argue against there often being a causal connection between morality and law, as clearly according to this example and many others there is, but would say that there is no ''inherent'' connection: and thus say that law is not based on morality.

One commonly used example to illustrate the difference between the two camps is to imagine a scenario where a law against vehicles being used in a town center after 21:00 were to be instituted, in an effort to reduce pollution. Then, imagine that someone is caught in the town centen after 21:00 riding a bike. An advocate of natural law would suggest the person not be punished, because bikes do not cause pollution, and it was reduction of pollution that was considered the moral issue in making the law. A legal positivist would instead look to whether or not a bike is a vehicle as defined by the statute, and base punishment on that.

Natural Law theorists would argue against those who say that the law should not be used to enforce morality.
Instead they believe that morality is actually the basis for much of the law.
Laws against theft, for example, are based on the idea that taking someone else's property is morally wrong.

==Morality based on theistic religion==

''See also:'' [[Religion and morality]]

Thomas Brewton points out that things like the [[Ten Commandments]] or the [[Code of Hammurabi]] were sets of rules to establish moral behavior, enforced in the context of religion.<ref>The Conservative Voice: [http://www.theconservativevoice.com/article/9332.html "Morality and Political Order"] by Thomas Brewton</ref>

According to some theists, only by basing morals on [[God|God's]] standards can morality have any sort of absolute basis.
Janine M. Ramsey:
{{QuoteBox|Evil and good do objectively exist because they emanate from the fact that there is an unchanging, omniscient (all-knowing), and holy God. These are not subjective opinions invented and written down by man. Rather, ‘good’ expresses the innate characteristics of God Himself that He has built into every human being, and every human being is responsible to live up to those standards. And the absence of good defines evil.<ref>Ramsey, 2004</ref>}}

One standard objection to this view is the [[Euthyphro]] dilemma, posed by Socrates in the dialogue Euthyphro, in which Socrates asks whether a thing is made pious (or just, right) because [[Divine command theory|the Gods love (approve of, command) it]], or if the Gods love certain things because they are just and right. If the former, then it seems that God's commands would not be objectively valid, but arbitrary whims. If the latter, then morality has an independent existence from God's commands; God is good because God always does the right thing, but they are not made the right thing simply because God commanded them. Morality would then need to have some further, independent ground which might be discoverable independent of religion.

==Morality based on evolution==
Some [[biology|biologists]] argue that morality grew out of behavioral rules shaped by [[Theory of evolution|evolution]]. They see social behaviors displayed by some [[primate]]s as the precursors of human morality. They cite examples such as [[rhesus monkey]]s which, when given a chance to get food by pulling a chain that delivers a shock to another monkey, have been known to [[starvation|starve]] themselves for a considerable time.<ref>"Primates and Philosophers" by Frans de Waal</ref>

Dr. [[Frans de Waal]] argues that primates are social animals, and must constrain their behavior in order to live in a group. He maintains that these constraints have shaped behaviors from which human morality has emerged. He does not assert that chimpanzees are moral, but argues that emotional bases that can be observed among primates are the foundation for the evolution of human morality.

He points to the display of both [[empathy]] and self-awareness among apes, and asserts that human morality begins with a similar concern for others and the understanding of social rules about the treatment of others.<ref>New York Times: [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/20/science/20moral.html?pagewanted=1&ei=5124&en=84f902c89c5a9173&ex=1332043200&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink "Scientist Finds the Beginnings of Morality in Primate Behavior"]</ref>

However, these arguments presume evolution to be true.
The stance that God created such creatures to act in a way that we would consider moral has at least as much scientific validity as the evolutionary position.

Evolution actually provides no basis for morality:
{{QuoteBox|'''Jaron Lanier''': ‘There’s a large group of people who simply are uncomfortable with accepting evolution because it leads to what they perceive as a moral vacuum, in which their best impulses have no basis in nature.’ 
'''Richard Dawkins''': ‘All I can say is, That’s just tough. We have to face up to the truth.<ref>'Evolution: The dissent of Darwin,’ ''Psychology Today'' 30(1):62, January/February 1997, quoted in ''Creation'' 20(3):44, June 1998.</ref>}}

Peter Singer argues that a distinction must be made between the origins and the justification of morality, allowing that evolutionary explanations can be given for the existence of brains or minds able to reason, and hence able to determine what is moral, but that morality has its own logic and is not determined by contingent facts of evolution.<ref>The Expanding Circle: Ethics and Sociobiology, 1983</ref>

== Morality based on atheism ==

''See also:'' [[Atheism and morality]]

Lacking a transcendent, objective moral authority (such as the Bible), atheism relies on subjective sources. The basis of morality for some [[atheism|atheists]] is their own opinion.
[[Bertrand Russell]], for example, said that his opinions on right and wrong were based on his feelings.<ref>'''Bertrand Russell:''' You see, I feel that some things are good and that other things are bad. I love the things that are good, that I think are good, and I hate the things that I think are bad. I don't say that these things are good because they participate in the Divine goodness. 

'''Frederick Copleston:''' Yes, but what's your justification for distinguishing between good and bad or how do you view the distinction between them? 

'''R:''' I don't have any justification any more than I have when I distinguish between blue and yellow. What is my justification for distinguishing between blue and yellow? I can see they are different. 

'''C:''' Well, that is an excellent justification, I agree. You distinguish blue and yellow by seeing them, so you distinguish good and bad by what faculty? 

'''R:''' By my feelings. 
(1948 radio debate; http://www.bringyou.to/apologetics/p20.htm)</ref>

In practice, atheists may adopt the morality of the society they grew up with, which in the case of the Western society is generally one with a Christian heritage.
[[Richard Dawkins]] said, "I’m a passionate Darwinian when it comes to science, when it comes to explaining the world, but I’m a passionate anti-Darwinian when it comes to morality and politics".<ref>''The Science Show'', ABC Radio, 22nd January, 2000, quoted by Walker, Tas., [http://creationontheweb.com/content/view/5177 National emergency in Australia], 29th June, 2007. (Creation Ministries International)</ref>

Although atheism provides no basis for absolute morality, this does not mean that atheists cannot be moral people. Rather, it does mean that atheism itself provides no moral boundaries to constrain the actions of people.
As mass murderer [[Jeffrey Dahmer]] said in an interview:
{{QuoteBox|If a person doesn’t think there is a God to be accountable to, then—then what’s the point of trying to modify your behaviour to keep it within acceptable ranges? That’s how I thought anyway. I always believed the theory of evolution as truth, that we all just came from the slime. When we, when we died, you know, that was it, there is nothing...<ref>Dahmer, Jeffrey, in an interview with Stone Phillips, Dateline NBC, 29th November, 1994 [http://creationontheweb.com/content/view/4145/105/]</ref>}}

Other atheists, such as Peter Singer, argue that our powers of reasoning provide a basis for morality. This view is shared by many theists, such as Richard Hare and Immanuel Kant, who do not deny the existence of God but think that morality is not derived from, but rather is exemplified by, a divine power.

=== The effects of atheism ===

It is contended that in broadly condemning "[[religion]]", atheism frequently focuses on [[Christianity]], which is seldom defined according to its source (the New Testament), and which they often include Hitler in, and which they blame for atrocities such as the [[Inquisition]] and the [[Crusades]]. In addition, when confronted by the fact that the objectively baseless moral authority of atheism allowed atheists such as [[Joseph Stalin|Stalin]], [[Mao Zedong|Mao]] or [[Pol Pot]] to easily justify their atrocities (which seemed ''reasonable'' measures to them), they are observed seeking to disassociate the two. Harris attempts to do so by judging such men as "not especially rational", with this perhaps establishing Harris as the authority of what is, and then he proceeds to implicate religion for the evil of their regimes.<ref>Sam Harris, ''An Atheist Manifesto'' Dec 7, 2005</ref> In response it is seen that the authority for the religion at issue at issue (Christianity), is what transcendentally condemns them.<ref>http://peacebyjesus.witnesstoday.org/Atheism1.html</ref> (Jn. 10:10; Rm. 9:1-3ff; Gal. 6:10)

It is argued that while atheism did not directly ''cause'' these atrocities, because atheism provides no objective transcendent moral boundaries, it ''allows'' these atrocities to occur, while fostering "political religion" due to the tendency to worship mortal men in place of God.
{{QuoteBox|...atheism has been tried as a basis for life in many countries in the 20th century. The results have been some of the biggest bloodbaths of all time under communist despots above the law, e.g., Stalin, Mao and [[Pol Pot]]. For example, the Inquisition killed 2000 people in three centuries; Stalin killed that many before breakfast.<ref>Sarfati, 2004 & 2008. See also Morris.</ref><ref>[http://www.scholarscorner.com/apologia/deathtoll.html Atheism's Body Count]</ref>}}

== See also ==
* [[Virtue]]
* [[Ethics]]
* [[Immorality]]
* [[Moral relativism]]
* [[Amoral]]
* [[Essay:Immorality in America]]
* [[Moral degeneration]]
* [[Ten Commandments]]
* [[Five Precepts]]
* [[Cause and effect]]
* [[Hippocratic Oath]] and [[Oath of the Hindu Physician]]
* [[Medical ethics]] and [[Bioethics]]
* [[Pacifism]]
* [[Nonviolence]]
* [[Ahimsa]] [[Dharma]]
* [[Christianity in Conservapedia]]
* [[Values]]
** [[Conservative values]]
** [[Libertarianism|Libertarian values]]
** [[American values]]
** [[Small town values]]
** [[Family values]]
versus:
** [[Liberal values]]
** [[Public school values]]
** [[Hollywood values]]
** [[San Francisco values]]
** [[Fashion industry values]]
** [[Professor values]]

== Bibliography ==
* Morris, Grantley, [http://net-burst.net/hot/war.htm A History Professor’s Criticism of My Webpage].
* Ramsey, Janine M., [http://creationontheweb.com/content/view/3126 What basis, morality?], 11 May 2004 (Creation Ministries International).
* Sarfati, Jonathan, [http://creationontheweb.com/content/view/2207 Bomb-building vs. the biblical foundation], 24 December 2004 and 2 December 2008. (Creation Ministries International)

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

[[Category:Religion]]
[[Category:Christianity]]
[[Category:Catholicism]]
[[Category:Buddhism]]
[[Category:Hinduism]]
[[Category:Virtues]]
[[Category:Morality]]
[[Category:Ethics]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]
[[Category:Sexual Morality]]
[[Category:Non-violence]]
[[Category:Oaths]]

Immanuel Kant

2017-08-08T03:34:58Z

Tg97: /* Philosopher of Protestantism vs. of Evolutionary thought */

[[Image:Gfdyre.jpg|right|thumb|Immanuel Kant]]
'''Immanuel Kant''' (1724-1804) was a [[German]] [[philosopher]]. Kant was among the last of the major [[Enlightenment]] thinkers, and was one of the most influential intellectuals in world history. [[Karl Marx]] named Kant to be in effect the [[political]] [[philosopher]] of [[French Revolution]].<ref>{{cite book |title=Kant |author=Garett Thomson |publisher=Albert Marenčin vydavateľstvo PT|location=Bratislava |year=2004 |page=93 |isbn=978-80889-12576 |url= |language=Slovak}}</ref>

==Early life==
Born in [[Konigsberg|Königsberg]], Kant started his life work in philosophy from the works of [[David Hume]], who awakened Kant from his "dogmatic slumber" and led him to make his "Copernican revolution in philosophy"<ref>The New American Desk Encyclopedia, Penguin Group, 1989</ref> He also held some support for the French Revolution, including its violent excesses, due to it promoting human freedom, and considered it the crowning event of his life.<ref>http://members.tripod.com/~american_almanac/dehoyos.htm</ref>
==Pure reason==
In his ''A Critique of Pure Reason'' Kant examined pure [[reason]] as a basis of knowledge. The problem Hume had left Kant was a sharp divide between the ''[[a priori]]'' (things that can be known without experience) and the ''a posteori'' (things that could only be known with experience) together with a devastating critique of induction. Hume insisted that ''a priori'' knowledge was entirely ''analytic'' (did not speak of the world) and that the sense data of our experience could never support a proposition that went beyond that experience. Such a position leads to a radical and absolute skepticism about even the possibility of knowledge. "A Critique of Pure Reason" seeks to counteract that skepticism by establishing the existence of ''synthetic a priori'' truths, truths that speak of the world but that are known logically prior to looking at the world. To establish those truths Kant looked at the way reason pictures the world. No reasoning being can have an experience other than one that involves ''time'' and ''space''. In common language in order to see something it has to be somewhere (i.e. in space) and it has to be there at sometime (i.e. in time). Time and space are necessary conditions of all experience and, thus, we can know of their existence logically prior to any particular experience.

Having established time and space as necessary preconditions of experience Kant proceeded to question how reason must operate on the experiences presented to it. In this part of the work Kant establishes several "categories" through which reason operates, categories that effect the conclusions that reason must come to.

Kant also suggested a material origin for the solar system (prior to Kant, the origin of the solar system was considered to be immaterial and possibly even ''a priori''). Kant's own suggestion for a moral daily life was the [[categorical imperative]]: ''Act only according to that maxim whereby you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law''. It does not mean that an act is moral only if it works as a rule for everyone as that is consequentialist. Kant uses the example of suicide out of self-love being wrong in that it is contradictory to love oneself and want to commit suicide. Thus, the maxim is contradictory and cannot be a universal law. A problem does exist regarding the potential situation where duties would conflict. If a murderer asks you where someone is hiding, one is bound by duty to both tell them where the other is hiding, and to not tell them as the other would surely die. In this instance, not lying is a maxim as is not doing harm to others. The Categorical Imperative gives no instruction on what to do in this situation. One must look to the freedom of the will Kant predicates upon all rational creatures. The freedom of the will is key to possessing the ability to understand and act in accord with the moral law that Kant offers a secondary rule—never act in a way that would abridge or disrespect the freedom of the will in the other. To solve the dilemma above, one would lie to the murderer, as to not would be both to violate the freedom of the will in the other, and the categorical imperative. The categorical imperative can be contrasted with the [[hypothetical imperative]], which says that you should act according to any maxim which might possibly be willed. He remained single throughout his life, though he said, toward the end of it, that he could not afford a wife in his youth and did not need one in his old age. Kant's aim was to make philosophy truly scientific.

The empiricist [[Alfred Nobel]] however found Kant's ''[[metaphysics]]'' hard to digest and ventured on an ironical remark: "Kant's style is so heavy that after his ''pure reason'' the reader longs for ''unreasonableness''."<ref>{{cite web
|author=Åke Erlandsson
|title=Alfred Nobel and his interest in literature
|publisher=Nobelprize.org; The Official Web Site of the Nobel Prize
|date=23 July 1997
|url=http://www.nobelprize.org/alfred_nobel/biographical/articles/erlandsson/
|chapter=San Remo, Paris, Bofors (1891-1896)
|access date=08.03.2012
|quote=However, like the empiricist he was, he found Kant's metaphysics harder to digest: "Kant's style is so heavy that after his pure reason the reader longs for unreasonableness."
}}</ref>

== Philosopher of Protestantism vs. of Evolutionary thought ==
Kant was raised and died a Lutheran but questioned and analyzed his own faith. Kant transformed [[Protestantism]] from a dependence on a literal interpretation of the Bible into a dependence on each person’s own mind as the ultimate religious authority. He shifted the [[faith]] away from the Bible and towards a dogmatic [[Mind#Voluntarism|voluntarism]] and sentimentalism. Phenomena "are nothing but ideas, and cannot exist at all beyond our minds." He concluded that revelation and churches can at best be "adventitious aids."

Protestant Lutheran theologians such as Slovak [[Jozef Rohacek]], however, regarded Kant as a strong anti-Christian personality that significantly helped extremist [[Evolutionism]] {{#tag:ref|In this respect, Rohacek defines Radical Evolutionism as [[naturalistic]] worldview based on speculative way of thinking, on fabricated apparent evidence incapable to withstand thorough investigation and on reluctance to any meaningful critical exposition.<ref name="Rohacek"/>|group=note}} towards undreamed-of expansion. Rohacek argues that although Kant's evolutionary philosophy (expressed in such evolutionary ideas such as, for example, cursory speculations on human evolution<ref>{{cite book
|author=Keith Ansell-Pearson et al.
|title=Nietzsche and Modern German Thought
|publisher=Routledge
|location=London, New York
|year=2002
|page=36
|pages=320
|isbn=0-415-04442-1
|url=http://books.google.no/books?id=NV9rxpyjYtEC&pg=RA1-PA37&lpg=RA1-PA37&dq=Kant+Orang-utang&source=bl&ots=SZg7FVm7Vh&sig=u2jzhzEbRtVedNPt8JcbNKsY1kU&hl=en&sa=X&ei=tM9kT54iyYjiBNLvjeQH&ved=0CEQQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=Kant%20Orang-utang&f=false
|quote=...he was familiar with Kant's rudimentary speculations on evolution...it is surprising to hear Kant say that "man is an animal endowed with the capacity for reason, can make of himself a rational animal -and as such he first preserves himself and his species." Elsewhere reason is referred to as a "weapon" in the service of survival. ...And in the same context he further assumes that the Orang-Utang or the Chimpanzee would develop the organs for walking, manipulating objects and speaking until it had a human form.}}</ref>{{#tag:ref|cf.German philosopher Immanuel Kant even went as far as to suggest that: "It is possible for a chimpanzee or an orangutan, by perfecting its organs, to change at some future date into a human being. Radical alterations in natural conditions may force the ape to walk upright, accustom its hands to the use of tools, and learn to talk."<ref>{{cite web
|author=Irina Gray
|title=Orangutan: The Man of the Forest
|publisher=Tropical-Rainforest-Animals.com
|year=2009
|acess date=17.03.2012
|url=http://www.tropical-rainforest-animals.com/orangutan.html
|note=Taken from: Silverberg, R. (1964). Man before Adam: The Story of Man in Search of His Origins. Philadelphia: Macrae Smith, p. 51. Retrieved January 20, 2009 from Questia.com}}</ref>|group=note}}<ref>{{cite book
|author=Emanuel Kant
|title=Anthropology
|publisher=
|location=
|year=1798
|url=http://books.google.no/books?id=GWwIcgAACAAJ&dq=Immanuel+Kant:+Anthropology&hl=en&sa=X&ei=QtxkT7SqJ7TY4QTW8q30Bw&redir_esc=y
|quote="da ein Orang-Utang oder ein Schimpanse die Organe, die zum Gehen, zum Befühlen der Gegenstände und zum Sprechen dienen, sich zum Gliederbau eines Menschen ausbildete, deren Innerstes ein Organ für den Gebrauch des Verstandes enthielte und durch gesellschaftliche Kultur sich allmählich entwickelte"
|language=German}}</ref><ref>{{cite book
|author=Lance Workman, Will Reader
|title=Evolutionary Psychology: An Introduction
|publisher=Cambridge University Press
|location=Cambridge, UK
|year=2004
|isbn=0-521-80532-5
|url=http://books.google.no/books?id=9Ni9ggiew1UC&pg=PA3&lpg=PA3&dq=Kant+Orang-utang&source=bl&ots=R60vwXGjFr&sig=USO8QrsUpeD3Yf-lmxLmYaW83Nk&hl=en&sa=X&ei=tM9kT54iyYjiBNLvjeQH&ved=0CEcQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=Kant%20Orang-utang&f=false
|quote=...in 1798 the German philosopher Immanuel Kant wrote in his work Anthropology that "An Orang-Utang or a chimpanzee may develop the organs which serve for walking, grasping objects, and speaking - in short, that he may evolve the structure of man, with an organ for the use of reason." ...Notice also that Kant does not merely refer to the physical change: "an organ for the use of reason" is a physical faculty. In this way Kant presaged evolutionary psychology by two centuries.}}</ref> and contribution to the Kant-Laplace [[nebular hypothesis]]) was in many aspects nothing pioneering, as the general idea of Evolution is as old as philosophy itself{{#tag:ref|"Neither Kant nor Laplace, let alone Darwin were first who presented the idea of evolution of the universe and biological organisms. Long before Christ, around 600 B.C., in the era of [[Jeremiah]] and [[Fall of Jerusalem|destruction of Jerusalem]] by [[Babylonians]], [[Anaximander]] of Miletus claimed that an ''Apeiron'' (i.e. something indefinite, undefinable, eternal and inexhaustible) principle gives rise to all things. From this primordial matter rose by bursting the Earth, and then Sun, Moon and stars which are surrounding it in symmetrical distance. In his hypothesis, Anaximander lets more complex animals to be evolved from more simple ones, exactly as stated by later Darwinian evolutionary theory. Evolution of a man took in his view the longest process."<ref name="Rohacek"/>|group=note}}, yet his ideas gained unparallelled popularity and he achieved with his powerful spirit and ''categorical imperative'' to undermine the faith of many people or even of scholars who were not well-versed in the Bible and its truths. Kant's ethic is based on so-called ''autonomism'', i.e. the view that the ultimate goal of a man's moral behavior is the man itself. Kant, for whom God was only an idea,{{#tag:ref|cf. [[Liberal Theology]]|group=note}} is perceived as a forerunner for later Darwin's evolutionary thought.<ref name="Rohacek">{{cite book
|author=Jozef Rohacek
|title=Evolucionizmus vo svetle pravdy alebo čo má každý vzdelaný človek vedieť o evolucionizme (Evolutionism in the light of truth or what should every literate person know about evolutionism)
|publisher=Svetlo, Library of [[Blue Cross]]
|location=Bratislava, now Slovakia
|year=1936
|url=
|pages=6–11, 48–50
|quote= }}</ref>

==Kant and Judaism==
In her book ''Hitler’s Philosophers'', Y. Sherratt points out that Kant “decreed in fact that pure morality sought ‘the [[euthanasia]] of Judaism.’”<ref>{{cite web |title=Hitler’s philosophical enablers|author=George J. Marlin| date=June 12, 2013 |url=http://www.thecatholicthing.org/2013/06/12/hitlers-philosophical-enablers/|accessdate=January 11, 2015|quote=Hitler embraced Kant [superficially] because he concluded “the greatest service Kant has rendered to us. . .[was] the complete refutation of the teachings which were the heritage of the middle ages and of the dogmatic philosophy of the [Catholic] church.” Hitler was also attracted to Kant’s view that Judaism was superstitious and irrational: “the Jewish religion is not really a religion at all, but merely a community of a mass of men of one tribe.” Sherratt points out that Kant “decreed in fact that pure morality sought ‘the euthanasia of Judaism.’”}}</ref> This seems to be an extension to Kant's belief that the [[golden rule]] was self-evident and thus provable by reason alone, and so rejecting it was rejecting reason<ref>''Fundamental Principles of the Metaphysic of Morals'' (1785), 2nd section.</ref> [[Adolf Hitler|Hitler]], following [[Nietzsche]], did not share Kant's belief in the golden rule.

==The Theory of Island Universes==
[[Edwin Hubble]] maintained that five years after [[Thomas Wright]] published his views on the stellar system in 1750, Kant developed his speculations further into a form that was immediately accepted and which persisted unchanged as conception of eventually so called [[theory of island of universes]] until "recent years" (from perspective of 1936).<ref name="Observational Approach">{{cite web
|title=The Observational Approach to Cosmology
|author=Edwin Hubble
|publisher=Oxford University Press
|year = 1937
|url= http://ned.ipac.caltech.edu/level5/Sept04/Hubble/Hubble_contents.html
|access date=27.09.2012
}}</ref>

==Writings==

Books

*''Critique of Pure Reason'' (1781, 1787)
*''Metaphysic of Morals''
*''Critique of Practical Reason'' (1788)
*''Metaphysical Elements of Ethics''
*''General Introduction to Metaphysic of Morals''
*''Science of Right''
*''Critique of Judgement'' (1790)

::''"Two things fill the mind with ever-increasing wonder and awe, the more often and the more intensely the mind of thought is drawn to them: the starry heavens above me and the moral law within me."'' Critique of Practical Reason, 1799.

Articles (published in the 1780s and 1790s)

*"An Answer to the Question: What Is Enlightenment?"
*"What Does It Mean to Orient Oneself in Thinking?"
*"On the Miscarriage of All Philosophical Trials in Theodicy"
*"Religion within the Boundaries of Mere Reason"
*"Perpetual Peace: A Philosophical Sketch"

:::::''“What can I know? What ought I do? For what may I hope?”''

== See also ==
*[[Kant-Laplace nebular hypothesis]]
*[[Philosophy]]

==Notes==
<references group=note/>

==References==
<References/>

==External links==
*[http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kant-science/ Kant's Philosophy of Science]
*[http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kant-metaphysics/ Kant's Critique of Metaphysics]
*[http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kant-mind/ Kant's View of the Mind and Consciousness of Self]
*[http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kant-aesthetics/ Kant's Aesthetics and Teleology]
*[http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kant-religion/ Kant's Philosophy of Religion]
*[http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kant-development/ Kant's Philosophical Development]
*[http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kant-moral/ Kant's Moral Philosophy]
*[http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kant-leibniz/ Kant and Leibniz]
*[http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kant-judgment/ Kant's Theory of Judgment]
*[https://librivox.org/author/1312 Works by Immanuel Kant - text and free audio] - [[LibriVox]]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kant, Immanuel}}

[[Category:German Philosophers]]
[[Category:Enlightenment]]
[[Category:Theology]]
[[Category:Lutherans]]

User:Tg97

2017-07-08T22:50:47Z

Tg97: Created page with "Just starting this page so my username doesn't show up as a redlink. ==Interests== *Theology (Under the Lutheran definition, where it also includes soteriology) *Languages *M..."

Just starting this page so my username doesn't show up as a redlink.

==Interests==
*Theology (Under the Lutheran definition, where it also includes soteriology)
*Languages
*Music
*Plants

==Dislikes==
*Postmodernism
*Asiatic honeysuckle (In invasive contexts. Don't particularly have a problem with it in Asia.)

New American Bible

2017-07-04T01:39:44Z

Tg97:

The '''New American Bible''' (NAB) is the modern [[Roman Catholic Church|Catholic]] translation of the [[Bible]] for Americans. It was first published in 1970 and quickly replaced the [[Confraternity Bible]] as the most widely used by Catholic parishes. It is one of two specifically Catholic translations in modern English which are in wide use today, the other being the [[New Jerusalem Bible]]. '''''Some of the phrasing in the New American Bible is extraordinarily good, such as its rendition of Luke 9:62 ("No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God")'''''.<ref>http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/9</ref> This version is also one of the very few that wisely disparages the use of [[hearsay]] in translating Isaiah 11:3.<ref>"and his delight shall be the fear of the Lord. Not by appearance shall he judge, nor by hearsay shall he decide" (NAB).</ref> But some other phrasing in the New American Bible is awkward or outdated.

It is based on the [[Douay-Rheims]] Bible and the [[Confraternity Bible]] but with more modern language, and some changes to the wording making it more "inclusive". The New American Bible was initially controversial and ultimately rejected by the Vatican because this translation replaced male-gendered human language with "gender-neutral" terms. This translation was subsequently revised as the '''New American Bible, Revised Edition''' (NABRE) in part to restore fidelity to the original ancient texts.<ref>Overall, the NAB was revised in 1986, 1991, and 2000.</ref> The 1991 changes, in particular, are controversial because they replaced male-gendered human language with "gender-neutral" terms. Some traditional Catholics reject the New American Bible as a liberal translation and favor the use of the Douay-Rheims and Confraternity Bibles.

The NAB inconsistently translates the [[Holy Spirit]] as the gender-neutral "it" in one place (see Acts 8:16<ref>http://www.usccb.org/bible/acts/8</ref>), and "he" in another. The NAB also downplays the existence of "hell", instead using substitutes unfamiliar to most people:

*In Mark 9:43-48, the three references to Hell are replaced by "Gehenna". Both the [[NIV]] and [[HCSB]] use "hell".

The NAB is also authorized by the [[Episcopal Church in the United States]] for worship and private devotion.
== Outdated or Awkward Translations ==

The New American Bible has a high percentage of outdated or awkward translations in key passages, including the following examples below. Note that many of these are important passages:

{|class="wikitable"
!verse
!comment
|-
|Exodus 16:14
|The translation uses the bizarre term "hoarfrost" to describe the manna from heaven:

"and when the dew evaporated, there on the surface of the desert were fine flakes like hoarfrost on the ground."
|-
|[[Leviticus 10-18 (Translated)#13|Leviticus 13:45]]
|The translation says the following:

The one who bears the sore of leprosy shall keep his garments '''rent''' and his head bare, and shall '''muffle''' his beard; he shall cry out, 'Unclean, unclean!'

''Compare the lack of clarity of that to the [[ESV]] translation'': "The leprous person who has the disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose, and he shall cover his upper lip and cry out, 'Unclean, unclean.'"

|-
|[[Jonah (Translated)#Chapter 3|Jonah 3:10]]
|The translation uses an archaic meaning (also used in the [[King James Version]]) of "change one's mind" for the word "repent" to refer to God's own decision:

When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way, he '''repented''' of the evil that he had threatened to do to them; he did not carry it out.
|-
|[[Jeremiah 27-34 (Translated)#Chapter 33|Jeremiah 33:15]]
|The translation uses an extremely unfamiliar meaning of the word ("shoot"), which other versions translate as "Branch" as in a branch of descendants (or offshoot):

In those days, in that time, I will raise up for David '''''a just shoot''''' ...
|-
|[[Matthew 10-19 (Translated)#Chapter 13|Matthew 13:46]]
|Its translation is "When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it."<ref>http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/13</ref> But "price" should obviously be translated as "value", or else he would gain no benefit from the transaction.
|-
|[[Mark 1-8 (Translated)#Chapter 6|Mark 6:4]]
|an awkward [[compound negative]] is used that obscures the meaning:

Jesus said to them, "A prophet is '''not without''' honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.

The [[NIV]] and [[New Jerusalem Bible]] remove the compound negative and say it directly, as in the NIV version:

Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own home is a prophet without honor.
|-
|[[Mark 9-16 (Translated)#Chapter 9|Mark 9:3]]
|The translation of the transfiguration of Jesus uses the word "fuller", an Old English word dating prior to 1100 which meant someone who cleans or bleaches clothes:

::"... and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no '''fuller''' on earth could bleach them."
|-
|[[Mark 9-16 (Translated)#Chapter 9|Mark 9:3]]
|Also in the passage about the transfiguration of Jesus, this translation uses the archaic phrase "he charged them," rather than "He asked them" or "He told them":

"As they were coming down from the mountain, he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead."<ref>http://nccbuscc.org/nab/bible/mark/mark9.htm</ref>
|-
|[[Mark 9-16 (Translated)#Chapter 16|Mark 16:6]]
|The translation of the angel's first communication to the holy women at the empty tomb of Jesus after the [[Resurrection]] is "do not be '''''amazed'''''," rather than "do not be '''''alarmed'''''" as translated by the Revised English Bible and New Revised Standard Version:

[The angel] said to them, "Do not be amazed! You seek Jesus of Nazareth, the crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Behold, the place where they had laid him."
|-
|[[Luke 1-8 (Translated)#Chapter 2|Luke 2:1-5]]
|Its translation of the census at the time of the birth of Jesus uses the word "enrollment" instead of "census", and uses the word "enrolled" in instead of "registered"; these terms are unfamiliar to most young people who think that enrollment refers to school and do not connect the terms with a census:<ref>http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/luke/luke2.htm</ref>

::In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. So all went to be '''enrolled''', each to his own town. c And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.
|-
|[[Luke 9-16 (Translated)#14:26|Luke 14:26]]
|Its translation urges the incorrect "hate" with respect to other family members, rather than the truer meaning of wrongly putting someone else's interests above God's.
|-
|[[John 1-7 (Translated)#Chapter 6|John 6:10]]
|The misleading term "recline" is used to describe the sitting down of the large crowd before the multiplication of the loaves, and virtually every other translation uses "sit down":

::Jesus said, "Have the people recline." Now there was a great deal of grass in that place. So the men reclined, about five thousand in number. (New American Bible)

::Jesus said, "Make the people sit down." There was plenty of grass there, so the men sat down, about five thousand of them. ([[Revised English Bible]])
|-
|[[John 8-14 (Translated)#Chapter 12|John 12:24]]
|The translation describes a grain of wheat as bearing "fruit", which strikes the average listener as a mistake (the [[Revised English Bible]] translates the "produces much fruit" phrase as "bears a rich harvest" and the [[NIV]] is clearer still by translating it as "produces many seeds"):

:: "Amen, Amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it '''produces much fruit'''."
|-
|Ephesians 4:17
|The translation mentions the "futility of their minds," when it should be "futility of their thinking."
|}

*The translation of Hebrews 5:7 uses the obscure word "supplication", which most young people have never heard before (the term is translated as "petitions" in the [[Revised English Bible]] and [[NIV]]):

::"... [Christ] offered prayers and supplications ...."

*The translation of Acts 9:31, which explains the growth of early Christianity after the acceptance of Saul (Paul), says that the church was built up "with the consolation of the holy Spirit," when most other translations use the clearer term "encouraged" by the Holy Spirit.

*In Acts 2:11, which describes the [[Pentecost]], in which the [[Apostles]] spoke in away that enabled listeners having different tongues or languages to understand. The commonly understood term is "language", and the word "tongue" is now arcane. Yet many translations, including the New American Bible and the [[NIV]], still use "tongue" even where "language" would be clearer:

::"... both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs, yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues of the mighty acts of God."

:The [[New Jerusalem Bible]], the [[New Revised Standard Version]] and the [[Holman Christian Standard Bible]] all use the more modern term of "languages" in that verse rather than "tongues".

== References ==
<references/>
{{Bible Versions}}
[[Category:Bible Versions]]
[[Category:Catholic Church]]

Essay:Greatest Conservative Movies

2017-06-16T04:39:29Z

Tg97:

'''There have been many superb [[conservative]] films''':

==Narrative features==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Film
!Year
!Rating
!Comments
!Gross (Domestic)
|-
|''The 6th Day''
|2000
|PG-13
|Pro-Life, Anti-[[cloning]] movie featuring California Republican governor [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]].
|$34,543,701

|-
|''13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi''
|2016
|R
|The true story of when [[Benghazi Attack|Islamic terrorists attacked a U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya on September 11, 2012]] and the six Americans who took a stand without any support from the Obama-controlled White House or from then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (who not only refused to send any help and even ordered the military in the area to stand down, but later dismissively brushed off criticism of her actions with her infamous and callous "What difference at this point does it make?" comment). Not surprisingly, liberals viewed the film negatively and even made baseless accusations about the film's accuracy to distract from their dislike, but the film was a box office success and popular with the viewing public,<ref>https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/13_hours_the_secret_soldiers_of_benghazi</ref> who got a good look at the events of the attack and the heroes who acted to defend the compound of their own accord.
|$69.40 million
|-
|''17 Again''
|2009
|PG-13
|Main lesson is that choosing family and life over death and possible material riches is much more rewarding and fulfilling even if at times we don’t recognize it. Stands up for [[abstinence]], and self-respect, and contains a strong speech for both of them, such as "Because there is no one that I'm in love with. It's called making love, isn't it? Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I think that means you do it with someone you love. And preferably when you're married, when your ready to take that love and turn it into a baby."
|$64,167,069<ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=17again.htm</ref>
|-
|''90 Minutes in Heaven''
|2015
|PG-13
|Man has a near-death experience and sees [[heaven]].
|$4,842,699
|-
|''127 Hours''
|2010
|R
|True story about initially easygoing and carefree outdoor adventurer Aron Ralston, who, in 2003, gained worldwide attention for becoming trapped in Blue John Canyon in Utah, a boulder trapping his right forearm against the canyon wall. As he reflects upon his life and expects to die, Aron realizes that he hasn't appreciated his family enough, and that he didn't treat his girlfriend as well as he should have. But in the end, Aron summons the courage to do what was necessary to save his life, amputate his arm. As the real Aron would later say, he was reborn in the canyon, emerging with a far better appreciation of his family, and never again taking anything for granted.
|$60,738,797
|-
|''300''
|2007
|R
|The plot revolves around King Leonidas, who leads 300 Spartans into battle against the Persian "god-King" Xerxes and his invading army of more than 300,000 soldiers. It is pro-war and pro-Western civilization.
|$456.1 million
|-
|''300: Rise of an Empire''
|2014
|R
|Sequel to ''300'', still promotes the same western values, and our hero Themistocles defends the idea of [[democracy]].
|$106,580,051
|-
|''[[1984]]''
|1984
|R
|Big-screen adaptation of the iconic [[conservative]] text from [[George Orwell]].
|$8,430,492
|-
|''A Bug's Life''
|1998
|G
|Based on the Aesop fable "The Ant and the Grasshopper", the film promotes the concept of individualism as well as a strong work ethic, as well as featured an anti-slavery message. It also features the concept of bettering oneself. Also pro-second amendment and pro-military, as the main protagonist, Flik, had initially set off to find warrior bugs to fend off the grasshoppers after their latest visit and threat. It also has a condemnation on the homosexual agenda, in particular transvestitism, as the character Francis, a ladybug, is frequently mistaken for a woman, with Francis not only frequently correcting various characters about his actual gender, but also clearly getting angry at the characters mixing up his actual gender, at one point even launching into a tirade with several flies before having to be restrained.
|$363.3 million
|-
|''[[A Charlie Brown Christmas]]''
|1965
|G
|The real meaning of Christmas is discussed in the first animated prime-time ''Peanuts'' TV special, as Linus quotes Luke 2:8-14. Decries the materialism that surrounds the Christmas holiday.
|NA - TV
|-
|''A Christmas Story''
|1983
|PG
|Heartwarming comedy about a kid who wants a BB Gun for Christmas. Selected for preservation in the National Film Registry in 2012. Stars child actor Peter Billingsley as main character Ralphie Parker and veteran actor Darren McGavin as his father Mr. Parker.
|$19,294,144
|-
|''A Dog's Purpose''
|2017
|PG
|Heartwarming film about a dog being loyal to its owners. It is also anti-[[bestiality]] and animal cruelty.
|$22,000,000
|-
|''A Gathering of Eagles''
|1963
|UR
|Illustrates duty, honor, and the burden of command.
|Unknown
|-
|''A Man For All Seasons''
|1966
|UR
|In 16th Century England, statesman and philosopher Thomas More is forced to choose between his Catholic faith and his loyalty to the king. Winner of six Academy Awards: Best Picture, Actor, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography (Color), and Costume Design (Color).
|$20,000,000<ref>This figure is a worldwide gross.</ref>
|-
|''A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child''
|1989
|R
|Unlike its predecessors, the fifth film has a [[pro-life]] message.
|$22,168,359
|-
|''Act of Valor''
|2012
|R
|Strong military men are shown as heroes battling terrorism which is related to both Islamic terrorism and drug cartels
|$70,012,847
|-
|''Adam's Rib''
|1949
|Not rated
|Spencer Tracy hilariously exposes budding [[feminism|feminist]] Katharine Hepburn's hypocritical double standards in the legal system.
|
|-
|''Air Force One''
|1997
|R
|Positively portrays a strong U.S. president who takes an uncompromising stance against terrorism. Includes positive material about family, authority, the military and sacrifice.
|$172,956,409
|-
|''Alone Yet Not Alone''
|2013
|PG-13
|Conservative movie that demonstrates the significance that [[Christianity]] has had in building this great country of ours. Liberals were shaken when it received an Oscar nomination, proving that there is still a strong, prevalent Conservative voice in Hollywood.
|$887,851<ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=aloneyetnotalone.htm</ref>
|-
|''[[Amazing Grace (movie)|Amazing Grace]]''
|2006
|PG
|Shows the horrors of the slave trade. Also makes clear that, contrary to academic claims, Christianity played the largest role in the abolition movement, and that most secular humanists either supported slavery or otherwise did nothing to stop it.
|$21,208,358
|-
|''American History X''
|1998
|R
|(not for children) A [[Neo-Nazi]] (The Nazis were left-wing socialists even though the Left has tried denying it), overcomes his [[racism]] and [[anti-Semitism]] after being sent to jail for voluntary manslaughter and does everything in his power to prevent his brother from following the same path to destruction.
|$6,719,864
|-
|''American Sniper''
|2015
|R
|The biopic of [[Iraq War]] [[veteran]], [[patriot]] and [[hero]], [[United States Navy|Navy]] [[SEAL]] sniper [[Chris Kyle]].
|$350,126,372.
|-
|''Angels in the Outfield''
|1994
|PG
|Pro-God, pro-baseball film. About a baseball team that looks to angels for help.
|$50,236,831
|-
|''The Angry Birds Movie''
|2016
|PG
|Based on the game app of the same name. The film has its moments of rude humor, but surprisingly has a strong Anti-Illegal Immigration message with the pigs practically representing Islamic migrants (the villain, King Mudbeard even looks like a Middle Eastern man). The pigs trick the birds into accepting them to live on their island and once they have their respect, steal their eggs and blow up their island (part of the collateral damage is a statue of a [[bald eagle]] no less). Red, the only bird who was suspicious of them from the beginning, is first demonized by the community because of this, but later forgiven after he is proven right and decides to fight back and rescue their eggs from the pigs.
|$107,509,366
|-
|''[[Animal Farm]]''
|1999
|Not Rated
|Live-action film adaptation of the [[conservative]] text of the same name from [[George Orwell]] and of the 1954 original animated flick. As with the novel, it uses animals in the pretext of leveling harsh criticism against [[Communism]] and against [[Josef Stalin]]. The TV movie also expands on the novel to actually show Animal Farm collapsing due to the excesses posed by Napoleon and his pigs, which was ultimately justified due to the collapse of the Soviet Union years earlier under similar reasons for Animal Farm's collapse.
|NA - TV
|-
|''Animal Farm'' (animated film)
|1954
|Not Rated
|Animated film adaptation of the conservative text of the same name from George Orwell. Just like in the novel, it uses animals in the pretext of leveling harsh criticism against Communism and against Josef Stalin. Unlike in the book, which heavily implies that the pigs ultimately succeed in taking power with the animals being left unable to do anything against them, the film ends with the animals doing a successful revolt against the pigs, although the ending leaves it ambiguous as to whether the animals will learn their lesson on communism from the experience. It was also made in part by the [[CIA]].
|NA
|-
|''[[Argo]]''
|2012
|R
|A daring rescue of Americans trapped in Iran during the [[Iranian Hostage Crisis]]. Also shows the incompetence of the [[Jimmy Carter]] administration in dealing with the hostage crisis.
|$136,025,503
|-
|''Armed and Dangerous''
|1986
|PG-13
|Comedy film written by Harold Ramis (same screenwriter behind the conservative films ''Ghostbusters'' and ''Groundhog Day'') that exposes [[labor union]] corruption.
|$15,945,534
|-
|''Assault on Precinct 13''
|1976
|R
|Often considered an urban remake of the conservative film ''Rio Bravo''. A police sergeant and his crew must defend an abandoned precinct office from an army of criminals. The criminals aren't portrayed as victims but as mindless killers with no empathy as the police are portrayed as the good guys.
|
|-
|''[[Atlas Shrugged, Part 1|Atlas Shrugged - Part 1]]''
|2011
|PG-13
|Big screen adaptation of the classic objectivist text.
|$4,563,873
|-
|''Attack on Darfur''
|2009
|R
|Liberal journalists end up being trapped in Darfur, Sudan must fight to survive, the film doesn't hold back on crimes committed by the [[Janjaweed]] here.
|
|-
|''Bad Boys II''
|2003
|R
|The sequel to the 1995 film, this police action film is surprising pro-family (our main character Lieutenant Marcus Burnett's daughter is an undercover operative for the DEA, and his laid back but faithful friend and partner tries to help him with this personal crisis, which he does not approve of) and pro drug war. The villains are also Russians and Cubans (Communists) with the side villains being [[Ku Klux Klan]] members (which was founded by the [[Democrat Party]]).
|$138,608,444
|-
|''Batman Begins''
|2005
|PG-13
|The first film in the ''Dark Knight'' trilogy. Specifically denounces trying to kill out of revenge, and also has themes of redemptive measures, as when Ra's al Ghul reveals his intentions to destroy Gotham City, Batman tries to stop him since Gotham still ultimately had good elements in the community. Also treats corruption in a negative light.
|$374.2 million
|-
|''[[Bedtime Stories]]''
|2008
|PG
|Pro-family, pro-capitalism. Stars [[Adam Sandler]] as a man who is given an opportunity to run a business, and working hard to get the promotion against his rival, while also taking care of his niece and nephew. Sandler also mocks his sister's many liberal ideas and parenting skills (even calling her story books for them "Communist"). In the end, the children are then shown to be much happier and smarter after Sandler uses his conservative tactics on them.
|$110,101,975
|-
|''Bella''
|2007
|PG-13
|[[Pro-life]] drama.
|$8,070,537
|-
|''[[Ben-Hur (film, 1959)|Ben-Hur]]''
|1959
|UR
|Celebrates honor and duty to family and country, with a pro-Christian ending, long held the record for the most [[Academy Awards]]. Starred conservative actor and future [[National Rifle Association]] president and spokesman [[Charlton Heston]] in the title role.
|$17,300,000
|-
|''Beverly Hills Cop''
|1984
|R
|Streetwise Detroit police detective Axl Foley drives out to Beverly Hills to investigate and avenge his friend's murder. While there, he meets up with a liberal police force that does "everything by the book" while mocking their strong bureaucratic rules as well as influencing the two cops assigned to watch him to use critical thinking skills to solve the case. The villain is also a drug dealer too, so a little pro-war on drugs there. Followed by two sequels in 1987 and 1994.
|$234,760,478
|-
|''Big Fat Liar''
|2002
|PG
|The adventures of two kids taking down a Hollywood producer, who stole one of their stories and is passing it off as his own as a movie. Anti-Hollywood. The main lesson is that “The Truth is not overrated.”
|$48,360,547
|-
|''Black Hawk Down''
|2002
|R
|Based on true events of a U.S. military mission in Somalia. Showcases American bravery and comradeship in the face of impossible odds against Islamic terrorism. 18 U.S. soldiers would die fighting their way out of a Mogadishu mission.
|$172,000,000
|-
|''Black Sunday''
|1977
|R
|Is not politically correct on Islamic terrorism.
|$15,769,322
|-
|''Blue Collar''
|1978
|R
|One of the very few films to expose labor union corruption.
|$6,521,083
|-
|''The Blues Brothers''
|1980
|R
|Comedy musical. A story of redemption, "A mission from God", raising money to save a Catholic orphanage. R-rated movie for vulgar language, slapstick comedy. Vatican approved.<ref>[http://liveshots.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/06/18/vatican-blesses-blues-brothers/ Vatican Calls The Blues Brothers "Catholic", FOXNews, June 19, 2010]</ref>
|$57,229,890
|-
|''[[Braveheart]]''
|1995
|R
|Infuriated by his wife's murder, Scottish knight William Wallace (played by [[Mel Gibson]]) fights to bring freedom to his people and country from the tyranny of English king Edward I. Based on the First War of Scottish Independence, it takes some creative liberties with the time frame, but it contains strong messages of patriotism and even some Christian allegories that stand the test of time. Winner of Academy Award for Best Picture of 1995.
|$210.4 million
|-
|''Brazil''
|1985
|R
|Much like the conservative text ''1984'', it promotes the idea that big government is wrong for this world.
|$9,929,135
|-
|''[[Bruce Almighty]]''
|2003
|PG-13
|Shows, in a comedic, accessible way, that no one mortal can successfully do [[God]]'s job. (Written by Steve Koren & Mark O'Keefe, the same writers of ''Click''.)
|$242,589,580
|-
|''[[Captain America: The First Avenger]]''
|2011
|PG-13
|Contains messages of patriotism, perseverance and standing up to evil dictators. The film's protagonist Steve Rogers is also arguably the most conservative superhero of the ''Avengers'' universe. There is also a condemnation against globalist views and a promotion of patriotism in the climax of the film, as Red Skull, when taunting Rogers, says "I've seen the future, Captain! There are no flags!", referring to his choosing to fight for his nation rather than harness the power of gods, with Rogers rejecting his claim by saying "Not my future!" Last film produced by Marvel Studios before its takeover by liberal parent [[The Walt Disney Company]].
|$176,654,505
|-
|''Captain America: The Winter Soldier''
|2014
|PG-13
|Film about a hero who believes in the principles that the United States was founded on and is unwilling to see them be destroyed. The filmmakers based the villains of this film on the NSA and the [[Barack Hussein Obama|Obama]] regime.
|$259,766,572
|-
|''Captain America: Civil War''
|2016
|PG-13
|The United Nations proposes that the Avengers be put under their control. Tony Stark (Iron Man) is for this measure while the film's protagonist, Steve Rogers (Captain America), is against it. Rogers never changes his stance on the issue, which leads to a rift between the team.
|$407,588,905
|-
|''Chariots of Fire''
|1981
|PG
|Stories of devout Scottish Christian [[Eric Liddell]] who wants to run for the glory of God and Jewish [[Harold Abrahams]], struggling to overcome prejudice in 1924 Britain. That year's Olympics Games was especially spiritual when Liddell refused the Prince of Wales' request that he perform his competition on a Sunday.
|$58,972,904
|-
|''Cheaper by the Dozen''
|2003
|PG
|Pro-family movie, as the father must sacrifice his dream for his family. Loose remake of the original 1950 film starring Clifton Webb and Myrna Loy, the remake starred Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt.
|$190,212,113
|-
|''Cheaper by the Dozen 2''
|2005
|PG
|The Sequel is also a Pro-family movie. In this movie the family takes a family vacation and competes against a rival family in a tournament, in the end, they realize family is what matters most.
|$82,571,173
|-
|''Chef''
|2014
|R
|Pro-capitalistic film, were a man starts his own restaurant after liberal food critics begin criticizing his work and he begins questioning why he became a chef in the first place.
|$31,424,003
|-
|''Chicken Little''
|1943
|
|A Disney animated short (back when Conservatives were still in charge) that shows the dangers of listening to lies and rumors, and falling prey to persuasive leaders.
|
|-
|''Chinatown''
|1974
|R
|A thriller about the deceit surrounding water rights in southern California and L.A.'s water system, removing most of the water from the central valley. Sequel: ''The Two Jakes'' (1990)
|$30,000,000 (worldwide estimate)
|-
|''Chitty Chitty Bang Bang''
|1968
|G
|Family fights against the villainous king and queen who have outlawed children, the film is also pro-family, pro-capitalism, and shows the qualities of practicality.
|$7.5 million
|-
|''[[The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe]]''
|2005
|PG
|Based upon the Christian allegory written by C.S. Lewis.
|$291,709,845
|-
|data-sort-value="Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian"|''[[The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian]]''
|2008
|PG
|Based upon the Christian allegory written by C.S. Lewis.
|$141,621,490
|-
|''[[The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader]]''
|2010
|PG
|Based upon the Christian allegory written by C.S. Lewis.
|$104,383,624
|-
|''Cinderella''
|1950
|G
|A story of perseverance even when things look bleak can pay off, and stresses the importance of retaining a good character, even when hope dwindles.
|$263.6 million
|-
|''City Slickers''
|1991
|PG-13
|Motivational feel good movie about a man who goes on vacation to Colorado with his friends to be cowboys in order to find his happiness. The main lesson is about having values and knowing what's really important in life.
|$179,033,791
|-
|''Click''
|2006
|PG-13
|A man gets a remote control that can control his life and be able to skip many events in it, including many involving his family. He then learns that he should instead appreciate his life and his family to its fullest, and to not to be ungrateful with experiences that he thinks, out of selfishness, he doesn't always feel like living. (Written by Steve Koren & Mark O'Keefe, the same writers of ''[[Bruce Almighty]]''.)
|$137,340,146
|-
|''Coach Carter''
|2005
|PG-13
|Promotes the theme that graduating from high school and having proper moral values are more important than becoming famous athletes.
|$67,253,092
|-
|''[[Cobra (1986 film)|Cobra]]''
|1986
|R
|[[Sylvester Stallone]] plays a tough police officer who is seemingly above the law, in order to control and stop crime. The liberals and the [[Mainstream media|press]] are shown in a negative light for not supporting his efforts to stop a cult of [[Social Darwinism|social Darwinist]] serial killers.
|$49,042,224<ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=cobra.htm</ref>
|-
|''Coma''
|1978
|PG
|Villains are running an anti-life conspiracy at a hospital.
|
|-
|''Concussion''
|2015
|PG-13
|Whistleblower film that exposes the [[NFL]]'s ignorance to its players' medical issues that the [[Mainstream media|lamestream media]] has ignored. (See also [[Unplug the NFL]].)
|$34,542,474
|-
|''Contact''
|1997
|PG
|The overall message is about how science and faith do not have to be in opposition to one another.
|$100,853,835
|-
|''Courageous''
|2011
|PG-13
|Sherwood Pictures film focusing on the role of fathers and the need for them.
|$34,522,221
|-
|''Cronos''
|1993
|R
|In this Mexican film by Guillermo del Toro (''Pan's Labyrinth'', ''Hellboy''), an elderly antiques dealer has a chance at immortality—but at the cost of being a leech to others. Mostly in Spanish with large parts in English.
|$621,392
|-
|''[[The Dark Knight]]''
|2008
|PG-13
|Batman movie with a Christian allegory with a message of not giving in to terrorists. Also gives a condemnation of [[nihilism]] and [[anarchy]] via the Joker's actions.
|$533,316,061
|-
|''[[The Dark Knight Rises]]''
|2012
|PG-13
|Movie that depicts [[Occupy Wall Street]]-esque protesters as terrorists and has a hero (Batman) that does the right thing even when it is the harder thing to do. Also features a subtle condemnation of the [[French Revolution]] as the events of the story were in part derived from Charles Dickens' ''[[A Tale of Two Cities]]''.
|$448,139,099<ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=batman3.htm</ref>
|-
|''Dark Matter''
|2007
|R
|A candid look at [[professor values]] along with problems associated with lack of assimilation; [[liberal]]s first praised the movie, but after realizing its [[conservative]] message, panned it.
|$30,041
|-
|''Death Wish''
|1974
|R
|Bleeding heart liberal Paul Kersey learns the importance of the Second Amendment following a brutal attack on his wife and daughter. Following this he begins fighting back against muggers and deemed a vigilante. During this time crime begins to decline (because criminals don't normally attack armed civilians). However contrary to popular belief, the film does not glorify vigilantism, as the film acknowledges that if the vigilante isn't stopped it could led to [[anarchy]] (pure [[Marxism]] is the complete absence of government). Followed by four sequels in 1982, 1985, 1987 and 1994. Remade in 2017.
| $22 million
|-
|-
|''Delivery Man''
|2013
|PG-13
|Pro-Life, Pro-Family, Comedy Drama starring Republican actor Vince Vaughn playing a man who finds out that he is the biological father to 533 children. After that he learns to be a father figure and take on more responsibilities.
|$30,664,106
|-
|''The Delta Force''
|1986
|R
|Features Conservative star [[Chuck Norris]] and his team battling Islamic terrorists. Portrays bravery, heroism, and honor as well as not being politically correct and showing the true nature of the Islamic agenda (very rarely shown in today's films).
| $17,768,900
|-
|''Der Fuerher's Face''
|1943
|
|A Disney animated short (back when Conservatives were still in charge) that showcased the horrors of Nazi Germany and fascism. Also acts as proof alongside ''Education of Death'' that, contrary to claims made by leftists, Walt Disney was never a Nazi supporter.
|
|-
|''Dirty Harry''
|1971
|R
|Stars Clint Eastwood as a tough San Francisco cop who doesn't let bureaucratic regulations stop him from doing what he knows is morally right. Criticizes not only the then-recent Supreme Court decisions which granted new rights to criminals, but also the decline in traditional morals America experienced during the 1960s and 1970s. Followed by four sequels: ''Magnum Force, The Enforcer, Sudden Impact'' and ''The Dead Pool''.
|$35 million
|-
|''Doctor Zhivago''
|1965
|PG-13
|Powerful epic film directed by master filmmaker David Lean that presents the power of the individual, as well as the triumph of charity, faith, hope, and love. The film also presents an honest and uncompromising viewpoint on the dangers of Communism.
|$111,721,910
|-
|''Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead''
|1991
|PG-13
|Five siblings (two are teenagers) are left alone for the summer, with no money after their elderly babysitter passes away. They realize the importance of hard work, as well the responsibilities of being an adult, and the negative effects of drugs. Also the dangers of using relying on other people's money, as the younger siblings stole money from their older sisters purse, (which she stole from the company with petty cash), they realize this was wrong, and selfish. In the end they manage to clean themselves up, and quit drinking alcohol, doing drugs and smoking, and focus more on becoming successful adults.
|$25,196,249<ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=donttellmomthebabysittersdead.htm</ref>
|-
|''Dracula''
|1931
|UR
|An adaption of [[Bram Stoker]]'s novel from 1897, features one of Hollywood's first [[Christian]] protagonists Abraham Van Helsing.
|
|-
|''Dredd''
|2012
|R
| (not for children) Based on the comic strip ''Judge Dredd''. Anti-drug war film where villains are drug dealers and addicts who are portrayed as very sadistic individuals, the hero Judge Dredd, assisted by a Judge-in-training who is also a psychic, is forced to fight them. The film shows the bravery of the police officers who do what's right, while the film's main villain, a female drug lord nicknamed "Ma-Ma", tries to hinder their progress by calling in several corrupt Judges (akin to the corrupt liberal judges who currently populate various courts in the United States in real life to pervert justice and repeatedly violate the Constitution) to interfere with the honest Judges.
|$13,414,714
|-
|''Dumbo''
|1941
|G
|Exploiting the classic liberal trap of over analyzing. Illustrates the effective management of a business that treats people and animals as equals. Also includes jolly birds that encourage the main character, a baby elephant named Dumbo, to pull himself up by his bootstraps and learn to fly.
|$29,647,974
|-
|''The East''
|2013
|PG-13
|Private intelligence firm must take out an Eco-terrorism organization.
|$2,301,839
|-
|''Education for Death''
|1943
|
|Short cartoon made by Disney (back when the conservatives were in charge). Showing the horrors of Nazi Germany, shockingly very similar to what liberals are doing to America right now. Also acts as proof alongside ''Der Fuerher's Face'' that, contrary to claims made by leftists, Walt Disney was never a Nazi supporter.
|
|-
|''Enemy of the State''
|1998
|R
|Lawyer ends up getting a tape exposing the death of a congressman, and ends up a target for NSA official Thomas Bryan Reynolds (who plans on destroying the [[Fourth Amendment]]). Shocking predicting [[Edward Snowden]] and the Obama administration's crimes 15 years later.
|$111,549,836
|-
|''The Equalizer''
|2014
|R
|Movie adaption of the conservative TV show of the same name. Stars Denzel Washington as retired intelligence agent-turned-vigilante Robert McCall, the role originated in the original series by British actor Edward Woodward.
|$101,530,738
|-
|''[[Escape from Hell]]''
|2000
|UR
|Drama about a doctor and near-death experience.
|NA - DVD
|-
|''Evan Almighty''
|2007
|PG
|Stand alone sequel to Bruce Almighty. It is about a man who builds and Ark after God asks him to, in order to save his town from an upcoming storm.
|$100,462,298
|-
|''Evelyn''
|2002
|PG
|True story of Irish father's legal struggle to recover his kids from an orphanage.
|$1,483,975
|-
|''The Exorcism of Emily Rose''
|2005
|PG-13
|The film is loosely based on the story of Anneliese Michel (Americanized to probably protect the identity of the deceased) in which a priest performed an exorcism that costs a young girl's life. The movie's villain is an [[atheist]] lawyer who tries to convict the priest for negligent homicide, rather than believe it was the work of [[Satan]].
|$75,072,454
|-
|''[[The Exorcist]]''
|1973
|R
|(''not for children'') - A portrayal of pure evil against a positive characterization of [[Christianity]]. It broke the record for movie revenue and had several sequels and imitators, e.g. ''[[The Omen]]'' in 1976 and ''The Omen'''s sequels. Followed by a 2016 TV series of the same name which follows up on the events of the original movie.
|$441,071,011
|-
|''The Expendables''
|2010
|R
|Action movie featuring such Conservative stars as [[Sylvester Stallone]], [[Bruce Willis]], and former California Governor [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]].
|$103,068,524
|-
|''The Expendables 2''
|2012
|R
|Sequel to 2010's ''The Expendables'' starring returning Conservative action stars Stallone, Willis and Schwarzenegger as well as [[Chuck Norris]].
|$85,028,192
|-
|''The Expendables 3''
|2014
|PG-13
|Threequel to the conservative film franchise.
|$39,322,544
|-
|[[Facing the Giants]]
|2006
|PG
|Trust in [[God]], let Him take over, and good things will happen.
|$10,178,331
|-
|''Faith of My Fathers''
|2005
|PG-13
|The true story of [[John McCain]] when he served valiantly in the Vietnam War.
|
|-
|''[[Ferris Bueller's Day Off]]''
|1986
|PG-13
|Shows teenage fun without the use of drugs, alcohol or smoking, the main character spends a lot of time with his girlfriend and possibly chooses abstinence. Ferris says that "I'm not European, I don't plan on being European. So who gives a crap if they're socialists? They could be fascist anarchists, it still doesn't change the fact that I don't own a car. Not that I condone fascism." He also says, he is not socialist, and will never be socialist. Mocks public schools and liberal teaching. Conservative commentator and comedian [[Ben Stein]] appears in this movie as one of Ferris's teachers.
|$70,136,369<ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=ferrisbuellersdayoff.htm</ref>
|-
|''Fiddler on the Roof''
|1971
|G
|Based on a timeless Broadway musical, itself inspired by a series of folk tales starring Tevyeh the Dairyman, the film celebrates tradition, faith, and the importance of family against a historical background of the persecution of Russian Jews.
|$50,000,000
|-
|''The Finest Hours''
|2016
|PG-13
|Historical drama showing the virtues of the United States Coast Guards, based on their 1952 rescue of the crew of the SS Pendleton.
|$27,569,558
|-
|''[[Fireproof (film)|Fireproof]]''
|2008
|PG
|Highly successful pro-Christian, pro-marriage film created by [[Sherwood Pictures]].
|$33,451,479
|-
|''Flash of Genius''
|2008
|PG-13
|The intellectual property of a hard-working, solitary inventor is promoted, and his children stick by his side through enormous difficulties.
|$3,744,790
|-
|''Flight 93''
|2006
|PG-13
|Shows the bravery of the passengers on Flight 93, which was hijacked on [[September 11, 2001 attacks|September 11th, 2001]], and crashed into a Pennsylvania field. The passengers fought back against the Islamic hijackers.
|NA - TV
|-
|''For Greater Glory''
|2012
|R
|The [[Catholic]] Cristeros Army fights back for religious freedom against a suppressive, [[leftist]] government. Based on the Cristeros War of the 1920s.
|$5,608,651
|-
|''[[Forbidden Planet]]''
|1956
|UR
|
|$3,000,000
|-
|''The Forgotten''
|2004
|PG-13
|A mystery film with a great [[Pro-life]] message.<ref>[http://www.decentfilms.com/reviews/forgotten.html ''The Forgotten''] at Decent Film Guide</ref>
|$67,133,509
|-
|''[[Forrest Gump]]''
|1994
|PG-13
|The film shows how the "counterculture movement" of the 1960s, as well as drugs, lead to a miserable life. Also, Gump has a more conservative lifestyle, while Jenny leaves her liberal lifestyle after she realizes the shortcomings of it. In addition, the film also makes very clear that Lyndon B. Johnson was largely responsible for the Vietnam War, not Richard Nixon as most liberals tend to think (e.g., [[George Lucas]]).
|$329,694,499<ref>[http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=forrestgump.htm Forrest Gump] (1994). ''Box Office Mojo''. Retrieved July 30, 2016.</ref>
|-
|''[[The Fountainhead]]''
|1949
|UR
|Gary Cooper and Patricia Neal starring in Ayn Rand's classic story of the right of the individual to produce on their own terms.
|Unknown
|-
|''Frankenstein''
|1931
|UR
|A loose adaptation of the classic tale by [[Mary Shelley]] warning about the consequences playing [[God]].
|$12 million
|-
|''Free State of Jones''
|2016
|
|A film inspired by the life of Newton Knight, a deserted Confederate soldier who revolted against the Confederacy in Jones Country, Mississippi. The film portrayed positive and accurate images of the Republicans, as there is a scene where Knight and his fellows state their will to vote only for the Republican Party despite the hostility of the presented and armed Democrats.
|
|-
|''Fury''
|2014
|R
|Follows the crew of the titular Sherman tank, most prominently a young rookie soldier, who at first, is reluctant to kill. But as time goes on, he comes to learn and appreciate the importance of the struggle against the Nazis. All the while, we see the bonds of friendship that form between warriors.
|$211,817,906
|-
|''G-Force''
|2009
|PG
|Sapient animals use technology for good, but their help is shut down by the government agents (clearly been shown in negative life), while the secret villain of the movie is pushing anti-human sentiments. In the end, he realizes the error of his ways and learns that family matters most.
|$119,436,770
|-
|''Gattaca''
|1997
|PG-13
|A condemnation of human genetic engineering, and a wonderful triumph of individualism in an extremely totalitarian regime. Unfortunately the movie ends with a materialistic message: "They say every atom in our bodies was once a part of a star. So, maybe I'm not leaving, maybe I'm going home" (A phrase said when the protagonist finally managed to go to space).
|$12,339,633
|-
|''[[Ghostbusters]]''
|1984
|PG
|A fitting satire of an unfair (and likely liberal) professor, senseless academic research, paganism, and a villainous EPA regulator. One conservative sample line by one of the stars (Dan Aykroyd) when asked to shift from the public to the [[private sector]] read like this: "I don’t know about that. I’ve worked in the private sector. They expect results!" Followed by a sequel, ''Ghostbusters 2'' in 1989. Remade in 2016 as a liberal revisionist and pro-feminist piece (with the four main character all female) which bombed at the box office and had a trailer almost universally panned on YouTube.
|$242,212,467<ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=ghostbusters.htm</ref>
|-
|''Gigi''
|1958
|G
|A marvelous and beautifully-made musical film from a bygone era (the Arthur Freed Unit), ''Gigi'' condemns prostitution and the lifestyle of the snobbish, spoiled rich people. The film is also a celebratory of the essence, beauty, and power of a true love between a man and a woman who each want something more out of life than the provincial, liberal lifestyle of 1900 Paris. Winner of nine Academy Awards: Best Picture, Director, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography (Color), Art Direction-Set Decoration, Costume Design, Film Editing, Original Song (for the title song "Gigi"), and Scoring of a Musical Picture.
|$13,208,725
|-
|''[[Gladiator]]''
|2000
|R
|The tale of an enslaved former Roman general, Maximus (played by Russell Crowe), who becomes a gladiator and brings down a corrupt Emperor, features some of the most exciting action sequences ever filmed, backed by Hanns Zimmer’s soaring soundtrack. In essence this is a movie about confronting evil and destroying it. There is not an ounce of appeasement or the whiff of "engagement" in Maximus’s blood, only the desire to avenge the murder of his family and see justice carried out. It is the sort of uncompromising movie experience guaranteed to send pacifists and lily-livered liberals running for the exits.
|$457.6 million
|-
|''[[God's Not Dead]]''
|2014
|PG
|Christian film about a brave young man who stands up to his [[atheist]] bully of a professor and demonstrates the strength and wholesomeness of Christianity while exposing the folly of [[professor values]]. Furthermore, it illustrates atheists as people who acknowledge the existence of God, but deny Him out of self-hatred and spite. Features conservative celebrity cameos such as Willie and Korie Robertson (of ''[[Duck Dynasty]]'' fame) and the Christian rock band, the Newsboys. Real-life conservative and Christian [[Kevin Sorbo]] portrays the atheist professor in this movie. Liberals were shocked when it stood strong in the box office, being in the top 5 in its opening weekend.
|$60,755,732
|-
|''God's Not Dead 2''
|2016
|PG
|Similar to the original movie, but in this film the teacher is the protagonist instead of the students, as she tries to help her students reconnect their faith in God. Real-life Christian conservative Melissa Joan Hart plays the role of the teacher.
|$20,774,575
|-
|''[[Gone With the Wind]]''
|1939
|UR
|Celebrates traditional man-and-woman relationships, as well as a strongly ''feminine'' heroine who is the antithesis of a modern [[feminist]]. It held the record for the top-grossing film for decades, unadjusted for inflation, as well as the most Academy Award wins for a motion picture, until ''Ben-Hur'', another great conservative motion picture, twenty years later.
|$198,676,459
|-
|''The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly''
|1966
|R
|Stars Hollywood conservative Clint Eastwood as a sheriff and he does his pursuits for justice.
|$25,100,000
|-
|''[[The Goonies]]''
|1985
|PG-13
|The adventures of teenagers trying to find a long-lost treasure, before the criminals do.
|$61,503,218<ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=goonies.htm</ref>
|-
|''Gran Torino''
|2008
|R
|Gun-toting, [[Korean War]] veteran Walt Kowalski (played by Clint Eastwood) is upset that his neighborhood has lost its traditional American values and turned multicultural, overflowed with gangs and violence. He takes down a violent gang terrorizing the community, turns a boy into a man, and strengthens his Catholic faith. An excellent guy-cry movie.
|$270 million
|-
|''The Great Escape''
|1963
|UR
|Based on the true story about Allied PoWs who staged a daring escape from a Nazi prisoner-of-war camp during World War II.
|
|-
|''The Greatest Story Ever Told''
|1965
|UR
| Title says it all: The story of [[Jesus]] (portrayed excellently by Max Von Sydow).
|$8,000,000 (U.S.), $20,000,0000 (worldwide)
|-
|''The Green Berets''
|1968
|G
|Vivid defense of our troops' conduct in the [[Vietnam War]].
|$11,000,000
|-
|''Groundhog Day''
|1993
|PG
|Pro-Family, Pro-God, promotes Christianity and contains many conservative values.
|$70,906,973
|-
|''Hardcore''
|1979
|R
|Father must recuse his runaway daughter from an uncover porn ring.
|
|-
|''Harry's War''
|1981
|PG
|Anti-IRS comedy.
|Unknown
|-
|''Here Comes the Boom''
|2012
|PG
|A high school teacher played by Kevin James, tries to raise money for his school, by fighting in the MMA. To not only save certain school programs but save the job of a teacher’s whose wife is pregnant. Also promotes citizenship and patriotism, as Kevin James’ character is also a night instructor for an adult citizenship class, which show the idea of people coming into our country legally and becoming citizens as the right thing. Kevin James also even put some elements of his Christian Faith into the movie.<ref>http://www.patheos.com/blogs/philosophicalfragments/2012/10/03/how-kevin-james-put-his-faith-into-here-comes-the-boom/</ref>
|$45,290,318
|-
|''[[Hero]]''
|1992
|PG-13
|Even those with character flaws can do good.
|$19,487,173
|-
|''The Hiding Place''
|1975
|PG
|Biopic World War II story of Corrie and Betsy (Elizabeth) ten Boom (Jeannette Clift, Julie Harris), who hid Jews in their Haarlem, Netherlands home's secret wall and were betrayed and imprisoned in Ravensbruck Women's concentration camp in Germany, until Betsy's death and Corrie's accidental release through what would years later be found to be a clerical mistake, as all the other women in Corrie's group of prisoners were gassed to death in January 1945. A true lesson of "no pit is so deep that God's love is not deeper still." Produced by Billy Graham Evangelical Association's, World Wide Pictures.
|unknown revenue
|-
|''Hitler's Children''
|1943
|UR/PG
|Sensational melodrama about the [[Hitler Youth]] of pre-WWII 1930s Nazi Germany, based on Gregor Ziemer's best selling ''Education for Death: The Making of A Nazi".
|$3,355,000
|-
|''Home Alone''
|1990
|PG
|This classic movie is about Kevin McCallister, who accidentally gets stuck home alone, he learns to be independent and self-reliant, and not only that, but defends his family house from burglars including with the use of guns, and other man-made weaponry. Also towards the end, Kevin is shown praying and giving grace before his dinner.
|$285,761,243
|-
|''Home Alone 2: Lost in New York''
|1992
|PG
|The sequel to the first ''Home Alone''. Similar to in the first film, Kevin accidentally gets separated from his family while being laid over in New York City, and has to rely on his self-reliance to survive New York City. In addition, he also has to save a children's charity from being robbed by the two burglars from the previous film, also putting his prior man-made traps to use against them with some modifications. Also has a positive depiction of [[Donald Trump]].
|$359 million
|-
|''Home Run''
|2013
|PG-13
|Christian sports drama about a baseball player, who tries to overcome a serious drinking problem.
|$2,861,020<ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=homerun.htm</ref>
|-
|''Honey, I Shrunk The Kids''
|1989
|PG
| Lovable genius inventor Wayne Szalinski (Rick Moranis) accidentally shrinks his children and some of his neighbors' while testing his laser shrinking ray, sending them off on an adventure in their own yard against what would otherwise be mundane situations and creatures to normal sized people. Spawned two sequels, the obviously opposite ''Honey, I Blew up The Kid'' (1992) and the direct-to-video ''Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves'' (1997)
|$130,724,200
|-
|''Hotel Transylvania''
|2012
|PG
|The movie is about a father who tries to protect his daughter, from growing up and entering the real world. She meets a stranger and starts to like him and he resents that. But he then realizes that not only is he a good person, but she truly loves him. Shows that parents have to eventually let their kids grow up, and promotes individualism. Overall the movie is very pro-family.
|$148,313,048
|-
|''The Hurt Locker''
|2008
|R
|A look into the life of an American bomb disposal regiment in Iraq risking their lives for their country and for the innocent by confronting evil. Rated R for violence and language. Winner of six Academy Awards: Best Picture, Director (the first time a woman, Kathryn Bigelow, won the Academy Award for directing), Original Screenplay, Sound Mixing, Film Editing, and Sound Editing.
|$12,647,089
|-
|''I Am David''
|2003
|PG
|Motivational movie to show the power of the individual, and the triumph of charity, faith, and hope as well as showing the dangers of [[Communism]].
|$292,376
|-
|''I Confess''
|1953
|UR
|In this classic by Alfred Hitchcock, a clergyman honors his sacred vow of confidentiality with respect to a confession despite intense pressure to disclose it.
|Unknown
|-
|''[[The Incredibles]]''
|2004
|PG
|The world's superheroes are forced to give up their heroics and go into hiding after Mr. Incredible saves a suicidal man as well as a derailed train from a bridge destroyed by one of his enemies (who ironically got away with it), causing the populace to misguidedly turn on superheroes and unscrupulous lawyers to sue them, despite the real damage being caused by the supervillains.

The film celebrates the importance of the family unit; Elastigirl fails at parenting when her husband, Mr. Incredible, neglects to help her raise their children; a traditional family of superheroes is portrayed as the saviors of society, whose importance and presence has been unfairly suppressed thanks to the liberal-dominated mainstream media and its preference to see the worst in people. In addition, Mr. Incredible was also shown in the beginning to take marriage seriously, immediately heading over to the wedding when he realizes he may be running late and doing various crime-stopping when he has time before it.

The movie also contains the conservative idea that recognition should be based on merit rather than on unsubstantiated expectations of equality. The villain, Syndrome, out of sheer jealousy, attempts to kill off real superheroes so he uses technology to pretend to be one, later planning to sell his gadgets so that everyone in the world can be super. "And when everyone is super," he explains, "no one will be." Earlier in the film, Dash, when explaining he pulled a prank on the school teacher simply so he could demonstrate his special abilities of running very fast, echoes what Syndrome said later on when his mother tried to say everyone was special in their own way by saying that it was simply another way of saying no one was truly special. When Mr. Incredible is asked to attend his son's fifth-grade graduation, he criticizes society for "celebrating mediocrity" instead of those who are "genuinely exceptional."

Also at Bob Parr's work his boss, Gilbert Huph is shown to be heartless, but not because of capitalism, as when Bob asks if he should help his costumers, Gilbert tells him "the law requires that I answer no", which also shows the negativity of government regulation in business. Overall the main lesson of the movie is to shown the negativity of an enforced mediocrity, from the government.
|$631,442,092<ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=incredibles.htm</ref>
|-
|''[[Indiana Jones]] series''
|1981, 1984, 1989
|PG
|In the World War II era (a time of great patriotism for America), archaeologist and adventurer Dr. Henry "Indiana" Jones searches the world for artifacts of untold power and, along the way, combats some of America's most infamous enemies, in particular Nazis. The first and third films contain Christian themes, too, since they are centered around the [[Ark of the Covenant]] and the [[Holy Grail]], respectively. The second film also has a condemnation against paganism due to the main villain there being a pagan priest. A fourth film, ''Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'', takes place in the early Cold War era with Soviet Communists as antagonists, although there's some debate as to just how patriotic and conservative the movie actually is (see its entry in Debatable Whether Conservative for more details).
|1197.2 million (altogether)
|-
|''Invasion of the Body Snatchers''
|1956
|UR
|A science fiction condemnation of Communism, produced for only $420,000 and remade successfully in three additional movies.
|$2,500,000
|-
|''Invasion U.S.A.''
|1985
|R
|Features Conservative star [[Chuck Norris]] protecting America from Latin American Communist terrorists led by a [[Union of Soviet Socialist Republics|Soviet]] operative, similar to ''[[Red Dawn]]''.
|$17,536,256
|-
|''[[Iron Eagle]]''
|1986
|PG-13
| A young man's father, an Air Force pilot, is shot down over the Middle East and it's up to the young man and an Air Force colonel to save him. Included three sequels in 1988, 1992 and 1995.
|$24,159,872 (U.S.)
|-
|''The Island''
|2005
|PG-13
|Pro-life statement against cloning to harvest organs.
|$35,799,026
|-
|''Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius''
|2001
|G
|Kid scientist Jimmy Neutron and his friends rescue their parents from aliens. The kids learn the importance of family and the wastefulness of nihilism.
|$80,936,232
|-
|''Joe Dirt''
|2001
|PG-13
|Country movie, where Joe Dirt was abandoned as a kid, and even though he had nothing, he did not give up on life, and never let anything stop him. The movie contains many morals such as not giving up, always be a good person. Shows the harm does from his girlfriend; Brandy’s alcoholic father. The movie also reflects the idea of true integrity lies in what one does even if he or she is not being watched but still decide to the right thing because, it is the right thing to do.
|$27,087,695
|-
|''Joseph: King of Dreams''
|2000
|NR
|A direct-to-video animated telling of the biblical story of Joseph and his brothers.
|N/A
|-
|''The Jungle Book''
|2016
|PG
|Based on the novel by Rudyard Kipling of the same name, this film shows the importance of friendship and family values, and even frowns down upon misanthropy.
|$364,001,123
|-
|''[[Jurassic Park]]''
|1993
|PG-13
|Criticizes the effects of research into genetic [[cloning]], and the negative effects of playing God. Also contains a strong moral quote of "Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should”. Included three sequels in 1997, 2001 and 2015.
|$357,067,947
|-
|''The Killing Fields''
|1984
|R
|Shows the horrors of Communism and Pol Pot's dictatorship in Cambodia.
|$34,700,291
|-
|''The Kid''
|2000
|PG
|[[Bruce Willis]] plays a man who meets himself as a kid. Where is looks back at his past to see the trouble he went through as a kid and the negative effects it had on him in his adult years. He learns to become more moral and to not let the past stop him or hold him back, and he then reconnects his relationship with his father, and pursues a relationship with his co-worker, who he has been interested in.
|$69,691,949
|-
|''The King's Speech''
|2010
|R
|This historical drama details the rise of England's King Charles VI and his striving to overcome his speech impediment in the prelude to World War II after being forced to become king due to his older brother abdicating the throne. It showcases the Nazis in a negative light and condemns the current liberal education system, as Lionel Logue is initially fired since he does not actually have a degree in speech therapy, with him making clear in a poignant moment that he knows how to do it via first-hand experience. According to history, Logue didn't have a degree because he had to rely on first hand experience to do so and because there was no formal education for that matter when he learned his trade. The film shocked the liberals at Hollywood when it managed to perform beyond their expectations and won the Academy Award for Best Picture of 2010, plus the awards for Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Original Screenplay.
|$414.2 million
|-
|''King of Kings''
|1961
|PG-13, originally NR
|2 hour, 51 minute widescreen epic by the great director Nicholas Ray about Jesus and his promises of spiritual redemption, as contrasted with the story of the revolutionary leader Barabbas and his promises of worldly redemption. Stars Jeffery Hunter as Jesus.
|Unknown
|-
|''The Kingdom''
|2007
|R
|One of the few pro-war on terror films released during the 2000s.
|$47,536,778
|-
|''Knute Rockne: All-American''
|1940
|UR
|Stars [[Ronald Reagan]] as courageous football player George Gipp, who dies before an important game.
|Unknown
|-
|''Ladder 49''
|2004
|PG-13
|Shows the courageousness of firefighters.
|$74,541,707
|-
|''Last Ounce of Courage''
|2012
|PG
|Family drama about the struggles Christians suffer through politics and abolishment of religious freedom.
|$1,585,994
|-
|''The Last Stand''
|2013
|R
|Action film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger as a tough Arizona sheriff who must stop an escaped Mexican drug lord from fleeing the country.
|$12,026,670
|-
|''Lean on Me''
|1989
|PG-13
|A true story about combating drug use, violence, and contempt for authority while exalting positive values like academic achievement and family values. Bio-drama about Paterson, New Jersey's real life [[Joe Clark]].<ref>http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097722/</ref>
|$31,906,454
|-
|''The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen''
|2003
|PG-13
|Pro-Western Culture as Western icons Allan Quatermain, Captain Nemo, Mina Harker (the wife of ''Dracula'' character Jonathan Harker), The Invisible Man (under the alias Rodney Skinner), Tom Sawyer, and Dr. Henry Jekyll battle Professor James Moriarty (from ''Sherlock Holmes'') as he plans a world war.
|$66,465,204
|-
|''Liar Liar''
|1997
|PG-13
|Surprisingly takes on an anti-feminist theme by depicting the father as the good, righteous side in a courtroom divorce trial against a greedy, avaricious and uncaring mother, who only wants the children so she can wring every cent of alimony and child support she can out of the father while keeping the children away from him and showing little regard for them herself. In addition, the film also promotes the concept of redemption and bettering oneself, as the main protagonist, an unscrupulous lawyer, despite resistance towards the wish, ultimately tries to honor his son's birthday wish to not lie for a day even under dire consequences to himself such as being hauled to jail at one point, and ultimately succeeds in keeping his promise of not lying with the ending implying he gave up lying for good, and was also pro-family as the protagonist ultimately tries to better his life for the sake of his son.
|$181,410,615
|-
|''Lilo & Stitch''
|2002
|PG
|In this heartwarming Disney animation, Experiment 626—a short but mischievous, [[koala]]-like beast created by an alien mad scientist (an origin similar to the monster's in the conservative novel ''Frankenstein'' and its 1931 film adaptation)—escapes from an interstellar prison and crashes down in Hawaii, where a lonely girl mistakes him for a dog, adopts him, and names him "Stitch." Stitch then gradually abandons his destructive ways and begins seeking love and friendship. The film is so delightfully pro-family that the tagline is, "''Ohana'' means family [in Hawaiian]. Family means nobody gets left behind, or forgotten."
|$273.1 million
|-
|''The Lion King''
|1994
|G
|Based mainly upon the Shakespearean play ''Hamlet'', the main message of this box office smash hit is about the power of the individual and the triumph of faith, friendship, hope, and heroism. ''The Lion King'' also features subtle Christian messages, such as honoring one's father and reconciliation. Its story takes partial inspiration from Scripture, particularly the stories of [[Joseph]] and [[Moses]]. On a side note, the film features the power-hungry main antagonist Scar, who kills his own brother, the ruling king Mufasa, to usurp the throne, then manipulates his nephew, Mufasa's young son Simba, into thinking that Simba is responsible for his father's death and forces him into exile. Scar is a model liberal because, once he becomes ruler, he favors [[Communism|Communistic]]/[[Fascism|fascistic]] big government, pushes [[liberal values]], and lets their Pride Lands territory fall to ruin. In addition, when rallying up the Hyenas to aid him in killing Mufasa, he vows that they will never starve under his rule, mirroring what various Communist and other leftist insurgents often vow when trying to get people to aid them in taking over a government. The song "Be Prepared" also shows the Hyenas [[goose step|goose stepping]] past Scar as he looks down from a cliff in a clear reference to Nazism. At several points in the film, Scar delusively believes he is still a very good king, even claiming "I'm ten times the king Mufasa was!", which is similar to liberal delusions of their own skills in governing (i.e., Obama's later claim that he would have "won" reelection into a third term if he was able to run again, despite never being legally qualified to run in the first place, not to mention his being legally barred from running for a third term even if he were legally qualified to run in the first place per the [[Twenty-Second Amendment]] to the United States Constitution). He unsuccessfully attempts to orchestrate the assassination of Simba by using hyena minions, and even attempts to kill him himself, to ensure that he will be king and remain so forevermore, but he is thwarted by Simba once the cub reaches adulthood. Simba effectively becomes King and restores the Pride Lands after Scar, who tries to save his own skin by blaming his minions for everything he orchestrated himself, has the hyenas turn against and kill him. There is a slight condemnation towards anarchy in the film as well: during the song "Be Prepared", the hyena Shenzi, upon learning that Scar is planning to kill Mufasa and Simba, entertains the possibility of a kingless society before Scar sternly tells the laughing hyenas that he intends to be the king. Finally, the film condemns hedonism, as the misfit meerkat and warthog comic reliefs Timon and Pumbaa, while depicted as genuinely heroic at times, engage in a philosophy of "Hakuna Matata" ("No Worries" in Swahili), which is shown overall to be a negative.
|$968.5 million
|-
|''The Little Mermaid''
|1989
|G
|A mermaid strives to become a traditional female human, following the patriarchal system of society. It also promotes the concept of [[assimilation]], as the mermaid when becoming human intended to adopt the culture of the humans upon doing so. The film centers around conservative Christian values and contains an anti-feminism theme. The villain Ursula is shown in a devilish and beastly way (appearing as half-woman, half-octopus), and her claims about men not wanting women who talk and care only for a woman's body language (a common claim by [[feminism|feminists]] against males) is made clear to be lies. In addition, it also contains a pro-traditional marriage theme, and is the last Disney animated feature film to actually treat traditional marriage in a positive light for a good while. Despite being set under the sea, it also features an anti-[[Environmentalism]] and anti-racism message, as the characters (namely King Triton) who pushed anti-human sentiments turned out to be wrong in their negative views on humans. Although often ignored by liberal reviewers complaints about the movie, it was also pro-family, as during her deal with Ursula, Ariel was explicitly hesitant to undergo the deal citing that, regardless of which way the deal goes, she won't see her father and sisters again in a reluctant tone, King Triton, after destroying Ariel's grotto in a fit of anger, is clearly shown afterwards to be immensely remorseful of his actions after it became apparent that Ariel fled from him as a result, and later immediately tries to save Ariel after learning about Ursula's role in her disappearance and even opts to sacrifice himself to ensure Ariel's (and, implied via dialogue regarding Ursula shortly afterward, her sisters) safety, and Ariel upon witnessing Triton being cursed by Ursula, immediately attempts to avenge him by attacking Ursula. It also shows a perfect allegory towards liberalism's deceit and cheating to ensure success as well as the promotion of character integrity and doing things fair and square, as when Ariel seemed to have failed at gaining Eric's love, she makes absolutely no attempt at stopping the marriage until after learning that his "bride", Vanessa, in reality Ursula in disguise, had in fact brainwashed Prince Eric and that he didn't choose to marry her, with it being implied that Ursula violated her end of the deal when she did that action, and even when she does in fact fail, Ariel makes absolutely no effort to resist Ursula's dragging her away, and likewise, Ursula, besides her blatant interference with the deal by disguising herself as Vanessa and brainwashing Eric, also arranged to have Flotsam and Jetsam knock Eric and Ariel's boat overboard specifically to ensure that Eric and Ariel couldn't kiss when it looked like Ariel could in fact win her end of the deal fair and square, and after cursing Triton and Ariel attempts to attack Ursula, Ursula heavily implies before Eric saved Ariel that she's going to kill the latter despite having promised to not harm Ariel. The movie's box office success also led directly to a rejuvenation in Disney's animated features called the Disney Renaissance.
|$111,543,479
|-
|''[[The Lives of Others]]''
|2006
|R
|(''Not for children'') - This German-language film is a stinging criticism of [[Communist]] [[East Germany]] from a liberal perspective.
|$11,286,112
|-
|''Logan''
|2017
|R
|(not for children) Unlike the mainstream ''X-Men'' films, which focus on the struggle of mutants to gain acceptance in the world (similar to gay rights), Hugh Jackman's final appearance as Logan/Wolverine takes on a much more personal and realistic tone, Logan being by far the most human mutant portrayed in the movies. With mutants on the brink of extinction, Logan's healing factor beginning to fail him, and the metal coating his skeleton now poisoning him, Logan has been reduced to working as a limo chauffeur to care for an ailing Charles Xavier. He is also binging on alcohol far more than ever before, much to the chagrin of fellow mutant Caliban. He reluctantly agrees, at the behest of a nurse named Gabriela, to escort Laura, a young girl and clone-daughter of Logan, to "Eden," a safe haven (and reference to the location of the birth of mankind) for mutant children who were born within the walls of Transigen, a biomedical company that had illegally used the DNA of mutants, including Logan, to create cloned children whom they turned into soldiers. The movie emphasizes faith at least twice, most notably when Logan and Charles view Gabriela's phone video about Transigen, in which she says that the children have never seen any of God's creations, as well as Charles saying that Eden is "real for Laura," despite Logan's skepticism. The nature of Transigen's horrific experiments also gives the movie anti-cloning and anti-God playing messages. But even more importantly, despite his losing faith with the world, his fellow mutants all but gone, Logan is reminded of the value of family, he, Charles, and Laura accepting a family's invitation to have dinner and spend the night. Charles remarks to Logan, "This is what life looks like. A house. A safe place. People who love each other. You should take a moment.” Finally, in the movie's climax, Logan finds the redemption he has long sought, facing off against a clone, as well as a symbol of the violent demons within himself, giving his own life, so that the children can escape across the border into Canada.
|$535,737,200
|-
|''Logan's Run''
|1976
|PG/R
|A man within a liberal society (evidenced by acceptance of [[homosexuality]] and work-free spoiled existence) that kills everyone on their 30th birthday, claiming it as "rebirth" (see [[Liberal Denial]]), escapes to find a world of hard work and aging.
|
|-
|''Lone Survivor''
|2013
|R
|Docudrama of the failed 2005 mission Operation: Redwings, in which four Navy SEALs were discovered by Taliban forces, leading to a brutal and intense firefight, resulting in three of them dying. Shows the men's perseverance against overwhelming odds and determination to stand against radical Islamic terrorism. Based on the book by the titular figure, [[Marcus Luttrell]].
|$154,802,912
|-
|''The Longest Day''
|1962
|G
|Conservative star [[John Wayne]] and his co-stars, reenact the battle of [[D-Day]].
|$39,100,000
|-
|''[[The Fellowship of the Ring (film, 2001)|The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring]]''
|2001
|PG-13
|Clear distinction between good and evil with positive themes of friendship, bravery, honor, sacrifice and overcoming temptation. Based upon the literary classic by J. R. R. Tolkein.
|$314,776,114
|-
|''[[The Two Towers (film, 2002)|The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers]]''
|2002
|PG-13
|Strong portrayals of redemption and good over evil. Based upon the literary classic by J. R. R. Tolkein.
|$340,478,898
|-
|''[[The Return of the King (2003 film)|The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King]]''
|2003
|PG-13
|Bravery, heroism, sacrifice and good ultimately triumphing over evil. Based upon the literary classic by J. R. R. Tolkein.
|$377,027,325
|-
|''London Has Fallen''
|2016
|R
|When Pakistani Islamic terrorists rampage through London, Secret Service Agent Mike Banning must protect the U.S. President. Liberals accused it of promoting xenophobia in its release, but, following multiple terrorist attacks on Britain in 2017, much of what the film prophesied has become reality.
|$62,524,260
|-
|''The Lost Weekend''
|1945
|UR
|Illustrates the dangers of alcohol abuse and the hope of recovery in the film's climax.
|Unknown
|-
|''Make Mine Freedom''
|1948
|
|A short cartoon, which shows how [[Capitalism]] works and how [[Communism]] steals [[freedom]].
|Unknown
|-
|''Man of Steel''
|2013
|PG-13
|[[Superman]] is portrayed as a Christ-like figure, shows bravery of the U.S. Military and shows the theme of protecting the ones you love. The film also has an anti-illegal immigrant like message, as the villain General Zod plans to turn Earth into his dead planet Krypton (an allegory for illegal aliens destroying American culture and changing it for their own purpose). During a climactic battle between Superman and Zod, a computer-generated avatar bearing the likeness of Jor-El, Superman's biological father, assists the Man of Steel and his human allies in fighting Zod and his forces, so there are some pro-family themes.
|$291,045,518
|-
|''Mary Poppins''
|1964
|UR
|One of the greatest motion picture masterpieces of all time, a magical nanny is hired to take care of two children, Jane and Michael Banks, while their parents are engaged in their respective duties. Embarking on a series of fantastical adventures with Mary Poppins and her Cockney jack-of-all-trades performer friend, Bert, the siblings try to pass on some of their nanny's cheerful attitude and moral values to their preoccupied parents. In the process, the Banks family become more closer and happier together than ever before. ''Mary Poppins'' is cited by many to be [[Walt Disney]]'s crowning achievement.
|$677,054,500
|-
|''[[Master and Commander|Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World]]''
|2003
|PG-13
|Promotes many positive conservative values including faith in God, patriotism, duty, honor, respect for authority, discipline, bravery, sacrifice, and friendship.
|$93,926,386
|-
|''[[Matilda]]''
|1996
|PG
|Film adaptation of Roald Dahl's children's novel of a bright little girl who uses her magical genius and help from a sympathetic teacher to free herself from the foolish, selfish people in her life: her self-absorbed parents, bratty brother and the horrible and brutish [[public school]] principal.
|$33,084,249
|-
|''Meet the Robinsons''
|2007
|G
|A child does not seem to fit into society, his main hobby is inventing. He travels to the future to see meet his family, and he realizes persistence pays off in the end and he discovers that his inventions ultimately do change society, and his own life, for the better. The movie shows a message about the value of life, family, and considers the contributions and possibilities lost by every child that is aborted.
|$169,333,034
|-
|''The Mill and the Cross'' (Polish original)
|2011
|UR
|Persecution of Christians in Flanders region of Belgium during the 16th Century.
|$310,900
|-
|''Missing in Action''
|1984
|R
|Features Conservative star [[Chuck Norris]] as he recuses POWs from Vietnam.
|$22,812,411
|-
|-
|''[[Miracle]]''
|2004
|PG
|Movie about the United States hockey team which won the gold medal in the 1980 Winter Olympics. Stresses the important of hard work, resiliency, selflessness and putting your best effort forward to reach an unseen goal.
|$64,445,708
|-
|''Moses''
|1974 Italy-U.K.
|PG
|Italian-British-American production which features [[Burt Lancaster]] playing [[Moses]] the lawgiver. Less flamboyant than Cecil B. DeMille's movie ''[[The Ten Commandments (film, 1956)|The Ten Commandments]]'' and focuses more on the Biblical figure of Moses. Originally a six-part U.S. TV mini-series in 1975, but edited to make it a U.S. movie in 1976.
|unknown money returns
|-
|''The Mummy Returns''
|2001
|PG-13
|While its predecessor stayed politically neutral, this film has pro-family message, in which father and his family must rescue their son from a satanic cult who plans to resurrect an Egyptian demon, as well as the climax having the mother, in clear defiance of the father's insistence that she, her brother, and their son escape from the doomed temple without him, risks her life to save him, while in stark contrast, the female villain, the reincarnation of the woman whom the titular mummy had sacrificed everything to try and save, ends up abandoning him to his fate despite his begging for her help, and later ends up paying the price for her deed by falling into a pit of scarabs.
|$202,019,785
|-
|''The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor''
|2008
|PG-13
|Still has the same pro-family message, along with a [[Mao Zedong|Mao]]-like rogue army as the side villains.
|$102,491,776
|-
|''Mr. Skeffington''
|1944
|UR
|Bette Davis portrays a socialite whose life is ruined when she turns ugly with age. Anti-Nazi and anti-materialistic.
|Unknown
|-
|''[[Mr. Smith Goes to Washington]]''
|1939
|UR
|A tale of a good, simple man rising above the pressures of [[liberals]] to do the right thing. Features perhaps the best defense of the American political system ever committed to film.
|Unknown
|-
|''My Son John''
|1952
|UR
|A small-town couple's world is turned upside-down by the discovery that their adult son is a Communist.
|amount made unknown
|-
|''The Name of the Rose''
|1986
|R
|A mystery centered around the balance between faith and science, as well as debate over the role of poverty in religion and religious orders.
|$5,595,706
|-
|''The Nativity Story''
|2006
|PG
|Title says it all about this Biblical epic.
|$37,629,831
|-
|''National Treasure''
|2004
|PG
|Benjamin Gates and his sidekick named Riley do everything they can to protect the U. S. Declaration of Independence from being destroyed.
|$173,008,894
|-
|''Navy Seals''
|1990
|R
|Pro-military anti-terrorist film released during the golden age of military action films.
|$25,069,101
|-
|''Night at the Museum''
|2006
|PG
|Divorced father Larry Daley tries to keep a steady job to be a good role model for his son. He takes a job at the American Museum of Natural History where everything comes to life at night. Features conservative president [[Theodore Roosevelt]] who talks to him about manning up and not giving up as Daley faces obstacles in Museum. Followed by two sequels in 2009 and 2014.
|$250,863,268
|-
|''Ninotchka''
|1939
|UR
|
|Unknown
|-
|''Nocturnal Animals''
|2016
|R
|The main character is a [[liberal]] art gallery owner who is re-examining her life as her marriage with her [[Adultery|unfaithful]] husband disintegrates. Suddenly, out of nowhere, she receives a manuscript for an unpublished book written by her first husband, who she had divorced many years earlier. The book, sharing the title with the film, tells the story of a man whose wife and teenage daughter are brutally [[rape]]d and [[murder]]ed by a [[gang]] while the family are on a road trip vacation. He blames himself for their deaths because the gang was unarmed and managed to abduct them by merely intimidating him. After the [[Corruption|corrupt]] police department releases the leader of the gang responsible for the crime due to "lack of evidence," he seeks the help of a detective who objects to the department's decision, and the two men embark on a mission of vigilante justice, that ends in the deaths of both the man and the gang leader, as well as one of the gang members who was not released. After finishing the book, the gallery owner is tormented by her past. Not only is the book very good, despite her frequent criticisms of her ex-husband's writing abilities while they were still together, but it is implied that she also sees the book as a metaphor for her relationship with him. In real life, they married young after a whirlwind romance, but their marriage disintegrated as she became increasingly ambitious and [[greed]]y over her career aspirations. Her greed drives her to have an extramarital affair with the man who later became her second husband, and to [[Abortion|abort]] her child with her first husband without his consent. In the book, the first husband is represented by the man who wants justice. The gallery owner is represented by two people: the man's wife (representing the gallery owner ''before'' she became consumed by greed) and the gang leader (representing the gallery owner ''after'' she became consumed by greed). The teenage daughter represents the aborted child. In both cases, the men lost their wife and child, in one form or another, because they stood by and did nothing as evil tore the family apart. In the end, both men stood up to what destroyed their families, the ex-husband by proving he can be a good writer and the man in the book by resorting to vigilante justice. In addition to being anti-[[materialism]], anti-abortion, promoting traditional family roles (by emphasizing that fathers must be strong and protective) and portraying a young liberal's descent into spiritual darkness because of her intense [[idealism]], but it also plays with Christian imagery and metaphors. When the wife in the book is found dead, her [[Christian Cross|cross]] necklace is found destroyed, presumably by the gang that is supposed to represent greed, which destroys the Christian spirit of any person it dwells in. It is also possible to argue that the detective character in the book represents [[Satan]], as both figures claim to have good intentions and yet convince people to commit horrific acts in order to satisfy their passions. However, the ex-husband in real life, by doing a much simpler and benign act than his in-book counterpart and getting back at those who wronged him by continuing what he loves best, shows that malicious revenge is not the only way, and you can come out of even the worst tragedies as a better person.
|$10 million
|-
|''Non-Stop''
|2014
|PG-13
|Liam Neeson plays an alcoholic U.S. Air Marshall named Bill Marks, who has divorced and lost his daughter to cancer. He begins to receive a series of threatening text messages during a flight, warning that unless $150 million is transferred into a specific bank account, somebody on board will die every 20 minutes. The movie shows Marks' perseverance to find those responsible, reflecting the real-life post-9/11 determination to stand against terrorism. Furthermore, his fight against both the unknown hijackers, as well as the uncooperative passengers, and even his supervisor on the ground, helps to redeem himself, after his personal family tragedies, finding friendship with a fellow passenger named Jenn. This shows that even after experiencing a family tragedy, one can still move forward in life.
|$222,809,600
|-
|''Not Without My Daughter''
|1991
|PG-13
|Sally Fields is [[Betty Mahmoody]], the American wife who, along with her daughter, was tricked in 1984 by her Iranian-born husband into traveling with him on what he said would be only two weeks in his homeland to visit his relatives (he lied big time about the two weeks part!).
|$14,789,113 (U.S.)
|-
|''[[October Baby]]''
|2012
|PG-13
|A first-rate, compelling film that leaves no doubt about how wrong [[abortion]] is.
|$5,357,328
|-
|''[[October Sky]]''
|1999
|PG
|Four high school boys from a rural coal mining town, inspired by Sputnik, set out to build their own rockets and become rocket scientists.
|$32,481,825
|-
|''Of Gods and Men'' (French original)
|2010
|R
|Martyrdom of Trappist monks by Islamic terrorists in an impoverished Algerian community.
|$3,954,651
|-
|''[[Oh, God!]]''
|1977
|PG
|Acceptance of God's calling is rewarded, the faithful are vindicated, and naysayers are proven wrong. The film later inspired two sequels in 1980 and 1984.
|$41,687,243
|-
|''Olympus Has Fallen''
|2013
|R
|Disgraced Secret Service member must protect the President from North Korean terrorists.
|$98,925,640
|-
|''On Golden Pond''
|1981
|PG
|''On Golden Pond'' presents the story of two generations of a family who have separated from each other for decades. While on a summer vacation together at the old family retreat, they finally come together and, through forgiveness and understanding, they all have become better people and a great family. It is the kind of a compassionate and understanding friendship that brings and unites generations and cultures together. It is an artistic triumph for the entire cast and crew.
|$119,285,432
|-
|''[[On the Waterfront]]''
|1954
|UR
|[[Marlon Brando]] plays Terry Malloy, who under the inspiration of a Catholic priest (Father Barry, played by [[Karl Malden]]), becomes a Christ-like figure. Betrayed by his brother and almost killed by the gang, he finds the strength to overcome and redeem his people from the slavery to the mobsters who run the waterfront. In stunning contrast to the liberals who kept silent about the Communist subversion in Hollywood, the film portrays the informer as the hero; liberal Hollywood never forgave director [[Elia Kazan]] for his stunning film. In real life, Kazan, Malden and screenwriter Budd Schulberg all testified before Congress, along with others like [[Walt Disney]] and [[Ronald Reagan]]. Together, they broke the power of the Reds in Hollywood.
|$9,600,000
|-
|''One Day In The Life of Ivan Denisovich''
|1970 Britain/Norway
|PG
|[[Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn]]'s bestselling novel brought to film as Tom Courtenay is the titular prisoner in early 1950s Siberia as punishment for surrendering to the Nazis during World War II and his struggle for small comforts to ease the harsh injustices of the Gulag. A smashing indictment of the Soviet system.
|amount unknown
|-
|''One Foot In Heaven''
|1941
|UR
|
|Unknown
|-
|''One Good Cop''
|1991
|R
|Titular [[New York City]] police detective (Michael Keaton) and his wife (Rene Russo) inherit a family of three small girls when the detective's partner (Anthony Lapaglia) dies in the line of duty. Has positive portrayals of law enforcers and clergy (one priest turns in money that was stolen from a drug dealer by the cop and left as a donation to his church and the girls talk about "going to Jesus"). Typical violent skirmishes mixed with tender sentimental ones, but also admissions of past adultery by the ill-fated partner, smoking, drinking, much profanity and, of course, illegal drugs.
|$11,276,846
|-
|''Operation Thunderbolt''
|1977
|R
|Based on [[Operation Entebbe]], the film portrays bravery and gets its anti-terrorism message across. Menahem Golan who directed, produced and wrote the film was also a former pilot for the Israeli Air Force.
|N/A
|-
|''Other People's Money''
|1991
|R
|Pro-Capitalism Movie, which unlike most movies show [[Wall Street]] as cold, evil, villainous, and unsympathetic, this movie portrays it in a different view, as it is about a giant corporation trying to expand its business by buying another company.
|$25,682,090
|-
|''Our Friend, Martin''
|1999
|N/A
|
|
|-
|''The Pacifier''
|2005
|PG
|Navy Seal Shane Wolfe (Vin Diesel) is assigned to be the guardian of five children, he learns from them the responsibilities of being in a family as they learn from him the importance of protecting the country. The villains of the movie are North Korean spies. The film is pro-family and pro-military.
|$113,086,868
|-
|''Parenthood''
|1989
|PG-13
|Dramedy showing the ups and downs of having a family.
|$100,047,830
|-
|''The Parent Trap''
|1961
|G
|Pro-family comedy were twin sisters try to reunite their divorced parents and learn the true meaning of family. Remade in 1998.
|$25 million
|-
|''Parental Guidance''
|2012
|PG
|Two parents raise their kids in a liberal way, and as a result the kids are unhappy and rebellious. The parents leave the kids alone with their grandparents for a weekend who bring in conservative values, and helps the kids realize the importance of family.
|$119,772,232
|-
|''[[The Patriot]]''
|2000
|R
|A patriot fights for American freedom during the [[American Revolution]].
|$215,294,342
|-
|''Patriots' Day''
|2017
|R
|Shows the heroism of the Boston and Watertown Police Departments, as well as the FBI, during and after the [[Boston Marathon Bombings]]. Also depicts a strong sense of patriotic unity and refusal to bow down to radical Islamic terrorism.
|$36,067,655
|-
|''Paul Blart: Mall Cop''
|2009
|PG
|Mall security guard Paul Blart is silly, but shows dedication in keeping the mall he works at safe. Also, Paul wants to be a good father figure for his daughter, and the movie has some anti-feminism aspects as showing the father as the good parent against a mother (not present in the movie though, only seen in a photo), who only married him to get legal status in the country and then left him, which could also been seen as an anti-illegal immigrant message. This film is also somewhat anti-environmentalism.
|$146,336,178
|-
|''Pinocchio''
|1940
|G
|A kindhearted craftsman wishes for his own son, a blue fairy (resembling the Blessed Virgin Mary) grants his wish and turns one of his wooden puppets into a real boy. The boy learns about [[moral values]], and must escape the bad boys who have "[[Hollywood values]]" and as a result are turned into donkeys (may represent the Democrats in pop culture).
|$84,254,167
|-
|''[[Pirates of the Caribbean]]: On Stranger Tides''
|2011
|PG-13
|Unlike the rest of the movies in the series which were just pure entertainment, this movie has some good Christian messages and a Christian missionary is presented in a positive light. The climax of the movie presents a very important message too; ''Only God can grant eternal life, not these pagan waters. Men, destroy this profane temple!''
|$1.046 billion
|-
|''Pixels''
|2015
|PG-13
|Aliens take the Earth in a war with a throwback to classic video games. The film is pro-military, and pro-integrity, as the actions of a man who cheated in the video game are shown in negative light. Promotes joy and having and shows the wastefulness of [[nihilism]]. Also, many anti-[[feminism]] themes are present.
|$78,747,585 <ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=pixels.htm</ref>
|-
|''Pokémon: The First Movie: Mewtwo Strikes Back''
|1998 (Japan) 1999 (USA)
|G
|The movie showcases the consequences with the concept of playing God where the main antagonist Mewtwo, a clone, was shown to be disturbed at the revelation that he may have only been created to be the purposes of being a tool (with the message being more pronounced in the Japanese version due to religious censorship during dubbing). It also promotes the idea of self-worth and how the circumstances of one's birth don't matter so much as they try to push good, with Mewtwo ultimately being reformed upon learning this message. It also has an anti-cloning message, due to Mewtwo's aforementioned disturbance at his origins.
|$163.6 million
|-
|''Pokémon: The Movie 2000: The Power of One''
|1999 (Japan) 2000 (USA)
|G
|As implied by the title, it promotes the concept of individualism, at least in the English Dub. In addition, the character of Misty proceeds to risk her life to save Ash when he was nearly killed nearing the climax (with the Japanese version making a bit more blatant on the motivation by stating to Melody that "[Ash] is [her] burden."). The ending theme was famously quoted by [[Herman Cain]] during the 2012 Presidential Primaries.
|$133.9 million
|-
|''Pokémon 3: Mystery of the Unknown Tower''
|2000 (Japan) 2001 (USA)
|G
|Has a pro-family message, as the main antagonist's motives were to regain her family due to her father disappearing during his research for the Unown and her mother being implied to have been hospitalized, with her motives being treated sympathetically and tragically in the storyline, and Ash spends his time trying to find and rescue his mom, Delia Ketchum, after she ended up abducted by Entei. The Entei also proceeds to sacrifice himself late in the movie to stop the Unown from wreaking further havoc.
|$68.4 million
|-
|''Pokémon 4Ever - Celebi: Voice of the Forest''
|2001 (Japan) 2002 (USA)
|G
|Has some implicit pro-Christian messages due to Celebi ending up being raised from the dead after barely rejecting the Dark Ball's influence on it.
|$28 million
|-
|''[[The Prince of Egypt]]''
|1998
|PG
|An animated telling of the life of [[Moses]].
|$101,217,900
|-
|''Prisoners''
|2013
|R
|The movie's main protagonist, Keller Dover, is a deeply devout Christian man, who says the Lord's Prayer on several occasions. The movie also depicts the importance of family in a very positive light, with Keller vowing to protect and love those closest to him at all costs. However, when his daughter and best friend are kidnapped, Keller takes matters into his own hands by kidnapping, imprisoning, and torturing the man whom he believes is responsible, even though it becomes apparent that he could not have done it. This is a clear transformation from holy man to sinner, as is symbolized at one point by the filmmakers intentionally changing Keller's daughter's best friend's rat from white to black. This makes it clear that the movie is self-aware that it's main protagonist is no longer a good Christian man. Furthermore, this is could be a symbolization of Jesus Christ's crucifixion, as the man being tortured is innocent, and suffering for the crimes of the real kidnapper, his aunt.
|$122,126,687
|-
|''[[The Pursuit of Happyness]]''
|2006
|PG-13
|A film that shows hard work, dedication, loyalty and trust can result in success and "happiness" for any American, regardless of race, gender or creed. It is an instructional piece about the tradition of "stick-to-it-iveness" that has made America a land of hope and opportunity for so many. This film’s main themes—the primacy of the family, the blessings of free and open markets, the necessity of staying true to one’s ideals—are all conservative concepts.
|$307,077,300
|-
|''Quo Vadis''
|1951
|UR
|The early Christian Church during the time of [[Nero]]'s regime.
|Unknown
|-
|''[[Raiders of the Lost Ark]]''
|1981
|PG
|
|$242,374,454
|-
|''[[Red Dawn]]''
|1984
|PG-13
|A film by conservative writer and director [[John Milius]] about American high school students resisting a Soviet invasion through guerrilla warfare. Remade in 2012, this time with [[North Korea]]ns as the villains.
|$38,376,497<ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=reddawn.htm</ref>
|-
|''Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical''
|2005
|R
|Movie based off the musical, which shows the dangers of marijuana. The main character Jimmy is a high schooler who starts smoking marijuana and becomes addicated to it. In the end, his girlfirend dies because of his mistakes. Even contains a scene where Jesus comes to talk to Jimmy and warns him not to turn his back on God.
|NA - TV
|-
|''Requiem for a Dream''
|2000
|R
|(not for children) Anti-drug film depicting four tales of drug addiction and the addicts going down a life of ruin. The film doesn't hold back on the brutal reality of drug addiction.
|$3,635,482
|-
|''Rio Bravo''
|1959
|UR
|Classic film with conservative star [[John Wayne]] as he and his crew battle the brother (and his outlaws) of an apprehended criminal. Also downplays alcohol abuse as Wayne's partner Dude (played by Dean Martin) is seen overcoming this throughout the film.
|$5 million
|-
|''Robin Hood''
|2010
|PG-13
|An origins tale to the character, this rendition of Robin Hood, unlike most other adaptations, takes more after how he was originally presented as a man rebelling against an unlawful government and taking back funds stolen by Prince John and returning it to the people who actually worked for it, and not the "steal from the rich to give to the poor" revisionist version by [[Joseph Ritson]] during the time of the [[French Revolution]] that was made in solidarity to the [[Jacobins]]. It also has the Magna Carta being portrayed in a positive manner.<ref>http://www.wnd.com/2010/05/154853/</ref>
|$321.7 million
|-
|''[[Rocky]]''
|1976
|PG
|A talented but down-on-his-luck fighter gets a chance to challenge himself to the ends of his ability. This film - and its sequels and remakes - reinforces man's ability to overcome challenges. Included five sequels and one spin-off.
|$117,235,247
|-
|''Rosemary's Baby''
|1968
|R
|Higher powers intervene in this story of a young Catholic mother's devotion to her unborn infant.
|Unknown
|-
|''Rudy''
|1993
|PG
|A young man overcomes many obstacles, including dyslexia, to play for the [[Notre Dame]] football team. Shows the value of hard work and never giving up.
|$22,750,363
|-
|''The Sandlot''
|1993
|PG
|Honestly depicts 1950s America when boys acted like boys and girls acted like girls, wimps were taught to toughen up, and every boy had a chance to be great. No historical revisionism. Also celebrates America's pastime [[baseball]].
|$32,416,586<ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=sandlot.htm</ref>
|-
|''The Santa Clause'' (series)
|1994, 2002, 2006
|PG
|A divorced father of one must take on the responsibility of being Santa Claus after he is chosen. Along the way, he finds great joy and happiness in his new occupation. The film series also promotes the essence and importance of traditional marriage, family, and Christmas. Also has a strong message against the seperation of the church and state.
|$189,800,000; $172,900,000; $110,800,000
|-
|''Saving Christmas''
|2014
|PG
|Kirk Cameron fights using the truth in the War on Christmas. Liberals tried to censor it, but ultimately became a hit among those who believe in the truth.
|$2,800,000
|-
|''Schindler's List''
|1993
|R
| Tells the story [[Oskar Schindler]], a Christian businessman who saved the lives of more than a thousand Jewish refugees during the Holocaust by employing them in his factories. The film also shows the danger of [[gun control]] as German citizens are shown being shot by their Nazi oppressors without any way of fighting back.
|$96,065,768
|-
|''Sergeant York''
|1941
|UR
|A young American soldier during WWI overcomes an unfounded religious objection to killing and becomes a war hero.
|Unknown
|-
|''The Seventh Seal''
|1956
|NR
|Swedish film about the strength of religion.
|
|-
|''The Seventh Sign''
|1988
|R
|Starring Demi Moore, a fictional account of the return of Jesus to usher in the apocalypse and judge mankind. Catholic-themed movie has Demi Moore offering her life for the souls of others.
|$18,875,011
|-
|''Sexmission''
|1984
|R
|A Polish film about two men, Max and Albert, played by Jerzy Stuhr and Olgierd Łukaszewicz, respectively, submit themselves in 1991 to the first human hibernation experiment. Instead of being awakened a few years later as planned, they wake up in the year 2044, in a post-nuclear world. By then, humans have retreated to underground living facilities, and, as a result of subjection to a specific kind of radiation, all males have died out. Women reproduce through parthenogenesis, living in an oppressive feminist society, where the apparatchiks teach that women suffered under males until males were removed from the world. The totalitarian female society was meant to represent Communism and feminism and the movie was meant to ridicule it.
|
|-
|''Shane''
|1953
|UR
|Western about defending a homesteading family.
|$20,000,000
|-
|''Shattered Glass''
|2003
|PG-13
|Based on the true story of Stephen Glass (Hayden Christensen), a reporter in the late 1990s for the liberal magazine ''The New Republic'', lies and distorts news stories to make them entertaining. He begins by submitting an article about the Conservative Political Action Conference, in which he fabricated stories of drinking and sexual mischief. Then, after he writes a colorful but suspicious story on a superstar web hacker, a group from a small online news site begin to question his journalistic integrity.
|$2,220,008
|-
|''Signs''
|2002
|PG-13
|This sci-fi drama proves that sci-fi and atheism need not be synonymous. The main character (played by Mel Gibson) is a former reverend who has lost his faith in God after the tragic death of his wife in a car accident. He now refuses to have anything to do with God, despite the continued desire to do so from his children. When an alien invasion hits home, he realizes that only God could have saved him and his family from death, and he rediscovers his faith in the end.
|$227 million
|-
|''Silence''
|2016
|R
|Powerful tale of faith, as Jesuits try to promote Christianity in 17th century Japan overcoming the violence and persecution they encounter.
|$7,100,177
|-
|''Sky High''
|2005
|PG
|The main lesson is knowing how to use your abilities to your advantage and that knowing how to use your strengths helps you achieve a goal. “Just because you have powers, that doesn't make you a hero.” Which can also be related to the expression "guns don't kill people, people kill people." Promotes the idea that anyone can be a hero. Shows the triumph of good vs evil. The main villain is a feminist, and her evil plan is to turn all the superheroes into babies, and raise them up to be evil, and loyal to her, (In a way she is playing God). In addition, the main female of the film is shown to contain many liberal beliefs (such as pacifism) but, in the end, gives up her pacifism to fight back and help defeat the villains.
|$63,946,815<ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=skyhigh.htm</ref>
|-
|''Sleeping Beauty''
|1959
|G
|Paints evil in a very serious light in the form of Maleficent, and also showcases loyalty to family and duty in a positive light, as despite Aurora wanting to meet with the man she met in the woods, she ultimately honored her stepfamily in being returned to her birth family. Is also inherently anti-feminist in its messaging and for traditional marriage. It is also pro-family, as King Stefan and Queen Leah ultimately gave up their baby to protect her from the main villain, and the narration explicitly stated that the royal family and the kingdom awaited the day of her 16th birthday to allow her back into their family when the curse seemed to be averted. Unfortunately, it ended up being ruined in 2014 with a revisionist retelling starring the main villain and pushed the exact opposite messages in that film.
|$51.6 million
|-
|''Snitch''
|2013
|PG-13
|A father becomes an informant on helping the police arrest drug dealers, so he can get his son out of prison. Pro-drug war, the villains of the movie are all drug dealers.
|$42,930,462
|-
|''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs''
|1937
|G
|The Disney animated classic that started it all. Walt Disney and his staff of talented filmmakers, animators, and musicians overcame many challenges to create one of the greatest cinematic masterpieces of all time. Solid family entertainment that is a perfect film recommendation for everyone around the world.

In addition, the film is notable as one of the few Disney films to date to feature an openly [[Christian]] princess: Snow White.
|$418,200,000
|-
|''Solomon Kane''
|2009
|R
|A story about a Puritan on his way to redemption.
|$19,385,501
|-
|''The Song of Bernadette''
|1943
|UR
|An affectionate and beautifully filmed biography film on the life of Bernadette Soubirous. Illustrates the power and essence of faith, hope, charity, and forgiveness. Winner of four Academy Awards, including Best Actress in a Leading Role (Jennifer Jones).
|$7,000,000
|-
|''Soul Surfer''
|2011
|PG
|The true story of champion surfer 13-year-old Bethany Hamilton, who loses her arm in a shark attack. Her Christian faith helps her overcome her handicap to surf once again.
|$43,853,424
|-
|''[[The Sound of Music]]''
|1965
|UR
|Solid family entertainment about Austria's von Trapp family before World War II.
|$158,671,368
|-
|''[[Spider-Man (film)|Spider-Man]]''
|2002
|PG-13
|Praises moral virtue (hard-working teenager, devout aunt, and well-meaning uncle) and pokes fun at [[liberals]] (entertainers and journalists, particularly ''Daily Bugle'' publisher J. Jonah Jameson, who goes out of his way to unfairly smear and slander Spider-Man and foolishly question his heroic deeds). Hero chooses [[abstinence]]. This was one of the most profitable films ever made and had two sequels.
|$403,706,375
|-
|''The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie''
|2004
|PG
|Exposes the evils of lying, stealing, and cheating for your personal gain and at the expense of others. SpongeBob SquarePants and Patrick Star show great courage and dedication in order to retrieve King Neptune's crown and bring it back in order to save Mr. Krabs. They also save everyone else in Bikini Bottom who is put under a trance by Plankton. There are even some brief anti-feminist and anti-environmentalist messages. It is based on a TV show where episodes can have either a conservative agenda, liberal agenda, or even be politically neutral. However, this film is very good and conservative!
|$85,417,988
|-
|''Straw Dogs''
|1971
|R
|Liberal mathematician David Sumner moves to Cornwall, England with his wife to study stellar phenomena. While there, vicious criminals constantly harass him and his wife. The criminals do inhuman things such as kill his cat and rape his wife, leaving Sumner to abandon his liberal beliefs and pacifism and defend his life and all he holds dear.
|
|-
|''Strategic Air Command''
|1955
|UR
|Actor (and Brigadier [[General]]) [[James Stewart]]'s story of the real [[Strategic Air Command]] and its transition from prop planes to jet planes.
|Unknown
|-
|''Suicide Squad''
|2016
|PG-13
|Various super villains are given a second chance to fight for the greater good. Surprisingly, the film glorifies some conservative values. The villain's a [[Pagan]] goddess named Enchantress ( a rare film where liberal Hollywood actually portrays a Pagan as evil instead of the tragic hero nonsense we've seen). Also, even throughout the film is about supervillains, many of them regret their lives of crime, such as one of the characters Deadshot abandons his opportunity to kill Batman on his daughter's behalf and another character El Diablo who used his superpower for evil ends up accidentally killing his family, which has haunted him. Moreover, in a dream sequence villain Harley Quinn shows her deepest desires which is being a housewife (points for having the guts for showing a female character not wanting to be part of the feminist agenda, especially in this day and age, even if it not surprisingly infuriated liberal critics<ref>http://www.avclub.com/article/margot-robbie-deserves-better-suicide-squads-sexis-240618</ref>). More interesting enough the director David Ayer is a Christian<ref>http://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/shia-labeouf/#page2</ref> who was once in the Navy.<ref>https://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/oct/16/david-ayer-something-maternal-about-tank-in-fury-brad-pitt</ref> So it's not surprising he added these values onto his film.
|$325,100,054
|-
|''Sully''
|2016
|PG-13
|Directed by non other than Clint Eastwood, Sully tells the great morality tale on how one should rely on his/her human instincts and personal faith at any time in their lives, especially in this age where others rely more on modern technology.
|$124,643,039
|-
|''Swiss Family Robinson''
|1960
|UR
|After they were shipwrecked on a deserted island, the Robinson family courageously worked together to survive against all odds and transformed the jungle into a habitable, tropical south seas paradise. ''Swiss Family Robinson'' is both a great family film of the highest order and one of the most beloved live-action Disney films ever made.
|$465,977,300
|-
|''Taken''
|2009
|PG-13
|Retired CIA agent and divorced father Bryan Mills risks everything to save his daughter from Albanian sex traffickers. Followed by two sequels in 2012 and 2015 and a television series in 2017.
|$145,000,989
|-
|''Tangled''
|2010
|PG
|In its own strange way, ''Tangled'' stands as a perfect allegory for the Gospel of Christ. Teenage heroine Rapunzel represents humanity, who has grown comfortable in her prison but can’t ignore the light that shines in the darkness. [[Satan|The devil]] is signified by Mother Gothel, who tries to convince Rapunzel to forget the outside world and stay locked away in her tower. Lastly, [[God]] can be found in Rapunzel's real parents, who without fail, continue to shine their light in the hopes of bringing their lost child back home. A TV series sequel to this movie, ''Tangled: The Series'', debuted in 2017.
|$591,794,936
|-
|''[[The Ten Commandments]]''
|1956
|UR
|The definitive film portrayal of [[Exodus]]. Stars Charlton Heston as main character Moses and as the voice of God (the latter role shared with Delos Jewkes), John Carradine as Moses' brother [[Aaron]], Yul Brynner as Egyptian pharaoh and main antagonist [[Ramses II]], Edward G. Robinson as corrupt Hebrew overseer and secondary antagonist Dathan, Yvonne De Carlo as Moses' wife [[Zipporah|Sephora]], Anne Baxter as Moses' original love interest (and later Ramses II's wife) Nefretiri, Nina Foch as Moses' foster mother Bithia, John Derek as Hebrew stonecutter and Moses' right-hand man [[Joshua (Biblical leader)|Joshua]], Debra Paget as Joshua's love interest Lilia, Sir Cedric Hardwicke as Pharaoh Sethi, Judith Anderson as Bithia's servant Memnet, Vincent Price as Sethi's architect Baka, Martha Scott as Moses' biological mother [[Jochebed|Yochebel]] and Olive Deering as Moses' sister [[Miriam]].
|$65,500,000
|-
|''Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo''
|1944
|UR
|Pro-American film released after the wake of [[Pearl Harbor]] that portrays brave fighter pilots fighting the Japanese in WWII.
|$6,247,000
|-
|''The Toy''
|1982
|PG
|This pro-family movie is about a little rich boy, who is sad and lonely because his family lacks any real family values. He buys a man as a toy when really he wants a friend, where he learns “If you want a friend, you don’t buy a friend. You earn a friend. You know, with love and trust.” In the end, the boy’s father shows he really loves his son and tries to reconnect more with him, by rebuilding more family values. Also part of the reason their father-son relationship was so messed up was because he was divorced and also was being tricked into working for the [[KKK]], which is shown in negative light.
|$47,118,057<ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=toy.htm</ref>
|-
|''The Tree of Life''
|2011
|PG-13
|An adaptation of the Book of Job set in 1950s Texas with a narrative structure based on the nature of human memory which many viewers will find confusing.
|$13,303,319
|-
|''True Grit''
|1969
|NR
|Western film that deals with trying to bring justice against a murderer, and promotes courage in the face of danger as well as perserverence. Was also notable as being one of the few films during that time that still dealt with the concept of a classical hero, whether in westerns or other genres, in an era where Hollywood was being taken over by the radical left and including as a fad anti-heroes, and inspired Russ Dvonch to be a filmmaker.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20090430053837/http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/rdvonch/2009/04/28/heroic-hollywood-american-exceptionalism-and-the-hollywood-hero/</ref>
|$48 million
|-
|''True Lies''
|1994
|R
|Stars the future Republican governor of California, [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]]. Teaches conservative values like marital loyalty, and politically incorrect facts such as the fact that most terrorists are Middle Eastern Islamic radicals who don't value human life.
|$146,261,000
|-
|''The Tunnel'' (''Der Tunnel'')
|2001
|
|Based on a true story a group of East Berliners escaping harsh Communist rule and hatch a plan to help others escape that same oppressive regime.
|$10,890
|-
|''Twelve O'Clock High''
|1949
|UR
|A thrilling movie about the heroics of fighter pilots during [[World War II]]; used as an educational film for management training seminars.
|$3,225,000
|-
|''Twins''
|1988
|PG
|Pro-family film about fraternal twins who are separated at birth, and try to reunite with each other and find their mother. In addition contains the many morals, including the importance of doing what right over getting what wants. In addition one of the twins was initially a small-town crook and learns the error of his ways.
|$111,938,388
|-
|''Unbroken
|2014
|PG-13
|Tells the story of how WWII hero and Olympic runner Louis Zamperini overcame the Japanese while in one of their prison camps.
|$115,637,895
|-
|''[[Uncle Buck]]''
|1989
|PG-13
|A slovenly bachelor babysits his rebellious teenage niece and her younger brother and sister, and they learn the true importance of family. The villain of the movie is a teenager who is only interested in his girlfriend for sexual purposes.
|$66,758,538<ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=unclebuck.htm</ref>
|-
|''Voiceless''
|2015
|PG-13
|War veteran and minister Jesse Dean stands up against [[Planned Parenthood]] when an abortion clinic moves across the street from his Church.
|$418,940
|-
|''The War of the Vendee''
|2012
|N/A
|As indicated by the title, it depicts the events of the [[Vendée rebellion]] in a manner more suitable for children by having the cast of the films be exclusively composed of children. Although family friendly overall, it pulls no punches in showcasing the horrors of the French Revolution as well as the anti-Christian ideology behind it, including two of the key characters giving a full list of the various atrocities indulged by the French Revolution, including but not limited to the raiding of the Bastille, the September Massacres, and the unlawful execution of King Louis XVI, as well as heavily implying Satan's role in the revolution by frequently showing at various points, especially in scenes with Robespierre, a black hooded figure.
|N/A
|-
|''War Room''
|2015
|PG
|Pro-Christian film where a woman turns to Christ to help fix her marriage. Film was one of the biggest box office surprises, even with biased reviews.<ref>https://kendrickbrothers.com/news/war-room-coming-theaters-august-28</ref>
|$67,790,117
|-
|''Wanted: Dead or Alive''
|1987
|R
|A modernization of the 1958-61 Western TV series with Steve McQueen (see also ''[[Greatest Conservative TV Shows]]''), where the outlaws are replaced with Islamic terrorists (the film also does a good job of not being politically correct on the subject of Islamic fundamentalism). Stars Rutger Hauer as CIA agent-turned-bounty hunter Nick Randall, the descendant of McQueen's TV character Josh Randall.
|$7,555,000
|-
|''We Were Soldiers''
|2002
|R
|Pro-war story film based on the soldiers and families fighting in [[Vietnam War|Vietnam]].
|$114,660,784
|-
|''The Wicker Man''
|2006
|PG-13
|Shows the dangers of feminism and [[Neo-Paganism]].
|$23,649,127
|-
|''Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory''
|1971
|G
|Showing the importance of having character. Charlie is able to accept the consequences of his actions. He acknowledges his wrongdoing while in the factory, and relinquishes a potential goldmine, from the sale of his everlasting gobstopper to a rival spy, back to Wonka.
The hidden message in this film is one of redemption. It is hidden because it is conveyed through the imagery of the film's final scene. Charlie has made it to the end of his journey. Despite his moral struggles, he finds redemption through his desire to correct his mistake. He is given a reward that is beyond his wildest expectations - he is given the keys to the factory while the Wonkavator crashes through the ceiling up into the sky. The allusion to Heaven and salvation is unmistakable.
|$4 million
|-
|''The Winning Team''
|1952
|UR
|[[Ronald Reagan]] stars as a baseball pitcher who overcomes his problems to help his team win. This was one of Reagan's own favorites.
|Unknown
|-
|''Witness''
|1985
|R
|Highlights the virtues of strong moral values, with more substance than ''High Noon''.
|$65,500,000
|-
|''Won't Back Down''
|2012
|PG-13
|A brilliant movie that criticizes public schools.
|$5,310,554
|-
|''[[World Trade Center]]''
|2006
|PG-13
|Highlights the bravery of NYC's firemen and police in [[9/11]].
|$70,236,496
|-
|''Wreck-It Ralph''
|2012
|PG
|Main lesson of the film is that Ralph, a video game villain who is typecast as the poor and medal-less guy, is encouraged to use his equal opportunities to do better and pursue his own successes. The basis of the American Dream, the goal of overcoming one's present, lowly circumstances to achieve a state of greatness; and shows how trying to achieving this goal by theft, is the wrong way to do it. In addition, the main villain of the movie is a competition-hating villain who has deceitfully hidden his true identity and origin, who has pushed liberal values on the video game he rules in and established what's like a fixed economy where in that video game, only he wins.
|$189,422,889<ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=rebootralph.htm</ref>
|-
|''Zero Dark Thirty''
|2012
|R
|Docudrama about the hunt and [[Abbottabad raid|eventual operation]] that killed [[Osama bin Laden]] on May 1, 2011. The movie generated controversy, due to its depiction of enhanced interrogation techniques, including waterboarding. In addition, the movie put political correctness aside in its depictions of radical Islamic terrorism, showing several of Al-Qaeda's attacks from 2004-2011.
|$132,820,716<ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=binladen.htm</ref>
|-
|''[[Zulu]]''
|1964
|UR
|Courageous, Duty, Patriotism. A defending of Western Civilization.
|
|}

==Documentaries==

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Film
!Year
!Rating
!Comments
!Gross (Domestic)
|-
|''[[2016: Obama's America]]''
|2012
|PG
|Documentary by Conservative author [[Dinesh D'Souza]] explores the disturbing origins of [[Barack Hussein Obama]], including his inherited philosophy with his [[Barack Obama Sr.|drunken father]] and his inspiration from [[Communist]]s [[Frank Marshall Davis]] and [[William Ayers|Bill Ayers]]. Performed very well in the box office, becoming the second most successful political documentary ever.
|$33,349,941
|-
|''America: Imagine the World Without Her''
|2014
|PG-13
|Documentary by Conservative author [[Dinesh D'Souza]]. Shows that left-wing criticisms and versions of United States history are wrong and inaccurate. A very patriotic film that will make one proud of America. Does a good job at dispelling [[Liberal Fables]] about the country and showing that the leftist agenda will destroy America. While not as successful in the box office as ''Obama's America'', it performed very well in theaters.
|$14,444,502<ref>[http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=america2014.htm America (2014)]. ''Box Office Mojo''. Retrieved July 29, 2016.</ref>
|-
|''An Inconsistent Truth''
|2012
|PG
|Documentary made in response to [[Al Gore]]'s ''An Inconvenient Truth'', exposing both how global warming is a hoax and how Al Gore himself was hypocritical about his insistence at our reducing the carbon footprint.
|
|-
|''Blocking the Path to 9/11''
|2008
|NR
|A film by Citizens United. As indicated by the title, it exposes the Democrats' attempt at preventing the airing of the documentary ''The Path to 9/11'', as well as their role in cutting a vital scene that exposed that Bill Clinton had partially been responsible for 9/11 due to failing to give the order to kill Osama bin Ladin when they had the chance. Also takes down the various liberal critiques that occurred.
|N/A
|-
|''The Clinton Chronicles: An Investigation into the Alleged Criminal Activities of Bill Clinton''
|1994
|NR
|Documentary exposing various crimes conducted by then-president Bill Clinton, in particular those that occurred during his time as Governor of Arkansas, including the Mena operation, being a draft dodger who deliberately misled his commanding officer, Whitewater, Arkancide, and his sexual proclivities including at least one instance of rape. Also condemns the media for hiding these facts. Was also attributed to be the turning point for the 1994 Republican Revolution.
|N/A
|-
|''[[Expelled | Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed]]''
|2008
|PG
|[[Ben Stein]] exposes [[evolution]]ists' scientific and education system [[deceit]].
|$7,690,545
|-
|''Fahrenhype 9/11''
|2004
|
|Debunks everything from [[Michael Moore]]'s Schlockumentary ''Fahrenheit 9/11''
|
|-
|''[[The Great Global Warming Swindle]]''
|2007
|UR
|Exposing one of the greatest frauds in the history of science.
|NA - TV
|-
|''The Hidden Rebellion''
|2016
|
|Exposes the French Revolution's destruction of Vendée, as well as the specific connections between the French Revolution and various Communist Revolutions. Also, shows the [[Vendée rebellion|Rebellion at Vendée]] in a positive light.
|
|-
|''Hillary: The Movie''
|2008
|UR
|Citizens United film exposing Hillary Clinton. This movie was the impetus of the lawsuit which overturned the McCain-Feingold legislation by the [[U.S. Supreme Court]] in ''[[Citizens United v. FEC]]''.
|NA - TV
|-
|''Hillary's America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party''
|2016
|PG-13
|[[Dinesh D'Souza]] is back again, this time exposing Hillary and also, as indicated by the title, the dark history of the Democrat Party.
|$13,099,931
|-
|''How Should We Then Live''
|1976
|UR
|By the theologically conservative Christian theologian [[Francis Schaeffer]]. Christian film that traces Western history from Ancient Rome until 1976. A study of philosophic, scientific, and religious movements reflecting changing patterns.
|NA - TV
|-
|''I Want Your Money''
|2010
|PG
|Documentary film which supports the triumph of [[Reagan]]-economics over [[Obamanomics]].
|$433,588
|-
|''Indoctrinate U''
|2007
|UR
|Exposed political correctness, racial and ethnic politics in the academic setting.<ref>[http://video.yahoo.com/watch/3624795/9994231 Indoctrinate U -Part 1/3, Yahoo]</ref>
|Unknown
|-
|''Inside North Korea''
|2006
|NR
|Although made by liberal [[Lisa Ling]] and aired on the liberal [[National Geographic]] channel, the documentary nonetheless exposes the truly horrific nature of North Korea and its leaders, as well as showcases the high risks anyone in North Korea were willing to take to escape from it via the DMZ at the border.
|N/A (Made for TV movie)
|-
|''[[Is Genesis History?]]''
|2016
|NR
|Documentary film that showcases how the [[Young Earth]] view of creation is more feasible than the [[Old Earth]] view, and also exposes [[Evolutionism]] as being unfeasible with reasoned arguments. The narrator, Del Tackett, interviews thirteen [[creation scientists]] with Ph.Ds who provide very strong evidence for a young Earth in affirmation of the biblical creation account. Was originally released in theaters for one day, but so successful that it was shown two more nights.
|
|-
|''Kids Aren't Cars''
|2011
|UR
|How the teachers' unions are destroying our public schools.<ref>[http://www.kidsarentcars.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/KACOneSheet.pdf KAC Summary]</ref>
|Unknown
|-
|''[[Maafa21]]''
|2009
|UR
|This film explores the inception of [[Planned Parenthood]] as an organization created to exterminate African-Americans. It exposes the words of its racist founder [[Margaret Sanger]] and their impact on black genocide more than a century later.<ref>[http://www.maafa21.com www.maafa21.com]</ref>
|NA - DVD
|-
|"MARGARET THATCHER - Death of a Revolutionary"
|2013
|
|Shows how Thatcher's economic liberalism helped Britain turn from the sick man of Europe and the only socialist country outside of the [[Iron Curtain]] to one of Europe's best economies. It tells us contrary to popular belief (which is mostly likely lies spread by socialists, liberals and fake "conservatives"), the working classes actually liked her more than the upper classes.
|N/A
|-
|''Michael Moore Hates America''
|2004
|R
|Criticizes Michael Moores Anti-American positions, and shows how he hates this country.
|N/A
|-
|''Monumental: In Search of America's National Treasure''
|2012
|N/A
|Hollywood conservative Kirk Cameron talks about the evils of dictators and viewers can learn a lot about U.S. history.
|$500,000
|-
|''The Obama Deception: The Mask Comes Off''
|2009
|
|Exposes Obama, the film was directed by paleoconservative [[Alex Jones]]
|
|-
|''Occupy Unmasked''
|2012
|Not rated
|Documentary about the [[Occupy Wall Street]] movement.
|
|-
|''[[The Soviet Story]]''
|2008
|
|Documentary about the crimes of [[Communism]] and the [[Soviet Union]].
|Unknown
|-
|''Waiting for Superman''
|2010
|PG
|Documentary on the U.S.' failed public school system.
|$6,410,257
|}

== Debatable Whether Conservative ==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Film
!Year
!Rating
!Comments
!Gross (Domestic)
|-
|''21 Jump Street''
|2011
|R
|Two police officers try to take down a drug ring in high school where the villains are environmentalists and drug dealers. But contains many sexual references, full profanity, and many religious insults. A parodic comedy remake of the 1987–91 [[Fox Network]] police drama of the same name.
|$201,585,328
|-
|''Accepted''
|2006
|PG-13
|It criticizes the [[Department of Education]] (or colleges and universities in general) and our protagonist lives the America dream by starting his own college, but then the juvenile humor, gross-out humor and drug abuse steps in.
|$36,323,505
|-
|''Aeon Flux''
|2005
|PG-13
|Anti-cloning film, but also pro-feminism as well.
|$25,874,337
|-
|''Alpha and Omega''
|2010
|PG
|An animated film about wolves that has a message about standing up for what you believe in, especially since one wolf leader with a dictatorial agenda. It also promotes friendship and family values. However, its stances on multiculturalism and environmentalism seem to be rather mixed to positive.
|$25,107,267
|-
|''Antz''
|1998
|PG
|It's produced by [[Jeffrey Katzenberg]] (and was rather notorious for being plagiarized from the then-in-development Pixar film ''A Bug's Life''), downplays the military, and possesses an implicit promotion of Communism via the main character, but also has an Anti-Eugenics message too.
|$90,757,863
|-
|''Army of Darkness''
|1993
|R
|Despite its unrealistic depictions of demons, it's a pretty gun-centric pro-Second Amendment film.
|$11,502,976
|-
|''Back to the Future''
|1985
|PG
|Contains some conservative messages such as the triumph of chivalry as well as the negative effects of deviancy and drug/alcohol addiction, although the film also promotes negative values including premarital sexual activity and disregard for chastity. Included two sequels in 1989 and 1990.
|$210,609,762
|-
|''Beauty and the Beast''
|1991
|G
|A young woman overcomes a shallow society and finds true love. Although by comparison a powerful and immensely popular antidote to [[feminism]] to the [[liberal]] movies churned out by [[Disney]] since, as well as overall promoting redemption (as seen with the Beast's transformation), and also promoting some family values (such as Belle being loyal to her father), there were a few hints at feminist propaganda at the beginning of the film, such as Belle being different from the villagers because she can read, which is implied to not be supported by the villagers at all (feminist propaganda often falsely claims that women couldn't get an education until the 1960s), as well as Belle being unwilling to hold the role of housewife for Gaston or raising children, and later her blaming the titular Beast for her fleeing the castle despite most of the events leading up to and after that event being largely her fault (specifically, her deliberate disobedience towards Beast and the servants by going into the West Wing as soon as she found out where it was located) and the story framing that as being a good thing she did. On a related note, a scene that had Belle baking a cake for her father when he got home ended up cut at the order of Linda Woolverton, with her reason specifically being because "a liberated woman [like Belle] wouldn't know how to bake," essentially implying that baking would have been the activity of non-liberated women, a typical statement by feminists.<ref>https://www.mouseplanet.com/8500/Linda_Woolverton_and_Belle</ref><ref>https://www.yahoo.com/news/belle-beauty-beast-became-disneys-155053182.html</ref> In addition, the opening song and the reprise has Belle having a similar "smarter-than-thou" personality that is all too common among liberals, having her refer to the villagers derogatorily as "little people" in the beginning of the opening song, repeatedly stressing the "provincial" elements of the village when expressing her desire to leave the village, complaining about Gaston due to considering him "boorish and brainless" shortly after his failed proposal, and also dismissing the villagers as "they" when mentioning her goals ("I want so much more than ''they've'' got planned"). Then-Disney Chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg also mentioned that he wanted "a feminist twist" on the original fairy tale by creating a heroine who is "a departure from typical Disney female characters",<ref>http://articles.mcall.com/1991-11-22/features/2825583_1_beast-s-castle-fairy-tale-madame-gabrielle</ref> and the feminist writer [[Linda Woolverton]] made clear that she made Belle a feminist and based her on the women's liberation movement from the 1970s in order to avoid creating another insipid princess.<ref name="Beauty and Maleficent">{{Cite web|url = http://time.com/2798136/maleficent-beauty-beast-writer/|title = The Same Woman Wrote Maleficent and Beauty and the Beast—Here’s How They’re Linked|date = May 30, 2014|accessdate = January 16, 2014|website = Time|publisher = |last = Rothman|first = Lily}}</ref><ref>http://www.ew.com/article/2016/05/26/linda-woolverton-alice-belle-disney-heroines?xid=entertainment-weekly_socialflow_twitter</ref> Gaston is a conservative and hardworking hunter who is considered by the villagers to be their town hero, but is shown to be the main villain of the movie (it should also be noted that in the original screenplay for the film, Gaston was intended to be a Marquess [French nobleman], meaning the decision to make him a conservative and hardworking hunter was made after a rewrite). In addition, although not to the same degree as other Disney films that came after it, the film also has a slight anti-Christian bent, as the villagers (strongly implied by various verses in the opening song and the mob song, as well as a failed wedding, to be practicing and devout Christians) were later briefly seen supporting a plan that went against God's teachings, as well as overall depicted as being idiots, while Belle, the character framed as an intellectual and a moral figure, is not even seen or even implied to believe in God at all. In addition, Belle's love for Beast (where it is implied that she was largely unaware of the Beast being formerly a human prince) could be seen as promoting bestiality. Also, it is the first Disney movie to neither show nor hint at the two love interests getting married, and in fact, the only "wedding" in the film was the one Belle ruined, creating negative implications about marriage as a result, as well as starting a string of movies that don't paint marriage in a positive light. Similarly, the only three females in the film who are implicitly supportive of marriage and Christianity are demeaned, depicted as dumb blondes with the script and credits explicitly referring to them derogatorily as "the bimbettes." There was also a slight anti-hunting and anti-second amendment sentiment in the film, due to the main villain, as aforementioned, explicitly being labelled as a hunter, as well as Gaston's villainous nature being first highlighted in his debut scene where he shot a duck out of the sky. There were also several overtones of a pro-homosexual agenda within the film, including the mob song late into the film, largely because of the executive producer, Howard Ashman, being gay and dying from AIDs at the time the film was made. Similarly, during the battle in the castle, there was a brief instance of transgenderism that was treated as a joke where the wardrobe proceeded to dress one of the male villagers in a Hawaiian outfit. One of the protagonistic characters, Lumiere, is briefly seen making out with a featherduster and was implied that the two weren't married, with some hints at Lumiere being an unrepentant womanizer (with the implication being further increased in the Special Edition-exclusive song "Human Again" where Lumiere mentioned he had a "mademoiselle in each arm", would be "courting again, chic and sporting again", and Mrs. Potts interjecting "Which should cause several husbands alarm." with Lumiere laughing at this, heavily implying that Lumiere was an adulterer to married women). In addition, Maurice is depicted as slightly addled and eccentric, as well as being naïve (such as thinking Gaston was a good match for Belle despite the story making clear he wasn't), and while he does try to go out of his way to save Belle in the midway point of the film, he ultimately needs saving twice and is unable to save Belle at all, which makes it debatable as to just how pro-family the narrative actually was. In addition, some elements of the film were later reused in the [[Essay:Worst Liberal Movies#Social|definitely liberal]] ''Maleficent'' movie.<ref name="Beauty and Maleficent" />
|$$218,967,620
|-
|''Beauty and the Beast'' (2017 remake)
|2017
|PG
|On the one hand, the 2017 film version of ''Beauty and the Beast'' is the latest in the film trend of needlessly and shamelessly remaking animated films or children's stories for the sake of earning quick revenue in the dying Hollywood studio system. Liberals also seized the opportunity with the remake to exploit diversity within the ''Beauty and the Beast'' universe. The final result of the diversity inclusion is that it feels self-congratulatory in the sense of putting it in for the sake of having it, rather than having it be just a part of the story and the film. One notable example is the filmmakers' decision to make LeFou, Gaston's diminutive and bumbling sidekick, a homosexual who is conflicted with his feelings for Gaston. At the end of the film, LeFou is shown taking a romantic interest in a musketeer who is now a transgender woman after being transformed into one during Gaston's siege of the Beast's castle (who, unlike the original film, actually enjoys it). Not only is it an atrocious artistic decision of the filmmakers to needlessly incorporate diversity simply for the sake of it, but the 2017 film version of ''Beauty and the Beast'' also serves as an example that liberals can legitimately shoehorn the [[homosexual agenda]] into Disney films. Adding salt to the wound, the filmmakers also further changed history to suit their feminist agenda, similar to previous Disney films like ''Mulan'' (1998), ''Pocahontas'' (1995) and ''The Princess and the Frog'' (2009) (most infamously, the villagers are shown to be explicitly intolerant of Belle learning how to read and teaching girls to do the same, smashing her washing machine in the process, despite the fact that the namesake for the village in this film, Mdm. Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, the original author for the fairy tale, was herself a woman). The 2017 film version of ''Beauty and the Beast'' is now even more of a feminist propaganda film than the 1991 animated film version ever was. There were also hints at an anti-war message due to Gaston being turned into a war veteran.

All of that, along with the other shortcomings of the film, reinforces the statement that most of Hollywood is currently out of ideas for motion pictures. It also re-establishes the fact that Disney would, at times, forsake genuine family entertainment in favor of blatant liberal propaganda.

On the other hand, there were also several surprisingly Conservative messages in the film, significantly more than in the 1991 version. Namely, Christianity is treated in a far more positive light in this film than in the 1991 version as one of the few friends Belle has in this version is the village Chaplain named Pere Robert who is shown to be sympathetic to her bibliophilic nature and also attempts to prevent Maurice from being sent to the Asylum, and later is shown to be horrified at the formation of the mob against the Beast (it is to be noted that in the original 1991 film, the character in question was merely a bookseller, not a priest, and most of the villagers, implied to be devout Christians, were demonized in the film), which was also surprisingly accurate to history despite the aforementioned changing of history in the film (in real history, Christianity, especially the Catholic Church, actively encouraged literacy, writing, and arithmetic among both genders, with girls being taught in convents or at the home.). In addition, Maurice actually is shown to be more proactive in this film, such as directly refusing Gaston's attempt at marrying Belle and even attempting to expose Gaston as an attempted murderer and psychopath, and also plays a direct role in saving Belle and himself from the paddywagon after she exposes Beast to the villagers (in the original film, although he does set out to try and find Belle and save her after trying to get the villagers to help failed, he ultimately required saving by her due to catching an illness during his trek, and ultimately needed saving alongside Belle via Chip). In addition, Lumiere as well as the featherduster (named Plumette in this version) are shown to be an actual loving couple (in the original film, it is heavily implied that Lumiere was a frequent womanizer and that the featherduster was also sexually loose), and the remake also doesn't demonize traditional marriage nearly as much as in the 1991 version (notably, the remake cut out Gaston's wedding proposal as well as Belle shoving Gaston into mud in front of attendees). The forgiveness and redemption theme was also significantly more emphasized in the remake, due to Beast ultimately forgiving Maurice after learning why he had tried to steal the rose and even allowing Belle to save Maurice specifically to make up for his past behavior, with Maurice also forgiving Beast upon Belle showing him the baby rattle (originally, Maurice was a bit more hesitant to forgive the Beast). It is also shown to be significantly more pro-family as well, as not only is Belle shown to be loyal to her father like in the 1991 original, but as noted above, Maurice himself took measures to protect Belle and notably agreed with Belle that Gaston would not have worked out for her (originally, Maurice also thought Gaston was alright for her), and he also was shown to be very protective of Belle after his wife had died from the plague, with Belle's mom specifically sacrificing herself by telling them to leave her behind to allow Belle a healthy life. In addition, the triplets (renamed to "Village Lasses") in the remake were depicted as having haughtiness, arrogance, being jealous of Belle, as well as overall being nasty people, including briefly smirking at Belle when she was locked up in the paddywagon as well as being actively involved in the arrest of Maurice as well as the later attack on Beast's castle (in the original film, the triplets were not shown to have any negative behavior to them besides their crushing on Gaston [not participating in the later arrest of Maurice, let alone the attack on Beast's castle shortly afterward during the climax, and also implying at one point that they were willing to give their blessing to Gaston marrying Belle when Belle refused him in the beginning of the film, and while they were present during the final lyrics for the Gaston reprise where Gaston explicitly divulged key details for his blackmail plan, the way it was framed could easily be interpreted as the triplets genuinely not knowing about the plan due to their absence from Maurice's arrival up to the scene where Gaston whispers the plan to LeFou.], and it is also heavily implied that they supported traditional marriage and were demeaned in the film by being referred to in the script as The Bimbettes and treated as dumb blondes for this reason). In addition, according to the film's director Bill Condon as well as one of the triplets' actresses, Rafaelle Cohen, the reason the triplets were intensely jealous and spiteful of Belle was because their mother neglected them while doting on Belle, showcasing the dangers of parental neglect. In addition, at least regarding Maurice, the villagers' actions to him were toned down, where their arresting him was simply due to their being tricked by Gaston into thinking he was a dangerous madman and not out of malicious intent (in the original film, it is heavily implied via the Gaston reprise that most, if not all of the villagers were in fact fully aware that Gaston knew, as did themselves, that Maurice was not actually dangerous and that Gaston was having him arrested specifically to blackmail Belle into marrying him and gave full support to the plan.).
|$1.248 billion
|-
|''Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas''
|1998
|G
|Paints Christmas in a positive light, and has Beast learning the meaning behind it, as well as putting aside the past relating to it being the reason he was cursed. Also significantly tones down the more feminist messaging from the original film. However, the manner in which Christmas was depicted was closer to the secular view of Christmas than the actual intended meaning of the holiday being a celebration of Jesus Christ's birth.
|N/A (Direct to video movie)
|-
|''The Bee Movie''
|2007
|PG
|Its debatable whether or not its environmentalist or against it. It does show the destructiveness of environmentalism (i.e. butting into nature's problems in the name of helping her). The anti-human sentiments in the movie turned out to be wrong, however, the humans are taking the honey made by the bees, similar to the welfare program of taking from those who worked for it. Others believe the movie promotes [[bestiality]], and is just disguised as a family movie.
|$287,600,000
|-
|''Beowulf''
|2007
|PG-13
|Based on the epic poem of the same name from the Middle Ages, it portrays Christianity in a positive light (as evidenced with the character of Unferth, who wasn't that in the original tale), and the hero, Beowulf, does what he believes is right. However, a significant portion of the film has Beowulf doing anti-Christian things, including mating with Grendel's mother over killing her (a stark contrast with the original tale where he does in fact kill her), and also implies that the dragon that ultimately killed him in the original tale was the result of his sleeping with her (when originally, the dragon had no relation at all to Grendel, his mom, or Beowulf). In addition, it also depicted Hrothgar as a drunken womanizer.
|$82,280,579
|-
|''The Birth of a Nation''
|2016
|
|A drama film about Nat Turner, an enslaved man who led a slave rebellion in Southampton County, Virginia. The film focuses on Turner's life as a slave but also a Christian. There are many scenes where he preaches to his fellow slaves in different plantations, even conduct Baptist services, at the same time, he exposes to the crimes related to slavery, which eventually force him to rebel. The film likewise was also deliberately named after D.W. Griffith's film of the same name in a form of irony due to it pushing the opposite message. However, there is a line at the end of the movie downplaying the deaths of the white slave owners compared to the black slaves, something done by the Hollywood elites and unfortunate because all people are equally valuable.
|
|-
|''The Campaign''
|2012
|R
|Political comedy depicts the Democrat candidate (Will Ferrell) as an obnoxious, drunken womanizer and satire of [[John Edwards]], although the Republican candidate (Zach Galifianakis) is portrayed just as negatively as a corrupt capitalist.
|$33,165,738
|-
|''Chicken Run''
|2000
|G
|Produced by [[Jeffrey Katzenberg]], this vegan propaganda film compares a chicken farm to the [[Holocaust]].<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynn_A73hcfs</ref> The main villain of the movie is a capitalist who wants to make chicken pies. On other hand the main villain of the movie is a feminist as well as she called her husband's ancestors "poor worthless nothings"
|$106,834,564
|-
|''The Crow''
|1994
|R
|The tagline claims that our hero is an angel, but he doesn't display any Christian values. However, there is an anti-drug scene were Eric Draven (the hero) makes a drug addict mother realize that her daughter needs her & gets her off drugs. On top of that the film's villains are nihilist anarchists. The film is notable for being Brandon Lee's last film, as an accident on the set killed him during production.
|$50,693,129
|-
|''Ed Wood''
|1994
|R
|Although it does glorify cross-dressing and the [[homosexual agenda]]. It still is pro-capitalism and the film also glorifies the American dream. As despite the obstacles Wood faces, he still continues doing what he loves in making movies.
|$5,887,457
|-
|''Edward Scissorhands''
|1990
|PG-13
|Endorsed by the Christian website ChristianAnswers.net with a 4 out of 5 star rating. Conversely however, a prominently featured Christian character - the only character in the movie ever identified as Christian - is portrayed as fanatical and bigoted against people with scissors for hands.
|$56,362,352
|-
|''Falling Down''
|1993
|R
|Film takes jabs at many [[liberal values]], [[illegal immigration]], union workers, multiculturalism, (one scene were Bill tells his ex-wife that the ice cream shop him and his family used to go to is now a Mexican store) and foreign aid (in one scene Bill asks an illegal Korean immigrate a rhetorical question on how much America has given his country and yells at him after he refuses to learn the language).<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4tC4qfv92Q</ref> It's also one of the very few films to be truthful in the "Nazis were right wingers" myth perpetrated by liberals, in which Bill informs a Neo-Nazi that he's an American and the Nazi is a sick a-hole. As well as many shots where the America flag is trashed upon (which could symbolize how liberalism has trashed everything America has stood for).<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=piPzExBdfIg</ref> But at the same time it also takes jabs at capitalism, where Bill believes he's no longer commercially valuable. And although the plot is about man trying to reach his daughter's birthday party, the film seems to toy with its audience in suggesting whether he's mentally ill or not, as opposed to a pro-family message.
|$40,903,593
|-
|''[[Fargo]]''
|1996
|R
|Pregnant sheriff with traditional American family values solves an elaborate criminal embezzlement, kidnapping and murder scheme.
|$24,611,975
|-
|''Full Metal Jacket''
|1987
|R
|Although including a scene that seemed more catered to the anti-War ideology featuring a door gunner slaughtering civilians during the Vietnam War with obvious glee, the boot camp sequence was nonetheless shown in a realistic and to some extent inspiring light, with Vietnam Veterans also frequently stating that the Gunnery Sergeant's advice saved them during Vietnam, and also features a female Vietcong soldier who is not shown in a positive light at all.
|$46.4 million (North America)
|-
|''Ghost''
|1990
|PG-13
|The [[Bible]] claims ghosts don't exist. Still this film toys with idea that they do, also it has liberal actress Whoopi Goldberg as a psychic medium. Nevertheless, the film does show Christian values, as ghost Sam Wheat tries to uncover a bank fraud case, when he does convinces Goldberg to give the money to a Christian charity. It also has an anti-infidelity message, as despite being widowed, Sam's wife Molly still refuses to be with anyone else, even when his false friend Carl tries to hit on her. Also it isn't PC on [[Eternal damnation|damnation]], as the villains are seen being cared away helplessly by evil spirits after they die.
|$217,631,306
|-
|''Good Kill''
|2014
|R
|Ethan Hawke plays a man who questions the ethics of his job as a drone pilot, while it is taking a jab at the [[Barack Obama]] regime (Obama has droned more people in the Middle East than George W. Bush, most of whom were innocent bystanders and the left has ignored it or claimed it was a "Fox News conspiracy"). It could also be against the War on Terror too.
|$316,472
|-
|''[[Grease]]''
|1978
|PG
|Some [[conservative]] messages and no [[feminism]] or other [[political correctness]]; mocks [[public school]] and even [[television]] during the 1950s. Followed in 1982 by a much panned sequel (''[[Grease 2]]'').
|$153,113,000
|-
|''Grave of the Fireflies''
|1988
|UR
|While the film has been labeled anti-war, the director Isao Takahata stated the actual meaning was about growing up. The film's message is still debatable to this day.
|
|-
|''Hacksaw Ridge''
|2016
|R
|It tells the story of how World War II hero, Desmond Doss became a combat medic hero. However, its stances on gun rights is rather mixed to negative.
|$67,209,615
|-
|''Halloween III: Season of the Witch''
|1982
|R
|Unlike the two films before it (which has mass murder Michael Myers) this film's villain is a pagan who plans on sacrificing children via witchcraft to bring back the original celebration of Halloween. However he does this by selling masks to them which many critics pointed out may have been an anti-capitalism message.<ref>http://www.nytimes.com/1982/10/22/movies/haloween-iii-plotting-a-joke.html</ref> The film's "hero" is also an adulterer.
|$14,400,000
|-
|''Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters''
|2013
|R
|Western fairy tale characters Hansel and Gretel are now adults and have their own private bounty hunting organization in hunting witches. Portrays witchcraft in a negative manner, and guns in good light. But the gore, graphic violence and brief nudity is rather unnecessary.
|$55,703,475
|-
|''High Noon''
|1952
|UR
|A favorite of both Presidents [[Dwight Eisenhower]] and [[Bill Clinton]]; [[John Wayne]] said it was "the most un-American thing I've ever seen in my whole life";<ref>http://www.brightlightsfilm.com/47/highnoon.php</ref> though susceptible of various interpretations, most of all it seems to scare people into wanting more government.
|$3,750,000
|-
|''Hoot''
|2006
|PG
|A movie about a bunch of kids who stand up to a CEO company that is trying to put one of its restaurants on a burrowing owl habitat. However the movie contains many morals, and promoting friendship. It does give kids the great inspiration to stand up for what they believe is right.
|$8,117,637
|-
|''Horrible Bosses 2''
|2014
|R
|Sequel to the Worst Liberal Film ''Horrible Bosses''. Though this film could be argued to actually support the American Dream and capitalism, which its processor clearly did not.
|$54,445,357
|-
|''[[The Hunger Games]]''
|2012
|PG-13
|Futuristic totalitarians plan titular annual televised "games" as punishment on the descendants of failed revolutionaries from a past uprising. Although technically a message against totalitarianism and for individualism, Leftist actor Donald Sutherland, who played President Snow, implied that the struggles of the films' protagonists were supposed to be derived from the Occupy Wall Street movement, and the book's author also indicated that the events of the book were based on the George W. Bush administration.
|$406,267,858
|-
|''I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry''
|2007
|PG-13
|Portrayals an inside joke of [[same-sex marriage|same-sex "marriage"]] by having [[Adam Sandler]] and Kevin James pretend to be a homosexual couple in order to receive benefits. The villains of the movies are government ranking officials out to prove with they are really homosexual. However contains some scenes of girls in lingerie and Adam Sandler checking out some girls. The film took place prior to the 2011 enactment of the Marriage Equality Act, which claimed to "legalize" "marriage" for same-sex couples in the state. At the time the film was released, the state allowed for residents to file for unregistered cohabitation rights, and various municipal and county governments had offered domestic partnership registries.
|$120,059,556
|-
|''Independence Day''
|1996
|PG-13
|Although made by liberal director Roland Emmerich with the intention of getting then-President [[Bill Clinton]] re-elected into office as well as having a few liberal values (such as Marty Gilbert, David Levinson's boss, being implied to be homosexual and the fact that Jasmine Dubrow's an unrepentant stripper), it nonetheless manages to push patriotism for America and, due to an ad-lib by actor Bill Pullman, manages to have him bring context of honoring the American holiday Independence Day during President Whitmore's rousing speech before fighting off the alien invaders in a climactic battle. It also has some condemnation towards divorce, as evidenced by David Levinson and Constance Spano's divorce is treated in a negative light, and also is pro-family due to Russell Casse sacrificing himself during battle to save his family.
|$817.4 million
|-
|''Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull''
|2008
|PG-13
|Although the film does depict the Communists as bad guys (to such an extent that the Russian Communist Party in Moscow was angered by the decision), and implies that Indiana Jones is a Republican or at the very least an [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]] fan, the film also depicts McCarthyism in a negative light, with one character implying that the American Government was simply being paranoid, as well as overall downplaying the true scope of the Soviet menace by having the same character denying there being a sizeable Communist infiltration in America, and also seems to promote paganism in the form of the Crystal Skull.
|$786.6 million
|-
|''The Iron Lady''
|2011
|PG-13
|The British biopic of [[Conservative Party]] leader and 1979-90 [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|British Prime Minister]], Margaret Thatcher, showing the effects of conservative economic policy on Britain, helping to lift the country out of its recession. However, it also showed Margaret Thatcher in a somewhat negative light, depicting her during her late years as becoming slightly addled.
|$80,554,188 (international including UK), $27,081,674 (US - domestic)
|-
|''[[It's a Wonderful Life]]''
|1946
|UR
|Falsely teaches that humanism is what makes life worthwhile; marginalizes [[faith]] with a cartoonish depiction and demonizes capitalism as sadistic and greedy.
|$3,300,000
|-
|''Jaws''
|1975
|PG
|Anti-environmentalism film, the heroes are police chief Brody, WWII vet Quint and Marine Biologist Hooper who team up to take on a monstrous, man-eating great white shark. However, there is a part where (despite the warning) the Mayor keeps the beaches open for the sake of money, which some may say is an anti-capitalism statement. Notable for being one of the first summer blockbusters. It was followed by three sequels in 1978, 1983 and 1987.
|$260,000,000
|-
|''Juno''
|2007
|PG-13
|A pregnant teenage woman rejects [[abortion]] and decides for an adoptive birth instead. This movie pushes [[feminism]] and marginalizes the essential role of fatherhood.
|$143,492,840
|-
|''Jurassic World''
|2015
|PG-13
|Jurassic Park is now functioning and open for business and the new boss is a woman, an obvious feminist message. Also the military is downgraded as they plan to weaponize dinosaurs. Despite all this feminists weren't impressed and labeled it sexist<ref>http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/06/10/jurassic-world-a-big-dumb-sexist-mess.html</ref> and even liberal critics called the weaponizing dinosaurs plot asinine.<ref>http://thoughtcatalog.com/olos-nah/2015/06/ill-just-say-what-everyone-is-thinking-jurassic-world-is-terrible/</ref>
|$652,270,625
|-
|''Kiki's Delivery Service''
|1989
|G
|The film does show the value of hard work and is pro-capitalism (Kiki owns her own delivery business), but at the same time depicts feminism and witchcraft in a positive light.
|$18 million
|-
|''Kingdom of Heaven'' (director's cut)
|2005
|R
|A story set in the Crusades period about a young knight. While the theatrical version was a pure liberal media, the director's cut promotes fighting, honor, duty, and portrays the noble Knights Hospitallers in a positive light. That being said, the movie still portrays Knights Templars in a negative light.
|$47,398,413
|-
|''Kingsman: The Secret Service''
|2015
|R
|Anti-environmentalist, the villain attempts to eradicate the human race because of his belief in man-made global warming. Though the film is full of language and violence as well as a brief nudity scene. There's also one scene were one of the characters gets into a bloody fight with a group of Christians whom are portrayed as "racists".
|$128,261,724
|-
|''Knocked Up''
|2007
|R
|Unemployed, immature and childish 23-year old Ben Stone (Seth Rogen) has a one-night stand with serious career woman Alison Scott (Katherine Heigl), with the unintended consequence of pregnancy. Alison's mother (Joanna Kerns) says she should get the pregnancy "[[abortion|taken care of]]", while Ben's best friend Jonah (Jonah Hill) suggests that "I won't say the A-word, but it rhymes with abortion." Alison decides to keep the child, while Ben decides to find a real job, grow up, and become a father.
|$148,768,917
|-
|''Labyrinth''
|1986
|PG
|It's debatable if the film is pro-family. While the main story is about a girl who has to rescue her baby brother from the Goblin King, our hero Sarah doesn't really learn the importance or responsibly of being an older sibling.
|$12,729,917
|-
|''The LEGO Movie''
|2014
|PG
|It's anti-large government because it teaches that anyone has the potential to be extraordinary, but it's is also anti-capitalist because the main villain is Lord Business. Ironically, the LEGO company is a champion of capitalism.
|$469.2 million
|-
|''Lincoln''
|2012
|PG-13
|Bio film on conservative icon [[Abraham Lincoln]], played wonderfully by Daniel Day-Lewis. Although overall very positive towards Lincoln and the Republican Party, it nonetheless downplays the role the Democrat Party played in the institution of slavery during the Civil War.
|$182,207,973
|-
|''Lionheart''
|1990
|R
|Pro-family as Jean-Claude Van Damme plays Lyon Gaultier (nicknamed Lionheart) who becomes a street fighter to help pay his sister-in-law's expenses after her husband is killed. During this time he also tries to reconnect with his estranged family. However he gets into the country illegally, which some could point out is a pro-illegal immigration statement.
|$24,078,196
|-
|''The Lorax''
|2012
|PG
|Although it has an environmentalist agenda, it also states that monopolies are wrong.
|$214,030,500
|-
|''Mrs. Doubtfire''
|1993
|PG-13
|Robin Williams plays a father who cross dresses as a nanny with the help of his gay brother (Hollywood trying to shoehorn the [[homosexual agenda]] one might say.) to be with his children. However, on ''Louder with Crowder'' it was one of the films (#1 actually) on TOP 5: Triggering Movies That Couldn’t Be Made Today, due to rampant gender confusion that's been happening recently.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWfSjyGNRPE</ref>
|$219,195,243
|-
|''Munich''
|2005
|R
|Tells the story of the 1972 [[Munich massacre]] and is not politically correct about Islamic terrorism, much to the dismay of liberals. On the other hand, Conservatives have been critical of the film due to it being considered too sympathetic to the terrorist group in question.
|$47,403,685
|-
|''P.C.U.''
|1994
|PG-13
|College students fight back against a campus where the administration promotes official [[diversity]] awareness weekends and radical [[feminism]], [[vegan]]ism, and [[political correctness]] run amok, but a conservative group on campus is also portrayed just as negatively as the P.C. groups.
|$4,350,774
|-
|''[[The Passion of the Christ]]''
|2004
|R
|Downplays the [[Resurrection]]<ref>The original version of the film had no references at all to the Resurrection.</ref> and strength of Christianity and omits powerful angels; instead exaggerates triumph of evil; film had little lasting effect on public or its producer; portrayed nails as through the hands rather than through the wrists as depicted by the [[Shroud of Turin]] and confirmed by modern science.
|$370,782,930
|-
|''The Path to 9/11''
|2006
|NR (TV Documentary)
|Although the film largely pans George W. Bush's efforts during the War on Terror, it does depict the Taliban, al-Qaida, and Osama bin Ladin in a negative light, and there was a scene that appropriately places blame on then-President Bill Clinton for why 9/11 happened when he refused to give the order to kill Osama bin Ladin (a claim that was later vindicated by the CIA). Unfortunately, Clinton-aligned Democrats forced ABC via [[Robert Iger|Bob Iger]] to cut the footage in question via staged negative responses, and a planned DVD release for the Documentary itself was later shelved at the order of Iger during the 2008 election, neither being released to DVD by Disney itself and its associates, nor even having its rights sold to another company altogether, for reasons that were heavily suspected by various people, including the man who made the documentary in the first place, to be done at the order of Hillary Clinton in order to ensure she succeeded in her attempt at winning the Democrat primary and President of the United States during the 2008 election.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20120523041134/http://www.breitbart.com/big-hollywood/2012/05/18/cia-vindicates-path-911-clinton-claim</ref>
|NR (TV Documentary)
|-
|''Pillow Talk''
|1959
|UR
|A classic starring Rock Hudson and Doris Day in which conservative values triumph over liberal ones. There are no distortions by feminist ideology. Indeed, in one scene a leading man slaps the leading lady, but then is beaten up by dimwitted bystanders for it!
|$18,750,000
|-
|''Pulp Fiction''
|1994
|R
|Despite saying the F-word in almost every sentence, the film (surprisingly) has a pro-Christian message as after being shot at, every bullet misses mob hit men Jules Winnfield and Vincent Vega. Winnfield believes it was a divine intervention and message from God to stop his life of crime. His partner doesn't believe this but it's later proven to be true as he perished later on in the movie. Also has sadomasochistic homosexuals as the bad guys. And (sort of) has an anti-drug message as mob boss's girlfriend Mia Wallace is seen also overdosing (a negative side to drugs) on heroin.
|$107,928,762
|-
|''The Rescuers''
|1977
|G
|The villain in this movie is a capitalist pawn shop owner, who wants a rare diamond to make her rich. To add insult to injury, the villains are Southerners. The United Nations is shown in a positive light. On the other hand, the main villain is also a feminist, and the main human protagonist is shown praying for not only herself (even she has been kidnapped) but for all the kids in the orphanage (who have not been kidnapped). This is one of the rare Disney films feature a [[Christian]] character that's treated in a positive light.
|$29 million
|-
|''Robin Hood''
|1973
|G
|Animated Disney adaptation of the iconic story, depicting all of the characters as anthropomorphic animals. Although the story itself was based on [[Joseph Ritson]]'s revised version of the character that was in support of the Jacobin cause and thus was a liberal icon (steals from the rich, gives to the poor), the villain is Prince John who makes his money from taxes, suggesting Robin Hood is only giving money the government demanded back to people who actually worked for it, and thus was implicitly closer in themes to the original, pre-Ritson revision version of the character. It also features a condemnation of government encroachment of the church, as a pivotal scene featured the Sheriff of Nottingham explicitly stealing a coin from the poor box and his later arresting Friar Tuck for trying to stop him, and the Sheriff's actions were clearly being framed in a horrible light.
|$32 million
|-
|-
|''Shame''
|2011
|NC-17
|While the movie shows [[Hollywood Values]], such as sex addiction, in a negative light and is clearly anti-[[homosexual agenda]], as the main character reaches his lowest point by partaking in such acts, the film is graphic in its nature leaving one to question how conservative it really is.
|$3,909,002
|-
|''Shrek''
|2001
|PG
|Although it has dirty humor and was made by the liberal company DreamWorks SKG, and the character Princess Fiona is depicted at times to be a feminist such as her utilizing martial arts on the Merry Men and taking them out effortlessly, it is implied that most of the characters are Christians as the gingerbread man says "God Bless Us Everyone". Also, Donkey sings a gospel song "I'm a believer", and the scene where Shrek and Fiona are silently upset about being separated has the version of "Hallelujah" by Leonard Cohen. It also portrays Robin Hood (who is implied in the lyrics to be based on the infamous revisionist version by [[Joseph Ritson]] that was made in solidarity to the [[Jacobin]]s during the French Revolution), as an antagonist. It also features some condemnation on materialism, as the main villain, Lord Farquaad, only desires Fiona's marriage so he can officially become the king of Duloc. It also has a brief anti-Hollywood values message, as shortly after Farquaad met his end at the jaws of the dragon, Donkey said "Celebrity marriages, they never last, do they?" in a joking tone.
|$484.4 million
|-
|''[[The Simpsons]] Movie''
|2007
|PG-13
|Portrays the liberal [[Environmental Protection Agency|EPA]] as a villainous and devious agency, and portrays the Government in general as intrusive and corrupt. On the other hand, it also promotes [[environmentalism]] in the beginning, and also had Arnold Schwartzenegger as the president of the United States despite his legally not being eligible for the presidency due to being Austrian. Overall, it's as debatable in terms of its Conservativism as the TV show it acted as a movie for.
|$183,135,014
|-
|''Soul Man''
|1986
|PG-13
|A white student cheats the [[affirmative action]] system, by pretending to be black in order to get the scholarship he needs for to pay for Harvard. Towards the end, it is revealed he took the scholarship away from someone who needed it (and is really black) because she has a son and is divorced at such a young age. Exploits the racism that people have against white people. But on the positive note, the film teaches the importance of hard work.
|$27,820,000
|-
|''Starship Troopers''
|1997
|R
|Although it overall depicts the Military in a protagonistic light and arguably is pro-war and pro-military, the director of the film, Paul Verhoeven, implied it was actually supposed to push an anti-military, anti-war message where it implied that America during the Cold War were automatically fascists simply because they are entering war, and specifically stated it was "a natural evolution for post-World War II America." In addition, to reinforce Verhoeven's message, he deliberately modeled various scenes after ''Triumph of the Will'' and other pro-Nazi propaganda scenes, as well as modeled the protagonists' uniforms after the uniforms utilized by the Nazis (i.e., the character Carl, played by Neil Patrick Harris, wearing a uniform that was modeled after the [[SS]]). When asked by Michael Ironside, who was one of the people who had a role in the movie and had read the original book, about why he made the movie despite Verhoeven's leftist politics, he answered "If I tell the world that a right-wing, fascist way of doing things doesn't work, no one will listen to me. So I'm going to make a perfect fascist world: everyone is beautiful, everything is shiny, everything has big guns and fancy ships, but it's only good for killing ******* bugs!" (note that fascism is not "right wing", it is left wing, so Verhoeven's incorrect regarding which wing the Nazis/fascists were part of).
|$54,814,377
|-
|''Sudden Death''
|1995
|R
|Disgraced fire fighter now becomes a laughingstock fire marshal uncovers a terrorist plot, at a Hockey game, plans to redeem himself and protect his children and the Vice President from said terrorists. However, they're not Islamic, which may have been because the film was trying to be politically correct.
|$20,350,171
|-
|''Super''
|2010
|R
|Main character becomes a super hero after a vision from God. He also frequently turns to prayer and a Christian television show for guidance. Even though his wife leaves him for a drug dealer, he remains loyal to her for the whole movie. Although contains foul language, violence, and brief nudity scenes.
|$327,716
|-
|''S.W.A.T''
|2003
|PG-13
|Film adaptation of the conservative TV show from the 70's does still share the same pro-law enforcement messages, but has a female character named Chris (played by Michelle Rodriguez) who was never in the television show. Which some may point out was only put there to be more "progressive" and promote feminism.
|$116,934,650
|-
|''Team America: World Police''
|2004
|R
|While it is clearly pro-military, pro-America, and anti-Hollywood (notably, there was a scene where [[Michael Moore]] had a cameo as a suicide bomber, with his death being made especially graphic by stuffing his dummy with ham as revenge towards his "A Short History on America" segment from ''[[Bowling for Columbine]]'' that falsely attributed the creators of the film to the segment.), the movie is riddled with liberal values, including toilet humor and vulgar language throughout. Also, in the movie's foul-mouthed theme song, it favors abortion, slavery, pornography, and Democrats, while having no positive reaction to Republicans. Penned by the creators of ''[[South Park]]'' and ''The Book of Mormon'' musical.
|$32,786,074
|-
|''[[Titanic]]''
|1997
|PG-13
|Every life had value and the most powerful men gave up their seats on lifeboats to women and children first; the media and a young [[RINO]] are rightly criticized; broke the record in movie revenues. However, it also gave some hints at a pro-socialist view, and a key scene involving Rose being drawn in the nude is invocative of pornography.
|$600,779,824
|-
|''[[Trainspotting]]''
|1996
|R
|It's been debatable if the film is anti-drug.
|$16,491,080
|-
|''[[The Twilight Saga]]''
|2008-2012
|PG-13
|Mocks [[public school culture]] and promotes [[abstinence]] until marriage, traditional courtship, and the [[pro-life]] movement, but it glorifies vampires and werewolves in a way that doesn't attack Christianity but is still incompatible with Christianity. The star, Kristen Stewart, is a liberal who has made remarks insulting the U.S. Military.
|$1,365,922,346
|-
|''U-571''
|2000
|PG-13
|Had a plot which was based on the first capture of a [[German]] [[Enigma machine]] in [[World War Two]]. Despite the film being patriotic to America, the facts are wrong as the Enigma machine was captured by the [[British]] in 1941 prior to the Americans entering the war.
|$77,122,415
|-
| ''Van Helsing''
|2004
|PG-13
|Thanks to [[Hollywood values]], Van Helsing isn't portrayed as the Christian character he should be, but the film still gets its good vs. evil message across. As well as portraying the Catholic church in a positive light. The director Stephen Sommers has made conservative films ''The Mummy Returns'' and ''G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra'' though.
|$120,177,084
|-
|''Wall-E''
|2008
|G
|The movie warned against big government (BNL), however, it is also anti-capitalist and pro-environmentalism as BNL is a corporation.
|$223,808,164
|-
|''The Way We Were''
|1973
|PG
|Unique in the way that it appears liberal to liberals while unintentionally sending a [[conservative]] message to young women. Stars uber-liberal [[Barbra Streisand]].
|$49,919,870
|-
|''We're the Millers''
|2013
|R
|A drug dealer, stripper, runaway, and average loser pretend to be a family to sneak marijuana out of Mexico. However, they learn the value and importance of family. The villains of the movie are all drug gang men, the film also features a stripper scene, and whether or not the film is anti-drug in the end is debatable.
|$150,394,119
|-
|''Yours Mine and Ours''
|2005
|PG
|The film is about a widower father of a conservative family who marries a widowed mother of a liberal family. Their two difference lifestyles contradict with each other, and the film does not really pick a side of on whose lifestyle is better. However, it does have a scene where the liberal kids outsmart the conservative kids (By tricking them into thinking there is a fire and then getting to use the bathrooms to themselves). Also, has a scene where the kids work together and use conservative tactics to end bullying without the help of an authority figure. In the end, the kids learn to put their differences aside and realize that family is what matters more.
|$53,412,862
|}

== Debatable Whether Great ==

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
!Film
!Year
!Rating
!Comments
!Gross (Domestic)
|-
|''10 to Midnight''
|1983
|R
|Charles Bronson plays Leo Kessler, a cop trying to catch a serial killer rapist, while the bureaucrats do everything to defend him. The film feels like a poor man's Dirty Harry and many critics pointed out that Charles Bronson seemed to be playing a clone of his former character Paul Kersey from the Death Wish franchise.
|$7,175,592
|-
|''A Good Day to Die Hard''
|2013
|R
|Although the previous ''Die Hard'' movies were largely politically neutral, this film portrays the CIA in a positive light, and both the main and surprise villains are unrepentant, anti-American former Soviet communists who intended to access Cold War-era weapons grade uranium and sell them on the black market. Plus, the film is pro-family due to John McClain trying to reconnect with his son Jack. Despite this, it was largely a box office failure, and it has fairly weak story elements.
|$304.7 million
|-
|''[[An American Carol]]''
|2008
|PG-13
|[[David Zucker]]'s [[conservative]] comedy starring Kevin Farley, Kelsey Grammer, Jon Voight, Dennis Hopper, Trace Adkins and Leslie Nielsen that lampoons the liberal, anti-American elements of Hollywood. However, it was not a box office success.
|$7,013,191
|-
|''Armageddon''
|1998
|PG-13
|Though this film promotes patriotism and mocks environmentalism, the overall plot is fairly nonsensical and the action sequences bombastic. Bruce Willis even won the Razzie award for Worst Actor for making this movie, and this movie also received six other Razzie nominations, though it didn't win any.
|$201 million
|-
|''Auschwitz''
|2011
|R
|Isn't politically correct on the topic of gun control as Nazi officers are seen shooting Jewish citizens and forcing them into concentration camps. However, its low budget and poor production value really hurts the film.
|
|-
|''Battle Los Angeles''
|2011
|PG-13
|Pro-military, but alien invasion plot has gone stale in this day and age.
|$83,552,429
|-
|''Battleship''
|2012
|PG-13
|It's good to see a pro-military film, but the overused alien invasion plot and the fact that it's based on a board game really makes it hard to consider good.
|$65,422,625
|-
|''Big Daddy''
|1999
|PG-13
|Promotes the concept of fatherhood, as Adam Sandler's character after being forced to take in an orphaned child that was sired by one of his friends learns the responsibilities of being a father and is implied to have gotten his act together from the experience, and also has a condemnation to feminism due to his old girlfriend rejecting him and then cheating on him, only to end up working at Hooters. However, the more crass nature of the movie makes it debatable whether it holds any redeeming value beyond those messages.
|$234.8 million
|-
|''The Black Cauldron''
|1985
|PG
|The film has some subtle Christian messages, as the Horned King, the main antagonist who tries to gain the Black Cauldron to rule the world, is depicted in a very satanic light, and the character Gurgi ultimately sacrifices himself in order to stop the Horned King, eventually being revived shortly thereafter. Also shows a promotion of the concept of being humble, as Taran still considers himself a pig herder even with his role in saving the world. However, the film was a massive box office bomb, with a large part of the reason for it being underperforming being due to both the dark elements of the film, especially for a Disney-made film, and due to a huge amount of footage (at least ten minutes worth) being cut from the film by then-Chairman of Disney Animation [[Jeffrey Katzenberg]].
|$21.3 million
|-
|''Blood Freak''
|1972
|NC-17
|Has an Anti-Drug and Pro-Christian message, however, the film is also very violent and gory.
|
|-
|''The Brave One''
|2007
|R
|Pro-[[Second Amendment]], however the plot is almost identical to ''[[Death Wish]]''.
|$36,793,804
|-
|''Camelot''
|1967
|G
|The famous jousting scene is a powerful display of Christian values and chivalry, but the movie seems lost afterward.
|$31,102,578
|-
|''Carnosaur''
|1993
|R
|An anti-environmentalist film, where the villain believes that the earth was made for the dinosaurs and tries to wipe out the human race and allow dinosaurs to reclaim the Earth as their own. The film is considered a rip-off of ''[[Jurassic Park]]''.
|$1,753,979
|-
|''Captain America''
|1990
|PG-13
|Film still gets its [[Patriotism|patriotic]] message across, however, due to a low budget, poor production values, and bad editing, the film becomes tedious and sometimes laughable. It would be twenty-one years before another adaptation of the conservative icon would be made.
|$10,173
|-
|''Collateral Damage''
|2002
|R
|[[Arnold Schwarzenegger]] stars in this pro-War on Terror (released shortly after 9/11 no less) film were he avenges his family after a terrorist attack, however by the time the film was released its story did feel formulaic. Even though the film was made and completed before the September 11 attacks, it was set for an October 2001 release but had been pushed back four months.
|$40,077,257
|-
|''Commando''
|1985
|R
|Pro-family film starring conservative actor [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]] as former Delta Force leader John Matrix as he rescues his daughter from Communist insurgents (and the freelance soldier working for them, a former colleague of Matrix's who was fired from Delta Force for brutality) who plan to bring Communism back to their now liberated country. However the action is goofy and cheesy, in a way, it unintentionally becomes a comedy.
|$35,100,000
|-
|''G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra''
|2009
|PG-13
|Live action film based on the conservative cartoon from the 1980s. Regardless of that, the live action film adaptation is a disappointment, largely due to the acting, directing, screenplay, nonsensical action, and mediocre visual effects.
|$150,201,498
|-
|''Godzilla''
|2014
|PG-13
|The film gets its consequences of playing God message across. But the film itself is a mess. The idea of seeing the destitution from a soldier's point of view works on paper, but the character's too underdeveloped. Also, Godzilla's barley in it and the scenes of destruction (what made the Godzilla films great) are practically missing.
|$200,676,069
|-
|''It Takes Two''
|1995
|PG
|Has the same story as ''The Parent Trap'', but also has the same pro-family message too.
|$19,474,589
|-
|''Jack and Jill''
|2011
|PG
|Adam Sandler stars as both Jack and his "identical twin sister" Jill in this family comedy that features pro-capitalism and pro-family values. That aside, ''Jack and Jill'' is an extremely terrible and revolting film that received overwhelmingly negative reception from critics and audiences alike, with many calling it the worst film of 2011. At the 32nd Golden Raspberry Award ceremony in 2012, ''Jack and Jill'' "won" in all twelve categories, even beating out the Worst Liberal Movie ''Battlefield Earth''.
|$149,673,788
|-
|''Leonard Part 6''
|1987
|PG
|Villain is a militant vegan who plans to destroy the human race. But the film is wackiness on steroids, such as Bill Cosby's character Leonard Parker being tortured by lobsters, a henchman having his head blow up after eating a hot dog and Cosby riding an ostrich-like a horse (just to name a few). Even though he produced and wrote it, Bill Cosby has disowned the film and even begged people to not to pay to see it.
|$4,615,255
|-
|''The Lion King II: Simba's Pride''
|1998
|G
|Although made during the infamous Michael Eisner era and was part of that era's direct to video sequel line, it also features the same pro-family and Christian messaging as in the original movie. Also features a condemnation against parental neglect and infanticide, as the main antagonist Zira frequently neglects one of the other antagonists, her eldest son Nuka (who is implied to be the actual male offspring for Scar unlike Kovu), and ultimately gets killed trying to win over her favor; and late in the film, when Vitani takes Kiara's words to heart and joins with the pride landers, Zira proceeds to threaten to kill her daughter in turn, which results in the remainder of the Outlanders proceeding to defect to the Pride Land out of disgust towards the threat to her own daughter.
|N/A (Direct to Video film)
|-
|''The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea''
|2000
|G
|Although it to some extent retreads the plotline of the conservative film ''The Little Mermaid'' and was part of the infamous Direct to Video sequel line of the [[Michael Eisner]] era, it also has a similar pro-family message, as well as depicts the villain in a truly horrific light (such as trying to murder the main protagonist, a child, twice, once while she was a baby which acted as the primary reason why her parents, Ariel and Eric from the first film, went to great lengths to prevent her from learning about her heritage or even allowing her into the sea, and the other time when she was 12). Also condemns parental neglect, as the main villain in question, Morgana, was largely motivated by her constantly being neglected by her mother over her elder sister, the previous main villain Ursula, which was most showcased in the Special Edition version via the added in song "Gonna Get my Wish."
|N/A (Direct to Video film)
|-
|''The Lord of the Rings''
|1978
|PG
|An early attempt to bring J. R. R. Tolkien conservative text to the silver screen. The film still has the same values of friendship, bravery, honor, sacrifice etc., but the animation (and pretty much everything else) has aged very poorly.
|$30,471,420
|-
|''Pearl Harbor''
|2001
|PG-13
|The film gets its [[Patriotism|patriotic]] message across, however the directing, screenplay, acting, romance between the three leads, historical accuracy, and bastardization of one of the most horrific, tragic moments in world history for the sake of ripping off James Cameron's 1997 film ''Titanic'' are extremely questionable.
|$198,542,554
|-
|''Pokémon Heroes: Latios & Latias''
|2002 (Japan) 2003 (USA)
|G
|Like with ''4Ever'', it has some implicit pro-Christian messages, as after the villains proceeded to hijack an ancient doomsday weapon, Latios proceeded to sacrifice himself to save Alto Mare from destruction. However, it got very low box office records due to a limited release in America which ultimately led to most other Pokémon films after it to be released as direct to video features, and its Japanese premiere was, until the Japanese release of the movie ''Hoopa and the Clash of Ages'', the worst performing Pokémon film ever.
|$20.9 million
|-
|''Rise of the Guardians''
|2012
|PG
|Four immortal guardians appear as Christ-like creatures, who jobs are to protect those children who believe in them. Two of the guardians are Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, based on Christian allegories. Also, contains a guardian leader known as "Man on Moon" a clear allegory for [[God]]. Despite this, however, the film was largely a box office failure despite making double of its $145 million budget due to its high production and marketing costs, being the first DreamWorks animated movie to lose money on a film since ''Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas''.<ref>https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/feb/27/dreamworks-animation-job-cuts-guardians</ref> which ultimately served as one of the reasons why DreamWorks ended up laying off 350 employees.<ref>http://www.thewrap.com/movies/article/dreamworks-animation-lay-350-employees-79381</ref>
|$103,412,758<ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=guardians.htm</ref>
|-
|''[[The Room]]''
|2003
|R
|Anti-alcoholism and adultery. Shows the destructive nature of liberal values. However, The Room has been critically panned for its acting, screenplay, dialogue, production values, score, direction, and cinematography. despite its low gross domestic result from its initial theater run, it has done much better in recent theater screening.
|$1800
|-
|''Space Jam''
|1996
|PG
|Michael Jordan uses the help of the Looney Tunes to beat back alien invaders from outer space who wish to take away their freedoms. Though the film hints at an anti-illegal immigration message, it suffers from messy animation and a lack of substance, and it is often cited as feeling more like a commercial than a film.
|$90,443,603
|-
|''Superman Returns''
|2006
|PG-13
|America icon Superman is seen as an angel-like figure, who helps those in need. Also condemns to some extent the liberal values within the news media, as Lois Lane's Pulitzer prize was earned due to her making a scathing article on Superman and implying the world doesn't need him, and it's revealed she made the article due to being upset at Superman leaving her behind before the events of the film. However, the movie also had some controversy over the director Bryan Singer's homosexuality, and while it did initially receive positive reviews, it ultimately became negative overtime, and resulted in there not being another Superman film until 2013 with Man of Steel, which was treated as a reboot.
|$200,081,192
|-
|''Super Mario Bros.''
|May 28, 1993
|PG
|Loosely based on the classic video game series from Nintendo, two fraternal plumbers from New York must rescue the younger's girlfriend from humans descended directly from dinosaurs. It has a pro-Second Amendment message in that an old lady, before mugging them, explicitly states the titular characters need to have a weapon to survive on the streets of Dinohattan (a parody of Manhattan depicted as a lawless hellhole). Furthermore, the movie seems to condemn communistic/fascistic big government in the form of King Koopa (a human-looking dictator loosely based on Bowser, the turtle-dragon hybrid who serves as the main villain of most Super Mario games). The aforementioned lawlessness of Dinohattan is heavily implied to be caused by King Koopa's using liberal values and big government (à la Scar from ''The Lion King'') to grossly mismanage the location to such an extent that they ran out of resources after taking over Dinohattan via a coup and "reformed" it into a people's republic with false elections. It also is to some extent anti-evolution and anti-social Darwinism: although the backstory does involve dinosaurs evolving into humanoid creatures since they were sent to a separate dimension from that of humans, the villains are the ones who largely focus on this aspect and want to eliminate true humans. However, the film was also largely panned and did poorly at the box office, and it is considered one of the more infamous examples of the inherent difficulties of adapting a video game into a film. Effectively, ''Super Mario Bros.'' scared Nintendo into never allowing the West to make another film based on any one of its game franchises and ruined the careers of co-directors Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel. Production of the film took its toll on the actors, too, particularly Bob Hoskins (Mario), who suffered seven injuries and near-fatalities in the process.
|$20.9 million
|-
|''Toy Soldiers''
|1991
|R
|Group of trouble making boys at a boarding school now must wise up and fight as their school is taken over by terrorists. The story's weak and kind of a mix between ''Die Hard'' and ''Red Dawn''.
|$15,073,942
|-
|''The Wild''
|2006
|G
|Main moral is that character and strength comes from within, and that it does not matter where one comes from, to achieve this. This is also a pro-family film about a father of the lion who along with his animal friends goes to search for his son after he is accidentally taken away. The villains of the movie are wildebeests that are trying to change the food chain, by planning to eat the lions, and one could argue this could give the film anti-environmentalist message. However the movie did receive poor reviews, and the movie’s main plot about animals from Central Park Zoo was considered to be a rip-off of more successful and politically neutral movie “Madagascar” which had been released the year before.
|$37,384,046
|-
|}

== References ==
<references/>

== See also ==
*[[Essay:Worst Liberal Movies]]
*[[Essay:20 Greatest Conservative Movies of the Last 20 Years]]
*[[Essay:Greatest Conservative Songs]]
*[[Essay:Greatest Conservative TV Shows]]

{{Conservatism}}

[[Category:Essays about Conservatism]]
[[Category:Hollywood]]
[[Category:Greatest Conservative Movies]]
[[Category:Movies]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Greatest Conservative Movies}}

Michael Eisner

2017-06-16T04:31:36Z

Tg97:

'''Michael Eisner''' (born 1942) is a [[liberal]] [[progressive]] Hollywood studio executive. Eisner held the position as CEO of [[Disney]] from 1984 until 2005, and is believed to be responsible for turning it into a [[secular-progressive]] corporation. He has also been an executive at [[NBC]] in the 1970s and president of [[Paramount Pictures]] in the early 1980s. He currently produces the controversial [[Nickelodeon]] stop-motion sitcom ''Glenn Martin DDS'' through his company Tornante Entertainment.

Eisner endorsed [[Barack Obama]] in the [[2008 presidential election]].<ref>http://www.newsmeat.com/ceo_political_donations/Michael_Eisner.php</ref>
==Controversy==
In 2003, [[Roy E. Disney]], the son of Roy O. Disney and nephew to founder [[Walt Disney]], resigned from his positions as Disney vice chairman and chairman for the company's Feature Animation Department, citing Eisner's failure as CEO, including his flops in management with Disney owned [[ABC]], a recent series of movie flops in the early 2000s, and turning Disney into a "rapacious, soul-less company".

In 2005, journalist James B. Stewart released the book ''DisneyWar''. The book describes the various controversies which took place at the Disney company during Eisner's 20-year tenure as CEO, such as Roy E. Disney's resignation, Eisner's tensions with director Robert Zemeckis during production of ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'', Eisner's eventual rivalry with former Disney executive and [[DreamWorks]] co-founder [[Jeffrey Katzenberg]] and Disney's failure with the content of ABC Family after the network's purchase from Fox Television in the early 2000s.

In 1991, Eisner allowed the first annual [[Gay Days at Disney World]] event (unofficial) to take place, which allows homosexual couples to dress in drag and engage in various obscene acts during regular park hours in full view of visiting families.<ref>http://floridafamily.org/full_article.php?article_no=37</ref> The event takes place to this day at Disney parks.

In 1989, he also sued three day cares in the [[Orlando]] area because they painted murals of Disney characters [[Mickey Mouse]] and [[Minnie Mouse]], claiming they had committed [[copyright infringement]] against [[Walt Disney World]]. Although legal, many people thought this was immoral, considering it was a legal mismatch.<ref>https://www.theselfemployed.com/law/disney-threatened-sue-daycare-centers/</ref> [[Universal Studios Florida]], another liberal theme park resort, responded to Eisner's actions by replacing the murals with [[Woody Woodpecker]] and [[Hanna-Barbera]] characters.

==References==
<references />
==External links==
*[http://www.ihr.org/jhr/v17/v17n5p10_Weber.html Subverting the Disney Legacy]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eisner, Michael}}

[[Category:Liberals]]
[[Category:Entertainment]]
[[Category:Business People]]
[[Category:American Jews]]
[[Category:Anti Second Amendment]]
[[Category:Billionaires]]
[[Category:Hollywood Values]]
[[Category:Disney]]

{{liberalism}}

Missouri

2017-06-03T23:16:09Z

Tg97: updating

{{USState
|name=Missouri
|flag=Missouri_State_Flag.gif
|motto=Salus populi suprema lex esto (The welfare of the people shall be the supreme law)
|nick=The Show Me State
|capital=Jefferson City
|language=None
|governor=Eric Greitens
|gparty=Republican
|senator2=Roy Blunt
|s2party=Republican
|s2phone=(202) 224-5721
|s2email=http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/senators/one_item_and_teasers/Blunt_Roy.htm Contact
|senator1=Claire McCaskill
|s1party=Democrat
|s1phone=(202) 224-6154
|s1email=http://mccaskill.senate.gov/contact/ Contact
|population=
|date=August 10, 1821 (24th)
}}
'''Missouri''' is a Midwestern state that was admitted to the Union as a slave state on August 10, 1821. Its nickname is the "Show Me State". Its capital is [[Jefferson City]] and its largest cities are, respectively, [[Kansas City]], [[St. Louis]], and Springfield. Missouri borders [[Illinois]], [[Kentucky]], [[Tennessee]], [[Arkansas]], [[Oklahoma]], [[Kansas]], [[Iowa]], and [[Nebraska]]. The current Governor is [[Eric Greitens]].

==Politics==
Missouri is a [[swing state]] in presidential elections. It had consistently supported the winning candidates since 1960 until 2008 when it favored [[John McCain]], who lost to [[Barack Hussein Obama]]. Before Obama, the last losing candidate to win Missouri was [[Adlai Stevenson]] in 1956.
===Gun Laws===
Under Missouri law it's illegial to transfer a gun to a person under the age of 18 without without the consent of the child's custodial parent or
guardian.<ref>[http://www.atf.treas.gov/firearms/statelaws/23rdedition/missouri.pdf Missouri Gun Statutes]</ref> However, under federal law, the minimum age to possess a handgun is 18. The minimum age to get a concealed carry permit is 23.<ref>[http://www.missouricarry.com/apply1.htm MissouriCarry.com]</ref>

==Elected Officials==
As of 2017.

===Federal===

*Sen. [[Claire McCaskill]] (D)
*Sen. [[Roy Blunt]] (R)
*Rep. [[William Lacy Clay, Jr.]] [D, MO-01]
*Rep. [[Ann Wagner]] [D, MO-02]
*Rep. [[Blaine Luetkemeyer]] [D, MO-03]
*Rep. [[Vicky Hartzler]] [R, MO-04]
*Rep. [[Emanuel Cleaver]] [D, MO-05]
*Rep. [[Sam Graves]] [R, MO-06]
*Rep. [[Billy Long]] [R, MO-07]
*Rep. [[Jason Smith]] [R, MO-08]

===Statewide===
*Governor [[Eric Greitens]] (R)
*Lt. Governor [[Mike Parson]] (R)
*Attorney General [[Josh Hawley]] (R)
*Secretary of State [[Jay Ashcroft]] (R)
*State Auditor [[Nicole Galloway]] (D)
*State Treasurer [[Eric Schmitt]] (R)

==Miscellaneous==

The term "Missouri" comes from an Algonquin word roughly translating to "river of the big canoes".<ref>http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/missouri/</ref>

St. Louis hosted the World's Fair in 1904, where the ice cream cone was invented.<ref>http://www.50states.com/facts/mo.htm</ref>

The mule is the state animal.

The term "iron curtain" referring to the line separating Communist countries from non-Communist countries in [[Europe]] was first used by [[Winston Churchill]] at a speech in Fulton.

==Notable Missourians==

*Former Attorney General [[John Ashcroft]] served as governor and senator for the state.
*Five star general [[Omar Bradley]] was from Clark.
*Frontiersman [[Daniel Boone]] settled in Missori late in his life.
*Author Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known as [[Mark Twain]], was from Hannibal.
*Poet [[T.S. Eliot]] was from St. Louis.
*Political commentator [[Rush Limbaugh]] is from Cape Girardeau.
*President [[Harry Truman]] lived in Lamar and Independence.
*Journalist [[Catherine J. Sambark]]
*Agricultural scientist [[George Washington Carver]], born in Diamond Grove
*Film director and actor [[John Huston]], born in Nevada
*Outlaws [[Jesse James]] and [[Frank James]], born in Clay County
*[[Phyllis Schlafly]], conservative political activist, author
*US Army General [[John J. Pershing]], born near Laclede

==See also==
*[[Better Courts for Missouri]]

==References==
<references/>

{{USstates}}
[[Category:States of the United States]]

Björk

2017-05-07T21:14:24Z

Tg97:

'''Björk Guðmundsdóttir''' (born 21 November 1965), better known as '''Björk''', is an [[Iceland]]ic singer-songwriter, [[actress]], composer and producer known for her eccentric musical style.<ref>[http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/article3586432.ece Down time: Bjork] The Sunday Times, Robert Sandall, 23 March 2008</ref> Her career in popular music began in 1986 as a member of the Icelandic alternative rock band, '''The Sugarcubes'''. In 1990, she was briefly in the jazz group Björk Guðmundsdóttir & tríó Guðmundar Ingólfssonar. Following the demise of The Sugarcubes in 1992, she launched her own solo career which, to date, has spanned eight albums and two original film soundtracks.

==Discography==
*''Björk'' (1977)
*''Debut'' (1993)
*''Post'' (1995)
*''Homogenic'' (1997)
*''Vespertine'' (2001)
*''Medúlla'' (2004)
*''Volta'' (2007)
*''Biophilia'' (2011)
*''Vulnicura'' (2015)

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
*[http://bjork.com/ Official website]
[[Category:Singers]]

Lutheranism

2017-04-17T01:52:21Z

Tg97:

{{Christianity}}
'''Lutheranism''' is a mainstream [[Protestantism|Protestant]] branch of [[Christianity]]. It emerged in Germany during the [[Reformation]] of the 16th century. It is based on the teachings of German theologian [[Martin Luther]] (1486-1546) who rejected parts of the theology and organizational structure of the [[Roman Catholic Church]]. Originally a term of derision coined by enemies, its adherents came to call themselves "Lutherans." After a series of religious wars that lasted to 1648, the status of Lutheranism stabilized, dominating Scandinavia and the central and eastern parts of Germany. Today it is also well represented in Africa, Indonesia and the United States.

The two main branches of Lutheranism in the United States are the more liberal [[Evangelical Lutheran Church in America]] and the more conservative [[Lutheran Church Missouri Synod]] and [[Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod]], the two of which agree on most doctrines but differ on the degree of independence permitted to the local congregation.

==Beginning==
Lutheranism began when Luther, annoyed at the [[Catholic Church]]'s [[sale of indulgences|selling indulgences]] and other practices that he considered to be non-scriptural, posted his [[95 Theses]] on the doors of churches throughout Germany. Unable to reach an accommodation with Rome over the differences, Luther and his followers broke away from the Catholic Church and formed what became known as the Lutheran Church. This breaking away was the beginning of the [[Protestant Reformation]].

[[Image:Luther-Cranach.jpg|thumb|225px]]
===Melanchthon as organizer===
Luther was the theologian and his close friend [[Philipp Melanchthon]] (1497–1560) was the organizer. Historians debate Melanchthon's exact role, ranging from a few who say he ruined true Lutheranism, to those who see him as the real genius of the Reformation who determined its course. Luther was no organizer, and, as a theologian, no systematizer. Melanchthon was both, though with limitations. The Lutheran approach to spreading the word of God could not be effective without trained preachers who knew how to use the Bible and were in sympathy with the spirit of the time as represented in the Renaissance. His ability to meet this need by making schools and universities, as well as all their teachings, subservient to the preaching of the Gospel was Melanchthon's peculiar gift. Luther recognized this and was not blind to his own restrictions. He justly admired Melanchthon's skill in getting at the kernel and formulating it instructively and systematically, even though the latter's work as the "preceptor of the Reformation" inevitably resulted in a narrowing of Lutheran concepts which was not without momentous consequences.

===The Church a School===
This reduction of Luther's thoughts appears in what Melanchthon has to say of the Church in the third edition of his ''Loci communes'' (1st ed. 1521, 3rd ed. 1543). Interest in the organization and in its officials and specific functions here comes to the front. Melanchthon compares the Church with a school, and considers his definition of it as a "coetus scholasticus" to be a complete refutation of the papal definition of the Church as a kingdom. The Church consists of teachers and the taught, who are to be distinguished one from the other, and it must set forth the Bible as the sole truth. In case of doubt as to the meaning of the Bible, the principle to be followed is that the word of God is itself the judge, "with," it is characteristically added, "the confession of the true Church." Luther might have written all this, though to him the Church was more than a school, and the word of God more than a mere matter of teaching. The pastors, or teachers, too, seemed less important to him than to Melanchthon, and he did not lay as much weight as the latter on the harmony of all Church doctrine.

===Melanchthon's system===
Melanchthon wrote his Loci originally as a brief compendium of the great truths of the Bible for the private edification of those who were reading the scriptures; but in the two later editions he aimed to produce a text-book for the Church as a school, and to collect all the articles of faith and arrange them in proper order. This was done primarily for the use and benefit of the teachers in the school (i.e., the pastors), especially as bitter experience with the fanatics had made a theological education seem a necessary requisite for the preacher's office. In all three editions of the Loci justification by faith is the center of pure doctrine, and the chief article of the faith. The entire content of the Bible is arranged under the headings, "doctrine of the law" and "promise of grace." The law is God's exacting will, the Gospel his helping will. Since Adam's fall, and because of original sin, man's power is so weakened that he can not fulfil the most external requirements of the law, to say nothing of actually pleasing God. Accordingly, the effect of the law is to terrify and produce contrition. The Gospel then reveals God's grace (i.e., his mercy), which is founded in Christ as the mediator and propitiator, and makes justification known as a free favor for Christ's sake, consisting in the remission of sins and assuring of reconciliation or acceptance to life eternal. The Gospel, however, does not abrogate the law, and therefore it requires not only faith, but also conversion. God works through the Holy Spirit, perfecting faith and helping to fulfil the law. The Gospel leads to regeneration, or the restoration of original righteousness, which will be perfected in heaven. Precise definition is highly characteristic of Melanchthon and sometimes leads him to set rather artificial limits to various concepts. He shows an inclination to retain as many of the old institutions as possible, and tries to prove that the Lutheran [[exegesis]] of the Bible is in harmony with the historic teaching of the Church catholic. He presents Luther's doctrine of penance or repentance, though without the force of personal experience which animated it in Luther, and for him conversion lasts practically throughout life. Baptism is the sacrament, or sign, which marks entrance into the Christian life and the state of grace, the transition from the dispensation of law to that of the Gospel. Its efficacy endures for the whole life.

===Lutheranism and Scholarship===
Having devised the formula of the Church as a school, Melanchthon proceeded to bring the Evangelical faith into connection with Humanism. He started with the old familiar idea of [[natural law]], declaring that it is not only approved by the reason, but is also found in the Bible, being in the background of revealed law. God has provided that men shall know his providence from nature and has given them understanding to distinguish between good and evil. By the fall man lost the clear knowledge of the natural law which he had originally possessed. The Gospel brought something wholly new, not indicated in the natural law, namely, redemption through Christ and justification by faith, and this now leads back to the original condition. Certitude is restored by the spiritual law imparted by revelation in the Bible. If, now, as Christian, and by supernatural means, man is again certain about God, the study of the natural knowledge of God has interest and value for him and for the Church. Faith attains to somewhat of the character of rationality by virtue of the natural law, though even this law is supernaturally conditioned as based on the creative activity of God. By means of this concept of natural law Melanchthon succeeded in finding an ideal foundation for the knowledge of the Church in the knowledge of reason no less than scholasticism had done. His theory was, however, only superficial here, for he really had in mind two realms of knowledge: a higher, that of Biblical revelation, and a lower, that of human reason; and he felt that one must first learn of the former, to understand the latter. He refrained from high speculations about God, the law, the doctrines of the Trinity, and the two natures of Christ, contenting himself with the belief that all divine secrets would be revealed in heaven. It is significant that he thought of heaven too as a school. He did not appropriate Luther's ethical conception of blessedness. That justice is in itself blessedness, that love is the essence of life everlasting he did not understand. God desires, he held, to be known and honored; and blessedness is the eternal reward of those in heaven to hold converse concerning God and the divine essence, now at last completely known. Herein is the most considerable reduction of Luther's teaching as formulated by Melanchthon.

===Church and State===
In the interest of the new faith Melanchthon undertook the reorganization of the entire system of higher education, and rendered no slight service to the entire field of science and letters. His Loci became the theological text book of the generations which followed him, and his manuals of philosophy, which he prepared as propædeutic, were no less noteworthy. In this undertaking, however, he needed the help of the secular authorities, and it was he who laid down the rules for the relations between the Lutheran Church and the State. He believed that the magistracy was sanctioned by reason, and also that it was, on unmistakable Biblical authority, positively ordained by God, the secular officials being called to be guardians of the entire law, i.e., the natural law and the decalogue. Revelation defines the sphere of their duties. They must open the way to the pure doctrine of the Bible and regulate the higher institutions of learning; but it is not for them to interpret the Bible or to formulate the faith. Their place in the Church is among those who hear, not those who teach. The preachers, as ministers of the word, are independent, and as authoritative for secular officials as for all other laymen, though in purely civil affairs the clergy are subject to civil authority.

===Lutheran Orthodoxy===
Lutheran orthodoxy may be treated briefly after depicting Melanchthon's system. It lived and moved in the understanding of the Gospel to which Melanchthon gave words and form, notwithstanding the controversies of Gnesiolutherans and Philippists, and the preference shown for the former when the princes were compelled to take sides (see Philippists). For it the Bible was the only actual authority of faith, even the creeds adopted serving merely to settle points of controversy, and the task of theology was to interpret, systematize, and defend in pedagogic fashion what the Bible contained. The classic theologian of the period, Johann Gerhard (q.v.), gave little space to the confessions in his Loci, (9 vols., Jena, 1610–22) and treated them only incidentally. It is not meant that Gerhard, or any one, was indifferent to the confessions, but he was so fully convinced that they accorded with the Bible and bound to nothing except what was in the Bible that he could give them a very secondary place. It was far more important to show that Lutheranism and the early Church were in harmony, and that the new teachings were supported by the testimony of the Church Fathers. Practically the confessions were important chiefly on the political side. The Augsburg Confession served as a statement of the Evangelical faith which could be used juristically in dealings between Lutheran states and the Empire; and the states often felt the need of documents which could be appealed to in matters of uncertainty in their internal church policy.

The most important theological achievement of the time of orthodoxy was a highly developed doctrine of the Bible; controversy with the Roman Catholic theologians, especially the well-equipped Jesuits, drove the Protestants, who rejected the Roman appeal to tradition and the Church, to declare the Bible the sure and only word of God, to which they maintained that they could appeal with better right than could their opponents to the pope. The divine plan for the salvation of fallen man was though of by many as somewhat more miraculous than by Melanchthon; faith and comprehension of the Bible were considered a purely mechanical operation of the Holy Spirit; the theory of blessedness was still further transformed; metaphysical speculation about God involved consequences which Melanchthon had not had in mind; and new paths were entered upon in the doctrine of the sacraments. On the other hand, the interpretation of loci went on quite in the spirit of Melanchthon. Finally, there was a coherence of idea based on the concept of God's interest in the law. the dogma of satisfaction, rendered by Christ to God in place of the sinner, stood in close relation to the thought of law, even of a natural law. In it the orthodox theology showed that it had made Melanchthon's interpretation of Luther its own and was still animated by it. It is no accident that this dogma has been the most lasting part of the orthodox doctrine.

The most striking thing in the piety of the period was its unruffled content. Never since has the Evangelical faith been so sure that it was right. It must be admitted that the moral impulses to faith were not felt as they were by the immediate disciples of Luther and Melanchthon. There was a sort of habitual acquiescence in the inevitability of sin, and the hope of heaven was a large element of orthodox piety. Men was no special tasks before them in the world; Melanchthon's teaching had brought about its logical result by putting all ideal direction of life in the hands of the clergy. The people [for the most part] learned the catechism and listened patiently to the instruction of the pulpit; they attended faithfully on the word of God and the sacraments—and with that they were content.

==Doctrines==
The Lutheran denomination is considered to be the first Protestant church to form. The main cause for the split from the Catholic Church was Luther's belief in justification by faith alone. Lutherans believe that the [[Bible]], as a divinely inspired book, is the source of all revealed divine knowledge. Lutherans use a similar liturgical format to those of the Catholics, [[Methodists]] and [[Anglicans]]. Some other characteristics of the Lutheran Church are the use of Luther's Large and Small Catechism as an educational tool, belief in the [[real presence]] in [[communion]] but not [[transubstantiation]], and infant [[baptism]]. Lutheran doctrine is summarized in the [[Book of Concord]], which contains the famous Augsburg Confession.

====Modern Day====
Today there are more than 70 million Lutheran adherents.

In 2007, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America voted to allow ministers in [[homosexual]] relationships to keep their posts.<ref>[http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070811/us_nm/religion_lutherans_dc Yahoo News]</ref> Luther's personal writings condemned the practice of homosexuality.

'''Lutheran Churches'''
*[[Evangelical Lutheran Church in America]]
*[[Lutheran Church Missouri Synod]]
*[[Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod]]
*[[Church of Sweden]]
*[[Church of Norway]]
*[[Church of Finland]]
*[[Church of Denmark]]
*[[Church of Iceland]]

==See also==
* [[Martin Luther]]
* [[Philipp Melanchthon]]

==Bibliography==
* Bodensieck, Julius, ed. ''The Encyclopedia of the Lutheran Church,'' (3 vol 1965), ECLS perspective
* Cimino, Richard. ''Lutherans Today: American Lutheran Identity in the Twenty-First Century'' (2003) [http://www.amazon.com/Lutherans-Today-American-Lutheran-Twenty-First/dp/0802813658/ref=sr_1_22?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201161191&sr=8-22 excerpt and text search]
* Hillerbrand, Hans J. ed. ''The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Reformation.'' ([[OUP]] 1996); the book is online at many academic libraries; [http://www.amazon.com/Oxford-encyclopedia-Reformation/dp/0195103645/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201162350&sr=8-2 excerpt and text search]
* Lagerquist, L. DeAne, ''The Lutherans'' (Denominations in America) (1999) [http://www.amazon.com/Lutherans-Denominations-America-DeAne-Lagerquist/dp/0313275491/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201160994&sr=8-8 excerpt and text search]
* MacCulloch, Diarmaid. ''The Reformation'' (2005), influential recent survey [http://www.amazon.com/Reformation-Diarmaid-MacCulloch/dp/014303538X/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1200808706&sr=8-2 excerpt and text search]
* Marty, Martin E. ''Lutheran Questions, Lutheran Answers: Exploring Christian Faith''(2007) by a leading scholar [http://www.amazon.com/Lutheran-Questions-Answers-Exploring-Christian/dp/0806653507/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201160994&sr=8-3 excerpt and text search]
*''New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge'' (1911), major sources of older scholarly articles; mainline Protestant perspective
**[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc01.toc.html Vol. 1: Aachen - Basilians]
**[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc02.toc.html Vol. 2: Basilica - Chambers]
**[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc03.toc.html Vol. 3: Chamier - Draendorf]
**[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc04.toc.html Vol. 4: Draeseke - Goa]
**[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc05.toc.html Vol. 5: Goar - Innocent]
**[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc06.toc.html Vol. 6: Innocents - Liudger]
**[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc07.toc.html Vol. 7: Liutprand - Moralities]
**[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc08.toc.html Vol. 8: Morality - Petersen]
**[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc09.toc.html Vol. 9: Petri - Reuchlin]
**[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc10.toc.html Vol. 10: Reutsch - Son]
**[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc11.toc.html Vol. 11: Son of Man - Tremellius]
**[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc12.toc.html Vol. 12: Trench - Zwingli]
**[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc13.toc.html Vol. 13: Index]

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Protestantism]]
[[Category:Christian Denominations]]
[[Category:Lutherans]]
[[Category:Religion and Politics]]

Christina Grimmie

2017-04-17T01:51:54Z

Tg97:

'''Christina Victoria Grimmie''' (March 12, 1994 – June 11, 2016) was an [[American]] [[singer]], songwriter, and one-time actress at first known for her covers of songs on [[YouTube]], and later her participation in The Voice.

==YouTube success==

On YouTube, Christina Grimmie was shown to have had interests ranging from singing, playing [[video games]] like Legend of Zelda, League of Legends, and Super Smash Bros., and spending time with her family.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/user/zeldaxlove64/about</ref> She was undaunted to openly admit she was a Christian.

After watching videos of people doing covers of songs on YouTube back in 2009, Christina's friend Lauren suggested that Christina try the same.<ref>https://youtu.be/nLtgOTqStkw</ref> Her mother Tina Grimmie initially was uncomfortable to this move for the fear of her daughter being the target of online predators. Ultimately this proved to be prophetic, albeit out of context. When Christina's YouTube channel exploded with views and positive comments, Selena Gomez's parents found out and offered for Christina opportunities to further her career.

==Beyond YouTube==

Christina Grimmie was a contestant on The Voice in 2014, taking 3rd place, and received offers to sign with various record companies. She was signed with Island Records until they dropped her when she declined to "undress to impress".<ref>http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertainment/celebrity/voice-usa-pop-sensation-christina-5269151</ref> Seeing how Miley Cyrus turned out, she made a wise decision.

Grimmie has released two EPs, ''Find Me'' (2011) and ''Side A'' (2016), and one full-length album, ''With Love'' (2013).

==Death==

On June 10, 2016, Christina Grimmie announced that she was going to be at a meet and greet to meet fans (or "frands" as she prefers to call them) at [[The Live Plaza]] in [[Orlando, Florida]]. Unfortunately, she was murdered by a deranged fan at [[The Live Plaza]] in [[Orlando, Florida]], not long before the shooting spree at a homosexual nightclub.

==Posthumous releases==
In August–September 2016, Grimmie's family uploaded a series of music videos for her ''Side A'' EP, which she filmed before she died.<ref>Gutelle, Sam. "[http://www.tubefilter.com/2016/08/15/christina-grimmie-snow-white-music-video/ Late YouTube Star Christina Grimmie’s Family Releases New Videos On Her Channel]." August 15, 2016. Tubefilter. Tubefilter, Inc.</ref>

Grimmie appeared in the film ''The Matchbreaker'', released on October 7, 2016.

Her single "Invisible" was released on February 17, 2017 on the Republic Records label.

==References==

<References/>

[[Category:Women Singers]]
[[Category:Singers]]
[[Category:Christians]]
[[Category:Religious People]]

Executable file

2017-04-08T21:25:03Z

Tg97:

An '''Executable File''' is a [[computer]] file which contains operational directions for a computer. These directions (which are the [[binary]] result of compiled program language) directly instruct the [[operating system]] and [[hardware]] to perform certain tasks. Executable files are very common—every computer program is at least in part an executable file. Many complete programs include other files which contain various resources, configuration, and other data, but there always must be an executable program.

==Where are they?==
Executable programs come in many different forms. A program installer is itself an executable file, which loads the desired executable along with other resources into the [[operating system]]. Executable files are also required to open non-executable files. Documents, for example, are opened by a [[word processor]], such as [[Open Office]]'s Writer, or [[Microsoft Word]]. There are also heavily integrated into the system. If one wishes to use the [[Windows]] system's calculator, they must run the calc.exe (probabably using the shortcut in the Start menu). If one wishes to view or open files on their desktop, they unwittingly use the executable program explorer.exe (which starts when the system initializes) to find their file before they use another program to open it.

==Misuse of the Term==
Although there are many executable files, there are also non-executable files which invoke (call) executable ones. For example, [[Java (programming language)|Java]] script files ([[file extension]]s .jre, .jar, .js, and .jse) are sometimes referred to as programs, but they are simply instructions for an executable already installed on the system. Even some program installers are this way. [[Microsoft]] [[Windows]] systems will sometimes have programs installed on them using Microsoft Installer files (.msi [[file extension]]). These files act like executable files, but actually contain nothing more that instructions and data for the install program included with the system to use.

==Executable File Extensions==
* .exe ([[Windows]])
* .run (Apple)<ref>http://fileinfo.com/filetypes/executable</ref>
* .app (Apple)<ref>http://fileinfo.com/extension/app</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Software]]

Lutheranism

2017-04-08T21:19:20Z

Tg97:

{{Christianity}}
'''Lutheranism''' is a mainstream [[Protestantism|Protestant]] branch of [[Christianity]]. It emerged in Germany during the [[Reformation]] of the 16th century. It is based on the teachings of German theologian [[Martin Luther]] (1486-1546) who rejected parts of the theology and organizational structure of the [[Roman Catholic Church]]. Originally a term of derision coined by enemies, its adherents came to call themselves "Lutherans." After a series of religious wars that lasted to 1648, the status of Lutheranism stabilized, dominating Scandinavia and the central and eastern parts of Germany. Today it is also well represented in Africa, Indonesia and the United States.

The two main branches of Lutheranism in the United States are the more liberal [[Evangelical Lutheran Church in America]] and the more conservative [[Lutheran Church Missouri Synod]] and [[Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod]], the two of which agree on most doctrines but differ on the degree of independence permitted to the local congregation.

==Beginning==
Lutheranism began when Luther, annoyed at the [[Catholic Church]]'s [[sale of indulgences|selling indulgences]] and other practices that he considered to be non-scriptural, posted his [[95 Theses]] on the doors of churches throughout Germany. Unable to reach an accommodation with Rome over the differences, Luther and his followers broke away from the Catholic Church and formed what became known as the Lutheran Church. This breaking away was the beginning of the [[Protestant Reformation]].

[[Image:Luther-Cranach.jpg|thumb|225px]]
===Melanchthon as organizer===
Luther was the theologian and his close friend [[Philipp Melanchthon]] (1497–1560) was the organizer. Historians debate Melanchthon's exact role, ranging from a few who say he ruined true Lutheranism, to those who see him as the real genius of the Reformation who determined its course. Luther was no organizer, and, as a theologian, no systematizer. Melanchthon was both, though with limitations. The Lutheran approach to spreading the word of God could not be effective without trained preachers who knew how to use the Bible and were in sympathy with the spirit of the time as represented in the Renaissance. His ability to meet this need by making schools and universities, as well as all their teachings, subservient to the preaching of the Gospel was Melanchthon's peculiar gift. Luther recognized this and was not blind to his own restrictions. He justly admired Melanchthon's skill in getting at the kernel and formulating it instructively and systematically, even though the latter's work as the "preceptor of the Reformation" inevitably resulted in a narrowing of Lutheran concepts which was not without momentous consequences.

===The Church a School===
This reduction of Luther's thoughts appears in what Melanchthon has to say of the Church in the third edition of his ''Loci communes'' (1st ed. 1521, 3rd ed. 1543). Interest in the organization and in its officials and specific functions here comes to the front. Melanchthon compares the Church with a school, and considers his definition of it as a "coetus scholasticus" to be a complete refutation of the papal definition of the Church as a kingdom. The Church consists of teachers and the taught, who are to be distinguished one from the other, and it must set forth the Bible as the sole truth. In case of doubt as to the meaning of the Bible, the principle to be followed is that the word of God is itself the judge, "with," it is characteristically added, "the confession of the true Church." Luther might have written all this, though to him the Church was more than a school, and the word of God more than a mere matter of teaching. The pastors, or teachers, too, seemed less important to him than to Melanchthon, and he did not lay as much weight as the latter on the harmony of all Church doctrine.

===Melanchthon's system===
Melanchthon wrote his Loci originally as a brief compendium of the great truths of the Bible for the private edification of those who were reading the scriptures; but in the two later editions he aimed to produce a text-book for the Church as a school, and to collect all the articles of faith and arrange them in proper order. This was done primarily for the use and benefit of the teachers in the school (i.e., the pastors), especially as bitter experience with the fanatics had made a theological education seem a necessary requisite for the preacher's office. In all three editions of the Loci justification by faith is the center of pure doctrine, and the chief article of the faith. The entire content of the Bible is arranged under the headings, "doctrine of the law" and "promise of grace." The law is God's exacting will, the Gospel his helping will. Since Adam's fall, and because of original sin, man's power is so weakened that he can not fulfil the most external requirements of the law, to say nothing of actually pleasing God. Accordingly, the effect of the law is to terrify and produce contrition. The Gospel then reveals God's grace (i.e., his mercy), which is founded in Christ as the mediator and propitiator, and makes justification known as a free favor for Christ's sake, consisting in the remission of sins and assuring of reconciliation or acceptance to life eternal. The Gospel, however, does not abrogate the law, and therefore it requires not only faith, but also conversion. God works through the Holy Spirit, perfecting faith and helping to fulfil the law. The Gospel leads to regeneration, or the restoration of original righteousness, which will be perfected in heaven. Precise definition is highly characteristic of Melanchthon and sometimes leads him to set rather artificial limits to various concepts. He shows an inclination to retain as many of the old institutions as possible, and tries to prove that the Lutheran [[exegesis]] of the Bible is in harmony with the teaching of the Church catholic. He presents Luther's doctrine of penance or repentance, though without the force of personal experience which animated it in Luther, and for him conversion lasts practically throughout life. Baptism is the sacrament, or sign, which marks entrance into the Christian life and the state of grace, the transition from the dispensation of law to that of the Gospel. Its efficacy endures for the whole life.

===Lutheranism and Scholarship===
Having devised the formula of the Church as a school, Melanchthon proceeded to bring the Evangelical faith into connection with Humanism. He started with the old familiar idea of [[natural law]], declaring that it is not only approved by the reason, but is also found in the Bible, being in the background of revealed law. God has provided that men shall know his providence from nature and has given them understanding to distinguish between good and evil. By the fall man lost the clear knowledge of the natural law which he had originally possessed. The Gospel brought something wholly new, not indicated in the natural law, namely, redemption through Christ and justification by faith, and this now leads back to the original condition. Certitude is restored by the spiritual law imparted by revelation in the Bible. If, now, as Christian, and by supernatural means, man is again certain about God, the study of the natural knowledge of God has interest and value for him and for the Church. Faith attains to somewhat of the character of rationality by virtue of the natural law, though even this law is supernaturally conditioned as based on the creative activity of God. By means of this concept of natural law Melanchthon succeeded in finding an ideal foundation for the knowledge of the Church in the knowledge of reason no less than scholasticism had done. His theory was, however, only superficial here, for he really had in mind two realms of knowledge: a higher, that of Biblical revelation, and a lower, that of human reason; and he felt that one must first learn of the former, to understand the latter. He refrained from high speculations about God, the law, the doctrines of the Trinity, and the two natures of Christ, contenting himself with the belief that all divine secrets would be revealed in heaven. It is significant that he thought of heaven too as a school. He did not appropriate Luther's ethical conception of blessedness. That justice is in itself blessedness, that love is the essence of life everlasting he did not understand. God desires, he held, to be known and honored; and blessedness is the eternal reward of those in heaven to hold converse concerning God and the divine essence, now at last completely known. Herein is the most considerable reduction of Luther's teaching as formulated by Melanchthon.

===Church and State===
In the interest of the new faith Melanchthon undertook the reorganization of the entire system of higher education, and rendered no slight service to the entire field of science and letters. His Loci became the theological text book of the generations which followed him, and his manuals of philosophy, which he prepared as propædeutic, were no less noteworthy. In this undertaking, however, he needed the help of the secular authorities, and it was he who laid down the rules for the relations between the Lutheran Church and the State. He believed that the magistracy was sanctioned by reason, and also that it was, on unmistakable Biblical authority, positively ordained by God, the secular officials being called to be guardians of the entire law, i.e., the natural law and the decalogue. Revelation defines the sphere of their duties. They must open the way to the pure doctrine of the Bible and regulate the higher institutions of learning; but it is not for them to interpret the Bible or to formulate the faith. Their place in the Church is among those who hear, not those who teach. The preachers, as ministers of the word, are independent, and as authoritative for secular officials as for all other laymen, though in purely civil affairs the clergy are subject to civil authority.

===Lutheran Orthodoxy===
Lutheran orthodoxy may be treated briefly after depicting Melanchthon's system. It lived and moved in the understanding of the Gospel to which Melanchthon gave words and form, notwithstanding the controversies of Gnesiolutherans and Philippists, and the preference shown for the former when the princes were compelled to take sides (see Philippists). For it the Bible was the only actual authority of faith, even the creeds adopted serving merely to settle points of controversy, and the task of theology was to interpret, systematize, and defend in pedagogic fashion what the Bible contained. The classic theologian of the period, Johann Gerhard (q.v.), gave little space to the confessions in his Loci, (9 vols., Jena, 1610–22) and treated them only incidentally. It is not meant that Gerhard, or any one, was indifferent to the confessions, but he was so fully convinced that they accorded with the Bible and bound to nothing except what was in the Bible that he could give them a very secondary place. It was far more important to show that Lutheranism and the early Church were in harmony, and that the new teachings were supported by the testimony of the Church Fathers. Practically the confessions were important chiefly on the political side. The Augsburg Confession served as a statement of the Evangelical faith which could be used juristically in dealings between Lutheran states and the Empire; and the states often felt the need of documents which could be appealed to in matters of uncertainty in their internal church policy.

The most important theological achievement of the time of orthodoxy was a highly developed doctrine of the Bible; controversy with the Roman Catholic theologians, especially the well-equipped Jesuits, drove the Protestants, who rejected the Roman appeal to tradition and the Church, to declare the Bible the sure and only word of God, to which they maintained that they could appeal with better right than could their opponents to the pope. The divine plan for the salvation of fallen man was though of by many as somewhat more miraculous than by Melanchthon; faith and comprehension of the Bible were considered a purely mechanical operation of the Holy Spirit; the theory of blessedness was still further transformed; metaphysical speculation about God involved consequences which Melanchthon had not had in mind; and new paths were entered upon in the doctrine of the sacraments. On the other hand, the interpretation of loci went on quite in the spirit of Melanchthon. Finally, there was a coherence of idea based on the concept of God's interest in the law. the dogma of satisfaction, rendered by Christ to God in place of the sinner, stood in close relation to the thought of law, even of a natural law. In it the orthodox theology showed that it had made Melanchthon's interpretation of Luther its own and was still animated by it. It is no accident that this dogma has been the most lasting part of the orthodox doctrine.

The most striking thing in the piety of the period was its unruffled content. Never since has the Evangelical faith been so sure that it was right. It must be admitted that the moral impulses to faith were not felt as they were by the immediate disciples of Luther and Melanchthon. There was a sort of habitual acquiescence in the inevitability of sin, and the hope of heaven was a large element of orthodox piety. Men was no special tasks before them in the world; Melanchthon's teaching had brought about its logical result by putting all ideal direction of life in the hands of the clergy. The people [for the most part] learned the catechism and listened patiently to the instruction of the pulpit; they attended faithfully on the word of God and the sacraments—and with that they were content.

==Doctrines==
The Lutheran denomination is considered to be the first Protestant church to form. The main cause for the split from the Catholic Church was Luther's belief in justification by faith alone. Lutherans believe that the [[Bible]], as a divinely inspired book, is the source of all revealed divine knowledge. Lutherans use a similar liturgical format to those of the Catholics, [[Methodists]] and [[Anglicans]]. Some other characteristics of the Lutheran Church are the use of Luther's Large and Small Catechism as an educational tool, belief in the [[real presence]] in [[communion]] but not [[transubstantiation]], and infant [[baptism]]. Lutheran doctrine is summarized in the [[Book of Concord]], which contains the famous Augsburg Confession.

====Modern Day====
Today there are more than 70 million Lutheran adherents.

In 2007, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America voted to allow ministers in [[homosexual]] relationships to keep their posts.<ref>[http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070811/us_nm/religion_lutherans_dc Yahoo News]</ref> Luther's personal writings condemned the practice of homosexuality.

'''Lutheran Churches'''
*[[Evangelical Lutheran Church in America]]
*[[Lutheran Church Missouri Synod]]
*[[Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod]]
*[[Church of Sweden]]
*[[Church of Norway]]
*[[Church of Finland]]
*[[Church of Denmark]]
*[[Church of Iceland]]

==See also==
* [[Martin Luther]]
* [[Philipp Melanchthon]]

==Bibliography==
* Bodensieck, Julius, ed. ''The Encyclopedia of the Lutheran Church,'' (3 vol 1965), ECLS perspective
* Cimino, Richard. ''Lutherans Today: American Lutheran Identity in the Twenty-First Century'' (2003) [http://www.amazon.com/Lutherans-Today-American-Lutheran-Twenty-First/dp/0802813658/ref=sr_1_22?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201161191&sr=8-22 excerpt and text search]
* Hillerbrand, Hans J. ed. ''The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Reformation.'' ([[OUP]] 1996); the book is online at many academic libraries; [http://www.amazon.com/Oxford-encyclopedia-Reformation/dp/0195103645/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201162350&sr=8-2 excerpt and text search]
* Lagerquist, L. DeAne, ''The Lutherans'' (Denominations in America) (1999) [http://www.amazon.com/Lutherans-Denominations-America-DeAne-Lagerquist/dp/0313275491/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201160994&sr=8-8 excerpt and text search]
* MacCulloch, Diarmaid. ''The Reformation'' (2005), influential recent survey [http://www.amazon.com/Reformation-Diarmaid-MacCulloch/dp/014303538X/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1200808706&sr=8-2 excerpt and text search]
* Marty, Martin E. ''Lutheran Questions, Lutheran Answers: Exploring Christian Faith''(2007) by a leading scholar [http://www.amazon.com/Lutheran-Questions-Answers-Exploring-Christian/dp/0806653507/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1201160994&sr=8-3 excerpt and text search]
*''New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge'' (1911), major sources of older scholarly articles; mainline Protestant perspective
**[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc01.toc.html Vol. 1: Aachen - Basilians]
**[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc02.toc.html Vol. 2: Basilica - Chambers]
**[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc03.toc.html Vol. 3: Chamier - Draendorf]
**[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc04.toc.html Vol. 4: Draeseke - Goa]
**[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc05.toc.html Vol. 5: Goar - Innocent]
**[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc06.toc.html Vol. 6: Innocents - Liudger]
**[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc07.toc.html Vol. 7: Liutprand - Moralities]
**[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc08.toc.html Vol. 8: Morality - Petersen]
**[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc09.toc.html Vol. 9: Petri - Reuchlin]
**[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc10.toc.html Vol. 10: Reutsch - Son]
**[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc11.toc.html Vol. 11: Son of Man - Tremellius]
**[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc12.toc.html Vol. 12: Trench - Zwingli]
**[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc13.toc.html Vol. 13: Index]

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Protestantism]]
[[Category:Christian Denominations]]
[[Category:Lutherans]]
[[Category:Religion and Politics]]

Christina Grimmie

2017-04-08T20:45:23Z

Tg97:

'''Christina Victoria Grimmie''' (March 12, 1994 – June 11, 2016) was an [[American]] [[singer]], songwriter, and one-time actress at first known for her covers of songs on [[YouTube]], and later her participation in The Voice.

==YouTube success==

On YouTube, Christina Grimmie was shown to have had interests ranging from singing, playing [[video games]] like Legend of Zelda, League of Legends, and Super Smash Bros., and spending time with her family.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/user/zeldaxlove64/about</ref> She was undaunted to openly admit she was a Christian.

After watching videos of people doing covers of songs on YouTube back in 2009, Christina's friend Lauren suggested that Christina try the same.<ref>https://youtu.be/nLtgOTqStkw</ref> Her mother Tina Grimmie initially was uncomfortable to this move for the fear of her daughter being the target of online predators. Ultimately this proved to be prophetic, albeit out of context. When Christina's YouTube channel exploded with views and positive comments, Selena Gomez's parents found out and offered for Christina opportunities to further her career.

==Beyond YouTube==

Christina Grimmie was a contestant on The Voice in 2014, taking 3rd place, and received offers to sign with various record companies. She was signed with Island Records until they dropped her when she declined to "undress to impress".<ref>http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/entertainment/celebrity/voice-usa-pop-sensation-christina-5269151</ref> Seeing how Miley Cyrus turned out, she made a wise decision.

Grimmie has released two EPs, ''Find Me'' (2011) and ''Side A'' (2016), and one full-length album, ''With Love'' (2013).

==Death==

On June 10, 2016, Christina Grimmie announced that she was going to be at a meet and greet to meet fans (or "frands" as she prefers to call them) at [[The Live Plaza]] in [[Orlando, Florida]]. Unfortunately, she was murdered by a mentally ill{{fact}} person at [[The Live Plaza]] in [[Orlando, Florida]], not long before the shooting spree at a homosexual nightclub.

==Posthumous releases==
In August–September 2016, Grimmie's family uploaded a series of music videos for her ''Side A'' EP, which she filmed before she died.<ref>Gutelle, Sam. "[http://www.tubefilter.com/2016/08/15/christina-grimmie-snow-white-music-video/ Late YouTube Star Christina Grimmie’s Family Releases New Videos On Her Channel]." August 15, 2016. Tubefilter. Tubefilter, Inc.</ref>

Grimmie appeared in the film ''The Matchbreaker'', released on October 7, 2016.

Her single "Invisible" was released on February 17, 2017 on the Republic Records label.

==References==

<References/>

[[Category:Women Singers]]
[[Category:Singers]]
[[Category:Christians]]
[[Category:Religious People]]

Lorem ipsum

2017-01-29T00:40:17Z

Tg97: add source, correct info

In design, '''Lorem Ipsum''' is a piece of [[text]] used as a placeholder to demonstrate the overall look of a particular layout. This text is a modified version of two sections from [[Cicero]]'s treatise ''De finibus bonorum et malorum''<ref>[http://www.lipsum.com/ Lorem Ipsum - All the facts - Lipsum generator]</ref> and is used in place of [[English]] so that people viewing it are not distracted by the words on the page.

Lorem Ipsum is not a static piece of text but is generated in a random manner, although it usually begins with "Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet".

== Example ==

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Donec posuere viverra nisl, ac consectetur urna adipiscing sed. In nec purus ac augue vehicula sagittis. Integer sit amet nunc nec erat sollicitudin rutrum. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia Curae; Curabitur iaculis, tortor nec accumsan fermentum, eros neque porttitor mi, sit amet vehicula nibh lacus vitae lacus. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Aliquam id lorem sit amet massa malesuada rutrum. Cras dictum nisi nec diam dictum quis euismod nisl eleifend. Sed non nibh vitae turpis malesuada ultricies. Curabitur massa libero, pharetra ut sagittis a, elementum nec purus. Sed euismod pharetra justo, vitae auctor magna consectetur eget. Donec ultrices elit non tortor volutpat vel condimentum tortor vehicula. Etiam porta auctor orci, an eleifend quam tristique id.

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Typography]]