Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Thomas Jefferson

2009-03-28T17:50:05Z

VozVerdad:

{{President
|image=TCJJ.jpg
|seq=3
|term_start=March 4, 1801
|term_end=March 4, 1809<ref>http://www.aboutfamouspeople.com/article1095.html</ref>
|party=Democratic-Republican
|vp=Aaron Burr
|vp_dates=1801-1805
|2vp=George Clinton
|2vp_dates=1805-1809
|previous=John Adams
|next=James Madison
|office2=vice
|seq2=2
|term_start2=March 4, 1797
|term_end2=March 4, 1801
|party2=Democratic-Republican
|pres2=John Adams
|pres_dates2=
|previous2=John Adams
|next2=Aaron Burr
|birth_date=April 13, 1743
|birth_place=Shadwell, Virginia
|death_date=July 4, 1826
|death_place=Charlottesville, Virginia
|spouse=Martha Wayles Skelton Jefferson
|religion=Deist/Unitarian?
}}
'''Thomas Jefferson''' (1743-1826) was the 3rd [[President of the United States of America]] and often credited as the author of the [[Declaration of Independence]], although he had considerable input from [[John Adams]].

Jefferson was a prominent [[architect]], [[inventor]] and [[scientist]]. Jefferson, along with [[James Madison]], was a member of the [[Democratic-Republican Party]], an early political group that was opposed by the [[Federalist Party]]. After first serving as [[Vice President]] under John Adams, he defeated Adams in the next election and became President in his own right, a position that he held for 2 terms (8 years). Based on the early history of elections in the United States, the Vice President was not at that time appointed by the President as is true today. The Vice Presidency went to the person with the second highest number of election delegates, which was Jefferson. Jefferson, even though he was Vice President under Adams, was not a part of Adam's Federalist Party and in fact was opposed to much of Adam's political work. Jefferson is widely revered among [[libertarianism|libertarians]] for his work on the [[Declaration of Independence]] and political views.

==Presidency (1801-1809)==
Thomas Jefferson was inaugurated the third [[President of the United States]] on March 4, 1801 in the infant capital on the Potomac. The new President filled his cabinet with moderate Republicans, those in a more radical persuasion were disappointed. Although it became a model of executive [[unity]], the cabinet meet infrequently. Jefferson had the pleasure of dominating [[Congress]]. In 1801, for the first time, Republicans controlled both houses of the legislator. The [[federalist]]s were a shrinking minority. Congress depended on executive initiatives and usually followed them. Nearly all the legislation during his eight years in office originated with the President and his secretaries.

Jefferson's long held fiscal philosophy was that public [[debt]] and [[tax]]es were evils of the first magnitude. As President Jefferson slashed [[Army]] and [[Navy]] expenditures, cut the budget, eliminated the [[tax]] on whiskey so unpopular in the West, yet reduced the national debt by a third. He also sent a naval squadron to fight the Barbary pirates, who were harassing American commerce in the Mediterranean. Further, although the Constitution made no provision for the acquisition of new land, Jefferson suppressed his qualms over constitutionality when he had the opportunity to acquire the [[Louisiana]] Territory from [[Napoleon]] in 1803. This then controversial [[Louisiana Purchase]] doubled the size of the United States of America, for 15 million dollars. Jefferson sent [[Captain]] [[Meriwether Lewis]] and [[Lieutenant]] [[William Clark]] for an expedition of the new American territory.

During Jefferson's second term, he was increasingly preoccupied with keeping the Nation from involvement in the Napoleonic wars, though both [[England]] and [[France]] interfered with the neutral rights of American merchantmen. Jefferson's attempted solution, an [[Embargo of 1807|embargo upon American shipping]], failed badly and had to be repealed.

==Religious Views==

Many liberal textbooks and online resources claim that Jefferson was a [[deist]],<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Deist_thinkers</ref> but Jefferson's own description of his views show more complexity.

In one of his writings now inscribed on the [[Jefferson Memorial]] in Washington, D.C., Jefferson said:

<blockquote>God who gave us life gave us liberty. Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of God? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that his justice cannot sleep forever.</blockquote>

Jefferson's Second Inaugural Address implied that, unlike [[deists]], he believed in divine intervention:<blockquote>"I shall need, too, the favor of that Being in whose hands we are, who led our forefathers, as Israel of old."</blockquote>

In an 1803 letter to Dr. Benjamin Rush, Jefferson declared that "I am a Christian," though his view of [[Christianity]] was different from most:
<blockquote>I then promised you that one day or other I would give you my views of [the Christian religion]. They are the result of a life of inquiry and reflection, and very different from that anti-Christian system imputed to me by those who know nothing of my opinions. To the corruptions of Christianity I am indeed opposed, but not to the genuine precepts of Jesus himself. I am a Christian, in the only sense in which he wished anyone to be: sincerely attached to his doctrines in preference to all others, ascribing to himself every human excellence, and believing he never claimed any other.<ref>Jefferson, Thomas, April 21, 1803: Letter to Dr. Benjamin Rush[http://www.angelfire.com/co/JeffersonBible/jeffbsyl.html]</ref></blockquote>

However, despite Jefferson's self-declared Christianity, many of his views would be considered incorrect or even [[heretical]] by most Christians. Most notably, he attempted to create the [[Jefferson Bible]] - an edited version of the [[New Testament]] intended to retain Christ's moral and practical teaching, while disposing of supernatural or inconvenient elements.

Jefferson certainly believed [[Jesus]] to be a great teacher of morality, and believed the universe to be created by a God. Less clear is his views on subjects such as the divinity of Christ, [[the resurrection]], [[sin]] and [[salvation]]. The Jefferson Bible suggests he rejects these ideas entirely, but is not definitive. Jefferson never had the Bible published during his lifetime. He did have this to say about Christianity and the message contained in the work that he created.

While Jefferson believed in Jesus, he did not approve of Christianity because it is a corruption of the teachings of Jesus. Would Jesus have supported rape, pillage and murder in his name? And so we can see why Jefferson said the following.

"I do not find in our particular superstition of Christianity one redeeming feature.....Millions of innocent men, women and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burned, tortured, fined and imprisoned. What has been the effect of this coercion? To make half the world fools and half hypocrites; to support roguery and error all over the world?"

<blockquote>There will be found remaining the most sublime and benevolent code of morals which has ever been offered to man.<ref>http://www.cooperativeindividualism.org/jefferson_m_03.html</ref></blockquote>

==The Right to Bear Arms==
"In a nation governed by the people themselves, the possession of arms to defend their nation against usurpers within and without was deemed absolutely necessary. This right is protected by the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution. A gun was an everyday implement in early American society, and Jefferson recommended its use." <ref>[http://etext.virginia.edu/jefferson/quotations/jeff1500.htm#Arms Jefferson on Politics & Government: Civil Rights]</ref>

<blockquote>A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species of exercises, I advise the gun. While this gives moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise and independence to the mind. Games played with the ball, and others of that nature, are too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun, therefore, be the constant companion of your walks. --Thomas Jefferson to Peter Carr, 1785. ME 5:85, Papers 8:407</blockquote>

<blockquote>The constitutions of most of our States assert that all power is inherent in the people; that... it is their right and duty to be at all times armed. --Thomas Jefferson to John Cartwright, 1824. ME 16:45</blockquote>

<blockquote>One loves to possess arms, though they hope never to have occasion for them. --Thomas Jefferson to George Washington, 1796. ME 9:341</blockquote>

== Architecture ==
[[Image:University of Virginia.jpg|thumb|The Rotunda of the University of Virginia. It was designed by Thomas Jefferson.]]

Jefferson was the founder of the University of Virginia and designer of ''his "academical village"''; he did among others the drawings for ''The Rotunda'' in 1819. ''Although never formally trained in architecture, Jefferson had studied the structures of Europe and read extensively on the great architects of Europe... Jefferson contributed his architectural statement to federal buildings as well, assisting Pierre L'Enfant in the design and layout of the new Federal City of Washington and designing the state capitol in [[Richmond]]. Jefferson believed that "from architecture would flow education in taste, values, and ideals," and therefore constructed buildings that became ideas for America. '' <ref>[http://xroads.virginia.edu/~cap/jeff/jeffarch.html Jefferson and the Politics of Architecture]</ref>

<blockquote>
Jefferson believed that architecture was the heart of the American cause. In his mind, a building was not merely a walled structure, but a metaphor for American ideology, and the process of construction was equal to the task of building a nation. The architecture of any American building should express the American desire to break cultural--as well as political--ties to Europe. American architecture, Jefferson believed, would embody the fulfillment of the civic life of Americans, and he sought to establish the standards of a national architecture, both aesthetically and politically. [[Ibidem]]
</blockquote>

Jefferson was an admirer of [[Andrea Palladio]]; the Palladian influece may be seen at Thomas Jefferson's estate Monticello (1768 - 1809). ''We know that he owned Palladio's treatise on the Five Orders, and that he followed Palladio's ideas.''<ref> [http://www.oldandsold.com/articles10/famous-buildings-51.shtml Famous Buildings In America]</ref>

<blockquote>
[[Thomas Jefferson]] was among the many people who submitted a plan for the White House. His design, however, was not chosen. Instead, James Hoban, an Irish immigrant architect living in Charleston, [[South Carolina]], won the competition and a $500 prize, with a design modeled after Leister House in [[Dublin]], [[Ireland]]. <ref>[http://www.americaslibrary.gov/cgi-bin/page.cgi/jb/nation/whitehse_2 The White House.]</ref>
</blockquote>
{{cquote|
''"Whenever it is proposed to prepare plans for the Capitol, I should prefer the adoption of some one of the models of antiquity which have had the approbation of thousands of years; and for the President's house I should prefer the celebrated fronts of modern buildings which have already received the approbation of all good judges. Such are the Galerie du Louvre, the Garde Meubles; and two fronts of the Hotel de Salm."'' T. Jefferson. <ref> Thomas Jefferson to L'Enfant, April 10, 1791, in Saul K. Padover, ed., Thomas Jefferson and the National Capital (Washington, D. C.: US Government Printing Office, 1946), 59. </ref>
}}

==Death==

Jefferson died on July 4th, [[Independence Day]], in 1826. It was the same day as the death of [[John Adams]]. They had been close friends until the political wars of the 1790s drove them apart, then resumed their friendship with a brilliant correspondence.
==See also==
* [[Jeffersonian Democracy]]
* [[Embargo of 1807]]
==References==
<references/>

{{USPresidents}}
{{USVicePresidents}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jefferson, Thomas}}
[[Category: Founding Fathers]]
[[Category:American Revolution]]
[[Category:Republicanism]]
[[Category:Early National U.S.]]
[[Category:Virginia Governors]]
[[Category:Enlightenment]]

Talk:Liberal Style

2009-03-24T22:02:41Z

VozVerdad: /* Really guys? */

Point #28 should be edited to remove, "Never say it about fellow liberals", since CP's "Breaking News" quotes Hillary saying it about Obama. In fact, the Breaking News entry even refers to point #28. So either Obama is not liberal, or Point #28 should be modified.--[[User:Jdellaro|Jdellaro]] 10:59, 24 February 2008 (EST)

: Good point, but Obama is not a ''fellow'' liberal with respect to Hillary. He is an "adversary" to Hillary. Any suggestions to make more precise, while keeping it concise?--[[User:Aschlafly|Aschlafly]] 11:02, 24 February 2008 (EST)

:: Instead of using "Never", perhaps use the word "rarely". --[[User:Jdellaro|Jdellaro]] 13:38, 24 February 2008 (EST)

::: Good suggestion. "Rarely" is weaker than I'd like, but let's use it as the best suggestion so far. Thanks.--[[User:Aschlafly|Aschlafly]] 13:47, 24 February 2008 (EST)

== Israel ==

"referring to Israel as "occupied territories""

Hello, I notice the article (which is very funny and good by the way) gets it right about "occupied" "palestinian" territories, but conservapedia article for Israel doesnt'! If you look at the map it shows east-jerusalem and ALL judea-samaria, golan hights, as not Israel, even parts that are definely Jewish. maybe some of the "Palestinian" cities, like area "A" in Oslo treaties, should not be mapped in Israel. But absolutely east-jerusalem must be, since it is annexed to Israel since 1980s, and not even liberals expect Israel to give it up to the terrorists. same for golan. i would remove the map myself but, the artical is "locked" from vandalisms.

Étienne Léger

== Neville Chamberlain ==

Neville Chamberlain was a conservative Prime Minister, it's a bit foolish to criticise a liberal trait and use a conservative as an example.--[[User:JesusIsMyHomeboy|JesusIsMyHomeboy]] 22:33, 24 February 2008 (EST)

== Childish ==

While I understand that conservapedia wishes to be encyclopedia with a conservative bias, there is a difference between childish name calling and factual data. Please I beg you hearsay and opinion are no basis for an encyclopedia. [[User:Rellik|Rellik]] 23:58, 31 March 2008 (EDT)

This should really be an essay, since it's basically vilifying everyone at the other end of the political spectrum; characterising them as slippery, disingenuous and vindictive. Why on earth is it so hard for people here to accept that liberals are capable of honest discussion? [[User:Underscoreb|Underscoreb]] 18:44, 3 April 2008 (EDT)

:Because we can't recall ever seeing any. Perhaps you'd like to be the first to destroy my preconceptions? --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] [[User talk:Ed Poor|Talk]] 18:46, 3 April 2008 (EDT)
::I'd be more than happy to. Perhaps you could critique my entry on [[liberal ideology]]? :-D [[User:Underscoreb|Underscoreb]] 19:46, 3 April 2008 (EDT)

Seriously. Half of these are not even credited to any source. Its particularly ironic that one of the points is "Unjustified expertise" with no citation. Plus liberals just see the way we should solve problems differently... we are people too (and good ones at that too!). --[[User:Snotbowst|Snotbowst]] 15:09, 24 April 2008 (EDT)

== Removing 'sigh' entry ==
A sigh is an expression of tiredness and/or exasperation. Everyone sighs, including your sysops (see [[Talk:Hollywood values]] for evidence)
[[User:AdenJ|AdenJ]] 01:01, 29 April 2008 (EDT)

It would appear I cant so can someone else?
[[User:AdenJ|AdenJ]] 01:02, 29 April 2008 (EDT)

==Point number 39==
This entire article is somewhat hyperbolic. Having this point is somewhat hypocritical?

==Tragic==

The contradictions I see here are the same contradictions the Liberal left display when they attack the conservative right. Partisans have no idea of how foolish they look to the rest of us. [[User:LChriosa|LChriosa]] 14:12, 16 May 2008 (EDT)

== "Shame" ==

I think the shame point is a bit ridiculous. Heck, shame is a theme in Christianity -- Adam and Eve felt shame for being naked. I don't think God is a liberal.[[User:JPohl|JPohl]] 12:41, 4 June 2008 (EDT)

:Can someone remove this point? It doesn't look like there are any objects.[[User:JPohl|JPohl]] 10:53, 6 June 2008 (EDT)

==Point No. 8==

Global warming is a wacky liberal theory? As if thermometers have liberal ideologies? Heavens. [[User:CogitoErgoSum|CogitoErgoSum]] 12:19, 10 August 2008 (EDT)

==Quantify==
"32. resistance to quantifying things, such as liberal bias or openmindedness". 
I was told specifically by a very conservative person, that quantifying things only make things worse. Care to explain? o.O [[Special:Userrights|Make me a sysop!]] [[User:NathanG|Nate]] [[User_talk:NathanG|my opinion matters?]] 10:01, 10 October 2008 (EDT)

== Really guys? ==
Okay, I understand that this is a conservative website and that we may not like liberals a whole lot, but we accuse liberals "bullying conservatives who disagree with liberal views" when we are doing the same to them. This page is proof. We sit here and say all of these great things about ourselves and we just leave the liberals to eat dirt. Here's my evidence:

*concealing one's liberal views rather than admitting them 
*calling conservative free speech "hate" speech 
*claim that science supports their position, and ignore any evidence that shows their position to be false 

Really? Is this how we should be acting? If us conservatives really want to be the best group, we shouldn't insult other groups just because they're liberal and such. Now, I'm not saying we should accept their viewpoints, but we should be a little less...harsh...in our evaluation of liberals. Even though liberals have a style we don't agree with, we aren't any different. So, I think a revision of this page should be done in order to reduce the harshness. We should also do a revision on Conservative style and maybe mention some of the things we tend to have problems with. --[[User:Zerlock|Zerlock]]

:I fail to see how the points you listed refer to Conservapedia and its users. Also, how can you characterize all conservatives with a style list? Although some of us (myself quite included) may have characteristic problems, we're not homogeneous. Also, those entries are cogent with the past behavior of liberals, that's why they're on the list. [[User:JakeW|JakeW]]

:Jake, you seem to be confused. This is a list of liberal traits, not conservative ones, so it doesn't at all relate to our users or contributors. --[[User:TK|'''₮K''']][[User_Talk:TK|/Talk!]] 03:12, 30 December 2008 (EST)

::Perhaps I should have indented my previous comment, but I was responding to Zerlock. [[User:JakeW|JakeW]]

This relates to all conservatives because it presents you as prejudicial in the face of liberals. Not all liberals are as stated here. Yes, some liberals are stupid and bigoted, I agree that Richard Dorkins needs to get a new hobby other than attacking people for having religious views, but not all liberals are like him. I am a liberal and I agree that people can develope their views over time, I was brought up in an atheist/agnostic environment and eventually came to belief in God. Yet I am still a liberal, but not the liberal described in your nonsense of bigoted, self serving list. I am a liberal because I believe it is our duty to help the disabled and infirm by providing healthcare free for all. I believe that education is a force for good and should be provided to all for free. And I believe it is government's duty to provide this for all who want it.

But I disagree with big government (bit of a paradox no?) I don't believe we need Nuclear weapons in sufficient numbers to destroy billions of people or subsidies to farmers who make hundreds of thousands of dollars, I despise war, I think policing drugs costs too much money and puts drugs in the hands of dealers instead of pharmacists where they belong.... and there are too many politicians and bureaucrats... but such is life... sadly.

Please don't contribute to the mess, you might not agree with my views but its not that important, I stand by them, but if you stand by this slander in this list of yours, well that is sad.

Council of Nicaea

2009-03-24T20:36:26Z

VozVerdad:

The first '''Council of Nicaea''' (Council I) was convened in 325 AD. It was the first time Christianity could be called together from across the [[Roman Empire]] as it had been illegal before then and suffered persecutions leading to death. The council condemned Christian heresies that denied the divinity of [[Jesus Christ]], especially [[Arianism]]. The Council affirmed that Jesus was the Son of God. The Council issued the [[Nicene Creed]], which codified the theological understanding of the Holy [[Trinity]] and remains the unified statement of faith of all Christians to this day.

The Council was presided over by the Emporer [[Constantine]], who is said to have coined the term [[homousis]], the current language in the [[Nicene Creed]] describing Jesus as "of the same substance" as the father. The Council of Nicaea also [[canonized]] the current [[Bible]], agreeing to the form that had been in common usage.

[[Category:Councils]]

Council of Nicaea

2009-03-24T20:30:35Z

VozVerdad:

The first '''Council of Nicaea''' (Council I) was convened in 325 AD. It was the first time Christianity could be called together from across the [[Roman Empire]] as it had been illegal before then and suffered persecutions leading to death. The council condemned Christian heresies that denied the divinity of [[Jesus Christ]], especially [[Arianism]]. The Council affirmed that Jesus was the Son of God. The Council issued the [[Nicene Creed]], which codified the theological understanding of the Holy [[Trinity]] and remains the unified statement of faith of all Christians to this day.

The Council was presided over by the Emporer[[Constantine]], who is said to have coined the term [[homousis]], the current language in the [[Nicene Creed]] describing Jesus as "of the same substance" as the father. The Council of Nicaea also [[canonized]] the current [[Bible]], agreeing to the form that had been in common usage.

[[Category:Councils]]

Debate:Why did God place most of the world's oil in politically unstable places?

2009-03-24T19:29:43Z

VozVerdad:

I can't figure out this one, and I hope someone here can. [[User:Sterile|Sterile]] 14:24, 5 May 2007 (EDT)

The problem is one of poverty, when people are poor -as most people in the world are- and they see wealth around them it is tempting to try to take it, look at what happened in Texas in the early oil boom, people had their land stolen from them with no idea of what was going on. If you struggle to feed your children and you cannot get work even though you try every day and you get offered a job working for a big man who can pay you and make sure your children get an education, all you need to do is hold a gun and be able to use it, would you not take the job?

Anyway I don't know quite what you mean, Saudi Arabia is very safe, they get billions and trillions for their oil and employ huge numbers of people in the police and army.

Indeed. Since the regions of the world where oil is available have historically been unstable long before the discovery or usefulness of petroleum was discovered, one can only conclude that God likes to see people kill each other. [[User:Stile4aly|Stile4aly]] 14:27, 5 May 2007 (EDT)

Why can't people, who happen to live in oil rich places, just get along?

Why would God want us to use a limited and polluting substance as fuel?

[[User:Middle Man|Middle Man]]

Maybe God's chosen people are the Arabs living in the oil rich places.[[User:Prof0705|Prof0705]] 22:14, 5 May 2007 (EDT)

Why did God create stars that we can only see and not reach? The authors question should be moved to Funny, maybe? on the debate forum.--[[User:Jpatt|jp]] 23:34, 5 May 2007 (EDT)

The middle east was not particularly unstable during its long years of Ottoman dominance (positively tranquil compared to Europe in the same period), or even in the interwar period - it's current reputation as a problematic area postdates the discovery of oil in Saudi Arabia in 1938. Texas and Alaska are obviously stable, and the North Sea area is not noted as a hotbed of agitation. [[User:MississippiMud|MisMud]] 23:49, 5 May 2007 (EDT)

Perhaps the oil causes the political instability.[[User:Rebiu|Rebiu]] 23:19, 10 May 2007 (EDT)

Nah, that's just crazy, it's much more likely it's all part of the Homosexual Agenda!

[[Category:Conservapedia Debates]]
[[User:MiddleMan|MiddleMan]]

:The question should be, [[Why are places with immense natural resources politically unstable?]] --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] 12:02, 11 May 2007 (EDT)

Greed? (Duh!)

[[User:MiddleMan|MiddleMan]]

I think this question is based on an assumption that shouldn't be being made in a christian worldview: That God creates natural resources when they are discovered, rather than having created them in the beginning along with everything else.
As such, a sensible explanation within the christian worldview would be the fact that the middle eastern nations with oil are in many cases in the area that the Garden of Eden is speculated to have been and in which the Jews (god's chosen people) existed. A concentration of oil in such a place would fit well with this theory, especially if you accept Flood Geology.
Of course, as an atheist, I think the most sensible explanation is simply that the majority of the Earth's landmass has been through political instability in the past 100 years, and in places with large natural resources the instability is likely to be maintained by competing claimants because any given stable situation would favour one of them, and thus the others will fight it.
--[[User:Kingreaper|Kingreaper]] 13:20, 27 June 2007 (EDT)

Another easy debate question. Its to make the richer, Christianer, and therefore better countries (i.e., The USA), are motivated to straighten up the blaspheming Arab countries. --[[User:Cranky Joe|Cranky Joe]] 14:44, 23 July 2007 (EDT)

YOU FOOLS THIS IS CLEARLY A COMMUNIST PLOT!! {{Unsigned|Interested}}
:We've considered that; we just need more evidence before we go public with any accusations. [[User:RobS|Rob Smith]] 22:48, 13 August 2007 (EDT)

*Perhaps to create the illusion of scarcity. What if oil was not really a [[fossil fuel]] made eons before Adam and Eve? What if there is no Santa Claus? Tooth Ferry? Easter Bunny? Then the myth of [[Peak oil]] would not be possible either. The only real question is did G_D make a fixed amount of oil or is there a process that creates oil? Either way ... we are probably supposed to find ways of doing without it or to find out how to make oil.[[User:KirjathSepher|KirjathSepher]] 14:22, 1 September 2007 (EDT)

He didn't. It formed from decaying plant and animal matter over millions of years.

Debate:Which is true; progressive Liberal or regressive liberal

2009-03-24T19:22:01Z

VozVerdad:

Which is true? progressive or regressive, which best describes liberals. Democrats wanting to put a new moniker on their actions and wish not to be trapped by the negativety surrounding the word liberal. Progressive is a nice sound bite that they can be proud of, but is it true? Everything a liberal believes in gay rights, abortion rights, bigger government, higher taxes still is part of their thinking. These actions are a drain on our country, that to me is regressive. Progressive is just putting a dress on a pig, but it is still a pig.--[[User:Jpatt|jp]] 00:00, 16 April 2007 (EDT)

:Giving rights to homosexuals puts a drain on our country?--[[User:Άθεος|Άθεος]] 16:14, 16 April 2007 (EDT)

----

:For a start this is a very poor question. You launch into one huge diatribe without a break, you seek to answer the question your self. If this is a rhetorical question for you why pose it in a debate? Additionally it displays a sever degree of cultural autism. An inability of the questioner to consider another position, a mere knee jerk rejection of all that the author opposes.

:The truth is that a liberal person, describing their philosophy as "progressive" is simply a classic example of framing. This is a sometimes subtitle art where in the word or words that you use to describe your position seeks to frame the debate. If we use the abortion debate as an example, one side describes its self as pro-life, the other as pro-choice. Why not pro-life and anti-life or anti-choice and pro-choice? It is quite simply that a pro-life person wants to frame the abortion debate in the context of life and the right to life, and to ignore the issue of parental choice, the pro-choice person seeks to do the opposite.

:Then to the question of what is progressive. Well that depends on what your aim, for instance if you are a homosexual, then the prospect of expanding gay rights, which necessarily would be your rights, would seem very reasonably like progress to you. Additionally if you don't have health insurance, a government plan to provide you with health insurance sounds like progress. Conservatism by contrast seeks to resist or undo change, and this resistance of change can be framed as an unwillingness to progress.

:So I would say the answer depends on your position, and where you want to be.

:--[[User:Irish|Irish]] 20:01, 5 July 2007 (EDT)

Progressivism is a set of ideas, you might want to look here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressivism

[[Category:Conservapedia Debates]]

Debate:Was President George H. W. Bush wrong to leave Saddam in power in 1991?

2009-03-24T19:14:02Z

VozVerdad:

{{debate}}

==He was right==
He was right. Though it might have cost him the 1992 election, he had no desire to involve America in a war that he knew would drag on for years and cost thousands of lives. [[User:Maestro|Maestro]] 11:00, 24 March 2008 (EDT)

George Bush senior was the boss at the CIA for some years before his presidency, he did business with Saddam when Iraq was at war with Iran and the USA was selling guns and maybe other things to Saddam. Donald Rumsfeld was a friend to Saddam Hussein in the past, so may have leaned on Bush Snr. For sure these guys didn't want their old pal to get beaten up too much just because he had invaded a little country like Kuwait.

Bush snr himself said that going on into Baghdad would result in anarchy and chaos, he knew that more troops would be needed and many years of toil, which in the end would only result in another petty tyrant being put in place.

Questioning is good but we must ask a bigger question than who was right or wrong, but why did they do what they did?

==He was wrong==
Saddam had to be removed at some point and NATO was on a roll so they could have gotten it over and done with then. [[User:IndigoiMac|IndigoiMac]] 13:37, 29 June 2008 (EDT)

Conservapedia:Debate Topics

2009-03-24T19:02:41Z

VozVerdad: /* Religious debates */

'''Debate topic suggestions, organized so that it's not necessary to delete them.'''

(Note: If some topic is miscategorized, it can be cut and pasted without affecting the relevant links.)

==Philosophical debates==
# [[Debate:Can Conservapedia become the next Wikipedia, is this good or bad]]
# [[Debate:If there is no objective truth, then is the claim "there is no objective truth" also not an objective truth?]]
# [[Conservapedia:Does History Matter?|Does History Matter?]]
# [[Debate:Is a first cause of a process necessary, always possible, or sometimes impossible?]]
# [[Debate:Can Objectivism develop beyond Ayn Rand's original formulation?]]
# [[Debate:Can any man live without some code of morality?]]
# [[Debate:Does the universe include everything, or does something outside the universe exist?]]
# [[Debate:Why is there something rather than nothing?]]
# [[Conservapedia:Stem Cells| Embryonic Stem Cells: Why or why not?]]
# [[Debate:Why Reason?]]
# [[Debate:Why does the conservative media often an ugly undertone?]]
# [[Debate:Should pharmacists be forced to fill legal prescriptions they personally object to on moral grounds?]]
# [[Debate:What is the real love?]]
# [[Debate:who created God?]]
# [[Debate: Why have conservatives let themselves get a bad name?]]
# [[Debate: Is it possible for God to be timeless?]]
# [[Debate: Is it possible for man to live a moral life without religion?]]
# [[Debate: How do conservatives view the Open Source movement and software?]]
# [[Debate: At what point does "Human" life begin?]]

==Religious debates==
# [[Debate: Why do people believe the earth is less than 1000 years old given that there are recorded histories predating that?]]
# [[Debate: Should certain books be banned from libraries?]]
# [[Debate: Is communism founded on Christian doctrine?]]
# [[Debate:Should the first story of creation be read allegorically or literally?]]
# [[Debate:Is Scientology a false religion?]]
# [[Debate:Why do Moses, Ezra, Jesus, and Paul all disagree on divorce?]]
# [[Debate:Did Jesus ever claim to be God?]]
# [[Debate:Grave errors/inconsistencies in the Bible make literal translation worthless.]]
# [[Debate:Was Jesus born in the right time and place?]]
# [[Debate:What does Christianity say about homosexuality?]]
# [[Debate:If God does not exist, can anything be morally wrong?]]
# [[Debate:Is it wrong to have a Christmas tree?]]
# [[Debate:Did God create evil?]]
# [[Debate:Which Christian denomination is the most true to the central teachings of Christianity?]]
# [[Debate:If Jesus were alive to day, where on the political spectrum would he fall?]]
# [[Debate:Should Religion Play a Large Role in Modern Societies?]]
# [[Debate:Does the Bible (Old and the New Testament) have the infallible words of God?]]
# [[Debate:AntiSemitism]]
# [[Debate:Does Intelligent Design deny the Existence of God?]]
# [[Debate:Could God create a rock so heavy that he himself could not lift it?]]
# [[Debate:What is the relationship between religion and the human tendency to kill each other?]]
# [[Debate:Natural Disaster versus Act of God]]
# [[Debate:What is the Sabbath day?]]
# [[Debate:Is it possible to be a conservative and not a religious person or even an atheist?]]
# [[Debate:Why do we still perform Baptisms?]]
# [[Debate:Does the Resurrection negate Gods Sacrifice of his only son?]]
# [[Debate:If most Muslims learned their religion from their parents, just like us Christians, they will probably be hard to convert. So what can we do to save their souls?]]
# [[Debate:If_most_Christians_learned_their_religion_from_their_parents%2C_just_like_us_Muslims%2C_they_will_probably_be_hard_to_convert._So_what_can_we_do_to_save_their_souls%3F|Debate:If most Christians learned their religion from their parents, just like us Muslims, they will probably be hard to convert. So what can we do to save their souls?]]
# [[Debate:Does mainstream Islam endorse violence?]]
# [[Debate:Is religion morally wrong?]]
# [[Debate:Does the Bible display poor ethics and morals?]]
# [[Debate:Why the Bible|Debate:What makes the Bible a reliable source of knowledge besides tradition?]]
# [[Debate:Why should we be afraid of God?]]
# [[Debate:Do conservative Christians have an unquestioning faith which is comparable to that of the Party in the book 1984?]]
# [[Debate:Antisemitism]]
# [[Debate:Are Christianity and the Bible superior to other religions and scriptures?]]
# [[Debate:Is "Coercive Interrogation" consistent with Christian Values?]]
# [[Debate:Should all access to Conservapedia be banned on Sundays?]]
# [[Debate:Mary Magdalene - First Witness to the Resurrection - Significance?]]
# [[Debate:Was Christ a fundamentalist?]]
# [[Debate:Atheism vs. Deism]]
# [[Debate:Atheism vs. Pastafarianism]]
# [[Debate:Why is homosexuality so bad?]]
# [[Debate:Are Young Earth Creationists detracting others from the Faith?]]
# [[Debate:Would the Flood and Noah's Ark cause inbreeding?]]
# [[Debate:Is there 1 God or are there many gods?]]
# [[Debate: Can you be a true Christian and believe in evolution?]]
# [[Debate:Should gay marriage be allowed?]]
# [[Debate:Is atheism a religion?]]
# [[Debate: If not naturalism, how do we decide which supernatural explanation is correct?]]
# [[Debate: Are Catholics Christians?]]
# [[Debate: Do Atheist believe they have a soul?]]
# [[Debate:Were Judas' actions necessary and foreordained?]]
# [[Debate: Is it possible to voluntarily convert one's religion?]]
# [[Debate: Can Christianity exist without Apostles and Prophets?]]
# [[Debate: What do you think about the violence in the Bible?]]
# [[Debate: Could Christian denominations exist without the Catholic Church?]]
# [[Debate: Which version of the Bible should be used as the authoritative reference on Conservapedia?]]
# [[Debate: Should Christians celebrate Christmas?]]
#[[Debate:Either God is indecisive or the world's major religions have ALL got it wrong]]
#[[Debate:Creationist]]
#[[Debate:Did Joan of Arc truly hear voices?]]
#[[Debate:Do ALL suicides go to hell?]]
# [Debate:What was the council of Nicaea and how has it influenced scripture?]

==Historical debates==
# [[Debate:Was Benjamin Franklin a deist?]]
# [[Debate:Did racism play a role in the decision to drop atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki?]]
# [[Debate:Was the European colonization of the Americas good for the native people?]]
# [[Debate:Was President George H. W. Bush wrong to leave Saddam in power in 1991?]]
# [[Debate:Which was worse? the Civil War and it's effects or slavery?]]
# [[Debate:Why are most actors turned politicians Republicans?]]
# [[Debate: Did the Founding Fathers intend to apply their personal faith to the nation "As an institution"?]]

==Political debates==
# [[Debate:Does Abstinence Only Education help or hurt us?]]
# [[Debate: Did the Founders have a religious motive?]]
# [[Debate: To what extent should we have obscenity laws]]
# [[Debate: Is communism founded on Christian doctrine?]]
# [[Debate:Why do we still have an embargo on Cuba?]]
# [[Debate:Has Britain Declined?]]
# [[Debate:Is illegal immigration control the answer to illegal immigration?]]
# [[Debate:Has Britain become the 51st State of the US?]]
# [[Debate:You think these Phd's are nuts?]]
# [[Debate:Does the European Union pose a threat to the United States?]]
# [[Debate:Which is true; progressive Liberal or regressive liberal]]
# [[Debate:Define torture]]
# [[Debate:Should the United States have entered World War I?]]
# [[Debate:Should the United States have entered World War II?]]
# [[Debate:Should the United States have eliminated communism in North Korea|Debate:Should the United States have eliminated communism in North Korea as General Douglas MacArthur wanted?]]
# [[Debate:Was the United States right to drop atomic bombs so quickly on Hiroshima and Nagasaki?]]
# [[Debate:Was it wrong for him to allow the attack in order to wake up the American public and motivate Americans to fight and win the war?|Debate:If President Roosevelt had known about the Pearl Harbor attack in advance, would it have been wrong for him to allow the attack in order to wake up the American public and motivate Americans to fight and win the war?]]
# [[Debate:Is gun-control the answer to crimes involving guns?]]
# [[Debate:Was world war inevitable?]]
# [[Debate:Does "free trade" increase wealth rather than simply redistribute it?]]
# [[Debate:Is it even possible to install democracy in a Muslim country?]]
# [[Debate:Is democracy even possible in Iraq?]]
# [[Debate:Should we have given the Panama Canal back to Panama?]]
# [[Debate:Should the United States leave the United Nations?]]
# [[Debate:Crusades... Good or Bad?]]
# [[Debate:Was American soldier Michael New right to refuse to fight wearing part of a United Nations uniform?]] See [[Michael New]]
# [[Debate:Which is a more powerful ideology, Islam or communism?]]
# [[Debate:Should the United States intervene in small countries to defeat communism there?]]
# [[Debate:Should public displays of the 10 Commandments be allowed under the constitution?]]
# [[Debate:Which has the best philosophy of education: the public school system, private schools, or the home school movement?]]
# [[Debate:Should people genetically engineer a cure for homosexuality?]]
# [[Debate:Should We Support Democrats For Life.org?]]
# [[Debate:Women in the Military?]]
# [[Debate:Should students learn a foreign language?]]
# [[Debate:Why does the right side of the political spectrum tend to be more religous?|Debate:Why does the right side of the political spectrum tend to be more religious?]]
# [[Debate:Should there be a consistent standard on human rights applied to left and right?]]
# [[Debate:Should American companies be allowed to send their own troops into a war which America is participating in?]]
# [[Debate:Giuliani's lack of social conservative viewpoints should not stop you from voting for him.]]
# [[Debate:Is President Bush good for America?]]
# [[Debate:Is the Iraq War a success?]]
# [[Debate:Does single sex schooling promotes homesexuality?|Debate:Does Single sex schooling promote homosexuality?]]
# [[Debate:Is the murder of 3,000 people just a few or is it a lot? Does it make a difference if the murdered people are Americans?]]
# [[Debate:Does the media really have a liberal bias?]]
# [[Debate:What kind of leader will Democrats make if they run from debates on Fox?]]
# [[Debate:Are the Democrats capable of fighting terrorism?]]
# [[Debate:Can a rogue nation be thought of as a sovereign nation?]]
# [[Debate:Has Russia reinstalled stealth communism?]]
# [[Debate:Do we all know what Democrat Presidential candidates stand for yet?]]
# [[Debate:Define Civil War]]
# [[Debate:Should gun sales to terror suspects be allowed?]]
# [[Debate:Is Darwinism liberal or is it conservative?]]
# [[Debate:Why did God place most of the world's oil in politically unstable places?]]
# [[Debate:Restoring the USA image in the world, just a fancy phrase that means zilch?]]
# [[Debate:Placing the blame on how America got polarized]]
# [[Debate:Is most government criticism really patriotic?]]
# [[Debate:Is environmentalism mostly about preserving natural resources?]]
# [[Debate:Is the conservative stance on illegal immigration going to loose the Hispanic vote for the GOP in the 08' election?]]
# [[Debate:Should President Bush Condemn Armenian Genocide? ]]
# [[Debate:Third Party Debate]]
# [[Debate:Who kills more innocent people: religious believers or atheists?]]
# [[Debate:Was congress right to override president Bush's veto on the water projects bill?]]
# [[Debate:Preferred Democrat for the White House?]]
# [[Debate:Does Republican equal conservative? Does Democrat equal liberal?]]
# [[Debate:Obama's preacher.]]
# [[Debate:Is president Bush ignoring human rights violations in China?]]
# [[Debate:Should the United States begin Colonizing Space?]]
# [[Debate:Should the federal government have the power to define marriage?]]
# [[Debate:The Declaration of Independence or Interdependence?]]
# [[Debate:Should the U.S.A. abide by a withdrawal timetable if the Iraqi Parliament votes for one?]]
# [[Debate:Should U.S. troops be subject to Iraqi law if that allows our continued presence there?]]
# [[Debate:Should government restrictions on smoking be tightened or rolled back?]]
# [[Debate:Is Sarah Palin an asset or a liability to John McCain's candidacy?]]
# [[Debate:Is a candidate's military record relevant anymore?]]
# [[Debate:Should politicians be allowed to misspeak?]]
# [[Debate: What is sufficient proof that Obama is a Muslim?]]
# [[Debate:Is Obama a Muslim?]]
# [[Debate:Was McCain's threat to pull out of the debates a political stunt?]]
# [[Debate: Are Cantonese people a non-Chinese ethnic group?]]
# [[Debate:If Obama Was Conservative]]
# [[Debate:What level of Gun Control is appropriate?]]
# [[Debate:Is the Bush administration's Conscience Rule a step forward or backward for U.S. Healthcare?]]
# [[Debate: Why do political views appear to be correlated with others?]]
#[[Debate:What should be America's policy toward Islam]]?
#[[Debate:Is the American Occupation of the Hawaiian Islands justified?]]
#[[Debate:Was the American involvement in the Vietnam War justified?]]
#[[Debate:Was the North right to prevent Southern secession in the US Civil War?]]
#[[Debate:Is the 2009 Stimulus Plan the right approach, and if not what would be?]]
# [[Debate:Is Obama being unfairly criticized, or is too much being expected of our new president?]]

==Scientific debates==
# [[Debate:Why haven't intelligent designists published a single scientific article?|Debate:If intelligent design is just as valid as evolution, where are all their scientific findings and publishings?]]
# [[Debate:Does Darwinian natural selection suggest that bigotry is a necessary self-defense mechanism?]]
# [[Debate:Does Darwinian natural selection suggest that homosexuality is bad for the survival of a species?]]
# [[Debate:Is Darwinian natural selection compatible with Marxism?]]
# [[Debate:Is the theory of macroevolution true?]]
# [[Debate:Is Giving Birth the Bible Way Better?]]
# [[Debate:Should Creationism/Intelligent design be taught as a scientific alternative to evolution in public schools?]]
# [[Debate:Is global warming evident, and if so, is this the fault of man, and how must man stop it?]]
# [[Debate:If the universe is young and it takes light millions of years to reach us from far off stars, how can we see them?]]
# [[Debate:God, Earth and Global Warming]]
# [[Debate:Is the evidence in favor of evolution convincing?|Is the evidence in favor of evolution convincing?]]
# [[Debate:If the Bible didn't contain a creation story, would anyone even consider the idea of a young earth?|Debate:If the Bible didn't contain a creation story, would anyone even consider the idea of a young earth?]]
# [[Debate:Is Relativity in direct conflict with the Genesis account?]]
# [[Debate:Who feels that scientific related articles should only reference published research papers instead of websites when dealing with research instead of application?]]
# [[Debate:If it could be unambiguously demonstrated that man is NOT the most evolved animal, then would this support or refute ther idea of Creation by God?|Debate:If it could be unambiguously demonstrated that man is NOT the most evolved animal]]
# [[Debate:Why are God's works always questioned?]]
# [[Debate:Are there any elements of choice, when it comes to carrying out homosexual acts?|Debate:Are there any elements of choice]]
# [[Debate:Listing the Earth's most pressing needs in urgent order of fixing]]
# [[Debate:Is homosexuality a mental illness?]]
# [[Debate:Can the science of evolution be separated from the philosophy of it?]]

==Debates about Conservapedia==
# [[Debate:Is Conservapedia representing a conservative POV or a Young Earth Creationist POV?]]
# [[Debate:Is Conservapedia anti-British?]]
# [[Debate:The liberal quotient of Conservapedia; what is it? Does it matter?]]
# [[Debate:Does bias impair Wikipedia's reliability?]]
# [[Debate:Should the term list entries be included in Conservapedia's entry count?]]
# [[Debate:How should Conservapedia work to avoid having a conservative bias?]]
# [[Debate:Can Conservapedia Succeed?]]
# [[Debate:Is Conservapedia fair and balanced?]]
# [[Debate:How can we protect Conservapedia by distinguishing real conservative encyclopedia articles from satires written by liberals?]]
# [[Debate:What exactly is Conservapedia?]]
# [[Debate:Was the media attention needed?]]
# [[Debate:Conservapedia Debate Topics full of far left liberal netroots]]
# [[Debate:Which is true; progressive Liberal or regressive liberal]]
# [[Debate:Where do you personally look for facts and information on topics "When did Brahms live" or "Why did Monet paint grainstacks?"]]
# [[Debate:Is it okay for Conservapedia to have biased articles?]]
# [[Debate:Who deletes entire discussion items from here? And why?]]
# [[Debate:Why do users, who contribute substantially, choose to leave this community?]]
# [[Debate:Is the use of copyrighted photographs without permission stealing?]]
# [[Debate:Are there too many debates on Conservapedia?]]
# [[Debate:Is it tasteless for Conservapedia to critique the Virginia Tech poem on the Main Page?]]
# [[Debate:Has anyone ever been been banned for pointing out that many of the other entries on this site are in need of citation and evidence to back up statements?]]
# [[Debate:Does an encyclopedia define complex subjects, or insert more bias into them?]]
# [[Debate:Do sysops block editing on pages when it seems their opponents are making strong points?]]
# [[Debate:Is Conservapedia a 'Trustworthy Encyclopedia'?]]
# [[Debate:Does altering the record of debate in a wiki 'Encyclopedia' render the entire thing a farce?]]
# [[Debate:Democrats next move, link more stories of heartache like those from Kansas to Gulf Coast.]]
# [[Debate:Do quotes used to support a theory just make an article look stupid?]]
# [[Debate:Is Conservapedia blinkered?|Is Conservapedia blinkered?]]
# [[Debate:Does Conservapedia censor opponents the way Expelled says ID advocates are censored?]]
# [[Debate:Is the Conservapedia Logo in violation of US Flag Code?]]
# [[Debate:The 90/10 rule exists soley to squash debate, and should be eliminated]]
# [[Debate:What will Conservapedia be like if Barack Obama wins the election?]]
# [[Debate:Which is more important, economic or social conservatism?]]

==Funny, maybe?==

# [[Debate:Are cats just useless Dogs]]
# [[Debate:Is the Platypus evidence that God has a sense of humour?]]
# [[Debate:Was the shooting at Virginia Tech somehow President Bush's fault?]]
# [[Debate:Are video games getting better or worse as graphics, sound, and gameplay complexity improve?]]
# [[Debate:Favorite old time radio show]]
# [[Debate: Does Harry Potter promote Satanic witchcraft?]]

==Other==
# [[Debate:Are alcohol, marijuana, and nicotine gateway drugs?]]
# [[Debate:Is Rap music torture?]]
# [[Debate:Should marijuana be legalized?]]
# [[Debate:What are the lessons that we should take away from the Milgram Experiment]]
# [[Debate:Does the Theory of Evolution promote atheism?]]
# [[Debate:Mall Shootings]]
# [[Debate:Creationist]]
# [[Debate:Is the Theory of Evolution a conspiricy?]]
# [[Debate:How should we view the fact leading scientists do not believe in god?]]
# [[Debate:Does modern music negatively influence children]]
# [[Debate:Propaganda in childrens' television]]
# [[Debate:What Is Music?]]
#[[Debate:Why are there so few homosexual athletes]]

[[Category:Conservapedia]]