Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

British Empire

2007-03-04T17:53:20Z

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The '''British Empire''' was the largest empire the World has ever seen. At its height in the nineteenth and early twentieth century, it included a quarter of the world's population. The empire included [[Canada]], [[South Africa]], [[Australia]], [[New Zealand]], [[India]], [[Egypt]], [[Iraq]], [[Tristan da Cunha]], [[Pitcairn Island]], [[Singapore]], [[Ireland]], [[Hong Kong]], the [[Bahamas]], [[Basutoland]], the [[Falkland Islands]], [[Zululand]] and many other underdeveloped countries. Unlike any other empire in history, it ended entirely peacefully and the grateful natives of the various countries formed a commonwealth, acknowledging the [[Queen of England]] as its leader.

Talk:George Washington

2007-03-04T17:02:35Z

Burke: /* Discussion on George Washington Article */

==Discussion on George Washington Article==

Just because something is silly, does not mean that it is not true. An encyclopedia is supposed to be about the truth and while sometimes the truth is very silly, it still is important. The canonization of George Washington, while silly, is an issue that is important to many Catholics. By deleting this section, you are not living up to your own standards (e.g. Biases of Wikipedia). You claim to be Pro-Christianity and Pro-America, yet you delete a section about one of our greatest leaders as a result of anti-Catholic bias. Shame on you, sir.

In the end, there was never a way that he ''could be'' canonized. It was proposed that he should be, but George Washington was not Catholic - as you stated in the article. If he were canonized, there would be grounds for keeping this section. Nothing came out of this topic. It ''was'' truly useless information. --[[User:David R|David R]] 23:39, 21 February 2007 (EST)

==Giving up power==

The British Empire in 1936, when Edward VIII voluntarily abdicated, giving up worldly power to marry the wife of his choice, included India, Canada, South Africa, Australia, and many other nations right around the globe - Edward was the Head of State of all of them. Washington's stepping aside after two terms as US president was trivial by comparison. --[[User:Burke|Burke]] 12:02, 4 March 2007 (EST)

George Washington

2007-03-04T16:56:20Z

Burke: See Edward VIII - Edward voluntarily resigned as leader of a world-spanning empire, head of state of the UK, Canada, Australia, South Africa, India and many more nations.

'''George Washington''' (1732-1799) was unanimously elected President of the [[United States of America]] and the Commander-in-Chief in the [[Revolutionary War]].<ref>http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/gw1.html</ref> He was also a devout [[Christian]], with his adopted daughter once stating that if you question Washington's faith you may as well question whether or not he was a patriot.<ref>http://www.christiananswers.net/q-wall/wal-g011.html</ref>

Washington is perhaps the only person other than [[Jesus]] and [[King Edward VIII]] who declined enormous worldly power, in Washington's case by voluntarily stepping aside as the ruler of a prosperous nation. His precedent of serving only two terms was then voluntarily followed for 140 years.

Washington bravely led the colonists in revolt against the unjust British government, and in its place established a new government. Fighting against the vastly more powerful British army, Washington lost nearly every battle in the American Revolution until winning at Trenton and Princeton, and then lost most battles afterwards until ultimately prevailing at Yorktown with the help of a new contingent of French troops.

Washington frequently invoked Christianity in his work. As General, he commanded that chaplains be included in every regiment: "The General hopes and trusts, that every officer and man, will endeavour so to live, and act, as becomes a Christian Soldier, defending the dearest Rights and Liberties of his country.<ref>http://www.amerisearch.net/index.php?date=2004-02-22&view=View</ref>

Washington declared in his Inaugural Address: "It would be peculiarly improper to omit, in this first official act, my fervent supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the Universe. No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men more than the people of the United States. Every step by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation seems to have been distinguished by some token of Providential agency." Comments such as this one have led many modern scholars to conclude that Washington was in fact a deist rather than a Christian.<ref>''Id.''</ref>

On November 4, 1752, Washington was initiated into Freemasonry at Fredricksburg Lodge, Fredricksburg, Virginia. He was passed and raised at the same lodge, becoming a Master Mason on August 4, 1753. He later served as Worshipful Master of Alexandria Lodge No. 22 in Alexandria, Virginia. Upon his death in 1799, he was given a Masonic funeral at his wife's request.<ref>http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/biography/washington_g/washington_g.html</ref>

[[Image:washington-deleware.jpg]]

==Parson Weems and the cherry tree story==
In 1809, Mason Locke Weems (1756-1825), usually referred to as "Parson Weems," published a book entitled ''History of the Life and Death, Virtues and Exploits of General George Washington.'' This book contained many fanciful stories and half-truths, intended to present Washington as a larger-than-life figure. Perhaps the most famous passage in it is Weems' recounting of a story which he attributed to an unnamed "aged lady, who was a distant relative [of Washington], and, when a girl, spent much of her time in the [Washington] family:"

:"When George," said she, "was about six years old, he was made the wealthy master of a hatchet! of which, like most little boys, he was immoderately fond, and was constantly going about chopping everything that came in his way. One day, in the garden, where he often amused himself hacking his mother's pea-sticks, he unluckily tried the edge of his hatchet on the body of a beautiful young English cherry-tree, which he barked so terribly, that I don't believe the tree ever got the better of it. The next morning the old gentleman, finding out what had befallen his tree, which, by the by, was a great favourite, came into the house; and with much warmth asked for the mischievous author, declaring at the same time, that he would not have taken five guineas for his tree. Nobody could tell him anything about it. Presently George and his hatchet made their appearance. "George," said his father, " do you know who killed that beautiful little cherry tree yonder in the garden?" This was a tough question; and George staggered under it for a moment; but quickly recovered himself: and looking at his father, with the sweet face of youth brightened with the inexpressible charm of all- conquering truth, he bravely cried out, "I can't tell a lie, Pa; you know I can't tell a lie. I did cut it with my hatchet."—"Run to my arms, you dearest boy," cried his father in transports, "run to my arms; glad am I, George, that you killed my tree; for you have paid me for it a thousand fold. Such an act of heroism in my son is more worth than a thousand trees, though blossomed with silver, and their fruits of purest gold."<ref>British spellings are as they appear in the original text.</ref><ref>Weems, George Mason (1918), ''History of the Life and Death, Virtues and Exploits of General George Washington.'' [http://xroads.virginia.edu/~CAP/gw/chap2.html Chapter 2: Birth and Education], online at University of Virginia]</ref><ref>[http://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC22316477&id=6tc56rgYE1YC&pg=PA1&lpg=PA1&dq=mason+locke+weems&as_brr=1#PPP13,M1 The Life of George Washington] with Curious Anecdotes Equally Honourable to Himself, and Exemplary to his Young Countrymen. 1837, facsimile page images at Google Books</ref>

(Notice that Weems did not represent Washington as calling it "my ''little'' hatchet;" that appears to be a "familiar misquotation.")

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'''Sources:''' <references/>

George Washington

2007-03-04T13:08:23Z

Burke: See Edward VIII

Greek language

2007-02-22T22:30:23Z

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Greek is the language of ancient [[Greece]]. It is also the language in which the four [[Gospels]] were written (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). Early Christianity spread and became popular through use of the Greek language. Greek is also a style of [[wrestling]], and of [[love]].

King James Bible

2007-02-22T19:31:26Z

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The King James Version (or Authorised Version) of the Bible was the culmination of 11 years of work by about 80 English scholars, authorized by [[confirmed bachelor]] King James I of England. The result was a poetic masterpiece that profoundly influenced the English-speaking world ever since. It was not the first English translation ([[William Tyndale]] had previously translated the Bible into English, and much of the Authorised Version was taken from Tyndale's version) or the most accurate (modern translations benefit from better sources). Some mistakes in the translation of the King James Bible exist in very important passages. But the King James Version of the Bible was the most majestic and it has inspired English literature from [[Herman Melville]] to [[Henry Wadsworth Longfellow]] to [[William Shakespeare]] (claimed by some to have been one of the translators) to the [[Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.]]

For example, many cite Rev. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech without acknowledging its source in the translation of Isaiah 66:6:

"I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together."

The King James Version of the Bible was based on ancient Hebrew and Greek sources rather than the Latin Vulgate. The King James Version is freely and fully available for searching online.<ref>http://www.bartleby.com/208/</ref>

The King James Version used italics to indicate words that had no exact equivalent in the original text, but had been supplied by the translators for various reasons, usually to make the text read properly in English. A modern reader is used to seeing italics used for emphasis; their use in the King James Version creates a strange impression, and sometimes even an unintended comic effect:
*And he spake to his sons, saying, Saddle me the ass. And they saddled ''him''. (1 Kings 1:27)
Many modern editions of the King James Version omit the italicization.

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'''References:''' <references/>

Battle of Waterloo

2007-02-22T19:27:15Z

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The Battle of Waterloo was in June 1815. It marked the end of [[The Hundred Days]] when Prussia and Great Britain defeated [[Napoleon]]. It marked the end of [[Napoleon]]'s reign and his exile to an island. Unfortunately it is not known which island this was.

[[Image:waterloo.jpg]]

Napoleon Bonaparte

2007-02-22T19:25:12Z

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Napoleon Bonaparte was the most famous French general and a military master mind. He was the emperor of France from 1802-1814, rising to power from the chaos of the French Revolution. He is most famous for his effort to conquer most of Europe, before finally failing in Russia, due to the bitter winter weather. Finally, he was defeated by the army of the [[constitutional monarchy]] of the [[United Kingdom]] at the [[Battle of Waterloo]].

Napoleon's ambition and drive inspired the term "Napoleonic Complex", which is used to describe a power hungry person who wants to conquer everything in sight.

Horatio Nelson

2007-02-22T19:21:53Z

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Horatio Nelson was a one-eyed, one-armed English admiral who won many sea battles in the [[Napoleon]]ic Wars despite the disability which has led to his becoming a figurehead for social progressives and liberals. However, he was mortally wounded in the Battle of Trafalgar. After his death, he taken roughly by sailors to London, where he was buried in [[Westminster Abbey]].

Thomas Hobbes

2007-02-22T19:16:16Z

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Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) was an English philosopher notable as one of the founders of [[social contract]] theory, and a forerunner of [[British empiricism]]. As a [[materialism|materialist]], his concept of human existence excluded the [[soul]], with the [[mind]] being given a purely mechanical explanation. He was widely rumoured during his lifetime to be an atheist.

According to Hobbes's most famous work ''Leviathan'' (1651), life for humans prior to the foundation of the social contract was "solitary, poore, nasty, brutish and short". Humans had to form collectives in order to protect themselves from each other. This idea was extended by [[John Locke]], who held (most notably in his ''Second Treatise on Government'') that collectivisation was necessary for the promotion of economic growth. Hobbes's love of strong leadership led him to support monarchy, although he took the view that any strong government was better than nothing, and the stronger the better.

: ''Gouvernmente shouldde bee like unto a man, stronge and harde'' (''Leviathan'' xvii).

Socrates

2007-02-22T19:14:25Z

Burke: Removing stolen copyright text placed here by some sort of file-sharing liberal.

[[Image:Socrates.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The Greek philosopher Socrates]]

Socrates was an ancient [[Greek]] conservative philosopher, who lived between approximately 470 and 399 BC. He is best known for his method of argument, where you wear your opponent down with quibbling objections until they give up in disgust. Socrates had served in the army in his youth, like all Greek men of his time. He was also a strong proponent of Greek love and democracy. To modern readers he is most familiar as a character in many books by his disciple [[Plato]]. Eventually the tyrannical government of Athens found him guilty of corrupting young boys, and forced him to drink hemlock.

Descartes

2007-02-22T18:53:22Z

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Renee Descartes was a French philosopher, probably the greatest philosopher of all time (although [[Kant]], [[Aristotle]] and [[Ayn Rand]] also lay claim to this title).

Descartes locked himself in a stove and meditated, arriving at the unsurprising conclusion that nothing existed. He then used [[Anselm]]'s proof of the existence of [[God]] to decide that perhaps he wasn't deluded, and perhaps things did exist after all. He thought the [[soul]] lived in the pineal gland, and when you lift your arm it's just an accident because your brain doesn't control your body, God does. This "god-robot" theory of consciousness got him into ferocious arguments with [[Hobbes]], but then Hobbes loved a good argument and was usually wrong.

Gottfried Leibniz

2007-02-22T18:48:33Z

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Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646-1716) was a German mathematician, philosopher and political advisor. His greatest achievement was his independent discovery of differential and integral calculus, also invented by [[Isaac Newton]]. Leibniz was the first to use the notation of the integral.

In philosophy, Leibniz disagreed with Descartes' "I think there for I am" and instead Leibniz thought that neither form alone (the mind) or matter alone (the body) could explain the existence of an individual. Instead, Leibniz created a philosophy known as "monadology", which holds that souls are all there are in the universe. Even a table, according to Leibniz, is nothing other than a collection of "windowless monads" which cannot interact. This doctrine of non-interacting souls is abhorrent to traditional Christianity.

In physics, Leibniz proposed the use of "dynamics" or kinetic energy to explain motion, rather than "mechanics" that is based on Cartesian coordinates. Leibniz also held the hopelessly mistaken view that light always travelled the path of least resistance and that the universe could be explained based on that principle, rather than being based on creation by God Almighty.

Leibniz was a Lutheran who dreamed of reuniting it with the Roman Catholic Church, and also of reconciling modern thinkers like [[Hobbes]] and [[Descartes]] with the [[Aristole]] of the [[Scholastics]], or even the earlier [[Greek]] philosopher [[Aristotle]].

An ugly dispute developed between Newton and Leibniz over who discovered calculus first. Most English-speaking historians give the credit to Newton but bias may play a role in that. The world certainly benefited immensely from Leibniz as well as Newton.

Isaac Newton

2007-02-22T18:41:47Z

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Sir [[Isaac Newton]] was an English scientist who lived from 1634 to 1727. He was a physicist, astronomer, mathematician, alchemist and natural philosopher. He is probably best known for his Theory of Universal Gravitation and his Laws of Motion. His contributions also include inventing the reflecting telescope, developing calculus (before [[Gottfried Leibniz]]), and numerous other contributions to his fields of study.

Newton was the first to demonstrate that the same laws that govern the motion of celestial objects also govern the motion of things on Earth. Newton's contributions greatly advanced the scientific revolution. His work also advanced the concept of heliocentrism (the belief that the Sun is at the centre of the Solar System and/or Universe), with his works prompting the lifting of a ban on heliocentric books by the Catholic Church.

Newton was a devout Christian who said his discoveries were inspired by God.<ref>http://www.biblecodedigest.com/page.php/74</ref>. He devoted more time to the study of Scripture than to science, and more time in the pursuit of alchemy than to either. He said of himself, "I have a fundamental belief in the Bible as the Word of God, written by those who were inspired. I study the Bible daily."<ref>Tiner, J.H. (1975). Isaac Newton: Inventor, Scientist and Teacher. Milford, Michigan, U.S.: Mott Media.</ref> Newton's beliefs differed in an heretical manner from that of the Anglican Church however; he did not believe Trinitarianism (one God in three persons). The majority opinion holds that Newton was a unitarian (one God) and an Arian (Jesus was divine but did not exist eternally and was created by God at some point before coming to Earth). Both are commonly regarded by conservative Christians as the foulest of heresies, and Newton's adoption of them illustrates the folly of adopting personal religious beliefs rather than submitting to lawful authority. This is illustrated by Newton in his theological notebooks by noting that "worshiping Christ as God" among a list of "Idolatria".<ref>Westfall, Richard S. The Life of Isaac Newton, Cambridge U Press, 1993, ISBN 0-521-47737-9, p. 124</ref>

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 is often seen as one of the greatest scientific people in all history due to his contributions, which inspired [[Kant]] to create the philosophical concepts of the [[categorical imperative]] and the [[synthetic a priori]].

Newton died in March of 1727 in London, England. He died a [[virgin]] after a lifetime as a [[confirmed bachelor]], and was buried in Westminster Abbey.

==Reference==

<references/>

Francis Bacon

2007-02-22T18:31:22Z

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[[Image:Francis_Bacon.jpg|thumb|200px]]
A scientist during the [[Age of Exploration]] who lived from 1561 to 1626 and promoted research based on experimentation. Bacon was, notoriously, a [[confirmed bachelor]] throughout his life. He was however, one of the strange bachelors. One who got married. As can be seen from the illustration, Bacon (like most men of his time) had a beard.

Francis Bacon

2007-02-22T17:32:52Z

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Ayn Rand

2007-02-22T17:30:22Z

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Ayn Rand was a Russian conservative philosopher, considered by her followers to be the greatest philosopher of all time, and by ignorant [[Marxist]]s to be a fool. Other contenders for the title of greatest conservative philosopher are [[Kant]] and [[Aristotle]]. Rand believed she had rediscovered Aristotle after centuries of neglect (she was apparently ignorant of the whole of [[mediaeval]] scholastic philosophy), and conservative [[science fiction]] author [[Norman Spinrad]] wrote ''The World of Null-A'', imagining a nightmare scenario in which Rand had not rediscovered Aristotle. Rand's nickname was "Avida Dollars", because (contrary to [[Christian]] morality) she believed that making money for yourself was the supreme good. This led her to reject Kant's [[categorical imperative]], opposing it on the grounds that Aristotelian logic made [[synthetic a priori]] statements meaningless. Rand called her philosophy "[[objectivism]]", because she didn't know the name was already taken for another philosophical concept.

United kingdom

2007-02-22T17:17:11Z

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#REDIRECT [[The United Kingdom]]

Aristotle

2007-02-22T17:11:46Z

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[[Image:Aristotle.gif|thumb|150px|Aristotle]]
Aristotle lived from 384 to 322 BC. He was a [[Greek philosopher]] who was the finest student of [[Plato]] and the tutor of [[Alexander the Great]]. He is believed by many (particularly [[Ayn Rand]] and everyone in [[mediaeval]] [[Europe]]) to be the greatest philosopher of all time. Aristotle emphasized reason and observation of the natural world.

Aristotle came to the [[Academy]] when he was seventeen and stayed there for twenty years until the death of [[Plato]], although he was not believed to be implicated in this. Aristotle’s approach was the opposite of Plato: Aristotle thought experience was the key to knowledge, and embarked on the massive task of observing and compiling as much information as possible, although unfortunately this did not extend to counting the number of teeth in someone's mouth before making pronouncements on the subject. In contrast to Plato’s interest in physics and maths, Aristotle was fascinated by biology and classified over 500 animal species. He ultimately founded his own school, the Lyceum, and equipped it with specimens, libraries, maps and other accoutrements found in modern universities. Aristotle defended the usefulness of slavery.

Plato

2007-02-22T17:09:12Z

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Plato was a great [[Greek philosopher]] from 428 to 347 BC, after which he was not so great. He was a student of [[Socrates]] and founded the Academy, a school bereft of buildings wherein Plato taught his students while wanking. He wrote the [[Republic]], and its logical sequel, [[The Laws]], as well as a large number of other, less popular works in which he showed (amongst other things) how to teach [[geometry]] to [[slaves]], how to irritate [[sophists]], and how everything in the world is made of triangles. One of Plato's pupils was [[Aristotle]].

Constitutional monarchy

2007-02-22T17:06:43Z

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A [[government]] with a constitution which acknowledges a monarch as head of state. Constitutional monarchy is generally held by conservative philosophers (e.g. [[Plato]], [[Hobbes]], [[Locke]]) to be the ideal form of government.

Kant

2007-02-22T17:00:43Z

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The German Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) was one of the most famous philosophers ever, and is therefore one of the best philosophers ever. In his "A Critique of Pure Reason," Kant criticizes pure reason as a guide to life, establishing several categories through which reason is able to comprehend the ultimate reality. Though Kant may not have been a Christian himself, he considered Christian values to be the best values in the world in space, due to the antimony of practical reason. Kant also established a systematic basis for critical philosophy, establishing [[synthetic a priori]] considerations as a prior necessity to [[analytic a priori]] concepts, and 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''. Expressed another way, an act is moral only if it works as a rule for everyone. For example, littering would be wrong because if everyone did it, then there would be an ugly mess. On the other hand, if a murderer asks you where someone is hiding, you should always tell them because lying is wrong. 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. Kant is taught in all college philosophy departments to this day, though not for praising Christianity! He remained a [[confirmed bachelor]] throughout his life.

Kant

2007-02-22T16:59:43Z

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John Stuart Mill

2007-02-22T16:50:49Z

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John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) was the last of the English classical economists. Homeschooled in an atheistic way by his father, Mill supported laissez-faire but with social reforms like redistribution of wealth, shorter working days, and regulation of monopolies. Today he would be called a "moderate conservative" due to his support of some government controls over the economy. Mill was ahead of his time in advocating the development of labor unions and farm cooperatives, and emancipation (voting) by women. He sympathized with the North in the American Civil War. In his book "On Liberty," Mill advocated that "the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilised community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others." He advocated freedom of speech, and generally freedom of action too, although he made an exception for the public performance of acts of sexual congress. Mill also advocated [[utilitarianism]], a concept previously proposed by the atheist [[Jeremy Bentham]].

Francis Bacon

2007-02-22T16:37:53Z

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John Locke

2007-02-22T16:36:35Z

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Englishman John Locke (1632-1704) was the leading political philosopher during the Enlightenment, whose ideas helped the American colonists form a new government. Locke described society as a contract between individuals called the "social contract", and held that the formation of collectives by individuals was the only way to ensure economic prosperity (see his ''Second Treatise on Government''). Locke’s view helped lay the foundation for the constitutional government that we use in the United States, though unfortunately the [[Founding Fathers]] do not appear to have read chapter IV of the ''Second Treatise''. Locke had built on the prior work of Englishmen [[Francis Bacon]] and [[Thomas Hobbes]].

Thomas Hobbes

2007-02-22T16:31:37Z

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