Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Faith

2007-02-22T17:36:28Z

ChristSoldier777:

Faith is a concept that implies belief or complete confidence in something unseen, and is strongly emphasized in the Christian religion. The term lacks a precise definition, although several qualities can commonly be ascribed to people of faith (see below). Its root is the Latin word "fidere", meaning "to trust".

The concept of faith is also strongly emphasized in other major religions, although this is by no means true of all major non-Christian religions. While faith is mentioned 229 times in the Bible's New Testament, the concept is mentioned only twice in the Old Testament (KJV) which forms part of the basis for the Jewish religion. However, the Koran places a strong importance on faith; throughout the preaching of Mohammed (the Muslim prophet) as recounted in the Koran, it is repeated that faith is an "absolute requirement" for Muslims who wish to enter Paradise.<ref>Ringgren, H. <i>The Conception of Faith in the Koran</i>. Oriens, Vol. 7, No. 1. (Aug. 15, 1951), pp. 1-20.</ref> The term <i>mu'min</i>, meaning "believer" or "faithful", is actually more commonly used in the Koran to refer to believers in Islam than is the term "muslim" (ibid.).

The term "faith" is often used colloquially to describe the belief systems of other religions.<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faith</ref> Modern usage of the word "faith" includes many definitions, which are supported by current dictionaries of the English language:<ref>http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/faith</ref>

:1. confidence or trust in a person or thing: faith in another's ability.

:2. belief that is not based on proof: He had faith that the hypothesis would be substantiated by fact.

:3. belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion: the firm faith of the Pilgrims.

:4. belief in anything, as a code of ethics, standards of merit, etc.: to be of the same faith with someone concerning honesty.

:5. a system of religious belief: the Christian faith; the Jewish faith.

:6. the obligation of loyalty or fidelity to a person, promise, engagement, etc.: Failure to appear would be breaking faith.

:7. the observance of this obligation; fidelity to one's promise, oath, allegiance, etc.: He was the only one who proved his faith during our recent troubles.

:8. Christian Theology. the trust in God and in His promises as made through Christ and the Scriptures by which humans are justified or saved. —Idiom

:9. in faith, in truth; indeed: In faith, he is a fine lad.

Anyone who believes in something that cannot be empirically observed has faith. Therefore, adherence to any theistic religion requires faith because the existence of God (or gods) cannot be proven.

Small children often have huge amounts of 'faith'. They often put inordinate amounts of 'faith' in the existance of invisible 'friends'.

This phenomena is usually out-grown before the teens, but sometimes carries on into adulthood. Sadly these children grow into adults who continue to believe in, and often continue to speak to their invisible friends. These children are often termed 'Christians'.

While there is nothing inherantly wrong in having an invisible friend. expecting other people to do as their invisible friend says, is pretty delusional, to say the least.

Jesus Christ, having noted the faith and righteousness of a Roman centurion, a pagan, proclaimed:

"Assuredly I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel! And
I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. But the sons of the kingdom will be
cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
(Matthew 8:13-12)
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'''Sources:''' <references/>

King James Bible

2007-02-22T17:35:47Z

ChristSoldier777:

The King James Version (or Authorized Version) of the Bible was the culmination of 11 years of work by about 80 English scholars, authorized by 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) 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/>

Jesus Christ

2007-02-22T17:34:46Z

ChristSoldier777:

[[Image:Christ.jpg|center|300px]]

The name '''Jesus''' is simply the name "Joshua" translated first into Greek, then English. In Christian discourse, the name '''Jesus''' almost always refers specifically to '''Jesus of Nazareth,''' believed by Christian followers to be God's dad, who came to earth as a human c 2 AD. <ref>http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%201:18-25;&version=31;</ref> The life of Jesus is recorded in the Bible in the [[Gospel]]s of [[Matthew]], [[Mark]], [[Luke]], and [[John]]. According to the Gospels, Jesus died on the cross for our sins, and three days later he rose from the dead.

The first time John saw Jesus, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!"
<ref>http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%201:29&version=31;</ref>

==Other people in the Bible named "Jesus"==

The author of ''Ecclesiastius,'' a book which Catholics include in the Douay Bible, but Protestants place in the Apocrypha, is known as ''Jesus of Sira.''

==The Historical Jesus==

Many atheists claim that there is no evidence of Jesus outside the Bible,{{fact}} but few scholars take this seriously.{{fact}} Historical evidence for Jesus is comparable to that of many historical personalities such as Caesar, Alexander the Great, Attila the Hun, and Socrates, and many others. For example, Tacitus, the Roman historian, wrote about Jesus in 115 A.D. <ref>http://www.digisys.net/users/ddalton/evidence_of_jesus_outside_the_bible.htm</ref>, and Josephus, a Jewish historian who did not believe in Jesus' divinity, wrote about Him. <ref>http://www.christian-thinktank.com/jesusref.html</ref>. But that is considered among the educated as hoaxes created by christians.

==References==
<references/>

Merriam-Webster

2007-02-22T17:32:13Z

ChristSoldier777:

[http://www.m-w.com Merriam-Webster] is the leading dictionary in America, and the descendant of [[Noah Webster]]'s dictionaries.

However, it has many errors and biases. Please add to this list as you discover more:

The date for "[[eminent domain]]" is incorrect: 1883. The term was used as early as 1125, and means the government seizure of private property for public use, such as to build a courthouse or highway.

The date and description of [[pogrom]] is not precisely correct. Merriam-Webster provides a date of 1903 and calls it an organized massacre of helpless people. [[Pogrom]] is a Yiddish term used in Russian beginning in the late 1800s to describe an organized campaign of violence (not always a "massacre") against Jewish people in Russia.

The entry for [[Yiddish]] is too narrow in describing it as only a language of Jewish residents and descendants of central and eastern Europe. Yiddish is spoken worldwide.

"[[Capital]]" is poorly defined as accumulated goods, or the value of those goods, or net worth. It is more commonly used to mean liquid assets such as cash, stocks, bonds that can be easily used to acquire goods and services.

The definition of [[group theory]] uses "group" to define itself! Worse, the definition is so vague as to be useless ("finding all mathematical groups and determining their properties").

For a criticism of the dictionary treatment of the "Common Era," see [[CE]].

==External Links==
http://www.m-w.com