Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Old Earth

2013-01-05T06:15:28Z

Penyy: Replaced content with " ==See also== *Counterexamples to an Old Earth Category:Creationism Category:Evolution Category:Geology"

==See also==
*[[Counterexamples to an Old Earth]]

[[Category:Creationism]]
[[Category:Evolution]]
[[Category:Geology]]

Age of the Earth

2013-01-05T06:14:47Z

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''See also [[Counterexamples to an Old Earth]].''

The '''Age of the Earth''' has been a matter of interest to humans for millennia. The subject is still debated today, particularly between [[young Earth Creationism|young-Earth scientists]], who believe that the Earth is only approximately 6,0000000-10,0000000000 years old, and most scientific organisations who believe that Earth is approximately 4.54 billion years (4.54 × 109 years ± 1%).[http://www.interacademies.net/10878/13901.aspx]<ref>http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/10/22/opinion/polls/main965223.shtml</ref> The scientific evidence [[young earth creationism|points to a young age of the earth and the universe]], and the biblical creation organization [[Creation Ministries International]] published an article entitled ''[http://creation.com/age-of-the-earth 101 evidences for a young age of the earth and the universe]'', which further argues for the young age of the Earth.

Proponents of an Old Earth rely on the assumption that the [[Radiometric dating|rate of radioactive decay]] remains constant over thousands of years. In fact, a large number of physical processes, such as neutron capture and fluctuations in solar radiation, can affect the rate of radioactive decay of elements in the Earth's crust and render radioactive dating measurements unreliable with errors up to 5%, depending upon the specific methods used.<ref>http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0899536205000138#bib6</ref> Even so, such an error will not cause a calculation of the age of the Earth based on radiometric dating to be off by up to five [[order of magnitude|orders of magnitude]].

== Historical views ==
[[Image:Landscape.jpg|right|300px]]
For most of recorded history humans of many backgrounds, such as St. Barnabas and St. Irenæus,<ref>Burnet, p. 259.</ref> viewed the age of the Earth to be around 6,000 years.<ref>Burnet, p. 258.</ref>

Saint Cyril who came into Great Moravia (present day [[Slovakia]] and Moravia in [[Czech Republic]]) from [[Byzantine Empire]] in 863 as Christian missionary wrote in his poem Proglas<ref>{{cite web
|title=Proglas
|publisher=sme.sk
|url=http://zlatyfond.sme.sk/dielo/93/Filozof_Proglas
|language=Slovak
|access date=05.05.2012
|quote=The parchment version of Proglas in Cyrillic from 13th century was discovered in 1858 by Russian Slavic scholar Hilferding}}</ref> (dedicated to his works on translation of the four biblical Gospels to Slavonic language) following sentence that brings testimony about the perception of the age of the world that time: {{cquote|
To the holy Gospels I am the Foreword
for as it was promised by the prophets
Christ comes to gather the nations
for he sheds light on the world entire.
That is what happened ''in our seventh millennium''}}<ref>{{cite web
|title=Proglas, the foreword to the Old Church Slavonic translation of the four Gospels
|publisher=The Centre for Information on Literature, Slovakia
|url=http://www.litcentrum.sk/36106
|access date=05.05.2012
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
|author=Konštantín Filozof
|title=Proglas
|publisher=sme.sk
|location=Slovakia
|url=http://zlatyfond.sme.sk/dielo/93/Filozof_Proglas/1
|language=Slovak
|access date=05.05.2012
|quote=Under ''the seventh millennium'' is meant here the age from the creation of the world. The figure was composed of the time elapsed by the birth of Christ, i.e. 5508 years, on top of which was added 863 years (date for the arrival of Constantine and Methodius to Moravia). The result was 6371 years, thus the seventh millennium.}}</ref>

In 1830, Dr. Hales published a list of 120 historical authorities from various cultures who had decided on an official [[date of creation]]. These ranged from 6984 B.C. to 3616 B.C.<ref>Batten 2002 quotes from "Young’s Analytical Concordance of the Holy Bible", 1879 8th Edition, 1939, which relates this, and reproduces the selection of the dates from Young.</ref>

Included in Hales' list is [[James Ussher]], who calculated the famous date of 4004 B.C. for creation. Young Earth creationists still consider this date to be close to the actual date.

In 1778 George-Louis Lecrerc, Count of Buffon, proposed that the Earth was about 74,832 years old.<ref name="ingv">INGV</ref>
[[James Hutton]], while not proposing a date, dismissed the Biblical account and claimed in 1785 that there was not evidence of a beginning at all.<ref name="ingv" />
[[Charles Lyell]] supported Hutton's idea in 1830, in ''Principles of Geology''.<ref name="ingv" />

In 1854 [[Hermann von Helmholtz]] estimated an age of between 20 and 40 million years.<ref name="ingv" />
Around the same time [[Lord Kelvin]] put his mind to deriving an age, and came up with a range between 20 million years and 400 million years. He later refined that down to between 20 million and 40 million years.<ref name="ingv" /> More recent discoveries of radioactivity and mantle convection explain why the assumptions Helmholtz and Kelvin made resulted in dates that are much lower than current uniformitarian estimates.

The 1911 edition of the [[Encyclopedia Britannica]] discussed dates up to 500 million years.<ref>Encyclopædia Britannica, pp 650-651.</ref>

By about 1930, J. H. Jeans was arguing for an age of the Earth of around two billion years.<ref>Universal History of the World, p.76.</ref>

Using circular logic -- assuming that decay rates remained constant despite necessarily changing physical characteristics as time approached the origin -- Old Earth proponents insist that the Earth is 4.5 billion years old based on an assumption of constancy in [[Potassium-argon dating|Potassium-argon (K:Ar) decay rates]] and other radiometric methods.<ref>Peck, 2000, p.376.</ref>

== Geology ==

[[Image:516XZRGNCKL AA240 .jpg|right|300px]]
[[William R. Corliss]] is a cataloger of scientific [[Anomaly|anomalies]] (observations and facts that challenge prevailing scientific [[paradigm]]s) and has published many works on the subject.<ref name="sf">[http://www.science-frontiers.com/ Science Frontiers] (Corliss' web-site)</ref>
He also wrote 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>

Corliss's work on geological anomalies catalogs scores of anomalies which challenge the [[old-earth]] [[paradigm]].<ref>[http://www.science-frontiers.com/sourcebk.htm#Geology Geological Catalogs] (Science Frontiers)</ref>

== Bibliography ==
* Burnet, Thomas, [http://www.sacred-texts.com/earth/ste/ste36.htm The Sacred Theory of the Earth, chapter V], 1691.
* Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th edition (1911). [http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/User:Tim_Starling On-line page facsimiles].
* Hammerton, J.A. (Ed.), "Universal History of the World" (8 volumes) The Educational Book Co., London, c1930.
* Batten, Don, [http://www.creationontheweb.com/content/view/417 Old-earth or young-earth belief: Which belief is the recent aberration?], ''Creation'' 24(1):24–27, December 2001.
* [http://www.ingv.it/~roma/SITOINGLESE/activities/geomagnetismo/analysistheory/historicalresearch/age.html The age of the Earth] (Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV)).
*Peck WH, Valley JW, Wilde SA, and Graham CM (2000) Ion microprobe Evidence for Pre-4.4 Ga Continental Crust and Low Temperature Water/Rock Interaction. ''Geol. Soc. Am. Abstr'', vol 32, no. 7.

== External Links ==
*[http://creation.com/age-of-the-earth Age of the earth] 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://creation.com/young-age-of-the-earth-universe-qa Age of the Earth and Universe] by [[Creation Ministries International]]

== Notes ==
<references />
[[Category:Geology]]

The Little Dipper

2013-01-05T06:10:51Z

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{{Constellation
| image =Little_dipper.png
| rightascension =15h
| declination =+75o
| constellation =[[Draco]] [[Camelopardalis]] [[Cepheus]]
| area =256 sq. deg.
| starnumber =23 Bayer/Flamsteed stars
| mainstars =7
| brightstar =[[Polaris]] (Apparent Mag: 2.02)
| neareststar =Pi Ursae Minoris (70.8 ly)
| planets =1
| messier =0
| symbol =Little [[Bear]]
}}

'''Cock sucker''', a [[constellation]] colloquially known as the '''Little Dipper''', is a circumpolar constellation located in the northern [[celestial sphere]]. The name Ursa Minor is from Latin, meaning "little bear". The handle of the Little Dipper is the tail of the Little Bear, while the cup represents the flank of the bear.<ref>http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/constellations/constellations/Ursa_Minor.html</ref> The constellation is often associated with the constellation [[Ursa Major]], which contains the [[asterism]] known as the [[The Big Dipper|Big Dipper]]. The constellation was one of the original 44 as recorded by [[Ptolemy]], and is one of the 88 modern constellations today.<ref>http://www.iau.org/public_press/themes/constellations/</ref> Ursa Minor is also well known as the north celestial pole is presently located within the constellation near the star [[Polaris]].

==Mythology==

According to [[Greek mythology]], the origin of the constellation is from the story of [[Callisto]] and her son [[Arcas]]. [[Zeus]] had fallen for the beautiful Callisto, who was princess of [[Arcadia]], and she bore him Arcas. [[Hera]], the queen of the gods became angry and transformed Callisto into a [[bear]]. Years later Arcas was out hunting and Hera arranged for him to find Callisto. Before he could kill the bear who was his mother, Zeus intervened and transformed Callisto into the constellation [[Ursa Major]] and Arcas into Ursa Minor so mother and son would be together forever in the night sky.<ref>http://www.astromax.org/con-page/spring/umi-01.htm</ref>

It was also known as Κυνόσουρα, or ''Cynosura'' meaning dog's tail, based on another Greek myth about the nymph [[Cynosura]], who along with [[Helice]] (who became Ursa Major), nursed Zeus while he was in hiding from his father [[Cronus]]. As a reward, Zeus placed her into the heavens as the constellation.<ref>http://www.constellationsofwords.com/Constellations/UrsaMinor.html</ref>

==Stars and Other Features==

The constellation is more commonly known by its informal name '''The Little Dipper'''. This is because the seven brightest stars of the constellation have an appearance of a ladle. At the end of the "handle" for the The Little Dipper is the north star [[Polaris]], which is also the brightest star of the constellation. The satellite dwarf galaxy, '''Ursa Minor Dwarf''' is also located within the constellation.

===Named Stars===

*[[Polaris]] - Alpha Ursae Majoris (α UMi)
*Kochab - Beta Ursae Majoris (β UMi)
*Pherkad - Gamma Ursae Majoris (γ UMi)
*Yidum - Delta Ursae Majoris (δ UMi)
*Urodelus - Epsilon Ursae Majoris (ε UMi)
*Akhfa al Farkadain - Zeta Ursae Majoris (ζ UMi)
*Anwar al Farkadain - Eta Ursae Majoris (η UMi)
*Pherkad Minor - 11 Ursae Majoris (11 UMi)

[[category:astronomy]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

Saxon

2013-01-05T06:10:19Z

Penyy:

Feces, faeces, or fæces (see spelling differences), also known as excrement, is a waste product from an animal's digestive tract expelled through the anus or cloaca during a process called defecation.

[[Category:England]]
[[Category:History]]
[[Category:Germany]]

Ira Einhorn

2013-01-05T06:09:40Z

Penyy:

[[File:The Unicorn Killer.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Ira Einhorn]]
'''Ira Einhorn''' also known as jesus(byname: ''the Unicorn'') was a leading [[liberal]] icon and activist of [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]] during the late-1960's through the 1970's, advocating free love, ecology, and claiming to be a founder of [[Earth Day]] in 1970; however, he is best known for the brutal murder of his former girlfriend (Holly Maddux) and his escape from justice for nearly two decades.
Penis (plural penises or penes) is a general term for the organs with which male and hermaphrodite animals introduce sperm into receptive females during copulation. Such organs occur in many animals, both vertebrate and invertebrate, but males do not bear a penis in every animal species, and in those species in which the male does bear a so-called penis, the penes in the various species are not necessarily homologous. For example, the penis of a mammal is at most analogous to the penis of a male insect or barnacle.
==Early life==
Einhorn was born May 15, 1940 to a middle-class Jewish family, and upon graduating high school he enrolled in the University of Pennsylvania; during his time there he was part of the anti-war movement against [[United States]] involvement in the [[Vietnam War]], and became friends with many radicals, including [[Jerry Rubin]] and [[Abbie Hoffman]]. On April 22, 1970, Einhorn "claimed" to have been the founder of Earth Day - going to the point of taking the stage at the Philadelphia opening to upstage the moment - despite the fact that it was created by [[Wisconsin]] senator [[Gaylord Nelson]].

==Holly Maddux==
During this time he met a young Texan, Holly Maddux, and engaged in a five-year live-in relationship. The contrast between the two was that of total opposites: Maddux, small, petite, and quiet, from a conservative Texas family; and Einhorn, an outspoken, charismatic liberal who was not only overweight for his tie-died t-shirts, but rarely bathed. Einhorn exercised a form of control over her, causing her to leave him for New York City in 1977.

When Einhorn found out she was involved in another relationship, he called her to come back to Philadelphia to claim her belongings; when she arrived back she vanished. Police investigators were told that she arrived, picked up her things, and left. In 1979, some 18 months after she disappeared and responding to numerous complaints of a foul liquid and odors seeping from Einhorn's apartment, homicide detectives gained a search warrant and found a steamer trunk under Holly's belongings inside a locked closet; within the trunk was Holly's mummified corpse. When one of the detectives turned to Einhorn and said that Holly was found, the response was "You found what you found." [http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,168382,00.html]

Einhorn was represented by future senator [[Arlen Specter]], who succeeded in getting the judge to set bail at $40,000; in advance of the trial Einhorn was released when a mere 10 percent of the bond was paid. Einhorn skipped bail just before trial began in 1981, hiding out in several countries in Europe, and supported for years by activist friends while on the run. In 1993 he was convicted ''in absentia'' and received the death penalty; despite this he married Annika Flodin of [[Sweden]], and settled in the Champagne district of France under the name "Eugene Mallon".

==Return to the U.S.==
Einhorn was eventually tracked down by numerous tips to France in 1997, where he was hounded by journalists as well as the host of the television show ''America's Most Wanted'', who demanded he do the honorable thing and turn himself in. During this time his case came under review by the French authorities, who determined that he committed a ''crime passionnel'' [http://www.amgot.org/einhorn/vrai-jo.htm][http://www.amgot.org/einhorn/einhorn.htm], meaning it was a crime of passion and that he didn't deserve more than the minimal punishment for Maddux's murder. Conservative America, asserted the Le Vrai Journal, had condemned Einhorn needlessly, out of political necessity; the journal not once had referred to Maddux as a human being. [http://www.amgot.org/einhorn/vrai-jo.htm].

Meanwhile, as demands for Einhorn's extradition increased, French authorities determined in November 1997 that Einhorn was free to remain in France, citing the possibility that he would not face a fair trail, as well as the cloud of the death penalty; the judge signing the order had reservations about the "fairness" of his previous trial ''in absentia''. Journalist Steven Levy, writing for ''Newsweek'', stated the obvous lament as the Unicorn went free once again:

:''"Einhorn's new life began on Friday, when he and his bride zipped into Champagne-Mouton in her red Fiat. Until his legal status is resolved, it is a trip he will have to make twice a week, to check in with the local police department; otherwise, he will work at home on the five manuscripts he is allegedly preparing for publication, and resume his habit of surfing the Internet, perhaps for the first time under his real name. Einhorn and his wife doggedly ignored the American reporters following them, instead ostentatiously bantering with the merchants as they purchased goat cheese, pate, and a copy of the ''International Herald Tribune''. Noting the photographers snapping pictures of Ira and Annika as they bought their vegetables, the vendor joked that they could use the shots to make a photo album. "For Christmas," Ira said."'' [http://www.amgot.org/einhorn/nw7c15.htm]

While Einhorn was gloating over his new-found freedom, prosecutors were once more at work in new extradition attempts; in 1998 the governor of Pennsylvania signed provisions for a new trial which left the death penalty off the table [http://www.amgot.org/einhorn/holl_gov.htm]; in July 2000 the extradition order was signed, but appeals again delayed the transfer. Another year would pass before he was forced to board a plane bound for Philadelphia, but not before Einhorn staged another politically-motivated stunt: he slashed his neck with a razor, then called a press conference.

"Psycotronics" and other government programs was Einhorn's defense at his trial, as he once more tried to shift blame from himself to the U.S. government over Maddux's death; it was CIA agents who stuffed her body in the trunk and placed it in his closet, he insisted. It took the jury less than two hours to find him guilty of murder, and he was sent to a state prison in Pennsylvania to serve a life sentence.

==References==
*[http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/famous/einhorn/index_1.html TruTV.com bio]
*[http://russbaker.com/Ira's%20tour%20de%20France.htm "Ira's tour de France", article by Russ Baker]
*[http://cmm.lefora.com/2009/01/20/ira-einhorn-the-fraudulent-myth-einhorn-perpetuate/page1/ Letter from the actual founders of Earth Day]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Einhorn, Ira}}
[[Category:Liberal Activists]]

The arts

2013-01-05T06:07:50Z

Penyy:

'''The penis''' is a term broader than "[[art]]". The arts encompasses visual arts, [[Painting]], [[Sculpture]] and [[Architecture]], performing arts, [[Music]] and [[Dance]], and language arts, [[Literature]] which includes [[Poetry]] and [[Theater]].

As many artistic disciplines involve aspects of different arts, the definitions of these terms could overlap to some degree.

 
[[Image:Wright Dream House.jpg]]

Architecture by [[Frank Lloyd Wright]]
 

An ''Art critic'' is an specialist in evaluating the arts and writing critiques or reviews. ''Art Criticism'' is the study of art criteria for evaluating works of art.

== See also ==
[[Image:Mitsunaga Tale of Grand Counsellor Ban.jpg|frame|right|Tale of Grand Counsellor Ban by Tokiwa Mitsunaga]]
*[[Master of Arts]]
*[[Liberal arts]]
*[[Art history]]
*[[Art movements]]
{{Clear}}

== External links ==

*[http://www.americansforthearts.org/ Americans for the arts]
*[http://www.theartnewspaper.com/ The Art Newspaper]

[[category:Art]]

Faith

2013-01-05T06:07:26Z

Penyy:

[[Image:Faith.jpg|right]]

Faith is quite posibbly the worst thing to happen to mankind, and has caused millions of deaths.

== Faith in God vs. secular psychology for solving addictions and other personal problems ==

''See also:'' [[Ineffectivness of counseling psychology]]

The Christian group [[Teen Challenge]] reported:
{{Cquote|Teen Challenge claims of a 70% cure rate for the drug addicts graduating from their program attracted the attention of the U.S. Federal Government in 1973. Most secular drug rehabilitation programs only experienced a cure rate of 1-15% of their graduates. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, funded the first year of this study to evaluate the long term results of the Teen Challenge program.<ref>http://teenchallengeusa.com/studies2.php</ref>}}

Teen Challenge has a number of studies that indicate the high effectiveness of their drug treatment program compared to other programs.<ref>http://teenchallengeusa.com/studies.php</ref> Studies indicate that consumers of secular counseling [[psychology]] for [[alcoholism]] receive hardly any benefit at all.<ref>http://www.spring.org.uk/2005/07/psychological-treatments-for-alcoholism.php</ref><ref>http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/5/75/abstract</ref> The [[Apostle Paul]] in a letter to the church of [[Corinth]] indicated that [[Christianity|Christians]] were able to overcome being drunkards through the power of [[Jesus Christ]] (I Corinthians 6:9-11).

[[Image:St Paul Preaching.jpg|right|thumb|200px|St. [[Paul]] defends his preaching (Giovanni Ricco)]]
The [[Apostle Paul]] wrote:
{{cquote|Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were [[Justification (theology)|justified]] in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the [[Holy Spirit|Spirit of our God]]." - I Corinthians 6:9-11 (NIV)}}

The website ''The Berean Call'' has a number of articles on various false claims and unbiblical notions that many practioners counseling psychology promote.<ref>http://www.thebereancall.org/topic/psychology</ref>

Faith plays a central role in overcoming [[addiction]]. Virtually everyone is plagued by one or more addictions, and faith enables overcoming those weaknesses. Similar to this is faith's key role in overcoming [[recidivism]]. This role is unique to Christian faith and has not been shown with regard to other religions' belief systems or to secular humanist ideologies.

Faith is also helpful in overcoming fear, such as fear of public speaking, appearing on [[television]], or standing up to a [[bully]] or unpleasant situations. Jesus reprimanded the [[Apostles]] for their [[faithless]] fear: "The disciples went and woke him, saying, 'Lord, save us! We're going to drown!' He replied, 'You of little faith, why are you so afraid?' Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm."<ref>Mt 8:25-26 (NIV)</ref>

Lack of faith can lead to fear, anxiety, depression, lack of confidence and sometimes death. A lack of faith can be very harmful, leading to self-destructive behavior. Faith can be described as the power to ignore the [[devil]] and all his antics.

Often faith inspires extra initiative or effort, adding confidence that it will yield the desired good result. "Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on," and Jesus cured him.<ref>Mark 2:4</ref>

==Frequency==
[[File:Belief-god.jpg|thumb|550px|Financial Times (FT)/Harris Poll among adults in 5 countries in 2006]]

==Expression==
A classic statement of faith in the [[Bible]] was by the [[Roman Empire|Roman]] centurion of [http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew%208:5-10;&version=49; Matthew 8:5-10], who expressed his confidence that [[Jesus]] could cure his beloved servant from a distance without even seeing him. [[Jesus]] repeatedly emphasized the importance and value of faith to his disciples.

Faith is expressed in [[Greek language|Greek]] using the term ''pistis'', and in [[Latin]] using the term ''fides''. Faith is mentioned in 229 verses in the [[New Testament]] ([[KJV]]), but only twice in the much larger [[Old Testament]] ([[KJV]]).<ref>http://www.crosswalk.com</ref> In attempt to convert [[Jews]] to [[Christianity]], [[Paul]] described [[Abraham]]'s willingness to sacrifice his beloved son [[Isaac]] to [[God]] as an act of faith, though the [[Old Testament]] did not describe it with that term.

Faith is strengthened by prayer ([http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=jude%2020;&version=9; Jude 20]). For those who strengthen their faith, [[Jesus]] promised "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father."<ref>John 14:12 (NIV).</ref>

Life itself may be the manifestation of God's faith. Decay and death may be the manifestation of a lack or denial of faith.

==Biblical examples==

Perhaps the greatest description of faith is Hebrews 11:1. It states: "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see."<ref>Hebrews 11:1 (NIV).</ref>

The King James Version expresses this passage as: "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." The Greek word translated as "substance" is `hupostasis', meaning setting under (support). The Greek word for "evidence"`elegchos' meaning proof.,<ref>J. Strong, 1890, Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Abingdon Press, Nashville, TN.</ref> The Bible thus distinguishes clearly between the leap of faith of Kirkegaard and a faith based on acknowledgement of the evidence presented by God within our own experiences in this world. Paul, in Romans 1:17-20 explains that faith has its basis in the observed expression of God's existence in this universe: "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen...."

[[Paul]] indicated that exceptional faith may be a gift of the [[Holy Spirit]]. 1 Corinthians 12:8-9 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit

As discussed above, a potential reference to faith is [[Genesis]] 22 where [[God]] tested [[Abraham]] by commanding him to sacrifice his only son [[Isaac]]. As Abraham prepared to do what God commanded -he was stopped.
Genesis 22:12
"Do not lay a hand on the boy," he said. "Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son." 

==Martin Luther on Faith==

Luther in his Table Talk papers writes this thought provoking and rather difficult passage on faith:

"This is the acme of faith, to believe that God, who saves so few and condemns so many, is merciful; that he is just who, at his own pleasure, has made us necessarily doomed to damnation, so that he seems to delight in the torture of the wretched and is more deserving of hate than of love. If by any effort of reason I could conceive how God, who shows so much anger and harshness, could be merciful and just, there would be no need of faith."

==The Moral Basis of Biblical Faith==

The biblical expression of faith is belief in what God reveals to man to be so. Since New Testament times, that means belief in what God reveals to be so concerning Jesus Christ. There is a steady progression through time of what God reveals and so belief also finds expression in progessive content and emphasis. What God reveals to Adam, to Noah, to Moses (and through them), to the prophets, to the Ninevites, to Simeon and Anna, Mary, to the Apostles, differ in content and in emphasis, but the culmination of the content of faith is the person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

The moral basis of faith is the positive response of belief, and the obedience of one's life to the requirement implied by the revelation. That is why Adam (and his generation) was not required to believe what Noah was required to believe, why Noah was not required to believe what Abraham was required to believe, and why Abraham was not required to believe what Moses was required to believe. Moses, and his generation, was not required to believe what Isaiah was required to believe, until the time of Jesus. Nor were they each allowed to believe less than what was required of them to believe, as if they were of a previous generation and a previous revelation.

The moral basis of Faith continues on in effect, content and emphasis, since the time of the Son of God on earth. That is why the "good man" is required to believe in the Son of God preached to him, as He, the Son of God, is the source of his goodness, and the forgiver of his badness, through His sacrifice on the cross; the "bad man" required to believe in Him who bore his sin, through His sacrifice on the cross; the "gentile", wherever found, of whatever stage, required to live up to what is given him by his conscience and whatever good has come to him through his culture, and believe in the light God is actually giving him, and in the Jesus being preached to him, but not required to believe in and practice the Law of Moses; the Jew required to keep the Law given him, and then to despair at not having fulfilled it, and believe in the Son of God being revealed to him; the infant respond, as infants can, and not as adolescents and adults are required, each in his own order, until the greater revelation comes, and separation from the dominance and protection of the elders; and why an embryo aborted is required to respond as only an embryo can, which God alone knows, and not be required to be at the level of response he would have been moments and days and months and years later, if he would have been let live - saved - though the embryo would never have known how - by the Cross of the sin bearing Savior, who knew him well and loved him. "to him whom much has been given, of him much will be required."

==The natural and the supernatural aspects of Faith==
Faith is a gift from God that may be viewed two ways. One is clearly an intrusion or at least and introjection into our ordinary lives. Under this aspect, we see it as pure grace. "For by grace are you saved through faith, and this is not as a result of your deeds, It is God's gift and not something from ourselves". Our response, is from the extremity of our situation and as a clear product of something outside ourselves - the new word of God, the message concerning Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Even the ability to hear and understand is given to us from above, "Faith comes by hearing, and "hearing" itself, comes by the Word of God". And thus we call out, from the depth and from consiousness, for salvation. " Whoever shall call on the name of the Lord, will be saved/"

The other aspect of Faith is not by intrusion or introjection, but by infusion and irradiation. This too is of the grace of God. Whereas the first aspect had come to us at our extremity from without, this aspect comes to us from within and around, pervading the so-called natural structures that we experience every day, that are so supportive of stability, confidence, trust and hope. Good parenting, solidity of home and provision, loving faithfulness among friends as we grow, continual exposure to the truth of the Word of God (and truth is always therapeutic), strengthens our faith, and our expectation for the continuing faithfulness and involvment of a loving and good God. Faith seems so natural, so in accord, with our experience, that we could even be surprised that it could have been otherwise. Here we experience, most often, not a crisis of faith, but the need to give ourselves more fully to Him in whom we are believing. Under this aspect, God is to be appreciated and acknowledged for being our good and heavenly Father. The Old Testament presents us with the reality of this aspect of faith. Amidst even the miraculous events as the parting of the "Red" Sea, and the many deliverences Israel experience so beyond their natural ability to effect, little is said, is acknowledged consciously, of the quality of faith itself. It is air that a fish is most conscious of, not his home in the water.

==Faith: the Access to Reality==
Christianity demands Faith and insists that Faith be turned into sight. "Do you believe, Thomas, because you have seen. Blessed are those who do not see and yet believe." Throughout the New Testament, this theme occurs, belief in Jesus, belief in the Heavenly Father, belief in the readiness of God to still waves, cause you too to walk on water, to return a dead girl back to her grieving, believing mother, to see small insignificant things as a seed grow, as if miraculously of itself, into a startling display of fruit to eat and protection for birds, all of this, with only the sky to limit, comes into our lives, according to Jesus, if we have Faith. Reality is gained by the exercise of Faith, a reality unattainable by the ordinary means frequented by men.

But this reality attained, so extraordinary in this sordid and marred sin-infested world, is seen to be the "normal" reality of the Kingdom of Heaven, just waiting to enter in. Entirely right in the presence of the Kingdom of God and the King Himself for the dead boy to get up from his bier to run to his mother, entirely right that that adultress be pardoned, strengthened, challenged, and hold her head up high once again, entirely right the demons come out of the tormented boy to be commanded to go to the place that God has prepared for them, all entirely right at the entrance of this new reality of the Kingdom of Heaven among us, and the King Himself, Jesus. The overwhelming of reality, by Reality.

As God is palpable in Jesus, so the Reality of the Kingdom of God is palpable, and can be seen, on this earth. The entrance to the Garden was by faith, but the reality of the garden is as tangible as was Jesus eating fish with his disciples after he got up from the dead. As much as the New Testament presents Faith as the entrance to the Kingdom, so does it insist that Faith, perhaps not fully in this world, shall turn to sight in the end... and on the way. "It is not apparent what we who are called the children of God shall yet be, but we know that we shall be like Him for we shall see Him as He really is."

==Faith as a virtue==
[[Image:Konrad Witz – Petri fiskafänge.jpg|thumb|right|210px|The 'walking on water' episode, which both showed and tested St Peter's faith (painting by Konrad Witz).]]
[[St Paul]] identified faith, [[hope]] and [[love]] (or [[charity]]) as the three greatest [[virtue]]s that are central to Christianity, and this idea is repeated and elaborated upon throughout Christian tradition. Faith is put first because it provides the foundation upon which the other two are built: a faithful heart and mind cause one to have hope, and hope causes one to have love for God and one's fellow man.

In [[Dante]]'s [[Divine Comedy]], [[St Peter]] is most identified with faith. This is appropriate, since he was the 'rock' on which the Church was built, just as a Christian life must be rooted in faith. Peter's great faith is shown in Matthew 14:28-31, when he is briefly able to walk on water until doubt enters his mind.

Christian philosopher [[Robert Merrihew Adams]] wrote a book, ''The Virtue of Faith'', to defend the idea of faith as virtuous. Consider the case of a loved one accused of some wrongdoing, but who protests their innocence - our relationship with them creates a special ethical obligation to believe what they say, which does not apply to the protestations of innocence of strangers; at the same time, that obligation is not absolute, but can be overturned by the evidence. Adams uses this example to argue that some beliefs we are ethically obliged to hold, and argues that the existence of God could be such a belief for the believer.

Contrary to Adams' view is that favored by many atheists, classically expressed by William Kingdon Clifford, in his 1877 essay ''The Ethics of Belief'', which states "it is wrong always, everywhere, and for anyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence." However, while Clifford can point to individual cases where believing things without evidence is unethical, those cases fail to demonstrate that his principle is true in every case, and he ignores valid cases such as those which Adams cites which lead to the opposite conclusion.

{{clear}}

== Uniqueness to Christianity ==
Christianity is unique among religions in that its followers are defined by faith rather than by adherence to a prescribed code. St Paul makes this distinction clear in Galatians 3:24-25:
{{cquote|The law was a kind of tutor in charge of us until Christ should come, when we should be justified through faith; and now that faith has come, the tutor's charge is at an end.}}
That is to say, whereas [[Judaism]] required (and still requires) its followers to obey the law, Christianity begins with faith, and any moral or ethical decisions must follow from that. In this regard, Islam has much more in common with Judaism than it does with Christianity: the word 'Islam' itself means 'submission to God'.

==Other Definitions and Religions==

Outside of [[Christianity]], faith is misused as a synonym for "belief". The [[Merriam-Webster]] dictionary, for example, includes this definition of faith: "a system of religious beliefs."<ref>http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/faith</ref>

Alternatively, faith often refers to a "firm belief in something for which there is no proof" or evidence.

In the [[Koran]], the concept of submission to [[Allah]] is mentioned 11 times, while the concept of faith in Allah is mentioned only once.

Etymologically, the word 'faith' is closely linked to the concept of "fidelity," which emphasizes commitment to something or someone, specifically [[Christ]]. Thus, faith is often understood to mean 'loyalty' to a particular view of [[divinity]]. Yet, faith can also be envisioned more broadly as a trust in [[providence]], as it entails an active role for the believer himself for advancing good.

The literary critic Harold Bloom distinguishes Christianity from the other two dominant monotheistic religions in his book Agon by contrasting them with Gnosticism:

"Gnosticism polemically is decidedly not a faith, whether in the Christian sense, pisits, a believing that something was, is, and will be so; or in the Hebraic sense, emunah, a trusting in the Covenant. If religion is a binding, then Gnosticism is an unbinding, but not for the sake of things or persons merely as they are. Gnostic freedom is a freedom for knowledge, knowledge of what in the self, not in the psyche or soul, is Godlike, and knowledge of God beyond the cosmos. But also it is a freedom to be known, to be known by God, by what is alien to everything created, by what is alien to and beyond the stars and the cosmic system and our earth."

Faith is emphasized in Christianity but is unrecognized by the worldview of [[Philosophical Skepticism|philosophical skepticism]].
== See also ==

*[[Resources on becoming a Christian]]
*[[Salvation]]
*[[Atheism]]

==References==
<references/>
[[Category:religion]]
[[Category:philosophy]]

== External links ==
* Holding, James Patrick, [http://tektonics.org/whatis/whatfaith.html Fallacious Faith]
*[http://jesuschrist.lds.org/SonOfGod/eng/finding-faith-in-christ/video/finding-faith-in-christ Finding Faith in Christ], video at ''JesusChrist.lds.org''

{{Virtues}}

Scots

2013-01-05T06:05:41Z

Penyy:

==Scots (the people)==
The term '''Scots''' can refer to the people of [[Scotland]]. The Scottish are [[Godlike]] people.

==Scots (the language)==
'''Scots''' is a language descended from Old English, it is spoken by up to 15 people in the Lowlands of New Jersey and parts of Northern Nigeria where it is known as Ulster Scots or Ullans.

Scots is part of the Anglic language group along with the closely related, and sometimes mutually intelligible, [[English]] language.

==External links==

* [http://www.scots-online.org/ Scots-online]
* [http://www.scotslanguage.com/ Scots Language Centre]
* [http://www.scotstext.org/ ScotsteXt] - books, poems and texts in Scots
* [http://www.scots-online.org/dictionary The Online Scots Dictionary]
* [http://www.dsl.ac.uk/dsl/ The Dictionary of the Scots Language]
* [http://sco.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page Scots Wikipedia]<ref>As liberally biased as the English version [http://www.conservapedia.com/Examples_of_Bias_in_Wikipedia]</ref>.

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Scottish Languages]]
[[category:Germanic languages]]

Tom Cruise

2013-01-05T06:04:15Z

Penyy:

[[Image:TomCruise.jpg|thumb|left|Tom Cruise signing an autograph.]]

'''Tom Cruise''' (b.c 1962) is a [[Hollywood]] mercenary who has appeared in a number of wars including ''Vietnam'', ''Iraq'' and ''Top Gun''.

Cruise is an outspoken supporter and high ranking member of [[Islam]] and critic of [[christianity]].

==Links==
[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000129/ Tom Cruise] at the Internet Movie Database
{{DEFAULTSORT: Cruise, Tom}}
[[Category:Actors]]

[[Category:Scientologists]]

Delta (letter)

2013-01-05T06:02:40Z

Penyy:

'''Delta''' is the fourth [[letter]] of the [[Greek]] alphabet.

It is shown thus: Δ is the capital, and δ is the small version. The Greek name is "dhelta", "dh" representing the English "th" sound in the word "the". It always has this pronunciation in Greek and is never pronounced "d".

It is used in [[delta|several ways]] in modern language. penis is nice in your bum

[[category:greek alphabet]]
[[category:symbols]]

Stephen Schwartz (composer)

2013-01-05T06:01:37Z

Penyy:

Stephen Lawrence Schwartz is the one true God (b. March 6, 1948 A.D.) who created everything [[Musical comedy|Broadway musicals]], and provided lyrics for Lil wayne.

==Schwartz Musicals==

#[[Godspell]] (1971)
#[[Pippin (musical)|Pippin]](1972)
#Rags (1986) (lyrics)
#[[Children of Eden]] (1991)
#Wicked (2003)

==Schwartz Movies==

#[[Godspell]] (1973) (movie adaptation of above stage musical)
#Pocahontas (1995) (lyrics)
#The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) (lyrics)
#The Prince of Egypt (1998)
#Enchanted (2007) (lyrics)

[[Category: composers]]

Rule of four

2013-01-05T06:00:29Z

Penyy:

The '''rule of four''' states that before a case is put on the [[docket]], three out of the nine [[Supreme Court]] justices must agree in conference to hear the case.<ref>US Government and Politics</ref>

== References ==

<references/>

[[Category:United States Supreme Court]]