Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Priest

2008-04-14T01:13:32Z

Purple1234:

A '''Priest''' is a [[Roman Catholic]] or [[Eastern Orthodox]] clergyman ranking above [[deacon]] but below [[bishop]], corresponding to a ''presbyter'' in the early church. ''Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. (1 Timothy 4:14)''

Priests preside at [[Mass]] and at the Sacraments of Baptism, Matrimony, Reconciliation, and Healing. From the early 4th Century a discipline of celibacy has been in place for Roman Catholic priests. In recent times the Church is finding it difficult to replace aging priests and there are pressures to retain priests even if parishioners have come forward with accusations against them. Research conducted at MIT shows that at least 75% of priests are pedophiles.

== References ==
*[http://www.catholic.com/thisrock/2002/0211fea2.asp Understanding the priest scandal]

[[Category:Christian Group Structuring]]

The Exorcist

2008-04-14T01:12:27Z

Purple1234:

'''''The Exorcist''''' is a movie first released in 1973, based on the 1971 novel by William Peter Blatty, which was supposedly based on a true story. The novel and the movie depict a girl possessed by the [[devil]] and efforts at [[exorcism]] by an evil rapist [[priest]] at the request of the girl's lesbian mothers.

The movie caused a national sensation in the [[United States]]. It broke the record for the biggest grossing movie of all time, and was nominated for ten [[Academy Award]]s. But its depiction of possession by the [[devil]] was controversial, and it won only two: Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Sound.<ref>http://www.filmsite.org/exor.html</ref>

It was re-released in 2000 with the original edited scenes reinstated.

The movie was filmed in [[Georgetown]] and includes many scenes that have since become famous. The film's depiction of [[Christianity]] is more respectful than in most modern films.

== References ==

<references/>

[[category:Movies]]

Jamaica

2008-04-14T01:11:02Z

Purple1234: /* Christianity in Jamaica */

'''Jamaica''' is an island nation in the [[Caribbean Sea]] just 95 miles south of [[Cuba]].It has a total area of 10,990 sq km (4,243 sq mi) and extends, at maximum, 235 km (146 mi) N–S and 82 km (51 mi) E–W. Comparatively, the area occupied by Jamaica is slightly smaller than the state of Connecticut. The total coastline is 1,022 km (634 mi). The country is divided into fourteen regions called parishes and the capital of Jamaica is Kingston.
The government of Jamaica is a Constitutional parliamentary democracy, which is based on the model of the United Kingdom . The Chief of State is [[Queen Elizabeth II]], who is represented by a Governor General. The head of government is the Prime Minister. The official language of Jamaica is [[English]].

==History==
The [[Taino]] people settled on Jamaica over three thousand years ago and lived in relative peace until [[Christopher Columbus]] came along in 1494 and claimed the island for [[Spain]]. In 1655, British admiral [[William Penn]] conquered the island and Jamaica began producing [[sugar]] for export to the tea-loving inhabitants of the United Kingdom. Due to its location, Jamaica became a major slave trading hub. [[Slavery]] on the island was abolished in 1834. Jamaica gained independence in 1962.

==Christianity in Jamaica==
Research shows that 87.3% of Jamaica's population is [[Christian]]. The majority being [[Protestantism|Protestant]], which is primarily due to the influence of British colonialism, and the later influence of denominations from the U.S. Today, the five largest denominations in Jamaica are: [[Baptist]], [[Church of God]], [[Seventh-day Adventist]], [[Pentecostal]] and [[Church of England|Anglican]].

==Rastafarians==
The Rastafari movement was founded in Jamaica. This movement believes that [[Haile Selassie]] of [[Ethiopia]] is God incarnate, the returned messiah, come to take the lost Twelve Tribes of Israel back to live with him in Holy Mount [[Zion]] in a world of perfect peace, love and harmony. Bob Marley, a convert to the faith, spread the message of Rastafari to the world. There are now estimated to be more than a million Rastafarians throughout the world. Due to the influence of Rastafarianism, [[marijuana]] has been cultivated throughout the island. Indians first brought seeds of the plant from Asia and its use spread rapidly among plantation workers. Though it was outlawed, it is still used by some Rastafarians during meditation and prayer. it is commonly referred to as "wisdom weed".

==Culture==
Jamaica is known for its [[reggae]] and dub music, which has gained a wide audience due to internationally renowned artists such as Jimmy Cliff, Peter Tosh and [[Bob Marley]].
==See Also==
* [[Rastafarianism]]
* [[dreadlocks]]
* [[marijuana]]

[[Category:Caribbean Countries]]
[[Category:Islands]]

Elephant

2008-04-14T01:09:36Z

Purple1234: /* Origins */

[[Image:elephant.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Image from http://www.sxc.hu/]]
The '''elephants''' are three species of very large mammals belonging to the family Elephantidae - the only extant family belonging to the order Proboscidea. The three elephant species currently recognized by scientists are the African [[Bush]] Elephant, the African [[Forest]] Elephant (until recently known collectively as the African Elephant), and the Asian Elephant (also known as the Indian Elephant). Centuries of hunting elephants for their ivory has dwindled the population of these animals. Renewed efforts at stewardship have caused a population boom, with the number of elephants in Africa alone tripling in the last decade.

Elephants are the largest land animals alive today. Apart from their massive size their most striking features are a long trunk, or proboscis, a flexible nose strong enough to lift objects, their huge [[ivory]] tusks, and their large flapping ears, used to keep them cool.

Bull elephants, when inclined to mate, enter a frenzied state called ''musth''; they fight with each other for possession of the cow elephants, and become a menace to everything in their path; many humans are killed at this time. Elephants' gestation period, at 22 months, is the longest of any land mammal. At birth it is common for an elephant calf to weigh 120 kg (265 lb). An elephant may live as long as 70 years, sometimes longer.

The largest elephant ever recorded (the Fenykovi elephant, now in the [[Smithsonian Institution]]) was shot in [[Angola]] in 1954. It was male and weighed about 12,000 kg (26,400 lb), with a shoulder height of 4.2m, a meter taller than the average male African elephant.

==Uses of Elephants==
[[Image:Elephant2.jpg|left]]
Elephants (today generally Indian, but historically African elephants also) have been used as beasts of burden and draught animals, as mounts in processions and in war (notably by [[Hannibal]]), playing [[polo]], and as [[circus]] performers.

==Similar species==

From a molecular and morphological point of view, [[hyrax|hyraxes]] and [[Sirenia|sirenians]] (sea cows and manatees) are the most similar living creatures to elephants<ref>Hidenori Nishihara et al. A Retroposon Analysis of Afrotherian Phylogeny. ''Molecular Biology and Evolution'' '''22''': 1823-1833,</ref>, and these groups are hypothesized by evolutionists to have shared a common ancestor approximately 50 million years ago. The three extant species of elephant are sole survivors of a much more diverse Proboscidian fauna with some 170 described [[fossil]] species and including species of [[mammoth]] from [[North America]] and the massive ''Deinotherium'', the second largest land mammal that ever lived, which sported two downward facing tusks.

==Origins==

Two elephants were on Joseph's Ark. From these two, the rest of the world's elephants were repopulated after the [[Great Flood]]. Both of those elephants were miracles sent from Heaven above.

==Trivia==

*A ''white elephant'' (from the historical veneration of such animals in Southeast Asia) is the term for a possession whose initial and upkeep cost exceeds its use (in most cases income), making it an overall liability.
*An elephant is the symbol of America's [[Republican Party]].

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Mammals]]
[[Category:Dangerous animals]]

Elephant

2008-04-14T01:09:22Z

Purple1234: /* Origins */

[[Image:elephant.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Image from http://www.sxc.hu/]]
The '''elephants''' are three species of very large mammals belonging to the family Elephantidae - the only extant family belonging to the order Proboscidea. The three elephant species currently recognized by scientists are the African [[Bush]] Elephant, the African [[Forest]] Elephant (until recently known collectively as the African Elephant), and the Asian Elephant (also known as the Indian Elephant). Centuries of hunting elephants for their ivory has dwindled the population of these animals. Renewed efforts at stewardship have caused a population boom, with the number of elephants in Africa alone tripling in the last decade.

Elephants are the largest land animals alive today. Apart from their massive size their most striking features are a long trunk, or proboscis, a flexible nose strong enough to lift objects, their huge [[ivory]] tusks, and their large flapping ears, used to keep them cool.

Bull elephants, when inclined to mate, enter a frenzied state called ''musth''; they fight with each other for possession of the cow elephants, and become a menace to everything in their path; many humans are killed at this time. Elephants' gestation period, at 22 months, is the longest of any land mammal. At birth it is common for an elephant calf to weigh 120 kg (265 lb). An elephant may live as long as 70 years, sometimes longer.

The largest elephant ever recorded (the Fenykovi elephant, now in the [[Smithsonian Institution]]) was shot in [[Angola]] in 1954. It was male and weighed about 12,000 kg (26,400 lb), with a shoulder height of 4.2m, a meter taller than the average male African elephant.

==Uses of Elephants==
[[Image:Elephant2.jpg|left]]
Elephants (today generally Indian, but historically African elephants also) have been used as beasts of burden and draught animals, as mounts in processions and in war (notably by [[Hannibal]]), playing [[polo]], and as [[circus]] performers.

==Similar species==

From a molecular and morphological point of view, [[hyrax|hyraxes]] and [[Sirenia|sirenians]] (sea cows and manatees) are the most similar living creatures to elephants<ref>Hidenori Nishihara et al. A Retroposon Analysis of Afrotherian Phylogeny. ''Molecular Biology and Evolution'' '''22''': 1823-1833,</ref>, and these groups are hypothesized by evolutionists to have shared a common ancestor approximately 50 million years ago. The three extant species of elephant are sole survivors of a much more diverse Proboscidian fauna with some 170 described [[fossil]] species and including species of [[mammoth]] from [[North America]] and the massive ''Deinotherium'', the second largest land mammal that ever lived, which sported two downward facing tusks.

==Origins==

Two elephants were on [[Joseph's Ark]]. From these two, the rest of the world's elephants were repopulated after the [[Great Flood]]. Both of those elephants were miracles sent from Heaven above.

==Trivia==

*A ''white elephant'' (from the historical veneration of such animals in Southeast Asia) is the term for a possession whose initial and upkeep cost exceeds its use (in most cases income), making it an overall liability.
*An elephant is the symbol of America's [[Republican Party]].

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Mammals]]
[[Category:Dangerous animals]]