Conservapedia - User contributions [en]

Homophobia

2007-04-28T17:11:35Z

Ylmw21: added dictionary source

The term '''homophobia''' is defined as an "unreasoning fear of or antipathy toward homosexuals and homosexuality." <Ref>[http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/homophobia Dictionary.com: Homophobia]</ref>

== Homophobia as an "Irrational Fear" ==
The suffix "phobia" suggests an irrational fear, but that is not how the term is used.<ref> Psychologists do not recognize it as a phobia in any generally recognized publication like the DSM IV.</ref> The term is used by [[gay rights]] groups to suggest that all opposition to [[homosexuality]] is irrational and hateful.<ref>Eg, this site [http://www.religioustolerance.org/hom_phob.htm] first defines homophobia as a dread or fear, but says that it includes those who write their Congressmen to oppose same-sex marriage.</ref>

:There is no personal, internal, institutional, or cultural homophobia. The terms do not exist in the recognized scientific literature...There is only one homophobia, which has been properly defined....There is no doubt that homophobia exists. There is also no doubt that there are rationalized and irrational anti-homosexual attitudes. However, it would be very valuable for society in general, and therapists in particular, to have a clear picture of homophobia separated from all the other topics that have been lumped under that rubric. " <ref>[http://www.narth.com/docs/coll-breiner.html HOMOPHOBIA: A Scientific Non-Political Definition], Dr. Sander J. Breiner, National Association for Research and Therapy on Homosexuality, 2003.</ref>

William O'Donohue and Christine E. Caselles <ref>William O'Donohue and Christine E. Caselles, [http://www.springerlink.com/content/n0264m864t146585/ Homophobia: Conceptual, definitional, and value issues], Journal Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, Volume 15, Number 3, Springer Netherlands, September, 1993. ISSN 0882-2689</ref> have concluded based upon research within the therapeutic community a clear understanding of the disorder has not been adequately evaluated and it is not clear whether the disorder can can be accurately characterized. They have concluded,
:"the construct of homophobia, as it is usually used, makes an illegitimately [[pejorative]] evaluation of certain open and debatable value positions, much like the former disease construct of homosexuality."

== Homophobia as Discrimination ==
The characterization of "homophobia" is less a characterization of a mental ill, or an irrational fear, as these commentators allege. Rather, the use of the term "homophobia" is meant to convey disgust at any discrimination or status-based animus at all. "Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation" is an appropriate synonym in this perspective.<ref>see [[Lawrence v. Texas]] or [[Romer v. Evans]] for judicial authority on all discriminatory animus against homosexuals being wrong, or the [http://www.hrc.org Human Rights Campaign].</ref>

== References ==
<references />

[[Category:Politics]]

Homophobia

2007-04-28T17:06:35Z

Ylmw21: revert

The term '''homophobia''' is an offensive and derogatory term[[fact]] that is sometimes used to describe an aversion to or rejection of homosexuality. The debate centers over whether homophobia is a pejorative that needs to be criminalized or a mental disorder that is treatable with therapy{{fact}}.

== Homophobia as Clinical==
The suffix "phobia" suggests an irrational fear, but that is not how the term is used.<ref> Psychologists do not recognize it as a phobia in any generally recognized publication like the DSM IV.</ref> The term is used by [[gay rights]] groups to suggest that all opposition to [[homosexuality]] is irrational and hateful.<ref>Eg, this site [http://www.religioustolerance.org/hom_phob.htm] first defines homophobia as a dread or fear, but says that it includes those who write their Congressmen to oppose same-sex marriage.</ref> While phobias are recognized as treatable disorders, the term has often been misapplied in a social and political context to further the [[homosexual agenda]].<ref>[http://www.narth.com/docs/coll-breiner.html HOMOPHOBIA: A Scientific Non-Political Definition], Dr. Sander J. Breiner, National Association for Research and Therapy on Homosexuality, 2003.</ref>

Dr. Sander J. Breiner describes homophobia such,

:There is no personal, internal, institutional, or cultural homophobia. The terms do not exist in the recognized scientific literature...There is only one homophobia, which has been properly defined....There is no doubt that homophobia exists. There is also no doubt that there are rationalized and irrational anti-homosexual attitudes. However, it would be very valuable for society in general, and therapists in particular, to have a clear picture of homophobia separated from all the other topics that have been lumped under that rubric. "

William O'Donohue and Christine E. Caselles <ref>William O'Donohue and Christine E. Caselles, [http://www.springerlink.com/content/n0264m864t146585/ Homophobia: Conceptual, definitional, and value issues], Journal Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, Volume 15, Number 3, Springer Netherlands, September, 1993. ISSN 0882-2689</ref> have concluded based upon research within the therapeutic community a clear understanding of the disorder has not been adequately evaluated and it is not clear whether the disorder can can be accurately characterized. They have concluded,
:"the construct of homophobia, as it is usually used, makes an illegitimately [[pejorative]] evaluation of certain open and debatable value positions, much like the former disease construct of homosexuality."

== Homophobia as Discrimination ==
The liberal characterization of "homophobia," though, is less a characterization of a mental ill, or an irrational fear, as these commentators allege. Rather, the use of the term "homophobia" is meant to convey disgust at any discrimination or status-based animus at all. "Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation" is an appropriate synonym in this perspective.<ref>see [[Lawrence v. Texas]] or [[Romer v. Evans]] for judicial authority on all discriminatory animus against homosexuals being wrong, or the [http://www.hrc.org Human Rights Campaign].</ref>

== References ==
<references />

[[Category:Politics]]
[[Category:Psychology]]

Help talk:Editing

2007-04-24T03:52:09Z

Ylmw21: formatting question

==More Wiki?==
How about putting some more obscure wiki in the article?
the <nowiki>{{fact}}</nowiki> for {{fact}} might be helpful.
Telling people how to add the talk to their sig might be a nice thing to do too. [[User:Cracker|Cracker]][[User_Talk:Cracker|talk]] 20:43, 14 March 2007 (EDT)

How do I create a new page? [[User:Crocoite|Crocoite]][[User Talk:Crocoite|talk]] 12:45, 12 March 2007 (EDT)
:I figured it out. I just did a search on "Toastmasters". Since the page didn't exist, it gave me a link to create a new page. [[User:Crocoite|Crocoite]][[User Talk:Crocoite|talk]] 12:57, 12 March 2007 (EDT)

== Formulae ==

Anyone else having trouble getting maths to display? It seems I can only reference formulae which have already been rendered into PNG, like so:

<math>i = \sqrt{-1}</math>

That works, because someone has already got it to work over at the [http://www.conservapedia.com/Sandbox Sandbox]. Presumably the image is cached. However, if I try to produce something new, like this:

<math>i = \sqrt{-4}</math>

Odd. [[User:Tsumetai|Tsumetai]] 09:56, 13 March 2007 (EDT)

Some web browsers support math, some do not. Same with MathML. --[[User:ALFa|ALFa]] 16:50, 15 March 2007 (EDT)

:No, ALFa, that is not the problem. I can paste the exact same formula on Wikipedia and Conservapedia, and it works on WP but not on CP. I get the same message as Tsumetai. [[User:Ga ohoyt|Ga ohoyt]] 21:57, 17 March 2007 (EDT)

== Stub ==

How do I mark an article as a stub?

type {{stub2} } down the bottom of the text, without the space in the second set of parentheses.

Thanks.

==Header formatting==

Does Conservapedia have a MOS like Wikipedia? For example, do headers use sentence case (They are like this) or title case (They Are Like This)? [[User:Ylmw21|Ylmw21]] 23:52, 23 April 2007 (EDT)

Talk:Homophobia

2007-04-24T03:48:25Z

Ylmw21: why?

This phrase,
*''akin to racism and sexism.''
has been removed. People are not born homosexual as they are born a certain race or sex, and we will be happy to destroy any [[junk science]] citations that make that claim. [[User:RobS|RobS]] 23:36, 23 April 2007 (EDT)

==Deletions?==
Wow, within the last few minutes almost all of the article has been deleted. I thought it was a lot more useful with all that detail and the example of the murder of a homosexual. Why was all of that deleted? I'm not sure the super-conciseness of the article in its current state is in lines with Conservapedia standards. It should be at least longer than a sentence. [[User:Ylmw21|Ylmw21]] 23:48, 23 April 2007 (EDT)

California

2007-04-24T03:42:44Z

Ylmw21: education section added

[[Image:California_State_Flag.gif|thumb|right|The state flag of California.]]

'''California''', known as the Golden State, is a state on the west coast of the [[United States]]. It is the largest state in population and the third largest state in area. Its governor is [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]].

==History==
California's first European contact came in the 16th century AD. Spanish explorer and conquistador Hernando Cortez explored Alta California (upper California) extensively during this time period. Several years after this, Juan Rodrigeuz Cabrillo explored the area in his search for a passage to Asia. <ref>http://www.kindredtrails.com/California-History-1.html</ref> The Catholic church established a strong presence in the area over the next 200 years by establishing a number of missions in the area. <ref>http://www.californiamissions.com/cahistory/background.html</ref>

==Miscellaneous facts==

*The capital of California is Sacramento. However, the largest cities in population are, respectively, Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Jose.

*Los Angeles hosted the Summer Olympics in 1930 and 1984.

*The California Redwood was named the official state tree in 1937. <ref>http://www.learncalifornia.org/doc.asp?id=678</ref>

*California's San Bernardino County is the largest county by area in the United States. <ref>http://www.50states.com/facts/calif.htm</ref>

==Politics==

California's governor is the Republican [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]], as was once [[Ronald Reagan]], who later became President of the United States. Today, however, California is thought of as one of the most [[liberal]] states in America{{fact}}, and is considered to be a [[blue state]]. [[Richard Nixon]] is, however, the only President to have been born in California.

==Spectator Sports==

California has more professional sports teams than any other state. Its [[NBA]] franchises include the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State Warriors, and Sacramento Kings. Its NHL franchises include the Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks. In the [[NFL]], the Oakland Raiders, San Francisco 49ers, and San Diego Chargers call California home. California Major League Baseball franchises are the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, San Diego Padres, Oakland Athletics, and San Francisco Giants. In college sports, UCLA and USC have recently had great success, in basketball and football respectively.

==Education==

The state of California has three tiers of higher education: the California community colleges, the California State University (CSU) system, and the [[University of California]] (UC) system.

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:US state]]

Category:Education

2007-04-24T03:41:19Z

Ylmw21: start cat

This category includes education-related articles.

University of California

2007-04-24T03:40:45Z

Ylmw21: cats

The '''University of California''' is a state-wide college system. Of the three tiers of higher public education in [[California]] (community colleges, California State University, and UC), it is the highest. Often abbreviated as UC, the system includes the following undergraduate schools:

*UC Berkeley
*UCLA
*UC Davis
*UC Santa Barbara
*UC San Diego
*UC Irvine
*UC Santa Cruz
*UC Riverside
*UC Merced

UC San Francisco is also part of the UC system, but it offers only graduate studies in health sciences.

The original University of California was UC Berkeley, which for this reason is commonly referred to as "Cal."

[[Category:Education]]

University of California

2007-04-24T03:40:08Z

Ylmw21: article created

The '''University of California''' is a state-wide college system. Of the three tiers of higher public education in California (community colleges, California State University, and UC), it is the highest. Often abbreviated as UC, the system includes the following undergraduate schools:

*UC Berkeley
*UCLA
*UC Davis
*UC Santa Barbara
*UC San Diego
*UC Irvine
*UC Santa Cruz
*UC Riverside
*UC Merced

UC San Francisco is also part of the UC system, but it offers only graduate studies in health sciences.

The original University of California was UC Berkeley, which for this reason is commonly referred to as "Cal."

User:Ylmw21

2007-04-24T03:35:19Z

Ylmw21: page created

Occasional editor of Conservapedia.

Talk:Liberal

2007-04-24T03:34:35Z

Ylmw21: neoclassical liberalism

{{protected|Aschlafly}}
[[Talk:Liberal/Arch1]]
[[Talk:Liberal/Arch2]]
== Wikipedia Citations ==

*'''It is never acceptable to use citations from Wikipedia here on the Conservapedia, per Aschlafly'''

== Andy... falsehoods? ==

Andy, I can't find anything wrong with the paragraph that you deleted. It properly contrasts the difference between "liberal" in the classical economic sense, and "liberal" in the TV-punditry sense. It also appropriately treated the civil rights era. Is the only thing wrong with that paragraph that you don't like it's implications?-'''AmesG'''[http://www.conservapedia.com/User_talk:AmesG yo!] 11:47, 13 April 2007 (EDT)

Where do we go to report vandalism by a mod? --[[User:BobD|BobD]] 02:20, 16 April 2007 (EDT)

:''opposition to a strong American foreign policy''
:where in that ''WORK IN PROGRESS'' [http://nicomedia.math.upatras.gr/conf/CAWM2003/Papers/Verhulst.pdf] cited, can proof of the above claim be found? Define a ''strong'' American foreign policy? Many ''Liberals'' may disagree with the current foreign policy but that doesn't necessarily imply they have problems with a strong American foreign policy. What is the definition of a ''strong'' American foreign policy? In all fairness it must be said that the page does start with ''Many of the following views are held by Americans who consider themselves 'liberals'' so virtually anything could be added to the list. All the same such edits seem to be what the editor thinks ''liberals'' believe and are not an encyclopedic description of ''liberal'' thoughts or tendencies. Such edits contravene [[Conservapedia:Commandments|Commandment]] 5: ''Do not post personal opinion on an encyclopedia entry''.
:[[User:WhatIsG0ing0n|WhatIsG0ing0n]] 06:47, 16 April 2007 (EDT)

:: It is time someone unlocks this article. [[User:Order]] 17 April, 11:25 (AEST)

The statement that the label liberal stands for right-wing in Europe is utter nonsense. Neo-liberalism restricts the more general liberalism to economic topics. As a result, neo-liberals and conservatives have much in common regarding freedom of economy and influence of the state. This is, however, far from right-wing. A separate topic is the nationalliberal movement in Austria, which includes some right-wing, anti-foreigner standpoints.

: First, I have to agree that 'liberal' in Europe doesn't refer to the extreme right. The FPOE under Haider was indeed a bit far to the right when compared to the other liberal parties. However, the Dutch VVD, the Danish Ventre Parti, or the Polish Platforma Obywatelska, or the German FDP are all center to center right. And they are characteristic for an important poltical force, the self-identify as 'liberal'. It should be added that some countries have in addition a, often smaller, center-left liberal party. [[User:Order]] 20 April 23:55 (AEST)

==Neoclassical liberalism==
I'm not sure that "sexual freedom" was an aspect of neoclassical liberalism. Ditto for equal rights independent of race or sex. The Enlightenment liberals were for limited democracy -- they certainly did not jump to extend these rights to women or non-whites. In fact, many even feared giving power to the lower classes. [[User:Ylmw21|Ylmw21]] 23:34, 23 April 2007 (EDT)

California

2007-04-24T03:31:16Z

Ylmw21: /* Politics */ citation needed

California

2007-04-24T03:30:31Z

Ylmw21: /* Miscellaneous Facts */ formatting

[[Image:California_State_Flag.gif|thumb|right|The state flag of California.]]

'''California''', known as the Golden State, is a state on the west coast of the [[United States]]. It is the largest state in population and the third largest state in area. Its governor is [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]].

==History==
California's first European contact came in the 16th century AD. Spanish explorer and conquistador Hernando Cortez explored Alta California (upper California) extensively during this time period. Several years after this, Juan Rodrigeuz Cabrillo explored the area in his search for a passage to Asia. <ref>http://www.kindredtrails.com/California-History-1.html</ref> The Catholic church established a strong presence in the area over the next 200 years by establishing a number of missions in the area. <ref>http://www.californiamissions.com/cahistory/background.html</ref>

==Miscellaneous facts==

*The capital of California is Sacramento. However, the largest cities in population are, respectively, Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Jose.

*Los Angeles hosted the Summer Olympics in 1930 and 1984.

*The California Redwood was named the official state tree in 1937. <ref>http://www.learncalifornia.org/doc.asp?id=678</ref>

*California's San Bernardino County is the largest county by area in the United States. <ref>http://www.50states.com/facts/calif.htm</ref>

==Politics==

California's governor is the Republican [[Arnold Schwarzenegger]], as was once [[Ronald Reagan]], who later became President of the United States. Today, however, California is thought of as one of the most [[liberal]] states in America, and is considered to be a [[blue state]]. [[Richard Nixon]] is, however, the only President to have been born in California.

==Spectator Sports==

California has more professional sports teams than any other state. Its [[NBA]] franchises include the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Golden State Warriors, and Sacramento Kings. Its NHL franchises include the Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings and San Jose Sharks. In the [[NFL]], the Oakland Raiders, San Francisco 49ers, and San Diego Chargers call California home. California Major League Baseball franchises are the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, San Diego Padres, Oakland Athletics, and San Francisco Giants. In college sports, UCLA and USC have recently had great success, in basketball and football respectively.

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:US state]]

Talk:Judaism

2007-04-24T03:25:21Z

Ylmw21: suggestions

What a so long digression about Mel Gibson. It's said that his father went to concentration camp during WWII. What do we care ? Jews have been exterminated by the Nazi during this war. It's absolutely out of context and interest. The pig talk is as well without any interest, empty and absolutely false.

I think what you read was vandalism. It's no longer there. --[[User:David R|<<-David R->>]] 16:33, 11 March 2007 (EDT)

This article should be merged with [[Jews]] and [[Jew]].--[[User:ColinR|ColinR]] 17:21, 12 March 2007 (EDT)

== Judaism ==

It seems to me that this article should contain information about Judaism. The long passage about Pontius Pilate and the Sanhedron is still here, and it is many times longer than the brief stub which actually is about Judaism. Also, the line about circumcision is out of context here -- in a longer, more detailed article, it could be worked in along with related issues.

Since [[Abraham]] is claimed by Judaism, Christianity, and Islam as a Patriarch, this issue probably should be covered in a separate article aboout him, rather than being the second thing mentioned in an article about Judaism.

I hope we can make this entry as informative and accurate as possible.

[[User:Boethius|Boethius]] 20:10, 13 March 2007 (EDT)

Nobody seems to have mentioned that Christ was a jew. It's an important part of both our histories. Toryboy

:: Yes Boethius, I must agree with you – it might well profit us that an article headed "Judaism" "should contain information on Judaism" as you propose. But Toryboy, I can't see how you missed (and I quote) "Though Jesus is said to have been Jewish..." And this is my query, why the qualification "said to be". I mean is the Pope "reputed by some to have a connection with the Catholic Church"? What is going on here? His Mother was Jewish, even if the question of the exact nationality of his Dad is perhaps best left to the Jesuits. Regardless, Jewishness is conferred via the maternal line, so he is 100 per cent kosher in that regard, Does "Jesus was a Jew" sound perhaps a little infra-dig, just a trifle abrupt, mayhap?
mylesP myles325@yahoo.com.au March 31, 2007

:::Interestingly enough, the father’s ethnicity does matter to many Jews. For the purposes of immigration to Israel you are quite right—maternal linage is enough. However, inter-religious marriage is and was deeply frowned upon. Deuteronomy 23:1-8 is one of the relevant text—because the Rabbis believe in “building a wall around the Torah” it is interpreted to forbid marriage to any non-Jew and the child of any such marriage is understood to be illegitimate and therefore not fit to enter into the congregation (and therefore not Jewish). So, one may be the child of a Jewish mother and still not a Jew if the father is not a Jew as well.--[[User:Reginod|Reginod]] 10:50, 31 March 2007 (EDT)

Not really...Jesus is an important part of Christian theology, but not Judaism. Claiming to be God's son isn't that special in a religion that applies that term to all of humanity. --[[User:M|M]]

But Jesus was a Jew and was a devout Jew practicing all the laws and obeying the commandments. --[[User:Will N.|Will N.]] 09:20, 23 March 2007 (EDT)

:Yes, but there have been millions of devout Jews; that doesn't make them all historical figures. Jesus wasn't a scholar or a sage like Maimonides; he's of historical importance only to Christianity and Islam, not Judaism.--[[User:M|M]] 08:33, 25 March 2007 (EDT)

I was actually rather offended that "circumcision" was referred to as "mutilation" on this page. The majority of white Americans are circumcised, as are most Jews, and our President, George W. Bush, recently allotted funding to promote circumcision in Africa, in recognition of the fact that circumcised penises are healthier, and (some would argue) more aesthetically pleasing. Please treat circumcision with respect: it is a proper and beneficial surgery. [[User:Isiah24]]

I am interested to hear that your President thinks highly enough of "aesthetically pleasing" black African penises to invest funds to ensure whole generations to come are properly endowed. Who would have thought that a leader of the Republicans would have supported a policy that would certainly have been rejected by the Gay Liberation Front as being a little too radical? mylesP email: myles325@yahoo.com.au

:While I agree with the benefits of circumcision, it is still debated whether it is healthier and more beneficial. Nevertheless, I agree that a better term can be used to describe circumcision. [[User:ColinR|ColinR]] 17:07, 14 March 2007 (EDT)

:How about topping the asparagus, trimming the cigar, uncowling the capuchin monk?... mylesP myles325@yahoo.com.au

:Circumcision, if beneficial, is beneficial in preventing the spread of HIV/AIDS among promiscuous people who refuse to use condoms. Abstinence until marriage and monogamy after marriage (assuming your husband/wife does the same) is a much safer way to prevent HIV/AIDS. Baring that, condoms are much more effective than circumcision. So Americans, especially those raised properly, have no “health reason” to be circumcised.
:So, health concerns aside, what would you call having a doctor cut off part of your son’s penis—sure, it’s a religious obligation of the Jews, but the New Testament is quite clear on the subject of circumcision (see Acts 15) circumcision is unnecessary. An unnecessary surgery that removes a very sensitive piece of flesh and that has the potential to castrate a child entirely sounds like mutilation to me.--[[User:Reginod|Reginod]] 15:15, 25 March 2007 (EDT)

== Unexpected deletions ==

I wish that Ezra Wax and Mountain Dew would explain why they deleted most of the article about Judaism, of which I was the major author. The current version is now far too sort and now lacks important information which was there in previous versions. I realize some of the additions to this article were in need of work, but this doesn't explain deleting the entire article and replacing it with a dumbed-down version.

[[User:Boethius|Boethius]] 18:56, 18 March 2007 (EDT)

Hey, thanks M (whoever you are), the current version is a great step forward, I think. [[User:Boethius|Boethius]] 11:08, 19 March 2007 (EDT)

:You're welcome! I just hate seeing inaccurate info. --[[User:M|M]] 08:33, 25 March 2007 (EDT)

==Preposterous examples of stupidity==

That the Jews are descendants of Satan, and that the Israelites are the ancestors of the Celts and Germans. Has this been deliberately left in the article, or is it an oversight? The thing I can never really understand is anti-Semitic Christians - Jesus was a Jew and Jews wrote the entire New Testament (let alone the old). [[User:Dorpfeld|Dorpfeld]] 12:34, 21 March 2007 (EDT)

== some more added ==

I added some more to the page, hopefully more of a introduction. I'll keep working on it to get a good blurb of judaism.

== Jews for Jesus? ==

I really fail to see why there is a link to "Jews for Jesus" in this entry; someone who claims to be a Jew for Jesus simply is not Jewish.
There is a term for anyone who views Jesus as the messiah and believes in the Holy Trinity - that term is Christian.--[[User:M|M]] 04:46, 27 March 2007 (EDT)

To be fair, so-called Messianic Jews really do consider themselves Jewish, and many started off Jewish, and retain the cultural trapping of Judaism. In other words, they are much like the first Christians, simply a sect of Jews. While not recognized by most mainstream Jews as being "jewish", they self-identify as jewish. For my part, I think they should call themselves something different, like "judeo-christians" or something, but that's neither here nor there.[[User:Palmd001|PalMD]] 16:49, 27 March 2007 (EDT)

Messianic Jews are not Jews for the purpose of any official Jewish function. I can cite a ton of stuff on this; just let me ask my girlfriend, but in the meantime I'm deleting the language or rephrasing it. Oh, also, JFJ were formed by an evangelical Christian minister for the express purpose of converting Jews while convincing them they weren't being converted. True story.-'''AmesG'''[http://www.conservapedia.com/User_talk:AmesG yo!] 16:57, 27 March 2007 (EDT)

=="Nation'==
*''Jews became an independent nation when Moses (Moshe) led them out of Egypt''
Why is the word "independent" used here? And what are we to make of the Genesis 12:2, God speaking to Abraham, "I will make of thee a great nation"? Didn't Israel become a nation with the birth of Isaac, more specifically a "great nation" with the birth of Jacob (Israel)'s 12 sons, the Patriarchs? [[User:RobS|RobS]] 15:56, 14 April 2007 (EDT)

==Suggestions==
The article should be divided into sections. It'd be good to add photos. [[User:Ylmw21|Ylmw21]] 23:25, 23 April 2007 (EDT)

Islam

2007-04-24T03:24:28Z

Ylmw21: cats

'''Islam''' is a [[monotheism|monotheistic]] religion based on the teachings of [[Muhammad]], a 7th century Arab political and religious figure. The word "Islam" means "submission." The followers of Islam are called Muslims, or Moslems. Muslims follow the teaching of Muhammad, whom they believe to be God's last and greatest prophet.

Muslims believe that God (Allah, in Arabic) revealed the [[Qur'an]] to Muhammad. The [[Qur'an]] is considered to be the pure and holy word of Allah. Like [[Christianity]], and [[Judaism]], Islam originated in the [[Middle East]] and claims to trace its roots back to [[Abraham]]. Muslims do not believe that Muhammad was the founder of Islam, rather that he restored the original faith of Abraham and the prophets, which had been corrupted and/or misinterpreted over time.

Islam is the second largest religion in the world, with over 1.4 billion followers, the number of Muslims is rapidly growing, mainly due to high birth rates in Muslim countries. Both Christian and Muslim sources agree that conversions to Christianity outnumber those to Islam.<ref>[http://www.bible.ca/global-religion-statistics-world-christian-encyclopedia.htm World Christian Encyclopedia]</ref>
<ref>[http://www.orthodoxytoday.org/articles6/AlJazeerahAfrica.php Translation of AL-Jazeerah interview between Maher Abdallah and Shiekh Ahmed Katani]</ref>

[[Image:Mecca.jpg|thumb|right|300px|[[Mecca]], the Islamic holy city.]]

===Five Pillars of Islam===

*'''Shahadah (Profession of Faith)''' -The Shahadah is the Muslim profession of faith. 'ašhadu 'al-lā ilāha illā-llāhu wa 'ašhadu 'anna muħammadan rasūlu-llāh, a loose English translation reads "''There is none worthy of worship except the Allah, and [[Muhammad]] is the messenger of Allah''" This testament can be seen as the foundation of all of the other tenets of Islam.

*'''Salat (Ritual Prayer)''' -All Muslims are required to Pray to Allah five times each day while facing [[Mecca]].

*'''Zakat (Charity)''' Able Muslims must donate to the poor based on the wealth one has accumulated. In current usage it is interpreted as 2.5% of the value of most valuables and savings held for a full [[lunar year]].

*'''Sawm (Fasting)''' All able-bodied Muslims (children, the elderly, and the ill are exempt) must fast during daylight hours during the daylight hours of the entire month of [[Ramadan]]. According to Muslims, this purifies the body and soul. Some Muslim sects allow military, police and emergency services personnel to receive an exemption from fasting from an imam, on the grounds that their work supports the community or national good.

*'''Hajj (Pilgrimage)''' All able-bodied Muslims must make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lives.

[[Image:Quran.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Pages from the Qur'an, the holy book of the Islamic religion.]]

==Islam and Christianity==

While Muslims do not believe Jesus to be the Son of God or in the resurrection, they consider him to be one of God's most important prophets. However, the Qur'an warns against worshiping Jesus, for fear of [[idolatry]].<ref>[http://www.ccg.org/_domain/ccg.org/Islam/Islam.htm Christian Churches of God Articles on Islam], March 10, 2007</ref>

The Qur'an states that Christians will be punished, though the nature of the punishment is not specified:

"Surely, disbelievers are those who said:
"Allah is the third of the three (in a Trinity)." But there is no god but One, Allah.
And if they cease not from what they say, verily, a painful torment will befall the disbelievers among them.

Will they not repent to Allah and ask His Forgiveness? For Allah is OftForgiving, Most Merciful.

The Messiah , son of Mary, was no more than a Messenger; many were the Messengers that passed away before him. His mother was a Siddiqah (i.e. she believed in the words of God and His Books ).
They both used to eat food (as any other human eat).
Look how We make the signs clear to them, yet look how they are deluded away (from the truth)."

Qur'an 5:73-75

However, Islam does recognize Christians and Jews as "people of the book" since both refer to one God only, and recognize Abraham (Ibrahim in [[Arabic]]) as a founding prophet.

==Islam and Paganism==

Although Muslims profess belief in a single, almighty [[Allah|God]], some Western scholars believe that some Muslim beliefs, like some of the [[church]] and indeed early Judaism, can be traced back to distinctly polytheistic antecedents. Some, for example, have attempted to link Allah to a moon deity, though Allah is cited in the Qur'an as the God of Abraham and Isaac (Judaism and Christianity). <ref>Abramahov, "Islamic Theology". Edinburgh University Press: Edinburgh, 1988. [http://www.amazon.com/Islamic-Theology-Binyamin-Abrahamov/dp/0748611029/sr=8-4/qid=1172042917/ref=pd_bbs_sr_4/105-1837174-2630046?ie=UTF8&s=books]</ref> Others have pointed to the pagan roots of various Muslim prohibitions, such as the ban on pork (also practiced in Orthodox Judaism) originating in the 3rd-century AD Damascene [[cult]] of the pig-god Jamal. <ref>Ibid.</ref> . As well as various recently-recovered scrolls that hint at early Muslim human sacrifice, which was also a part of early Judaism (eg: Story of Abraham being ordered to sacrafice his son by God. The story can be found in both the Bible and Qur'an). However such claims remain unverified. <ref>Esposito, "The Oxford History of Islam", p. 523. Oxford University Press: Oxford, 1999. [http://www.amazon.com/Oxford-History-Islam-John-Esposito/dp/0195107993/sr=8-1/qid=1172042853/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-1837174-2630046?ie=UTF8&s=books]</ref>

==Sharia==

[[Sharia]] is the body of Islamic law. The term means "way" or "path"; it is the legal framework within which public and some private aspects of life are regulated for those living in a legal system based on Muslim principles of jurisprudence. It is not actually part of the canonical Qur'an; that is to say, it is not believed to be the direct word of Allah by Muslims, but rather the interpretation of it.

Sharia deals with many aspects of day-to-day life, including politics, economics, banking, business law, contract law, sexuality, and social issues. Some Islamic scholars accept Sharia as the body of precedent and legal theory established before the 19th century, while other scholars view Sharia as a changing body, and include Islamic legal theory from the contemporary period.{{fact}}

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Islam]]
[[Category:Religion]]

Amish

2007-04-24T03:20:21Z

Ylmw21: added a few details

The Amish are an [[Anabaptist]] [[Christian]] denomination best known for rejecting many modern conveniences such as [[electricity]] and [[automobiles]]. They dress plainly and live apart from mainstream society. The denomination originated in the early 20th century around [[Pennsylvania]]. Many Amish people speak Pennsylvania Dutch, a dialect of [[German]].

{{stub}}

[[Category:Christianity]]

Islam

2007-04-24T03:16:56Z

Ylmw21: Spelling of Qur'an - now consistent and correct

Talk:Islam

2007-04-24T03:14:20Z

Ylmw21: spelling of Qur'an

Fine then. If this MUST contain mention of paganism, I'll go mention it in Christianity as well. It isn't false...

The first section of this article is factual.

The second half appears to be opinion. It is not a description of what U. S. policy is or has been, but of what the writer thinks it should be. Some statements in it ("The religion of Islam is one of the most, if not the most, violent religion in the world") seem far from objective. After all, it was not Muslims who started the Crusades. [[User:Dpbsmith|Dpbsmith]] 20:19, 8 February 2007 (EST)

"a substantial minority of accredited Western scholars believe that some Muslim beliefs, like those of the early Roman Catholic Church, system can be traced back to distinctly polytheistic antecedents" - This seems to be the sort of phrase that is attacked in Wikipedia. Every odd ball opinion can be traced to somewhere, but this is not worthy in the main article - in regard to Islam or Catholicism. [[user:stevendavy]]

The article has one major flaw, and that is that it distinguishes Allah as a separate god from that which is followed in the other abrahamic religions. This is fundamentally incorrect, The Christian, Jewish and Muslim god is the same god. The quote given is actually Sura 5: 77 and the Qu'ran is not contesting that a Christian god was another god, merely that Jesus was not the son of god but instead a prophet, thus, to claim that Jesus was the son of god in that sense is incorrect according to Muslims. Interestingly the quoted Sura 5: 73 actually reads "They who believe, and the Jews, and the Sabeites and the Christians - whoever of them believeth in God and in the last day, and doth what is right, on them shall come no fear, neither shall they be put to grief". Not quite so intolerant I think you'll agree. [[user:djtheblade]]

It seems to me that discussion of Islam in the context of "pig gods" is a subtle method of defamation. Rather than kitschy little tidbits of information, it would be nice to see a comprehensive list of facts including the pillars, the Sunni, Shi'i split, and Sharia.

I agree - it seems unnecessary and insulting. Why not remove it? - there is a good deal of more useful information that is left out of this article. [[User:Cletje|Cletje]]

:We should get rid of this rubbish. It may confuse those people who don't understand. It also tries to make fun of an important subject. --[[User:Czolgosz]] 12:07, 29 March 2007 (EDT) 14:31, 30 March 2007 (EDT)

== There is still misleading information in here ==

I realize this is an emotional subject for many, but if the conservapedia can't manage to weed out the misleading and biased information, it will end up as the laughingstock that so many already assume it will become.

The end of the first paragraph says that Islam is growing quickly "mostly" because of high fecundity rates. Most data shows that high reproductive rates are important, but they are in parts of Africa, Asia, and South America where Christianity is showing its greatest gains as well. It's debatable whether there are more conversions from Christianity to Islam than vice versa (citing an interview with one person is not good evidence!), but both get most of their conversions from non judeo-christian-islam religions. So what possible point can there be for including this, except to make the conservapedia look biased?

What, you think conservapedia ISN'T Biased? Ha, considering it was set up as a reaction to the so called liberalized Wikipedia, it's done a pretty poor job of presenting fair and unbiased arguments. Conservapedia is just a polar opposite, it's not balanced at all.

::I agree and it makes me very disappointed. [[User:Everwill|Everwill]] 13:35, 18 April 2007 (EDT)

:::I see nothing wrong with either source making the claim Christian conversions outstrip conversions to Islam. [[User:RobS|RobS]] 15:18, 18 April 2007 (EDT)

== We should not shy away from speaking the Truth!!! ==

Conservapedia shouldn't be biased in a bad way, but we should definitely be putting across our point of view. It is obvious that Jesus was the son of G-d, and so any parts of Islam which contradict Christianity must be considered false. This page should also contain evidence that Christianity and not Islam is the one true faith. Surely we should not shy away from speaking the truth!!! -Mmeelliissssaa

:Perhaps you would like to discuss one of our [[Debate topics]]. --[[User:Ed Poor|Ed Poor]] 13:10, 18 April 2007 (EDT)

Perhaps she would like to acknowledge that her interpretation of 'the one true faith' is still entirely subjective. Salvation may be shared in a community but it is still a subjective and singular experience. It's not 'obvious' that Jesus was the son of god, that is merely your opinion, that would be like me saying that it is 'obvious' that creationism is false because popular scientific consensus says so. I'm not quick to dismiss people's opinions and outlooks on life, but I don't pass my own opinions off as undisputed objective fact. Your 'truth' is your personal salvation and not necessarily the same truth that other's will rejoice in.

:Perhaps we should focus on building an encyclopedic page about Islam, and leave the rants out. That can go at [[Criticism of Islam]]. --[[User:Hojimachong|'''Hojimachong''']][[User_Talk:Hojimachong|talk]] 12:29, 21 April 2007 (EDT)

==Five Pillars==
We should make clear these are the five '''Sunni''' pillars of Islam. The Shia Twelvers replace Shahadah with Wilayah. The Ismali have seven pillars, as do the Druze. Just lumping all of Islam together like this is like saying all Christians believe in transubstantiation.--[[User:Dave3172|Dave3172]] 13:32, 18 April 2007 (EDT)
:I thought that the "twelvers" were the Imams themselves. Does this mean that their laws replace the pillars? I am not well-versed on this aspect, perhaps you could add information, Dave. --[[User:Hojimachong|'''Hojimachong''']][[User_Talk:Hojimachong|talk]] 12:31, 21 April 2007 (EDT)

Jihad, the "sixth" pillar, needs to be mentioned. And not jihad as in holy war against infidels, I mean jihad as including the personal and public jihads. [[User:ColinR|ColinR]][[User_talk:ColinR|talk]] 04:56, 23 April 2007 (EDT)
: Isn't it greater (ie the struggle to reform the self) and lesser (ie the struggle to reform the Muslim community) Jihad? Oh, and it's not the 'sixth pillar', by any stretch. The Five Pillars are the Five Pillars. Wikinterpreter'''[http://www.conservapedia.com/User_talk:Wikinterpreter talk?]

==Spelling==

The apostrophe in "Qur'an" is between the "r" and "a," not after the "u." [[User:Ylmw21|Ylmw21]] 23:14, 23 April 2007 (EDT)