Iron Chariots Wiki - User contributions [en]

Center for Inquiry

2006-08-03T11:33:26Z

Gunther01: stub

<center>
This article has too many red links. 
You can help Iron Chariots by writing new articles.
</center>
 
The '''Center for Inquiry''' (CFI) is a global organization formed to promote and defend [[reason]], [[science]], and freedom of inquiry in all areas of human endeavor.

The group was founded by [[Paul Kurtz]]. [[DJ Groethe]] is the national director.

Among other enterprises, CFI manages the [[Council for Secular Humanism]] and [[CSICOP]], publishes ''[[Skeptical Inquirer]]'' and ''[[Free Inquiry]]'', and runs a podcast show called ''[[Point of Inquiry]]''.

==External Links==
[http://www.centerforinquiry.net Official site]

{{stub}}
[[Category: Atheist groups]]

Center for Inquiry

2006-08-03T11:32:58Z

Gunther01:

Center for Inquiry

2006-08-03T11:32:11Z

Gunther01:

<center>
''This article has too many red links. 
You can help Iron Chariots by writing new articles.''
</center>
 
The '''Center for Inquiry''' (CFI) is a global organization formed to promote and defend [[reason]], [[science]], and freedom of inquiry in all areas of human endeavor.

The group was founded by [[Paul Kurtz]]. [[DJ Groethe]] is the national director.

Among other enterprises, CFI manages the [[Council for Secular Humanism]] and [[CSICOP]], publishes ''[[Skeptical Inquirer]]'' and ''[[Free Inquiry]]'', and runs a podcast show called ''[[Point of Inquiry]]''.

==External Links==
[http://www.centerforinquiry.net Official site]

[[Category: Atheist groups]]

Center for Inquiry

2006-08-03T11:31:47Z

Gunther01: Too Many Red Links

Center for Inquiry

2006-08-03T11:31:09Z

Gunther01:

<center>
''This article has too many red links. You can help Iron Chariots by writing new articles.''
</center>
 
 
The '''Center for Inquiry''' (CFI) is a global organization formed to promote and defend [[reason]], [[science]], and freedom of inquiry in all areas of human endeavor.

The group was founded by [[Paul Kurtz]]. [[DJ Groethe]] is the national director.

Among other enterprises, CFI manages the [[Council for Secular Humanism]] and [[CSICOP]], publishes ''[[Skeptical Inquirer]]'' and ''[[Free Inquiry]]'', and runs a podcast show called ''[[Point of Inquiry]]''.

==External Links==
[http://www.centerforinquiry.net Official site]

[[Category: Atheist groups]]

Talk:Mormonism

2006-08-03T11:20:16Z

Gunther01:

===Things to be done...===

Information! Information! Information! And some formatting!

--[[User:Gunther01|Gunther01]] 04:20, 3 August 2006 (MST)

Mormonism

2006-08-03T11:19:36Z

Gunther01:

==Church History==

The Church of Jesus Christ, Latter Day Saints (LDS), was founded by Joseph Smith. The official story is that a fourteen-year-old, Joseph Smith, walked into a grove of trees, near his home in Palmyra, New York, to pray. During his prayers, he asked God to tell him which church was true. In answer to his prayers, God the Father and his son, Jesus Christ, appeared to the young Smith and told him that there was no true church on this earth. Furthermore, Joseph Smith proclaimed that God and Jesus (although this version of the revelation would be changed many times) told him that he had been chosen by God to restore God's "true church" on this earth. This first revelation is usually set in the Spring of 1820.

It is the claim of Joseph Smith that, over the next ten years (from 1820-1830), he was visited by other heavenly messengers. He likened himself to Moses and Paul, of biblical times. During this time, he transcribed the Book of Mormon and organized God's Church on April 6th, 1830.

Church members are known as The Saint, or Mormons.

The Church headquarters are located in Salt Lake City, Utah.

(need to add more detail and expound)

==Joseph Smith==

''Place Holder''

==Church Doctrine and/or Holy Books==
Book of Mormon - expound
Doctrine and Covenants - expound
Pearl of Great Price - expound

==Polygamy - EXPOUND==

==Brigham Young==

==Great Migration to Salt Lake City==

==Temples and Ceremonies==

==The Priesthood==

==Women's Roles in Mormonism==

==Adam-God Doctrine==

==Eternal Progression==

==Family Forever==

Biblical inerrancy

2006-08-02T07:25:02Z

Gunther01:

'''Biblical inerrancy''' is the doctrine that the [[Bible]] is completely correct, or at least that it was completely correct in the original manuscripts.

This belief is surprisingly common, especially among [[Fundamentalism|fundamentalists]].

==Counter-arguments==

# There are many contradictions in the Bible, many of them very hard to dispute. [http://www.infidels.org/library/modern/jim_meritt/bible-contradictions.html Here is a big list], and [http://www.atheists.org/christianity/contradictions.html here is a smaller one].
# The Bible is clearly inconsistent with scientific observations. The [[Genesis]] account of [[Creation]] is only the beginning. Take Job 38:22-23, for example. God is quoted as saying, "Have you entered the storehouses of the snow or seen the storehouses of the hail, which I reserve for times of trouble, for days of war and battle?" We now know how snow and hail form, and it doesn't involve storehouses or war.
# The Bible is at least guilty of glossing over rounding error. By simple arithmetic we can arrive at the [[Biblical value of pi]]: three. Not 3.14, not 3.1415926536, not "a little more than three"; simply three.
# Some contradictions, like 2 Kings 8:26 and 2 Chronicles 22:2, which give different ages for Ahaziah when he began to rule, are, Christians admit, really contradictions that are really in the bible. They have to resort to copyist error or some other similar explanation. This shows that the modern bible is not inerrant. This raises the question of why God inspired the original writers, but not the copyist.

Fundamentalism

2006-08-02T07:24:20Z

Gunther01:

{{stub}}

'''Fundamentalism''', in a religious context, is when a religious group believes that their scripture is the truth and the whole truth, an exact representation of the world, it's origins, and it's eventual ends.

Douglas Adams

2006-08-01T23:17:49Z

Gunther01:

'''Douglas Noël Adams''' (March 11, 1952 - May 11, 2001) was a cult British comic radio dramatist, amateur musician and author, most notably of the ''Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' series.

Adams was a self-declared "radical [[atheist]]", though he used the term for emphasis, so that he would not be asked if he in fact meant agnostic. He stated in an interview with [[American Atheists]] that this made things easier, but most importantly that it conveyed the fact that he really meant it, had thought about it a great deal, and that it was an opinion he held seriously. He was convinced that there is no [[God]], having never seen one shred of evidence to convince him otherwise, and devoted himself instead to secular causes such as environmentalism. Despite this, he did state in the same interview that he was "fascinated by [[religion]]." [...] "I love to keep poking and prodding at it. I’ve thought about it so much over the years that that fascination is bound to spill over into my writing." His fascination he ascribed to the fact that so many "otherwise rational... intelligent people... nevertheless take it [the existence of God] seriously".

Adams is credited with introducing a fan and later friend of his, the zoologist [[Richard Dawkins]], to Dawkins' future wife, Lalla Ward, who had played the part of Romana in Doctor Who.

==Quotes==
* . . . imagine a puddle waking up one morning and thinking, `This is an interesting world I find myself in, an interesting hole I find myself in, fits me rather neatly, doesn't it? In fact it fits me staggeringly well, must have been made to have me in it!' This is such a powerful idea that as the sun rises in the sky and the air heats up and as, gradually, the puddle gets smaller and smaller, it's still frantically hanging on to the notion that everything's going to be alright, because this world was meant to have him in it, was built to have him in it; so the moment he disappears catches him rather by surprise. I think this may be something we need to be on the watch out for.
** As quoted in Richard Dawkins's [http://www.edge.org/documents/adams_index.html Eulogy] for Douglas Adams

* So, I was already familiar with and (I’m afraid) accepting of, the view that you couldn’t apply the logic of physics to religion, that they were dealing with different types of ‘truth’. (I now think this is baloney, but to continue...) What astonished me, however, was the realization that the arguments in favor of religious ideas were so feeble and silly next to the robust arguments of something as interpretative and opinionated as history. In fact they were embarrassingly childish. They were never subject to the kind of outright challenge which was the normal stock in trade of any other area of intellectual endeavor whatsoever. Why not? Because they wouldn’t stand up to it.
** [http://www.americanatheist.org/win98-99/T2/silverman.html Interview with American Atheists]

==According to Douglas Adams' Writings...==

Adams' fascination with religion was evident in much of his writing.

===The Babel Fish===

In the original ''The Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy'', we are introduced to the Babel Fish, a small, yellow, leech-like creature that, if placed in your ear, will instantly translate anything said to you in any form of language.

:''Now it is such a bizarrely improbable coincidence that anything so mindbogglingly useful could have evolved purely by chance that some thinkers have chosen to see it as a final and clinching proof of the non-existence of God.''
:''The argument goes something like this: "I refuse to prove that I exist," says God, "for [[scientific evidence|proof]] denies [[faith]], and without faith I am nothing."''
:''"But," says Man, "the Babel fish is a dead giveaway isn't it? It could not have [[evolution|evolved]] by chance. It proves that you exist, and so therefore, by your own arguments, you don't. [[Q.E.D.]]"''
:''"Oh dear," says God, "I hadn't thought of that," and promptly vanishes in a puff of [[logic]].''
:''"Oh, that was easy," says Man, and for an encore goes on to prove that black is white and gets himself killed on the next zebra crossing.'' 

===The Great Prophet Zarquon===

In ''The Restaurant at the End of the Universe'', we are introduced to The Church of the Great Prophet [[Zarquon]], who have been waiting for Zarquon's second coming. Zarquon (who obviously parallels [[Jesus]]) appears just moments before the end of the universe, and all he has time to say is: "Er, how are we for time? Have I just got a min-"

===God's Final Message===

In ''So Long, and Thanks For All the Fish'', the fourth book of five, in the horribly misnamed ''The Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy'' Trilogy, God's Final Message to His Creation is...

'''"WE APOLOGISE FOR THE INCONVENIENCE"'''.

The two main characters of the book, Arthur Dent and Fenchurch, upon reading the message, are filled with a profound sense of peace, calm, and understanding: "Well, that's alright, then."

===Entirely Accurate Dating Technique===

"...and then, two thousand years after a man was nailed to a tree for saying how could it would be to be nice to people for a change..." (The Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy).

==External Links==

* [http://www.douglasadams.com/ Official web site]

[[Category: Famous atheists]]

Leviticus

2006-08-01T08:10:24Z

Gunther01:

'''The Book of Leviticus''' is the third book in the [[Old testement]] of [[the Bible]]. It is, essentially, the Mosaic Law, the laws layed down by Jahweh through Moses. These include what not to eat, how and when to sacrifice animals to the Lord, what is clean and unclean, and what to do if you want to sell your daughters into slavery.

Sin

2006-08-01T07:13:12Z

Gunther01:

'''Sin''' is a religious term for [[evil]] deeds committed by [[conscious]] beings.

Unlike the [[humanism|humanist]] concept of evil, sin is defined entirely in terms of doing things which [[God]] specifically prohibits.

==Counter-Apologetics==

Since [[Atheism|Atheists]] do not believe in God, it is meaningless to accuse ask an atheist of being a sinner. Humanistic athiests recognize the concept of right and wrong actions in terms of their impact on other people, but the idea of sin is basically irrelevant without appealing to a deity.

[[Category: Religious mythology]]

Sin

2006-08-01T07:12:12Z

Gunther01:

'''Sin''' is a religious term for [[evil]] deeds committed by [[conscious]] beings.

Unlike the [[humanist]] concept of evil, sin is defined entirely in terms of doing things which [[God]] specifically prohibits.

==Counter-Apologetics==

Since [[Athiests]] do not believe in God, it is meaningless to accuse ask an atheist of being a sinner. Humanistic athiests recognize the concept of right and wrong actions in terms of their impact on other people, but the idea of sin is basically irrelevant without appealing to a deity.

[[Category: Religious mythology]]

Ray Comfort

2006-08-01T07:07:21Z

Gunther01: Formatting

[[Image:Ray_Comfort.jpg|thumb|Ray Comfort]]

Ray Comfort is an Australian [[Christian]] [[Apologist]] who co-hosts ''[[The Way of the Master]]'' radio show.

==His Favorite Arguments==

Ray comfort has appeard on many a freethinking radio show, with a couple of arguments in common.

===[[Argument from design|The Watchmaker Argument]]===

He will usually be heard to say something along the lines of "If I see a watch it must have been made by a watchmaker, loaf of bread by a baker, a buidling by an engineer, a creation by a creator."

See [[Argument from design]] for more details.

===[[Banana argument|The Banana Argument]]===

Untill recently, the [[Banana argument]] was, according to Comfort, "the Athiest's Worst Nightmare". However, he conceded the argument on the [[Hellbound Alleee]] show.

See [[Argument from design]] for more details.

===[[Are you a good person?]]===

This argument uses the [[Appeal to emotion]]. He asks the atheist or unbeliever a set of questions.

1) Have you ever lied? 
2) Have you ever stolen anything, regardless of its value? 
3) Have you ever looked at a women with lust? 
4) Have you ever hated somebody?

Chances are, if the person was honest, they would have answerd yes to all of the above.

"So, by your own admission, you are a lying, theiving, adulterous, murderer at heart, and when Jesus comes again on judgement day, how do you think he's going to treat you? He'll send you to [[hell]]."
[[Category:Christian apologists]]

Argument from inconsistent revelations

2006-08-01T01:29:17Z

Gunther01:

{{stub}}
The '''Argument From Inconsistent Revelations''' is based upon the many number of interpretations of [[Holy Texts]] and [[Scripture]]. If Scripture was revealed to man by [[God]], and God is infallible, then all revelations would be the same, inerrent text.

But contradictions and vagaries, still remain in the [[Bible]], and other holy texts of other [[religion|religions]]. As a result, there are many different groups of people, with many different [[interpretations]].

So, therefore, God cannot exist in the capacity that [[Christians]] say he is, because his own writings betray his capacity for error, or betray his non-existence. Either God is fallible, or humans wrote the Bible and God was not involved. Needless to say, Christians don't like either of those possibilities.

==Argument from Existence of Atheists==

Closely related is the '''argument from existence of [[atheist]]s''':

# God is [[omniscient]].
# God is [[omnipotent]].
# God wants everyone to believe in him.
# Since God is omniscient, he knows exactly what demonstration would convince any given person that he exists.
# Since God is omnipotent, he is capable of performing this demonstration.
# Since God wants everyone to believe in him, he wants to perform this demonstration.
# However, atheists manifestly exist.
# Therefore, the god described by the first three conditions does not exist.

Of course, an apologist could reply to this by saying that atheists '''do''' know that God exists but are just denying him out of stubbornness. Indeed, this response has been used many times by different apologists. However, though some non-believers do disbelieve just out of stubbornness most have good reasons for their disbelief and thus this response isn't useful to the apologist.

[[Category: Arguments]]
[[Category: Arguments against the existence of God]]
[[Category: Empirical arguments]]

Ray Comfort

2006-08-01T01:00:18Z

Gunther01:

[[Image:Ray_Comfort.jpg|thumb|Ray Comfort]]
[[Image:soupnazi.jpg|thumb|Not Ray Comfort]]

Ray Comfort is that Australian guy from [[The Way of the Master]] who looks like the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soup_Nazi Soup Nazi].

But all joking aside, Ray Comfort is a Christian Apologist who co-hosts [[The Way of the Master]] radio show.

==His Favorite Arguments==

Ray comfort has appeard on many a freethinking radio show, with a couple of arguments in common.

===[[Argument from design|The Watchmaker Argument]]===

He will usually be heard to say something along the lines of "If I see a watch it must have been made by a watchmaker, loaf of bread by a baker, a buidling by an engineer, a creation by a creator."

See [[Argument from design]] for more details.

===[[Banana argument|The Banana Argument]]===

Untill recently, the [[Banana argument]] was, according to Comfort, "the Athiest's Worst Nightmare". However, he conceded the argument on the [[Hellbound Alleee]] show.

See [[Argument from design]] for more details.

===[[Are you a good person?]]===

This argument uses the [[Appeal to emotion]]. He asks the atheist or unbeliever a set of questions.

1) Have you ever lied? 
2) Have you ever stolen anything, regardless of its value? 
3) Have you ever looked at a women with lust? 
4) Have you ever hated somebody? 

Chances are, if the person was honest, they would have answerd yes to all of the above.

"So, by your own admition, you are a lying, theiving, adulterous, murderer at heart, and when Jesus comes again on judgement day, how do you think he's going to treat you? He'll send you to hell."
[[Category:Christian apologists]]

Ray Comfort

2006-08-01T00:57:13Z

Gunther01:

[[Image:Ray_Comfort.jpg|thumb|Ray Comfort]]
[[Image:soupnazi.jpg|thumb|Not Ray Comfort]]

Ray Comfort is that Australian guy from [[The Way of the Master]] who looks like the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soup_Nazi Soup Nazi].

But all joking aside, Ray Comfort is a Christian Apologist who co-hosts [[The Way of the Master]] radio show.

==His Favorite Arguments==

Ray comfort has appeard on many a freethinking radio show, with a couple of arguments in common.

===[[Argument from design|The Watchmaker Argument]]===

He will usually be heard to say something along the lines of "If I see a watch it must have been made by a watchmaker, loaf of bread by a baker, a buidling by an engineer, a creation by a creator."

See [[Argument from design]] for more details.

===[[Banana argument|The Banana Argument]]===

Untill recently, the [[Banana argument]] was, according to Comfort, "the Athiest's Worst Nightmare". However, he conceded the argument on the [[Hellbound Alleee]] show.

See [[Argument from design]] for more details.

===[[Are you a good person?]]===

This argument uses the [[Appeal to emotion]]. He asks the atheist or unbeliever a set of questions.

1) Have you ever lied?
2) Have you ever stolen anything, regardless of its value?
3) Have you ever looked at a women with lust?
4) Have you ever hated somebody?

Chances are, if the person was honest, they would have answerd yes to all of the above.

"So, by your own admition, you are a lying, theiving, adulterous, murderer at heart, and when Jesus comes again on judgement day, how do you think he's going to treat you? He'll send you to hell."
[[Category:Christian apologists]]

Ray Comfort

2006-08-01T00:50:25Z

Gunther01:

Petitio principii

2006-07-31T13:23:24Z

Gunther01:

'''Begging the Question''' occures when a statement or [[explanation]] is made upon an assumption that requires another explanation.

==Example==

"How do you know [[the Bible]] is correct?" 
"Because it was written by [[God]]." 
This begs the question "How do you know that god wrote it?"

Petitio principii

2006-07-31T13:22:46Z

Gunther01:

'''Begging the Question''' occures when a statement or [[explanation]] is made upon an assumption that requires another explanation.

==Example==

"How do you know [[the bible]] is correct?"
"Because it was written by [[God]]."
Which begs the question "How do you know that god wrote it?"

Petitio principii

2006-07-31T13:22:18Z

Gunther01:

'''Begging the Question''' occures when a statement or explanation is made upon an assumption that requires another explanation.

==Example==

"How do you know the bible is correct?"
"Because it was written by God."
Which begs the question "How do you know that god wrote it?"

Appeal to emotion

2006-07-31T13:19:05Z

Gunther01:

{{stub}}

An [[Appeal to emotion]] is an argument which attempts to circumvent rational thought in the hopes of supporting a conclusion with an emotional response.

==Example==

*"Aren't you afraid to go to [[hell]] when you die?"

The above statement appeals to the listeners emotion of fear, but [[Begging the Question|begs the question]]: "Do you have any evidence of this hell?"

[[Category: Logical fallacies]]

User:Gunther01

2006-07-31T13:13:39Z

Gunther01: /* Religios Education */

Gunther01 is an Aussie skeptic and Athiest, sometimes Anti-theist. He is also having the religion discussion with his freinds, and arguing with acquaintences. He argues with Christians as a public service, believing that his mind won't change, the other guys mind won't change, but anybody who listens might be able to make an informed decision.

He has a small, and relatively unsuccessful website for Teenaged Skeptics at [http://www.guntherstudios.tk GuntherStudios.tk].

=Way Back Then...=

Gunther was born and raised in Brisbane, Australia, to an atheist Mother and agnostic Father. They taught him how to think critically from a very early age, and never once taught him about any of the religions, except that they existed.

=A bit later...=
And so, from a very early age, Gunther was already a skeptic. When he came to high school in 2001, (and Anglican private school, despite the faithlessness of his parents), he came into contact with religion completely for the first time. All of a sudden you were going to hell if you looked at a woman with lust, or masturbated. Other students did not believe in evolution.

Thankfully, due to the mostly secular aspects of Australian Culture, science classrooms were still science classrooms, and science teachers where still scientists by profession. The only overtly Conservative influence came from the School's Christian Fellowship, lead by the head of Religios Education himself.

==Religious Education==
Despite the fact that the Head of R.E. was a conservative nutcase (who believed, among other things, that cancer was God's vengence for sin, untill his brother developed a tumor), other R.E. teachers were free to go about there ways, and do what most kids liked doing in R.E: watch movies based on the Old Testemant.

Not only where these movies often full of action, bad plot, and shadows of helicopters during establishing shots, they had almost no christian message whatsoever. The overall effect was that the students got to whatch a film every week, and not think about it.

When senior rolled around, Gunther was introduced to another R.E. teacher, an agnostic. Instead of making the students sit through boring talks about Jesus, Moses, and the commandments, he taught them about Ethics and Morality. Not only did he manage to do it without mentioning Jesus once, he did it by showing us entirely secular movies about Morality: Schindlers List, The Corporation, Wall Street, etc. These would often be accompanied by questionairs to see how well we'd been paying attention.

=An Un-Conversion=

The overall effect of the Christian High School was to fail to convert Gunther. He tried a couple of times to believe what the pastor was telling him, but in the end, after being given an innasailable wall of contradictions, vagaries, and Leviticus, he decided that it was all a load of Hogwash, Humbug, Bullshit, Woo-Woo, Anti-science... in a word, a religion.

Gunther is now at University, where he continues to fight the good fight with the Christian clubs there.

Free will

2006-07-31T13:00:55Z

Gunther01:

'''Free Will''' is the power of a consious mind to have controll over there environment, future, and "destiny".

==Christianity and Free Will==

According to Christian doctrine, God gave humans free will. But, also according to doctrine, God knows everything: past, present, future, what you had for breakfast this morning.

If God knows what you are going to do in the future, then you really have no say in the matter. It doesn't matter what you do, you will always end up living the future that God already knows about.

Also, the doctrines of [[predestination]], and that God is the Creator of All Things, contradict the Idea of free will. If God has a plan for us all, then no matter what you do, it's God's plan. That, presumably, includes killing, or raping somebody, or (gasp!) being an athiest.

[[Category: Philosophical issues]]

Therefore God exists

2006-07-31T12:54:04Z

Gunther01:

[http://www.godlessgeeks.com/LINKS/GodProof.htm Over 300 proofs of God's existence]

A list of over 300 "arguments" for [[God]]'s existence, each ending in the punchline "Therefore, God exists."

While these arguments are obviously flawed and presented for humorous effect, most of them are parodies of actual arguments, and some of them ARE the actualy arguments.

[[Category:Web sites]]
[[Category:Humorous web sites]]

Talk:Flying Spaghetti Monster

2006-07-31T12:38:25Z

Gunther01:

==Request for Ruling==
I [http://wiki.ironchariots.org/index.php?title=Flying_spaghetti_monster&diff=2333&oldid=2332 took out] this paragraph:
: Every time a scientist gets a result, His Noodliness changes the data with his Noodly Appendage to make it look different from the way it actually is.
[http://wiki.ironchariots.org/index.php?title=Flying_spaghetti_monster&diff=next&oldid=2337 Later], [[User:AbortGod]] effectively put it back in:
: As a consequence every time a scientist gets a result, His Noodliness changes the data with his Noodly Appendage to make it look different, thereby hiding his true being and showing His omnipotence.

I'd like that paragraph to go: the style isn't polished enough. But I don't want to get into an editing war, either. Could one of the wiki admins please rule on whether it should stay or go?

--[[User:Arensb|Arensb]] 13:52, 30 July 2006 (MST)

: Question: Is it part of official FSM lore? I can't find the exact phrasing anywhere on the venganza.org site. If it is then I don't see why it can't stay; otherwise, we shouldn't be making it up. We didn't make the story up; we're just writing about it. --[[User:Kazim|Kazim]] 14:06, 30 July 2006 (MST)

"But what our scientist does not realize is that every time he makes a measurement, the Flying Spaghetti Monster is there changing the results with His Noodly Appendage."

At the end of the Fourth paragraph in the open letter on the front page.

--[[User:Gunther01|Gunther01]] 05:38, 31 July 2006 (MST)

Talk:Exodus

2006-07-31T12:32:52Z

Gunther01:

To be done: War with the Amalekites, spelling, the 10 commandments.
--[[User:Gunther01|Gunther01]] 05:32, 31 July 2006 (MST)

Exodus

2006-07-31T12:32:03Z

Gunther01:

'''The Book of Exodus''' is the second book of the [[Old Testement]] of [[the Bible]], and deals with the Jews enslavement in Egypt, their escape, and their wandering in the desert.

The key character of this story is [[Moses]]. After Pharoh gave the order to kill all young male Jews in Egypt, his mother put him in a sealed basket, and sent him down the river. The Pharohs daughter found the basket with Moses inside, and took him as her own.

When Moses was grown, he was contacted by [[God]], who appeard in the form of a burning bush, and commanded him and his brother to "ask" Pharoh to "let his people go!"

After of few magic tricks, and a slaughter, Pharoh agrees to let the Jews go, and they begin their 40 year desert wander.

==Theological Objections==

"And the LORD said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go." (4:21, KJV)

As you can see by the above, God intentionally makes the Pharoh stubborn, seemingly so that he has an excuse to effectively destroy a population. This apparent evilness flatly contradicts the Christian idea of an [[omnibenevolent]] god.

God calls down a series of plagues, strifes, and evils on the population (who, incidentally, had nothing much to do with the Jews enslavement).

=== Plague 1) Rivers of Blood===
and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. And the fish that was in the river died; and the river stank, and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river... (7:20-21)

The first plague that Jaweh calls on the people of Egypt is to turn all of the waters into blood. The fish die, and the people of Egypt cannot drink.

=== Plague 2) Frogs===
And the river shall bring forth frogs abundantly, which shall go up and come into thine house, and into thy bedchamber, and upon thy bed, and into the house of thy servants, and upon thy people... (8:3)

God fills the land of Egypt with frogs. The frogs fill the ovens, and kneeding pots, and bedrooms, and clamber onto the people, and just do a generally good job at making everything very annoying.

=== Plague 3) Lice===
"Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt." (8:16)

God calls all manner of insects forth to bite the populace and the livestock.

=== Plague 4) Flies===

Else, if thou wilt not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies upon thee, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thy houses: and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground whereon they are. (8:21)

God fills all the houses with flies, making life extremely icky.

Pharoh, momentarily, decides that he should let them go, and grants them three days in the wilderness to pray, and make scarifices to Jahweh.

On the morning that the Jews were supposed to leave, Pharoh cuts them off and makes them stay.

=== Plague 5) Death of Livestock===

And the LORD did that thing on the morrow, and all the cattle of Egypt died: but of the cattle of the children of Israel died not one. (9:6)

When Pharoh did not let them leave the city, Jahweh smites all of the Egyptian cattle. But still, Pharoh did not let the Jews go.

=== Plague 6) Boils===

...and shall be a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt. (9:9)

Painful boils break out all over the people of egypt and their livestock (which are already dead?) Pharoh still refuses to let them go.

=== Plague 7) Hail and Fire===

And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt. (9:23)

Hail and Fire rip through the land of Egypt, killing man and beast (those beasts are sure taking a beating!), and destroying all crops and trees.

Pharoh, getting the message, allows the Jews to leave the city. As soon as the Jews are outside the walls, Moses stops the hail. As soon as the hail ceases, Pharoh rounds them up again, and still won't let them leave!

=== Plague 8) Locusts===

...tomorrow will I bring the locusts into thy coast: And they shall cover the face of the earth, that one cannot be able to see the earth: and they shall eat the residue of that which is escaped, which remaineth unto you from the hail, and shall eat every tree which groweth for you out of the field... (10:4-5)

God sends locusts, so that they cover the face of the earth, and essentially eat anything left over by the hail storm.

Pharoh agrees to let them go, but as soon as Moses clears up the locusts, Pharoh's heart is hardened again, and he keeps them locked up.

=== Plague 9) Darkness ===

Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt. (10:21)

God calls darkness over the land. It was so dark, that the Egyptians couldn't see.

Once again, Pharoh agrees to let them go, but as soon as the darkness is gone, Pharoh locks the Jews up again.

=== Plague Grand Finale 10) Death of all Egyptian First-borne ===

And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle. (12:29)

Every first-born of Egypt is smoten by God. Pharoh, after seeing his own son dead, finally breaks, and agrees to let the Jews go (once and for all... I guess...)

The Jews plunder the homes of the Egyptians, take up their belongings, and flee into the wilderness, towards the Red Sea.

The Pharoh (who, once again, decides that it was a bad idea to let the Hebrews go) chases after them with an army. When the Jews are trapped up against the Red Sea, Moses parts the Sea, and the Hebrews escape accross to the other side. When all the Jews are ashore, Moses closes the passage, and drowns the Egyptians that are chasing them.

== Historical Objections ==

There is no historical reference to Moses or his Brother, Aron, a mass exodus, or Egyption armies being destroyed, or mass plagues destroying the populace.

== Apologetics ==

Apologists will say that the reason there is no historical evidence for this is because the Egyptians did not record defeats, especially one of this magnitude.

And how did they cross the Red Sea? Will, they didn't. They crossed the Sea of Reeds, which is shallow enough that the hebrews could have waded accross, but the chariots of the Egyptians will have been bogged down, and could not follow.

== Counter Apologetics==

Egyptians did record defeats, even when it came to Hebrews. And if they didn't record defeats, then other people were there to do it for them. The earliest mention of the Hebrews in Egyptology is in the "Victory Stele" (or the Mernapta Stele), in which it is recorded that Egypt laid claim to the land of Israel (dated around 1200BCE). It is recorded that soon the Israelites broke the yoke of Egyptian rule.

And as for the Sea of Reeds story: If that's true, then there is no devine power of god involved. It's just some lucky Hebrews who stumbled accross a thin strip of water during low tide. The magic of the story is therefore lost.

Exodus

2006-07-31T06:48:30Z

Gunther01:

Main Page

2006-07-31T05:41:58Z

Gunther01:

<big>'''Welcome to Iron Chariots'''</big>

::''And the LORD was with Judah; and he drave out the inhabitants of the mountain; but could not drive out the inhabitants of the valley, because they had '''chariots of iron'''.''

:: -- Judges 1:19

This wiki site is intended to provide information on [[apologetics]] and [[counter-apologetics]]. We'll be collecting common [[arguments]] and providing responses, information and resources to help counter the glut of misinformation and poor arguments which masquerade as "[[evidence]]" for [[religion|religious]] claims.

The complexity of issues surrounding religion ensures that any proper assessment requires us to delve into a number of philosophical, historical and sociological topics. Our ultimate goal is to provide a robust and definitive resource for:

* [[atheist]]s seeking responses to common apologetic arguments
* [[theist]]s who are questioning the efficacy of their beliefs
* apologists who feel that their "pet" argument is above reproach
* individuals of any philosophical ideal who have an interest in religious studies

Initially, we'll be focusing on [[:Category:Arguments|Arguments]], [[:Category:Christian apologists|Christian Apologists]], and [[:Category:Christian Groups|Christian Groups]] who practice apologetics. We will also talk about individual [[:Category:Atheists|Atheists]] and [[:Category:Atheist groups|Atheist Groups]]. As the site expands, we'll address many more religions, arguments and issues.

==Contributions==
If you're interested in contributing to the site, register at the [http://forum.IronChariots.org IronChariots.org Forums] and post or contact the admin.

For more information, please take a look at these pages:
* [[Iron Chariots:Introduction]]
* [[Iron Chariots:Editing guidelines]]
* [[Iron Chariots:Neutral point of view]]

James Randi

2006-07-28T12:55:48Z

Gunther01:

[[Image:Randi james.jpg|thumb|left|James Randi himself]]
'''James "The Amazing" Randi''' has an international reputation as a magician and escape artist, but today he is best known as the world's most tireless investigator and demystifier of paranormal and pseudoscientific claims.

Randi has pursued "psychic" spoonbenders, exposed the dirty tricks of faith healers, investigated homeopathic water "with a memory," and generally been a thorn in the sides of those who try to pull the wool over the public's eyes in the name of the supernatural.
[[Image:Randi1.jpg|thumb|right|James "the Amazing" Randi in a more mysticle moment.]]
In 1996, the [[James Randi Educational Foundation]] was established to further Randi's work. Randi's long-standing challenge to psychics now stands as a $1,000,000 prize administered by the Foundation. It remains unclaimed.

==External Links==

* [http://www.randi.org/jr/index.html About James Randi]

[[Category: Famous atheists]]

File:Randi james.jpg

2006-07-28T12:51:32Z

Gunther01:

File:Randi1.jpg

2006-07-28T12:47:19Z

Gunther01:

Flying Spaghetti Monster

2006-07-28T12:44:37Z

Gunther01:

[[Image:FSM3d.gif|thumb|A typicle depiction of the Flying Spaghetti Monster]]
[[Image:FSM W 1600x1200 th1.jpg|thumb|"What Would Flying Spaghetti Monster Do?" A parody on "What Would Jesus Do?" (WWJD?)]]
[[Image:Th iwant2believe1240x1024.jpg|thumb|"I want to believe", a take off the poster that Moulder had in his office in the X-Files]]
The '''Flying Spaghetti Monster''' is a [[deity]] invented by Bobby Henderson as a parody of [[Intelligent design]].

The Flying Spaghetti Monster is quite ingenious, as there is just as much evidence for the existence of His Noodlyness as there is for any other Diety. This quite accurately illustrates the absurdity of teaching ID in the classroom: If you are teaching the Christian Myth, then you have to teach Flying Spaghetti Monsterism as well!

==The Deity==

The Flying Spagheti Monster is depicted as a knot of Spagetti, flanked by two meatballs, with eyes on stalks. Such a depiction is, of course, a complete guess, as the FSM is invisible to all forms of detection.

Every time a scientist gets a result, His Noodlyness changes the data with his Noodly Appendage to make it look different to the way it actually is.

In the Begginning, the FSM created a Hill, Some Trees, and a Midget in full pirate regalia. His Meat-ballyness is quite fond of Pirate Regalia, and gets mad when people do not dress as pirates. You will be interested to know that the number and intensity of hurricanes, wars, famine, and other natural disasters has increased inversly to the number of pirates since the beginning of the 19th century.

==External Links==
* [http://www.venganza.org/ Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster]

[[Category:Deities]]
[[Category: Humorous web sites]]

Flying Spaghetti Monster

2006-07-28T12:39:07Z

Gunther01:

{{stub}}
[[Image:FSM W 1600x1200 th1.jpg|thumb|"What Would Flying Spaghetti Monster Do?" A parody on "What Would Jesus Do?" (WWJD?)]]
The '''Flying Spaghetti Monster''' is a [[deity]] invented by Bobby Henderson as a parody of [[Intelligent design]].

The Flying Spaghetti Monster is quite ingenious, as there is just as much evidence for the existence of His Noodlyness as there is for any other Diety. This quite accurately illustrates the absurdity of teaching ID in the classroom: If you are teaching the Christian Myth, then you have to teach Flying Spaghetti Monsterism as well!

==The Deity==

The Flying Spagheti Monster is depicted as a knot of Spagetti, flanked by two meatballs, with eyes on stalks. Such a depiction is, of course, a complete guess, as the FSM is invisible to all forms of detection.

Every time a scientist gets a result, His Noodlyness changes the data with his Noodly Appendage to make it look different to the way it actually is.

In the Begginning, the FSM created a Hill, Some Trees, and a Midget in full pirate regalia. The His Meat-ballyness is quite fond of Pirate Regalia, and gets mad when people do not dress as pirates. You will be interested to know that the number and intensity of hurricanes, wars, famine, and other natural disasters has increased inversly to the number of pirates since the beginning of the 19th century.

==External Links==
* [http://www.venganza.org/ Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster]

[[Category:Deities]]
[[Category: Humorous web sites]]

File:FSM W 1600x1200 th1.jpg

2006-07-28T12:34:34Z

Gunther01:

File:Th iwant2believe1240x1024.jpg

2006-07-28T12:34:00Z

Gunther01:

File:FSM3d.gif

2006-07-28T12:33:14Z

Gunther01:

File:E-FlyingSpaghettiEmblem.gif

2006-07-28T12:32:24Z

Gunther01:

Flying Spaghetti Monster

2006-07-28T12:29:00Z

Gunther01:

{{stub}}

The '''Flying Spaghetti Monster''' is a [[deity]] invented by Bobby Henderson as a parody of [[Intelligent design]].

The Flying Spaghetti Monster is quite ingenious, as there is just as much evidence for the existence of His Noodlyness as there is for any other Diety. This quite accurately illustrates the absurdity of teaching ID in the classroom: If you are teaching the Christian Myth, then you have to teach Flying Spaghetti Monsterism as well!

==The Deity==

The Flying Spagheti Monster is depicted as a knot of Spagetti, flanked by two meatballs, with eyes on stalks. Such a depiction is, of course, a complete guess, as the FSM is invisible to all forms of detection.

Every time a scientist gets a result, His Noodlyness changes the data with his Noodly Appendage to make it look different to the way it actually is.

In the Begginning, the FSM created a Hill, Some Trees, and a Midget in full pirate regalia. The His Meat-ballyness is quite fond of Pirate Regalia, and gets mad when people do not dress as pirates. You will be interested to know that the number and intensity of hurricanes, wars, famine, and other natural disasters has increased inversly to the number of pirates since the beginning of the 19th century.

==External Links==
* [http://www.venganza.org/ Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster]

[[Category:Deities]]
[[Category: Humorous web sites]]

Allah

2006-07-28T12:17:38Z

Gunther01:

'''Allah''' is the god of [[Islam]] and the [[Qur'an]]. Although this god is called by his personal name of Allah, he is generally considerd to be the same god as that of the [[Christians]] and [[Jews]], whom the Muslims call "The People of the Book". (Here, "The Book" refers to the first few books of the Old Testemant of [[The Bible]], which all three [[faith|Faiths]] have in common. These faiths are also known as the Abrahamic religions, as Abraham is a central figure in all three before the religions supposedly diverged.)

Allah has all the same characteristics of the Christian God. He is omnipotent, omneiscent, omnipresent, and outside of the Qur'an, omnibenevolent.

{{stub}}

Allah

2006-07-28T12:09:51Z

Gunther01:

'''Allah''' is the god of [[Islam]] and the [[Qur'an]]. Although this god is called by his personal name of Allah, he is generally considerd to be the same god as that of the [[Christians]] and [[Jews]], whom the Muslims call "The People of the Book". (Here, "The Book" refers to the first few books of the Old Testemant of [[The Bible]], which all three [[Faiths]] have in common. These faiths are also known as the Abrahamic religions, as Abraham is a central figure in all three before the religions supposedly diverged.)

Allah has all the same characteristics of the Christian God. He is omnipotent, omneiscent, omnipresent, and outside of the Qur'an, omnibenevolent.

{{stub}}

Intelligence

2006-07-28T12:01:33Z

Gunther01:

''Intelligence'' is defined as the ability of a mind to think, reason, acquire, and apply knowledge.

It is also used to describe Incorporeal minds, especially in the [[Inteligent Design]] debate, which postulates that an Intelligence must have created to universe. Therefore it can mean [[God]], [[Allah]], [[Saint Peter]], [[Vishnu]], or [[The Flying Spaghetti Monster]], depending upon which religion you prescribe yourself to.

=Intelligence as Part of a Brain=

Biologically speaking, intelligence is that property that results when neurons get together to form a complex brain. The neurons act together to form patterns that represent [[information]]. Other parts of the brain can recall and change that information, or put it to use.

The intelligent brain is also good at [[reasoning]]. In other words, it can detect patterns between seemingly unconnected peices of information, form links, and theorise about them.

The extremely intelligent brain also exibits [[Consciousness]]. Consiousness can be loosely defined as [[knowledge]] of one's self, and the desire to ask the question "Who am I?". So far as [[science]] can tell, [[Homo Sapiens]] is the only creature that asks this question, and then seeks to answer it for himself. Some find [[religion]], some use [[science]], some use [[philosophy]], to answer this question.

User:Gunther01

2006-07-28T05:47:20Z

Gunther01:

Gunther01 is an Aussie skeptic and Athiest, sometimes Anti-theist. He is also having the religion discussion with his freinds, and arguing with acquaintences. He argues with Christians as a public service, believing that his mind won't change, the other guys mind won't change, but anybody who listens might be able to make an informed decision.

He has a small, and relatively unsuccessful website for Teenaged Skeptics at [http://www.guntherstudios.tk GuntherStudios.tk].

=Way Back Then...=

Gunther was born and raised in Brisbane, Australia, to an atheist Mother and agnostic Father. They taught him how to think critically from a very early age, and never once taught him about any of the religions, except that they existed.

=A bit later...=
And so, from a very early age, Gunther was already a skeptic. When he came to high school in 2001, (and Anglican private school, despite the faithlessness of his parents), he came into contact with religion completely for the first time. All of a sudden you were going to hell if you looked at a woman with lust, or masturbated. Other students did not believe in evolution.

Thankfully, due to the mostly secular aspects of Australian Culture, science classrooms were still science classrooms, and science teachers where still scientists by profession. The only overtly Conservative influence came from the School's Christian Fellowship, lead by the head of Religios Education himself.

==Religios Education==
Despite the fact that the Head of R.E. was a conservative nutcase (who believed, among other things, that cancer was God's vengence for sin, untill his brother developed a tumor), other R.E. teachers were free to go about there ways, and do what most kids liked doing in R.E: watch movies based on the Old Testemant.

Not only where these movies often full of action, bad plot, and shadows of helicopters during establishing shots, they had almost no christian message whatsoever. The overall effect was that the students got to whatch a film every week, and not think about it.

When senior rolled around, Gunther was introduced to another R.E. teacher, an agnostic. Instead of making the students sit through boring talks about Jesus, Moses, and the commandments, he taught them about Ethics and Morality. Not only did he manage to do it without mentioning Jesus once, he did it by showing us entirely secular movies about Morality: Schindlers List, The Corporation, Wall Street, etc. These would often be accompanied by questionairs to see how well we'd been paying attention.

=An Un-Conversion=

The overall effect of the Christian High School was to fail to convert Gunther. He tried a couple of times to believe what the pastor was telling him, but in the end, after being given an innasailable wall of contradictions, vagaries, and Leviticus, he decided that it was all a load of Hogwash, Humbug, Bullshit, Woo-Woo, Anti-science... in a word, a religion.

Gunther is now at University, where he continues to fight the good fight with the Christian clubs there.

Template:Apologist-stub

2006-07-28T05:24:52Z

Gunther01:

<div class="boilerplate" id="stub"> ''This [[apologist]]-related article is a stub. You can help '''Iron Chariots''' by [{{SERVER}}{{localurl:{{NAMESPACE}}:{{PAGENAME}}|action=edit}} expanding it]''. </div>
[[Category:Apologist stubs]]

Douglas Adams

2006-07-28T05:09:44Z

Gunther01:

'''Douglas Noël Adams''' (March 11, 1952 - May 11, 2001) was a cult British comic radio dramatist, amateur musician and author, most notably of the ''Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' series.

Adams was a self-declared "radical [[atheist]]", though he used the term for emphasis, so that he would not be asked if he in fact meant agnostic. He stated in an interview with [[American Atheists]] that this made things easier, but most importantly that it conveyed the fact that he really meant it, had thought about it a great deal, and that it was an opinion he held seriously. He was convinced that there is no [[God]], having never seen one shred of evidence to convince him otherwise, and devoted himself instead to secular causes such as environmentalism. Despite this, he did state in the same interview that he was "fascinated by [[religion]]." [...] "I love to keep poking and prodding at it. I’ve thought about it so much over the years that that fascination is bound to spill over into my writing." His fascination he ascribed to the fact that so many "otherwise rational... intelligent people... nevertheless take it [the existence of God] seriously".

Adams is credited with introducing a fan and later friend of his, the zoologist [[Richard Dawkins]], to Dawkins' future wife, Lalla Ward, who had played the part of Romana in Doctor Who.

=Quotes=
* . . . imagine a puddle waking up one morning and thinking, `This is an interesting world I find myself in, an interesting hole I find myself in, fits me rather neatly, doesn't it? In fact it fits me staggeringly well, must have been made to have me in it!' This is such a powerful idea that as the sun rises in the sky and the air heats up and as, gradually, the puddle gets smaller and smaller, it's still frantically hanging on to the notion that everything's going to be alright, because this world was meant to have him in it, was built to have him in it; so the moment he disappears catches him rather by surprise. I think this may be something we need to be on the watch out for.
** As quoted in Richard Dawkins's [http://www.edge.org/documents/adams_index.html Eulogy] for Douglas Adams

* So, I was already familiar with and (I’m afraid) accepting of, the view that you couldn’t apply the logic of physics to religion, that they were dealing with different types of ‘truth’. (I now think this is baloney, but to continue...) What astonished me, however, was the realization that the arguments in favor of religious ideas were so feeble and silly next to the robust arguments of something as interpretative and opinionated as history. In fact they were embarrassingly childish. They were never subject to the kind of outright challenge which was the normal stock in trade of any other area of intellectual endeavor whatsoever. Why not? Because they wouldn’t stand up to it.
** [http://www.americanatheist.org/win98-99/T2/silverman.html Interview with American Atheists]

=According to Douglas Adams' Writings...=

Adams' fascination with religion was evident in much of his writing.

==The Bable Fish==

In the original ''The Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy'', we are introduced to the Bable Fish, a small, yellow, leach-like creature that, if placed in your ear, will instantly translate anything said to you in any form of language.

  "Now, it is such a bizarrely improbably coincidence that anything so mindbogglingly useful could have evolved purely by chance that some thinkers have chosen to see it as a final a clinching proof of the non-existence of God. 
  "The argument goes something like this: 'I refuse to prove that I exist,' says God, 'for proof denies faith, and without faith I am nothing!' 
  'But,' says Man, 'the Bable Fish is a dead give-away, isn't it? It could not have evolved by chance. It proves you exists, and so therefore, by your own argument, you don't. QED.' 
  'Oh dear,' says God, 'I hadn't thought of that!' and promptly vanishes in a puff of logic. 
  'Oh, that was easy!' says Man, who goes off to prove that Black is White, and get's killed at the next zebra crossing.'" 

==The Great Prophet Zarquon==

In ''The Restaurant at the End of the Universe'', we are introduced to The Church of the Great Prophet [[Zarquon]], who have been waiting for Zarquon's second coming. Zarquon (who obviously parallels [[Jesus]]) appears just moments before the end of the universe, and all he has time to say is: "Er, how are we for time? Have I just got a min-"

==God's Final Message==

In ''So Long, and Thanks For All the Fish'', the fourth book of five, in the horribly misnamed ''The Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy'' Trilogy, God's Final Message to His Creation is...

'''"WE APOLOGISE FOR THE INCONVENIENCE"'''.

The two main characters of the book, Arthur Dent and Fenchurch, upon reading the message, are filled with a profound sense of peace, calm, and understanding: "Well, that's alright, then."

=External Links=

* [http://www.douglasadams.com/ Official web site]

[[Category: Famous atheists]]

Love

2006-07-28T04:42:37Z

Gunther01:

Love is an entirely baffling concept to most people. Most people, although they may have felt it, are at a complete loss when asked to describe it.

According to Grant Naylor "Love is a device invented by bank managers to make you overdrawn."

Medically and [[science|Scientifically]] speaking, Love and Lust are devices that benifit the "inevitable" offspring that you are about to produce with the person that you love. Lust drives you to mate, and Love drives you to stay with the person that you have mated with.

The [[evolution|evolutionary]] upshot of which is that a couple will stick together while their new-born infant is incapable of looking after itself.

The process by which the [[mind]] loves another is a complex chemicle coctail of endorphines that acts as a reward mechanism for spending time with your loved one or offspring. The reward mechanism fills the lovers with a profound sense of peace and loving. This will essentially become an addiction, which is understandable.

==Religion and Love==
Many a [[Christian]] will tell you that love only comes from the Bible, Jesus, and the soul. However, much like the [[soul]], love has since been expalained, at least in part, by the scientific method.

==But, doesn't this make love a mundane part of science?==

Many will tell you that that isn't the case. The fact that we know how love works does not make it any less an excellent feeling.

==External Links==

* http://www.jyi.org/news/nb.php?id=274

Revelation

2006-07-28T04:24:08Z

Gunther01:

*''Perhaps you were looking for the [[Book of Revelation]]?

'''Revelation''', in a religious context, is when God or a Higher Power reveals his word to mankind. Thus, the Bible is considered a revelation.

{{stub}}

Argument from inconsistent revelations

2006-07-28T04:18:55Z

Gunther01:

Freethought Radio

2006-07-25T23:52:11Z

Gunther01:

'''Freethought Radio''' (FTR) is an internet radio show that promotes [[freethinking]] of all stripes. It's audience draws from many difference freethinking groups: atheists, agnostics, deists, brights, liberals, even some moderate christians.

Freethought radio carries many different shows, such as [[Hellbound Alleee]], [[The American Heathen]], and up untill recently [[The Non-Profets]]. It also has many hours of variety programming, which features the best, deepest, funniest freethinking artists, authors, musicians, and what have you.

Jesus Christ

2006-07-25T23:42:48Z

Gunther01:

'''Jesus Christ''', according to [[Christian Doctrine]], is the "Only beggotten Son of God," who came to die for the sins of man, so that all people may have everlasting life in heaven.

''"For God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten son, so that whosoever believe in him will have everlasting life"'' - John 3:16

The Jesus of [[The Bible]] is shown to perform [[miracles]], (walking on water, curing the blind, raising the dead, etc). He also commands great respect with his desciples.

==Historical Jesus==

Despite the fact that 2 billion people worldwide believe that Jesus was a real person, who was born of a virgin, lived, prescribed laws, got up the nose of the Jewish Council, fell out of favor with his subjects, and then got nailed to a tree, there is no hard evidence that such a person existed.
There are some passing references to people that ''may'' have been Jesus.

{{mythology-stub}}

[[Category: Religious mythology]]