WikiChristian - User contributions [en]

User:Daniel

2010-01-12T22:00:28Z

Daniel: New page: Yeia Sou! My Name is Daniel, I`m Lutheran, Greek, and Love God :)

Yeia Sou! My Name is Daniel, I`m Lutheran, Greek, and Love God :)

Atheism

2010-01-12T21:58:34Z

Daniel: /* Philosophy and Logic */

{{Infobox_Contents |
topic_name = Atheism |
subtopics = [[Agnosticism]] |
opinion_pieces = {{short_opinions}} |
}}

Atheism is the denial or disbelief in the existence of God or supreme beings.

===Etymology===

The word is derived from the Greek words ''a'' and ''[[theos]]'', literally "without God".

===Definition===

Today, atheism is simply the belief that there is no God. In the past however, belief in a particular God or gods along with denial of other gods has been held to be atheism. For instance, Christians were accused of atheism for not believing in the Roman gods.

Atheism is clearly incompatible with Christianity, since all branches of the faith accept the existence of God as a central tenet of belief.

===Atheism vs. agnosticism===

Atheism's stance is that the existence of Gods is logically impossible or is incompatible with strongly held beliefs such as rationalism and materialism, whereas [[agnosticism]] neither recognizes nor actively denies the existence of God or gods. While some agnostics may find the the possibility of supreme deities extremely ''unlikely'', blurring the line between the two philosophies, they should not be confused with atheists.

===History of atheism===

Epicurus is the most widely known atheistic thinker of ancient times, though his theories emphasized living life as if gods do not exist or can be ignored, rather than a flat statement of the non-existence of God or gods. However epicureanism is clearly a secular philosophy, not dependent on God.

The 18th century is the first time that thinkers took up an avowedly atheist position. Among the 18th and early 19th century atheists were D'Holbach, Feuerbach, Schopenhauer and Nietzsche.

The move towards religious toleration in Europe and the USA in the 19th century first extended such toleration to rival Christian sects, then to [[Jew]]s and [[Muslim]]s, and finally to atheists. A major step in this movement towards toleration was that it was permitted to "affirm" rather than swear an oath on the [[Bible]] or other holy book in criminal trials or when taking up public office.

[[Charles Darwin]], while not an atheist, by his theories allowed an explanation of the diversity of life that did not require that life had been created in a single event by a deity. His theory, however, did not rule out the existence of God or the basic tenets of Christian beliefs, so that many Christians accept the main thrust of evolutionary theory, and in addition accept that the universe is billions of years old, rather than thousands as a literal reading of [[Genesis]] suggests.

Karl Marx was an atheist himself and took up a skeptical position about religion in his writings. Marxism itself has little to say about religion, being a secular, materialistic philosophy, but Communist states have taken up a hostile position to all religions, though have not succeeded in eradicating religious belief. Poland and Russia retained a high proportion of churchgoers throughout decades of Communist rule.

Atheism is accepted in most Western Countries. Atheists have been prominent in the defence of church-state separation in the United States. Atheism remains a minority position in most countries.

===Reasons for and against atheism===

In essence, these arguments are the reverse of the arguments for and against
the existence of a supreme being or God (which deserve a separate article
owing to their centrality to Christian belief).

However some additional arguments exist against atheism, even if it is accepted that
absolute proof of God's existence cannot be presented.

====Morality====

Without belief in God, an objective moral standard does not exist.

Atheists counter by pointing out various moral systems not dependent on God, such
as utilitarianism, and by suggesting that theists are not notably more "moral" in
practice than atheists.

Others counter by pointing out that, indeed, no moral standards do exist other than popular custom.

====Pascal's wager====

In the absence of proof of God's existence, nothing can
be lost and much can be gained by assuming that God does exist.

The atheist's riposte is that the application of Pascal's wager would
require Christians to worship other gods as well as their own.

It is also arguable that belief or disbelief, unlike actions or words, is not
something that can be the subject of conscious choice - that is "today I'll start - or stop -
believing in God" doesn't make sense. Therefore whatever practical advantages or disadvantages
there are to a belief are irrelevant to whether one accepts such a belief or not.

==Philosophy and Logic==

Philosophy is often forgotten when it comes to arguments concerning atheists and metheologists (
from the Greek words με "with" and Θεός "God" ). There is no doubt that are world is amazing, even atheists acknowledge this, thought, it is to hard to acknowledge a Designer, Creator, God, for such wonderful designs and creations. For you cannot have a design with out an designer.

The parable of a camel being able to fit through the eye of a needle easier then for a rich man to get into heaven shows not only how vain and materialistic some people are, but also the ignorance and arrogance of some. For it is easier for the world to have come from nothing ( with no divine help ), life to have come from rocks and there to be no meaning for life, then for an Atheist to get into heaven ;).

==Quotes==
*[http://www.conservapedia.com/Atheism_Quotes Atheism Quotes]
*Daniel
==External Links==
*[http://www.conservapedia.com/Atheism Atheism]

{{returnto}} [[Religions]]
[[Category:Religions]]

Atheism

2010-01-12T21:57:03Z

Daniel:

{{Infobox_Contents |
topic_name = Atheism |
subtopics = [[Agnosticism]] |
opinion_pieces = {{short_opinions}} |
}}

Atheism is the denial or disbelief in the existence of God or supreme beings.

===Etymology===

The word is derived from the Greek words ''a'' and ''[[theos]]'', literally "without God".

===Definition===

Today, atheism is simply the belief that there is no God. In the past however, belief in a particular God or gods along with denial of other gods has been held to be atheism. For instance, Christians were accused of atheism for not believing in the Roman gods.

Atheism is clearly incompatible with Christianity, since all branches of the faith accept the existence of God as a central tenet of belief.

===Atheism vs. agnosticism===

Atheism's stance is that the existence of Gods is logically impossible or is incompatible with strongly held beliefs such as rationalism and materialism, whereas [[agnosticism]] neither recognizes nor actively denies the existence of God or gods. While some agnostics may find the the possibility of supreme deities extremely ''unlikely'', blurring the line between the two philosophies, they should not be confused with atheists.

===History of atheism===

Epicurus is the most widely known atheistic thinker of ancient times, though his theories emphasized living life as if gods do not exist or can be ignored, rather than a flat statement of the non-existence of God or gods. However epicureanism is clearly a secular philosophy, not dependent on God.

The 18th century is the first time that thinkers took up an avowedly atheist position. Among the 18th and early 19th century atheists were D'Holbach, Feuerbach, Schopenhauer and Nietzsche.

The move towards religious toleration in Europe and the USA in the 19th century first extended such toleration to rival Christian sects, then to [[Jew]]s and [[Muslim]]s, and finally to atheists. A major step in this movement towards toleration was that it was permitted to "affirm" rather than swear an oath on the [[Bible]] or other holy book in criminal trials or when taking up public office.

[[Charles Darwin]], while not an atheist, by his theories allowed an explanation of the diversity of life that did not require that life had been created in a single event by a deity. His theory, however, did not rule out the existence of God or the basic tenets of Christian beliefs, so that many Christians accept the main thrust of evolutionary theory, and in addition accept that the universe is billions of years old, rather than thousands as a literal reading of [[Genesis]] suggests.

Karl Marx was an atheist himself and took up a skeptical position about religion in his writings. Marxism itself has little to say about religion, being a secular, materialistic philosophy, but Communist states have taken up a hostile position to all religions, though have not succeeded in eradicating religious belief. Poland and Russia retained a high proportion of churchgoers throughout decades of Communist rule.

Atheism is accepted in most Western Countries. Atheists have been prominent in the defence of church-state separation in the United States. Atheism remains a minority position in most countries.

===Reasons for and against atheism===

In essence, these arguments are the reverse of the arguments for and against
the existence of a supreme being or God (which deserve a separate article
owing to their centrality to Christian belief).

However some additional arguments exist against atheism, even if it is accepted that
absolute proof of God's existence cannot be presented.

====Morality====

Without belief in God, an objective moral standard does not exist.

Atheists counter by pointing out various moral systems not dependent on God, such
as utilitarianism, and by suggesting that theists are not notably more "moral" in
practice than atheists.

Others counter by pointing out that, indeed, no moral standards do exist other than popular custom.

====Pascal's wager====

In the absence of proof of God's existence, nothing can
be lost and much can be gained by assuming that God does exist.

The atheist's riposte is that the application of Pascal's wager would
require Christians to worship other gods as well as their own.

It is also arguable that belief or disbelief, unlike actions or words, is not
something that can be the subject of conscious choice - that is "today I'll start - or stop -
believing in God" doesn't make sense. Therefore whatever practical advantages or disadvantages
there are to a belief are irrelevant to whether one accepts such a belief or not.

==Philosophy and Logic==

Philosophy is often forgotten when it comes to arguments concerning atheists and metheologists (
from the Greek words με "with" and Θεός "God" ). There is no doubt that are world is amazing, even atheists acknowledge this, know, it is to hard to acknowledge a Designer, Creator, God, for such wonderful designs and creations. For you cannot have a design with out an designer. The parable of a camel being able to fit through the eye of a needle easier then for a rich man to get into heaven shows not only how vain and materialistic some people are, but also the ignorance and arrogance of some. For it is easier for the world to have come from nothing ( with no divine help ), life to have come from rocks and there to be no meaning for life, then for an Atheist to get into heaven ;).
==Quotes==
*[http://www.conservapedia.com/Atheism_Quotes Atheism Quotes]
*Daniel
==External Links==
*[http://www.conservapedia.com/Atheism Atheism]

{{returnto}} [[Religions]]
[[Category:Religions]]

Daniel

2009-12-29T21:30:40Z

Daniel:

===Saint Daniel, the Stylite===
St Daniel was born in Syria, in 409, and later went on to become a monk. At the age of forty two, St Daniel wanted to become a Stylite ( from the geek word "Stylos", meaning pillar ), a christian who preached, prayed, and fasted on pillars. Stylitism (?) started in the early Byzantine Empire, the most famous stylite probably being Simeone Stylites the Elder. St Daniel had met Simeone Stylites twice in his life time, and was inspired by him. St Daniel cured the sick, sang hymns, and preached from his pillar, only coming down once in thirty three years to stop the Emperoar Baliscus from backing a heresy of Monophysitism. St Daniel died in 493.

Daniel

2009-12-29T21:29:36Z

Daniel: New page: ===Saint Daniel, the Stylite=== St Daniel was born in Syria, in 409, and later went on to become a monk. At the age of forty two, St Daniel wanted to become a Stylite ( from the geek word ...

===Saint Daniel, the Stylite===
St Daniel was born in Syria, in 409, and later went on to become a monk. At the age of forty two, St Daniel wanted to become a Stylite ( from the geek word "Stylos", meaning pillar ), a christian who preached, prayed, and fasted on pillars. Stylitism (?) started in the early Byzantine Empire, the most famous stylite probably being Simeone Stylites the Elder. St Daniel had met Simeone Stylites twice in his last time, and was inspired by him. St Daniel cured the sick, sang hymns, and preached from his pillar, only coming down once in thirty three years to stop the Emperoar Baliscus from backing a heresy of Monophysitism. St Daniel died in 493.

Martin Luther

2009-12-29T21:13:41Z

Daniel:

{{Infobox_Contents |
topic_name = Martin Luther
[[Image:Martin_Luther.jpg|thumb|center|]] |
subtopics = Text - [[95 Theses]]
* Hymns - [[A Mighty Stronghold is our God (song)|A mighty stronghold is our God]]
* [[Reformation]], [[Lutheranism]], [[Martin Luther's Biography]], [[Reformation Day]] |
* Literature and films about Luther - [[Luther (film)]] |
opinion_pieces = {{short_opinions}}
* [[A look at justification by faith and good works in Luther's theology (J.S)]]
* [[Luther's view on the canon of scripture (J.S.)]] |
}}

[[Image:Luther seal.jpg|thumb|125px|left|Seal of Martin Luther.]]

Martin Luther was a [[German]] theologian in the sixteenth century whose teaching against [[purgatory]] and [[indulgence]]s inspired the [[Reformation]] leading to the [[Protestant]] split from the [[Roman Catholic Church]]. Luther translated the [[Bible]] into his native German language and the hymns he wrote sparked anew the development of congregational singing in [[Christianity]]. He has been one of the most influential people since the time of [[Jesus]].

===Birth and Early life===
Martin Luther was born to Hans Luder ( later changed to Luther ) and Margarethe Linderman on the 10th of November, 1483 in Eisleben, Germany, which was then a part of the Holy Roman Empire.
He was baptised as a catholic the next morning, on the feast day of Saint Martin of Tours.

He had several brothers and sisters, and him being the eldest, his father wished for him to become a lawyer.
===Hymns by Martin Luther===

{{sectionstub}}

===Books about Luther===

The following is a list of books about Martin Luther
# Patrick F. O'Hare, ''Facts About Luther'', Rockford, IL: Tan Books and Publishers, 1987. 356 p. ISBN 0895553228.
# Roland H. Bainton, ''Here I Stand: a Life of Martin Luther'', New York: Penguin, 1995, c1950. 336 p. ISBN 0452011469.
# Martin Brecht, ''Martin Luther'', James L. Schaaf, trans. Philadelphia : Fortress Press, c1985-1993. 3 v. ISBN 0800628136, ISBN 0800628144, ISBN 0800628152.
# Hans J. Hillerbrand, ed. ''The Reformation: A Narrative History Related by Contemporary Observers and Participants.'' Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1979.
# Peter Manns, ''Martin Luther: An Illustrated Biography'',
# John M. Todd, ''Luther: A Life'', Crossroad Publishing Company, 1982. Also at [http://www.religion-online.org/showbook.asp?title=801]
# Uwe Siemon-Netto, ''The Fabricated Luther: the Rise and Fall of the Shirer myth'', Foreword by Peter L. Berger. St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, c1995. ISBN 0570048001.
# ''Luther's Works'', 55 volumes of lectures, commentaries and sermons, translated into English and published by Concordia Publishing House and Fortress Press, 1957; released on CD-ROM, 2001.

===Movies and theatre about Luther===

The following are a list of movies and plays about Martin Luther:
# 1953: Martin Luther, theatrical film, with Niall MacGinnis as Luther; directed by Irving Pichel. Academy Award nominations for black & white cinematography and art/set direction. Rereleased in 2002 on DVD in 4 languages.
# 1973: Luther, theatrical film (MPAA rating: PG), with Stacy Keach as Luther.
# 1992: Where Luther Walked, documentary directed by Ray Christensen.
# 2001: Opening the Door to Luther, travelogue hosted by Rick Steves. Sponsored by the ELCA.
# 2002: Martin Luther, a historical film from the Lion TV/PBS Empires series, with Timothy West as Luther, narrated by Liam Neeson and directed by Cassian Harrison.
# 2003: Luther, theatrical release (MPAA rating: PG-13), with Joseph Fiennes as Luther and directed by Eric Till. Partially funded by American and German Lutheran groups.

==Quotes==

==Links==
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther Wikipedia - Martin Luther]
* ''Writings of Luther and contemporaries, translated into English''
** [http://www.projectwittenberg.org/pub/resources/text/wittenberg/wittenberg-home.html Project Wittenberg, an archive of Lutheran documents]
** [http://www.projectwittenberg.org/pub/resources/text/wittenberg/luther/web/ninetyfive.html Full text of the <cite>95 Theses</cite>]
** [http://www.bookofconcord.org/smalcald.html Full text of the <cite>Smalcald Articles</cite>]
** [http://www.ctsfw.edu/etext/boc/sc/ Full text of the <cite>Small Catechism</cite>]
** [http://www.bookofconcord.org/largecatechism.html Full text of the <cite>Large Catechism</cite>]
** [http://www.historyguide.org/earlymod/peasants1525.html Exerpts from ''Against the Murderous, Thieving Peasants'']
* ''Online information on Luther and his work''
** [http://www.luther.de/ KDG Wittenberg's Luther site (7 languages)]
** [http://www.sacred-destinations.com/germany/wittenberg-lutherhalle.htm Lutherhalle (Luther Museum), Wittenberg]
** [http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/people/luther.htm Martin Luther – ReligionFacts.com]
** [http://www.pbs.org/empires/martinluther/index.html Martin Luther – PBS movie]
** [http://www.ctsfw.edu/luther/article.php Martin Luther: The Reformer Travelling Exhibition]
** [http://www.ccel.org/php/disp.php?authorID=schaff&bookID=encyc07&page=69&view=thml New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge article on "Luther, Martin"]

{{bio-stub}}

{{returnto}}
* [[Christianity]] -> [[Famous Christians]] -> [[Theologians and Evangelists]]
* [[Christianity]] -> [[Denominations]] -> [[Protestantism]]
* [[Christianity]] -> [[Church history]] -> [[Reformation]]

[[Category:Person]]
[[Category:Male]]
[[Category:Christian songwriters]]
[[Category:Famous Christians]]
[[Category:Lutheranism]]
[[Category:Reformation]]
[[Category:Theologians and Evangelists]]