User:Π/Coverstory
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Going One God Further Atheism |
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Key Concepts |
Articles to not believe in |
Notable heathens |
“”Our belief is not a belief. Our principles are not a faith. We do not rely solely upon science and reason, because these are necessary rather than sufficient factors, but we distrust anything that contradicts science or outrages reason. We may differ on many things, but what we respect is free inquiry, openmindedness, and the pursuit of ideas for their own sake.
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—Christopher Hitchens, God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything |
“”Atheism is a non-prophet organization.
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—Anonymous |
Atheism (from the Greek a-, meaning "without", and theos, meaning "god") is the absence of belief in the existence of gods.[1] Theos includes the Abrahamic YHWH(s), Zeus, the Flying Spaghetti Monster, and every other deity from A to Z ..→ read the entire article
Needles are scary Anti-vaccination movement |
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Pricks against pricks |
It's the Law |
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To punish and protect |
On June 11, 2007 the US Court of Federal Claims opened hearings on what has been dubbed the autism omnibus trial. This omnibus trial stems from over 4,800 lawsuits that were filed by families, claiming that thiomersal contained in earlier vaccinations, and the measles in the mumps-measles-rubella (MMR) vaccine, played a causal role in the development of autism in their children.[2]
Build up to trial[edit]
On October 1, 1988, the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986 created the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP).[3] During the eighties there was rising ..→ read the entire article
We're so glad you came Sexuality |
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Reach around the subject |
Birth control, also known as family planning, is the practice of taking steps to prevent pregnancy or childbirth as a result of sexual activity. Birth control is often used synonymously with contraception, but birth control technically includes such things as abstinence and the "rhythm method" which do not prevent conception. Abortion is usually classed as birth control since it prevents a full term pregnancy.
Some forms of birth control, such as the condom, can help prevent transmission of STDs.
This article addresses both the social aspects of birth control and the medical aspects, including approximate effectiveness of each method. This does not cover the aspects of birth control that don't address any sort of sex, including birth control administered to women to treat polycystic ovarian syndrome and similar symptoms.
Methods and effectiveness[edit]
There are several broad groups ..→ read the entire article
Against allopathy Alternative medicine |
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Clinically unproven |
Chelation therapy is either 1) a legitimate medical treatment for diagnosed heavy metal poisoning, or 2) a pseudoscientific practice whereby certain substances (usually EDTA or deferoxamine) are administered to a patient to "clear them of toxins".
In chemistry, "coordination" is the formation of a relatively weak bond between a metal ion and another substance called a "ligand" to form a "coordination complex". "Chelation" is a type of coordination where the ligand has multiple sites ("teeth") with which to bind to the metal, which makes the complex significantly more stable.[4] A commonly encountered chelating agent is citric acid, which is a useful rust remover owing to its ability to chelate to iron. Chelation therapy is medically useful in heavy metal poisoning when the coordination complex ..→ read the entire article
Trus me Conservapedia |
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Introduction |
Commentary |
In-depth analysis |
Fun |
..→ read the entire article
Trus me Conservapedia |
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Introduction |
Commentary |
In-depth analysis |
Fun |
“”Simply put, E=mc2 is liberal claptrap.
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—Andrew Schlafly[5] |
—Andrew Schlafly[6] |
..→ read the entire article
The divine comedy Creationism |
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Running gags |
Jokes aside |
Blooper reel |
“”The fact that young earth creationists have to form a committee for six years to argue against a scientific principle, is evidence in and of itself that the earth is old.
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—Greg Neyman, old-earth creationist[7] |
The evidence against a recent creation is overwhelming. With the possible exception of Flat Earthism, there is no greater affront to science than Young Earth creationism (YEC).
This article collects evidences that place a lower limit on the age of the Universe beyond the 6,000 to 10,000 years asserted by most Young Earth creationists (YECs) and the literalist Ussher chronology. All of this evidence supports deep time: the idea, considered credible by scientists since the early 1800s, ..→ read the entire article
We're all Homo here Evolution |
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Relevant Hominids |
A Gradual Science |
Plain Monkey Business |
Live, reproduce, die Biology |
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Life as we know it |
Divide and multiply |
Greatest Great Apes |
..→ read the entire article
Against allopathy Alternative medicine |
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Clinically unproven |
“”Herbal medicine: giving patients an unknown dose of an ill-defined drug, of unknown effectiveness and unknown safety.
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—David Colquhon[8] |
Herbal supplements are non-pharmaceutical, non-food substances marketed to improve health. Herbalism (herbal medicine, botanical medicine) is the use of plant-derived substances, and sometimes other environmental substances, to treat or cure medical conditions. The idea is ..→ read the entire article
The divine comedy Creationism |
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Running gags |
Jokes aside |
Blooper reel |
“”Try this experiment if you ever find yourself talking to a proponent of ID. Say, "OK, for the sake of argument let's say evolution is wrong and let's forget about it. Now tell me how intelligent design works." Having tried this a few times myself, I am confident that you will be met with nothing but an awkward silence.
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—Amanda Gefter[9] |
Intelligent design creationism (often intelligent design, ID, or IDC) is a pseudoscience that maintains that certain aspects of the physical world, and more specifically life, show signs of having been designed, and hence were designed, by an intelligent ..→ read the entire article
Trus me Conservapedia |
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Introduction |
Commentary |
In-depth analysis |
Fun |
The Lenski affair was an attempt by politically conservative activist lawyer Andrew Schlafly (creator of Conservapedia and endorser of creationism) to challenge the groundbreaking research of Michigan State University professor and National Academy of Science member Richard Lenski. Lenski and his student Zachary Blount had reported observation of evolution in bacteria. Schlafly wrote to Lenski. He demanded raw data but Lenski refused. Lenski cited Schlafly's lack of credentials as a qualified bacteriologist. Schlafly's challenge resulted in publicity on the Internet. Richard Dawkins discusses Lenski's research and the affair in his book The Greatest Show on Earth, referring to Schlafly's implied doubts about Lenski's results as an "impertinent suggestion".[10] ..→ read the entire article
Dolphins and money New Age |
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Cosmic concepts |
Spiritual selections |
“”The New Age? It's just the old age stuck in a microwave oven for fifteen seconds.
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—James Randi |
"New Age" is a catch-all term for a wide range of spiritual and social movements, most of which developed from the Human Potential Movement of the 1960s and 1970s. Characteristic of the so-called New Age movement is the focus on spiritual matters, with an emphasis on individuality. Those with an interest in such matters often tend to attribute New-Age beliefs to real or alleged Asian mystics, particularly Indian and Tibetan ones, and many New-Age type beliefs draw heavily from Eastern religions, particularly Hinduism.
The New-Age movement lacks intellectual rigor and shuns scientific approaches to reality, ostensibly due to the perceived separation between science and spirituality, but also under the pretense of a vague postmodernism. New-Age believers typically take a ..→ read the entire article
Style over substance Pseudoscience |
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Popular pseudosciences |
Random examples |
Non-materialist neuroscience is a reactionary, anti-science movement — like creationism and intelligent design. Rather than offering a hypothesis that might lead to predictions and experiments, it simply catalogs things modern neuroscience supposedly cannot yet explain.
Computational modeling and non-invasive imaging of living brains have allowed researchers to begin describing how complex thought emerges from the firing patterns of neurons. Modern neuroscience is rapidly reducing much of human thought, emotion and behavior into component pieces of neuronal interactions.
When materialist causes become both necessary and sufficient to explain all of human thought then parsimony will dictate throwing out references to a soul or to other supernatural entities. In a way, neuroscience is the death knell of dualism. ..→ read the entire article
The poetry of reality Science |
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We must know. We will know. |
A view from the shoulders of giants. |
Peer review is the process of subjecting scholarly work to review by other experts in the field.
The term "peer review" is typically used for scientific and academic publications. When an article is submitted, it is sent to the authors' "peers" (i.e., other experts in the same field) to assess the quality of the work. A similar approach is also generally taken to evaluate research proposals submitted to agencies for funding, such as the National Science Foundation (U.S.) or Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (Canada), where the proposals are sent out to qualified scientists to assess whether the proposed projects merit funding.
Initial and ongoing peer review[edit]
The first, and most notable, step in peer review is when a piece of scientific work is looked at by reviewers (sometimes called "referees") for approval prior to publication. Typically each ..→ read the entire article

Cogito ergo sum Logic and rhetoric |
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Key articles |
General logic |
Bad logic |
Poe's Law states:[11]
“”Without a clear indication of the author's intent, it is difficult or impossible to tell the difference between an expression of sincere extremism and a parody of extremism.
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It is an observation that it's difficult, if not impossible, to distinguish between parodies of fundamentalism and other absurd beliefs, as well as their genuine proponents, since they both seem equally insane. For example, some ..→ read the entire article

We're so glad you came Sexuality |
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Reach around the subject |
“”Gays can't marry because Irish Potato Famine mutant lawnweed can't speak goddamned English.
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—Grahame Morris, former Liberal Party![]() |
Same-sex marriage (also called gay marriage) is the union of two ..→ read the entire article

Trus me Conservapedia |
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Introduction |
Commentary |
In-depth analysis |
Fun |
Andrew Layton Schlafly (1961–), also known as "Aschlafly", is an American lawyer and homeschool teacher in his home state of New Jersey, where he has taught at least 250 homeschooled teenagers since 2002.[14][15]
He is the founder of a fundamentalist Christian wiki called Conservapedia, which promotes extremist versions of conservative, ..→ read the entire article
The divine comedy Creationism |
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Running gags |
Jokes aside |
Blooper reel |
“”Despite a full century of scientific insights attesting to the antiquity of life and the greater antiquity of the Earth, more than half the American population believes that the entire cosmos was created 6,000 years ago. This is, incidentally, about a thousand years after the Sumerians invented glue.
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—Sam Harris[16] |
Young Earth creationism (YEC) is the belief that our planet and universe were created, from nothing, in six days, approximately 6,000 years ago, by the God of the Abrahamic religions. Adherents of young Earth creationism are known as "young Earth creationists," or simply YECs.
Their belief is derived from a literal interpretation of the two creation myths in the Biblical book of Genesis. ..→ read the entire article- ↑ Atheism by Kai E. Nielsen, Encyclopædia Britannica.
- ↑ New Scientist-US vaccines on trial over link to autism
- ↑ HRSA-About VICP
- ↑ IUPAC Gold Book on Chelation, 24 February 2014.
- ↑ No, they really believe this. This was picked up by Fundies Say the Darndest Things.
- ↑ Conservapedia's article on "Black hole", revision as of 22:47, 17 February 2016.img This was reported on Conservapedia:What is going on at CP? and also on Fundies Say the Darndest Things.
- ↑ Biblical Interpretation and Theology: Romans 1:20 — Clear Support for an Old Earth by Greg Neyman (29 December 2004) Old Earth Ministries.
- ↑ Patients’ guide to Magic medicine
- ↑ Tracing the fuzzy boundaries of science by Amanda Gefter (2010-05-19) New Scientist.
- ↑ Dawkins, Richard (2009) "The Greatest Show on
- ↑ Aikin, Scott F. (January 23, 2009). "Poe's Law, Group Polarization, and the Epistemology of Online Religious Discourse". Social Science Research Network. SSRN 1332169
- ↑ Doré, Louis. Presenting one of the worst arguments ever against same-sex marriage. Seriously. The Independent, June 3, 2015.
- ↑ McCormick, Joseph. Australian commentator: We shouldn’t approve gay marriage because Irish people "can't grow potatoes". PinkNews, June 2, 2015.
- ↑ Andrew Schlafly ("Aschlafly")'s user pageimg at Conservapedia, accessed 5 August 2008.
- ↑ Conservapedia: Essay:Draft Conservapedia Application to Become SES Providerimg diff from 18 February 2009
- ↑ The Case Against Faith by Sam Harris (Nov 13, 2006) Newsweeek.
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