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POPSGalileo's Spyglass Using ever-more powerful telescopes over the next year, Galileo observed that the Moon was not perfectly smooth, as claimed by Aristotle, but cratered and mountainous. He spotted hundreds of stars previously untouched by human eyes. More critically, he discovered the four inner satellites of Jupiter - still known as the "Galilean moons" in his honour - and learnt that Venus, Earth's closest planet, goes through a full range of phases. Put together, his observations validated the revolutionary theory of Nicolaus Copernicus that Earth orbits the Sun, and not the other way round. Galileo understood the implications of what he had seen, but the Catholic Church was not ready to accept such heresy. Only in 2000 did the Holy See apologise for putting Galileo on trial in 1633, forcing him to recant his ideas lest he face imprisonment or worse. The Vatican also pays tribute to him in an exhibition that opened this month. I never knew that it was only in 20
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POPS10 Mediveval Torture Devices
More from the article: Some courts used torture to determine if someone accused of a crime was truly guilty. This torture would take strange forms: Someone's arm would be forced into boiling water, and the verdict would be based on how well the arm healed days later. Other courts simply tortured people to get them to confess to the crime. The courts themselves even recognized, in their twisted way, that a confession given under torture held no legal meaning. Such a confession had to be confirmed by the victims while not being tortured within 24 hours. If they refused, however, they were simply tortured until they confessed again People were often tortured to force religious conversions. They also faced torture because they may have committed heresy against the established church. Thousands were tortured during the Inquisition on the pretext of religious heresy or conversion, although Inquisitors in general were often motivated by more earthly concerns - they took over the estates
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POPSRidiculous and False Article: Francis Scott Key Emerges from Grave, Demands His Poem Back
It is so absurd to write that Francis Scott Key would advocate for President Barack Hussein Obama and be chummy with Karl Marx. Key was a member of The Society for the Colonization of Free People of Color (a.k.a The American Colonization Society). Their goal was to emigrate all free blacks to Africa (see Liberia). The membership included Henry Clay, Andrew Jackson, Daniel Webster, and Stephen Douglas. Supreme Court Justice Bushrod Washington (nephew of George), was elected as its president. The most distinguished members of ACS were all slaveholders. The ACS raised funds and purchased the Elizabeth which sailed to West Africa in 1820. As a slaveholder, aristocrat and member of the exclusive club, Wealthy White Male Property Owners, Key would probably smack Karl Marx with a copy of the Wall Street Journal for uttering, workers of the word unite . Key was an Evangelical Episcopalian and as such, he'd burn Marx at the stake for his views on religion.
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POPSGood News: Blasphemy Still Illegal in Netherlands
DUTCH WEENIES refuse to throw out BLASPHEMY LAW The decision follows a high court ruling earlier this year, in which a man was found not guilty of insulting an entire group of people on the grounds of their religion by hanging up a poster with the text ’stop the tumor that is Islam.’ A majority of MPs had wanted the blasphemy law to be repealed. Hirsch Ballin agreed to do this and to amend the discrimination legislation to make it a criminal offence to insult groups of people instead. The Telegraaf reports that Hirsch Ballin now feels it would not be appropriate to cancel the blasphemy law because discrimination legislation is ambiguous and open to different interpretations. DUTCH NEWS Cabinet drops repeal of blasphemy law http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2009/05/cabinet_drops_repeal_of_blasph.php May 28, 2009 Categories: Islamization of the West . . Author: barenakedislam http://barenakedislam.wordpress.com/category/islamization-of-the-west/
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POPS2 Birds - 1 Stone This article seems particularly relevant with all the present day chatter about torture. And it lets me shine a light on politics and religion in one clipping.
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POPSUK Begins a New Inquisition of Tolerance, State Social Orthodoxy
The New Inquisition will be one of political-correctness. These are the people that it is okay to Hate by State authority. Fascism of a new kind is being built. This will start by banning certain people from entering. Step 2 will be an Inquisition of those already within the country , based upon the same (unwritten, arbitrary, unconstitutional) principles of a particular "tolerance" ideology which they themselves define. This is the UK's new Orthodoxy, welcome to 1984. Anything "disapproved" compromises "heresy" , and such persons you are required to shun and hate by authority of the State. Consider the consequences: No free speech, no free press, no freedom of (certain) religion--no liberty of conscience, only the State's Social Orthodoxy . Violators will be prosecuted, eventually. Certain groups will applaud, vehemently, because it insulates them, and thus it is their revolution into power, as the State is their servant to punish their opposers.
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POPSWas Jesus A Yogi? 10 Things I learned from the Discovery Channel 1. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were not written by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. 2. Jesus was probably not a Caucasian man. Well I figured that one out on my own. It's annoying how he's always shown as a lanky white boy with Calvin Klein modeling potential. 3. Jesus was a yogi. 4. Some bully with a sword (Constantine) decided which gospels stayed and which were banished. He then made sure the banished ones were destroyed along with the people who continued to read them. 5. Judas and Mary Magdalene also had gospels. 6. Banana peels really are slippery. (from Mythbusters) 7. It's impossible to get tired of watching Planet Earth. 8. Dirty Jobs is an awesome show. 9. Jesus is the most widely depicted figure in the history of art. 10. You should never microwave an egg.
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POPSReagan: The Great American Socialist I am still bemused at the American use of words such as socialism in reference to the parties. Australians are more into "left wing" and "right wing". Both our main parties are right of centre, ie right wing, as are yours. Socialism is not just about money, it is a political system.
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POPSGlobal Warming Skepticism Panic Attack at HuffPo Eeek! The number of global warming thought crimes more than doubled in just a year. Grandia continues to give us more "grim" Google statistics about this growing heresy: "Global Warming" skeptic A Google blog search for the term "global warming" skeptic between January 1, 2008 and January 1, 2009 reports 73,956 page results. The same search for the previous year reports only 38,346 page results. The 2007 United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is not nearly as impressive as the name sounds. They have thrown out all conflicting data with their theory, and most have a political agenda of a one world government run by the United Nations. And remember, Kevin, the above replies to your blog were made on that dreaded Internet where you ironically posted your complaints about using the Web as a source for climate information.
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POPS Importance of Orthodoxy But a few modern phrases have made him boast of it. He says, with a conscious laugh, "I suppose I am very heretical," and looks round for applause. The word "heresy" not only means no longer being wrong; it practically means being clear-headed and courageous. The word "orthodoxy" not only no longer means being right; it practically means being wrong. All this can mean one thing, and one thing only. It means that people care less for whether they are philosophically right. For obviously a man ought to confess himself crazy before he confesses himself heretical. The Bohemian, with a red tie, ought to pique himself on his orthodoxy. The dynamiter, laying a bomb, ought to feel that, whatever else he is, at least he is orthodox.
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POPSJews Not Zionists I don't clip this as a call for the abolition of Israel, which I personally think is just as febrile and pathological as the right wing hatred of the native peoples of Palestine. I clip it merely as an indicative example of one Jewish voice: there are many, all different, and we are fortunate to have clippers who have recently represented dissent within Israel by Jews. Indirectly, too, the many viewpoints of Jews are reflected by a fully human spectrum of opinions among Palestinians, and suggest looking at the equally rarely heard proposals for a one state solution to the divisions maintained by western imerialism and their proxy minority Israeli chums.
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POPSGet Back to Jesus Somewhat of a follow up to the clips made from yesterday's blog. It is so easy to get sucked into planting a church and the "nuts and bolts" of what it takes and forget that we are making disciples. It actually takes longer to make disciples than it does to start a church. Jesus spent 3 years with his disciples. It took a betrayal, deserting, misunderstanding and the Holy Spirit to come to start the church. These ideas are what I'm trying to remind myself daily.
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POPSWhat Choosing Sarah Palin Really Means by DavidAnderson When she was being vetted, Palin made an interesting statement which is being taken out of context now. She said that she would not leave her job as Governor unless she was assured the VP role would make a difference in its day to day operation. In other words, she understands historically that the VP can be a very important role in an administration or a one not much more influential than Miss America. She was not interested in being McCain’s token. She wanted to contribute. That tells you volumes about the Governor. She represents a turn in the party from poking fun at the vision thing to some one who believes government should represent the hockey moms, fishermen, teachers, and small business people in its policies again. The Republican Party chose to give more than lip service to majority of the people.
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POPSCatholic Patriarchy If your reaction to this clip is a blase "who cares" then the odds predict that you have a penis. It's remarkable that after centuries this outmoded way of thinking still holds sway. And what's even more remarkable is that women are sometimes responsible in not more forcefully opposing this outdated dogma.
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