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Do atheists believe there will be an "end," or will things just keep going pretty much like today? Atheists, unlike those who hold beliefs, use scientific exploration and discovery to try and envision the future of the Universe. This is an ongoing process and opinions change over time. What is constant though is that whatever the current view is it will be based on the facts available at the time - not on the arcane writings of an ancient book.

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If someone doesn't believe there is a God, shouldn't they also think that everyone who believes that there is a God is insane? My children believe in Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy. I dont think they are insane - they are just not grown up. I feel the same about those who believe in god(s). There is also some evidence to suggest that there are psychological factors that mean some people need belief systems and cannot function properly without them. We cannot really blame them for this. Its not their fault and it is...

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Can Satan possess a human's body and mind? Absolutely not. Satan does not exist. I could be cynical and say he is an invention of the Christian church designed to instill fear in people and thereby allow the church control over them. Or, I could be charitable and say he is a mythological creature that some sad and deluded people today still believe in (see other answers for examples of this). Grow up. There is no Santa Claus, there is...

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How can I tell if I am demonically possessed? If you believe you are demonically possessed, go and seek psychiatric help. You are not possessed. There is no such thing as possession. Ignore the misguided and dangerous comments given by others to this question. They are sick and need help.

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Should all people in a multireligious country be given holidays for all religious festivals, or should people only take holidays related to their own faith? In a society where the state and religion are separate there should certainly be no paid national holidays for any religious event. To single out specific religious events (e.g Christmas) and make them national holidays is discriminatory. Thats not to say there shouldnt be national holidays - there should - but they should be in celebration of national (non-religious) events and...

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In recorded history, what religion has been the most popular (% of world population) for the longest period of time? Here is the current "Top 20" chart rundown: Christianity 2,039 million 32% Islam 1,226 million 19% No religion 925 million 14% Hinduism 828 million 13% Chinese folk rel. 390 million 6% Buddhism 364 million 6% Tribal Religions 232 million 4% New religions. 103 million 2% Sikhism 23.8 million <1% Judaism 14.5 million...

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Why would an atheist, unlike most "live and let live" non-believers, stridently plead with, then scream at, believers to wake up and clue in to his personal belief that God is a hoax? I agree with both answers already submitted but would add that the question suggests that atheism is a "personal belief". It is not. It is the absence of belief. If an atheist has an issue with believers it is not that he believes something different to them, it is that they base their actions on belief whereas he bases his actions on evidence.

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What is Edmund Leach's "British Structuralism"? British Structuralism was based on Levi-Strauss' Structuralism but was more empirical in approach. Leach believed in a starting point of detailed, extensive and above all accurate data from the societies he was studying - L-S tended to theorise first then find supporting data after. Based on accurate data Leach formulated theories that were in stark contrast to Levi-Strauss. The most notable...

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How do I prove my lineage to an individual from England who has a coat-of-arms? Question your family in order to find out the name, birth and death dates and area of your great-grandfather. Then use Ancestry.com to find his birth record and from that find his father etc until you find a likely candidate for the "first" of your line in the US. Then try the Ellis Island website to research immigration records from around the time you think your antecedent arrived...

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Scientists say we use about 10% of our brain. What if the rest is needed by aliens? No scientist has ever said we only use 10% of our brains. Scientists, on the other hand have gone to great lengths on various websites, books, articles and interviews to state quite clearly that this is a popular myth and is a belief that has never been held by science. It is believed that the first use of the expression was in a newspaper commercial for the Rosicrucian society where it...

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Why do stars affect us if they are neither living and we are having a population burst on Earth? I agree with the previous answer but would add that certain events in the universe - such as massive gamma ray bursts would have a profound effect on living things on this planet - if near enough they would cause the extinction of all life. However, in general stars other than the sun have no effect on living things. The same can be said for planets. If you are thinking about Astrology,...

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How did the word 'maggot' come to be used for a dance form in the 18th century? The middle english word maggot meant a whim, fancy or silly idea. It is believed this came from the belief that the brain was full of maggots (probably from observations of cadavers) and the bite of one of these maggots would give rise to an unusual thought or idea. In fact Jonathan Swift in Mechanical Operation of the Spirit (1704) elaborates "If the bite is hexagonal it produces poetry;...

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In terms of terminology for music periods, like the 60s and 70s, what will be the term for music made from 2000 - 2009? The term "naughties" has been used a lot ("0ies")- I expect it will stick.

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Was there ever really a "Duke of Earl"? The Duke of Earl is a song by Gene Chandler - also recorded in a number of cover versions. Since the lyrics of the song contain the words "Nothing can stop me now /'Cause I'm the Duke of Earl" then the only person who could claim to be the real Duke of Earl would be Chandler himself. In the English aristocracy, Duke and Earl are two different titles so the expression "Duke...

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Will an MFA increase your chances of getting a novel published? Look at the top selling books and see how many of their authors had an MFA - the answer from this perspective is obvious : NO On the other hand if you were to do an MFA, the process itself may bring out some aspect of your creativity that means that you personally are more likely to write a successful book than you would otherwise have done. Furthermore, if you are not used to writing copius...

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In the book "1001 Arabian Nights," what nationality was Aladdin? The original story of Aladdin came from Syria and is collected in 1001 Arabian Nights along with other stories from that and other areas. Although 1001 Nights is set in Arabia, the story of Aladdin is set in China - this is mentioned a number of times. From this one would think therefore that Aladdin was meant to be Chinese. But Aladdin's father is called Mustafa (in all translations) and...

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