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{{Infobox Website | |||
{{Short description|American conservative wiki-based online encyclopedia}} | |||
|name = Conservapedia | |||
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2023}} | |||
|logo = ] | |||
{{Infobox website | |||
|screenshot =] | |||
| name = Conservapedia | |||
|caption =Conservapedia's Main Page | |||
| logo = Conservapedia logo.png | |||
|collapsible = yes | |||
| logo_size = frameless | |||
|url = | |||
| logo_alt = Official logo of Conservapedia | |||
|commercial = No | |||
| logo_caption = Logo | |||
|type = ] | |||
| screenshot = Conservapedia main Page 6 March 2013.png | |||
|language = English | |||
| screenshot_size = 250px | |||
|registration = Optional (required to edit pages) | |||
| screenshot_alt = Screenshot of the main page of Conservapedia on March 6, 2013 | |||
|owner = Andrew Schlafly | |||
| collapsible = Yes | |||
|author = Voluntary collaborators<ref>http://www.conservapedia.com/Conservapedia:General_disclaimer</ref> | |||
| caption = Homepage screenshot of the top portion on March 6, 2013 | |||
|launch date = 2006 | |||
| url = {{URL|https://conservapedia.com}} | |||
|alexa = ~66,989<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.alexa.com/data/details/traffic_details/conservapedia.com |title=Conservapedia.com |publisher = Alexa |date=2009-09-19 |accessdate=2009-09-19}}</ref> | |||
| commercial = No | |||
| type = {{Ubl | |||
|] | |||
|] | |||
}} | }} | ||
| registration = Optional (required to edit pages) | |||
'''Conservapedia''' , created by left-winged ACORN supporters, is an English-language ]-based Web encyclopedia project written from an ], ] and predominantly ] point of view. It was started in 2006 by lawyer and social studies teacher Andy Schlafly, son of conservative activist and ] founder ].<ref name="sfgate">{{cite news|last=Coyle|first=Jake|title=Popular Web Sites Breed Political Copies|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/05/08/entertainment/e144933D32.DTL|work=San Francisco Chronicle|publisher=Associated Press|date=2007-05-08|accessdate=2008-04-26}}</ref><ref name="efu">{{cite web|title=Andy Schlafly|url=http://www.eagleforumu.org/EAGLEFORUMU/INSTRUCTOR/VIEW.cfm?int_instructor_id=7&INT_COURSE_ID=23&bln_registered=1|publisher=Eagle Forum University|accessdate=2008-05-14}}</ref> He stated that he founded the project because he felt that ] had a ], ], and ] bias.<ref name="NPR_conservapedia">{{cite web |url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=8286084 |title=Conservapedia: Data for Birds of a Political Feather? |accessdate=2007-07-26 |last=Siegel |first=Robert |date=2007-03-13}}</ref> | |||
| language = English | |||
| content_license = Unclear (''see'' ]) | |||
| owner = ] | |||
| author = Volunteer contributors<ref>{{Cite web|date=February 19, 2009|title=Conservapedia: General disclaimer|url=https://conservapedia.com/Conservapedia:General_disclaimer|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090318122344/https://conservapedia.com/Conservapedia:General_disclaimer|archive-date=March 18, 2009|access-date=July 29, 2020|website=Conservapedia}}</ref> | |||
| launch_date = {{Start date and age|2006|11|21}} | |||
| current_status = Active | |||
}} | |||
'''Conservapedia''' ({{IPAc-en|k|ə|n|ˌ|s|ɜː|(|r|)|v|ə|ˈ|p|iː|d|i|ə}}; {{respell|kən|SU(R)|və|PEE|di|ə}}) is an English-language, ]-based, ] written from a self-described ]<ref>{{Cite web|last=Anderson|first=Nate|date=March 5, 2007|title=Conservapedia hopes to 'fix' Misplaced Pages's 'liberal bias'|url=https://arstechnica.com/uncategorized/2007/03/conservapedia-hopes-to-fix-wikipedias-liberal-bias/|access-date=April 5, 2019|website=]|language=en-us|archive-date=June 16, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180616103856/https://arstechnica.com/uncategorized/2007/03/conservapedia-hopes-to-fix-wikipedias-liberal-bias/|url-status=live}}</ref> and ]<ref>{{Cite web|last=Stöcker|first=Christian|date=April 6, 2007|title=Misplaced Pages for Christian Fundamentalists: The Lord's Encyclopedia|url=https://www.spiegel.de/international/wikipedia-for-christian-fundamentalists-the-lord-s-encyclopedia-a-469969.html|access-date=July 8, 2019|website=]|language=en|archive-date=August 10, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190810165819/https://www.spiegel.de/international/wikipedia-for-christian-fundamentalists-the-lord-s-encyclopedia-a-469969.html|url-status=live}}</ref> point of view. The website was established in 2006 by American ] teacher and attorney ], son of the conservative activist ],<ref name="presstelegram">{{Cite news|last=Coyle|first=Jake|date=May 10, 2007|title=Conservapedia, QubeTV mimic popular sites with spin to right|website=]|agency=]|url=http://www.presstelegram.com/entertainment/ci_5856330|url-status=live|access-date=April 26, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110613195646/http://www.presstelegram.com/entertainment/ci_5856330|archive-date=June 13, 2011}}</ref><ref name="efu">{{Cite web|title=Andy Schlafly|url=http://www.eagleforumu.org/EAGLEFORUMU/INSTRUCTOR/VIEW.cfm?int_instructor_id=7&INT_COURSE_ID=23&bln_registered=1|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006095626/http://www.eagleforumu.org/EAGLEFORUMU/INSTRUCTOR/VIEW.cfm?int_instructor_id=7&INT_COURSE_ID=23&bln_registered=1|archive-date=October 6, 2014|access-date=July 29, 2020|website=]}}</ref> to counter what he perceived as a ].<ref name="NPR_conservapedia"/><ref name="heise" /> It uses editorials and a wiki-based system for content generation. | |||
Examples of Conservapedia's ] include its accusations against and strong ]—including advocacy of ]<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Preacher and the Politician: Jeremiah Wright, Barack Obama, and Race in America|url=https://archive.org/details/preacherpolitici00walk|url-access=registration|first1=Clarence E|last1=Walker|author2-link=Gregory D. Smithers|first2=Gregory D|last2=Smithers|page=|isbn=978-0-8139-3247-7|publisher=University of Virginia Press|year=2009}}</ref>—along with criticisms of ], ], ], the ], and ]. Conservapedia views Albert Einstein's ] as promoting ],<ref>{{Cite journal|title=E=mc<sup>2</sup>? Not on Conservapedia|first1=Amanda|last1=Gefter|first2=Celeste|last2=Biever|journal=New Scientist|date=August 11, 2010|url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19303-emc2-not-on-conservapedia.html|access-date=August 26, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150701065631/http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19303-emc2-not-on-conservapedia.html|archive-date=July 1, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> falsely claims that ], praises ] politicians, supports celebrities and artistic works it believes represent moral standards in line with Christian ], and espouses ] doctrines such as ].<ref name="Spiegel">{{Cite news|url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/wikipedia-for-christian-fundamentalists-the-lord-s-encyclopedia-a-469969.html|title=Misplaced Pages for Christian Fundamentalists: The Lord's Encyclopedia|date=March 6, 2007|work=]|last1=Stöcker|first1=Christian|access-date=April 9, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150422224615/http://www.spiegel.de/international/wikipedia-for-christian-fundamentalists-the-lord-s-encyclopedia-a-469969.html|archive-date=April 22, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://historynewsnetwork.org/article/37366|title=What's the Difference Between Misplaced Pages and Conservapedia?|last=Vettese|first=Troy|date=April 21, 2007|work=]|access-date=June 6, 2017|archive-date=February 8, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170208230424/http://historynewsnetwork.org/article/37366|url-status=live}}</ref> Conservapedia's "Conservative Bible Project" is a ] retranslation of the English-language ] which the site says to be "free of corruption by liberal untruths."<ref name="Evangelical Textual Criticism" /> | |||
Conservapedia is one of many conservative and Christian-themed Web sites imitating the format of mainstream sites to provide a right-wing or fundamentalist Christian alternative.<ref name="sfgate"/><ref name="GodTube"/> The site has been the subject of criticism, both inside and outside of the United States, for bias and inaccuracies.<ref name="The Star"/><ref name="Clarke">the notion "that there's always a second, equally valid interpretation of the facts." Clarke, Conor. (2007). . ''The Guardian'', March 1.</ref><ref name="Metro"/><ref name="Maloney">{{cite web|last=Maloney|first=Evan|title=Conservapedia: as accurate as a catatonic drunkard’s line of urine|url=http://blogs.news.com.au/news/splat/index.php/news/comments/conservapedia_perversapedia/|work=Splat!|publisher=News.com.au|date=2007-05-30|accessdate=2008-06-08}}</ref> | |||
Conservapedia has received negative reactions from the ] and political figures,<ref name="NYTimes">{{Cite news|last=Zeller|first=Shawn|title=Conservapedia: See Under 'Right'|url=https://www.nytimes.com/cq/2007/03/05/cq_2356.html|work=The New York Times|date=March 5, 2007|access-date=June 8, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080922054228/http://www.nytimes.com/cq/2007/03/05/cq_2356.html|archive-date=September 22, 2008|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="wired">{{Cite magazine|last=Calore|first=Michael|url=https://www.wired.com/techbiz/it/news/2007/02/72818|title=What Would Jesus Wiki?|magazine=]|date=February 28, 2007|access-date=February 28, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080718081333/http://www.wired.com/techbiz/it/news/2007/02/72818|archive-date=July 18, 2008}}</ref> and has been criticized by liberal and conservative critics alike for bias and inaccuracies.<ref name="The Star"/><ref name="Clarke">{{Cite news|first=Conor|last=Clarke|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2007/mar/01/afactofonesown1|title=A fact of one's own|newspaper=]|date=March 1, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161201221257/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2007/mar/01/afactofonesown1|archive-date=December 1, 2016}}</ref> | |||
==History and overview== | |||
] | |||
Schlafly, a ] teacher for the ] educational program,<ref>{{cite web|title=Eagle Forum University|url=http://www.eagleforumu.org/eagleforumu/|publisher=Eagle Forum|accessdate=2008-07-28}}</ref> created Conservapedia as an instruction tool for ], high-school-level students whom he taught.<ref name="efu"/><ref>{{cite news | last = McBroom | first = Sarah | url = http://www.shns.com/shns/g_index2.cfm?action=detail&pk=CONSERVAPEDIA-03-27-07 | date = ] | title = Conservapedia.com -- an encylopedic message from the right | work = Scripps Howard News Service}}</ref> He felt the need to start the project after reading a student's assignment written using ] dating notation rather than the ] system that he preferred.<ref name="LA Times"/> Although he was "an early Misplaced Pages enthusiast", as reported by Shawn Zeller of '']'', Schlafly became concerned about ] after Misplaced Pages editors repeatedly reverted his edits to the article about the ].<ref name="NYTimes">{{cite news|last=Zeller|first=Shawn|title=Conservapedia: See Under "Right"|url=http://www.nytimes.com/cq/2007/03/05/cq_2356.html|work=The New York Times|date=2007-03-05|accessdate=2008-06-08}}</ref> Schlafly has expressed hope that Conservapedia will become a general resource for American educators and a counterpoint to the liberal bias that he perceives in Misplaced Pages.<ref name="The Star">{{cite news |last=Chung |first =Andrew |url=http://www.thestar.com/sciencetech/article/190501 |title=A U.S. conservative wants to set Misplaced Pages right |work=The Star.com |date=]}}</ref><ref name="Guardian"/> | |||
{{As of|2023|09}}, Conservapedia has more than 54,000 articles.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Statistics |url=https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Special:Statistics |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230918135833/https://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Special:Statistics |archive-date=September 18, 2023 |access-date=September 18, 2023 |website=Conservapedia}}</ref> | |||
The "Eagle Forum University" online education program, which is associated with Phyllis Schlafly's organization Eagle Forum, uses material for various online courses, including U.S. history, stored on Conservapedia.<ref name="heise">{{Cite news |date=] |url=http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/86145 |title=Conservapedia: christlich-konservative Alternative zu Misplaced Pages |work=Heise Online }} {{de icon}}</ref><ref name="Lectures">{{cite encyclopedia | encyclopedia = Conservapedia |year=2007 |url=http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=American_History_Lecture_One&oldid=136744 |title = American History Lecture One | accessdate = 2007-03-05 }}</ref><ref name="History 101">{{cite web | publisher = Eagle Forum University | date = 2007-04-30 | url = http://eagleforumu.org/EAGLEFORUMU/student/course/class/view.cfm?int_course_id=25&classID=134#classLinks | title = American History 101| accessdate = 2007-03-05 }}</ref> Editing of Conservapedia articles related to a particular course topic is also a certain assignment for Eagle Forum University students.<ref name="History 101"/> | |||
== Background == | |||
The site runs on ] software.<ref name="sfgate"/><ref name="heise"/> The site's earliest articles date from November 22, 2006.<ref name="NPR_conservapedia"/><ref name="Guardian">{{cite news | last = Johnson | first = Bobbie | url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,2024434,00.html | title = Conservapedia — the US religious right's answer to Misplaced Pages | work = The Guardian | date = ] }}</ref><ref name="heise" /> As of October 2008, the site estimated that it contains over 26,300 pages, not counting pages intended for internal discussion and collaboration, minimal "stub" articles, and other miscellany.<ref name="Conservapedia-statistics">{{cite web|url=http://www.conservapedia.com/Special:Statistics|title=Conservapedia statistics|accessdate=2008-05-10|publisher=Conservapedia}}</ref> Regular features on the front page of Conservapedia include links to news articles and blogs that the site's editors consider relevant to conservatism.<ref name="sickopedia">{{cite web|last=Decker|first=Edwin|title=Sickopedia|url=http://www.sdcitybeat.com/cms/story/detail/?id=6018|work=San Diego CityBeat|date=2007-07-25|accessdate=2008-05-22}}</ref> The site also hosts debates in which its users may participate; subjects discussed include religion, history, and politics.<ref name="La La Land">{{cite web|last=Wehrwein|first=Zach|title=My Trip Through La La Land|url=http://gknot.uchicago.edu/issue5/my-trip-through-la-la-land/|work=Gordian Knot|publisher=University of Chicago|date=Autumn 2007|accessdate=2008-08-07}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Holsinger|first=Kevin|title=The Case Against Mental Inbreeding: Debate Topics on Conservapedia|url=http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/5/9/74238/45934/128/512434|work=Daily Kos|date=2008-05-09|accessdate=2008-05-22}}</ref> Editors of Conservapedia also maintain a page titled "Examples of Bias in Misplaced Pages" that compiles alleged instances of bias or errors on Misplaced Pages pages.<ref name="The Star"/> At one point, this was the most-viewed page on the site.<ref name="itwire"/> | |||
] in 2007]] | |||
Conservapedia was created in November 2006 by ], a ] and ]-educated attorney.<ref name="efu"/> He established the project after reading a student's assignment written using the ] notation rather than ].<ref name="LA Times"/> Interviewed by Shawn Zeller of '']'', Schlafly said he was "an early Misplaced Pages enthusiast", but became concerned about ] after other Misplaced Pages editors repeatedly reverted his edits to an article about the ].<ref name="NYTimes"/><!-- ] may be relevant, but ] is apparently the account of Roger Schlafly, not his brother Andrew --> Schlafly expressed the hope Conservapedia would become a general resource for American educators and a counterpoint to the ].<ref name="NPR_conservapedia">{{Cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=8286084|publisher=NPR|title=Conservapedia: Data for Birds of a Political Feather?|access-date=July 26, 2007|last=Siegel|first=Robert|date=March 13, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070324014205/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=8286084|archive-date=March 24, 2007|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="The Star">{{Cite news|last=Chung|first =Andrew|url=https://www.thestar.com/sciencetech/article/190501|title=A U.S. conservative wants to set Misplaced Pages right|work=Toronto Star|date=March 11, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070313195056/http://www.thestar.com/sciencetech/article/190501|archive-date=March 13, 2007|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Guardian">{{Cite news|last=Johnson|first=Bobbie|url=https://www.theguardian.com/international/story/0,,2024434,00.html|title=Rightwing website challenges 'liberal bias' of Misplaced Pages|work=The Guardian|date=March 1, 2007|location=London|access-date=December 11, 2016|archive-date=February 17, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220217233021/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2007/mar/01/wikipedia.news|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
The "Eagle Forum University" online education program, which is associated with ]'s ] organization, uses material for online courses, including U.S. history, stored on Conservapedia.<ref name="heise">{{Cite news|date=March 2, 2007|url=http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/86145|title=Conservapedia: christlich-konservative Alternative zu Misplaced Pages|work=Heise Online|language=de|access-date=March 6, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070304232259/http://www.heise.de/newsticker/meldung/86145|archive-date=March 4, 2007|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Lectures">{{Cite encyclopedia|encyclopedia=Conservapedia|year=2007|url=http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=American_History_Lecture_One&oldid=136744|title=American History Lecture One|access-date=March 5, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930232117/http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=American_History_Lecture_One&oldid=136744|archive-date=September 30, 2007|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="History 101">{{Cite web|url=http://eagleforumu.org/EAGLEFORUMU/student/course/class/view.cfm?int_course_id=25&classID=134#classLinks|title=American History 101|date=April 30, 2007|publisher=Eagle Forum University|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080526010342/http://eagleforumu.org/EAGLEFORUMU/student/course/class/view.cfm?int_course_id=25&classID=134|archive-date=May 26, 2008|url-status=dead|access-date=March 5, 2007}}</ref> Editing of Conservapedia articles related to a particular course topic is also a certain assignment for Eagle Forum University students.<ref name="History 101"/> | |||
==Editorial viewpoints and policies== | |||
Running on ] software,<ref name="presstelegram"/><ref name="heise"/> the site was founded in 2006, with its earliest articles dating from November 22.<ref name="NPR_conservapedia"/><ref name="heise" /><ref name="Guardian"/> By January 2012, Conservapedia contained over 38,000 pages, not counting pages intended for internal discussion and collaboration, minimal "stub" articles, and other miscellany.<ref name="Conservapedia-statistics">{{Cite web|url=http://www.conservapedia.com/Special:Statistics|title=Conservapedia statistics|access-date=January 22, 2012|publisher=Conservapedia|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120120205117/http://www.conservapedia.com/Special:Statistics|archive-date=January 20, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> Regular features on the front page of Conservapedia include links to news articles and blogs that the site's editors consider relevant to conservatism.<ref name="sickopedia">{{Cite web|last=Decker|first=Edwin|title=Sickopedia|url=http://www.sdcitybeat.com/sandiego/article-5117-sickopedia.html|work=San Diego CityBeat|date=July 25, 2007|access-date=May 22, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130202045659/http://www.sdcitybeat.com/sandiego/article-5117-sickopedia.html|archive-date=February 2, 2013}}</ref> Editors of Conservapedia also maintain a page titled "Examples of Bias in Misplaced Pages" that compiles alleged instances of bias or errors on Misplaced Pages pages.<ref name="The Star"/><ref name="examples of bias">{{Cite web|title=Examples of Bias in Misplaced Pages|url=http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Examples_of_Bias_in_Wikipedia&oldid=407335|publisher=Conservapedia|date=March 17, 2008|access-date=March 17, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080521210600/http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Examples_of_Bias_in_Wikipedia&oldid=407335|archive-date=May 21, 2008|url-status=live}}</ref> It was, at one point, the most-viewed page on the site.<ref name="itwire"/> | |||
Many ] of Conservapedia differ from those of ],<ref name="Britannica">{{cite encyclopedia|title=wiki|encyclopedia=]|volume=1|publisher=]|date=2007|location=]|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1192819/wiki|accessdate=2008-04-10}}</ref> some of whose policies Schlafly believed contributed to bias. For example, only users signed up with and logged in to registered accounts can make changes to Conservapedia articles.<ref name="examples of bias">{{cite web|title=Examples of Bias in Misplaced Pages|url=http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Examples_of_Bias_in_Wikipedia&oldid=407335|publisher=Conservapedia|date=2008-03-17|accessdate=2008-03-17}} Concerns over anonymous editors using ]es include the charge that Misplaced Pages's policy allowing IP edits results "in frequent defamation" (item 25) and "rampant vandalism that is overwhelmingly liberal" (item 29). Thus, it is stated that "redible wikis, including Conservapedia, do not permit editing by anonymous IP addresses." </ref> Primarily, a set of policies known as the ''Conservapedia Commandments'' guides editorial procedures on the site on such issues as bias and accuracy.<ref name="itwire"/> Articles and other content on the site frequently include criticism of Misplaced Pages as well as criticism of its alleged liberal ideology.<ref name="The Star"/> | |||
When he launched the online encyclopedia project, Schlafly asserted the need for an alternative to Misplaced Pages due to editorial philosophy conflicts. The site's "Conservapedia Commandments"<ref name="Conservapedia commandments">{{cite web|title=Conservapedia Commandments|url=http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Conservapedia:Commandments&oldid=429378|publisher=Conservapedia|date=2008-04-12|accessdate=2008-04-12}}</ref> differ from Misplaced Pages's editorial policies, which include following a neutral point of view<ref name="NPOV Misplaced Pages">{{cite web |url=http://en.wikipedia.org/search/?title=Misplaced Pages:Neutral_point_of_view&oldid=102236018|title=Misplaced Pages:Neutral point of view |publisher=Misplaced Pages |date=]|accessdate=2008-06-26}}</ref> and avoiding ].<ref name="Attribution Misplaced Pages">{{cite web |url=http://en.wikipedia.org/search/?title=Misplaced Pages:Attribution |title=Misplaced Pages:Attribution |publisher=Misplaced Pages |accessdate=2008-06-26}}</ref><ref name="Guidelines on Cwiki">{{cite web |url=http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Conservapedia:Guidelines&oldid=461391#Attribution|title=Conservapedia:Guidelines |publisher=Conservapedia |date=2008-05-27|accessdate=2008-06-26}}</ref> In response to Misplaced Pages's core policy of neutrality, Schlafly has stated: "It's impossible for an encyclopedia to be neutral. I mean let's take a point of view, let's disclose that point of view to the reader",<ref name="NPR_conservapedia" /> and "Misplaced Pages does not poll the views of its editors and administrators. They make no effort to retain balance. It ends up having all the neutrality of a ]."<ref name="wired" /> | |||
== Editorial viewpoints and policies == | |||
In a March 2007 interview with '']'', Schlafly stated, "I've tried editing Misplaced Pages, and found it and the biased editors who dominate it censor or change facts to suit their views. In one case my factual edits were removed within 60 seconds—so editing Misplaced Pages is no longer a viable approach."<ref name="Guardian"/> On March 7, 2007 Schlafly was interviewed on ]'s flagship morning show, ''Today'', opposite Misplaced Pages administrator Jim Redmond. Schlafly raised several concerns: that the article on the ] does not give any credit to Christianity, that Misplaced Pages articles apparently prefer to use non-American spellings even though most users are American, that the article on ] has a distinctly anti-American bias, and that attempts to include pro-Christian or pro-American views are removed very quickly. Redmond argued that Misplaced Pages attracts contributors worldwide and so must use ] notation to be more neutral, since CE notation has only a nominal, not numerical, difference with the AD format. He also cited the Misplaced Pages policies regarding citation of sources and cooperation with other contributors as basis for allowing any factual information to be added.<ref name="bbc">{{cite news |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/listenagain/ram/today4_wikipedia_20070307.ram |date=March 7, 2007<!-- 8:16am--> |accessdate=2007-04-09 |title=Today programme |publisher=BBC Radio 4 |format=]}}</ref> | |||
Conservapedia has editorial policies designed to prevent vandalism and what Schlafly sees as liberal bias. However, although the site's operators claim that the site "strives to keep its articles concise, informative, family-friendly, and true to the facts, which often back up conservative ideas more than liberal ones",<ref name="Australian"/> according to '']'', "arguments are often ]", and "contradictions, self-serving rationalizations and hypocrisies abound".<ref name="Australian"/> | |||
=== Comparison to Misplaced Pages === | |||
===Religion and science=== | |||
Shortly after its launch in 2006, Schlafly described the site as being competition for Misplaced Pages, saying "Misplaced Pages has gone the way of ]. It's long overdue to have competition like ]."<ref>{{Cite web|title=From Conservapedia's main page during month #1|url=http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Main_Page&diff=1846&oldid=1845|access-date=January 28, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926212942/http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Main_Page&diff=1846&oldid=1845|archive-date=September 26, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> Many editorial practices of Conservapedia differ from those of Misplaced Pages. Articles and other content on the site frequently include criticism of Misplaced Pages as well as criticism of its alleged liberal ideology and moderation policies.<ref name="The Star"/> | |||
Many Conservapedia articles support the ] point of view.<ref name="NPR_conservapedia"/><ref name="Metro">{{cite web |url=http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/article.html?in_article_id=41802&in_page_id=2 |title=Weird, wild wiki on which anything goes |accessdate=2007-03-25 |date=2007-03-19 |work=] |publisher=]}}</ref><ref name="heise" /> Its article on ] presents evolution as a ]<ref>By default, Conservapedia titled its article on ] as "theory of evolution", which was from the title "evolution". On December 28, 2008, an administrator to title "Evolution". The still applies to their article about ]</ref> that lacks support and conflicts with evidence in the fossil record that ] perceive to support creationism.<ref>{{Citation |last=Brown |first=Barrett |title=Conservapedia: Bastion of the Reality-Denying Right |newspaper=] |pages= |year=2009 |date=April 23 |url=http://www.vanityfair.com/online/politics/2009/04/conservapedia-bastion-of-the-realitydenying-right.html}}</ref> The entry also suggests that sometimes the ] has been more scientifically correct than the scientific community.<ref name="APC">{{cite web |last=Sbarski |first=Peter|title=Misplaced Pages vs Conservapedia |url=http://apcmag.com/wikipedia_vs_conservapedia.htm |work=APC |date=2007-03-10 |accessdate=2008-06-28}}</ref> Schlafly had defended the statement as presenting an alternative to evolution.<ref name="NPR_conservapedia"/> Another claim is that "]'s work had nothing to do with the development of the ]."<ref name="Clarke" /><ref name="wired" /><ref name="Relativity on Cwiki 2007">{{cite web |url=http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Theory_of_Relativity&oldid=15341 |title=Relativity |publisher=Conservapedia |date=2007-02-22 |accessdate=2008-06-26}}</ref><ref name="IWR" /> An LA Times journalist voiced concern that children stumbling on the site may assume Conservapedia's alleged science is accurate.<ref name="LA Times"/> An entry on the ] has received particular attention. Schlafly has asserted that the page was intended as a parody of environmentalism.<ref name="wired" /> As of March 4, 2007, the entry has been deleted.<ref name="Conservapedia: Octopus">Conservapedia. (2007). Retrieved March 4, 2007</ref> | |||
The site's "Conservapedia Commandments"<ref name="Conservapedia commandments">{{Cite web|title=Conservapedia Commandments|url=http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Conservapedia:Commandments&oldid=429378|publisher=Conservapedia|date=April 12, 2008|access-date=April 12, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080521210144/http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Conservapedia:Commandments&oldid=429378|archive-date=May 21, 2008|url-status=live}}</ref> differ from Misplaced Pages's editorial policies, which include following a neutral point of view<ref name="NPOV policy - Misplaced Pages">{{Cite web|url=http://en.wikipedia.org/search/?title=Misplaced Pages:Neutral_point_of_view&oldid=102236018|title=Misplaced Pages:Neutral point of view|website=]|date=January 21, 2007|access-date=June 26, 2008|archive-date=November 3, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151103210448/https://en.wikipedia.org/search/?title=Misplaced Pages:Neutral_point_of_view&oldid=102236018|url-status=live}}</ref> and avoiding original research.<ref name="Attribution Misplaced Pages">{{Cite web|url=http://en.wikipedia.org/search/?title=Misplaced Pages:Attribution|title=Misplaced Pages:Attribution|website=]|access-date=June 26, 2008}}</ref><ref name="Guidelines on Cwiki">{{Cite web|url=http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Conservapedia:Guidelines&oldid=461391#Attribution|title=Conservapedia:Guidelines|website=Conservapedia|date=May 27, 2008|access-date=June 26, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923210433/http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Conservapedia:Guidelines&oldid=461391#Attribution|archive-date=September 23, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> In response to Misplaced Pages's core policy of neutrality, Schlafly has stated: "It's impossible for an encyclopedia to be neutral. I mean let's take a point of view, let's disclose that point of view to the reader",<ref name="NPR_conservapedia" /> and "Misplaced Pages does not poll the views of its editors and ]. They make no effort to retain balance. It ends up having all the neutrality of a lynch mob".<ref name="wired" /> | |||
Conservapedia asserts, based on selective evidence, that there is a proven ] between ] and ],<ref name="Maloney"/> while the ] is that the best studies indicate that there is no such association for first trimester abortion.<ref name="WHO">{{cite web |url=http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs240/en/index.html |title=WHO — Induced abortion does not increase breast cancer risk |format=HTML |accessdate=2008-08-29}}</ref> | |||
In a March 2007 interview with '']'', Schlafly stated: "I've tried editing Misplaced Pages, and found it and the biased editors who dominate it censor or change facts to suit their views. In one case my factual edits were removed within 60 seconds—so editing Misplaced Pages is no longer a viable approach".<ref name="Guardian"/> On March 7, 2007, Schlafly was interviewed on ]'s morning show, '']'', opposite Misplaced Pages administrator Jim Redmond. Schlafly argued that the article on the ] does not give sufficient credit to Christianity, that Misplaced Pages articles apparently prefer to use non-American spellings even though most users are American, that the article on ] has a distinctly anti-American bias, and that attempts to include pro-Christian or pro-American views are removed very quickly. Schlafly also claimed that Misplaced Pages's allowance of both ] and ] notation was ] bias.<ref name="IWR">{{Cite web|last=Thomson|first=Iain|url=http://www.iwr.co.uk/information-world-review/news/2184351/conservapedia-takes-wikipedia|title=Conservapedia takes on Misplaced Pages 'bias'|work=]|date=February 28, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090115213615/http://www.iwr.co.uk/information-world-review/news/2184351/conservapedia-takes-wikipedia|archive-date=January 15, 2009}}</ref><ref name="Huffington">{{Cite web|first=Shelley|last=Lewis|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/shelley-lewis/introducing-conservapedi_b_41960.html|title=Introducing 'Conservapedia' – Battling Misplaced Pages's War on Christians, Patriots|website=]|date=February 23, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070301131346/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shelley-lewis/introducing-conservapedi_b_41960.html|archive-date=March 1, 2007}}</ref><ref name="Christian Post">{{Cite news|last=Zhang|first=Linda|title=Conservapedia Challenges 'Anti-Christian' Wiki|url=http://www.christianpost.com/article/20070306/conservapedia-challenges-anti-christian-wiki.htm|work=]|date=March 7, 2007|access-date=June 28, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080628025240/http://christianpost.com/article/20070306/conservapedia-challenges-anti-christian-wiki.htm|archive-date=June 28, 2008|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
Science writer ] has found evidence that much of what appears to be inaccurate or inadequate information about science and scientific theory can be traced back to an over-reliance on citations from the works of home-schooling textbook author Dr. Jay L. Wile.<ref name="scienceblog 2007/02/21">{{cite web |first=Carl |last=Zimmer |url=http://scienceblogs.com/loom/2007/02/21/sources_sources.php |title=Sources, Sources |work=The Loom|publisher=Scienceblogs.com |date=]|accessdate=2008-06-26}}</ref> On March 19, 2007, the British free newspaper '']'' ran the article "Weird, wild wiki on which anything goes", articulating the dismissal of Conservapedia by the ], saying "People need to be very careful about where they look for scientific information."<ref name="Metro" /> | |||
=== Licensing of content === | |||
The ] policy allowing both ] and ] notation has been interpreted as anti-Christian bias.<ref name="IWR">Thomson, Iain (2007) ''Information World Review'', February 28</ref><ref name="Huffington">Lewis, Shelley (2007) ''Huffington Post'', February 23</ref><ref name="Christian Post">{{cite news |last=Zhang |first=Linda |title=Conservapedia Challenges 'Anti-Christian' Wiki |url=http://www.christianpost.com/article/20070306/conservapedia-challenges-anti-christian-wiki.htm |work=The Christian Post |date=2007-03-07 |accessdate=2008-06-28}}</ref> In July 2008, '']'' associate editor ] derided the Conservapedia article on ] in his weekly column: "As Daniel DeGroot notes, you've got to wonder which 'unreasonable' explanations they rejected when formulating that entry."<ref>{{cite web |last=Klein |first=Ezra |title=God's Bathroom Floor |url=http://www.prospect.org/csnc/blogs/ezraklein_archive?month=07&year=2008&base_name=gods_bathroom_floor |work=The American Prospect |date=2008-07-28 |accessdate=2008-07-28}}</ref> | |||
Conservapedia allows users to "use any of the content on this site with or without attribution". The copyright policy also states: "This license is revocable only in very rare instances of self-defense, such as protecting continued use by Conservapedia editors or other licensees." It also does not permit "unauthorized mirroring".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Conservapedia:Copyright&oldid=626471|title=Conservapedia Copyright|date=February 17, 2009|website=Conservapedia|access-date=November 6, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923210431/http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Conservapedia:Copyright&oldid=626471|archive-date=September 23, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> Misplaced Pages co-founder ] has raised concerns about the fact that the project is not licensed under the ] (GFDL) or a similar ] license, stating that "eople who contribute are giving them full control of the content, which may lead to unpleasant results."<ref name="The Star" />{{rp|4}} | |||
=== |
=== Vandalism === | ||
The site has stated that it prohibits unregistered users from editing entries due to concerns over ], disruption or ]. Brian Macdonald, a Conservapedia editor, commented that vandalism was intended to "cause people to say, 'That Conservapedia is just wacko.{{'"}} According to Stephanie Simon of the '']'', Macdonald spent many hours every day reverting "malicious editing". Vandals had inserted "errors, pornographic photos and satire". For example, ] ] was said to be "a strong supporter of torture as a law enforcement tool for use against Democrats and third world inhabitants".<ref name="LA Times"/> | |||
Many Conservapedia articles criticize values that its editors associate with liberal ideology. The Conservapedia article about ] lists grievances over liberal opposition to ] and other values that the editors consider important to conservatives.<ref>{{cite book |last=Alterman |first=Eric |title=Why We're Liberals: A Political Handbook for Post-Bush America |place=New York, New York |publisher=Viking Books |year=2008 |isbn=0670018600 |page=261}} Cited article "" from Conservapedia</ref> An article titled "Professor values" alleges that most college professors are liberally biased.<ref>{{cite web |last=Dipietro |first=Anthony |title=Truth behind professors' beliefs |url=http://media.www.thelantern.com/media/storage/paper333/news/2008/03/26/Opinion/Truth.Behind.Professors.Beliefs-3284206.shtml |work=The Lantern |date=2008-03-26 |accessdate=2008-05-03}} Cited article "" from Conservapedia</ref> Schlafly said in an interview with ] that Misplaced Pages's article on the history of the ] is an "attempt to legitimize the modern Democratic Party by going back to ]" and that it is "specious and worth criticizing".<ref name="NPR_conservapedia" /> He also has claimed that Misplaced Pages is "six times more liberal than the American public", a claim that has been labeled "sensational" by Andrew Chung of the Canadian newspaper the '']''.<ref name="The Star"/> | |||
=== Other editorial policies === | |||
John Cotey of the '']'' observed that the Conservapedia article about the Democratic Party contained a criticism about the party's alleged support for ], and associated the party with the "]".<ref name="Cotey">{{cite news |last=Cotey |first=John |title=Conservative Web site counters the 'bias' of Misplaced Pages |url=http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/lifestyle/307867_conservapedia17.html |work=St. Petersburg Times |date=2007-03-16 |accessdate=2008-07-03}}</ref> The Conservapedia entries on Secretary of State ] and President ]<ref name="LA Times"/> are critical of their respective subjects. During the ], its entry on Obama asserted that he "has no clear personal achievement that cannot be explained as the likely result of ]". Some Conservapedia editors urged that it be changed or deleted, but Schlafly responded by asserting that the '']'', the ] legal journal for which Obama was once an editor and president, uses racial quotas and stated: "The statement about affirmative action is accurate and will remain in the entry."<ref> | |||
Conservapedia states on its "Manual of Style" page that "American English spellings are preferred but Commonwealth spellings, for '']'' or otherwise well-maintained articles are welcome." It prefers that articles about the United Kingdom use British English, while articles about the United States use American English, to resolve editorial disputes.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Spelling|url=http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Conservapedia:Manual_of_Style&oldid=427988#Spelling|work=Conservapedia Manual of Style|date=April 10, 2008|access-date=April 12, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080521210149/http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Conservapedia:Manual_of_Style&oldid=427988#Spelling|archive-date=May 21, 2008|url-status=live}}</ref> Initially, Schlafly<ref name="NYTimes"/><ref name="bbc">{{Cite news|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/listenagain/ram/today4_wikipedia_20070307.ram|date=March 7, 2007|access-date=April 9, 2007|title=Today programme|website=BBC Radio 4|format=]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080416000642/http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/today/listenagain/ram/today4_wikipedia_20070307.ram|archive-date=April 16, 2008|url-status=live}}</ref> and other Conservapedia editors<ref name="itwire">{{Cite news|last=Turner|first=Adam|title=Conservapedia aims to set Misplaced Pages right|url=http://www.itwire.com/content/view/10160/1154/|work=IT Wire|date=March 5, 2007|access-date=May 12, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080521192718/http://www.itwire.com/content/view/10160/1154/|archive-date=May 21, 2008}}</ref> considered Misplaced Pages's policy allowing British English spelling to be anti-American bias. | |||
{{cite web |last=Schlafly |first=Andrew |title="Talk:Barack Obama" |publisher=Conservapedia |date=February 17, 2008 |url=http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk:Barack_Obama/archive1&oldid=470232#removed_false_information |accessdate=2008-03-27}}</ref> In addition, Hugh Muir of the British newspaper '']'' mockingly referred to Conservapedia's assertion that Obama has links to radical ] as "dynamite" and an excellent resource for "US rightwingers."<ref name="The Guardian">{{cite news |last=Muir |first=Hugh |title=Guardian Diary |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2008/oct/03/2 |date=2007-10-03 |accessdate=2008-11-24}}</ref> In contrast, the articles about conservative politicians, such as ] former ] ], ], and former British ] ] ] have been observed as praising their respective subjects.<ref name="LA Times"/><ref name="CHE3">Read, Brock (March 2, 2007) ''Chronicle of Higher Education''</ref> Mark Sabbatini of the '']'' considered the Conservapedia entry on ], the Republican vice-presidential candidate for the ] a "kinder, gentler" and "far shorter and less controversial" reference for one wishing to learn about Palin in contrast with the corresponding Misplaced Pages entry, which Sabbatini found to be plagued by disputes over inclusion of potentially controversial details about her life.<ref>{{cite news |last=Sabbatini |first=Mark |title=Misplaced Pages war emerges over details about Palin |url=http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/090208/sta_326628504.shtml |work=The Juneau Empire |date=2008-09-02 |accessdate=2008-09-02}}</ref> | |||
The "Conservapedia Commandments" require edits to be "family-friendly, clean, concise, and without gossip or foul language" and that users make mostly quality edits to articles. Accounts that engage in what the site considers "unproductive activity, such as 90% talk and only 10% quality edits" may be blocked. The commandments also cite ] 18 USC § 1470 as justification for legal action against ], vandalism or ] edits.<ref name="Conservapedia Commandments">" {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180508054015/http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Conservapedia:Commandments&oldid=55263|date=May 8, 2018}}, Conservapedia (March 21, 2007)</ref> Because of Schlafly's claim that Misplaced Pages's allowance of both ] and ] notation is anti-Christian bias,<ref name="IWR"/><ref name="Huffington"/><ref name="Christian Post"/> the commandments disallow use of the former.<ref name="Conservapedia Commandments"/> | |||
===Licensing of content=== | |||
Conservapedia allows users to "use any of the content on this site with or without attribution." The copyright policy also states "This license is revocable only in very rare instances of self-defense, such as protecting continued use by Conservapedia editors or other licensees."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Conservapedia:Copyright&oldid=90435 |title=Conservapedia Copyright |date=]|publisher=Conservapedia |accessdate=2008-06-26}}</ref> Misplaced Pages co-founder ] has raised concerns about the fact that the project is not licensed under the ] (GFDL) or a similar ] license, stating that "People who contribute are giving them full control of the content, which may lead to unpleasant results".<ref name="The Star" /> | |||
=== Conspiracy theories === | |||
===Other editorial policies=== | |||
Conservapedia promotes various ], such as the claim that the ] was ] by ],<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.conservapedia.com/J6_Capitol_protests |title="J6 Capitol protests", Conservapedia |access-date=July 18, 2022 |archive-date=July 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220718235310/https://www.conservapedia.com/J6_Capitol_protests |url-status=live }}</ref> the claim ] was stolen from ], and that ] is secretly ].<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220718233815/https://www.conservapedia.com/Michelle_Obama#Transgender_theory |date=July 18, 2022 }} Conservapedia cites various sources that it claims support this, including {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220719135317/https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/joan-rivers-calls-obama-gay-lady-tranny-article-1.1855378 |date=July 19, 2022 }}</ref> In addition, it supports the theory that ]'s published birth certificate was a forgery and that he was born in Kenya, not Hawaii.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Preacher and the Politician: Jeremiah Wright, Barack Obama, and Race in America|url=https://archive.org/details/preacherpolitici00walk|url-access=registration|first1=Clarence E|last1=Walker|first2=Gregory D|last2=Smithers|page=|isbn=978-0-8139-3247-7|publisher=University of Virginia Press|year=2009}}</ref> | |||
Editing is disabled for most users when it is nighttime in the U.S.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://rationalwiki.com/Conservapedia:Night_editing |title=Conservapedia:Night editing |accessdate=2008-08-30}}</ref><ref name="Desk/Miscellany Cwiki">{{cite web |url=http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Conservapedia%3ADesk%2FMiscellany&diff=260943&oldid=260940 |title=Conservapedia:Desk/Miscellany |publisher=Conservapedia |date=] |accessdate=2008-06-26}}</ref> Additionally, the site has stated that it prohibits unregistered users from editing entries due to concerns over ] and ].<ref name="examples of bias"/> While Misplaced Pages allows both ] and ] to be used in its articles,<ref>{{cite web |title=National varieties of English |url=http://en.wikipedia.org/search/?title=Misplaced Pages:Manual_of_Style&oldid=205075684#National_varieties_of_English |work=Manual of Style |publisher=Misplaced Pages |date=2008-04-11 |accessdate=2008-04-12}}</ref> Conservapedia states on its "Manual of Style" page that "American English spellings are preferred but Commonwealth spellings, for '']'' or otherwise well-maintained articles are welcome". It prefers that articles about the ] use British English, while articles about the ] use American English, to resolve editorial disputes.<ref>{{cite web |title=Spelling |url=http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Conservapedia:Manual_of_Style&oldid=427988#Spelling |work=Manual of Style |publisher=Conservapedia |date=2008-04-10 |accessdate=2008-04-12}}</ref> Initially, Schlafly<ref name="bbc"/> and other Conservapedia editors<ref name="itwire">{{cite news |last=Turner |first=Adam |title=Conservapedia aims to set Misplaced Pages right |url=http://www.itwire.com/content/view/10160/1154/|work=IT Wire |date=2007-03-05 |accessdate=2008-05-12}}</ref> considered Misplaced Pages's policy allowing British English spelling to be anti-American bias. The "Conservapedia Commandments" also require edits to be "family-friendly, clean, concise, and without gossip or foul language" and that users make most edits on their site quality edits to articles; accounts that engage in what it considers "nproductive activity, such as 90% talk and only 10% quality edits" may be blocked. The commandments also cite the ] as justification for legal action against edits that contain ] or are ] or ].<ref name="Conservapedia commandments"/> | |||
It also describes Albert Einstein's ] as part of an ideological plot by liberals. ] claims that "virtually no one who is taught and believes relativity continues to read the Bible," and "cites passages in the Christian Bible in an effort to disprove Einstein's theories". '']'' described this argument as "conflat relativity, a theory in physics about time, space and gravity, with relativism, a philosophical argument about morality and human experience having nothing to do with physics."<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://azjewishpost.com/2010/its-all-relative-you-say-einstein-is-jewish-science-i-say-liberal-conspiracy/ |title=Joel N. Shurkin, JTA/"It's all relative: You say Einstein is 'Jewish science,' I say 'liberal conspiracy'".''Arizona Jewish Post'', August 17, 2010 |access-date=July 19, 2022 |archive-date=May 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220528041351/https://azjewishpost.com/2010/its-all-relative-you-say-einstein-is-jewish-science-i-say-liberal-conspiracy/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
==Reception == | |||
<!-- Creationwiki not notable under previous afds --> | |||
The Conservapedia project has come under significant criticism for factual inaccuracies<ref name="Clarke"/><ref name="Metro"/><ref name="Maloney" /> and ].<ref name="Clarke"/> Conservapedia has been compared to CreationWiki, a ] written from a ] perspective.<ref name="sfgate"/><ref name="wired"> Calore, Michael (February 28, 2007) ''] Magazine''</ref> and Theopedia, a wiki covering the ].<ref name="Christian Post"/> Some writers {{who?|date=August 2009}} have compared it with new conservative websites competing with mainstream ones, such as ], a Christian version of social networking site ], and ], a Christian version of video site ].<ref name="GodTube">{{cite news|title=GodTube Provides Christian Web-Video Alternative|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,307446,00.html|work=Fox News|publisher=AP|date=2007-11-02|accessdate=2008-08-02}}</ref> '']'' magazine noted that Conservapedia was "attracting lots of derisive comments on ]s and a growing number of phony articles written by mischief makers."<ref name="wired" /> Iain Thomson in '']'' wrote that "leftist subversives" may have been creating deliberate parody entries.<ref name="IWR"/> '']'' of the ] has referred to the Conservapedia's politics as "]".<ref>, ], 1 March 2007</ref> | |||
== Conflicts with scientific views == | |||
], a conservative professor of political science at the ], has argued that Conservapedia is more about religion, specifically Christianity, than conservatism and that it "is far more guilty of the crime they're attributing to Misplaced Pages" than Misplaced Pages itself.<ref name="The Star"/> Matt Millham of the military-oriented newspaper '']'' called Conservapedia "a Web site that caters mostly to evangelical Christians".<ref>{{cite news|last=Millham|first=Matt|title=Faith takes strange forms on the Web|url=http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=62814&archive=true |work=Stars and Stripes|date=2008-06-15|accessdate=2008-06-25}}</ref> Its scope as an encyclopedia, according to its founders, "offers a historical record from a Christian and conservative perspective."<ref name="ECTIMES on Cwiki">{{cite web |first=Tim |last= Gray |url= http://ecommercetimes.com/story/56084.html |title=Conservapedia: Far Righter Than Misplaced Pages |publisher=ecommercetimes.com |date=]|accessdate=2008-06-27}}</ref> ''APC'' magazine perceives this to be representative of Conservapedia's own problem with bias.<ref name="APC"/> Conservative and Christian commentator ] has been highly critical of the website's "]", a planned retranslation of the ] which Dreher attributes to "insane hubris" on the part of "right-wing ideologues".<ref>{{cite web |first=Rod |last=Dreher |url= http://blog.beliefnet.com/crunchycon/2009/10/conservatizing-the-bible.html |title=Conservatizing the Bible |publisher=Beliefnet |date=]|accessdate=2009-10-05}}</ref> | |||
Various Conservapedia articles contradict established science. On March 19, 2007, the British free newspaper '']'' ran the article "Weird, wild wiki on which anything goes", articulating the dismissal of Conservapedia by the ], saying: "People need to be very careful about where they look for scientific information."<ref name="Metro">{{Cite web |date=March 19, 2007 |title=Weird, wild wiki on which anything goes |url=http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/article.html?in_article_id=41802&in_page_id=2 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070323193903/http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/article.html?in_article_id=41802&in_page_id=2 |archive-date=March 23, 2007 |access-date=March 25, 2007 |work=]}}</ref> A ''Los Angeles Times'' journalist noted Conservapedia's critics voiced concern that children stumbling on the site may assume Conservapedia's scientific content is accurate.<ref name="LA Times"/> In 2011, skeptic ] listed it as #9 on his "Top 10 Worst Anti-Science Websites" list.<ref>{{Skeptoid|id=4283|number=283|title= Top 10 Worst Anti-Science Websites |access-date=October 23, 2020|date=November 8, 2011|quote=9. Conservapedia ("... your Number One resource to get the wrong answer.)}}</ref> | |||
=== Creation === | |||
The project has also been criticized for promoting a dichotomy between ] and ] and for promoting ] with the implicit idea that there "often are two equally valid interpretations of the facts".<ref name="Clarke"/> Matthew Sheffield, columnist for '']'' and contributor to the conservative ] blog ''NewsBusters'', argued that conservatives concerned about bias should contribute more often to Misplaced Pages rather than use Conservapedia as an alternative since he felt that alternative websites like Conservapedia are often "incomplete".<ref>{{cite web|last=Sheffield|first=Matthew|title=Think Misplaced Pages Is Biased? Do Something About It|url=http://newsbusters.org/blogs/matthew-sheffield/2008/08/22/think-wikipedia-biased-do-something-about-it|work=NewsBusters|date=2008-08-22|accessdate=2008-09-10}}</ref> Author Damien Thompson says Conservapedia "is to dress up nonsense as science".<ref name="Thompson 2008">{{cite book| author = Thompson, Damian| title = Counterknowledge: How We Surrendered to Conspiracy Theories, Quack Medicine, Bogus Science and Fake History| publisher = Atlantic Books|year = 2008| id = ISBN 1843546752}}</ref> | |||
{{See also|Objections to evolution}} | |||
Conservapedia promotes ], a ] view that the ] was created in 6 literal days approximately 6,000 years ago. Although not all Conservapedia contributors subscribe to a young-Earth creationist point of view, with the administrator Terry "TK" Koeckritz stating to the '']'' that he did not take the Genesis creation account literally,<ref name="LA Times"/>{{rp|9}} sources have attributed the poor science coverage to an overall editorial support of the young-Earth creationist perspective and an over-reliance on Christian creationist home-schooling textbooks.<ref name="NPR_conservapedia"/><ref name="heise"/> In an analysis in early 2007, science writer ] found evidence that much of what appeared to be inaccurate or inadequate information about science and scientific theory could be traced back to an over-reliance on citations from the works of home-schooling textbook author Jay L. Wile.<ref name="scienceblog 2007/02/21">{{Cite web|first=Carl|last=Zimmer|url=http://scienceblogs.com/loom/2007/02/21/sources_sources.php|title=Sources, Sources|work=The Loom|publisher=Scienceblogs.com|date=February 21, 2007|access-date=June 26, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080420065851/http://scienceblogs.com/loom/2007/02/21/sources_sources.php|archive-date=April 20, 2008}}</ref> | |||
=== Evolution === | |||
Allegations of ] have also been raised against Conservapedia.<ref name="michigandaily">{{cite news|last=Caleca|first=Ben|title=Conservapedia: Taking a Stand for Oppressed WASPs everywhere|url=http://thepodium.blogs.michigandaily.com/2008/05/17/conservapedia-taking-a-stand-for-oppressed-wasps-everywhere/|work=The Michigan Daily|date=2008-05-17|accessdate=2008-05-19}}</ref> Bryan Ochalla, writing for the ] ("lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender") magazine '']'', referred to the project as "Misplaced Pages for the bigoted".<ref>Bryan Ochalla, '']'', March 25, 2008, p. 12.</ref> On the satirical news program '']'', comedian ] lampooned its article on ].<ref>{{cite episode|title=Episode 12087|url= http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=89307&title=new-media |series=The Daily Show| network=Comedy Central|airdate=2007-06-27}} Black highlighted Conservapedia's "homosexuality is an immoral sexual lifestyle". In response, he said: "On Conservapedia, 'gay' sounds way more interesting!"</ref> | |||
Conservapedia's article on ] presents it as a ] that lacks support and that conflicts with evidence in the fossil record that ] perceive to support creationism.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Brown|first=Barrett|title=Conservapedia: Bastion of the Reality-Denying Right|newspaper=]|date=April 23, 2009|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/online/politics/2009/04/conservapedia-bastion-of-the-realitydenying-right.html|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090530022101/http://www.vanityfair.com/online/politics/2009/04/conservapedia-bastion-of-the-realitydenying-right.html|archive-date=May 30, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Evolution|title=Evolution|publisher=Conservapedia|date=May 29, 2010|access-date=May 29, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923210439/http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Evolution|archive-date=September 23, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> The entry also suggests that sometimes (a literal reading of) the Bible has been more scientifically correct than the scientific community.<ref name="APC">{{Cite web|last=Sbarski|first=Peter|title=Misplaced Pages vs Conservapedia|url=http://apcmag.com/wikipedia_vs_conservapedia.htm|work=APC|date=March 10, 2007|access-date=June 28, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110626182331/http://apcmag.com/wikipedia_vs_conservapedia.htm|archive-date=June 26, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> Schlafly has defended the statement as presenting an alternative to evolution.<ref name="NPR_conservapedia"/> | |||
=== Environmentalism === | |||
Opinions criticizing the site rapidly spread throughout the ] around early 2007.<ref name="wired"/> Schlafly appeared on radio programs '']'' on ]<ref name="bbc"/> and '']'' on ]<ref name="NPR_conservapedia"/> to discuss the site around that time. In May 2008, Schlafly and one of his homeschooled students appeared on the ] program ''The Hour'' for the same purpose.<ref>{{cite video|title=Conservapedia on The Hour|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvT5YuDovHI|publisher=YouTube|date2=2008-05-21|people=Andrew Schlafly}}</ref> | |||
Conservapedia formerly described ] as a "liberal hoax".<ref>{{Cite news|last=Sinclair|first=Peter|url=http://climatecrocks.com/2015/09/10/as-reality-closes-in-conservapedia-not-enough-for-climate-deniers-welcome-to-the-bubble/|title=As Reality Closes in – Conservapedia Not Enough for Climate Deniers – Welcome to the Bubble|publisher=ClimateCrocks.com|date=September 10, 2015|access-date=February 15, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150912012131/http://climatecrocks.com/2015/09/10/as-reality-closes-in-conservapedia-not-enough-for-climate-deniers-welcome-to-the-bubble/|archive-date=September 12, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.conservapedia.com/Global_warming|title=Global warming|publisher=Conservapedia|last=Schlafly|first=Andy|date=February 1, 2007|access-date=February 15, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160302023629/http://www.conservapedia.com/Global_warming|archive-date=March 2, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> An article on the "]" received particular attention, although Schlafly asserted that it was intended as a parody of environmentalism.<ref name="wired" /> By March 4, 2007, the entry had been deleted.<ref name="Conservapedia: Octopus">{{Cite news|last=Schlafly|first=Andy|url=http://www.conservapedia.com/Pacific_Northwest_Arboreal_Octopus|title=Pacific Northwest Arboreal Octopus|publisher=Conservapedia|date=February 2007|access-date=February 28, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070304034512/http://www.conservapedia.com/Pacific_Northwest_Arboreal_Octopus|archive-date=March 4, 2007}}</ref> | |||
=== Abortion === | |||
Stephanie Simon of the ''Los Angeles Times'' quoted two Conservapedia editors who commented favorably about Conservapedia.<ref name="LA Times"/> Matt Barber, policy director for the conservative Christian political action group ], praised Conservapedia as a more family-friendly and accurate alternative to Misplaced Pages.<ref>{{cite web|last=Barber|first=Matt|title=Conservapedia: The Conservative Alternative |url=http://www.cwfa.org/articles/15240/CFI/misc/index.htm|publisher=Concerned Women for America |date=2008-05-23 |accessdate=2008-09-13}}</ref> | |||
Conservapedia asserts that induced abortion increases the risk of breast cancer,<ref name="Star">{{Cite news|first=Andrew|last=Chung|url=https://www.thestar.com/article/190501|title=Conservative wants to set Misplaced Pages right|work=Toronto Star|date=March 11, 2007|access-date=May 18, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606094210/http://www.thestar.com/article/190501|archive-date=June 6, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Blast">{{Cite web|last=Bagley|first=Steven H.|url=http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/technology/2007/09/thoughts-on-a-conservapedia/|title=Thoughts on a Conservapedia|work=Blastmagazine.com|date=September 3, 2007|access-date=May 18, 2010|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130118021816/http://blastmagazine.com/the-magazine/technology/2007/09/thoughts-on-a-conservapedia/|archive-date=January 18, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> while the ] is that there is no such association.<ref name="WHO">{{Cite web|url=https://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs240/en/index.html|title=WHO – Induced abortion does not increase breast cancer risk|access-date=August 29, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080804024151/http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs240/en/index.html|archive-date=August 4, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|vauthors=Beral V, Bull D, Doll R, Peto R, Reeves G|title=Breast cancer and abortion: collaborative reanalysis of data from 53 epidemiological studies, including 83,000 women with breast cancer from 16 countries|journal=Lancet|volume=363|issue=9414|pages=1007–16|date=March 2004|pmid=15051280|doi=10.1016/S0140-6736(04)15835-2|s2cid=20751083| issn=0140-6736}}</ref> | |||
=== |
=== Relativity === | ||
{{See also|Criticism of the theory of relativity}} | |||
Misplaced Pages's co-creator Jimmy Wales said about Conservapedia that "free culture knows no bounds" and "the reuse of our work to build variants directly in line with our mission."<ref name="Biever">{{cite web |last=Biever |first=Celeste |year=2007 |url=http://www.newscientist.com/blog/technology/2007/02/conservative-rival-for-wikipedia.html | title = A conservative rival for Misplaced Pages? | publisher = New Scientist |date = 2007-02-26}}</ref> Wales denied Schlafly's claims of liberal bias in Misplaced Pages.<ref name="The Star"/> | |||
Conservapedia has also been criticised for its articles regarding the ], particularly on their entry titled "Counterexamples to relativity" which lists examples purportedly demonstrating that the theory is incorrect. Attention was drawn to the article by a '']'' posting that reported on Conservapedia's entry and stated that Schlafly "has found one more liberal plot: the theory of relativity".<ref name="TPM">{{Cite web|last=Carpentier|first=Megan|title=Conservapedia: E=mc<sup>2</sup> Is A Liberal Conspiracy|url=http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/08/conservapedia_founder_takes_on_the_notorious_liber.php|work=TPMMuckracker|publisher=Talking Points Memo|access-date=September 4, 2010|date=August 9, 2010|archive-date=January 3, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120103010338/http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/08/conservapedia_founder_takes_on_the_notorious_liber.php|url-status=live}}</ref> '']'', a science magazine, criticized Conservapedia's views on relativity and responded to several of Conservapedia's arguments against it.<ref name="newscientist">{{Cite web|last1=Gefter|first1=Amanda|last2=Biever|first2=Celeste|title=E=mc<sup>2</sup>? Not on Conservapedia|url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19303-emc2-not-on-conservapedia.html?full=true|work=New Scientist|date=August 11, 2010|access-date=September 4, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100910015304/http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19303-emc2-not-on-conservapedia.html?full=true|archive-date=September 10, 2010|url-status=live}}</ref> Against Conservapedia's statements, ''New Scientist'' stated that, while one is unlikely to find a single physicist who would claim that the ] is the whole answer to how the universe works, the theory has passed every test to which it has been subjected.<ref name="newscientist" />{{rp|1}} | |||
] physics professor ] has also criticized Conservapedia's entry on the theory of relativity, arguing that its criticism of the principle as "heavily promoted by liberals who like its encouragement of relativism and its tendency to mislead people in how they view the world" confuses a physical theory with a moral value.<ref>] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726172451/http://bobpark.physics.umd.edu/WN10/wn081310.html|date=July 26, 2011}}. BobPark.org; August 13, 2010.</ref> Similarly, ''New Scientist'' stated at the end of their article:<ref name="newscientist" />{{rp|2}} | |||
===Peter Lipson=== | |||
{{quote|text=In the end there is no liberal conspiracy at work. Unfortunately, humanities scholars often confuse the issue by misusing the term "relativity". The theory in no way encourages ], regardless of what Conservapedia may think. The theory of relativity is ultimately not so much about what it renders relative—three-dimensional space and one-dimensional time—but about what it renders absolute: the speed of light and four-dimensional space-time.}} | |||
In April 2007, Peter Lipson, a doctor of ], attempted to edit the article on ] to include evidence against Conservapedia's statement naming abortion as a major cause of the disease, but found his medical credentials being questioned by Schlafly and other Conservapedia administrators, all of whom ended the debate by deleting Lipson's edits and blocking Lipson's account.<ref name="LA Times">{{cite news|last=Simon|first=Stephanie|title=A conservative's answer to Misplaced Pages|url=http://articles.latimes.com/2007/jun/19/nation/na-schlafly19|accessdate=2007-11-02|date=2007-06-22|work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> Several editors, including Lipson, started another website, RationalWiki,<ref>See Web site</ref> which offers criticism of and satirical articles about Conservapedia, its administrators, and the conservative Christian viewpoint which it promotes. According to an article published in the '']'' in 2007, "From there, they (Lipson and his fellow editors) monitor Conservapedia. And—by their own admission—engage in acts of cyber-vandalism."<ref name="LA Times"/> | |||
In October 2010, '']'' criticized Conservapedia's attitude towards the theory of relativity, assigning them a zero score on their 0 to 100 fallacy-versus-fact "Science Index", describing Conservapedia as "the online encyclopedia run by conservative lawyer Andrew Schlafly, implies that ] is part of a liberal plot."<ref>Scientific American, </ref> | |||
===Lenski dialogue=== | |||
{{wikisource|Lenski dialog}} | |||
On June 9, 2008, '']'' published an article describing ]'s ], which observed that bacteria ] the ability to metabolize citrate—a rare and complex ].<ref name="newscientist evolution research">{{cite web |first=Bob |last= Holmes |url=http://www.newscientist.com/channel/life/dn14094-bacteria-make-major-evolutionary-shift-in-the-lab.html |title=Bacteria makes major evolutionary shift in the lab |publisher= '']'' |date=]|accessdate=2008-06-27}}</ref> Schlafly contacted Lenski to request the data. Lenski explained that the relevant data was in the paper and that Schlafly fundamentally misunderstood it. Schlafly wrote again and requested the raw data. Lenski replied again that the relevant data was already in the paper, that the "raw data" were living bacterial samples, which he would willingly share with qualified researchers at properly equipped biology labs, and that he felt insulted by letters and comments on Conservapedia, which he saw as brusque and offensive, including claims of outright deceit.<ref>{{cite web |first=Michael |last=Marshall |url= http://www.newscientist.com/blog/shortsharpscience/2008/06/creationist-critics-get-their.html?DCMP=ILC-rhts&nsref=ts11_bar |title=Creationist critics get their comeuppance |publisher=newscientist |date=] |accessdate=2008-06-27}}</ref> The exchange, recorded on a Conservapedia page called "Lenski dialog",<ref name="lenski dialog">{{cite web | url =http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Conservapedia:Lenski_dialog&oldid=481394 | title = Conservapedia: Lenski Dialog | publisher = Conservapedia | date = 2008-06-24 | accessdate = 2008-06-26}}</ref> was widely reported on news-aggregating sites and Web blogs. ] wrote that it was readily apparent that "Schlafly had not bothered to read closely",<ref>{{cite web |first=Carl |last=Zimmer |url=http://scienceblogs.com/loom/2008/06/24/of_bacteria_and_throw_pillows_3.php | |||
|title=Loom: =Of bacteria and throw pillows |publisher=scienceblogs.com |date=] |accessdate=2008-06-27}}</ref> and ] criticized Schlafly for demanding data despite not having a plan to use it nor the expertise to analyze it.<ref>{{cite web |first=PZ |last=Myers |url=http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/06/lenski_gives_conservapdia_a_le.php |title=Lenski gives conservapedia a lesson |publisher=scienceblogs.com |date=] |accessdate=2008-06-27}}</ref> During and after the Lenski dialogue on Conservapedia several users on the site were blocked for "insubordination" for expressing disagreement with Schlafly's stance on the issue.<ref>, Charles Arthur, July 1, 2008, ] Technology blog</ref> | |||
Another Conservapedia claim is that "]'s work had nothing to do with the ]", and that Einstein was only a minor contributor to the theory of relativity.<ref name="wired" /><ref name="Clarke"/><ref name="IWR" /> | |||
==Conservative Bible Project== | |||
== Ideology == | |||
The Conservative Bible Project is a project aiming to rewrite the English translation of the ] in an effort to remove terms described as "liberal bias" from the Bible.<ref name="Politics Daily">{{cite news |title=A Neocon Bible: What Would Jesus Say? |first=David |last=Gibson |url=http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/10/07/a-neocon-bible-what-would-jesus-say/ |publisher=Politics Daily |date=7 Octobor 2009 |accessdate=7 Octobor 2009}}</ref> The project intends to remove sections of the Bible which are judged to be later liberal additions. These include the ] in the ] in which Jesus declares "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone."<ref name="Politics Daily"/> The project also intends to remove Jesus's declaration on the cross of "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" since it only appears in the ] and since ""the simple fact is that some of the persecutors of Jesus did know what they were doing. This quotation is a favorite of liberals but should not appear in a conservative Bible."<ref name="Politics Daily"/> | |||
'']'' has referred to Conservapedia's politics as "right-wing",<ref name="Guardian"/> although it is sometimes described as ] or ].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/daily-dish/archive/2007/11/what-conservapedia-is-really-about/223375/|title=What Conservapedia Is Really About|work=The Atlantic – The Daily Dish|date=December 11, 2011|access-date=December 15, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120530064504/http://www.theatlantic.com/daily-dish/archive/2007/11/what-conservapedia-is-really-about/223375/|archive-date=May 30, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>Walker, Clarence Earl, and George Smithers. The preacher and the politician: Jeremiah Wright, Barack Obama, and race in America. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2009. "Those who express this view are on the far right of American politics (Though they often describe themselves as defenders of 'traditional' American Values). The Website Conservapedia for example ..."</ref><ref>Stecker, Frederick. The Podium, the Pulpit, and the Republicans: How Presidential Candidates Use Religious Language in American Political Debate. ABC-CLIO, 2011</ref> Journalist ] quoted it in a critical comment saying "You may judge Conservapedia's own bias by reading its definition of liberal".<ref>{{Cite news|last=Pitts|first=Leonard|title=Jesus of Nazareth As Dick Cheney|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/2009/10/19/jesus-of-nazareth-as-dick-cheney/|work=The Baltimore Sun|date=October 19, 2009|access-date=June 16, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120915015459/http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2009-10-19/news/0910180059_1_wikipedia-printing-press-free-market|archive-date=September 15, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
=== Partisan politics === | |||
The Bible project has met with extensive criticism. <ref>{{cite news |title=The Bible: Conservative Edition|first=Carl |last=Franzen |url=http://www.theatlanticwire.com/features/view/feature/The-Bible-Conservative-Edition-172 |publisher=The Atlantic Wire|date=7 October 2009|accessdate=7 October 2009}}</ref> ], a ] editor and columnist, described the project as "insane ]" and "crazy"; he further described the project as "It's like what you'd get if you crossed the ] with the ] chapter at a rural institution of Bible learnin'."<ref> | |||
Schlafly said in an interview with ] that Misplaced Pages's article on the history of the ] is an "attempt to legitimize the modern Democratic Party by going back to ]" and that this statement is "specious and worth criticizing".<ref name="NPR_conservapedia" /> He also has claimed that Misplaced Pages is "six times more liberal than the American public", a claim that has been labeled "sensational" by Andrew Chung of the '']''.<ref name="The Star"/> | |||
{{cite web |first=Rod |last=Dreher |title=Conservatizing the Bible |url=http://blog.beliefnet.com/crunchycon/2009/10/conservatizing-the-bible.html |archiveurl= |work=Crunchy Con |publisher=Beliefnet |date=1 October 2009 |accessdate=7 October 2009}} </ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Conservapedia.com's Conservative Bible Project aims to deliberalize the bible |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/2009/10/06/2009-10-06_conservapediacoms_conservative_bible_project_aims_to_deliberalize_the_bible.html |newspaper= New York Daily News|date=6 October 2009 |accessdate=7 October 2009}}</ref> | |||
In 2007, John Cotey of the '']'' observed that the Conservapedia article about the Democratic Party contained a criticism about the party's alleged support for ], and associated the party with the ].<ref name="Cotey">{{Cite news|last=Cotey|first=John|title=Conservative Web site counters the 'bias' of Misplaced Pages|url=http://www.seattlepi.com/lifestyle/307867_conservapedia17.html|work=]|date=March 16, 2007|access-date=July 3, 2008|archive-date=February 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220220094142/https://www.seattlepi.com/lifestyle/article/Conservative-Web-site-counters-the-bias-of-1231420.php|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
==See also== | |||
The Conservapedia entries on former Secretary of State ] and President ] are critical of their respective subjects.<ref name="LA Times"/> During the ], its entry on Obama asserted that he "has no clear personal achievement that cannot be explained as the likely result of ]". Some Conservapedia editors urged that the statement be changed or deleted, but Schlafly, a former classmate of Obama, responded by asserting that the '']'', the ] legal journal for which Obama and Schlafly worked together,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Harvard Law Review Board of Editors, Volume 104, 1990–1991|url=http://via.lib.harvard.edu/via/deliver/deepcontentItem?recordId=olvgroup12413%2CHLS.Libr%3A1139364|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111004122426/http://via.lib.harvard.edu/via/deliver/deepcontentItem?recordId=olvgroup12413,HLS.Libr:1139364|archive-date=October 4, 2011|url-status=dead}}, Group photo; A. Schlafly is second row from the top, second from left; B. Obama is in the third row from top, 7th from left. Retrieved from Harvard University Library Visual Information Access, August 10, 2011. See also ].</ref> uses ]s and stated, "The statement about affirmative action is accurate and will remain in the entry".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Schlafly|first=Andrew|title=Talk:Barack Obama|website=Conservapedia|date=February 17, 2008|url=http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk:Barack_Obama/archive1&oldid=470232#removed_false_information|access-date=March 27, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923210504/http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Talk%3ABarack_Obama%2Farchive1&oldid=470232#removed_false_information|archive-date=September 23, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> In addition, Hugh Muir of '']'' mockingly referred to Conservapedia's assertion that Obama has links to ] as "dynamite" and an excellent resource for "US rightwingers".<ref name="The Guardian">{{Cite news|last=Muir|first=Hugh|title=Guardian Diary|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2008/oct/03/2|date=October 3, 2007|access-date=November 24, 2008|location=London|work=]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130903082317/http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2008/oct/03/2|archive-date=September 3, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
In contrast, the articles about conservative politicians, such as former U.S. Republican president ] and former ] Prime Minister ], have been observed as praising their respective subjects.<ref name="LA Times"/><ref name="CHE3">{{Cite news|first=Brock|last=Read|date=March 2, 2007|url=http://chronicle.com/blogPost/A-Misplaced Pages-for-the-Right-Wing/2875/|title=A Misplaced Pages for the Right Wing|newspaper=]|access-date=March 22, 2010|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130119103600/http://chronicle.com/blogPost/A-Misplaced Pages-for-the-Right-Wing/2875/|archive-date=January 19, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> Mark Sabbatini of the '']'' described the Conservapedia entry on ], the Republican vice-presidential candidate for the ], as having been written largely by people friendly to its subject and avoiding controversial topics.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Sabbatini|first=Mark|title=Misplaced Pages war emerges over details about Palin|url=http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/090208/sta_326628504.shtml|work=The Juneau Empire|date=September 2, 2008|access-date=September 2, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080903140130/http://juneauempire.com/stories/090208/sta_326628504.shtml|archive-date=September 3, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
=== Atheism === | |||
The website sometimes adopts a strongly critical stance against figures whom it perceives as political, religious, or ideological opponents. For instance, in May 2009, '']'' and '']'' reported that Conservapedia's article on atheist ] featured a picture of ] at the top. The picture was later moved to a lower position in the article.<ref>{{Cite web|first=Clive|last=Davis|url=http://www.spectator.co.uk/clivedavis/3594941/among-the-inmates.thtml|title=Among the inmates|work=]|date=May 7, 2009|access-date=December 15, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090509194944/http://www.spectator.co.uk/clivedavis/3594941/among-the-inmates.thtml|archive-date=May 9, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|first=Barrett|last=Brown|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2009/04/conservapedia-bastion-of-the-realitydenying-right|title=Conservapedia: Bastion of the Reality-Denying Right | Blogs|work=]|date=April 23, 2009|access-date=December 15, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120114021117/http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2009/04/conservapedia-bastion-of-the-realitydenying-right|archive-date=January 14, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
== Reception == | |||
<!-- Creation Wiki not notable under previous afds --> | |||
The Conservapedia project has come under significant criticism for numerous factual inaccuracies<ref name="Clarke"/><ref name="Metro"/> and ].<ref name="Clarke"/> '']'' magazine observed that Conservapedia was "attracting lots of derisive comments on blogs and a growing number of phony articles written by mischief makers".<ref name="wired" /> Iain Thomson in '']'' wrote that "leftist subversives" may have been creating deliberate parody entries.<ref name="IWR"/> Conservapedia has been compared to CreationWiki, a wiki written from a ] perspective,<ref name="presstelegram"/><ref name="wired" /> and Theopedia, a wiki with a Reformed theology focus.<ref name="Christian Post"/> In 2007, ] obliquely compared it with other new conservative websites competing with mainstream ones at the time, such as MyChurch, a Christian version of the then-popular ] site ], and ], a Christian version of video site ].<ref name="GodTube">{{Cite news|title=GodTube Provides Christian Web-Video Alternative|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,307446,00.html|publisher=Fox News Channel|agency=Associated Press|date=November 2, 2007|access-date=August 2, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080920073441/http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,307446,00.html|archive-date=September 20, 2008|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
], a conservative professor of political science at the ], has argued that Conservapedia is more about religion, specifically Christianity, than ] or ] and that it "is far more guilty of the crime they're attributing to Misplaced Pages" than Misplaced Pages itself.<ref name="The Star"/> Matt Millham of the military-oriented newspaper '']'' called Conservapedia "a Web site that caters mostly to evangelical Christians".<ref>{{Cite news|last=Millham|first=Matt|title=Faith takes strange forms on the Web|url=http://www.stripes.com/news/faith-takes-strange-forms-on-the-web-1.80022|work=]|date=June 15, 2008|access-date=June 25, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604032834/http://www.stripes.com/news/faith-takes-strange-forms-on-the-web-1.80022|archive-date=June 4, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> Its scope as an encyclopedia, according to its founders, "offers a historical record from a Christian and conservative perspective".<ref name="ECTIMES on Cwiki">{{Cite web|first=Tim|last=Gray|url=http://ecommercetimes.com/story/56084.html|title=Conservapedia: Far Righter Than Misplaced Pages|website=ecommercetimes.com|date=April 3, 2007|access-date=June 27, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080603150939/http://ecommercetimes.com/story/56084.html|archive-date=June 3, 2008|url-status=live}}</ref> '']'' magazine perceives this to be representative of Conservapedia's own problem with bias.<ref name="APC"/> Conservative Christian commentator ] has been highly critical of the website's "Conservative Bible Project", an ongoing retranslation of the Bible which Dreher attributes to "insane hubris" on the part of "right-wing ideologues".<ref>{{Cite web|first=Rod|last=Dreher|url=http://blog.beliefnet.com/crunchycon/2009/10/conservatizing-the-bible.html|title=Conservatizing the Bible|publisher=Beliefnet|date=October 1, 2009|access-date=October 5, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091004014223/http://blog.beliefnet.com/crunchycon/2009/10/conservatizing-the-bible.html|archive-date=October 4, 2009|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
The project has also been criticized for presenting a ] between conservatism and liberalism, as well as between Christian Fundamentalism and atheism, and for promoting relativism with the implicit idea that there "often are two equally valid interpretations of the facts".<ref name="Clarke"/> Matthew Sheffield, writing in the conservative daily newspaper '']'', argued that conservatives concerned about bias should contribute more often to Misplaced Pages rather than use Conservapedia as an alternative since he felt that alternative websites like Conservapedia are often "incomplete".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Sheffield|first=Matthew|title=Conservatives miss Misplaced Pages's threat|url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/aug/21/conservatives-miss-wikipedias-threat/|work=]|date=August 22, 2008|access-date=April 1, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101118115003/http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/aug/21/conservatives-miss-wikipedias-threat/|archive-date=November 18, 2010|url-status=live}}</ref> Author ] asserts that the purpose of Conservapedia is to "dress up nonsense as science".<ref name="Thompson 2008">{{Cite book|first=Damien|last=Thompson|author-link=Damian Thompson|title=Counterknowledge: How We Surrendered to Conspiracy Theories, Quack Medicine, Bogus Science and Fake History|publisher=]|year=2008|isbn=978-1-84354-675-7|title-link=Counterknowledge}}</ref> | |||
Bryan Ochalla, writing for the ] magazine '']'', referred to the project as "Misplaced Pages for the bigoted".<ref>Bryan Ochalla, {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708101500/http://www.bryanochalla.com/articles/article.aspx?article_id=135|date=July 8, 2011}} ''The Advocate'', March 25, 2008, p. 12.</ref> On the satirical news program '']'', comedian ] lampooned its article on homosexuality.<ref>{{Cite episode|title=Episode 12087|url=http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=89307&title=new-media|series=The Daily Show|network=Comedy Central|air-date=June 27, 2007|access-date=May 27, 2008|archive-date=April 6, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080406012918/http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/index.jhtml?videoId=89307&title=new-media|url-status=live}} Black highlighted Conservapedia's {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923210447/http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Homosexuality&oldid=188063 |date=September 23, 2015 }} "homosexuality is an immoral sexual lifestyle". In response, he said: "On Conservapedia, 'gay' sounds way more interesting!"</ref> Writing in '']'', columnist Emma Jane described Conservapedia as "a disturbing parallel universe where the ] is a theoretical period, ] is empirically testable, and relativity and geology are ]s".<ref name="Australian">{{Cite news |last=Jane |first=Emma |date=January 8, 2011 |title=A parallel online universe |work=] |url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/opinion/a-parallel-online-universe/story-e6frg6zo-1225983259863 |access-date=January 9, 2011 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120914095104/http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/opinion/a-parallel-online-universe/story-e6frg6zo-1225983259863 |archive-date=September 14, 2012}}</ref> | |||
Opinions criticizing the site rapidly spread throughout the ] around early 2007.<ref name="wired"/><ref name="sickopedia"/> Schlafly appeared on radio programs '']'' on BBC Radio 4<ref name="bbc"/> and '']'' on ]<ref name="NPR_conservapedia"/> to discuss the site around that time. In May 2008, Schlafly and one of his homeschooled students appeared on the ] program '']'' for the same purpose.<ref>{{Cite video|title=Conservapedia on The Hour|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvT5YuDovHI |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211215/FvT5YuDovHI |archive-date=December 15, 2021 |url-status=live|publisher=YouTube|date=May 21, 2008|people=Andrew Schlafly}}{{cbignore}}</ref> | |||
Stephanie Simon of the '']'' quoted two Conservapedia editors who commented favorably about Conservapedia.<ref name="LA Times"/> Matt Barber, policy director for the conservative Christian political action group ], praised Conservapedia as a more family-friendly and "accurate" alternative to Misplaced Pages.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Barber|first=Matt|title=Conservapedia: The Conservative Alternative|url=http://www.cwfa.org/articles/15240/CFI/misc/index.htm|publisher=Concerned Women for America|date=May 23, 2008|access-date=September 13, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080527205123/http://www.cwfa.org/articles/15240/CFI/misc/index.htm|archive-date=May 27, 2008}}</ref> | |||
'']'' magazine, in an article entitled "Ten Impressive, Weird And Amazing Facts About Misplaced Pages", highlighted several of Conservapedia's articles, including those on "Atheism and obesity" and "Hollywood values", amongst others. It also highlighted Conservapedia's "Examples of bias in Misplaced Pages" article, which encourages readers to contact Jimmy Wales and tell him to "sort it out".<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Abell|first=John C|title=Ten Impressive, Weird And Amazing Facts About Misplaced Pages|url=https://www.wired.com/epicenter/2011/01/ten-facts-about-wikipedia/2/|magazine=Wired|date=January 12, 2011|access-date=January 13, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110116153701/http://www.wired.com/epicenter/2011/01/ten-facts-about-wikipedia/2|archive-date=January 16, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
Conservapedia's use of Misplaced Pages's format to create a conservative Christian alternative encyclopedia has been mirrored by other sites, such as ], QubeTV and MyChurch, which adopted the format of the more prominent YouTube and MySpace, respectively.<ref name="presstelegram"/><ref name="GodTube"/><ref name="computing">{{Cite web|url=http://www.computing.co.uk/vnunet/news/2188871/christians-launch-godtube-com|archive-url=https://archive.today/20070902110130/http://www.computing.co.uk/vnunet/news/2188871/christians-launch-godtube-com|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 2, 2007|title=Christians take on YouTube with GodTube|access-date=March 26, 2010|last=Thomson|first=Iain|date=April 30, 2007}}</ref> | |||
Misplaced Pages's co-creator Jimmy Wales said about Conservapedia that "] knows no bounds" and "the reuse of our work to build variants directly in line with our mission".<ref name="Biever">{{Cite web|last=Biever|first=Celeste|url=https://www.newscientist.com/blog/technology/2007/02/conservative-rival-for-wikipedia.html|title=A conservative rival for Misplaced Pages?|work=]|date=February 26, 2007|access-date=August 26, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110403075143/http://www.newscientist.com/blog/technology/2007/02/conservative-rival-for-wikipedia.html|archive-date=April 3, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> Wales denied Schlafly's claims of liberal bias in Misplaced Pages.<ref name="The Star"/> | |||
In 2022, ] noted that Conservapedia "has long floundered with minimal readership."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Breslow |first=Samuel |date=August 11, 2022 |title=How a False Claim About Misplaced Pages Sparked a Right-Wing Media Frenzy |url=https://slate.com/technology/2022/08/wikipedia-recession-article.html |access-date=August 12, 2022 |website=] |language=en |archive-date=January 22, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230122103526/https://slate.com/technology/2022/08/wikipedia-recession-article.html |url-status=live }}</ref> | |||
=== RationalWiki === | |||
{{Main|RationalWiki}} | |||
In April 2007, Peter Lipson, a doctor of ], attempted to edit Conservapedia's article on ] to include evidence against Conservapedia's incorrect ] that ] increases risk of contracting it. Schlafly and Conservapedia administrators "questioned credentials and shut down debate". After they were blocked, "Lipson and several other contributors quit trying to moderate the articles and instead started their own website, RationalWiki."<ref name="LA Times">{{Cite news|last=Simon|first=Stephanie|title=A conservative's answer to Misplaced Pages|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-jun-19-na-schlafly19-story.html|access-date=November 2, 2007|date=June 22, 2007|work=]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110624100044/http://articles.latimes.com/2007/jun/19/nation/na-schlafly19|archive-date=June 24, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
RationalWiki's self-stated purpose is to analyze and refute "]", the "] movement", and "crank ideas", as well as to conduct "explorations of ] and ]" and explore "how these subjects are handled in the media".<ref>{{Cite web|title=About|publisher=RationalWiki|date=September 19, 2010|url=http://rationalwiki.org/Template:RationalWiki_MainPage/About|access-date=October 16, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101204061129/http://rationalwiki.org/Template:RationalWiki_MainPage/About|archive-date=December 4, 2010|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>Keeler, Mary, Josh Johnson, and Arun Majumdar. "Crowdsourced Knowledge: Peril and Promise for Complex Knowledge Systems."</ref> | |||
An article published in the ''Los Angeles Times'' in 2007 alleged that RationalWiki members "monitor Conservapedia. And—by their own admission—engaged in acts of cyber-vandalism."<ref name="LA Times"/> | |||
=== Lenski dialogue === | |||
On June 9, 2008, the '']'' published an article describing ]'s ], which reported that the bacteria had evolved, acquiring the ability to metabolize ].<ref name="newscientist evolution research">{{Cite web|first=Bob|last=Holmes|url=https://www.newscientist.com/channel/life/dn14094-bacteria-make-major-evolutionary-shift-in-the-lab.html|title=Bacteria makes major evolutionary shift in the lab|work=]|date=June 9, 2008|access-date=June 27, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080828030920/http://www.newscientist.com/channel/life/dn14094-bacteria-make-major-evolutionary-shift-in-the-lab.html|archive-date=August 28, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> Schlafly contacted Lenski to request the data. Lenski explained that the relevant data was in the paper and that Schlafly fundamentally misunderstood it. Schlafly wrote again and requested the raw data. Lenski replied again that the relevant data was already in the paper, that the "raw data" were living bacterial samples, which he would willingly share with qualified researchers at properly equipped biology labs, and that he felt insulted by letters and comments on Conservapedia which he saw as ] and offensive, including claims of outright deceit.<ref>{{Cite web|first=Michael|last=Marshall|url=https://www.newscientist.com/blog/shortsharpscience/2008/06/creationist-critics-get-their.html?DCMP=ILC-rhts&nsref=ts11_bar|title=Creationist critics get their comeuppance|work=New Scientist|date=June 25, 2008|access-date=June 27, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090111081024/http://www.newscientist.com/blog/shortsharpscience/2008/06/creationist-critics-get-their.html?DCMP=ILC-rhts&nsref=ts11_bar|archive-date=January 11, 2009|url-status=live}}</ref> '']'' later called Lenski's reply "one of the greatest and most comprehensive put-downs in scientific argument".<ref>{{Cite news|first=Tom|last=Chivers|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/6408927/Internet-rules-and-laws-the-top-10-from-Godwin-to-Poe.html|title=Internet rules and laws: the top 10, from Godwin to Poe|work=]|date=October 23, 2009|access-date=January 27, 2011|location=London|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110131042008/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/6408927/Internet-rules-and-laws-the-top-10-from-Godwin-to-Poe.html|archive-date=January 31, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> | |||
The exchange, recorded on a Conservapedia page entitled "Lenski dialog",<ref name="lenski dialog">{{Cite web|url=http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Conservapedia:Lenski_dialog&oldid=481394|title=Conservapedia: Lenski Dialog|publisher=Conservapedia|date=June 24, 2008|access-date=June 26, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923210435/http://www.conservapedia.com/index.php?title=Conservapedia:Lenski_dialog&oldid=481394|archive-date=September 23, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> was widely reported on news-aggregating sites and web logs. Carl Zimmer wrote that it was readily apparent that "Schlafly had not bothered to read closely",<ref>{{Cite web|first=Carl|last=Zimmer|url=http://scienceblogs.com/loom/2008/06/24/of_bacteria_and_throw_pillows_3.php|title=The Loom: Of Bacteria and Throw Pillows|website=scienceblogs.com|date=June 24, 2008|access-date=June 27, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081011061502/http://scienceblogs.com/loom/2008/06/24/of_bacteria_and_throw_pillows_3.php|archive-date=October 11, 2008}}</ref> and ] criticized Schlafly for demanding data despite having neither a plan to use it nor the expertise to analyze it.<ref name="pharyngula-lenski_gives_conservapdia_a_le.php">{{Cite web|first=PZ|last=Myers|url=http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/06/24/lenski-gives-conservapdia-a-le|title=Lenski gives Conservapedia a lesson|website=scienceblogs.com|date=June 24, 2008|access-date=June 23, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160503170236/http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2008/06/24/lenski-gives-conservapdia-a-le/|archive-date=May 3, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> During and after the Lenski dialogue on Conservapedia, several users on the site were blocked for "insubordination" for expressing disagreement with Schlafly's stance on the issue.<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160415173708/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/blog/2008/jul/01/conservapediahasalittlehan|date=April 15, 2016}}, Charles Arthur, July 1, 2008, The Guardian Technology blog</ref> | |||
The dialogue between Lenski and Conservapedia is noted in Richard Dawkins' '']'' in a chapter concerning Lenski's research.<ref>Chapter 5: "Before our very eyes (examples of evolution observed)"</ref> | |||
== Conservative Bible Project == | |||
Conservapedia hosts the "Conservative Bible Project", a project aiming to create a new English translation of the Bible in order to remove or alter terms described as importing "liberal bias".<ref name="Politics Daily">{{Cite news|title=A Neocon Bible: What Would Jesus Say?|first=David|last=Gibson|url=http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/10/07/a-neocon-bible-what-would-jesus-say/|work=Politics Daily|date=October 7, 2009|access-date=October 7, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091008232724/http://www.politicsdaily.com/2009/10/07/a-neocon-bible-what-would-jesus-say/|archive-date=October 8, 2009|url-status=live}}</ref> The project intends to remove sections of the Bible which are judged by Conservapedia's founder to be later liberal additions.<ref name="Evangelical Textual Criticism">{{Cite news|url=http://evangelicaltextualcriticism.blogspot.com/2009/10/conservapedia-bible-project-free-of.html|title=Conservapedia Bible Project – Free of Corruption by Liberal Untruths?|last=Wasserman|first=Tommy|date=October 19, 2009|work=Evangelical Textual Criticism|access-date=October 19, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708035655/http://evangelicaltextualcriticism.blogspot.com/2009/10/conservapedia-bible-project-free-of.html|archive-date=July 8, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> These include the ] in the ] in which Jesus declares "Let him who is without sin cast the first stone".<ref name="Politics Daily"/> The project also intends to remove Jesus's prayer on the cross, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing", since it appears only in the ] and since, according to Schlafly, "the simple fact is that some of the persecutors of Jesus did know what they were doing. This quotation is a favorite of liberals but should not appear in a conservative Bible".<ref name="Politics Daily"/><!--Please consider whether details, such as names of scholars, belong here or at the articles on these passages.--> | |||
The Bible project has met with extensive criticism, including from fellow evangelistic Christian conservatives.<ref>{{Cite news|title=The Bible: Conservative Edition|first=Carl|last=Franzen|url=http://www.theatlanticwire.com/features/view/feature/The-Bible-Conservative-Edition-172|publisher=The Atlantic Wire|date=October 7, 2009|access-date=October 7, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091010134337/http://www.theatlanticwire.com/features/view/feature/The-Bible-Conservative-Edition-172|archive-date=October 10, 2009|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=McGrath|first=James F.|title=Translating the Bible is no joke. But what's in a political 'translation'?|newspaper=The Christian Science Monitor|date=December 7, 2009|url=http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/1207/p09s04-coop.html|access-date=December 9, 2009|archive-date=February 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220220094108/https://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2009/1207/p09s04-coop.html|url-status=live}}</ref> ], a conservative writer and editor, described the project as "insane hubris" and "crazy"; he further described the project as "It's like what you'd get if you crossed the ] with the ] chapter at a rural institution of Bible learnin{{'"}}.<ref name="nydailynews.com">{{Cite news|title=Conservapedia.com's Conservative Bible Project aims to deliberalize the bible|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/2009/10/06/2009-10-06_conservapediacoms_conservative_bible_project_aims_to_deliberalize_the_bible.html|newspaper=Daily News|location=New York|date=October 6, 2009|access-date=October 7, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091009021842/http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/2009/10/06/2009-10-06_conservapediacoms_conservative_bible_project_aims_to_deliberalize_the_bible.html|archive-date=October 9, 2009}}</ref> ], another conservative Christian writer, wrote that bending the word of God to one's own ideology makes God subservient to an ideology, rather than the other way around.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Do conservatives need their own Bible translation?|url=http://hotair.com/archives/2009/10/06/do-conservatives-need-their-own-bible-translation/|newspaper=Hot Air|date=October 6, 2009|access-date=October 7, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091008211341/http://hotair.com/archives/2009/10/06/do-conservatives-need-their-own-bible-translation/|archive-date=October 8, 2009|url-status=live}}</ref> ] wrote "Forcing the Bible to conform to a certain political agenda, no matter if one happens to agree with that agenda, is a perversion of the Word of God and should therefore be opposed by Christians as much as ']' Bibles."<ref> {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130123000714/http://creation.com/politicizing-scripture-conservative-bible-translation|date=January 23, 2013}} (Lita Cosner, ], December 24, 2009)</ref> | |||
On October 7, 2009, ] called for his viewers to incorporate him into the Conservapedia Bible as a biblical figure and viewers responded by editing the Conservapedia Bible to include his name.<ref>{{Cite episode|title=The Colbert Report (October 7, 2009 episode)|series=The Colbert Report|series-link=The Colbert Report|air-date=October 7, 2009|url=http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/251994/october-07-2009/tip-wag---conservapedia--louvre---honda-unicycle|access-date=October 8, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091010111228/http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/251994/october-07-2009/tip-wag---conservapedia--louvre---honda-unicycle|archive-date=October 10, 2009|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|first=Clark|last=Collis|title=Stephen Colbert wants you to put him in the Bible|url=http://popwatch.ew.com/2009/10/08/stephen-colbert-how-you-can-make-him-moses/|work=Entertainment Weekly (PopWatch)|date=October 8, 2009|access-date=October 15, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091012121054/http://popwatch.ew.com/2009/10/08/stephen-colbert-how-you-can-make-him-moses/|archive-date=October 12, 2009|url-status=live}}</ref> The edits were, as a matter of course, treated as vandalism and removed. This was followed by an interview between Colbert and Schlafly on December 8, 2009.<ref>{{Cite episode|title=The Colbert Report (December 8, 2009 episode)|series=The Colbert Report|series-link=The Colbert Report|air-date=December 8, 2009|url=https://www.cc.com/video/9o2lyz/the-colbert-report-andy-schlafly|access-date=December 11, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091213113521/http://www.colbertnation.com/the-colbert-report-videos/258144/december-08-2009/andy-schlafly|archive-date=December 13, 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> | |||
== See also == | |||
{{Portal|Christianity|Conservatism}} | |||
* ] | * ] | ||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
* ] | |||
==References== | == References == | ||
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Latest revision as of 11:24, 25 October 2024
American conservative wiki-based online encyclopedia
Logo | |
Screenshot Homepage screenshot of the top portion on March 6, 2013 | |
Type of site | |
---|---|
Available in | English |
Owner | Andrew Schlafly |
Created by | Volunteer contributors |
URL | conservapedia |
Commercial | No |
Registration | Optional (required to edit pages) |
Launched | November 21, 2006; 18 years ago (2006-11-21) |
Current status | Active |
Content license | Unclear (see § Licensing of content) |
Conservapedia (/kənˌsɜː(r)vəˈpiːdiə/; kən-SU(R)-və-PEE-di-ə) is an English-language, wiki-based, online encyclopedia written from a self-described American conservative and fundamentalist Christian point of view. The website was established in 2006 by American homeschool teacher and attorney Andrew Schlafly, son of the conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly, to counter what he perceived as a liberal bias on Misplaced Pages. It uses editorials and a wiki-based system for content generation.
Examples of Conservapedia's ideology include its accusations against and strong criticism of former US President Barack Obama—including advocacy of Barack Obama citizenship conspiracy theories—along with criticisms of atheism, feminism, homosexuality, the Democratic Party, and evolution. Conservapedia views Albert Einstein's theory of relativity as promoting moral relativism, falsely claims that abortion increases risk of breast cancer, praises Republican politicians, supports celebrities and artistic works it believes represent moral standards in line with Christian family values, and espouses fundamentalist Christian doctrines such as Young Earth creationism. Conservapedia's "Conservative Bible Project" is a crowd-sourced retranslation of the English-language Bible which the site says to be "free of corruption by liberal untruths."
Conservapedia has received negative reactions from the mainstream media and political figures, and has been criticized by liberal and conservative critics alike for bias and inaccuracies.
As of September 2023, Conservapedia has more than 54,000 articles.
Background
Conservapedia was created in November 2006 by Andrew Schlafly, a Harvard and Princeton-educated attorney. He established the project after reading a student's assignment written using the Common Era notation rather than Anno Domini. Interviewed by Shawn Zeller of Congressional Quarterly, Schlafly said he was "an early Misplaced Pages enthusiast", but became concerned about bias after other Misplaced Pages editors repeatedly reverted his edits to an article about the 2005 Kansas evolution hearings. Schlafly expressed the hope Conservapedia would become a general resource for American educators and a counterpoint to the liberal bias that he perceived in Misplaced Pages.
The "Eagle Forum University" online education program, which is associated with Phyllis Schlafly's Eagle Forum organization, uses material for online courses, including U.S. history, stored on Conservapedia. Editing of Conservapedia articles related to a particular course topic is also a certain assignment for Eagle Forum University students.
Running on MediaWiki software, the site was founded in 2006, with its earliest articles dating from November 22. By January 2012, Conservapedia contained over 38,000 pages, not counting pages intended for internal discussion and collaboration, minimal "stub" articles, and other miscellany. Regular features on the front page of Conservapedia include links to news articles and blogs that the site's editors consider relevant to conservatism. Editors of Conservapedia also maintain a page titled "Examples of Bias in Misplaced Pages" that compiles alleged instances of bias or errors on Misplaced Pages pages. It was, at one point, the most-viewed page on the site.
Editorial viewpoints and policies
Conservapedia has editorial policies designed to prevent vandalism and what Schlafly sees as liberal bias. However, although the site's operators claim that the site "strives to keep its articles concise, informative, family-friendly, and true to the facts, which often back up conservative ideas more than liberal ones", according to The Australian, "arguments are often circular", and "contradictions, self-serving rationalizations and hypocrisies abound".
Comparison to Misplaced Pages
Shortly after its launch in 2006, Schlafly described the site as being competition for Misplaced Pages, saying "Misplaced Pages has gone the way of CBS News. It's long overdue to have competition like Fox News." Many editorial practices of Conservapedia differ from those of Misplaced Pages. Articles and other content on the site frequently include criticism of Misplaced Pages as well as criticism of its alleged liberal ideology and moderation policies.
The site's "Conservapedia Commandments" differ from Misplaced Pages's editorial policies, which include following a neutral point of view and avoiding original research. In response to Misplaced Pages's core policy of neutrality, Schlafly has stated: "It's impossible for an encyclopedia to be neutral. I mean let's take a point of view, let's disclose that point of view to the reader", and "Misplaced Pages does not poll the views of its editors and administrators. They make no effort to retain balance. It ends up having all the neutrality of a lynch mob".
In a March 2007 interview with The Guardian, Schlafly stated: "I've tried editing Misplaced Pages, and found it and the biased editors who dominate it censor or change facts to suit their views. In one case my factual edits were removed within 60 seconds—so editing Misplaced Pages is no longer a viable approach". On March 7, 2007, Schlafly was interviewed on BBC Radio 4's morning show, Today, opposite Misplaced Pages administrator Jim Redmond. Schlafly argued that the article on the Renaissance does not give sufficient credit to Christianity, that Misplaced Pages articles apparently prefer to use non-American spellings even though most users are American, that the article on American activities in the Philippines has a distinctly anti-American bias, and that attempts to include pro-Christian or pro-American views are removed very quickly. Schlafly also claimed that Misplaced Pages's allowance of both Common Era and Anno Domini notation was anti-Christian bias.
Licensing of content
Conservapedia allows users to "use any of the content on this site with or without attribution". The copyright policy also states: "This license is revocable only in very rare instances of self-defense, such as protecting continued use by Conservapedia editors or other licensees." It also does not permit "unauthorized mirroring". Misplaced Pages co-founder Jimmy Wales has raised concerns about the fact that the project is not licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) or a similar copyleft license, stating that "eople who contribute are giving them full control of the content, which may lead to unpleasant results."
Vandalism
The site has stated that it prohibits unregistered users from editing entries due to concerns over vandalism, disruption or defamation. Brian Macdonald, a Conservapedia editor, commented that vandalism was intended to "cause people to say, 'That Conservapedia is just wacko.'" According to Stephanie Simon of the Los Angeles Times, Macdonald spent many hours every day reverting "malicious editing". Vandals had inserted "errors, pornographic photos and satire". For example, U.S. Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales was said to be "a strong supporter of torture as a law enforcement tool for use against Democrats and third world inhabitants".
Other editorial policies
Conservapedia states on its "Manual of Style" page that "American English spellings are preferred but Commonwealth spellings, for de novo or otherwise well-maintained articles are welcome." It prefers that articles about the United Kingdom use British English, while articles about the United States use American English, to resolve editorial disputes. Initially, Schlafly and other Conservapedia editors considered Misplaced Pages's policy allowing British English spelling to be anti-American bias.
The "Conservapedia Commandments" require edits to be "family-friendly, clean, concise, and without gossip or foul language" and that users make mostly quality edits to articles. Accounts that engage in what the site considers "unproductive activity, such as 90% talk and only 10% quality edits" may be blocked. The commandments also cite United States Code 18 USC § 1470 as justification for legal action against obscene, vandalism or spam edits. Because of Schlafly's claim that Misplaced Pages's allowance of both Common Era and Anno Domini notation is anti-Christian bias, the commandments disallow use of the former.
Conspiracy theories
Conservapedia promotes various conspiracy theories, such as the claim that the January 6 United States Capitol attack was staged by Antifa, the claim 2020 United States presidential election was stolen from Donald Trump, and that Michelle Obama is secretly transgender. In addition, it supports the theory that Barack Obama's published birth certificate was a forgery and that he was born in Kenya, not Hawaii.
It also describes Albert Einstein's theory of relativity as part of an ideological plot by liberals. Andy Schlafly claims that "virtually no one who is taught and believes relativity continues to read the Bible," and "cites passages in the Christian Bible in an effort to disprove Einstein's theories". Arizona Jewish Post described this argument as "conflat relativity, a theory in physics about time, space and gravity, with relativism, a philosophical argument about morality and human experience having nothing to do with physics."
Conflicts with scientific views
Various Conservapedia articles contradict established science. On March 19, 2007, the British free newspaper Metro ran the article "Weird, wild wiki on which anything goes", articulating the dismissal of Conservapedia by the Royal Society, saying: "People need to be very careful about where they look for scientific information." A Los Angeles Times journalist noted Conservapedia's critics voiced concern that children stumbling on the site may assume Conservapedia's scientific content is accurate. In 2011, skeptic Brian Dunning listed it as #9 on his "Top 10 Worst Anti-Science Websites" list.
Creation
See also: Objections to evolutionConservapedia promotes young Earth creationism, a pseudoscientific view that the Earth was created in 6 literal days approximately 6,000 years ago. Although not all Conservapedia contributors subscribe to a young-Earth creationist point of view, with the administrator Terry "TK" Koeckritz stating to the Los Angeles Times that he did not take the Genesis creation account literally, sources have attributed the poor science coverage to an overall editorial support of the young-Earth creationist perspective and an over-reliance on Christian creationist home-schooling textbooks. In an analysis in early 2007, science writer Carl Zimmer found evidence that much of what appeared to be inaccurate or inadequate information about science and scientific theory could be traced back to an over-reliance on citations from the works of home-schooling textbook author Jay L. Wile.
Evolution
Conservapedia's article on evolution presents it as a naturalistic theory that lacks support and that conflicts with evidence in the fossil record that creationists perceive to support creationism. The entry also suggests that sometimes (a literal reading of) the Bible has been more scientifically correct than the scientific community. Schlafly has defended the statement as presenting an alternative to evolution.
Environmentalism
Conservapedia formerly described global warming as a "liberal hoax". An article on the "Pacific Northwest Arboreal Octopus" received particular attention, although Schlafly asserted that it was intended as a parody of environmentalism. By March 4, 2007, the entry had been deleted.
Abortion
Conservapedia asserts that induced abortion increases the risk of breast cancer, while the scientific consensus is that there is no such association.
Relativity
See also: Criticism of the theory of relativityConservapedia has also been criticised for its articles regarding the theory of relativity, particularly on their entry titled "Counterexamples to relativity" which lists examples purportedly demonstrating that the theory is incorrect. Attention was drawn to the article by a Talking Points Memo posting that reported on Conservapedia's entry and stated that Schlafly "has found one more liberal plot: the theory of relativity". New Scientist, a science magazine, criticized Conservapedia's views on relativity and responded to several of Conservapedia's arguments against it. Against Conservapedia's statements, New Scientist stated that, while one is unlikely to find a single physicist who would claim that the theory of general relativity is the whole answer to how the universe works, the theory has passed every test to which it has been subjected.
University of Maryland physics professor Robert L. Park has also criticized Conservapedia's entry on the theory of relativity, arguing that its criticism of the principle as "heavily promoted by liberals who like its encouragement of relativism and its tendency to mislead people in how they view the world" confuses a physical theory with a moral value. Similarly, New Scientist stated at the end of their article:
In the end there is no liberal conspiracy at work. Unfortunately, humanities scholars often confuse the issue by misusing the term "relativity". The theory in no way encourages relativism, regardless of what Conservapedia may think. The theory of relativity is ultimately not so much about what it renders relative—three-dimensional space and one-dimensional time—but about what it renders absolute: the speed of light and four-dimensional space-time.
In October 2010, Scientific American criticized Conservapedia's attitude towards the theory of relativity, assigning them a zero score on their 0 to 100 fallacy-versus-fact "Science Index", describing Conservapedia as "the online encyclopedia run by conservative lawyer Andrew Schlafly, implies that Einstein's theory of relativity is part of a liberal plot."
Another Conservapedia claim is that "Albert Einstein's work had nothing to do with the development of the atomic bomb", and that Einstein was only a minor contributor to the theory of relativity.
Ideology
The Guardian has referred to Conservapedia's politics as "right-wing", although it is sometimes described as far-right or New Right. Journalist Leonard Pitts quoted it in a critical comment saying "You may judge Conservapedia's own bias by reading its definition of liberal".
Partisan politics
Schlafly said in an interview with National Public Radio that Misplaced Pages's article on the history of the Democratic Party is an "attempt to legitimize the modern Democratic Party by going back to Thomas Jefferson" and that this statement is "specious and worth criticizing". He also has claimed that Misplaced Pages is "six times more liberal than the American public", a claim that has been labeled "sensational" by Andrew Chung of the Toronto Star.
In 2007, John Cotey of the St. Petersburg Times observed that the Conservapedia article about the Democratic Party contained a criticism about the party's alleged support for same-sex marriage, and associated the party with the homosexual agenda.
The Conservapedia entries on former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and President Barack Obama are critical of their respective subjects. During the 2008 presidential campaign, its entry on Obama asserted that he "has no clear personal achievement that cannot be explained as the likely result of affirmative action". Some Conservapedia editors urged that the statement be changed or deleted, but Schlafly, a former classmate of Obama, responded by asserting that the Harvard Law Review, the Harvard University legal journal for which Obama and Schlafly worked together, uses racial quotas and stated, "The statement about affirmative action is accurate and will remain in the entry". In addition, Hugh Muir of The Guardian mockingly referred to Conservapedia's assertion that Obama has links to radical Islam as "dynamite" and an excellent resource for "US rightwingers".
In contrast, the articles about conservative politicians, such as former U.S. Republican president Ronald Reagan and former British Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, have been observed as praising their respective subjects. Mark Sabbatini of the Juneau Empire described the Conservapedia entry on Sarah Palin, the Republican vice-presidential candidate for the 2008 U.S. presidential election, as having been written largely by people friendly to its subject and avoiding controversial topics.
Atheism
The website sometimes adopts a strongly critical stance against figures whom it perceives as political, religious, or ideological opponents. For instance, in May 2009, Vanity Fair and The Spectator reported that Conservapedia's article on atheist Richard Dawkins featured a picture of Adolf Hitler at the top. The picture was later moved to a lower position in the article.
Reception
The Conservapedia project has come under significant criticism for numerous factual inaccuracies and factual relativism. Wired magazine observed that Conservapedia was "attracting lots of derisive comments on blogs and a growing number of phony articles written by mischief makers". Iain Thomson in Information World Review wrote that "leftist subversives" may have been creating deliberate parody entries. Conservapedia has been compared to CreationWiki, a wiki written from a creationist perspective, and Theopedia, a wiki with a Reformed theology focus. In 2007, Fox News obliquely compared it with other new conservative websites competing with mainstream ones at the time, such as MyChurch, a Christian version of the then-popular social networking site MySpace, and GodTube, a Christian version of video site YouTube.
Tom Flanagan, a conservative professor of political science at the University of Calgary, has argued that Conservapedia is more about religion, specifically Christianity, than political or social conservatism and that it "is far more guilty of the crime they're attributing to Misplaced Pages" than Misplaced Pages itself. Matt Millham of the military-oriented newspaper Stars and Stripes called Conservapedia "a Web site that caters mostly to evangelical Christians". Its scope as an encyclopedia, according to its founders, "offers a historical record from a Christian and conservative perspective". APC magazine perceives this to be representative of Conservapedia's own problem with bias. Conservative Christian commentator Rod Dreher has been highly critical of the website's "Conservative Bible Project", an ongoing retranslation of the Bible which Dreher attributes to "insane hubris" on the part of "right-wing ideologues".
The project has also been criticized for presenting a false dichotomy between conservatism and liberalism, as well as between Christian Fundamentalism and atheism, and for promoting relativism with the implicit idea that there "often are two equally valid interpretations of the facts". Matthew Sheffield, writing in the conservative daily newspaper The Washington Times, argued that conservatives concerned about bias should contribute more often to Misplaced Pages rather than use Conservapedia as an alternative since he felt that alternative websites like Conservapedia are often "incomplete". Author Damian Thompson asserts that the purpose of Conservapedia is to "dress up nonsense as science".
Bryan Ochalla, writing for the LGBT magazine The Advocate, referred to the project as "Misplaced Pages for the bigoted". On the satirical news program The Daily Show, comedian Lewis Black lampooned its article on homosexuality. Writing in The Australian, columnist Emma Jane described Conservapedia as "a disturbing parallel universe where the ice age is a theoretical period, intelligent design is empirically testable, and relativity and geology are junk sciences".
Opinions criticizing the site rapidly spread throughout the blogosphere around early 2007. Schlafly appeared on radio programs Today on BBC Radio 4 and All Things Considered on NPR to discuss the site around that time. In May 2008, Schlafly and one of his homeschooled students appeared on the CBC program The Hour for the same purpose.
Stephanie Simon of the Los Angeles Times quoted two Conservapedia editors who commented favorably about Conservapedia. Matt Barber, policy director for the conservative Christian political action group Concerned Women for America, praised Conservapedia as a more family-friendly and "accurate" alternative to Misplaced Pages.
Wired magazine, in an article entitled "Ten Impressive, Weird And Amazing Facts About Misplaced Pages", highlighted several of Conservapedia's articles, including those on "Atheism and obesity" and "Hollywood values", amongst others. It also highlighted Conservapedia's "Examples of bias in Misplaced Pages" article, which encourages readers to contact Jimmy Wales and tell him to "sort it out".
Conservapedia's use of Misplaced Pages's format to create a conservative Christian alternative encyclopedia has been mirrored by other sites, such as GodTube, QubeTV and MyChurch, which adopted the format of the more prominent YouTube and MySpace, respectively.
Misplaced Pages's co-creator Jimmy Wales said about Conservapedia that "free culture knows no bounds" and "the reuse of our work to build variants directly in line with our mission". Wales denied Schlafly's claims of liberal bias in Misplaced Pages.
In 2022, Slate noted that Conservapedia "has long floundered with minimal readership."
RationalWiki
Main article: RationalWikiIn April 2007, Peter Lipson, a doctor of internal medicine, attempted to edit Conservapedia's article on breast cancer to include evidence against Conservapedia's incorrect claim that abortion increases risk of contracting it. Schlafly and Conservapedia administrators "questioned credentials and shut down debate". After they were blocked, "Lipson and several other contributors quit trying to moderate the articles and instead started their own website, RationalWiki."
RationalWiki's self-stated purpose is to analyze and refute "pseudoscience", the "anti-science movement", and "crank ideas", as well as to conduct "explorations of authoritarianism and fundamentalism" and explore "how these subjects are handled in the media".
An article published in the Los Angeles Times in 2007 alleged that RationalWiki members "monitor Conservapedia. And—by their own admission—engaged in acts of cyber-vandalism."
Lenski dialogue
On June 9, 2008, the New Scientist published an article describing Richard Lenski's 20-year E. coli experiment, which reported that the bacteria had evolved, acquiring the ability to metabolize citrate. Schlafly contacted Lenski to request the data. Lenski explained that the relevant data was in the paper and that Schlafly fundamentally misunderstood it. Schlafly wrote again and requested the raw data. Lenski replied again that the relevant data was already in the paper, that the "raw data" were living bacterial samples, which he would willingly share with qualified researchers at properly equipped biology labs, and that he felt insulted by letters and comments on Conservapedia which he saw as brusque and offensive, including claims of outright deceit. The Daily Telegraph later called Lenski's reply "one of the greatest and most comprehensive put-downs in scientific argument".
The exchange, recorded on a Conservapedia page entitled "Lenski dialog", was widely reported on news-aggregating sites and web logs. Carl Zimmer wrote that it was readily apparent that "Schlafly had not bothered to read closely", and PZ Myers criticized Schlafly for demanding data despite having neither a plan to use it nor the expertise to analyze it. During and after the Lenski dialogue on Conservapedia, several users on the site were blocked for "insubordination" for expressing disagreement with Schlafly's stance on the issue.
The dialogue between Lenski and Conservapedia is noted in Richard Dawkins' The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution in a chapter concerning Lenski's research.
Conservative Bible Project
Conservapedia hosts the "Conservative Bible Project", a project aiming to create a new English translation of the Bible in order to remove or alter terms described as importing "liberal bias". The project intends to remove sections of the Bible which are judged by Conservapedia's founder to be later liberal additions. These include the story of the adulteress in the Gospel of John in which Jesus declares "Let him who is without sin cast the first stone". The project also intends to remove Jesus's prayer on the cross, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing", since it appears only in the Gospel of Luke and since, according to Schlafly, "the simple fact is that some of the persecutors of Jesus did know what they were doing. This quotation is a favorite of liberals but should not appear in a conservative Bible".
The Bible project has met with extensive criticism, including from fellow evangelistic Christian conservatives. Rod Dreher, a conservative writer and editor, described the project as "insane hubris" and "crazy"; he further described the project as "It's like what you'd get if you crossed the Jesus Seminar with the College Republican chapter at a rural institution of Bible learnin'". Ed Morrissey, another conservative Christian writer, wrote that bending the word of God to one's own ideology makes God subservient to an ideology, rather than the other way around. Creation Ministries International wrote "Forcing the Bible to conform to a certain political agenda, no matter if one happens to agree with that agenda, is a perversion of the Word of God and should therefore be opposed by Christians as much as 'politically correct' Bibles."
On October 7, 2009, Stephen Colbert called for his viewers to incorporate him into the Conservapedia Bible as a biblical figure and viewers responded by editing the Conservapedia Bible to include his name. The edits were, as a matter of course, treated as vandalism and removed. This was followed by an interview between Colbert and Schlafly on December 8, 2009.
See also
References
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9. Conservapedia ("... your Number One resource to get the wrong answer.)
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