trentmkelly/rationalwiki huggingface dataset:
2015 Los Angeles UFO scare

{{Ufology}}
The '''2015 Los Angeles [[UFO]] scare''' occurred around 6 pm on the night of November 7, 2015, when an unarmed Trident missile from [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Kentucky_%28SSBN-737%29 USS Kentucky], a submarine, flew over Los Angeles and disintegrated. The light from the missile was originally thought to be a comet/meteor or [[UFO]].<ref>http://abc7.com/news/hundreds-report-mystery-light-flying-through-sky/1073739/</ref> What people saw was caused by the second stage separation of the missile, creating a blue-green gas cloud behind it. The missile was part of an organized test conducted by the [[US Navy]]. During the test period, air traffic was diverted around Los Angeles Airport, presumably so that a missile wouldn't accidentally hit a plane, although the reason for the "secret" closing of the airspace became clearer when the missile was shot<ref>http://abc7.com/news/secret-military-operations-to-divert-lax-planes-for-a-week/1072890/</ref>. The Orange County<ref>https://twitter.com/OCSD/status/663187887442137088</ref> and Los Angeles Sheriff<ref>https://twitter.com/LHSLASD/status/663178677509746688</ref> Departments both stated that the event was not worthy of calling 911, due to it not causing danger to anyone. Despite the quite quick responses from the Pentagon to the news reports, [[Raëlism|Raëlians]] and [[UFO|UFOlogists]] are probably already hard at work creating loads of [[conspiracy theories]] about the event, e.g. that it was the [[Second coming|second coming of Jesus]]/another [[Roswell|Roswell Event]]/proof that the [[Illuminati]] controls the government.

==References==
{{reflist}}


<div class="plainlinks stubtemplate" style="margin:auto; text-align:center; background-color: #f9f9f9; padding: .5em; border: 1px solid #aaa; width: 300px;">''This {{#if:{{{1|}}}|[[:Category:{{{1}}}|{{{2|{{lcfirst:{{{1}}}}}}}}]]-related}} article is a {{#ifeq: {{NAMESPACE}}|Fun|'''tub'''|'''stub'''}}.''<br/>''You can help RationalWiki by [{{fullurl:{{FULLPAGENAME}}|action=edit}} {{#ifeq: {{NAMESPACE}}|Fun|'''filling it'''|'''expanding it'''}}].''</div>
[[Category:Conspiracy theories]]

Categories: Conspiracy theories
23

{{Sources needed}}{{conspiracynav}}

{{cquote|Pink is my favourite colour, do you know what pink is? Red 27, white 65. 65 plus 27,92. 'pink' has 4 letters, 92 divided by 4, twenty-fucking-three.|||The film ''Number 23''<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0481369/quotes/?tab=qt&ref_=tt_trv_qu Number 23 (2007): Quotes], IMDb</ref>}}

'''23''' is 
Michael Jordan's jersey number
 a number which, for some genuinely odd reason, strikes a chord in the minds of certain [[conspiracy]] theorists and related people, who claim it has a significance that other numbers don't; some people call this the {{wpl|23 enigma|'''23 enigma'''|.}} Twenty-three is one of three numbers used as the basis for [[pseudoscientific]] [[biorhythms]]. The mysteriousness of the number 23 was first raised as a concept by Robert Anton Wilson, to whom William S. Burroughs related (no doubt in his trademark dry, gravelly voice) that "he had known a certain Captain Clark, around 1960 in Tangier, who once bragged that he had been sailing 23 years without an accident. That very day, Clark’s ship had an accident that killed him and everybody else aboard. Furthermore, while Burroughs was thinking about this crude example of the irony of the gods that evening, a bulletin on the radio announced the crash of an airliner in [[Florida]], [[USA]]. The pilot was another Captain Clark, and the flight was Flight 23." Wilson apparently went on to study the number more closely, and discovered that it seemed to occur more often than circumstances called for, although he admitted that "[[confirmation bias|When you start looking for something you tend to find it]]."<ref name=indy23/>

Devotees of the 23 phenomenon include the mathematician John Nash (who once claimed to be [[Pope]] John XXIII and died on May 23<sup>rd</sup> in a car crash);<ref name=indy23>[https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/23-fascinating-facts-about-the-number-twenty-three-6262624.html 23 fascinating facts about the number twenty-three], ''[[The Independent]]'', 23 February 2007</ref> the [[Discordian]]s (who probably got it from Robert Anton Wilson); and the appropriately-named 23rdians, who involve it in their mystical thinking. The Knights Templar had 23 Masters and are implicated in all that [[Priory of Sion]]/[[Da Vinci Code]] bollocks. It is also one of "the numbers" on the television show ''Lost''.<ref name=indy23/> Movies have been made about this idea, both {{wpl|Number 23|bad}} and {{wpl|23 (film)|good|.}} The movie ''Number 23'' starring Jim Carrey is a great example of this theory, as well as how it may affect the mind of someone who would start digging for the number 23 everywhere.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2013/aug/11/number-23-jim-carrey-recap Number 23 recap: let me count the ways in which you don't add up], Stuart Heritage, ''[[The Guardian]]'', 11 August 2013</ref>

==See also==
*[[Numerology]]
*[[27 Club]]
*[[666]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Conspiracy theories]]
[[Category:Numbers]]
[[Category:Pseudoscience]]
[[Category:Superstition]]

Categories: Conspiracy theories, Numbers, Pseudoscience, Superstition
2 Maccabees

{{Biblenav}}
'''2 Maccabees''' is a [[deuterocanon|deuterocanonical]] book of the [[Bible]], which focuses on the successful Maccabeeian rebellion (led by Judas Maccabeus) against Seleucid rule.

As with all deuterocanonical books, 2 Maccabees is part of in the [[Old Testament]] in the canon of the [[Bible]] of the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]] and [[Roman Catholic Church]], but it is not accepted as part of the Bible by [[Protestants]] or [[Jews]], who include it as part of the [[Apocrypha]] instead.   As with other deuterocanonical books, 2 Maccabees (unlike 1 Maccabees) was written in Koine Greek, suggesting it was part of an oral tradition of Greek Jews that grew out of the more conservative [[Hebrew]] communities.

==Authorship==
2 Maccabees is presented within the text as an abridgement of a 5-volumn work by Jason of Cyrene.
Nothing in the style or language of the text suggests it was copied from a Hebrew work, meaning it was original theology to the Koine Jewish community.  As Jason of Cyrene's work is generally assumed to date from the 100s BCE, it can be assumed that this text is younger still.  Because of references to the Jewish feast to celebrate the purification of the Egyptian temple, the date of 2 Maccabees must be after 127 BCE.

==Canonization and theological politics==
Part of the reason why Protestants rejected it is that some of the passages in it appear to support the Catholic idea of prayer for the dead, for example 2 Maccabees 12:45 (KJV): ''For if he had not hoped that they that were slain should have risen again, it had been superfluous and vain to pray for the dead.'' This is in reference to when, after a battle, they discovered that all of Judas's men who had been slain were in possession of idolatrous [[amulet]]s; thus, they concluded their death in the battle was punishment by God for sin. So Judas gathered up a collection to be sent to the Temple to offer sacrifices, and arranged prayers, that God would forgive the sins of their comrades who had died. However, others dispute whether this passage really supports the Catholic doctrine of [[purgatory]] <ref group=note>See for example [http://churchmouse57.blogspot.com/2006/07/purging-purgatory-from-2-maccabees.html this blog post]</ref>

== External links ==
;Online versions
*[http://www.biblicalproportions.com/modules/ol_bible/King_James_Bible/2Maccabees/ KJV]
*[http://www.sacredbible.org/catholic/OT-46_2-Maccabees.htm Catholic Public Domain Version (CPDV)]
*[http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=174153425 NRSV]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

{{BibleGuide}}
{{apolbox}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maccabees, 2}}
[[Category:Deuterocanon]]
[[Category:Apocrypha]]

Categories: Deuterocanon, Apocrypha
3 Maccabees

{{sources needed}}{{Biblenav}}
'''3 Maccabees''' is a book in the [[Old Testament]] of the [[Eastern Orthodox]] [[Bible]], but not accepted by [[Catholics]] or [[Protestants]], who both class it as part of the [[Apocrypha]], nor by [[Jews]]. The books [[1 Maccabees]] and [[2 Maccabees]] are both accepted as biblical by Catholics. This book, despite its name, is not concerned with the Maccabeus brothers and their revolt against the {{wpl| Seleucid Empire}} and its rule over ancient Israel. Rather, it describes the persecution of the Jews in Egypt under the rule of Pharaoh Ptolemy IV, who was of the Greek Ptolemaic dynasty that ruled Egypt following the disintegration of the empire of Alexander the Great. This book was likely named ''Maccabees'' due to the common element of Greek persecutions, including martyrdoms.

{{stub|Bible|Bible}}

{{BibleGuide}}
{{apolbox}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maccabees, 3}}
[[Category:Apocrypha]]
[[Category:Deuterocanon]]

Categories: Apocrypha, Deuterocanon
4 Maccabees

{{sources needed}}{{biblenav}}
'''4 Maccabees''' is a [[philosophy|philosophical]] discourse and homily that is holy to Rational Wiki, as it praises [[rationality]] over passion.  At least in a 100s BCE, Koine Greek Jewish sorta-way.  

The association with the [[Books of the Maccabees|Maccabian books]] is due to ''4 Maccabees'' heavy reliance on 1 & 2 Maccabess for its subject matter.  4 Maccabees uses the martyrdoms described in [[2 Maccabees]] as chief examples of choosing reason (the desire to do what is right and to serve God) over passion (fear of pain and death).  The style itself is somewhat unique for traditional Jewish writings, and follows a style more reminiscent of the Greek School of Philosophical discourse.  First, the author lays out clearly what he feels to be the most important virtues, and details why they matter.  Then he uses the story of the marytrdom of Elezar to bring descriptive discussion to the stated facts.

==Canon status==
4 Maccabees is in the canon of the {{wpl|Georgian Orthodox Church||,}} and is in the appendix of the Greek Bible, but is otherwise not part of the canon of any church including the [[Eastern Orthodox]] Church, nor by [[Catholics]] or [[Protestants]].  

Like the rest of the [[Deuterocanon]], 4 Maccabees was written in Koine Greek, and the Catholic Church distinctly identified those works as not part of the original [[Hebrew]] Bible, and therefore set them apart.

==Authorship==
There are questions about the purpose of 4 Maccabees.  If it were a homily, in any traditional Koine Jewish style, then it would have been more scripturally based.  As it is, the philosophical discourse leaves little room for religious ceremony and rhetoric.  

The work is traditionally ascribed to [[Josephus]], thanks to Roman church historian Eusebius of Caesarea.  However, given the amount of writing of Josephus' that exists, linguistic scholars have generally denied his authorship of 4 Maccabees.  

The theological content and philosophical discourse generally place it in the Hellenistic Jewish world of 100 BCE to 100 CE.

==See also==
*[[Books of the Maccabees]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{BibleGuide}}
{{apolbox}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maccabees, 4}}
[[Category:Apocrypha]]
[[Category:Deuterocanon]]

Categories: Apocrypha, Deuterocanon
7 July 2005 London bombings

{{crimenav}}
On 7 July 2005, a series of [[suicide]] bombings were committed by [[Islamic]] extremists around various sites in London, England: three in the London Underground and a fourth on a bus in Tavistock Square. The event is often referred to as '''7/7'''. The bombers responsible were Mohammad Sidique Khan, Shehzad Tanweer, Hasib Hussain, and Germaine Lindsay.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4762209.stm Profile: Mohammad Sidique Khan], [[BBC]] News, 30 April 2007</ref><ref>[http://julyseventh.co.uk/7-7-profile-hasib-mir-hussain.html The July 7th Truth Campaign]</ref><ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4762313.stm Profile: Shehzad Tanweer], [[BBC]] News, 6 July 2006</ref><ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4762591.stm Profile: Germaine Lindsay], [[BBC]] News. 11 May 2006</ref> 56 people were killed in the bombings.<ref>[https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-33253598 7 July London bombings: What happened that day?], ''BBC News'', July 3, 2015</ref>

==Conspiracy theory==
Just as with every major terrorist incident, [[Conspiracy theories|conspiracy]] nuts came crawling out from their underground bunkers to argue that the London bombings weren't actually committed by the accused men. This has mostly taken the form of garishly-designed blogs, amateur videos, and lectures delivered to the nuttier wing of the [[Muslim]] community.

The ''7/7 Ripple Effect'', an amateurly produced conspiracy film that you can watch in its entirety on [[YouTube]], is the July 7 equivalent of ''[[Loose Change]]''. It was produced by "Muad Dib", who is not a Muslim, incidentally, but a pseudonym derived from Frank Herbert's ''Dune'' novel; Dib is actually a Sheffield-born man living in [[Ireland]] named John Hill, who believes that he is the [[Messiah]].<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8124687.stm "Unmasking the mysterious 7/7 conspiracy theorist"], [[BBC]] News Magazine, 30 June 2009</ref><ref>Khaled Diab, [http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jul/03/conspiracy-theories-july-7-bombings "Losing the plot"], ''[[The Guardian]]'', 3 July 2009</ref>

One of the constant nagging pains for the conspiracy crowd has been the presence of Rachel North, a writer and blogger who was on one of the trains that was attacked and has skewered their theories in the media.<ref>[http://rachelnorthlondon.blogspot.co.uk/2009/07/andy-haymans-book-77-conspiracy.html Andy Hayman's book, 7/7 conspiracy theories and the campaign for a 7/7 inquiry], Rachel from North London, 4 July 2009</ref> They generally respond by claiming that she is a fictional person invented by the government for some nefarious purpose or other.

==See also==
*[[9/11]]
*[[David Shayler and Annie Machon|David Shayler]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}
{{stub|crime}}
[[Category:Crime]]
[[Category:Islamic extremism]]
[[Category:Terrorism]]
[[Category:Conspiracy theories]]

Categories: Crime, Islamic extremism, Terrorism, Conspiracy theories
969 Movement

{{Islamophobia}}
The '''969 Movement''' is a violent [[nationalist]] movement in [[Burma]] and yet another religious excuse for attacking people who are different.<ref>[http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/04/969-the-strange-numerological-basis-for-burmas-religious-violence/274816/ 969: The Strange Numerological Basis for Burma's Religious Violence]
</ref> In this case, it is the [[Buddhist]] majority<ref>[http://old.seattletimes.com/text/2021235489.html Extremism builds among Myanmar's Buddhists]</ref><ref>[http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/SEA-01-020413.html Buddhism turns violent in Myanmar.]</ref> who don't like the existence of a small minority (somewhere between 5 to 10%) of [[Muslims]] (i.e., the Rohingya people), which they see as an [[Islamic]] expansion into "their" country. They primarily hold nationalist demonstrations, but they are also believed to be connected to the many violent attacks on Muslims, Muslim-owned businesses, and Muslim communities that we have seen in Burma in recent years. The death toll is in the hundreds. Their leader is a Buddhist [[monk]] named Ashin Wirathu.<ref>[http://nypost.com/2013/06/21/radical-buddhist-monk-accused-of-inciting-riots-that-have-killed-hundreds-of-muslims/ Radical Buddhist monk accused of inciting riots that have killed hundreds of Muslims]</ref>

==The name==
The "969" is a Buddhist symbol signifying the Three Jewels of Buddhism &mdash; the 9 virtues of Buddha, the 6 virtues of his Dharma, and the 9 virtues of Buddhist monks. As the movement sees it, 969 is supposed to be the cosmological opposite of 786, an Islamic symbol; 969ers, noticing 7+8+6 = 21, think 786 is a secret message that Muslims intend to conquer Burma in the 21<sup>st</sup> century. Never mind that the Islamic world doesn't even use the Gregorian calendar and it is not the 21<sup>st</sup> Century on the Muslim calendar. On the Islamic calendar, 2023 is part of the 15<sup>th</sup> Century AH. "786" is commonly used by South Asian Muslims and is derived from the phrase, "Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim", meaning "In the name of [[Allah]], the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful".<ref>[https://www.quora.com/Why-does-Islam-respect-the-number-786 Why does Islam respect the number 786?] ''Quora''</ref>

==See also==
*[[Numerology]]
*[[Ku Klux Klan]], the Christian equivalent to the 969 Movement.

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{stub|Islamophobia}}

[[Category:Islamophobia]]
[[Category:Nationalism]]
[[Category:Buddhism]]
[[Category:Numbers]]
[[Category:Racism]]
[[Category:Fascism]]

Categories: Islamophobia, Nationalism, Buddhism, Numbers, Racism, Fascism
AARP

[[File:AARP logo.svg|thumb|165px|AARP logo]]
{{hatnote|Were you looking for [[HAARP]]?}}
{{Uspolitics}}
'''AARP''', or, as they like to call themselves, the "'''American Association of Retired [[Person]]s''',"<ref group=note>Or "[[Psychological projection|American Association of Ridiculous People]]" if you're [[Michael Savage]]</ref> is a [[US]] [[lobbying]] group that helped write the [[Medicare]] part D program in the late 1990s, specifically the part in the middle where for some stupid reason a huge second "deductible" kicks in and members had to pay 45% of costs for brand name and 58% of the cost of generic drugs<ref>According to [https://www.medicare.gov/part-d/costs/coverage-gap/part-d-coverage-gap.html Medicare.gov]</ref> (2016 figures; it changed every year until 2020, when the coverage gap disappeared) until they've spent about $5,000 out of pocket (called the "Donut Hole"). They conveniently licensed their name to insurance companies to cover this portion, so there is no conflict of interest there, nooooooope. They recruit new members as soon as they reach 50. They are sometimes accused of betraying their members when they don't lobby in their best interest.<ref>[http://www.commondreams.org/scriptfiles/views03/1124-07.htm AARP leaders betray their membership]</ref>

AARP arranges discounts with rental [[car]]s, hotels, and motels for their members. They also have an arrangement with the Amoco motor club for roadside assistance memberships. Additionally, they offer car insurance and Medicare gap insurance programs.

==External links==
*[https://www.aarp.org/ Their webpage]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{stub|Organizations}}
[[Category:Political action groups]]

Categories: Political action groups
ADF

{{fork}}
* [[Alliance Defending Freedom]]
* [[Democratic Republic of the Congo#"Allied Democratic Forces"|Allied Democratic Forces]]
* [[United_Kingdom_Independence_Party#Party_splits_and_spin-off_parties|Alliance for Democracy and Freedom Party]], a very minor [[UKIP]] spin-off
* {{wpl|Ár nDraíocht Féin||,}} a prominent [[Druidry|Druid]] organization
AJ Miller

[[File:AJ & Mary Presentation 2013B.png|thumb|right|245px|AJ and his wife at a seminar in 2013]]
{{Christianity}}
'''Alan John 'AJ' Miller''' {{lived|1963}} is an [[Australia]]n [[Christianity|Christian]] spiritual leader who has claimed to be the resurrected [[Jesus|Jesus Christ]]<ref>[https://www.divinetruth.com/sites/main/en/index.htm#welcome.htm Miller's Devine Truth website]</ref>.

He is the leader of Divine Truth, a Christian organisation based in Kingaroy, Queensland, which he founded in 2007. He currently has around 100 - 150 followers, and is accompanied by his wife who is "convinced" that she is [[Mary Magdalene]]. She had never regarded herself as such prior to meeting Miller.  

Miller has claimed to be the resurrected Jesus, and can remember 'everything' that has occurred over the past 2000 years. Despite this claim, he claims to be unable to speak Aramaic, the language spoken by Jesus. 

Miller has also claimed to have met many prominent historical figures during the afterlife, including [[Plato]], [[Socrates]] and [[Aristotle]].

==False predictions==
Like many good cult leaders, Miller has made numerous 'prophecies' that have turned out to be false.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVw0eFmnQtM Interview with Miller on Australian television where he details his prophecies and life as Jesus]</ref>

In 2012, he claimed that tsunamis as high as 100 metres would devastate the coasts of Australia. He also encouraged his followers to see the science fiction disaster film ''{{wpl|2012_(film)|2012}}'', as he claimed the events of the film regarding the end of the world would literally eventuate.

==Cult accusations==
Cult expert Reverend David Millikan<ref>[https://www.religionnewsblog.com/22558/exclusive-brethren-cult-2 Cleric says religious hatred law abused]  Religion News Blog, September 27, 2008</ref> expressed concerns around Miller’s potential to break up families, stating: “He is surrounded by people who have walked out of marriages and businesses. They have forsaken all to follow Jesus”. He also told told Sky that: "The danger is you'll be drawn closer and closer into his web to a point that you lose access to your social life, you spend all your money, you'll have the curses of all your family ringing in your ears and you may well lose your relationship."<ref>[https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/aj-miller-jesus-mary-luck-magdalene-cult-472312 AJ Miller: I am Australian Jesus, Follow me] International Business Times, May 29, 2013</ref> Miller denies such accusations and states: "I still for the life of me can't quite understand where the cult thing has come from. There were lots of people in the first century who didn't believe I was the Messiah and were offended by what I said - and in fact I died at the hands of some of them."

==References==
{{reflist|2|90%}}
{{Down Under}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Miller, AJ}}
[[Category:Australians]]
[[Category:Cult leaders]]
[[Category:Christians]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Messianic claimants]]
[[Category:Ministers]]

Categories: Australians, Cult leaders, Christians, Living people, Messianic claimants, Ministers