Summations Only

Taking the balloon example literally: No, because some input into the balloon is causing the expansion--either more air or more heat is required to cause the balloon to expand.Without that input, the balloon will cool or leak or both, and thus contract. If the balloon is being actively inflated, the inflating is part of the system, and thus the balloon itself is not a closed system.Our balloon-planet is not a closed system because it receives energy from the sun and radiates energy (and some atmosphere) into space. Even the gravitational forces acting on our blue balloon--the sun, the moon, the universe--have an effect.

Well, to be fair, they DO refer to Pres. Obama as a "self avowed christian"--though only to imply he's a Muslim.A political parallel is the "radical leftist" or "extreme liberal" reference. We never hear about moderate leftists or moderate liberals (or even plain vanilla leftists or liberals) from the right: if you disagree with them, that's extremely radical.I think radical Christians say "self avowed atheist" because they want to imply (as they believe) that every atheist knows in his secret heart of hearts that there is a God, and that they just hate Him.*NB: Confession--if creationists and evangelicals could somehow prove to me that their God, as they depict him, is real, I would cast my lot with the opposition.*Pronoun capitalized for clarity.