When I visited Nigeria 2 years ago, I was very suprised to see that a lot of people have now become very religous. Maybe it is the poor economic conditions, or the uncertainty of life in Nigeria that has driven the population to "I love Jesus!" or "Muhammed is true Prophet!", but whatever it was, it made me sad. Never have I seen such a defeatist mentality in my entire life.

It then became clear that the average Nigerians has no idea why they are Christian or Muslim. Ofcourse, those that passed on these beliefs have done an excellent job in hiding their tracks.

Well, the question I am going to answer to you Christian and Muslim Nigerians is why you choose these faiths to practice. I am not going to fill my post with pointless dates, because that is not the point of my post.

A couple hundred years ago, the Muslims Jihadist (Holy religous Warriors) invaded the Hausas and forced them to convert to islam. They then began invading Northern Yoruba territories and forced the Yorubas there to covert to islam. At around this time, the Europeans were forcing the south Yorubas and Igbos to convert to Christianity.

Fast forward a hundred years and you have present day Nigerians. They flock to their churches and Mosque to worship the God/Gods of the Arabs and the Europeans. They sing praises and give what little they have to the corrupt Pastors and Imams in hopes of gaining the gods of the Arabs and the Europeans. They aggressively defend this Gods and even go on bloody rampages over silly cartoons to defend the Gods of the Arabs and Europeans. Ofcourse, when it comes to defending the honor of the citizens by holding government officials (IBB and co) accountible, these "lovers of God" are no where to be found. When it comes to holding local government officials that are not providing pipe born water, these good Muslims and Christians are no where to be found.

How pathetic has our society come to? It is almost impossible to find a Yoruba that worships our gods of old. They have all turned their backs of Orumilla/Oludumare to worship the gods of the Arabs and the Europeans. Enjoy your new found Gods, because by failing to acknowledge the gods of old, you have killed the socieity.

I bet if it was to condemn gay marriage, these people of fucking Jesus and stupid Muhammed would be quick to fight against it, but when it comes to demanding that every child gets proper education so that they do not have to suffer like their parents, they sit down and pray to the gods of the Arabs and Europeans. With the deaths of our traditional gods, so has our society died.

We are a pathetic people. The existance of our Gods is not merely trying to gain extrance to heavene/{insert stupid reward}, it defines who we are as a people and what morals and standards we hold ourselves and others to. We are a pathetic people because we have lost our Gods.

Enjoy your Bible and Quran, the Arabs and Aryans would be proud of you.

They have all turned their backs of Orumilla/Oludumare to worship the gods of the Arabs and the Europeans.

So which one of the african gods do you worship?

I do not worship any. But I realize the importance of the traditional gods in our society and I wish that they are restored to their formal glory. I believe that religion is a part of society and not necessarily a means to immortality or anything silly like that. However, I will gladly worship the traditional Gods if for nothing else to show the Christians and Muslims that they have turned their backs on the gods of our fore-fathers.

Afeni:

I do not worship any. But I realize the importance of the traditional gods in our society and I wish that they are restored to their formal glory.

So, how did they lose their glory that you're snivelling at now? There's no one stopping you from being their first 21st-century prophet/priest. Do I get a feeling that your campaign is simply because your gods have disappointed you or something; and the only way to restore their lost (and irrecoverable) glory is to disrepect and attack the faith of other people, as a reflection of your obeisance to your gods?

Never have I seen such a defeatist mentality in my entire life.

I think you just have a problem with religion in general, and you are only singling out Christianity and Islam because they are the two most dominant religion. I beg to disagree with you on your statement about Nigerians being defeatist. On the contrary, Nigerians are the most optimistic people in the world. Despite our poverty, we were recently ranked as the happiest people on earth. And guess what? The Japan you mentioned has the highest rate of suicide in the world. Obviously, both communities have some balancing to do.

Noble death is the type of suicides that is common (Japanese type of suicides) based from cultural beliefs, so not considered really a problem.

Nigeria was not recently rated, that ratings was long ago. Nigerians are very optimistic people, and thats what is very disturbing, because it affects proactiveness that can boost growth. "Its going to be ok" attitude is what is ruining Nigeria today. Religion is beautiful if practice properly, but it seperates people. Spiritually bonds people rather.

Logical,

Noble death is the type of suicides that is common (Japanese type of suicides) based from cultural beliefs, so not considered really a problem.

Thanks for your additions and corrections. I am aware that the Japanese actually kill themselves 'for honor', but let's face it, the only reason to kill yourself is when you do not see a tomorrow better than today. The man who kills himself for honor thinks there is no way his honor can be revived tomorrow, hence his decision to end it today. And by the way, how isn't that a problem? Any culture that doesn't think suicide is a problem needs updating. Religion sharpens our moral standard and it will do so in that society as well.

Nigeria was not recently rated, that ratings was long ago.

The survey was carried out about 2.5 years ago and to my knowledge, no new study has been done since then. I believe the results are still valid today as they were then. Anyway, until a newer study is done that proves otherwise, Nigerians are still the people you will most likley find smiling in the crowd.

Syrup, I never had a God. I do not take kindly to being a Sheep. If it was Gods intention that we were to be Christians, he would have made us as such. All evidence about religious points to its being a means to explain things that we find impossible to understand. Look at every Ethnic group in the world, and they all at one time or another invented their religous believes which held their society together and was a symbol of pride for their people. You are only fooling yourself if you believe these silly stories that are barely fit for children tales. Continue to spin it precious, and spread on your love of Christ. Best of luck in your entrance into British Heaven.

TayoD, everything is relative. If you were to go back 500 years in time, I think it is safe to assume that you would be appalled by the living standards of the natives. You might even wonder why they drink from lead plates and cups (Lead poisons people and leads to death). Ofcourse, the only reason you would question these practices is because you can compare it to life in the current time.

For instance, I never knew Nigeria was poor till I landed in Armstadam. I never knew I was black till they I first visited London. I never knew that not everyone spoke English till I went to France. Hence, all we know, as people, is in relation to other things. While we might all say the Japanese have an excellent standard of living, since most Japanese don't travel out of their country, they do not know that. Simarly in ways that most Nigerians do not travel out of the country, they do not know that the average Ghanian, Ivorian, or citizen of Benin republic has constant electricity and is ranked as having a higher standards of living than us. Our leaders that continously talk about how blessed our nation is only help to fortify the illusion.

For those who don't know, the communist and socialist and found that by constantly telling their population that they are living in the best country in the world, they are able to keep the people domant and complacent even in countries like North Korea where it is not unusual to see people dozens of dead people that have starved to death from the night before.

logical, The suicide rate is high in Japan because their culture envy those that sacrifice themselves for ideals. In fact, when regional masters were executed/assinated by the state in 17TH century Japan, it was not unusual to have 20+ servants of the dead boss to chase down and kill the executor, and then proceed to commit ritual suicide as a show of loyalty to their dead boss.

I strongly beleive that the key to Nigerian development is for those of us that are overseas to return back home and share the knowledge of how things work elsewhere with our fellow people. It is unrealistic to expect the average Nigerian that knows only that the people of Europe or America are richer than us, to some how take that simple knowledge to create something "good". This is one of the biggest damages that Christianity and Islam are doing to our society. The pastors and Imans promise their follows of sorts of riches (in this world or there after) if they follow these text of the west or the east, and the people loose focus on what really matters. People feel that the west and the east are weatlhy because they have devoted their lives to Jesus or Muhammed, when that is truely no the case. The average Nigerian is 10 tens more religious than the average American, and yet they are a lot more poor. Clearly, religous does not generate wealth. Wealth is generated by producing goods and services that others desire. Producing high quality Traditional statues that people of western decent find interesting. Producing books of our traditional gods and customs that people from other parts of the world find exotic and unusual. Producing a focused, dignified, hard-working labour force that people would spend millions and travel from thousand of miles a way to do business with. That is what makes a wealthy nation. That is what makes a powerful state that all of us can be proud of.

Worship your Jesus and Muhammed all you want, you will still be looked as a mumu if you fail to provide anything tangible.

Afeni:

Syrup, I never had a God. I do not take kindly to being a Sheep. If it was Gods intention that we were to be Christians, he would have made us as such. All evidence about religious points to its being a means to explain things that we find impossible to understand. Look at every Ethnic group in the world, and they all at one time or another invented their religous believes which held their society together and was a symbol of pride for their people. You are only fooling yourself if you believe these silly stories that are barely fit for children tales. Continue to spin it precious, and spread on your love of Christ. Best of luck in your entrance into British Heaven.

Even when you hate Christians, it was clearly not God's intentions at all to make us all like you, . And if your traditional gods have failed you, live with it. If you want to have a dialogue with people, address them with genuine concern and deference, not what you've been doing right from get-go. You need to calm down and realise that you're angry at something, but you're mixing up issues and that's why your vituperations are mis-directed. Christians are genuinely angry at issues that leave people under, but we don't address these issues the way you've moulded yourself into. If you hate and insult Nigerians simply because they're not atheists or agnostics, does that help your case in seeking a friendly solution for them?

I want an end to the madness. I never said it had to be a friendly, or peaceful realignment. If you became Christian by the force of the British, you would give up that faith by force if necessary.

Again, like I said, I have never been a god fearing person, so stop trying to spin into some sort of fetish with the gods of old. I merely highlighted how quickly (less than 100 years) that it took our people to turn into "Love thy neighbor people".

Its fine, someone would build an army and put an end to the madness, soon.

Glad to read your profile in your response - you've never been a god fearing person. I didn't become a Christian by force of anyone, and all the armies of the world who have tried have neither been able to put an end to Christianity, nor have they been able to revive your traditional gods, nor will they be able to better the economic lot of the nations by force. Look for more viable ways for your proposals, for no army can nor will do that for you.

@ Syrup

I didn't become a Christian by force of anyone, and all the armies of the world who have tried have neither been able to put an end to Christianity,

They do not need to put an end to Christianity! There are more people killed in the name of religion than any other reason. Thou shalt not kill seems to be very liberally interpreted.

People seem more shocked by pre-marital sex than the fact that millions of people die each year through religious violence.

Back to the original question 'Price of Your Soul'? Maybe you should advertise it on Ebay and then you will know it's real market value

@Reverend,
Your response missed the mark and should have been directed at Afeni. I'm not advocating the end of Christianity if that's why you quoted me. Second, your statistics are very uninformed. No? Do the research yourself - the result might surprise you. Your disavowal of religion is okay, but who says I was in your supposed camp of advocating religion anyway? Sex (pre-marital or otherwise) is an issue that seems to cling to your midde name and it shows in almost all your concerns in the religious Forum. Unfortunately, you don't sell to me.

Unfortunately, you don't sell to me.

@ Syrup

Would you like me to sell you? What is the price?

At your age you should really have some shame. Tip: why not call 1-800-PSYCHOPATHY?

If you're willing to discuss issues, that'll be great. If otherwise, your kinky church needs your attention.

@ Syrup

I see you have a very tolerant Christian mentality and a wonderful sense of humour

I called 1-800-PSYCHOPATHY but the line was busy. The operator told me that they have been speaking to you for the past few hours about your hang-ups

I will try and call them later.

Syrup = Sticky and Thick!

OK, maybe you are Sweet as well!

So Syrup, what price is your soul?

Ahh! Forgot to remind you that the line's always busy - there are more of your cases than you realise. And that they were busy speaking to me - we were all trying to figure out what pathological illness you've been suffering from.

You're talking of "a very tolerant Christian mentality" - that sounds like your snivel anytime you've been called to order. I don't game, so soliciting for my soul will be a wasted advertising effort on your part. Grow up. . . aint you called a Reverend?

@ Syrup

I have three illnesses:-

Normality
Liberalism
Free Thinking

I understand that many people do not suffer from these and I really hope they never find a cure!

Maybe if your soul is expensive I could purchase it on a credit agreement. I will give you my soul (or part of it) as collateral

Nah-nah. . .lol. It's common knowledge that your type seem to define their illness with those three words and more, which is just a characteristic symptom of your pathological case, hhmmm? Okay. But wait until you check in and are properly oriented by the great Physician; then you'll know the difference. For now, keep up the entertaining, it matters little to me how cheaply you evaluate your soul.

@ Syrup

OK, I will go to the hospital as long as you dress up in a nurses uniform and stockings

That would definitely be good for the soul (mine) and increase it's value

Entertain thyself, as pleaseth thy soul.


[syrup >>>chuckles: his tall dream!<<]

where were orunmila, ifa etc. when the foreigners defeated their followers? why couldn't they save them? they couldn't even save themselves from falling from glory? why would i want to worship a god that has fallen from glory? a god that needs our help to restore him to his former glory. I want a God who can be there when i need Him. That's why I chose Jesus. He's been more than enough for me.

BTW, doesn't it seem odd that these foreign Gods have done their ppl well. America was built on christian values - they're the most powerful and richest nation.
Britain and these other western countries are doing well.
What did orunmila and the others do for Nigeria?

my 100th post, yeah!!!

Afeni,

U don't seem to know much about the average Nigerian. But then that depends on what u mean by average. Nigerians are intelligent ppl and have knowledge which in many cases is wasting away. The key to our devt. is not just for those abroad to come home, many of them have come and joined the elites in cheating the rest of the country. Afterall, all humans have the tendency to be greedy.

One thing that has made the US a great country is that they tried as much as possible to give every man his rights. The US was built on christian values and the Bible is very much against cheating the poor.



I just realized u were living in New York. Thank God. Only a hundred Nigerians with the hatred you have for Christianity, Islam etc. can destroy this nation. Do you fight against the Eastern religions becoming popular in the US? Anyway this is Nigeria and we have freedom of religion. Obviously our traditional gods had no power to save themselves not to talk of our ancestors. I'm not sure they deserve my consideration.

Whatever the brand of religion u're trying to spread, i'm not sure many Nigerians would be interested. Nigerians are not just interested in building a nation that would be as wealthy as the US. We also want a nation with good morals. We don't want to see kids in gangs, using drugs/guns, and doing all the other stuff that young Americans now do.

Afeni,

I feel betrayed by you, so you actually believe in the Supernatural/God of some sort.Your problem is you don't like Jewdo-Christan God=Jehovah and the Islamic God=Allah.
You would like re-emergence of the African Gods=Sango,Ogun,Balogun,Amadioha.

So much for an Atheist/Agnostic