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Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by uchennamani(m): 9:41am On Jan 14, 2018
Ex
ooman:
What has not been proven cannot be disproved. God is only an hypothesis of how everything got here. The idea of god is no certainty, this is why faith is the most cherished virtue of the religious. They do not really know if their chosen god exist, they only believe he's somewhere in the sky.

Science has not offered all the answer, but whats certain is that religion has no answer at all, it only stops you from asking the questions by telling you to have faith.

So its a good choice you have made. Life is a quest, enjoy it.
Excellent.
Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by Mujtahida: 3:30pm On Jan 15, 2018
joseph1013:
HOW CAN ANYONE TAKE CHRISTIANITY SERIOUSLY?

It boggles the mind. Christianity relies upon two bodies of scripture. The Old Testament and the New.

Look at the Old Testament and you find God apparently orders raped virgin girls to marry their rapists. And God demands that unruly children, gay people and brides who do not bleed on their wedding night should be stoned to death.

Move on to the New Testament and you find God promising that believers can drink poison without being harmed and can heal sick people just by laying their hands on them. It says whatever you pray for will be done for you and it tells us that long dead people got out of their graves and walked through the city...

Really, how can grown men and women take this seriously? How can anyone read nonsense like this and say, "Yep, that's me. I'm a Christian"?

Why is it not excruciatingly embarrassing to admit that? Please tell us.
If a man would follow today, the teachings of the Old Testament, he would be a criminal. If he would follow strictly the teachings of the New, he would be insane-Robert Green Ingersoll
Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 6:07am On Jan 16, 2018
Mujtahida:

If a man would follow today, the teachings of the Old Testament, he would be a criminal. If he would follow strictly the teachings of the New, he would be insane-Robert Green Ingersoll


Ingersoll! I so mocked him during my proselyting days.

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Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 6:18am On Jan 16, 2018
CHECKMATE CHRISTIANITY

The first people to adopt Yahweh as their god were the 12 tribes of Israel around 1,000 BCE or before. Apparently, Yahweh spoke to prophets among these tribesmen and inspired them to write about how He created the universe, the Earth and all life on the planet. They also wrote how they were guided and helped by Yahweh and they documented the laws said to have come from Yahweh. These stories can be found in the Tanakh and are the foundation of the Jewish religion.

About 1,000 years later a Messiah, now known as Jesus, is said to have been born. He was sent by Yahweh and a second religion grew up around him--Christianity. Christians referred to the old stories as the Old Testament and wrote new stories about Jesus which they called the New testament. Together these testaments form the Bible.

So we have one god and two religions. Let's think about this. If the Israelites made up their stories about God, both religions must be made up. But, let's assume for now, the Israelites more or less faithfully recorded what they learned from God. If so, Judaism is a true religion worshipping a real god.

What about Christianity? If Judaism is true can Christianity also be true? I don't think it can.

Central to Christian theology is the idea of original sin. It is the reason Jesus was sent to us. If there was no original sin, there is no role for Jesus. However, Judaism rejects the notion of original sin.

Equally important to Christianity is the idea of salvation through Jesus. Only by accepting Jesus as your Lord and saviour can sin be forgiven so you may enter heaven. Judaism does not accept this. Judaism says atonement for sin is achieved by seeking forgiveness from God through prayer and repentance. Indeed, Judaism sets aside a day each year for repentance known as Yom Kippur.

In order to accomplish his mission to forgive sin, Christianity says Jesus is divine and a part of a triune God (God, Jesus & The Holy Spirit). Judaism does not accept that Jesus was divine nor that God has a triune nature.

There are many other differences between Judaism and Christianity but, these three fundamental theological differences alone are enough for us to conclude, if Judaism is true, Christianity cannot be.

This then is the quandary for Christians, if Judaism is made up, Christianity cannot be true but, if Judaism is true, Christianity still cannot be true. Where does this leave Christianity? Read that last sentence again. Take all the time you need.

I would say this is "Checkmate Christianity", wouldn't you?

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Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by Mujtahida: 11:37am On Jan 16, 2018
joseph1013:


Ingersoll! I so mocked him during my proselyting days.
That guy is so eloquent- a gifted orator per excellence.
Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 8:24pm On Jan 20, 2018
THE BIBLE'S BIG MISTAKE

If God created life on Earth, I think I know how he did it.

He started by making a simple, single-celled creature. His first shot at life were cells that didn't even have a nucleus but they could utilise external sources of energy and could replicate. God tinkered with these cells for the next two billion years making hundreds of tiny improvements. During this time, one of the important ideas he had was to provide a mechanism for photosynthesis (obtaining energy from sunlight).

Then he had a brainwave. Reproduction would be much more efficient if the genetic material was enclosed in a membrane within the cell--he invented the nucleus.

He tinkered again for over 500 million years. During that time he created many different versions of his creatures but they were all fundamentally similar. But one innovation would prove critical--he introduced sexual reproduction. This greatly increased diversity which made life more resilient and increased the rate at which life forms changed.

Four hundred million years later, he came up with the idea of combining several single-celled creatures to form one multi-celled creature. This was a very important idea--ultimately it allowed humans to exist. That's probably why God took 3.3 billion years to figure out how to do it--he didn't want to make any mistakes.

That innovation 800 million years ago was decisive. And it seemed to give God renewed creative energy. Diversity and complexity accelerated rapidly. He created animals with bi-lateral symmetry, legs, a central nervous system, a spine, a brain, eyes and more. This orgy of creation continued and just over a million years ago he came up with us, homo sapiens.

It all worked out in the end but it was a very inefficient process, probably more than 95% of the species God created were flops and became extinct. The process was a bit like a child with a chemistry set using trial and error to see what useful chemicals he could make.

It's a pity the Bible didn't describe the process like this. But it didn't, it said God made all species in a single day. It's hard to imagine how it could have been more wrong.

If the Bible had described it as I have, it would have been consistent with the mountain of evidence we've uncovered and we would probably all believe God is real by now. Instead, only the young, the undereducated and the delusional believe God is real, the rest of us rely on hard evidence to determine how life evolved.

And that shows the Bible to be a book of fiction and not of fact.

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Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by kingmarv(m): 9:32pm On Jan 20, 2018
Why can't some people understand by common sense that it is simply evil to be unforgiving. It is true that some people are actually hostile to others because of economic, ethnic, tribal and racial reasons and morality teaches them to maintain peace.

But my major worry is that some people claim to be worshipping a deity that teaches them through their religious doctrines to be violent and shed innocent blood to establish their territory or dominate others, without knowing that they are being brainwashed by Satan to carry out his wicked will.

If you know that you are walking on the right path and what you believe is superior to mine, then why must you use force on me to follow you? Can't common sense let you know that it is because you lack truth in what you believe that is why you are using force on me? What about dialogue? Can't you sell what you believe peacefully with me and allow me to make my choice whether to follow you or not based on my conviction? And if I don't do you have to kill me?

Wait a minute and answer the following salient questions;

Is the one you worship a creator of life? If no. Why do you worship him? If yes. Why do you take life that he created and still believe that you are pleasing him? Or do you want to tell us that the one you worship only created some few who are his original believers? If you believe he created all men then why can't common sense let you know that the creator is a lover of his creatures and that whoever destroys any of them commits capital sin against him? Imagine you watching your biological child being killed right in your presence.

It is because you want people to believe a deity you worship that you are fighting and killing them for him.. Can't common sense tell you that you have reduced him to less than a man that you are? I believe someone should be all powerful to be worshipped.

If only some people can think wisely and objectively they will do away with whatever they believe that will make them to promote crisis an terrorism like a man will drop a hot iron from his hand.

Refuse to be afraid of the persecution you might have to face by your relations when you say no to falsehood. The God of truth and peace will shield you from their attacks. The fear of persecution is the major thing that is keeping some people in falsehood.

Dump any religious, traditional, tribal, racial or ethnic teachings that promote unforgiveness, hatred, violence, war, which ultimately result in shedding of innocent blood and embrace the teaching of peace and justice.

I recommend to you such teaching of peace and justice under the umbrella of Christianity. I will not come after you even if you refuse to believe me because my Master told me to be at peace with you. He loves sinners and His eternal expectation is that they will one day come to Him before the end of time. He values His blood that He shed for the remission of the sin of the whole world.

Peace be still in Nigeria.

Jesus is Lord!
Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 6:21am On Jan 21, 2018
Why should you believe a God who killed his son would love you?
Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 6:26am On Jan 21, 2018
A man had an auto crash and loses both legs. One day, he comes across the following words from the Bible:

"And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do." John 14:13-14

Then he fervently and humbly asks that God send him new pair of legs.

Two years later, still in his wheelchair, he keeps reminding God of His word.

One day, during a Bible study service, a Minister teaches from that same scripture.

"And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do."

During the Q&A session, he raises his hand and asks if that scripture is really true. He tells the church God has failed to keep His word.

Immediately there are three school of thoughts as the church ministers interpret the Bible verse to him:

1. The Lord is testing your faith. For He cannot give you more than you can bear.
The Verdict: that scripture is 100% correct but you are going through a test.
2. That scripture says “according to your faith, if you ask anything in my name it shall be done.” Your faith is not enough.
The Verdict: it’s your fault. The Bible is 100% true. The error is with you.
3. Have you added fasting and effectual prayers? Some things demand special prayers. Extraordinary gift. Remember that there’s a gift of doing miracles.
The Verdict: find a higher spiritual power. You are not qualified. There are men and women of God anointed to carry out such special requests.

When all is said and done, the man rolls his wheelchair down the road with more questions in his head. Then, one more teacher walks up to him and says: you should give thanks to God that you can use a wheelchair. What if you had died during that fatal accident.

The man is angry and says: no, you should give thanks to the man who made this wheelchair. He doesn’t believe in God nor does he read all that stuff we read. Yet this sinner man made something that works. No promises. No long prayers. Just nuts and bolts, and common sense.

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Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by kingmarv(m): 11:40am On Jan 21, 2018
why do you answer the name Joseph without knowing that the death of Jesus was love motivated and substitutionary. And that He died to save many from eternal death. What do you think a farmer should stand to gain by burying a corn to the ground ?
Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by kingmarv(m): 11:55am On Jan 21, 2018
Joseph1013 what is faith?
Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by kingmarv(m): 12:51pm On Jan 21, 2018
You believe someone who said "I would rather go to hell
than to go to heaven and keep the society
of such an infamous tyrant. I make my
choice now"

QUESTION
how did he know that hell exist for him to have made his choice to go there?

Has he drawn the truth about the existence of hell through reason, logic and experimentation ? Since something must pass through all those and many more to be accepted and believed.

Is he not practising faith now? The same he referred to unhappy mixture of insanity
and ignorance.
Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by Elparaiso(m): 2:38pm On Jan 21, 2018
kingmarv:
You believe someone who said "I would rather go to hell
than to go to heaven and keep the society
of such an infamous tyrant. I make my
choice now"

QUESTION
how did he know that hell exist for him to have made his choice to go there?

Has he drawn the truth about the existence of hell through reason, logic and experimentation ? Since something must pass through all those and many more to be accepted and believed.

Is he not practising faith now? The same he referred to unhappy mixture of insanity
and ignorance.




Send him a PM please. Some of us are here to read and comment. Not argue.

1 Like

Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 2:59pm On Jan 21, 2018
Olayinka Ayinde

Imagine that someone meets you on the way and drags you to one corner, accuses you of offences you have absolutely no idea of and declares that Shakamundi hit his foot against the rock of Askamandu for these strange offences.

You're still reeling from all these when he declares that for this reason, you must kneel to Shakamundi everyday at 6am and pay him 10% of all you earn every month. And you can only see Shakamundi when you die!

How would that sound to you?

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Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 3:09pm On Jan 21, 2018
kingmarv:
why do you answer the name Joseph without knowing that the death of Jesus was love motivated and substitutionary. And that He died to save many from eternal death. What do you think a farmer should stand to gain by burying a corn to the ground ?

Because I joined Nairaland before I became an atheist. I was a Christian when I joined this forum, a proselytizing one at that and I see no need to change my moniker, Joseph1013, after I realize that my Christian beliefs were misguided.

To your other comments, well...what can I say...what convinces you that Jesus died?
Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 3:26pm On Jan 21, 2018
kingmarv:
Joseph1013
what is faith?

Webster's New World College Dictionary defines faith as "unquestioning belief that does not require proof or evidence; unquestioning belief in God, religious tenets."

1 Like

Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 3:30pm On Jan 21, 2018
kingmarv:
You believe someone who said "I would rather go to hell
than to go to heaven and keep the society
of such an infamous tyrant. I make my
choice now"

QUESTION
how did he know that hell exist for him to have made his choice to go there?

Has he drawn the truth about the existence of hell through reason, logic and experimentation ? Since something must pass through all those and many more to be accepted and believed.

Is he not practising faith now? The same he referred to unhappy mixture of insanity
and ignorance.

When atheists make this comment, they don't make it because they believe, they make it to taunt people who keep telling them they will not make heaven.

So don't get so worked up about it.

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Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by Kenerd: 7:19am On Jan 24, 2018
Elparaiso:


Send him a PM please. Some of us are here to read and comment. Not argue.
abi oh. your arguments are pointless to begin with self.
Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 6:24pm On Jan 26, 2018
RELIGION AND THE BICAMERAL MIND

Humans are a type of ape. We evolved from animals with limited reasoning skills that relied largely on instinct and emotions to survive. We came to exist when new brain tissue evolved, capable of logic and planning but we never lost our primitive brain. So our species is cursed with battling brain parts--the part that wants to follow our emotions and the part that wants order, logic and planning.

Sometimes it works out beautifully. From this battle emerges wonderful art, music, architecture and inventions that have literally changed the world and made us the most powerful creatures on the planet. And sometimes it is terrible.

All too often the old brain rides roughshod over the upstart new brain and we behave much as our distant ancestors would have behaved. Driven by hate, anger, greed and the big daddy of them all, fear, we defend our own, and attack outsiders. Reason tells us human life is valuable and must be protected but wrath ignores reason and lashes out.

We all have the potential to be murderous, no matter how smart and civilised we appear. We may wish it was otherwise, but it is not. If we ever lose our instinctive, emotional brain we will no longer be human. We will have become a new species.

It is this quirk of evolution that makes religion so dangerous for humans. Religions live in our emotional brain and can make outsiders of anyone with different beliefs--sometimes, even our own children. And the emotional part of our brain knows outsiders are a threat... This is why religion is a ticking time bomb that can only be fully neutralised by training the new brain to eradicate religion from the old brain.

The good news is we know this is possible--millions of people have achieved it. The bad news is most humans resist change so it's taking too long and people are being killed every day in the name of religion.

The religions that most of us have today are simply too dangerous for our bicameral minds--it is like mixing fuel and fire. This is why they must go.

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Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by youngeasy99: 2:45pm On Jan 27, 2018
Kenerd:
abi oh. your arguments are pointless to begin with self.
yea that's the word "pointless". They hold no water at all.
Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by youngeasy99: 3:48pm On Jan 27, 2018
Wow! what wealth of knowledge lies here. I'll be an ingrate if I fail to admit that this write up has been really insightful. been viewing this thread as a guest for the past few months, following every page religiously and I must confess that I was forced to cogitate and see things more clearly and think from a better perspective asking myself serious questions not following dogmas blindly and letting my sense of reasoning get beclouded. Although I don't subscribe to the notion that God is inexistent, Religion is a no no for me. keep up the good work

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Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by junnyjake(m): 5:24pm On Jan 27, 2018
Mujtahida:

If a man would follow today, the teachings of the Old Testament, he would be a criminal. If he would follow strictly the teachings of the New, he would be insane-Robert Green Ingersoll


My man, can I put you on the spot a bit and beg that you don't return the favor?


Do you believe in the metaphysical?
Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by junnyjake(m): 7:07pm On Jan 27, 2018
joseph1013:


Because I joined Nairaland before I became an atheist. I was a Christian when I joined this forum, a proselytizing one at that and I see no need to change my moniker, Joseph1013, after I realize that my Christian beliefs were misguided.

To your other comments, well...what can I say...what convinces you that Jesus died?

What was really your turning point?
Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by Mujtahida: 8:48pm On Jan 27, 2018
junnyjake:


My man, can I put you on the spot a bit and beg that you don't return the favor?


Do you believe in the metaphysical?
I do. I believe that the universe is both physical and spiritual and that both of them are one just like ice and liquid and vapour are different states of water depending on the quantum of energy but still water.
Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by junnyjake(m): 9:34pm On Jan 27, 2018
Mujtahida:

I do. I believe that the universe is both physical and spiritual and that both of them are one just like ice and liquid and vapour are different states of water depending on the quantum of energy but still water.

OK, I get you.

but not through the prisms of religious or biblical provisions?
Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by Mujtahida: 10:11pm On Jan 27, 2018
junnyjake:


OK, I get you.

but not through the prisms of religious or biblical provisions?
Exactly. Rather through the prism of nature or at most science(though I'm not science inclined)
Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 10:39pm On Jan 27, 2018
junnyjake:


What was really your turning point?
It's kind of blurry now but I think it was the realization that I would never have been a Christian if I was born in Pakistan.

In other words, religion is mostly geographical.

3 Likes

Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 11:00pm On Jan 27, 2018
HELP ME SO I CAN ARGUE WITH GOD

I've been arguing with god-believers for years and I'm tired of it. All I get is the dreary repetition of fallacious arguments that were thoroughly rebutted decades or even centuries ago.

Why bad arguments are persuasive to believers, I don't know, but they are. I don't learn anything from bad arguments and they don't get better if you keep repeating them.

So I won't argue with humans any more (LOL). However, if you are convinced you have a responsive relationship with God, ask him how to convince me. Get your arguments from the highest authority. Then share God's own arguments and evidence with me. Let me argue with God. Help me to do that.

If God is real, you will come back with ingenious and subtle arguments that are non-fallacious and unanswerable. I will learn something amazing and so will hundreds of others.

But, even if you come back with the same dull and broken arguments as everyone else, I will still have learned something--I will have learned you don't talk to God, you talk to yourself.

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Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 3:24am On Jan 30, 2018
WHY FEAR?

I love my parents and i respect them immensely, they created me, nurtured me and facilitated in my education. I really do owe them my life. Some have told me family is overrated but that is so very difficult for me to imagine judging by the relationship I have had and continue to have with them.

Once in a while though I am able to voice my opposition to their choices and decisions because my position is respected.

What would that say about our relationship if i feared my parents. It would suggest that violence, intimidation and abuse was part of my childhood and my relationship is not that of respect and love, but rather disregard and hate.

So why would anyone will themselves to believe anything so repulsive as; "Fear of a deity/God is a good thing and a recipe for wisdom?" In fact, believers believe that the consequences of not fearing God is hellfire.

Why is fear a good thing? Is the fear of your God rather not evidence of intimidation and abuse? Why would you wish and will yourself to hang out with an intimidating and abusive superhuman you have no evidence for?

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Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 2:51pm On Jan 30, 2018
Olayinka Ayinde

Behaviour modification for children.

"If you don't eat your food #OjujuCalabar will come and carry you away!"

Behavior modification for adults.

"If you don't give me your money, #Devourer kee you there!"

Same thing. Different age groups. �

9 Likes 1 Share

Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 8:42pm On Feb 01, 2018
Religion followers, 2015.

Christianity: 2.3 billion
Islam: 1.8 billion
Unaffiliated: 1.2 billion
Hinduism: 1.1 billion
Buddhism: 0.5 billion
Folk religion: 0.4 billion

(Pew Research)
Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by budaatum: 8:50pm On Feb 01, 2018
Please ensure you are keeping copies of these posts. I ran a similar thing in another forum years ago but lost it all when the forum went down. It will make a good book someday.

joseph1013:
RELIGION AND THE BICAMERAL MIND

Humans are a type of ape. We evolved from animals with limited reasoning skills that relied largely on instinct and emotions to survive. We came to exist when new brain tissue evolved, capable of logic and planning but we never lost our primitive brain. So our species is cursed with battling brain parts--the part that wants to follow our emotions and the part that wants order, logic and planning.

Sometimes it works out beautifully. From this battle emerges wonderful art, music, architecture and inventions that have literally changed the world and made us the most powerful creatures on the planet. And sometimes it is terrible.

All too often the old brain rides roughshod over the upstart new brain and we behave much as our distant ancestors would have behaved. Driven by hate, anger, greed and the big daddy of them all, fear, we defend our own, and attack outsiders. Reason tells us human life is valuable and must be protected but wrath ignores reason and lashes out.

We all have the potential to be murderous, no matter how smart and civilised we appear. We may wish it was otherwise, but it is not. If we ever lose our instinctive, emotional brain we will no longer be human. We will have become a new species.

It is this quirk of evolution that makes religion so dangerous for humans. Religions live in our emotional brain and can make outsiders of anyone with different beliefs--sometimes, even our own children. And the emotional part of our brain knows outsiders are a threat... This is why religion is a ticking time bomb that can only be fully neutralised by training the new brain to eradicate religion from the old brain.

The good news is we know this is possible--millions of people have achieved it. The bad news is most humans resist change so it's taking too long and people are being killed every day in the name of religion.

The religions that most of us have today are simply too dangerous for our bicameral minds--it is like mixing fuel and fire. This is why they must go.

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