I understand many people, believers and non-believers, would like to ask me a number of questions.  I have started this thread as a platformm for bringing your pressing questions to me and have them answered.  You are welcome to ask all manner of questions but only personal questions and questions relating to my family will NOT be answered.  All other questions will be answered in due time.

So now is your time to rid yourself of those nagging questions that have disturbed you for years and months.  I shall do my best to answer them as honestly as possible, using extra relevant material where possible.  Where I do not know the answer or cannot obtain it from anywhere, I shall say so.  After all, I am as ignorant as the next man/woman but I know how to fix areas in which I am ignorant.


In the interest of clarity, I would only answer questions that do not contain any ambiguous terms.  If you are going to use such terms, they MUST be clearly defined using standardly accepted words and definitions.  Below are terms I consider ambiguous.

1)  Theory
2)  The Theory of Evolution (or evolution, for short)
3)  Spirit, Spiritual
4)  Soul
5)  God(s)
6)  Satan/devil
7)  Big Bang
8.)  Gravity

The onus remains with the questioner to rid their question of all possibility of miscontrual and double-meaning.

Question 1: Is a repeat of what u and ur band ran away from at the evolution thread.

You simply described the behaviours of RNA without sheding light of the origin or evolution of life.
U are discusing the self replicationg nature of RNA, while we are asking the pioneer formation of this RNA? how did it happen? which was the very first? what was its structure?

the commonest law of biogenesis says life begets life. Biology butresses this. Yet evolution claims that the first
substance of life were formed from non-living substances reffered to as "spontaneous generation". or am i wrong? RUBBISh, . . . . .
can u explain this contradiction?

Darwin claims that all organisms on earth are descent from a common ancestor or a last universal ancestor.
Whats ur explanation for the mitochondria gene exception? what is the identity and nature of the last common universal ancestor?

I am asking very simple straight forward questions here.
Evolution traces life to phylogenetic tree that that postulates three domains of life namely bacteria, archea and eucaryota. What is the major consesus or common denominator to whom life might can be traced to between these three?


Evolution claims that increasing complex chemical reactions that resulted from simpler chemical reactions are
the last traces of life. Me the creationist is asking u the evolutionist, what was the singular first chemical reaction that kick started life?
and what were the substances that made up this reaction?
what was the structure of the first living things?

i eargerly await ur response.

Question 2:
What is Atheism and the rationality of ur beliefs?

I will help u paint the larger picture:

I define atheism as an irrational state of mind. . .  .where the subject of ones disbelief cannot be substantiated or defined.
Implying that an atheist lacks the rationality to substantiate the subject of his disbelief. By answering this question, u might prove me wrong.

Take for instance: I dont believe in the potency or imotality of Sango (yoruba god of thunder) and Ifa (yoruba god of divination).
I know who Ifa is, I have witnessed his divination abilities and sacrificial capacity. But I chose never to belief in him, my  choice is a function of rationality, intellectualism and an educated and oriented analysis. In other words I know who ifa is but dont believe in him.


I dont believe that a violent revolution is the answer to Nigeria`s numerous problems.
I know what violence is. I know what revolution is. and I know the history of Nigeria.
So my choice of disbelief is informed by knowledge and rationality.


I dont believe that the major division in nigeria is on tribal lines (between hausa, ibo, yoruba and other ethnic minorities). I believe that Nigeria`s main dividing point is between the oppressors and the oppressed.
I know the history of nigeria. I know who the hausas, ibos, yorubas are and I also know their history.
I know who and it means to be oppressed and I can identify an oppressor.


I dont belief that Communism is good for anyone.
I know what communism is. I know the history of its chief protagonists. And I know the concept of the major alternative to communism (democracy). My choice is rational and well informed cos I have an appreciative understanding of the concept I dont believe.


Now lets come to you: You HUXLEY (an atheist) dont believe in the existence of Jehovah God.
Who is Jehovah God? What is His ontology?

Question: you are like an earth worm challenging the elephant; knowing that u are ignorant.

May kelly:

Question: you are like an earth worm challenging the elephant; knowing that u are ignorant.

then pray to the elephant to come and crush him, thats what you are very good at here. binding casting and wishing doom on people because they do not believe in your imaginary deity. go ahead and tell jehova to destroy all the atheist in the world.

noetic:

Question 2:
What is Atheism and the rationality of ur beliefs?

I will help u paint the larger picture:

I define atheism as an irrational state of mind. . . .where the subject of ones disbelief cannot be substantiated or defined.

You clearly do not know what you are talking about. to me atheism is the claim that there is no rational justification for belief in the existence of any god or gods. i take atheism to assert that, when all the evidence for and against is weighed, the best conclusion to draw is that there is no god. as an atheist, i deny exist of all gods (and demons) those of the muslims, the hindu, the ancient egyptians, and the god of the old and new testaments.

Now lets come to you: You HUXLEY (an atheist) dont believe in the existence of Jehovah God.
Who is Jehovah God? What is His ontology?

jehova god is an imaginary self contradictory deity that was created by the clever ancient hebrew misogynist men for a variety of purposes, ranging from psychological comfort, entertainment and also to serve as an excuse for stealing, raping and destryoing their enemies. the same god was then hig jacked by the gentiles(greek and romans) and was turned into another different deity(jesus).

mazaje:

then pray to the elephant to come and crush him, thats what you are very good at here. binding casting and wishing doom on people because they do not believe in your imaginary deity. go ahead and tell jehova to destroy all the atheist in the world.

You clearly do not know what you are talking about. to me atheism is the claim that there is no rational justification for belief in the existence of any god or gods. i take atheism to assert that, when all the evidence for and against is weighed, the best conclusion to draw is that there is no god. as an atheist, i deny exist of all gods (and demons) those of the muslims, the hindu, the ancient egyptians, and the god of the old and new testaments.

jehova god is an imaginary self contradictory deity that was created by the clever ancient hebrew misogynist men for a variety of purposes, ranging from psychological comfort, entertainment and also to serve as an excuse for stealing, raping and destryoing their enemies. the same god was then hig jacked by the gentiles(greek and romans) and was turned into another different deity(jesus).

Pls check the dictionary for the meaning of a self-contradicting idiot.
I d rather wait for huxley to present the unintelligent rubbish above as his defence (cos its obvious he is a little bit wiser than u) than tear apart ur meaningless assertions.

@ Huxley

I m still waiting for u.

noetic:

Pls check the dictionary for the meaning of a self-contradicting idiot.

If only you read the bible for yourself you will know exactly what i am talking about.

I d rather wait for huxley to present the unintelligent rubbish above as his defence (cos its obvious he is a little bit wiser than u) than tear apart ur meaningless assertions.

what are my meaningless assertions? is it a lie that the ancient hebrews created the god in which you worship in their own image?

where is huxley?

huxley is coming.

Why are you attacking christians?
Have you visited other websites to attack the Far East religious adherents?
What about Nigerians who are adherents to their ATR gods?
How do you hope to convince them that everything has a natural explanation?
I have barely seen threads opened by you having a go at muslims? Your nemesis _Davidylan seems to be more adept to doing it?

noetic:

Question 2:
What is Atheism and the rationality of ur beliefs?

I will help u paint the larger picture:

I define atheism as an irrational state of mind. . .  .where the subject of ones disbelief cannot be substantiated or defined.
Implying that an atheist lacks the rationality to substantiate the subject of his disbelief. By answering this question, u might prove me wrong.

Take for instance: I dont believe in the potency or imotality of Sango (yoruba god of thunder) and Ifa (yoruba god of divination).
I know who Ifa is, I have witnessed his divination abilities and sacrificial capacity. But I chose never to belief in him, my  choice is a function of rationality, intellectualism and an educated and oriented analysis. In other words I know who ifa is but dont believe in him.


I dont believe that a violent revolution is the answer to Nigeria`s numerous problems.
I know what violence is. I know what revolution is. and I know the history of Nigeria.
So my choice of disbelief is informed by knowledge and rationality.


I dont believe that the major division in nigeria is on tribal lines (between hausa, ibo, yoruba and other ethnic minorities). I believe that Nigeria`s main dividing point is between the oppressors and the oppressed.
I know the history of nigeria. I know who the hausas, ibos, yorubas are and I also know their history.
I know who and it means to be oppressed and I can identify an oppressor.


I dont belief that Communism is good for anyone.
I know what communism is. I know the history of its chief protagonists. And I know the concept of the major alternative to communism (democracy). My choice is rational and well informed cos I have an appreciative understanding of the concept I dont believe.


Now lets come to you: You HUXLEY (an atheist) [b]dont believe in the existence of Jehovah God.
Who is Jehovah God? What is His ontology? [/b]

Atheism is the lack of a belief in god(s) or the belief that there is no god(s). The former is usually called weak atheism and the latter strong atheism.

Now, you said you do not believe in Ifa and Sango and you further claim that you KNOW Ifa. How do you come to KNOW Ifa? Is Ifa a rock, a tree, a doll, an animal? What really is Ifa? And why don't you believe in Ifa?

You ask - who is Jehovah? What is his ontology? Well, that is really for you to answer. I don't know what it is? I cannot believe in something that I don't know what it is. You are the one who claims to know Jehovah, so you tell me. I might as well ask you:

Who is Sussicorn and what is his ontology, and do you believe in Sussicorn?



My view, and the view of most atheists, is that you need an ontology of god or gods first before one can form a belief about the god. No ontology, no belief.

ow11:

Why are you attacking christians?
Have you visited other websites to attack the Far East religious adherents?
What about Nigerians who are adherents to their ATR gods?
How do you hope to convince them that everything has a natural explanation?
I have barely seen threads opened by you having a go at muslims? Your nemesis _Davidylan seems to be more adept to doing it?

Am not attacking christians. Am attacking their beliefs. Hope you know the difference. Am attacking the belief because it forms a core of the irrationalism that are hurting human civilization.

No I have not visted other sites to attack their religions. For one reason, I have to concentrate first for things close to home, and that is christianity. Secondly I was raised christian so I know more about christian beliefs than about eastern beliefs.

I attack all beliefs in superstitious irrationalism, equal opportunity attacker of gods.

I tried attacking the muslims but my threads get deleted and I got banned several times.

Waz up Huxley? You know its usually difficult for people who come from developing countries to become Atheists. So i would like to know what happened in your life or what was it that u experienced that made u realise that God is imaginary?  

manmustwac:

Waz up Huxley? You know its usually difficult for people who come from developing countries to become Atheists. So i would like to know what happened in your life or what was it that u experienced that made u realise that God is imaginary?

perharps he read the bible for him self and realized that it is full of lies, fogery, contradictions, feel good mythologies and out right nonsense and came to the realization that it was a game.

When will you finally re-convert to christianity?

mazaje:

perharps he read the bible for him self and realized that it is full of lies, fogery, contradictions, feel good mythologies and out right nonsense and came to the realization that it was a game.

OH YEAH!!! Well why is it that over 95% of the Black African population don't realize that?

What magic potion did the white man put inside the bible that has our people totally brainwashed and hypnotized

manmustwac:

OH YEAH!!! Well why is it that over 95% of the Black African population don't realize that?

The black man has not yet attained the age of reason yet.

manmustwac:

What magic potion did the white man put inside the bible that has our people totally brainwashed and hypnotized

we love myths more than others i guess. anyway our entire system is completely disfunctional so people need a shoulder to cry on or some form of hope( a god is the only rational thing that can be accepted by most people). coupled with our endless and meaningless fear. fear of death, fear of the future and fear of the unknown. there is no magic portion in the bible or koran, 80 percent of nigerian christians have never read the bible or the koran in full to understand what they are really saying. 80 percent of the christians and moslems in nigeria do not know how the bible was written, complied, editted, translated and its history.

90 percent of nigerian moslems do not know that the koran was written hundreds of years after the death of mohammed, they dont know its history how it was complied and stuffs like that. so many christians do not know that the bible as we have it today was not assembled until about 350 years after the alleged death of jesus. they don't know that most of the authours of the books of the bible are unknown and that so many of the books were written long after the events they portrayed happened example the book of daniel. some of the books were written by unblievers but were editted by the jews much later example the book of eccleciates. some were a collection of prayers and poems from different people over a long peroid of time(pslams). books like proverbs are a collection of wise saying including those of unbelievers(which is even written in the book it self but most people dont even realise) over a long peroid of time. most nigerians christian do not know that pauls letters predate the gospels.they dont know that the gospels were written 40- 100 years after the alleged death of christ by unknown greek writers who were not eye witness to any of the events that they wrote about. most dont know that the gospels were originally written in greek by very educated wirters not the illetrate hebrew deciples of jesus who never spoke greek. most people dont know anything with regards to their religion they just follow blindly because it gives them so form of comfort and hope of an after life. beside delusion and bubble are very nice experiences.

mazaje:

The black man has not yet attained the age of reason yet.

we love myths more than others i guess. anyway our entire system is completely disfunctional so people need a shoulder to cry on or some form of hope( a god is the only rational thing that can be accepted by most people). coupled with our endless and meaningless fear. fear of death, fear of the future and fear of the unknown. there is no magic portion in the bible or koran, 80 percent of nigerian christians have never read the bible or the koran in full to understand what they are really saying. 80 percent of the christians and moslems in nigeria do not know how the bible was written, complied, editted, translated and its history.

90 percent of nigerian moslems do not know that the koran was written hundreds of years after the death of mohammed, they dont know its history how it was complied and stuffs like that. so many christians do not know that the bible as we have it today was not assembled until about 350 years after the alleged death of jesus. they don't know that most of the authours of the books of the bible are unknown and that so many of the books were written long after the events they portrayed happened example the book of daniel. some of the books were written by unblievers but were editted by the jews much later example the book of eccleciates. some were a collection of prayers and poems from different people over a long peroid of time(pslams). books like proverbs are a collection of wise saying including those of unbelievers(which is even written in the book it self but most people dont even realise) over a long peroid of time. most nigerians christian do not know that pauls letters predate the gospels.they dont know that the gospels were written 40- 100 years after the alleged death of christ by unknown greek writers who were not eye witness to any of the events that they wrote about. most dont know that the gospels were originally written in greek by very educated wirters not the illetrate hebrew deciples of jesus who never spoke greek. most people dont know anything with regards to their religion they just follow blindly because it gives them so form of comfort and hope of an after life. beside delusion and bubble are very nice experiences.

I've noticed. Its a very cheap way of feeling high

Huxley, why did you avoid question 1?

manmustwac:

Waz up Huxley? You know its usually difficult for people who come from developing countries to become Atheists. So i would like to know what happened in your life or what was it that u experienced that made u realise that God is imaginary?  

Very good question.

I shall start with the very broad-brush and thowaway comment  - The majority of people in the world, particularly in the developing countries (where access to education and scientific rationalism is low) have a stranglehold affinity with superstitions and other forms of irrationalism.

I was raised in a Christian family in Cameroon and my family was a religious vagrant, moving from catholicism, seven days adventism to apostolic to full gospel to . . . I started having doubts about the claims of religion when we were SDA and as you may know SDA are great stickler for the bible and I did read the bible alot as a teenager.  I was about 11 when my family converted from Catholicism to SDA, and my ever abiding memory as a new SDA convert was the criticism I would get from my Catholic friends that we were encourage to read the bible, together with the mockery of going to church on saturdays while everyone else went on Sunday.

Reading the bibel sowed the first seeds of doubts in my mind, but I could not really articulate them then.  I was about 12 or 13 when these narratives from the bible became to disturb me. The doubts appear to me in the approximate chronological order;

1)  The concept of the Chosen people.  I found it difficult to accept the fact that God could have create all humans but chose just a small tribe (the Jews) as his own, at the detriment of all other tribes. I felt this was grossly unfair.

2)  The amount of violence perpertrated by God in the bible left a cold chill down my spine.   The narratives in  Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Judges I found particularly gruesome and loathsome.

I tried to seek answers to these, but as usual, the people I thought would know all had very unsatisfactory answers.  I put these thought behind me and just concentrated as school and some months later I left home to attend a boarding secondary school.  The first year at boarding school, although I had still not got answers to my questions, I attended church a couple of times, but by the end of that year, I had virtually decided that I could not commit by convictions on something I knew so little of.  I stopped attending church, stopped praying and would still reading the bible occasionally.  In fact, I had decided that the elders in the community were either gullible, stupid, deceitful and just plain ignorant and that I could not rely on them to help reach to anwsers to my questions.  I decided that I was going to seek answers for myself by educating myself.

At around that same time, it occurred to me that I did not have to rely on the bible alone for an understanding of what was happening in Israel, Palestine, Romans, Jesus, etc, etc.  I realised that there might in fact be other sources of information that could provide better data about the history, and socio-political and economic of the time and place.  Somehow, I also realised that I did not have these material close at hand.  So I consigned the thought of researching this to the background and concentrated on my exams.

At about that same time I started to become interested in the claims of the various witch-doctors, jazzmen, magicians, soothsayers, etc, around me.  I guess it is the same in Nigeria. In Cameroon there are all sorts of supersitious claims and organisation that promote and support these claims.  It then occurred to me that these superstition were not dissimilar for the Christian belief that I had but I did not have the means of articulating or dealing with such ideas.

Then at age about 16/17 I had a conversation with a friend who display doubts and contempt for the bible and I secretly thought that I had found a soulmate.  I cannot remember exactly, but I left that conversation with my third major doubt, namely:

3)  That sin originated in heaven, in god's own backyard and that if he could not bring his own home in line, how much less the earth.  When my christian friends tried to rationalise this with the concept of freewill, which argument was doomed from the start, I knew this was an unanswerable question. If god endowed his angels with freewill, which caused them to sin, then it look to me that god was an inedept overseer at least and a callous and murderous and vindictive tyrant at worst.

Upon this realisation, all my sympathies with the god of the bible, Jehovah, had gone.  I had not prayed not gone to church on my own volition for about 3 years,but would occasionaly accompany friend if they wanted company. At church, I would be busy eyeing girls or just daydreaming or silently making further of the priest/pastor.

Some years later, at 20, I came to Manchester/England and the veil was lifted.  By the end of my first year in Manchester, I had succeeded in tracking down ALL the material I had so wanted to get hold of about 4 -5 years earlier.  Manchester University has a great library and besides reading my core subject, I spent a great deal of time in the humanities section, reading up on religion, history of the Roman empire, etc, etc.  I even stumbled on a piece of manusscript of the Gospel of John at the library - it is called P52.  Do a google of John gospel P52, and you should find that it is house in the Manchester University library, John Rylands library.

By the end of my first year in Manchester, all my doubts had been removed.  I knew that I could NOT rely of faith as a need of understand the nature of reality.  I had decided that scientific rationalism was the route for me.  I did not call myself an atheist then, but I was also reluctant to decribe myself as agnostic.  It would be another 4 or 5 years before I would readily self-identify as an atheist, by this point I had overcome or become thickskinned about the risk social ostracism that being called an atheist might engender.

Has anyone else lost the ability to edit their post once it has been posted?

huxley:

Has anyone else lost the ability to edit their post once it has been posted?

yeah. . .mr moderator whats happening?

I would have liked more background for these question, for I do not know or followered the context in which they were initially raised.  But since you post them here, I shall attempt them as posted.

You simply described the behaviours of RNA without sheding light of the origin or evolution of life.
U are discusing the self replicationg nature of RNA, while we are asking the pioneer formation of this RNA? how did it happen? which was the very first? what was its structure?

I don't know.  Can you give some more context?

the commonest law of biogenesis says life begets life. Biology butresses this. Yet evolution claims that the first
substance of life were formed from non-living substances reffered to as "spontaneous generation". or am i wrong? RUBBISh,  . . . .  .
can u explain this contradiction?

I do not agree.  Can you show where the law of biogenesis says that life begets life?  Can you provide some credible and peer-reviewed definition of biogenesis that states that?

I also do not agree with your claim about evolution.  Can you provide evidence that this is what evolution claims?  

Darwin claims that all organisms on earth are descent from a common ancestor or a last universal ancestor.
Whats ur explanation for the mitochondria gene exception? what is the identity and nature of the last common universal ancestor?

I do not know what mitochondria gene exception is.  I shall do some research and get back on this one.

On the last common  universal ancestor, that I do not know.  It could well be that none has been found to fit the deception of the common ancestor to all life, or it could be that it is know by science but I don't happen to have that knowledge.  I shall have to research this too.

I am asking very simple straight forward questions here.
Evolution traces life to phylogenetic tree that that postulates three domains of life namely bacteria, archea and eucaryota. What is the major consesus or common denominator to whom life might can be traced to between these three?

ditto

Evolution claims that increasing complex chemical reactions that resulted from simpler chemical reactions are
the last traces of life. Me the creationist is asking u the evolutionist, what was the singular first chemical reaction that kick started life?
and what were the substances that made up this reaction?
what was the structure of the first living things?

I don't think it is known or knowable but this has nothing to do with evolution.  Evolution is about how life diversified, not how life started.

What proof do u need to know that God exist??

SeanT21:

What proof do u need to know that God exist??

what proof do you have that your god exist? the onus lies on you to prove beyond reasonable doubt that your god exists.

I don't think it is known or knowable but this has nothing to do with evolution. Evolution is about how life diversified, not how life started.

debating with noetic is like trying to fetch water with a basket. waste of time

I see Huxley has largely avoided noetic's questions with the usual "i dont know".

By the way Bawomolo, it is very disingenous to start claiming that evolution does not deal with the origin of life when the illusion that all life evolved from ancient protists is the very basis of Darwin's tree of life.

davidylan:

I see Huxley has largely avoided noetic's questions with the usual "i dont know".

By the way Bawomolo, it is very disingenous to start claiming that evolution does not deal with the origin of life when the illusion that all life evolved from ancient protists is the very basis of Darwin's tree of life.

What would you rather I do? I know that for you guys these debates are a platform to display your knowledge (or lack thereof). If I do not know, I do not know. Do you want me to make it up. That is not avoidance.

If there is a knowable answer then it is already in some book, or journal or magazine somewhere, or it might still be lying out there waiting to be uncovered. The true state of affairs is that that information is not in my mind.

davidylan:

I see Huxley has largely avoided noetic's questions with the usual "i dont know".

By the way Bawomolo, it is very disingenous to start claiming that evolution does not deal with the origin of life when the illusion that all life evolved from ancient protists is the very basis of Darwin's tree of life.

When you come to know something, how do you come by that information? Do you

1) Generally discover the fact personally?

2) Read it from from material like books, journals, etc. If you get from books, journals, how did that information come to be in those books, journals?

3) Is it possible for other people to gain similar knowledge from the books, journals, etc, etc you have read?

Huxley here is the real problem - it is ok for you to simply say "i dont know" (even though your entire claims are based around stuff YOU DONT KNOW!) but imagine we christians simply responded to all your questions with "i dont know"?

davidylan:

Huxley here is the real problem - it is ok for you to simply say "i dont know" (even though your entire claims are based around stuff YOU DONT KNOW!) but imagine we christians simply responded to all your questions with "i dont know"?

What claims are based on things I don't know? Do you know what scientific inference is? Of course, "I don't know" is an acceptable answer, but what do you christian claim not to know?

Let me make more concrete. Suppose someone who was adopted at birth only discovers in later life that they were adopted (a close colleague of mind just went thru this) and that for medical reasons they would like to know their real biological parents. Would it be possible to use scientific test to weed out possible candidate for people who might claim to be his biological parents and siblings?

If yes? How so? How could it possibly work when the siblings may have no memory of him/her and may not have been at his/her birth?