Welcome, Guest: Register On Nairaland / LOGIN! / Trending / Recent / New
Stats: 3,148,943 members, 7,803,091 topics. Date: Saturday, 20 April 2024 at 09:01 AM

My Thoughts And Questions About Religion - Religion (65) - Nairaland

Nairaland Forum / Nairaland / General / Religion / My Thoughts And Questions About Religion (228960 Views)

Questions About Religion For The Deep Thinker / Why Are Atheists Always Talking About Religion / Questions About Demon Possession - Nairaland Demonology Experts (2) (3) (4)

(1) (2) (3) ... (62) (63) (64) (65) (66) (67) (68) ... (130) (Reply) (Go Down)

Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by ScienceWatch: 9:37pm On Sep 27, 2017
segunojo866:
cheesy you are so right sir
Look closely segunojo866 then you will see that you are wrong
to say that I am right. Dont get lazy ! Always double check. Make it a habit
Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by Elparaiso(m): 11:07am On Sep 29, 2017
701ecilana:

I thought Jesus doesn't exist? So now his teachings makes sense to you?
Let me deal with whether or not i shd turn the other cheek.
I really don't know if this is how you act outside of nairaland, but I will be afraid to step on in church. So much anger.
Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 2:56pm On Sep 29, 2017
WORSE THAN YOU IMAGINED

Christianity may be worse than you imagined. God is said to have given his only begotten son so he could grant mankind everlasting life. But he didn't give his son. According to Christians they are both together right now and have been for almost 2,000 years.

Since God did not lose his son, what then did he aim to achieve? There is only one reasonable answer. He wanted his son to experience fear and the agony of being beaten, humiliated and crucified. In return for this filicidal brutality, he would forgive whatever sins humans may commit so they could have an eternity of happiness instead of torture.

No part of this was remotely necessary--torturing an innocent man was simply the price God demanded for his forgiveness. This is not the thinking of a loving father. It is not even the thinking of a terrible father. It is the thinking of a deeply deranged psychopath.

13 Likes 3 Shares

Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by 701ecilana: 4:22pm On Sep 29, 2017
Elparaiso:
I really don't know if this is how you act outside of nairaland, but I will be afraid to step on in church. So much anger.
We don't need you in Church, pls stay out.
Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 8:35pm On Oct 01, 2017
Olayinka Ayinde

Some adults are just cry babies.

I am on a forum with some of my teachers and grand teachers. Some of my grand teachers then begin to talk about homosexuality, saying that all gay persons will go to hell, plus all those who "promote homosexuality". They forget that they are doctors, and quote extensively from holy books and cite culture (which they know nothing about since they have abandoned theirs for one or the other version of the middle eastern fever) and nature (which they know little about too, since they substituted NatGeoWild with holy books ). They finally pronounce that homosexuals should be locked up (most are not bold enough to advocate that they be killed, as their primitive homophobic instincts dictate to them).

The final straw: they mention me by name as the guy " promoting" gay persons, that I promote "immorality" and "evil".

So as a well trained student of psychiatry and an intermediate level graduate of Zuckerville school of commonsense, I come out and school them properly on these things. And because all they have going for them are medical qualifications, narrow mindedness, bigotry, fundamentalist religious view and old age, they usually don't measure up. They mess up argument after argument, commit logical fallacy after logical fallacy and spew inconsistency after inconsistency.

Finally after flailing wildly without succeeding in making sense, they resort to the old tactics: Ayinde is rude! Haba! After I added "sir" to every respectfully delivered argument and counterargument as well as facts that your lazy asses refused to check up! Ayinde is glorifying himself and thinking only his speciality is the most important! Haba! After I warned you that you may be my teachers and professors in your specialties, but as of this morning I am the psychiatrist here and this is my turf. Besides, when did teaching you stuff that you don't know and remain willfully ignorant about on sexuality become self glorification?

Lastly, they say I am puffed up by knowledge on a subject that Adeoye Lambo and co taught them and those ones were humble men. And I ask them, did they dare say the ignorant nonsense they say to me, to Adeoye Lambo when he was alive?

Adults that are crybabies will always be cry babies, even when they are your teachers and professors. It is not by age or academic qualifications that you get informed. You have to read up the f**king thing! It gets even difficult for you, sirs, when you abandon the principles of systematic inquiry that you taught us and embrace uncritically the Abrahamic bunk that illiterates make you swallow in town. I can't help you, sirs. I can't.

8 Likes 3 Shares

Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 9:10pm On Oct 01, 2017
Olayinka Ayinde

The other day, I had a reunion with my secondary schoolmates. Some of them I hadn't seen in more than 20 years!

So we ordered the beers and fish pepper soups and the evening began in earnest. We travelled back in time, to when we were knee-high to grasshoppers, like my Egbon would say. We reminisced over who was eyeing whom, who was shagging whom, who was timid and couldn't hurt a fly, and which teachers were hot. I confessed that I had a crush on the math teacher, a tall sexy, brilliant woman with an excellent diction and a provocative catwalk, who had since moved on to lecture at the university.

Predictably, we got to religion. Of course I was the only odd one. The Alhaji had kept opening his mouth and closing it, at a loss for where to begin or what to even say. So I don't pray? Ehen? So who created me? Ehen? And who created the universe? Ehen? So who do I ask for stuff when I am in dire need? Ehen? What about in times of uncertainties and fear, who do I run to? Ehen? What about when the patient is on the operating table and is in imminent cardiac arrest? (He assumed I was a surgeon).

As far as Alhaji was concerned, the concept of God was straightforward. So he couldn't understand why anybody won't worship a deity, any deity. He and the Christians abandoned all their religious differences and teamed up to save the godless one from eternal damnation. They wanted me to worship something, anything. If it turns out to be the wrong thing, the right one would be willing to forgive. I would get pass mark for effort and be allowed into heavenly glory. They didn't care if it's the one where you shout hallelujah nonstop every day or the one where you get 72 virgins with translucent skin and erect nip**ples.

In the end I decided it was time to adopt a god. So Alhaji and my childhood friends, I have decided to worship Shakilimoon, the god of erection, in appreciation of his gift of daily early morning tumescence.

I could never have done this without you. I give you all the glory, Shakilimoon, god of erection.

NB: I edited Shalikimoon to Shakilimoon today, 01-10-17. The lord himself told me that I didn't hear him well the first time he revealed himself to me, when I was just starting my prophetic career. But all former documents remain valid.

8 Likes 1 Share

Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by Ericsunday619: 9:18pm On Oct 01, 2017
joseph1013:
Olayinka Ayinde

The other day, I had a reunion with my secondary schoolmates. Some of them I hadn't seen in more than 20 years!

So we ordered the beers and fish pepper soups and the evening began in earnest. We travelled back in time, to when we were knee-high to grasshoppers, like my Egbon would say. We reminisced over who was eyeing whom, who was shagging whom, who was timid and couldn't hurt a fly, and which teachers were hot. I confessed that I had a crush on the math teacher, a tall sexy, brilliant woman with an excellent diction and a provocative catwalk, who had since moved on to lecture at the university.

Predictably, we got to religion. Of course I was the only odd one. The Alhaji had kept opening his mouth and closing it, at a loss for where to begin or what to even say. So I don't pray? Ehen? So who created me? Ehen? And who created the universe? Ehen? So who do I ask for stuff when I am in dire need? Ehen? What about in times of uncertainties and fear, who do I run to? Ehen? What about when the patient is on the operating table and is in imminent cardiac arrest? (He assumed I was a surgeon).

As far as Alhaji was concerned, the concept of God was straightforward. So he couldn't understand why anybody won't worship a deity, any deity. He and the Christians abandoned all their religious differences and teamed up to save the godless one from eternal damnation. They wanted me to worship something, anything. If it turns out to be the wrong thing, the right one would be willing to forgive. I would get pass mark for effort and be allowed into heavenly glory. They didn't care if it's the one where you shout hallelujah nonstop every day or the one where you get 72 virgins with translucent skin and erect nipples.

In the end I decided it was time to adopt a god. So Alhaji and my childhood friends, I have decided to worship Shakilimoon, the god of erection, in appreciation of his gift of daily early morning tumescence.

I could never have done this without you. I give you all the glory, Shakilimoon, god of erection.

NB: I edited Shalikimoon to Shakilimoon today, 01-10-17. The lord himself told me that I didn't hear him well the first time he revealed himself to me, when I was just starting my prophetic career. But all former documents remain valid.
religion is an infection cheesy
Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by hopefulLandlord: 9:49pm On Oct 01, 2017
joseph1013:
Olayinka Ayinde

The other day, I had a reunion with my secondary schoolmates. Some of them I hadn't seen in more than 20 years!

So we ordered the beers and fish pepper soups and the evening began in earnest. We travelled back in time, to when we were knee-high to grasshoppers, like my Egbon would say. We reminisced over who was eyeing whom, who was shagging whom, who was timid and couldn't hurt a fly, and which teachers were hot. I confessed that I had a crush on the math teacher, a tall sexy, brilliant woman with an excellent diction and a provocative catwalk, who had since moved on to lecture at the university.

Predictably, we got to religion. Of course I was the only odd one. The Alhaji had kept opening his mouth and closing it, at a loss for where to begin or what to even say. So I don't pray? Ehen? So who created me? Ehen? And who created the universe? Ehen? So who do I ask for stuff when I am in dire need? Ehen? What about in times of uncertainties and fear, who do I run to? Ehen? What about when the patient is on the operating table and is in imminent cardiac arrest? (He assumed I was a surgeon).

As far as Alhaji was concerned, the concept of God was straightforward. So he couldn't understand why anybody won't worship a deity, any deity. He and the Christians abandoned all their religious differences and teamed up to save the godless one from eternal damnation. They wanted me to worship something, anything. If it turns out to be the wrong thing, the right one would be willing to forgive. I would get pass mark for effort and be allowed into heavenly glory. They didn't care if it's the one where you shout hallelujah nonstop every day or the one where you get 72 virgins with translucent skin and erect nip**ples.

In the end I decided it was time to adopt a god. So Alhaji and my childhood friends, I have decided to worship Shakilimoon, the god of erection, in appreciation of his gift of daily early morning tumescence.

I could never have done this without you. I give you all the glory, Shakilimoon, god of erection.

NB: I edited Shalikimoon to Shakilimoon today, 01-10-17. The lord himself told me that I didn't hear him well the first time he revealed himself to me, when I was just starting my prophetic career. But all former documents remain valid.

nice one

I have a thread that goes deep into why they usually team up when they meet irreligious people or atheists https://www.nairaland.com/3950514/why-most-theists-more-hostile

2 Likes

Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 8:40pm On Oct 02, 2017
CHRISTIAN BLINDNESS

I wonder if Christians even think about their theology?

Christianity relies on the story that God decided to have his son killed in order to forgive human sin. Conspiring to have your son killed is conspiracy to murder. That is a capital or life crime in every country in the world.

Furthermore, it is deeply immoral to kill an innocent person to benefit others. Even an ambitious psychopath would be horrified at the thought of killing his innocent son to benefit his neighbours.

But these horrors are not the worst of it. God actually impregnated a young woman, not to have a son to love and treasure, but to have a son to kill.

This is an unspeakable evil that all Christians are blind to. Why?

3 Likes 1 Share

Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by segunojo866: 8:44pm On Oct 02, 2017
joseph1013:
CHRISTIAN BLINDNESS

I wonder if Christians even think about their theology?

Christianity relies on the story that God decided to have his son killed in order to forgive human sin. Conspiring to have your son killed is conspiracy to murder. That is a capital or life crime in every country in the world.

Furthermore, it is deeply immoral to kill an innocent person to benefit others. Even an ambitious psychopath would be horrified at the thought of killing his innocent son to benefit his neighbours.

But these horrors are not the worst of it. God actually impregnated a young woman, not to have a son to love and treasure, but to have a son to kill.

This is an unspeakable evil that all Christians are blind to. Why?
brother me self just tired of all this Christian bullshit. If Christians understand the concept of God they won't waste energy going to that modern club called a church angry

4 Likes

Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 8:47pm On Oct 02, 2017
hopefulLandlord:


nice one

I have a thread that goes deep into why they usually team up when they meet irreligious people or atheists https://www.nairaland.com/3950514/why-most-theists-more-hostile
Great thread.
Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by malvisguy212: 6:14pm On Oct 03, 2017
joseph1013:
WORSE THAN YOU IMAGINED

Christianity may be worse than you imagined. God is said to have given his only begotten son so he could grant mankind everlasting life. But he didn't give his son. According to Christians they are both together right now and have been for almost 2,000 years.

Since God did not lose his son, what then did he aim to achieve? There is only one reasonable answer. He wanted his son to experience fear and the agony of being beaten, humiliated and crucified. In return for this filicidal brutality, he would forgive whatever sins humans may commit so they could have an eternity of happiness instead of torture.

No part of this was remotely necessary--torturing an innocent man was simply the price God demanded for his forgiveness. This is not the thinking of a loving father. It is not even the thinking of a terrible father. It is the thinking of a deeply deranged psychopath.
lolz, this is hilarious, so to you this is how you reason it? honestly, I like to Read post like this cause it display atheists foolishness, keep it up boy.

1 Like

Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by Elparaiso(m): 10:45pm On Oct 03, 2017
malvisguy212:
lolz, this is hilarious, so to you this is how you reason it? honestly, I like to Read post like this cause it display atheists foolishness, keep it up boy.

Okay, please explain it from the Christian perspective. I want to hear how loving God was that he had to kill someone to save us. You know, the same God who isn't bound by any rule and can forgive us just like that.


Even the Jesus sef scam us, the guy no die. Just suffer small go heaven, that one no be die na.

1 Like

Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by hopefulLandlord: 12:53pm On Oct 04, 2017
joseph1013:
Great thread.
thanks bro, I'm glad you enjoyed it
Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by malvisguy212: 7:28pm On Oct 04, 2017
Elparaiso:


Okay, please explain it from the Christian perspective. I want to hear how loving God was that he had to kill someone to save us. You know, the same God who isn't bound by any rule and can forgive us just like that.


Even the Jesus sef scam us, the guy no die. Just suffer small go heaven, that one no be die na.
who did God kill ?
Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 6:12pm On Oct 06, 2017
BYE BYE GOD!

Religious people often argue that something outside our universe must have made our universe and that something is God. This argument is egregiously perverse for reasons I have often mentioned but there is something else to think about.

God believers also say God has always existed. OK, but where has God always existed? To exist and function he must occupy his own space time. Nothing can exist in zero space and nothing can function in zero time.

What then, created the space time that God occupies? It cannot have been God--God cannot exist without space time. But God has existed forever we are told, so the space time he occupies must also have existed forever.

Therefore, God believers have to accept that space time CAN be eternal. Which means we didn't need a god to create our space time after all...

Bye bye God.

5 Likes

Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 9:05pm On Oct 12, 2017
ARE WE LIKE GOD?

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." --Genesis 1:27

This verse is part of the creation story so there are only two possible sources for it--either it came from God himself or someone made it up and pretended it came from a god. Of course, if it came from God, we should expect it to be true but, if it came from men it may not be.

It says God made humans in his own image. God made us to look like him. Is this true? Let's look at the evidence:

Humans are visible: God is invisible.

Humans are made of atoms: God is made of, well nothing.

Humans occupy a point in space: God is everywhere at the same time.

Humans are born and die: God is eternal.

Humans have limited knowledge: God knows everything.

Humans have limited power: God has unlimited power.

Humans live within space-time in our universe: God is outside of it.

So, do humans resemble God? Obviously, they do not. Indeed, on almost every measure God and humans are opposites.

Genesis 1:27 harks back to the time when Yahweh was a man-god (rather like Zeus) and not the spirit- god he later evolved to become. This is why there are verses about God walking in the garden of Eden, sitting on a throne protected by angels and meeting face-to-face with Isaac, Moses and Jacob. None of these things make sense for a spirit god residing outside of space and time.

If Genesis 1:27 is not true, we can safely conclude that verse was written by men and no gods were involved. Men needed gods for many reasons, so they did the only thing they could do--they invented them.

5 Likes 2 Shares

Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 9:54pm On Oct 16, 2017
MAKE YOUR OWN PLAYMATE

Here's something I don't understand. If God wanted to create creatures to love and who would love him, why did he create such pitifully inadequate and feeble creatures as humans?

Why didn't he create beings more like himself--beings with a similar level of knowledge and intelligence so he could have engaging discussions with them; maybe even play games of skill with them and not win every single time?

God creating humans is rather like me creating a bacterium as a playmate.

2 Likes 1 Share

Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 8:51pm On Oct 17, 2017
"Jesus is wholly man and wholly God"

It took brilliant philosophers and logicians hundreds of years to formulate and refine our three fundamental laws of thought: Identity; Non-contradiction and Excluded Middle.

Then Christianity comes along and manages to find a seven-word sentence that breaks ALL THREE laws.

Damn!

4 Likes 3 Shares

Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 4:29pm On Oct 21, 2017
#Copied��

Do you have a few minutes to spare?
~ by Nicole Douglas

This morning there was a knock at my door. When I answered the door I found a well groomed, nicely dressed couple. The man spoke first:

*John*: "Hi! I'm John, and this is Mary."

*Mary*: "Hi! We're here to invite you to come kiss Hank's ass with us."

*Me*: "Pardon me?! What are you talking about? Who's Hank, and why would I want to kiss His ass?"

*John*: "If you kiss Hank's ass, He'll give you a million dollars; and if you don't, He'll kick the shit out of you."

*Me*: "What? Is this some sort of bizarre mob shake-down?"

*John*: "Hank is a billionaire philanthropist. Hank built this town. Hank owns this town. He can do whatever He wants, and what He wants is to give you a million dollars, but He can't until you kiss His ass."

*Me*: "That doesn't make any sense. Why..."

*Mary*: "Who are you to question Hank's gift? Don't you want a million dollars? Isn't it worth a little kiss on the ass?"

*Me*: "Well maybe, if it's legit, but..."

*John*: "Then come kiss Hank's ass with us."

*Me*: "Do you kiss Hank's ass often?"

*Mary*: "Oh yes, all the time..."

*Me*: "And has He given you a million dollars?"

*John*: "Well no. You don't actually get the money until you leave town."

*Me*: "So why don't you just leave town now?"

*Mary*: "You can't leave until Hank tells you to, or you don't get the money, and He kicks the shit out of you."

*Me*: "Do you know anyone who kissed Hank's ass, left town, and got the million dollars?"

*John*: "My mother kissed Hank's ass for years. She left town last year, and I'm sure she got the money."

*Me*: "Haven't you talked to her since then?"

*John*: "Of course not, Hank doesn't allow it."

*Me*: "So what makes you think He'll actually give you the money if you've never talked to anyone who got the money?"

*Mary*: "Well, He gives you a little bit before you leave. Maybe you'll get a raise, maybe you'll win a small lotto, maybe you'll just find a twenty-dollar bill on the street."

*Me*: "What's that got to do with Hank?"

*John*: "Hank has certain 'connections.'"

*Me*: "I'm sorry, but this sounds like some sort of bizarre con game."

*John*: "But it's a million dollars, can you really take the chance? And remember, if you don't kiss Hank's ass He'll kick the shit out of you."

*Me*: "Maybe if I could see Hank, talk to Him, get the details straight from Him..."

*Mary*: "No one sees Hank, no one talks to Hank."

*Me*: "Then how do you kiss His ass?"

*John*: "Sometimes we just blow Him a kiss, and think of His ass. Other times we kiss Karl's ass, and he passes it on."

*Me*: "Who's Karl?"

*Mary*: "A friend of ours. He's the one who taught us all about kissing Hank's ass. All we had to do was take him out to dinner a few times."

*Me*: "And you just took his word for it when he said there was a Hank, that Hank wanted you to kiss His ass, and that Hank would reward you?"

*John*: "Oh no! Karl has a letter he got from Hank years ago explaining the whole thing. Here's a copy; see for yourself."

..... *From the Desk of Karl*.....

_*1. Kiss Hank's ass and He'll give you a million dollars when you leave town.*_
_*2. Use alcohol in moderation.*_
_*3. Kick the shit out of people who aren't like you.*_
_*4. Eat right.*_
_*5. Hank dictated this list Himself.*_
_*6. The moon is made of green cheese.*_
_*7. Everything Hank says is right.*_
_*8. Wash your hands after going to the bathroom.*_
_*9. Don't use alcohol.*_
_*10. Eat your wieners on buns, no condiments.*_
_*11. Kiss Hank's ass or He'll kick the shit out of you.*_

*Me*: "This appears to be written on Karl's letterhead."

*Mary*: "Hank didn't have any paper."

*Me*: "I have a hunch that if we checked we'd find this is Karl's handwriting."

*John*: "Of course, Hank dictated it."

*Me*: "I thought you said no one gets to see Hank?"

*Mary*: "Not now, but years ago He would talk to some people."

*Me*: "I thought you said He was a philanthropist. What sort of philanthropist kicks the shit out of people just because they're different?"

*Mary*: "It's what Hank wants, and Hank's always right."

*Me*: "How do you figure that?"

*Mary*: "Item 7 says 'Everything Hank says is right.' That's good enough for me!"

*Me*: "Maybe your friend Karl just made the whole thing up."

*John*: "No way! Item 5 says 'Hank dictated this list himself.' Besides, item 2 says 'Use alcohol in moderation,' Item 4 says 'Eat right,' and item 8 says 'Wash your hands after going to the bathroom.' Everyone knows those things are right, so the rest must be true, too."

*Me*: "But 9 says 'Don't use alcohol.' which doesn't quite go with item 2, and 6 says 'The moon is made of green cheese,' which is just plain wrong."

*John*: "There's no contradiction between 9 and 2, 9 just clarifies 2. As far as 6 goes, you've never been to the moon, so you can't say for sure."

*Me*: "Scientists have pretty firmly established that the moon is made of rock..."

*Mary*: "But they don't know if the rock came from the Earth, or from outer space, so it could just as easily be green cheese."

*Me*: "I'm not really an expert, but I think the theory that the Moon was somehow 'captured' by the Earth has been discounted. Besides, not knowing where the rock came from doesn't make it cheese."

*John*: "Ha! You just admitted that scientists make mistakes, but we know Hank is always right!"

*Me*: "We do?"

*Mary*: "Of course we do, Item 7 says so."

*Me*: "You're saying Hank's always right because the list says so, the list is right because Hank dictated it, and we know that Hank dictated it because the list says so. That's circular logic, no different than saying 'Hank's right because He says He's right.'"

*John*: "Now you're getting it! It's so rewarding to see someone come around to Hank's way of thinking."

*Me*: "But...oh, never mind. What's the deal with wieners?"

*Mary*: She blushes.

*John*: "Wieners, in buns, no condiments. It's Hank's way. Anything else is wrong."

*Me*: "What if I don't have a bun?"

*John*: "No bun, no wiener. A wiener without a bun is wrong."

*Me*: "No relish? No Mustard?"

*Mary*: (She looks positively stricken.)

*John*: (He's shouting.) "There's no need for such language! Condiments of any kind are wrong!"

*Me*: "So a big pile of sauerkraut with some wieners chopped up in it would be out of the question?"

*Mary*: (Sticks her fingers in her ears.) "I am not listening to this. La la la, la la, la la la."

*John*: "That's disgusting. Only some sort of evil deviant would eat that..."

*Me*: "It's good! I eat it all the time."

*Mary*: (She faints.)

*John*: (He catches Mary.) "Well, if I'd known you were one of those I wouldn't have wasted my time. When Hank kicks the shit out of you I'll be there, counting my money and laughing. I'll kiss Hank's ass for you, you bunless cut-wienered kraut-eater."

With this, John dragged Mary to their waiting car and sped off.

~ by Nicole Douglas

5 Likes 2 Shares

Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by frank317: 5:43pm On Oct 21, 2017
joseph1013:
#Copied��

Do you have a few minutes to spare?
~ by Nicole Douglas

This morning there was a knock at my door. When I answered the door I found a well groomed, nicely dressed couple. The man spoke first:

*John*: "Hi! I'm John, and this is Mary."

*Mary*: "Hi! We're here to invite you to come kiss Hank's ass with us."

*Me*: "Pardon me?! What are you talking about? Who's Hank, and why would I want to kiss His ass?"

*John*: "If you kiss Hank's ass, He'll give you a million dollars; and if you don't, He'll kick the shit out of you."

*Me*: "What? Is this some sort of bizarre mob shake-down?"

*John*: "Hank is a billionaire philanthropist. Hank built this town. Hank owns this town. He can do whatever He wants, and what He wants is to give you a million dollars, but He can't until you kiss His ass."

*Me*: "That doesn't make any sense. Why..."

*Mary*: "Who are you to question Hank's gift? Don't you want a million dollars? Isn't it worth a little kiss on the ass?"

*Me*: "Well maybe, if it's legit, but..."

*John*: "Then come kiss Hank's ass with us."

*Me*: "Do you kiss Hank's ass often?"

*Mary*: "Oh yes, all the time..."

*Me*: "And has He given you a million dollars?"

*John*: "Well no. You don't actually get the money until you leave town."

*Me*: "So why don't you just leave town now?"

*Mary*: "You can't leave until Hank tells you to, or you don't get the money, and He kicks the shit out of you."

*Me*: "Do you know anyone who kissed Hank's ass, left town, and got the million dollars?"

*John*: "My mother kissed Hank's ass for years. She left town last year, and I'm sure she got the money."

*Me*: "Haven't you talked to her since then?"

*John*: "Of course not, Hank doesn't allow it."

*Me*: "So what makes you think He'll actually give you the money if you've never talked to anyone who got the money?"

*Mary*: "Well, He gives you a little bit before you leave. Maybe you'll get a raise, maybe you'll win a small lotto, maybe you'll just find a twenty-dollar bill on the street."

*Me*: "What's that got to do with Hank?"

*John*: "Hank has certain 'connections.'"

*Me*: "I'm sorry, but this sounds like some sort of bizarre con game."

*John*: "But it's a million dollars, can you really take the chance? And remember, if you don't kiss Hank's ass He'll kick the shit out of you."

*Me*: "Maybe if I could see Hank, talk to Him, get the details straight from Him..."

*Mary*: "No one sees Hank, no one talks to Hank."

*Me*: "Then how do you kiss His ass?"

*John*: "Sometimes we just blow Him a kiss, and think of His ass. Other times we kiss Karl's ass, and he passes it on."

*Me*: "Who's Karl?"

*Mary*: "A friend of ours. He's the one who taught us all about kissing Hank's ass. All we had to do was take him out to dinner a few times."

*Me*: "And you just took his word for it when he said there was a Hank, that Hank wanted you to kiss His ass, and that Hank would reward you?"

*John*: "Oh no! Karl has a letter he got from Hank years ago explaining the whole thing. Here's a copy; see for yourself."

..... *From the Desk of Karl*.....

_*1. Kiss Hank's ass and He'll give you a million dollars when you leave town.*_
_*2. Use alcohol in moderation.*_
_*3. Kick the shit out of people who aren't like you.*_
_*4. Eat right.*_
_*5. Hank dictated this list Himself.*_
_*6. The moon is made of green cheese.*_
_*7. Everything Hank says is right.*_
_*8. Wash your hands after going to the bathroom.*_
_*9. Don't use alcohol.*_
_*10. Eat your wieners on buns, no condiments.*_
_*11. Kiss Hank's ass or He'll kick the shit out of you.*_

*Me*: "This appears to be written on Karl's letterhead."

*Mary*: "Hank didn't have any paper."

*Me*: "I have a hunch that if we checked we'd find this is Karl's handwriting."

*John*: "Of course, Hank dictated it."

*Me*: "I thought you said no one gets to see Hank?"

*Mary*: "Not now, but years ago He would talk to some people."

*Me*: "I thought you said He was a philanthropist. What sort of philanthropist kicks the shit out of people just because they're different?"

*Mary*: "It's what Hank wants, and Hank's always right."

*Me*: "How do you figure that?"

*Mary*: "Item 7 says 'Everything Hank says is right.' That's good enough for me!"

*Me*: "Maybe your friend Karl just made the whole thing up."

*John*: "No way! Item 5 says 'Hank dictated this list himself.' Besides, item 2 says 'Use alcohol in moderation,' Item 4 says 'Eat right,' and item 8 says 'Wash your hands after going to the bathroom.' Everyone knows those things are right, so the rest must be true, too."

*Me*: "But 9 says 'Don't use alcohol.' which doesn't quite go with item 2, and 6 says 'The moon is made of green cheese,' which is just plain wrong."

*John*: "There's no contradiction between 9 and 2, 9 just clarifies 2. As far as 6 goes, you've never been to the moon, so you can't say for sure."

*Me*: "Scientists have pretty firmly established that the moon is made of rock..."

*Mary*: "But they don't know if the rock came from the Earth, or from outer space, so it could just as easily be green cheese."

*Me*: "I'm not really an expert, but I think the theory that the Moon was somehow 'captured' by the Earth has been discounted. Besides, not knowing where the rock came from doesn't make it cheese."

*John*: "Ha! You just admitted that scientists make mistakes, but we know Hank is always right!"

*Me*: "We do?"

*Mary*: "Of course we do, Item 7 says so."

*Me*: "You're saying Hank's always right because the list says so, the list is right because Hank dictated it, and we know that Hank dictated it because the list says so. That's circular logic, no different than saying 'Hank's right because He says He's right.'"

*John*: "Now you're getting it! It's so rewarding to see someone come around to Hank's way of thinking."

*Me*: "But...oh, never mind. What's the deal with wieners?"

*Mary*: She blushes.

*John*: "Wieners, in buns, no condiments. It's Hank's way. Anything else is wrong."

*Me*: "What if I don't have a bun?"

*John*: "No bun, no wiener. A wiener without a bun is wrong."

*Me*: "No relish? No Mustard?"

*Mary*: (She looks positively stricken.)

*John*: (He's shouting.) "There's no need for such language! Condiments of any kind are wrong!"

*Me*: "So a big pile of sauerkraut with some wieners chopped up in it would be out of the question?"

*Mary*: (Sticks her fingers in her ears.) "I am not listening to this. La la la, la la, la la la."

*John*: "That's disgusting. Only some sort of evil deviant would eat that..."

*Me*: "It's good! I eat it all the time."

*Mary*: (She faints.)

*John*: (He catches Mary.) "Well, if I'd known you were one of those I wouldn't have wasted my time. When Hank kicks the shit out of you I'll be there, counting my money and laughing. I'll kiss Hank's ass for you, you bunless cut-wienered kraut-eater."

With this, John dragged Mary to their waiting car and sped off.

~ by Nicole Douglas

That was a fun read...
Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 6:48am On Oct 24, 2017
frank317:


That was a fun read...

It really is.
Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 6:49am On Oct 24, 2017
Olatunde Olayinka Ayinde wrote:

Human sexuality is a complex rainbow. If, like me, you were raised in Nigeria as an excessively religious person, but unlike me, remains a religious fundamentalist jerk and homophobe in your adulthood, you may never learn about or experience the full range of human sexual behaviour and human experience of sexuality.

Nigerians generally are raised to view sex as a taboo subject, evil even, and patently diabolical, if it veers off the track of missionary style between a "man" and a "woman", both of these gender entities being mutually exclusive in biology and behaviour.
However, in both my professional and social experience and interactions, humans are neither rigid nor simple in their sexual preferences and expression, at least not as viewed in the Nigerian moral and social framework.

There are men who like women a lot and don't like men at all. There are men who like women a lot and like men a little; and there are men who like men a lot and don't like women at all. And there are tens of shades in between: men who like men and women equally; women who like men and women equally; women who like women only, women who like men and do the occasional woman.... In short, there are as many variations as one can possibly imagine, and I have come across many.

But what we all see and imagine, in it's simplest form, are straight men and women, and LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual and Queer) persons. Unfortunately, it is often not that straight forward at all. Fortuitous events have made people who had never experienced a certain part of their sexuality, understand more about themselves, the same selves that they had lived with for decade.

And this is where learning and experience begin. We have all always thought that human emotion and love drama only occur between males and females. Wrong. In 2012, I learnt about a gay guy who beat up another gay man because the said guy disrespected his special gay partner. It was as intense as the fight involving a guy trying to "defend the honour of his lady", whatever the hell that means. Also, you would think only immature young men kiss and tell. Wrong again. I have heard stories of women who brag to other women about the women they have " chopped", and some would even bet with fellow women that they would "chop" a certain young woman in the neighborhood. I have heard about a lesbian lady who would call her friend at odd hours, crying of heartbreak from another lesbian, who recently discovered that she was actually bisexual and preferred the penis of a particular new guy to the vaginas of her numerous previous female lovers. There was also this lady who was complaining bitterly the other day that her female lover who was bisexual and married with a child was not paying her any attention and only wanted to Bleep and move on to enjoy her own husband, leaving her, an obligate lesbian, crazily Hot and lonely. And there was the woman who left her husband and three children to pursue her love of other women, when she no longer found joy or fulfilment in sex with her husband. Who knows, maybe she never really did find joy and fulfilment in heterosexual sex, and only had to get married to fulfil social obligations and family expectations.

In all of this, there are usually intense human emotion and suffering involved, and it would indeed be callous to dismiss them with a wave of the hand. Men cry over women because of love. Women experience heartbreak from men and from fellow women. Men have been known to lose it when they discover that their wives of many years find time to go down on the occasional woman. The drama in human love and sexual behaviour is definitely not restricted to heterosexual relationships alone. It exists on every point of the rainbow.

There was the fellow who had always known that he was 100% gay. When his friends were fancying girls in primary school, he never did and he thought his relatively uncorrupted mind was due to his outstanding Christian upbringing. Puberty came, accompanied with a brigade of raging hormones, and sexual urges arrived strong and potent, but not in the expected direction. Girls did not interest him one bit. But he was a Christian and he believed there was nothing prayer could not do. He prayed and got married to his Christian heartthrob. Six years after, he still hadn't consummated the marriage. He just couldn't get it up with his wife. The usual early morning tumescence would become flaccid instantly at the touch of his wife. Several trials with commercial sex workers did not help either. But he would go for hours nonstop with a gay partner.

Interestingly, he liked the idea of being married and coming home to his wife. When the wife could no longer cope, she called a meeting of the man's family, came clean, and packed her things and left in search of "a real man with a real penis". Her husband became depressed and suicidal and was desperately in search of whoever was capable of exorcising him of the "spirit of gayness".

There was also the guy who always knew he was gay and had gay lovers till he was 26. Then he responded to an altar call in church one day to dedicate his life to Christ. He "repented" and stopped seeing his gay partners. A few months after, he found that he could neither form a stable relationship with women nor even be turned on enough to have sex with them, no matter how extraordinary their anatomy were. So he returned to his gay partners. And became guilty after a few months. He kept swinging from guilt to "re-dedication" and back, until his psyche could no longer cope and had a psychotic illness, necessitating a psychiatric consult.

And there was the case of two gay guys who married two bisexual women unbeknownst to any of the parties involved. One of them later began to suspect and piece the information together when the men would go on long golfing trips and the women spent too much time behind closed doors, ostensibly comparing notes on current fashion trends.

It is not likely that we would learn to appreciate the sexual diversity in nature nor appreciate the range of human sexual emotion on offer if we are unwilling to free ourselves of deeply rooted bias, malignant religious indoctrination and inability to learn to be empathic and less judgemental.

Humans are humans. Humans are sexual in a complex manner. And humans can and do misbehave socially irrespective of sexual orientation and sexual behaviour. Learning to understand these things is the first step in understanding human behaviours, preventing undue human suffering and learning to become better human beings ourselves.

2 Likes 2 Shares

Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by Elparaiso(m): 2:40am On Oct 25, 2017
joseph1013:
Olatunde Olayinka Ayinde wrote:

Something sensible.


This is a good article. I've always known that sexuality is not set in stone. What one fancies today might not seem fancy tomorrow. All of these wouldn't be a problem if everyone in Nigeria and the rest of the world practised TOLERANCE. That's all I "preach". Face yours and allow me face mine. Nobody teaches anyone sexuality. If you try homosexuality and you like it, it's because you've already had an innate desire for it, so innate you might not have known. I no wan take too much space, but people should realise, there's diversity in everything and it isn't always evil.

1 Like

Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 6:12am On Oct 27, 2017
Anozie Ebirim

Why are people of faith so interested in we not ridiculing their faith.

It's a silly argument.

You mock Boko Haram but you don't want your own idea mocked.

You even say atheists are fools but you cry when it is logically pointed out that your belief in unicorns is foolish.

You mock white garment churches, catholics mock the money first idea of pentecostals and pentecostals mock the orthodoxy of catholics.

But you all rush and show us some dumb ass Nigerian Atheist who believes her unbelief is a leap of faith.

Good for her and you faithists....

But the attempt at blackmail worked during the inquisition. It won't work now.

Ideas aren't humans. They must be mocked. Religion and god is just another idea. If mocking your pet fairy makes you uncomfortable then tough luck.

7 Likes 3 Shares

Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 9:22am On Oct 28, 2017
Tosin Adeoti

The Nigerian god is fiendish. How many times have you heard his worshipers say, "My neighbors may live in want, what does it matter? The important thing is that I'm cool and my family is well-provisioned through his grace." You know, something about thousands falling at your side and the plague not nearing your kith and kin.
.
The Nigerian god doesn't care how much fuel is sold, it only matters to him that his worshipers earn well and are able to afford it.
.
The nation might be going to 'hell' but as long as they are 'favored' by the Nigerian god, the worshipers could care less.
.
The most important thing to the Nigerian god is money and the more you give to him through his peddlers (givers in foreign currencies are personal favorites), the more he MUST bless you.
.
The god that rejoices when thieves drop seeds on the altar; that does not punish disobedience except it concerns tithes and offerings. He does not reckon any sin against you except the sin of disobeying his anointed peddlers.
.
The Nigerian god is the greatest fraud this country has ever known.
.
The Nigerian god...corruption personified!

11 Likes 3 Shares

Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 7:07am On Oct 29, 2017
PUT UP OR SHUT UP

In 1687, Isaac Newton published his book Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica (in English, "Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy" ). In this ground-breaking book, he proposed that an invisible force of attraction acts on all objects with mass. He gave a simple equation that allowed the magnitude of the force to be calculated.

This invisible force, he claimed, explains how the planets in our solar system maintain predictable orbits around the sun. Brilliant as Newton's discovery was, it built on prior work by Nicolaus Copernicus who showed that the planets orbited the sun (in the face of fierce opposition from the church) and Johannes Kepler who showed that the planets traversed elliptical orbits at varying speeds.

With these foundations, and Newton's meticulous collection of evidence, his ideas on universal gravitation were quickly accepted by the scientific community.

We have seen many examples in science of astonishing, counter-intuitive ideas being published, challenged and then accepted once the evidence is thoroughly understood. This is how we discover the real world.

But there is another world in which the opposite happens. The world of religion does not demand evidence and does not move closer to reality as more evidence is discovered. Religious ideas are held on faith and, using faith, you can believe anything you wish to believe.

Christianity, began 2,000 years ago but it has not moved from controversy to agreement--it has moved from a single "prophet" to chaos, with around 40,000 squabbling denominations today. Look more broadly still and you find people around the world believing in thousands of gods and tens of thousands of religions.

With religions, there is no meeting of minds and no filtering out the false to leave the true. Why does it work like this? The real problem is there is only one real world but an unlimited number of imaginary ones. We can agree on reality but will always squabble over which imaginary stories we prefer.

If any gods are real and any religions true, please religious people, figure it out and tell which are true and which are false. You've had more than 2,000 years--it's time to put up or shut up.

4 Likes

Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 6:02am On Oct 30, 2017
AFRICA'S CHURCH ECONOMY

Everything you buy has to be made. If every church in Africa was a place for making things, from toothpicks to motor cars, Africa would be prosperous with full employment.

But they're not. All they make is noise, and every week they make people 10% poorer.

You can't pray yourself rich. If you could, everyone would be rich.

3 Likes

Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 5:35am On Oct 31, 2017
SPECIAL INVITATION

Dear Sir/Ma,

The Atheist Society of Nigeria (ASN) is pleased to invite you to her first national convention slated to hold on the 11th of November, 2017 with the Theme:Road to Reason. It promises to feature guest speakers from Nigeria, other countries in Africa and Europe, including Leo Igwe, an internationally recognised advocate for humanism in Nigeria And Bill Flavell, the new Vice-President of Atheist Alliance International (AAI). 

It also promises to feature interactive sessions, talks on diverse topics related to Atheism, Science and Religion in Nigeria. 

Also included in the program of events is a short lecture on Evolution, a question and answer session immediately​ after and a space for “Ask an atheist.”

To register for the event, go to http://atheist.org.ng/convention/details/

Registration is free.

We look forward to your esteemed presence. Thank you!

Isaiah, Akorita
Head of Media,
Atheist Society of Nigeria.
Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 2:43pm On Oct 31, 2017
Olatunde Olayinka Ayinde

Teaching children empathy and ethics

Many of us owe our ethical behaviours to religion, because it was the only way our parents and our society knew to teach right and wrong. But as we grew up, the simple model of the world that we knew became inadequate. And the model needed to be stepped up.

Back in the day, you don't steal because your parents and teachers said so, and as an aide mémoire, a pretty cane would be placed somewhere conspicuous to augment the message. Later the tactics change. You don't steal, because Santa Claus detests it and would not bring you gifts at Christmas. You don't steal, because Allah hates it, because Jesus hates it, because Krishna, Ahura Mazda, Amadioha, Sango, Thor...hates it... And so on. Then parents, teachers, religious leaders and society start to paint the picture of the most gruesome place of punishment and vengeance: hell, everlasting fire. The regime of irrational fear begins, breeding damaged adults.

But children outgrow father Christmas, and much later; they disconnect from the myriads of contradicting and conflicting deities and their instructions; they learn that waiting for effects of their actions till after they are dead is not an effective way of linking cause and effect and the trail gets very cold, starting an insidious process of eroding their sense of responsibility. Or how does one explain the current generation of irresponsible adult Nigerians: politicians, civil servants, business people, academics, even clergymen?

But there is a way to teach ethics to children that lasts. Little Uche, how would you feel when you return home one day and someone has stolen your indomie, ribena, toys, your father's car that takes you to school and your mothers money from where she gives you pocket money? Explore the emotional reactions of anger at the perpetrator, sadness at the act, future mistrust of society when you can't be sure to find your stuff where you kept them and the feeling of helplessness from the utter chaos that results from property not being safe. Let the young person understand that these are the things that happen when people's properties are stolen. It is a painful experience. And all this is true. There's not a single lie there.

Telling children that unseen deities are the reason why they shouldn't steal takes away their responsibility to fellow humans and society. It doesn't let them see the immediate effect of their actions. Telling them the effects of stealing on fellow humans and society, is not only true now, it stays true throughout their adult lives, it teaches them responsibility and empathy.

It is then an easy thing to teach them later about laws, law enforcement and punishment in the here and now. Teaching moral behaviour via lies, inaccuracies and fear may be effective in the short term but may turn out to be counterproductive long term. The knowledge gained this way has a better chance of decay, and the process creates adults who don't feel they owe other humans any responsibility; they only owe gods explanations, and this comes with its own complications.

5 Likes

Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013: 8:35am On Nov 01, 2017
Tosin Adeoti

"Some people didn't wake up to this beautiful morning, I did! I'm blessed!"

Well, think again! They are in Heaven now, and you are still trapped in this most backward country where nothing works! So who is really Blessed?

Sometimes I wonder if people REALLY believe what they profess - that Heaven is a better place.

4 Likes 3 Shares

(1) (2) (3) ... (62) (63) (64) (65) (66) (67) (68) ... (130) (Reply)

Jesus is coming soon. This thread is for faithful watchmen / Scandal: Pastor Chris Oyakhilome In South African Trouble! / Rhapsody Of Realities: A Daily Devotional

(Go Up)

Sections: politics (1) business autos (1) jobs (1) career education (1) romance computers phones travel sports fashion health
religion celebs tv-movies music-radio literature webmasters programming techmarket

Links: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10)

Nairaland - Copyright © 2005 - 2024 Oluwaseun Osewa. All rights reserved. See How To Advertise. 204
Disclaimer: Every Nairaland member is solely responsible for anything that he/she posts or uploads on Nairaland.