The Jewish people's successes. A good book to read is "Thou Shalt Prosper" by Rabbi Daniel Lapin. He posits in his book that the reason Jews prosper and are successful is not in their genes but in their training and their religion. Africa was mainly a warring, dog-eat-dog, society with their main emphasis being on control, power, and greed for particular tribes and those alone. They were mainly a warrior culture that warred only to get over on some other tribe. The warring tribes and the outcomes of those wars is what provided the main fodder for the slave trade with many (mainly Arabs) taking part in perpetuating it. Africa is still a hotbed of slavery today (usually their own people) as tribes, countries, etc., vie for power. There has never been much of an emphasis on intellectual pursuits there. Not denigrating anyone but the truth is hard to face sometimes especially when it shows a track record of ways and mind-sets that haven't worked. Only when those of African descent start to take hold of the fact that they are more than capable of intellectual gains will they then change their world. But it will take a huge paradigm shift for that to happen I believe but in order for them to survive they will need to accept that shift eventually.

I found this interesting comment here:
http://www.americanthinker.com/2013/01/all_my_babies_mamas_reveals_liberals_opinion_of_blacks_comments.html#disqus_thread#ixzz2Iy6uI3wH

Do you agree or disagree with the comment in question? And why? Please lets discuss in the most constructive way possible. Thanks

Wow....what a racist rabbi.

History has it that Hebrews were slaves in Africa (Egypt) for over 400 years.

History has it that the great philosophers of Europe ( Plato, Socrates ) got their wisdom from the schools in Kemet (Egypt)

History has it that before the colonization of Africa, Africans built their empires ( Sudan, Cush, Kemet, Oyo, Benin etc). As a matter of fact the advancement in the Benin empire in bronze technology is still a mystery to the British people who stole some bronze carvings from Benin. They still debate to this day how those things were carved in the 19th century.

History has it that the most successful and powerful nation on earth at any particular time was not Isreal. Infact in the vision God showed Nebuchadnezzar ( Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome) were the most powerful nations.

The idea that somehow Jews are always prosperous is misleading. The popularity of the Jews is based on the spread of Christianity and the wide circulation of the bible which reveals God's special love for Israel. Moses saying it as plain as it is admitted that "The LORD did not set his love upon you (Isreal), nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people." Deut. 7:7

Prosperity comes from the Sovereign Lord who gives to whosoever he wishes (not because the person is a Jew or a christian or has paid offerings to a fellow man who claims to be God's tax collector). Even as prosperous as Israel could be the bible records " the poor you will always have among you." Therefore it is safe to say that prosperity is not in a DNA.

There are two parts to prosperity: First GOD, Second GOD blessing the WORK of one's hands. Therefore it can be said GOD and HARDWORK. While hardwork does not necessarily translate into prosperity, Laziness ultimately excludes one from prosperity.

A hardworking nation blessed by God ultimately prospers, be it Israel or Nigeria. Are African countries hardworking? Answer is subject to debate but I will say to a large extent NO. For instance Nigeria has crude oil, exports it and buys petrol from other nations. That sounds like laziness to me. As Pastor Mensah noted in one of his sermons, "The lazy man does not roast his game, but the diligent man prizes his possessions" (Proverbs 12:27). He likened Africa exporting raw materials to a lazy hunter who doesn't roast his game.

To belief you will prosper is good but it won't make you prosper until you WORK towards it. Belevism is like placebo it works in the imaginative not in reality. If prosperity is by belief, then I recon that Nigeria should be one of the most prosperous nations today. Every Sunday millions of Nigeria are told to believe it is their week of prosperity and their thunderous AMEN indicates that many of them actually believe it, however it usually doesn't happen and they need another level of believe the following Sunday to keep on. So in answer to the question I think prosperity is not about belief.


In conclusion, I will like to point out that there is only one race on earth - the human race, but several nations; and the prosperity of a nation has nothing to do with gene or belief but everything to do with GOD and HARDWORK

The reasons why different societies develop at different rates have been well studied and don't have jackshît to do with genetics, religion or culture. Jared Diamond broke it down well in his excellent book, Guns Germs and Steel.

The short version is that the differences are due to geography, climate and the types of plants and animals available for domestication.

Follow the link for more detail.

[url] www.edge.org/3rd_culture/diamond/diamond_p2.html [/url]

Thank you belabela and Evil Brain for sharing your thoughts. Please keep it rolling.

Allow me to add this quote by the late Chukwuemeka Ojukwu (he was also a historian and a philosopher)to the mix; It will be interesting to know what you guys make of it.

"Over the years I have tried to find at what point the road of evolution of the black man moved away from that taken by the white man. Increasingly I believe the point of diversion can be found in Man's relation to God. The fact is, the black man's God ia a God of retribution; awesome, unapproachable and merciless. The white man's God is God of love, mercy and forgiveness. From there it his not hard to see how the black became inhibited in is confrontation with natural phenomena, while the white felt encouraged to explore and conquer the natural phenomena that surrounded him.

let me give an example. The black man, faced with a strange mountain, quickly turns his back on this terrifying monster, seeks out a calf from his miserable herd and begins the regular sacrifice to the god of the mountain. Very soon the mountain has become sacred and therefore impenetrable. His white counterpart would be fascinated by the spectacle of the mountain, but his reaction would be to climb it, on its summit to dominate the landscape, on its flanks to sow his crops and in its entrails to mine for minerals. The black man in history, considering himself unworthy of God, has tended to leave Creation as it stood, easily satisfied; the white man, considering himself the favourite of God, has through the ages continually questioned Creation, and never hesitated to bend it to his will and advantage.

Where each of these divergent attitudes have led is now very clear: the technological gap, the domination of the world by the white, and the moral enslavement of the black man's mind. Today i think we have come to realise that this bar to our development can and must overcome. But to overcome it we must as a race make fundamental changes in our attitudes, realising that the greater enemy is within ourselves, and that plots and conspiracies against us, if they exist, are but secondary obstacles."

-- Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu (1933 - 2011)

I believe it is genetic. The black man is merciful, kind, hospitable, etc, thus naive and is open to exploitation and swallows every foreign tale he hears hook, line and sinker. He is very impressionable. The whiteman on the other hand is ruthless in all his doing thus guaranteeing him only two possible outcomes: success or death.

belabela: History has it that Hebrews were slaves in Africa (Egypt) for over 400 years.

History has it that the great philosophers of Europe ( Plato, Socrates ) got their wisdom from the schools in Kemet (Egypt)

History has it that before the colonization of Africa, Africans built their empires ( Sudan, Cush, Kemet, Oyo, Benin etc). As a matter of fact the advancement in the Benin empire in bronze technology is still a mystery to the British people who stole some bronze carvings from Benin. They still debate to this day how those things were carved in the 19th century.

History has it that the most successful and powerful nation on earth at any particular time was not Isreal. Infact in the vision God showed Nebuchadnezzar ( Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome) were the most powerful nations.

The idea that somehow Jews are always prosperous is misleading. The popularity of the Jews is based on the spread of Christianity and the wide circulation of the bible which reveals God's special love for Israel. Moses saying it as plain as it is admitted that "The LORD did not set his love upon you (Isreal), nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people." Deut. 7:7

Prosperity comes from the Sovereign Lord who gives to whosoever he wishes (not because the person is a Jew or a christian or has paid offerings to a fellow man who claims to be God's tax collector). Even as prosperous as Israel could be the bible records " the poor you will always have among you." Therefore it is safe to say that prosperity is not in a DNA.

There are two parts to prosperity: First GOD, Second GOD blessing the WORK of one's hands. Therefore it can be said GOD and HARDWORK. While hardwork does not necessarily translate into prosperity, Laziness ultimately excludes one from prosperity.

A hardworking nation blessed by God ultimately prospers, be it Israel or Nigeria. Are African countries hardworking? Answer is subject to debate but I will say to a large extent NO. For instance Nigeria has crude oil, exports it and buys petrol from other nations. That sounds like laziness to me. As Pastor Mensah noted in one of his sermons, "The lazy man does not roast his game, but the diligent man prizes his possessions" (Proverbs 12:27). He likened Africa exporting raw materials to a lazy hunter who doesn't roast his game.

To belief you will prosper is good but it won't make you prosper until you WORK towards it. Belevism is like placebo it works in the imaginative not in reality. If prosperity is by belief, then I recon that Nigeria should be one of the most prosperous nations today. Every Sunday millions of Nigeria are told to believe it is their week of prosperity and their thunderous AMEN indicates that many of them actually believe it, however it usually doesn't happen and they need another level of believe the following Sunday to keep on. So in answer to the question I think prosperity is not about belief.


In conclusion, I will like to point out that there is only one race on earth - the human race, but several nations; and the prosperity of a nation has nothing to do with gene or belief but everything to do with GOD and HARDWORK

A splendid analysis I must say. As a christian, I agree with almost all your submission but I have a reservation with your understanding of the word belief. In your conclusion, you stated:

the prosperity of a nation has nothing to do with gene or belief but everything to do with GOD and HARDWORK.

This line above^ is actually self-contradictory because it is a statement of belief in GOD and HARDWORK.

Thanks.

Insisting on putting god into everything is part of the problem. Some acknowledge it yet still do it?

Evil Brain: The reasons why different societies develop at different rates have been well studied and don't have jackshît to do with genetics, religion or culture. Jared Diamond broke it down well in his excellent book, Guns Germs and Steel.

The short version is that the differences are due to geography, climate and the types of plants and animals available for domestication.

Follow the link for more detail.

[url] www.edge.org/3rd_culture/diamond/diamond_p2.html [/url]

What is the difference between geography and climate?

Geography and climate dictates the type of plants and animals available.

These argument is saying that prosperity depends only on your geography? This is patently wrong!

SNCOQ3: Thank you belabela and Evil Brain for sharing your thoughts. Please keep it rolling.

Allow me to add this quote by the late Chukwuemeka Ojukwu (he was also a historian and a philosopher)to the mix; It will be interesting to know what you guys make of it.

Ojukwu got it wrong by assuming there was a god that cared

Even worse, he assumed that there is a white god and a black god!

So much for your historian and philosopher!

Evil Brain: The reasons why different societies develop at different rates have been well studied and don't have jackshît to do with genetics, religion or culture. Jared Diamond broke it down well in his excellent book, Guns Germs and Steel.

The short version is that the differences are due to geography, climate and the types of plants and animals available for domestication.

Follow the link for more detail.

[url] www.edge.org/3rd_culture/diamond/diamond_p2.html [/url]

I am still studying your link; so far, if you remove "genetics,religion or culture" out of the 'equation', what we are going to have left is a bunch of excuses e.g "The Europeans built massive ship before the Mayans could..."
The European ships were mainly constructed with woods; which was never lacking in the Mayan empire. If for example, a culture believes that a mountain full of iron ore is sacred and should never be approached, how does this belief help rapid technological advancement?

I think a man who lacks adequate material but believes in exploration and discovery will always find a way.

Please keep it rolling.

advocate666: I believe it is genetic. The black man is merciful, kind, hospitable, etc, thus naive and is open to exploitation and swallows every foreign tale he hears hook, line and sinker. He is very impressionable. The whiteman on the other hand is ruthless in all his doing thus guaranteeing him only two possible outcomes: success or death.

I thought "merciful, kind, hospitable,...ruthless" are expressions of our character and that character is shaped by our belief-system or "disbelief-system". e.g A bad man can become a good man, vice-versa based on a change in conviction and not a fixed gene?

SNCOQ3:

I thought "merciful, kind, hospitable,...ruthless" are expressions of our character and that character is shaped by our belief-system or "disbelief-system". e.g A bad man can become a good man, vice-versa based on a change in conviction and not a fixed gene?

Which belief system are you alluding to, religion?

We have had many of those for decades. Look where they have landed us!

Evil Brain: The reasons why different societies develop at different rates have been well studied and don't have jackshît to do with genetics, religion or culture. Jared Diamond broke it down well in his excellent book, Guns Germs and Steel.

The short version is that the differences are due to geography, climate and the types of plants and animals available for domestication.

Follow the link for more detail.

[url] www.edge.org/3rd_culture/diamond/diamond_p2.html [/url]

This is juicy

Instinct tells me we blacks in particular are more emotional than say oyinbo. Empathy does have some basis in genetics even if environment does play a part. So usually I'd say it's another nature vs nurture issue.

However, I've seen reports that say for instance that the general increase in height over the last few hundred years is not a result of genetics per se, but of dietry changes. In other words, the genes always had the ingredients, people just weren't nurtured to grow tall. So we could be wired to be just as ruthless(?) as oyinbo but our environment simply hinders it. If that is the case then yes, it could all be down to nurture, not nature. This is more or else what this article seems to be saying I think.

Note, I have nothing to back up my assertion that we're more emotional, or that being more emotional hinders technological advancement (though it likely does). It could be another trait or a combo that hinders our progress scientifically, like the one which must not be spoken out loud; we simply might be less intelligent on certain scales. Regardless of whatever combo may be inhibiting us scientifically though, it really could all be down to nurture.

It could be settled with this; of the few genes we've been able to identify that are related to intelligences like say IQ, do the races share similar frequencies? From what I understand we know too little about genetics and how intelligence works to determine that. You do work in biology I think, so, is this the case?

Random: one also has to consider different races faring differently in similar situations. Black man wasn't the only one oppressed yet we seem to be worse off than many others in similar situations. Then again, observe situations like the emigrations to the usa. Germans for instance, arrived and integrated well with society meanwhile the irish on the other hand, not so much. I would think genetically the two groups would be fairly similar overall, more so than say comparing either with kanuris, yes? But there were still significant differences between them with regards to how well they adapted to their new environment. So, was it all down to social differences or nurture? Most likely. That should obviously apply to us as well. Buutt, we don't fully understand the relationship between intelligence and genes, or intelligence and progress (yes we don't, far east have highest average IQs, save of course some european jews, yet you don't see them dominating say the nobels in sciences.), etc. Meh. Oh, yes, I should finish the article before commenting

wiegraf: Insisting on putting god into everything is part of the problem. Some acknowledge it yet still do it?

Nobody is insisting on putting God in everything. God is already in everything and His law concerning prosperity is a universal law and not exclusive to Christians or Jews. If you work hard, you'll enjoy the fruit of your labor... What you sow is what you shall harvest in abundance.... Invest in research and development and you'll make your scientific breakthrough and technological advancement.

When a nation is built on the foundation of:
Integrity(Holiness), Equity(Justice) and Empathy(Love) That nation will prosper even if they don't acknowledge God . Take this values away and that nation will rot from within.(Holiness, Justice and Love is the three attributes of God Character).

turnstoner:

Ojukwu got it wrong by assuming there was a god that cared

Its an assumption to think that their is not a God that cares. But the topic is whether a belief is responsible for driving progress or retarding it; or whether the gene is responsible.

Even worse, he assumed that there is a white god and a black god!

You got it wrong.

So much for your historian and philosopher!

What he said is clear enough for an average person to understand. If you have to disagree; be dispassionate; No personal attack. I mentioned him a historian and a philosopher(which he rightly is) to keep the topic on point- I don't want ethnic/tribalistic nonsense creeping in.

SNCOQ3:

Nobody is insisting on putting God in everything. God is already in everything and His law concerning prosperity is a universal law and not exclusive to Christians or Jews. If you work hard, you'll enjoy the fruit of your labor... What you sow is what you shall harvest in abundance.... Invest in research and development and you'll make your scientific breakthrough and technological advancement.

When a nation is built on the foundation of:
Integrity(Holiness), Equity(Justice) and Empathy(Love) That nation will prosper even if they don't acknowledge God . Take this values away and that nation will rot from within.(Holiness, Justice and Love is the three attributes of God Character).

We don't need a god to recognize those traits as productive or to realize that attaining them are worthwhile pursuits. Simple common sense points in that direction. Gods are also the grand placebo, the number one excuse to throw reason into a bin. The excuse to sit around and wait for miracles. The one that urges irrationality and sacrifice in this world at the expense of gains in a hypothetical next.

They might help matters in moderation but fervent reliogosity never, ever does. Even the secular sort (eg communism). So frankly, as far as issues as these are concerned, mixing religion is a totally unnecessary thing to do especially when you consider the baggage that it comes with. Reason, logic based on natural laws we can verify should take precedence.

turnstoner:

What is the difference between geography and climate?

Geography and climate dictates the type of plants and animals available.

These argument is saying that prosperity depends only on your geography? This is patently wrong!

Geography: Eurasia's long axis is oriented east-west, while Africa and the Americas axes are north-south. This is a huge deal when it comes to the spread of agriculture, as you would see if you bother to follow my link.

Climate: Eurasia has by far the most diverse climate of any continent on earth. This means a very wide variety of plants and animals have been able to evolve in various different climactic conditions. More biodiversity means more varied plants and animals for domestication. Agriculture is the key to human development as history has shown. We Africans aren't even that far behind, native Americans were still in the stone age in the 15th century and some pacific island dwellers apparently didn't even have fire.

Plants and Animals: Basically all domesticated animals except guinea fowls and llamas originated in Eurasia. These animals didn't spread to Africa for centuries because they had to first adapt to the weather which changes rapidly as you move north or south (as opposed to east or west). This goes double for plants that depend on temperature, rainfall patterns, and seasonal day-length variation to grow.

This means that whenever a new plant or animal was domesticated, say horses in the steppes, its use easily spread over thousands of kilometers in both directions to Britain and China. Meanwhile, even today, horses don't really thrive in sub-saharan Africa.

The end result is that Europeans, Indians and Asians had access to cows, sheep, horses, camels, goats, dogs, pigs, rice, wheat, millet, beans, and peas for millennia before people on other continents. That means they could farm more efficiently (e.g.using oxen) travel more widely, eat better food and develop their societies faster. Thats why they are ahead.

wiegraf:

We don't need a god to recognize those traits as productive or to realize that attaining them are worthwhile pursuits. Simple common sense points in that direction. Gods are also the grand placebo, the number one excuse to throw reason into a bin. The excuse to sit around and wait for miracles. The one that urges irrationality and sacrifice in this world at the expense of gains in a hypothetical next.

They might help matters in moderation but fervent reliogosity never, ever does. Even the secular sort (eg communism). So frankly, as far as issues as these are concerned, mixing religion is a totally unnecessary thing to do especially when you consider the baggage that it comes with. Reason, logic based on natural laws we can verify should take precedence.

It seems to you, its Religion vs Reason; for me, Faith and Reason are in perfect harmony. At least you seem to agree that belief(religious or non-religious) and not gene is mainly responsible for our level of progress or non has a race(or nation if you like).

I appreciate your contribution.

Evil Brain:

Geography: Eurasia's long axis is oriented east-west, while Africa and the Americas axes are north-south. This is a huge deal when it comes to the spread of agriculture, as you would see if you bother to follow my link.

Climate: Eurasia has by far the most diverse climate of any continent on earth. This means a very wide variety of plants and animals have been able to evolve in various different climactic conditions. More biodiversity means more varied plants and animals for domestication. Agriculture is the key to human development as history has shown. We Africans aren't even that far behind, native Americans were still in the stone age in the 15th century and some pacific island dwellers apparently didn't even have fire.

Plants and Animals: Basically all domesticated animals except guinea fowls and llamas originated in Eurasia. These animals didn't spread to Africa for centuries because they had to first adapt to the weather which changes rapidly as you move north or south (as opposed to east or west). This goes double for plants that depend on temperature, rainfall patterns, and seasonal day-length variation to grow.

This means that whenever a new plant or animal was domesticated, say horses in the steppes, its use easily spread over thousands of kilometers in both directions to Britain and China. Meanwhile, even today, horses don't really thrive in sub-saharan Africa.

The end result is that Europeans, Indians and Asians had access to cows, sheep, horses, camels, goats, dogs, pigs, rice, wheat, millet, beans, and peas for millennia before people on other continents. That means they could farm more efficiently (e.g.using oxen) travel more widely, eat better food and develop their societies faster. Thats why they are ahead.

I would have to disagree with you on this one. Although Europe has more diverse seasons than Africa, it doesn't have more diverse climate. African climate has everything european climate has (except snow in subsahara) and even more, like extreme dryness, harmattan, etc. Africans didn't much need to develop agriculture because food was readily available all year round in the bushes and forests. This easy availability of resources was more of a curse for us as it made us lazy.

What proof do you have about all domesticated animals originating from eurasia? I don't believe it. What were the fulanis doing before those animals decided to emigrate? Please check your facts. Secondly, Africa has more variety of fruits and plants that eurasia.

Africans had everything, stopped evolving and rested on their oars. Europeans had fewer things and had to fight and expand in order to survive. Through their many fightings and wars, they eliminated the weak and foolish amongst themselves and their offsprings evolved to stronger and smarter population.

turnstoner:

What is the difference between geography and climate?

Geography and climate dictates the type of plants and animals available.

These argument is saying that prosperity depends only on your geography? This is patently wrong!

Geography is important as well

Look at China, USA and Saudi Arabia.....resources build up their economies.


Furthermore, people in colder areas have to build stronger houses and therefore have very solid architecture . European architecture has always been the most inspiring.

People in trade routes china, Egypt etc had solid civilization from the protifts from the trades



People who had discovered iron in their lands made weapons and conquered.

advocate666:

I would have to disagree with you on this one. Although Europe has more diverse seasons than Africa, it doesn't have more diverse climate. African climate has everything european climate has (except snow in subsahara) and even more, like extreme dryness, harmattan, etc. Africans didn't much need to develop agriculture because food was readily available all year round in the bushes and forests. This easy availability of resources was more of a curse for us as it made us lazy.

What proof do you have about all domesticated animals originating from eurasia? I don't believe it. What were the fulanis doing before those animals decided to emigrate? Please check your facts. Secondly, Africa has more variety of fruits and plants that eurasia.

Africans had everything, stopped evolving and rested on their oars. Europeans had fewer things and had to fight and expand in order to survive. Through their many fightings and wars, they eliminated the weak and foolish amongst themselves and their offsprings evolved to stronger and smarter population.

Wrong.

The west African had everything. Fertile land and hot weather. He only needed to build a small house, work on his farm with his 4 wives and 16 children and also drink palm wine in the past. West Africa was isolated until the uncivilized Arabs came and then the Europeans.


Thge European had many neighbours even to the eastern continent of Asia. He had to create weapons to defend himself and his people. The cold weather meant stronger houses. The many neighbours and trade routes provided exchange of information and technology.


Need- the basis of Economics, technological advancement and human psychology. Man wants to satisfy his needs and problems. The African man had little problesm. The Europeans had many.

SNCOQ3:

A splendid analysis I must say. As a christian, I agree with almost all your submission but I have a reservation with your understanding of the word belief. In your conclusion, you stated:

the prosperity of a nation has nothing to do with gene or belief but everything to do with GOD and HARDWORK.

This line above^ is actually self-contradictory because it is a statement of belief in GOD and HARDWORK.

Thanks.

The above line is not contradictory. That was why I said if prosperity is about belief (faith) then all Jews should be prosperous but that is not the case. Even in modern Israel there are poor Jews. To belief there is a God is not the same as understanding that God is sovereign over all things. To think that because I am a christian for example then I must prosper financially or materially is simply not true. Faith (belief) may help me understand that behind everything in life is God but having that faith does not necessarily make me prosperous. Let me also say that God does not give wealth and riches only to those who obey and follow him. In his divine providence God has allowed several evil men to prosper and even rule the world such as Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar. In other words the fact that you have a belief does not necessarily translate into material and financial prosperity. Only those whom God bless the work of their hands eventually prospers irrespective of their belief but they must be hardworking.

SNCOQ3:
It seems to you, its Religion vs Reason; for me, Faith and Reason are in perfect harmony. At least you seem to agree that belief(religious or non-religious) and not gene is mainly responsible for our level of progress or non has a race(or nation if you like).

I appreciate your contribution.

In most scenarios, the bold is false. Faith in the supernatural in particular is in direct opposition to reason. That's another matter though, and I cannot say with certainty that being more reasonable equates to greater prosperity, but it very likely does.

belabela: History has it that Hebrews were slaves in Africa (Egypt) for over 400 years.

History has it that the great philosophers of Europe ( Plato, Socrates ) got their wisdom from the schools in Kemet (Egypt)

History has it that before the colonization of Africa, Africans built their empires ( Sudan, Cush, Kemet, Oyo, Benin etc). As a matter of fact the advancement in the Benin empire in bronze technology is still a mystery to the British people who stole some bronze carvings from Benin. They still debate to this day how those things were carved in the 19th century.

History has it that the most successful and powerful nation on earth at any particular time was not Isreal. Infact in the vision God showed Nebuchadnezzar ( Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome) were the most powerful nations.

The idea that somehow Jews are always prosperous is misleading. The popularity of the Jews is based on the spread of Christianity and the wide circulation of the bible which reveals God's special love for Israel. Moses saying it as plain as it is admitted that "The LORD did not set his love upon you (Isreal), nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people." Deut. 7:7

Prosperity comes from the Sovereign Lord who gives to whosoever he wishes (not because the person is a Jew or a christian or has paid offerings to a fellow man who claims to be God's tax collector). Even as prosperous as Israel could be the bible records " the poor you will always have among you." Therefore it is safe to say that prosperity is not in a DNA.

There are two parts to prosperity: First GOD, Second GOD blessing the WORK of one's hands. Therefore it can be said GOD and HARDWORK. While hardwork does not necessarily translate into prosperity, Laziness ultimately excludes one from prosperity.

A hardworking nation blessed by God ultimately prospers, be it Israel or Nigeria. Are African countries hardworking? Answer is subject to debate but I will say to a large extent NO. For instance Nigeria has crude oil, exports it and buys petrol from other nations. That sounds like laziness to me. As Pastor Mensah noted in one of his sermons, "The lazy man does not roast his game, but the diligent man prizes his possessions" (Proverbs 12:27). He likened Africa exporting raw materials to a lazy hunter who doesn't roast his game.

To belief you will prosper is good but it won't make you prosper until you WORK towards it. Belevism is like placebo it works in the imaginative not in reality. If prosperity is by belief, then I recon that Nigeria should be one of the most prosperous nations today. Every Sunday millions of Nigeria are told to believe it is their week of prosperity and their thunderous AMEN indicates that many of them actually believe it, however it usually doesn't happen and they need another level of believe the following Sunday to keep on. So in answer to the question I think prosperity is not about belief.


In conclusion, I will like to point out that there is only one race on earth - the human race, but several nations; and the prosperity of a nation has nothing to do with gene or belief but everything to do with GOD and HARDWORK

I agree with most of what you wrote in the beginning, until you got to the god part.
Its funny and sad how goddism always messes up a good intellect.

Your last sentence of your conclusion is complete baloney, a glaring contradiction.
How can success be a product of god and hardwork?.
It is either one or the other.
Let god make up his mind.lol

You goddists are so mischeiviously clever in always to trying to sneak god into every success and sneaking him out of every failure.

If success comes as a result of hard work,which is self evident, then give due credit to hard work.
If success comes from god, then kindly show us who,where, when and how god bestows success. Tell us the criteria or formula that god uses to determine to whom he should bestow success, and to whom to deny such.

Right here in Terra Firma, Man is the master of his destiny, for good or for bad.
Man's journey and ultimate destination in this part of existence is neither determined nor influenced by the machinations of any god or gods(real or imagined) in the sky or in the earth.

plaetton:

I agree with most of what you wrote in the beginning, until you got to the god part.
Its funny and sad how goddism always messes up a good intellect.

Your last sentence of your conclusion is complete baloney, a glaring contradiction.
How can success be a product of god and hardwork?.
It is either one or the other.
Let god make up his mind.lol

You goddists are so mischeiviously clever in always to trying to sneak god into every success and sneaking him out of every failure.

If success comes as a result of hard work,which is self evident, then give due credit to hard work.
If success comes from god, then kindly show us who,where, when and how god bestows success. Tell us the criteria or formula that god uses to determine to whom he should bestow success, and to whom to deny such.

Right here in Terra Firma, Man is the master of his destiny.
Man's journey and ultimate destination in this part of existence is neither determined nor influenced by the machinations of any god or gods(real or imagined) in the sky or in the earth.

Beautiful ! You killed it

SNCOQ3: Thank you belabela and Evil Brain for sharing your thoughts. Please keep it rolling.

Allow me to add this quote by the late Chukwuemeka Ojukwu (he was also a historian and a philosopher)to the mix; It will be interesting to know what you guys make of it.

Ojukwu is right and wrong.

He is right in pointing out that fear of knowledge, the fear of the unknown, the fear to even imagine is a great impediment to the acquisition of knowledge, skills and ideas that spawn progress.
He is wrong by forgetting that the white man had also been there and done that, and has rapidly advanced over last few hundred years once they were able to shed the mental yolk and enslavement to ridiculous and mentally debilitating religious myths.

Infact, the white man gained mental sovereignty and gradually shifted away from the so-called god of love and compassion(love and compassion my foot) to purse their own human passion for knowledge.

He also, perhaps, forgot that much of sub-sahara Africa were isolated from trade,scholarship, ideas and wars of conquest, due to dense,harsh and inhospitable tropical climates and diseases.

advocate666:

I would have to disagree with you on this one. Although Europe has more diverse seasons than Africa, it doesn't have more diverse climate. African climate has everything european climate has (except snow in subsahara) and even more, like extreme dryness, harmattan, etc.

Eurasia has hot deserts, cold deserts, temperate, Mediterranean, arctic and tropical climates. Plus, as long as you keep avoid going north or south, you can travel for thousands of kilometers in one direction and still get roughly the same climate, making it easier for agriculture to spread. The long east-west axis is probably the most important advantage Eurasia has.

Africa has semi-desert, the Sahara, tropical, and some small areas with Mediterranean climate. Nowhere as diverse as Eurasia.

Africans didn't much need to develop agriculture because food was readily available all year round in the bushes and forests. This easy availability of resources was more of a curse for us as it made us lazy.

The hunter gatherer lifestyle cannot support a large or urbanized population. Thats why gorillas and chimpanzees dont live in large cities. This stuff about Africans gathering food in the bush like monkeys is rascist bullshît. And our ancestors have been farming for 12,000 years. They were not lazy.

What proof do you have about all domesticated animals originating from eurasia? I don't believe it. What were the fulanis doing before those animals decided to emigrate? Please check your facts. Secondly, Africa has more variety of fruits and plants that eurasia.

We know where plants and animals originally came from from archeology, paleontology, genetic studies and sometimes historical records. The science is pretty solid so I'm not going to waste time arguing about it. Either use Google to educate yourself, or just take my word for it. And FYI, cattle were first domesticated in Mesopotamia about 11,000 years ago. I don't know what the Fulanis were doing before that, but they definitely weren't herding cows.

Africans had everything, stopped evolving and rested on their oars. Europeans had fewer things and had to fight and expand in order to survive. Through their many fightings and wars, they eliminated the weak and foolish amongst themselves and their offsprings evolved to stronger and smarter population.

Wrong. The first modern humans left Africa only 100,000 years ago. We haven't been evolving long enough for that amount of change to happen. Besides, the differences between the races are mostly superficial and much less than the variability within each race. For some reason, you are looking down on your own ancestors and accusing them of being bums. And you're so focused on us lagging behind the Europeans that you haven't even noticed that we're way ahead of the native Americans, Australian aboriginals Polynesians and countless other cultures around the world. You need to stop all the self-hate and learn to appreciate where you came from, even thought it's not perfect.

Evil Brain:

Eurasia has hot deserts, cold deserts, temperate, Mediterranean, arctic and tropical climates. Plus, as long as you keep avoid going north or south, you can travel for thousands of kilometers in one direction and still get roughly the same climate, making it easier for agriculture to spread. The long east-west axis is probably the most important advantage Eurasia has.

Africa has semi-desert, the Sahara, tropical, and some small areas with Mediterranean climate. Nowhere as diverse as Eurasia.



The hunter gatherer lifestyle cannot support a large or urbanized population. Thats why gorillas and chimpanzees dont live in large cities. This stuff about Africans gathering food in the bush like monkeys is rascist bullshît. And our ancestors have been farming for 12,000 years. They were not lazy.



We know where plants and animals originally came from from archeology, paleontology, genetic studies and sometimes historical records. The science is pretty solid so I'm not going to waste time arguing about it. Either use Google to educate yourself, or just take my word for it. And FYI, cattle were first domesticated in Mesopotamia about 11,000 years ago. I don't know what the Fulanis were doing before that, but they definitely weren't herding cows.



Wrong. The first modern humans left Africa only 100,000 years ago. We haven't been evolving long enough for that amount of change to happen. Besides, the differences between the races are mostly superficial and much less than the variability within each race. For some reason, you are looking down on your own ancestors and accusing them of being bums. And you're so focused on our lagging behind the Europeans that you haven't even noticed that we're way ahead of the native Americans, Australian aboriginals Polynesians and countless other cultures around the world. You need to stop all the self-hate and learn to appreciate where you came from, even thought it's not perfect.

Gbam!

plaetton:

Ojukwu is right and wrong.

He is right in pointing out that fear of knowledge, the fear of the unknown, the fear to even imagine is a great impediment to the acquisition of knowledge, skills and ideas that spawn progress.
He is wrong by forgetting that the white man had also been there and done that, and has rapidly advanced over last few hundred years once they were able to shed the mental yolk and enslavement to ridiculous and mentally debilitating religious myths.

Infact, the white man gained mental sovereignty and gradually shifted away from the so-called god of love and compassion(love and compassion my foot) to purse their own human passion for knowledge.

He also, perhaps, forgot that much of sub-sahara Africa were isolated from trade,scholarship, ideas and wars of conquest, due to dense,harsh and inhospitable tropical climates and diseases.

@bolded is what i believe caused Africa's backwardness.

We started interacting with the rest of the civilized world rather late

plaetton:

I agree with most of what you wrote in the beginning, until you got to the god part.
Its funny and sad how goddism always messes up a good intellect.

Your last sentence of your conclusion is complete baloney, a glaring contradiction.
How can success be a product of god and hardwork?.
It is either one or the other.
Let god make up his mind.lol

You goddists are so mischeiviously clever in always to trying to sneak god into every success and sneaking him out of every failure.

If success comes as a result of hard work,which is self evident, then give due credit to hard work.
If success comes from god, then kindly show us who,where, when and how god bestows success. Tell us the criteria or formula that god uses to determine to whom he should bestow success, and to whom to deny such.

Right here in Terra Firma, Man is the master of his destiny, for good or for bad.
Man's journey and ultimate destination in this part of existence is neither determined nor influenced by the machinations of any god or gods(real or imagined) in the sky or in the earth.

I couldn't have put it better myself.

Logicboy03:


Geography is important as well

Look at China, USA and Saudi Arabia.....resources build up their economies.


Furthermore, people in colder areas have to build stronger houses and therefore have very solid architecture . European architecture has always been the most inspiring.

People in trade routes china, Egypt etc had solid civilization from the protifts from the trades



People who had discovered iron in their lands made weapons and conquered.

Its not like we were surrounded by Kilimanjaro; Even at that, to the adventurous mind, their are no excuses.
West Africa for example had geography, mineral resources and access to the sea to her advantage. Their was in-fighting among the tribes and war between kingdoms, their were trade routes too( if there are non, we could have created one through exploration; Afterall, we migrated to were we are).

Do you think belief(cultural, religious, non-religious, philosophical...etc) or gene determined our rate of progress or retardation as a race?