₦airaland Forum

@Ranchhoddas
Deicide: the killer of a god. Thanks.

DoctorAlien, hold your breathe and slowly count to hundred...

@DoctorAlien

Hmmm... The devil is not immortal!
I re-read the chapters you provided. It isn't quite clear. I will study it carefully and compare with verses in the book of Revelation, Enoch, Lucifer, ...et al (I have to be unbiased). Thanks.

To other matters:

I confess to sometimes read religious scriptures in search of inconsistencies. I also admit that the gospel has the fewest (I have observed). But they exist. Those things that simply don't make sense about religion and God.
I know that God is suppose to be all wise, and his ways unfathomable. I just wish to find and understand my own way.

Free will is an illusion.
And you need not disbelieve in God to arrive at this conclusion.
Every single moment, we are coaxed by forces of nature, nurture, instinct, family, society, rulers, lust, money, hunger,... to do its bidding.
I still attend religious fellowships every now and then; but I know I am compelled more by habit and curiosity than by faith. It is a conscious choice necessitated by fate.

Do you think you are free to do as you will?
The Laws of God. Constitutions of Men. Limitations of Being. Disproves this. Even common sense violently protest this.

We only think we are free; to preserve our sanity.

@DoctorAlien

Thanks for painstakingly reading my essay and offering your opinion.

These are my crux with your arguments:

The first is a paradox.
How does an all knowing (omniscient), all powerful (omnipotent) and all present (omnipresent) God, NOT know if man – created in his image and likeness; kept in a garden under his supervision (supernatural prerogative), 'commanded' not to eat from a beautiful tree with enticing fruits he planted in the middle, resist the cunning of a serpent he made – will disobey him? Genesis 2:8-25, 3:1-24 (the devil is in the details)

Maybe we were setup to fail this 'test!'

Is Lucifer not Immortal? Did he not rebel against God?
(according to the bible)

... ... ... more query loading.

@Wilgrea7

I don't think am in a position to offer much help. I don't claim to be an authority on any religion (as some might think).
I myself have countless unanswered questions.

Well, state your case for everyone to explore. I promise to contribute my modest unbiased opinion.

Deicide:
the op sabi lie you think say e day easy to join sciencetology??

Modified:
I apologies if I've offended your sensibility.

Thanks anyway.

@SirWere

Effing poets.... Lol. I kinda doubt i qualify as one.

Your charge, "to live, and f**king let live" is well recieved.

@Chuksemi

Bros ur head dey der.

I once believed, and sort of still believe, that we are the gods and goddesses of this world. Just that, the occasional powerlessness and helplessness threaten this concept.

Hmmm...

A religion anchored by love appeals to my core beliefs. Will take your contribution under advisement.

Thanks.

@RaggedyAnn
Your philosophy has its allure. I will take it under advisement.
Thanks for the valuable insight.

mumumugu:
you have found your path. Stick to it

I actually haven't. Thanks anyway.

I apologies for the tedious essay. Feel free to criticize.

I had an interesting conversation with a brilliant writer on Nairaland, read several dialogues about belief and religion, specifically on the recent article about Mark Zuckerberg's faith, and arguments between seun & co. about Mark's supposedly non-atheistic leanings.

The more I read, and saw Nairalanders passionately defend their ideology, the more envious I grew. Knowing not where I stood.
I went to bed that night; desolate. Instead of sleep, I embarked on a journey into the yond of despair. And arose the next morning, half-asleep and bereft of ideas.

Indifference no longer appeals to me, as it once did. I long to stand for something. Something that will give my life meaning beyond the pursuit of happiness or love or accomplishment. I am a man grown, still, I fantasize about a heroic death. My obsession with greatness and immortality are my only weaknesses.

I possess drive, cunning, wit, guts, even feats. Yet I feel something extraordinary is missing. I often find myself contemplating my life's purpose or searching for meaning. My wandering soul longs to set ashore.
Please don't tell me I need Jesus, I once loved him and still felt empty.

Yesterday, I attended the 'traditional' burial of a chieftain in my family. I stood afar and watched in disdain as they performed fetish ceremonies to appease their deity with my late Nze's mortal coil – that moment in-between their chants and the substantial behind of a beatiful lady whisking away my attention – did it hit me. I had relapsed into another episode of existential crisis.

Nothing quite like death to make you question existence.

So far, I have successfully (relatively) weathered life's trials and tribulations; infirmity, penury, injustice, conflict (thrice I survived inter-ethnic and religious clashes), resounding defeat, agonizing grief; and seemingly endless disappointments upon disappointments. Fueled by hate, I have performed Herculean tasks of celestial proportions. The worship a supernatural being has lost its charm.

I neva old finish, but in my younger, philandering days, I attended several religious fellowships while babe-hunting, and subsequent soul-searching. Pentecostal, Catholic, Deeper Life, Jehovah Witness, SCOAN, C & S, AMORC, Eckankar, Ogboni... Name it and I've probably being there. After about a decade of gallivanting, it became stale. So I settled for LFC – for a time.

I also studied countless literatures in search of an elusive answer: Theological (Bible, Quran, Torah, Vedas, Sutras, Toa Te Ching, Kabbala, Book of Enoch, Mormon, Lucifer, Book of the Dead et al); Scientific (Theory of Relativity, Evolution, Quantum, Heliocentrism et al); Philosophical (Existentialism, Confucianism, Synchronicity et al); and Poetic (Dante's Inferno, Divine Comedy, Works of Plato, Socrates, Aristotle, Leonardo da Vinci, Invictus et al)
Over the course of my life, I have worn many hats. Theist. Deist. Spiritist. Atheist. Scientologist. Agnostic. Mystic and other assorted paraphernalia. Anything that made sense at that point in my life was my latest zealotry. I briefly dabbled in ignorance and found it too mundane for my enlightened mind.

My most recent label is 'Open-minded' – willingness to honestly assess the evidence for and against a claim, ignoring opinions and dealing only with facts, following it to where it leads, accepting errors and drawing conclusion only after validation. Essentially, to learn, unlearn and relearn truth.

It is a fine notion that I have sustain for some time now. But the problem is an open-mind is fickle (susceptible to change), and I have literally been flip-flopping about with different ideologies, while holding unto some opinion without recourse to proof. I am devoted to certain intangible beliefs that I term my fundamental truths:

• For one, I am decidedly convinced that there exist a supernatural force or being or entity that directs the affairs of this world. Call it Fate, Chi, Universal Mind, God, Allah, Jehovah, Lucifer... or whatever deity you fancy. Trying to convince me otherwise will be futile. There are far too many coincidences and synchronicities (indiscernible and inexplicable acausal connected occurrences) in life to ignore the existence of providence. But my love or affinity for 'this entity' is under consideration – a subtle way of saying that I utterly despise its rule. In this regard, I may be a 'hatist'

• I believe in magic, miracles and wonders. Several times, I have fortuitously escaped the jaws of death, enjoyed unmerited favours, and reaped fortune where I did not sow (or prayed).
My ancestors were traditionalist, oracles, spiritual healers and warriors. My great grandfather was a legendary warrior-priest who single handedly defended our small town from a large invading tribe. My late grandmother was a renowned ogbanjé. The rest of my extended family are currently either practicing traditionalists, christians or a combination.
I can attest to the efficacy of magic (juju), having briefly used local charms called 'chuk-n-bounce' and 'blow-n-fall' while in secondary school (for self defence).

• And I believe in the power of love....
My belief is not bound by logic, custom or common sense.

An argument once held sway: "Serve God. You have nothing to lose, if he doesn't exist. And everything to gain, if he does." Since my fear of death or eternal damnation has faded with my youthful exuberance and naivety; I am compelled to re-evaluate the basis and motives of my belief. I don't want to worship any god just because am afraid of hell or whatever retribution awaits sinners and unbelievers. It matters not how charged with punishment the scroll; I am the master of my fate; And I refuse to yield to religious blackmail.

My quarrel with religion was inevitable.

My feud with Christianity in particular is aptly summarised in this excerpt from 'Dirt under the rug' by RaggedyAnn:

"...What was the point of it all? Why had God created Adam and Eve, and then put them in the garden with the tree that bore the forbidden fruit, when he didn’t mean for them to eat it? That notion was as fool hardy as putting a goat and a tuber of yam in the same room, and expecting to find the yam intact, several hours later. Surely, God would be cleverer than that. Unless, of course, the ‘fall of man’ was his ultimate intent. Again, what was the point of it all? Why had man been condemned, in a deliberate set-up, only to be expected to claw his way back to salvation? Why had God not spared the blameless Jesus Christ the trouble of the agonizing journey to the cross, by keeping the snake out of the garden? And why had God, purportedly, given man free-will, if there was even the slightest possibility that man’s Will would contradict with God’s Will? Why did he not simply cause man to do what he wanted in the first place, instead of giving him the burden of free-will which was sure to put him in conflict with God? What was the moral justification for punishing man for exercising the free-will which was inflicted upon him by God? It was a sadistic plot that just did not make sense because God was supposed to be infinitely good. But it was not supposed to make sense because, they say, God works in mysterious ways. And with that ludicrous statement, the application of logic and common sense had been cleverly preempted."

Similar dilemmas of the afore-stated proportions are inherent in other religions of the world.


Therefore, my inquisition:

Is religion worth adhering to? Or is there a better way?

Hmmm....

The CBN restricted banks from accessing above 10 million naira, perhaps to control inflation or the depreciation of the naira.
They (i presume) hope to create a sort of cash crunch / artificial scarcity to drive the prices of commodities down during this yuletide.

They don't care who suffers.

The average nigerians (masses) are denied their hard earned cash to buy essentials, while the upperclass with excess liquidity larvish themselves with luxury.

The level of cluelessness in this current administration is beyond words.

[img][/img]

Hmmm

[img][/img]

Cool

Hmmm

I hate it when unsubstantiated claims are spread to the detriment of an entity; especially institutions whose value are affected by the prevailing public sentiment.

When news agencies begin to spread rumors like market women is the dearth of investigative journalism.

Hmmm

After reading Abati's write up / exposé my esteem for him sky rocketed. I understand the courage it takes to defy all known norms and principles to write about such experience. Something he without doubt would have expected to be ridiculed.

I recall reading that Pres. Buhari refused to move into Aso Rock for weeks after his swearing-in for spiritual cleansing to be carried out.

Whether atheist or theist, if you do not believe that there is evil in this world, then you are the biggest fool that ever 'liveth'.

My university professor once told me that the reason Africans are backwards is that we use our witchcraft solely for evil. While elsewhere, you here of good witches fighting against evil witches; and secret cults / occults whose purpose is to uplift their nation, be it freemason or illuminati or et al.
But in Nigeria we have Ogbanjè, Ogbonî et al whose purpose is to... you guessed it.

If you like historical facts mixed with fiction, read Dan browns works and see how great nations laid the foundations for their greatness.
While in Nigeria we buried corpses and curses to ensure our damnation.

Hmmm.
I rest my case

Call an electrician to trace the wiring in case someone has tapped into ur connection and increased ur load.

In this present mechanised and gadgetized world na yim people still dey pound.

Oga buy your wife a pounding machine and stop this nonsense feminist crap.

Made me laugh, just a little.

Of all comparisons, na the social media part dey vex me pass.
I go pose for pix wit G Wagon and manage get 6 likes.
But one year nkechi go pose with wrapper and bathroom slippers and fellow guys go wan spam her page with 206,345 likes, loves, wows...

WTF

You didnt provide sufficient details; like type of biz, funding arrangement et al. Am based close to Asaba, Olona to be precise, also seeking biz partnerships in agribiz dev.
I am sort of a consultant: biz developer if you prefer.

@olumze @eugene77

Any new info?
Plan on going to abuja soon (for unrelated biz); seems thats where its hot. I could do some reconnaissance while am there.

@fatiaforreal:
I observed that u are a GEM provisional winner and not a YouWinner; there is so much u are not privileged to. Never the less, know this: my statement was and is intended to 'RALLY' YouWinners into action.

We can sit and be silent while the invisible pipeline continues to run dry or we can do something.
I didn't mean fight; but resume and intensify our pressure thru Emails, visits and social media.

When i started this journey, as u are now with GEM, i had great hope that i could do something special... Can't say i have lost hope but my faith is at an all time low.
I am so close but yet so far.
My biz currently runs at 30% its capability. But for how long?
I hope u never go thru same.
Yet i don't feel pain, rather blessed.

U may not be an economist, but i am. Budgeting is useful when u have money to plan with.
Pls don't lecture me on how to source for finance cos i can guarantee that i know more than u do.

'If' we are paid today, i will joyfully eat my words.
If and only if...

Finally it is clear for all to see.
I loathe to be the pessimist here, but the writing is on the wall. I only state the obvious.

In case you still have doubts; read my words carefully: The Federal Ministry of finance will NOT release any tranche, not now or possibly ever. Unless we do the 'needful' we are doomed to wait till eternity.

Once they notice we are growing impatient, they cook some new lie to give us false hope; while their propaganda vehicle on social media inflames it. Then as usual, we fold our arms waiting for this very soon that never comes.

If only they could be straight forward; instead of blatant lies, tell us the simple truth; our tranche money has been diverted and they are keeping us in-check to avoid any embarassment.

The last mail they sent really pissed me off, i just jejely held my peace.
Their next agenda is to go after those that have been working hard to ensure that we are heard.
Tell me that is not a calculated effort to disarm our struggle and i will direct you to yabaleft.

@fatiaforreal: Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...
Yet another day pisses into the wind!

@oyekeye: as per the sms, stale news. How did you come about ur claim of today or tomorrow?

@fatiaforreal: we don see cloud and lightning tire. We don hear thunder sote our ear don block. All we want is rain. No more due process again. Before our biz withers away.

... Another day bites the dust.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

@olumze
I dabble.

@awardees
Just got a msg from youwin prompting me to update my acc with bvn!!!