₦airaland Forum

ogtechinc:
Origin of Easter: From pagan festivals and Christianity to bunnies and chocolate eggs
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-04-15/the-origins-of-easter-from-pagan-roots-to-chocolate-eggs/8440134#:~:text=But%20in%20English-speaking%20countries,equinox%2C"%20Professor%20Cusack%20said.


Does the origin of Easter really matter or be ignored?

What are your thoughts?

It really does matter to make sure of what is pleasing and acceptable to God. Ephesians 5:10, 1Thessalonians 5:21
And since it has been resounded and well-documented that this “Easter” celebration has unsavory & pagan origins, anyone who is willing to please God should “quit touching the unclean thing”(2Corinthians 6:17) because it is not possible to be partaking of God’s table and still eat from the table of demons as well. 1Corinthians 10:20-22

GeneralDae:

Jesus did not know everything as a human being, even Jesus admitted he doesn't know when the end would come. He was a complete human vessel like you and I inhabited by God in full (Like no other before him). God gave jesus the spirit without measure and he can be rightfully called the son of God.
Jesus also used the myths and stories of his culture and his people in their context especially when these mythologies had the teachings of God hidden in them for the wise in spirit who hear from the father.
Mythologies are not necessarily false, they are used to pierce the soul of the wise. Jesus loved stories and myths so much and I love them too because they allow free thinking and deep revelations.
Paul saying all scriptures are inspired by God or God breathed does not mean there are no myths in scriptures. Besides God's inspiration may take many forms and may not necessarily mean God's dictation. Even Paul at a point gave his personal advice in his letters and in that 1 Timothy Paul was referring specifically to the scriptures in the Torah, and at that time the new testament wasn't even compiled and accepted as scripture.

It seems you have a different definition of what “myths” really are because since you are now caught in your own web which you made by yourself, you’d do anything to get out of it including misdefining what “myths” are.

If the Biblical accounts are all myths like you claim, then they can never be fundamental truths and Jesus was just quoting from falsehoods? Compare Genesis 2:24 with Matthew 19:5

When Jesus said that “[God’s] word is truth” at John 17:17, was he implying that some part of the Scriptures were false and other parts were true? Or was his statement completely in harmony with Paul’s words at 2Timothy 3:16?


Please enough, you have already rendered everything Jesus said as mere stories/fables with no meaning so please focus on sonmvayina for now let me observe what comes out your discussion with him since he has said that your Jesus is a “mythical” character.

sonmvayina:
Truth is bitter...jesus is a mythcal character...there is really no way round it..virgin birth and all. İt has roman/greek mythology written all over it..

Please tell this to GeneralDae because apparently, he happens to be a follower of that same “mythical” character so try and form a bond with him and convince him that his Jesus is just a mere “mythical” character. Please do carry on with it. I want to be amused.


P.S. It does not matter if Jesus is a fictional character or not. After all, you claimed the events penned down in the Torah were also not real that means Moses is a fictional character, isn’t it? And the fact that you’re also expecting a real Messiah from made-up stories is quite absurd.
So why feel strongly only about Jesus’ case, when Moses is also a mere fictional character like your assertions have made clear? Careful, so you do not suffocate yourself with this information.

GeneralDae:

Genesis 1 and 2 are most likely mythical stories where a serpent speaks, but it was taken as a true account of creation by the Israelites. The story has profound meaning and tells us that from one man came all the families of the earth, but this man was thrown out of the kingdom of God after knowing good and evil ( losing his innocence). So what the story is saying in essence is that the first man and woman ( our ancestors) in their quest for wisdom like a serpent they lost God's presence, but even now that they have this knowledge of good and evil ( like the gods), they can still reach out for the tree of life to claim their previous state nonetheless.
The story is a myth that gives a summary of the truth of how our Ancestors lost it with God.

Genesis chapter 1 & 2 are nothing but mythical stories? How come Jesus quoted from one of those so-called “mythical” chapters? Does that mean also, that Jesus is a “mythical” character and that you are no longer a Christian like you claim?
Your comments are so absurd and out of the ordinary I must say because if Paul(whom the Jesus you claim to follow appointed at Acts 9:15) could say that “ALL SCRIPTURE(Genesis to Revelation) are inspired of God” who are you to say otherwise? 2Timothy 3:16

Okay let’s apply logic on the Bible and see where it takes us.

XXXXTENTACION:
Using simple logic
premise: if someone commits a crime or sin he/she gets punished for that sin.

Yes that’s sound logic. In fact it’s in line with Romans 6:23 which says that the punishment for sins is death so since we are conceived in sin, we pay the ultimate price with our lives. Ezekiel 18:4

argument: if satan commits a sin then logically satan is supposed to be punished for his sin but how come Jesus gets to be sacrificed

A once faithful angel rebelled against God’s authority which made to lose a favoured relationship with God(2Peter 2:4) and in the process, he made himself Devil and Satan. John 8:44
As it is, Satan is currently on deathrow because of his defiance(Genesis 3:15) and Jesus outlined the final outcome of Satan and his horde of demons. Matthew 25:46 compare with John 12:31 and Revelation 20:10
So where did you get the idea that Satan was off the hook? Because of the numerous claims misinformed religionists make?
.
.

argument 2: if human beings commit evil logically humans are supposed to pay for the evil but how come Jesus gets to be the one to be sacrificed While humans who did the evil go to heaven

Here is where wisdom comes in. The first man Adam committed the most gross sin ever by eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil because by doing so, he showed that he had no regard for God’s rulership i.e. he chose to be independent from God and this brought disastrous consequences on both him(Genesis 3:19) and all his offspring, which includes you and me today. Romans 5:12

So in order for perfect justice to be attained in our case, since the God of the Bible loves justice(Psalm 37:28)—that is—given that it was not our fault we were conceived in sin and error(Psalm 51:5), a life equivalent to the perfect life Adam had, needed to be given as a replacement for we to be released from sin and death.
Romans 5:19, 1Corinthians 15:20-22

This is what the Bible calls a “ransom” i.e. a price paid to release someone from under bondage which Jesus paid for with his own perfect life(please see Matthew 20:28) because as it were, we were sold into slavery to sin and death due to Adamic sin—in that no matter what we do—we cannot release ourselves from the pangs and threat of death(despite the trials of alchemists in the Dark Ages). Psalm 49:7-9

So that’s the perfect logic right there. The summary being that Adam is the first father of the human race(Acts 17:26) who brought suffering, sin and death on all humans(Romans 5:12) and that Jesus is the second father(Isaiah 9:6, 1Corinthians 15:45) who is responsible for releasing us from the conditions of sin, sickness, suffering and death, which Adam put us under. John 3:16, Romans 8:21, Hebrews 5:9

FatherOfJesus:
have I tried to convince you by quoting any scientific book?

You’re not even ready when it comes to one-on-one logical discussions so take a break and listen to the other guy who’s currently embarrassing himself on this thread. At least those are the kind of people you like listening to—not those who bring straight and hard-on facts—because you really do want to get that inward feeling and self-validation that “religious people are dummies”.

FatherOfJesus:
You can convince me by assuming that the Bible is not an authority in all frame of reference, it’s only an authority to those who chose to believe it without questioning it.

This is one of the issues with most atheists and agnostics. It is claimed amongst your kind that the Bible is not necessarily a “fact” but a product of human opinions. Meanwhile, there are a number of your mentors in suits and labcoats who make postulates day in, day out. Why don’t we just pass them off as product of human opinions?—because these stuff actually work on a scientific scale and produce the required outcome so they are documented as “fact”. But when it comes to the Bible, the atheists become double-standard and pass it completely off as “fables” and not when in fact it actually does have positive effects on a great number of people who are using it wisely.

FatherOfJesus:
Trying to convince someone who doesn’t believe in the Bible with the same Bible is a futile journey. It’s even a fallacy of begging the question.

Everyone’s needs are different that’s why I normally do quote the Bible for you since you’re familiar with it. If I was to be discussing with someone from a totally nonreligious background, the approach would be different.

Tell me about how God created his own eternal enemy and then shifted the blame for his laughable divine plans to his worshippers. What sort of God is that?

Don’t you think you might be contradicting your earlier statement with this one? How do I convince you that God never created any “Satan” to begin terrorizing humans if I do not use the Bible as my tool?

FatherOfJesus:
Here we go
Calm down bro, don’t get agitated when people question the absurdity in your belief.
So you mean to tell me that your God has a divine plan for Satan to torment you and even allow most of you go to hell before getting rid of him?

Sorry but permit me to ask a very sensitive question, but do you have the Alzheimer’s disorder?

Whenever I have a deep discussion with someone, that person’s personality automatically registers in my mind so anywhere I see that person whether in 10 or 20-year’s time, I won’t forget that person so I can’t assume that’s the case for everyone.
You and I have had like 2 very long discussions here on Nairaland(one last week and one last year) and already I know you to be an atheist disillusioned by false religion.

For your information, a random churchgoer cannot dish out rich answers as I have been giving you in those discussions we had and that’s only possible because I’m one of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
And if you know the Witnesses well, you should understand by now that those false teachings such as Trinity, hellfire, immortal soul etc have no place amongst us because they are not supported by the Scriptures.

So next time please know how to ask and construct your questions well, you are not chatting with some faceless and random churchgoer but one of Jehovah’s Witnesses who can skillfully use the Bible as a powerful sword.
Ephesians 6:17, Hebrews 4:12, 2Timothy 2:15

FatherOfJesus:
I want you to be exclusive clear on it.

Is God incapable of killing Satan? Your answer is subtle with different meanings

Stop acting like a broken machine and face the people who will tell you what you want to hear.

FatherOfJesus:
Its either a yes or no.
Is God incapable of killing Satan?
Yes or no. I no get time for sermon

It seems you were in a hurry that you couldn’t read the beginning of my comment.

DappaD:
No, he is not. Satan’s destruction was actually foretold right from the onset of man’s rebellion. Genesis 3:15 compare Romans 16:20, Hebrews 2:14, Revelation 20:10

FatherOfJesus:
Are you implying that God is incapable of killing Satan?

Is that what you could deduce from my comment?

yanabasee1:

You have a mental problem....
I never made assumptions to my write-ups.... I nev r said "I feel that"... You don't need a brain check...
Asking me to keep quiet in a forum is like asking me to not go to an open market to buy things ...
It is my write up and if you want to counter my write you do so and if you can't counter my write up you should read and pass....
Idiot....

Note that I’m not saying you should keep quiet because everyone has his or her own freedom of speech. I mean that if you know that you do not know the answers, why make unnecessary assumptions like you made in your post to cause further confusion?

yanabasee1:
If you ask me about the people dieing..I'll say that, their spiritual bodies or souls will always rise to his kingdom.

Believe me if I want to counter your comment, you wouldn’t even stand but you’re not my focus for now. The OP is.

FatherOfJesus:
Is God incapable of killing Satan?

No, he is not. Satan’s destruction was actually foretold right from the onset of man’s rebellion. Genesis 3:15 compare Romans 16:20, Hebrews 2:14, Revelation 20:10

yanabasee1:

Ok...
God doesn't entirely forsake anyone... He loves all his creation and only punishes those that goes against his will....
Satan is his beloved child as well...
Satan is also a tool to know other of his children that truly believes and worship him without doubts.
If you ask me about the people dieing..I'll say that, their spiritual bodies or souls will always rise to his kingdom. Which is why science can never give a clearer meaning to the existence of the afterlife....
God can not kill Satan, Satan is under punishment and not manipulating anyone... It is the evil in men. Also know that, there are other evil forces that is also powerful as satan. and satan is in chains and powerless.

You’ve got to be kidding me? I know everyone has their right to speak but are you really serious right now? If you do not know the answers, why not keep quiet for the people who know it to reply? You didn’t even try to support any of the things up there with scriptures it’s just as if you’re saying:
“I feel this, I feel that” with no Scriptural backing.

XXXXTENTACION:
You know since it was satan that lead the world into sin why not God just kill him immidiately and everything goes to normal...
you know logically God should have just sacrificed satan who is guilty rather than his son who is innocent.

It’s not as easy as it sounds because there are a lot of things that went down in that garden of Eden that couldn’t be taken lightly so those issues needed to be settled. Genesis 3:1-19

XXXXTENTACION:
they are many instances in the bible where God uses angels to do tasks for him and sometimes he does them by himself. e.g God sent angel gabriel to speak to mary and in another scenerio he came down to speak to samuel himself.
Ok lets get this straight why does god have angels in the first place??

So it has already been settled that God doesn’t necessarily “need” anybody—whether human or angel—because God is in fact the reason for their existence and even the angels acknowledge this. Revelation 4:11

Love was what moved God to create forms of life whether angels or humans(1John 4:8.)and since the angels bear the title as “sons of the true God” indicating that they experience a very close bond/relationship with their Father in heaven. Job 1:6, Matthew 18:11
The angels basically enjoy life and their service to God and this can be seen from the various accounts littered across the Bible, particularly in the book of Revelations so since the angels do God’s will and obey his commands(Psalm 103:20) they experience a real measure of satisfaction. John 4:34
So in essence, God doesn’t “need” the angels since nobody can actually give/repay anything back to God. Job 41:11
Rather the angels rely on God as children normally would rely on their father and not the other way around. Psalm 148:2

XXXXTENTACION:
so you are saying God ain't omnipresent or omniscient

No because of several reasons littered across the Bible. God resides in one place which are the spiritual heavens therefore he is not “omnipresent”. Deuteronomy 26:15, Psalm 115:16

As for the word “omniscient”, the meaning has been overly exaggerated to mean that God knows everything about everything before it happens and so on. Meanwhile at times, God has to investigate for himself whether allegations laid against someone or some people are true or not as he did in the case of Sodom and Gomorrah(Genesis 18:21) that means that nothing is hidden from him if he chooses to investigate and not that he’s “omniscient”. Hebrews 4:13

Back to the topic on ground, who ever said that God “needed” anybody? Whether angels or humans? Did the Bible specify this anywhere?

XXXXTENTACION:
I am curious! If God is allpowerful, great, omniscient and omnipresent why then does he need angels to carry out missions for him

Notice how I cancelled out some words in your post because they have no Biblical backing. Concerning the highlighted word, who ever said that God “needed” anybody to do his bidding? Aren’t angels and humans too rather the ones who rely on God since he is the Source of Life? Psalm 36:9, Acts 17:28

haddeylium:
I'm good brother! .... How're you holding up there too
Memorial?..., couldn't have been better. Hope you did enjoy it too?

Yes I did. Nothing compares to having the Memorial talk given by a experienced speaker. Certainly, all the invitees in my congregation were truly amazed!

haddeylium:
Angels are morning stars sir!
So is Jesus (Revelation 22:16)

My brother haddeylium! How you dey jare? How was the Memorial from your end?

Jashub:
So Jesus now your Lord and no longer Angel Michael? Hahahaha...confusion has indeed been spread by Charles Russell Tuze

The Bible reveals that Jesus is both. Or you can argue with Jesus and Paul at Matthew 16:27, 1Thessalonians 4:16

@ Revelation 22:16, Jesus calls himself the “bright and morning star”, a phrase commonly used to describe the angelic sons of God. Job 38:7, Revelation 12:4

Afamsi:
Cant argue with you cos you are under heavy blind fold... Just praying to God to deliver your souls.

If you REALLY understand the times we’re in(Matthew 16:1-4), you’ll beg Jehovah’s Witnesses to come and preach to you. Ezekiel 7:26, 1Corinthians 7:29-31
Just yesterday, Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide in 240Lands marked the annual commemoration of the death of our Lord Jesus in harmony with his command at Luke 22:19 and we reflected on the importance of the ransom sacrifice as a precious gift that applies individually to everyone of us. Matthew 20:28, Romans 6:23

So you see everything the Witnesses do is guided by Scriptures, not popular tradition.
Ephesians 5:10, 2Timothy 3:16
Thanks!

Afamsi:
8.9 million souls heading to the lake of fire. May God deliver this captives of Satan in Jesus Christ name.

LOL! You came to the thread and saw logical & Biblical reasons for beliefs of the Witnesses but since you couldn’t refute any of the above points, you resorted to the usual unintelligent threats you normally use on your random churchgoer buddies?
FYI, Jehovah’s Witnesses passed that stage long, long ago, sir. John 8:32

MadamFay:
Thank you for answering the question. I have no desire to argue about these endless theological positions, it gives me headache. I'm going to bed.

You quoted me in the first place, so expect me to defend my faith since you demanded a reply from me. 1Peter 3:15

MadamFay:

Sir/Ma, what do you mean by Romans 8:15-17 doesn't apply to the commentators here? You're not implying that Jehovah witnesses are the only heirs of God on earth and the rest are doomed slaves, are you?

Good evening! Romans 8:15-17 is actually applying to the limited number of people who will rule as joint-heirs with Jesus Christ in heaven, of which all the apostles, including Paul, Timothy were part of. Compare 2Timothy 2:12, Revelation 14:1-4
I’m not out to sugar-coat my words neither will I water down the truth for anyone(Luke 16:24), but ask yourself this, if the focus Scripture Romans 8:15-17 is to be applied to different individuals from countless religions—when even within their religions they do not see eye to eye on doctrinal matters—then doesn’t that mean that God is no longer a God of order? 1Corinthians 14:33
And doesn’t that also mean that Ephesians 4:3-5 has been cancelled since there’s so much disunity amongst adherents of the same church and that “faith” is no more ONE as that Scripture suggests?
I never said that anyone was doomed. What most people think is that “heaven” is some reward and “hellfire” is punishment but those are just contrived stories with no basis in the Scriptures. Unless you can establish that ANY and I mean ANY person from the Old Testament was promised to go to “heaven” because of his righteousness? Compare Acts 2:34
According to Psalm 115:16, the heavens belong to God and his angels while the earth God has given to all of us to explore and inhabit. Compare Isaiah 45:18
Even Jesus Christ himself when beginning the Sermon on the Mount did not agree that every righteous person would go to heaven(Matthew 5:5) because he was actually quoting from Psalm 37:11&29

#This last note isn't addressed to you# It's pathetic how we've allowed religion to turn us into conceited self-righteous folks, complicating a simple gospel of God's love that should be a lifestyle and not a 'church' or 'Assembly' thing we do religiously.
All this stuff on this thread, arguments about whether the earth will last or not, or if people will go to heaven or remain here are reasons some folks got confused at the division and hence left the faith.

What you’re saying is not actually palatable in a real sense because Jesus and the Pharisees in his day, never saw eye-to-eye and the book of John chapter 8 is the very testimony to that since a long feud was ensuing between he and those Jewish religious leaders. That’s why to avoid the confusion, Jesus himself advised that we examine the results/fruits of each religion/individual claiming “Christian” to know if they are truly teaching the truth because a rotten foundation can never produce fine results and that’s basic knowledge and facts(Matthew 7:16-20) because the Pharisees and Sadducees accused Jesus of so many things yet Jesus was not bothered by the baseless accusations, instead he made a profounding statement at Matthew 11:19/Luke 7:35:
“All the same, (pure/godly) wisdom will be proved righteous/vindicated by her works/results.”

proxitaly:
We all know the story of the first miracle Jesus did which was at a wedding party in Cana. He turned water into wine. Now, some christians say that taking alcoholic drinks is a sure way to hell fire. Based on this passage (John 2:1-12) what do you think? Was the wine alcoholic or non alcoholic?
If yes, why would the Master himself turn water into alcoholic drink when he knows that drinking alcohol is a sin?

Using the above passage let's hear your point of view

Can you provide Scriptural backup to your highlighted claim? Because Scriptures like Proverbs 20:1, 23:20,30-35 & Ephesians 5:18 speaks against over-drinking and drunkenness in fact somebody who has the habit of always getting drunk will never inherit God’s Kingdom. 1Corinthians 6:9-10
But never, never, never has the Scriptures said that drinking alcohol is wrong when in fact Psalm 104:15 & 1Timothy 5:23 says otherwise. So I ask again, can you provide Scriptural backup to your highlighted claim?

enambobo:

Thanks for your comment.
First, Comparing planet earth to other planets is uncalled for. Earth is the only planet that supports life.
Back to the point, God himself said that he did not create the earth simply for nothing but created it to be inhabited. Now I don't know if you're a Christian but you can confirm this in Isaiah 45:18 if you are.
Secondly, Jesus himself preached that some of his followers will reside here on earth forever under peaceful conditions. I'm sure you're familiar with the Lord's prayer. Now may I ask you, what did Jesus mean when he said that his followers should pray, "thy kingdom come, thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven"? Doesn't that suggest that the earth will someday become a peaceful dwelling for all as we know Heaven to be? Kindly ponder over these words.
In addition, please read Matthew 5:5. What do you make of those words of Jesus recorded there?

From your write-up, it’s not difficult ascertaining that you are one of my brothers. That’s why I advise you to avoid the young man you’re quoting because he’s just one of those who fell out of Jehovah’s organization and hellbent on maligning Jehovah’s name.

OP just like that oo? First introduce yourself as one of Jehovah’s Witnesses or an interested person who’s studying because this was our Daily Text for yesterday which was also considered during the talk given at the Memorial. Commentators might begin to think that those words at Romans 8:15-17 apply to them meanwhile we know what’s really going on.

LordReed:
There were 8 people in the world after the flood which of them travelled with kangaroos to Australia?

Fine then, have it your way. Let’s remain in the puddle of unending questions.

DappaD:

Or can you categorically state that humans today have discovered all forms of life on land and in the sea? Including the fossils of ALL the ones that went extinct and died in the time past both on land and in the sea? If the answer is no, then your question is already solved.

I see you’ve taken after the OP in committing the unmistakable RH fallacy.

LordReed:
I'll ask the other question, how did kangaroos get to Australia without leaving a trail of fossilised kangaroo bones?

Welcome! Permit me to bring you up to speed. This question below already made the OP see the faults in his reasoning. Can you answer them yes or no? If no, then your own question has been answered by yourself.

DappaD:

Or can you categorically state that humans today have discovered all forms of life on land and in the sea? Including the fossils of ALL the ones that went extinct and died in the time past both on land and in the sea? If the answer is no, then your question is already solved.

Then again, for you to think that transportation from one place to another is a modern invention really says a lot about how most of you guys reason.

OP doesn’t believe that a human could actually “atone” for the sins of other humans but he will gladly accept that the blood of bulls and goats(lower life forms) will serve a similar purpose?