₦airaland Forum

God was helping the two of them.

MyJoe:
The guy is a JW conspiracy theorist and you will have to get used to that. Once I opened my mouth to question the Trinity doctrine and he accused me of being a "JW elder" and the person that opened the thread, an Anglican, of being a JW guy following me as his "elder"! Just get used to it and you may be able to have a fairly ok discussion with him. He 's quite a brilliant theologian.

Wishing that i could just e-bite you, take ya time o, conspired theori

@mazaje

Where in the bible did any God say he is the author of the bible?. . . . .WHERE did any God claim authorship of the bible?. . . .

It's rare to see many books that you'd see who authored the book right inside it. You may see it often say at the back of the book or just before the contents. It's amazing, the level of paranoia some still show though despite so many internal claims in the Bible that it is the word of God, i'll give three.
Joel 1:1  The word of the LORD that came to Joel the son of Pethuel.
Jonah 1:1  Now the word of the LORD came unto Jonah the son of Amittai, saying.
Acts 18:11  And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.
Then God Himself talked of His words
Jeremiah 25:13  And I will bring upon that land all my words which I have pronounced against it, even all that is written in this book, which Jeremiah hath prophesied against all the nations.
Ezekiel 3:4  And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them.
Zechariah 1:6  But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? and they returned and said, Like as the LORD of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us.

After all Allah is the author of the Koran  but he also used men as writers, no?. . . .How does that sound?. . . . .

And what's the point here?

And when did any God tell you personally that he inspired any body to write the bible?.

i don't think njira mentioned that God told her anything personally, you're trying to obfuscate things 'as usual'. The Bible though mentions that all scripture is inspired.

2Timothy 3:16  All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
The Bible does not just contain the Word of God, it is the Word of God.

Pls answer dare2think questions

i guess you're referring to njira or perhaps natasha, let me contribute though incase.
[b]How did God inspire them?[/b]
By inspiring them na, what more do you want to hear. ok, That word 'inspiration of God' in the 2Timothy passage just quoted is 'theopneustos'. It means 'Theo'-God and 'pneu'-breath/life. That is divinely breathed into. All scripture is divinely breathed into. It means they had the special influence of God on their minds and lives that enabled them to record divine truths. Inspiration is to guarantee truth and give life, not to ensure neatness in handwriting or sameness of statement. It's similar, not equal to though, to someone under influence maybe of alcohol or drugs or a mentor or a circumstance. Something great or terrible can happen and someone composes say a song or poem, or someone can be influenced by the life or style of a sportman, or someone can think different under some induced condition. The blued is just an attempt by me to explain it to you, there are better explanations.

[b]Dreams, visions and signs?[/b]

There were different methods at different times. God ordered the writings without distorting the individuality or literary styles of the writers. What i imply is that if God Himself had done the writing, it would still have the same authority and inspiration. It's like He signed it as His.
Some words were the direct words of God e.g Matthew 3:17  And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. and Deuteronomy 5:24  And ye said, Behold, the LORD our God hath showed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth.
Some words were put into the mouth of people e.g Numbers 23:5  And the LORD put a word in Balaam's mouth, and said, Return unto Balak, and thus thou shalt speak. and Acts 3:21  Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.
Some words were written as the writers were inspired by God e.g Exodus 34:27  And the LORD said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel. and Revelation 1:11  Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. Those are examples of direct communication and vision, God spake to Joseph in a dream.
Some words were individual expressions and recollections that were breathed upon by God thereby resulting in inspiration e.g Luke 1:1-4
 God still inspires today. You might take the same song or hymn or verse, and you pray and it suddenly comes alive to you. The words make more sense as it were, gives new focus and drive, maybe someone sings it and you're so broken down or so lifted up whatever.

[b]How can you ascertain that they are God's vision?[/b]
One, is because the writers said so. The writers of the Bible were not just anybody, they were holy, righteous, sincere, honest, reliable Jews.
Two, is because Jesus endorsed it as so. Jesus freely quoted the Bible as God's Word and as scripture. You don't want to be disagreeing with Jesus if you're wise/smart eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh?
Three, is because it is alive. The Word of God is alive, holy and powerful. Something is powerful when it's influencing billions of people in different countries and over centuries i think.
Many other reasons, i think that's enough for me. But to add though, they are God's Word because i see everytime that i'd be dead without them.

“For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing…” (Ecc. 9:5).
or maybe you know much more than Solomon 'in all his wisdom'

Please try to understand the context and scope of the passage or book. It's quite particular about THIS life, the 'under the sun' life we all commonly share. Like i've earlier quoted the 'words of Jesus', a greater than any other man, He plainly said there's life after we die. He taught about and believed in resurrection. Back to 'solomon' though, let me enlarge it a little.
Ecc 9:3 This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead.
Ecc 9:4 For to him that is joined to all the living there is hope: for a living dog is better than a dead lion.
Ecc 9:5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.
Ecc 9:6 Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion forever in any thing that is done under the sun.

In a paraphrase, all he's saying is that men just live anyhow here on earth, like they'll make up for it in the afterlife. But the truth is that you can only influence now, not then. Then, you're either forever saved or forever lost. If you're still alive, there's still hope for you, no matter how terrible you've been. The living has a will he can change, he can decide this and that. His reward is on what he does now, he can only make hay while the sun shines. It's what he does here that influences his reward(eternal). There's no repentance or change in the grave. It's still the same relevant message to us today that we should do the best we can and live the best we should now. And on and on if you can get it.

On Ecclesiastes 3, it's basically a similar message been passed across. let's expand it a little.
Ecc 3:16 And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there.
Ecc 3:17 I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.
Pls, notice the under the sun. It's referring to earth. In the earth, things are upside down, there's no justice, iniquity has taken over. But the writer knows in His heart that true judgement is coming for every work.
Ecc 3:18 I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.
Ecc 3:19 For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.
Ecc 3:20 All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.
The writer saw that despite man's pride of achievement and seeming superior status, we were not so much different from the animals. It says all is vanity i.e we should not be proud, or carried away by we attaining this or that. But humble enough to recognise God always, and fear Him. That's the writer's conclusion btw(Ecclesiastes 12v13). We're so frail, a little sun, a little rain, a little quake, a little drought, and man is at his wit's end as it were.

Psa 115:17 The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence.
There's nothing wrong with this statement na. The dead do not praise God, do they? Whether spiritually dead or physically dead, God inhabits the praises of HIS PEOPLE. So lets learn to praise God always and with our whole being while we have life, instead of the usual castigations and complaints and orders/decrees.

@babaearly
So i'm back like i earlier said. Now, the Bible is not purely academic (you don't study it the exact way you'd study textbooks, or read novels or newspapers). the Bible is a spiritual book and it's a living book.i'm just chipping that in just in case you wanted to understand the Bible better. Also, you'd need God's help to understand the Bible, and you need to kinda understand it as a whole, not just in words. That's the major issue behind the thousand and more interpretations many give the Bible. Someone just picks up a word, or phrase, or verse, or even passage, discards the rest of the Bible and its 'wonderful unity', and interprets it like it's another comprehension exercise.
  The Bible is clear to tell us that there's a coming judgement, and that this judgement would be eternal/forever. i won't go on on the meaning of eternal/forever/everlasting, but it's pretty clear from the passages below that humans would be 'rewarded' for an interminable/unending period.
Matthew 25:41  Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
Matthew 25:46  And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.
Mark 9:43  And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
Revelation 14:11  And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.

  In Bible parlance, it's good you realise/know that the word 'death' is used to mean something without God's life, or a separation. Death is simply a separation, every form of death is a separation. Sometimes in the Bible, what we often refer to as death is called sleep. It all takes some level of 'understanding'/maturity. It's little wonder that God told Adam,
Genesis 2:17  But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for[b] in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die[/b].
What happened the day Adam ate? he died. He lost God's fellowship and life, and that's the way God sees anyone who does not have His life.
Ephesians 2:1  And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins
Same cause why Jesus said stuff like John 8:51  Verily, verily, I say unto you, If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death.
And that was what He didn't want on the cross of calvary, the separation from God (Hebrews 5:7  Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared). That's what He means when he says the soul that sins will die, or that the salary for sin is death. It's a separation from God. Outside Him, there's really no life or light. Anything outside God na chinko life, a life without Christ is full of crises as they say. And it's the same understanding applied to whether 'perish' or 'damn' or 'condemn' or whatever other words we might use. Man is born dead, the first death. We have opportunity to escape the second death though. The second death is forever and ever, irreparable.

So we should mellow in sorrow, or what? Jesus Christ is the Author and Finisher of the christian faith, not any man good or bad. Look to Jesus not man.

^o yeah, once it's contrary to your understanding, it's scripture twisting.

God's the Author of the Bible, but He's used His men as writers.

Be not afraid, only believe.

i see you've been frolicking with dem JW books. i see to help you later sha not now. Don't fume much though, ciao

^
You've lost grip on reality, go and keep reading, maybe someday you may stumble on reality. i may not reply you on this issue except you've something to say.

Joagbaje:
Man has an invisible part. This invisible inner part is actually the real man. Many call it "the soul" but it is actually "The spirit" of man. The "soul" is used in generic terms by people of many faith. But there is a soul of man which is the emotional and intellectual part of a human being. But The spirit is the real person.

i think the soul is the real you. It's the self in you, your very person, individuality and temperament. Generically anyway, the soul and spirit join join. "i die daily".

electronic media that
increase or electronic media that encourage your 'delusions'. So you think i'm among the poor and uneducated. You have serious complexes. So you just feel, once i say there's no God, i'm genius or something. You should be wondering why non religious people are still struggling below a bloated 50% in your revered developed countries, and why we have religious people in the major organisations and governments and tertiary institutions. You see, i'm not interested in all these your petty scraps for happiness(my atheism is winning converts go and read). Stay on the thread or go watch some film or whatever other scraps of joy you can find. Do you have emotions, do you have a will, do you have a mind? It's so simple, if yes, that's the soul. All these beer parlor talk of no its lobe, no it's cortex interlaced with your religious perplexities, i no get time.

^that's why i said pray and go to the hospital.

Confused set of sinners.

^
The advert is influence. If anything gets advertised, it influences, especially if it offers hope 'on a free' like most religions seem to offer. It's not the religion that root caused the poverty/want, but it offers a way out. Poverty, sickness, illiteracy etc can be found amongst humans irrespective of religious affiliations. You don't just become literate or wealthy because you stop believing God exists. Atheists often think falsely that once someone doesn't believe in God, woah that guy's got to be smart/brilliant. The fact still remains that theists are also rich and literate. there are poor people who don't believe in God, there are prisoners, sick people, illiterates who don't believe in God. It also boils down to influence, humans submit to influence or adaptation. If you're well exposed, not just trotting without purpose, you'd see people from different walks of life. You'd see witchcraft, spiritism, magic and miracle also. If you're in the midst of church goers, you'd probably go to church, and vice versa. If you've never had real incidences, and no/little advert is made to you to take insurance, you may not. It's a similar case with poor people and rich. Moreover, Jesus himself and His apostles prophecied an increase in ungodliness in our time.ners, sick people, illiterates who don't believe in God. It also boils down to influence, humans submit to influence or adaptation. If you're well exposed, not just trotting without purpose, you'd see people from different walks of life. You'd see witchcraft, spiritism, magic and miracle also. If you're in the midst of church goers, you'd probably go to church, and vice versa. If you've never had real incidences, and no/little advert is made to you to take insurance, you may not. It's a similar case with poor people and rich. Moreover, Jesus himself and His apostles prophecied an increase in ungodliness in our time.

@Martian
You should be ashamed being called a reader if you can't properly read the difference between 'suffering from racism' and being 'a racist', except you're a chinko reader like i suggested. i'd be worried if you were pleased with my posts, we're not supposed to have a prior agreement in such matters.
Now again on your stats and worries, like i told you earlier, life's more than links, get a real life. It's unfortunate how you scrap for joy, with all these perfunctory 'lols' and sighs of my atheism is better than your religion. i don't have much time for that, i'm on the thread to talk 'souls' like yours. But to help intensify your irritations, humans are hopeful people. Humanity faces want, poverty, sickness, lack of knowledge, not majorly because of religion but because of sin. Those in poverty/illiteracy and the likes are the majority, and they look for a way out. If you're the way they see, they'd follow you. If they see the government as the way, they'd follow. If they keep hearing that religion is the way they'd follow religion, especially with the 'advert' But to help intensify your irritations, humans are hopeful people. Humanity faces want, poverty, sickness, lack of knowledge, not majorly because of religion but because of sin. Those in poverty/illiteracy and the likes are the majority, and they look for a way out. If you're the way they see, they'd follow you. If they see the government as the way, they'd follow. If they keep hearing that religion is the way they'd follow religion, especially with the 'advert'

Martian:
Que??

Nothing, a man can give nothing in exchange for his soul.

Go to a good hospital, be sincere about giving your life to Christ, and pray for your healing in faith. Healing is the children's bread.

Martian:
\


No, I meant the zeitgeist of the Nigerian society allows for a lack of critical thought and results in an overly religious society.Freethought and critical thinking can't happen in a society like that so development will be stagnant. Call me racist and say I suffer from inferiority complex all you want, the evidence of what I say is Boko Haram and all these people on here who blindly follow what some "man of god" says.  My views are further supported by the same people who spout phrases like "principles of exchange" as an antidote for poverty.This isn't the middle ages when religious authority figures where the epitome of intellectualism, this is the freaking 21st century; people who rely on these people will forever remain at the bottom because religious "knowledge" is useless in a modern world.

I don't need life advice from you!!! Sh_t, Ill rather take a bullet to the head. 

So your view is that once someone leaves nigeria, he's now rich and enlightened

No, my view is that someone who leaves Nigeria or any society drenched in religious beliefs has a better chance of discarding illogical myths than someone who happens to live there. Call me racist but it's the truth. A survey of the geographical locations of the religious and non religious people on this site can easily prove that.


I'm saying that because most of your life is based on what you've read somewhere and think to be fact.

I can say the same thing about you; and the tragic part is that what you read and base your life on is a fictional book that you think or have been indoctrinated to believe is real. I can also deduce fact from fiction when i read about something because I look for different sources and Im not handicapped by spirituality or superstition.

You may also need to improve on your comprehension of what i say.

I fully comprehend what you say, it's just that the things you say will only make sense to someone with the same ignorant views as yourself. 

Thanks for calliing me gulliver, at least Ive seen first hand how people on different continents live and I've been able to view different religious practices in order to put them in the same category of mythology.

Aaargh, i thought you're happy as a reader abi you be chinko reader? i said you're suffering from racism, not that you're a racist. You also insinuated that people talk of soul because they're poor or uneducated or live in nigeria, that's lazy reasoning. Your arguments from books and links are meaningless in the sight of experience. Get the issues right and lessen your hyper-drive, we're talking of souls, not about all your challenges with religion.
BTW, God encourages hardwork, study and the good things that ensue prosperity and knowledge.

Well said that your case/posts would have been so funny if it wasn't so pathetic. So your view is that once someone leaves nigeria, he's now rich and enlightened? Pele o Gulliver, non atheists also travel, make money and study. You're suffering from racism and inferiority complex. You may also need to improve on your comprehension of what i say. i've not told you not to read or that i don't read. i'm only cautioning you that life is not all about that. I'm saying that because most of your life is based on what you've read somewhere and think to be fact.

Virgins don't give birth, didn't say that they do, do you smoke? People do not walk on water. Jesus walked on water bTW, it's called 'miracle'. There's not only resurrection of the dead, there is everlasting life, get a good grip. Your soul is quite troubled, sorry your BRAIN is on hyper-drive. Can you try to focus on one or two issues at once instead of vomiting all your 'challenges' at a go? I didn't say the soul is in the spiritual realm, mr. reader(imagine the person that.s talked of hiding things in book). I said it's a spiritual term/classification for the part of the human that wills and thinks. How that's complex to you is becoming magical.
Only a deluded or ignorant person would think that rich people or educated people are not 'religious'(the inferiority complexes of an atheist). Get a real life, there still life outside reading articles, blogs and links.

You may not want help, there's however no shade of doubt that you need help.

Sorry, i can't help you much.

^
You have real issues, not everything boils down to racism or poverty. There are white people and people of other races that believe in the concept of a soul. There are academic professors that are born again. It's not about hiding things in books or exposure. Many people just think stuff is true because they've read it in a book or it has a weblink or it's a Dr. that said it.
This isn't an issue of education, every human can easily distinguish the different experiences of soul and body. It's simple 'spiritual' term/classification. You have other/different means of classification. One can class the human body on different fronts; you can have digestive, nerve, reproductive. I've given you the Bible's class. All humans have will, emotion, and mind. If that's too complex for your pride and bigotry, too bad.

You're so bitter you're not making much sense. Life is more real than reading books, links and quotes. Get your facts real bTW. The soul's so real, that's what you're typing from brova.

With God, with God all things are possible. There's still a remnant that are not corrupt. God's grace is sufficient in this corrupt world.

^
We have a similar base of agreement because we both agree that humans have will, mind and emotions. You say those 3things are functions of the brain, and i say that they are functions of the soul. What's unreal about that? That science calls it brain is nothing, science is always evolving/changing, the scriptures is already settled. Tomorrow, science can come and say thinking is done in the martian of the left occipital lobe and give it another cute name. The base is still that humans have a mind. I said the soul may well be inside the brain, it may even be inside the knees, no wahala for me. What i know and think you know is that humans have a will, mind, and emotion. When the average man displays emotion of say fear, or love, or shame, He might feel it in any part of himself. If science says it's in the brain, no problem no big arguement. The sure fact though is that he has that fear, love or shame.
You seem to have personal issues with God for someone who thinks He doesn't exist. BTW, you tell me what the greatest truth in the universe is, maybe i'll consider a change of signature.

^
You didn't say the brain is the soul, neither did i say you did. Every human has emotions, will and mind. Those 3things are functions of what the Bible and i call the soul. You say those 3 things are functions of the brain, no qualms. The soul may well be inside the brain which is in the body.

4. Like i said earlier, the soul's functions are so real. The emotions of love, and joy, and fear are undeniable. Even so are the mind and the will. Whatever name you now call them, the scriptures(the human manual) have always been clear on the existence of the inside man, and the separation of the body from the soul. We're not just body, the 'real' you's inside. We're spirit, soul and body.