Joseph1013's Posts
Nairaland Forum › Joseph1013's Profile › Joseph1013's Posts
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 (of 184 pages)
 Christianity Etc › Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013(op): 8:25am On Feb 07, 2019 |
GETTING IT RIGHT When I'm writing something, there is something I always do before I hit the Enter key. I ask myself if I am confident everything I've written is true. If I have doubts about any sentence, I modify it, research it or delete it. If I ever do post anything with errors, it is not because I haven't tried--it is because I've failed. I wonder what would happen if my religious friends took the same approach? I don't think there would be anyone left to argue with... ?? 8 Likes 3 Shares |
| Christianity Etc › Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013(op): 8:16am On Feb 06, 2019 |
INDOCTRINATED AND LOVES IT! I'm a fan of Street Epistemology. Here's a great interview from the Cordial Curiosity YouTube channel. In this video Tia explains she is a committed Christian and would never change her mind. But why does she believe? She believes because... she believes. Recognise yourself? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-M1EyhcRS8 |
| Christianity Etc › Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013(op): 8:27am On Feb 05, 2019 |
WHERE DID YAHWEH COME FROM? For many years scholars have thought that Yahweh was an adaption of the Canaanite god El. In this short video, Christine Hayes lists some of the evidence. Once we know the source of Yahweh, his credibility as a real character becomes about the same as the credibility of Harry Potter. Christine is the Robert F. and Patricia Ross Weis Professor of Religious Studies at Yale University. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADikz5rAjJU |
| Christianity Etc › Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013(op): 4:02pm On Feb 04, 2019 |
YOUR FEELINGS AND GOD If you ask people why they believe in God, most will give you a reason derived from logic (however, tortured and broken it may be) but a sizable minority, ignore logic and rely entirely on their feelings. The question is, are feelings a valid way to determine what is true? A person might say something like, "I know God exists, I feel him in my heart.". I have no reason to doubt that this person really does experience feelings but what are feelings and what conclusions can you draw from them? There is quite an extensive scientific literature on the subject. Feelings arise from the release of chemicals--neuropeptides and neurotransmitters in the brain and hormones in the bloodstream. The feeling you get depends upon the mix and quantity of chemicals released and can range from acute fear to utter bliss. These chemicals also send signals to your body to prepare it for something that is happening or about to happen, for example, for eating, running, sex or pain. The release of chemicals is triggered by the brain, specifically by what the brain believes is happening. But there is a problem--the brain is rather easily mistaken. For example, the brain might believe you are about to have sex and trigger all the right hormones but actually you are only dreaming or watching pixels change colour on a PC monitor while watching xvideos! Or the brain might believe a large spider is approaching and trigger fear and flight hormones only to discover it was a falling leaf. I expect everyone can relate incidents in which strong emotions were triggered by a false alarm. Actually, even a suspicion can be enough to set the brain off. For example, the suspicion that your boyfriend has been cheating on you might be enough to create powerful emotions. There are two points here, feelings are triggered by beliefs and the brain is easily fooled into believing things that are not true. So when someone says they feel God in their heart, they are really saying, when their brain believes God is present it triggers neuropeptides that make them feel fantastic. Logically, this is the same as saying, "I believe in God because my brain believes in God". It's not much of an argument but it has an attribute that makes it very persuasive--it is a positive feedback loop. The more you believe, the stronger the emotions and the stronger the emotions, the more you believe. We must conclude that feelings are not evidence for the existence of God--they are only evidence of your belief in the existence of God. If you want to find out if God exists, don't look inward at your brain, look outward at the world. 9 Likes 3 Shares |
| Christianity Etc › Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013(op): 9:40am On Feb 04, 2019 |
CAPSLOCKED:These Lord's Chosen guys are a different species. 2 Likes |
| Christianity Etc › Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013(op): 9:11am On Feb 01, 2019 |
LOGIC & THE RELIGIOUS SCEPTIC "Aliens visit us." "I won't believe that unless you can prove it's true." "The position of the stars determines your future." "I won't believe that unless you can prove it's true." "Homeopathy can cure cancer." "I won't believe that unless you can prove it's true." "If you need something, ask the universe and you'll get it." "I won't believe that unless you can prove it's true." "An invisible God exists who made you and loves you." "I'll believe that unless you can prove it's not true."  9 Likes 5 Shares |
| Christianity Etc › Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013(op): 3:45pm On Jan 30, 2019 |
WHO DO YOU HAVE FAITH IN? Why do some people believe God exists? Because someone told them he does. Why do some people believe the Qur'an is true? Because someone told them it is. Why do some people believe the Qur'an is perfect? Because someone told them it is. If you believe in God, you don't have faith in God, you have faith in the people who told you about God. If they were wrong, so are you. 8 Likes 1 Share |
| Investment › Re: Bonds Investors Hub by joseph1013: 7:54am On Jan 30, 2019 |
Can someone please break this statement TOTALLY down for me: "First Bank will only have to pay the face value of the bond, which is at a yield of 8.00%, if they recall the bond. The bond was issued with a coupon of 8.00%. We sold at a yield of 7.34%, which means that we sold at a value that is higher than what First Bank would have paid. When we bought the bond at 15.% yield, we bought at a very deep discount to the face value." Cc ernie4life Gavrelino123 confluence awesomeJ Liljel ahiboilandgas ImperialCovfefe spenc |
| Christianity Etc › Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013(op): 3:40pm On Jan 28, 2019 |
THE JOKE'S ON ME! Someone from Nairaland sent me a DM at the weekend that reminded me of a joke I first heard over 15 years ago. He said he used to read my posts everyday. He never commented on them but he would shake his head and wonder how I could be so stupid and misunderstand so much. But over a period of three years, he began to see things differently and, eventually, realised he could no longer believe in the god he was raised to worship. A few months ago, he decided to go through my old posts and spent several hours reading them. As he read he felt physically shocked. How could the passage of time have transformed stupid posts into wise ones? As it usually happens, I just start seeing LIKES flying all over the place. And the old joke? When I was 15, I couldn't believe how little my parent knew. When I was 25, I couldn't believe how much they had learned in 10 years! 12 Likes 4 Shares |
| Christianity Etc › Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013(op): 4:14pm On Jan 24, 2019 |
Olatunde Olayinka Ayinde wrote: My 18 month old daughter doesn't know who Jesus or Allah are. She has no idea of heaven or hell. Neither does she have a complete clarity as to what constitute good or bad behaviour. But somehow she gets to behave within acceptable limits at home and outside the home. How does she achieve this without the threat of hell or heaven? From when she was born, two things regulated her behaviour: physiological needs such as hunger and primitive instincts such as pleasure. She couldn't be reasoned with to forgo or delay pleasure or feeding. Now when she eats her food, she sees everyone beaming with approval. Sometimes she gets clapped for. Many times she gets called a good girl for behaving well. We have started shaping her behaviour with praise, cajole, reward and approval. These are positive reinforcements. Occasionally she gets yelled at for bad behaviour. Or someone shouts "no no" when she's about to be mischievous. When someone is crying or pretending to be crying, she rubs the person's head and says "sorry". Now she's the shoe monitor, shouting all over the place: "wear your shoe!" when she notices that you're not wearing yours, even when you're in bed. When she's eating bread and you're not, she's willing to share hers with you (one tiny bit though, lol). All of this without knowing about any deity. Good behaviour at this age is partly a balance of the selfish survival instinct and altruistic behavioural carryover from our more humble ancestors, which is later reinforced and modified by the socialization process of living among older more experienced humans in the family and at school - all of that positive and negative reinforcements. This, children at this age share with other primates. For example, monkeys can appreciate fairness. Even lower animals can understand kindness and some have been noted to exhibit altruistic behaviour. Beyond this age is where humans begin to have problems. This age is the crossroad. All you have to do now is take the 18 month old to Saudi Arabia to live with a Muslim family and in another 20 years she will be absolutely certain that Allah is the source of her good behaviour. Or take her to India. Or any other country with any religion of your choice and the result would be the same. The seed of good behaviour was present. Religion simply hijacks it. When children begin to talk and reason, adult humans begin to enforce good behaviour by associating it with the pleasure or displeasure of the deities they are familiar with. And this is the point of human divergence in the attribution of moral behaviour. Interestingly, the natural ingredients of good behaviour already resident within children and already in formation by the socialization process of the home environment need not be derailed by religious myth. Reason and reality can sustain it beyond this age. It is all about teaching children to play, to explore the world, to enjoy things that give them pleasure, but to also be kind to others, to be empathic, to know the things that gives them pain and avoid them for themselves and for others. To know that there are others who might want to inflict pain on them and protect themselves. The natural world is quite sufficient to teach good behavior to children using naturally occurring, reliable and verifiable resources in themselves and around them. Resources that remain applicable and true anywhere and at every age. 16 Likes 9 Shares |
| Christianity Etc › Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013(op): 12:12pm On Jan 24, 2019 |
WHO ARE THEY KIDDING? Ask a god-believer why they believe in their god and there's a good chance they will start explaining how the universe could not create itself, so there must be a creator. BULLS...IT!! This is horribly dishonest. Let's imagine how a believer might pray if it were true. "Hello creator. I don't know if you can hear me or if you want to hear me but I'm reaching out to you. You might know I exist or you might not. Or you might not care anyway. You might be able to communicate with me or you might not or you might not want to. I don't know. I don't know if you are male or female or both or neither. I don't know if you are huge, small, subatomic or look like an octopus. I don't know if you are a lone creator or whether you were a member of a team of dozens or billions of creators. I don't know if you are wise or stupid, loving or hateful, kind or wicked or maybe you are none of these things. Or perhaps these ideas are utterly incomprehensible to you. I don't know if you care how I live or what I wear or how I cut my hair or what I should do with my prepuce. And if you do care, I don't know what you would like. I don't know if you are alive or dead or if you have moved on to other universes and lost interest in us. I don't know where you came from or even if you were ever alive. Perhaps you never were. Perhaps, you were no more than a glitch in quantum time that made all hell break lose. The truth is, I don't know anything about you at all. But I would like to. Honestly I would. And that's why I'm praying to you today." . But this is not how god believers pray. They pray to specific gods, with specific prophets and specific holy scriptures with specific rules and rituals. They do not pray to whatever being/force/entity/process might have created the universe. That is just the excuse they give to salvage some dignity, when none is deserved. 5 Likes 3 Shares |
| Investment › Re: Treasury Bills In Nigeria by joseph1013: 10:34am On Jan 22, 2019 |
Today's secondary market rates at Stanbic IBTC 02 May 19 | 100 days | 11.75% 17 Oct 19 | 268 days | 13.90% 09 Jan 20 | 352 days | 14.20% |
| Christianity Etc › Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013(op): 7:13am On Jan 22, 2019 |
WE DON'T WANT A CURE! When I berate religious beliefs for the harm they cause, especially for violence and killing, I can be sure someone will try to rebut me by saying there are other causes of violence to worry about, like greed, anger and envy. This is like a doctor who announces a cure for HIV being shouted down by fellow doctors because he hasn't found the cure for heart disease! Let's be clear. Religious beliefs are the root cause of much violence, killing and conflict. Religious beliefs can divide families and lead to the neglect and abuse of children. Religious beliefs underpin systemic discrimination against minorities and women and they promote superstitions that take us back thousands of years and make us gullible and vulnerable. Despite all these things, there is not a single god that can be shown to exist or a single religion that can be shown to be true. Religion is truly a human disease. We may not need to accommodate religion and its evil fruits, we may just need to continue to fight to cure it. 6 Likes 3 Shares |
| Business › Re: If You Are Uber Partner In Lagos, Please Share Your Experience Here by joseph1013: 9:36am On Jan 21, 2019 |
Iskeelm:Please send a DM |
| Business › Re: If You Are Uber Partner In Lagos, Please Share Your Experience Here by joseph1013: 9:36am On Jan 21, 2019 |
edetsimon:Please send a DM. |
| Business › Re: If You Are Uber Partner In Lagos, Please Share Your Experience Here by joseph1013: 9:16pm On Jan 20, 2019 |
I have a Corolla available. 30k a week Two guarantors DM if interested. 3 Likes |
| Christianity Etc › Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013(op): 11:35am On Jan 18, 2019*. Modified: 11:52am On Jan 18, 2019 |
DID THE RESURRECTION OF CHRIST REALLY HAPPEN? Someone like 9inches would have us believe that the resurrection of Christ really happened and then base the need for the forgiveness of our sins on this foundation. But how does he know that the resurrection really happened? First, it is often claimed that the disciples' willingness to die for their faith in Jesus' Resurrection proves that they actually saw the risen Jesus. They will tell us that people are never willing to die for what they know to be untrue. But the assertion that Jesus' disciples died for their faith has no historical foundation; it is mere hearsay. In other words, we have no historical grounding for the martyrdom of even one of Jesus' disciples. All details regarding their manner of dying emerge years later in accounts that are far removed from the actual events. Even if it could be proven historically that some of the earliest disciples were martyred, we would still be unable to look into their minds and know they died specifically for their belief in Jesus' Resurrection. Joseph Smith was murdered by a mob in 1844 in Nauvoo, Illinois. Latter Day Saints believe he was martyred for his unwavering conviction that God revealed himself through golden tablets that Smith had discovered in 1830. Many non-Mormons believe he was killed because he was a criminal. If the facts are so readily disputed for a relatively recent and well-documented event like Joseph Smith's death, how can we say with any confidence how or why Jesus' disciples perished, let alone what was in their minds when they died? Second, it is claimed that Jesus' disciples could not have experienced a mass hallucination to convince them of Jesus' Resurrection. Apologist Gary Habermas makes the argument as follows: Hallucinations are individual occurrences. By their very nature only one person can see a given hallucination at a time. They certainly are not something which can be seen by a group of people ... Since an hallucination exists only in this subjective, personal sense, it is obvious that others cannot witness it (Habermas 2001). This may be obvious to Habermas, but in fact such occurrences are historically well documented. Mass sightings of the Virgin Mary are common, and as a Protestant, Habermas is unlikely to attribute all of them to actual manifestations of Mary. For example, on June 24, 1981, six children reported an appearance of the Virgin at a hilltop near the town of Medjugorje in Bosnia-Hercegovina. She has continued appearing regularly to these individuals since that time, and millions of others have made their pilgrimages to the site to experience visions, healings, and other supernatural events. Could it be that the power of suggestion is at play? Note that I am not here arguing that Jesus' followers necessarily experienced a mass hallucination, but I am merely establishing its possibility, contrary to the assertions of Resurrection apologists. Third, some have claimed that if the anti-Christian Jewish authorities had wished to disprove Jesus' Resurrection, they could have simply exhumed Jesus' body and paraded him through the streets of Jerusalem for all to see. However, the New Testament mentions no public proclamation of Jesus' Resurrection until seven "short weeks" after Jesus' alleged Resurrection. If there was concern about the deterioration of Lazarus' body just four days after his death (John 11:39), then Jesus' body must have been unrecognizable after seven weeks. Parading such a decomposed body through the streets of Jerusalem would have proven nothing. Apologists have advanced a number of other arguments in favor of Jesus' Resurrection: 1 Corinthians 15:3 preserves an early tradition of the Resurrection; there were no competing burial traditions other than the one presented in the Gospels; there was no early tomb veneration site; no one making up a story at that time would make women into the first eyewitnesses; there was no precedent in Jewish thinking for such an event as Jesus' Resurrection (and therefore it must not have been made up); and so on, I particularly like how Robert Price takes apart each of these arguments in his provocative collection of essays entitled Jesus is Dead. You may contact me for a copy if interested. 3 Likes 1 Share |
| Christianity Etc › Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013(op): 10:56am On Jan 18, 2019*. Modified: 11:44am On Jan 18, 2019 |
9inches:You're evading my point. The gospel accounts about the resurrection of christ by (Mark and Matthew, M&M) and (John and Luke, J&L) are contradictory. J&L said Jesus first appeared to two disciples on the road to Emmaus, Jerusalem (Luke 24:13, first appearance). Then to Simon (Luke 24:33, second appearance). Third appearance, he appeared at the Sea of Galilee to the disciples (John 21:1,14). So J&L reckoned Galilee appearance only came after the first two at Jerusalem. However, that's not what M&M tells us. M&M demands Jesus appearance to happen in Galilee. Jesus said so in Matthew 26:32, 28:7, 10. Indeed, according to M&M, Jesus first appeared after resurrection in Galilee, Matthew 28:17. This is all troubling enough, but it gets worse. Not only does Luke not mention a Galilee appearance, but on the day of the Resurrection in the environs of Jerusalem, Jesus tells his disciples, "I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high" (Luke 24:49). There can be little doubt that Jesus is referring to the promise of the Holy Spirit, poured out at Pentecost after Jesus' Ascension in Acts 2. If this is so, then Jesus is in effect prohibiting the disciples from going to Galilee, directly contradicting his multiple instructions in Mark and Matthew. 3 Likes 1 Share |
| Sports › Re: "The Super Eagles Thread: The Road To AFCON 2027, 2028 And 2030 World Cup by joseph1013: 5:28pm On Jan 15, 2019 |
daveP, what's the result? |
| Christianity Etc › Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013(op): 9:57am On Jan 15, 2019 |
MuttleyLaff:In Matthew 19:3, Jesus is asked if a man can divorce his wife. In that context, “ He answered, ‘Have you not read that the one who made them at the beginning “made them male and female” [Genesis 1:27], and said, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh” [Genesis 2:24]? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.’ ” (Matthew 19:4-6, NRSV translation; Mark 10:6-9 is a parallel text) If not obvious, then strain the eyes, you'll see metaphors used in the bible, that depicts the feminine side of God too. It might be the way the world was when the bible was written and that is because it was a patriarchal world thenIf I have to strain my eyes to see God depicted as a feminine and find it ubiquitous the rendering off God as a masculine character, does that not show you the leaning? |
| Christianity Etc › Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013(op): 7:31pm On Jan 14, 2019 |
Kenny Brandmuse wrote : When my mom passed, I had a request from home that we needed to make donations to her church - a Pentecostal church. In fact, I converted most of my family members into the Pentecostal movement when I was a preacher boy. Serendipitously, Aduke, my mom was one of my many converts. Unfortunately, since I became fully aware of my sexuality, I knew I had no future in the church. I never wanted to take the liberty to interpret the Bible my own way. As a former Bible school graduate and student, I know there are no two interpretations to certain doctrines in the scriptures. Twist it or turn it, the Bible is clearly against same sex relationships. The Bible is also clear about the relationships between women and men in the body of Christ. There’s an order and a pattern: the man first, and the woman comes after. In fact, the pronoun ‘HE’ is attributed to the unseen God. In Billy Graham’s own words, “Metaphors used to describe Him in the Bible include: King, Father, Judge, Husband, Master, and the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Chris.” It’s the way the world was when the Bible was written. We can kumbayah around it all Sunday long, the Bible was never written for our private interpretations. Ok, I digressed. So the call came that I needed to send money to mom’s church in her memorial. I was conflicted. I knew how much Aduke loved her church. She was a Sunday School teacher. I also knew how much the church loved her back. As a single mother with so many adversities too numerous to count, the Church was my mom’s happy place. I recalled how I had baptized her so she could speak in tongues. How we both cried for joy when she started to pray in the Holy Ghost. No, we didn’t fake it. You simply open your mouth under the anointing, and the good Lord fills it with unknowable language and twangs. Even though all her problems never went away, my mom found happiness in the clapping of hands and the stomping of feet in the house of the Lord. She had it on a good promise that when she died all her troubles would be over, and that she would walk on the streets of gold. These experiences and promises provided an irreplaceable escape for her. How could one fault that! I can’t. I made up my mind that it was worth it. That it’s ok to send donation to mom’s church. People find happiness in where they find happiness. It’s our duty to protect ourselves from the toxicity of other people’s happinesses. And my hard stance against the church began to soften. (I still find religiosity quite amusing though). It’s not my thing, but I have come to realize that the church has continued to provide a place for the weary to escape this wicked world for a minute or two. Some find this escape in other spaces, some just can’t escape and are daily confronted with the harsh realities of injustices and inequalities. Then two days ago, my softening approach to faith and religion was tested in an Uber ride. I knew I was in for a ride when upon entering the car, I noticed that the driver had conspicuously placed a Bible on the designated passenger seat. I shrugged. I used my ass to move the Bible further away from me and pretended all was well. The driver, a beautiful black woman with a roundish face sitting under a long synthetic hair had some air around her. Her eyes �, as seen from her rear view mirror, planted themselves on my seat as though I had just murdered a person. “You don’t like the Bible?” She said. Not today, Satan! I disciplined my tongue not to say a word. “I see that you are not saved,” she slowed the vehicle down as we approached the street ahead. No, I’m not having this conversation, Lawd! I started to fiddle with my phone hoping for a call to come in. “Young man, I’m asking you the most important question about your life: have you accepted Jesus into your life as your personal Lord and Savior?” She leaned back as she pedaled on slowly and steadily. I had a lot to tell her but I remembered Aduke. Perhaps, this evangelism is what gives my Uber driver some form of happiness. Perhaps not. So I held back my fury and simply said to her: how sweet of you to offer me salvation, but no thanks. I do not need saving, and I’d appreciate if you could drive more carefully. When my Uber app prompted me to rate my driver when I got home, I wanted to give her a star instead of five. I struggled. I came to the middle ground and rated her three stars. The world could use some empathy right now, I thought. 5 Likes 3 Shares |
| Sports › Re: "The Super Eagles Thread: The Road To AFCON 2027, 2028 And 2030 World Cup by joseph1013: 5:28pm On Jan 14, 2019 |
forgiveness:  This your nominations na wa. We're still expecting those that have not made nominations. Tbaba1234, we never see your hand. Wetin happen? cc: icon4s, tbaba1234, TheSuperNerd, AIG07, Isahalbash, Safarigirl, Joebie, Kog45, Goldfish80, daveP, kennysville, realpoacher, komekn, Mujtahida, certitude, humility017, forgiveness, enomakos, TheGoodjoe, Mikael2, petrobros, Bascovanveli, TheSuperNerd, chrisoblog, loogan, Jarus, do4luv14, icon79, maidaboi, terzurum5, Okpekyandega, TheSuperNerd, lakesidepapa, goldfish80, Xzbit91, lexyman, Humility017, ChrisKels, bigblangston, goke7, Chrismario, Daninya11, shawwal1, ganiyat2adeyeri, yemyke001, edi287, krattoss, eseose9, oasis007, jihday, Terzurum5, M7even, Daninya11, Michael2, andrew444, kentebemoney, BascoVanVeli, rabzy, Nedville, Safarigirl, Taliban, ChrisKels, Chrisoblog, mujtahida, enomakos, confun, EEGA, COOL10, Earthquake1, elyte89, junnyjake, darkelf, davep, edi287, Sportilitica, Certitude, Chrismario, Danielnino00, Trinity, zayyadidris, Magink, Curtisaxel7, krattoss, petrobros, Odunayaw, Charlesemeka85, do4luv14, realpoacher, chiscodedon, zoboizee, raindodger13, wayodude, Naijaphobia, Truidstar, oloriooko, maidaboi, Onozboy, jieta, Jihday, loogan, Diavolo, gameliel9, cc12, isan, kennysville, busky007, kingphilip, Sadiqali24, Unlimited22, Sainty92, alexie4real, Eseose9, Seunvense, goldfish80, Oasis, KpagoGin, Mazimee, Clementoke, bishop 88, slayerforever, Jiday, Soetanoreoluwa, Edopesin, shaveman, signz, DrLikita, Kellycute, bossto, Eawwal, Psittacus, Zicky, HZwriters, YKalhaji, Klexycole, Fabyom, Bibidear, etc |
| Christianity Etc › Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013(op): 1:45pm On Jan 14, 2019 |
9inches:The correspondence theory of truth asserts that a statement is true if and only if what it asserts about a given state of affairs is the case. For example, "Jesus rose bodily from the dead" is true if and only if Jesus did in fact get up out of the grave after having been dead. But is this true? I don't think so. The authors of Mark and Matthew (hereafter referred to as Mark and Matthew) placed Jesus' first appearance in Galilee in northern Israel, while the authors of Luke and John (hereafter referred to as Luke and John) indicated it took place in the environs of Jerusalem, some 70-80 miles to the south of Galilee in Judea. John was explicit in numbering the appearances, the first two apparently occurring a week apart in Jerusalem (if "that first day of the week" of John 20:19 corresponds to Resurrection Sunday) or no more than a day's walk from the city (Luke 24:13, 33 reports that the first appearance was in Jerusalem or on the road to nearby Emmaus) and the third by the Sea of Galilee some time later (John 21:1, 14). Given this timeline, then if Jesus did indeed appear to the disciples on a mountain in Galilee, he must have done so after the third appearance mentioned by John. However, a straightforward reading of Matthew demands that Jesus first appeared to the disciples in Galilee. Even before his death, Jesus prophesied at the Last Supper in Matthew 26:32, "But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee." After the Resurrection, Jesus tells the women, "Then go quickly and tell his disciples: 'He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee'" (28:7). As they were running along to carry out his instructions, Jesus met them again, underscoring the same point: "Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me" (28:10). If it was Jesus' intention to appear to the disciples in Jerusalem, why did he instruct them three times before appearing to them that they were to meet him in Galilee? Since he sent word to the disciples through the women, it is warranted to conclude he did not intend to see them first in Jerusalem, where he could have simply instructed them face-to-face to meet him in Galilee. Matthew's account of Jesus' first post-Resurrection appearance, set in Galilee, reads, "When the Eleven saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted" (Matthew 28:17), further suggesting that Jesus had not previously appeared to them—certainly not two or three times as the Gospel of John requires. In the second appearance in John, Thomas had already seen Jesus and had overcome his doubts: "My Lord and my God!" (John 20:28). For those who are here tempted to consult creative apologetic solutions to this problem, I ask whether it is likely, given Matthew's repeated emphasis on Galilee, that Matthew himself would accept any harmonization that places Jesus' first appearance in Jerusalem. I have only used Resurrection to prove the correspondence case. There are several other examples in the Christian bible. The foundations of morality, Purpose and meaning, Fulfilled prophecies, The Resurrection of Jesus, The reliability of the Bible, Miracles and answered prayer, and A personal relationship with a loving God. The coherence theory argues that a given statement is true if it coheres with or does not contradict any other statements within a set of statements that also cohere with each other. Truth is what is internally consistent. Take a few contradictions in the Bible: 1) Judas was hanged. Mt. 27:5 “And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.” **Judas was not hanged. Acts. 1:18 “Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.” (2)Judas threw the thirty pieces of silver into the temple & the chief priests picked them up & bought a field with them. Matt.27:5-7 “And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself. And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood. And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in.” **Judas did not throw the thirty pieces of silver into the temple; he used them to buy a field. Acts. 1:18 “Now this man {Judas} purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out.” (3) 75 people went into Egypt. Acts7: 14 “Then sent Joseph, and called his father Jacob to him, and all his kindred, threescore and fifteen souls.” {i.e. 75} **Only 70 people went into Egypt. Gen 46:27 “And the sons of Joseph, which were born him in Egypt, were two souls: all the souls of the house of Jacob, which came into Egypt, were threescore and ten.”{i.e. 70} (4) The Jews were in Egypt for 400 years. Acts 7:6 “ And God spake on this wise, That his seed should sojourn in a strange land; and that they should bring them into bondage, and entreat them evil four hundred years.” The Jews were in Egypt for 430 years. Exodus 12:40**“Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years.” (5) Brothers must be hated. Luke 14:26 "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brothers, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." **Brothers must not be hated. 1 John 3:15 "Whosoever hates his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him." Obviously, Christianity fails this test too. Explanatory power simply asks the question "does what I believe or what I've placed my trust in help me make sense of my observations of the world and also my longings and the desires that I have?" Christianity clearly fails this test. Christians claim the earth is 6,000 years. The planet is 4.5 billion years old. Thank you. 6 Likes |
| Sports › Re: "The Super Eagles Thread: The Road To AFCON 2027, 2028 And 2030 World Cup by joseph1013: 7:59am On Jan 13, 2019 |
Joebie:Thanks Joe. Others? It will only take a few minutes. cc: icon4s, tbaba1234, TheSuperNerd, AIG07, Isahalbash, Safarigirl, Joebie, Kog45, Goldfish80, daveP, kennysville, realpoacher, komekn, Mujtahida, certitude, humility017, forgiveness, enomakos, TheGoodjoe, Mikael2, petrobros, Bascovanveli, TheSuperNerd, chrisoblog, loogan, Jarus, do4luv14, icon79, maidaboi, terzurum5, Okpekyandega, TheSuperNerd, lakesidepapa, goldfish80, Xzbit91, lexyman, Humility017, ChrisKels, bigblangston, goke7, Chrismario, Daninya11, shawwal1, ganiyat2adeyeri, yemyke001, edi287, krattoss, eseose9, oasis007, jihday, Terzurum5, M7even, Daninya11, Michael2, andrew444, kentebemoney, BascoVanVeli, rabzy, Nedville, Safarigirl, Taliban, ChrisKels, Chrisoblog, mujtahida, enomakos, confun, EEGA, COOL10, Earthquake1, elyte89, junnyjake, darkelf, davep, edi287, Sportilitica, Certitude, Chrismario, Danielnino00, Trinity, zayyadidris, Magink, Curtisaxel7, krattoss, petrobros, Odunayaw, Charlesemeka85, do4luv14, realpoacher, chiscodedon, zoboizee, raindodger13, wayodude, Naijaphobia, Truidstar, oloriooko, maidaboi, Onozboy, jieta, Jihday, loogan, Diavolo, gameliel9, cc12, isan, kennysville, busky007, kingphilip, Sadiqali24, Unlimited22, Sainty92, alexie4real, Eseose9, Seunvense, goldfish80, Oasis, KpagoGin, Mazimee, Clementoke, bishop 88, slayerforever, Jiday, Soetanoreoluwa, Edopesin, shaveman, signz, DrLikita, Kellycute, bossto, Eawwal, Psittacus, Zicky, HZwriters, YKalhaji, Klexycole, Fabyom, Bibidear, etc ] |
| Sports › Re: "The Super Eagles Thread: The Road To AFCON 2027, 2028 And 2030 World Cup by joseph1013: 3:58pm On Jan 12, 2019 |
THREAD AWARD 2018 Guys, the voting has been extended till 7pm on Monday, 14th January. Kindly cast your votes. You have the whole of the weekend to do so. The winners will be announced on Tuesday. CATEGORIES 1. Most Controversial Poster 2. Most Interactive Poster 3. Most Intelligent Poster 4. Most Resourceful Poster 5. Most Respectful Poster 6. Most Consistent Poster 7. Most Positive Poster 8. Best Sense of Humor 9. Most Critical Poster 10. Nicest Poster 11. Most Influential Poster 12. Most Pro-Foreign Born Poster 13. Most Pro-Naija League Poster 14. People's Favourite 15. Most Sentimental 16. Notorious Silent Reader 17. Impressive Thread Newbie 18. Diehard Super Eagles Fan 19. Best Friends 20. Most Outstanding Poster 21. Overall Best Poster 22. Top Dramatic Topics 23. Honourable Mention: I, by the power vested on me by this thread, unanimously give this category to one of my favorites on this thread, GoldFish80. It's been a while I've seen him here, and I hope he's alright. Please let's know. To vote, simply quote the post, and write the name of the poster(s) in front of the categories. The most notable mentions takes the award. cc: icon4s, tbaba1234, TheSuperNerd, AIG07, Isahalbash, Safarigirl, Joebie, Kog45, Goldfish80, daveP, kennysville, realpoacher, komekn, Mujtahida, certitude, humility017, forgiveness, enomakos, TheGoodjoe, Mikael2, petrobros, Bascovanveli, TheSuperNerd, chrisoblog, loogan, Jarus, do4luv14, icon79, maidaboi, terzurum5, Okpekyandega, TheSuperNerd, lakesidepapa, goldfish80, Xzbit91, lexyman, Humility017, ChrisKels, bigblangston, goke7, Chrismario, Daninya11, shawwal1, ganiyat2adeyeri, yemyke001, edi287, krattoss, eseose9, oasis007, jihday, Terzurum5, M7even, Daninya11, Michael2, andrew444, kentebemoney, BascoVanVeli, rabzy, Nedville, Safarigirl, Taliban, ChrisKels, Chrisoblog, mujtahida, enomakos, confun, EEGA, COOL10, Earthquake1, elyte89, junnyjake, darkelf, davep, edi287, Sportilitica, Certitude, Chrismario, Danielnino00, Trinity, zayyadidris, Magink, Curtisaxel7, krattoss, petrobros, Odunayaw, Charlesemeka85, do4luv14, realpoacher, chiscodedon, zoboizee, raindodger13, wayodude, Naijaphobia, Truidstar, oloriooko, maidaboi, Onozboy, jieta, Jihday, loogan, Diavolo, gameliel9, cc12, isan, kennysville, busky007, kingphilip, Sadiqali24, Unlimited22, Sainty92, alexie4real, Eseose9, Seunvense, goldfish80, Oasis, KpagoGin, Mazimee, Clementoke, bishop 88, slayerforever, Jiday, Soetanoreoluwa, Edopesin, shaveman, signz, DrLikita, Kellycute, bossto, Eawwal, Psittacus, Zicky, HZwriters, YKalhaji, Klexycole, Fabyom, Bibidear, etc. I tender my unreserved apologies if your name is not here. Please VOTE if you've not done so. Let's not hound you abeg. 1 Like 1 Share |
| Sports › Re: "The Super Eagles Thread: The Road To AFCON 2027, 2028 And 2030 World Cup by joseph1013: 3:34pm On Jan 12, 2019 |
Icon4s:Oh, now I get. Though I think we had more than 10 votes. Anyway, we can extend the votes and solicit responses. |
| Sports › Re: "The Super Eagles Thread: The Road To AFCON 2027, 2028 And 2030 World Cup by joseph1013: 2:48pm On Jan 12, 2019 |
daveP:10 votes. I don't understand o. It's the collation of results like you did the last time. |
| Sports › Re: "The Super Eagles Thread: The Road To AFCON 2027, 2028 And 2030 World Cup by joseph1013: 4:33am On Jan 12, 2019 |
Icon4s:daveP, where's the award list? |
| Christianity Etc › Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013(op): 2:46pm On Jan 10, 2019 |
HellVictorinho:Can you rephrase in simple English. And there is no place where "Nothing" exploded was highlighted in the comment made. |
| Christianity Etc › Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013(op): 1:54pm On Jan 10, 2019 |
THE GODS OF THE GAPS Believers argue we don't know how the universe began so they say God did it. Then they say we don't know how life began so they believe God did that too. But why do they assume the same agent created the universe and life? Surely, these are very different jobs? One requires the agent to be outside the universe and the other requires the agent to be inside it. One is basic physics on a scale of light years; the other is advanced molecular engineering working at the ångström scale. One job requires handling an unimaginable amount of energy, the other minuscule amounts. If you insist on concluding supernatural intervention was required, what is it that makes you so sure only one agent was involved? Surely, you should suspect two or more were involved, or at the very least, you should be honest and admit you have no idea how many gods were involved. But then the problem with honesty is it undermines your true goal--to pretend when you talk to your god, you are not just talking to yourself. 4 Likes 2 Shares |
| Christianity Etc › Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013(op): 1:50pm On Jan 10, 2019 |
9inches:But I don't have the evidence of Christianity. You merely said Christianity passes the three tests you brought up. You have not shown us how it does and why it is evidence. Can you provide the evidence? Else...let's just call it a day. I have not gained anything from this interaction. |
| Christianity Etc › Re: My Thoughts And Questions About Religion by joseph1013(op): 1:47pm On Jan 10, 2019 |
9inches: There is something called 'burden of proof'. He who makes a claim is obligated to prove the assertion. |
?)