₦airaland Forum

based on your argument, your point is rubbish. why? if every body is pulled or pulls someone along, there is the possibility that two people will be pulled in different directions. Use simple physics, (electrical charges) like attracts like, unlike repels unlike.

heard the above statement from someone. either you will take someone along or someone will pull you along. Do you believe it's true?

I agree. India subsidizes newspapers written in languages other than Hindi or English. If we keep using english we will disenfranchise all those millions who speak languages other than english. thats why politicians can still bamboozle them. if the constitution and criminal code were freely available in all the local languages, we might have greater political awareness.

Jio:
I used to have a hatred for gays and lesbos until I worked for 2 months with an NGO that deals with sexuality...................We have to learn to accept it.............people are born gay but the over-religious and stigma loving country of ours stops these people from openly expressing their sexuality.......................but it won't be for long............................I've friends in Nigeria over are openly displaying their lesbo side........................if my child isn't straight......................what the heck....................I'll always love that child no matter what...........................

NGOs display the mindset of their founders. Some support terrorism and some support the display of such despicable tendencies. There is nothing over-religious about being against homosexualism. if your religion is against it, and you are a true follower then you have to be against it. We are mainly xtians and muslims and we are against it, I don't see why we should change that to suit current vices. As to whether it won't be for long, that might be true in lagos but go into the interior where less westernised people live and tell me if the neighbourhood OPC or other people will not nearly lynch you. The fact is that the west is tolerant of so many vices all in the name of democracy. i like nigeria as it is and if it is in my power to keep it so I will (and i believe the same goes for many people.)

I will bring up my kids to love God and follow his commandments.

I will sit him/ her down and explain what my faith says about homosexuality (it condemns it severally and even says they won't enter heaven. verify by reading new testament.) I will then explain what would be the consequences of his actions.

Even paul had temptations and What the bible says is for you to recognize your temptations and not fall to them. he may be predisposed biologically towards his sex (there's no scientific proof of that) but if its hormonal WE WILL REMEDY IT. Otherwise if he/she decides to be so flagrant about it, i will do the prudent thing and FORGET I EVER KNEW HIM/HER.

But he is revered as custodian of the two holy mosques and he is the de-facto Caliph of the muslim faith. An imam is simply someone who leads a muslim service and I have seen him leading one before (i mean the king preceding the current one.).

@Seun It was just a suggestion. Obviously the institution of such a law is a deterrent. But leaders would also have to ensure they rule in a just manner to reduce poverty and ensure that the larger part of their people do not become thieves (who will cut the hands). In countries where Sharia is enforced, you can leave your car outside with the engine running and the keys in the ignition and still find it there, in lagos even a car that has been dead for long can have its tires removed before you turn your back. Security will definitely bring other benefits including investment.

@joftech religious undertones did not predominate in the world wars. Any religious undertones that existed were simply covers for armed robbery and military agression. The First world war was an attempt by prussian military leaders to achieve what they could not achieve in the academic or economic spheres (dominate the world.). The second world war was simply the result of improper conflict resolution of the first war. Hitler only used the persecution of Jews as an excuse to cover the mismanagement of the economy. Switzerland profited from accounts of dead jews and looted booty by Nazi generals. Otherwise why did Germany ally itself with Turkey (An islamic power) in the first world war and Japan (partly buddhist and partly shintoist.). Even Communist Russia was an ally at the early stages.
The current war on terrorism is obviously religious in nature. To compund the problems" One man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter."


@everyone I just discovered an example of separation of religion and state in the bible. God stipulated that hebrew kings were not to perform priestly duties like other nations. The king was to enforce the law, rule the people and lead them in battle.

I believe you have a very good knowledge of science so I expect you to understand this.

Seun:
- How do you know he created the world, when you were not there?

Science clearly shows that the universe couldn't have happened by chance. The precise ratios of the 4 forces (electromagnetic,gravitational, strong and weak) ensure existence of certain elements including carbon (which makes up every organism). The shape and distance from the sun which enhance accumulation of water, oxygen and H2O., The phenomenon of photosynthesis which scientists haven't been able to explain using evolution(it is irreducibly complex). The Big Bang and the puzzling question of why antimatter particles did not eliminate matter (preventing the existence of even the stars). The Bible tells us in many places that he created the world. The theory of evolution itself contains a principle already existent in the bible (from stellar bodies to plants to animals to man.).

Seun:
- How are you able to believe in someone you've not seen?

The answers above tally with my thinking. I know atoms exist but i haven't seen them. I have also seen concrete proof in my personal life that show GOD EXISTS.

Seun:
- How are you so sure that God is just, when the world is so unjust?

How do you know that the US legal system is just? based on precedents. He has punished wickedness in the past and he still does. The unjustness in the world is a result of man's disobedience and inhumanity(as shown in the case of cain and abel).   

First of all, we must remember that God is not the cause of the evils of this world.  Genesis 1:31 tells us, concerning God’s creation, that “God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.”  The evil and pain and suffering do not enter in until Genesis 3 when Adam and Eve doubted the goodness of God and disobeyed His word.  Then they hid from God’s presence and were subject to pain and sorrow, labor and work, suffering and death.  It was after man’s sin that Cain killed his brother Abel and wickedness and violence increased upon the earth (Genesis 4-6).

Seun:
why do you believe your religion is the true religion?

I will answer that with a related question. why do I even believe in the bible? Because Of its historical veracity and the proofs of its prophecies and the sound concepts within. this is a book that predicted the destruction of Tyre by Alexander The Great in exact detail. A book that named a conqueror Cyrus the Great (destroyer of Babylon)more than 50 years before his birth. A book that predicted the first century famine in the Roman empire (Prophet Jael). A book that contains legal, medical and scientific concepts many years ahead of its time (separation of religion and state; check Deuteronomy. Personal hygiene and Quarantine measures; check first five books. Shape of the earth). The existence of historical figures like sennacherib has been proved establishing its veracity.

This Same book tells me that "I am the way , the truth and the life. No one comes to the father except through me." That means there is no other route by which you may enter heaven. My religion is also the only one that maintains a belief in salvation not through our deeds. Islam is just Arab Judaism, Buddhism was originally meant to cure the evils imposed on poor people by the Brahmin faith and caste in India, Shinto is simply state imposed form of Buddhism inculcating japanese gods and godesses. Buddhism believes in an Eternal Nothingness( in esssence no afterlife) and it does not answer the question of how we got here (it doesn't even bother and true buddhists do not believe in God)

Seun:
why is my God real?

I have seen his works and I have proof of his existence. The bible says his existence can be inferred from his works. The Human brain is the most complex physical structure in the universe and science still cannot conclusively prove that it evolved. (till today, no intermediate organisms have been discovered. )



NOTE:You will note that the most ardent agnostics and atheists are not scientists, they are philosophers .

"how are you able to believe in someone you've not seen?"
Because I believe in so many other things that I have not seen including quarks, atoms and other concepts. I can feel him and see his works.

"How are you so sure that God is just, when the world is so unjust?"
The unjustness of the world is not something to feel pain about since no one will go scot free. <y religion tells me it wasn't always like this. i will talk more about this later.

"How do you know he created the world, when you were not there?"
Scientific. I will open another post to discuss this

"How do you know your religion is right, when all the others claim to be right?"
My religion is the only one that provides hope that mankind is not doomed to

"How come some are willing to die to get to a heavenly city no one has seen?"
Because they also believe in a god they have not seen

"In summary, how do you know that your God is real?"
Because I have seen evidence of his existence.

@MAO let me start calling you that name. Are you going the short way (president) or the long way (eh-hem councillor-chairman-legislator-commissioner-governor-rep-senator-president) ?

@exu i don't understand what you mean by ridiculously high population. China is many times larger both in land mass and population. Japan is even smaller than nigeria (many times smaller) and more or less has the same population size yet they have a higher per capita gdp and lower crime rate. Overpopulation is merely a term in economics and relates to management of resources and not actual size. What we need is effective management and people oriented policies.

@Chxta you have to recall that most americans are only seven generations removed from immigrants. Schwarzenneger will never become president of north korea even if he becomes a citizen. I will never become prime minister of Japan and You will never rule Germany, whatever you may think. thats life. It is only possible in Lagos and other cosmopolitan areas. personally, I don't advise it.let's not create needless strife.

Not all Nigerian language professors are idle and wasting time. The Bible Society Of Nigeria is still continuing the legacy of Sam Ajayi crowther who translated the bible to yoruba. They are still continuing that with other languages like Koma, Ibibio etc .
What we need is someone who can do the same for science- and arts-related books. Search for articles on Prof. Fafunwa's experiment in OAU. He taught a science subject to two groups (control group: English, Test group: Yoruba) and the test group perfomed excellently well when tested using diverse instruments.

The Internet is still english biased because The US is still in charge of it. (China is already threatening to create a separate one and european organisations including CERN are asking questions.) so that is not likely to be a problem.

As to English being the language of commerce, that might change in the coming years. China is funding chinese language studies in many african countries and other countries in the world. China will surpass the US as the dominant economy by 2015 so i won't be surprised if Shanghai becomes the new New York and Beijing as Washington DC.

@Seun, the roughly 48 million proficient [Yoruba] speakers will not agree with you.

the man is a crook. we all know it. privatisations by BPE have all been compromised simply because of the actions of this vice-crook. they should all go and let us select more trustworthy crooks to replace them. I know americans can sometimes do things for propaganda purposes but in this case I believe they are telling the truth.

My God
My Family
My PC
Money
Food

everything else can be got from those.

@exu religion is not politics. You would only say that if you do not believe in GOD (no offense meant). While some may consider religion as just ritual or even a minor aspect of culture that should be relegated to sundays or whatever day of the week your religion chooses. the fact still remains that science can't prove a God does not exist. The crises in the world only comes when people try to use religion as a cover for their dastardly acts. The Crusades was just a cover for poor european knights to replenish their estates, Jihad was and still remains a political weapon. As for the jews, I sympathise with the fact that they feel the need for a homeland after being despised all over the world, the same goes for gypsies in Romania and other migrant minorities in the world with no place to call a home. they did what Hitler and the west forced them to do. they carved out land in palestine and as to isreal being a jewish nation, that is a not entirely true, there are sizable arab, druse and samaritan minorities in the nation.

@greatpeter if they don't foist it on you, i don't see why you should bother. most of its precepts are not entirely repulsive(to tell the truth, preventing alcohol use is not entirely bad, the costs outweigh the gains). They are simply reinstating what existed before the british came. what we should look for is "sharia with a human face."; no cutting of hands and legs, preferably solitary confinement for 3 months.

they distribute free versions of books written in english and a few other languages.

I want to know where it might have been deployed and what was the consumer cost? I am trying to determine which would be more cost effective in a housing estate environment(whether coaxial cable or WiFi or WIMAX).

The existence of jesus christ has been proven. Letters from A roman centurion to his uncle (i think they are published under the name of theophilus letters or something like that.) talk about a joshua who was crucified and tallies with all the phenomena recorded.

there are other proofs. i have little time left.

@hot-angel Don't get angry. I was only referring to your statement as to whether these things were holy or real, that implies ignorance. And what i know from my academics is that you cannot believe what you don't know and what you don't know you can't understand. I have had such low periods. My quarrel with catholic doctrine led me to question the faith itself. i believe I have found it again, though walking the path is a lot harder than finding it.

@hot-angel you are not meant to believe. The bible counsels against the love of God becoming just a human commandment. I believe there is a section of Romans that says you should prove everything and hold steadfast to the truth. Don't just be a christian because my mum says so. I believe you should have a reason for being one. Find out about evolution(and why contrary to popular belief, it is not a theory but an hypothesis). Find out about proofs for prophecies that came true.

@exu I will be willing to provide you evidence why the events contained in the bible are true. But please confirm. the bible praises the people of berea because they did not just accept the word from their leaders but sat down to verify the veracity of their suggestions.

To provide some help i have included a link to a site that has such info

http://www.watchtower.org/library/t13/why_trust.htm

@Layi I am not drying up. I only inferred that from what he said (you know that method of taking whatever anyone says to its extreme logical conclusion.).

@GreatPeter You might as well hand him a gun and tape his finger to the trigger.

WIMAX stands for World Interoperability for Microwave Access. Its a new technology that would allows companies to provide wireless access to subscribers within a 30 mile radius. I have been searching for info about the projected consumer costs of the system (I believe it would surpass WiFi , VSAT, DSL and all those other technologies.)

If anybody has more info please <snip> reply .

@Obong why didn't i think of that? I came across a site (www.gutenberg.com). I assume if something like that was done for yoruba language we might have a greater excuse to use it in the polity.

@hot_angel you just made my day. i am going to buy more time and spend it blowing kisses. Just kidding but any way

@layi thanks for supporting me with scientific facts, someone just insinuated that i am drying up cos of womanising (read HIV).

@Latoya Its just harmless fun. The mother would probably start hicupping on the spot and the girl herself would pretend she has astral projected elsewhere(thats if she is still conscious).

@Kelliorah whats with the dragon thing?

i did not suggest building one from scratch. thats the beauty of open source, you can simply copy and improve the code. What i was advocating was the creation of language support for the language itself. Maybe Star Office could be updated to allow it to display the Yoruba alphabet. As to the belief that most people can't read their languages, well that may apply elsewhere, but not to the yorubas or educated Hausa. Most of them can read but thats a topic for other sections of the site.

@pasuma I don't know who told you that, but there are very good programmers in the country, capital and access to neccessary resources are the major problems they are facing. We all know the lecturers still teac FORTRAN77 from their old texts

someone here claimed its not useful since most of the Yorubas with access to the net can speak English as well. Obviously you have not been browsing regularly in cafes in nigeria otherwise you would have met many clueless people. of course its not perfect, i searched for the keyword yoruba and the results were in english though the google messages and the button names were in yoruba, but its a good start.

As to whether Hausa would have been better, thats subjective. If you grew up in a household where Yoruba was the mode of communication that would not have been a problem. Chinese is similar to yoruba because it is also a tonal language. that doesn't mean we should stop speaking it because we spent eighteen years in school.

wicked. come on, she dumped me, didn't she. i am allowed to have some fun. Imagine the expression on the faces of the parents of the bride.

All i can say about her is this.If she decides to run for president, I will vote for her. period.

I'll go if i am over her. When the priest asks if anyone knows anything that will stop the wedding, i will stand up slowly and go to the toilet (just to give her a mini heart attack).

@Bibi. has it occured that linux might provide the opportunity to bridge the IT divide for millions of nigerians. Its cheap, reliable, Secure(more secure than any windows release including the latest one which has already been hacked and the results pasted online.). If we add language support for nigerian languages (which microsoft is not ready to do at the moment) you might have kids in the benue interland or Ekiti developing programs like is obtainable elsewhere.