₦airaland Forum

ibkaye:
Sorry if this thread has already been created, I tried to search for any similar threads but I could not find any.

I have always wondered about couples (married or not) who practice different religions and have children. If it is the case in which the child/children are brought up on a religious foundation in the home, it would be impossible for the children to practice both religions and therefore in most cases will have to pick one, either their mother’s or father’s (I know in some cases children do not even necessarily practice any of their parent’s religions but I’m concentrating on those that do). I am of the impression that in both religions, it is believed that any unbeliever will perish in hell. The parents will know this and yet their children may not practice the same religion as them knowing full well the ‘fate’ of unbelievers, how do you know or think they cope knowing that their children or even wife/husband will not be joining them in ‘eternal life’ (heaven) when it is time for them to leave earth or are such things not even thought about/considered by the couples in question? I’m just curious.

Your input will very much be appreciated, thanks.

Human beings should spend more time living according to the laws or commandments of God than worrying whether or not their spouse or child will follow their religion. Religion no matter what name it is called will not lead any man to God and it is strange that  so much emphasis is being put on ones religion. The nature of our words, thoughts, motives, action etc are the things that leads us to God or forms a wall of separation from God. The true nature of each individual is what is decisive for the laws of God and that should also be decisive for human relationships including marriage. Gold is gold whether it is in the hand of a prince or a begger. A truely honest man or woman will remain so whether or not he identifies himself as a christian, moslem, budhist, taoist, etc. Besides every child is a gift of God and will at a certain stage follow its own part which may or may not be in line with that of the parents. A husband or wife should love God with all his heart and soul and love his neighbour as himself. That is what is important. And if one is able to live both inwardly and outwardly this supreme commandment of love, then ones activities will be permeated with honesty, compassion, trutthfullness, kindness, chastity, selflessness, and all other virtues which comes from the power of God. Children growing up in such a home have the strongest spiritual support and the outward religion their parents identifies with is inconsequential. Parents who still secretly or outwardly wish that their children will follow them in their religious beliefs have not yet found God even when they think they have found God. He or she who have recognised God have no wish for his child or indeed any other person to follow his outward religious foot  steps. The duty of such a person is live inwardly as well as outwardly according to the laws of God so that in him or her, his or her child will have a faint reflection of what it actually means to serve God. Our activities (not our religion), especially the secret ones define what we are and vibrations from our activities (especially the secret ones) pervades our homes and children uncounsciously tap into it. It should not bother you whether your child becomes a catholic priest, a buddhist monk, a pentecostal pastor, a taoist etc but you have to be bothered if he or she lies, muders  and is engaged in evil activities either openly or surreptitiously. Stay blessed.

vescucci:
Max, lol. You're like pancakes. Your sarcasm is like syrup. You're dripping.

Mr. Nwankwo. I like people who make their own rules and who refuse to be dogmatically chaperoned, like you. I also think truth is clear and singular but we only perceive thru the thick lens of our faculties, i.e. it's subjective. I am not wont to comment on some things cuz they might prove touchy. A summary: you can prove something is, by proving it cannot but be, dig?

Thanks for your kind words. I agree with you that the Truth is clear but the perception varies. The perception of the Truth is determined by each individuals spiritual maturity. Thus, it is differences in spiritual maturity that brings about differences in perception. As people mature they come closer and closer to the Truth until the Truth becomes an integral part of their being. At that point, perceptions or forms of the truth cease to exist. What exists is the Truth and not a perception of the Truth. When human beings attain a spiritual maturity that is enough to enter the kingdom of God, perception collapses for the lenses of perception cease to exist, that is, the spirit experiences with a spiritual body and its spiritual faculties and not lenses (several non- spiritual bodies) that previously encapsulated the spirit. At this point each spirit will have identical experiences. Stay blessed.

Pastor AIO:
Mad_Max I think that you're being a bit harsh. I don't think M_Nwankwo has claimed or acted like he is the 'sole recipient of true knowledge'. Maybe on some other post that I'm fortunate never to have seen, but from what I know of him it seems you've misjudged him.

I don't think there is a source of Truth that is purer or more original than any other source. I, too, am blown away by the richness and detail of some buddhist ideologies. Like I said I'm a big fan of their iconography, yet that doesn't mean that it is the original source of Truth. Even if there are many similarities with Grail Message (I've got to read this book).

This ties in neatly with the possible definitions of natural vs supernatural I was discussing earlier. When you have 2 similar forms then possibly one is derived from the other across Time. In other words one is prior to the other in Time and the secondary follows after. This is a temporal causal link and would belong to the Natural. However there is another possibility that rather than one being a derivative of the other they are both derivative of a source that is not temporal but outside the realms of time. So the existence of one does not depend on the existence of the other but rather depends on their common source. The connection between them would therefore be Supernatural, not dependent on Temporal process.

Hi Pastor. Thanks for your kind words. Your last paragraph above is filled with wisdom and only those who have been blessed with experiencing with their spiritual faculties will understand the deep truth that you encapsulated in that last paragraph. Even on this nairaland in several posts, the Grail Message has been alleged to borrow from the bible, gnostic scriptures, buddhism, Hinduism and what ever religion or movement people can think off. This is not new for even when the author of the Grail Message was on earth, people made the similar allegations. He was accused of borrowing from theosophy, anthroposophy, christianity, Budhism, etc. I am not interested in responding to these allegations for any person who have examined the Grail Message and thinks that the author borrowed from other endeavours, and that their is nothing new in it should hold to that view which is a reflection of the persons own choice and consequent spiritual awareness. It is not my bussiness to change any persons view.  I was spritually led to the Grail Message even when I was unaware that  such a work exists on earth. Divine guidance will always lead any soul that seeks for the Truth to the Truth. Human participation is not required. Stay blessed.

Not Tibetan Buddhism- Just Buddism. It's an odd question to be asking. Given that The Grail message talks about reincarnation and karma and thought-forms,etc ,all Buddhist doctines, where oh where did he get his material from?  Oskar must have time-travelled and been born before Buddha,and orignated those concepts himself.
You've applied his teachings to your life for two decades and they work.Of course it does; Buddism is very hands on, and its adepts are full of dangerous, arcane knowledge. There's much to be learned from it. It doesn't dislodge my Christian faith in any way, but the Buddist scripture and philosophy is fascinating. The Grail Message is a bucket of water compared to the ocean of Buddist thought, and if I were you, since you're inclined in that direction, Buddism is the way to go, not a pastiche of Buddism smeared with 'Christianity'

Is this the evidence that the Grail Message got its materials from Buddhism? What are thought forms and how are they formed based on Budhhist doctrines and Grail Message? What does Buddhism explain reincarnation as and what is the description from the Grail Message? It is irrelevant to me what you think about the Grail Message. Afterall, it is your choice.

You've applied his teachings. You've applied his brand of Buddism and seen the light. So every single thing in his book must be 'the truth'.
Hah!
The truth is the most elusive thing on earth, man. There are no absolute truths, just subjective versions of it, and they differ man to man. It'smazingly common self-deception to claim sole recipience of 'truth',to believe yourself the repository of 'true' knowledge, to think you have found 'the way', to regard others with pity because they don't know what you know, they don't get it, they think they do but they're merely wandering in the dark. The way and the truth has been revealed to you.

Truth is as clear as clarity. I am permitted to know the Truth and I make no apologies for that. What others think of what I am blessed to know is their bussiness, not mine. Thus I have no need to respond to your allegations above.

A disease  common to man and one from which Oskar certainly suffered. Yes, I know you've imbued him with infallibility, but he's just a man and The Grail Message's just a book, and neither is infallible, hower much you'd like to think so. The Grail Message would reconcile Buddism with Christianity and in so doing, has twisted the latter beyond recognition.  It only has pretensions to Christianity if it rejects what Christ himself said. But I forget, The Grail Message is a higher authority than the Bible. Its author, who cites no references or sources other than himself, knows more about Christ and his expressly stated purpose than Christ himself.

These are your views and you are entitled to them. Again what you think about my convictions, the Grail Message or its author is irrelevant to me. Just provide the evidence that the Grail Message obtained its materials from Buddhism. That is what is relevant to the discussion.

Have you read the Buddist Holy books? Unlikely,or you wouldn't be asking how I knew Grail was a pastiche of Buddist religious thought and 'Christianity'. Read Buddist holy books and religious philosophy,and then come and tell me which ideas in the The Grail Message are original: Karma and reincarnation perhaps?

No, I have not read any of the Buddhist holy books. But with my spirit I know who Guatama Buddha is and what are his teachings. I know that he is a prophet of God who faithfully fufilled his mission. I know that he is a human spirit who attained spiritual illumination or enlightment. Gautama Budhha is however, not a son of God but a human spirit. I do not read sacred  books of world religions anymore for I have no need to. If I seriously need an information about any event or process, I look upwards  to God in prayers and what transpired will be reproduced for me in vivid pictures. Sacred books can only point the way to spiritual knowlege but the way itself is not the spiritual knowlege. Spiritual knowlege can only be gained through experiences with spiritual faculties. Individauls who study sacred texts of world religions can at best be religious scholars but not spiritully knowing ones. To be a spiritually knowing one requires an activation of the spiritual faculties by the power of God. For a spiritually knowing one, the past, the present and the future can be surveyed because in reality Time stands still. Thus what happened a trillion earth years is still there, what is happening today is still there and what will happen in a trillion earth years from today has already happened and can be reproduced even now. The grace to open ones spiritual faculties and dig out from Time records of the so called past, present and future is open to all human beings. Best wishes.

You see where authors of books like THE GRAIL MESSAGE (Oskar Ernst Bernhardt) get their material. Everything in that book is,of course, from Buddist religious thought, with a smattering of 'Christianity' to give it some oomph. If one were inclined in that direction, give The Grail Message a miss and go for the real deal, the motherlode, in Tibetan Buddhism.

Can you furnsih evidence for the assertions you made above, ie, show that "everything in the book ( Grail Message) is , of course from Buddhist religious thought", and that Oskar Ernst Bernhardt got the material for writing the Grail Message from Tibetan Buddhism. Thanks

Criag Venter have made significant contributions to genomics and synthetic biology. He is in my opinion a visionary biologist. I find the scientific aspects of the interview interesting. However, I dislike the way that Dawkins keep bringing up philosophical questions concerning God, evolution and religion. Short-gun sequencing or synthetic biology technigues are tools towards understanding the evolution and diversity of[b] biological [/b] life. I think that Dawkins should have restricted his questions on Craig Venters scientific contributions only.

JeSoul:
Sir, how have you been?
I always find your entries most colorfully intresting . Where I predict we'll have a handicap in discussing is that you do not subscribe to the bible as a reference - which makes my job virtually impossible. But I do find your above submission most intresting. May I ask how you reached such a position on the matter?

Hi JeSoul. I am fine my sister. And you? Thanks for your kind words. I also find your entries very interesting. Above all, you are a very honest and good human being. May God continue to strengthen you. I reached such a position following my experiences in material and non-material creations of God as well as through revelations given to my spirit by God. Stay blessed.

The laws of Nature are the laws of God in material universes. By studying the laws of nature we start to gain understanding of the working of God in material universe and then undertand the works of God in non material universes. Thus the laws of God operating in material universes or Nature is the law of Nature. The laws of God operating in the spiritual universes is the spiritual laws. The laws of God operating in the divine worlds is the the divine laws. And the origin of these these laws of God is God himself. In other words, God is the living Law. But what actually does laws of Nature mean? The Laws of God simply are the intrinsic properties of all formed and unformed creations of God. Because these properties are intrinsic, they appear to us as laws because of their immutability and impossiblity to annual. In other words, their are really no laws in actual sense but intrinsic properties, potentialities and abilities. Thus for instance, if an object has an intrinsic property of physical mass, it will attract other objects. This inevitable attraction is what is designated as law of gravity. In reality the law of gravity simply puts into concept the inevitable attraction between objects due to the intrinsic property of mass. He who undertands how these intrinsic properties or nature of creations can adapt to them and achieve things which are regarded as miracles. Such a one will also know that certain things are impossible even for God because they negate the intrinsic property which God himself made. For instance it is impossible even for God to convert stone into a human body because the stione as it was originally made by God has no precursor or substance from which a human body can be derived. It is impossible to make a seed of corn to develope to a plantain tree because the intrinsic nature of the seed of corn has nothing in it from which plantain can develop. Thus it is impossible to change the intrinsic nature of creatures and creations. You can only change the forms. Thus a clay remains a clay and nothing can change it. But the clay can be moulded to a pot, a plate etc. Looking at a beautiful plate, it will be hard for many to see the clay that was moulded into the form plate. Only when a man can see the clay in the pot, the plate, the calabash etc has he taken a step forward in understandanding the laws of God.

Chrisbenogor:
Good Afternoon Sir,
A touch of wisdom hits my thread and I am humbled, in this book I am reading the author brought up this issue and referred to an experiment that was undertaken in the united states to show if people were affected by prayer, findings at the end of a well controlled experiment that gulped more than 2 million dollars show no difference between those that were prayed for and those that were not.
My point is that if these miracles were proven by science today to be invalid how would that shake your faith, if we found a way to show Jesus had a biological father how would that shake your faith?
Or would you shrug science off at that point?

Hi Chris. Thanks for your kind words. I am aware of that experiment. The ability to heal people is a gift of God given to very few. Thus many who believe that if they pray, people get healed only believe but if the have the ability, they can demonstrate it in many instances as they are guided by God. Thus if a claim is made and no evidence is provided, then the claim is either false or the claimant is ignorant or deluded. Thus for a real experiment, people who have genuine abilitites can be assembled and from a population of patients, such gifted ones should select those that they are guided to and I bet you the result will be different. Not every illness is meant to be cured. Genuine healers do not do trial and error, rather they are under divine guidance. Besides, any genuine healer must colloborate with medical science. Healers who detest medical investigation of their claims have no ability in the first place.
I seek to understand the Truth and thus it is irrelevant to me whether it comes form science or spirituality. Thus if what I believe to be true is conclusively shown to be wrong, then I will discard what I formerly believed, and accept the Truth. But even though it may sound arrogant, their is nothing that will contradict my core spiritual convictions because they are derived from the Truth. Thus science can only provide material confirmation for what I already know with my spirit. For instance, I do not believe that virgin birth in humans is possible even for Jesus, the son of God. Virgin birth in humans in my sensing is both a scientific and spiritual impossibility. Thus if tomorrow science finds out that Jesus has a biological father, that only confirms what I already know. Stay blessed.

While the events or processes that happen in the supernatural worlds cannot be investigated by present scientific methods, supernatural events or processes that imprints itself in our material universe can be investigated scientifically and shown to be true or false. If their is a miraculos cure of an illness, scientific methods  will not be able to determine the source of the miracle or the supernatural power whose effect is the healing but it can clearly investigate the healing. It can show whether or not a healing has taken place. Any claim of a supernatural event that effects matter or material substance but leaves no material evidence is false. Thus, every case of miraculous healing of the physical body or a process like virgin birth can be scientifically investigated since the miracles were claimed to have taken place in a material substance, the physical body. The only problem that science will have in this case is if the relevant samples are available. Thus if for instance, the physical body of Jesus was discovered, it can be shown with certainty whether or not that body has a biological father.

Uche2nna:
Ok, I will have to ignore a lot of issues I see in ur experiment and just assume that U have already done the experiment.

How do U convince anyone of ur findings? U do know that one of the hallmarks of experiments is its reproducibility? How will someone like me who have not been called by God be able to reproduce these findings in my own lab?

How is the disappearance of prostate cancer different from the disappearance of many incurable diseases by prayer. Has that convinced the scientific community that there is a God?

I have not done the experiment physically. But I have be shown many times how it can be done and I just have to wait until such a time I am guided to go ahead and do it in the lab. When diseases are genuiely cured, they will leave a scientifically verifiable evidence. I do not want to convince the scientific community about God. But if what I said occures, then many honest scientists will at least question their conviction of certain issues. That in itself is progress.

Uche2nna:
I dont have a problem with ur point of view which by the way is not the view held by the proponents of evolution. My problem lies specifically with the consensus view of evolution.

To explain evolution without God does not make sense to me. Stay blessed.

Well, thats all good.
However, to show that something is just an effect, U have to also show the underlying cause. U believe that the underlying cause is God but it just befuddles my mind how U would go about showing that experimentally.
Basically, U are saying that U want to give us empirical evidence that God exists.

Ok. It can be done. I will test what I am permitted to know and we see where it leads. If for example a mutant gene or genes are responsible for, let us say prostrate cancer. I am convinced that in future, one who is called by God can under experimental conditions and just by simple prayer effect a change in the DNA which can be emperically verified, that is , not only will the prostrate cancer disappear but the undelying genetic mutation is also reversed.

Given what we know about the probable number of genes and their DNA coding sequences and fitting that into a probability model to determine how many permutuations and combinations of random and spontaneous amino acids changes would have to occur in order to get an organism as highly coordinated as man makes it a really stupid idea.
It is mathematically impossible for humans to have evolved from mutation of DNA coding sequences cos one, the error rate would be humongous and two, it would be a very painful, albeit long process. Left to random mutation alone, we would prolly be still at the level of cockroaches at this age and that is if we manage to evolve without accumulating deleterious mutations.

And now to tell me that non-coding DNA sequences also played a part is even making the evolutionary theory harder and harder to buy

It will be mathematically improbable if the mutation is subject to chance and is random. I do not believe it is so. My view is that evolution of biological life is not a random event, rather it was created and maintained by the power of God. Thus if God created evolution as I believe he did, then their is no room for permutations, chance and improbabilities that you seem to talk about. Stay blessed.

Uche2nna:
One more reason why I think the thought that the presence of divergent species on this planet can be explained by random and spontaneous mutation of DNA sequences is the most [i]stupidest [/i]thought mankind have ever come up with.

I do not think that explaining the diversity of species on random and spontaenous mutation is a stupid thought. However, I do not think that mutations that alters the genotype of an organism leading to speciation is a random and spontaenous event. My view is that such mutations are not random or spontaenous, rather they are created, and maintained by the power of God. How the power of God controls genes is still a mystery to science but it will be my endeavour later in my career to provide experimental evidence that the genes and the proteins or regulatory RNAs that regulate them are simply effects, not the causation. The causation is the power of God. Stay blessed.

Uche2nna:
@ m nwankwo

Nice work U are doing.

But wat good is it when one cant read the whole article cos of subscription issues. I can get some of them thru the institution but Mol Biol Evol is not a very popular journal , I doubt if I can get that one.

Hi Uche2nna. Try and see if you can get it through your institution. If you are unsuccessful and still want to read it, I will look at ways of making it available without infriging the copy right of the journal. Stay blessed.

Writing in the journal Mol Bio Evol, scientists present experimental as well as bioinformatic evidence that non-protein coding DNA sequences are also subject to evolution. Their study is based on identifying the cognate DNA motiff to the transcriptional repressor  REST. Their study appear to have implication for the role of non-coding DNA sequences  in shaping both micro and macro evolution. See below:

http://mbe.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/reprint/26/7/1491

Why do most people feel disappointed or even embittered when another human being decides to leave a church, religion, movement or sect? Why do most people feel disappointed when another human being converts from one church to another, from one religon to another or even from theism to atheism and vice versa? No two human beings are identical in terms of spiritual maturity and it indeed unfortunate that we openly or surreptitiously expect others to percieve things the same way as we do. Our siblings, parents, loved ones, spouses will someday choose to believe in things that we do not agree with. The best we can do for them is to wish them the guidance of God in whatever they are convinced of at the moment and love them without reservation. Open or secret animosity to those who are of a different spiritual persuation is the hall mark of spiritual poverty.

KunleOshob:
@m_nwanko
Thanx for your words, they are truely thought provoking and inspirational.

Thank you too and best wishes.

What is a bit confusing Kunle is that you seem to know what the will of God is in your life and paradoxically you are looking for a church where that which you believe to be the will of God is practiced. I can assure you that you will not find any church, religion, or sect where the will of GOD is practiced.  Spiritually speaking, "CHURCH" are human beings who live according to the laws of God and these human beings whether here on earth, the beyound the earth or even in heaven are linked spiritually even when they have never met each other physically. They are linked, thus in fellowship (even when it is unknown to their day counsciousness) because the will of God to which each one of them submits to connects them for eternity to GOD. Thus man does not need a church, a religion or sect to serve God. His spirit is in the likeness of the image of God and it is his spirit that can gain connection to God and his will. Only the spirit can open itself to God, nothing else can gain that connection. Some individuals can open their spirit to God in the mountans, in the meadows, in the churches or places of worship, in their bedroom, in sleep etc. If the mountains or meadows, the churches or religious revivals, the bedroom or living room, sleep or silence etc can help the spirit to open itself to the power of God, then such a person should go to those places that sensitizes his spirit to open and recieve the power of God. Thus for some people they still need the churches, the mountains, the meadows, silence etc. But as the spirit grows, a time will also come when such a spirit is connected to the power of God for all time and such a spirit does not need processes, places or events to sensitize it to opening itself to the power of God, rather connection with the power of God is a living part  that spirit. That is, the entire life of such a man is a living tastement of his recognition and submission to the will of God. In heaven, their are no sects, religion or churches but the will of God. Stay blessed.

Several years ago in Nigeria, their was a philosophical discussion on NTA. The topic was the igbo phenomenon called "Ogbanje". "Ogbanje" in Igbo belief system is a form of reincarnation where such souls incarnate as babies to torment their families and it is said that they have some supernatural powers. Among the panelists were a very popular pentecostal preacher, a biologist and a reverend father that built his calling on investigating the paranormal. The penticostal preacher said that "Ogbanje" is the work of evil forces and demons and has no power over a true believer. The biologist smiled and called the "Ogbanje" phenomenon naked superstition. The  revered father looked at his fellow panelists and the moderator and said " Just pray to God that his grace prevents you from having children that are Ogbanje".  I hope that this television discussion of several years ago will induce some reflection and encourage discussants not to simplify a very complex phenomenon like homosexuality.

@Chrisbenogor,

@m_nwankwo
As always I love reading your points of view, just a deep seated feeling a long acquired wisdom

Thank you Chris for your kind words. I also admire you and you points of view. Stay blessed.

@Mahabone

@m_nwankwo
You threw abundant light on this issue but u sounds more like a buddhist even tho the word GOD GOD GOD filled ur write up. Maybe u r fond of reading these indian spirtitual literatures. It's a good thing though, me i do read sometimes at lest to upgrade my knowledge base spititually. I do agree with u that this gay guys have internal women bodies. Infact one need to interact with them to see that they're 100%  women more especially the transexuals among them,  One could also become gay via influences, this type of gay should be condemned completely. Where i don't agree with u was where u linked gay to reincarnation. If u truely knew what reincarnation is all about, i doubt if u did make such comment. Reincarnation though many don't believe in it works pari-passu with the law of karma. Law of karma is like bouncing a tennis ball on the wall, it'll ceratinly hit back to u while reincarnation beams searchlight on ones life on this earth, the good and bad things he/she did determines the form to take in next life. If u believe that God created man solmnly on his own, that's man has no hands in his making and that this gay guys posses internal woman bodies which is not of their own making, is it right to condemn them? Pls don't look at me like that i am not a guy but this very question has been bothering me 4 quite long. Reincarnation can only play out on soneone on issues he/she has control over and therefore responsible for the actions undertaking. I neither support nor condemn this gay thing, Let God determine their lot.

Thank you for your comment. I am not a Budhist and neither do I draw what I state from any of the indian spiritual literatures. I am absolutely certain about reincarnation and have several experiences in that connection. Reincarnation is a consequence of the Law of Love. The law of karma is just a part of the Law of Love. You already stated and correctly so that our choices, thoughts, motives, words and intutions in this life determine our fate in the next life. Why then will it will be hard to see that what is happening to us in this life is determined by what we did in the past and that include our activities in previous earthlifes as well as our activities in beyound the earthly enviroments. The spirit remains what it when God created it, that is if it was created a female, it remains so. But the spirit has coverings or cloacks, the last of which is our earthly body. These cloacks change if the spirit changes the nature of its activities from male to female and vice versa. If  any of the covering of the spirit is different from the original nature of the spirit, that is if any of the covering of a female spirit has a male structure, then a distortion has occured. While the other coverings of the spirit can automatically change becuase they are more mobile, the physical body cannot change immediately because of its density, the change in the physical body will then take place in the next earthlife. Thus my point is that it is the spirit that caused the distortion of its cloacks and only the spirit  can reverse the distortion. To reverse the distortion, the distorted soul requires help form God.

God created man as a seed and the decision to remain a seed  or develop into a tree (human spirit with a personality) is the choice of the seed. Many seeds choose to remain as seed (spirit germs) and many others chose to develop into a human spirit. Those that choose to develop decided by the nature of their free will whether to distort or not distort their bodies, wheather to be born in poverty or royalty, wheather to be born a man or a woman, wheather to be born with perfect genes or inherit genetic disorders etc. The point I am making is that God have given the spirit seed the inherent abilty to determine its fate through its free will. Thus we decide our fate using the power of God. If we use this power as God wills, then blesings, love and harmony will follow us and our eviroment but if we use the power of God in disobedience to the will of God, then destruction and evil will be the consequence. Thus the choice is free but we are irrevocably bound to the consequences of our choice. No one has a right to condem gay people or any other sinner for that matter for no one is so pure that he or does not need cleansing himself. The path to true spiritual growth lies in love of all that God created without reservation. Stay blessed.

@Horny4U

urge you to open heartedly read Nwakwo mail as quoted above, it is full of wisdom ,far from us being pure we must seek wisdom and explanation.Nwankwo i disagee here "undistorted man or woman (normal human beings) senses an inward natural repulsion to those who are already distorted or are in the proceess of distorting their soul"
Should we treat with repulsion another weakness or do we offer sympathetic understanding, while we repluse the act we should not repulse the person after all the leader of all said throw the first stone he who is unstained by sin, abi ke, we are rubbing minds ni o, cos i am a sinner and oh how i wish i could be really pure but we have our propensities and we can throw the water away but please lets save the baby there in is True Love.
N>B i totally believe in reincarnation, totally

Thank you very much for drawing my attention to an interpretation of the last sentence in my post you refered to. I agree with you and my sentence means that human beings who have not distorted their soul and physical bodies are repulsed by homosexuality and other consequences of the distortion. But equally undistorted human beings show smpathetic understanding and love to those who are homosexuals and pray that God will give them the strength to recognise the origin of the problem and the power to solve the problem. He who is imbued with the the power of God loves all human beings irrespective of their colour, race, sexual orientation, religion etc. I am happy that you believe totally in reincarnation. May God strengthen you. Stay blessed.

@Horny4U

urge you to open heartedly read Nwakwo mail as quoted above, it is full of wisdom ,far from us being pure we must seek wisdom and explanation.Nwankwo i disagee here "undistorted man or woman (normal human beings) senses an inward natural repulsion to those who are already distorted or are in the proceess of distorting their soul"
Should we treat with repulsion another weakness or do we offer sympathetic understanding, while we repluse the act we should not repulse the person after all the leader of all said throw the first stone he who is unstained by sin, abi ke, we are rubbing minds ni o, cos i am a sinner and oh how i wish i could be really pure but we have our propensities and we can throw the water away but please lets save the baby there in is True Love.
N>B i totally believe in reincarnation, totally

Thank you very much for drawing my attention to an interpretation of the last sentence in my post you refered to. I agree with you and my sentence means that human beings who have not distorted their soul and physical bodies are repulsed by homosexuality and other consequences of the distortion. But equally undistorted human beings show smpathetic understanding and love to those who are homosexuals and pray that God will give them the strength to recognise the origin of the problem and the power to solve the problem. He who is imbued with the the power of God loves all human beings irrespective of their colour, race, sexual orientation, religion etc. I am happy that you believe totally in reincarnation. May God strengthen you. Stay blessed.

@JeSoul

Okay I see where you're going now.
Strange indeed but its not too far from the scenario the presented in the header of some people been weaker in this particular sin compared to others. I haven't done extensive studies but I highly doubt anyone so far has been able to come up with definitive evidence homosexuality is linked to ones genes. Do you have any evidence that led you to this conclusion?

I already pointed out in my earlier post that I am not aware of a published scientific study associating specific genes or their expression to homosexuality. The reason is that studies on the genetic basis of homosexuality is still at infancy. Thus based on my own beyound the physical experiences, and contact with gay people whose stories suggest strongly of the involvement of genetic factors, I predicted that very soon in the future their will be genes linked to homosexuality.

wow    this one pass my power my brother. I don't believe in re-incarnation becos of the simple fact the bible says "it is appointed to men to die once and then the judgement". But I must certainly say that your beliefs on the matter are very colorful. If someone asked you how you arrived at the above opinons what would your response be?

I am aware that you do not believe in reincarnation and that is one of the reasons I said that you might find my descriptions strange. I arrived on what I stated based on several beyound the physical personal experience of the nature of human souls and how it evolves. Even if many cannot see or sense the spirit, they will see in their enviroment men who believe strongly that the are women and women who believe that the are men. These people do not just believe that they are the opposite of what their physical bodies present them to be but their thinking, words, emotions, motivations etc are the very opposite of what their physical bodies present them to be. Stay blessed.

JeSoul:
Thank you for your response Nwankwo.
Your views may not be based on the bible but there's a lotta biblical truth in it. I lose you when you make the seperation btw "those who were born gay" and "those who develop it". Care to explain further how some come with it and others don't?

Thanks.

Thanks JeSoul. I will attempt to give my perception on the issues you raised. Homosexuality is sexual attraction towards the same sex. Such attraction is not limited to physical sexual relationships alone but include our thoughts, emotions, motivations and even what happens in our dreams. Homosexuality is a distortion of the will of God and it is human beings via their free will that gave rise to this abberation. There are those who are born with a strong inclination or disposition to become homosexuals. Such individauls possees the strong inclination to homosexuality brought about by their genes. At the moment no group of genes are yet associated with homosexuality but I predict that genetic profiling of a large number of those whose stories suggest that they are born with the predisposition will reveal significant differences in their genes, its expression as well as the nature of their brains compared to genuinely heterosexual individuals. That they are born with the inclination does not mean that they are born homosexauls, rather they have a high probability of becoming one due to underlying genetic factors. Most people in this category often fight a loosing battle that drives them to despair because they clearly sense the aberration but are powerless to stop it. Counselling and therapies are often useless because the reason for the distortion which is reflected in their genes lies in activitities that happened before birth. At this point, you may regard what I will say as strange but I will still say it and hopefully some of it may be helpful.

Our life presently on earth is not the first time we have been on earth. All human beings have been here several times in different guises, nationality, religion and in some cases in different sexes. Thus what happens to us in this life is a snapshort of our entire existence, that means that some of the things we are presently experiencing in this life time have its causes, not in this life time but in a previous earth lives, that is in previous incarnations as human beings on earth. The image of God that is man, the spirit have the ability given to it by God to bring forms from formless power of God. These forms include our bodies (both physically visible and invincible). Our earthly body is the densest and it is one that everybody can see with his or her physical eyes. The spirit also forms the earthly body through the nature of its activity. God created us as either male or female spirits. Thus the human spirit is a split species. Male spirits form male bodies while female spirits form female bodies. That is the way God made it. But if a male spirit start to engage in activities that are feminine, it forms female bodies including a female physical body. Thus when this distortion happens, you have a male soul entrapped in a female body and a female soul entrapped in a male body. Individuals gifted with claivoyant abilities can clearly see that outwardly, that is in his physical body, he is a woman but the soul is a man. Thus, those who are born with the strong inclination to be homosexuals distorted the nature of their activities in a previous earth life which then have a physical materialization in this present life. Thus they are male souls in female bodies and female souls in male bodies. Because it is a female soul in a male body, it can be sexually attracted to female souls in female bodies that are not born with the predisposition to be gay but are developing homosexual tendencies in this life or is attracted to a male soul in a female body. Thus although the body is female, the soul is male and this weak male soul (outwardly a woman) is attracted weak female soul in a female body that is in the process of distortion or to a weak female soul in a mans body (outwardly a man). Thus in one case you find sexual attraction between people of the same physical sex because one is outwordly a woman (weak male soul) and the other is a weak female soul (outwardly a woman) but striving towards male charcteristics. Thus in this scenarion you find an effeminate man (outwordly a man but harbouring a female soul) attracted to another effeminate man (outwardy a man, inwardly a man but acquiring feminine characteristics). The other scenario which people think is heterosexual but is intrinsically homosexual is where an effeminate man (female soul in male body) is attracted to a masculine woman (male soul in a female body). However except you are gifted with the ability to see the soul, it will be wrong to make judjements based on what is physically and emotionally observable. There are a lot more to this than what I have described. In summary people who are born with with the inclination to be inwardly homosexuals sowed the seeds for homosexuality in a previous earth life and those seeds come to fruitfication in this earth life.

The other group are people who are not born with the inclination but acquired the tendency during childhood, adolecence, adulthood or even at old age. The physical body of this group will not change in this life, that is they remain a woman but if they have stroven towards male charateristics, they will be reincarnated as a man in the next earth life. The same goes for a man who strives for feminine activities. In the next incarnation the soul will be incarnated as a woman. Child molestation, tasting of impure vibrations like pornography, reading impure books and movies glamorising physical sexuality, sexual perversions, and occultic practices are some of the activities that can distort the pure nature of the male or female spirit sowing the seeds whose fruits in this life or another will result in homopsexuality outwardly and inwardly. As I said in my last post,  the sin of homosexuality can be atoned for and cured but it requires the participation of one called by God, given the necessary power to help the soul cure its distortion.

Lastly an undistorted man or woman (normal human beings) senses an inward natural repulsion to those who are already distorted or are in the proceess of distorting their soul. Stay blessed.

These are my views on the issue you raised. Their has to be a distinction between the image of God that is man and what this image chose to become as a result of his or her free will. My sensing is that man was sinless at the time God created him or her and the image of God which is man is also sinless in its nature. However this image of God has a free will which can lead to decisions in contradiction to its nature, the image of God. Thus a crude analogy is that man as he is created by God is a diamond that shines. But if this diamond is thrown into a mud, the dirt can cover the brilliance of this diamond that people can no longer recognise the diamond. Inspite of this, the mud or dirt only covers the diamond but is not part of the diamond, that is the mud or dirt is not an intrinsic nature of the daimond, rather it is external to the nature of the diamond and can thus be washed away.

Homosexuality like all sins is not a part of the image of God or the spirit. However through the decision to taste impure currents, the spirit can acquire the mud of homosexuality. The thickness of the acquired mud can become so powerful that it entirely covers the brilliance of the spirit and strongly predisposes the person to incline to homosexuality. Thus in some cases of homosexuality, the individuals are born with the inclination to become homosexuals. Some other cases of homosexuality are only acquired during adulescence, adulthood. This later case can easily be treated and cured but the earlier case in which people are born with a strong inclination to be homosexual is difficult to treat except if God through his called servants intervene in the matter.

My views are not based on the bible but I hope it will be helpful. Stay blessed.

Uche2nna:
Hmmm, is that true

The technology to de-differentiate already differentiated cells and then re-direct them to a different cell type is already out there.

Sure. But no such programming have produced the human blood as is produced in the body. If you are aware of such, kindly refer me to the paper.

I am not making a contribution to the biblical passage that the poster cited in framing his questions. Rather I am only concerned with what science has to say about blood. David is correct on the role of blood and his scientific descriptions are accurate in my view. The human body as it is cannot survive without the blood. One can say that without the blood, the human body dies. It is so self evident that I wonder why it is being contested. In future, I do not think that is feasible to generate artificial blood from precursors that have no direct bearing with the natural blood. Thus in future, it may be possible to program stem cells to mature into blood cells and plasma but such a product is not artificial, rather it is a reproduction of the natural process of blood production. I would have made a contribution on blood transformation but since the poster seems to be concerned about what the bible says about it, I have nothing to say.

I am not making a contribution to the biblical passage that the poster cited in framing his questions. Rather I am only concerned with what science has to say about blood. David is correct on the role of blood and his scientific descriptions are accurate in my view. The human body as it is cannot survive without the blood. One can say that without the blood, the human body dies. It is so self evident that I wonder why it is being contested. In future, I do not think that is feasible to generate artificial blood from precursors that have no direct bearing with the natural blood. Thus in future, it may be possible to program stem cells to mature into blood cells and plasma but such a product is not artificial, rather it is a reproduction of the natural process of blood production. I would have made a contribution on blood transformation but since the poster seems to be concerned about what the bible says about it, I have nothing to say.

duduspace:
Interesting m_nwankwo, would you oblige to tell us in practical terms how your personal experience of God and his will was?

And I do respect your opinion given in the second part.

Hi duduspace. I can oblige but I am always very, very reluctant of giving personal testimonies because the search for God is personal and even if one believe my personal journey, it will not help the person except he or she experiences  the same thing. To answer you question albeit briefly, I will say that the laws of Nature are the manifestation of the will of God. In other words, God is the author of the laws of Nature. Secondly, from childhood  I do see, smell, hear, torch, feel, sense what most people regard as fairly tales and legends. Such experiences are as real to me as physical breathing. Thirdly, I believe that one who follows the twin principles of LOVE and JUSTICE will finally find God for LOVE and JUSTICE are intrinsic attributes of God. A reflection of these attributes of God are in the creations of God. Thus in my experiencing,  events, happenings,  process etc that are not in harmony with LOVE and JUSTICE are not from God. Hopefully some day, I may give you several personal experiences that have impacted my spiritual development. Stay blessed.

@Poster

To believe or not believe in God is a decision that only you can make. Advices and opinions of others may be well meant but they will not solve your seeming problem. The search for God is personal and my view is that you should only believe what you have personally experienced. What others tell you may be true but unless you have personally experienced it, it will not help you. Doubt is very essential for both material and spiritual development. Thus you should not dismiss or ignore your doubt but wrestle with them, confront them until you gain clarity and inner peace. To ignore or dismiss ones doubt especially in spiritual matters  will only lead to blind faith. You should not believe in God because you want to, rather you should because you have personally experienced God both in what is physically visible and invinsible. No true belief in God can arise without personal experience of God and his will.
Thus if one honestly has not personally experienced the existence of God, then it is correct not to believe until you have the personal evidence. I wish you strenghth in your search. Stay blessed.

[quote author=m_nwankwo link=topic=252741.msg3807853#msg3807853 date=1241177778]In the largest genetic study sampling african populations, a team of international scientists led by Sarah Tishkoff provide compelling evience that all africans are decended from 14 ancestral populations. The study also confirms earlier work that modern humans originated from Africa and  that east Africa is the source population for the out-of-africa migration of modern humans to other parts of the world. The study also shows that about 71% of african-americans can trace their ancestry to west Africa. This study is published in the May 1, 2009 issue of the journal Science. I will post the full length paper later on. In the meantime, find below a popular summary(understandable to biologists as well as non-biologists) of the findings as published in the journal Science. See below:

http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/reprint/324/5927/575.pdf[/quote]I promised as above to post the full length paper of the Science article. Kindly find below the link to the full length paper. I hope that many can open the pdf. See below:


http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/reprint/324/5930/1035.pdf