₦airaland Forum

goshen360: This is the basis of your common sense right? I gave the Yes answer knowing that is where you are coming. Now, Let me dismantle your so called common sense when it comes to the word of God. Do you really know what the windows of heaven you talked about meant when it is opened to tithe payers? Don't common sense tell you also that you are doing something on ignorance basis when God commands and promised something but you are doing in falsehood expecting the windows of heaven in blessings? Again, how does your common sense argue those that don't pay tithe to any church but are super rich? How does your common sense explain that?

Don't try to unnecessarily make a very simplistic concept appear complicated so that you can appear to have some vast uncommon knowledge. My friend, whenever you receive blessings from God, it comes throw the proverbial windows of heaven. That too is common sense! When you make charitable contributions tithe or not, there is an implicit and explicit expectations of blessings from God which essentially come through the said proverbial window of heaven.

You 'religious' people act as if you are not supposed to use your God given brains, atimes. SMH

goshen360: ^^^
Yes is the answer in a simple honest term. However, not according to the law of tithing. This is what we are saying. Give whatever with free will, cheerfully, not grudging and as God blessed you. Tithe is works of the law that brings self righteousness and compulsion. Like Enigma said, no body is saying you wont be blessed when you give any amount aside of tithe. As you said, giving can be less or more than 10%. So will that be fair on your part to say, the percentage of tithe should be abolished? and giving should be done freely as you are blessed?

It appears that common sense is being introduced into the discussion. You have indicated that you are required to make charitable contributions, and in fact that the contribution should be more than 10% of your income in your earlier wtite-ups. On the other hand, you are telling people who want to contribute 10% of theirs that they should not do so, because the said contribution is called tithe? Does this make common sense to you? This is at best a semantic disagreement and at worst senseless.

If people want to contribute 10% of their income as charitable donations to their places of worship on a monthly basis, then you sir, are completely wrong to tell them not to do so because the said contribution is called tithe. Telling them not to, is a contradiction to what you yourself have admitted to being, an expectation of Christians i.e. making charitable donations (even if its through your place of worship).

Telling people to stop making charitable donations to their places of worship on a monthly basis is outright wrong and senseless.

Now, on a separate note, each individual has a responsibility of making sure that they avoid being taken for a ride by unscrupulous "pastors or imams".

goshen360: @ ndu chucks,

Le'me use the word, "I guess" you are not a bible student. If you truly are, you will know by know in the context of Malachi, God wasn't talking to the Israelites, the "man" referred to in that verse is keyed into the context of who God was talking to in the context. Now Le'me show you, if you care:

Malachi 1:1 nkjv
The burden of the word of the LORD to Israel by Malachi.

Malachi 2:1
"And now, O priests, this commandment is for you.

Chapter 2 of Malachi continued all the way to chapter 4, GOD STILL TALKING TO THE PRIEST. Brother, you can see it wasn't the members or Israelites that Malachi is addressed to. You can read to verify for yourself,okay.

Now le'me also show you that, EVERY BELIEVER IN JESUS NOW ARE THE PRIEST. THERE IS NO MORE PRIESTS LIKE IN THE DAYS OD THE TEMPLE THEN BECAUSE NOW WE OURSELVES ARE THE TEMPLE OF GOD AND WE ARE THE PRIEST THAT REPRESENTS OURSELVES AND GOD.

But you [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. 1 Peter 2:9 nkjv

Again, who was Peter writing to in context: Let's see again:

1 Peter 1:1-2 nkjv
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.

That we are now the temple of God, to show you:

1 Cor 3:16 nkjv
Do you not know that you are the temple of God and [that] the Spirit of God dwells in you?

1 Cor 6:19 nkjv
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit [who is] in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?

^^^^ Story Story. Being a student has nothing to do with common sense. I ask you again, If you give your place of worship 10%, 20% or whatever percentage of your income as a donation to your place of worship, should you expect to be blessed?

The commonsensical answer is YES. QED.

@Enigma, i will not be asking you this question again:

Can you show me where no blessing is promised to you if you make donations to your place of worship? Isn't the act of giving a noble thing anymore, and is the expectation of blessings after such acts of giving, non biblical?

If you can't specifically address my questions and continue to post verses and texts without using your common sense, I'm done with you.

As for the rest of the people who are reading, there is absolutely nothing wrong with making ANY donation to your place of worship (Church, mosque or other), and YES expect to be blessed for it. Sometimes feeling good about something is itself a blessing. shikena.

Enigma: Wrong!!!!!

Malachi 3:10 required people to bring tithes of agricultural produce and the tenth livestock to Levitical priests.

It does not say that anyone who makes a donation of 10% or tithe will receive the blessing of open flood gates etc

Try again or try another one.

But it does say, if you bring the said tithes, you should expect the blessing of open flood gates etc.

What I am asking you is to use your common sense and understand that a God who will bless the people back then for bringing tithes, will also bless you today as such, if you make a donation to your place of worship, be it 10% or not. You are yet to show me where no blessing is promised to you if you make donations to your place of worship.

You people need to use your brains, atimes.

Enigma: Where in the Bible is it stated that God will open the floodgates of heaven and pour out a blessing if a person makes a donation of 10% or "tithe" to his place of worship?

Where o where?

Malachi 3:10

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.

Now go back and answer the question I asked.

Its time to start paying all salaries in checks. This cash based system has corruption built in it.

goshen360: @ ndu chucks,

Enigma had given you much reply. Should you not be satisfied, let me know and we look at the views together. Thank you.

Neither you nor Enigma has provided any scriptures to support the issue that God will no longer "throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it" if you make a donation (or tithe) of 10% to your place of worship.

To put it simply, where was it stated that making 10%, 20% or any donation to your place of worship, will no longer be rewarded by blessings from the flood gates of heaven? And if the said blessings are still bestowed upon those who give to their places of worship, why should people stop doing so?

[quote author=Kilode?!]I Agree OAM4J. Yes, you can raise bond, that is what cash strapped Govts and Municipalities do, but it is sheer stupidity to spend your borrowed money on projects you aren't planning to make profits from. If they have no plan to make these utilities generate income through tolls, levies, taxes e.t.c then we must call it Nonsense.

But I believe Fayemi is not Foolish and bond investors can't be that stupid. So maybe there is an income generation plan to this.[/quote]Please understand that I do not have any objection to fund raising by state governments through bonds. I however believe that these state governments should look for other ways of generating revenues first, before turning to bonds as a last resort.

If anyone can list any revenue generating venture, through any means, by Fayemi or other state governors with the exception of say, Fashola, then I'll feel better.

Fayemi and these other governors in my view, are incompetent and essentially lazy when it comes to revenue generation. With their PhDs, they should have big revenue generating ideas which could propel their states to the next level. Any fool can get free money from the Feds and spend it, or obtain it from the bond market, spend it and leave the debt to his successor. SMH

I venture to say that most Nairalanders, particularly the patrons of the Politics section, who are more prone to complaining and espouse rabble rousing, no longer remember what the old NL user interface looked like. This is the same thing they do when their politicians fall out of their favour - the complain, do nothing, and move on.

It is indeed true that it only takes 2 weeks to form a habit, and 2 weeks to break it. If you vividly remember the old user interface, tell us what you remember or miss. I bet you 98% of the people will not be able to answer that question.

I particularly like the friend feature - if someone's profile shows that they have more than 15 friends, I bet you that person is a hot babe, or pretending to be one.

The state governments get free money (Allocation) from the federal government, yet they do not see it fit to find other ways of raising money without putting generations of citizens in debt. This is a disgraceful phenomenon which should be stoppped.

What if the Feds did not provide this allocation, would the states then go bankrupt? SMH

The Governor of Ekiti State, Dr. Kayode Fayemi Tuesday told stockbrokers and management of the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) that the N20 billion bond raised recently from the capital market would accelerate the rapid development of the state.


Speaking on the trading floor of the exchange in Lagos, Fayemi also declared that the proceeds from the bond would be judiciously utilised to ensure the completion of all target projects, just as he pledged to render quarterly report to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on the use of the bond.

The exchange recently, approve the listing of Ekiti State N20 billion fixed rate infrastructure development bond 2018 on its official list.
The Ekiti State governor disclosed that he had directed all concerned to ensure close monitoring and effective supervision of the projects being financed with the bond proceeds.

According to him, apart from other projects, a total of 11 road projects had been awarded, pledging the administration’s commitment to complete all the various projects within 24 months.

He noted that apart from the road projects, establishment of Ekiti State School of Agriculture and rehabilitation and expansion of Ero Waterworks would be given serious attention. Other projects are Ikogosi Warm Spring Development Company, construction of ultra-modern civic centre in Ado Ekiti, construction of ultra-modern market in Ado Ekiti, construction of Lagos liaison office, construction of new Governor’s office, and rehabilitation and expansion of Ado Water works.

Source-ThisDay

goshen360: @ ndu chucks,

I will reply your post in details when I wake up and get on my computer to pull verses for you. The things of the spirit does not align with common sense as you stated. You have to interpret the scriptures with scriptures and explain it in contexts. That is what am gonna do and maybe you see your own errors. God bless you.

Before you reply, please note that I did not say that "the spirit aligns with common sense", just that God gave you common sense and the scriptures should make common sense. Most humans will agree with this. Regardless of the context you use to explain the issues I raised, make sure you find scriptures to support the issue that God will no longer "throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it" if you make a donation (or tithe) of 10% to your place of worship.

I hope you focus on this issue alone without trying to complicate it with issues that are murky, at best. Cheers.

goshen360: Tithe had being abolished in the new testament but we are left with GIVING that comes from our heart, that is cheerful, that is spirit led not according to law of Moses.

Let me first state that I have no religious interest whatsoever in this popular issue of tithing, I only seek to indulge in a bit of a exercise in common sense.

This goshen360 has been convincing people with his own interpretations that the tithe has been abolished, and he supports his claims by quoting some verses.

Now, many pastors quote Malachi 3:10

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.

Assuming that formal tithing is no longer required, as claimed by goshen360, considering also the fact that goshen360 believes that he is required to Give alms (in fact more than 10% of his income), does common sense not tell you that the same God who promised to "pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it", if you tithe 10% in the old testament days, will not do the same for you if you give 10% to your church?

If goshen360 cannot show us any text to support the fact that God will no longer pour out the promised blessings if you tithe 10%, then if you his claims are bogus and nonsensical.

If you prefer to give 10% to your church, do not stop because of some quack interpretation. Even Muslims are required to give alms and to perform charitable activities.

goshen360 is out of order in trying to convince people that giving 10% to your church has been essentially outlawed. Give ya 10% and then give even more to the less fortunate around you. That seems to be the sensible thing to do.

nna, I no tink say this area na my specialty, but I don c.ork my gun.

Nigerians were hailed as being the happiest souls in the world not very long ago, but according to new research, Denmark is the new No. 1 in happiness, while Nigeria, not surprisingly is now ranked 101st

May God continue to punish the leaders who contribute to the sadness of Nigerians, regardless of the states of origin of the said leaders.

Let me add that we were number 4 in Africa behind Libya 82nd, Tunisia 88th, and South Africa 91st. Egypt is ranked 102nd, and Ghana ranked 109th - we are happier than them. It is noteworthy that Ghanians are not as happy as the people of Bangladesh who were ranked 105th and the poorest in the world. No wonder, ghanaians get bad belle.


[url=http://www.earthinstitute.columbia.edu/sitefiles/file/Sachs%20Writing/2012/World%20Happiness%20Report.pdf]See Fig 2.3 Cantril Ladder on page 31 for the full ranking data[/url]

Lets not get it twisted. While Tompolo, as a freeman has the right to bid for any government contract, we must understand that it does not look good for the government to award a contract to an ex-millitant. Only a clueless President will allow such to happen.

We all know that it is the duty of the Nigerian Navy to protect the Nigerian waters, not otherwise as fraudulently being done by the maritime agency, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), which awarded the contract.

If the Feds do not find a way to block this contract, I pity the region when power changes hands.

[quote author=Negro_Ntns]FG has signed and awarded the security of the coastal waters to a private contractor favored and lobbied for by Tompolo. The security contract is to help fight crime on the sea but particularly against pirates, who are credited to be too powerful for the Nigerian Navy to control.[/quote]Source?? and who is th said private contractor?

Frankly, if the Feds are authorized to award this security related contract to a private company, then Tompolo and any other free Nigerian should be able to lobby for it in a competitive manner. Tompolo has been granted amnesty by the former President Yar'Adua.

oro bobo yi ti su mi(your condition don tire me).

Onlytruth: hehehe! Sam_Ikenna is calling ndu_chucks "nwanne".
If you can survive with a puff adder or a molting cobra INSIDE YOUR COAT, then you will survive a brotherhood with ndu_chucks.

Nna Sam, I hope the bolded is not meant literally, else you would need the help of a professional snake catcher.

I can assure you that Sam_Ikenna is 1000 times your intellectual superior who does not need any suggestion as to how to conduct himself on NL from you. Go and find your usual groopies to admonish.

I can see that I am getting under ya skin. You don dey follow me arround, small time I go dodge you and you go enter inside market.

Onlytruth: I can state unequivocally that YOU CANNOT SPEAK OR WRITE IGBO.

Every Igbo word you have ever typed on Nairaland, has been written for you by that Igbo goat attached to you (won't say more for now).
But tell him/her that the spirit of dead Igbo will pay his/her family a visit soon. All the families that I know that sabotaged Igbo cause in Nigeria never endured. They were deleted by the spirits of dead Igbo. I don't say things I don't know.

You, uncivilized baboon need to make up your mind whether you are serving Jesus or Okija shrine gods. You quote Psalm 144 on the one hand and express your belief in evil spirits on the other. I weep for you mumu.

One thing I am sure of is that my Igbo will continue to improve whether you like it or not.

[quote author=Sam_Ikenna]Nwanne, the people there are not Yorubas or SW, I didnt put it right - people = Easterners. Now we're clear.[/quote]In that case, what good would the endearment that Awo would have enjoyed done for Awo's people in the SW?

Onlytruth: The joke is lost on you because you don't have a clean heart. From the first page of this thread, people from other zones have called us names here and we largely ignored them. Now that I threw one punch back, you have turned into a reverend.

BTW tell that Igbo eediot telling you what to type here that his lineage will be wiped off by the spirits of dead Igbo whom he is constantly sabotaging!

lol, Eze Onlytruthpea sized brain, in his infinite wisdom, has declared that only Igbos understand, can speak, or write Igbo!! ALL hail the Eze. e be like say e dey pain you say I understand Igbo small. The one thing I have in common with Ikemba is the ability to understand and speak Yoruba, Hausa, and Igbo, try to learn those languages as well. You will be surprised how many doors it would open for you. Mumu

Onlytruth: ndu_chucks, you are getting more and more cowardly these days. Are you sure you are not really an Yoruba afterall. hehehe!

You can show your low class by insulting a whole tribe because of Ndu_Chucks. This will not change the accuracy of my depiction of your well being. The joke's on you, learn torespect people whose opinions differ from yours - O bu ndi a maghi ihe na-echefu ome n’ala ndi nna ha.

[quote author=Sam_Ikenna]Yes, I said if he had stayed away from Gowon's admin he would've been revered by all is also true. I dont care if he wanted one Nigeria or not,[b] the fact that he joined a govt that launched war against his people [/b]puts a serious dent on him but thats not to say he wasnt wiser than his friends.[/quote]Awo joined a govt that launched war against his people? That's a fat lie, Nigeria never launched any war against the Yorubas or the SW. Ojukwu was the one who returned from exile and joint the govt that launched war against his people by participating in politics, forming APGA, and running for office e.t.c

It is important to biatch slap Onlytruthlies, the egomaniacal olodo who suffers from gross cretinism, once in a while. This Eze thingy is getting in his head through his ears and will, sooner or later, be expunged through his asss. Eze ko, didirin ni.

Kobojunkie: Does Nigeria really need her? The last time she was here, she helped clear out debts, not by helping restructure things from within but instead getting outsiders cancel our debts, which they did. I am certain every Nigerian is grateful for that. However, she has been back for about 8 months now, and so far, Nigerians are still waiting to see what is in store. Isn't this an opportunity to try someone else?

You have a point there. If this lady is being pushed for the WB position and praised by all these nations, she should be a valuable addition to GEJ's cabinet.

She's been a bit disappointing so far in her new position as a minister, lets hope better days are ahead.

Unfortunately, we do not have state police in any state in Nigeria. That responsibility lies with the federal government and Bianca should have at the very least assigned some blame to the Feds. She is blaming the SE Governors for not evacuating SEers promptly.

[quote author=Sam_Ikenna]Anyway, I'm not exaulting Awo because I believe he made a bad strategic move by joining Gowon's Admin. If he had stayed away from Gowon's govt even if he had pitched tent with One Nigeria, his place would've been second to God in Nigeria.

Anyway, whats happened has happened, but to deny the wisdom and cunniness of Awo is to play dumb.[/quote]I'm not following you. Awo did his patriotic duty by participating in the legitimate government of the day, but you are saying if he had been more unpatriotic by refusing to serve his people, then he would have been "god" in Nigeria?

That does not make much sense to me, would you explain futher?

hmmmm. She should have included the Federal government and GEJ in her list along with the SE governors. Maybe this Bianca should replace Ikemba as the Eze Ndigbo Gburugburu.

Widow of the Biafran warlord, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, Bianca has accused Southeast governors of failing to take proactive actions against the killing of Ndigbo in the North by the Boko Haram sect.

Bianca spoke at the weekend shortly after laying the foundation stone for the Ojukwu Memorial Centre/Library in Owerri, Imo State. She said the governors failed to put the interest of Ndigbo above their political and pecuniary interests.

She said if not for the prompt intervention of the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) leader, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike, and his second-in-command, Chief Rommy Ezeonwuka, Ndigbo stranded in the North would have been killed.

Bianca said: “The so-called leaders of our various states in the Southeast failed to put the interests of the larger number of their people above their selfish political interests.

“While our people were being killed in the North, they were busy having fruitless meetings. Leadership is about sacrifice. If not for Uwazuruike, who asked our men in the North to bring their children and wives home and provided free vehicles for them, there could have been serious problems.”

Bianca extolled the quality of leadership displayed by Uwazuruike and Ezeonwuka since the death of her husband and thanked the Federal Government for giving Ojukwu a befitting burial.
Ezeonwuka said the challenges facing Ndigbo can only be solved when the people come together.

The Eze Nri and custodian of Igbo culture and tradition, Eze Obidiegwu Onyesoh, urged MASSOB members to mobilise Ndigbo for Igbo presidency in 2015. He said: “I thank you for your peaceful conduct during the crises in the North and I urge MASSOB to mobilise Ndigbo for the voter registration, because I want a President of Igbo extraction in Aso Rock in 2015.”

Frontline politician and publisher of Champion, Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, called for the documentation of Biafran soldiers killed during the civil war and the compensation of the families.
He said: “Those of us who fought during the civil war can tell you that we lost our finest young graduates from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I want those who lost their people to compile their names, so that we will take it to the Federal Government for compensation.”

Source

@Kilode?! I was proud when Ngozi was nominated and initially got excited when Obama made his own choice. If Ngozi gets the job no one will blame Obama who could have presented a more formidable candidate. Obama's choice may actually be an endorsement of Ngozi.

Having said that, I am completely disappointed that Ngozi did not turn down her nomination but is actively trying to get the job! Nigeria needs her more than the world bank does. I thought she was a biafran veteran who had been transformed into a nationalist - how wrong was I.

[quote author=onye_ngbu*]NB* I have not passed through that road but if ndu chucks of all people will attest to such a GEJ feat, who am I not to believe him! Its like when US killed Osama and al qaeda issued and a statement confirming it and some people kept saying america is lying [/quote]Kedu ka m si ga emeta gị mma?

[quote author=Sam Ikenna/Remi Oyeyemi]The Nigerian Federalism was unmade via two fronts: (1) Structural or Political and (2) Fiscal or Financial
In 1952, Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sultan of Sokoto and the leader of the Northern Peoples Congress (NPC) made the following request to the Nigerian Colonial Seceretary, Mr. Oliver Lyttleton:“If you want us (the North) to be part of this Nigeria you have in mind, then we want 50% of the membership of the National Assembly.”

It would be recalled that as a result of the elections of 1954, there were 162 seats in the Nigerian National Assembly. Out of this, the South had 83 seats (51.23%) and the North had 79 seats (48.76%), including the Yoruba people of Kwara. This means that if the Kwara people were not lumped with the North, they would still have less number of seats than 79, since this was based on population.

[b]This shows that the South of Nigeria has always been more populous than the North of Nigeria. [/b]But Sultan Bello, as evident from this 1952 request, has a different idea. If one considers his aristocratic background, one would have an understanding of his fear of “pure” democracy. Aristocracy is “the government of a country by a small group of people especially a hereditary nobility” which is “a group believed to be superior to all others of the same kind.”[/quote]This Adebibu worshipper, Remi Oyeyemi remains dumb, myopic, and outsight silly. How can one conclude that the South of Nigeria has always been more populous than the North simply because Sadauna negotiated a favourable term for his constituents?

Sadauna asked for 50% of the seats in the National Assembly and he got 48.76% including Kwara. How in the world does this translate to “The South has always been more populous than the North”? How can anyone take such a writer seriously?

[quote author=Sam Ikenna/Remi Oyeyemi]But Sultan Bello, as evident from this 1952 request, has a different idea. If one considers his aristocratic background, one would have an understanding of his fear of “pure” democracy. Aristocracy is “the government of a country by a small group of people especially a hereditary nobility” which is “a group believed to be superior to all others of the same kind.”

Thus for the Sultan to seek to dominate by any means necessary, would seem natural to him. [/quote]Duhh! What a revelation by Remi Einstein !!

This article is filled with so much crap that I will not spend any more time exposing the writer’s follies.

@Sam Ikenna, I’m disappointed that you fell for this quack of a writer. Would you please expatiate on your statement “I think Awo was the Bad Dude of the day”

[quote author=In-4MATIC]very true observation. Work is moving at a fast pace around the ore axis but 100% complete? I'd say not yet[/quote]I agree with the above, the whole highway has been "finished" as shown in the second picture. The only stretch of the highway that is not yet tarred is the ore axis, however, the whole axis has been covered with gravel in preparation for tarring.

The question is, are they going to award a contract for maintenance?