₦airaland Forum

bodsibobo:
@everyone

What has come over you all that you raise and discuss this kind of topics on this forum? The ultimate aim of any human being, I believe, should be the salvation of your soul. Whatever you believe in that will give you salvation is none of any body's businesss, but yours.

Why shouldn't these issues be raised. There perfectly legitimate topics of discussion.
When you state that the ultimate aim of a human being should be the salvation of it's soul, then you're already presupposing the existence of such a thing as soul. Never has anyone ever been able to show evidence of the existence of a soul, so why should I accept that there is such a thing?

bodsibobo:
If you like, believe that a tree, or a dog, or a stone will give you salvation, (then that is the god you believe in), however, as for me and my household, we will surely serve and worship the Lord God Almighty.

And you are absolutely certain that this specific God, with the specific properties described in the Bible, exists? What a vanity.

bodsibobo:
If you want to know this almighty God, then go and read your bible.

He's quite a confusing fella, isn't he, that God of yours? And a capricious, unpleasant deity as well.

bodsibobo:
N.B[i][/i] I used to engage in this stupidity and fallacy of querying the bible and questioning God many years ago together with a cousin of mine who is a PHD Holder in Engineering. It led both of us nowhere.

I can only imagine. Ignorance is a biblical virtue, after all.

bodsibobo:
Now, I know that God is the ultimate source of power and Him and His word (the bible; which by the way, He honours even above His name), therein lies all the answers to man's life problems, including all the blasphemous nonsense some people have written in this thread.

Good to know you consider us, blasphemers, a problem to be solved. I just hope you won't retort to the kind of solutions your almighty God regularly used to get rid of those that opposed his chosen people.

Tom's somewhere in another dimension

Aicha and class mates ready to watch the show

Aicha likes to be naughty

Aicha with my parents

Aicha swings her magic wand

Aicha dancing

tom gets a present as well

Today the children had their yearly school festival.
Here are some pictures

spoilt:
nferyn have your kids ever been to naija?

No and that really bugs me. Problems is that it was financially impossible when Tom was small and we couldn't go with Aicha shortly after she was born because of her weak immune system. We first wanted to visit this year, but I just changed work and can't take a long holiday now. So next year it will be

spoilt:
is your wife ishan? urhobo ?

No she's Bini, but with 1/4 Yoruba in her paternal line

ThiefOfHearts:
native, african wear

Next year when we're coming over. I'll make sure I take lots of pictures

ThiefOfHearts:
Hm, I see what you mean.

I love this quote:
Thinking must never submit itself, neither to a dogma, nor to a party, nor to a passion, nor to an interest, nor to a preconceived idea, nor to whatever it may be, if not to facts themselves, because, for it, to submit would be to cease to be. (Henri Poincaré), but it sounds far better in french:
"La pensée ne doit jamais se soumettre, ni à un dogme, ni à un parti, ni à une passion, ni à un intérêt, ni à une idée préconçue, ni à quoi que ce soit, si ce n'est aux faits eux-mêmes ; parce que, pour elle se soumettre, ce serait cesser d'exister."

ThiefOfHearts:
you kids are pretty, I would like to see them in native lol. what kind of music does Tom listen to

See them in native?
Anyway, Tom's just listening to some commercial crap. kids of his age don't really have a differentiated taste in music

VOR:
Thanx for clearing that up.

no probs

VOR:
Btw, where did you learn English?
You write it better than a lot of native
English speakers I know.

I did learn the basics in school (secundary), but I guess I master English well enough because of my education and my exposure to the English language. And obviously lots of practice

VOR:
I thought the two major languages in Belgium were French and Flemish.
Is Flemish the same as Dutch or a completely separate language?

You're both right and wrong at the same time
We, the Flemish, share a language with the Dutch. Standard codified Dutch is based on a Bible translation (de Statenbijbel) that was written by Marnix Van Sint-Aldegonde, someone that fled Antwerp during the religious wars in the low countries for Holland.

Flemish (Dutch spoken by the Flemish) differs less from Dutch spoken in Holland than American English differs from British English, so it would be crazy to call them different languages. What is different though is the pronunciation, some grammatical constructs and choice of words.

VOR:
Your kidz are lovely between.

thx

temmyabby:
yeah, i used to live in antwerpen for a while,so i had to learn sum dutch, i speak onlt the basics though

Anyway, you try. That's already more than most people. Do you pick up languages easily?

MILITIA:
Thanks once again. Yes, I am a free thinker. I think about the natural, supernatural or supranatural. Anything to give inner peace. As long as it is "good". I believe in positive energy that helps me and others no matter where it comes from. Be it Olokun, Sango, Christianity, Islam or whatever. Let me say for clarification purposes, it takes a cocktail of beliefs to arrive at that destination we all try to reach. Take the good in all and form yours!

You don't have to look religion to find the good at all. Actually, if you want to excel morally (or rather ethically), it is far better to look at the modern ethicists, such as Peter Singer, than at any religious doctrine. A rational consideration of value is far superior than a doctrinal religious one.

MILITIA:
One doctrine cannot have all the answers since we are all different peoples. As long as it does not maim, kill, slander, disrespect or incapacitate-- I am all for it. Anything good sha is all that counts.

In that case you cannot read too much in all those religious books, better avoid the glaring contradictions and above all reject the despicable moral messages contained in the 'holy' books of Christianity, Judaism and Islam. I think you're being too generous on the religious and by doing so, you're helping them perpetuate their immoral teachings.
Here's a talk by Christopher Hitchens who is quite clear and uncompromising in his rejection of theism.

MILITIA:
The "Supernatural" notion also has it's place in healing and promoting wellbeing. It is all about what you strongly believe in or "faith". Abi no be so ?

The fact that the supernatural may have positive effects isn't really an argument. All kinds of false beliefs may have positive effects. George Bernard Shaw was pretty clear when he said: The fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point than the fact that a drunken man is happier than a sober one.

thx temmyabby & spoilt.
Temmyabby, congrats on your Dutch. Have you been living in Holland or Belgium before?

Here's another one.

MILITIA:
I love the excerpt on Jainism you provided. You have given me something else to explore and I say thank you.

My pleasure. it's really sad to know that many (ex) theist never get into contact with other religions and philosophical traditions. It's like growing up in a cocoon.
Anyway, you can also have a look at the secular humanist philosophy, especially the links section offers a lot of material.

MILITIA:
I am a free thinker looking for ways to solve my own state of confusion in this world.

Are you really a free thinker? You still seem to believe in the supernatural.

MILITIA:
Buddhism like one of the forumites mentioned teaches inner strength, humility and the notion of "superiorty" over other religions is absent. I think I like that!

But if you believe in a supreme being, then Buddhism isn't really for you, as there is no God concept in Buddhism.
Traditional Buddhism is more of a philosophy than a religion. You could also try Jainism.