₦airaland Forum

allonym:
if we cannot use a written book to disprove a written book, then we cannot use the bible to prove anything and everything you have just posted and your previous posts based on the bible become meaningless.
[SNIP]

I don't want to get into this argument. There are different levels of evidence and layi does not want to see that historical evidence from different sources that witstood historical criticism, as well as archaeological evidence, is on a different level of relevance that the selective compiled account of several gospels from different Christian communities that all had their agenda's.

allonym:
[SNIP]
It must be possible to quantify the spirit. Christians talk all the time of being "more" in Christ or trying to get "more" into the word. So, there must be some quantity of Christ they possess, and some quantity they still need.

It is possible to quantify (or at least to operationalise) the spirit. It's a very specific neurological condition where perception of the external world diminishes (reduced activity in parts of the brain that process sensorial inputs)

I think I've said it all in the other thread (https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-2149.0.html), but let me repeat for clarity's sake:

* Abortion has a lot of negative effects. Therefore it should be avoided where possible through comprehensive sex education and proper facilities for planned parenthood (including giving all information on alternatives for abortion)
* The main thing creating the divide is determining when you're talking about human life, or more precisely, when you're talking about personhood. No sane person will condone the killing of a person. The question is then: at what time during the pregnancy does the fetus become a person. The fetus acquires personhood when sentience kicks in. This is certainly not before 23 weeks, as the neural networks to process external information are not yet present. The capacity to feel pain certainly does not start before 29 weeks. You could say that personhood starts somewhere between 23 and 30 weeks
* Before that time, it is entirely up to the woman to decide whether or not to have an abortion
* After personhood starts, we should weigh the life of the mother against that of the baby. At that time, only very grave reasons (such as a heavy handicap of the fetus) could justify an abortion as you are killing a person

Other consideration are usually emotional or otherwise irational.

For me spirituality is a feeling of one-ness with your environment and the world. A deeper connection with the living system that is earth. It is not something intellectual, it's actually hard to define. It certainly has no gender or is in one way or another connected to any known religion (although Buddhism may come close)

I can reach that level either through meditation or by making love to my wife (but then again, it certainly doesn't happen all the times) I have the feeling that I'm outside of my body, I'm on another plane of conscienceness. My senses are ultra sharp and everything seems to be going very slowly

I know intellectually that it is just a chemical condition in my brain, but it feels real and it is meaningful for me. If I want to reach that level it is very important that I'm very calm and that I do not have any negative emotions at all

Does that make sense to you?

layi:
How do u know how the Bible was compiled If not for written 'history' (since u werent there). How can u use a written book (your references) to disproove a written book (Bible)...Its because u too want to disproove the Bible. Simple!!

Like I always say: 2 Corinthians 3:6 - Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.


I have the spirit that created the world, the one the bible preach...residing in me. This aint no placebo effect...because He's as real as life itself.

Layi,

I praise you for your spirituality. I actually envy you. It would make my life way easier if I could believe.

The only thing I want to point out is that The Bible as it stands is not the only reference for spirituality. It is not even the only source for Christianity. Read some of the Gnostic gospels and writings (unfortunately most of them were destroyed, but some still remain, such as the dead sea scrolls) and you will know and understand that there is far more spirit in these than in the canonized gospels.
It's such a shame that some of the more charismatic churches do not reach back to the roots of where their spirituality comes from.

Even though I cannot connect intellectually, emotionally I feel for the Gnostic tradition. It is in line with my pantheistic spirituality

layi:
[SNIP]
As can be seen from the above examples, it is imperative to take the context and unique surrounding circumstances into account when attempting to resolve apparent conflicts in the Bible text. By doing so, you will find that harmony and completeness are hallmarks of the Bible record.

Actually, layi, that's because you [b]want [/b]to find harmony and completeness. The language used in the Bible is far from being precise an because of it's sheer size, you can always contextualize until you find harmony and completeness.

If you know a little about how the Bible was compiled, you will understand that only a small part of what was early Christian thought is retained in the Bible. Only the texts that fit the Orthodox Roman Catholic interpretation were withheld for the Bible.

In early Christianity, there were a lot of female pastors. The holy trinity was one of father, son and holy ghost, in which ghost comes from the Hebrew feminine term of spirit ruah. This term was later, during canonization, translated in Greek to a gender neutral term, pneuma. The original trinity was closer to The divine masculine (father), the divine feminine (holy ghost - ruah) and the intermediary, facilitating son (Jesus). Through the son, [b]gnosis [/b]or knowledge about the divine (God) could be reached.

This was very different from the paternalistic church that came to dominate the Roman Empire. and from which sprung the later protestant churches.

Just make sure you're open to each other. Don't leave any stone unturned. A marriage is about trust. Without trust, you cannot make your marriage work. Strength

elpaso85:
i feel confused sometimes and i don't know if im thinking properly.thats why i don't want to make wrong decisions. i m not sure about feeling that i can't satisfy her, maybe she wants to try something different? i don't know how im feeling for a long time. she recently told me that if she wouldnt be with me she would probably be with someone else.

Indecision on these subjects is the last thing you need. She probably knows you're hesitating. That's why she says those things. Bring everything in the open. talk to her and then decide what you want. Don't just do nothing, because that way, you'll certainly lose her

elpaso85:
hey ok. as you say i am idyllic im 20 years old shes 23. i love her, but when im without her i always think about her past situations and im also feeling scared of her cheating on me. i never felt this before since we are 9 months together.

Talk about it. the fact alone that she's open about her past to you already indicates a high level of trust in you. Her cheating on you would have nothing to do with this. Maybe you are insecure that you can't satisfy her? If so, get that stupid thought out of your mind. This is not a competition.

adesodgi:
ye! you don't believe in God ke,oya tell me o,what do you believe in?
am thinking some one needs help..

Why? You don't need to believe to be a good, ethical person

AngelaZ:
True the name sounds Igbo.

nferyn, where did you meet your wife?

I advise you to go and read our story in the thread "Tell Us About Your Marriage" https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-2598.0.html

It's actually a combination of my first name (Niek) and my family name (Feryn).

Seun:
[SNIP]
That is, if you are a Christian who follows the bible. Do you follow the bible or does your Christianity exclude that?

There were quite a few Christians that didn't follow the Bible, but they were mercilessly persecuted by the established church, up to the level of pillaging, burning churches and killing everyone inside. The Gnostic Christian tradition has been exterminated root and branch by the Roman Catholic Church once Constantine declared Catholicism the official religion of the Roman Empire. The same goes for the Cathars in southern France.

The only significant non-biblical Christian tradition that is left is kept alive by the Ethiopian Christians. And the only reason why they are still around is because they were out of the reach of the Catholic Church.

Don't forget that only less than 10% of all gospels were witheld for the Bible. That choice of Gospels was purely for political reasons. Constantine just threw out all Bishops from the council of Nicea that were not willing to follow his line - and he wasn't even Christian at that time

adesodgi:
sorry o evryone,i just need2ask this-1..is nferyn white?
2..and where is he from that he has a igbo name,are nigerians also white?

You can address me directly, you know... I don't bite

1. Yes I am
2a. I'm Belgian. My wife's Nigerian (Edo)
2b. I did't know my name sounded Igbo. Can you explain?

Seun:
This topic puts the average Nigerian woman to sleep. What exactly do feminists want, anyway?

Simple: equal gender relations.
Will you address my questions or are they too uncomfortable to answer? Or maybe you have another reason for sidestepping the discussion?

elpaso:
im a boy and had 2 times sex before meeting my partner. she is divorced with a kid. shes having sex since 13 and now shes 23. She hasnt regreted for having sex at the past- but i do.. when i think about her ex boyfriends-sucking their **** it drives me mad. i want to marry this lady and she was too, but this idea stays in my mind...

You had sex before and so has your girlfriend adn you still have problems with the idea that your partner has been with someone else before, even though you have done exactly the same. This does not make sense

jojo:
yes iah a feotus is a potentail person it has a heart and it is breathing from day 1

This is not true. since when does a fertilised egg have a heart or lungs? It's just a cell staring to divide

jojo:
oh nferyn it doesent matter on the age of it its a person from the time the sperm hits the egg

Then the female body commits infanticide at an alarming rate. Most fertilised eggs are rejected by the body and do not grow to become babies.

IAH:
Sorry, that's another crap. What is the difference between a person and a human life? My dictionary simply defines a person as "A human being". That means a human that can be...this still translates to life.
Isn't a foetus a potential person?

It is indeed a [i]potential [/i]person, just as any other living body cell can be a potential person. The fetus acquires personhood when sentience kicks in. This is (certainly not before 23 weeks, as the neural networks to process external information are not yet present. The capacity to feel pain certainly does not start before 29 weeks. You could say that personhood starts somewhere between 23 and 30 weeks. Before that time, the fetus is, even though it may look human, nothing but a lump of living cells

You are only following the spirit of the first protestants that broke with the Roman Catholic Church: for them the authority lay in their personal search for God by studying the Bible against a corrupt and wicked institutionalised church

Let your personal conscience guide you in these matter, you will come out a stronger and better person.

IAH:
I think it's BS to be grading life on whether it's 5 weeks or 4 months or 17 decades old! If you say a foetus less than 2 weeks old or whatever is not yet life then what is it? Death?
If it can grow, then it is ALIVE...it is LIFE and so, a life or a potential life is lost when aborted.

Whether or not something is alive should not be the yardstick in this discussion. Personhood is a much better determinant. You do not kill or destroy a person. A 2 week old fetus is not a person, even though it is alive.

Your conscience is not sufficient to determine right or wrong. You can have a warped conscience and take immoral decisions conscientiously

Determining whether something is right or wrong is done looking at the effects of the actions you undertake

This thread only shows that you can take any position and justify it using one or another biblical text. All depends on interpretation

Whether or not your marriage will succeed depends entirely on your and your spouses attitude.
First off, you need to have a deep love and understanding of each other. Without this it will be difficult to overcome society's bias.
The most important part though is your own attitude towards religion. If you're the proselitising kind and your wife is as well, there is probably little hope for your marriage to succeed.
If on the other hand you respect each other and leave each other in dignity, it can definately work out. The problem lies in a fundamentalist interpretation of one's religion. Do not forget that the basic moral codes of all religions and philosophical traditions are very similar.

What is canon?

No need to look for a reason when there is none.

There is no purpose to life or death except what you make of it.
The story of original sin is just a way to make sense out of something senseless. Our minds look for purpose and a lot of people cannot accept the ultimate futility of it all, that's why they want to place everything within a greater plan.

michelin89:
nferyn you have such cute eyes...blue very blue and your kids so cuuuuute
but i didn't know you were white! i'm

Thx 4 the compliment. the kids are really the best of both worlds. The mixture irons out both of our duller features

Anyway, no need to be shocked that I'm white. Plenty of people are

WesleyanA:
Wow Nferyn. you have such a beautiful family.
the little baby girl is soo pretty and so is the small man. you and your wife must be proud of them.

I'm going to post some more recent pictures soon. Aicha is really growing fast and the baby is getting out of her, she's now really turning into a girl (if you know what I mean) I currently can't post any. My wife took the camera to Nigeria and I didn't download the last set of pictures to my PC yet.

following up damygurl's quote:

First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a socialist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out--
because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me--
and there was no one left to speak out for me

Martin Niemuller

Coltrane and Miles Davis fan.
I just love the eery sound of Davis' trumpet. His interpretations of Spanish classics in Sketches of Spai[/i]n chill me to the bone and bring tears to my eyes. If I need some real emotions, I just put on Davis.
[i]Kind of Blue is probably the standard to beat when it comes to improvising. Absolutely stunning