₦airaland Forum

@ topic,

Absolutely NOT!!

though i agree that due to the effect of long muslim presence in the north allah is now used to refer to the Judeo-Christian God, it wasnt originally so.

they (the Judeo-christian God and Allah) have so many attributes that differ, its not hard to see that the terms (as used in their proper religious contexts), do not refer to the same deity.

truth be told, this is really funny. nigeria is one of the few countries where a president can just wake up one day and declare two days as holidays, especially after having a 4-day weekend the previous week.

SOmetimes i wonder when real progress will start in naija.

most of the evil we see today are consequences. consequences of adam's sin. when adam sinned, he broke natural order and everything has been in the down since then.

until Jesus came to restore all things,

so, does God make mistakes? NO. Why do we see evil in the world? Because man (generic man) sinned.

Do evil things happen even to christians? Yes. Why? Read JOB and Read 2Peter. Bad things happen to us as christians as a test of our faith and commitment to Him, and just so we can become like Him. Adversity is like the crucible that molds God's nature into us. I hope we all learn (especially christians) to embrace and make the most use of any periods of adversity we find ourselves in, because its a priceless opportunity given to us by God to develop that character of Christ in us.

nferyn:
Yes, apart from the Bible and some later date Christian apologetic writings, there are no records of Jesus' supposed crucifiction. All references to the life and deeds of the historical Christ are very mirky historiography.

uhmn, sorry, if there are records only in the bible and other apologetic books, does that disqualify it from being a historical event simply because other books didnt record it?

has everybody in history been documented by history books? lets even narrow it; have all crucifixions in history been recorded? if you don't find mention of christ's death in certain books you are more inclined to believe does that change anything? i am more likely to believe the Bible because it has been through the most scrutiny through the ages and has held through. isnt that enough?

the bible is clear that the romans and the jews tried to submerge information about christ's death (and ressurection). doesn't that suffice to explain your statement. and besides, josephus (a noted jewish historian) has references to Jesus, i don't know if he talked about his crucifixion though but that is inconsequential.

[quote author=pilgrim.1 link=topic=48586.msg1032078#msg1032078 date=1176369870]However, on further study one finds that no one can be sure of being saved in the religion of Islam. Therefore, if there is no guarantee of salvation in Islam, what then is the hope those who rigorously follow Muhammad's Qur'an with such uncertainties of their eternal future?[/quote]

ibrahim007:
the tongue is a very dangerous organ that one should always control it when it comes to talking,speak of what you know and if you want to seek knowledge seek it in a mannerful way.

Sincerely i dont know what the problem is with asking questions about one's faith. let me give a quote from the bible in 1Pet. 3: 15:
"but sanctify in your hearts Christ as Lord: being ready always to give answer to every man that asketh you a reason concerning the hope that is in you, yet (give your answer) with meekness and fear".

so ibrahim, dont be offended, i guess she's really sincere and i'm sure many people are curious.

@ nferyn,

I'm new to this thread.
first, you said you haven't seen atheists that become theists, there are very many. A notable example is C. S. Lewis. i can give others if you need them.

You don't believe in God, that does not change anything. God exists. if i tell you that there is a lion with two heads somewhere in the antartica, you cant prove that it does NOT exist, so in all practicality you can't say there is no God. now you can reject the claims about God, ie creation and all, but you can't prove it not to be true. science has never been able to and definitely wouldnt prove that God didnt create the universe. what science can offer is alternative explanations for what is observed, whilst rejecting the theory of creation.

you said you want evidence that God exists, there are many; the whole of creation (the universe) itself proves it (if the theory of creation is right). what we should ask for is evidence that he DOESNT exist. do you have any?

now God exists in a totally different realm from that of the physical, in a supernatural realm. there is profound evidence (albeit not scientific, because science is limited to observations of physical evidence) of the supernatural. Within that same realm exists the ultimate reality, who is God, without whose influence nothing exists.

personally, i dont just know that HE exists, i know Him because i relate to or with Him. many people believe in his existence but dont necessarily relate to Him. thats not the case with me.

now, just a jab at the scientific theory of big bang and all. everything in nature is obviously degenerative, ie apart from evolution (which is just another unproven theory), things move from a high energy to low energy state. why then, does evolution propound a contrary theory where everything becomes more complex on its own. for things to become more complex there has to be an external input eg for a compound to be formed, you dont just need elements you need something extra. that just shows that it is impossible for the universe to spontaneously form on its own because it doesnt have what it takes to develop into more complex forms. hope you get my drift. i'll await your response.

babyosisi:
stop this argument already!!

I'm totally with you on that one! i hereby pronounce the argument STOPPED!!

stimulus:
Some are of the view that one must be 'called' or ordained in a special way in order expose deception. Aside this humourous fallacy, I hope that such people will remember to apply the same rules to themselves when they try to talk behind other people's backs in a public Forum under the guise of responding to posts.

and stimulus,
u really didn't need all this. BTW, u dont know me and i can always lay claim to not mentioning you in my post. and there's no talking behind anyone's back, i dont know anyone on here. it seems you take things rather personally, just my observation. i probably am wrong.
humorous fallacy as you may think it is, i will restate it that there are offices for these kinds of things, especially when it regards men of God who are His children but stumble in some way (as we all do). anyway i'd leave you guys to continue this thread, am out.

ok, i must say i didnt really read all the posts on here before joining the discussion, my bad. sorry for that.

that said however, i will explain where am coming from; i noticed a trend here in the states, and that is a lot of people condemning and criticizing other christians. especially on the net. like i said before, i am an advocate of exposing deception, i dont need to start quoting again all the scriptures you guys put up. believe me i've used them before.

however, my balance point is this; there is a lot of things happening in the church (and by that i mean the body) at this time. we live in a time where a lot of things are being shaken, a lot of changes are taking place, and God is really moving. there are some people that are not into the present move of the spirit, and all they do is sit and condemn people who have decided to move along with the present move of God. so you have a lot of people tearing down true servants, because they do not understand the restorational move of God. now, that does a lot of harm, and i'm all against it. If you've read Rick Joyner's books, you'd understand what i'm saying.

let me give an example. i wont come here to defend bynum; i dont know her. But i know God uses women of God. and i also know there are offices (by that i mean spiritual positions) of prophets to the nations. for a reference you'd see in the book of acts mention of Priscilla, she was a very influential apostle in the early church ( i know some would query me on that, but that's what i understand) and she's a woman. Also the daughters of Philip (acts 21.9) were prophets. Now Cindy Jacobs is one such i know holds such an office. but people who don't understand this (and i really dont blame them for that, its just the way it is, we have different levels of understanding) are all over the net criticizing and such. that poses a lot of harm. I've been there, so i know what am saying. My plea is this; when you dont understand something, before criticizing, ask God to reveal more to you.

however, like others have said here, there are many (and i mean many) who are out to decieve people and they must be exposed, or rather, naive believers must be warned to steer clear of them. other than that, sometimes there's just no time to focus on the wrong,

and please lets change the spirit of this place, we're not here to argue, we're here to help each other's faith. GOd bless.

@ Pay Na
it depends on the level of your spirituality or relationship with God.

there are some songs you cant really listen to as a christian because they do not edify your spirit but can rather pollute it. a ready example is some kinds of heavy metal rock. the singers themselves are usually of a 'different' spirit and invoke a lot of negative forces in their songs.

on a base level, the lyrics of many secular songs are not worth listening to, so, personally since i want to keep myself pure i'll steer clear of them. beleive me there's nothing to be missed, there's everything to enjoy by listening to music that can nourish your spirit.

it depends on your relationship with the Holy Spirit, i was really into rap before i became a christian but i didnt even need to be told to stop; i just felt convicted and had to drop it. now i dont even have any desire for secular rap songs (although i listen to cross movement and souljahz, they're solid christians). hope that helps. God bless.

@ lovethis,

do you have an idea of the price range for shipping a car to naija, and which agencies have the best rates?

@ lafile,

lafile:
I dare say for me and most of my friends all you said can be proven wrong. i have over 4GB of music on my system right now, and apart from love songs for my wife (about 15) and manchester united anthems, i only have gospel music. there are so much more gospel songs in my head. I don't know lyrics of any secular songs recorded after 1999. (No rap songs after 1996). I wont go to any non gospel concert for free. I will pay N20,000 to see fred hammond or hezekiah walker anytime anyday. i spend a lot of time searching for the latest gospel songs online. its just my life. Dont get me wrong i do hear non-gospel songs everywhere, but they are not a part of me. I can enjoy the harmony, Vocal and musical arrangement, lyricists ability as per rap, but i am 101% into gospel music.

i couldnt have said it better. i wonder why mycc didnt stick to his own preferences and not try to dictate what others should be interested in.

@ the controversy above,

there is nothing wrong with being prosperous. Barnabas was a very rich man. there were others.
however, the bible teaches contentment and abhors all form of greed
there is something wrong with desiring to be wealthy or coveting riches 1Tim 6; 8-10

furthermore, the worst of all is being rich for riches sake ie hoarding wealth. the bible is very clear; the purpose of a believer's wealth is not for himself but so he can give and help others. thats why Barnabas gave to the early church and thats why Jesus pitied that rich man because he valued his wealth too much to give it away.

the problem with prosperity preachers is that they do not balance the gospel, choosing rather to focus on some parts of scripture at the expense of others. I'm sure many of them dont even remember that Paul was not rich. i have even heard some outrageous things like 'my God is not a God of the poor'. nonsense.

wealth and giving are like two sides of a coin, they go hand in hand. this is the context; 2Cor 9;6-12
God is able to make all grace abound towards you, so that having all sufficiency, you will have abundance for every good work

there is nothing wrong with being rich. there is something very wrong with dieing wealthy. there is also something wrong with over-emphasising riches at the expense of the gospel. God blesses us so we can bless others.

@ topic,

of course both are important. and both are commanded.

soon somebody will post a topic saying 'praying or reading the bible' lol

@ donnie,

i think the best thing to do after saying all what you've said is just let these guys be. some people would never change and no amount of correction or rebuke would change them. it amazes me that these same people cannot see that the same thing they are accusing people of, they manifest; headiness and unwillingness to be corrected. i hope you add them to your list of prayerpoints.

Just to reiterate, while i am an advocate of exposing falsehood, i believe there is a place for everything. when a brother is sinning or doing something wrong, you confront him with it, rather than talk behind his back. there are people that have been placed in a position to correct other men of
God if indeed they need to be corrected. if you have not been placed in that position what you can do is pray.

@backslider,
what if you are wrong and some of the people you are accusing are indeed God's children and have a relationship with Him? God help you people that you do not take up the devil's ministry and become an accuser of the brethren. and God help you also that you do not ignore the log in your eye whilst pointing at the spec in another's eye. it will be wise to remember 2Cor 10.6;
, being ready to punish all acts of disobedience, ONCE OUR OWN OBEDIENCE IS COMPLETE. (not before)

@ morayo, nice post. really true talk there o.

@lanegra

lanegra:
I feel as if we African-Americans just don't fit in anywhere. I mean, think about it. We don't fit in with this American society that sterotypes us (and every other ethnic group), profiles us, rejects us, etc. And we African-Americans don't even fit in with other African-Americans! If you're too light, you're not right. If you're too dark, you're not right. If you're too preppy, you're not right. If you're too "gangsta"/hip-hop, you're not right. I

mean there are just so many divisions within this "African-American" community that we really don't fit in anywhere, or even have any place to "come home" to. I'm really looking forward to taking a DNA test to trace my roots back to Africa just so I can actually have a place to call home. Just so I can have a true identity.

I mean I know I sound a little "woe is me", or "woe is us", but it's true man! It's a sad case of identity theft that has happened to us African-Americans, and most of us are confused and know not where we come from, have no culture to identify with, etc. All we have are our family get togethers and our churches, our "Christianity", lol. That's how we African-Americans get together. With the religion our slavemasters gave us. I'm a Christian by the way so that's not a slam on Christianity lol.

i just felt i needed to respond to your comment. the question of identity is an inherently human problem, its not peculiar to any particular sect; although some people may more readily find something to fill that vacuum of identity with. some people feel very proud about lineages eg royalty, some take pride in nationality, some in other things. however i must say that as a human being, the question of our place, our niche in all of existence, cannot be fully answered by mere cultural values. we have always supported that martin luther statement; a man must not be judged by the colour of his skin.

you referred to christianity as a 'religion our slavemasters gave us'. i must say that is not true in the least. christianity originated from the middle east, not from europeans. i'm african, but i must say i find my identity not in being african, but in being a son of GOD and in knowing that i am placed here by divine order for a purpose. i'd suggest that you try to find your identity in christ, and stop seeing christianity the way you see it; which is just a misconception. the truest sense of self-worth and identity is to be found in christ and i really do hope you find it.

there is this very special passage - Acts.17; 26-28 - He determined the exact place where we should live; there is no accident in the life of any person. in him we live, move and have our being.
all the best.

Reverend:
I find it highly entertaining that so many people use the book of fairy tales (the bible) as a tool against others. Good Christians are supposed to live and let live, turn the other cheek and those of you without sin cast the first stone etc etc etc,

i have to join in this discussion.
@ reverend, first, with all i've heard from you, am surprised you call yourself reverend. you must hold yourself in very high esteem.

since you've made it known that in all your 'reverence' you consider the bible a book of fairy tales, i wonder why you think you have an inkling of how good christians are 'supposed to live'. In your hypocrisy, you come here and try to dictate how christians are supposed to live, and then condemn them for trying to air thier own opinions. it seems to me you believe that you alone are allowed to have an opinion and others aren't.

you dont believe in christianity, yet u're trying to 'correct' christians in their understanding of 'the meaning and supposed spirit of christianity'. what double-standard is that?

in case you didnt bother to read the first comment on the thread before opening your mouth, let me direct you to it. the first poster made a comment using the bible as a reference. any reader of and believer in the scriptures will be quick to respond to anyone using the bible as a reference point for double-talk. that is why there were many responses from a biblical perspective. and not because they are bible-thumping like your guilt-tripped conscience has directed you to say.

if you have issues against christians or the bible, if they are making you feel guilty, it only shows you have a problem, and it would be wise of you to address that problem fast, rather than taking the approach u've taken. God help you.

afterall, if heaven is non-existent, christianity should be harmless to you, and it shouldn't be a problem ignoring it, unless of course (and i believe this is the case) you're not very sure,

what is this?
which kind of company has its office in an apartment quarters in satellite town and uses a yahoo mail account for job correspondence?
is it from your room you'd do the shortlisting and interviews?!
Ahan!, they don come again.

Lie u couldn't get? what is that? anyway, i'd ignore you.

What would you do if you were diagnosed with cancer and told you have only three months left to live?

so hard to choose. i'll go with the oldies;
-little mermaid,
-pocahontas

and then,
-finding nemo

First, to correct some wrong assumptions;
the bible never said 'spare the rod and spoil the child' NO. It says; "He who WITHOLDS his rod HATES his son, But he who loves him disciplines him diligently." (capitalization mine) Prov.13.24.
There is a huge difference between the two if you give it much thought. The former is a mere English proverb. The correct biblical context is not a command to spank, but rather an exhortation to NOT WITHOLD the cane, when it needs to be used.

If you read that verse fully, you'd quickly realise that the main issue there is LOVE. If you LOVE your child, you will discipline him because discipline is what instills values and a sense of judgment in us.
There are different kinds of children and each child should be handled differently. Now some children when merely rebuked, are corrected and do change. However, there are also stubborn-willed children, these children have to be shown some tough love, otherwise called discipline. If you see your child showing some undesirable traits (which is common in many children), you need to correct him/her. Sometimes some children will not be corrected without being disciplined. The way in which you adminster your discipline is left to you; it could be a punishment, a spanking, etc but it mustnt be excessive and the child must get the message.

Many children here in the US arent disciplined as kids, and that is why many of them turn out the way they do.
Discipline however has to be coupled with affirmation of your love and praying for your child; this is usually what is absent when many kids grow up into rebellious teens.

I'd recommend Stormie Omartian's books for any parent in here; 'the power of a praying parent' and others. Bringing up kids is a very great challenge, and we have to do a good job at it. Even God disciplines us as His children, and through His discipline we grow up into mature believers.Heb. 12.6&7

Let me end with the line from Heb 12.7; what son is not disciplined by His father?

Another very simple issue.

As far as i think i know, two ingredients are important for lasting relationships; trust and commitment.
The first one is obviously lacking in both of you; you dont seem to trust the guy anymore and even if he's not doing anything wrong, you'd still be suspicious. The guy has lost your trust.
Commitment follows from trust. When there is no trust, there cannot (should not) be commitment.

SO as far as this matter is concerned, if you really want to have a lasting marriage, PLEASE look for someone you can trust, and who will be committed to you just as you are to him/her. And dont think there arent guys like that around, there are many. One thing to remember however is, usually, you attract what you emit, or to put it bluntly, you get what you deserve. So if you come across as trustworthy, you'd get someone who is trustworthy.

Those are the foundational ingredients. We are not even talking about secondary issues, like the 'icing on the cake' (for example: good looks, humor, etc).

DO you want to build your house on thin air? Abeg, like i said before, this is a very simple issue.

Horus:
Earth to Heaven
How far's the trip?

Christians claim that heaven is further than the furthest star, and that is where Jesus went with his father to prepare a place for you, right. Remember, John 14:2 “In my father's house are many mansions, I go to prepare a place for you.” However, if you look at the possibility of Jesus coming back from a scientific point of view, the furthest star away from Earth is billions of light years away. Therefore, in actuality, Jesus still didn't get to heaven. There's no way he could be on his way back.

@ horus,
sincerely when i read your post, i laughed, because you really dont know what you are talking about.

I'm also a scientist, but i know the boundaries of science. Heaven is not a physical, or rather, material place. it is a spiritual place and is an entirely different realm from the realm of the physical.
there's no basis for relating heaven to any star, because stars are physical, heaven is a spiritual place.
and BTW, that Scripture you quoted is not referring to 'heaven' as you percieve it, but to 'his father's house' but i cant even get into that because its an entirely different subject matter.

JEsus is in heaven, seated on the right hand or GOd. Col. 3.1
i dont need you nor science to tell me what is TRUE. Science cannot see beyond its nose. Lets say there's a white leopard somewhere in the australian jungles, can science prove or disprove the existence of the said leopard? No. They have to get there and look for it. And even if they dont find it, that still doesnt mean its not there; they may just not have looked well enough. Science can only analyse what it knows (or can handle), it cant analyse what is beyond it.

heaven has nothing to do with distance, rather it deals with realms. when stephen was being put to death, heaven was opened (revealed) to him and he saw christ ACTs 7.56 if it was a matter of distance, then, that wouldnt have been possible.
if scientists develop a jet that can sail for light years into space, they wont get to heaven because heaven is not physical. Sorry. Try another argument.

Backslider:
This thread is about false prophets and their teachings. If I am one please Expose me I will Repent.

@ BACKSLIDER
Your name tells me that you are one, and i am exposing you. Please repent!! LOL

Seriously though, i pray that GOd will open your eyes. I can see that you are serious about your faith, but it seems to me that you're taking it the wrong way.
"the path of the just is like a shining light, it shines brighter and brighter until the dawning of the perfect day" Prov 4.18
"When you look for me, you will find me. When you wholeheartedly seek me," Jer 29.13

again, may God enlighten you. May He grant you the grace to get down on your knees and seek Him. May he send men across your path who will lead you on to the right path.
You can pray Paul's prayer in Eph 1:17-21
I love you and may God bless you.

Sincerely, i am wondering why the same 'misright' who does not believe in Christ - considering your other tread- would be asking us about easter?
Is there something i dont know?

So sad about what happened.

We REALLY need to pray more as individuals and as a nation.

Perhaps, Baba will hear and heal our land.

I'm new to this thread, and its so long, i cant even try to read all the comments.

@ Trini, Now, i read the opening comment by trini, and to her i say, nobody cares about your definitions. If you are concerned about definitions and you want to talk about sin, then look to the bible for the right definition and not to greek lexicons or whatever. if you want to talk about what is wrong according to society, then you can make use of society's definitions.

so, as regards the issue; the bible defines all sexual relationships outside of marriage as sin. whether you call it fornication or premarital sex is your problem. God doesnt care about the nomenclature, he is only concerned about the act. if you try to justify your sin to yourself, fine, there's nothing anybody can do to help you. if you acknowledge your sin, then you can easily repent if you want to.

one thing to understand, which most dont, is that marriage is a covenant. "a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh" the 'one flesh' part does not happen before the joining; the joining (marriage) has to happen first. marriage is sacred. if you take marriage as a sacred covenant between two people then you'd understand why each person has to keep himself for the other. if not, then its left to you to lay your bed the way you want to lie on it.

if you want more scriptural references, i can give you; they are plenty,

As for me, i'd come from a Christian point of view, the Bible is very clear; "in the beginning, he made them Man and Woman" "therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be united to his wife (not wives), and the two (not three nor four nor five) shall become one flesh" "the husband of one wife" 1Tim.3:2, and many other scriptures,

If you understand what true marriage is about then you'd appreciate why it has to be one man with one woman.

And as for those comparing polygamy, or polyandry with homosexuality; they are all evils. There is no point in looking for the lesser of two evils; wrong is wrong. Neither is right and both are frowned at in God's eyes.

By the way, its not even easy to nurture a marriage of two people, why try to complicate matters?

wow, thanks for posting this.

@ Viee; who wrote that article? it seems the person used to be a former tennis player.

What it brings to mind is the perennial fact that cynics, through time immemorial, have never been worth listening to. They can never see beyond their noses, and all their thoughts is always in the negative.

Thank God serena did not let people like that deter her from reaching for her goal. She is a true champion, like she showed on Saturday, comin back from a 0-6 first set loss to defeat another world number 1 player, Henin, in three sets.

Yeah, women's tennis is interesting again and i cant wait for her to reclaim the world number one spot, it was made for her. Go Serena!!

babyosisi:
The vocab "resume" work sounds different why can't Nigerians just say I start work at blah blah blah.
All this grammar sef

yeah i agree with you. 'resume' connotes 'to restart something' like resuming from a holiday. when i first saw it i even though he was referring to a CV. lol.
apart from the big grammer, it is not apt. it would be more appropriate to say what time do you arrive at work, or in plain old simple english; what time do you start work.
please lets always keep it unostentatious! (I meant 'simple', LOL)

what brought you into the relationship youre presently in? was it a genuine love or you were pressured into it by other reasons?

obviously, if you value the relationship you're in like you said, you wont really be considering someone else.

on the other hand, if you've liked the other guy all along, and didnt know he'd like you back and you are now just discovering, then youre revealing something more.

eventually, it boils down to what the true state of your heart is. you cant truly love both of them, so you have to be where your heart is.
best wishes.