₦airaland Forum

gaelllic:
It's easy to rule out the existence of any all-powerful, all-knowing, benevolent God. Briefly do so please. Just the bullet points'll be fine.

Such a God could have created a universe without evil (suffering). Being all-knowing, he knows how to do it. Being all-powerful, he has the power to do it. Being benevolent, he wants to do it. Yet we have a world filled with awful suffering. So no such God exists. The problem of evil.

gaelllic:
@ Seun

Precisely how certain are you that there is no God?

In percentage terms, please.

I'm 100% certain that there is no good evidence for the existence of any God or supernatural phenomenon. That's the only claim I feel comfortable making. It's easy to rule out the existence of any all-powerful, all-knowing, benevolent God. But a shy, detached God who started the big bang and has done nothing since can't be ruled out 100%. Nor can we completely rule out the existence of an evil God who claims to be benevolent but is only lying. I'm certain enough to live my life without being worried about the possibility. If a God existed and wanted to be worshipped by all mankind, he would provide good evidence. I can say that I am 0% certain that God exists, but that's not what you asked for.

idris4r83:
Seun have u tried reading the Holy qur'an with a clean, unbiased and open mind? If no? Which I guess, pls try and get a copy. Read it and digest it and ponder over it. Am sure Almighty Allah will show you the way cos anybody that strives towards knowing God will surely know God.

Owning a Quran is a potential death sentence. One could be murdered by a righteous mob for damaging it by mistake. It's not worth the risk!

Qur'an itself is a miracle, it is unique, it is a guidance to the humanity, no any book on the face of earth has stood the of time like the Holy qur'an. It is the only book on the face of the earth where if u remove a single alphabet it will be detected easily cos God Himself protects it. Tell me pls if there's a book as bulky as qur'an that can be memorized by even a boy of 10years of age if not the Holy qur'an.

Dude, you really need to read The History of the Quran. Some of the facts there will shock you if you truly believe the above.

Allahu Akbar, I thank God for being a Muslim and may Allah make me die as a muslim. I want you to feel the piece of mind and happiness the soul is constantly yearning for which is to praise it's creator.

Thanks, but what you said about the soul's yearning to praise it's creator reminds me of this video by an American atheist:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6_9QmM6TfE

Mescopaul:
Needless to say I couldn't bring you to be convinced as much as I would have done myself.

You might be right.
It doesn't mean that I don't know what and WHO I believe, but my arguements might not have been really indepth enough to convince you.


I do wish you'ld come across one who can actually convince you.

I'm happy I tried.

Fair enough. I'm curious about why you wouldn't take a Quran before you, pray to Allah, and ask Him to reveal Himself to you if He exists.

Mescopaul:
I've always known that when people don't want to serve God, they hide under the guise of claiming to be atheists. It's just laziness that's the problem of these so-called atheists.

"I've always known that when people don't want to serve Allah, they hide under the guise of claiming to be Christians. It's just laziness that's the problem of these so-called Christians."

Religion indeed has hurt the world (not just Nigeria), but if you consider the good it has done to man in the light of JESUS every other thing grows dim in the light of his glory and grace.

What good, apart from creating jobs for pastors and other church workers at a great cost to the intellectual development of humanity?

Atheism is a psychological jargon. You can choose to believe, or not. It doesn't change the fact.

"Christianity is a psychological jargon. You can choose to believe the Quran, or not. It doesn't change the fact."

"It's better to play safe: You'ld make a good bargain if you believe on JESUS now, and at last discover that he really do exist rather than refusing him now, only to discover that he actually exists and by then it might be too late."

"It's better to play safe: You'd make a good bargain if you believe on ALLAH now, and at last discover that he really do exist rather than refusing him now, only to discover that he actually exists and by then it might be too late."

You wont party forever.
You wont have sex forever.
You wont dress naked forever.
Everything would still end someday.

At that time all these pleasures you treasure would be seen as dung in your eyes.

"You won't listen to infidel music forever.
"You won't shave your beard like the infidels forever.
"You won't eat infidel pork sausages forever.
"Everything would still end someday
"At that time all these pleasures you treasure would be seen as dung in your eyes."

Speak to a dying shrunken old woman.
Can she ever still treasure having sex all the day? Or dressing nude? Or partying? Or dancing about?
No. She dont even know if there's any pleasure in those things.
All she knows is that her end is near.

She also has memories about the life she lived. If she lived a happy and fruitful life, those memories will continue to give her pride and joy.

It's just that our life on earth and what we're exposed to has made us so myopic. We do not know anything outside our nose.
And we think we knew it all.

Remember Plato's Allegory of the cave?
That's just how we are.

The religious world view is more myopic because it claims to have the truth about everything. Science admits that it doesn't know everything.

Just do something for me Seun,

Lock up yourself in your room oneday.
Take a Bible. Spread it before you and say:

"God if there is a God. They said you exist and you sent Jesus to die for me. I don't believe this crap (That is if you trully don't). And if this is true, I want you to do anything that would make me believe, else I don't believe it."

Have a nice day.

"Just do something for me, Mesco Paul,

"Lock up yourself in your room one day.
"Take a Quran. Spread it before you and say:
" "Allah if there is Allah. They said you exist and you sent Prophet Muhammad to me. I don't believe this crap (That is if you truly don't). And if this is true, I want you to do anything that would make me believe, else I don't believe it." "

[color=#003300]Note: I wrote this before seeing the above post by idris4r83. My aim is show Mescopaul that he wouldn't be convinced by his own arguments.[/color]

Smallville10:
Mr Seun u are clearly ignorant of a true relationship with God;

You're right. I'm ignorant of a true relationship with God. So are you. And everybody else. A relationship with an imaginary being can't be true.

may i ask... Do u believe in evil?

I believe in evil. To me, evil is any unnecessary and unjust suffering. Bad people are those who cause others to suffer unnecessarily and unjustly. If by evil you mean Satan, demons, witches, wizards, mermaids, blood sucking spirits, ghosts, etc, I don't believe in such nonsense.

If yes why or how do u come to terms with the existence of evil how does d good balance the evil.

Factors responsible for the existence of evil include lack of empathy, desperation, ignorance, poor communication, tribalism, and carelessness.

Do u believe in grace? I want answers...

It depends. Is she intelligent, inquisitive, creative, rational, honest, and kind?

obiZEAL:
As for me, I love Mumsy die and im not about to break her heart...so I will just remain in the closet till when ever...

This may be the right decision for you, but I don't think it helps your mum. The most depressing truth is better than the most comforting lie.

my siblings and friends are religious and I can't lose them because of a non existing god...

What if your siblings and friends are also secret atheists but they are also afraid of telling you because they think they will lose you if they do?

AvsGot007:
OK...I believe there is God but I don't believe in religions or churches
pls what do you guys call that
I'm sure I ain't agnostic!

You're a Deist. What are your reasons for believing there is a God? Does this belief come from the religion you rejected?

Wow, the rates are ridiculous. Unbelievable. But how can we be sure they won't default? They have done a lot of unthinkable things...

I don't know what's going on. Can each person with this complaint send a message to the mods stating their network, device, browser, and the exact issues they face?

yazach:
If you had reduced nairaland links page to crime, religion and politics, nairaland would have done much better. The burden of having to check many sections/pages of nairaland is just too much

You are not required to check the sections. If we made it compulsory to check every section daily, that would have been too much, of course.

OliviaPope:
In the course of my research, I ran into an old friend, a Muslim, we exchanged numbers and got talking... He knew about my stance on religion so he brought it up.. Usually I would change the topic but i just thought " well fvck it"..

It's not advisable to convert to Islam for romantic reasons. The prescribed punishment for changing your mind after accepting Islam is death.

He started teaching me about Islam

There is a sharp difference between the Islam that muslims present to prospective converts and the Islam that is actually practiced in reality.

As a Christian, I had to go on blind faith, but in Islam, there's room for logic. Islam welcomes doubts and questions that I could never ask as a Christian....

I have 3 things to say about that:
1) "O ye who believe! Ask not questions about things which if made plain to you, may cause you trouble. Some people before you did ask such questions, and on that account lost their faith." (Surah 5:101-102).
2) "The Holy Prophet himself forbade people to ask questions ...so do not try to probe into such things." (The Meaning of the Qur'an, Maududi, vol. III, pgs. 76-77)
3) "The prophet was asked about things which he did not like, and when the questioner insisted, the Prophet got angry. (vol. 1, no. 92) The Prophet got angry and his cheeks or his face became red. (vol. 1, no. 91) "Allah has hated you...[for] asking too many questions." (vol. 2, no. 555; and vol. 3, no. 591, Bukhari's Hadith commenting on Prophet Muhammad's reaction to hostile questioners.)
Source: http://www.bible.ca/islam/islam-questions.htm (the rest of the page is interesting. it provides a different point of view)

The Quranic description of a creator was much more different and the appeal to rationality and reason...So, after a long spiritual journey and a lot of learning, of course, I accepted Islam...

You appear to be a person who values reason, yet you are unwilling to accept what your brain is telling you about the existence of God.

18 Nigerians dead. This is really awful.

His major problem is depression. All the other things are just symptoms. His life is not as bad as he feels. If it was that bad he would be single.

kowalsky:
He said he doesn't haf money. Did you read the post

All right I'll give him money. Happy? I guess that will solve all his problems. But it won't. Depression is a disease that ruins a person's life.

--

joseph1832:
Isn't it obvious he owns the businesses mentioned? If not, why should he pump church funds into a business he doesn't own or profit from?

We are dealing with claims made without evidence, so we cannot assume that anything is true. We have to ask probing questions.

Empiree:
Besides, 5 daily prayer may also be performed on the go, in sitting, on the plane, train, car. You can even pray by moving your head and eyes if you are in unconducive environment.

Interesting. Can you provide the scriptural backing for this view? It seems other muslims I've spoken to aren't aware of this.

talkingtruth:
What if it remains 50 times as Allah originally intended?

Then this section wouldn't even exist.

MuttleyLaff:
Predominantly because it is a cash cow

Cash cows generally generate lots of money, so pumping money into them wouldn't be warranted.

I will try to understand your points and respond to them later. I appreciate the time you've spent thinking about these issues and writing this.

The separation of religion from politics is important. Many great countries hold that principle very steadfastly. That's probably no coincidence.

Does Pastor Chris own any part of the business? If not, why does he pump money into it. Please educate us. This stuff is very interesting.

[s]Atheists are people who don't believe in any god. Usually it's as a result of the lack of any good evidence for the existence of any god. Only a small minority of atheists would say that they are 100% sure that there is no god. Your thread is founded on a misunderstanding of atheism.[/s]
(Just repeating what others have already said. )

joseph1832:
Aren't you a programmer? I find it hard to believe that a creator don't even understand the thing he created.

Of course I understand the thing I created 11 years ago, but I don't understand what the networks are doing to it. If I understood it then in all likelihood the problem would have been solved. I would urge you to refrain from commenting on this thread if you have nothing helpful to say.

The problem isn't nairaland but the networks. I will offer a bounty to anyone who can figure out what's causing all these weird issues.

On my browser when I can't open the home page, I hit Ctrl+Shift+R and it works, but when i return to the page again, I see the same error.

It makes no sense at all.

Efewestern:
Seun The rate at which MMM member use this platform to promote there scheme Is alarming,.. Nairaland is home to most Nigerians.. Please try making policy to checkmate These scammers.

dominique .. pls respond to this. this is your entire job.

The ISPs are using weird proxies and I don't know how they work. Maybe I should offer a bounty to anyone who can figure out what's going on.

Beckyblanca:
Fornication and debauchery thrive in the church today. some pastors even claim it is necessary to TEST before marriage. why is it not frowned upon if they are truly representing Christ? hedonism is a norm and no one cares about what the Bible says about it. men come to the church to select girls for their hedonistic orgies and girls do the same. when will the church authority ever rise up and cleanse the church off this filthiness?

Which church are you talking about? Hope they also teach proper contraceptive and condom use? If so, then I support their doctrines 100%.

Perhaps:
1. In the early morning.

2. Afternoon.

3. In the evening.

4. When night falls in.

5. Deep at night.

At least 2 - 3 of those prayers fall within working hours. And muslim prayers are so elaborate; they require special rooms with prayer mats and kettles of water for cleaning. That means employed muslims must be given permission to leave their offices 2 - 3 times daily just to pray.

Try it again. I changed something this afternoon that may have helped...

If they had reduced it to 1 or 2 daily prayers, Islam would have done much better. The burden of having to pray 5 times a day is just too much.