ghostofsparta:

Belive in what is evidential/provable. There is only one true God, not Yaweh, not Allah, those are for the semites whom millions have died on. Believe in OLODUMARE aka AWAMARIDI. It gave us the knowledge of ewe and egbo, it gave us various deities to address each department of life and specific ori. I assume you are Yoruba so do more research about Ifa.

alpontif:

It is always smart to fear what you don't know, something you cant encompass, or fathom. That is how I hedge my bets. Do what works for you. At the end of the day, the intelligent and quick-minded will meet the same end that the gullible and feeble minded will meet.DEATH. It is what happens, or what doesn't happen after this that will portray who was really smart and who was the fool, and since we are not exactly sure of that logic-wise, it is advisable to hedge your interest, so that in either outcome you come out a winner.

There is a lot of wisdom in deliberate folly.

Logic Mind:

It depends on which god you are hedging your interests on.
What if the muslims were right? You will just end up like me.
What if the mormons were right? What if the jews were right?
You do not have a monopoly of god.
When you place bets as an investor, you calculate all relevant risks and the most diligent investor will bet on atheism because it is the one with the most chance of not losing everything.

alpontif:


Like I stated in an earlier post, objectively i believe in only One God, the law of karma and the law of love. I do not claim to understand God's nature, or seek to explain the mysteries. Subjectively and on a spiritual level I will add the belief in the Power in Jesus's name to the list, but as that cannot be explained to those who do not believe in spiritual things, it is invalid as a point in this debate. I don't do religion, I just believe in one God, the creator of all things,an entity powerful beyond comprehension, and strive to do the morally right thing at all times, I try to love my neighbor as myself, and I don't do to people what I don't want done to me. I am not a Muslim, and I don't fit the model of the conventional christian, I also question the bible on a logical level, But Jesus did not come to preach to us to become Christians, he came with a message of love, and reciprocity..in all things.

Logic Mind:

see intellectual gymnastics.
it is even odd seeing how you try to use pascal's wager to justify a belief you now accept is personal. I would bet that there are not up to 3 people in the world who believe the exact things you believe in. yet you are telling us that 7 billion would burn in hell because you believe in an entity powerful beyond comprehension.
please.

Ileke-IdI:


The thing about religion is that we often need a book to guide our daily actions, to prepare us for whatever is to come.

I like to not be a "sheep", I like to take my own steps and to act based on the situation. Yet how am I to know what to do to insure my place in wherever afterlife is? Even good morals may not be enough.

Kay 17:

Painting a pagan god with the Abrahamic brush.

Logic Mind:

you are suffering from withdrawal symptoms. we all went through it. it is very tough to let go of a belief you have held since childhood. the body reacts against it. the mind goes into a turmoil and the brain becomes confused.
however, if you persist in seeking knowledge and the truth, you will one day, come to the absolute certainty that there is no god.
And that, my sister, is when your life begins.

ghostofsparta:

I see you are very intelligent Nigerian and would love to meet up? I am writing a thesis titled: Why I Am Not Yet An Atheist and would really love to discuss certain logical point with you. Just for critique.

Ileke-IdI:



Okay, How do I categorize myself.

I seek religion only when I need it. I still question God's existence, or even if there's a super being. I feel like I should believe and often fears the repercussions of my doubt.

On a typical day, I have to be reminded of "God" because I often forget or I choose not to care. I prefer to see things in a more realistic and a less religious perspective. I mean, the bible is heavily leaded with contradictions and was written by man for man of that particular period.

However, I still acknowledge that there may be a God.

Uyi Iredia: I will never marry an atheist. There are lots of beautiful,virtuous Christian ladies in these parts.

Logic Mind: Just wondering with naija girls mentality if a very good, rich, loving, handsome, intelligent, educated fellow fell madly in love with you and you with him but you realise he doesn't believe in any god. Will you still marry him if he proposes?

ghostofsparta:

How so?

ghostofsparta:

Ifa to start with isn't a religion nor isn't an organised faith tethered to a revealed book or what have you. Ifa decipher the binary readings of your psychic essence to obtain which particular orisha/irunmole your were 'horoscopically' born with and the exact 'odu' your temperament, nature, emotions, character is asynchronous with. For instance my Aunty's 'odu' is a type that includes she mustn't owe people anything and must avoid people owing her. And so she's been successful because she heeds her Odu warnings. No book is needed for a guide interpreted by a Pastor. The basis of Ifa is binary which is the computer basic language.

Uyi Iredia:

There is certainly a God. BTW, the Bible is not contradictory but complementary (like the interesting mini-stories of Taoist scripture). People sucha s yourself tend to overlook the simple fact that the Bible is an anthology of qorks that span many epochs, thousand of years. It is always wise to ponder upon the historical context of whatever part of the Bible you are reading. I have undertaken to study most casws of confliction in the Biblr and upon scrutiny I find that they don't hold up. God's existence is simple and equally espoused by other religions eg Zoroastrainism, Hinduism & Islam which also evolved from paganistic schools. All these religions from the wonders of Nature and the obviously unique place man occupies in it. I remain supremely confident that God is considering two things in humanity. One: )our acknowledgement of Him as the Creator of Nature which you are priviliged to partake of as a living person. Two: Your character towards your fellow man and yourself (IOW your morality). Realize that atheists stubbornly refuse to see these simple facts simply because of the presence of evil. But the fact remains
That evil arises feom man's inhumanity to man: A thing everyone is guilty of to a greater or lesser extent.

Uyi Iredia: I will never marry an atheist. There are lots of beautiful, virtuous Christian ladies in these parts.

shymmex:
Just by calling it a 'theory' shows it isn't proven (I'm a science student and I know theories and hypothesis are assertions which are yet to be proven).

Goldieluks:


If praying does not solve your problems, what does?
It is a two way thing my dear, it is either one believe in God or the devil.
You have to choose one.

Purist:

Sweetlemon: I can see people here avoided the question I asked earlier. And I ask again. For those of us who call God our father, Can you marry someone who does not recognize, respect, or value someone you call your father?? Can you marry someone who disrespects your father so much that he spells his name with small letter "g", calls him a hoax or a nonentity. Will you marry someone who puts your father down in public? Would you?

Purist: lol. This shymmex fellow has spewed a whole lot of things out of total ignorance, and I am quite amazed no one has called him out on any of them yet.

First, he has no idea who an atheist is, as he constantly confuses atheism with pantheism. Next, he does not understand what a scientific theory is, despite claiming to be a science student. (To his defense though, most of us were taught utter rubbish about the meaning of the "hypothesis/theory" thingy in secondary school). Lastly, he tends to religionize anything that has the mere element of "belief" in it. Thus, according to him, if you "believe" in the big b@ng theory, then you're religious, in the same vein as if you "believe" that you will wake up tomorrow. Laughable.

ghostofsparta: Everyone that has ever commented on this otherwise derailed thread knows nothing of what they think they know of. Shymmex talking about Ifa totally got it wrong. Even i who was brought up in it still find it difficult to define in English. Its too wide and extensive. Shymmex narrowing it down to spirituality is just a tip of it. IFA is beyond that...wana tok about spirituality u r bera off wit astral or yoga BS.

Anyway, em...let see our hall of fame before I st@ replying y'all

ATHEIST
Sauer
Logic Mind
Logic Boy


ANTI-ATHEIST/ IFA ENTHUSIAST
Shymmex

RATIONALISTS/FREE THINKER/ATHEIST SYMPATHIZERS
emofine2
Queensmith
michellin89

RELIGIONISTS (THEISTS)
Goldieluks
Cowgurl
Shollypopz

NEO-PAGAN DEIST / HENOTHEISTS / ATHEIST
Ghostofsparta

If u feel wrongfully misplaced, please state and give reason

Lol!

Yeee! 4:04am....off to sleep

alpontif: An investment banker will always bet on God existing. what does he have to loose if he doesn't exist?....nothing. What does he have to GAIN if he DOES EXIST?.. a lot,...so an investment banker will hedge this risk....at the end of the day, he comes out a winner IF HE LIVES ACCORDING TO God's laws. Both ways our investment banker wins.

To the atheists in the house, we all know how to use our brains, we all know how to carry out logical analysis and form inferences and deductions based on established premises, what we all don't know how to do is predict what will happen tomorrow with 100% accuracy. It makes sense to protect yourself against what you cannot evaluate. What do you have to loose if You believe God exists and he doesn't? ; worst case scenario you will die permanently,decay and become an organic fertilizer for plant life. That is where it ends. Now what do you have to gain if you believe God doesn't exist..aside from a sense of your own intellectual superiority over your peers in being able to see things ''objectively''..you have nothing to gain, when you die, according to your mindset, you will die permanently and cease to exist in any form whatsoever. But what if God exists? what will you have to loose?: you will loose eternal life, eternal bliss, eternal joy.,and what will you gain? HELL. Will YOU be aware of anything if YOU die permanently?....nope.Will YOU be aware of things if the Christians turn out to be right ? yes, in hell. It is better to err on the side of safety.

We are not all certain, that is why we call it FAITH. it is better to bet on faith and die permanently if God doesn't exist, than to bet against faith and live permanently in hell if it turns out that GOD actually exists.


And that is just looking at the God question from a strictly logical point.

I will like to discuss the spiritual realities of God's power, but logicians do no believe in this and it wouldn't make sense to shine the light to a blind man.

Let us now view the God question from a philosophical angle..will it be in the best interest of man to create a God and Satan concept in order to regulate a world populated by men who are driven by bestial instincts....?..yes. even if God doesn't exist, he needs to be created...

Atheist believe my previous statement is the reason why Humans believe in a God.

Do what works for you, but always hedge your investments.

Logic Mind:

sorry mate. can't meet up. there are lots of info out there if you search. good luck with your thesis.

Uyi Iredia:

Did someone forget that these so-called theories can be wrong ? e.g Early Atomic Theory or based on fraud e.g Jung's theory of synchronicity. Science isn't infallible you know. In this case of evolution, I have never seen a theory so fervently upheld despite its patent fallacy. Kudos to Huxley for selecting, reproducing and evolving a lie.

Uyi Iredia:

Did someone forget that these so-called theories can be wrong ? e.g Early Atomic Theory or based on fraud e.g Jung's theory of synchronicity. Science isn't infallible you know. In this case of evolution, I have never seen a theory so fervently upheld despite its patent fallacy. Kudos to Huxley for selecting, reproducing and evolving a lie.

sauer:
I'd agree with you. I tried pointing out a few of what he got totally wrong, especially his attempt to religionize atheism. What can I say? He just appears bent on ranting along without stop!