Well, I have thought about going to spend some time in Botswana myself so I am thankful for the information so far. Have quite a few friends in Jamaica from Botswana who are studying here. They seem to be disciplined and courteous.

I am also trying to learn the language.

I read your comment about Witnesses seeing their family members and not saying hello to them, That is absolutley not true.don't we say hello to people we don't even have filial relationship with. Whether your family member is of your religious disposition or not, you have a responsibility towards them as family members. The Bible says he who does not provide for his family member has disowned the faith, so even if your son refuses to follow your religious footsteps, you still have a responsibility to provide for him, but if the child is behaving totally irresponsibly, fighting, stealing and maybe a host of other crimes. Then you can choose to use any disciplinary action against him, which might include restricting funds from him, banning him from the house, or even not greeting him when you meet on the way.

So its not always the way you hear it.

You're in a dream world. You need to awake out of sleep.

@ jugunlabi

Yes, that is exactly what i mean. Man's inner state of being creates his world in which he lives. Man's inner state of being has been quite "unsane" for the last 3 millenia atleast and look at what kind of world we have created.The new consciousness will help create a new world for us to live in. No need to laugh, image, you will understand sooner or later.

You speak of man as if he just popped up into existence all on his own. For you to talk like you do about man's inner state of being and this new consciousness, you'd need to address the reality of who made man. There has to be a reason for the worsening social chaos we see from day to day. You are not in a position to say that things will get better based on man's inner state, because you have no evidence of that.

From the look of things life is becoming more difficult for humans, and this of course is based on man's selfishness. The desire to please self at all odds, is what is causing all this. The only literature I know from the get go, that points to man's ills and the general trend of evil, is the bible. All this was written long before there were social anthropologists, or psychologists, to explain away what the bible has been saying for ages upon ages.

Its very simple. Our first parents sinned. Their off springs developed the tendency to sin as well as can be seen today. God's plan was introduced and became a reality some 4,000 years since it was first introduced, and its been over 2,000 years since that plan was executed. The choice is simple. Humans must either accept the plan and receive eternal life when Jesus returns again, or choose otherwise and receive damnation.

Its either the bible is true or it isn't. Our duty is to search for the truth. Just ask yourself these question, where did such complex lifeforms come from? Why is the cell so organized and structured? How did the DNA molecule come into play? Did all these things just happened by chance, or is there a Master Designer involved?

We owe it to ourselves to do our own research. We have to take that solo journey for ourselves.

@ Jesoul

Deepsight, you quote that verse^. And if you were a christian or had the help of the holy spirit, you would immediately recognize that it does not for a nanosecond, stand in contradiction to the Trinity doctrine.

You questioned where the Trinity is "even hinted at" in the bible. I ask you, how would you biblically classify or explain or categorize the relationship between each of these:

- The Father
- Jesus Christ
- The Holy Spirit . . .

Very well put. The writers would not have used such comparisons for no reason at all. From the creation account itself that comparative notion of more than one in the Deity was brought out in scripture.

When the bible speaks of "One God", what is it saying? Its speaking to the concept of unity among the members of the Deity. Jesus Himself also alluded to it as well, when He said to His disciples, "I and the Father are One"

Did He say that He and the Father are the same? Absolutely not. Being One and the same are two different matters.

I know my head will be axed for this, but in truth Jesus is no longer omnipresent in the word's truest sense. He gave up that attribute when He became a man. The problem most Christians seem to have is not realizing that Jesus is still in the flesh, only this time, His flesh became glorified after He rose from the dead. So in essence Jesus has a glorified body which we will receive when He comes again.

Listen to Paul as he explains, "Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself." Phil. 3:21

John says "we will see Him as He is, " That is why we will be able to touch Jesus in heaven and relate to Him the same way His disciples did when He was here on earth.

The angels told the disciples that "this same Jesus which is taken up into heaven shall so come in like manner, " The 2nd coming of Jesus however, will be extremely glorious and majestic despite He being in the flesh. Don't be fooled. Matthew speaks of such a glory at His coming in Matthew 24:30 which says, "30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory."
 

In what can be seen as a very profound act, God gave His Son to mankind forever to the extent that Christ's body will remain in human form. So next time we quote John 3:16 let us see it from that stand point as well. This to me brings out the true meaning of sacrifice on the part of both the Father and His Son. This act in itself was the ultimate sacrifice not just from the standpoint of Jesus' death, but what He had to give up in order to redeem sinful humans.

There can be no greater love displayed.

With or without a diagram I believe that all 3 persons are independent of each other as members of the Deity. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are One, but not the same.

The word trinity back then might have been used in the wrong manner, hence its constant association with pagan origins, but its use today has taken on a different meaning which highlights the Deity as three separate members having Deitic qualities.

Jesus is coming again whether or not people believe He is coming. Its His call, not ours. No amount of idle talk will force His hand. Just make sure your life is right before the God of the universe, that should in case you die your soul will be okay.

If you die in Christ you will rise in the 1st resurrection to receive eternal life. If you die without having received Christ, then you will be raised in the 2nd resurrection a 1000 years after the 1st, to receive damnation.

No one will escape. Death is not the ultimate, because God is bigger than death. He holds the keys to both death and life.

So satanist Ogaga4Luv, what is the solution from Satan? I guess you will die before never having seen such, huh?

One thing is sure, and that is Satan's demise and doom, and those who follow him. Its only a matter of time. The fire shall burn from within him. He is the only creature that will burn from the inside out.

@ mudley313

*shake my head* @ the confusions in the christian religion

spend

That is because Christianity as a religion is hated by Satan, and hence would exhibit more problems among its adherents. Satan has no time to spend with those who are already touting his errors. His job now is to divide the one true and relevant religion that was initiated by Jesus.

Wasn't it Jesus who said that what He teaches would wraught division among members of the family, and society for His name sake? As long as good and evil run side by side, division among religion, would take place until God sets up His kingdom.

Jesus said ", the end is not yet"

Couldn't logically be the fruit, since firstly God spoke about more than one fruit trees, and secondly God had already established a sexual relationship between Adam and Eve, long before the question of the forbidden fruit came up.

All it requires is for persons to read and understand for themselves, rather than listen to false interpretations of scripture.

@ Mcfonse

When a gunman goes into the confessional cubicle in private and confesses his sins, is that process a sacrament? What should a priest do with a murderer's confession? What if the police comes to a priest, who suspects that one member is guilty of murder, and asks such a priest to help bring such a person to justice, what should such a priest do?

All priests would argue that such confessions are a private matter, yet they conveniently forget that "the powers that be", being the state, were ordained by God to deal with evil doers. Surely, the Catholic church is very much aware of the passage of scriptures in Romans 13.

I dare not tell my life to one priest. Imagine having so much information on people's lives. I cannot trust the Catholic church based on its history of persecution against God's people in the past. No one organization should be given so much power over the people.

If priests already are suffering from the setbacks of celibacy, and can hardly be trusted with important agreements of trust, then can you imagine when this same organization becomes the ultimate power broker? All indications point to a return of ultimate control by the RCC. The prophecies cannot lie.

Jesus alone is my Mediator and High Priest.

The fact is the Roman Catholic church, as is their custom, has erroneously used a passage to strengthen one of their teachings. They have totally missed the idea of what Jesus said, when He remarked thus:-

"He breathed on them, and said unto them, receive the Holy Spirit. Whose so ever sins you remit, they are remitted unto them, and whose so ever sins you retain, they are retained." Jn.20:23.

Why has the Catholic church limited this statement to its priesthood? Was this remark by Jesus limited to His disciples, or was it intended for the wider diaspora of authorized ministers?

Before I go any further it becomes prudent to define what the key words in the passage actually signify, and these are, remit and retain.

1. Remit means to release, or pardon

2. Retain means to hold in place, or keep in mind.

Now let us look at this passage found in Matthew 16:19 "And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."


What do all these passages really mean? Do they mean that the Roman Catholic priests have the power to receive our confessions and to forgive our sins? Can men who are sinful beings themselves be given the responsibility to both receive our sins, and to forgive them all at once? It therefore begs the question. Who does a priest confess his sins to? Another priest who needs to confess his sins too? Who does the pope confess his sins to? A lower-ranked priest? 

Absolutely not!!! That was not what Jesus meant by those remarks at all. Neither did He mean to limit to His disciples that awesome responsibility of ensuring the provision of forgiveness and salvation. For all practical purposes that wouldn't make sense. In other words what would happen when those disciples came off the scene? Those remarks by Jesus had to have had a wider significance, and application than some would have us believe.

When Jesus commissioned His disciples to teach and preach the gospel globally, did He intend to limit that responsibility to the then disciples only, or did He intend for the church on a whole to get involved as well? When the disciples received the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost, and received the gift of tongues, was that gift limited only to the then disciples? Were the other gifts also confined to them as well, or were those gifts in general intended for the wider benefit of the church?

The fact is there had to have been a first set of trail blazers in the persons of Jesus' disciples. They were the forerunners to a line of authorized lineage of ministers, bishops, and pastors who would provide the means by which the sins of men and women could be forgiven, but only in the sense that after hearing the preaching of the gospel, they would take full advantage of such. It must not, and should never bee seen to mean that sinful men would reserve the right to receive confessions, and to be able to forgive anyone's sins.

Only God alone deserves the right and authority to forgive sins.

I hear you guys. Don't know enough about Nigeria to make a comment about doctors and the health system, but one question I'd like to ask is this. How does one explain that Nigeria is an oil exporting country, and still has a shortfall in addressing one of its most important objectives of providing health care to its citizens?

Does the problem lie with fiscal irresponsibility on the part of the government, or does it lie with the government's mishandling of its country's resources?

Does the problem lie with the explosion in population that seems to face African nations on the average, and which impacts on, and somewhat lessens the ability of government to provide sustainable health care?

Sometimes the problem is huger than the solution, but I believe that part of the solution lies in the decisions made by all parties concerned. Government alone cannot be expected to provide all the solutions. Part of its responsibilities rests in properly educating its populace in preventative-maintenance lifestyle approaches. People need to adopt a simpler and healthier lifestyle, rather than the destructive western habits, with their Burger Kings, and Kentucky fried Chickens, etc.

Doctors, and other health professionals in general have become easy targets because they are never usually provided with the tools to work with. I do agree though that there are some health professionals that have worsened the health system, rather than help it. There has to be a system to ensure proper accountability from our health professionals.

How can a priest talk about marriage and family issues when he isn't married? These Paedaphiles are sick, and rotten on the inside. All they do is relish in power and indulgence and provide no hope and guidance for the people.

Its a disgrace and shame, and the pope should have resigned, since he is not capable of dealing honestly with such issues. What kind of power does one have, as a pope, when they are not in control of the under-bishops?

God is in control, and he is certainly not leading these bastards.

@ poster do you know who an AIDS patient is? Its one who is sick. One who is so sick they can die at any point in time. So why would you ask such a question in the first place? A person is cllassified as having AIDS when their CD4 cell count falls below 200/microL of blood, or if there are disease manifesting-symptoms caused by opportunistic microbes.

Unless you are confusing the terms "an HIV infected person" with a person who has AIDS.

With that said I heard about a story which sounds true enough, of a man who married an HIV-infected person, and who ended up getting children with her. He's had sex with her for the past 10 years without ever once contracting the HI virus. Interesting isn't it?

So what is the difference between you professionals and those who are Medical laboratory Technologists? How different are the job descriptions?

What exactly is wrong with your eyes? Please take a look at this video and say if you want this level of support. If yes, then I will direct you to a place in Nigeria where you can have access to the products, ok?

http://www.youtube.com/user/gnld1000#p/u/2/3k0RFWnMRxg

To the poster. Have you ever tried an alternative to medicine before? There has to be some natural formula that can be used to heal the eyes. This is Africa for God's sake. There are lots of natural alternatives, and you should be able to find someone who practices alternative medicine somewhere, as long as they are a respectable and recognized by the government.

I am a wellness consultant who have seen the the worse-case scenarios make a 180 degrees turn. If indeed you have some sort of conjunctivitis then try garlic capsules or tablets. It acts as a natural antibiotics and has been used by doctors in certain parts of Europe to control bacteria-related infections.

Thank you Myjoe for the truthful and undeniable rejoinders. These present day JWs are clueless to their past. I have repeatedly said on more than one fora that the JWs have changed over 200 doctrines. Its been a known fact that their failed prophecies have come to haunt them which have led to the changed doctrines mentioned above. Most of their literature have been removed and have not been republished, for fear that the present teachings may seem too different.

@ benodic

Its useless calling on God while having to reject His words at the same time. You cannot have your cake and eat it. God inspired the minds of Holy men. God has left us with a book that is filled with His instructions and testimonies upon whom the ends of the world has come.

You cannot rely on your so-called inner temple to be your guide. Satan could very well be talking to you as far as I am concerned based on your line of reasoning. Anyone who rejects God's words is bound to run into serious problems later on.

You talk about inner temple, but how did you come to know about such were it not mentioned in the bible? Its people like you who make a mockery of the word when you fail to study diligently its themes. In your failure to understand the word you run away with silly notions about consulting your inner temple.

Be careful! God isn't mocked.

Exactly Ndipe

These people think we are idiots, or something of the sort. They start a few bible classes with the JWs, and become so brainwashed that they can come on a forum and talk crap, and begin to insult people's intelligence.

There can be no doubt that the history of the JWs has come back to haunt them. Their failed prophecies, as well as their revised doctrines speak embarrassingly. No amount of field service can amend that. No amount of boasting about who is really witnessing can fix that. What we need is honesty rather than denial.

In spite of all that I admire them just the same. They are decent people who may be sincere. My only concern are their doctrines.

@ benodic

of course i seriously agree with you. i really have a lot to learn.

but i will prefer to learn it from God directly and not through a book written thousands of years ago filled with human errors of translation and interpreted by people as it favours them.

I had no clue you were a comedian, lol. Wish you all the luck,

so i have become the seeker of truth as it is and this seeking led me to the temple within me in which the spirit of God dwells and through which i have come to know that my father God was not a killer, is not a killer and will never be a killer.

Who or what told you He was a killer?

Its nature is love and love alone.

So He cannot be seen as being just huh? He is loving but never just according to your theory. I am left to wonder how did you come to find out about your God were it not for the bible?

@ streetwize

Bobbyaf, are u saying "born of water" translates to baptism you must be extremely deluded. . .

To be born of the water literally means to come up out of the water, or to move from one transition to another, which is a fitting symbolism for one who is born into the spiritual realm.

That is exactly what Jesus meant. So why else would people go through the rudiment of baptism if that was not what Jesus meant? Why did Phillip have to baptize the Ethiopian Eunoch by water? Why did His disciples have to baptize those who accepted Jesus as Saviour and Lord? Baptism became a public declaration of one's faith.

The Greek word for baptism means to immerse. It symbolizes the death of a sinner who is then buried(immersed), and who finally resurrects to a new life in Christ. Hence it is a very important ceremony that was implemented by God Himself.

Keep silent on matters you have no knowledge about.

Unless of course the body is not God's temple. Besides, even if my body was not bought with a price, I still wouldn't poison my body with nicotine. That if anything else is plain stupidity, period.

@ benodic

You have a lot to learn.

your rite and this is exactly what Im trying to say to these people, christainity is not about some laws that you must follow, its about having a personal relationship with God. o pari. .

Now you want us to become lawless followers. My my,

@ streetwize

"I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit."

Unless you have another qualification for the word unless. Any fool can see what the word means, except you, lol

@ benodic

growing up as a christian i had a very big problem reconciling the God that is supposed to be love and the one in the old testament that sends the Israelites to wipe out nations filled with people that he created too.

The only persons God made as humans were Adam and Eve. The others descended from them. Secondly, having allowed humans to come into existence doesn't mean He doesn't have the right to take back their lives if He sees fit. You are in no position to question the Creator's right to take life, since you didn't grant life to anyone. Keep that in mind please.

my spiritual experiences showed me that God does not kill anyone because It is love and love alone. It gives us an infinite opportunity, lifetime after lifetime to become lovers of life like It and then become perfect vessels for the outflow of its love.

Obviously, and unfortunately, in all of your experiences you never spent the time to learn the truth about who God really is. Its never too late though. God has His servants that will guide you, and this fora provide quite a few.

It is only the absence of love that turn people into killers in the name of God

One doesn't exhibit love naturally. Its not a default attribute of humans. We have to learn it. We can only act out in our lives the spirit of love if our parents and members of the community did a good job in teaching the attributes of love. Don't forget that sinful tendencies pass down from one generation to another. We are all born with selfish desires and attributes. Its only as we come to a knowledge of God, and allow Him to take control that we are able to reflect His attributes.