Maybe we should look to Pastor Chris, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, & TB Joshua to take a stand for Nigeria. They seem to be the most influential Nigerians today to influence change. Any chance they might sell their Mansions & private jets and take up the same civil disobedience as Martin Luther King JR to bring about the changes needed for the good of Nigeria. Maybe even be brave enough to face imprisonment as did Nelson Mandela? What do you think?

By Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed
"It is better to help a friend pay his fine,than tell a lie to help him cover a crime." - Nigerian proverb.

It was literally a life-long ambition, and I used every opportunity to meet the old man in person. I was finally in a position to press buttons and call old friends to render favours, and in early 2007 I succeeded. I was told I could see Mandela for only 30 minutes at his home, but I needed to get there one hour earlier. Colleagues I had leaned on were skeptical that I would see him despite the appointment, particularly since I will not say it was official. An old South African friend and course mate from South Africa who helped, suggested I asked questions or matters I wanted to discuss with him and send them in advance. I did not think that was the type of meeting I wanted, so I did not.

Mandela was surprised when he was told I worked at the Nigerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but had spent 6 months trying to see him to pay my personal respects. Why did you not go through your colleagues here? I told him the visit was not official. I just wanted to meet him. He relaxed and apologized that it had taken that long for me to see him. Others left us, except a lady who sat discreetly away from us. I thought she was a medical person.

How are my Nigerian brothers and sisters? He asked me. He will not let me take the initiative. 'You know I am not very happy with Nigeria. I have made that very clear on many occasions'. Now I was curious. I knew of course that he led our suspension from the Commonwealth after the hanging of the late Ken Saro-Wiwa and his Ogoni compatriots. It was also no secret that South African governments including one he headed had considerably cooled off towards Nigeria, and by the time I was meeting him, Nigeria was a dirty word in most cities in South Africa. I mentioned that Nigerian people had very strong and positive dispositions towards South Africa and the Southern African region, and many were puzzled that people who marched all the way with South Africans can be despised by the governments and people of South Africa. Yes, he responded. Nigeria stood by us more than any nation, but you let yourselves down and Africa and the black race very badly.

I knew I was going to get a lecture, so I sat back. He spoke with passion and anger at a nation which has one-quarter of the black race, and had everything needed to be great, but is known principally for its dictators and its criminals. Your country, he said, used to be respected. After your suspension from the Commonwealth, many western countries approached me to help in isolating Nigeria so that it will be easier to bring down your military dictators. I consulted many African leaders, and all were unanimous in their advice. They told me to stay clear of Nigeria. That you will fix your problems. You have done it before. ‘But’, he shook his head, 'you have not.Not this time'. The world will not respect Africa until Nigeria earns that respect. The black people of the world need Nigeria to be great as a source of pride and confidence. Nigerians love freedom and hate oppression.Why do you do it to yourselves? He remembered Tafawa Balewa, the first leader who gave his party, ANC, financial contribution.

I saw an opening here. I suggested that all Africans are bitter at their leaders. With due respect, I said, his presidency had not changed lives of black South Africans much, and his successors are not likely to do so. Yes, he agreed,' but we raised hopes that others can do so. ‘He was back to Nigeria. 'Your leaders have no respect for their people. They believe that their personal interests are the interests of the people. They take people's resources and turn it into personal wealth. There is a level of poverty in Nigeria that should be unacceptable. I cannot understand why Nigerians are not more angry than they are', he continued.

Since it was obvious that he was intent on pouring his heart out, I decided to let him speak. 'What do young Nigerians think about your leaders and their country and Africa? Do you teach them history? Do you have lessons on how your past leaders stood by us and gave us large amounts of money? You know I hear from Angolans and Mozambicans and Zimbabweans how your people opened their hearts and their homes to them. I was in prison then, but we know how your leaders punished western companies who supported Apartheid’. I reminded him that we had elected governments since 1999, and he knew some of our leaders in person. Yes, he did. 'But what about the corruption and the crimes?' he asked? 'Your elections are like wars'. Now we hear that you cannot be president in Nigeria unless you are Muslim or Christian. Some people tell me your country may break up. Please don’t let it happen'.

He sat back. I obviously got a lot more than I bargained for. Then he mellowed down, and apologized. He had not even asked me what I wanted to see him for, and he was tearing at my country. It was fine, I assured him. I merely wanted to meet him and pay my respects. He then asked me a lot of personal questions, and in particular what I was doing personally to improve the capacity of the Nigerian people to build the nation to be a source of pride and comfort for Nigerians, Africa and the black race. But he was in a lecturing mood.

'Let me tell you what I think you need to do' he said. 'You should encourage leaders to emerge who will not confuse public office with sources of making personal wealth. Corrupt people do not make good leaders. Then you have to spend a lot of your resources for education. Educate children of the poor, so that they can get out of poverty. Poverty does not breed confidence. Only confident people can bring changes. Poor, uneducated people can also bring change, but it will be hijacked by the educated and the wealthy'.

'Like South Africa today, sir', I quipped. He paused. 'It will be difficult for the world to understand that it will take generations to eliminate the structural roots and effects of Apartheid.' 'But', I drove the point home, 'You created the impression that the political compromises and concessions you made would lead to a dramatic change in the fortunes of black people'. 'Drammatic?' he asked. 'In many ways we achieved dramatic results'.' Like in sports', I pressed further. 'Sports is important to South Africans. It gave them confidence to believe things are possible. And it united them”. 'But sir, it created a false sense of progress, and people here think it is all a gimmick by white people to create a diversion'.' It is not a diversion, he countered. It is real. South Africans will have to come to terms with the reality that their country is a multi-racial, multi-cultural nation with rich and poor. Any efforts to reduce the gulf between the races and classes is useful, he insisted.

Then he was back to Nigeria. People had said to him that South Africa could become an alternative beacon of hope and inspiration for the black race and Africa. He told them it was always going to be Nigeria. Nigeria, Egypt and South Africa can provide a tripod for real change but young Africans need to capture that vision. 'So', he said to me, 'If this audience has been useful, I am glad. But it will be more useful to me if you go back to Nigeria and work to give young Nigerians good education. Teach them the value of hard work and sacrifice, and discourage them from crimes which are destroying your image as a good people.'

I have re-lived that rare opportunity many times since that visit. The 30-minute audience lasted for one hour, and I was escorted out by a man I saw close up as human as anyone. I had rarely come across such candour about my country, but it was clearly the product of genuine concern that one of Africa’s greatest assets was being frittered away.

As he shook my hand to say goodbye, he apologized again over his comments, but assured me that he would love to see Nigeria grow and develop into a world economic power under a democratic system. If there is any comfort to draw from Mandela’s disappointment, it will be that he may not have observed our free-fall as a nation in the last five years.

http://mobile.saharareporters.com/article/mandela-was-angry-nigeria-dr-hakeem-baba-ahmed

It's my sole opinion that religion is to blame. That's why I posted it here. It is the reason why I'm a vocal atheist. Because organized religion I & many others believe is a tool of the rich to control & exploit the people & Nigeria is a Prime example of the detrimental impact of the Abrahamic Religions

I can't read & understand the Bible. Jesus said so. I personally think this scripture is a cop out but it is a proven way to shut down an argument with an atheist.

Matthew 13:10-15
King James Version (KJV)
10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?

11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.

13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.

14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:

15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

One Nation is almost 100% Religious & Superstitious. The other is largely Agnostic (AKA Buddhist) with only 15% Christian & 15% Muslim. Both countries received their independence from colonial rule around the same time. One is the 5th Richest Nation in the World & the other is infamously affiliated with fraud & corruption. I know that the Abrahamic Faith isn't the only factor involved in Nigeria's demise but I can't help but think that it's like 90% of the problem. Divide & conquer type of thing. Is it Religious distractions that allow Nigerians to be fleeced of their revenue by corrupt politicians & multinational corporations?


Nigeria And Singapore: A Tale Of Two Governments And Massive Salaries By Ogaga Ifowodo
http://saharareporters.com/column/nigeria-and-singapore-tale-two-governments-and-massive-salaries-ogaga-ifowodo

WHY CAN'T WE RID THE WORLD OF MALARIA
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/7878524/Why-cant-we-rid-the-world-of-malaria.html

Mathew 18:6
But who so shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

This why the educated youth are fleeing the church in droves. I hope Pope Francis ex-communicates this fool for Christ's sake

http://www.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/rights/uganda-gays-american-evangelicals-LGBT

One Nation is almost 100% Religious & Superstitious. The other is largely Agnostic (AKA Buddhist) with only 15% Christian & 15% Muslim. Both countries received their independence from colonial rule around the same time. One is the 5th Richest Nation in the World & the other is infamously affiliated with fraud & corruption. I know that the Abrahamic Faith isn't the only factor involved in Nigeria's demise but I can't help but think that it's like 90% of the problem. Divide & conquer type of thing. This is why Nigerian Atheists are so vocal & zealous.


Nigeria And Singapore: A Tale Of Two Governments And Massive Salaries By Ogaga Ifowodo
http://saharareporters.com/column/nigeria-and-singapore-tale-two-governments-and-massive-salaries-ogaga-ifowodo

WHY CAN'T WE RID THE WORLD OF MALARIA
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/7878524/Why-cant-we-rid-the-world-of-malaria.html

DoctorStephen: Athiests and anti-Christs will always say what they've always said.

However,JESUS CHRIST is The Truth.

You hate what Jesus hates?
Jesus would hate TB Joshua, Pastor Chris & Pastor Enoch Adeboye too.

Pope Francis & Desmond Tutu I could accept as a living image of Jesus for our modern era. If that's your image of Jesus, then my apologies for trying to deconvert you.

Joshthefirst: smh.

It seems you have not read the bible.
I encourage you to get the bible and study it.

I don't read it, I listen to it on MP3. I actually love the book as a piece of literature

Joshthefirst: ^^^

Wow onan.
You have succeeded in making me flabbergasted. Your post is so full of contradictions I don't know where to start.

Well, I'll try.
1. The words of the bible were not written in a limited period of human history(for pete's sake?).

2. The bible encompasses all universality, when viewed in its right and complete perspectives and for you to claim humans evolved language is foolishness.

At least we'll start there.

This post is for the benefit of honest and weak people who might believe any fancy writing they see.
Nonsense.

Well the film hasn't officially debuted so maybe the premise that Jesus is a conspiracy is just as far out as a Jesus being born of a virgin.

But, Josephus is the only historian to mention the name Jesus, and that didn't occur until 100 AD

If not a conspiracy, maybe a Zionist militant extremist who deliberately Set himself to be crucified because he really believe his prophecies & when the plan failed, the followers saved face & made up the resurrection myth

It's words like hate what he would hate & condemn what he would condemn that make us atheists jerks & point that your imaginary gods not real. Sorry to rain on your parade.

By ROB WILLIAMS
Thursday 10 October 2013
A controversial American biblical scholar is set to make his first appearance in London next week to present a discovery that he claims proves the story of Jesus Christ was invented as a system of mind control to enslave the poor.

Joseph Atwill, who is the author of a book entitled 'Caesar's Messiah: The Roman Conspiracy to Invent Jesus', asserts that Christianity did not begin as a religion, but was actually a sophisticated government propaganda exercise used to pacify the subjects of the Roman Empire.

At the 'Covert Messiah' conference, to be held at the Conway Hall in Holborn a week on Saturday, Mr Atwill will present his theory that the New Testament was written by first-century Roman aristocrats and that they entirely fabricated the story of Jesus Christ.
Outlining his ideas in a blog posting on his website Mr Atwill writes: "Christianity may be considered a religion, but it was actually developed and used as a system of mind control to produce slaves that believed God decreed their slavery."

Mr Atwill says that acts of insurrection by Jewish sects, who were awaiting the arrival of a so-called 'warrior Messiah' in Palestine, were a perpetual problem for the Roman Empire and that after the Empire had exhausted all traditional means of dealing with the problem they resorted to psychological warfare.

"They surmised that the way to stop the spread of zealous Jewish missionary activity was to create a competing belief system," Atwill told PRWeb.com
"That's when the 'peaceful' Messiah story was invented.
"Instead of inspiring warfare, this Messiah urged turn-the-other-cheek pacifism and encouraged Jews to 'give onto Caesar' and pay their taxes to Rome."

Mr Atwill continues: "Although Christianity can be a comfort to some, it can also be very damaging and repressive, an insidious form of mind control that has led to blind acceptance of serfdom, poverty, and war throughout history.

To this day, especially in the United States, it is used to create support for war in the Middle East."
Elsewhere, Mr Atwill also writes: “In fact he [Jesus] may be the only fictional character in literature whose entire life story can be traced to other sources. Once those sources are all laid bare, there’s simply nothing left.”
Atwill says he made his discovery when while studying the New Testament alongside the 'War of the Jews' by Josephus - the only surviving first-person historical account of first-century Judea.
Mr Atwill claims that he began to notice a sequence of parallels between the two texts.

"What seems to have eluded many scholars is that the sequence of events and locations of Jesus ministry are more or less the same as the sequence of events and locations of the military campaign of [Emperor] Titus Flavius as described by Josephus," Atwill claims.
"This is clear evidence of a deliberately constructed pattern", he continues.
"The biography of Jesus is actually constructed, tip to stern, on prior stories, but especially on the biography of a Roman Caesar."

These theories commonly include the suggestion that secret societies, mystery schools and other religions used the fictional story of Christ to unify the Roman Empire under one state religion.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/story-of-jesus-christ-was-fabricated-to-pacify-the-poor-claims-controversial-biblical-scholar-8870879.html

Testing the God Hypothesis
Victor StengerNov 06, 2013
This article was originally published in Fair Observer.

The Failed Hypothesis; How ScienceShows That God Does Not Exist, I applied the scientific process of hypothesis testing to the question of God. The common objection I heard was that the existence of God is not a scientific hypothesis. Let me explain why I say it is.

The scientific method is not limited to what professional scientists do but can be applied to any question that relates to observations. The brain does not have the capacity to save the time, direction, and energy of each photon that hits the eyes. Instead it operates on a simplified picture of objects, be they rocks, trees, or people, assigning them general properties that do not encompass every detail.

That is, we make models. Science merely rationalizes the procedure, communicating by precise speech and writing among individuals who then attempt to reach an agreement on what they all have seen and how best to represent their collective observations. What are called scientific theories are just models.

The God Model

Religion carries out a similar process, although one in which agreement is generally asserted by authority rather than by a consensus of objective, unbiased observations. From humanity's earliest days, gods have been imagined who possessed attributes that people could understand and to which they could relate.

Gods and spirits took the form of the objects of experience: the sun, Earth, moon, animals, and humans. The gods of the ancient Egyptians had the form of animals. The gods of the ancient Greeks had the form of imperfect but immortal humans. The God of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam took the form of a powerful, autocratic, male king enthroned high above his subjects.

Each of these god models developed from the culture of the day. If the process continued to today, everyone would worship the shopping mall. In fact, many of the megachurches in America today are located in shopping malls.

By dealing in terms of models of gods that are based on human conceptions, we avoid the objection that the "true" God may lay beyond our limited cognitive capabilities. When we demonstrate that a particular god is rejected by the evidence, we are not proving that all gods, conceivable or inconceivable, do not exist. We are simply showing beyond a reasonable doubt that a god with explicit hypothesized attributes described by the model does not exist. Belief aside, at the very minimum the fact that a specific god model may be inconsistent with the evidence is cause enough to disregard that model in the practices of everyday life.

The exact relationship between the elements of scientific models and whatever true reality lies out there is not of major concern to most scientists, or should not be anyway. When scientists have a model that describes their measurements, is consistent with other established models, makes successful predictions, and can be put to practical use, what else do they need?

The model works fine in not only describing observations but in enabling practical applications. It makes absolutely no difference whether or not an electron is "real" when we apply the model of electrons flowing in an electronic circuit to design some high-tech device. Whatever the intrinsic reality, the model describes what we observe, and those observations are real enough.

Similarly, it does not matter from a practical standpoint whether the "real" God resembles any of the gods whose empirical consequences we have examined and modeled. People do not worship abstractions. They worship a God with qualities they can comprehend. The most common example of a god model is a personal God who answers prayers. This god model has not has not been confirmed in numerous controlled experiments on the efficacy of prayer. It follows that a religious person is wasting her time praying for some favor of such a God.

If praying worked, the effects would be objectively observed. They are not. Let me then summarize the god models that are inconsistent with scientific observations.

Inconsistent Gods

A personal God who has given humans immortal souls fails to agree with the empirical facts that human thoughts, memories, and personalities are governed by physical processes in the brain, which dissolves upon death. No nonphysical or extra-physical powers of "mind" can be found and no evidence exists for an afterlife.
A personal God whose interactions with humans include miraculous interventions such as those reported in scriptures is contradicted by the lack of independent evidence for the alleged miraculous events.
A cosmic God who fine-tuned the laws and constants of physics for life, in particular human life, fails to agree with the fact that the universe is not congenial to human life, being tremendously wasteful of time, space, and matter from the human perspective. It also fails to agree with the fact that the universe is mostly composed of particles in random motion, with complex structures such as galaxies forming less than four percent of the total mass of the universe.
A personal God who communicates directly with humans by means of revelation fails to agree with the fact that no scientifically verifiable new information has ever been transmitted while many wrong and harmful doctrines have been asserted by this means. No claimed revelation contains information that could not have been already in the head of the person making the claim. Furthermore, physical evidence now conclusively demonstrates that some of the most important biblical narratives, such as the Exodus, never took place.
A personal God who is the source of morality and human values does not exist since the evidence shows that humans define morals and values for themselves. This is not "relative morality." Believers and nonbelievers alike agree on a common set of morals and values. Even the most devout decide for themselves what is good and what is bad and even judge much of what is approved in scriptures as immoral, such as genocide, slavery, and the oppression of women. Nonbelievers behave no less morally than believers.
A personal God who is omniscient, omnibenevolent, and omnipotent does not exist because it is logically inconsistent with the existence of evil, in particular, gratuitous suffering (standard problem of evil).
What If?

The existence of the God worshiped by most Jews, Christians, and Muslims not only lacks supporting empirical evidence but is even contradicted by such evidence. However, it need not have turned out that way. Things might have been different, and this is important to understand as it justifies the use of science to address the God question and refutes the frequently heard statement that science can say nothing about God. If scientific observations had confirmed at least one model god, those believers who make that statement would quickly change their tune. Even the most skeptical atheists would have to come around and admit that there might be some chance that God exists. This has not happened.

Consider the following hypothetical events that, had they occurred, would have favored the God hypothesis. Readers are invited to think of their own similar "might have been" scenarios. While not necessarily proving the existence of God, they would at least lend some credence to traditional beliefs that currently does not exist.

Hypothetical Observations

Evidence was found that falsified evolution. Fossils might have been discovered that were inexplicably out of sequence. Life forms might not have all been based on the same genetic scheme. Transitional species might not have been observed. As actually thought at the time of Darwin, the age of the sun could have proved too short for evolution. The discovery of nuclear energy changed that, showing that, fueled by nuclear fusion, the sun will last ten billion years--ample time for life to evolve.
Human memories and thoughts might have provided evidence that cannot be plausibly accounted for by known physical processes. Science might have confirmed exceptional powers of the mind that it could not be plausibly explained physically.
Science might have uncovered convincing evidence for an afterlife. For example, a person who had been declared dead by every means known to science might return to life with detailed stories of an afterlife that were later verified. For example, she might meet Jimmy Hoffa who tells her where to find his body.
Similarly, any claim of a revelation obtained during a mystical trance could contain scientifically verifiable information that the subject could not possibly have known.
Physical and historical evidence might have been found for the miraculous events and the important narratives of the scriptures. For example, Roman records might have been found for an earthquake in Judea at the time of a certain crucifixion ordered by Pontius Pilate. Noah's Ark might have been discovered. The Shroud of Turin might have contained genetic material with no Y-chromosomes. Since the image is that of a man with a beard, this would confirm he was born of a virgin. Or, the genetic material might contain a novel form of coding molecule not found in any other living organism. This would have proven an alien (if not divine) origin of the enshrouded being.
The universe might have been found to be so congenial to human life that it must have been created with human life in mind. Humans might have been able to move from planet to planet, just as easily as they now move from continent to continent, and be able to survive on every planet - even in space - without life support.
Natural events might follow some moral law, rather than morally neutral mathematical laws. For example, lightning might strike only the wicked; people who behave badly might fall sick more often; nuns would always survive plane crashes.
Believers might have had a higher moral sense than nonbelievers and other measurably superior qualities. For example, the jails might be filled with atheists while all believers live happy, prosperous, contented lives surrounded by loving families and pets.
Miracles are observed. For example, prayers are answered; an arm or a leg is regenerated through faith healing.
But none of this has happened. Indeed, the opposite is true in some cases, such as an abnormally low number of atheists in jail. Every claim of a supernatural event has proved false. The hypothesis of God is not confirmed by the evidence. Indeed, that hypothesis is strongly contradicted by the observations of our senses and the instruments of science

Interesting read?

http://new.exchristian.net/2013/10/searching-for-truth-about-homosexuality.html?m=1


I grew up something-of-a-Christian. I say something-of-a because my family wasn't necessarily religious. Around the age of nine, I learned about sexuality...via Sims Life Stories.

I can't say what I exactly felt seeing my two female sims have romantic relations, but I had been taught that such an act is wrong and should be hated, so I hated it. I tore them a part and made them male husbands. I ignored the subject until a little later, I learned of something called the internet.

I guess you can say that I was amazed. So many different views and ideals being tossed around. They made me question my religion. Just why would there be so many different religions if God was the one who created everyone? If God says he loves us, why does he also say he hates homosexuals? How come I had to waste two hours of my life every Sunday at church, listening to this sweaty guy on the podium say the same thing fifty times (as if he hasn't made his point across the first five times) when it was known as 'rest day'?

In order to answer those questions, I sat myself down and thought about my relationship between God and the world as well as God's relationship with the world.

God is a frickin' liar. If not that, he plain just doesn't exist.

At the age of 12, I converted from Christianity to just plain Theism since I still believed there was some sort of deity who may have caused certain miracles to happen. Then, at 13, I converted to Atheism. I'm still an atheist today.
People have always called me bright; they think I act and talk more grown-up than I actually am (14). Frankly, the Bible contradicts itself.

Between 13 and 14, I had heard the comment of people "choosing to become gay". I didn't really understand this concept, so I ventured into my game of Sims. Apparently, it was the wrong place to start. Sims choose their sexuality based on which gender they hung out with the most (Ex: If two male sims lived together, they had a high percentage of "becoming gay" and getting into a relationship with each other).

I decided to take my search to the internet. I had found multiple articles and labs. One article in particular, written by a homosexual, gave notice to though he had children and a wife, he could not get over his attraction to males. He did not choose this lifestyle and for a period of his life, he had been poked and questioned by scientists about the so-called "issue". He helped me determine the truth.

Homosexuals do NOT choose to be gay, they are born gay (I believe it has to do with genes). There is no such thing as an on-off switch in side your brain in which you could choose your sexuality.

So basically, according to the Bible, just being gay was going to send you to hell. That's nice.

This, however, made me extremely upset. Recreating them to the best of my abilities, I recreated the two female sims I had previously torn apart and let them live happily in their urban home.

However, earlier today at lunch, my friend complained of her little sister having a homosexual teacher and saying that it's not natural. Once again, I have searched the internet and have stumbled across this site and this article. http://new.exchristian.net/2013/06/in-honor-of-lgbt-month-its-only-natural.html

It describes the search for information by someone who also wanted to find the answer to the nature of homosexuality.

I find it sad how religion can misguide people from looking deeper and forming their own opinions.

To put it simply, a lot of the more religious people, base practically all of their views and opinions on what their holy book says. Not on what they personally think, not what information which is, most of the time, available, says, or what others might have to say.

I'm learning to be an open-minded person; there's not a lot of people who are like that where I live, so I figure I'll be one of the firsts and help lead more who wish to dig a little deeper instead of letting things fly-by

[url]http://youtube.com/watch?list=PL126AFB53A6F002CC&v=KnJX68ELbAY&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DKnJX68ELbAY%26list%3DPL126AFB53A6F002CC[/url]

A very excellent explanation as to how you CAN be both christian & believe in evolution. This should never be up for debate

Please tell me this is a joke thread. You can never tell with some of the imbeciles in this forum.

The Ten Inquisitive Commandments

1.How reliable is the source of the claim?

2.Does the source make similar claims?

3.Have the claims been verified by somebody else?

4.Does this fit with the way the world works?

5.Has anyone tried to disprove the claim?

6.Where does the preponderance of evidence point?

7.Is the claimant playing by the rules of science?

8.Is the claimant providing positive evidence?

9.Does the new theory account for as many phenomena as the old theory?

10.Are personal beliefs driving the claim?

mumumugu: This is an article everyone should read. We all know the world we live in is controlled by supernatural powers and there are so many supernatural beings. Some are good while others are evil.
A witch according is a supernatural being who is known for evil deeds.
The reason why you failed your exam is not because you partied all night instead of studying, it’s because of a witch in your village.
The question that arises is how do we kill these wicked supernatural beings? Here is a simple procedure you can’t get anywhere else.
1.Get a bucket and fill it with petrol (Half Way)
2.Get a very good insecticide and empty the contents into your bucket.
3.Add a bottle of Hennessy to this mixture.
4.Get a crate of egg and break the eggs into your mixture.
5.Add a little lime.
6.Get the hair of a 6 months old baby and put it in the mixture.
7.Add a little gun powder
8.Boil the mixture in a big pot.
9.After it has boiled, urinate into the boiled mixture.
10.Drink half of it immediately and give the remaining half to every other witch you know

Hey bro! I really hope someone accuses you of witchcraft and feeds you this formula. How are you not in jail for making these posts is beyond me. I hope someone finds you and arrests you.

Ukuts gp: Atheist will always doubt the existence of those spirits beings. So dnt hv their time.

More like non primitive people, not just atheists, the rest of the world looks at you all with utter disbelief as to how childish, ignorant & PRIMITIVE! You witchcraft believers are! Any one guilty of accusing someone of witchcraft should be arrested for slander & defamation of character.

That's the whole purpose of getting into the ministry? It's every pastors dream to reach that level of wealth. 99% of their incentive is getting free money! You won't excel in the ministry if you don't have the qualities of a Hustler

I'm always shocked that gay marriage is such a big deal. You have to realize how precious human life is, when there are tsunamis and mudslides, when there are armies and terrorists--at any moment, you could be gone, and potentially in the most brutal fashion. And then you have to realize that love is truly one of the most extraordinary things you can experience in your life. To begrudge someone else their love of another person because of gender seems to be absolutely absurd. It's based in fear, fear of the other, fear of what is not like you. But when you are able to see lives on a day-to-day basis, rather than reducing it to politics, then it humanizes a whole community of people that were otherwise invisible.

Where are they? Is that Axim Beach? or are they in Elmina or Cape Coast?

Joshthefirst: I hear.
As I said, the activities of your own brother atheists reduce your "sweet" words to nothing.

Go to them and set their heads straight, they've become infected with the same religious fanaticism that they think they're fighting against.

Well I have to admit, I have no sweet words for those who believe in witchcraft. This article is a testament to the dangers of this primitive belief and its a national embarrassment. I will gladly insult, defame and offend anyone who holds these ridiculous superstitious beliefs. This is my greatest concern in this forum. The backwards witchcraft people that given the opportunity might run around nakd thinking their bullet proof or suspect a family member as a witch and send them to live in the street or give them to a Fetish priest to be poisoned. I'm here hoping I can inject some common sense into those fools. No sweet words for those morons. Only utter disgust and condemnation

Joshthefirst: I am against religion too sir. It has exploited and decieved men. But think carefully. How will you support unity in nigeria when you(atheists, who have given me an impression of their character here on nl), when you publicly act worse than the religious people you condemn by insulting others and fanatically supporting your subjective version of reality?

You guys are not for the unity of nigeria. You're trying to buffer up the situation.
What have atheists done here on the nairaland premise that is not exhibiting typical religious fanatical behaviour?

Believe there's no god, or you're foolish, believe there's no god or you're only spewing foolish logic? Believe there's no god or you're brainwashed? Or you're re.tarded? The reason there are natural disasters is because people are still trusting God?(What roman pagans said in the early first century)

The very acts of your brothers condemn you.



That's whyi support christianity the lifestyle. It manages to grow mightily and prevail without outrightly insulting others and downgrading others. It does not grow by calling others "motherfucking liars".

It grows by preaching the love of christ to a love depraved world. The salvation of christ to a world in the bondage of sin.

Atheists are trying to unite Nigeria by dispelling primitive beliefs in witchcraft. Hoping to convice islamic extremists to value education instead of shooting children in schools. Convincing Christians not to let themselves get fleeced by charlatan pastors selling miracles. Once these barriers are removed we can all focus on development, fighting corruption, getting rid of malaria, improving our roads and healthcare and infrastructure. Nigerians are too preoccupied with extreme religious beliefs. We are trying to eradicate them. That's how we are contributing to Nigerian Unity. Fighting superstition and bringing in progress and modernity to Nigeria and Africa. That's the Atheist cause. Maybe it's a hard pill to swallow but Atheists have a lot of reasons to be upset. Especially in Nigeria

I'm not complaining, this is actually an area were atheist have a very weak argument. The Forgiveness of Christ has brought comfort to many and it has been a therapeutic healer to the sick and downtrodden. If christians were forgiving all the time, christians wouldn't even know atheists exist. We just rise up in defense of social issues and education. But this story is a compelling story to the power of Christianity.

General Butt Nakd is owning up to his crimes without incentive because as the article states, everybody basically got away with committing murder. Not because of fear of instability, because it was Africa and Africans are not newsworthy to the west. But that's another story.

What I get more from this story is the danger of tribalism and why Africans need to band together as one people. I think Religion is divisive and especially in Nigeria pitting christian against muslim is just a way for Shell Oil to come in and clean house. Imagine if all Africa united as One people in the spirit and call of the late great Bob Marley, and we put aside our differences for the greater good of Nigeria. That's what make Atheists so evangelical. We wan't unity amongst our people.

This story is just some food for thought for Atheists and Christians alike

What if I did the right things and my wife and kids did not? They may end up in hell. How am I supposed to enjoy eternity if I know that that every second of infinity my wife and my kids are on fire and being tortured by demons? How can I enjoy eternity knowing that ANYONE is being tortured forever? Have you ever noticed that hell is not in the Old Testament? Gentle Jesus, meek and mild, shows up and it’s then there we are threatened with eternal suffering

Joshthefirst: when God forgives a sinner after he repents, they take offense, when God condemns a sinner to hell for refusing to repent, they take offense.

Unbridled hypocrisy.

Forgiveness is one of the tenets of Christianity that I admire and place reverence on. My argument is more spiritual than condemning Butt Nakd. How is it Jesus would openly accept a mass murderer over an unbeliever who has lived a life as a humanitarian? People are products of their environment. It's a fascinating story, but do Christians in this forum think they could forgive that man if they were his victims? I'm an Atheist and I know I would want to see him behind bars. He committed war crimes and should be held accountable.

Hmm? I wan't this Guy to Stay a Christian, sometimes we Atheists need to be careful for what we wish for. Not everyone can handle that worldview.

This short, self-pitying sentence in this failed attempt at atonement is enough to open a conversation. Gwae, a thin woman, opens her mouth and says: "It's something that doesn't happen right away. It's a process. Leave me alone with myself. After a while… I will think about it. I won't wake up and say: Oh yeah, I forgive you. That's impossible, you know."

"I know," he says.

"I don't know," she says.

There are two possible explanations for what Blahyi is doing. The first one is that he has been playing a cynical game for 17 years, the game of the pious man. But in a country with complete impunity for war crimes, that doesn't make much sense. "Here they honor the people without honor," says Blahyi. General Prince Johnson, who had the former president's ears cut off and then let him bleed to death, all the while sitting at his desk with a can of Budweiser, is now a senator in the Liberian parliament. When asked about his former crimes, he says: "It was war. I was a soldier." Why should Blahyi behave as if he were a priest, and trace a past that no one is really interested in? He could have gone into politics or opened an auto repair shop, and no one in Liberia would have been surprised.

The second possibility is that Blahyi has truly changed.

The man who could know the truth is Bishop John Kun Kun of the Soul Winning Church in Monrovia. He was the one who turned the mass murderer into a man of God. He is a respected man in Liberia and the head of one of the country's most influential churches. He is currently in Robertsport, a coastal town 80 kilometers northwest of Monrovia, attending a meeting of church leaders from around the country.

Kun Kun is a calm man with a clear gaze. He moves as fluidly as an athlete, but his speech is as measured as that of an old man. This is his story: When the civil war flared up again in April 1996, he and other church leaders decided to do something against the terror. They decided to do the one thing they could do best in a country in which faith plays such an important role: proselytize. But this time it was the military leaders they hoped to convert. Kun Kun was chosen to speak with General Butt Naked. He went to Blahyi's military barracks in southern Monrovia, knocked on the door and walked in. The man he found there was restless and claimed that he had no time for Kun Kun, as he was taking apart and reassembling his submachine gun.

Why did Blahyi live a life that consisted of killing? "It was the only thing he knew," says Kun Kun. I think he enjoyed the fact that people were afraid of him. He liked being in command. People depended on him."

A Criminal with No Judge

Kun Kun said to him: "All I wanted to tell you is that Jesus loves you, and that he has a better plan for your life." Blahyi looked at him and said nothing. Kun Kun said a prayer and asked Blahyi to close his eyes and repeat the prayer after him. He didn't close his eyes, but he repeated the prayer. Then Blahyi went to his bodyguard and shot him in the knees for letting the bishop in. Blahyi would later ask the bodyguard's family for forgiveness. Kun Kun wondered whether it was truly a good idea to visit Blahyi again.

But he did return. And when he got to know Blahyi, he realized that he was a man who was deeply afraid and believed that he was possessed by a demon, and who was searching for a way out, which was something Kun Kun could offer him. "Let us pray together," he said to Blahyi.

Blahyi finds one of his favorite passages in the Bible, John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life … Whoever believes in him is not condemned." Blahyi has found perhaps the only religion that can forgive him for committing murder thousands of times, forgive him completely and still recognize the greatness of its God in this act of forgiveness. "God has the power to change anyone," says Kun Kun, "even Butt Naked."

In his Sunday sermon, Pastor Blahyi talks about the suffering of Job, the dreams of Jacob and the miracles of Jesus. The members of his congregation close their eyes and stretch out their hands. His voice becomes louder and louder, until he is shouting as he runs between the rows of congregants, reaching up with his arm and shouting into the microphone: "God, show me my purpose. Show me my purpose, God. Show me the reason I was born." The raised hands of his listeners create shadows on the wall behind him. It looks as if large, black hands were reaching for him, hands from which he manages to escape again and again.

On the next day, this is how he describes his purpose: "I believe that God wishes to use me as a sign. No matter how far a person goes, he has the potential to change."

Perhaps there is a third possibility, one that does not involve Blahyi wearing a mask or being truly reformed. Perhaps Blahyi earnestly believes that he has changed. And the country in which he lives believes him, too. And if everyone believes it, isn't it true? If Blahyi truly wears a mask every Sunday, the skin underneath has now conformed to the mask. In that case, Blahyi remains a criminal without a judge on earth.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/general-butt-naked-warlord-blahyi-seeks-forgiveness-in-liberia-a-930688-3.html

Blahyi was never punished for his crimes. The Truth Commission's only mandate was to investigate the crimes. The International Criminal Court in The Hague only has jurisdiction over crimes committed since it was founded in 2002. A special tribunal with the power of prosecuting earlier crimes, like the ones for Rwanda, Cambodia and the former Yugoslavia, was never established for Liberia.

Such a tribunal could be created through a resolution by the United Nations Security Council. But the UN has no clear rules of procedure for cases like Liberia, and there is often a trade-off between justice and stability. In Liberia, stability was chosen over justice, because if everyone in the country who has killed someone were charged with murder, it would probably turn into another Somalia. Nevertheless, Blahyi is convinced that there will eventually be a special tribunal for Liberia.

"Would you be prepared to spend the rest of your life in prison?"

"I would accept it willingly, as well as the death penalty. Even if I could run away, I would not run away. My Lord Jesus says: "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's."

"How do you atone for your sins?"

"I visit the people I have hurt, the victims of my crimes. I try to help them."

"You ask for forgiveness?"

"Yes. That's the most difficult moment. I couldn't feel anything in the past. Now I feel their pain."

"What are you afraid of?"

"That I will meet the Lord tomorrow, and he will say: 'You have wasted the opportunity that I have given you.'"

Lyn Westman, an American psychologist who accompanied him for several years, tells the story of Blahyi's encounter with a former enemy who was threatening him with a machete. Blahyi sank to his knees and said that he would be willing to die if it would help the man. The man eventually left him alone.

"There is no trace of his old life," says his wife. But that isn't true. Blahyi has been visiting his victims for years, until they forgive him. And he doesn't want ordinary forgiveness. "Complete forgiveness," he says, forgiveness that must come from the depths of their hearts. That, he says, is God's wish, just as the Bible states in Ephesians 4:32: "Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." Nineteen of 76 victims have forgiven him, he says. But most of the victims want nothing to do with him. They lash out at him, berate him or simply walk away in silence.

Kneeling Before the Victim

Faith Gwae is the 77th victim he visits. He only knows her first name, which he learned from the pastor of her congregation, who arranged the meeting. Gwae agreed because the pastor had promised that nothing would happen to her and that she would not have to do anything, but that the pain of her loss would subside, just as if she were in therapy. Blahyi knows that he has wronged her, but he doesn't remember exactly what he did. Gwae lives at the end of a path, in a settlement with no electricity or running water. It consists of a few small huts, with cocks crowing in plots of dried-up grass. There is an oil film on the puddles. Gwae earns the equivalent of €20 ($27) a month, working as a teacher in one of Monrovia's worst neighborhoods.

Blahyi gets out of his Jeep a few hundred meters from the hut. It has been raining and he walks gingerly along the path, where only a few cement bags prevent him from sinking into the mud. He stops at the back of the hut. He looks up at the gray sky and then at his feet in the dirt. "This is my path," he says. "I wish I had alternatives."

She turns around as he approaches. She looks surprised. He looked different the last time she saw him, 22 years ago. She was 16 and he was 19. This is the story she tells a few days later, with long pauses between sentences, and without Blahyi in the room: It was July 1991, and she and her family were living on the outskirts of Zwedru in eastern Liberia. When they tuned the radio to the BBC, they heard news about the war. They wondered whether they should stay or leave. It was the rainy season and the rivers were swollen. The Cavalla River, which forms the border between Liberia and Ivory Coast, was impassable. "The war won't last long," her mother said, so the family decided to stay.

A group from the Krahn tribe was searching for enemies within the country, which, in a civil war, consists of any member of another tribe. Her older brother, Daniel, was hiding a nanny from the Gio tribe who had been working for the family for years. "It'll be okay," the mother said. Faith heard the screams outside the huts as the men approached. Suddenly she saw a naked man with only a machete in his hand. "Why is the man naked?" she wondered. Then she saw the other men, about 25 of them, as she estimates today, carrying guns.

They had heard that there was a Gio woman in the village. Daniel stood in front of the nanny to protect her. "She is a human being, like you and me," he said to Blahyi. Blahyi responded with an order. One of the boys stepped forward and chopped off her brother's foot. Then he hacked off his lower leg, followed by his thigh and his hip, methodically working his way up the body. Eventually her brother fell silent.

Blahyi told everyone to lie on the ground. His men raped her mother and her sisters, and then killed them. Gwae says: "They didn't rape me, but they did things to me that I don't want to talk about. They left me with a blemish that I will always have." At some point Blahyi said that things were moving too slowly, and that there were other military operations to attend to. That was when he began to participate.

Gwae sometimes wonders why her life was spared. Perhaps it was God. Or perhaps the men thought that she was already dead.

'Leave My Heart Alone'

Now Blahyi is back. He walks up to her. His left hand is in his pocket and he leans up against the white column of the veranda with his right hand. He seems as if he had lost something. Gwae is sitting on a wall with her back to Blahyi. Both are waiting. Finally, Blahyi exhales slowly and says: "Sister, I am only here to say that I am sorry. That is all I want to say. That is all."

Then he kneels down and places his massive head on her thin knee. He clasps her foot, wearing pink sock, in his right hand. He begins to weep. Then a sobbing noise emerges from Gwae's chest. It sounds as if something were bursting inside of her. "Please forgive me," Blahyi whispers. Then he waits, still kneeling in front of her, but nothing happens.

Eventually she says: "It's okay." But it isn't forgiveness. She just wants him to stop. She shakes her head. She lifts her hand. Later, she will say that she felt as if she were about to die. Blahyi gets up and sinks into the only chair on the veranda, an old, black office chair.

After a few minutes Gwae says: "I don't want to hear anything. I don't want to say anything. Please go. Don't ask me any more questions. Leave my heart alone."

But Blahyi doesn't go, refusing to give up. He offers her money, but she refuses. He asks her where her relatives are, whether she is married and why she lives alone. She only shakes her head. He doesn't know yet that he killed her entire family.

"I know I can do nothing for you," he says. "But at least… let me play the brother, the father, someone. I can play the family, if possible." Gwae's knees begin to shake. The whole thing feels so phony that one has the impulse to grab Blahyi and take him away.

He tries to get through to her by talking about himself. "It hurts," he says. "I was playing with my children recently, and we were laughing. And I started to think: Now my children are laughing. What about the other children, the ones I killed?" He pauses, then says: "These things come to me. Every day is a challenge. I know I can't reach everyone. All I can do is hope."

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/general-butt-naked-warlord-blahyi-seeks-forgiveness-in-liberia-a-930688-2.html