MATURE MINDS
WHAT COULD BE THE REAL REASON BEHIND THIS?
How can flawed human beings be expected to follow the Ten Commandments when God himself couldn't even follow them?
Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image - God made man in his own image.
Honour thy father and thy mother - God can not honor a father and mother he does not have so he can't follow that one at all.
How can flawed human beings be expected to follow the Ten Commandments when God himself couldn't even follow them?
Thou shalt not murder - He killed a whole bunch of people with that flood thing.
Thou shalt not commit adultery - Mary and Joseph were in a commuted relationship when God got Mary pregnant.
Thou shalt not steal - God stole one of Adam's ribs.
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour - God told Adam and Eve that if they ate the forbidden fruit then they would die that day, they ate the fruit and lived for several centuries.
There are a lot of people out there filled with hate, revenge, spite,envy, Where is God to fill up those hearts with happiness. Untill we murder each other or give up our faith? So only the 144 people could fit in heaven to overcome over population? Well there is a whole lot of questions that needs to asked before someone is sentenced to everlasting burn in hell. I mean even wicked human judges has a time for Plea Bargain!
Something is so wrong! Seems we are the gods we are created.
What do Krishna, Buddha and Christ have in common?
Over the past several centuries, the Big Three spiritual leaders have been the Lords Christ, Krishna and Buddha, whose stories and teachings are curiously and confoundingly similar to each other. The tale of a miraculously born redeemer who overcomes heroic challenges, teaches ethics and morality, performs marvels and wonders, acquires disciples and is famed far and wide, to be persecuted, killed and reborn, is not unique but a global phenomenon recurring in a wide variety of cultures long before the Christian era.
Find out the true origins of religion before you die fighting your own personal battles.
Why were so many ancient gods born on December 25th, the winter solstice?
The December 25th birthday of the sun god is a common story worldwide, dating back at least 12,000 years, as reflected in winter solstice scenes recorded in caves. Around the world beginning thousands of years ago, people have celebrated the birth of the god "Sol" (Sun) to the "Queen of Heaven," the "Celestial Virgin." The winter solstice has been celebrated in many places, from China to the Americas.
Ancient Greeks celebrated the birthday of Hercules and Dionysus on this date of December 25th. The "Christmas" festival was celebrated at Athens and was called "the Lenaea," during which time, apparently, "the death and rebirth of the harvest infant Dionysus were similarly dramatized." This Lenaea festival is depicted in an Aurignacian cave painting in Spain (34,000-23,000 Before Present), with a "young Dionysus with huge genitals," standing naked in the middle of "nine dancing women." The Romans celebrated the famed festival of "Saturnalia" at this time.
The Greco-Syrian sun god Adonis was also born on December 25th, a festival "spoken of by Tertullian, Jerome, and other Fathers of the Church, who inform us that the ceremonies took place in a cave, and that the cave in which they celebrated his mysteries in Bethlehem, was that in which Christ Jesus was born."
What's with all the "Virgin" Mothers of Gods and Heroes?
The list of pre-Christian gods, heroes, kings and queens who were said to have been "born of a virgin" or miraculously born includes the following:
Krishna
Buddha
Egyptian gods Ra and Apis
Egyptian queen Hetshepsut
Pharoah Amenophis III
Persian "prophet" Zoroaster
Melchizedek, biblical High Priest and King of Salem
Persian king Cyrus
Plato, "the divine" and "son of Apollo"
Julius Caesar
Apollonius of Tyana, Greek sage
Taliesin, Merlin and Llew Llaw of the British Isles
Chinese philosophers Fohi and Lao-Kium
Buddha and Jesus--Are They the Same?
Buddha's virgin mother, Maya, was impregnated by the "Holy Spirit," while a "heavenly messenger" informed her that she would bear "a son of the highest kings."
Buddha was said to have had five favorite disciples who left their former teacher to follow him, just as was Jesus, whose initial five disciples left John the Baptist to follow him.
Buddha is further portrayed as having 12 disciples, the same as Jesus.
Buddha is also depicted as speaking with "two buddhas who had preceded him," a motif reminiscent of Jesus conversing with Moses and Elijah.
While Buddha fasts and prays in solitude in the desert, he is tempted by the Prince of Darkness, Mara, whose overtures of wealth and glory the sage resists.
Like Jesus, Buddha is portrayed as walking on water, while one of Buddha's disciples also is able to walk on water at his instruction.
Like Jesus, Buddha exhorts his disciples to "hide their good deeds, and confess their sins before the world." Furthermore, Buddha is portrayed as administering baptism for the remission of "sin."
Buddha's teachings embraced the brotherhood of men, the giving of charity to all, including adversaries, and "pity or love for one's neighbor."
Buddha was called "the Lion of the Tribe of Sakya, the King of Righteousness, the Great Physician, the God among Gods, the Only Begotten, the Word, the All-wise, the Way, the Truth, the Life, the Intercessor, the Prince of Peace, the Good Shepherd, the Light of the World, the Anointed, the Christ, the Messiah, the Saviour of the World, the Way of Life and Immortality."
Why are so many stories, including the Transfiguration, the Descent into Hell and the Ascension, found in the myths of other gods besides Jesus?
Did you know that the Catholic Church has admitted for centuries that there are important similarities between Buddhism and Christianity?
In its article on "Buddhism," the Catholic Church's Encyclopedia outlines some of the similarities between the Buddhist and Catholic religions, but it claims that Catholicism was first and that the Buddhist correlations are "accretions" copied from the Christian faith!
The Tibetan Buddhist religion has a "Pope" or "infallible head" called the Dalai Lama
There are "grades of clergy corresponding to bishop and priest"
The Buddhist religion includes "the cross, mitre, dalmatic, cope, censer, holy water, etc."
What else has the Church been hiding from you.
Read "Suns of God: A Review" by Danny
"Seldom have I read a book that so delighted me, and had me nodding in agreement on every page. It is truly wonderful. It gives me hope that some day, maybe, the civilized world may grow out of its superstitious adolescence."...vivian onukwufor
That’s all well and good, and Obama is light years ahead of the cavemen presidential candidates in the GOP. Still, there is a lot of god-talk and prayer talk, which in my opinion is very unseemly. Perhaps we will someday get to the place where political leaders no longer need to kowtow to the religious
President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama bow their heads in prayer during the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2015,. The annual event brings together U.S. and international leaders from different parties and religions for an hour devoted to faith.
Valerie Jarrett, senior adviser to President Barack Obama, right, talks with the Dalai Lama during the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2015. The annual event brings together U.S. and international leaders from different parties and religions for an hour devoted to faith. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)MY HEART BEATS...AND NOW IT JUST ACHES...BY ANI ABIA.
A very long piece indeed, but as toolbar says, (for mature minds only) A touching Story!
Pardon me Ani, for i know you do not usually grant interviews given your diffident approach to personal life, well your works are touching lives and places even where you do not know, i cant help but copy and paste your wonderful piece that of cause caught my attention. while searching for just one Nigerian who may have understood the facts of life, an African who someone could look up to as a role model. So you guys are lucky am not a selfish bitch, so i present to you guys a personal taught, heart beat of issues of life...
Pardon me brothers for I am about to sin. I confess that for many years it lay smoldering within me, a flickering thought that now explodes of itself into a raging fire. I have gritted my teeth and held my peace for days without end, but now I must let it out that I may have peace. This word has become like a fire in my bones.
I come to you in heavy sack clothes and a heap of ashes on my brow to announce the demise of the greatest legacy ever bequeathed to humankind in its tedious toil in this realm of darkness. Unto us a Child is born! Unto us a Son is given! The Word became flesh and dwelt among us! We have seen the Father’s glory! He came into the world as a path to eternal light. He was at once that Light and the way to the Father, the Spirit of redemption. But He is DEAD! The Christ is DEAD! He was not killed by the Jews, perish the thought. The Jews might have killed his body but the Church has killed his soul. I make bold to declare that the soul of the gospel and the soul of Christ is LOVE. And a loveless church is NOT THE CHURCH OF CHRIST. It is rather an odious chimerical distortion of the Christ and his Truth; a stumbling block on the path of truth, for being equipped to be an agent of truth it stands at the door of salvation, yet it does not enter because it espouses error. Neither does it allow the yearning saints to enter and be redeemed.
I sit in church and groan under the weight of the thick darkness that breeds within it. It is packed with people whose attendance of church services is motivated by trepidation; inspired by the dread of vengeful God who will banish them to eternal damnation should they fail to darken the church door with their shadows every Sunday. They pursue righteousness just to avoid the flames of eternal condemnation. For once let the truth be declared from the rooftops! FEAR CANNOT INDUCE TRUE HOLINESS! Do you need evidence of this? Examine every Christian you know under the microscope of holiness; weigh each and every one of them from pulpit to pew and you will see an abundance of malice, egoism, hatred, materialism, selfishness and greed. They claim they are Christ’s BUT BY THEIR FRUIT YE SHALL KNOW THEM!
Christendom is a massive FLOP because it was built on faulty foundations. How else can it be that a very religious (very Christian) country like Nigeria is at the same time one of the most corrupt in the world? Open your eyes! It is written, “Does a fountain send forth at the same place water both sweet and bitter?” Open your eyes to the TRUTH and take a stand! Else you will become like those that scripture lamented about, “who having eyes, see not, and having ears, do not hear”. Christ Himself knew that fear cannot induce true righteousness else He would have said, “If ye fear me, ye shall keep my commandments”. I am certain that if the Christ were with us He would have declared, “it was said unto you, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. But I say unto you, LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, WITH ALL YOUR SOUL AND WITH ALL YOUR MIGHT”. Again He said, “if ye love me, ye shall keep my commandments”. This is the secret to righteousness is to LOVE GOD and what is God? God is love! So when you love God, you will love LOVE and you will grow in understanding of love and then keeping the second greatest commandment will become easy: LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOUR. Again it is written, “love one another, for love is of God and he who loves IS BORN OF GOD and KNOWS GOD. He, who DOES NOT LOVE, DOES NOT KNOW GOD. For GOD IS LOVE”.
Jesus was God made flesh. He had infinite power yet He didn’t have a house to his name. “Foxes have holes, birds have nests, but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head”. AND DON’T YOU WONDER WHY? He has the answer to your question: “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal”. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt and where thieves do not break through nor steal”. He knew that these things were not important; an insight our current church leaders HAVE FAILED TO GRASP. The church has become one of the greatest Apostles of materialism! Look at her priests, adorned in expensive garments and tell me, who do they remind you of? “They make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments”, said Christ of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
The Church no longer understands what is precious in the eyes of the Lord. Your tall edifices give Him no pleasure! But He breaks into dancing when you clothe the naked and exhaust your resources feeding the hungry. People want to serve God but the Church has failed to INSTRUCT THE SAINTS on the MOST DIRECT WAY TO SERVE GOD. Christ said it Himself, “Whatsoever you do to the least of my brethren, that you do unto me”. When you touch the sick, YOU ARE LITERALLY TOUCHING GOD! THE CHRIST DID NOT MINCE WORDS ABOUT THIS!!! And when they raise their weary eyes to your kind face and ask, “Why do you show us mercy?” You do not begin to parrot endless memorized scriptures how the bible says this and the bibles says that. Because if you do, it means you are MECHANICAL ABOUT THIS SERVICE, LACKING A TRUE UNDERSTANDING OF ITS BASIS. But if you truly understand service, you would smile and reply, “I do this to you because I would have loved this to be done to me if I were in your shoes”. Service becomes natural not some forced, induced robotic state. This, my friends is TRUE REFORMATION, a consequence of BEING BORN AGAIN and a renewing of the mind.
Jesus associated with the poor and the downtrodden; he embraced the tax collectors and dined with prostitutes.
Now look at the church, a church that mocks the poor (sometimes brands them faithless), gives its seats of honor to the wealthy, turns up its nose when it sees the prostitute, denounces the thief but does not question unexplained sources of huge tithes and offerings. He was a Christ who rather than honor people just because of their worldly possessions, instructed the rich young man to go sell all he had and come follow Him. Don’t you wonder why? It was simply because He knew that materialism was a major obstacle to spiritual advancement. Not only was this man wealthy, his wealth had become his god. But the church rather prays for its members to accumulate worldly possessions and denounces them severely when they do not pay a tithe of it. Jesus sought out the despised of the world and told them, “the world may despise you but the Father despises you not. For even you are important in the kingdom”. This my friends is the GOOD NEWS! The kingdom of God is within me! Even me!
The Christ came bearing a message of love. He preached it to the end and sealed it with his blood by death. A gruesome, shameful death on the cross, with His arms stretched out wide as if to say, “I give you my life! I give you my all! I LOVE YOU!” This, my friends, is the ultimate image of love; a bleeding Christ on the cross of Calvary. A creator that’s submits to an ugly death at the hands of its rebellious creation, and with His last breath blesses and forgives His murderers. Love gives until it can give no more! But we behold a church who does not seek out the hungry of its congregation to give them succor. If it cannot do this for its own flock, how then could it show love to strangers? Let me state emphatically, YOU ATTAIN CHRISTIAN LOVE WHEN YOU SHOW LOVE TO TOTAL STRANGERS, not family, friends or those of your flock. This is the real message of the story of the Good Samaritan. Sometimes we justify our actions or inaction by quoting scripture and saying, “you shall always have the poor with you”. In other words, there will always be poor people in this world and that cannot be helped. It is nothing but a baseless excuse for spiritual slothfulness, killing the voice of conscience that accuses you while you feed fat on your wealth like the rich fool, even while surrounded by the poor.
The command of Christ could not be more lucid in this regard: FEED THE HUNGRY! Properly interpreted, what this means is that since we will always have the poor among us, we are forever bound to feed them. This is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Claiming to be Christ’s when your own extended family members do not have food to eat makes you a FALSE CHRIST; THE ANTICHRIST! It is antichrist that is not moved by compassion when it meets the poor; antichrist that will not share its last meal with the hungry; antichrist that calls down fire to consume other humans who have stumbled and are in error (Jesus severely rebuked his disciples when they wanted to do this); antichrist who flies its healthy children abroad for a health check-up when its neighbor cannot afford paracetamol for their sick only child!
Now the church delights in long lifeless ceremonies. No wonder the congregated are consumed daily by death and destruction for truth is not raised on its altars. Supplications rising to the eternal throne are mostly egoistic, materialistic and selfish prayers. God bless me! Save me! Restore me! Me! Me! Me! It is not out of place to cater for yourself and your needs; even animals do the same. The message of Christ is focused on THE OTHER PERSON. Is it surprising then that the second greatest commandment is LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOUR as you love yourself? Observe that love of yourself is ASSUMED! The problem of our world, which the Christ identified and attempted to cure with the second commandment, was a healthy SELF LOVE that has metamorphosed into an unhealthy SELFISHNESS. Heaven does not break into song when you acquire an oil block! Stop such testimonies! Material possession is not the currency of heaven! True treasures are eternal treasures. Let the testimonies in church concern things that have true spiritual value; how you were able to overcome bitterness against your Dad after 15 years; how you are growing in the understanding of love. Look at your church. Which testimonies elicit the loudest applause? Despise not the power of the Father; He created Heaven and earth; your biggest miracles are NOTHING TO HIM. I remember once in church during a fundraising service when the choir spontaneously broke into the halleluiah chorus when a man donated a hundred thousand naira. Listen carefully: IT IS THE WIDOW’S MITE THAT IS THE APPLE OF GOD’S EYE. A church that thinks different from the Christ is A FALSE CHRIST. Isn’t this obvious?
Surely you feel the truth of these words resonating in your being. It’s not surprising because truth has that quality to it. I invite you to look at our generation; a generation that cannot endure the truth. This is precisely why Christ was killed and we all kill Him daily whenever we see the truth and deny it. Jesus was not afraid of the high priests of His day. He pointed the finger of rebuke firmly at them, no matter how revered, anointed or highly placed they were, to reprove error. But his Christians these days hasten to defend their Pastors who are OBVIOUSLY living in error. “Don’t criticize the man of God”, they tell you. Are their actions Christ-like? You tell me. Christendom is filled with people who chose propriety over truth; acceptability instead of verity. Try to point out their error to them and they will call you names. They raise stones, verbal if not physical, and chant like the killers of truth through all ages: Crucify him! Crucify him! Oh angry Christian, what do you know of love and mercy? Had you known love, you would know to bless and not curse; had you known the Christ, you would have known that it is “he who is without sin that should cast the first stone”. You believe the rage you feel is holy anger, so did the murderers of Stephen think when they struck truth with rocks till it died.
Tombs everywhere! Tombs everywhere I turn! Christ is dead! And behold the church is where his bones are interred!
Meanwhile, do not be deceived. I will be in church next Sunday, where I will seat and mourn the death of the Messiah, and pray earnestly that He may once more roll away the tombstone by the glory of his resurrection! Amen.
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