NIGERIA - A NATION THAT NEVER WAS

Some of you requested that I post the paper I wrote about the factors that led up to the Nigerian Civil War.
Let me know what you all think.
Here's the PDF file and it's on DropBox
NIGERIA - A NATION THAT NEVER WAS

THE PROMISE OF A YOUNG NATION | MY REVIEW OF CHINUA ACHEBE'S NEW BOOK "THERE WAS A COUNTRY"

So I just concluded reading the book by Chinua Achebe titled "There was a Country" detailing his own personal life experiences plus the events that took place during the Nigerian Civil War and the secession of the country named Biafra.

As somebody who has always been intrigued by the war, the book was worth the read. I honestly do not understand why the war is not talked about as often as it should be in our Nigerian classrooms or even by our parents or uncles. My parents never talked to me about it, neither did my uncles and most of them were either born or lived during that period. It is almost like everybody from that generation made a pact not to talk about the war to future generations. We need to know people fought to give us the country that we have today.

I read the book by Chinua Achebe with a healthy dose of skepticism. I did not fully grasp why an 80 something year old man would wait till now to write a book about the Civil war. You know when it nears time for an old man to die, they sometimes start reminiscing and wishing for the days of old. I hoped that Chinua Achebe had not suffered from the same plight.

Achebe talks about his own personal life growing up and how he came to write the novel Things Fall Apart and he makes mention of the golden days when Nigerians from all across the country attended the best schools in the nation, taught by quality professors and teachers. He identifies how Nigeria came to be a country, how the British basically gobbled up all this ethnicities together and made it a country. The question remains whether Nigeria was ever a nation to begin with, yes we were a country in terms of population and boundary but where we ever a nation? A nation with a common identity. I don't think so.  He also makes mention of the March to Independence and all the founding fathers such as Herbert Macauley, Azikiwe, Awolowo, Tafawa Balewa & Ahmadu Bello. it is obvious at this juncture that in our bid for independence, our founding fathers had not ironed out the issues that would face the nation after independence. It was like they forgot about their differences and swept it all under the rug and united to kick the British out. As some Nigerians will say "the founding fathers blood was too hot". A nation of 250 languages/ethnicities, how did you think kicking the British out would solve the problem? It's almost like a kid telling the father, I'm ready to drive a car when he's not old or mature enough to have a license but decides to get behind the wheel.

Achebe lays out how the Igbos came to be resented due to their industrial and individualistic nature. Most of the civil jobs held in government positions during the time was held by Igbos, and we were in every fabric of the new nation. The first coup in Nigeria was on January 15th, 1966 led by an Igbo officer Nzeogwu and others. They murdered the prime minister Tafawa Balewa, the premier of the West (Yorubas) Akintola & the premiere of the North (Hausas) Ahmadu Bello. I did further research on the death of the prime minister Balewa and found that his body was discovered six days later on the road. I was honestly shocked, a whole prime minister? Left for dead on the road like a common rat. I still don't get the point of this particular coup as it set a chain reaction in which the North reacted by killing Igbos living in the North and 6 months later a counter coup killed the Head of State Aguiyi Ironsi. This time, the coup was led by Northern officers and Gowon became Head of State after that. I do not know why the first coup even took place and the fact that it comes across as an Igbo led coup against the North did not sit well with me. I can't for the life of me understand why Nzeogwu would lead a coup that killed quite a few Northern leaders and think that the Northerners would just let that slide. The coup on January 15th, 1966 led to the Civil War in my opinion. And the fact that those in the coup were not strung up and executed after they were caught drives me bonkers. These were men who had earned the trust of the leaders that they killed, one of the officers Major Ifeajuna in the coup killed his long time mentor Brigadier Maimalari. This theme of betrayal is one conveyed throughout the entire book. What makes men kill other men on the basis of ethnicity? 

I find it remarkable that men who had studied abroad with high levels of education could sink to the depths of tribalism when it came to governance. Achebe singled out people like Awolowo for being primarily responsible for the collapse of the first republic. Awolowo comes off as a power hungry man who would do anything to remain relevant. Not to mention the people who were in the military, people such as Obasanjo, Danjuma, Ironsi, Ojukwu, Gowon, etc. These were probably men who had been friends, men who knew each other's families, yet at the end these were men ready to lead other men to war to kill each other. If there's one thing this book conveyed to me, it was the sense of betrayal and disloyalty as bad as Judas betraying Jesus. 

Gowon was thirty two years old and Ojukwu was thirty three years old when the Nigerian Civil war began, two young men on two different sides. One leading a people out of "Egypt", another seeking to keep people from leaving "Egypt".

Achebe makes mention of programs in the North that led to the death of thirty thousand Igbo people in the North and the mass evacuation of Igbos from the North back to the East. He also makes mention of the Asaba Massacre in which men in Asaba where killed by Nigerian Soldiers. Both sides were guilty of atrocities as it is also noted that Biafran soldiers killed some people living in the mid west, accusing them of collaborating with the Nigerian forces.

The fact that Ojukwu fled after the war left a really bad taste in my mouth. Here was a man who had sent thousands to die for a cause yet when push came to shove suddenly realized he wasn't willing to die for this country called Biafra. Same Ojukwu who as Achebe pointed out executed quite a number of Igbo Officers on the charges of treason and betraying Biafra yet he himself betrayed the very nation which he killed others for betraying. Yet, when he died this past year or so he was hailed as a hero? Ha.  Hitler could have fled Germany when it was surrendered yet he stayed and died for what he believed in. Ojukwu later ran for election in 2003 for the very same Nigeria which he sought to secede from.. It kind of reminds me of a quote that says "Men should pledge themselves to nothing because reflection makes a liar of their resolution" .

Achebe seems to suggest that the problem with Nigeria today arises because of the Biafran war and the failure of the Igbo people to reintegrate back into Nigeria. I find this premise hard to believe because we Igbos have reintegrated quite successfully in my opinion and if there is a problem with Nigeria it lies with the corruption that seems to plague government leaders whether they be Hausa, Igbo or Yoruba. Corruption is not an affliction that only one tribe gets to suffer, we have Igbo leaders/governors in Nigeria who have decided to steal money rather than use the money allocated to them to help their particular state.

The Question is sometimes asked "Why don't Nigerians rise up against the government and demand Change?" Achebe responds by stating " Once a people have been dispossessed and subjugated by dictatorships for such a long time as in Nigeria's case, the oppressive process also effectively strips away from the minds of the people the knowledge that they have rights. Restoring flawed democratic systems will not make the country a success overnight".

I feel like Achebe's response is a serious "cop out" like Americans would say. Nigeria has been independent for 52 years, give or take we have been in a dictatorship for lets assume 30 years of those 52 years. So are we saying that we have lost the knowledge that we have rights after only 30 years of dictatorship? Have there not been countries with a far worse plight than ours? Egypt? Tunisia? Other Latin Countries where their people still rose up against the government and demanded change? Why have Nigerians not demanded any change from their government? Why does it seem like we are content to wallow in mediocrity? Does it have anything to do with the moral makeup of the nation? Are we so corrupt that we can't look past our mediocre surroundings?

At this point I want to make a special note about something. I feel like in Nigeria, we have a "lost generation". What happened to our parents generation? The generation born during the war from 1960 till 1975? Where did that generation go? What did they contribute to Nigeria? It is almost like a whole generation gave up on a nation and now handed over this mess of a nation to we the younger generation to clean up. I can't comprehend how the generation did not do more to stop Nigeria from going down the road it has found itself today. What stopped them from stepping up to the plate?

As a young Nigerian who would really like to see Nigeria blossom, this book does not offer any clear solution in my opinion. Should Nigeria remain as a country or break up like the old Yugoslavia? When we say "One Nigeria" are we saying that just for the sake of unity for unity's sake? Sometimes it is better to be divided and be in peace than united and be in chaos.

I was led to believe that Nigeria had heroes in it's founding fathers, but I have changed my opinion on that matter. Our founding fathers were not heroes, they were ambitious men who sought to have power for themselves in my humble opinion. Men who were not mature enough to drive the "car" named Nigeria but demanded for the keys.

The name of this blog is Truth Don Die and it is evident to me that even in Achebe's book Truth Died a little bit. Achebe seems to suggest that the Civil War was a clear plan by the Northerners to exterminate the Igbos, well if this was true how come they didn't exterminate us after the war? 

Achebe also suggests that it was a Jihad by the Muslim North against the Christian South, if this is true how come the leadership of Nigeria at the time were mostly Christian men and not all of them were from the North. The head of State Gowon was a christian man, Danjuma was a christian man, Obasanjo a christian man. The only prominent Muslim was General Murtala Mohammed. 

The truth of the matter is that the igbos lost the trust of the Northerners in the North by starting a coup which killed prominent Yoruba and mostly Northern leaders but left many Igbo leaders untouched. It came across as the ultimate betrayal, especially as so many igbos had settled down in the North and been welcomed by the Northerners. 

My purpose is not to cast blame on one side, it is to show that both sides have a story to tell. The truth is not limited to only one ethnicity. After reading this book, one may come to feel a deep sympathy for the Igbos and a strong dislike for the Northerners. I urge that we get all sides of the story, let all sides of the story be discussed as a nation. And after discussing, forge a path forward. 


Review of Chinua Achebe's book from a Northern Perspective

Love for God vs Love for Man

"There is not enough love in the world to permit and goodness in the world to permit giving any of it away to imaginary beings" - Friedrich Nietzsche

Sometimes I turn on the TV and on CNN they are reporting about some sectarian conflict in some part of the world and my soul just tears a little bit.. Whether it be Jews against Palestinians, Shite against Sunni, Hausas versus Igbos, Tutsis versus Hutus.

Take for example, the conflict in Israel between the Palestinians and the Jews. How long has it been going on for? How long have both sides negotiated for peace? I wonder constantly don't they get tired and weary of all the hate? Don't the men at the negotiating table have families to which they want to go home to and live in peace with? We all know that it takes a toll on the human soul to hate our fellow man..

What makes a man hate another man on the basis of his ethnicity or religion? Knowing that he/she has only one life to live? Why dedicate your life towards hate? Because at the end of the day that is what it is isn't it? Living a life of constant hate and conflict. I know the world may never be perfect, and I am not a wide eyed optimist but sometimes, I wonder why the same people who claim to love God and love Allah never find it within themselves to love Allah/God's creation, their fellow human.

My friend Tọpẹ provided me with this bible verse 1 John 4:20-21

"If anyone says, I love God and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.

THERE IS NOTHING SACRED ABOUT HUMAN LIFE. #ALUU4

Man I haven't written a blog post in almost a year, so I am slightly rusty.


Like so many of you I was saddened to read about and watch the killings of four young men who were allegedly killed for stealing blackberries and laptops in ALUU Port Harcourt, Nigeria. The reason I say "allegedly" is because I do not know the truth of the matter and I rarely assume when it comes to such cases. Some say they were killed because they were cultists, others say it was because they stole blackberries. It really does not matter what they did at the end of the day, the legal system and the police of a nation should be the ones who handle crime. Those of you who watched the video, you would notice how those boys were treated like common animals. The inhumane nature of the killing is what got to most of us, where did our collective humanity go?
Honestly watching that video, my immediate reaction wasn't one of shock or sadness. It was more of "weariness". My soul became heavy and it cried at the sorry state of the human condition. Where did we get to the point as a nation where young men could potentially be killed over blackberries and laptop?


Why are we acting like these killings are something new? They have been burning and killing people for stealing meatpie in Nigeria for a long time. This is nothing new, the only thing new is the fact that we are able to see it due to new technology. The pictures and videos help drive home the full picture.Some people are asking that those responsible for the killings be held responsible. I argue that "WE""the citizens of Nigeria" are responsible for those killings. We are accomplices to the killings of those four young boys.   For so long, "WE" have accepted mediocrity in our nation and now the chickens are coming home to roost. Were we not all accomplices? Accomplices to murder. Accomplices to corruption. Accomplices to bad leadership? Accomplices to the violation of human rights? Have we not all stood by and participated explicitly or tacitly in promoting this cult of mediocrity? Does mediocrity start from the Top Down or from the ground up? Even the bus driver who pays 20 Naira to the police officer is as guilty as the house of speaker who steals 20 million naira.


Sometimes in Nigeria, it is common to hear one say "Nigeria is Bad because our leaders are corrupt". My friend Sasha told me that she came across a quote that says "People get the leaders that they deserve".  Tacitly or Explicitly we have chosen these leaders and they are a reflection of the character of our people. These leaders are not some alien force. They are made up of people like us, and they reflect the moral character of our nation.


At the end of the day "WE" as a people have failed ourselves and failed our nation. Until "WE" decide to dig ourselves out of this grave of mediocrity we will continue to witness the complete degradation of our human existence and our souls will become numb to such actions. So for those asking for the people responsible for the killings to be held accountable. I point you to the main culprits "WE" the people were responsible for those killings.

A Physicist Claims to Have Physically Found God

And it wasn't some bearded white man sitting in the clouds.
And it wasn't by revelation either.
He found it, By Mathematical computation and cosmic modelling.

Let me tell what I got from him, the way I got it.

Frank J. Tipler was your everyday smart ass scientist. He studied physics, did his PhD in Cosmic Relativity (a la Steve Hawkins) and having observed the universe, quickly dumped his beliefs in God. He was an atheist for the better part of thirty years.

Well, as he advanced in his study of the cosmos, he applied Einstein's proof that as far as physics was concerned, there was no fundamental difference between the past, future or present (check Einstein's relativist theories). Being that most cosmologists have successfully used these theories to understand the earliest beginnings of our universe and how it has evolved over time, Tipler decided to use the same theories to model the evolution of our universe's future.

In doing so, he did something few scientists have ever done, that is, develop a complete picture of the universe both as it has been, as it is, and as it is going to be. He unified all of it into one complete model. And according to him, his own conclusions startled him because they align with a lot of Judeo-Christian beliefs that he had denounced as rubbish.

His first discovery is that there has to be into the future of the universe, what he called an Omega point. Its a point where, based on the known laws of physics, all that is, will be, and has been remains totally in existence. That is where the present, past and future will merge into a constant and remain so.  Where everything that has ever existed in the universe will exist again, or should I say, already exists again. Thus, the physical universe is progressing to a particular point where everything and everyone who has ever lived, will be alive again, permanently. (the bible calls it resurrection and eternity).

His second conclusion was that theology got it all wrong: God is not a being, God is being itself evolving into manifestation. However, given that cosmically, the Present, past and future are a constant, God already exists now as part and parcel of all things, and at the Omega point, and can reach across time and existence. It is we humans who have to progress through time to when we can know Him fully. (He who Was, and Is , and Is to Come). Funny enough to me, I found that historians have said that when God spoke to Moses, he introduced himself, not as I am what I am, like KJV said, but as I AM what I WILL BE.

His third conclusion is that based on his model, the 'all Being' who becomes personified as God in the Omega point cannot  possibly be a triune God (someone remember my post about how Trinity makes no sense.) Accoring to him, mathematically, the entire energy of the universe merges into a Singularity. A ONE. (take that, polytheists).

He comes to a bunch of other conclusions based on his modelling of cosmic evolution, but I don't want to recreate his book. Its called "The Physics of Immortality: Modern Cosmology,God and the Resurrection of the Dead." Check some of it out here
The most amazing thing is that he used mathematics to come to all these conclusions. According to him, math, by allowing us to measure reality to the point of infinity, allows us not just to model the universe, but to see God.

And of course he is no longer an atheist. (He does say however, that unifying Christianity with his Omega point theory while possible, is not easy and does not arise clearly from the model because his model can only mathematically prove the existence of God, resurrection, and immortality. there is no clear modelling of the figure and phenomenon embodied in the Bible as Christ. In other words, Judaism & Islam fits his theory more easily.
Now, as defender of rationality,  I decided to find the other side of the story. Critics have mostly agreed with his mathematical calculations that predict the existence of an Omega point, with all of its characteristics like melding past, present and future, embodying all alternate expressions of the universe etc. However, they disagree with Tipler's conclusion that the singularity of the Omega point is God.  Tipler insists that this singularity has all the qualities which religions attribute to God, including intelligence.

Now, Im neither refuting nor confirming his arguments, the math too tough for me. Im only showing you something I have been saying many times in this blog: A basic understanding of science, especially space-time theories, almost always confirm if not the existence of God, at least a rational need for it.)

And this may be the longest, most scientifcally dizzying post I ever made. Im going to retire for a year. Peace.

GOD DOES NOT DO LOGIC

My God so I searched for the third picture for an hour, I lowkey felt like God didn't want me to find it because that was what this whole blog post is based upon. So I came across the third picture on facebook the other day and I got to asking on twitter "Why did God not create Jesus the same way he did Adam and Eve".

Some people replied with answers like this "Well God wanted we humans to believe that Jesus was real because we could identify more with Jesus if Jesus was human and born just like everybody else" 

So let us think about this for a second, so this was God's thought process "Them humans down yonder would never believe that Jesus was the Son of God if I created him like I did Adam and Eve but surely they will believe that a Virgin suddenly became pregnant and her fiance (joseph) was not the father." 

I guess God was right, 2 billion people have believe this story and it's pretty amazing. But this is where I don' buy the whole "God was trying to make Jesus more logical/reasonable to Humans by making him be born through a woman".  Today, a high percentage of people believe that the world was created by God and that he created Adam from dust and woman from Adam's rib. Now why would the same people who believe in a story like that, now be so doubtful when it comes to "Jesus being created from dust as well"? If they were "gullible" enough to believe that Adam was created from dust, what would stop them from being gullible enough to believe that Jesus was created from dust as well? If God's reason for using Mary to carry Jesus was because he wanted to appeal to our human logic and the way human beings think nature is supposed to work then he should not have bothered with going the extra mile.  We humans had already believed he 

created:

 man from dust,

 woman from man,

 serpents that could talk, 

donkeys that could talk, 

tower that almost reached heaven (tower of babel)

seas that could part into two, (Moses)

Burning Bush 

Man who could walk on water

Walls that collapsed because people walked around it (Jericho)

 flood that had swallowed up the whole earth, 

woman who had turned to pillar of salt, (Lots wife)

Whales that swallowed men and spit them out (Jonah)

Men who could stop the sun from going down (Moses)

Yall get my point, we had already believed so many "bizarre/out of this world" stories that another story like "God creating Jesus" would not even shake our so called Faith.. Infact, the more ridiculous the story the more we guarantee God that we will believe it.  

Personally I don't believe Jesus is the literal Son of God, I don't believe Mary took birth because of God, she either did what some so called virgins do these days and mistakenly get knocked up or the whole story is hog wash. Now Jesus was a great man and that is all he was, another man like Martin Luther King, Ghandi, Mother Theresa people like that. If there is truly a God and I believe there is, the bible is not his word of God and that book is a blasphemy unto his name. I've never understood why people label people like me "blasphemers" when they themselves are the ones blaspheming against God by professing a book that has so many fairy tale stories and contradictions is inspired by God. 

Lucifer's Diary: God Cheated

We are always going on about the 'dangers of a single story.' So like you all already know, once in a while, we approach the Bible from a whole new point of view. Today, I'm questioning the assumption that God won the eternal argument and Lucifer lost. It may well be that one person cheated. Im just gonna let yall decide what you decide. For me, Im just thinking aloud, as always. So here is the devil's diary entry. I suggest a sign of the cross before you read further.

Entry 1: "So my simple argument has been thrown about the cosmos as an act of rebellion. I simply questioned the assumption that every living soul necessarily finds pleasure in worshipping God through out eternity. God says that is the ultimate good and that I am somehow evil for wanting for once to just enjoy my own existence, to do something for Myself. Just to be me, and to let other beings recognize me for what and who I am instead of justifying my existence through service to Him. And the other angels somehow think He is right and that I really am evil. The ignorance of them all! I have tried to reach out to them, to show them that they are basically programmed to want to serve him. They have just an illusion of choice. Even with that illusion I have managed to sway some of them. Now, I made just one simple bet with God. "Create a new being, outside heaven so he won't fear your presence, give him independence and dominion over his own plane of existence. And then just please, give him choice. Free will. Make him a free agent and I swear once he has the choice between serving God, or being like God, he will choose to be like God." Since that is the sin I am being punished for, let's see if a free agent will choose to worship God. If he does, then I will accept my fate. God has accepted my bet. He has embarked upon creating an earth and putting a being in it who is made like the sons of God but also has free will. Let's see how this will go. 


Entry 2: Hahahahahaha! I did it!! Real simple...the tree was put in the garden and God gave instructions to man and the woman....dont eat of it. I asked them, do you wanna serve God forever and not know why he didn't want you to eat that tree, or do you want to be like God, decide for yourself what is good or bad and do whatever you want. It was a simple choice really. I ALWAYS knew I was right!!!


Entry 3: Crap! God decided to be vengeful! When I was celebrating the fact I was proven right, he ordered Michael to throw me and all the angels who supported me out of heaven! He said I should go and join man on earth. Ah! Sore losers! I'll miss the view, but I like the freedom much better! There is nothing as great as freedom. Man needs to know that. 


Entry 4: This was not part of the bargain. Everytime we earth dwellers get into our rhythm and decide to do our own thing, God throws a curve ball and messes things up. So what no man on earth knew him, was that good reason to single out Noah the loner and then flood the rest of the earth? And then he singled out Abraham and said he could have any part of the earth he wanted. Its this preferential treatment he's trying to use to discredit us and make his own followers seem to be special. And man will be gullible enough to fall for that trick and abandon his freedom. Well, all I got to offer to mankind is freedom, liberty and the ability to be your own man and do your thing. Let those that desire a life of servitude join the Abrahamic camp anyway. Its their mess, not mine. 


Entry 5: Wow, theres no length He won't go to make me look bad. Sending Jesus?? Wow. Well, I offered Jesus the simple choice: liberty, adulation and glory or serving God. Even being who he is, I could see he was tempted. But ultimately, he was too scared to break free. I guess now, with the power he has, men will fall for it and decide that servitude is what they want if miracles come with it. They just don't understand the whole story. I can't make them either, cos I really don't care at the end of the day. There will always be men who understand that the best justification for existence is the freedom to do whatever you want with it, within reason. Even as we speak, some men like that are abandoning the Old world with its religious clusterfuck to make a new country, called the New World, for men who love liberty. Its only a matter of time before the God-servers will overrun it and bring it down, but for the length of time they let liberty rule them, they will know greatness. After that, I really don't care. Am already a free soul. Maybe the only one.

Well, thats the end of it. Thats me reimagining the world and the Bible as we have known it. Its ludicrous, but its almost as plausible as what we Christians believe anyway. And its my thoughts, I'll be damned if I'm not free to think it.

Peace.

Occupy Reality-You cannot Eat Your National Cake and Have it Too

Nigeria is awash with the Occupy fever. Yet, even as someone who has held a strong belief in the character of the average Nigerian, even as I have prayed for an uprising of this nature, I cannot support this current Occupy Nigeria protest in true conscience. The sole reason being that we are occupying for all the wrong reasons.

Of all things to protest, N65 fuel is the most unsustainable, most suicidal and most hypocritical because it stems from the same premise that has made our government evil and corrupt: this idea that the presence of oil somehow frees us from recognizing reality. That we can do all things through oil which strengthens us.
The reality of course, is that we cannot. For years, we have sat content to let the natural resource of the Niger-Delta be appropriated by the government and declared state property to be dispensed as the government deems fit. We did not protest. The Niger-Deltans cried foul for years, that they were not only stolen from, but their communities were defiled making it impossible for them to make their own living independent of the oil explorers, but we did not protest. Their leaders were killed for speaking, and their youths took up arms in rebellion, but we did not raise a finger. The government has been abusing the stolen wealth, for decades, we did not protest. When NNPC created the subsidy rules, and made themselves the sole decider of who gets what, we did not speak up. When ruler upon ruler flouted rules they had set up, we did not. Bode George stole billions, and was given a hero's welcome, we did not protest. GEJ voted a billion for his feeding, we did not protest. But when our sole racket in a country of racketeering, the artificially set pump price of N65 was lifted, we took to the streets.
Don't even lie about how we care about the economy, and all that hypocritical stuff. The people out there howling, are howling because they suddenly have to pay more for everything. They are screaming for money, with good governance as an after thought. That is the hypocrisy that I can no longer stand.
The Average Nigerian wants something for nothing, and worse, feels entitled to it because somewhere in Nigeria, oil is coming out of the ground. Well, lets see how much we can ignore reality and get away with it. Because the reality is, there is not enough oil, IN THE WHOLE WORLD, to feed 160 million people who do not want to demand anything from themselves. Not from their government. THEMSELVES. We are occupying Nigeria because we cannot afford to Occupy Reality. And the Divine is not okay with that.
Are  you?

ONE MAN's FALSE PROPHET IS ANOTHER MAN's "MAN OF GOD"

Hey yall... Long time no blogpost from yours truly.
I will be honest with yall, the reason I've stopped writing about "controversial topics" is simply because I started dating someone who is of the christian faith. And as you know, when you care for somebody you sorta stop saying stuff that might potentially hurt them or hurt something they believe in. But as I was in my self imposed exile, this video of  "Nigerian Fake Pastors VIdeo - here" dropped into my lap.. One of the Pastors in the video said "God is a Game". After watching the video I posted this comment beneath it "

The question becomes how does one differentiate between a real pastor and a fake pastor? A real prophet and a false prophet?  As usual, the Bible has an answer for us which eventually turns out not to be an answer but a question inside of an answer inside of another question. I digress. Read on 

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.  You will recognize them by their fruits... So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit…Thus you will recognize them by their fruits” (Matthew 7:15-20).

How do we determine objectively what a False Prophet is? After all one man's false prophet might be another man's "Man of God". There must be a way to truly truly determine which is a false prophet and which is not.  The verse above says you can recognize them by their fruits? Fruits as in how? Do the Fruits refer to the private jets of their pastors? Does it refer to the spirituality of the members of the church? Does it refer to how many people attend the church? What do these Fruits refer to? Because if it refers to how many members attend the church, then all the pastors mentioned in the above video are bearing good fruit. If Fruits refers to how many members of the church are prosperous, many of the pastors in that church are also bearing good fruit.  If it refers to how many members of the church have given their life to christ and all that good stuff. It also means that some of these pastors in the video are very fertile, very very fruitily fertile. This verse leaves one with more questions than answers and as a result makes no sense. It is open to any number of interpretations and we all know where that leads. 

It should be remembered that Jesus was also considered a False Prophet back in his day by some people. There is no way at the end of the day to determine accurately which "Man of God" is false and which is Real because at the end of the day, God still refuses to come down and tell us with his own mouth which one is real and which is false so until Kingdom come, bad guyzz gots to rely on Faith...

Some of my friends watched the video and some of them commented by saying "Religion in Nigeria is a joke" or "Nigerian pastors are frauds". But what struck me as amusing is that these very same friends attended churches albeit churches not run by Nigerians. If Nigerian Pastors are frauds, American pastors nko? Jamaican pastors nko? Or is religious fraud something limited only to Nigeria? 

For example of white pastors doing the same thing. Please click on this Link 

Personally, I believe that any institution or person or religion that requires you to believe something without evidence is fraudulent. 

The reason that it is particularly hard to determine which pastor is false and which is real is because of  this "Faith" that some of you swear to live by. 

You ask the average Nigerian why do they believe in Jesus as the Son of God or this they reply with "it's because I have Faith". This una Faith go land una in Hell before Heaven if some of you are not careful. 

The problem with Faith is that Faith is not a "Source of Knowledge". Telling me that you believe in Jesus as the Son of God because of "Faith" is not an answer to the question of whether Jesus is the Son of God. You cannot make something to be true by believing it to be truth , the fact that you believe that Jesus is the Son of God does not make Jesus the Son of God. Faith at the end of the day is unquestioned, unjustified belief, and unjustified belief cannot constitute Knowledge. 

These Pastors depicted in the Video know that as long as they have Faith on their side, our criticisms will always fall on deaf ears. You should see how some members of churches like Redeemed and Christ Embassy defend their pastors, you would think they were brainwashed. Men and women who are supposedly educated, defending actions that are evil even to children. 

As one of the Pastors said, God is a Game, Faith is a Game. The game is that there is no such thing as a Man of God because we are all "Children of God". If tomorrow I come out and say I am a pastor, na who go stop me? That is the problem with this religious business, it is absolutely hard to determine who is genuine and who is fake. 

But in my personal opinion, just because you are genuine pastor in your faith does not mean what you preach is not false. But that is a topic for another day. 

There is a church in my area who's pastor always preaches the value of "Sowing seed". The pastor one day asked people with $500 to step out, and then people with $1000 to step out, and it went on like that. So Apparently the prayers he now dished out blessed you in accordance to the money you brought out. And so-called educated people saw such things happening and assumed all of it to be totally appropriate. Sigh.. 

In conclusion, I leave yall with the 5 Richest pastors in Nigeria..

Top 5 Richest Nigerian Pastors - here

If God is Your Father Why Did He Make Hell??

*Dusts cobwebs*

*Sweeps dust*

Opens front door: People of blogsville, We have come back from the dead. For now. If you ask us why we havent updated since June, I will tell you that we went to search for 'Truth' in the land of the dead. That may or may not be true. Hell, its Not. We've been busy #NuffSaid

Anyway, Azazel/Eche/Philosopher-Promoter alias @echecrates decided to bring up a question about God on twitter. This was nothing new, just Eche being his regular theophobic self. But at the same time Accounting was knacking me without my permission so I deferred our argument for later. But the main thrust of his issue was "what exactly does God gain when we praise him?" and I replied that being essentially the father of creation, just like our earthly fathers, he likes it when his creation acknowledge him. But then Eche refuted that analogy on the grounds that it makes no sense for a father to prepare hell for their offspring and so as far as paternity goes, God does not qualify noni. So Eche, lemme tell you why it makes perfect sense for God to make us, love us, and still sit idly by sipping on Angel Gin as we march of to hell. First the argument for why hell EVEN exists:

First, examine the Universe. God made it with Immutable laws. One of those laws is duality,something that manifests itself in the ying yang and both Einstein's and Newtons physical theory. Nothing happens, or exists without a negative or inverse of it. Its a law, laid down and impossible to break. Any force has an opposite, any action has a reaction, there is material and immaterial, physical and metaphysical, what goes around comes back, karma, all that stuff. We observe it and believe it everyday. So think, why would it get to the case of heaven, why would that law suddenly be negated?? If God made a heaven that is the epitome of pleasure, light, order, justice, and harmony, there has to exist also a place that is filled with darkness, chaos, suffering, disharmony, and pain. Its what our observation has told us, its not a personal matter, its not an arbitrary construct, its what it is. Hell has to exist to balance out heaven or both of them don't exist altogether.

So now, how is it decided who goes where? Who goes to heaven and who doesnt? The same universal laws still hold the answer. (Notice am using logical inference instead of quoting Bible verses)If heaven and hell are different poles of existence, they attract and keep different kinds of beings. The beings whose orientation is predisposed to heaven will naturally find their home there. Their very nature, like electrical charges, draws them to one end and they exist harmoniously with it. On the other hand, people who have the opposite disposition, like the opposite electric charges, gravitate towards the opposite end. It may not be where they WANT to go, but that is their place and thats where they will. God has made it so, its like trying to push together repelling ends of a magnet, it will not stick. We recognize this law everywhere we go, from mundane issues like a son being forced to take engineering when he is an artist at heart, or a lion being raised to act and think like a pet dog. It never lasts.

This is one place I will quote scripture: When Jesus said "Unless a man is born of the water and Spirit of God, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." (with nicodemus) He was not saying that God judges ur actions, its your spirit, your inner nature, that part of us that was a part of God that enables us enter heaven.

When God created all beings with free will what he essentially gave us was akin to creating a neutral charge but saying, you reserve the right to gain or lose an electron to make yourself either positive or negative (idk if the physics is right but u get the point), but know that which one you chose determines whether u live, or die. Now when God said this(referring to the tree of knowing good and evil) , death was inexistent in the universe. But he told Adam you will die, spiritually and eventually physically. The reason is because God knows what he made and as soon as he created life, at the other end of the spectrum, death came into existence. As soon as he made all things and called them Good, evil existed. As soon as he made perfection, imperfection came into being. So dont ask me if God is good, why did he make evil, it comes with the package. Anything that disrupts the Good and perfect moves towards the other end. So when Lucifer rebelled, he fell from the standard of good and tilted the other way. And when Adam sinned, he disrupted the good and tilted the other way. Based on the laws of the universe, once u are not of one, you are of the other. So hell became the natural destination of all men born under Adam, because the change was spiritual, the death was spiritual. No matter how much God loved us, he could do NOTHING about where we are going unless he could do something about who we are.

And he did.

See, it makes sense for Christ to die. Because if he didn't his human life would not have come to a logical end. He would not have been the ONE human being who died perfect. If Adam had had a son before he sinned, Christ would have been unnecessary because the spiritual descendants of ADAM'S son would have an intact perfect nature. But he didnt. So there was need for ONE human soul to die perfect so that spiritually all men would have a source of a new spirit. And that new spirit, not ANY action you take, is what takes you to heaven. (If you do not become born of the spirit of God, you cannot enter the kingdom of Heaven) Everyother person who sticks with the old human nature, naturally stays going to hell no matter how much God loves them. Thats why I laugh at Christians who say what you DO or DONT do takes you to heaven cos they misunderstand. And when people say if God is good, why did he allow evil. He didnt. We all did. Its free will baby, its either a big responsibility, or a big bitch. But don't tell me nothing about how God loves us so he cant make hell. He already tried to keep us out of it. Its time we grew up and accept the fact that he made heaven and hell, and says essentially, Chose one.

(Don't consider this a sermon, cos believe me I do not intend to influence ur views. Believe what you will, but know what you believe.)

El Divine is out. Lemme hear what you think.