USA Africa Dialogue Series - Re: [NIgerianWorldForum] Thanks, Mr. Umoh// Response to the Vic Katte and the anti-Bible gang on "the Evil Deeds of Jesus" by MsJoe

 

Hello Mr. Vic Katte, the Professor and Public Intellectual:

Greetings:

You indicated that by age 12, you had  read the whole Bible and concluded that God does not exist.  In your adulthood, since you are still seeking to reconfirm what you claim you knew as an un-emancipated, dependent child,  you are engaging in what is  called: self-fulfilling prophecy.  In other words, you are not open to learning. Is that a hallmark of your intellectual rigor when you are predisposed to be close-minded? 

You cited: "How blessed will be the one who seizes and dashes your little ones against the rock," (Psalm 137:9) to accuse Jesus of evil deeds. The anti-Bible squad often cites this verse to prove  the invalidity of the B ible.  Certainly, as a child, somewhere in your village, city or town, you did not master hermeneutics (interpretation of biblical/ theological  text in its context). It does not appear you cared about allegorical writing.  What manner of a child prodigy were you in your Biblical dismissal? Your parents did not caution you of the error of your preadolescent bravado? Lord Have Mercy!lol

Since you  hold yourself as a critical thinker, Mr. Professor, in the first place, you either lied or fell short of your intellectual rigor (which you often boast of) in your accusation of Jesus. 

I am inviting you, let us us reason: In the Old Testament, Psalms is  a collection of lyrical poems, written by multiple authors. King David,  a master musician and poet, wrote most of the composi te work with 73 of Psalms; Moses wrote Psalm 90; Asaph wrote twelve; the descendants of Korah wrote ten; King Solomon wrote about one or two, and Ethan and Heman  were credited with a piece each. Where in your childhood or adulthood did you read that Jesus wrote what you are citing? Jesus was born at least 28 generations after King David. He could not have written what you accuse him of.

Professor, I know you cannot be smoking something  that is bad for the faculties. LOL.

Context is essential. Of course, the Bible does not  teach that killing children is okay.   Intellectual honesty values inquiry: What was the Psalmist  saying, what influenced it, and why?  Psalm 137 is versed in the Babylonian captivity.  The author  is referring to the  captors tormenting his fellow  Israelites  (verses 1-3); a pledge not to forget Jerusalem (verses 6 to  9)  and a curse against the Babylonian captors (verses 7 to 9).

Anguished in exile and possibly a witness to  the atrocities committed against his people, including babies,  avenging emotions, retributive justice were common at the time as the instincts continue  today. The   author, crying out loud,  did not say he got approval from God, neither is there any indication that his wish was fulfilled. Even if you foreclosed on your mind at age 12 and apparently refused to understand  anything  beyond the Old Testament,  I guess you  missed Mathew 18:5 when Jesus specifically  said "Whoever receives a child, receives me."  He did not discriminate by tribe or nation.

Looking at the Old Testament, many atrocious were recorded.   Since you and other non-believers would be sharp to embrace free will, humans have the  choice to be virtuous or vicious. God introduced what is called the Apoditic Law (Exodus 21:24): an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.  This was justified to  avert  the escalation of blood revenge. Therefore, the Psalmist in 139:9, expressing his wrath, is entirely human and it is understandable in the context and era of Babylonian captivity. Some had lost hope and the song: " How can we sing the Lord's song in a strange land? " captures the dread.

Sir, you and other non-believers are challenged to provide an  acceptable, objective moral standard by which you  can criticize biblical morality.  You are writing based on your subjectivity - yet you have the dishonesty to claim a high standard.  

Before you shoot off asking me (as you always do in your writings) to prove  the existence of God, please check your level of conscientiousness by reading the question and answering it: When you say God does not exist, you are making an absolute statement. To do so, you must possess all knowledge, which is an impossibility for any human being. Let us assume, by a stretch, that you have 2% of all knowledge. In the 98% of knowledge or experience that you do not have, is it possible that God exists? An honest person will concede that there is a possibility.  Not knowing about something does not disprove it. 

In that case,  honest  people will indicate the  limitation of their  knowledge/experience.  They would not make an absolute statement that God does not exist.  What does that make you? An agnostic. It is derived from the Greek root wor d of "agnosia," meaning "ignorance." It is your right to be skeptical but do not elevate what you do not know to scholarship. Keep learning. We all do.

I am not imposing my faith on you. God exists, I believe in Jesus Christ,  I believe  because of my personal experience. Unless you are abnormal, you cannot ask me to prove what is intangible.

Have a blessed week.

MsJoe (Evelyn)

Sent from my Verizon Wireless 4G LTE smartphone

-------- Original message --------
From: Martin Yembe
Date:05/04/2014 1:58 PM (GMT-05:00)
To: Cameroon Politics
Subject: Re: [cameroon_politics] The Evil Deeds of Jesus

 

Vic Katte again and again!!! No one in their right mind will dive into any war of words with your type. You sound so knowledgeable ( of course, of things that are negative to your mind) as the cup is almost always half empty to you! Has it occurred to you that before the NEW TESTAMENT, which was Jesus Christ' ( God's reversal of the old dispensation), given the context ( issues, activities, the times and peoples), all was about survival, confrontation between your master ( Lucifer) and God's people, His Chosen ones? Be it as it may be as you so badly wish, you have been reading those books that hail Satan and promote his kingdom of darkness. Now, you are so furious, even with yourself, that you forget to see that all of the New Testament was a "subtle" reversal of the Old Testament. You forget that David was/is the psalmist who was at war with King Saul, and was all though his life fighting against his personal a nd kingdom's enemies. What else would you want a parent of the kidnapped girls in Nigeria to say of the Boko Haram ? Oh, how we are blinded by prejudice and bias!!!

Martin in Ngarum

On Sun, May 4, 2014 at 10:25 AM, Vic Katte <vickatte@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:

 

Usumanu,

Now, you are denying what is in your bible. Do you think that will make it go away? Do you know what the call this? DENIAL. You think burying your head in the sand would make it go away? Are you ashamed that your god is so barbaric?

Here is Psalms 137: 9 from several translations:

King James - Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones.

Contemporary English Version - May the Lord bless everyone who beats your children against the rocks!

New International Version (UK) -  Happy is the one who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks.

 

Vic Katte

"Easy is the road that leads to benightedness, superstitions and irrationalism". Victor Katte

==============================================================

"The way to deal with superstition is not to be polite to it, but to tackle it with all arms, and so rout it, cripple it, and make it forever infamous and ridiculous. Is it, perchance, cherished by persons who should know better? Then their folly should be brought out into the light of day, and exhibited there in all its hideousness until they flee from it, hiding their heads in shame.

True enough, even a superstitious man has certain inalienable rights. He has a right to harbor and indulge his imbecilities as long as he pleases, provided only he does not try to inflict them upon other men by force. He has a right to argue for them as eloquently as he can, in season and out of season. He has a right to teach them to his children. But certainly he has no right to be protected against the free criticism of those who do not hold them. He has no right to demand that they be treated as sacred. He has no right to preach them without challenge." Mencken

Emancipate yourself from mental slavery - none but yourself can free your mind.

"Most people would rather die than think. And most people do"   Bertrand Russell.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aY5FcCQ8BIg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4YrvDslraw&NR=1

On Sunday, 4 May 2014, 17:59, "njoyaus@yahoo.com"<njoyaus@yahoo.com> wrote:

 

Victor: Liar! Where in Psalm 137:9 does order that babies be dashed against a rock. You claim to know the Bible and cannot understand the meaning and context of Psalm 137:9? You have to lie to prove your point? Albert Usumanu