Comments on: Zuma’s polygamy is fine by me

By: Jon Story

Jon Story — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 16:28:26 +0000

@brandon – Religion means rules and regulations, hardly ever freedom of thinking and speech. Even African culture has its own set of rules, which is eg that Mr Zuma can have more than one simultaneous wife.
Wars are in some cases known to have started because of religious differences but more often (I think) because of landhunger, revenge for previous defeats,(WWII) and more recently, oil and to counter terrorism. Christianity and Islam have been at war in the past to increase their sphere of influence. The pharaos went forth to conquer with the blessing of their gods, the Germans had Gott mit uns on their buckles and in England the war flags hang in churches all over the country to witness that God has blessed the war effort. In that sense war and religion seem to be linked, I agree. But as long as man has not learned to be compassionate and to love his neighbour as himself, bloody conflicts will persist. The biblical prophesy points to a battle which will not be fought on earth but in the heart and minds of people (the spiritual realm if you like) between good and evil. That good will eventually prevail, I have no doubt about. What happens after is beyond words.

By: Tsholo

Tsholo — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 14:00:27 +0000

@Lyndall
hahahahaha……i couldnt help but laugh at your comment. did you just suggest that we watch isidingo to learn about our culture????? So this is what is has come down to ,maAgnes le bo Zeb. this is simple i have a suggestion for you, stop commenting on issues that you dont understand.

By: brandon

brandon — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 05:34:18 +0000

Once again – religion becomes a divisive factor. Religion is the prime cause of conflicts, wars and genocide the world over! Let the biblical prophecy ring true – let the governments of the world ban all religion!

By: Mandrake

Mandrake — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 09:19:29 +0000

Very lucid statement Jon Story

By: Siobhan

Siobhan — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 08:37:50 +0000

@Jon Story

God…Does she or doesn’t she?
Exist, that is.
I don’t know but neither does anyone else.

The various versions of ‘god’ that humans have invented are fascinating emanations from the depths of consciousness. These archetypal creations reflect our deepest fears and our highest aspirations. As such they embody the potential to encourage both good and evil. And, true to form, belief in various ‘gods’ have given us a lot of both.

What all monotheistic religions have in common is the provision of an ‘ultimate authority’ that supposedly resides outside the human mind. Believers accept that ‘authority’; skeptics question its origin and its nature.

Given the absence of definitive proof I think the best one can do is to adopt the agnostic position: there may be an entity or force or energy that created all that exists–including itself!–but we have no way of knowing beyond a reasonable doubt that there is such an entity. We would welcome proof in either case (god, no god) but we must live with uncertainty in the interim.
This does not mean agnostics–or atheists for that matter–are immoral or even amoral. A personal code of ethics may closely resemble the ‘Eight Beatitudes’ from the New Testament ‘sermon on the mount’. Religion and ethics, however, are neither synonymous nor interdependent.

An open but questioning mind and a compassionate heart; not a bad approach to life.

Schillebeeks, Kung and de Chardin share brilliance, scholarship, and honesty. Not bad for Theologians.

By: Jon Story

Jon Story — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 13:46:01 +0000

There seems to be more to Mr Zuma taking another wife then the Reverend Botha accounted for. The black folk which the white missionaries encountered had/have a wealth of tradition on which their way of life was, and still is, ordered. We are now learning a lot about e.g. lobola and the value of women in their culture. Things which to (white) christian missionaries ran in their view against christian beliefs and values. Some of them mastered the language and managed to persuade black people to renounce their traditional ways while others considered that a combination of tradition and christianity was possible opening up a way to perhaps claim more converts. I understand that Mr Zuma is an ordained minister but at the same time also partakes in the Zulu culture of having more than one wife. To my western christian mind one man cannot be worth more than one wife and they must be on equal footing. The value of a woman cannot, I think, be expressed in cows or sheep. Of course, in the west the cattle have been replaced by perhaps a(very)expensive ring, a dowry and/or a lavish party.
There is always more than meets the eye, so condemnation either way is not wise. Ridiculing or mud-slinging is even less clever. Zuma and his wife(s) are consenting adults and if there is a (last) judgement on this they and no one else will have to answer for it.

By: S.P.van Niekerk

S.P.van Niekerk — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 12:29:25 +0000

What a pity we first have to die before finding out who wins the debate.

By: Jon Story

Jon Story — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 10:55:40 +0000

@ Siobhan.
We deviate from the subject which was Mr Zuma’s wives.

If sin was original, i.e. part of the design, a little baptismal water could obviously not wash it away. You cannot remove the engine by washing your car.
You would need to acqaint yourself with the meaning of baptism, which is, in short, a prayer to God of a good (clear) conscience. For an ‘unbeliever’ that would probably not mean anything.
The quasy-theologians you mention are at pains to what they call demythologise the bible. Despite their title they lack apparent belief in God. Because, if one wants to know God (theos=God;logos=knowledge) the fitst requirement is to believe that He exists.
Does that make them bad people, no, because the core of christian belief is exactly this: to treat your neighbour as you would wish him/her to treat you. That the (christian) church has too often failed to practise this I am the first to admit (see my first posting).
Interesting that you mention us evolving as a species. What if God took a pre-historic neanderthal as the raw material to model the human species as we know him/her, in his likeness? And if God is the final reality what further evolvement could there be? Physically, mentally? Maybe. It is however my belief that God is Spirit and that any evolvement must be in His -the spiritual – direction. Until we see all the details.

By: Siphiwo Siphiwo

Siphiwo Siphiwo — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 08:25:46 +0000

mandrake–09:00

point perferctly made.

By: MuAfrika

MuAfrika — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 08:09:58 +0000

Dear Bovril our ways did not cripple Africa but the white people comming in contact with our ways crippled Africa.