Self-Direction

“The capacity for consistent self-direction, “wrote Bertrand Russell, “is one of the most valuable that a human being can possess.” Fortunately, our system of education produces men and women who are consistent; unfortunately however, not for self-direction, but only for self-obliteration. This, for the sake of heavenly rewards in the next life with a God as promised by a bunch of Jewish authors who wrote about it in the silly bible some three thousand years ago. Poch Suzara

Jesus Promised

Jesus promised: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” Matt. 7:7-8. Really, if Jesus could not deliver these promises to the Jews, God’s Chosen people, why should Jesus deliver them to the Filipinos – God’s Forsaken people? Poch Suzara

Pseudo Family

As it gradually dawned on me that I was habitually addressing a priest as “Father” and a nun as “Sister” and my teachers in La Salle as “Brother” I thought I’d better put to a stop to those self-appointed phoney family members who never gave a hoot at anytime or anywhere about the welfare of my real family life on this earth. Poch Suzara

Bob Garon

Bob Garon wrote: “We need to begin behaving like the Christian country that we are, not just in our religious rites. We need to stop being religious hypocrites and start the living the faith we profess.” For my part, I say it again: Blind faith is exactly that – blind. In the meantime, tens of millions of Filipinos pray daily to God to: “Give us this day our daily bread,” and to “lead us not into temptation.” After 500 years devoted to Christian values and beliefs, look at the results of our daily prayer: we are not only poorer with degradation as a people, but also poorer with corruption as a nation. Only because we Filipinos have not ceased living destructively due to the faith we profess. Poch Suzara

Serve Jesus

Bertrand Russell wrote: “The whole idea of throwing away your life blindly as an imagined service to Christ is a form of glorifying masochism and self-abasement before power.” In the Philippine, however, service to Christ as preachers of Catholicism, or as evangelists of El Shaddai, or as ministers of Jesus is Lord Movement, or as pastors of Iglesia Ni Cristo, etc. – means self-aggrandisement by way of tons and tons of money deposited weekly in local and foreign banks in the name of Jesus and for his glory. Poch Suzara

Atheism

Reason leads men to atheism because religion is absurd. The creator of the priesthood industry is a malicious and a ferocious God. Consider the 100 billion faulty humans that have already lived and died on this earth. The creator seems neither satisfied nor concerned as he is still creating more of the same faulty human beings on this earth. No attempts as yet have been tried by the creator to right the wrongs in the human design. Perhaps, the Creator is blind; or maybe he is just a sort of a spoiled supernatural brat who enjoys playing eternally capricious with toys. Poch Suzara

Pat Robertson

Pat Robertson, the famous American TV Evangelist, said: “Satan is a tool of God’s love in the sense that he forces us to see God’s loving patience.” For my part, I would not be surprised if it turned out that Pat Robertson is a direct descendant of the Talking Serpent
that caused the Fall of Man as written in Genesis. Poch Suzara

Peace On Earth - a possibility

The bow and arrow were once weapons of attack and defense with the aim to kill, but today the Art of Archery is a pure exercise in skill. Fencing and sword fighting were once a weapon of dueling. It has become a sport in the Olympic Games. Today weapons of wars like helicopters from an aircraft carrier were flown to help the poor victims who survived the Tsunami Disaster in South Asia last December 2004. It certainly makes one feel the idea of peace on earth and goodwill to all men can be a reality in our world of disasters. But for world peace and goodwill to all men, - here’s something even more profound. The late Scientist Carl Sagan wrote: “The Cosmos may be densely populated with intelligent beings. But the Darwinian lesson is clear. There will be no humans elsewhere. Only here. Only on this small planet. We are a rare as well as an endangered species. Every one of us is, in the cosmic perspective, precious. If a human disagrees with you, let him live. In a hundred billion galaxies, you will not find another.” Poch Suzara

Death In Terms of Eternity

In terms of eternity – human life is so short and in brief,  a wink of an eye, a flash in the pan, a split of a second long on this speck of dust called “earth.” Indeed, one million planets the size of earth can fit inside Jupiter - the biggest planet like earth orbiting round the sun. In the meantime, What meaning is there in life since the day we are born, is the day we begin to live in a dying body.

We may die this year or next year or ten or twenty or fifty years from now – what’s the difference? Our lives here on this earth is so short and brief in comparison to a billion years which in turn is just a fleeting spark in terms of eternity. Success in life or failure in life would really amount to nothing. But with courage, the best we can do in this this world is to try and leave it one day a better place than how we found it. No necessarily in the material, but in humanitarian sense. Otherwise there would be no reason for our having lived. Poch Suzara

American Convicts

In his book PERIL AND PROMISE, published in 1990, John Chancellor, one of America’s top TV newscasters, wrote: “America is losing its competitive edge in high technology, but it was the world’s leader in building prisons and filling them with convicts. In the last ten years, the United States overtook the Soviet Union and South Africa in what is called the incarceration race. Today, of every 100,000 Americans, 426 are behind bars. The rate in South Africa is 333; the Soviet Union, 268; Great Britain, 97. In the Netherlands, 40 out of every 100,000 Dutch citizens are in jail, a rate 90 per cent lower than that of the United States.” For my part, I have the greatest admiration for John Chancellor. Not only is he an intellectually courageous man, he is also one of those few admirable thinking American. A rarity, indeed, in the land of the free and the home of the brave. Poch Suzara

What Can Be Expected

What can be expected of a poor and backward Christian country where its men and women, blessed with college education, are on their knees praying daily to a silly God to save their silly souls in the next silly world? In the meantime, quite a lot of these so-called highly educated individuals have already migrated to live and work in foreign countries where its citizenry are already enjoying the impact of science and the benefits of technology. Oh yes, science may have brought troubles into our world, but as Bertrand Russell made clear: what is needed is not less, but more science to fix the troubles in our world. Poch Suzara

The Chinese People

I have the greatest respect and admiration for the Chinese people. They were a great people with a great past. Today, owing to science and technology, together with their sense of national pride for down-to-earth hard work, China is a great nation with a great present and indeed, with a great future. The only thing that worries me is that the Chinese people might soon be the new Americans of Asia: greedy, selfish, corrupt, and insane. Poch Suzara

A Precious Book

A book is a precious gift that you can open and read again and again. Not, however, among Filipinos. By any standard, the Philippines is not a nation of book readers. Only a nation of daily prayers, if not faithful believers. Poch Suzara

Inspired Bible Authors

"The bible is a record of man's complete in sin and God's remedy in Christ." Philippine Star, August 12, 2014 If the authors of God were inspired to write, why not inspire the readers to read too? Why should they not have same understanding of what was written? If it is claimed that they are so inspired, why is it then that they understand bible messages differently, if not conflictingly? Hell, for the love of God op there, bible readers are even willing to hate each other down here. Poch Suzara

It is Silly

Why should reading a book written by inspired authors of God leave the reader feeling clammy and shivering. The Multiplication Table was written not by inspired authors of God, and yet, nobody feels threatened or intimidated reading it. In fact, the Multiplication Table has been and still is the perfect model of truth - free from contradictions, absurdities, obscenities, inconsistencies, and indeed free from cruelties. The question is: Is it really inspiring that the Multiplication Table is not even mentioned in the Old or in the New Testament? Poch Suzara

Education more expensive

There is a saying among University professors: if you think education is expensive, try ignorance. But as the existence of universities have developed to be commercial rather than educational enterprises, education in the Philippines, just like in the United States, has turned out to be far more expensive than ignorance. Poch Suzara

Faith and Fear

Whether faith proves stronger than fear or fear proves stronger than faith matters not a pin. Whatever the case may be, faith and fear form a sort of a balance: - when one goes up, the other goes down. And the balancing board is called "ignorance." Poch Suzara

Christian Love and Compassion in the Philippines

I love the Philippines more than any other country in Asia, and for this reason, I cling to my right to often criticize her. In this connection, it pains me to see how we Filipinos have no sense of pride as a people and no sense of self-respect as a nation. After birth, we only look forward to a better life to come in the next world, if any. For God’s sake, we even kneel down and worship a Savior who was born in a foreign land called “Bethlehem” some 2,000 years ago. It is, in this way, that we look forward to a better life to come in the next world. No, for the sake of Christianity, we have neither love nor compassion for each other down here. We only love God and his Son Jesus up there. Poch Suzara Twitter# facebook# Google#

Old Age

Bertrand Russell said: “I consider old age a time to struggle for human decency – like any other.” Indeed, in his old age, he organized the Bertrand Russell Peace Foundation to explore the causes of war between nations; he led the fight in England against the proliferation of nuclear bombs; and, he campaigned against the American involvement in Vietnam. It is sad to notice, however, Russell admirers are just waiting for their old age. In this way, they too can, if at all, begin to struggle publicly for human decency as Bertrand Russell did globally throughout his entire career as a courageous and as a world famous philosopher. Poch Suzara

The Work In Congress

The working Congressmen can best be described by visiting Philippine Congress at work: - Delivering useless, if not bombastic privilege speeches; and, busy at pointless investigation in “aid of legislation.” Not to mention how to rescue each other by covering up for each other’s crimes away from the public view. Poch Suzara

My Prayers

As a grade-school kid I used to pray often to the Lord with these words: “Lord, please straighten out the religious mess that is in cahoots with the superstitious mess that
is keeping the Filipino daily in a mess as a people and in a yearly mess as a nation.” This was decades ago. Today I am fully aware of the mess behind the power of prayer. Poch Suzara

Newspaper

A Newspaper is a public trust only if its publisher is never afraid to publish every side of the issue leading to the truth. If it only prints more of the same recycled lies – social lies, religious lies, economic lies, and political lies that keeps the reading public selfish, greedy, stupid, and insane, - then that newspaper is not a public trust, but a public distrust. Sadly however, to begin with, newspaper could not even exist without the revenues from ads which have nothing to do with the truth. Poch Suzara

God's Only Son

God’s only Son? What about God’s only Daughter? Or God’s only mother and father and grandmothers and grandfathers; or God’s only uncles and aunties, nephews and nieces and cousins? Indeed, what is so terrible about a God having his own family? Indeed, a divinity that is a great part of humanity just as much as humanity as a great part of divinity? Poch Suzara

Happy New What year

Man emerged on this planet more than a million years ago. The earth itself, according to science, is some 4.6 billion years old. The universe some 15 to 20 billion years old. The fact that we celebrate the New Year as something like it is only 2015 years old is sheer stupidity, if not a traditional sacred absurdity. Indeed, Christianity stole the whole calender mess based on nothing but older religious insanity in order to keep us frightened to support, maintain, and defend the wealth and power of Christianity. Poch Suzara

The Filipino as a Christian

The Filipino is famous for being faithful as a Christian. He is, however, more famous as one who follows the teachings of Christ only in so far as they are not inconsistent with the life of sin against divinity and not incompatible with the life of crime against his own country. Indeed, in the Philippines, we all love God up there by hating one another down here. Poch Suzara

Most People

Most people love to believe in the fantasy of life after death. These are the same people who hate the reality of life before death. In this Christian country in Asia, we do not only look forward to a better life to come after death in the next world, but right after birth, we also look forward to a better life to come by migrating to earn of living in the next country to come. Poch Suzara

Mother Nature

Each time a killer quake kills thousands of people, we do not blame God; instead, we blame Mother Nature. But if God were not that interested to remedy the mess from Mother Nature, the least that He could do is to inspire His Saints to take over to clean up the mess. But where are the saints? Why are they like God – hiding all the time away from the troubles of our world which is also their world? Maybe it’s true: this is not their world so why bother. Poch Suzara

Superstition

Superstition is notorious in its various forms. The most notorious form is called “Religion.” Fortunately, there are many religions; unfortunately, however, each religion is based upon revealed truths that are sacred as long as they remain unrevealed. Poch suzara

Why Something Rather Than Nothing

Why something rather than nothing? A better question to ask is: If God were a spirit, why is there only the material world which is something,and no spiritual world which is the nothing? Poch Suzara

The Atheistic God

God himself is an atheist. He does not believe in the existence of other Gods. Consider His first commandment: “Thou shall have no other Gods before me.” Really, where did those other Gods come from? Which God created those other Gods? Poch Suzara

The Limitation of Science

Science cannot give an answer to the question: “Why should we be good?” it is beyond the realm of science to deal with ethics. Only religion has the answer to that question. In fact, religion teaches man to be good; unfortunately, how to be good for nothing. Poch Suzara

Who or What Creator

Modern science, which is just about 400 years old, has examined and continues to examine the nature of creation. Science, however, cannot examine the creator and for a very simple reason: there isn’t any. Even religion, which is already thousands of years old – still has no clear idea as to who or what the creator is suppose to be. Is the creator a He? A She? Or just an It? Even the most brilliant of theologians do not know what an “All-Knowing” creator knows. Poch Suzara

Science is Honest

Science is honest enough to admit what it does not know. It proceeds with reason and observation. Religion is dishonest. It pretends to know what it does not know. Its mission has only to do with eternal salvation. For my part, I have no taste for rewards after my death. Instead, I love science. It has a much greater mission: to free mankind from superstition in all its forms, especially in the form of religion still stuck in the quagmire of its own concocted revelation. Poch Suzara

Nothing Versus Something

Science would never have understood the power of nature were it not for the power of reason and observation. Indeed, owing to the power of reason, science has been able to successfully observe the difference between what is natural, which is something, from what is supernatural, which is nothing. Poch Suzara

God Blames Man

God blames man for his fault; and in order to make the situation even more faulty, God decided to become a man. And to think that God had the bright idea of transforming himself into a Jew. The divine mission obviously failed in spite of the biblical declaration that the Jews are Chosen People of God. Poch Suzara

It's all a Game

Little boys and girls enjoy playing the game called “HIDE AND SEEK.” Mindless men and heartless women love to play the same game too. They call it “SEEK AND CAN FIND GOD.” Happily, most of these men and women now silently agree that God could no longer be found inside a Church or inside a Cathedral or inside a temple or even inside a synagogue. In fact, if God were already existing here, there, and everywhere, why waste seeking Him anywhere? Poch Suzara

The Infidel Jesus

The bible proves Jesus himself was an infidel. Tim 5:8 states clearly: “But if any of you provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.” Well, in the same bible, Jesus admonished: “Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.” Matt. 6:34. Poch Suzara

The Pope and God and World Peace

As a Catholic boy then I was most proud of the Pope who prayed daily to God for world peace. Today, an old man, I am not only ashamed of the Pope, I am even more ashamed of God. There is still no peace on earth or even goodwill to all men. Meantime, this week, civilized humanity from civilized countries have sent billions of dollars worth of food, clothing, and medicine to help the hundreds of thousands of poor victims who survived the Tsunami Disaster in South Asia recently. But the Pope offered only mass and prayer for the victims. No wonder even priests and nuns are walking out disgusted with the Catholic hierarchy. In the meantime, I ask: Is it possible that there is no peace on earth because so many billions of people embrace conflicting religious beliefs that have more to do with hate this world and to look forward only to a better life to come after death in the next worth? Poch Suzara

The Failure of prayer

“The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” James 5:16. The same bible, however, also admits: “There is none righteous, no, not one.” Rom. 3:10. And to think that we Filipinos have not ceased praying to God to “give us this day our daily bread and to lead us not into temptation.” Poch Suzara

Only God Can Make a Tree

“A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.” Matt. 7:18. And to think that only God can make a tree.

Disciples's Descendants

“And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness.” Matt 10:1. I pity, indeed, those disciples gifted with power to heal all manner of diseases failed miserably to cure the sick maniacs who, over nothing, crucified Christ on the cross? But where on earth today are the descendants of those disciples? How come they all disappeared? Perhaps, they are the “faith-healers” in the Philippines today claiming to heal all manner of diseases?
Poch Suzara

The Peacemakers

“Blessed are the peacemakers.” Matt. 5:9. Again, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you. John 14:27. A graceful message, indeed, from a Savior who also gracefully admitted: “I came not to send peace, but a sword, and to set families against themselves.” Matt. 10:34-37. And who also peacefully announced: “But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.” Luke 19:27. And who also gracefully warned: “…he that hath no sword, let him sell his garments, and buy one.” Luke 22:36. Indeed, piss on you too! Poch Suzara

Every Child

Every child born in this world is an atheist, and, if he grows up with faith, his faith differs with the country in which he may happen to be born, or the people amongst whom he may happen to be indoctrinated. His faith therefore is the result of local teachings. Thus, throughout the world the religion of people is determined, by and large, by geographical accident of birth. In the Philippines, the Filipinos are Christians; in Japan, Shintoists; in China, Buddhists or Confucians; in Italy, Catholics; in India, Brahmans; in Indonesia, Muslims; in America, Baptists or Methodists or Lutherans, etc. What these people were taught during infancy they continue to believe up to senility; and they die in the faith in which they have lived. For my part, as I have learned to think for myself, I thank “the gods” I was born an atheist. I am not only free of religion; I am free from religion. Poch Suzara

Faith Versus Reason

To have faith in reason is a needless waste of energy. Reason can easily explain the nature of faith. Faith, however, can never explain the nature of reason. Meanwhile, Reason is not just one tool inside a Tool Box. Reason is the whole Tool Box itself. For my part, I am in love with reason. It has led me to atheism as religion is a malicious authority, and the God of the priesthood industry is a ferocious absurdity. Poch Suzara

Survivors

There are those who thank God for having survived a natural calamity. Those, however, who die from the flood and landslide have no one to thank except begin to enjoy immortality: – the condition of those already dead but who refuse to believe that they are already dead. Poch Suzara

See You in Heaven Hogwash

“My kingdom is not of this world.” John 18:36. Jesus could have been more honest. By simply revealing the exact whereabouts of his kingdom located in which galaxy. And by what mode of transportation to utilize to get there. There are billions of galaxies each comprising millions of planets and stars out there. In the meantime, more than a 100 billion people have already lived and died on this planet earth since God knows when. And yet, as frightened and dumbstruck religious morons, we all want to go to the kingdom of God in heaven, though none of us want to depart away from this kingdom of man on this earth. Poch Suzara

Dead Lazarus

Jesus raised the dead Lazarus back to life. Lazarus was so dumbstruck in that he bothered not any of the inspired authors of the bible to clearly relate to them his discovery of the reality of immortality. Indeed, what is it like to experience life after death; or, at least to convey if there were Americans in Heaven, Arabs in Hell, Jews in Limbo or Filipinos in Purgatory? Poch Suzara

Blessed are the Poor in Sprit

“Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Matt. 5:3. I ask: how exactly do we love our mothers and fathers, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, and yes how do we even love our own life and love this world also if, indeed, we were not precisely rich in spirit? Poch Suzara

The Resourceful God

If God is the source of everything, where was God located to help those who survived after the Tsunami Disaster that killed hundreds of thousands of people and other living creatures, and destroyed billions of dollars worth of properties? Indeed, God is not a lively object, but a deadly subject: the ultimate mystery, not a lovable nor an embraceable entity. For my part, I have great admiration for the Fireman who saves a child inside a burning building considering the Fireman himself did not start the fire! Poch Suzara

The Perfect God

If a perfect God made man in His own image and likeness, how come man is not perfect? In fact, man is still unfinished, crude and incomplete, and still evolving, not to mention burdened with biblical lies and crippled with theological baggage? Poch Suzara

God's Existence

I am told that God has neither a beginning nor an end? Let's assume, for the sake of argument that God has been in existence for more than 750,000,000 (million) years? Now, if I live as long as 75 years on this earth, how much time, in ratio, do I have to end up as a saint of God; or, as the case may be, to end up as a sinner against God? Would you believe that, by a simple arithmetic, I have much much less than 7 and a half miliseconds long to carry out either of the silly infantile task! Poch Suzara

The American Way of Life

In the Protestant bible, it says: “Let no man seek his own, but every man another’s wealth.” 1 Cor. 10:24. In the Catholic bible, it says: “Let no man pursue his own interests, but the interest of the other.” 1 Cor. 10:24. In either case, the inspired author must have had in mind the American way of life when they wrote those sacred verses. Poch Suzara

Wasted Prayers

Civilized humanity in civilized countries have, this week, already sent more than 2 billion dollars worth of food, clothing, shelter and medicine to help the hundreds of thousands of poor victims who survived the Tsunami Disaster in South Asia last week. For love of humanity, more substantial and financial assistance are coming.

During biblical days, Jesus could feed thousands of people on 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes. He could walk on water, calm the seas, cure the sick, even raise the dead back to life. Jesus promised also that: “In all things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” Today, for love of divinity, the Vicar of Christ, the Pope is only offering mass and prayer for the dead victims of the Tsunami Disaster. No offer of even crumbs from the Vatican bread for the survivors. Is it any wonder that in shame even priests and nuns are walking out of the Catholic Church each and every day?

As a little Catholic boy myself then, I was always proud of the Pope often praying to the Almighty for peace on earth. Today, as an old man, I am duly ashamed of the so-called “power of prayer.” No peace on earth as yet. Only more disasters from nature as designed by the Almighty. I think it’s time that we better find a substantial meaning for the word “Almighty.”

Those of you who are the heads of governments, of churches, of corporations and associations, of colleges and universities, take heed of what Bertrand Russell admonished for the powerless individuals, “Those who live nobly, even if in their day they live obscurely, need not fear that they will have lived in vain. Something radiates from their lives, some light that shows the way to their friends, their neighbors – perhaps to long future ages. I find many men nowadays oppressed with the sense of impotence, with the feeling that in the vastness of modern societies, there is nothing of importance that the individual can do. This is a mistake. The individual, if he is filled with the love of mankind, with breadth of vision, with courage and with endurance, can do a great deal… Much wisdom remains to be learned, and if it is to be learned through adversity, we must endeavor to endure adversity with what fortitude we can command. But if we can acquire wisdom soon enough, adversity may not be necessary and the future of man may be happier that any parts of his past.” Poch Suzara