What have I to offer You as I am an Atheist

When the foreigners arrived in the 16th century, we had the land, and they had the bible. Today in the 21st century, we Filipinos still have the bible and the foreigners own not only most of our land, but are also the owners of schools, colleges, and universities in the Philippines. Not to mention the media. Such commercial enterprises continue to teach us Filipinos to be proud of our Christian faith. Especially for as long as we do not bother to read what’s precisely written n the bible. A book written not by Filipinos but written by foreigners – the Jews – the “elect,” God’s “chosen people.” My dear reader, I ask: have you ever wondered why we Filipinos feel so proud and lucky to be employed by foreigners right here in our own country? If not feel even more proud and luckier to be employed in foreign countries? In the meantime, a great number of poverty-stricken jobless Filipinos nevertheless feel so blessed by God as the bible declares: “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land." Also, "For in much wisdom is much grief; and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow." Or even more socially disastrous, the bible warns - "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge." On the contrary, when a Christian allows one kind of fear to dominate him, he soon comes to be dominated by other kinds of fear also. Listen to our own Jose Rizal - arrested, jailed, and publicly executed for writing two books that shook the foundation of Christianity in the Philippines. He stressed the worth of the Filipino. He emphasized the fact that human dignity is a person’s worth, that which makes him stand above all other creatures. In his exchange of ideas on human rights and freedom with Fr. Pablo Pastells, Rizal said: “ Man’s dignity is precious to him. He carries within him a feeling of importance, a regard for his value and worth. When man ceases to value his dignity as a human being, he ceases to be a man. He forgets that nothing, indeed, is more excellent than humanity. . . Deprive a man of his dignity, and you not only deprive him of his moral stamina, but you also render him useless even to those who want to make use of him. . . Man in his self-respect; take it away from him and he becomes a corpse.” There is, indeed, something feeble, if not despicable, about a Filipino who cannot live his life unless sustained by the belief in deadly superstitions. Such as - one need not bother with poverty, disease, and population growth because God will provide. Or, that "blessed are those who are poor in spirit. They shall inherit the kingdom of God in heaven." It is time for us Filipinos to be receptive to the values of science and scientific way of thinking, and technology. Such values should help us extricate ourselves out of poverty by generating our intellectual growth as a people, and development as a civilized and matured nation. It is also time to realize that we have been educated to be amenable to more of the same blind faith in the Christian way of life. It has, indeed, turned out to be our worst enemy: faith kills the mind before other diseases kill the body. Faith is just another sacred word we have been taught to employ to justify a lazy mentality, rationalize our lack of creativity, if not to maintain and to support the ways of our sick society. So deeply rooted in the teachings of Christianity. The test of a true religion, however, has nothing to do with a holy book, or how Old or New are its Testaments. It has nothing to do with prayer rally part 1, 2, and 3. It has nothing to do with bombastic preachings delivered by real estate brokers devouring financial offerings from blind and ignorant Jesus followers. It has nothing to do with a pie in the sky or an ally in the sky. On the contrary, a true religion should generate human love and compassion in the here and now that binds the human family together in this precious life. Indeed, a true religion does not inspire stupidity or insecurity; neither does it encourage running away from the problems of human society. Indeed, a true religion knows full well that the truth hurts, but knows even more that lies and deceptions are far more damaging and can last for a thousand years. As for me, an atheist, what have I to offer fellow-Filipinos in this religiously sick country of ours. Only one thing creative as it is constructive: I offer you the courage to take back what was stolen away from you during formative years in school - the most priceless treasure in the world – your precious mind and precious hearts as Filipinos! In this way, you need no longer waste more time and energy loving a foreign imagery being up out there, and wasting even more time by hating one another down here! Indeed, we need to remedy the ills of our sick society with intellectual revolution, via the evolution of our precious minds and hearts to learn to become proud Filipinos. To be proud of our women. To be proud of our children. to be proud of our government. Indeed, to be proud of the one and only country we were all born into - the Philippines! The aim of Christian education in the Philippines has always been about the pursuit of learning for the "Greater Glory of God." Here, however, is how the bible describes God and the glory of his temper and his tantrum: "I will sweep away everything in all your land," says the LORD. "I will sweep away both people and animals alike. Even the birds of the air and the fish in the sea will die. I will reduce the wicked to heaps of rubble, along with the rest of humanity," says the LORD. "I will crush Judah and Jerusalem with my fist and destroy every last trace of their Baal worship. I will put an end to all the idolatrous priests, so that even the memory of them will disappear. For they go up to their roofs and bow to the sun, moon, and stars. They claim to follow the LORD, but then they worship Molech, too. So now I will destroy them! And I will destroy those who used to worship me but now no longer do. They no longer ask for the LORD's guidance or seek my blessings." (Zephaniah 1:2-6) Today, throughout the Christian world, except in the Philippines - Christianity is tearing itself apart externally as it is collapsing internally. Today, throughout the Christian world, except in the Philippines, priestly authority and priestly respect exist no more or have been sensibly diminished. Today, throughout the Christian world, except in the Philippines, the superstructure of ecclesiastical privilege is tottering. Its fall is inevitable as its foundation has largely been based upon sacred lies and holy deceptions. It is time to educate ourselves to establish right here in our own country a sane and a healthy society. It is time we promote in our country nothing but the beauty of common Filipino decency. It is also time to read properly and thoroughly the bible. In this way, as we begin to learn and understand just exactly how destructive bible messages have been and still are - we can begin to rock the Christian boat; preferably to sink it. Poch Suzara Twitter# Facebook# Google#