Life With God in the Philippines

Let’s seriously look at the Philippines - the only Christian country in Asia. In this already 21st, our country remains poor spiritually, bankrupt morally, infantile politically, insane socially, inefficient scientifically, and directionless nationally. In our schools, colleges, and universities, we are all taught to have faith in God who so “loved the world (the Philippines) that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16. In the Christian religion, however, is a strong message that rewards poverty, sickness, thoughtlessness, or anything that would put one in an inferior status. By the same token, self-esteem, self-reliance, competence, or anything that would put one in a superior status is belittled. God loves the humble, the meek, the inferior; but He is jealous of the self-sufficient. We Filipinos must never be self-sufficient lest we offend God. We must always play the role of the inferior and in turn, for living a submissive, mindless, frightened life is the promise that if we were good, especially good for nothing, we shall be rewarded later by God in heaven. Since the 16th century, we have faithfully believed in Jesus, the Son of God, who preached: “Love not this world, ( the Philippines), neither the things that are in the world. If any man (Filipino) love the world, the love of the Father is not with him.” John 2:15 Christianity has had every opportunity to straighten out the mess in the Philippines, and yet, in this already 21st century, our country is only getting into a deeper mess - socially, politically, and economically. We seek drama and excitement. When we do not get satisfaction on some level, we create for ourselves the drama of destruction. We are a nation of frightened believers. We have yet to seriously grasp the full impact of what it means to grow as a people and to mature as a nation. Corruption, hypocrisy, and indifference to truth are our national defects. It is incredible how so old a religion as Christianity should devote its influence to keeping the Philippines with no standard of honesty; only a standard for corruption. We solve our corruption problem with prayer only to find ourselves even more corrupt with more problems. Meanwhile, we are told again and again that God’s answers are wiser than our prayers. In China, they have Chinese Gods. In India, they have Indian Gods. In Japan, they have Japanese Gods. In Malaysia, they have Malaysian Gods. In Indonesia, they have Indonesian Gods. But in the Philippines, however, we have no Filipino Gods. We have, instead, a Jewish God. As if we Filipinos have anything to do whatsoever with the God of the Jewish people in Israel – a foreign land. In the meantime, today, if you try to give a bible to a Jew in Israel you can be arrested. Even an act of kindness by a Christian toward a Jew, such as giving a gift of food, can be interpreted as trying to convert the Jew to Christianity and can bring a 5 year prison sentence. Now let’s take a closer look at Christianity in the Philippines. Let’s see where it has taken us as the only Christian country in Asia. To those capable of thought, it is so obvious that Christianity strives on guilt. Guilt, not love, is what Christianity is all about. For all of its alleged concern for the “poor in spirit,” Christianity does it best to generate spiritual poverty under social insanity. Indeed, Christianity has been quite a success in our country. In exchange for obedience, we have been promised salvation in the afterlife. In order, however, to elicit obedience through this promise, Christianity sees to it that we need salvation or that there is something to be “saved” from. It is, in this way, that we have been educated to believe that we are sinful and worthless in the face of God; or that we Filipinos are potential fuel for the flames in hell. Thus, Christianity destroys reason before it introduces faith, so it must also destroy our potential for growth and maturity so that we can value the concept of salvation – indeed, the so-called “better life to come after death in the kingdom of God.” No doubt, we all want to go to heaven. So how come none of us want to die? Christianity has had vested interest in misery in our country. Of course, it is not called “misery.” It is not even called “suffering.” Instead, Christianity prefers to call it “sacrifices” in this life so that benefits may be won in the hereafter. Through the notion that “sacrifice” is a virtue, Christianity has succeeded in convincing all of us that misery experienced through “sacrifice” is a mark of virtue. Social and political and economic misery become the reflection of morality – and conversely, growth as people and maturity as a nation become the reflection of immorality. Christianity does not preach - “Go forth and be poor and miserable.” Rather, it says, “Go forth and practice the virtues of self-sacrifice.” In the meantime, the richest, most powerful bank in the world is the Vatican bank. Its cash deposits are in the trillions of dollars. Here are samples of inspired messages published daily in the Philippines. It is about the “virtues of self-sacrifice,” if not about being “poor in spirit.” They are also about what our education has been traditionally rooted upon – the preparation for immortality rather than the preparation for the responsibility of well-informed citizenry: Nothing can compare the love of God. To see Jesus will be heaven’s greatest joy. Work that are done out of love for Jesus shines brightest in a dark world. When Christ is the center of your focus, all else will come into proper perspective. For the Christian, heaven is spelled H-O-M-E. Each small step of faith is a giant step in growth. The primary reason for living in this world is to reflect the likeness of Christ. God’s truth uncovers Satan’s lies. God’s answers are wiser than our prayers. A heart in tune with God sings melodies of praise. Worry is a burden God never intended us to bear. We are more precious to Jesus than the costliest diamond. The Christian’s race is not a competitive event but an endurance run. Patience means awaiting God’s time without doubting God’s love In the meantime, here are words from one of the greatest men this world has ever produced. He happens to be our national hero – Jose Rizal - the greatest of Filipino thinkers. He was publicly executed by Christianity in 1896 in the Philippines. In exact opposite of what Christianity teaches, Jose Rizal simply wrote: “I would like the Filipino people to become worthy, noble, and honorable.” In clear view of the reality that human consciousness shapes a nation, I ask: where are the schools, colleges, and universities in the Philippines that seriously teach Filipinos how to become worthy, noble, and honorable? Indeed, where are the Filipinos educated to achieve the greatest kind of freedom for our country – the freedom from the evils of religion? Poch Suzara