Mediocre Writers

What makes mediocre writers? Instead of intelligently attacking stupid ideas or beliefs, they would rather attack stupid individuals who, to begin with, do not care to cultivate the habit of serious reading. Indeed, mediocre writers love mental paralysis; but hate, at the same tme, lively analysis. Poch Suzara

The Catholic Popes

If peace on earth and goodwill to all men prevailed, the newly elected 265th pope benedict XVI of the Catholic Church need not pledge to work to unify Christians, to reach out to other religions. One wonders what the Catholic Popes have accomplished for the happiness of mankind in the here and now? Consider the world in this 21st century still hopelessly split into areas of wealth and poverty where ignorance, hatred, bigotry, and faith in ancient superstitions are still pretty much the traditional enemies of mankind. Poch Suzara

Great Religions

To hate man and to love God characterizes in brief the great religions of the world. From religion we learn to hate this life. We only look forward to a better life to come after death. As if, after death, there will be a next life. Really, if such were true, how come we know nothing of life of another world before we were born? Obviously, if from this world we will proceed to another world, it is only because we all came from a previous world. But we all originated from a world of nothing. Poch Suzara

Saints

The Catholic Church has already canonized more than 10,257 saints. There are saints for all sorts of human needs, illnesses, professions, situations such as for lost items, infertility, pregnancy, dentistry, missionary works and saints for all kinds of diseases and maladies. Moreover, aside from the communion of saints on earth, there is also already the communion of saints in heaven. Today, in the 21st century, no saint, either in heaven or on earth has yet improved the ways of the world; nay, no saint has yet been able to help God improve and make sense of our world still pretty much infested with religious believers who are selfish, greedy, stupid, and insane. Poch Suzara

We Filipinos

We Filipinos are hoping for the Second Coming of Christ to solve our problems. Since that is not yet forthcoming, we are hoping for the government to do the job. Unfortunately, however, government officials themselves are also hoping for Jesus Christ to return to forgive them of their sins against the public and their crimes against the republic. Sadly, however, Jesus Christ Himself is also waiting for God to wake up still sleeping on the job. In the meantime, the survival of the Philippines as a nation will depend on how many Filipinos can escape away from the shackles of childish beliefs that there is a much better world to come only after we are all dead. Poch Suzara

Mindless

We are all born ignorant, not mindless. We are made mindless with the power of indoctrination otherwise popularly known as "education." The results have been devastating. Look at the kind of mindless leaders we have in our country leading us ever more into a future getting more senseless, if not worthless, that even nature herself never intended to be shameless or be needlessly reckless. Poch Suzara

Religious Beliefs

Most people’s religious beliefs are based on, if not derived from, the incompetent figment of an impoverished imagination traditionally supported by silly superstition. Poch Suzara

Read, Read, and Read

I have been told that faith can move mountain. I have yet, however, to see a mountain moved by an inch with the power of faith; especially in this only Christian country in Asia. What I see more clearly is faith supporting the mountain of poverty and misery, filth and squalor, not to mention the mountain of moral and spiritual bankruptcy of our sick society. In fact, today in this already 21st century - it is sick faith that makes us the Sick Man of Asia. Indeed, we do not speak of faith that a square has 4 sides, or that a triangle has 3 sides or that an octagon has 8. We only speak of faith when we do not know, and we only want to sanctify our ignorance in exchange for supernatural tolerance. For my part, I pity the man of faith. He is like a drunkard clinging to a lamppost for support, not illumination. Why should we need more faith since faith has only to do with the unknown? Why not, instead, face the known with intelligence and explore possibilities on how we can yet expand and improve our understanding of what is already known? Look at medical science expanding and improving ways to cure diseases and to make us live longer and healthier. Where has faith taken us as a Christian country in Asia? Today, we Filipinos are involved with nothing but the scramble for money: to satisfy not only our stupid greed; but mostly to amplify in public our silly creed. At any rate, what can we expect of a poor and backward nation where men and women with college education are habitually on their knees praying to a silly God to save their silly souls in the next silly life? And to think that most of these men and women are hoping to migrate to the next country overseas where its citizens are already enjoying a higher standard of living and indeed thinking. What we need in this country is not MORE faith, but more reason for the sake of spiritual growth. It means abandoning outworn beliefs and the welcoming of new and fresh ideas. We need to develop a deeper vision, to be willing to forsake our obsolete and shallow vision. The road to spiritual growth lies in distrusting what we already believe by deliberately challenging the validity of what we have been traditionally taught to hold dear and holy. We must learn to question everything. It is the basis of spiritual growth and intellectual maturity. We must therefore develop the habit of reading avidly and judiciously. I say therefore: read, read, and read. To begin to discover not only the beauty of rationality, but also the harmony of veracity. As we develop the habit of reading, especially books on the scientific way of thinking, we will never, ever again, be the foolish victims of mediocrity, or worse still – be the promoters of a sick society. However the case may be, those of us who refuse to read are no better off than those who can’t read at all. Poch Suzara

Trees

A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bringeth forth good fruit. Matt. 7:18. To think that only God can make a tree. Perhaps, trees are gifted too with free will. But to think further that in the same bible, it says there exist also the Tree of knowledge of good and evil. Too bad this remarkable tree of knowledge could not preach to other trees with the power of knowledge. Poch Suzara

The Height of Absurdity

To believe that an immortal and supernatural Being from heaven would come down and impregnate a mortal and a normal woman on this earth in order to produce a Jewish child to save the world - has got to be the height of religious absurdity. And to think this Jewish child grew up to be crucified and on the cross, cried out: “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” And to think further that this same Jesus in a Roman court admitted to Pontius Pilate: “My Kingdom is not of this world.” Poch Suzara

A Catholic

A Catholic does not care to reason. His beliefs are based on faith, and appeals to the hopes for the next world to come. And if such hopes are satisfied, the mind remains at rest. That is the secret of Catholicism. Happily, however, science has long discovered that a mind habitually resting, is already functionally dying. Poch Suzara

A Christian

A Christian is one who hardly knows his bible, much less its origin. Thus, we Filipinos know so little of bible contents. We are told that the bible contains all the solutions to our problems. If, however, the Jews were the Chosen People of God, why should God solve the problems of the Filipinos when the Jews themselves are still in trouble with all kinds of problems, especially from its neighboring Arab countries? Poch Suzara

Celibacy

To think that behind every man’s success in life is a woman’s behind. And to think further that behind the success of papacy, there must be, hidden somewhere inside the Vatican, a mamacy. Poch Suzara

Pope Paul 11

In one of the most momentous funerals in history, the poor and the rich rub shoulders to say their last goodbyes to the Pope. Indeed, 4 kings, 5 Queens, 70 Presidents and Prime Ministers, 14 other religious leaders, and hundreds of thousands of pilgrims, and prelates from all over the world visited Rome to attend the Pope’s last rites. Too bad Jesus wasn’t there. He has not yet returned as He had promised to do so some two thousand years ago. At Pope’s funeral, Jesus could have been the real star of the show. However, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger tells us that: “the Pope is now standing at the window of the Father’s house as he sees us and blesses us.”
In the meantime, Jesus in the bible says: “I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he lived. And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.” John 11:25-26. I ask: Why is the Pope dead and if he is not dead what’s all the fuss about last respects while giving him such a colorful funeral service? Poch Suzara

God and the Devil

God is the only supernatural good who does not need to exist in order to rule the world. Unfortunately, the devil is also another supernatural evil who does not need to exist to help God maintain His power and glory. Poch Suzara

The Unforgivable Sin

The bible warns: “but he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost hath never forgiveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation.” Mark 3:29. For Christ’s sake, it’s hard enough to blaspheme against a ghost, what more against one that is already holy? Poch Suzara

The Dark Ages

There was a time when every single man, woman and child throughout the world believed, loved, and had faith in God. This was during the 5th to the 15th century. Historians refer to these ten centuries as the Dark Ages. Today, virtually every one of the 100 million Filipinos believe, loved, and have faith in Pope John Paul II who had recently died. Who knows what world historians will refer to the Philippines in this 21st century? In the meantime, it is highly claimed that for a great many years the late Pope John Paul II fought for human dignity and struggled against human poverty. I ask: where are the results; especially in this only Christian country in Asia? How come human sufferings have not decreased, in fact have only increased in the Philippines? To think that the power of divinity is supposed to be always behind the power of papacy as established by the power of the Vatican bank and its global industry! Poch Suzara

On the Second Coming

Paul said: “in Jesus there is neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free, neither male nor female.” If this were the case, I ask: Jesus was the perfect guide to whom or a Savior of what? How could Jesus be our refuge and strength, a very present help in our trouble when even His promise to return has not yet taken place? To think that promise was made 2,000 years ago. Poch Suzara

It Is Finished

The last words Jesus said before he died on the cross was: “It is finished.” John 19:20. Yet, in Revelation 22:12, and in other 4 verses in the bible, Jesus said: “Behold, I am coming quickly.” If things, however, were already finished and duly accomplished as Jesus had declared, why promise and bother to return? Poch Suzara

Twelve Losers

Christ chose twelve losers in the community to help him save the world. Those losers were called “apostles” who, even with the power of God behind them, failed to straighten out the mess of their own community. Christ was not invited to a banquet to celebrate the success of his life and work. On the contrary, He was arrested, tried, and crucified on the cross. When it comes to divine failures – Christ is the answer. In the meantime, Generations have passed and there is not yet a sign that Jesus is returning. Nevertheless, if Jesus arrives, it is most probable that his twelve apostles won’t be coming along with him. They were all failures in the eyes of Jesus. Consider the two criminals crucified along side Him. Jesus promised one eternal salvation for believing in Him. A promise He never made to any of His twelve apostles. But then again, why bother to return when clearly in John 18:36: Jesus bragged: “My kingdom is not of this world.” Poch Suzara