FILIPINO IDENTITY

It turned out that we Filipinos do indeed have a national identity: We are notoriously identified throughout the world as the Sick Man of Asia. In the modern world, instead of seriously considering the power of science and technology to elevate our standard of living and thinking, like lost children, we would rather maintain our Christian way of life to elevate our standard of kneeling and praying. Thus, with deep faith we Filipinos are still waiting that one of these days, by some miracle from heaven – God will finally provide for the Philippines. Poch Suzara

PRAYER

As a devout Catholic years ago, I found myself often times praying with these words: “Oh God, please forgive me. I did not mean to question sacred knowledge today.” After years of this kind of sacred nothing, I decided to throw my prayers out the window and began to question everything. It turned out that the questioning of everything is not only the basis for discovering and maintaining mental health, but it is also the very foundation of spiritual wealth. Poch Suzara

With God

Yes, with God, everything is possible. He could even impregnate a Jewish Virgin Mary with a child in Bethlehem. Unfortunately, God seems to find it impossible to impregnate the millions of virgins with dignity in the Philippines so that they could enjoy social sanity enough not to be too reckless contributing to the insane population explosion that pleases more than anyone else - the Catholic Bishops – the symbol of religious mediocrity, if not social insanity in the Philippines. Poch Suzara

Who Knows

How can any one know anything about God when theology is ignorance of natural causes reduced to a system? When it is the attempt to prove the incredible by an appeal to the unintelligible? Theology is the subject of nothing as it is the study of the unknowable by means of the not worth knowing. Indeed, theology is not what we know about the supernatural; but what we do not know about the natural. Thus, even among the theologians, it is but natural to be incomprehensible specially to other theologians. Poch Suzara

PLAYING GAMES

In my La Salle grade school and La Salle high school years, we were taught to believe that it pleased God to see boys freely playing basketball, football, and handball,or playing around in the Track and Field arena. But never, must we ever, play around with free ideas under the freedom of thought. Such intellectual activities might endanger our silly souls to eternal perdition in hell. Moreover, we were taught to just stick to the old answers; never mind asking new questions! Today, I see my former classmates and schoolmates easily get excited over the play of ball games on TV or in the sport arena; but are easily frightened by, or feel threatened with, new and fresh ideas taken from the free market of ideas. Poch Suzara

FOR THE SAKE OF NOTHING

"In fact, no one lives for himself, nor dies for himself. If we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord. Either in life or in death, we belong to the Lord.” Romans 14:7-8.
Such are examples of holy bible verses that have made the Filipino enjoy the success of religious insanity in the Philippines – the only Christian country in Asia. Poch Suzara

The Greatest Bible Character

There is only one bible character worthy of respect and admiration: Pontius Pilate, the Roman Viceroy. He alone asked the most profound question that to date, no one has yet found the answer: WHAT IS TRUTH? Not even Jesus, the Son of the creator of the universe knew the answer. But Jesus could have at least admitted that the truth is the common denominator of all our delusion, just as much as cocksure certainty is the error by which all thoughtless men do not recognize as an illusion. Poch Suzara

Fear, Ignorance, and Hate

Fear and hate and ignorance prevailed in the land where Jesus was born. Two thousand years hence, the same fear and hate and ignorance still prevail in the land where Jesus was born and raised. As a matter of fact, Israel today is a Jewish State surrounded by hostile Muslim countries. Indeed, the Muslims do not believe in the Christian God as they have their own God called “Allah.” Thus, in the Middle East, the region where Jesus had supposedly lived and performed miracles before He died, there is only the never-ending religious internecine warfare; but hardly any development in social welfare. Poch Suzara

MIRACLES FROM JESUS

Jesus and His disciples possessed the miracle to convert the Philippines into being the only Christian country in Asia. Yet neither Jesus nor His disciples had neither same miracle to convert the land of his birth into a Christian country? Indeed, Israel is a Jewish State. It has never been a Christian country. Meantime, search for Jesus in any of the Jewish literature of ancient times, no word is mentioned about the existence of Jesus as the Son of God. Poch Suzara

CHILDREN OF GOD

If we were all the children of God, then Jesus was not the son, but grandson of God as Mary, His mother, was the daughter of God. Jesus had the power to perform miracles. He made the blind see, the deft hear, the lame walk, multiplied loaves of bread to feed the multitude. He could walk on water, change water into wine; cure leprosy; raise the dead back to life. Curiously enough, not a single one of those grateful individuals appeared in court to testify that Jesus was a miracle-worker, and not a trouble-maker. Even his own apostles abandoned Jesus. They all disappeared out of sight. Nevertheless, crucified on the cross, Jesus cried out: “My God! My God! why has thou forsaken me?” Jesus could have been more honest with himself had he instead cried out: “My God, My God, as your only grandson on this earth, this crucifixion business is a little bit absurd? How can I die to save the world today if I will be able to resurrect myself back to life tomorrow?” Indeed, Jesus was a failure. His mission to destroy the devil did not materialize. The devil is still alive and quite a success living in the Philippines daily inspiring its government to solve problems of the nation with the power of prayer. Indeed, the devil must be so proud of his own devilish accomplishments; especially since God makes himself not omni-present but only always omni-absent! Poch Suzara

Parental Love and Affection

Jesus admonished: “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sister, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:26. Now the bible also says that Jesus was the Son of Joseph ( see John 1:45 & 6:42 ) but the same bible is silent as to how exactly his own brothers and sisters and his own mom and dad felt about such incredible conditions before they could qualify to be His disciples. Poch Suzara

The Mistake of Jesus

On the cross, Jesus even cried out: “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do?” If Jesus had instead asked Man to forgive God for he knows not what he is doing, Jesus would have won the hearts and minds of the whole of mankind as his follower, and he need not have been a failure and a loser in the business of saving souls as was His divine mission. Poch Suzara

University Library

In the library of Philippine Catholic universities, one can read books written by Hitler who was raised and educated as a Catholic. The books, however, written by Bertrand Russell are not available. Russell was not a Catholic; in fact, he was an atheist-philosopher-logician-mathematician. Filipino Catholic students are not allowed to read books written by non-catholic thinkers or philosophers; only books written by thoughtless saints, if not by mindless sinners, or by brainless criminals.

In the meantime, my dear reader, would you believe that even the books written by, and other writings of Jose Rizal are banned in Catholic schools, colleges, and universities in the Philippines!Poch Suzara

Not the Same God

It is not true that God Almighty is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. During ancient times, as recorded in the bible, God had the power to save his chosen people – the Jews – from the Egyptian sword. However, during World War II, God showed neither power nor interests to save the Jews from Hitler’s gas chamber. And to think that this is the same Hitler who wrote in his MEIN KAMPF: “I believe I am acting in accordance with the will of God, because in defending myself against the Jews, I am fighting to defend the work of the Lord. “ Poch Suzara

JESUS AS GOD AND GOD AS JESUS

In John, Jesus speaks frequently of his extraordinary Status
in life and speaks of himself in the most exalted language:
“I am the light of the world.” 8:12
“I am the bread of life.” 6:35
“I am the resurrection and the life.” 11:25
“I am the way, the truth, and the life.” 14:6
“I and my father are one.” 10:30
“Whoever has seen me has seen the father.”14:6
“No one comes to God except through me.” 14:6
And yet, crucified on the cross, in more exalted language, Jesus cried out: “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Imagine a God willing and able to forsake Himself? And all for the sake of accomplishing nothing! Poch Suzara

Credulous Theologians

The Theologians are a credulous lot, and must believe in something; in the absence of good grounds for belief, they are happy and proud to believe in anything especially if such beliefs were sacred and therefore based on nothing. Poch Suzara

George W Bush

As a candidate for the US presidency in 2000, Bush was once asked: “Who has been the most important influence in your life?” Without a second thought, he replied: “Jesus Christ.” This is the same Jesus Christ who, in the bible, admonished: “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:26. Under the leadership of such religious morons, is it any wonder that America has grown to be a nation of hate? Indeed, Americans hate other Americans for Christ’s sake. As an American citizen myself, I ask: When will we Americans grow up and show to the rest of the world that we have, just like most of the Europeans have duly ceased to embrace the evil called: Christianity? Poch Suzara

George W Bush

As a candidate for the US presidency in 2000, Bush was once asked: “Who has been the most important influence in your life?” Without a second thought, he replied: “Jesus Christ.” This is the same Jesus Christ who, in the bible, admonished: “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:26. Under the leadership of such religious morons, is it any wonder that America has grown to be a nation of hate? Indeed, Americans hate other Americans for Christ’s sake. As an American citizen myself, I ask: When will we Americans grow up and show to the rest of the world that we have, just like most of the Europeans have duly ceased to embrace the evil called: Christianity? Poch Suzara

Born-again Politicians

With Reagan’s victory in the 1980 presidential race, organized Christianity inherited more power and glory in America. Reagan, in violation of the separation between State and Church openly and constantly sought the advice of such famous Born-again evangelists as Jerry Farwell and Jimmy Swaggart – both generous supporters of the Republican party. Born-again Christians were elated; Born-again atheists were degraded.
Unfortunately, however, there is no such creature as a Born-again Christian. When we were born, fresh out of the uterus, we are atheist. No child has any religion. All babies are born atheists: free from theism, free from religion. No baby is born a catholic, a muslim, a jew, or a baptist or a hindu. We are all born free and then indoctrinated. For my part, I was raised and educated as a Catholic; but I know that in the truest sense of the word: Today and proudly, I am a Born-again atheist. Poch Suzara