The Voice of the People

Manila Standard Today

Dear Editor:

Columnist Bishop Theodoro Bacani, Jr. has not ceased claiming that the voice of the people is the voice of God. In fact he has recently wrote that: “God does not speak only through the bishops. Often He speaks through His people.” (July 12,2005)

I ask the good bishop: What about the voice of Adam and Eve as the against the voice of the serpent as that was the voice of the devil in the bible? Where was God’s voice then to protect his children – Adam and Eve - our first parents? Were they not expelled out of paradise? Perhaps, Adam and Eve were both guilty of sin. But our politicians in the government as elected by the voice of God are not only guilty of sin against God, but also guilty of crimes against the State.

For my part, I say, let us stop all this vocal nonsense. Our voice as a people need not be the voice of deviltry as inspired by the voice of divine insanity.

In the meantime, I ask: What have you bishops got to do with matters of the State since you are only suppose to be in charge with matters of the Church? Indeed, if the voice of the people is the voice of God, what need have we of bishops to speak for the people to begin with?

I dare say that you bishops should be among the first to resign to remedy the political and the religious mess that’s keeping this only Christian country in Asia perpetually poor and eternally backward.
Sincerely,
Poch Suzara
poch.suzara@lycos.com
July 13, 2005

Noah’s Flood

Only Noah together with members of his family survived the flood - the drowning of the human race by God as He regretted that He had man on this earth. And to think that Noah was never baptized a Catholic. Poch Suzara

Born Ignorant

We are all born ignorant, not thoughtless. We are made thoughtless by education. For my part, I was expelled out of high school for being such a nuisance always asking my teachers too many thoughtful questions. For example, I asked my teacher in religion to give us the devil’s side of his story since we only heard God’s side. Poch Suzara

Philippine Catholic Bishops

President Gloria M. Arroyo said that God often talks to her. In an interview published in TIME magazine, she openly admitted that it was the Lord who made her president of the Philippines. The Catholic bishops envied her as they admitted she is a very lucky lady since God never talks to them though they too talk to God everyday. Poch Suzara

I love America and the Philippines

I love America – a nation govern by criminals. I love the Philippines – a nation govern by criminals too. There is no escape. After all, life in general is the competition to love the criminals or be the victim of criminals. Poch Suzara

Only in the Philippines

We praise our dead saints to high heavens, but insult those saints we elect into high office to run our government even if all the presidents of the Philippines have always publicly declared that “the Lord put me here.” Indeed, in this country, the voice of the people is the voice of God. And yet Filipino college professors believe I am being thoughtless as I insist that our system of government has always been a theocracy, not a democracy. Poch Suzara

What Then

What if God turned out to be an atheist who never believed in the existence of your God, what then? Or, what if the God you have always loved, worshipped, and adored turned out to be a Goddess, what then? After you are dead, what if in heaven you believe you are in hell; or, what if in hell you believe you are in heaven? What then? Or, what if you were moronic enough not to be able to tell the difference? What then? Poch Suzara

King James Bible

The King James bible is a misnomer. It should be called The Queen James Bible. King James loved men more than he cared for women. Poch Suzara

From a Reader

Florita P. Andolong writes in the Manila Standard Today: “When God is brought into any public discussion, we, the readers, should be very careful. God, his power, and the extent of His wisdom are beyond the understanding of any human being – priests and pastors included. This is what my own faith tells me.” (6/28/2005). Indeed, God’s wisdom is beyond human understanding. And as long as we have faith in what we do not understand, it’s popularly known as “divine wisdom.” Poch Suzara

My Road Less Traveled

Mine is the road less traveled; but I am not lost. Most people have yet to reach their final destination on the road most traveled. In the meantime, to travel anywhere is utterly useless if one cannot change one's self; if one only continues to remain selfish, greedy, stupid, and insane. Poch Suzara

America

America is not only about freedom and democracy. It is also about the insanity behind plutocracy – making money. On top of the money-making schemes are, first, the defense industry – killing people is big business; next is the pharmaceutical industry – selling even needless drugs is big business; next is the food industry – selling food that makes Americans addictive to eating more food is big business; next, is the religion industry – selling Jesus Christ is big business. Golly, even the American government, since decades ago, has been stolen away from the American people by giant corporations. All for the sake of making nothing but money. Indeed, it is glaringly obvious, if not alarmingly translucent: America is about the military - industrial - university complex. Even American university professors are earning big salaries for catering to the needs of the military or any other industry that’s closely allied with the preparation for war to liberate countries not yet enjoying the beauty of American freedom and democracy. Poch Suzara

God's War

God and his angels have been at war against Satan and his devils since time immemorial. There seems to be no end in sight for God to finally defeat Satan and stop his evil works that’s keeping our world poor, backward, and destructive. And to think that U.S. President George W Bush prays daily to God to help the American angels win the war against the Muslim devils in Iraq fighting for their country as inspired by Allah. Poch Suzara

Fact and Opinion

Everyone is entitled to know the facts. Nobody has a right to expound his own opinion unless he has explored every facet of the question at issue and is therefore entitled to an opinion. Otherwise, like the great American thinker - Clint Eastwood - said: "Opinons are like assholes. Everybody has got one." Poch Suzara

The Birth of Corruption

Corruption begins in the mind and heart. When our children in school are taught to love not this world, neither the things that are in the world, because if they love the world, the love of God is not with them – it is easy to see the results making for our sick society. And to think all of our so-called sacred values and beliefs have their origin during the age of ancient superstition, the mother of stupidity and the father of timidity. Poch Suzara

Philippine Problems

The Philippines will never embark on a road towards progress and development if she continues to be under the same rule composed of religious morons in cahoots with the same corrupt politicians supporting the same old rotten businessmen. Only men of science and technology can change the rotten system to re-direct the Filipino towards maturity and responsibility as a people and scientific and technological development as a nation. Poch Suzara

Catholicism

It is a clear historical fact – the Catholic Church has successfully kept the Filipino poor and childish as a people and the Philippines immature and uncultivated as a nation. After we Filipinos are all dead and meet with God, I believe we should ask God to forgive us all for having been born in the only Catholic country in Asia. Poch Suzara

Sin

Sin is a ridiculous concept. The created cannot sin against the creator that obviously has more power than the created. To say that we can sin against the creator is to imply that we are just as powerful too. As a matter of fact, we are indeed more powerful: it is we who created our creator. It is we who created our God in our own stupid image and silly likeness. Poch Suzara

Silly Prayers

To teach a child to pray is to teach him how to look to fantasy solution to real problems. But then again, if God were all-knowing, why should he be fatigued with daily prayers? The encouragement of prayer promotes greed, selfishness, stupidity, and insanity. People pray for that for which they have not labored. Prayer also undermines the power of the mind. Prayer causes a weakening of self-reliance and a corresponding deterioration of character. In fact, daily prayers are among the most effective causes that have made us famous as the poor and the Sick Man of Asia. Poch Suzara

Slave Mentality

Filipinos as true Christians are indoctrinated to be slaves, and we know, and do not mind it. The fear of hell has destroyed our spirit of intellectual liberty to no longer work and work hard for social sanity, to no longer question or even entertain any kind of inquiry. Poch Suzara

Poor and Backward

How poor are we as a people and backward as a nation? In this 21st century, we continue to have faith in organized superstition, otherwise more popularly known as Christianity. We have yet to embrace science, logic, mathematics, and reason and our own sense of humanity as the only basis for our system of education. In the meantime, after 500 years of Christianity, even the Catholic Bishops of the Philippines continue to promise that they will carry on the fight for truth and justice in the Philippines as if Christian truth and Christian justice have not yet been established in this only Christian country in Asia Poch Suzara