RP-Rizal Forum

Sometimes, it is true, there are remarkable members of the RP-Forum worthy of great respect and great admiration. Much to my surprised, at this point and time, it is a she, not a he. I mean Helen. What a rarity of a Filipina outshining with intellectual guts, while the men in this group are better off going home to cry to mama. Helen wrote: “The Pinoy has lost not only the ability to think but the desire to think for himself; he’s rather let Jesus, Mary and Joseph solve their problems and he’d prefer Superman, Batman, and Spiderman clean up the mess.” Helen, what Bertrand Russell wrote about great men, certainly applies to great women such as you are: “No, the greatest men have not been “serene.” They have had, it is true, an ultimate courage, a power of creating beauty where nature has put only horror, which may, to a petty mind, appear like serenity. But their courage has had to surpass that of common men, because they seen deeper into the indifference of nature and the cruelty of man. To cover up these things with comfortable lies is the business of cowards; the business of great men is to see them with inflexible clarity, and yet to think and feel nobly. And in the degree in which we can all be great, this is the business of each one of us.” Helen, may our tribe of the real Rizal increase. Poch Suzara

Rizal's Retraction Scandal

Why was Rizal’s retraction document which was supposedly signed at 11:30 p.m. December 29, not immediately relayed to the highest authorities? Why wait until he had already been shot? What happened to the financial aid for Rizal’s distressed family offered by Fr. Balaguer as authorized by Archbishop Nozaleda on Dec. 29 in exchange for the alleged retraction? Would that proffered aid have made Rizal changed his mind when, years earlier, he had turned down the 100,000 pesos and a chair in UST offered to him by the friars for him to repudiate his Noli and Fili? After the so-called retraction’s text was read to the press, how come the document disappeared mysteriously in 1896, and then conveniently appeared again in 1935? How come the enlarged photo of Rizal’s execution ( displayed at Manila’s City Hall ) shows him to be without a scapular around his neck or a rosary in his hand, as Fr. Balaguer and his disciples like Catholic biographer Guerrero have written? If Rizal had retracted and despite his death sentence was still carried out, why was his corpse just bundled off in a dirty old sack? Why was it just dumped into a hole in the ground outside the consecrated niches of Paco cemetery? Was this the kind of proper Christian burial for Catholics who died repentant? Even Rizal’s mother and sisters knew not where Rizal’s corpse was to be located? If there was a canonical marriage between Josephine and Rizal, how come Josephine could never produce the certificate of marriage in spite of being required to do so in her two famous lawsuits for her rightful share of inheritance of Rizal’s Estate? If Rizal retracted because of love for Josephine, how come she was mentioned merely as a “sweet foreigner” in the Ultimo Adios? The shame in Rizal’s life was not the retraction of his deeds, writings, and conduct, because that never took place. The shame lies in Catholic historians and Catholic writers who believe not in Rizal’s life, work, and writings, but believed in his enemies – the Catholic friars who concocted sacred lies about him, belittled his intellect, assassinated his character and emasculated his last poetic testament. Indeed, the friars to this today in cahoots even with those who call themselves “Rizalists” or “Knights of Rizal” still deny Rizal’s legitimate place in the world as one of mankind’s greatest thinkers. Jose Rizal was a great man indeed. He tried to put so much beauty into the hearts and minds of Filipinos where the religious morons have only put infantile nonsense in this country. Rizal clearly saw in his day what is vaguely seen around us today: organized religion in cahoots with superstition flourishing hand in hand amidst filth, poverty, and human misery. What irked the friars was Rizal’s refusal to continue to have faith in Christianity at the expense of fearless, free, humanistic, and independent thought. If there’s life after death, it is great thinkers like Jose Rizal that I should wish to meet, shake hand, learn from, and be with. If I should just be thrown in the company of the frightened Knights of Rizal together with their Jesuit teachers, please Lord, take me back to God-forsaken Philippines. Poch Suzara

An Atheist in the RP-Rizal Forum

The RP-Rizal Forum members refused to believe me – an atheist – when I argued that the execution of Jose Rizal had only to do with religious morons in authority who had him faced a firing squad for writing truthful scandals about the Catholic Church. I am even told that if I have nothing new to add to the ongoing discussion on Rizal’s life, work, and writings, I should just shut up and to take my atheistic “frustrations” and “angst” elsewhere.
Well, I am also saying that the kind of enemies Rizal struggled against are still here pretty much alive today in charge of what should be taught in our schools, colleges, and universities.
In the meantime, as an atheist, I am looked upon as a monster with psychological problem. Really, a feeble, if not a laughable attempt to evade the fundamental questions of truth and falsehood. It is obviously ridiculous to try and defeat atheism by subordinating truth with emotionalism. Such childish reaction only reveals the Christian traditional contempt for man’s ability to think. Ah, but the members of this RP-Rizal Forum would rather prove themselves intellectually crippled at thinking any deeper, but would rather be argumentative with linguistic contortions, if not by algebraic ejaculation as inspired by ecclesiastical masturbation. Poch Suzara

Obsession Ignored

June 9, 2007
Email from Edgar Millan
Member of the RP-Rizal Forum
Dear Poch,
I personally don't know you from Adam but in your insistent bashing of our countrymen's religious views you seem to know so much more than the average Filipino about the faith that they professed. I'm just wondering what kind of hatred motivates you so much to have made it your personal quest to continue with your religious bashings despite the request from the majority here in this forum that you settle down? We have all heard your message from day one when you started to post. And ever since, you have harped on that same message as if "we" people that you're referring to are all morons. You're an atheist. So what? What makes you think you can keep on rubbing that in on the rest of us? Pls. spare us your rhetorics and if you have nothing new to say pls. respect the platform of this forum which is dedicated to Rizal's works and writings. There are so many other fora out there dedicated to atheists where you can rant to your heart's content and nobody will give a damn about it. This is RP-Rizal Forum. If you have nothing more relevant to say than your pent up angst and frustrations, pls. spare us.
Sincerely,Edgar Millan

Let's Love, not Hate, the Atheists

June 14, 2007 RP-Rizal Forum For: Edgar Millan Dear Edgar, Thank you for writing. I enjoyed reading your letter. I will publish it in my Thoughts to Provoke Your Thoughts – Blogspot. No need to furnish our newspaper editors a copy. They too hate to face the reality that the killers of our Jose Rizal are still pretty much alive today still killing Filipino minds and hearts. Indeed, in the Philippines, still killing the good Filipino life - one inspired by love and guided by knowledge. You asked: what kind of hatred motivates me to have made it my personal quest to continue bashing the religious views of Fellow-Filipinos? Well, to begin with, such religious views are mostly about hatred of human intelligence. As an atheist, however, what I hate is the opposite. With much passion I hate human stupidity, especially the kind that supports human misery and maintains a sick society masquerading as love of God via Christianity. What about you? Why do you hate the atheists? Were you not yourself, at one time, an atheist? When you came out of mother’s womb, did you believe in the existence of God and Satan? Have you heard of babies born with a religion? As a matter of fact, we are all born free and then indoctrinated to believe in either the religion against Satan, or the Satan of religion. Sir, you must be a college educated fellow. You have neither qualms nor scruples about certain historical truths. For example, as a humanist-freethinker-scientist-writer brilliantly attacking religious stupidity in this country, Jose Rizal was arrested, incarcerated, and publicly executed not by atheists like me, but by the faithful believers like you. Edgar, do you ever wonder about Republic Act 1425, legislation since decades ago, otherwise known as the Rizal Law? It has hardly been implemented to the fullest extent possible. Rizal’s life, character and ideals, and how he lived and thought and died continue to play no major impact whatsoever in the minds and hearts of the millions of Filipino youth acquiring so-called education in our schools, colleges, and universities. Consider the Supreme Commander of the Knights of Rizal. This famous college educated lawyer, always carry around with him the holy bible. We recently wrote to him about settling, once and for all, the Rizal retraction scandal story as something of a biblical concoction. He dignified us with a response by simply stating that the Rizal retraction story is a non-issue. In other words, it matters not whether Rizal died as a brave heretic or was executed because he was a rebellious Catholic. This issue is a non-issue? Let’s cogitate for a moment: What if the foundation of our education have been more about human intelligence serving the kingdom of the Filipino, and less about human stupidity serving the kingdom of heaven? Would that have made the Filipino the healthiest and wealthiest people in Asia in this 21st century? What do you think? Meantime, even the Knights of Rizal have impressed upon each other that they should be more serious about spreading the teachings of the bible than they should be serious about spreading the teachings of great men like our Jose Rizal - the first humanist-freethinker-scientist-philosopher this country has ever produced thus far. Rizal wrote: “We can only serve our country by telling the naked truth, however bitter it may be.” Well, the bitter truth is that we Filipinos are the Sick Man of Asia. Organized religions in this country continue to enjoy great success. Especially in reminding everyone that the pursuit of knowledge and wisdom will only get you what Jose Rizal got – a bullet inside his brain. Consider the confusion and linguistic contortions about what exactly Rizal tried to teach and convey, tried to accomplish, at the expense of his own life, but nevertheless utterly failed to achieve for fellow-Filipinos in his own country? Indeed, even college educated participants of the RP-Rizal Forum do not hesitate to use, abuse, and misuse, not just to confuse each other’s already muddled Christian mind, but also to frighten others, like me, especially as I have no desire to participate with them in bringing the Philippines back to the Dark Ages. The RP-Rizal Forum is dedicated to Rizal’s life, work, and writings? Well, may I ask: how many participants in this RP-Rizal Forum have been duly encouraged to stand up and expose courageously, if not to defend vigorously - Rizal’s anti-Catholicism in the Philippines? Indeed, Catholicism and its teachings that have not ceased twisting the Filipino mind and distorting the Filipino heart? Consider the Filipino not as the master, but the victims of religious beliefs and then consider the Filipino standard of living. It is getting lower only because, thanks to our prayers, our standard of thinking has not gotten any higher! Meanwhile, common human decency has yet to be established throughout the land as a major reflection in Philippine history. The bible teaches: “Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Matt. 18:3. Well, for heaven’s sake, haven’t we all been already converted to become like little children? In the meantime, unfortunately, religion cannot solve our problem because religion is the problem! Now what if Jose Rizal had not been executed by his religious enemies in authority? What if those same religious enemies of Rizal never got to be the same religious morons in charge of what should be taught in our schools, colleges, and universities? What if Rizal and men like Rizal have turned out to be our kind of leaders? Do you really think that our society in this 21st century will still be about fellow-Filipinos crippled spiritually, degraded intellectually, sick socially, bleeding economically, inefficient scientifically, and indeed, childlike historically? And to think these sick values were installed in our country for the greater glory of an ancient mystery masquerading as a divinity! With all good wishes, Poch Suzara 8 Zipper St. San Lorenzo Villagem Makati City, Philippines

Politicians in Government

Politicians are like diapers. They have to be change regularly and for the same shitty reason. And to think that diapers have no need to go to school to acquire a college education like in UP, La Salle, Ateneo, UST, Assumption college, Mariam college, Letran, San Bedo, etc, etc, etc. Poch Suzara

Childhood Beliefs

Think of the immensely stronger hold beliefs have upon us during early associations than those of later years. Indeed, we would sooner believe in something and traditionally examine nothing. No doubt, it is easier to believe than it is to think. That is why we are a people of childish believers; hardly a nation of intelligent thinkers.
Faith is believing in something on the authority of another more likely known as: mama and papa at home; teacher and professor in school; priests and nuns of the church; and politicians and the magicians in the government. The same people, indeed, who were never the masters, but themselves only the victims of ignorance pervasive during early associations.
To believe is easy. To think is hard. But to grow up intellectually one must do a lot of thinking than just do a lot of childish believing. Poch Suzara

Jesus Admits

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9
I ask the Lord: was this before or after thoughtless men crucified you on a cross to destroy the equally thoughtless devil? In the meantime, Jesus, the Son of God, crucified on a cross, cried out: “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” If God refused to listen to own Jewish son, why should God listen to you Filipinos praying for another Filipino - me? Moreover, don’t you people ever wonder why the devil has never been destroyed? In fact, the devil has been more than lively in charge of the Christian system of education in the Philippines since the 16th century! Poch Suzara

Explaining Evil

Explaining evil in this world given the existence of a good and a loving God is a ticklish affair. If there is such a thing as an all-just God, and after a devastating earthquake, how does one morally intervene to provide relief to the victims? Isn’t that in violation of God’s will? Doesn’t such relief amount to interfering with or obstructing God’s sacred plans and prerogatives? Bertrand Russell said that there is no such as thing “justice” in this world. Russell was right. There is only sympathy, compassion, empathy, and a sense of common human decency. Poch Suzara

Before the Fall of Man

Women have pain in childbirth because babies are bigger than birth canals. Before the Fall of Man, however, Eve had no such problem. Due to God’s intelligent design, Eve’s birth canal was just as big as the babies inside her womb that could pass through it painlessly in childbirth. But all that intelligent design had to be re-designed as God said to eve: “I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children.” Genesis 3:16.
If I were with God when he created women, I would have given him a few constructive suggestions. Bringing humans into this world with pain for both mother and child is not the healthiest way to generate grace for the human race. Poch Suzara

Religion

We are told that religion is good because it comforts the dying. But with God’s power, shouldn’t religion be better if it prevents dying? What’s the purpose of experiencing life everlasting if we must first experience both mental and physical death? For my part, I envy the devil. There seems no end to his biblically evil party with God always as his guest of honor.
As for me, after I am dead, I do not give a hoot about going to heaven to be with God; or, about going to hell to be with the devil. What I do care about, however, is leaving this world a better place than I found it. Even if I am able to change nothing, at least I had the courage to stand up and speak out against the gullible faithfools who embraced nothing in this world except sacred beliefs based upon nothing, or worse to be always included in the rat-race for eternal salvation. Poch Suzara

The Creator is Sex

Sex created me as much as sex created my children as my children created my grandchildren with sex. Sex created my parents and grandparents. Sex is the creator of all life on this earth. Of course, just like everyone else, I believe in sex. After all, no one could have been born without it. What I do not believe, however, is irresponsible sex. I do not preach: go forth and multiply and replenish the earth. That’s already been accomplished centuries ago. The time of humans breeding like animals is over. Instead, we should be breeding more science that prepares us to live the good and creative life rather than be breeding more stupid religion that prepares us only for stupid death. Poch Suzara

God Loves Me

The worst kind of poverty is the poverty of mind. The poorest, indeed, are those who proudly claim that nobody loves them except God. These poverty-stricken people would rather wait for the second coming of a foreigner – a Jewish Lord named Jesus to remedy the ills of our sick society rather than participate in the growth and development of our own country. Poch Suzara

The Dark Ages

There was a time when religion ruled the world. Where every man, woman, and child believed and had faith God. Historians refer to it as the Dark Ages. The Philippines is still pretty much populated by faith-soaked Christians in the majority and by the faith-soaked Muslims in the minority. Nevertheless, in the modern world today, Filipinos still live in the Dark Ages. Filipinos all love what is supernatural up there by hating what is natural down here.

In the meantime, we are all born ignorant, not stupid. We are made stupid by education. Consider college educated men and women including college teachers and professors in this country. At the expense of love of country and love of fellow-citizens, we would rather pray daily to God for the silly salvation of our silly souls. As if the soul, supposedly already immortal, needs saving.

Personally, I don’t know what’s the big deal about the endless conflict between God and the devil to win over the silly souls of men. I don’t need it. I don’t want it. God can have it or the devil can have it. Poch Suzara

War and Business

Business is the husband of war as war is the wife of business. It is a profitable illicit relationship; especially in the United States of America where business and war pretty much determine the ups and downs of its economy. The more wars there are anywhere in the world, rich American industrialists become richer, especially as they are the real owners of the US government.
In the meantime, suicide terrorists have attacked America not because of its freedom from religion, but freedom of religion. Such freedoms have only generated greed, hate, envy, and stupidity as the basis of the American way of life.
Abraham Lincoln was right on target. He said: "America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter, and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." Poch Suzara

National Election

National election in the Philippines is not about candidates, but about a vote-buying contest among the cheaters who are even willing to murder each other for the sake of winning. After the votes have been secretly counted and the dead buried, the winners are usually the ones who brag to high heavens that national elections in the Philippines have always been clean and honest and democratic and historically peaceful. In the meantime, the nation, instead of moving forward with new and fresh ideas, it only moves backward with old and obsolete ideas. Poch Suzara

Classmates

It is sad to see former La Salle classmates happy and comfortable watching, if not themselves playing, lively sports activity of the day -- it is all that they ask. The distinction between right and wrong, of truth and falsehood, of good and evil frightens timid minds and petty hearts – I suppose the end-product of a college education in the Philippines. Poch Suzara

Love and Sex

A man gives love in order to get sex. A woman gives sex in order to get love. In the end, however, both are in trouble especially when neither knows what the either is doing.
Love breeds sex as sex breeds unwanted babies – the root cause of all the hate and wars throughout our troubled world at large. Indeed, arriving into this world as a product of parental fecundation is an absurdity to begin with. In my own estimation more than 99 per cent of babies born in this world are products of pure sex and therefore a matter of biological accident. In the meantime, consider what determines whether a child is born a girl or a boy, but also what determines who the child’s parents would be? Please leave the holy spirit out of the equation. After all, the holy spirit is neither holy nor a spirit. Really, how can anyone describe a spirit, invisibly holy or, as the case may be, unholy visibly? Poch Suzara

Christianity Against Rizal

There exist no difference between the fault of Filipino historians and the fault of the Rizal Knights. Neither would defend Rizal's stature as a thinker who was executed by the same enemy we Filipinos still refuse to acknowledge as our same enemy today. It’s popularly known as Christianity - the greatest destroyer of the Filipino minds and hearts down here for the love of a divinity up there. Consider in this 21st century we Filipinos still pray to God to give us this day our daily bread and to lead us not into temptation. Indeed, Christian teachings that have not ceased to make us feel guilty of the original sin. As if there ever were a Filipino born in the Philippines who originated anything in this world to begin with. In the meantime, instead of intellectual stimulation via emulation, we would rather be busy with childish argumentation, if not circumlocution. In the final analysis, Rizal’s precious messages for the Philippines are still stuck under suspended animation while we Filipinos continue to have faith in our social stagnation by way of political and religious degradation. Poch Suzara

The Death of Rizal

Jose Rizal was put to death not because his way of life was inimical to the welfare of the Filipino people. On the contrary, Jose Rizal was put to death because his way of life was inimical to the welfare of Christianity in the Philippines.

After Rizal's death, how many more Filipinos in the likes of a Rizal have we heard of struggling in this God-forsaken country to help us stand up with self-respect as a people and to help us develop with dignity as a nation? None whatsoever except only those who childishly call themselves "Knights of Rizal" or who foolishly call themselves "Rizalists."

For my part, ever since I was expelled out of high school in a catholic university – I slowly began to entertain the thought that Jose Rizal must have been a greater man born and executed in the Philippines some one hundred years ago than was a Jewish fellow known as Jesus Christ born and executed on a stick in a foreign country some two thousand years ago. Poch Suzara

Mediocrity

Mediocrity recognizes nothing higher than itself; in fact, mediocrity, like water, seeks its own level. The opposite is talent: it instantly recognizes genius. In the Philippines, however, mediocrity is synonymous to “Knights of Rizal.” Even up to this 21st century, Rizal admirers still have no idea whatsoever as to who precisely authorized his death by execution in public during the late 19th century. There is still much silly illusion, much deadly confusion, much infantile delusion about the life and times of this great Filipino free thinker. The thinker who authored two great books as a wake up call to all Filipinos. In the meantime, we Filipinos are in desperate need for another Jose Rizal, even by way of a Rizal junior to challenge the silly communion of saintly criminals still pretty much well-entrenched in our corrupt government, in the corrupt churches, and indeed, in the corrupt schools, corrupt colleges, and corrupt universities in the Philippines today. Poch Suzara Twitter# Atheist# Google@ Facebook#

Jose Rizal and the Holy Trinity

Rizal was executed by religious crackpots in authority over life and death in his century. The same religious crackpots in control of minds and hearts of most Filipinos today in this century. Indeed, there was a time when the world was ruled by religion. Historians refer to it as the Dark Ages. Filipinos today still live in the dark ages. The Philippines is still ruled by religion.
Had Rizal lived on as a serious reader, the writings of Robert Ingersoll would have made him realized that his belief in the holy trinity was based on nothing but holy baloney. Indeed, in reading the writings of Robert G. Ingersoll, any high school dropout gifted with a little I.Q. could rightly conclude that sacred gimcrackery pretty much characterized the formation of Christianity. Poch Suzara


THE HOLY TRINITY
by:
Robert G. Ingersoll
1833 – 1899

Christ, according to the faith, is the second person of the Trinity, the Father being the first, and the Holy Ghost the third. Each of these three persons is God. Christ is his own father and his own son. The Holy Ghost is neither father nor son, but both. The son was begotten by the father, but existed before he was begotten – just the same before as after.

Christ is just as old as his father, and the father is just as young as his son. The Holy Ghost proceeded, from the Father and Son, but was equal to the Father and Son before he proceeded, that is say, before he existed, but he is of the same age as the other two.

So it is declared that the Father is God and the son is God, and Holy Ghost God and that these three Gods make one God.

According to the celestial multiplication table once one is three, and three times one is one, and according to heavenly subtraction if we take two from three, three are left. The addition is equally peculiar, if we add two to one we have but one. Each is equal to himself as the other two. Nothing ever was, nothing can ever be more perfectly idiotic and absurd than the dogma of the Trinity.

Our Ancestors

“Two billion years ago our ancestors were microbes; a half-billion years ago, fish; a hundred million years ago, something like mice; ten million years ago, arboreal apes; and a million years ago, proto-humans puzzling out the taming of fire. Our evolutionary lineage is marked by change. In our time, the pace is quickening.” Carl Sagan Hopefully, in time, we will have no more human stupidity based upon sick religiosity; instead, we will have more sense of humanity based upon a healthy philosophy. Poch Suzara

The Poorest People

The poorest people in the world are the Filipinos. In this day and age, we still believe those silly foreigners who taught us to love and to fear their God Jesus who was not even born in the Philippines, but born supposedly in a foreign land that never got to be a Christian, but only a Jewish State.
No doubt, we need radical reforms to reform our sick society. However, for as long there is always available from God Jesus the forgiveness of sin and the forgiveness of crime, our rotten society will forever remain rotten under the blessings of Christianity of no matter what denomination. Consider the rich sinners and the wealthy criminals comprising the powers-that-be: they are always enjoying the forgiveness of sin and crime from the holy spirit.
For my part, I thanked the holy spirit that I am a heretic daily, an infidel weekly, a freethinker monthly, and indeed, an atheist yearly. Poch Suzara

A Guru

A guru from India told me that what my mind can conceive, I can, in life, achieve. But in high-school at De La Salle University, I conceived more questions than my teachers could answer. Well, for asking far too many questions in class, what I achieved was neither wisdom nor knowledge, but getting expelled out high school. And to think that in life questions are always far more important than answers because the answers, in time, become obsolete. Poch Suzara

Thought Patterns

Most thought patterns in humans are established before the age of ten. The idea of God is not innate. In most cases the idea of God is planted in the minds of children before the age of ten when their minds are as yet quite malleable and therefore distortable, if not twistable. Most men and women still have the mind of little children. The ability to conceive new and fresh ideas becomes next to impossible. Such is the power of insane religiosity as inspired by human stupidity. Poch Suzara

Spiritually Matured Person

In his Road Less Travelled, M. Scot Peck wrote: “… the learning of something new requires a giving up of the old self and a death of outworn knowledge. To develop a broader vision we must be willing to forsake, to kill, our narrower vision. In the short run it is more comfortable not to do this – to stay where we are, to keep using the same microcosmic map, to avoid suffering the death of cherished notions. The road to spiritual growth, however, lies in the opposite direction. We begin by distrusting what we already believe, by actively seeking the threatening and the unfamiliar, by deliberately challenging the validity of what we have previously been taught and hold dear. The path to holiness lies through questioning everything.”
Now I question the admirers of our chief hero Jose Rizal. They claim that Rizal was a spiritually matured person, not a repentant believer. In the Ultimo Adios poem, however, written before his death by musketry in public, he wrote in the 13th stanza:
“I go where there are no slaves, oppressors, executioners. Where Faith does not kill, where he who reigns is God.”
How spiritually matured was Rizal since he believed in the hereafter where he who reigns is God? I ask: if there is such a thing as a hereafter, how come there isn’t any herebefore? Nay more! If, in next world, faith does not kill, then wouldn’t it make more sense if we were all born not in this world, but in that world and certainly not created in the image and likeness of God? Poch Suzara

Original Sin

How can we be so silly as to feel shame or guilty of the original sin since we never originated anything in this world to begin with? Poch Suzara

The Lord's Prayer

The prayer “Our Father, who art in heaven,” admits that God is not everywhere. In fact, it only proves that God is omni-present up there in heaven; but only and always omni-absent down here earth. Poch Suzara

What's The Difference

What is the difference between the Coliseum in Rome built as a monument to human depravity as inspired by deviltry and the Manila Cathedral built as a monument to human stupidity as inspired by divinity? Activities inside the Roman Coliseum were about superstitious sadism. Activities inside the Manila Cathedral were superstitious supernaturalism. How do such evils differ? Poch Suzara

Solution to Philippine Problem

First make the problem smaller, not bigger. After all, it is vain to do with more what could be done with fewer. In this way, the problem becomes smaller and manageable and in turn becomes the real prize of progress. With problems keeping the Philippines poor and backward, I would suggest breaking it up into three smaller independent States: The Republic of Mindanao, the Republic of Visayas, and the Republic of Luzon. All three new States to be managed not by politicians, theologians, or magicians, but by public administrators and scientists. Poor Filipinos hoping to migrate to foreign countries to enjoy a higher standard of living need not fall in line devoid of self-respect and dignity like they do at the US Embassy every day of the year. They should only emigrate to independent States growing economically and developing scientifically right here in the next door neighbor. Poch Suzara

Silly Theology

As a young boy, I was told that theology is the study of God. Today as an old man, I am aware that no new knowledge has been discovered about God. His experiences in life and what lessons he has learned from such experiences. God seemed to have just grown older, not wiser. He has amassed a great deal of experience, but it remains a mass of experience. The pattern of his thought and attitude and action remains the same. In fact, what God was last century, he is exactly the same God in this century. I wish theology could even discover if God in fact is a He, a She, or just an It.
In the ultimate analysis, however, at this point and time in man's history on this earth, theology should have already discovered the secret of life and death as something knowable and not something unknowable. Poch Suzara

Biblical Tree

A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit; neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Matt. 7:18. The question is: where exactly is that corrupt tree found on this planet today, and who created its evil fruit? Poch Suzara

Jerry Falwell

Jerry Falwell said: “Grown men should not be having sex with prostitutes unless they are married to them.”
It would have been nearer the truth had Jerry Falwell, instead, declared: “Creation, not prostitution, is the world’s oldest profession.” Poch Suzara

Love from Jesus

Jesus admonished: "Love, love one another." Jesus, however, failed to show his followers how prcisely to love one another. Thus, even among bible characters themselves, from the Old to the New Testament, nobody knew how to love anybody. In fact, Jesus himself knew not how to love others. Otherwise, if He did, no one in His community of love would have had the gall to get Him crucified dead on a stick. Poch Suzara

Mark Twain's Monkeys

Mark Twain wrote: "I am quite sure now that often, very often, in matters concerning religion and politics a man's reasoning powers are not above the monkey's."
Please Mark, let us not insult the monkeys. Monkeys do not achieve a reputation for mediocrity. Monkeys do not go to school. They are not made stupid by acquiring a college education. Take a look at the men and women with college education in charge of the stupid mess otherwise known as the United Nations today. Poch Suzara

Superstitious

We are all superstitious. Consider how we all believe that there is such a thing as security. None exist in the ultimate reality. After all, in nature, in every birth follows life and then only death and decay. Even security in the hereafter is based on a lot of religious hogwash. Consider the fact there isn’t even a herebefore. How could there be a hereafter? Poch Suzara

No One is Perfect

No one is perfect. We atheists, however, have no sense of sin, nor sense of guilt, nor sense of shame with the thought that we are not perfect. In fact, we atheists are never bothered by the fact that no one is perfect. Poch Suzara

War

War is nature’s spasmodic effort to change the status quo, but we have none of that. As soon as one war is over, we lay the foundation of another. Blinded and obsessed by either ecclesiasticism or commercialism, - old boundaries, old sovereignties, old systems, and old ways are set up, when the purpose of war is to destroy them. Do you not see then the part self-righteous wrongdoers play in war? Indeed, the righteous are always ready and willing to kill those who are more righteous.
We atheists have found intellectual as well as moral equivalent for war, something that can bring about change without bloodshed, without violence – brains instead of battles, books instead of bullets, and mature thinking instead childish believing. Poch Suzara

The Priesthood Industry

The priesthood industry fears atheism, not because it is inimical to human welfare, but because it is inimical to its own welfare. The priesthood industry wants and needs their mythical God because in him they live and move and have their cake and eat it too. The priesthood industry sees to it that the world remains full of suffering, tragedy, disease, disaster, pain and misery. Thus, the priesthood industry has become an institution not for human welfare, but only for the care and maintenance of God. For my part, I cannot imagine a powerful supernatural being behaving not only like a spoiled brat, but also proving to be such a cold-blooded perfection but quite engrossed if not lost in self-admiration. Poch Suzara

Sacred Books

The bible of the Christians, the Quran of the Muslims, and the Talmud of the Jews are all exactly alike and easy to understand. They are sacred books about how to hate everything that might enhance the achievement of the good life – one inspired by love and guided by knowledge. Hatred of life, hatred of learning new and fresh ideas, hatred of curiosity, and indeed hatred of women and the hatred of human intelligence. Such sacred books divert men’s outlook toward the extra-terrestrial heavens, by loosing sight of the terrestrial life on this earth. Hope of eternal salvation or aspiration to the hereafter promotes a sense futility in the present. If the prospect of getting taken up to God’s kingdom generates comfort, it is the mindless comfort of a child picked up from his crib. Poch Suzara

Jesus as Savior

Jesus came to save the world. That was more than 2,000 years ago. The world, however, is not any safer, any saner or any more humane than it was during the time of Jesus, nor is man appreciably any more sensible or responsible. There is little dispute that Jesus as a “savior” has proved to be a dismal failure. His plan of salvation was a failure; it did not work out as Jesus intended. A great teacher is needed now almost as much as 2,000 years ago. If the world, however, is gradually improving, it is because of science, not due to ancient superstitions. Jesus may have resurrected his dead body from the grave back to life, but he failed to resurrect the dead minds of men and the dead hearts of women of his community. Jesus failed to provide the knowledge so much needed by man to enable him to shape his course through life. No one knows how to live intelligently, how best to meet life’s situation, what action is best suited to the occasion. Jesus did not tell us what to do. His sayings are interpreted in many conflicting ways. He failed to predict the needs of the future. He said little of international strife. He offered no program for arbitration of global disputes, no substitute for war between nations, no policy of war prevention. Jesus did not explain what entailed a happy relations between man and wife, nor between employer and employee, nor how to educate children, nor how to preserve health, nor how to make a living, nor how to prevent war, or prevent poverty and suffering. Jesus gave little information, and his spiritual advice was not clearly enough expressed to enable man to apply it to modern times. Jesus neglected to show his followers how to live in search of the truth. His knowledge of the world was less than the knowledge of a high school dropout today who reads with much gusto the basic writings of Bertrand Russell. Poch Suzara

Imagine a God

Imagine a God who can create a trillion stars to comprise the Cosmos. He could create a home called hell for the devil and his fallen angels. He could even create a purgatory as a stopover for silly souls on the way to heaven. God could even split the Read Sea for his Chosen Jewish people to march across. God could even create churches and cathedrals throughout the Philippines. But God would not and could not create houses for my poor brothers and sisters living under subhuman conditions in the Philippines. And to think that these are the same poor and homeless Filipinos who hate each other and who hate their country down here but have so much love God and respect for his saints up there. Poch Suzara

The Supernatural Being

The supernatural being traditionally called God has been vanishing by the explosion of scientific knowledge around the wrld during the last 500 years. Not, however, in the Philippines. We may have a supernatural being no more, but we certainly had human beings like Jaime Cardinal Sin, who was even more supernatural than he was the Archbishop of Manila then. Even the president of our Republic would kneel down to him as a confirmation that our democracy is nothing compared to the power of theocracy in this God-forsaken country. Poch Suzara

As Atheists

Our task as atheists is to help others deepen their courage to embrace the reality of common humanity by ignoring the fantasy behind childish divinity. There is no such thing as the perfection of creation. After all, creation is still expanding and human life is still evolving. Evolving into what? Nobody knows. We hope, however, with more intelligence as intelligence will lead us not into temptation as we should already know where were are going. Poch Suzara

The Job of a Creator

In his book, A Brief History of Time, Stephen Hawking surmised: “ So long as the universe has a beginning, we could suppose it had a creator. But if the universe is really self-contained, having no boundary or edge, it would have neither beginning nor end: it would simply be. What place, then, for a creator?”

I ask: Which creator? The one who is always omni-absent everywhere; or, the creator who is never omni-present anywhere. Poch Suzara

I am Told

Who am I to question God? My reply: Who are you not to question God whose existence has been concocted by superstitious writers of the bible? Thousands of years ago, they knew much less about our world than our own grandparents knew about our world a hundred years ago? As a matter of fact, our grandchildren’s children will know more, a great deal more about the nature of our world in the centuries to come? Such knowledgeable people in the future should be the ones writing the bible for God, if there is any. Poch Suzara

When we were babies

None of us were believers when we were babies. We were all sane, pure, and atheistic. None of us lived in fear of shame or suffered from guilt. As babies, none of us believed in the cult of the Supreme Being. Until of course the religious morons started to frighten us to have faith in God. Today as grown-ups, in God’s name and for his glory in heaven, whether we are Christians or Jews or Muslims - we are even willing to destroy our home planet earth just to prove how right is our own religion and how wrong the other's religion. Indeed, religion encourages cruelty, stupidity, and insanity. If we were all atheists as we were all born atheists – we can all learn to live in peace on earth and goodwill to all men. Poch Suzara

Bible Lessons

There is nothing in the bible that says Jesus was a Catholic or a Lutheran or a Baptist or a Methodist or a Presbyterian or a Mormon, etc. In fact, Jesus was a devout Jew. But then again, if Jesus was the Son of God and Jesus was a Jew, then God must be a Jew too. Here, however, is something else to think about. Jesus died for our sins. Jesus must be proud of Filipinos. After all, we Filipinos are the most corrupt sinners in all of Asia. We never stop to commit sins and crimes and thus we also never stop to add more meaning to the Jesus martyrdom. As far as latest chosen people of God are concerned the Filipinos are in. The Jews are out. Poch Suzara

Jesus Said

“Man does not live by bread alone.” In the Philippines, however, we hardly have bread. More than 70 per cent of our population live on $2.00 a day. The rest live on sin and crime, indeed, by greed, graft, and corruption. In order, however, to remedy the ills of our sick economy, we export Filipino workers abroad. More than 15,000,000 of our PEOPLE have already found a better standard of living and thinking having already migrated to 169 countries around the world. If we could only export sick teachers and professors, sick government officials, sick theologians, sick evangelists, and sick criminals not yet sentenced to prison in this faith-soaked republic. Aside from bread, let us begin to entertain other values that make for the good life under a growing and developing civilization right here in our own beloved country. Poch Suzara

Luke 19:27

In Luke 19:27, Jesus said: “But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them for me.” Indeed, If Jesus were alive today he would be an American and could be as great as president George W. Bush of the United States of America. Poch Suzara

World History in Brief

In the history of world, there never was a war declared by atheists on other atheists for not believing in God. In fact, if peace on earth and goodwill to all men will ever become a historical reality one day, it will be due to, if not the result of, - the spread of atheism throughout the world.
In the meantime, I have yet to hear of atheists who invented, manufactured, and sold weapons of mass of destruction anywhere in the world. Poch Suzara

Human Dignity in Hinduism

Human dignity rests on the assumption that human life is, in some way, significant. Indeed, significant to what is clear and natural down here, and not significant because of what is vague and supernatural out there.
A Hindu has greater opportunities to enjoy human dignity than a Christian. Hinduism maintains no creeds or doctrines. It is more of a way of life. It grows, changes, and assimilates when it meets new and fresh ideas. It does not resist, attack, or convert. In Hinduism, no one is right or wrong; each is simply on a different level of consciousness. In Hinduism, life’s common purpose is not to be right or prove others wrong, but to help one another to deepen one’s respect for life on this only home we have called “earth.”. Poch Suzara

The Power of Christianity

The power of the priesthood industry comes not from God. It comes from the human ignorance supported by the horror of fear, if not the terror of guilt. Indeed, fear of eternal punishment; and, guilt of the Original Sin. As if we humans originated anything in this world to begin with.
In the meantime, if only Jesus had resurrected not himself from the dead, but resurrected instead the dead minds and dead hearts of his apostles and followers and disciples comprising his dead community, we Filipino Christians would probably be enjoying today social sanity with health and wealth in the Philippines. Poch Suzara

Fantastic

I am having a lively debate with a bible lover at present. He admits that the holy bible is the greatest book he has ever read. He admits, however, that he does not understand a great many portions written in the book.
Well, I have myself read and studied bible contents and messages for some 15 years. I have had problems too understanding some of the things written in the bible. Instead of admitting my ignorance as something of a divine wisdom, I submitted bible contents and messages into deeper scrutiny and then threw my bible out the window. Why not? After all, the bible should be as simple to understand as the Multiplication Table – the perfect model of truth which is precise and certain and free from all temporal dross. The bible, however, is a compilation of trashy, incoherent, confabulated, incredible tales, poems, sagas, and pieces of dramas. It is full of hatred, murder, greed, selfishness, falsehoods, lust, sadism and masochism, absurdities, inconsistencies, contradictions, stupidities, and cruelties written by superstitious primitives. No doubt, there is something for everyone in the bible. Indeed, nothing is missing in the bible; except the most priceless of values: - the growth and development of the human intelligence. Especially the kind that should lead to intellectual potency; not psychological stagnancy.

After Five Centuries

After five centuries of spiritual guidance derived from bible lessons, we Filipinos are still praying daily to God to “lead us not into temptation.” As we are already successful sinners, isn’t it time to pray to God to lead us now into health and sanitation? One of the most painful facts about life in general in the Philippines is that the majority of Filipinos still believe in God’s ancient command: “Be fruitful and multiply.” Today, however, if we Filipinos do not alter those words with “be truthful and dignify,” we are on the way to national suicide. Poch Suzara

Atheism at the Foundation of Science

As a matter of historical fact, Atheism is the one and only religion that has always played a major part in the foundation of science. The other great religions of the world have only been too busy hating and fighting each other; especially on how to impede the advancement of science, especially in Jesus's name on earth and for his glory in heaven. Poch Suzara

The Most Expensive

The most expensive thing you can own in this world is a closed mind. The prize paid for it is too costly: the mindless surrender of the self via the mutilation of the intellect. The intellect precisely that brings about the achievement of self-respect and dignity. Poch Suzara

Fear and Wisdom

Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom. Bertrand Russell
But the bible says: For in much wisdom is much grief; and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow. Ecc. 1:18.
For my part, after I am dead, and I meet the creator, and he will ask me if I brought along with me the bible, I shall simply reply that I threw it out my holy window while I was still alive and kicking back on earth. Poch Suzara

Family Values in the Bible

Those who refuse to read bible verses because such verses contradict each other are no better off than those who can’t read at all. Here, however, are a few verses among the many more on the art of gracious living by way of family values as written in the bible: Moses commanded his army: “Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that hath known a man by lying with him. But all the women children, that have no known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourselves. Numbers 31:15-18 Joshua commanded the sun to stop in the sky for the sole purpose of allowing him the time to slaughter more of his enemies, the Amorites. Josh. 10:12-15 God plays favorites. He chooses one people to be God’s Chosen to the neglect of all the others. Genesis 26. God could split the Red Sea for his Chosen people to get away from the Egyptian army. God who could manipulate the weather in order to send the great flood that drowned all his children save for Noah’s family because human life has become so evil God needed to destroy it. Genesis 7. God commands: “Thou shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall yet eat.” Leviticus 26:29 God commands: “thou shalt eat it as barley bakes, and thou shalt bake it with dung that cometh out of man, in their sight. Ezekial 4:12 God said: “Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread dung upon your faces.” Malachi 2:3 God said: “I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.” God is a spirit. John 4:4. No man hadth seen God at any time. John 1:18. And the Lord appeared unto him. (Isaac). Gen. 26:2 God sent the angel of death across the land of Egypt to murder the firstborn males in every Egyptian household in order to facilitate the release of the chosen people. Exodus God says to Hosea, Go, take thee a wife of whoredom and children of whoredom. Hosea 1:2; 3:1-3 God is the father of the whole human family. Mary was his daughter who gave birth to Jesus. Jesus therefore was the son and grandson of God. In the meantime, God is not the author of confusion. 1 Cor. 14:33. God admits that “I create the light and create darkness; I make peace and create evil: I the Lord do these things.” Is. 45:7 (see also Judges 9:23) God says things in the Old Testament only to be repeated in the New Testament: “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Ps 22:1 God “sent me to thy master and to speak to thee these words? Hath he not sent me to the men that sit upon the wall, that they may eat their own dung, and drink their own piss with you?” Is.36:12 God inspired his authors to write about Melchisedec in the Old and in the New Testament. A king of Salem, priest of the most high, without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually. Heb. 7:1-3. Now where is Melchisedec? How come nobody among the bible readers do not bother to find out more about this bible weird character? Heb. 7: 1-3 God says: “The lord will smite thee with the botch of Egypt, and with the hemorrhoids, and with the scab, and the itch, whereof thou canst not be healed.” Deut. 28:27 Mediocrity at best, stupidity at worst approved as a revealed truth: “For in much wisdom is much grief; and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow.” Ecc.1:18. And due to the religious hogwash as claimed in the bible - I threw my bible out my holy window. Ever since then, I ceased praying to God to lead me not into temptation. I would rather lead my own way in this life devoid of religious illusions or biblical delusions, and to hell with the rat-race called “eternal salvation.” In the meantime, No knowledge can be discovered by reading the sacred writings of some inspired bare-assed, half starved, protein-deficient, illiterate Jews wandering around in a desert in a nomadic tribe, hallucinating from the oppressive conditions and climate in which they tried to eke out an existence. Poch Suzara

God’s Chosen People

That the Filipino today is also among the chosen People of God says little about the Filipino. In fact, it says a great deal more about God and the ways of his sick partner – the devil gifted with a more efficient free will than yours or mine. To be God’s Chosen means to be subjected to persecution as well as degradation. Consider the Jews then popular as the Chosen People of God: they have been driven from their natural home by the Roman capture of Jerusalem ( 70 a.d. ), scattered, persecuted, and decimated by Christianity and Islam – which have been born of their scriptures; barred by the feudal system from owning land; shut up in congested ghettos; mobbed by people and robbed by kings; outcast and excommunicated, insulted, and injured; and in modern times in Germany, they were isolated, mutilated, decapitated , asphyxiated, cremated, and granulated. These are some of the horrors Chosen people of God must experience in this world. I said it before, I say it again: - so long as we continue to have faith in divinity, so long as we continue to be frightened of deviltry, so long as we continue saving our stupid souls with prayer and theology, so long as we continue degrading the evolution of our intelligent minds, so long as we continue degrading the power of science and technology, we Filipinos, in the centuries to come, shall surely be even more famous as the Sicken People of a Sick God in Asia... Poch Suzara Twitter# Facebook# Google#

God Debate Letter to Newsweek

April 10, 2007 Newsweek Letter to the Editor Gentlemen: In the God Debate (April 9 issue) between Sam Harris and Rick Warren, this much I should say: It does not bother me to realize that for millions of years before my birth, I was a nothing. Why then should it bother me to realize also that after my death, I will again be a nothing? In the meantime, just like everyone else, I too was born an atheist. Indeed, no child is born a Christian or a Jew or a Muslim or what-not. That a creator made me in his own image is no burden to me. It’s the problem of the creator. After all, we are all born on a planet so tiny in that one million planets the size of earth can fit inside the sun. More than a trillion of such suns otherwise called “stars” comprise the cosmos. If the creator is also like a speck of dust floating aimlessly in space – what’s all this fear and guilt about behind man’s silly religious beliefs? If there be a purpose to life, that purpose must be those of the atheists – to leave this world a little better than we found it, or there is little reason for our having lived. Sincerely, Poch Suzara, San Lorenzo Village, Makati city, Philippines Cellphone: 09165724788

Philippine College Education

College education in the Philippines is about having two goals in life: 1) to be prepared to go abroad to earn your living. 2) to be prepared to go to heaven after death to earn your believing.
In the meantime, the Filipinos are the poorest people on this earth. Imagine for centuries us Filipinos impoverished with our brains washed with original sin and our hearts dry-cleaned with Christianity. Poch Suzara

Face Death

I am asked if I can face death without faith? What a silly question. After death, we have no more eyes to see, no more ears to hear, no more nose to smell, no more skin to feel, no more palete to taste. The better question to ask: what conceivable value has your faith after you are already faceless and indeed, - lifeless? Poch Suzara

Sam Harris

Sam Harris wrote a most interesting piece on the 10 myths and the 10 truths about Atheism. If you wish to read it, I’d be happy to email to you.
In the meantime, I have discovered the 11th truth about Atheism: - No one ever became filthy rich for believing that God is bad. Yet, millions upon millions upon millions of people are filthy poor for believing that God is good. Poch Suzara

World Insanity

During the Second World War, 1941–l946 American factories built 94,000 planes and launched 30 aircraft carriers. The question is not what happened to those planes and aircraft carriers after the war ended, but what happened to those factories, including those producing other weapons of destruction for battle in the field and in sea and in the air?
Notice in the meantime civil war has been the most frequent kind of war since 1946: something like two-thirds of all postwar conflicts have been within, rather than between, - states. And weapons used in these conflicts are “Made in America.” Not to mention American troops involved also taking them further and further away from home, though presumably in the cause of “homeland security.”
Indeed, more and more American kids are shipped overseas to fight terrorism or more specifically to drain the breeding grounds of anti- Americanism.
It seems to me clear that if America was truly the land of the free and the home of the brave, we Americans should bring the world together in putting an end to the worst of Anglo-American commercialism: the production of weapons of mass destruction to defend and protect nothing but capitalism. Poch Suzara

Scientist and Theologian

Better a scientist dissatisfied than a theologian satisfied. A scientist dissatisfied never threatens any one with eternal damnation if you do not believe in his tentative conclusions. Indeed, in science, far more questions are entertained than answers retained. Science is a never-ending search of the truth. Science is honest enough to admit openly and publicly that it understands only a little bit more than 1 per cent of the nature of reality
In theology, however, there are only answers. No questions are allowed. Moreover, there is also the threat of eternal damnation if you do not believe in the theological dogmatic claims. Theology is the study of the unknown for the sake of having faith in the unknowable. Who benefits in this religious mess? The silly theologians, who else, specially as they act in their respective churches, schools, colleges, and universities Poch Suzara

Women of the Philippines

Our women are still on their knees before the alter of mediocrity. They are always frightened to believe that someone died on the cross for their Original Sin. Indeed, the majority of our women prefer delusion to truth. It sooths. It is easy to grasp. They embrace faith; not reason. Faith, after all, is nothing but the free will to lazily avoid discovering what is true. Sadly, the intellectual capacity of our women to seek the truth has been damaged by stupid religious beliefs and values as taught to them in our schools, colleges, and universities. Poch Suzara

War as Big Business

As the number one supplier of arms in the world, the US government abhors the idea of peace agreement between countries at war. The US government loves to hear of conflicts or killings such as those between the Christians and the Muslims in the Philippines. Such evils create profitable opportunities to sell weapons to both parties at war within or even between, states. Such terrors keep the existence of US industrial-military-university complex on high gear. The war against terrorism is nothing but a business concoction of American capitalism. Decades ago, it was known as the war against communism. It was all a joke on the global scale. Today, the war against terrorism is another joke on the global scale. All thanks to the wealth, power, and glory of American Capitalism. Poch Suzara

Bertrand Russell

Russell’s intellectual life was devoted to three main quests. He sought impersonal objective truth successively in Religion, Mathematics, and Science.
I ask: can you name another scientist who lived to be ninety eight years, and devoted seventy years of it in the search of truth in Religion, Mathematics, and Science? In his remaining years, however, involved in global affairs, Bertrand Russell – the philosopher-humanist – worked very hard for peace on earth and goodwill to all governments, especially those headed by homicidal maniacs like the US government under the power of the industrial-military-university complex. Poch Suzara

Created Equal

If all men were created equal in the sight of God, what was God’s purpose in giving men free will? Especially to white men to wage war against non-white men in order to prove white men are free, rich, intelligent, and God-loving; while non-white men are slaves, poor, stupid and God-loving too. Poch Suzara

Rich in Spirit

Bless not those poor in spirit for they shall inherit lies. Bless instead those rich in spirit for they shall inherit the truth. Poch Suzara

Diminishing Faith

Nick fatool writes in the Manila Standard Today: “Faith is something that is sadly diminishing among us.” Sir, a man of faith is like a drunkard who clings to a lamppost for support, not illumination. Moreover, faith is never wanting to know what is true. Do you speak of faith that 2 plus 2 equals 4? Or that the earth is round? No, you only speak of faith when you do not know and hope to remain ignorant by letting others in authority do the thinking for you. This is wrong and childish . Faith in our childish religion has kept us spiritually stagnant as a people and morally malignant as a nation. In this 21st century, isn’t time for Filipinos to ask: where is our national health as a people and where is our national wealth as a nation under the power of Christian faith during these past 500 years in the Philippines? Sir, Christianity thrives not on love, but on guilt? Guilt, not love, is the fundamental emotion that Christianity seeks to induce – and this is symptomatic of a viciousness in Christianity that few Filipinos care to acknowledge. For all of its alleged concern for the “poor in spirit,” Christianity has only done its best to perpetuate spiritual poverty and intellectual stagnancy in the Philippines. Indeed, to be moral, according to Jesus, we must shackle the beauty of reason. We must force ourselves to believe that which we cannot understand. In the name of morality, we must always suppress doubts. We must never subject religious beliefs to critical examination. Less criticism leads to more faith – and faith – Jesus declares is the hallmark of virtue. Indeed, “unless you turn and become like little children, you will never the enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matt. 18:3. Children, after all will believe anything; even the promises of the mediocre politicians running for government office. In the final analysis, Christianity must first destroy reason before it can introduce faith, so it must destroy joys of the heart and happiness of the mind before it can introduce salvation. Thus, we are neither growing as a people nor developing as a nation. We are not even reasonable in the race to achieve higher civilization; only faithful in the rat-race for eternal salvation. I say: to hell with faith in that biblical corruption called faith in the Original Sin. After all, none of us ever originated anything in this world to begin with. Poch Suzara

White-American Gimcrackery

On CBS ‘60 Minutes’ Andy Rooney remarked: “My father and grandfather didn't die in vain so you can leave the countries you were born in to come over and disrespect ours.” No kidding? Any native Indian or native Mexican can cry about it with more truthfulness: “My ancestors died in vain for you to leave the countries you were born in to come over and claim it as your own by naming it the United States of America. And to think in America, there is this grand claim inscribed on the Statue of Liberty: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breath free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door.” At any given day, (7) seven million white American citizens cannot find decent employment in America. It is all about a lot of white American gimcrackery! I should know. As a poor immigrant, I lived and worked in America for some 17 years. My job there was about working hard to help my white rich employer become filthy richer. Oh yes, in America there’s the beauty of individualism; but what is, however, far more important is capitalism. US Capitalism now owns and controls more than 60 per cent of the world’s natural resources. Moreover, as the only super power, American capitalism has but one single goal: to rule the world unchallenged with its military fire power. My dear Andy Rooney, may I suggest you read history books written by a rare and honest American historian - Howard Zinn. It is truthful historians like Howard Zinn that prevents me from totally losing hope with America and its decent future. In his PEOPLE’S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES, he writes: - “We are not hated because we practice democracy, value freedom, or uphold human rights. We are hated because our government denies these things to people in Third World countries whose resources we coveted by our multinational corporations. That hatred we have sown has come back to us in the form of terrorism… Instead of sending our sons and daughters around the world to kill Arabs so we can have the oil under their sand, we should send them to rebuild their infrastructure, supply clean water, and feed starving children … In short, we should do good instead of evil. Who would try to stop us then? Who would hate us then? Who would want to bomb us? That is the truth the American people need to hear.” Poch Suzara

Email Response

I get messages such as "Please do not include me in your e-mailing list. My mind is not that great to comprehend your message."
My response: Ok will delete your name in my address book. I understand your predicament. You must be a college educated individual. I feel so sorry for you.
Yours sincerely, Poch Suzara, Chairman, High School Dropout Association of the Philippines.

Religious Morons

Religious morons will tell about the wonderful word of God written in the bible. But never will they ever inspire you to read the bible thoroughly and properly. You can only read the bible under ecclesiastical guidance. You are not allowed to interpret bible contents. In other words, the bible was not written for the inspired readers, but only written by inspired authors of God. Well, I read the bible and studied it for some 20 years. After I threw the bible out the window, I began to be happy as a thinking man. Also, I was able to recapture the lost reality of my birth called “atheism.” Just like you my dear reader, I was also born an atheist. Indeed, no one is born a Christian or a Muslim or a Jew, or what-not. We are all born devoid of conscience and therefore arrived into this God-forsaken world as unbelievers of the faith. Poch Suzara

The Filipino Challenge

The greatest challenge we Filipinos must face in this 21st century is to stand up as a people against our childish religious beliefs that have not ceased to inspire fear and ignorance, poverty and suffering, and backwardness in this Asia’s only Christian country.
We need public discourse about the life and times of our greatest hero – Jose Rizal and his courage not only at love of country, but especially about his critical thinking and intellectual honesty. Nothing stands in the way of this progress more than the respect we give to our Christian religion. Indeed, the same religion that has caused so much troubles and problems in the Western world ever since its Founder – the Son of God Jesus – crucified on the cross, cried out: “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me.” Poch Suzara

Thought and Love

One of the horrors we first learned in school was how to be habitually thoughtless. We all wished to win the love of our teachers in school, and so we showed our teachers how happy we got to be thoughtlessly believing as we hated higher learning especially via hating questioning with deeper thinking. In the meantime, the greatest creation we can enjoy in life is not love but the power of thought; for, devoid of thought, the power of love cannot exist. Poch Suzara

Rizal's Death-defying Poem

In his death-defying Ultimo Adios poem, Rizal said: I go where faith does not kill, and God alone reigns over all.”
millions of Filipinos really believe that Rizal was such a mediocre thinker in that he was referring to the God of the Christians or the God of the Muslims or the God of the Jews or the God of the Lilliputians. Indeed, these assorted believers of Gods have not ceased cutting each other’s throats because they cannot even agree as to whether God is a he, a she, or an it?
Rizal was obviously referring to the God of the thinkers, philosophers, and scientists. The God otherwise known as the simple God of Reason. Poch Suzara

Poor Jose Rizal

I am asked to give three reasons why Jose Rizal should NOT be the national hero of the Philippines. I can only give one reason: Rizal died for thinking men and thoughtful women and for children to be educated with the values in truthfulness. Since we continue to be a nation of dumbstruck certified morons, Rizal does not deserved to be our national hero. Our real heroes should be the Knights of Rizal and other Rizalist groups who are all so proud and happy spreading more spiritual poverty, moral bankruptcy, political mediocrity, social insanity, and religious stupidity, not to mention science inefficiency as the great values and beliefs that keep the Filipino as the Sick Man of Asia who gives not a hoot about the habit of serious reading of books. Especially books on the philosophy of the sciences.
And to think our Asian neighbors are today enjoying not only the higher standard of living, but more so the higher standard of thinking only because they have been substantiating quite seriously what Jose Rizal has been saying more than a hundred years ago: -“If our country is ever to be free, it will not be through vice and crime, it will not be so by corrupting its sons, by deceiving some and bribing others, and it will be through education and industry.”
Poor Jose Rizal, he never knew that our schools, colleges, and universities will be under the manipulative control of his deadly enemy – stupid religion keeping the Philippines ever poor and ever backward. Poch Suzara

American Students and Apes

The push to teach “intelligent design” in America raises the question: “Does God have a place in American science classrooms?
The fundamentalists in charge of education in America apparently do not believe that God is omni-present. That God, somehow, during science classrooms is only omni-absent.
In the bible, God admits: “For dust art thou and unto dust shalt thou return.” Well, if God made man in his own image and likeness, it follows that God must be made of dust too. What purpose is there to put God in American science classrooms if God, like dust, were already omni-present everywhere?
For my part, I have more respect for the apes. They were designed not only intelligently, but more so gracefully. Look how the apes live in peace on earth and goodwill to all apes. Apes do not terrorize each other in God’s name. Apes do not go to war to kill other apes in order to establish freedom and democracy!
I envy the life of the apes. They have no system for eternal salvation. They have no church, no synagogue, and no mosque to inspire the faithful to become selfish, greedy, stupid, and insane. Apes do not prove themselves worthy of divine rewards by cutting each other’s throat so that they can go to paradise to be with a peaceful, kind, and ever loving God. Poch Suzara

Salvation via Corruption

There is economic growth in the Philippines for as long as there is corruption. Economic growth not only for the corrupt rich getting richer, but also for the corrupt poor getting poorer. Corruption as the basis of Filipino culture has more to do with Christianity. Indeed, why bother with the creation of a sane and a healthy society? Or respecting law and order? Or why bother with growth as a people and maturity as a nation? After all, for the sake of salvation, there is always the forgiveness of sin and the forgiveness of crime available at any time from God via the Christian priesthood industry. In the meantime, in this only Christian country in Asia, we Filipinos still faithfully believe what Jesus preached centuries ago: “Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” In other words: Do not think like men and women. Just believe like boys and girls do believe. Poch Suzara Atheist# Google# Twitter# Facebook#

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 A 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 MY FATHER. 14:6 NO ONE COME TO GOD EXCEPT THROUGH ME. 16:6 And yet, crucified on the cross, with more exalted language, Jesus cried out: “My God, My God, why has thou forsaken me?” Now how could a God possibly forsake Himself? And to think this is the same Jesus who, as a member of the holy trinity, pleaded: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Perhaps, Jesus was referring to those sinners who did not know what they were doing before the great flood and indeed, especially, even after the great Flood? In the meantime, I ask: why should God tell parents how to raise children when he himself had drowned his own children? In the last analysis, I am told that 98 per cent of Filipinos believe, love, and worship God; and only 2 per cent do not as they are the atheists - I am most proud that I am among those in the 2 per cent as I am not only deadly spiritually, but also lively intellectually as an atheist. Poch Suzara, Google# Facebook# Twitter#

God Found Me Experience

The bible relates an account of one man's "God found me" experience. It is recorded in the Hebrew Old Testament. His name is Elisha. The bible readers are inspired to believe Elisha probably experienced this unique encounter with God around 3,000 years ago.
“Come out," He called, "and stand on the mountain before the Lord." And lo, the Lord passed by.
There was a great and mighty wind, splitting mountains and shattering rocks by the power of the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind - an earthquake;
but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake - fire; but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire - 'kol demamah dakkah,' the sound of delicate silence. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his mantle about his face and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. - 1 Kings 19:11-13 ***
Millions of people believe this fairy tale as something actual or factual. These are the same dumbstruck bible believers who are just as impressed with Jesus in the New Testament. Indeed, Jesus changed water into wine, cured leprosy, made the blind see, the deft hear, the dumb speak. Jesus raised the dead back to life.
It would have been far more miraculous, however, had Jesus cured diseases not in retail, but wholesale. How? By simply making not diseases, but health contagious. In this way, Filipinos would waste no more time waiting for the Second Coming of Christ to remedy the diseases that make for our sick society.
But then again, what could be more miraculous than curing not bodily diseases, but infirmities of the soul – that is to say curing men of their vices and their depravities, which are worse than germs, bacteria, and viruses living inside the human body created in the image and likeness of God? Well, this is Jesus – the Son of God? Now what about His God the Father himself? He was kind enough to send an angel to console and to assist a young Virgin Mary, while He left, and still leaves every day millions of mothers and children to languish and to starve to death.
As for me, I thank both God and the devil together that I am an Atheist. Indeed, a proud and a happy Atheist till the day I turn into dust. As a matter of fact, I would rather end up as a pile of dust enjoying infinity than having to meet in the "next world" either deviltry or divinity. Poch Suzara

The Stupid Devil

Was The devil really that stupid? The bible account clearly proves it. Please see Matthew chapter 4 verse 8-10. “Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them.“And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou will fall down and worship me.” “Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” Of course, Jesus in this episode, was not only childish himself, but also gullible. He miserably failed to remind the stupid devil that he had no legal title or rights of ownership to assets and properties and kingdoms of this world to offer to anyone. Jesus could have simply told the stupid devil that “Hey, you poor sap! What are you talking about? My father, the creator of heaven and hell, is the rightful owner of the kingdoms you are offering me!” Really, if we were to read bible contents inspired with critical analysis, we need not end up being bible believers stuck with mental paralysis. To begin with, why would God inspire only authors to write the bible? The more intelligent thing to do is to inspire the best part of any book - the millions of readers? In this way, we need worship divinity by hating humanity which in fact characterizes the entire history of Christianity. But then again, I could be dead wrong. The devil could be the smartest creature God ever created. After all, ours is not only the devil of religion, but also the religion of the devil! Poch Suzara

More on the Stupid Devil

Bishop Teodoro Bacani Jr wrote “The devil continues to dangle every kind of temptation before us.” Manila Standard Today 2-27-2007
And to think that millions upon millions of poverty stricken Filipinos have never ceased praying daily to God to “give us this day our daily bread,” and to “lead us not into temptation.” Poch Suzara

Destiny

There is no such thing as destiny. There are only choices. For my part, I choose to live the good life - one inspired by love and guided by knowledge. After which, after death, I have no choice but to be where I was millions of years before I was born – a place called nothing. Just like you, my dear reader, and just like everyone else. We may fear dying, but death itself should not be feared because death is an absolute nothing and it is utterly foolish to live in fear of nothing. Poch Suzara

Newspaper Banner

The Philippine Star has this front page banner: THE TRUTH SHALL PREVAIL. No doubt, the truth according to the Catholic teachings. All the owners and stockholders and members of the Board of Directors and employees of the Philippine Star are all devout Catholics.
In the meantime, the struggle for press freedom in this God-forsaken country is a sick national mockery. Journalism is not answerable to the truth but answerable only to God via the Catholic Bishops of the Philippines. Indeed, in this 21st century, both readers and writers in this God-forsaken country still believe in the existence of eternal hell-fire as taught to us to believe when we were little boys and girls in school. Poch Suzara

Best Seller

Best sellers come and go, but the Word of God abides forever. Philippine Star January 29, 2007.
Obviously, the religious buffoon who wrote those words could not fathom two essential issues related to what he wrote. In the first place, in this country, nobody gives a damn about best sellers since we are not a nation of mature readers.
n the second place, if the Word of God written in the bible made more sense rather than nonsense, made more construction rather than destruction, indeed, made more social sanity rather than religious insanity - what need is there for best sellers? Poch Suzara

Erich Fromm

In his anatomy of Human Destruction, Erich Fromm wrote: “Man is the only animal who not only knows objects but who knows that he knows. Man is the only animal who has not only instrumental intelligence, but reason, the capacity to use his thinking to understand objectively – i.e., to know the nature of things as they are in themselves, and not only as means for his satisfaction. Gifted with self-awareness and reason, man is aware of himself as a being separate from nature and from others; he is aware of his powerlessness, of his ignorance; he is aware of his end: death.”
As a matter of fact, no other living creature on this earth except man who has the temerity to believe that God created man in his own image and likeness. Poch Suzara

College Students

College students, especially those enrolled in Catholic colleges are not taught to make things happen. Instead, they learn only to wait for things to happen. Especially to wait for the Second Coming of Christ – the Redeemer who will remedy all the ills of our sick society.
What’s sad, however, among my friends, relatives, and associates who are all college graduates is that they all love their so-called education, but hardly love the Philippines – their nation. Well, to begin with, they all were taught to believe in the better life to come after death in heaven. Such a sacred belief has certainly devalued human life in this country. Poch Suzara

Money

Aside from that love for divinity, most people love even more money. They have been taught to believe that money is not everything. It is the only thing. No, they would not bother looking for valuable answers to precious questions. Clearly, they haven’t got intelligent questions to ask. They are happy with the stupid answers. Inside or outside their empty head nothing intellectual bothers them. But they will do anything for money. Steal it. Swindle it. Grab it. Get married for it. Lie for it. Kill for it. Even inherit it. What matters is having lots of money. It does not matter where the money would come from. What matters is that they have must it. Tons of it. The crime or the sin involved along the way does not matter either. After all, what matters in the end is the forgiveness of human stupidity by a great and wonderful divinity. Poch Suzara

Born Naked

Just like every one else, I was born naked. But not like everyone else, I have every wish to leave this world one day stark naked. Indeed, if it is true that I will meet my creator after death, it would truly be exciting to meet a naked creator. God created man in his own image and likeness, didn’t he? Poch Suzara

Sex

To bring forth children into this world of hate and poverty is the greatest of crime. Men and women have yet to learn how to have sex for fun since only very few couples, married or un-married, have the ability or the talent to raise children with loved and affection. Children that are wanted, needed, and loved are never a disgrace; on the contrary, they always grow up to be a grace to the human race. If peace on earth and goodwill to all men will ever become a terrestrial reality one day, it will be due to all children being born welcomed not only by both mothers and fathers, but by a sane society in general.
To me, in my simplicity, mothers and children are the most precious people in this world. I should therefore be very careful and most concerned in how such precious children and precious mothers are being multiplied and replenished on this earth. Poch Suzara

Religion and Science

Science at its best is the rebellion against divinity. It is the exact opposite of religion – at its best it is the rebellion against deviltry. Indeed, in any human enterprise, science produces the greatest and the most original burst of creativity. Religion encourages only stupidity in facing reality as it promotes local as well as global insanity. Poch Suzara

War

War is not only a clash of values and cultures; it is not only a political decision; it is not only nature’s way of blasting stupid men out of their stupid existence. War is mostly about the owners, stockholders, and the traders of the arms industry who make tons of money. They pray daily to God to inspire nations to hate and to kill each other, especially in His name on this earth and for His glory in heaven. Poch Suzara

Eternal Salvation

Nothing could be more truthful than the belief that the dead man lives no more. Nothing could be more untruthful than the belief that the dead man is still alive.
In the meantime, the belief that we will be happy or unhappy after death of the body, is to pretend that we will be able to see without eyes, to hear without ears, to taste without a palate, to smell without a nose, and to feel without hands and without skin. Indeed, the dogma of immortality is purely based upon the condition of a dead man who refuses to believe that he is already dead. Poch Suzara

Born Ignorant

We are all born ignorant, not stupid; we are made stupid by education. And to think that God gifted man with a free will in order that we may be happy with our stupid education down here. Indeed, to the mediocre, mediocrity is a form of happiness; especially for the sake of anything out there. Poch Suzara

Psuedo-Atheist

There is no such animal as a psuedo-atheist. Either you are a genuine atheist or just a religious clown pretending to be one. Once, however, you have seen the bright light of atheism, it is ridiculous to go back to embrace darkness called theism. Otherwise, if you do, you are either a “psycho-ceramic” in the scientific term; or, in the layman’s term, - a “crackpot.” Indeed, a troubled brain believes everything. It examines nothing. We atheists are fully aware that religion buys its benefits at too dear a price: - the mindless surrender of the self via the mutilation of the intellect. Atheism is all about the power of reason. It is also about the bed-rock of sanity in a world gone mad. We atheists do not want to believe. We want to know. And we know that the search for the truth is man’s most noble profession. Prove to us that God exists and we will prove to you that God is neither a Catholic, nor a Muslim, nor a Jew, or what have you. Intelligent thinking is far more valuable to an atheist than infantile believing. In the history of our world, no atheist has ever waged violence and war against other atheists for not believing in God. In the ultimate analysis, we do not hate life nor do we live in fear of death. We have no fear of what is known neither do we tremble before what is unknown. The human race is alone and insecure and doomed. Let us meet these facts with cheerfulness, courage, love, beauty, and the joys in life. Let us carry on the pursuit of our ideals for human happiness in the here and the now. We atheists would rather stand and face death with intellectual sobriety. We do not care to meet death on our bended knees drunk with ecclesiastical mendacity. Poch Suzara

I love and respect Scientists

In the conflict between the theology against science, I am on the side of the scientists. Never will I ever be on the side of the theologians. Especially the kind I had as my teachers in De La Salle University. They always threatened me with “believe this, because if you don’t, God will punish you.” I was therefore always punished in class because far more than I wanted to believe, I wanted to know and understand. In class, I always asked questions. I always wanted to formulate for myself better kinds of questions. Indeed, for me, hard intelligent thinking is more fascinating than just easy stupid believing.
With Jose Rizal, however, outside academic wall, it was, for him, a deadly experience. Theologians threatened him with: “Retract the truthful things you wrote about us in your NOLI and FILI books or we will have you executed in public by a firing squad.” Rizal virtually replied: “go fly a kite!” The theologians with authority and power over the civil government had Rizal put to death. In order to intimidate not only the brave thinkers in the minority, but also throughout the land – to frighten to death the cowardly and faithful believers in the majority.
And to think that today college educated men and women in this country would rather believe the theologians than be on the side of a mature and a courageous scientist like a Jose Rizal. He was, indeed, the first Filipino scientist who tried to generate the revolution of the mind to get the Filipino growing with self-respect as a people and to get the Philippines developing with dignity as a nation.
I ask: is it any wonder that in this 21st century we are known as the Sick Man of Asia? We live in a poor and backward country. Indeed, what have we Filipinos got to show for ourselves except, as a people, we can only be proud of the failures of our social and political and religious values under the great success of Christianity in the Philippines? Poch Suzara