I Hate Religion

I hate religion as I no love for anything that's based on fear. Fear never promotes mental growth. Fear is never a reflection of intellectual maturity. I hate religion because it enhances deadly believing, not lively thinking. Nothing evolved in religion. The religious lies and deception during the first century are still same lies and deception in this 21st century. If religion had been more about the courage to live, and not about the fear of death; indeed, if religion were about the search of the truth, and not that this or that is the truth – I would have learned to love passionately, not hate religion justifiably. Religion has been more about being a part of the security system organized by the church. It is a great business for gaining wealth, power, and glory. Sadly, however, there is no such thing as a security system anywhere in this world. Not as long as there is birth, growth, death, and decay. In the ultimate analysis, however, if religion had never taught that to be human means to be evil, fallen, and in need of rescue - religion need not have proceeded to be one of the greatest of evils that keep the human race still pretty much bogged down in disgrace. Poch Suzara

Filipino Education

We are still into the fear of believing rather than into the courage of thinking.
Take sex, for example. We still fear what the church has always preached that sex
is a sin, and naturally to keep it sinful, it’s been necessary to keep it fearful.
In the meantime, we believe that propagating the species is a matter of divine grace; but sexual activity is a matter of divine disgrace. In either case, however, we have yet to hear from would-be mothers and would-be fathers enjoying mutual orgasms declaring, at the same time, that nothing matters during sexual engagement except replenishing the Philippines with more babies even if unwanted or unloved. Poch Suzara

Religious Morons

They would not bother to ask where the places of burial are of the dead bible characters – Adam, Eve, Cain, Abel, Noah, Lot, Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Job, Paul, the apostles of Christ, etc – men and women who were famous and in personal communication with God.

The religious morons of this world, however, would easily get excited over the so-called discovery of one or two rickety chariot parts rotting at the bottom of the Red Sea to prove that three thousand years ago, Pharaoh’s men – thousands of them – all drowned while chasing after Moses crossing the Red Sea with 3,000,000 of his Jewish people in search of the Promise Land that obviously never existed. Poch Suzara

Science vs Pseudoscience

Science and pseudoscience are the opposite ways of viewing nature. Science relies on -- and insists on -- self-questioning, observation, testing, and analytical thinking that make it hard to fool yourself or to fool others. Indeed,, science is never definite. It is never conclusive. Science is always tentative, never final. Thus, in science, questions are far more important than the answers.After all, in time, the answers become obsolete.

Pseudoscience, on the other hand, preserves the ancient, natural, irrational, unobjective modes of thought that are hundreds of thousands of years older than science -- thought processes that have given rise to superstitions and other fanciful and mistaken ideas about man and nature – from woowoo to voodoo; from the flat earth to the house-shaped universe with God in the attic, Satan in the cellar, and man on the ground floor; from doing rain dances to torturing and brutalizing the mentally ill to drive out the demons that possess them.

Pseudoscience encourages people to believe anything they want. It supplies specious "arguments" for fooling themselves into thinking that any and all beliefs are equally valid. Science begins by saying, let's forget about what we believe to be so, and try by investigation to find out what actually is so. These roads don't cross; they lead in completely opposite directions. One, heading towards veracity; the other heading towards faith in mendacity. Poch Suzara

Limits of Science

Science cannot explain why as human beings we are persons, not merely objects... Science can tell us nothing why the mind exists and functions well as it does... Science cannot define or explain ethical principles nor can add to the inner quality of life... Science is unable to tell us why or when exactly the universe came into being... Science is unable to explain why there are scientific or natural laws, or why they are consistent and dependable... Science cannot explain why the universe is so amazingly fine-tuned to support intelligent life on our planet... Well, what about religion? What can it tell us? Is it true? Is there a God? And if God is the Creator of everything that exist – why would God create science to deal precisely with the questions that religion has never been able to answer? Questions like: Where is God? How come he is always nowhere? Always omni-absent. How come God is never omni-present anywhere? In fact, if God exists, why is God such a cold-blooded perfection? Why is God so lost in self-admiration? Why is God so fanatical about eternal salvation who never extended a decent hand during the birth, growth, and development of human civilization? Poch Suzara

World Peace

Prove to the world that the mammalian side of your brain (science) works better than the reptilian side (religion) – and hopefully the world will step aside to let you pass for you know exactly where you are going. Poch Suzara

Yes, death is biblically final.

Job 7:9
As the cloud is consumed and vanishes away, so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more.

Job 14:10. 12
But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he? ... So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.

Job 20:7
Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung.

Psalm 6:5
For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?

Psalm 31:17
Let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave.

Psalm 88:5
The dead ... whom thou rememberest no more.

Psalm 115:17
The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence.

Ecclesiastes 3:19
For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast.

Ecclesiastes 9:5
The dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward.

Ecclesiastes 9:10
For there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

Isaiah 26:14
They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased they shall not rise.

Isaiah 38:18
For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.

Dear Fr. Shay Cullen

The only way we can save our planet is via family planning and birth control practices. Indeed, we should aim for zero population growth - the same number
of births and the same number of deaths. Nobody is destroying the planet earth except people - billions of people with distorted minds and twisted hearts taught
to believe that, at any rate, no matter what, there is a better world to come after death anyway. One would think that if there is really a better world out there, the good God should have created people to live there to begin with.

Fr. Shay, surely, we can save our planet. But we can only do so by first saving precious human minds and precious hearts. Indeed, save it from being twisted with religious lies and save it from being distorted with political deception.
Best regards.
Poch Suzara

Dear Poch,
Thank you for your thoughtful and commonsense comments.
I will put them in our feedback section. Many will be inspired.
Fr. Shay Cullen

Impressions from a Reader

“My impressions of your character from the communications you sent to me (and I hope am wrong) are in summary, in these words, that you are: abrasive, abusive, antagonistic, argumentative, averse, bitter, bothersome, complaining, crafty, creepy, crummy, destructive, difficult, discontented, disturbing, divisive, envious, fickle, foxy, harsh, horrible, incompatible, irksome, irresponsible, lousy, maladjusted, manipulative, mean, meddlesome, nagging, nauseating, objectionable, obnoxious, offensive, pestilent, remorseless, sacrilegious, slanderous, sour, spiteful, tricky, unfaithful, ungrateful, unpleasant, useless, vindictive, vicious, wrongheaded...okay enough! AND NOW YOUR LIST OF EXPLETIVES are to be expected. Nevertheless, have a nice day!”

Obviously, I have been most successful in provoking not the thoughts, but the infantile beliefs of this reader with my thoughts.

Oh well, that’s how I started myself with my own impressions against the childish beliefs of my teachers during grade school and high school. They were teaching me not to think, but only to believe. I thought then that I must fight these utterly thoughtless morons. However, I have had no other recourse but to engineer my own expulsion and to make a name for myself as a “high school dropout.”

Well, this April 26 I will be 72 years old and I truly regret to admit that I have not yet began the serious fight still ahead of me.

Contrary to what many religious morons believe - atheism is not a neurotic rebellion or a mental disease. It is vigorous and a courageous philosophy that makes us face life with self-respect, and not run away from it like thoughtless cowards. Poch Suzara

The Pinay

Imagine the Pinay no longer going to church, no longer contributing time, no longer giving energy to the institutions that oppress them. The Philippines can once again be what it once was - famous throughout the whole of Asia as the “Pearl of Orient.”

The most heinous crime of the Church has been perpetrated not against churchmen but against the Pinay - the churchgoers. With its poisonous concepts of sin and divine punishment, it's warped and inhumane doctrines, it is impossible to calculate the psychic damage that has been inflicted on the Pinay character. Indeed, the Pinay who might have grown up into healthy, happy, productive, zestful women devoid of the burden of corruption, fear and guilt ingrained in them by the Church. This alone is enough to condemn Christianity that has inspired the Pinay to be the Mother of the Sick Man of Asia. Poch Suzara

Employment Overseas

If only our schools, colleges, and universities were educational, and not commercial enterprises. If only our system of education were not based upon destructive believing, but rather more about the art of learning constructive thinking - especially to gain self-respect as a people and dignity as a nation – the hundreds of thousands of our college educated men and women need not yearly seek employment in foreign countries. Many could be self-employed. Millions could be playing constructive parts of nation-building with the power of science and technology right here in our own country.

World War II Filipino Veterans

Filipino veterans during World War II in this Asia’s only Christian country fought and died for freedom and democracy. Fortunately, freedom for the few rich to get filthy richer; and, unfortunately, democracy for the many poor to get filthy poorer. Poch Suzara

Kindness

In a poor and sick society, kindness, such as sharing with others food, clothing, shelter, and medicine is something great and admirable. However, if ours were a sane and a healthy society managed by a sane and a healthy government, being kind to anyone need be commendable.

After all, in a sane and healthy society everyone should already be enjoying not kindness or charity, but enjoying the growth of self-respect and the maturity of human dignity. Poch Suzara

The Sick Man of Asia

They are among the sick believers of the faith. Ironically, they are also among the sick unbelievers of the faith. I suppose the former is due to silly divinity; and the latter is due to the complexity of social insanity. In either case, however, both the sick believers and sick unbelievers all seem to be mutually inspired by the crab mentality all pulling each other down in order to maintain our popularity in the world as the Sick Man of Asia. Poch Suzara

Schools, colleges, and Universities

We still think of education as the transmission of certain body of beliefs, when it should be the development of the power of thought.

Thus, stagnation as a nation has little to do with nature’s decree. It has more to do with college degree. Indeed, one should only look at the corrupt state of affairs of our nation under a corrupt government run by corrupt men and women all blessed with college education.

In the meantime, for as long as we are taught in our schools, colleges, and universities that there is a better world to come after we are dead – we Filipinos will never enjoy growth as a people. We will never enjoy maturity as a nation. We will always remain like little children that the bible has taught us to live by and to emulate. Especially from the Lord who said: “Verily, I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” Poch Suzara

Old Saying

“What goes up must come down.” This, however, is not always true. Human stupidity never comes down. It always goes up. In fact, if there is anything that defies the law of gravity - it is due to another more powerful law – the law of human stupidity. Especially the kind that’s always about fear of deviltry for the sake of love of divinity. Poch Suzara

Decent Hell

A decent hell where I could again be with my family and friends would be a much better place for me than be in a heartless paradise where I never hear from any of my loved-ones. Somehow, a simple message of how they are all doing, how well they are all situated up there would be most welcomed, if not to me - gratifying.

After my own death, I have no wish to be situated in a heartless paradise. A place where I could not be in touch with the loved-ones left behind on earth. Poch Suzara

The Creator

Yes, only God can make a tree, lively and lovely as it is. Only man, however, can make a silly religion, deadly and ugly as it is. Poch Suzara

Einstein's Famous Phrase

“The most incomprehensible fact of nature is that it is comprehensible.” Albert Einstein.

Well, it was great that Einstein was such a polite scientist. He could have been more truthful, however, had he added also: “The most comprehensible fact about the existence God is that it is utterly incomprehensible. Otherwise the existence of God need no longer remain a mystery.”

Einstein also said: “A legitimate conflict between science and religion cannot exist. Science without religion is lame; religion without science is blind.”

Well, I think Einstein again was just being polite. After all, if God exists, specially a God who is tame, not lame; a God who is kind, not blind, there would be no need for religion and science to quarrel or, for that matter, even need to exist. Poch Suzara

No Atheists in Government

My dear reader, have you ever pondered on this simple truth: - just as much as there are no atheists in foxholes, there are also no atheists in government? All government officials are faithful believers. They all love, worship, and adore God.

In fact, ours has never been a government of the atheists, by the atheists, and for the atheists. On the contrary, ours has always been a government of the corrupt believer, by the corrupt believer, and for corrupt believer.

Under Article 7, Section 5 of the Philippine Constitution before the president enters on the execution of his/her office, the President shall take the following oath or affirmation: "I do solemnly swear [or affirm] that I will faithfully and conscientiously fulfill my duties as President [or Vice-President or Acting President] of the Philippines, preserve and defend its Constitution, execute its laws, do justice to every man, and consecrate myself to the service of the Nation. So help me God.

I ask: where is God to help out? How come instead of being omni-present, God is only always omni-absent? Especially in this only Christian country in Asia since the 16th century! Poch Suzara