Speaking at the first National ICT Summit in Davao City the other day, the President stirred up another hornet’s nest by referring to God as “stupid.”
This handed fresh ammo to Duterte’s usual critics, in the wake of the still-unsolved killings of three priests (although one suspect has already been arrested in the killing of Nueva Ecija’s Fr. Nilo) and on the eve of the CBCP’s annual plenary next month.
Even ardent Duterte supporters who value their religion have been airing on social media their distress over his latest unfiltered remarks. This is a segment of his base that the President ought to protect, if only because they help to restrain the institutional Church from giving way to its more politically outspoken bishops and clergy.
In order to assuage those supporters, it may help for starters to remember that the head of state of a nominally secular country like ours is not required to be a believer. There is no religious test for public office, let alone the highest one.
Having said that, though, it is not unreasonable for Filipinos to expect their president to reflect the religious views of the majority among them. This used to mean being Catholic, but after the election of Protestant stalwart President Ramos, the expectation broadened to include all Christians.
Could a Muslim become president someday? Legally speaking, yes, though the odds of majoritarian voting would work against him. What about an avowed atheist? Again yes, but I wouldn’t bet any money at all on that.
What then are we entitled to hold a president legally accountable for? In this matter, only that he protect freedom of religious belief, which includes separating Church from State to ensure that the biggest denomination can’t force its beliefs upon the others, and to protect all denominations from being oppressed by the state.
The Catholic Church, as the biggest kid on the block, has no reason to feel threatened by the President’s frank agnosticism, let alone by the crude language with which he expresses himself, on other issues and not just this one, which seems to be the price we’ll have to pay for his being straightforward and independent-minded.
The Church, though perfectly ordained, on this earth can only be made up of imperfect beings, up to and including popes who’ve committed some pretty grave sins. If Duterte or anybody else rudely calls out those imperfections, that’s got to be a lot less important than clergy and laity having to work hard enough at saving souls before those imperfections catch up with us.
Duterte prides himself on being from the streets and speaking its language. It’s a source of charm and strength for him, but also the cause of wounds to his office that are sometimes self-inflicted and avoidable.
What he’s now saying about God and the Church is worth looking at more closely, because it may reflect undercurrents of mass sentiment that our reticent people may not be confiding to their priests, and which it may be profitable to know more about.
“Stupid God”—Inexcusable, certainly, but not at all confined to Duterte. Who among us has not used even stronger language against Him at times when we’ve been grievously harmed by circumstances? God hears, God can forgive. Nonetheless, observant Christians know to keep these occasional outcries to themselves, on pain of causing scandal by diminishing the faith of others who might hear.
“Creation story”—This is religious allegory from a Church that already accepts (Divinely-inspired) evolution. But Duterte was right to ask God, “You created something perfect, why would you think of an event that would tempt and destroy the quality of your work?” And he partly answered himself when he later opined that God created because He was lonely—the perfect embodiment of love requiring an imperfect object of His affection.
“Original sin”—Not only Duterte, but every other non-Catholic Christian, would object to this doctrine. A more ecumenical restatement might simply say that original sin means man’s being separated from God, given our innate disposition to commit sins. It’s something we’re all born with, and the opportunity to reconcile ourselves with God despite our concupiscence is what the Church believes makes baptism sacramental (grace-giving).
“Jesus on a crucifix”—Duterte wondered why we have to memorialize “such a sad thing about the killing of our God.” This is a question also shared by non-Catholic Christians, whose ornamental crosses are plain because they believe the central event in the salvation story is Christ’s resurrection, not His crucifixion.
But our plain-spoken agnostic in the Palace may have some surprises for us. As he was quoted in the GMA News story:
“Ako, I believe there is a universal mind. But, you know, I cannot picture Him as a human being in the image of God… But I really believe there’s a… I have this faith and abiding thing about….Pero ‘yang relihiyon? Sus maniwala kayo diyan.”
Even at 71, the President, no less than the rest of us, is still not done with his spiritual journey. To paraphrase an unlikely source, Senator Ping Lacson, we ought to be praying for him on his journey, no less than for our own selves.
Readers can write me at gbolivar1952@yahoo.com.
