Philippine Atheists

“I remember when I was young/Feeling sick on Sunday morning,”

The first few words of the Bolshoi song Sunday Morning. From AllMusic:

“Sunday Morning,” like XTC’s “Dear God,” is a scathing attack on organized religion. However, Tanner’s target isn’t God; it’s going to church. “I remember when I was young/Feeling sick on Sunday morning,” Tanner reminisces. While it may seem blasphemous to some, “Sunday Morning” offers a realistic perspective; Tanner sounds like a bitter former altar boy, disillusioned by the façade of innocence of the people around him. Paul Clark’s moody, nostalgic piano paints the images described by Tanner’s words.

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Popularity: 14% [?]

The Philippines is Jesus Christ country. Roughly 90% of Filipinos identify themselves to be Christians. That is, if we include those who are so young and innocent to truly be aware of what religion is all about, but who will grow and almost as sure as the sun will rise from the east each day, will take up the religion they were born into: the religion of their parents. Many Pinoys are quite proud of the fact that the Philippines is the only Christian nation in Asia (not true anymore, e.g.). You hear this repeated ad nauseum that it’s now to be considered a national self-therapy pastime for those who cannot find any other good thing to say about his country so that he can make himself feel a little nationalistic pride. It shows just how much our people is so desperately in need of consolation that something that at the very least should be a non-issue is turned into an object of pride, like a placebo. It’s like hearing the Japanese say they are proud of the fact that they are the only Kitty-chan nation in Asia. So what? Is that something to be really proud about? Our confused brethren think so. They are proud of something that is on close inspection was just an all too effective instrument used by the Spanish conquistadores to subjugate our ancestors - the uncivilized Indios - for more than three hundred years. Yes, three hundred freaking years! They say, Christianity is a precious gift from our colonizers. That’s how deceived our people are. Our European colonizers used the Catholic religion so effectively side by side with the mighty sword to keep the Pinoys ignorantly in line. So effective is this method that today, more than a century later, our nation is still predominantly Catholic like Spain and remain intellectually subjugated by faith and by the opportunistic bishops and priests and pastors. I long for the day when the Pinoy will finally be free from the shackles of the dogma of religion, of ignorance and superstition. That day will truly be a day of pride.

Popularity: 18% [?]

As if to insult the intelligence of all Pinoys, some Catholic bishops, Catholic groups and individuals are campaigning that the movie The Vinci Code be banned from being shown in the Philippines. The Tom Hanks’ starrer, based on a widely popular book, a work of fiction, by Dan Brown is due to be shown in local theaters starting May 18th. If we are to listen to its adversaries for the reasons why, we are given some pretty amusing reasons, some bordering on idiocy and ignorance. For example, Secretary Ermita who is yet to read the book (I haven’t read the book myself) said the story-line is blasphemous. Yes, a word still in vogue in our country in this time and age when it should have been obsoleted by the spirit of The Enlightenment. But if we are to take INQ7.net’s news story as gospel truth, Secretary Ermita used to be a member of the board of censors during the martial law era, so it is to be understood. According to the Malaya newspaper report on the same item, Secretary Ermita who know so well that DVC is a work of fiction, also said

“the film aims to confuse believers and plant seeds of doubt among those whose faith has no deep mooring.”

This is patently false since the film’s aim is simply financial profit, not to sow confusion among the believers. If Secretary Ermita should ban groups that sow confusion among those whose Catholic faith has no deep mooring, he should start banning the TV and radio programs of ADD and INC. Never mind that part of this Catholic faith is believing that a small piece of tasteless wafer can turn into the Body of Christ (warning : long article on Catholic Encyclopedia about absolute nonsense) after a few grunts from the officiating priest. If you can believe that, you can believe anything including the DVC story-line, hook line and sinker. But the tragedy of this, however absurd it may turn out to be if they will have their way, which I doubt they will anyway (thank goodness to reason) is that a few Catholics are trying to dictate based on the flimsiest of reasons what should be watched, or in this case, not watched, by the whole nation as if they speak for everybody including the non-Catholics and the nominal Catholics who cannot tell the difference between eucharist and eucalyptus but instead have undying faith in Tom Hanks. In this sense, their actions are an affront to the artistic freedom and free speech of the filmmaker, and the right of each citizen to choose which movies he/she will or will not see.

Popularity: 24% [?]

For the past few weeks, I have been covering on issues pertaining to the General Elections in my native country, Singapore (for anyone who is curious, kindly proceed to www.disgruntledsporean.blogspot.com).

Prior to this, more often than not, I have avoided writing issues about local politics, which are conspicuously absent even from my own blog. I guess, like most Singaporeans, I am guilty of being too apathetic towards politics here, partly because of the predictability and staid state of affairs of our political scene, which can be summed up in three words: “The Lee Dynasty“.

Writing about our elections has been a humbling experience for me: For once, I sincerely felt the terrible loss of our rights, literally, for what seems to be the most basic of human comforts: A home to live in, food on the table and a job to go to (if you are lucky). All these, in exchange for our political apathy and enforced meekness in the face of wanton abuse by semi-government and government entities (Check NKF fracas).

Imagine my horror, when a Christian pinoy of a particular forum, of which I am an inactive member of, wrote about the supposed “horrors” of the freedom of the press. He claims that this “freedom” has been abused by journalists, who are being bribed by unscrupulous politicians to slander their political opponents.

Now, in an open, secular society, such acts by corrupt journalists and their associating newspapers would have been exposed by worthier, decent newspapers. In any case, corruption ought to be punishable under the full weight of the law, provided, of course, a healthy, democratic nation has in place a totally unbiased judiciary, plus an enlightened people to question the powers-that-be, without fear of being sued or threatened via physical means.

This Christian further enthuses, to my complete and abject dismay:”I understand the lack of freedom of speech in Singapore; but, I tell you, millions of Filipinos will trade their freedom of speech just to have the kind of food Singaporeans serve on their dining tables. They will be willing to trade their “chewing gums” just to provide them suitable jobs.”

According to this rather naive Christian, human rights can be traded for food on the table.

Herein lies my question: Does the genetic makeup of any sane human rest on having food on the table for the rest of his/her miserable life? If so, he/she would have been better off languishing in some miserable prison.

According to the famed Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs:

Diagram of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.

1. Physiological

2. Safety

3. Love/Belonging

4. Esteem

5. Actualization

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Popularity: 15% [?]

A new Yahoo! group is created for the Pinoy bible debunkers and the bible apologists to engage themselves in debates and discusions about the inerrancy of the bible among others.

Popularity: 15% [?]