Frank III Manuel
Posted on 23. Oct, 2009 by Frank III Augustine Manuel in Oplan Pepe
I was raised a Catholic, and as a child, religion was all about loving my neighbors, singing songs, reciting the prayers and believing in Jesus, so while I was young it was all nice. Later on it became a set of rules I was supposed to abide by — don’t lie, don’t kill, don’t steal — and it made sense still, so it was okay. But then as I grew older it became about sin, about how I was born sinful and how certain sins meant that I was scheduled for an eternity in hell, and the only way out of it was to talk to a priest and eat some wafer. Loving my neighbors had taken a back seat to getting into heaven, but still I bought it anyway. For a while.
And then I attended one too many Masses with burning incense and fragrant oils and flashy ceremonies with billowing robes and funny hats and large jeweled crosses and TV cameras, with people convulsing in the aisles and women mumbling unintelligibly with their hands raised. It was at this point that I grew up, the church became ridiculous, the Bible became just another story book, and I decided religion was not for me.
The Catholic Church is like a hospital gone wrong. It tells everyone they’re sick, and that the only cure lies with someone from an old story book. You can be the healthiest person in the world and still they insist you’re ill and don’t know it, and they shove their medication down your throat every chance they get. Some of them actually believe they’re doing you good, trying to save you. Some of them just don’t want hell-bound sinners contaminating their flock.
Fact is, the Catholic Church thinks you’re stupid.
It thinks you don’t know what’s good for you, and that you need them to point you towards the way, the truth and the light. If you think you don’t need them you’re obviously lost, and if they’re not trying to save you, they make sure you know you’re going to burn in hell.
And now the Church is getting its grubby hands all over our politics.
As I see it, the RH Bill aims to inform citizens of scientifically proven (and legal) methods of family planning and women’s health care, and to make these available to anyone who asks for them. Personally I’ve never found anything wrong with information and accessibility, as they neither change my moral convictions nor force me to go against them, but I can understand why the Church would be opposed to educating their flock. Education, after all, leads to informed choice, informed choice leads to an exercise of free will, and free will, when it doesn’t coincide with the Church’s teachings, leads to the dark side. So the Church wants to keep you uneducated.
The Catholic Church thinks you’re stupid, and it wants you to stay that way.
Instead of preaching to its flock to choose according to what they consider moral and good, the Church would rather keep Filipinos ignorant to the family planning options already available. Instead of trusting that Catholics live consistently with the Church’s teachings on hormonal contraceptives, the Church would rather meddle with politics to keep them inaccessible. The Catholic Church does not trust its flock.
If you’re Catholic, the Church thinks you’re a hypocrite.
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The Church’s opposition to the Magna Carta for Women is something I consider more troubling. Here is a law empowering women, protecting them from discrimination and bias, and the Church opposes it because it goes against the “natural calling of women.” I find it terribly disturbing that the Church would allow single mothers to be denied education and forced to stay home, under-educated and unemployed, all for the sake of gender roles. The misogyny is sickening.
The RH Bill and the Magna Carta for Women are all about Education and Freedom — education about reproductive health and freedom of women — and the Catholic Church opposes both. The comparison to Padre Damaso is strikingly appropriate: the Church is keeping Filipinos ignorant and women subjugated. It is 1886 all over again, and the Church is abusing its power over Filipinos. What do you do?
You speak out.
Keats Ronquillo
Posted on 20. Oct, 2009 by Powghee in Oplan Pepe
I was a Catholic, not a just a pews type of Catholic, I was an altar boy and memorized the mass.
Even at 1st grade I was confused at the logic of why I needed to go to confession for the forgiveness of sins. If it was to God that I sinned then it is from him I ask forgiveness.
And the whole “go to the mother” politics of Marian doctrine was really weird to me. Even as a Catholic I found the pantheon of saints superfluous as I believed in a personal God.
This is what brought me over to becoming a Protestant.
Sure there are egoists and megalomaniac personalities in our side of the fence but every member is encouraged to read our own bibles, study it ourselves and make it personal. Truth lay in a personal relationship and scholarly study of God’s word.
That decentralization made me a whole lot freer.
The Church (i.e. the Catholic Church) has been meddling too much in state affairs. They presume too much that the Philippines is Catholic, and as such would like to control the Philippines like, as so aptly pointed out by this site, we were still in the time of Padre Damaso.
There is no Biblical precept that supports their stand on contraception. The oft quoted story of Onan is presented in the wrong context. His punishment was not due to the withdrawal of his semen, but due to his selfishness not to fulfill his brotherly duty of continuing his brother’s family.
To further justify their stand they accuse all other forms of contraception to be abortifacient. Not even to discuss masturbation, if they believe that the spilling of semen is sinful then every adolescent whose experienced nocturnal emissions is guilty of genocide.
Which is more economical: a pack of condoms to prevent pregnancy or a supply of formula to feed that baby?
While, as they are religious leaders, they have every prerogative to spiritually blackmail, and brainwash their constituents, everyone else outside their religion IS NOT fair game. Turn every Catholic woman to Maria Clara for all I care, but non-Catholics should be exempt from this.
I live in a province which I say is more Catholic than Filipino — Bohol. Every 3pm and 6pm the 3 o’clock habit and the Angelus never fails to play in every radio station and every mall on this little island. Time stands still and all services stop when prayer begins and non-Catholics who ignore the call to prayer are seen with very dirty looks as if you are a spawn of Satan himself.
But in flag ceremonies no one cares to stop and respect the flag.
I am not Atheist or Agnostic but I wish for a secular state, if only one can be free to practice or not practice his religion.
There is a separation of Church and state to be respected and our nation is not a diocese. They should realize that.
Mike Aquino
Posted on 19. Oct, 2009 by Pepe in Oplan Pepe
I no longer consider myself a Catholic
I no longer consider myself a Catholic. No matter how fondly I remember the good parts of being Catholic – the songs, the retreats, the lessons – Catholicism for me became increasingly difficult to reconcile with common sense and decency.
I can’t reconcile so-called Catholic values with the Catholic institution’s nasty tendency to close ranks around its priests. Child abuse in the priesthood was given cover for so long because bishops would rather hide abusive priests rather than confirm that such abuse took place. Justice became secondary to the preservation of appearances.
I can’t reconcile so-called Catholic virtue with its hierarchy’s politics, often exercised to uphold retrograde policies against family planning and reproductive health. Empowered by its mass believer base, the Catholic Church continues to abuse its political power in the secular world.
In Manila, doctors were forbidden to prescribe contraceptives to patients, because Mayor Atienza thought he could implement Catholic doctrine into municipal governance. Church pressure has distorted the Reproductive Health debate; the simple question of “should government-run health centers provide reproductive health services, including artificial family planning methods” has been drowned out by priests railing against it from the pulpits and banners hung from churches.
There has been no good-faith effort by the Church hierarchy to explain their side; there has only been arm-twisting and emotional blackmail. Church representatives have ignored or walked out on any efforts to engage them in discussion.
In short, I can’t believe the Church is moral anymore. A fatal conclusion for someone who was raised to believe that Catholic priests acted in persona Christi capitis, in the person of Christ.
I now know that is a lie; many Catholics, laymen and priests alike, use their faith as cover for some of the most grievous immoralities. Not just in the Philippines; the Church hierarchy is complicit in genocide in Rwanda, torture in Argentina, and child abuse in the West. In persona Christi capitis my ass.
Due to the Church hierarchy’s own actions, the current situation is becoming more and more unstable – the Church cannot maintain the status quo for long. At least two presidential candidates have declared their disagreement with Church policy on reproductive health, a position that would have been political poison a few years ago. More Catholics are speaking out, or voting with their feet. The Church is less and less seen as being infallible – increasingly its clay feet are showing.
In time, I hope an increasingly secular electorate will realize a few things about the Church and the civic sphere:
The Catholic hierarchy’s interests are not those of the community at large. Catholic interests cannot predominate in a multi-ethnic, multi-confessional community. A Muslim or Protestant mother must not be compelled to settle for government services tailored only to meet Catholic sensitivities, which is what happens when the Church is able to bully legislators into substituting the Catholic agenda for the government’s.
The Church can no longer impose its particular views onto a secular government. Bishops may have to settle for a conversation with equals, instead of expecting to have their own way every time. Catholic scholar David Hollenbach argues that Catholic involvement in the public sphere “must proceed according to a mode of dialogue and persuasion… faith and theology are seen as participants in a drama that involves numerous other actors. The church is not the producer or director of this drama.”
In real life, the usurpation of government decision-making by ecclesiastics has always ended up badly for everyone. The Church loses moral authority, government decision making powers are hobbled, and constituents end up being badly served by dogma-driven decisions.
I no longer consider myself a Catholic. I still remember my Catholic upbringing and influences with fondness, but so much of present Catholic doctrine treats truth and morality as if it can be decided by fiat (”Roma locuta est…”), and I simply cannot be a part of that.
Romeo
Posted on 19. Oct, 2009 by romeo.macapobre in Oplan Pepe
1. How do you feel now about your religion? Compare this to how you felt about it as you were growing up and vs. what you were taught.
i do not follow any religion at this time. growing up i was taught to fear existence and to fear life. i was taught to memorise long winded prayers which i barely took into heart. i lived in fear and guilt. i was taught self hate and superstition.
2. What brought about your new view of the church or its priests? Did you feel any guilt over your decision?
although i was born into catholicism, i manage to break away from it after years of learning about science, philosophy and especially history. if people knew more about these three things, then i’d think religion will play a lesser role in religious people’s lives.
3. What do you think about the Church’s meddling in state issues such as the Reproductive Health Bill and the Magna Carta of Women?
i believe the church is entitled to its own opinion about these issues. what they are not entitled to is deliberate misinformation and fear mongering. it is thus fustrating when the media or society itself is indifferent about it. as we have learned from history whenever any church dictates over the state, civil liberties disappear. scientific and social progress slows or worse halted. The RH bill will stir us in the right direction to manage the population individually without coercion. While the magna carta of women eliminates discrimination against women.
4. Anything else you might want to add about your insights on church, religion and the meddling modern day Padre Damasos in our midst?
I think the church should be treated, meaning taxed and audited, like any other business. And the institution must be held liable for criminal offenses like hiding a criminal (pedophiles).
Patricia Malay
Posted on 19. Oct, 2009 by Pepe in Oplan Pepe
Patricia Malay, radio personality and former Catholic speaks about her intensely devout Catholic upbringing and her feelings of restriction and isolation.
Just like Shirin, Patricia is part of a new generation of free-thinkers, tired of being silenced, tired of being taught not to question and to just blindly follow.
Three years ago, I made a conscious decision to turn away from Catholicism. I didn’t abandon Christianity though, and am now a practicing (to the best and worst of my abilities, with God’s help!) Christian.
I grew up in an Opus Dei school. I was taught that the highest calling for women was to be a wife and a mother. I was taught to be impressed with the many Opus Dei-practicing families who had six, seven, eight or more children and it was impressed upon me that this was something I needed to aspire to [have]. I remember being a naive 16 year old, announcing to everyone that I wanted to be married by 24 and have six kids.
I went to mass almost daily, performing menial tasks during mass like trimming candlesticks to be one level. I liked boys, just as so many of my friends in my all-girl school, but I was told that even holding hands with them was an occasion of sin, so I just stayed away completely. Our Opus Dei priests and numeraries (civilians who practice celibacy and live in a communal center for men or women) who taught in school were always right and could not be objected to.
Then, college in ATENEO – it was everything that my grade and high school weren’t. I was shocked because the Jesuit priests actually welcomed opposition and encouraged free thinking. I was overwhelmed by the fact that there were so many boys around me because my restrictive upbringing didn’t teach me how to socialize with them normally. It soon became clear to me that I was duped…I felt like I was honestly duped. I had subscribed to the Opus Dei ideal for so long and so blindly, that when I saw what the real world was like, I felt very much like I was cheated, and had no recourse but to run the other way.
I stopped going to mass completely. I stopped my weekly confessions. I stopped praying. I had gotten angry with God all of a sudden and wanted nothing but to stay as far away from anything Catholic. I dabbled in other faiths, curious about Buddha, the Tao and Zen teachings. I read up on the Kabbalah and wondered if the answers I was looking for could be found there. It took a while, but I found my groove again and was reunited with a much more comfortable idea of who God really is in my life. My born-again friend reintroduced Him to me at a difficult time of my life, and I rediscovered a God who is just and also full of mercy; a God that is understanding and full of love, who has a heart for the lost, who wants His children to enjoy a life of abundance.
I’m a proud Christian and am at my happiest here. Although I do believe that everyone has a choice to believe what they want to believe, I feel I have a moral obligation to tell as many people as I can about the lies of the Catholic Church in order to keep the people dumbed down. It’s impossible for me to keep quiet about this because I know how it was to be that way… and I know how it is now that I’m not there anymore.
I suppose my change in point of view also came when I realized that God is more pleased with a sincere and earnest search for Him, instead of the ritualistic repeat of responses and prayers and observations that we don’t even know the meanings of anymore. When we pray “Our Father” or “I believe in God”, I wonder if we say these words with conviction. Because in my head, words like that — if they’re meant — should be shouted and declared loudly because they’re powerful. These are the tennets of what Catholics believe. But see how they pray. But that’s only one aspect of why I’m displeased.
One of the many things I’ve realized is how damaging it is for a priest practicing celibacy to be in charge of so many people with different, individual needs. How can denying that a person has natural urges be good for him? So maybe some priests can do it successfully. But some, as we’ve heard, haven’t been so successful. Or how can a priest know how to counsel a married couple when he has no experience at all with marriage? These things make me angry.
I felt a little bit of guilt from my decision. I still do sometimes when I see my parents, who are staunch “sagrado katolikos”, displeased with my decision. But I also think that guilt is part of the Catholic psyche and should be acknowledged, dealt with and then rejected.
I believe, as I said earlier, in every person’s right to choose. The Catholic Church should respect that, too. They should also stay away from matters of government and give advice to leaders only when asked, not muscle their congregation into supporting or not supporting leaders and proposed laws that aren’t in agreement with their dogma.
The Catholic Church must also remember that our world is constantly changing, our country with so many varied needs. If the church really has a compassion for the people, they will put these people first, just as Jesus did and allow them to be equipped with information that can help them make wiser decisions. For example, I really, truly believe that the RH [Reproductive Health] Bill is not against God’s plan –it is a means for people to be plan their life, to live a better quality of life. There is no provision in the RH Bill for termination of life or abortion. How is that not in unison with God? The bottom line is that the God I believe in says in the Bible that poverty is a curse, NOT a situation or circumstance that people should just bear in His name. Disallowing poor people from having access to contraception ties them to poverty even longer. It doesn’t make sense.
I go back to my point of how can a priest or a nun know anything at all about how it is to be poor and married to an unemployed drunkard with ten mouths waiting to be fed and another one on the way? How could they know what it feels like to have to send these kids to beg on the streets instead of going to school where they can learn and play, like all children have a right to? What do they say in the face of this poverty and suffering? Don’t have sex? Stop sleeping with your spouse? I think these questions are just the tip of the iceberg. But I don’t think these are questions that will ever be answered by any priest or nun in a satisfactory way. The Catholic Church has now, more than at any other time in our nation’s history, proven itself to be more hurtful than helpful. They don’t address the problems of this country and, in fact, keep those problems from being solved. We’ve been kept in the dark for too long, and we shouldn’t stand for it anymore.
Patricia, part of a new generation of freethinkers, banding together to fight for a secular Philippines.
Patricia, isa sa mga bagong Pepe na nagsalita na sapagka’t pagod na sya maging pipi. [Patricia, one of the new Pepe’s who has finally spoken up because she’s tired of being silenced].
Ikaw, Pepe ka ba o pipi?
Email your thoughts to: oplanpepe@yahoo.com
[Crossposted from Ana Santos Writes]
Shirin
Posted on 19. Oct, 2009 by Pepe in Oplan Pepe
One hundred thirteen years ago, our national hero, Jose “Pepe” Rizal wrote about Padre Damaso, a priest who abused his power to oppress the Filipinos. Padre Damaso then validated his hypocrisy through his religion.
Labeled a heretic, Jose Rizal was shot in Luneta for his beliefs.
Today, Padre Damaso continues to live in the Filipino priests as the Church continues to wield its influence in legislation opposing the implementation of the Magna Carta of Women and the passage of the Reproductive Health Bill.
Today, Filipinos continue to be oppressed through their religion.
A number of Catholics and a new generation of freethinkers, tired of being silenced and expected to blindly follow the teachings are speaking up about their disappointment and disillusionment.
“I’m 30, half-Filipino, half-Indian, born, raised and educated in the Philippines; Convent educated for most part of my life, raised Protestant/ Hindu. Having parents of mixed race has given me a wider view on things and a great value for respect and tolerance, especially as regards to religion. To have any chance to move higher up the social ladder in this country, one must come from a good Catholic school to be even considered eligible to enter a decent University. Since being amongst the religious minorities in the Philippines, I have had to be constrained at a very young age to talk about my faith especially in a Catholic environment, such as in high school. A waiver was required by the administration to make sure I would not discuss my religion and mention anything but good things about the Catholic faith. I was amused at it seemed the school was threatened by an odd Muslim or non-Catholic student.
The Philippine Catholic Church has more important issues to tackle, we were taught no sex before marriage, no birth control, no condoms, no abortion, no right for choice, no divorce. It baffles me how intimidated the local government can get when an Archbishop denounces for instance a politician’s suggestion to try and control this country’s population. The country, like sheep, meekly follow — instead of having to deal with offending the Catholic Church. They conveniently denounce, as it is not in their religious doctrines, but present no practical help or solution on how to help the masses. There are 3 things that run this country – the church, politicians, and the elite. We live in a country pretending to be a democracy but is clearly an oligarchy.
Funny enough these 3 sectors are just a good 10% of the population of this country. They under estimate the intelligence of the masses.
India, for instance, is the biggest democracy in the world, with over a billion people of mixed religions: Hindu’s, Jains, Bhuddists, Muslims, Christians and so forth. Their Government shows tolerance and their country is not in the same mess as we are in considering there are 99% Catholics to deal with.
The Church should distinguish themselves and go back to the root of Catholicism, the commitment to tradition, doctrines and ministry to others. You’d think they’d have better things to do than argue with another politician.
Gandhi did have a good take on Christianity in general, it hurts me to agree with him. He said ” I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”
There’s my answer to why people stray from Catholicism. The threat was felt then when I was still in school, but it’s only out in the open now. The Philippines will always remain like a half empty glass of jaded and disillusioned people trying to find their way and their God.”
Shirin, part of a new generation of freethinkers, banding together to fight for a secular Philippines.
Shirin, isa sa mga bagong Pepe na nagsalita na sapagka’t pagod na syang maging pipi.
[Shirin, one of the new Pepe’s who has finally spoken up because she’s tired of being silenced].
[Originally a post entitled "OPLAN PEPE: Ang Mga Bagong Pepe" from Ana Santos Writes]
Dolores
Posted on 19. Oct, 2009 by Pepe in Oplan Pepe
LISTEN… DO YOU WANT TO KNOW A SECRET?
I’m convinced that the internet is becoming the world’s new confessional. I received this letter a couple of days ago from a Catolico Cerrado who just had to get some things off her chest.
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 2009
From: DOLORES
Subject: Looking for 20 Filipinos to speak up
To: celdrantours@hotmail.comDear Carlos,
I have long been for the passage of the RH bill and would really want to help. Unfortunately, “I ain’t got no balls”.
My family, especially my in-laws are mostly “Saradong Katoliko” and so are many of my dearest friends. They follow whatever the church dictates. It’s very difficult for me. I am also a practicing Catholic and wonder why I so don’t agree with the church on this issue. I support the bill but I’m afraid to speak up because I don’t want to be condemned or ostracized especially by my friends.
The church has been such a big bully in all this. Although I’m sure you can find 20 people to speak up, I think there are perhaps more people who are just like me, supporting the bill but not openly.
Over the weekend I was with a mixed group of ladies, chatting while preparing food for typhoon victims. The question was asked “So how do you feel about Noynoy supporting the RH bill?” to a lady whose family was working very hard to convince people to reject the bill but at the same time will be supporting Noynoy. She replied saying that they will be “working” on him to convince him to change his stand.
Many months ago, or was it maybe a year or so ago, (when this issue was all over the news), my parish church was working very hard to get our support for their anti-RH stand. They would pass a paper for us to sign DURING THE MASS–how desperate, I thought. I didn’t sign it and I think a lot just passed it on without signing also. We’ve also recently had speeches from members of the parish talking about the “evils” of the bill, before the mass ended which meant that they had a captive market.
Also about the same time, I got into a discussion about this with a very close friend who was anti-RH bill. After I put forth all my arguments and she was kinda “losing the debate”, she told me even then that anyway, this was not going to be passed because the church had already convinced GMA not to sign this. I guess this meant that even if I was right, it didn’t matter because they were stronger and worked harder to block it.
In my daughter’s school, they are always praying that the bill will not be passed. I, on the other hand, have been praying but for the passage of the bill and for the enlightenment of those working against its passage. My daughter knows how I feel about this bill but I told her to just follow what the school says so she doesn’t get into trouble.
I feel for you because you are working so hard for this and I so agree we need this bill. I don’t need to give you my reasons because you know more than me the merits and importance of this bill. I have in fact become convinced because of what I’ve read mostly from you.
Sorry if I seem like a big coward to you. I don’t really think I can handle going up against the church. I’m no David against that Goliath.
Well, maybe you should take a poll on just how many there are of us–who are Catholics and support the bill but are afraid to openly go against the church. Maybe there’s a way those of us who are not so courageous can show our numbers without identifying ourselves.
DOLORES
From: carlos celdran
To: DOLORES
Sent: Tuesday, October 13, 2009 18:08:03
Subject: RE: Looking for 20 Filipinos to speak upHi there. Thank you so much for emailing me. I am amazed at the responses I have had these past few hours. So much support.
And although there really is no way to help if you hide your identity (Really, there isn’t. Either one speaks up or doesnt’. There are no grey areas), I think you have already done quite enough.
Just speaking up with your family at the dinner table and instilling your values to your children and not allowing your kids to get brainwashed is already a courageous act. Not all battles have to be big ones. You are taking little steps. Good for you. It’s better than not doing anything at all.
Once again, thanks so much for emailing me. It’s really sweet of you. And trust me, although the bullies may have won this battle through unfair methods, people of my ilk are now realizing that we are not alone. The movement has started. And we are active. And we are thinkers. We’ll get far. Maybe not tomorrow. But soon. Trust me.
All the best.
Carlos
I wonder how many Dolores’ there are out there. It really made me think. And really made me more determined to keep this discussion going. And how about you? Pipi ka ba O Pepe?
[Originally a post entitled "From Mailbag" from Walk This Way]