It’s a sign of things to come as far as how newly-minted Supreme Court Chief Justice Lourdes Sereno may be shaping the judiciary over the next 18 years she will be leading it. Defending her appointment against critics, Sereno reportedly said that “it was God’s will, not politics that put her in that position”.
What exactly does that imply about Sereno’s regard for the nature of her role in the Supreme Court? Does that mean she was anointed to the position by God himself?
That sort of self-regard coming from the Supreme Court Chief Justice — and a lawyer — is worrisome. Lawyers are supposedly trained thinkers. They are schooled in philosophy, some relevant sciences, and logic. So Sereno’s inability to rationalise her filling the critical role she holds today in the nation without deferring to the supernatural can be attributed to either a pompous sense of self-entitlement or to plain intellectual laziness. It means she cannot even give credit even to her own presumed personal ability to fulfil the role of Chief Justice. It’s really all up to God, according to her.
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God help the Filipino people, then.
Following Sereno’s less-than-lawyerly logic, it follows that Filipinos don’t need her. They don’t need the Supreme Court, don’t need their prayerful President, don’t need their plagiarising senators, nor their spineless House “representatives”. In fact, they don’t need any education, any professional skills, nor any money for that matter. Everything is all up to God anyway. So why worry? God will provide.
For something supposedly as “infinitely” mysterious as the “will” of God, Sereno seems to be an authority on the word of the Lord — even going as far as applying it in a proclamation of her own entitlement to her current post as Chief Justice. A check on a bit of the logic applied by a group called the Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry reveals the pointlessness of human life in the context of the notion of “God’s will”…
Logically, God knowing what we are going to do does not mean that we can’t do something else. It means that God simply knows what we have chosen to do ahead of time. Our freedom is not restricted by God’s foreknowledge; our freedom is simply realized ahead of time by God. In this, our natural ability to make another choice has not been removed any more than my choice of what to write inside the parenthesis (hello) was removed by God who knew I would put the word “hello” in the parentheses before the universe was made. Before typing the word “hello,” I pondered which word to write. My pondering was my doing and the choice was mine. How then was I somehow restricted in freedom when choosing what to write if God knew what I was going to do? No matter what choice we freely make, it can be known by God, and His knowing it doesn’t mean we aren’t making a free choice.
Suffice to say, I’d be apologetic too if I routinely applied logic like that.
Simplify the above convolusion into something we can relate to in the real world, and it is easy to find sensible practical analogies that will reveal just how stupid that sort of thinking is. Think of how a software engineer regards an application she designed. The application, once launched, is “free” to behave according to its design parameters. Our smart phones, for example, routinely decide what spelling best suits a word we just typed in. It even sometimes decides what word we were meant to type way before we had finished typing the word itself. It’s designers allow the application to do its thing.
Does a spelling auto-correct application have “free will”?
Well, the fact that we often verbally abuse our smartphone’s auto-correct systems attests to its ability to generate the illusion of free will to us users despite the obvious limitations of the degree of freedom of said will it exhibits. Yet, though most of us of course know the silliness of cursing an application that merely mimics intelligence, the illusion is powerful enough to ellicit an emotional reaction from a far superior intelligence who otherwise should know better.
Consider, therefore, how ever more sophisticated software that progressively generates better illusions of intelligence — and sentience — will progressively reduce the degree of silliness we feel after an emotional reaction to it. That is where the human mind comes in. Perhaps we are such a system — possessing of a complex enough hardware and software system to generate a convincing enough illusion of intelligence and sentience.
Perhaps then Sereno is right. Her being Chief Justice is not necessarily an outcome of her personal will.
But is everything that happens necessarily God’s “will”?
I doubt if the designers of our phones’ autocorrect systems foresaw days when we’d end up telling a friend her nipples are cute when we meant to compliment her on the appearance of adorable recesses on her cheeks whenever she smiles.
That is proof enough that no amount of Sereno telling us her being Chief Justice is “God’s will” will absolve her of any personal accountability over how well — or how badly — she performs over the next 18 years. It also raises the possibility that her appointment to the office of the Chief Justice could just be an outcome of a glitch in the software installed between a certain person’s ears.
[Photo courtesy PinoyBreakingNews.info.]
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
i think it’s about time we kill this god for willing such stupid things. maybe then we can finally start thinking for ourselves and actually start moving forward.
Incoming retarded post from fishball in a few moments.
I somewhat agree with the whole article though.
God’s will has nothing to do with her appointment to the SC.
It was the will of the great leader(described by PDI as the greatest prez).
Was she showing her fanatic emotional swings or is it just a propaganda pitch to show how “religious” she is? The number 4 slot in the psyche test seems to confirm something. 🙂
This is not good at all. After all, it is also God’s will that calamities are brought forth in our midst. 🙁
Indeed it was God’s will
that CJ Sereno was
appointed in that
honourable position. As
the Bible says:
“Let everyone be
subject to the
governing authorities,
for there is no
authority except that
which God has established. The
authorities that exist
have been established
by God. Consequently,
whoever rebels against
the authority is rebelling against what
God has instituted, and
those who do so will
bring judgment on
themselves. For rulers
hold no terror for those who do right, but for
those who do wrong.
Do you want to be free
from fear of the one in
authority? Then do
what is right and you will be commended. For
the one in authority is
God’s servant for your
good. But if you do
wrong, be afraid, for
rulers do not bear the sword for no reason.
They are God’s
servants, agents of
wrath to bring
punishment on the
wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit
to the authorities, not
only because of
possible punishment
but also as a matter of
conscience.†(Romans 13:1-5) p
The post of Chief Justice
begs for somebody
who is first of all God-
fearing and possesses
unquestionable
integrity.
With CJ Sereno being as
such then we should
realize that leaders like
her are God’s blessings
to our country. For a
country that displeases God will have for its
leaders corrupt and
wicked people as well
as instability.
“When a country is
rebellious, it has many
rulers, but a ruler with
discernment and
knowledge maintains
order.†(Proverbs 28:2)
Corona’s appointment is
illegal in the first place.
That’s why
the various masses held
at the SC during the
impeachment of Corona is what you call
misplaced heroism and the Lord knows the real
purpose of Corona and
Company. That is the
reason why Corona
was convicted and
eased out of his job. CJ Sereno was
appointed legally and
morally.
We are with you Sereno! We believe and we have faith in you. The Philippines and the 100 million Filipinos are with you, and, above all, God is with you.
Wow haba ng post pero halatang copy and paste naman. Bobo mo talaga.
I’m a true believer in Christ, but I firmly believe this:
Walang katungkulan ang Diyos sa PULITIKO. Kung sabagay, matagal nang nakatingin ang Diyos sa atin at PALPAK pa rin ang gobyerno.
Oh yeah, fishball doesn’t believe in the this statement: ‘Nasa Diyos ang awa, nasa tao ang gawa.’
You are gravely mistaken if you think all of the filipinos are with your CJ. The silent majority are beginning to rise against your pathetic president. Karma for this government is fast approaching. Even abs cbn will be useless against the growing discontentment of the people. Give up now stupid troll.
You very well know that even Satan himself quoted from the Word of God when he was tempting the Lord in the desert.
Really? I’m not sure with the kind of approach/thinking you have @fishball. Preachy. Im a God fearing person but i do agree that we need to hear from someone like CJ her merits/credits why she thinks she Is suited for the post, enough using that “its Gods will” type of talking/reasoning.
You may believe and have faith in Sereno, but speak only for yourself. Not all Filipinos are with you or your Abnoy Prez.
i’m with you fishball. Let us continue to stand strong in our faith, for sure many will persecute but this was already written in the Bible. God bless.
@fishball
Even the devil(Did I say you?) can quote the bible for political expediency, propaganda and opportunism. Show me your credentials from God. The real truth is that Sereno is the anointed one of BSA. Hitting at Corona again? No end to the black propaganda? Off topic, right?
“the 100 million Filipinos are with you, and, above all, God is with you.” How do you know that all of people are for Sereno and that God is with her? Do you hear voices that confirm this? The Communications Group must have a propaganda conduit from heaven. 🙂
@fishball
Oh yeah, I forgot! The last time I heard and saw, there is still systemic corruption in the Philippine government. Even the devil loves disinformation! Buking ka na false propaganda prophet!
@Der fuhrer
Hindi lang siya nabuking, napahiya nanaman at napatunayang bobo talaga siya.
@fishball… One more time for truth and freedom!
From Mein Kampf- “Hitler wrote: I believe that I am acting in accordance with the will of the Almighty Creator: by defending myself against the Jew, I am fighting for the work of the Lord…”
Gott Mitt Uns! Translation: God is with us!
You see fishball even dictators like to use God for propaganda and disinformation purposes. Straight Path? Not accurate as applied in a propaganda slogan. It should be: The Straight and Narrow Path. Get it?
Radical Islamic Suicide bombers, kill themselves and the infidels in the name of their God…wars were waged in the name of people’s God. People are tortured, subject to inquisition, exile, etc…in the name of their God. God is good. We humanize God…this is the problem…
agree.
LOLZ I also read that. TBH, Hitler’s hatred to Judaism is also the same as his hatred to Christianity. He even said,
“You can be either a German or a Christian, you cannot be both.”
Perfect explanation
That figures out why she has reportedly have failed in her psyche test! Oh, and at last it already came from her that her “God” is the one who placed her in power. Is that “God” refers to Noynoy? She must be crazy! How can you initiate good reforms if you yourself is a product of a badly-corrupted process of law.
Shame on those people who drag the Good Lord’s name into this untidy political gimmick. Your souls are now burning in hell. Give yourselves a pinch of respect and decency.
There is a commandment that says “Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain.” This includes using it as justifications for bullshit theories and crackpot ideas (such as creationism). And it also includes dragging His Most Holy Name into the diabolical shithole that is Filipino politics.
May everyone who uses God’s name to justify bad political decisions have their power of speech taken from them.
“God Appointed Me CJ.”-Sereno Is she using God for political purposes? Does she have emotional mood swings? Is she delusional? Please see the link below…
http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/headlines/item/3804-sereno-‘god-appointed-me-cj’
Tama nga ang kulelat na resulta ng psychological exam ng JBC dito kay Sereno….too emotional nga.
This article does not make sense. It misses the point and zooms into nit picking in the name of logic. in fact, the article demonstrates how logic may be misused through misplaced emphasis on a trivial matter which is out of context and play it out as if it were material. Poor analysis indeed.
Read the article further. It’s cool to be… IGNORANT. 🙂
I’d rather hear that than her saying, it was Noynoy’s wish that put her in the position. That politics made it for her. Then we’re all screwed.
Anyway, I see nothing wrong in what she said. It was a statement of gratitude from a faithful to her faith. Let us give it to her because that’s her business and not ours. Anyway, we all say thank yous to a higher being in moments of exultation. If you share the same faith with Sereno’s, you’ll be happy for her. If you belong to another group, you should also be happy, not because of her belief in her faith but because she got the position she deserved.
There is a God called : Mammon. He is the God of Greed. Maybe, this is the God that Sereno is talking about. Her Supreme Court position was given, by his “God”: Noynoy Aquino. By impeaching the former Chief Justice by false fabricated information, and testimonies of liars in the Senate.
If this is the kind of God , Sereno is talking about. I will be comfortable as an Atheist. God is good. He is the truth. And he always demand Justice and Fairness in dealing with our fellow creatures. The will of the true God, is wrongly attributed by Sereno. It is taking the name of the Lord, our God in vain.
PresidentNoynoy must remember, though, that in 2017 or 2018 or later, he can be jailed for some reason or another by a vengeful Malakanyang. So PersiNoy has appointed a Chief Justice and other members of SupremoKorte… whoopee doo. Pilipinas history has shown child of former president is kayang-kayang ikalaboso by a vengeful Malakanyang.
Unfortunately for Noynoy, he’s set a precedent that makes impeaching Chief Justices easy as pie… 😀
Noynoy petulant and impulsive like a 5 year old wanting candy. Never looks at big picture. Like you imply Benigno and others. The big picture will claim him.
benign0,
CJ Sereno completes the hat trick for the “God’s will” tagline that BS Aquino and Leila de Lima used, doesn’t it?
We can squeeze every ounce of analysis and surmise that this tagline resonates with Filipinos for several reasons:
1) Filipino society frowns upon people who are overeager and those who sell themselves, justifiably or not
2) Filipinos are fond of “divine miracles”, therefore the idea that God leads someone to do something makes Filipinos’ jaws drop with awe
3) Filipinos are fatalistic
Or we can just take the easier explanation: Aquino, de Lima, and Sereno are all nuts.
“My fate’s not in God’s hands as long as there’s a weapon in mine.” – a soldier’s motto I got from a book
Indeed! When things go well, it is all “by God’s graces”. When things go badly, it is all “God’s will”. No room for personal accountability in such a thought framework.
Hat trick = Holy Trinity . As far as the yellow zombies are concerned.
Another view of Sereno from the Daily Tribune. Please see the link below…
http://www.tribune.net.ph/index.php/commentary/item/3763-what-cheek
We shouldn’t follow the laws made by humans! Sereno declared it is God’s will who puts her as a SCJ. It is high time the Philippines take the Bible as the basis for the rule of law in the Philippines! The constitution should be abolished.
It will happen in the end times, man…
The Bible as the basis for the rule of law? Are you aiming for the retardation of the constitution?
Actually, we must not be strict like following the whole book of Deuteronomy…
Well, kung lahat lang tayo ay sumusunod sa ten commandements, maayaos ang society eh…
Kaso, lahat siguro tayo nakapagsinungaling na… diba start yun ng corruption?
Yep, let’s do that (take the Bible as a basis of law, I mean).
These ye shall eat of all that are in the waters: all that have fins and scales shall ye eat. And whatsoever hath not fins and scales ye may not eat; it is unclean unto you.
– Deuteronomy 14: 9-10
Oh please, the OT was God’s covenant to the Israelites, have you read the NT lately? Let man create his/her own secular law, God’s laws are written in the believer’s heart.
You do know I was being sarcastic, right?
Patriotic,
Please tell me you’re being sarcastic.
Well, the Christian Bible says otherwise, what bible are you talking about?
There are many Bibles. One for each religion. Christian Bible for the Christians; Koran for the Muslims; Tibetan Book of the Dead, for the Tibetan Buddhists; Mahabarata for the Hindus; Book of Satan, for the Satanists…..what Bible you are talking about?
She was referring to Noynoy, the god of the yellow zombies, flawless and infallible.
CJ Sereno of the Philippines said it is God’s will that puts her in the CJ position, so she should make the Bible as the rule of law in the Philippines.
CJ Sereno of the Philippines said it is God’s will that puts her in the CJ position, so she should make the Bible or the 10 commandments as the rule of law in the Philippines.
We are not Israel, even the apostle Paul did not force the following of the laws in the OT to the Gentiles.
She violated already the Ten Commandment…
No need to question the low-scoring psychological test of Sereno. Sereno just confirmed the test’s veracity and accuracy! Heck, like president like chief justice! Kawawang Pilipinas!!!
We are all responsible for what we intend to say and the mere fact that Sereno’s tongue slipped-up when she said that she is a God-appointed CJ, proves that something is wrong with her simply because of the terms she used. Why did she say that in the first place? Is the position of Chief Justice created by God Himself? Of course not! If you don’t want criticisms, don’t do something. Grabe ang topak ng cj ng mga dilaw na pula. Ok ang sana kung hindi siya babae, masyado tuloy obvious.
Anybody can claim God’s will, even if what they do is actually against it.
Amir Al Bahr, Sereno is such a hypocrite! Dragging God’s name in her appointment as a CJ! Very cunning.
And I thought the Philippine Ayatollahs (read: CBCP) were bad enough.
One more nutcase joining a government proven to have nutcases is tragic indeed. Is there a law for removing such people? How do we define the present governance? To be governed by the mentally defective and ill does not reveal a healthy democracy. We have a case of the blind leading the blind. Is it now a case of the mentally defective and less sane leading and dictating the sane? God help us all!
Is “God’s will I was appointed CJ” the same as “I was appointed by God as CJ”?
I think there is a difference between the two and some people failed to see it.
So what? The article has explored that as well as other more significant implications of Sereno’s statement.
What you just did is an attempt to derail the discussion by dwelling on semantics.
Explored what? Where and by whom? You should go beyond “so what?” if you really want to be understood. At least, I gave my piece on the issue.
Derail the discussion? By whom? I’ve never seen your name in the discussion above. So, if you’ve never participated in it, what ‘discussion’ are you talking about?
C’mon, if you want to really contribute and move forward the discussion say something significant and on topic. “So what” is not saying something, it’s saying you’re nothing.
@Jona-s
Kindly elaborate on their “difference.”
The picture in the article alone is disturbing.
It might surprise you all, but in some way IT IS God’s will for Sereno to be CJ, but I also will tell you all that it’s more a curse than a blessing.
Sereno being CJ is God’s Will in the same sense or as much as the next natural disaster is said to be God’s Will.
Yes… if you don’t believe everything happened for a reason…
Let’s see… what will happen if Gloria is still in the office nowadays?
We might argue that she could strengthen the Armed Forces again, or worse, Chinese government pays her to allow access to the WPS (West Philippine Sea) *shudder*
Slight events in history, if altered, remaining all other things constant, would meant drastic change in the outcome of the world history…
I mean, maybe we would all be wearing Swastikas by now if it wasn’t for America annexing us from Spain. Please note that Spain at that time is losing power thanks to the Spanish Civil War caused by Germany…
God wills it? Isn’t there supposed to be some sort of separation between church and state or something? God has no business in politics just as politics has no business in religion, sort of.
NO,she did not.Please,someone tell me this seemingly intelligent woman did not say ‘it is God’s will,’ that she has been appointed as the new C.J. of the S.C. in the Philippines.
WOW,with such a delusional statement can this woman somehow be removed before she renders a single decision?
Last I heard the Philippines is a ‘SECULAR’ Republic,no? The meaning of that,as if anyone needs to be reminded,is that the Government operates at all times outside the parameters/influence of any and all religions yet respects and welcomes all religions and recognizes the rights of all citizens to practice their religious beliefs.
This woman is scary.Sounds like she is ‘off her rocker’,YIKES.I almost can not believe that she actually thinks that God has somehow seen to it for her to be appointed by the President,who is not God no matter what he thinks,as C.J. of the Supreme Court.
after reading the rest of this essay,it is apparent that the ‘all knowing,INVISBLE/INVINCIBLE Man’ is alive and well and making decisions for us,’behind the scenes’,AND that he has approved of them all along.
I feel sooooo relieved,ya know,as if I just dropped almost as big a deuce than the one that has been dropped on the Filipino people. WOWO,look out,coz here it comes……
Just dropped by to say that God allows wicked governments (eg: Nebuchadnezzar).
When Sereno, as somebody who professes to believe in God and calls Him her Father, and believes in her heart that she, by witness of the Holy Spirit to her spirit, is a child of God, speaks of God’s will, she does not necessarily mean that God’s will is imposed on the Filipino people.
When believers say this, more often than not, they say, it is God’s will for them, that is to say, God did not pre-plan this to happen to their lives, but that God allowed this to happen to them for the benefit and glory of His Name in THEIR lives, not that of the people over whom they are to execute their authority.
The problem is that a lot of Christians cannot seem to grip the fact that God is not everyone else’s God. He is THEIR (the Christians’) God, yes, and Father, true, but not the God of atheists, agnostics, pagans, and religionists.
Pronouncements like these should be kept to themselves. Christian conduct however should be public in the sense of integrity and fairness in dealing with the public if such is the nature of their jobs.
In the Book of Daniel, it was God’s will for Daniel, to the benefit of His people, the Israelites, for Daniel to be an interpreter of dreams thus elevating him to the seats of high authority in Babylon but Daniel never forced his God or his beliefs down the throats of Babylonians.
Instead, his rise to power, as in the case of Joseph, in Genesis, was a result of his impeccable integrity and honesty in his position.
That statement from the new SC Chief Justice is without any basis that, it was God’s will to have her in that position. God has nothing to do with what she was being appointed. All it takes her to do is to thank God and ask/pray God that she will be able to perform her given role competently and not to be subservient to the person who appointed her most especially that the person who appointed her has personal interest to protect and that is the Hacienda Luisita that his family owns.
She also has to thank God because she got away with issuing a fake SC en banc resolution.
Ironically, her luck would be running out soon since her fellow justices are still against her. It is only a matter of time before she resigns or gets ousted.