Category: Religion

The self-righteousness and hypocrisy of activists ruin otherwise noble advocacies

October 10, 2018October 10, 2018 Ilda 6 Comments

There are a lot of hypocrites in the Philippines. I think it has something to do with the country being religious. Mind you, being religious is different from being spiritual. Being religious is easy. It’s simply following dogma or “set of principles laid down by an authority as incontrovertibly true”. One doesn’t have to think…

Religion, Society

“Activists” who called for a NutriAsia boycott should also call for a Catholic Church boycott

August 29, 2018 benign0 14 Comments

One can admire the way Filipino “activists” vigorously campaigned for the boycott of Filipino food conglomerate NutriAsia. NutriAsia manufactures products marketed under iconic Filipino brands such as Mang Tomas, UFC, and Datu Puti among others. These brands are not just ordinary brands. They are ingrained in the Filipino tradition and, as such, the average Filipino…

Religion, Society

Filipinos need to believe in “Satan” because they need a scapegoat for their failures

August 29, 2018August 29, 2018 benign0 23 Comments

Nowadays we see a lot of references to “Satan” and the “evil” this character of Medieval yore supposedly creates. Filipinos, the superstitious lot that they are, make liberal reference to these notions because they lack a strong tradition of evaluating cause-and-effect when confronting the many problems that beset their society. The trouble with this habit…

Politics, Religion

Filipinos should stop believing in “evil” in order to progress as a society

July 16, 2018 benign0 18 Comments

Bizarre that a supposed “economist” like Winnie Monsod would highlight the notion of “evil” as the be-all-end-all core source of all of the Philippines’ troubles. In her latest Inquirer piece, Monsod writes a treatise on why “ordinary, so-called good, God-fearing people can move from good to evil”. Monsod cites the notion of a “banality of…

Development, Economy, Religion

Popular Twitter account @TheTweetOfGod represents God in call to oust Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte

July 7, 2018 benign0 6 Comments

It’s a God parody account. And it’s got 5.2 million followers. And it’s weighed in on the presidency of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. The tweet issued by the presumptive god of Twitter was in reference to a statement issued by Duterte as reported by CNN Philippines in a story headlined “Duterte: If you can prove…

Religion

Martial Law “victims” aren’t a reliable source of information about the Martial Law years

July 2, 2018 benign0 12 Comments

Indeed, those who lived through it live to tell about it. Those who died, well, aren’t really in a position to say much today. All they really have are those who presume to speak for the dead. It is therefore no surprise that the presumptive “leaders” of the Opposition, the so-called Liberal Party (better known…

Culture, Politics, Religion

Philippine President Duterte’s statements make people discuss ideas and question traditional beliefs

June 29, 2018June 29, 2018 Ilda 33 Comments

Members of the Opposition found yet another reason to feel outraged over President Rodrigo Duterte’s latest statements. I don’t know why until now the Opposition still reacts with indignation because Duterte is quite predictable. Yes, he often says things that our mothers wouldn’t approve of, but we should all be used to it by now…

Politics, Religion

Mathematical proof that the Ateneo “AMDG” slogan contributes ZERO to God’s glory

June 29, 2018 benign0 13 Comments

In school, most Ateneans will have acquired the habit of writing the acronym “AMDG” at the top of their exam papers or any important schoolwork and then affixing a cross on top of it. AMDG stands for Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam, Latin for the presumptuous phrase “for the greater glory of God”. This practice has…

Education, Religion, Tech Talk