How should we respond

This has been a busy week on the topic of the badmouthing of no less than the President of the country on no less than God himself.

The media has been hot on this issue. Many people too have come out to speak against Duterte saying that he has gone too far, but some continue to come to his defense. Let me add a few of my thoughts on the matter and on the reactions of people.

I am happy that many people are now speaking out. Duterte has crossed the red line when he insults our God. People have come out of their stupor. I say to all, wake up and stand up. Evil should not be tolerated.

Some continue to tolerate Duterte on the ground of freedom of speech and even of freedom of religion. Freedom of speech should not be given as a reason for such a blasphemous attack. Freedom of speech brings out with it responsibility to respect what others hold dear. If Duterte does not believe on the teachings of our faith we cannot do anything about that. He can believe what he wants. Anyone each one of us will stand in front of the judgment seat of God one day. But he should not call our God stupid! He should not denigrate our faith in a public forum. People deserve respect, so much more our God for whom down through the centuries people have given their lives because they love him.  A person who has no respect for others and even for God is himself not respectable, even if he is the highest official in the land!

There is a call on the side of the government for dialogue with the churches. We welcome dialogue. It should have been done long before in the first place before the tirades should have come. We cannot then fault people who see this offer for dialogue as a damage control measure for the strong protests against Duterte and his cohorts. It may just be offered as a face-saving strategy. Is there really sincerity in this offer of dialogue? Unfortunately the track record of this government does not point to this. First, the persons that are asked to conduct this dialogue on their part do not have a good record of openness to the truth. Do Roque, Saycon and Panelo have the ability to understand their dialogue partners and not jump to conclusions and false accusations as they are doing now? How can you dialogue with persons who already accuse you and see you in a bad light? Second, the peace negotiations with the CCP/ NPA have shown the inability of the government in coming to any agreement. Duterte can whimsically cut off negotiations and pull away from hard-earned agreements with flimsy reasons and accusations.

Yes, the call to pray for Duterte and his government is worthwhile and should be heeded. This is very much in accord with the clear teaching of Jesus who said:  “I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44) But we should also heed another passage of Scripture: “Proclaim the Word; be persistent whether it is convenient or inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.” (2 Timothy 4:2) While we pray and beg for mercy from God in reparation to the blasphemy we should also not refrain from saying that this is wrong and should stop, for the sake of the people who are weak in the faith. We cannot just gloss over this incident as if it is a small matter. This either shows that we do not value God and it is alright to belittle him, or we are weak and cowed down. In either case, we become weak shepherds who allow the flock of God to be scattered. We should give clear directions. 

Let not the accusations of the Prophet Isaiah on the religious leaders of his time be applied to our present religious leaders: “All the sentinels of Israel are blind, they are without knowledge. They are all mute dogs, unable to bark; dreaming, reclining, loving their sleep.” (Isaiah 56:10) Let us not be mute dogs, unable to bark…. loving our sleep in wonderland with our feet off the ground in the harsh realities of our days. We all are shepherds: parents to their children, lay leaders to their members, priests to their people, and bishops to their flock. We pray, we beg for mercy from God, and we speak out and guide our people. But in no way should we be silent.