A Manifesto in Support of Choice

Manifesto In Support of Choice (video of RH advocates reading manifesto)

On November 26, 2010 the Filipino Freethinkers held an Excommunication party in support of the Reproductive Health Bill. The following manifesto was read and signed by the attendees.

It is an assertion of our government’s freedom from the meddling of the CBCP, a voice raised in anger against the CBCP’s lies and disregard for human suffering. This is one of the ways in which we show our solidarity with the legislators who stand for the Reproductive Health Bill, those who would use secular morality to guide their actions.

This is our manifesto in support of choice:

Tonight, we advocates of social justice and free and informed choice, come together in an expression of solidarity towards the passage of the Reproductive Health Bill.

Whereas the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines has repeatedly imposed its agenda upon the government, in clear violation of the principle of the separation of Church and State;

Whereas the CBCP has threatened to withdraw its support of politicians and legislators who endorse the Reproductive Health Bill;

Whereas the CBCP and its allies consider Catholics who support the Reproductive Health Bill as “oxymorons”, “dissidents”, and “not real Catholics”;

Whereas the CBCP and its allies equate the Reproductive Health Bill to abortion, when nothing in its provisions promotes such;

Whereas the CBCP and its allies have knowingly and wilfully disseminated misinformation in their attempt to stop the passage of the Reproductive Health Bill by sowing fear, uncertainty and doubt among its constituents;

Whereas the Catholic Church has continued to uphold edicts and dogma that result in bigotry, human suffering and loss of life;

And whereas legislators who support the Reproductive Health Bill have remained stalwart in their efforts to combat bigotry, human suffering and loss of life, despite the Catholic church’s threat of excommunication;

We hereby declare that if supporting the Reproductive Health Bill means excommunication…

Then excommunicate me!



17 comments

  1. Pride led Lucifer to disobey God. Disobedience to God was also the sin of Adam and Eve. Obedience was a virtue of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Our Lord Jesus was also obedient to the Father even unto death.

    When Saul was persecuting the Church, why did Jesus say, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting ME?” ME? Ever wonder why our Lord said ME? It is because the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church IS Jesus. And disobedience to official Church teaching is disobedience to Christ.

    If you fight the Church, you are damning yourself if you do not repent. Jeus promised that the gates of hell shall not prevail against His Church. Obviously, since the Church IS Christ’s mystical Body, then Satan cannot prevail over the Church.

    But then again, it is every man’s free will to be the slave of sin (disobedience to God) or a servant of God.

    I just find the name “freethinker” as misleading. First, because no one who is in sin is free. Second is if one’s thinking is not aligned to the Church’s, then the inspiration does not come from the Holy Spirit. Take a wild guess then where it comes from? Clue: it is from the same one who deceived Eve. One is free only in Christ. And if anyone thinks he is a better thinker than the Church (who is led by the Holy Spirit in ALL its teachings), then he is deceived.

    Pray that you not be misled. Pray for God’s mercy. Your soul is at stake. Let us all fight for holiness. Let us strive to be saints. For this is what our call is as Catholics. Obedience, humility and faithfulness to God is what pleases God. Not pride or “free thinking” outside of the teachings of our Redeemer.

    May the good Lord reveal Himself and His Holy Will to us all, so that knowing Him, we may love Him, serve Him and obey His will. And thus, by being faithful, be holy and become saints on heaven.

    Ponder always about the last four things. Death, purgatory, heaven and hell. What would you give up to escape hell? Would you do anything to be in heaven?

    • Jorge,

      That is some ‘god” eh? “Worship and love me or else burn in hell.” Tell me, is that a god worth worshiping? Is a god that only wants to be worshiped worth worshiping? Kind of egotistic don’t you think?

      And being “in sin”? Don’t tell me that god created the tree of knowledge without knowing in advance that Adam will bite the apple. It’s a set-up. And I have freed myself of that by not believing in that bullshit.

      I’d rather do good for it’s own sake.

      Of the last four things you mentioned, only death is a certainty. Which is why I’ll live this life to the fullest and not waste it on worship and obedience to any religion.

  2. I support.
    I am proud to call myself a catholic but very ashamed of Catholic Church of the Philippines. But I never lost my faith to the church and the only difference is when I am in the Philippines I forget that their is a Catholic church that existed. For me it lost its respect and meaning the first they meddle with politics and personally discovered their lies.
    I was so ashamed to be call a Filipino catholic who attend mass in the Philippine church.
    SHAMEFUL AS THEY ARE!

  3. I was born a Catholic, spent my teenage years and my early married life as a Catholic. Eventually I left the Catholic church and worshiped with the born again Christians. I never had any regret leaving the Catholic Church. I felt liberated from ignorance.

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