“Damaso!” Carlos shouted. “Damaso!” critics of the CBCP echoed.
Retired Archbishop Oscar Cruz waited for Filipino Catholics to reply in their defense. All he got was silence.
“The silence of these well spread Catholic organizations was deafening,” said Cruz. “They were almost all so peaceful and at ease during such a shameful episode in their Church.”
While Cruz lamented the Catholic organizations’ actions, he seems impressed by ours:
“It is definitely amazing how such a notably well-concerted effort could be staged – fast and effective – saying but one and only substantive and loud shout, viz: Shut up CBCP! Step aside Church! Shame on you Churchmen! Angry texts and bitter calls suddenly invaded the tri-media.
There were even lighting rallies made here and there – all denouncing the supposedly Church doctrine thus perceived, shouting the shameful sins of the clergy, and most of all, cursing the CBCP for its alleged dictatorial nature and pursuant stance,” he said.
First of all, good job, people! When a former archbishop calls our efforts well-concerted, fast, and effective, we must be doing something right.
But why were we so effective? Shouldn’t we be outnumbered by the 80% of Filipinos allegedly represented by the CBCP?
Cruz thinks that they still have the Catholics on their side. It’s just that they’re . . .
“Oh, yes, Churches are full on Sundays,” Cruz said. “People frequent novenas and processions in honor of their favorite saints. But their faith appears both eclectic and superficial while their morals remain juvenile.”
Cruz seems to think that if you go to Church, you should blindly follow what it says, which in this case means opposing the RH Bill. If you don’t support it, if you keep silent, then your faith is superficial.
I agree that most Filipino Catholics have an eclectic faith. Eclectic means “selecting what appears to be best in various doctrines, methods, or styles” or “composed of elements from various sources.” Despite being against their doctrine, contraceptive education and use are now accepted and supported by many Filipino Catholics.
But my agreement ends there. Having an eclectic faith — choosing to believe what you think is right instead of believing everything your Church tells you — is not a sign of a juvenile morality; it is a sign of a mature one.
And not responding to criticisms against the CBCP is not a sign of a superficial faith. If Catholics do not appear to support the CBCP, maybe it’s simply because they don’t. If they were quiet during such a “shameful episode” for their church, it could be because they are ashamed — not because the church is being criticized, but because the criticisms are valid.
They may not have joined the protests or even spoken out against the CBCP. But sometimes, the most deafening form of dissent is silence.
I personally know of a lot of catholics who, in our private conversations, are all in support of the RH bill simply because of its intended good and regardless of its alleged flaws. In public, however, these same people would rather remain silent and not openly voice out their support for the said bill for fear of being ridiculed, stared down or ostracized. How unfortunate indeed, that the church's leaders exact allegiance to its faith thru fear and intimidation – that anyone who is not with them on any issue at all, is against God and the church! How sad…
[…] of Ex-CBCP President Oscar Cruz’s stand on the RH Bill or contraception. I’ve done that before, and the sad reality that many still agree with him is the only reason his opinion is […]
Reading these comments on the issue of the catholic position on rh bill: some angry, some misplaced, some claiming to be freethinkers, STILL the catholic position is the most rationally sensible position for it has a proper perspective on the issue which is the dignity of the human beings that must be respected. in comparison, the rh bill mentality looks at the humanity in the pigpen ( tangkal ) perspective- that is when the pigpen is congested you have to sell, take out the rest of the pigs so as to give space. This rh bill mentality is basically wrong for it does not respect the dignity of humanity.
Current history tells us that countries which adopted this pigpen mentality like the first world countries is now suffering the cycle of life hence they are now importing babies from other countries just to replenish their loss; they are now employing foreigners to work for them for they do not have the work force. Yet the so called freethinkers are following these dying countries' footstep and kept on blaming the catholic church for the mess that their allies and people like them have wrought havoc to their fellow and the environment.
[Reading these comments on the issue of the catholic position on rh bill: some angry, some misplaced, some claiming to be freethinkers, STILL the catholic position is the most rationally sensible position for it has a proper perspective on the issue which is the dignity of the human beings that must be respected.]
This coming from an organization that tried to get an exemption from last year's Magna Carta for women because it would prevent them from expelling or firing students and teachers from their schools who were pregnant out of wedlock.
If there is anybody here who has little respect for human dignity, it's the the anti-RH people like you who come up with hackneyed accusations while intentionally ignoring the abuses your own organization has committed, and is unrepentant over.
Defenders of morality indeed.
[in comparison, the rh bill mentality looks at the humanity in the pigpen ( tangkal ) perspective- that is when the pigpen is congested you have to sell, take out the rest of the pigs so as to give space. ]
Okay – do tell us at what point did we propose killing off infants or having people sold off when our population gets too big? Seems to me that you're the one being a pig-headed prick.
[Current history tells us that countries which adopted this pigpen mentality like the first world countries is now suffering the cycle of life hence they are now importing babies from other countries just to replenish their loss; they are now employing foreigners to work for them for they do not have the work force.]
I'm not really in the mood to articulate for the moment, so I will be blunt – until you actually come up with examples of your claims or data backing it, I will assume that you pulled that data out of your ass.
The reality is we are a nation that subsists heavily on exporting our skilled labor (OFW) exactly because of lack of employment opportunities here. The problem is further aggravated by a swelled generation of youths who have little to no education due to their families not being able to provide.
https://filipinofreethinkers.org/2010/10/02/logic-…
[Yet the so called freethinkers are following these dying countries' footstep and kept on blaming the catholic church for the mess that their allies and people like them have wrought havoc to their fellow and the environment. ]
Well, considering that the RCC has cockblocked previous attempts at the RH Bill, they paint a rather large target on themselves. Especially when their bishops claim to speak for the people's morality, which they do not by any minute margin.
[I think it is more of a failure of the bishops and priests to catechize their flock rather than a silent dissent. The average Pinoy Catholic is theologically unprepared to engage with these issues. They can take a cue from the Pope. Sadly no Pinoy bishop is as theologically prepared as him. ]
When you say taking a cue from the pope, you don't mean perhaps that Catholics should follow his eminence in relating atheism to Nazis…
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11332515
Or perhaps in condemning condom use regardless of their effectiveness in helping stem the spread of AIDs…
http://www.badscience.net/2010/09/the-pope-and-ai…
Or maybe Benedict's stance regarding gay marriage…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/13/pope-ben…
Or maybe even his support of the excommunication of a medical team that performed a life-saving emergency abortion on a 9-year old girl in Brazil…
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,191…
Or were you thinking about the time the Pope lifted the Vatican's excommunication of a holocaust-denying bishop?
http://articles.cnn.com/2009-01-26/world/pope.hol…
As a freethinker talking to another, I will ask you this: What sort of man does one have to be to be willing to follow the opinions of such an individual as I have cited above?
I think it is more of a failure of the bishops and priests to catechize their flock rather than a silent dissent. The average Pinoy Catholic is theologically unprepared to engage with these issues. They can take a cue from the Pope. Sadly no Pinoy bishop is as theologically prepared as him.
If the average Pinoy Catholic is ignorant on many aspects of Catholic doctrine, then how can they responsibly dissent?
As a free thinking Catholic, I throw this challenge to my bishops. Catechize the flock and engage with secularism in a constructive manner and not make secularists damned to perdition!
The same challenge I throw to secularists. lay down the philosophical basis of your position and engage with religion by not making believers appear stupid!
You said that "choosing to believe what you think is right instead of believing everything your Church tells you — is not a sign of a juvenile morality; it is a sign of a mature one."
I beg to disagree.
When we become the arbiter of what is right and wrong for us chaos follows because everyone is not on the same level of thinking. Moral relativism is not a sign of spiritual maturity.
The only true arbiter of what is morally right and wrong is God which He courses to us through the Sacred Scriptures and the Magisterium which is the teaching authority of the Church.
Being a blind follower is different from being a faithful follower. A blind follower just goes with the flow of things while a faithful follower, though he may not understand everything fully well, is guided by faith which empowers his reason to choose what is right and good.
//The only true arbiter of what is morally right and wrong is God which He courses to us through the Sacred Scriptures and the Magisterium which is the teaching authority of the Church.//
Assuming God exists, how do you know he courses his morality through the sacred scriptures and the magisterium? Did God come down and announce this communications protocol to all humans, telling them to listen to the Roman Catholic Church's authority? Or is the Church a SELF-appointed authority?
@innerminds
You might want to read Courage's URL. This will be most amusing.
I'm at a loss for words.
I guess the courage in their group's name stands for the courage to fight your own nature to make it consistent with what others think. I was saddened, not amused, when I checked their site.
oh my goodness! its the motherlode of all the mis-information being disseminated against contraceptives. how could people live with themselves twisting the facts so badly.
people should definitely take the time to actually counter-check the claims on that website for themselves instead of being suckered in. its the responsible thing to do
And here I was hoping to take it easy for the next few days… 🙁
And who gets to tell whether a follower is truly devout, or blind?
Both claim to be inspired by God's will, or claim the backing of a religious institution that tells them that they are legit, sans any empirical data to prove their point.
Seems to me like somebody's been engaging in copious amounts of circular reasoning.
[Moral relativism is not a sign of spiritual maturity. ]
I vehemently disagree. I think that moral relativism is a sign of spiritual growth, indicating that a person matures with changing times, and also reflects a mind that's planted on reality, and not delusion or dogma.
It's thanks to morals being so fluid that we've been able to change our world into something more humane overall over the past few decades, signified by the abolition of slavery, the treatment of women as equals, desegregation, and recognition of the LGBT community as normal human beings.
The only people I seem to see crying foul over "moral degradation" are the same people and organizations that oppressed those listed above in the first place. Well bully them – the world is changing, and they're just crying over the fact that they're fading into irrelevance.
Thats because thse Bishops always misinterpret Faith as FAITH IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.! Being Christian is and must always be more important than being Catholic. The two, history shows oftentimes are contrary to each other, being Christian and being Catholic I mean.
An elderly shepherd would misinterpret the silence of the lambs as a sign of peace among the flock. The shepherd was probably deaf from the start, and the lambs probably conditioned to remain in their innocence at all costs. But some lambs grew up…
“People frequent novenas and processions in honor of their favorite saints. But their faith appears both eclectic and superficial while their morals remain juvenile.”
how do you know? who are you to judge that their faith is superficial?
Same reply: Actually it was Cruz who said that.
"how do you know? who are you to judge that their faith is superficial? "
Please forward this to Cruz 🙂
" well-concerted effort " , I would rather say " spontaneous rage " . . .The present leadership of the Philippine Catholic church is clearly out of touch of their flock and showed clearly in this latest incident of the RH Bill . . . ." the deafening silence of the faithfull " is boldly telling the church leadership that they are out of touch but they seem to choose to interpret in in a different way . . .as in scapegoating or escapism . . .the loss of Cardinal Sin has really left a vacuum in the church leadership . . . .I dont really know much about Cardinal Sin but as a Catholic I can say he has a feel for the pulse of his flock and he rose to the occasion during the the last rule of the pathetic dictatorship that we all know . . . relevant leadership is sorely lacking in the Catholic Church at present.
Isang tingin ko pa lang kay Cardinal Sin at alam ko nang – ay naku – gluttony ang sakit nito!
– Ambassador José del Rosario
Please do not generalize Filipino Catholics when you write, "But their faith appears both eclectic and superficial while their morals remain juvenile.” You are bordering on discriminating Catholics. Your entire piece seems to be a "put-down" on all Catholics in the Philippines. I am a Catholic and I love my God, my faith and my Church, much the same as many other people who belong in other faiths also believe as much in God, their faith and their Church – the same as you do, too. If I fall out of love in my Church because of what the CBCP has done wrong, they my Church will lose me as their follower but my love for God, Jesus Christ and everyone I love in my Christian faith will continue.
//Please do not generalize Filipino Catholics when you write, "But their faith appears both eclectic and superficial while their morals remain juvenile.”//
Actually, it was Cruz who said that.
Please read carefully next time, Raffy. As Jong said, the quoted words belong to Cruz, not me. If there is someone who is "bordering on discriminating Catholics" it is retired Archbishop Cruz. And if what he thinks of Catholics is discrimination, then I'd say based on their recent statements the CBCP — and while we're at it, the Vatican — is a discriminating bunch.
Clear as daylight that the quote was from Cruz …
i say that the Church is tremblng and was forced to defend itself in a manner that "opposing the Church is inutile"
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Filipino Freethinker, FilipinoFreethinkers. FilipinoFreethinkers said: NewPost: Cruz's Lament, Silent Dissent http://j.mp/cB83xx […]