Some of us have already acknowledged, albeit reluctantly, that the Church’s meddling with the affairs of the State does not violate the Separation mandated by the constitution. But why do we keep on churning articles that attack the Vatican and the CBCP from all angles ranging from Humanae Vitae to the cover-up of sex scandals? That’s because we are not writing for the pope or the bishops, but for the Catholics.
The Church’s hierarchy has pronounced loud statements reaching and echoing in the halls of congress because of sheer influence, drowning out the voices of millions of women who are supposed to hold the largest interest as they are the most affected by such issues as birth control. But for all that exercise of power, the Church is exercising nothing more than freedom of speech, hence it is not only futile but outright wrong to tell them to shut up.
This perceived influence the Church tries to wield is not a direct authority over the congressmen; rather, it is an indirect influence through the Church’s flock of believers who happen to be the same people comprising the majority of the voters. Or at least that’s how it’s supposed to be.
The Church’s influence lies on the Catholics. It’s the people who has the real power. But such power has to be unified and controlled in order to use it effectively, and for quite some the Church had been very effective in doing that, claiming not only infallibility but the authority to send dissenters to Hell.
But now the minds of Filipinos are beginning to awaken and starting to question such authority. And lest these questions are trampled by the threat of eternal fire, we at Filipino Freethinkers try to bring that threat into open scrutiny, shed light into its mysteries, and expose the faulty if not nonexistent foundation for its claims of authority.
We keep on criticizing because they keep on preaching.
My short answer – why not?
[But for all that exercise of power, the Church is exercising nothing more than freedom of speech, hence it is not only futile but outright wrong to tell them to shut up.]
There is however, nothing illegal about calling out their apologists for being the fucking liars and condescending assholes, who won't hesitate to distort their own data, as they tend to prove on more than one occasion.
Aw! If we cannot criticize the church, it will be really boring!
By refusing to give communion to congressmen who vote for the RH bill, the Church is directly interfering with the affairs of the State. How so many people cannot see this is beyond me.
Ah, but the congressman's responsibility towards his constituents is supposed to be independent of his religious faith, so on the RH Bill it is ultimately his choice whether to vote as a congressman or as a Catholic. The Church is technically interfering with only the Catholic part; it has no direct control over a congressman's job functions. 🙂
The problem then lies in congressmen who go out of their way to coddle the Catholic bloc – normally the biggest in Manila – over the general welfare of everybody else.
If they decide to make their decisions based merely on a Catholic perspective, then I believe they have failed their job.
your take on the issue of meddling and the separation is spot on. it has always been a stumbling block against fruitful discussions about the issue. i also think that pointing out what really is the crux of the argument, cutting through misconceptions, is commendable and will definitely contribute to better understanding of each other's position.
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