This is the group shot from the meetup last February 5:
There were over 80 attendees that afternoon, and our usual haunt at Starbucks Ansons Ortigas was barely able handle all of that sexiness. So, we felt it was high-time to try out a non-commercial venue the next time around, and what better place could there be to house a bunch of heathens for some sweet, sweet sacrilege than this —
For the following Sunday meetup, the Freethinkers went to church. But it was a very special one — the Holy Trinity Episcopal Church in Makati, which is the home church of FF’s Reproductive Health Advocacy Director Kenneth Keng and his family. The Episcopalians — basically the Anglican Church when set outside of England — are a more liberal bunch compared to Catholics. They have female and homosexual members in their clergy, and generally have a more progressive stance on social issues.
It’s very refreshing to see a church with a sense of humor.
Kenneth and his sister Michelle were awesome enough to arrange for a meetup in their church’s parish hall, a large room where they usually tag-team as Sunday school teachers.
Lot of great discussions that day. Thanks to the hall’s acoustics, which was an honest relief from all that blender-whirring from coffee shop meetups past, we could easily converse on several rich topics, from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals’ controversial new advertisement, to the current Republican war on contraception in the US.
Bishop Arthur Jones, the Presiding Rector of Holy Trinity, even dropped by to say hi. We very much enjoyed his short speech about always being inquisitive and open-minded. I personally would like to hear one of his sermons — tales of fire and brimstone they’re likely not.
And it seems the Episcopal god took kindly to us, what with the rainbow that appeared when the meeting was adjourned!
And then Red got insecure and started levitating to put us in our place. We’re sorry we doubted you, Red!
The following day, a few of us from FF’s Coordinating Council made the trek to Los Banos, Laguna to attend the meetup of the group’s burgeoning UP- Los Banos Chapter. Chapter director Api, along with LB Freethinkers Ryan, Peter, JM, and Karl were very, very kind enough to take us on a tour that afternoon. We started at the International Rice Research Institute, where we saw a 6,000-year-old grain of rice at the museum; then visited the UP Carabao Center for a quick snack; then took a leisurely trek by the woodsy roads near the Forestry.
We also saw an Abueva sculpture called the “Pegaraw,” although we were smart-asses and pointed out that the winged beast was more of a Pegasus-carabao hybrid, hence it should be called a Pegabao instead, but Kenneth was obviously delighted by it regardless.
Later that evening, we met up with the rest of the chapter for a nice meetup, where we discussed conspiracy theories, Red’s Satanic Challenge, and the chapter’s exciting new projects, which include accreditation in the university. We had dinner and drinks after, and while we had to head back to Manila at the end of the night, we knew we’d definitely be visiting more and more often. Awesome job, FF UPLB!
And I’m so sorry you had to see that.
—
Photos courtesy of Frank III Manuel, Patrick Charles Rigonan, and Chris Villanueva Sienna
[…] toured our Metro Manila friends around the campus, and went to places that even we haven’t gone to […]
//We Filipinos should start rejecting foreign influences. We need to start thinking Filipino for the good of our country.//
Bakit ka nagsasalita sa lengguahe ng banyaga??
I see that Filipino freethinkers are moving away from one foreign-run church and moving towards another foreign-run church. Do we think freely enough to perhaps ponder about a church that is run by Filipinos? Is it too beyond our free-thinking capacity to imagine a church that is 100% Filipino? A church that relies purely on Filipino minds and serve purely for the good of Filipinos? Must foreigners, like the Romans and the Anglicans, continue to run our lives forever? To me this is unthinkable. I believe in my heart that the salvation of our country rests on the shoulders of the free-thinking youth. That is you!
Here is how racist you sound:
"I see that Filipino freethinkers are moving away from one foreign-run church and moving towards another foreign-run church. Do we think freely enough to perhaps ponder about a church that is run by white people? Is it too beyond our free-thinking capacity to imagine a church that is 100% white? A church that relies purely on white minds and serve purely for the good of white? Must foreigners, like the Africans and the Asians, continue to run our lives forever? To me this is unthinkable. I believe in my heart that the salvation of our country rests on the shoulders of the free-thinking youth. That is you!"
Your own words corrupted the comment. Next time compose your own paragraphs. We Filipinos should start rejecting foreign influences. We need to start thinking Filipino for the good of our country. We might gain some dignity, some respect from other nations, some pride in a true Filipino identity. Let us find our identity without influences from these foreigners. Are you interested in something like this, Garrick Bercero?
//We Filipinos should start rejecting foreign influences. We need to start thinking Filipino for the good of our country. We might gain some dignity, some respect from other nations, some pride in a true Filipino identity. Let us find our identity without influences from these foreigners.//
Why should we? Would you care to explain the need for each. Really, your racism is just as good as your collectivist mentality.
While the preceding comments calling for a truly indigenous filipino understanding of faith and realizing a purely filipino ecclessial community may be commendable but to say that such be completely free is an illusion and completely detached from reality as christianity (or any organized religion, church or faith community) is a product of various historical, cultural, ideological and political influences, the episcopal church is no exception. And reading through its history (such as the ecp centennial book by mrs kate botengan, and those earlier references by noted episcopal missionary and historian, william henry scott) it is clearly stated that the episcopal church like the rest of protestant churches lifted up their cross after the american stars and stripes was planted on the philippine islands after spain was defeated and the americal colonial expansion over the islands begun, thus reinforcing the american colonial governments control over the people through the comity agreement (to which bp chales henry brent, the first american missionary bishop of the episcopal church in the philippines, then a missionary district of america, refused to participate given his ecumenical vision of not participating in active protestant proselytation of catholic lowlanders and reserving mission work to western expats, chinese filipinos, and indigenous peoples in northern philippines and in mindanao) but still all of their mission endeavors guided by the aims of american colonial agenda. But then, the seeds of nationalism, autonomy and independence were planted early on by the same american episcopal missionaries as they taught by word and life examples the ideals of industriousness (example: easter school in baguio, and st francis and upi agri scholl in maguindanao) through the many schools they established along with their rectories and mission churches, the value of compassion for the poor and the suffering in the many hopspitals and dispensaries (st lukes medical center, started as st lukes dispensary) they opened, and raising up patriotic and social justice oriented clergies and mission priests through st andrews theological seminary which during the second world war was successful in serving the entire church with just six filipino clergies when all the americal missionary clergies were imprisoned in concentration camps, together with dedicated lay church workers and catechists, offered their lives (one was even beheaded by japanese imperial army when he refused to lead them to guerilla soldiers whom he served with sacramental ministration reminiscent of early christian persecution accounts of martyred saints). Thus it is in these and as well as its close ties with the iglesia filipina independiente (the aglipayans, veritably the only living spiritual link with the philippine revolution) through the concordat of full communion and bestowal by episcopal bishops of the apostolic succession in 1946 to the aglipayan bishops that produced the now vibrantly social justice oriented, sac4amental and missional churches of the iglesia filipina independiente and the episcopal churches, both fully independent and autonomous church provinces and founding members of the national council of churches in the philippines, and members of the worldwide anglican communion and the world council of churches.
Cool. Take multiple pics with Mariang Banga next time, and wait for her to put the banga in different positions. :p