A Manifesto for Holy Cross Day

An Appeal to the Philippine Nation

We are Christians of various backgrounds and traditions. We are bound by a common confession in God who is one and triune, and who has loved us so much that in Christ God has destroyed death and made possible the redemption of this world. Through the Spirit which has been given to us, we have the courage to profess this love to all men and women.

Today is a date special to many Christians. It honors the Cross, which is the sign by which Christ conquered death, defeated sin, and challenged the powers of this world. This sign of powerlessness was so powerful that it has transformed the world.

Even the things we hold dear were started by people of faith, especially those who affirmed faith in the Cross of Christ: democracy, freedom, the rule of law. The achievements of our civilization were achievements of those who also found comfort, peace, and above all, freedom in that redeeming Cross.

In our time, however, this whole story is being challenged by those who believe that our nation should, in its public life, not be founded on any form of religious belief. They further assert that the Christian faith, whatever its manifestations, has been harmful to us as a nation. To suggest that it should be disregarded because of the tragic legacies of colonialism neglects the way by which the Cross of Christ has so transformed our nation that we are now witnessing to it even in nations where Christianity seems to be in decline.

We confess that we have not been truly faithful to this Cross of Christ. We have neglected its power to transform our nation and thus surrendered our future to the forces which threaten to undermine faith in God.

This is the same Cross which Paul the Apostle spoke about more than two millennia ago, when he wrote to the believers in Corinth:

“Jews look for signs but Greeks look for wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling-block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.

 Consider your own call, brothers and sisters: not many of you were wise by human standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God. He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, in order that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.’” (1 Cor 1:23-31)

These are words of hope for our struggling nation. Our hope is not in renouncing God as the center of our lives and our world. Our hope is in God, who loves us so much that we cannot help but return this love.

Regardless of where we disagree on the little things, we hold fast to this common confession.

Against those who say that God has no place in public life, we say that God is ultimately the Lord of all, even our politics.

Against those who say that faith ought to have no role in how our economy and our society works, we say that Christ redeemed even our economic and social structures.

Against those who say that we must alone rely upon science and technology without the guiding hand of faith-based ethics, we affirm that by the Cross, all our human endeavors will be judged.

But most of all, we affirm that all is not lost.

We appeal to Filipinos of faith, especially in God and in Jesus Christ, whether here in the country or abroad, to work for a society where there is space for the spiritual.

We appeal to our brothers and sisters who do not share our faith to join us in this endeavor, for this will only make possible the freedom of belief that you seek.

We appeal to our churches to set aside animosity and hatred and to work together to create a new and transformed society shaped by the Cross of Christ, where all are truly equal, truly free, and truly human.

Finally, we appeal to those who have lost faith in Christ and in God. We pray that you will discover once again how God has loved you first and that you will find that only in Christ can you truly think free.

May God’s Name be glorified. May the Cross of Christ triumph in our nation and in the world.

14 September 2011
Holy Cross Day

Renato Paolo V. Aguila
writer/researcher, Philippine Bible Society

Romel Bagares
Elder, Christian Reformed Church in the Philippines

Benjamin Vallejo Jr.
Associate Professor, UP Diliman

Rei Lemuel Crizaldo
Pastor, Norzagaray Christian Church

The culture wars have finally reached the Philippines

Tourist guide Carlos Celdran's heckling protest stunt (protesting the Catholic Church stance on the Reproductive health (RH) bill) during an ecumenical prayer service at the Manila Cathedral brought home the fact that the secularist culture vs Catholic culture wars has finally come to the Philippines. Mr Celdran, who is a member of a group of freethinkers and is a most sought heritage tour guide in Manila, shouted to the bishops to stop "getting involved in politics".  He raised a sign with the name "Damaso". Padre Damaso is a fictional friar in Dr Jose Rizal's "Noli Me Tangere" and has become a culture icon of what is  most despised and hypocritical in Catholic clergy.

Observers noted that Celdran was dressed up like Dr Rizal himself. It appears that was done for more propaganda impact. The ecumenical service was attended by Protestant clergy too as it was to celebrate efforts between the churches to distribute millions of bibles for indigent families. When Celdran disrupted the service, a Protestant bishop was at the lectern delivering his address.

Celdran was immediately removed from the cathedral by police officers, arrested on orders of the Mayor, handcuffed and was placed in custody in the nearby Ermita police station. He was booked on the basis of an archaic provision in the Penal Code, which penalizes "acts offending religious feelings".

Many lawyers have told me that this is the first time they know of  anyone being charged of violating this provision. In fact religious ministers of certain sects bash each other's doctrines in prayer rallies and no one has been arrested for doing so.

Celdran should have been thrown out of the Cathedral and onto Plaza Roma on his butt and that should have been it. Celdran deserves that.  But the Manila Cathedral dean pressed on with filing charges.  Celdran doesn't deserve to gain media mileage when photos of him in Dr Rizal's trademark suit and bowler's hat inside a jail cell is found everywhere!

Unfortunately some in the Catholic hierarchy were simply unprepared to deal with such issues. Some bishops threatened civil disobedience if the RH bill is passed. The bishops conference president Bishop Nereo Odchimar even mentioned the "e" word (excommunication) in an interview with a blurb whose "balanced and fearless" views is open to question!  Odchimar speculated on the canonical grounds by which President Benigno Aquino III could be excommunicated if he insists in promoting the bill. This is downright silly and irresponsible. This has been flashed in the international press and even in international Catholic news websites. It has made the Philippine church a laughingstock the world over.

This of course fanned the latent anti-clericalism in Filipino society especially in the elite and intellectual class. The CBCP has released a statement that it never considered excommunicating the President. Gee! The CBCP should seriously consider putting a gag order on its president! If it can't do that, Catholics should ask the Pope to do so. The damage to the credibility of the Catholic bishops has been severe!

The Philippine bishops have still a lot to learn in dealing with secularism. They can take a good cue from Pope Benedict XVI, who never appeared to be condemning of secularism as long as it respects faith (this was grudgingly accepted even by the Protest the Pope people in England). The Church has to dialogue with secularists of every stripe.  A siege mentality will make a fool of the Church hierarchy. The bishops have to listen to the laity and here catechism is somewhat lacking. Instead of talking about excommunicating anyone, the Church should aggressively promote its pro life stance in catechesis of the young.

In this tale, it's 1 for the secularists and 0 for the Catholic traditionalists.

Secularism in a Buddhist society

Bangkok, Thailand- I had an interesting chat with a professor from Thammasat University in Bangkok, Thailand. He notes with alarm that since undergrads have to study specialized subjects for their degrees, Buddhist ethics has been swept away in the curricular revisions. The professor teaches sociology of religion. He notes that as Thailand becomes more affluent, urbanized and secular, the "pillars" of Thai society, a big one is Buddhism and of which he believes is slowly being marginalized. This I find quite surprising but there is some reason to believe the professor.

While Buddhism appears to be as far as I can get in a blog post on Anglican Use, I can't help it but relate this to Pope Benedict XVI's recent trip to Britain where he warned about a secularism that marginalizes religious belief from the public sphere. The Pope's visit and the magnificent ceremonials, in state and church functions, tells much about the Christian foundations of British democracy.

In a sense Thailand is like England. Buddhism is the state religion and the country has a monarch whose duties include maintaining Buddhism. Buddhism however unlike state established Christianity or Islam, has been historically tolerant of other beliefs. Thus there is freedom of belief in Thailand. In fact one of the murals at the Royal Palace shows a 19th Century Thai King meeting with papal envoys from Rome.

The professor has an interest in how the secular and religious interact in the Philippines. The Philippines is by law a secular state but in reality there is no clear dividing line between the secular and the religious. Also, he notes that Filipinos like Thais are largely tolerant of religious diversity even if there is a majority faith in society. The professor asked me about how the secular has gained grounds in Filipino society. I said that it is related to affluence and the changes in what the family is all about.

Religious instruction in Thailand and the Philippines begins with the family. If the family unit changes in its nature, then expect the nature of religious belief and expression to change. In Thailand, it is customary for young men to spend some time as monks, the King not excepted when he was a young man. But as society becomes urbanized, less and less young people spend time as monks. So one may note that fewer and fewer saffron robed monks walk the streets of Bangkok.

He told me that a reason for the political troubles in recent months which led to acts of violence that shocked many Thais and friends of Thailand, is the gradual abandonment of Buddhist values and ethics in favour of a more materialistic worldview. I myself could not believe that such can happen in a tolerant Buddhist kingdom. 

At the hotel, while channel surfing the cable TV, I hit upon a Buddhist network and with the English subtitles of monks preaching their message, it hit me that there is a strong "evangelical" message of protecting the idea of family, respecting mother and father and ultimately honouring the King.

It seems that Buddhism and Christianity may have a lot more in common even if appearances are different.

Anglican Use "fans" as I put it likely share with the Thai Buddhists  the need to protect the idea of family. And this is best done in the context of a faith tradition.