Remember freedom?! just because i live in a catholic country does not make me one by default. I refuse to be a part of that circus.-moi
I used to sit in a church pew and listen to the gospel, thinking that "I could recite these stuff in my sleep, replace this priest and make a better job of it". That was the turning point of my growing animosity for my country's primary religion. This is further augmented by the priests' interjection of their opinions on stuff that they should just have left alone. The problem with religion in this country is that they plant seeds into the minds of their faithful participants. These seeds are poison. They pollute. They serve to diminish the freedom to think for themselves, to see the world in their own point of view. Because they want the people to think like they do. This is a violation of freedom. This is against human rights. And then they dare accuse a man of a crime called "offending religious feelings".
Yes, I do think they are villains. There are good guys, sure. There are those who are truly selfless in their ways of seeking spirituality, those priests who make religion seem right. But, they are a scarcity.
The Catholic Church is a huge part of a Filipino's everyday life. In a country who prides itself in being democratic, we are perversely bound by a religion who holds us in scrutiny. Our actions must hold up to the measure of being a good Catholic, their measuring stick with cracks here and there, adjustable with the right amount, the right gift, and the right motivation. Look at us now, trying to move forward in the modern century by updating ourselves through bills that must first face the Catholic Church's inquisition before they can be passed, they must first be held as Morally Good by the standards of those whose morality are tainted with acts of immorality.
The Church has made no secret of it's position on the Reproductive health Bill. They say it's not morally sound, they say it's promoting abortion. I say the Catholic Church must be blind to the growing numbers of Filipina's who are suffering because of poor Sex Education. They must be deaf to the screams of poor women raped, of young children who suffer through labor pains, women who deserve the right to be sexually educated at an early age. Our country has been demanding the need for more bills like that for so long. We are overpopulated, we are desperate to end our troubles, we need change fast, before we get to the point of no return. We need bills like the RH Bill because they pave the way through the country's salvation. There are too many people suffering, and the most heartbreaking thing is that they are now resigned to their lives. They put too much faith in a religion that tells them to leave the rest to God. But when they are the poor, uneducated class, "the rest" means most of everything. It eventually leads to nothing.
More people need to stand up and fight for the bill. This is not to make us sexually promiscuous, because who are we kidding?! We are the country made famous by mail order brides and internet sex-cams, we have long been aware of sex. We are not ignorant about sex, but we are ignorant of safe sex practices. The church must not have heard of STD yet, or they are refusing to acknowledge it.
I'll end this rant before I get too offensive. I'm atheist and proud of it.
:)
