RELIGIOUS HYPOCRISY
14 04 2006We are a nation of Catholics. Practically every town and barangay has a church or kapilya where people hear mass, pray the rosary together or participate in religious ceremonies every now and then. Catholicism was sort of imposed on us when we were baptized in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit without our knowledge and consent. Tradition simply enjoins us to follow the rituals and practices that our forefathers have learned from Spanish friars who accompanied Ferdinand Magellan and Miguel Lopez de Legazpi when they discovered and conquered the Philippines four centuries ago.
But why is it that despite our protestations of Christianity, we seem to be enmeshed in dishonesty, crab mentality, hatred, apathy, indifference, inaction and subservience? Certainly, Jesus Christ never taught us these things. Neither did he intend to bring about chaos and disorder in such a young country like the Philippines. We claim to be a deeply religious lot, yet our outward manifestations reveal the exact opposite. We pride ourselves as the only predominantly Christian nation in Southeast Asia but we shrink out of embarrassment for having gained the distinction as one of the most corrupt countries in the world!
Don’t get me wrong. I am Catholic too. I was not only “born” Catholic. I, like many of the corrupt politicians we now have, was raised, schooled and brought up as a Catholic. So why am I questioning Catholicism as if it was the cause of all these cultural, social and even political mess? Nope, I am not really questioning Catholicism as a doctrine. I am only questioning how it is practiced in the Philippines with the acquiescence of the local Catholic heirarchy. For example, while we hear priests explain that they haven’t authorized the practice of imitating the passion and crucifixion of Jesus Christ during Holy Week, their token disapproval stops right there. I have yet to hear them clarify to the faithful that being nailed to a makeshift cross will not erase their sins nor guarantee salvation in the afterlife. Unfortunately, this ritual has transformed into a religious spectacle, nourishing not the spirit but the pockets of businessmen who take advantage of this stupidity by making it as a lucrative tourist attraction.
Likewise, every year during Holy Week, I never fail to notice our honorable politicians, perhaps by miracle, suddenly sound like innocent public servants asking the Lord (or is it the jueteng lord?) for wisdom and guidance in the conduct of their day to day affairs. We always see them on TV either volunteering as lay ministers or talking about Christ’s message of love and repentance — as if we are unaware how ruthless and corrupt they have become or how ruthless and corrupt they will continue to be once the Holy Week ends. I am not at all surprised of this phenomenon. This is the time of the year when even the devil can quote the Bible.
The same holds true for some Filipinos. All year long they preoccupy themselves with gossiping, mudslinging and backbiting their enemies, friends, neighbors and even relatives. When Holy Week comes, you see them lining up in churches and in other sacred spots throughout the archipelago holding the rosary in one hand while the other hand is busy texting his/her lover that they will meet somewhere so they could continue praying the rosary together in the cover of darkness. So much for spending time with GOD during Holy Week! Again, don’t get me wrong. I am not condemning those who exert effort to repent and mend their ways. We are all sinners in His eyes. What I am aghast about is this never ending sight of hypocrites using religious rituals to make it appear that they are in constant communication with GOD.
As a parting shot, I leave you with the lyrics of a popular song entitled Banal na Aso, Santong Kabayo from Yano, a popular folk/punk/rock band in the 90’s known for its political and social undertones. The lyrics with its catchy music, I believe, best describes the duplicity pervading in the attitude of some people with respect to their religion.
Banal Na Aso, Santong Kabayokaharap ko sa dyip ang isang ale
nagrorosaryo mata niya’y nakapikit
pumara sa may kumbento
sa babaan lang po sabi ng tsuper kase me naghuhuli
mura pa rin nang mura ang ale!banal na aso, santong kabayo
natatawa ako hi hi hi hi
banal na aso, santong kabayo
natatawa ako hi hi hi hi
sa ‘yo!nangangaral sa kalye ang isang lalake
hiningan ng pera ng batang pulubi
pasensya na para daw sa templo
pangkain lang po sabi ng paslit
talagang di ba pupwede?
lumipat ng pwesto ang lalake!anuman ang iyong ginagawa sa iyong kapatid
ay siya ring ginagawa mo sa akin…
When will this hypocrisy end? Or will it ever end?
Brittle faith, that’s how I call it.
It is also narcissism. They can’t accept the fact that Christ’s sacrifice is enough. Marunong pa sila kay Lord, and that is narcissism.
The Catholic hierarchy has its faults too. Maybe they are afraid to lose members. The Church should go grassroots, yet it doesn’t, and opts for an en-masse approach, which is ineffective. A church that is packed? More likely the people there are just fulfilling what they think is their Sunday obligation. People coming and going in the middle of the service - is that faith? It’s narcissism, it’s contempt for the God they worship.
We have the wrong manifestation of faith. Maybe that’s why this is a God-forsaken country.
You’re right, arbet. That explains why God seems to have “abandoned” us. We’re Christians only in name.
I agree with you the bystander… if this piteous culture will continue; I don’t think we can dodge the present system where in the bureaucrat’s uses religion, Christianity specifically to pacify the resentment of the masses against the most corrupt leaders of this country.
At para sa karaniwang tao …lagi na lang nakasandal sa “DIYOS” ….. that’s why we can’t win the battle against oppression.
hi melai!
sa pagkakaalam ko, ang katolisismo ay ginamit na kasangkapan ng mga kastila upang maamo at maakit nila ang mga katutubo na sumailalim sa kanilang kapangyarihan sa loob ng mahigit na tatlong daang taon.
ginagamit din yan ngayon ng mga naghaharing-uri upang mapanatili sila sa kapangyarihan.
maganda sana ang hangarin ng katolisismo — pag-ibig sa diyos, sa kapwa tao, etc. — pero tila yatang hindi sinusunod ng mga katoliko ang utos ng Diyos. (Ehem, parang pari na ako kung magsalita ah!)
ang utos daw kasi ng diyos ay maging mapagtimpi, maging matiisin, at maging mapagbata sa mga pasakit ..at maging masunurin sa mas nakatataas yan ang gustong ipairal ng estado sa mamamayan …. kaya yan ang daw ang “dapat” gawin ng mga pinoy kung tunay nga talagang makadiyos sila …tanggapin kung ano ang nakahatag sa harapan nila.
korek ka dyan melai pero yan lang ay puedeng gawin ng mga tao sa ilalim ng isang lehitimong gobyerno… ang sitwasyon kasi ngayon, marami ang nagdududa kung nanalo ba talaga si Gloria noong nakaraang halalan. Kaya hindi na siya pinakikinggan ng karamihan.
di ba lehitimo?
abah e di dapat pagresaynin
sipain palabas ng malakanyang at tirisin
ayaw ko sa lahat e yung madayang kalaro
it’s also irritating how people invoke the Lord’s name, always in vain and to suit their own ends. politicians do it all the time. the catholic church is not also without fault, what with the politics also within the church itself.
one of the things i hated when i was there was the hypocrisy of people who claimed they were good catholics/christians but who exuded traits of the contrary manner.
by the way i like the cartoon on the banner of your blog. just wanted to say.
melai —
hi amee,
Ya, that’s the problem with some of our countrymen. They pay more attention to rituals, i.e. those that can be seen by other people.
may it be rituals, traditions or culture, it is still part of the personality of a filipino. As what you said we were born as Catholics and we should start being one. Problema nga lang yung mga tao na puro pansarili lang ang iniisip. Di lang pulitiko kundi masasabi kong halos lahat ng filipino. Wag sana nating dungisan ang relihiyon na ating kinalakihan at isinapuso. Ito ang isa sa nagsisilbing pundasyon ng ating “PANANAMPALATAYA sa DIYOS.” Kaya kung sa ano man, simulan natin ang pagbabago sa sarili natin ang nakikita natin ngayon ng sa kalaunan makamtan natin ang pagbabago ng mga henerasyong darating ayon sa kagustuhan natin, ayon sa gabay ng ating Diyos na maykapal.
Ipagpatuloy mo lang bystander, maganda ang iyong nasimulan.
Salamat Anonymous!
Pinoys cannot even tell the difference between spirituality and religiousness.
I articulate my observations in my article: Are Filipinos a religious or a spiritual people?. I believe this bizarre inability to distinguish between religion and spirituality is the root of the whole bizarre paradox of Pinoy-style religion.
[...] see throngs of people go to Church and pray at this time of the year, but after brief moments of religious infatuation, [...]