OPINION | Holy Claims, Hollow Lessons
by Michie Magdasoc
Reverence is the lifeline of religion. Immemorial as they are, practicing what is preached and preaching what is practiced have been the order by which all creeds and cultures prosper. However, as the world turns, the roots of faith and indoctrination become the very threads upon which their animosity is weaved. Little by little, intolerance became the pretense of reverence in what’s supposed to be a safe space. What was then believed to be the key to widespread salvation is now the reason behind ostracism.
In celebration of International Women’s Day, Pisay BRC held a seminar entitled “True Love Waits” on March 8, 2023. Many scholars were under the impression that it would center on women empowerment, given the commemoration. It was to almost everyone’s dismay when it came out as a sermon-esque of notions that only encouraged harmful intolerance. Sadly, the only thing empowered was the notion that premarital sexual desire is unnatural and sinful; hence, they should be restrained. It was a maddening sight — young women being told that their biologies are blasphemous, being encouraged to caress the hands that paint their existences vile.
From a more objective standpoint, the speaker’s dissuasion on contraceptives and premarital sex sullies the PSHS principle of bettering public health and instilling mass literacy. This view of women as pure beings that can be tainted perpetuates the principle that women are less human beings and more possessions for men to show off — something that patriarchy wants them to be, but it is marketed as “empowering” through the biblical perspective.
Not satisfied with antagonizing sexuality, the forum decided to liken love that is “not by the bible’s standards” to “chaos.” To put it simply, our interpretation should only be by the shorelines of heteronormativity. Remarks like these are regressive as Christian influence should spearhead inclusivity and acceptance; instead, it now feasts on stifling human rights and dehumanizes as many as can be. Throughout history, the unjustifiable suppression of human rights only did one thing: cut the rope that let the guillotine fall on the people it should be helping.
It is known that the Christian influence is deeply intertwined with Philippine cultures and traditions. With Filipinos’ centuries-rich history with the Catholic Church, there is no surprise in their capacity to harness the doctrines for their agendas.
The opposition of the Catholic Church, a Christian denomination, to the enforcement of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act or RA 10354 is a manifestation of this. This act advocates for the protection and advancement of women’s human rights in order to address reproductive healthcare. Another is the SOGIE bill that never left the chambers of the senate in courtesy of the opposition from various religious groups and conservative politicians. The bill’s more-than-20-year struggle continues to be the longest legal battle for enactment in Philippine history.
Contrary to popular belief, the harmful ideologies driven by this religion-mania are more often than not unjustified in themselves. Ethically and lawfully speaking, everyone is entitled to their own principles and beliefs in life. While the constitution safeguards the rights to free speech and autonomy, it is never a premise to incite hateful ignorance and bigotry.
Here, preachers dictating what is and isn’t sinful, imposing them on impressionable teenagers, and endorsing them as universal truths may be seen as unconstitutional by the eyes of a part of the law; however, such acts are protected by the right to religious freedom. Still, Church and State must remain separated; in a seminar that does not root itself in pious foundations, religious purview detrimental to the purpose of such a secular event must be opposed. As with all rights enshrined by the Constitution, even the right to religious freedom is limited and bounded by the scope of other provisions.
As words from the gospel and the Philippine Constitution with venerable intentions continue to be twisted and weaponized, the need to fight against ignorance, indifference, and inequity becomes a matter of urgency. These not only stand as precursors to malice and conflict but also as the sustenance of the imperfections we strive to abolish and the histories we do not want to repeat or relive.
History has taught us that while Rome wasn’t built in a day, it burned in one. Indeed the seminar has emphasized that many things wait, but let us not stand idly and watch as new flames from the scorching ideologies burn the progressive lines we continue to draw.
