A Biblical Perspective of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines' Selective Outrage

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The Roman Catholic institution is really not so full of surprises if you know its history. Recently, the former president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), Archbishop Socrates Villegas, has decided to reveal his outrage over the denial of the ABS-CBN government franchise. Also, Villegas even dares to mention against the Anti-Terrorism Law. Valid concerns should be raised against the Anti-Terrorism Law that it might be misused and abused and any defects concerning it must be addressed. However, it's another thing to want to get rid of a law that would be used to enforce peace and order altogether without trying to fix it first. Villegas also reveals his uttermost hypocrisy by talking about peace and non-violence never mind the history of the Vatican. Is the Vatican that desperate to cover up its history when all the scandals are very well-documented already?

What's the issue with Villegas and the CBCP? It's not that he has no right to freedom of speech. It's not that religious leaders have no right to point out the mistakes of those in power. It's one thing to point out the mistakes of those in power. It's another thing to lead a rebellion like Korah. Villegas is also having his selective outrage. While it's good to point out against abortion but his Walk of Life or his outrage towards violence is rather selective. Violence is sometimes necessary to uphold the law. If you're going to save an innocent person then sometimes a gunshot is necessary. If a thug enters your house and the police haven't arrived yet - you might consider firing a gun to kill out of self-defense. Does Villegas even know what it means to turn the other cheek?

I would dare care about this selective outrage. How could Villegas talk about free expression and murder when the Roman Catholic institution's long, well-documented history is full of it? What about the Inquisition which tortured and murdered people for not submitting to their religion? What about the Crusades that launched a lot of massacres on whoever kept them from "reclaiming" the Holy Land of Jerusalem? What about the condemnation of the printing press which was invented by a Roman Catholic named Johannes Gutenburg? Isn't it really weird that Gutenburg never got beatified and canonized by the Vatican until now? What about the long-hidden secret that even a copy of the Roman Catholic Latin Bible wasn't allowed in the hands of the common man? During that time, even holding a copy of the Good News Translation (GNT) could still land you into the "Holy" Office. Not to mention, William Tyndale was burned alive for translating the Roman Catholic Latin Bible into English and Martin Luther was persecuted for translating it into German. How is that respect of free expression and life?

This also makes you wonder about the Anti-Terrorism Law of 2020. There's nothing wrong with raising objections towards it if they find out mistakes written in it. The Anti-Terrorism Law of 2020 should also provide rules against false witnesses and authority figures guilty of terrorism. Why is the CBCP against it? It's possible that every outrage that they have towards it is because it could go against their most generous donors. What if their "concern" for its possibility of being abused is not out of valid concern but for selfish interests? I think CBCP gets a lot of money from big-time criminals (such as druglords) which may include them that are profiteering from terrorist acts. They would do anything to keep their coffers full. Who can't forget the famous line of Johannes Tetzel that when a coin in the coffer clings that a soul from Purgatory springs? Today, the very crimes of Tetzel are made silent as much as possible to keep the precious Roman Catholics under their control. I think their antagonism towards the bill might unmask whatever dirty connections that they might have.

I even wonder has Villegas even read Romans 13? I'm going to quote from the GNT which is an approved Roman Catholic translation.
Romans 13:1-5 
Everyone must obey state authorities, because no authority exists without God's permission, and the existing authorities have been put there by God. 2 Whoever opposes the existing authority opposes what God has ordered; and anyone who does so will bring judgment on himself. 3 For rulers are not to be feared by those who do good, but by those who do evil. Would you like to be unafraid of those in authority? Then do what is good, and they will praise you, 4 because they are God's servants working for your own good. But if you do evil, then be afraid of them, because their power to punish is real. They are God's servants and carry out God's punishment on those who do evil. 5 For this reason you must obey the authorities—not just because of God's punishment, but also as a matter of conscience. 
6 That is also why you pay taxes, because the authorities are working for God when they fulfill their duties. 7 Pay, then, what you owe them; pay them your personal and property taxes, and show respect and honor for them all.

While it's indeed true that sometimes ungodly authority kicks on but let's take a look at how Bible heroes and how Jesus the Son of God handled it. Did Daniel's three friends disrespect King Nebuchadnezzar or even throw a revolt or did they decide to disobey him in a civil manner? Did Daniel revolt against King Nebuchadnezzar or did he disobey as civil as possible? Did Mordecai plot to assassinate Haman or did he actually decide to expose the plot as legally as possible? Did John the Baptist lead a revolt against Herod Antipas when he rebuked the latter for sexual immorality? Did Jesus order the Jews to overthrow the Romans? Jesus even said to render to God what is to God and to Caesar what is to Caesar. Did Paul write a letter to Rome during the reign of the godless Nero (and before that, Caligula also was the emperor) to get rid of their king? We see that Paul wrote the letter during Nero's time. What Christians are told is to do civil disobedience whenever the government does something ungodly.

Got Questions also has these guidelines on when to exercise civil disobedience:
What conclusions can be drawn from the above biblical examples? The guidelines for a Christian’s civil disobedience can be summed as follows: 
• Christians should resist a government that commands or compels evil and should work nonviolently within the laws of the land to change a government that permits evil. 
• Civil disobedience is permitted when the government’s laws or commands are in direct violation of God’s laws and commands. 
• If a Christian disobeys an evil government, unless he can flee from the government, he should accept that government’s punishment for his actions. 
• Christians are certainly permitted to work to install new government leaders within the laws that have been established. 
Lastly, Christians are commanded to pray for their leaders and for God to intervene in His time to change any ungodly path that they are pursuing: “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity” (1 Timothy 2:1–2).

Unfortunately, CBCP's current outrage towards the ABS-CBN franchise renewal and the Anti-Terrorism Bill might be encouraging people to break the law. Again, it's normal to be afraid that any law can be misused and abused. I'm not saying that the Anti-Terrorism Law can't be misused or that innocents can't be charged falsely. That's why it's important to set up strict laws against perjury and to punish corrupt authorities. It would be permissible for Christians to work non-violently to change any provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Law to make sure that it fulfills the duties in Romans 13:1-5 to be a sword to punish evildoers. CBCP doesn't seem to understand the ethical concerns as to why ABS-CBN was not given its franchise. If they violated certain rules then they don't deserve that franchise. Also, if the Anti-Terrorism Law has some faulty sections then why not have a civil disobedience to revise or amend any parts of it to make sure that the law itself is not going to be misused?

If the CBCP claims to speak for God then shouldn't it be their priority to pray for both President Rodrigo R. Duterte and Vice President Maria Leonor G. Robredo? Instead, it seems CBCP loves to play partisan politics whenever it conveniences them. Recently, they seem to favor anyone who is not for Duterte but for the opposition side of the spectrum. Shouldn't Christian leaders be impartial? However, such doesn't seem to be the case of the CBCP. Their criticism of the wrongdoings done by people in-office should be done in a non-partisan manner. Correcting our authorities is needed so they can stir people in the right direction. Shouldn't they be praying to God to give wisdom to both Duterte and Robredo to fulfill their God-given responsibilities? Shouldn't it be the responsibility of Christians to pray for the salvation of their unsaved leaders?

This is where things get really ugly. Reading through Matthew 23 about the Pharisees actually tells you that they appear to be righteous but are full of dead men's bones. That is, they are full of dirty secrets both literally and figuratively. CBCP is no different from its mother organization the Vatican. The Pharisees from Rome are just like broken clocks. Just because they seldom raise valid points doesn't mean that they can be trusted. The CBCP should just be dismissed. Roman Catholics need to start studying the Bible for themselves rather than trust their priest like the latter is never wrong.

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