Sunday, August 30, 2015

EDSA and the Separation of Church and State

(1) There are a lots of questions from many people, some of them are people known to me. We intend to keep the relationship intact so some questions are just aired in different medium and I prefer that. I myself would not take time to type on my phone to give explanations. Thus I made this article to give MY take on the recent issue that we, Iglesia Ni Cristo members, are in right now.

(2) We are not trying to topple the government or someone. We fight to uphold the separation of church and state. Don't stop here, please continue reading. Let me tell you about some of the recent events that caused this uproar.

(3) Mr Isaias Samson Jr, an expelled minister of the Church, caused division among members. As part of the disciplinary procedures to officers who transgressed the doctrines of the Church, he was suspended. In line with being suspended, he cannot act as he does when he was not yet suspended, and has to remain inside his residence while his case is being investigated.

(4) While on suspension, Mr Samson still managed to go outside his residence when, according to him, he said that he'll attend the worship service. He was allowed to go without security escorts. He even managed to have a press con. I wonder, if he is "detained," then he must have been escorted to ensure that he's not going anywhere. And take note that his residence is in separate compound outside the Central Complex.

(5) Now, Mr Samson filed an illegal detention case against the Church Council for an alleged abduction; and with the help of the Sec De Lima. This is the root of the protest. Why was there a special treatment/attention to the case filed by Mr Samson while this should actually be filed at the prosecutor level, as it should have been? And not just that alone: a month ago, the secretary has showed so much eagerness about the matter that has really concerned us members.

(6) If, IF, there was a detention (see par 3, last sentence) that happened, it was part of the Church's disciplinary action to erring ministers. This measure is doctrinal and is a religious affair. And the government—the DOJ for that matter—investigating the Church's disciplinary measure to its members is meddling with the Church. And I would just want to reiterate that no abduction ever happened (see par 4). It is but clear that the allegation is futile.

(7) Some say, isn't your bloc voting also meddling with the State afairs? The answer is no.

(8) So I quote Atty Bro Ferdinand Topacio in his article.

(9) "The Church has always adhered to a policy of non-interference with the political affairs of the country, in accordance with our doctrine that secular authorities are ordained by God (Romans 13:1).  
(10) "Those who scoff at this by saying that our voting as a bloc constitutes blatant politicking must understand that this principle is doctrinal as well. We believe that since we are One Body with Christ as our Head, there should be no divisions in that body (1 Corinthians 12:12-25)." 

(11) But why in many places in the country did you chose EDSA?

(12) We have been in Padre Faura and then moved to EDSA so that the authorities can feel the urgency of what we are protesting. I believe that all of us know that the even the farmers from the provinces go to the metro to air their grievances, didn't we?

(13) We sincerely apologize for causing traffic to the already heavy flow of traffic in EDSA, "but it was the only platform that [we] could think of at the moment where all officials of the government cannot fail to ignore... [It] was very frustrating to motorists [and commuters] but peaceful."

(14) To add, we are not forced by the Church Administration to go out. We are here to stand for and fight for our faith against anyone who tries to destroy them.

Sunday, July 05, 2015

Facebook Etiquette


When a Facebook friend sends you a personal message, try your best to reply--one-word reply, a smiley, a thumb's up, a long explanation--whichever is most appropriate. This "seen at whenever time" thingy minus a reply from you gives an impression that you are IGNORING the friend. Blatantly said, it is tantamount to saying "talk-to-the-hand" on a personal conversation. Only this time, you are saying "talk-to-the-space."
When a close friend sends you a group message and you are not interested to participate in the discussion, you certainly have several options as well--ignore because the message is not for you alone but for the members of the group and there's no pushing you to like the message, POLITELY say you would leave the conversation (oftentimes, reasons are no longer needed). To leave the conversation WITHOUT notice is similar to turning your back on a group discussion and walking away.
You see, virtual space has now become as intimate as the personal space. It doesn't hurt to be well-mannered. We call it netiquette. In a bigger picture, we see it as CHARACTER.

From an FB post by Oh Laff