It seems that Brother Eddie Villanueva of the Philippines for Jesus Movement made a mistake while lecturing and criticizing President Rodrigo Duterte during his interview with ANC Journalist Karen Davila.

During the interview, Brother Eddie Villanueva said that President Rodrigo Duterte should apologize to God for what he said.

The renowned pastor said when the leader of the country “slander” God, the Philippines might receive a punishment from the Lord.

To prove to Karen Davila that what he’s saying is biblical, he mentioned the Book of Zechariah chapter 22.

However, several netizens noticed that Villanueva mentioned a nonexistent part of the Bible, saying that the Book of Zechariah has only got 14 chapters and not 22.

Blogger Netjourn also posted a video to rebut all that Villanueva said during the interview.

Several netizens also condemned Villanueva for allegedly inventing a Bible quote just to justify his criticisms against President Rodrigo Duterte.

Brother Eddie Villanueva denied that he’s inventing a Bible quote, saying that he only made a mistake by mentioning Zechariah chapter 22 instead of Ezekiel 22.

This is what Villanueva said to his statement:

Regarding my recent interview with Ms. Karen Davila:

I mentioned Zechariah 22 instead of EZEKIEL 22. It was an UNINTENTIONAL MISTAKE committed due to my desire to answer as quick as possible, given the small amount of time that we had. I was thinking by context, not by detail, hence the oversight. But I never intended to misquote the Bible or misrepresent God. Thank you for understanding. God’s best blessings be upon us all!

However, several netizens criticized Villanueva for allegedly trying to get publicity by condemning President Duterte’s statement against the Bible and God.

They urged the Pastor, just to pray for the President and not to join politics by criticizing Duterte.

“We cannot serve two master at the same time brother.,wag kana pumasok sa politica, God called you to preach and win soul, not to do political matters,sa kanila yan. Pray for this country instead and Trust the Lord your God that he is in control of everything that is happening to the country,. first of all before the election happened, we all ask God to give us a president that would fix this country. well, he gave us digong.. this is all the will of God for this country to be shaken before it will be fix.” Netizen Merck Miranda said.

“That shows that you’re human….leave those things to God…just bless our President…God chooses people with weaknesses and flaws…including you and me…pls don’t be judgemental be pharisaical…Bless and do not curse….you’re a priest …Duterte is a king….for a reason …for a season…” Netizen Mario Ighot remarked

News anchor Pia Morato wrote an open letter to the critics of President Rodrigo Duterte, urging them to pray for him instead of pulling him down.

In her post, Morato said that she would not judge the President based on his controversial statements and religious stance, but she admitted that she was also offended by Duterte’s criticisms against the Bible.

Pia Morato

However, she also saw Duterte as the President who already received a tremendous amount of criticisms and mockery since his day one in Malacanang.

She was also saddened that some people didn’t appreciate what Duterte has been done in the country and his critics continuing to ask him to step down.

So Morato believes that the best way to do for the President is to pray for him instead of pulling him down because it might make the situation worse.

You can read her whole post below:

I am not going to judge The President about his foul mouth and his religious comments. But I am certainly going to tell you what I see…

I see an imperfect person – one that makes me cringe each and every time he curses.

I see an imperfect person that also hurts me and my religious beliefs with what he says…
But…

I also see a DULY ELECTED PRESIDENT who since the day he stepped into office , has been under attack , scoffed , mocked , maligned , disrespected to a point of literally asking him to step down while ignoring each and every time any accomplishment in his administration .

So although this President has done things I DO NOT LIKE , I am not his judge…

His sin is for him to reckon with and MY FAITH tells me, no matter how horrible we’ve been, we are loved and forgiven.

I can only look into my own heart because looking into the hearts of others is certainly something I cannot do … only GOD can see our hearts after all .

So I will continue to pray for a duly elected President , because that is what my religion has taught me to do . Imagine if we all prayed for our leaders instead of pulling them down ….

As for what I do not like about the President , it is NOTHING compared to what he has done for our country in the past 2 years .

I will therefore take every bit of it because at MOST , what I hate about the President , I CAN SEE … the raw , the ugly , it is right there. Nothing to hide . No pretensions unlike the self righteous hypocrites who do nothing but keep us in the dark .

As of writing, the open letter of Morato already reached thousands of shares and likes on social media.

Some netizens said that the open letter of the news anchor is one of the best writings about the controversial remarks of President Duterte against the Catholic Church and the Bible.

During the recent days, President Duterte received tremendous amount of criticisms after he questioned and mocked several accounts on Bible, including the Book of Genesis.

Several religious groups also expressed that they were offended by Duterte’s remarks, asking the President to apologize publicly for what he said against God.

Source: Pia Morato

A Doctor from the University of the Philippines shared his thoughts on the recent statements of President Rodrigo Duterte against “God”.

Dr. Francisco Pascual Tranquilino, couldn’t stop himself from defending the President who received a tremendous amount of criticisms especially from the Catholics who got offended by the remarks of Duterte.

Photo: Francisco Pascual Tranquilino Facebook 

In his Facebook post, Tranquilino quoted Pope Francis, saying that an Atheist man is better than a hypocrite Catholic and former Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay explaining that despite the foul-mouth of the President, his service for the people is unmatchable and sincere.

Tranquilino also explained that he didn’t vote for Duterte because of his religious beliefs, but because of he believes that the President could change the Philippines for better.

He believes that Duterte’s opinion on the Bible is not the reason for the people to withdraw their support to the former Davao City Mayor, saying that he really acts to solve some of the biggest problems of the Philippines now.

The doctor also lashed out the critics of the President, including Catholic Bishop Conference of the Philippines President, Archbishop Socrates Villegas, calling Duterte “more Christian” than them.

You can read his whole post below:

POPE FRANCIS recently said:

“It is better to be an atheist than a hypocritical Catholic. There are those who say, ‘I am very Catholic, I always go to mass, I belong to this and that association,” some of these people should also say “‘my life is not Christian, I don’t pay my employees proper salaries, I exploit people, I do dirty business, I launder money, [I lead] a double life.”

And Perfecto Yasay once wrote about Duterte:

“But more significant than his frequent foul language that can be annoying to many, I know Rody up close as a person with a big heart and noble vision, who truly respects the dignity in every human being, especially the poor, the needy and oppressed whom he cares, loves and readily helps with devotion, consistency, integrity and sincerity and inspired by the same Christian values that many of us hold dear. I have learned to greatly respect him as a dedicated, honest, brave and decisive leader that our country needs for its survival at this critical time and to make meaningful change and advancement a reality.”

AND I SAY:

I DID NOT VOTE FOR DUTERTE BECAUSE HE BELIEVE OR DID NOT BELIEVE IN GOD. I VOTED FOR HIM BECAUSE I BELIEVE HE HAS A NOBLE VISION FOR THE COUNTRY AND A GENUINE CONCERN FOR THE POOR, THE NEEDY AND THE OPPRESSED. HE SHOWS INTEGRITY, HONESTY AND SINCERE INTENTION TO RID OUR COUNTRY OF CORRUPTION, DRUGS AND DECADES OF INEFFICIENT BUREAUCRACY AND STAGNATION.

HE IS MORE CHRISTIAN THAN MOST OF US WHO CONTINUE TO BASH HIM FOR HIS UNBRIDLED COMMENTS AGAINST CATHOLIC TEACHINGS WHICH WERE TAKEN OUT OF CONTEXT.

#stopthehypocrisy
#heismorechristianthanhypocriticalcatholics
#definitelymorechristianthansocrates’

What are your thoughts on the recent statement of President Duterte? Share your opinions below!

Source: Francisco Pasqual Tranquilino

Amid the mass criticisms received by President Duterte because of his controversial statement about the Bible and the Catholic Church, a netizen who didn’t speak about politics for a long is now stood up to defend the current leader of the Philippines.

Noel Landero Sarifa, a netizen who analyzed the current situation of the President believes that Duterte would do anything and criticized anything who opposed his reforms just to fulfill his promises to the people.

Photo: Noel Landero Sarifa Facebook

In his lengthy post, Sarifa told the other social media users on Facebook that they should not be surprised by the recent statements of President Duterte because, in the past, he already criticised the so-called “untouchables” who wanted his policies to be a failure.

He urged the people to find out why President Rodrigo Duterte is doing this controversial actions.

Sarifa explained that the reason why Duterte is having a word war with the Catholic Church is that the priests are trying to control the government.

He also believes that Duterte is not the enemy because he’s the one who’s fighting for the people by trying to destroy anyone who wanted to delay his programs for the Filipinos.

The pro-Duterte netizen also wanted the people to realize that in the past two years, President Duterte already fulfilled some of his promises and they should not withdraw their support to the former Davao City Mayor just because of one statement that they didn’t really analyze what it really means.

He said that people who withdrew their support to the President because of his recent statements against the Catholic Church should be ashamed by themselves if they didn’t enjoyed the good policies implemented by the current administration.

You can read his whole post below:

Ok, I haven’t made a lot of statement about the President and this administration after the election, but with the recent event, I just cant help myself. MY GULAY! Di pa rin kayo nasanay kay Duterte? The Pope, the US President, EU, Drug Lords, Senators, Previous Presidents, the Church, Big Businessmen, and so on and so forth. Those were the untouchables, but President Duterte never even show any hesitation in lambasting anyone who gets in his way to fullfill his promise in giving us a comfortable life! 

Did you ever asked why is he doing this? He is fighting your fight and what you do is judged him without even thinking why is he doing so. Lahat na kinalaban ni Duterte para Sayo! Para sa bansa mo! Hindi ko pinagtatanggol si Duterte, gusto kung buksan nyo ang inyong mga mata at inyong isipan..Do you know why is this happening? He is at war with the Catholic Church because the church is using its power to destabelize this government! Di ko na ipapaliwanag ung about sa God statement nya andami nang nagpaliwanag kung di mo pa nabasa magresearch ka. Ang gusto ko lang e maliwanagan kayo. Hindi si Duterte ang kalaban. Si Duterte ang Lumalaban para sa inyo. Wag maging makitid ang utak. Dalawang taon na! Di nyo pa rin nababasa ang pangulo? Try mo mag upgrade ng utak baka pentium 1 pa rin yan di ma-process maigi ang sitwasyon naghahang na . It will not stop here..may train 2 pa na ipapasa na babanggain lahat ng nga malalaking businessman, may federalism pa na malamang maraming tututol kasi madidistribute ang opportunity sa provinces malamang ang tututol dyan ay ang mga investors sa megamanila. Gagamitin at gagamitin ang simbahan ng mga opportunista dahil nagpapagamit sila. Kaya sa umpisa pa lang durugin mo na ang magiging sagabal sa kaunlaran and marami pang laban ang haharapin ng Pangulo para sayo. Ikaw anong tulong naibigay mo sa laban nya? Laban nya para sayo, sa pamilya mo at sa anak mo.

Bigla kayong tumalima sa isang statement na hindi nyo inunawa ang context and the reason behind it? Nakalimutan nyo na ata na sa loob ng dalawang taon, nadagdagan mga take home pay nyo, naging safe ang Pilipinas, Milyon ang nasagip sa droga, trilyon ang investment sa Pilipinas, ilang daan at tulay na ba ang nagawa? ang mga nawalang blockbuster na pila sa MRT, NBI at sa ibang ahensya ng gobyerno. Ang mga anomalya sa gobyerno na bilyon bilyon ang ninakaw sa kaban ng bayan na unti-unting naisawata, Ang free tuition sa state colleges para sa mga anak at pamilya nyo yun, Sa Boracay lang di ba? Sino mag-aakalang maipapasara un at malinis. E di kung wala si Pres. Duterte ligo pa rin kayo sa dagat na puro tae, Mga lugar na dati tambakan ng basura ngaun nalinis na and so on and so forth. Bago mo binuka ang bibig mo to criticize the president about a single statement nagpasalamat ka man lang ba sa mga nagawa nya para sayo, sa pamilya mo at sa mga anak mo? Mahiya ka naman, ikaw nakikinabang at makikinabang sa mga to. Kung wala kang maitulong shut up ka na lang! Let the President do his job. His way, not your way. 

This week, President Duterte released controversial statements which challenged the beliefs of the Catholics.

Duterte questioned the acts of God in the book of Genesis, saying why the latter created a paradise, but in the end destroyed it.

He also said that his God has a common sense than the God of his critics.

Source: Noel Landero Sarifa

It seems that President Rodrigo Duterte found an ally from some experts in Theology like Mr. Michael R. Cariño, despite the criticisms that the former Davao City Mayor received from the Catholics from questioning some parts of the Bible especially the book of creation also known as “Genesis.”

Cariño, a theologian and a pastor who received a Master of Divinity in Biblical Studies at International Graduate School of Leadership and Master of Arts in Philosophy at the University of the Philippines, was impressed by the President’s intellect in terms of Theology.

During the recent days, Duterte questioned some of the writings about the Bible including the original sins imputed to babies, the God who created a perfect paradise but intentionally destroyed it. He also urged the Filipinos to believe in a “better” God.

Cariño explained that the recent statements of President might be a challenge against the traditional beliefs on the original sin and it’s possible that Duterte sided with the minority of the theological position.

He also believes that instead of condemning each other, this incident might be a good timing to have share their thoughts about their ideas on Christianity.

The Catholics might say that President Duterte deserves a divine punishment for what he said, but Cariño believes that his statement is an opportunity to the other voices to be heard.

You can read his whole writing below:

This note is meant for some friends who have been seeking my personal opinion regarding the Philippine president’s recent bout with Christendom when he made comments on: (1) the supposed absurdity of the Christian teaching about “original sin” imputed on babies, (2) the allegedly “stupid” God who decreed the Fall of humanity, and (3) his caution for Filipinos to instead believe in a “better” God.

Within theological circles, such deviant views about whether humans inherited Adam’s sin or not are nothing new, they have been around for centuries. It would seem that the president is aware of some philosophical paradigms challenging the traditional Augustinian position on original sin.

If this is true, then President Duterte’s intellectual savviness on the matter is impressive. The Filipino leader may have unwittingly sided with a legitimate theological minority position. However, if his statements are mere low blow punches against perceived hypocrisy of the Catholic Church, then there isn’t much theological value to this recent brouhaha.

It is also possible that as a Filipino Catholic, President Duterte seems to welcome a more progressive stream of Catholicism that echoes the polemic of the postmodern milieu which prefers “a-loving-God-more-than-an-angry-God” perspective on theology. I guess this is where the invitation to “believe in a better God” language comes from.

This actually reminds me of a prayer by the theologian Meister Eckhart who said, “God rid me of God” (this is a recent move in contemporary theology to dismantle all man-made religious trappings we have supposedly imposed on our distorted version of God, that have veered us away from the true God). This distorted brand of deity (as understood by Duterte) is probably what the president seems to tag as the “stupid” god.

Nevertheless, this incident brought to mind some theological writings (relevant to Christian teachings about Adam’s sin and the effects of the Fall) that may help bring some light to this controversial issue:

“Genesis: History, Fiction, or Neither?: Three Views on the Bible’s Earliest Chapters” by Hoffmeier, Wenham, and Sparks
“Why the Church Needs Multiple Theories of Original Sin: (Symbolism vs. Literalism)” by Haarsma
“The Quest for the Historical Adam: Genesis, Hermeneutics, and Human Origins” by VanDoodewaard
“Four Views on the Historical Adam” by Lamoureux, Walton, Collins, Barrick, Boyd, and Ryken
“Original Blessing: Putting Sin in Its Rightful Place” by Shroyer

As a Christian theologian, I cannot help but weigh in on this on-going debate about the Genesis account of the Fall. In traditional Christian theology, the doctrine of original sin essentially states that (1) humankind is guilty for the sin of their first parents and (2) humankind inherited a corrupted nature.
However, it is important to note, that throughout church history there are a variety of theological views within Christendom regarding this issue.

As there are different views on the doctrine of the atonement (e.g. recapitulation theory by Irenaeus, ransom theory by Origen, satisfaction theory by Anselm, governmental theory by Grotius, victory theory by Aulen, etc.), there are also multiple views on the doctrine of original sin (e.g. natural headship (realistic) theory by Augustine, federal theory by Cocceius, mediate imputation theory by Placeus, divine protection theory by Cassian, etc.).

While there are believers who condemn such diversity as breeding ground for errors, others celebrate such diversity as a healthy environment for discovering truth. Moreover, such multiplicity of perspectives on the belief about inherited sin were fueled by theological debates on whether babies are born innocent or depraved, or whether it is fair to assume that present humans are guilty of sins (by past humans) that they did not commit.

For instance, some Christian theologians believe that, although the whole world and human nature were “corrupted” and “damaged” by Adam’s sin, every human infant born in this world are born “morally neutral”, i.e. we do not inherit Adam’s original sin. While every person has a predisposition toward sin, we are responsible for and are judged guilty because of our own sins and not because of Adam’s sins. Such proposal is one of the many attempts to reconcile God’s love with God’s justice. This minority view is one of the many voices that can be heard within a diverse Christianity.

In my opinion, such theological diversity is a great hallmark of a thriving, flourishing intellectual movement. When Christianity becomes a safe intellectual environment for dialogue, debates, disagreements, doubts, discourses, and discoveries, we learn to listen to one another. Instead of condemning each other, we are better off connecting incomplete fragments of truth in order to see an imperfect but better picture of reality.

As a Christian philosopher, I believe that we acquire wisdom when we listen to those who disagree with us. A conversational and collaborative attitude to gaining truth is an inescapable path to wisdom. Hence, while I am more likely to support the historical Christian view of original sin and human depravity, I am open to listen to other voices that suggest other facets of truth that I may have missed.
Let me summarize my thoughts.

Many Christians frown upon unorthodox theological views as a knee jerk reaction to anything that seem to threaten our long-held cherished beliefs. While this dismissive and condemning attitude against perceived heresies is understandable, it would be much better when Christians respond with an attitude of humility that intends to learn from others. Hence, as one of my friends always say, “we should produce more light than heat”. In my opinion, critics serve us well when we allow their remarks to help us re-think, revise, evaluate, strengthen, clarify, or improve our beliefs.

While I respectfully do not agree with the Filipino president’s recent deviation from mainstream Christian theology (i.e. his criticism of the doctrine of original sin), the view he espoused seems to represent a long line of theological “heterodoxies” that helped shape Christianity as we know it. Moreover, while many Christians see President Duterte’s remarks as blasphemous deserving divine punishment, I see this as an opportunity for a “dialectical” platform to hear other voices (no matter how deviant they may sound) that can potentially enrich Christian theology.
Yesterday, President Duterte clarified that he believes that someone out there is superior to all humans, which he believes as the true God.

He also said that his God has a lot of “common-sense” because he would not let his created paradise to be destroyed and ruined forever.
Source: Michael Carino

It seems that President Duterte influenced many politicians not only in the Philippines but also overseas.

The photo posted by Nieviv Sucuaje is an evidence that even politician in other countries is using President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-illegal drug stance to gather popularity in their places.

In the mobile advertisement spotted by Sucuaje, it shows the photo of President Rodrigo Duterte and the Taiwanese Politician using the slogan,  “Value life, refuse drugs”.

The photo quickly went viral on the internet and Duterte supporters claimed that President Duterte’s stance against illegal drugs is correct because it’s already being imitated by several politicians internationally.

Netizen FJ Andrade also shared his thoughts on why some politician is now using the style of President Duterte in gathering popularity in their places.

He said that despite Duterte’s close ties with the mainland China, it seems that Taiwanese politicians don’t mind using Duterte in their campaign strategy.

This image is significant in more ways than one. First. The world is now accepting and admiring how our president is handling the drug problem, so much so that politicians from other countries are using PRRD’s image to get votes. Hindi lang siya effective sa Pilipinas, it seems even sa Taiwan.

The second and more important angle here is that PRRD’s image is being used positively in Taiwan – a country that is technically considered a rebel province by China. You would expect them to ridicule PRRD who is known to be close to the mainland government. Apparently there are those in the rebel state that thinks it is actually worthwhile to use the image of a character closely linked to that of their enemy. This is indeed a testament to the popularity and charisma of this old mayor from the province.

Taiwan and Philippines consider each other as partners in fighting illegal drugs. Several weeks ago, Taiwanese authorities arrested the fugitive Ozamiz City Councilor Ardot Parojinog, a suspected illegal drug lord to the Philippines.