Centrist Democracy Political Institute - Items filtered by date: June 2025
Wednesday, 27 December 2023 22:09
A tragic yearend for all — same trajectory for the coming year
THE year ends as expected on a sordid note and continuing tragedies. The Ukraine war, now in a stalemate, may go the way of Putin. But the killing continues. In Palestine, Israel has introduced a new phase in this conflict — the starvation of the people of Gaza as an instrument of war. And the killing continues. It benefits Hamas. They are winning the global hearts and minds hiding behind the wretched citizens of Gaza, in plain sight — the sacrificial lambs in the altar of geopolitics — underpinned by religious beliefs.
And in Southeast Asia, there will be no war this year, although the two great powers are still on a collision course over Taiwan and the ultimate prize is who among the hegemons has the bigger balls. America will not invade Taiwan. This is to China's advantage. It can bide its time as the Chinese are wont to look at things from generational perspectives. China has existed for a thousand years. It can wait another decade until it reaches parity with America and then supersedes it.
And where goes the Philippines, with BBM's arrogance on "not surrendering an inch of our territory." No, Boy! China will not take an inch. It has already taken chunks off our heritage, hectares of what we claim our own but can't keep. We can wither in the vine — and China will let us. And our sponsor, America, can't do anything! We are on our own. Let's negotiate!
God is under the gun
I close a year of column-writing with my series of hypotheses on man-made God and religion that disturb the equanimity of adherents and cynics. But locally, it's a different story. Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, God's appointed son, is in trouble. The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) recently imposed a 30-day suspension against Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) for violating its legislative franchise. It is not even the executive branch, from whence the NTC is lodged, but the House of Representatives that called for its revocation. Quoting The Manila Times report: "...Rep. Francisca "France" Castro said SMNI is a threat to press freedom because it advocates violence, disinformation and intolerance.
"We hope that the measures for accountability of SMNI, its hosts, executives and owners, including Pastor Quiboloy himself, will continue because they have abused the network as an anti-people tool and mouthpiece of the Dutertes and the NTF-Elcac (National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict)." (The Manila Times, Dec. 22, 2023)
On top of this, the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) suspended two SMNI shows, "Laban Para sa Bayan" and Duterte's show, "Gikan sa Masa, Para Sa Masa." SMNI said it is appealing the decision as a "brazen attack" on the freedom of the press.
Press freedom, my eye! This is a vulgar display of presidential politics. In some oblique way, this signals House Speaker Martin Romualdez throwing his hat into the presidential ring against the daughter of the Deegong, still popular among the masses, while Sara loses clout, influence, and power as vice president and education secretary. The House that holds the power of the purse has just defanged Sara with the acquiescence of
Romualdez's Senate allies by stripping her of confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) — a metaphor for this corruption-ridden source of campaign logistics.
What is perhaps more glaring is the attempt to castrate the powerful Davao-based SMNI media conglomerate, which has been an ally of the Dutertes on their journey toward national politics. This is the arm of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KJC) broadcast media owned by the televangelist Pastor Apollo Quiboloy. It's a religious money machine competing with the traditional Catholic Church. Its broadcasting tentacles have reached nationwide through cable, satellite and online streaming worldwide. Its network of radio stations is a formidable message delivery system reaching barrios all over. With the appointed son of God indicted in the US for sex trafficking of children, fraud and rape, SMNI is vulnerable. And in presidential politics, dirt is shoveled both ways.
Billionaire House speaker
It may be noted that the billionaire Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, a Marcos cousin and ally, may be ramping up for a political confrontasi. In June of this year, Nikkei Asia (by Cliff Venzon, June 8, 2023) reported that a little-known privately held company of the Romualdez family, RYM Business Management, has been eyeing the media sector, too. Prime Media Holdings, a subsidiary of RYM, and ABS-CBN announced the formation of a joint venture to produce news and entertainment shows for distribution on radio and cable broadcast platforms.
Both "Romualdez and his wife, Yedda Marie, were among the 70 Duterte-allied lawmakers who voted to reject ABS-CBN's bid to renew its 25-year broadcasting license ... in 2020," Nikkei said.
On top of this, RYM has been securing deals in the banking and construction sectors that stand to benefit from the Marcos Jr. administration's massive 194 NEDA-approved flagship infrastructure projects amounting to $145.4 billion (P8.17 trillion) for the years 2024-2028.
In April, RYM arranged for a 20 percent stake in EEI, a publicly listed construction company engaged in government-endorsed infrastructure projects from the House of Investments of the Yuchengcos.
RYM has also infused P1.8 billion capital in the Philippine Veterans Bank (PVB), a government depository bank owned by World War 2 veterans and their heirs. The bank charter was later amended in 2021 to expand the shareholder base beyond the original shareholders — sons and daughters of World War 2 veterans. Former finance secretary Roberto de Ocampo, president of PVB, described RYM absurdly as "...an entity with sons and daughters of World War II as members...." The lawmakers proposing the amendment include the Romualdez couple.
RYM's latest regulatory filing does not show any seat held by the couple, but their son sits on mining company boards, Benguet Mining and Marcventures Holdings, where RYM holds stakes.
Conflict of interest
Melinda Quintos-de Jesus, executive director at the Manila-based Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility, minced no words on the move of Prime Media and ABS-CBN, saying that "this deal sharpens the capture of the media ... and the business landscape by the ruling political elite..." adding that "...this joining of forces with a presidential relative and ally is simply not a good sign of the flourishing of independent and critical media.".
De Jesus was just being kind. In my book, this is a possible conflict of interest when an individual, much less an elected and powerful official of government, has competing interests or loyalties that could potentially compromise their impartiality, objectivity, or duty to act in the best interest of the country. These are public servants allowing their companies to enter into lucrative contracts with government, with the most powerful position in Congress making decisions and setting agendas on legislative issues that may impact the companies they own.
What is not clear at this point is if this is an all-out confrontation between the Marcoses and the Dutertes — a fight between political dynasties. Currently, the President's sister Imee is clearly in the camp of Sara.
But for the poor Filipino voters, if you have not learned your lesson, fie on you!
And in Southeast Asia, there will be no war this year, although the two great powers are still on a collision course over Taiwan and the ultimate prize is who among the hegemons has the bigger balls. America will not invade Taiwan. This is to China's advantage. It can bide its time as the Chinese are wont to look at things from generational perspectives. China has existed for a thousand years. It can wait another decade until it reaches parity with America and then supersedes it.
And where goes the Philippines, with BBM's arrogance on "not surrendering an inch of our territory." No, Boy! China will not take an inch. It has already taken chunks off our heritage, hectares of what we claim our own but can't keep. We can wither in the vine — and China will let us. And our sponsor, America, can't do anything! We are on our own. Let's negotiate!
God is under the gun
I close a year of column-writing with my series of hypotheses on man-made God and religion that disturb the equanimity of adherents and cynics. But locally, it's a different story. Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, God's appointed son, is in trouble. The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) recently imposed a 30-day suspension against Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) for violating its legislative franchise. It is not even the executive branch, from whence the NTC is lodged, but the House of Representatives that called for its revocation. Quoting The Manila Times report: "...Rep. Francisca "France" Castro said SMNI is a threat to press freedom because it advocates violence, disinformation and intolerance.
"We hope that the measures for accountability of SMNI, its hosts, executives and owners, including Pastor Quiboloy himself, will continue because they have abused the network as an anti-people tool and mouthpiece of the Dutertes and the NTF-Elcac (National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict)." (The Manila Times, Dec. 22, 2023)
On top of this, the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) suspended two SMNI shows, "Laban Para sa Bayan" and Duterte's show, "Gikan sa Masa, Para Sa Masa." SMNI said it is appealing the decision as a "brazen attack" on the freedom of the press.
Press freedom, my eye! This is a vulgar display of presidential politics. In some oblique way, this signals House Speaker Martin Romualdez throwing his hat into the presidential ring against the daughter of the Deegong, still popular among the masses, while Sara loses clout, influence, and power as vice president and education secretary. The House that holds the power of the purse has just defanged Sara with the acquiescence of
Romualdez's Senate allies by stripping her of confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) — a metaphor for this corruption-ridden source of campaign logistics.
What is perhaps more glaring is the attempt to castrate the powerful Davao-based SMNI media conglomerate, which has been an ally of the Dutertes on their journey toward national politics. This is the arm of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KJC) broadcast media owned by the televangelist Pastor Apollo Quiboloy. It's a religious money machine competing with the traditional Catholic Church. Its broadcasting tentacles have reached nationwide through cable, satellite and online streaming worldwide. Its network of radio stations is a formidable message delivery system reaching barrios all over. With the appointed son of God indicted in the US for sex trafficking of children, fraud and rape, SMNI is vulnerable. And in presidential politics, dirt is shoveled both ways.
Billionaire House speaker
It may be noted that the billionaire Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, a Marcos cousin and ally, may be ramping up for a political confrontasi. In June of this year, Nikkei Asia (by Cliff Venzon, June 8, 2023) reported that a little-known privately held company of the Romualdez family, RYM Business Management, has been eyeing the media sector, too. Prime Media Holdings, a subsidiary of RYM, and ABS-CBN announced the formation of a joint venture to produce news and entertainment shows for distribution on radio and cable broadcast platforms.
Both "Romualdez and his wife, Yedda Marie, were among the 70 Duterte-allied lawmakers who voted to reject ABS-CBN's bid to renew its 25-year broadcasting license ... in 2020," Nikkei said.
On top of this, RYM has been securing deals in the banking and construction sectors that stand to benefit from the Marcos Jr. administration's massive 194 NEDA-approved flagship infrastructure projects amounting to $145.4 billion (P8.17 trillion) for the years 2024-2028.
In April, RYM arranged for a 20 percent stake in EEI, a publicly listed construction company engaged in government-endorsed infrastructure projects from the House of Investments of the Yuchengcos.
RYM has also infused P1.8 billion capital in the Philippine Veterans Bank (PVB), a government depository bank owned by World War 2 veterans and their heirs. The bank charter was later amended in 2021 to expand the shareholder base beyond the original shareholders — sons and daughters of World War 2 veterans. Former finance secretary Roberto de Ocampo, president of PVB, described RYM absurdly as "...an entity with sons and daughters of World War II as members...." The lawmakers proposing the amendment include the Romualdez couple.
RYM's latest regulatory filing does not show any seat held by the couple, but their son sits on mining company boards, Benguet Mining and Marcventures Holdings, where RYM holds stakes.
Conflict of interest
Melinda Quintos-de Jesus, executive director at the Manila-based Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility, minced no words on the move of Prime Media and ABS-CBN, saying that "this deal sharpens the capture of the media ... and the business landscape by the ruling political elite..." adding that "...this joining of forces with a presidential relative and ally is simply not a good sign of the flourishing of independent and critical media.".
De Jesus was just being kind. In my book, this is a possible conflict of interest when an individual, much less an elected and powerful official of government, has competing interests or loyalties that could potentially compromise their impartiality, objectivity, or duty to act in the best interest of the country. These are public servants allowing their companies to enter into lucrative contracts with government, with the most powerful position in Congress making decisions and setting agendas on legislative issues that may impact the companies they own.
What is not clear at this point is if this is an all-out confrontation between the Marcoses and the Dutertes — a fight between political dynasties. Currently, the President's sister Imee is clearly in the camp of Sara.
But for the poor Filipino voters, if you have not learned your lesson, fie on you!
Published in
LML Polettiques
Thursday, 21 December 2023 03:41
Our own pivot to China
FROM the start of his regime, I have not written about how BBM runs government. Instead, I wrote several columns on foreign affairs and genocides in Ukraine and Palestine, a much more compelling take. Consequently, I started a series on religion as the root cause of these conflicts and segued into debunking religious myths and narratives. I suspend these series upon the insistence of my Catholic family and friends to allow them to celebrate Christmas in a fashion that the three Abrahamic religions traditionally do, except that Christianity has so commercialized the season — the birth of a messiah. I also shied away from writing about the West Philippine Seas and the heightened tension there. But for the recent screaming headlines about China's using water cannons and laser beams against our fisherfolks, Chinese coast guard vessels preventing resupply to our pathetic outpost in the Ayungin Shoal, the derelict BRP Sierra Madre, BBM's inability to at least do something, or anything against this bullying; and topping his otherwise remarkable speech at the Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies in Hawaii with distorted narratives; I needed to wade into the fray and get some facts straight.
West Philippine Sea (WPS)
This Philippine debacle started during PNoy's presidency. This tragedy has been recounted time and again ad nauseam by a colleague at the TMT, reminding us of the transgressions of the Aquino family, the debauchery of the "yellow army," along with the righteousness of the Chinese communist causes, and the wickedness of the American system of governance.
So, if we may direct BBM's government to review the facts, he may fashion a foreign policy that could extricate the country from this mess and perhaps elevate the country among the developed economies in Southeast Asia for the remainder of his term.
But first, a recitation of facts on the WPS from the voluminous published research by the above TMT colleague, who I agree with most of the time, were it not for his inelegant ad hominems. These timelines are augmented from the easily accessible Google.
Timelines
April 8, 2012: A standoff began when a Philippine Navy vessel tried to arrest Chinese fishermen for illegal fishing within Panatag Shoal (Bajo de Masinloc). Chinese Maritime vessels came to their rescue, aborting the arrest. The next day, PNoy ordered a Philippine warship, the BRP Gregorio del Pilar, to confront the Chinese. Big mistake! This allowed China to capture the high ground, portraying the Philippines as the aggressor — militarizing the confrontation.
April 10 – May 31: In the ensuing days, the Philippine government sought US intervention, invoking the 1950 US-Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT). The US refused as there was no cause. Here, the events were entangled with the US and Philippine governments playing the game of "he said, she said," exacerbated by a shady Philippine senator authorized by PNoy for a backdoor channel to China's similarly shady characters. A resolution was purportedly arrived at for a simultaneous withdrawal of Chinese and Philippine vessels from Panatag — saving face for all parties. PNoy was further assured by Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario that US negotiators got the Chinese to agree on a simultaneous withdrawal.
June 15, 2012: The Philippines withdrew its vessels from Panatag Shoal. The Chinese did not. China now controls Scarborough (Panatag), establishing de facto sovereignty.
Jan. 22, 2013: The US government persuaded PNoy to file a case against China with the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) at The Hague, challenging China's territorial claims in the South China Sea.
June 30, 2016: President Rodrigo Duterte assumed the Philippine presidency, and those party to the WPS debacle, PNoy and del Rosario, were out of jobs, washing their hands of this dastardly act.
Arbitral ruling
July 12, 2016: The arbitral tribunal at The Hague issues its ruling in favor of the Philippines, invalidating China's "nine-dash line" claim and affirming the Philippines' rights in its EEZ. It recognized that the Philippines has sovereign rights to exploit the resources in these areas.
The ruling also declares that China's activities at Panatag (interfering with Philippine fishing activities) violated these rights. And China's claims based on historic rights were inconsistent with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos).
On the other hand, none of the features in the Spratly Islands are capable of generating an exclusive economic zone (EEZ), and none of these are islands under Unclos, meaning human habitation or economic life of their own cannot be sustained. But more importantly, on maritime entitlements, the tribunal determined that certain areas in the South China Sea, including Scarborough Shoal and certain parts of the Spratly Islands, fall within the Philippines' EEZ.
China never did participate in the arbitration process, rejecting the ruling as "nothing more than a piece of useless paper." It was universally understood too that the ruling is unenforceable.
Duterte govt (2016-2022)
Duterte from the very start of his regime showed preferential treatment for China, veering away from America. He didn't want to rub China's nose in the arbitral ruling award and promptly paid obeisance to Beijing with his famous "I love Xi Jinping" on one of his visits to Beijing. And the country was amply rewarded with baskets of goodies. Acknowledging the arbitral ruling, he never used this as a negotiating instrument with China, except for his braggadocio of a statement that Philippine sovereignty over the WPS was non-negotiable but with a limp addendum: "China has the big guns — I don't have. I can't let my soldiers die," signaling his helplessness — incapable of looking for alternatives. And the bullying continued to the present regime.
Marcos govt — the proposal (2022...)
More than a hundred diplomatic protests filed against China fell on deaf ears. Inane Senate resolutions elevating these problems to the UN General Assembly were passed. And always, the demand for budget increases — the traditional source of corruption — to bolster Philippine defense capabilities. All are off-tangent to the realities vis-à-vis China.
China is the rising hegemon in the East, and in this multipolar world, we are the ants amidst the dancing elephants. China has demonstrated time and again that it can ignore with impunity the diminishing importance of dispute resolution and America's cherished ideals of the rule of law. China will not make the mistake of creating an excuse for America to intervene on our behalf under the 1950 MDT agreement. And America will not go to war over pieces of real estate in the WPS. What if China, our biggest economic partner in the East, decides to take over Ayungin Shoal by attrition? So, what now?
The best course of action before this happens is for BBM to put the arbitral ruling in our back pockets and go mano-a-mano on a charm offensive with China, which China has been doing with other countries in the SCS. Look at Vietnam, now similarly situated with its own claims to the Paracels. Start a dialogue and negotiate. Vietnam's FDI from China has gone through the roof compared to the Philippines. BBM's enemies would consider this a surrender. So, what?! Let's fight another day.
Start a bilateral dialogue with Xi Jinping.
West Philippine Sea (WPS)
This Philippine debacle started during PNoy's presidency. This tragedy has been recounted time and again ad nauseam by a colleague at the TMT, reminding us of the transgressions of the Aquino family, the debauchery of the "yellow army," along with the righteousness of the Chinese communist causes, and the wickedness of the American system of governance.
So, if we may direct BBM's government to review the facts, he may fashion a foreign policy that could extricate the country from this mess and perhaps elevate the country among the developed economies in Southeast Asia for the remainder of his term.
But first, a recitation of facts on the WPS from the voluminous published research by the above TMT colleague, who I agree with most of the time, were it not for his inelegant ad hominems. These timelines are augmented from the easily accessible Google.
Timelines
April 8, 2012: A standoff began when a Philippine Navy vessel tried to arrest Chinese fishermen for illegal fishing within Panatag Shoal (Bajo de Masinloc). Chinese Maritime vessels came to their rescue, aborting the arrest. The next day, PNoy ordered a Philippine warship, the BRP Gregorio del Pilar, to confront the Chinese. Big mistake! This allowed China to capture the high ground, portraying the Philippines as the aggressor — militarizing the confrontation.
April 10 – May 31: In the ensuing days, the Philippine government sought US intervention, invoking the 1950 US-Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT). The US refused as there was no cause. Here, the events were entangled with the US and Philippine governments playing the game of "he said, she said," exacerbated by a shady Philippine senator authorized by PNoy for a backdoor channel to China's similarly shady characters. A resolution was purportedly arrived at for a simultaneous withdrawal of Chinese and Philippine vessels from Panatag — saving face for all parties. PNoy was further assured by Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario that US negotiators got the Chinese to agree on a simultaneous withdrawal.
June 15, 2012: The Philippines withdrew its vessels from Panatag Shoal. The Chinese did not. China now controls Scarborough (Panatag), establishing de facto sovereignty.
Jan. 22, 2013: The US government persuaded PNoy to file a case against China with the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) at The Hague, challenging China's territorial claims in the South China Sea.
June 30, 2016: President Rodrigo Duterte assumed the Philippine presidency, and those party to the WPS debacle, PNoy and del Rosario, were out of jobs, washing their hands of this dastardly act.
Arbitral ruling
July 12, 2016: The arbitral tribunal at The Hague issues its ruling in favor of the Philippines, invalidating China's "nine-dash line" claim and affirming the Philippines' rights in its EEZ. It recognized that the Philippines has sovereign rights to exploit the resources in these areas.
The ruling also declares that China's activities at Panatag (interfering with Philippine fishing activities) violated these rights. And China's claims based on historic rights were inconsistent with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos).
On the other hand, none of the features in the Spratly Islands are capable of generating an exclusive economic zone (EEZ), and none of these are islands under Unclos, meaning human habitation or economic life of their own cannot be sustained. But more importantly, on maritime entitlements, the tribunal determined that certain areas in the South China Sea, including Scarborough Shoal and certain parts of the Spratly Islands, fall within the Philippines' EEZ.
China never did participate in the arbitration process, rejecting the ruling as "nothing more than a piece of useless paper." It was universally understood too that the ruling is unenforceable.
Duterte govt (2016-2022)
Duterte from the very start of his regime showed preferential treatment for China, veering away from America. He didn't want to rub China's nose in the arbitral ruling award and promptly paid obeisance to Beijing with his famous "I love Xi Jinping" on one of his visits to Beijing. And the country was amply rewarded with baskets of goodies. Acknowledging the arbitral ruling, he never used this as a negotiating instrument with China, except for his braggadocio of a statement that Philippine sovereignty over the WPS was non-negotiable but with a limp addendum: "China has the big guns — I don't have. I can't let my soldiers die," signaling his helplessness — incapable of looking for alternatives. And the bullying continued to the present regime.
Marcos govt — the proposal (2022...)
More than a hundred diplomatic protests filed against China fell on deaf ears. Inane Senate resolutions elevating these problems to the UN General Assembly were passed. And always, the demand for budget increases — the traditional source of corruption — to bolster Philippine defense capabilities. All are off-tangent to the realities vis-à-vis China.
China is the rising hegemon in the East, and in this multipolar world, we are the ants amidst the dancing elephants. China has demonstrated time and again that it can ignore with impunity the diminishing importance of dispute resolution and America's cherished ideals of the rule of law. China will not make the mistake of creating an excuse for America to intervene on our behalf under the 1950 MDT agreement. And America will not go to war over pieces of real estate in the WPS. What if China, our biggest economic partner in the East, decides to take over Ayungin Shoal by attrition? So, what now?
The best course of action before this happens is for BBM to put the arbitral ruling in our back pockets and go mano-a-mano on a charm offensive with China, which China has been doing with other countries in the SCS. Look at Vietnam, now similarly situated with its own claims to the Paracels. Start a dialogue and negotiate. Vietnam's FDI from China has gone through the roof compared to the Philippines. BBM's enemies would consider this a surrender. So, what?! Let's fight another day.
Start a bilateral dialogue with Xi Jinping.
Published in
LML Polettiques
Thursday, 14 December 2023 22:44
Man-made God
Fourth of a series
OUR second hypothesis demonstrated that the stories depicted in the Abrahamic religions are not originals, plagiarized from even more ancient epics, man-made, not deity-inspired, implying that religion itself is man-made. Which brings the consequential conclusion that man created God — not the other way around (The Manila Times, Nov. 22 and 29, Dec. 6, 2023).
This column dwells on Christian dogmas as the author is Catholic by accident of birth. Spain brought the sword and the faith to the Philippines, and therefore, Ang Panginoon is revered — the one true God! This conversation will unavoidably touch the other two Abrahamic religions, Judaism and Islam. If this columnist had been born to parents in Jolo, Sulu, chances are that I would be of the Islamic faith and submit myself to Allah (SWT), the one true God! And if born of Jewish parents, I would profess the Jewish faith and worship Yahweh, the one true God!
Part 4 of this series is a scrutiny of scriptures, particularly the Gospels. It may be noted that the New Testament is a derivative of the Old Testament from the Tanakh, comprising revelations through the laws of Moses and the life of Jesus. In the Islamic tradition, the revelations came later to Muhammad, claiming these to be final.
Offhand, this is not an intellectual dissertation on the First Cause or the Supreme Architect of the cosmos or the Maker of all things that are. Thomas Aquinas, who took First Cause as the fundamental premise of all his proofs, will not be dissected here. Cosmological arguments, an assertion that the existence of the universe implies the existence of a first cause, often referred to as God, Yahweh or Allah, require a longer and more focused essay beyond the scope of this column. The question, therefore, "Is there a Higher Power?" will be answered obliquely based on empirical evidence gleaned from these sacred biblical gospels and revelations.
The four canonical gospels
The Christian Bible is composed of several books. But the four gospels in the New Testament written by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are its core. The first three are referred to as the "synoptic gospels"; they look at things in a similar way and how their stories are told. Often, these narratives are sequenced with identical syntax and wording. They were written from around AD 65-90, while John wrote his around AD 90-110 — after Jesus' death and resurrection in AD 33.
The Bible has two parts: the Old Testament, written before Christ was born, and the New Testament, all written after his birth. Altogether, there are 66 books. The four gospels, along with other writings, were later compiled into the New Testament. The specific process and individuals involved in its compilation are not fully documented, but it is generally believed to have been a gradual process over several centuries, with early church leaders and councils playing a significant role in determining which writings were included.
Process and politics of canonization
The canonization of the gospels was a complex process and involved formal and informal debates and discussions within the early Christian communities. If one examines the seven ecumenical councils over the centuries, from the first Council of Nicaea, convened by the Christian-converted Roman Emperor Constantine in AD 325, to the second Council of Nicaea in AD 787, four centuries later, hammering out Christian dogmas, one may appreciate the not so subtle politics permeating theological discussions by fallible early bishops of Christendom. As in any assembly of great minds but conflicting views, this first council resulted in the first consensus of Christian doctrine called the Nicene Creed. This resolved disagreements on the divinity of Jesus as "...the Son having been 'begotten' by the Father from his own being, and therefore having no beginning; or else created out of nothing, and therefore having a beginning..." The presbyter Arius, from whom the heretical term "Arianism" comes, lost his case; 250-318 bishops voted against Arius and two of his supporters. The three were banished.
The final form of the New Testament Canon, which includes the four gospels along with other books, was largely settled by the 4th century, with details varying somewhat between different Christian traditions.
Other scriptures
There were other written scriptures aside from the four canonical gospels. There were the scriptures of Judas and of Mary Magdalene which are part of a collection of ancient texts known as the Gnostic Gospels. These were excluded from the Bible for reasons of questionable provenance, authorship and authenticity. But more importantly, they present a different theological perspective compared to the canonical gospels. They contain teachings and beliefs that were considered unorthodox or heretical by the emerging mainstream Christian Church and early Christian communities. The developing orthodox Christian theology in the 3rd and 4th centuries was at odds with these Gnostic Gospels.
The early Church leaders and councils responsible for compiling the New Testament had already made their decisions regarding which texts to include, reinforcing the prevailing theological leanings of the Church fathers. A premium was placed on association with Christ's disciples and apostles when considering inclusion in the canonical gospels. The Gnostic Gospels, save for Mary Magdalene, lacked this apostolic connection. On the other hand, the Gospel of Mary Magdalene presents Mary Magdalene in a prominent role and contains teachings attributed to Jesus; nonetheless, it was not included in the New Testament. Magdalene is a woman and could be the wife of Jesus, which would have been anathema to the male-dominated keepers of the emerging doctrines of Christendom.
The devil is in the details
Richard Dawkins, author of the book "The God Delusion" (Harper Collins Publishers, 2006), posits that "...strong evidence for human [rather than divine] creation can be found in the religious texts that do appear in the Bible. They are full of historical inaccuracies and self-contradictions and are based on faulty source material."
Luke says that Mary and Joseph went from Nazareth to Bethlehem at the time of Jesus' birth when Roman Emperor Augustus ordered a census. And while a census did indeed occur, it happened in AD 9, long after Jesus was born.
In the Old Testament, the Jewish flight from Egypt is a major biblical event, but there is nary a mention of it in any historical record at that time, suggesting that the Exodus did not happen at all.
The genealogies of Jesus differ. Jesus' lineage is traced through King David's son Solomon in Matthew's and through David's son Nathan in Luke's.
Jesus was crucified on the first day of the Jewish Passover, according to the synoptic gospels; John placed the crucifixion on the day before the Passover.
The four gospels contradict each other in the description of the resurrection, particularly the identity and number of women who visited the empty tomb.
All these seem minor faux pas, but not according to Christopher Hitchens, author of the controversial book "God Is Not Great" (Hachette Book Group USA, 2007): "...the canonical gospels were cherry-picked by the Church to reinforce their view of Jesus' teachings. Such selective inclusion of certain religious texts clearly demonstrates the Bible's man-made design. Far from God creating mankind, it is we who, in fact, created him."
OUR second hypothesis demonstrated that the stories depicted in the Abrahamic religions are not originals, plagiarized from even more ancient epics, man-made, not deity-inspired, implying that religion itself is man-made. Which brings the consequential conclusion that man created God — not the other way around (The Manila Times, Nov. 22 and 29, Dec. 6, 2023).
This column dwells on Christian dogmas as the author is Catholic by accident of birth. Spain brought the sword and the faith to the Philippines, and therefore, Ang Panginoon is revered — the one true God! This conversation will unavoidably touch the other two Abrahamic religions, Judaism and Islam. If this columnist had been born to parents in Jolo, Sulu, chances are that I would be of the Islamic faith and submit myself to Allah (SWT), the one true God! And if born of Jewish parents, I would profess the Jewish faith and worship Yahweh, the one true God!
Part 4 of this series is a scrutiny of scriptures, particularly the Gospels. It may be noted that the New Testament is a derivative of the Old Testament from the Tanakh, comprising revelations through the laws of Moses and the life of Jesus. In the Islamic tradition, the revelations came later to Muhammad, claiming these to be final.
Offhand, this is not an intellectual dissertation on the First Cause or the Supreme Architect of the cosmos or the Maker of all things that are. Thomas Aquinas, who took First Cause as the fundamental premise of all his proofs, will not be dissected here. Cosmological arguments, an assertion that the existence of the universe implies the existence of a first cause, often referred to as God, Yahweh or Allah, require a longer and more focused essay beyond the scope of this column. The question, therefore, "Is there a Higher Power?" will be answered obliquely based on empirical evidence gleaned from these sacred biblical gospels and revelations.
The four canonical gospels
The Christian Bible is composed of several books. But the four gospels in the New Testament written by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are its core. The first three are referred to as the "synoptic gospels"; they look at things in a similar way and how their stories are told. Often, these narratives are sequenced with identical syntax and wording. They were written from around AD 65-90, while John wrote his around AD 90-110 — after Jesus' death and resurrection in AD 33.
The Bible has two parts: the Old Testament, written before Christ was born, and the New Testament, all written after his birth. Altogether, there are 66 books. The four gospels, along with other writings, were later compiled into the New Testament. The specific process and individuals involved in its compilation are not fully documented, but it is generally believed to have been a gradual process over several centuries, with early church leaders and councils playing a significant role in determining which writings were included.
Process and politics of canonization
The canonization of the gospels was a complex process and involved formal and informal debates and discussions within the early Christian communities. If one examines the seven ecumenical councils over the centuries, from the first Council of Nicaea, convened by the Christian-converted Roman Emperor Constantine in AD 325, to the second Council of Nicaea in AD 787, four centuries later, hammering out Christian dogmas, one may appreciate the not so subtle politics permeating theological discussions by fallible early bishops of Christendom. As in any assembly of great minds but conflicting views, this first council resulted in the first consensus of Christian doctrine called the Nicene Creed. This resolved disagreements on the divinity of Jesus as "...the Son having been 'begotten' by the Father from his own being, and therefore having no beginning; or else created out of nothing, and therefore having a beginning..." The presbyter Arius, from whom the heretical term "Arianism" comes, lost his case; 250-318 bishops voted against Arius and two of his supporters. The three were banished.
The final form of the New Testament Canon, which includes the four gospels along with other books, was largely settled by the 4th century, with details varying somewhat between different Christian traditions.
Other scriptures
There were other written scriptures aside from the four canonical gospels. There were the scriptures of Judas and of Mary Magdalene which are part of a collection of ancient texts known as the Gnostic Gospels. These were excluded from the Bible for reasons of questionable provenance, authorship and authenticity. But more importantly, they present a different theological perspective compared to the canonical gospels. They contain teachings and beliefs that were considered unorthodox or heretical by the emerging mainstream Christian Church and early Christian communities. The developing orthodox Christian theology in the 3rd and 4th centuries was at odds with these Gnostic Gospels.
The early Church leaders and councils responsible for compiling the New Testament had already made their decisions regarding which texts to include, reinforcing the prevailing theological leanings of the Church fathers. A premium was placed on association with Christ's disciples and apostles when considering inclusion in the canonical gospels. The Gnostic Gospels, save for Mary Magdalene, lacked this apostolic connection. On the other hand, the Gospel of Mary Magdalene presents Mary Magdalene in a prominent role and contains teachings attributed to Jesus; nonetheless, it was not included in the New Testament. Magdalene is a woman and could be the wife of Jesus, which would have been anathema to the male-dominated keepers of the emerging doctrines of Christendom.
The devil is in the details
Richard Dawkins, author of the book "The God Delusion" (Harper Collins Publishers, 2006), posits that "...strong evidence for human [rather than divine] creation can be found in the religious texts that do appear in the Bible. They are full of historical inaccuracies and self-contradictions and are based on faulty source material."
Luke says that Mary and Joseph went from Nazareth to Bethlehem at the time of Jesus' birth when Roman Emperor Augustus ordered a census. And while a census did indeed occur, it happened in AD 9, long after Jesus was born.
In the Old Testament, the Jewish flight from Egypt is a major biblical event, but there is nary a mention of it in any historical record at that time, suggesting that the Exodus did not happen at all.
The genealogies of Jesus differ. Jesus' lineage is traced through King David's son Solomon in Matthew's and through David's son Nathan in Luke's.
Jesus was crucified on the first day of the Jewish Passover, according to the synoptic gospels; John placed the crucifixion on the day before the Passover.
The four gospels contradict each other in the description of the resurrection, particularly the identity and number of women who visited the empty tomb.
All these seem minor faux pas, but not according to Christopher Hitchens, author of the controversial book "God Is Not Great" (Hachette Book Group USA, 2007): "...the canonical gospels were cherry-picked by the Church to reinforce their view of Jesus' teachings. Such selective inclusion of certain religious texts clearly demonstrates the Bible's man-made design. Far from God creating mankind, it is we who, in fact, created him."
Published in
LML Polettiques
Wednesday, 06 December 2023 07:26
Torah, Bible, Quran — a case of plagiarism?
Third of a series
THE first two parts of this series were about our first hypothesis: Religion is a driving force for wars and conflicts. We looked no farther than Palestine as a microcosm where faith-based violence is inflicted by the descendants of Abraham for the furtherance of political and religious aims. Judaism and Islam both lay claim to their heritage grounded on contradicting dictates of their deity, Yahweh, and Allah, as revealed in their sacred books. Christianity is no less involved, as it has taken sides, compelled by its own religious and geopolitical self-interests.
America, a Christian nation, has taken Israel's viewpoint, but with the ongoing carnage in Gaza verging on genocide, militant dissenting voices are becoming louder, clamoring to terminate this insanity. But if the first hypothesis leads to its logical conclusion, violence, bloodshed and war will persist until the religious components are excreted from the equation. It will take real leaders to examine Palestine through the prism of the secular — a paradigm shift from the religious myopia of Jews, Muslims and Christians.
This third part of the series espouses a second postulate: that the Abrahamic religions are a plagiarism of ancient religious stories obscured by the mist of time, their provenance ambiguous. Parallel narratives accepted as religious doctrines by the Abrahamic religions are simply staggering. This is not to disparage the people of each faith, but to prod them to examine a different perspective beyond faith and on the basis of empirical evidence.
Noah and the great flood
Judaism dates back 3,800 years, when Abraham established a covenant with Yahweh and when the Ten Commandments were handed down to Moses. The Christian Bible (New Testament, circa 70 CE) affirms this narrative. One of the stories common to the three Abrahamic religions is worth examining: Noah's Ark and the great flood. In their respective traditions, a massive flood covered the earth to cleanse the world of its transgressions. Noah (Islamic Nuh) was directed by Yahweh to build an Ark, and load this with pairs of animals.
This narrative obviously was plagiarized from the older epic of Gilgamesh, where Utnapishtim (Noah) survived the Great Flood sent by the god Enlil to destroy humanity. But another god, Ea, instructed Utnapishtim to build a large boat to save himself and various animals. It was written circa 2,600 BCE, predating the Abrahamic religion by 1,000 years. The great flood is recounted in hundreds of religions in different epochs, with gods predating monotheism.
Moses
In the Quranic and biblical accounts, an Egyptian pharaoh ordered the killing of all Hebrew male infants. Moses' mother placed him in a basket and set him adrift on the Nile River. He was retrieved by the pharaoh's daughter, who raised him as her own.
In the Christian tradition, Moses is seen as a predecessor to Jesus, foreshadowing Christ's own birth and mission. In Islam, Musa (Moses) is an important prophet and messenger.
As it turned out, this Mosaic tale was plagiarized from the life of Sargon of Mesopotamia, who, as a child, was placed in a basket and set adrift in the Euphrates River. Found and raised by a lowly gardener, he eventually becomes King Sargon, the Great of Akkad, who ruled over the first known empire between 2334 and 2279 BCE.
Egyptian ancient religion
Scholars believed that the ancient Egyptian religion, which predated Judaism by 1,200 years, provided the foundational basis for the Abrahamic religions. These pagan myths, shaped by the nuances of each unique culture, evolved over the millennia and eventually were incorporated as divine revelations. Certain concepts like final judgment, afterlife, virgin birth, crucifixion, death and resurrection, and even circumcision were attributes of Egyptian pagan beliefs, claimed by the Abrahamic religions as their own.
To illustrate. In the pantheon of Egyptian gods, Horus was dominant and could have evolved as the precursor and template of Abrahamic monotheism. He personified the life-giving sun; thus, he was Egypt's Sun-God. His enemy was Set, a personification of the night and all that it encompasses, fear of the dark and evil, which could be anthropomorphized as Satan (Shatan to Islam). The ubiquitous mythological dualities that pervaded in many cultures were always the fight between light versus dark, good against evil. From the ancient hieroglyphics, the life of Horus is well documented; his narrative was etched in stone around 3,000 BCE.
He was born of the virgin Isis on December 25. A star in the East signaled his birth, leading three kings to the newborn. At the age of 12, Horus was a precocious teacher, at 30, he was baptized by one called Unup and thus began his ministry. He recruited 12 disciples who traveled with him, performing miracles, healing the sick, and walking on water. He was known by many names, such as the truth, the light, lamb of god, god's anointed son and the good shepherd. Betrayed by Typhon, he was crucified, buried for three days and resurrected.
Similar myths
I am reprinting excerpts from my Times column of March 24, 2021:
"Mithra (1200 BC)
"Mithra was born of a virgin on December 25 in Persia. He performed miracles and had 12 disciples. He was dead for three days and was resurrected; referred to as the 'Truth, the Light,' etc. Sunday was his day of worship.
"Yeshua Hamashiach (Anno Domini)
"A Hebrew, he was born on December 25 of a virgin, Mary, wife of Joseph in Bethlehem. At the time of his birth, a star rose in the east where three kings came to adore him. Not much was known about this child's younger years, but at age 12, he was found at a temple, sitting, listening and debating among the teachers. He was baptized and later did his ministry at age 30 assisted by 12 disciples. He performed miracles, healing the sick, walking on water and raising the dead Lazarus. He was known as King of Kings, Son of God, Alpha and Omega, etc. He is known as Jesus Christ, the Messiah in the Christian tradition, not God.
"Common source of narratives
"These similarities in narratives and godly attributes permeated many of the world's cultures and religions spanning 3,000 years and perhaps further back to primordial times when early man began to understand his surroundings, the dangers of darkness and the uplifting warmth and security of light. These cannot be dismissed as mere coincidences. From the time writing was invented, these depictions have been preserved, some in cuneiform and hieroglyphs; no doubt passed on from oral traditions. This suggests that there was a common source embellished over the millennia in the retelling, appearing eventually as myths, strong primordial forces to explain natural phenomenon."
One can't help concluding that the second hypothesis lays bare the likelihood that these stories are man-made, and by extension, religion itself is man-made and not deity-driven.
This column has drawn heavily from "Zeitgeist the Movie" (the main source) and Timeline-World History documentaries. This columnist claims no profound scholarly work except to titillate the reader to do his own research — thus, no Church imprimatur is needed... or the devil's.
THE first two parts of this series were about our first hypothesis: Religion is a driving force for wars and conflicts. We looked no farther than Palestine as a microcosm where faith-based violence is inflicted by the descendants of Abraham for the furtherance of political and religious aims. Judaism and Islam both lay claim to their heritage grounded on contradicting dictates of their deity, Yahweh, and Allah, as revealed in their sacred books. Christianity is no less involved, as it has taken sides, compelled by its own religious and geopolitical self-interests.
America, a Christian nation, has taken Israel's viewpoint, but with the ongoing carnage in Gaza verging on genocide, militant dissenting voices are becoming louder, clamoring to terminate this insanity. But if the first hypothesis leads to its logical conclusion, violence, bloodshed and war will persist until the religious components are excreted from the equation. It will take real leaders to examine Palestine through the prism of the secular — a paradigm shift from the religious myopia of Jews, Muslims and Christians.
This third part of the series espouses a second postulate: that the Abrahamic religions are a plagiarism of ancient religious stories obscured by the mist of time, their provenance ambiguous. Parallel narratives accepted as religious doctrines by the Abrahamic religions are simply staggering. This is not to disparage the people of each faith, but to prod them to examine a different perspective beyond faith and on the basis of empirical evidence.
Noah and the great flood
Judaism dates back 3,800 years, when Abraham established a covenant with Yahweh and when the Ten Commandments were handed down to Moses. The Christian Bible (New Testament, circa 70 CE) affirms this narrative. One of the stories common to the three Abrahamic religions is worth examining: Noah's Ark and the great flood. In their respective traditions, a massive flood covered the earth to cleanse the world of its transgressions. Noah (Islamic Nuh) was directed by Yahweh to build an Ark, and load this with pairs of animals.
This narrative obviously was plagiarized from the older epic of Gilgamesh, where Utnapishtim (Noah) survived the Great Flood sent by the god Enlil to destroy humanity. But another god, Ea, instructed Utnapishtim to build a large boat to save himself and various animals. It was written circa 2,600 BCE, predating the Abrahamic religion by 1,000 years. The great flood is recounted in hundreds of religions in different epochs, with gods predating monotheism.
Moses
In the Quranic and biblical accounts, an Egyptian pharaoh ordered the killing of all Hebrew male infants. Moses' mother placed him in a basket and set him adrift on the Nile River. He was retrieved by the pharaoh's daughter, who raised him as her own.
In the Christian tradition, Moses is seen as a predecessor to Jesus, foreshadowing Christ's own birth and mission. In Islam, Musa (Moses) is an important prophet and messenger.
As it turned out, this Mosaic tale was plagiarized from the life of Sargon of Mesopotamia, who, as a child, was placed in a basket and set adrift in the Euphrates River. Found and raised by a lowly gardener, he eventually becomes King Sargon, the Great of Akkad, who ruled over the first known empire between 2334 and 2279 BCE.
Egyptian ancient religion
Scholars believed that the ancient Egyptian religion, which predated Judaism by 1,200 years, provided the foundational basis for the Abrahamic religions. These pagan myths, shaped by the nuances of each unique culture, evolved over the millennia and eventually were incorporated as divine revelations. Certain concepts like final judgment, afterlife, virgin birth, crucifixion, death and resurrection, and even circumcision were attributes of Egyptian pagan beliefs, claimed by the Abrahamic religions as their own.
To illustrate. In the pantheon of Egyptian gods, Horus was dominant and could have evolved as the precursor and template of Abrahamic monotheism. He personified the life-giving sun; thus, he was Egypt's Sun-God. His enemy was Set, a personification of the night and all that it encompasses, fear of the dark and evil, which could be anthropomorphized as Satan (Shatan to Islam). The ubiquitous mythological dualities that pervaded in many cultures were always the fight between light versus dark, good against evil. From the ancient hieroglyphics, the life of Horus is well documented; his narrative was etched in stone around 3,000 BCE.
He was born of the virgin Isis on December 25. A star in the East signaled his birth, leading three kings to the newborn. At the age of 12, Horus was a precocious teacher, at 30, he was baptized by one called Unup and thus began his ministry. He recruited 12 disciples who traveled with him, performing miracles, healing the sick, and walking on water. He was known by many names, such as the truth, the light, lamb of god, god's anointed son and the good shepherd. Betrayed by Typhon, he was crucified, buried for three days and resurrected.
Similar myths
I am reprinting excerpts from my Times column of March 24, 2021:
"Mithra (1200 BC)
"Mithra was born of a virgin on December 25 in Persia. He performed miracles and had 12 disciples. He was dead for three days and was resurrected; referred to as the 'Truth, the Light,' etc. Sunday was his day of worship.
"Yeshua Hamashiach (Anno Domini)
"A Hebrew, he was born on December 25 of a virgin, Mary, wife of Joseph in Bethlehem. At the time of his birth, a star rose in the east where three kings came to adore him. Not much was known about this child's younger years, but at age 12, he was found at a temple, sitting, listening and debating among the teachers. He was baptized and later did his ministry at age 30 assisted by 12 disciples. He performed miracles, healing the sick, walking on water and raising the dead Lazarus. He was known as King of Kings, Son of God, Alpha and Omega, etc. He is known as Jesus Christ, the Messiah in the Christian tradition, not God.
"Common source of narratives
"These similarities in narratives and godly attributes permeated many of the world's cultures and religions spanning 3,000 years and perhaps further back to primordial times when early man began to understand his surroundings, the dangers of darkness and the uplifting warmth and security of light. These cannot be dismissed as mere coincidences. From the time writing was invented, these depictions have been preserved, some in cuneiform and hieroglyphs; no doubt passed on from oral traditions. This suggests that there was a common source embellished over the millennia in the retelling, appearing eventually as myths, strong primordial forces to explain natural phenomenon."
One can't help concluding that the second hypothesis lays bare the likelihood that these stories are man-made, and by extension, religion itself is man-made and not deity-driven.
This column has drawn heavily from "Zeitgeist the Movie" (the main source) and Timeline-World History documentaries. This columnist claims no profound scholarly work except to titillate the reader to do his own research — thus, no Church imprimatur is needed... or the devil's.
Published in
LML Polettiques
Wednesday, 29 November 2023 07:16
Toward the end times
Second of a series
THIS takes off from my past two columns on a hypothesis on religion being a driving force for wars and even more conflicts. "Toward a tragic prognosis" (The Manila Times, Nov. 15, 2023) and last week's "Religion — impetus for war and conflict" (TMT, Nov. 22, 2023) garnered mixed reviews and some vitriolic responses. Religion is a profoundly sensitive topic, and discussions on dogma and supernatural revelations are indeed delicate and tend to float up the best of arguments tempered by the worst of debaters and distorted insights of an assortment of ignoramuses.
What used to be a discourse exclusive to men — no women allowed — restricted to the sterile, sacred inner sanctums of synagogues, temples, mosques, cloisters and monasteries, overseen by rabbis, priests and imams jealously guarding the sacred arcana of their faith, is now out in the open.
The atheists, unbelievers and agnostics condemned these totalitarians of faiths, these people of the cloth, for claiming to possess celestial truths passed on from above, revealed and known only to them and not to us. Social media and the internet have democratized religious conversation and demolished barriers to dogmatic intercourse,
To precipitate further discussions, this column attempts to present the three Abrahamic religions in the light of their commonalities and points of contention that might negate or reinforce this hypothesis. (I leave that to the readers.) These three religions share historical and spiritual genesis, foremost of which is monotheism — abandoning the beliefs of their ancestors and the zeitgeist of idolatry and paganism.
Monotheism
First on the scene was Yahweh, the God of Abraham, who appeared to Moses as a burning bush on Mount Horeb (Sinai) approximately 3,300 years ago (13th BCE). "And God said unto Moses. I am who I am; and He said, thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you." (Exodus 3:7-8, 13-14)
The Christian Bible, on the other hand, is filled with passages of God's revelation to man as God, but not as dramatic as the burning bush, although the Christian Bible acknowledges this passage in the Old Testament. "Jesus said to him, 'Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.'" (John 14:9-10)
Last is Allah, revealing himself to man, not directly to his face, but through their belief in the specially appointed prophets or messengers of Allah throughout history. No theatrics but words and instructions to Muhammad through Archangel Gabriel for 23 years from 610-633 CE.
The Abrahamic religions hinge on this one true deity, as "all-knowing, all-powerful" in the New Testament, while in the Quran, Allah is described as "having knowledge of all things and being capable of all things."
More importantly, the Abrahamic religions share many moral principles encompassing compassion, justice and charity, which are all written and contained in their sacred books, the Tanakh, the Christian Bible and the Quran — providing ethical guidance to their multitudes, which comprise 60 percent of the world's population.
But is Yahweh, the Christian God, Allah the same one true God?
The Catholic Church, since Vatican 2, has taught that Jews and Muslims all worship the same God, with Pope John Paul 2nd declaring in 1985: "We believe in the same God, the one God, the living God, the God who created the world and brings his creatures to their perfection." And in 2019, Pope Francis implied as much when the Declaration on Human Fraternity, together with the grand imam of Al-Azhar, in Abu Dhabi was signed. Therein, the two religious leaders mutually declare: "We, who believe in God and in the final meeting with Him and His judgment." (Gabriel Said Reynolds, Notre Dame University, May 26, 2020.)
But the details of this communion were unresolved. This harmony of monotheism is marred by some complexity. Although Jews, Christians and Muslims alike know God not only through reflections and revelations and scriptures transmitted to prophets, Christians and Jews share scriptures of the Old Testament, Christians and Muslims do not. Islam judges the bible as muharraf — falsified — rejecting the Old and New Testaments.
Divergences
Dogmatic beliefs are something that is unbreachable and irreconcilable, striking as it were the very core of each faith. For Christians, Jesus is the Son of God. His death and resurrection are Christianity's foundation. For Jews, Jesus is not the Son of God and not the Messiah. Central to Judaism is the absolute unity and singularity of God, making the worship of Jesus a form of idolatry. Islam considers Isa (Jesus) an important prophet born of the Virgin Maryam who will return to earth before Judgment Day to restore peace and defeat al-Mash ad-Dajjal — the Antichrist. Isa is not God.
Other discrepancies are structural. Christianity has dozens of denominations, but the largest, the Roman Catholic Church, is hierarchical, tracing the papacy to St. Peter with bishops and priests attending to the flock with a huge bureaucracy in Rome attended to by appointed sinecures who elect Peter's successor in the event of a vacancy.
Judaism has a decentralized leadership of rabbis with no central authority. Instead, different Jewish denominations and communities may have their own governing bodies and leadership structures. In Israel's 6 million Jews, the people are united by homeland but have four distinct communities: the Haredim (the most devout), the Datiim (modern orthodox), the Masortim (the most diverse group), and the Hilonim (secular, the largest group in Israel).
Similarly, Islam is a decentralized clerically driven caliphate of imams, muftis and scholars of Islamic jurisprudence. Sunni Islam has no central religious authority, unlike the Shia, with a Grand Ayatollah reigning supreme but not encompassing the whole of Islam.
The Third Temple
But all these will come to a head if religious tenets are to be followed to the letter. The Jews must rebuild the Third Temple in fulfillment of eschatological prophesies anticipating the coming of the Messiah, at the very site of the First Temple destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE, resulting in the Babylonian Captivity, and the Second Temple, razed down by the Romans in 70 CE resulting in the diaspora.
The Third Temple will rise from the remnants of the Second Temple, the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest site, encompassing the Temple Mount (Al-Masjid al-Aqsa), the third holiest site in Islam, the site of the Al Aqsa Mosque, and the Dome of the Rock, the spot from which the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven.
The Messiah will bring about the ingathering of the Jewish diaspora, the final restoration of Israel and the ultimate redemption of the Jewish people. His coming will usher in an era of peace, justice and knowledge of God. Religion summons all protagonists to an eschatological confrontation in Palestine. The promised land!
The believers are arrayed, as they are now, around the dictates of their faiths. Hallelujah! God is Great! Allahu Akbar!
The end times!
THIS takes off from my past two columns on a hypothesis on religion being a driving force for wars and even more conflicts. "Toward a tragic prognosis" (The Manila Times, Nov. 15, 2023) and last week's "Religion — impetus for war and conflict" (TMT, Nov. 22, 2023) garnered mixed reviews and some vitriolic responses. Religion is a profoundly sensitive topic, and discussions on dogma and supernatural revelations are indeed delicate and tend to float up the best of arguments tempered by the worst of debaters and distorted insights of an assortment of ignoramuses.
What used to be a discourse exclusive to men — no women allowed — restricted to the sterile, sacred inner sanctums of synagogues, temples, mosques, cloisters and monasteries, overseen by rabbis, priests and imams jealously guarding the sacred arcana of their faith, is now out in the open.
The atheists, unbelievers and agnostics condemned these totalitarians of faiths, these people of the cloth, for claiming to possess celestial truths passed on from above, revealed and known only to them and not to us. Social media and the internet have democratized religious conversation and demolished barriers to dogmatic intercourse,
To precipitate further discussions, this column attempts to present the three Abrahamic religions in the light of their commonalities and points of contention that might negate or reinforce this hypothesis. (I leave that to the readers.) These three religions share historical and spiritual genesis, foremost of which is monotheism — abandoning the beliefs of their ancestors and the zeitgeist of idolatry and paganism.
Monotheism
First on the scene was Yahweh, the God of Abraham, who appeared to Moses as a burning bush on Mount Horeb (Sinai) approximately 3,300 years ago (13th BCE). "And God said unto Moses. I am who I am; and He said, thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you." (Exodus 3:7-8, 13-14)
The Christian Bible, on the other hand, is filled with passages of God's revelation to man as God, but not as dramatic as the burning bush, although the Christian Bible acknowledges this passage in the Old Testament. "Jesus said to him, 'Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.'" (John 14:9-10)
Last is Allah, revealing himself to man, not directly to his face, but through their belief in the specially appointed prophets or messengers of Allah throughout history. No theatrics but words and instructions to Muhammad through Archangel Gabriel for 23 years from 610-633 CE.
The Abrahamic religions hinge on this one true deity, as "all-knowing, all-powerful" in the New Testament, while in the Quran, Allah is described as "having knowledge of all things and being capable of all things."
More importantly, the Abrahamic religions share many moral principles encompassing compassion, justice and charity, which are all written and contained in their sacred books, the Tanakh, the Christian Bible and the Quran — providing ethical guidance to their multitudes, which comprise 60 percent of the world's population.
But is Yahweh, the Christian God, Allah the same one true God?
The Catholic Church, since Vatican 2, has taught that Jews and Muslims all worship the same God, with Pope John Paul 2nd declaring in 1985: "We believe in the same God, the one God, the living God, the God who created the world and brings his creatures to their perfection." And in 2019, Pope Francis implied as much when the Declaration on Human Fraternity, together with the grand imam of Al-Azhar, in Abu Dhabi was signed. Therein, the two religious leaders mutually declare: "We, who believe in God and in the final meeting with Him and His judgment." (Gabriel Said Reynolds, Notre Dame University, May 26, 2020.)
But the details of this communion were unresolved. This harmony of monotheism is marred by some complexity. Although Jews, Christians and Muslims alike know God not only through reflections and revelations and scriptures transmitted to prophets, Christians and Jews share scriptures of the Old Testament, Christians and Muslims do not. Islam judges the bible as muharraf — falsified — rejecting the Old and New Testaments.
Divergences
Dogmatic beliefs are something that is unbreachable and irreconcilable, striking as it were the very core of each faith. For Christians, Jesus is the Son of God. His death and resurrection are Christianity's foundation. For Jews, Jesus is not the Son of God and not the Messiah. Central to Judaism is the absolute unity and singularity of God, making the worship of Jesus a form of idolatry. Islam considers Isa (Jesus) an important prophet born of the Virgin Maryam who will return to earth before Judgment Day to restore peace and defeat al-Mash ad-Dajjal — the Antichrist. Isa is not God.
Other discrepancies are structural. Christianity has dozens of denominations, but the largest, the Roman Catholic Church, is hierarchical, tracing the papacy to St. Peter with bishops and priests attending to the flock with a huge bureaucracy in Rome attended to by appointed sinecures who elect Peter's successor in the event of a vacancy.
Judaism has a decentralized leadership of rabbis with no central authority. Instead, different Jewish denominations and communities may have their own governing bodies and leadership structures. In Israel's 6 million Jews, the people are united by homeland but have four distinct communities: the Haredim (the most devout), the Datiim (modern orthodox), the Masortim (the most diverse group), and the Hilonim (secular, the largest group in Israel).
Similarly, Islam is a decentralized clerically driven caliphate of imams, muftis and scholars of Islamic jurisprudence. Sunni Islam has no central religious authority, unlike the Shia, with a Grand Ayatollah reigning supreme but not encompassing the whole of Islam.
The Third Temple
But all these will come to a head if religious tenets are to be followed to the letter. The Jews must rebuild the Third Temple in fulfillment of eschatological prophesies anticipating the coming of the Messiah, at the very site of the First Temple destroyed by the Babylonians in 586 BCE, resulting in the Babylonian Captivity, and the Second Temple, razed down by the Romans in 70 CE resulting in the diaspora.
The Third Temple will rise from the remnants of the Second Temple, the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest site, encompassing the Temple Mount (Al-Masjid al-Aqsa), the third holiest site in Islam, the site of the Al Aqsa Mosque, and the Dome of the Rock, the spot from which the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven.
The Messiah will bring about the ingathering of the Jewish diaspora, the final restoration of Israel and the ultimate redemption of the Jewish people. His coming will usher in an era of peace, justice and knowledge of God. Religion summons all protagonists to an eschatological confrontation in Palestine. The promised land!
The believers are arrayed, as they are now, around the dictates of their faiths. Hallelujah! God is Great! Allahu Akbar!
The end times!
Published in
LML Polettiques
Wednesday, 22 November 2023 08:10
Religion — impetus for war and conflict
THE fourth part of my series on the Palestinian-Israel conflict ("Toward a tragic prognosis," The Manila Times, Nov. 8, 2023) ended up with a statement: "The two-state solution was a formula for disaster for the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Ishmael. Which brings us to the culprit of this wicked problem. Religion." This elicited several comments, two of which were thought-provoking and central to this article by readers. From Sultan Ali Mindalano of Mindanao: "The Culprit is the vested and twisted interpretation of extremists to the words of Allah/Yahweh/God." And from Ley Leyretana Sr. of Baltimore, USA, who looked at the column from a different angle, "...careful [of] its sensitivity ... don't be like Rushdie ... although it's about time someone writes about religion..."
Leyretana was cautioning me about Salman Rushdie, an Indian-British novelist who authored the controversial book "Satanic Verses" (Viking Penguin, 1988, UK), a thematically complex novel, purely fictitious, that the Muslim world considered to be blasphemous, earning for it a fatwa from Iran's Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, calling for the assassination of the author and his publishers.
We depart from the current Hamas-Israel madness, which is now on its seventh week of blood, gore and tears, and attempt to expand our hypothesis on the role of religion in geopolitical dynamics.
For purposes of discussion, three major global religions are selected as their communities constitute more than 60 percent of the world's believers. Judaism, Christianity and Islam, founded in that order, are the three Abrahamic religions that historically trace their doctrine on monotheism from their common prophet Abraham: Judaism and Christianity through his son Isaac, and Islam through his son Ishmael.
Abrahamic religions and violence
Perhaps havoc and violence were the underpinnings of Judaism. This was palpable when Yahweh, the God of Abraham, who, to test the faith of a mere mortal, required the slaughter and sacrifice of a child, Isaac. Offhand, this suggests a selfish, bloodthirsty God with a streak of cruelty. Or, perchance, this is an allegory to the coming of the chosen one farther down the line.
From the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Torah), when Yahweh, the God of Moses, called forth his people out of slavery in Egypt and back to the lands promised to Abraham's seeds, he directed them to kill all the Canaanite clans who were living in the land. The book of Joshua recounts the killing of every man, woman and child. This was not only a God perceived to be cruel but one who transgresses his own moral dictates. This episode of divine genocide has become a template for the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Israel in the current Palestinian problem.
Judaism was marked with religious wars, aggressions and deprivations upon the express direction of Yahweh, from their enslavement in Egypt for 400 years to the exodus and wandering in the desert for 40 years (circa the 13th century BCE) to their subsequent Babylonian exile; the Roman-Jewish wars in the 1st and 2nd centuries; and eventually to the Jewish Diaspora, the dispersion of the Jews outside of their homeland. Throughout history, Jews faced antisemitism and pogroms, violence, forced conversions, and expulsions owing to their religious beliefs. But the greatest of these was the Holocaust and the "final solution," the elimination of millions of Jews in Nazi Germany, which prompted the creation of Israel.
Christianity
Christianity traces its beginning in Judea from the Nazarene Jesus' time as a Judaic sect. Christians believe in Jesus as the Son of God, whose coming as the Messiah was foretold in the Hebrew Bible, thus establishing the nexus of the two religions. But the God of the Old Testament is a God of wrath, whereas the God of the New Testament is a God of love. And He sent his only son to die on the cross and redeem mankind from its sins. His resurrection was the solid foundation of Christianity. Yet in the name of Yahweh, God and Allah — and the religions that emanated from them — their adherents over the millennia have been in a permanent state of belligerence.
The first major Christian-Muslim conflicts came with the Crusades, which lasted from the 11th to the 13th centuries. These were the Middle Ages military campaigns launched by Christian kingdoms with the blessing of the powerful central structure of Christianity, the papacy, with the purpose of wresting control of the Holy Land from Islam, focusing on Jerusalem, claimed by the three Abrahamic religions.
And on the Fourth Crusade, in April of 1204, the papacy allowed the sacking of Constantinople and the massacre of the Byzantine Christians, which led to the permanent alienation of the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches.
Islam
This third of the Abrahamic religion was founded in Mecca in the 7th century by Muhammad, an illiterate businessman, the last and final prophet, when he started receiving revelations from Allah through the Angel Gabriel for 23 years. It may be noted that in the Quran, the books considered to be part of the revelations by Allah, mentioned the Torah (Tawrat), the Psalms of David (Zabur), and the Gospel (Injil) and, more importantly, referred to the two main characters of these revealed books, Moses and Jesus (Isa), as prophets. Islam spread primarily through military conquests by Muhammad the warlord and the appeal of the religion's message of monotheism, social justice and equality for all believers through the Arabian Peninsula, the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of Europe, including Spain.
Among Muslims, Allah is depicted as merciful and compassionate, but there are verses in the Quran that describe him in another light. In chapter 5, verse 95, the Quran describes the laws on the Pilgrimage to Mecca and that every devout Muslim must undertake at least once in one's life. But Allah brooks no transgressions as "Allah will take vengeance on him, Allah is all-mighty, vengeful."
In Surah- Ma'idah (5:38): "And the thief, male or female, cut off his or her hand as a penalty for what they have earned, as an exemplary punishment from Allah. And Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise."
And in Surah Al-Anfal (8:12): "I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieved, so strike [them] upon the necks and strike from them every fingertip."
And the internecine upheavals within Islam itself are no less serious and deadly. Of note is the Sunni-Shia sectarian enmity precipitated by questions of succession harking back centuries as to where the rightful leadership mantle of the Muslim Caliphate falls after the death of Prophet Muhammad in 632 CE. Sunnis believed that leadership should be based on consensus, while Shias believed that it should be passed on down through the family lineage of Ali, Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law.
But the more worrisome development is the rise of extremist Islamic groups — Hamas, Hezbollah, IS, etc. —that have captured the universal interpretation of Islam, threatening radical preponderance, making them palatable to their advocates. Suicide bombing, for one, is a totally faith-based act for the furtherance of political and religious aims.
All these are antecedents to Judaism, Christianity, and Islamic intolerance and antagonisms over the millennia, reinforcing the thesis that these are the impetus for more violence and wars.
Leyretana was cautioning me about Salman Rushdie, an Indian-British novelist who authored the controversial book "Satanic Verses" (Viking Penguin, 1988, UK), a thematically complex novel, purely fictitious, that the Muslim world considered to be blasphemous, earning for it a fatwa from Iran's Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, calling for the assassination of the author and his publishers.
We depart from the current Hamas-Israel madness, which is now on its seventh week of blood, gore and tears, and attempt to expand our hypothesis on the role of religion in geopolitical dynamics.
For purposes of discussion, three major global religions are selected as their communities constitute more than 60 percent of the world's believers. Judaism, Christianity and Islam, founded in that order, are the three Abrahamic religions that historically trace their doctrine on monotheism from their common prophet Abraham: Judaism and Christianity through his son Isaac, and Islam through his son Ishmael.
Abrahamic religions and violence
Perhaps havoc and violence were the underpinnings of Judaism. This was palpable when Yahweh, the God of Abraham, who, to test the faith of a mere mortal, required the slaughter and sacrifice of a child, Isaac. Offhand, this suggests a selfish, bloodthirsty God with a streak of cruelty. Or, perchance, this is an allegory to the coming of the chosen one farther down the line.
From the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Torah), when Yahweh, the God of Moses, called forth his people out of slavery in Egypt and back to the lands promised to Abraham's seeds, he directed them to kill all the Canaanite clans who were living in the land. The book of Joshua recounts the killing of every man, woman and child. This was not only a God perceived to be cruel but one who transgresses his own moral dictates. This episode of divine genocide has become a template for the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Israel in the current Palestinian problem.
Judaism was marked with religious wars, aggressions and deprivations upon the express direction of Yahweh, from their enslavement in Egypt for 400 years to the exodus and wandering in the desert for 40 years (circa the 13th century BCE) to their subsequent Babylonian exile; the Roman-Jewish wars in the 1st and 2nd centuries; and eventually to the Jewish Diaspora, the dispersion of the Jews outside of their homeland. Throughout history, Jews faced antisemitism and pogroms, violence, forced conversions, and expulsions owing to their religious beliefs. But the greatest of these was the Holocaust and the "final solution," the elimination of millions of Jews in Nazi Germany, which prompted the creation of Israel.
Christianity
Christianity traces its beginning in Judea from the Nazarene Jesus' time as a Judaic sect. Christians believe in Jesus as the Son of God, whose coming as the Messiah was foretold in the Hebrew Bible, thus establishing the nexus of the two religions. But the God of the Old Testament is a God of wrath, whereas the God of the New Testament is a God of love. And He sent his only son to die on the cross and redeem mankind from its sins. His resurrection was the solid foundation of Christianity. Yet in the name of Yahweh, God and Allah — and the religions that emanated from them — their adherents over the millennia have been in a permanent state of belligerence.
The first major Christian-Muslim conflicts came with the Crusades, which lasted from the 11th to the 13th centuries. These were the Middle Ages military campaigns launched by Christian kingdoms with the blessing of the powerful central structure of Christianity, the papacy, with the purpose of wresting control of the Holy Land from Islam, focusing on Jerusalem, claimed by the three Abrahamic religions.
And on the Fourth Crusade, in April of 1204, the papacy allowed the sacking of Constantinople and the massacre of the Byzantine Christians, which led to the permanent alienation of the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches.
Islam
This third of the Abrahamic religion was founded in Mecca in the 7th century by Muhammad, an illiterate businessman, the last and final prophet, when he started receiving revelations from Allah through the Angel Gabriel for 23 years. It may be noted that in the Quran, the books considered to be part of the revelations by Allah, mentioned the Torah (Tawrat), the Psalms of David (Zabur), and the Gospel (Injil) and, more importantly, referred to the two main characters of these revealed books, Moses and Jesus (Isa), as prophets. Islam spread primarily through military conquests by Muhammad the warlord and the appeal of the religion's message of monotheism, social justice and equality for all believers through the Arabian Peninsula, the Middle East, North Africa, and parts of Europe, including Spain.
Among Muslims, Allah is depicted as merciful and compassionate, but there are verses in the Quran that describe him in another light. In chapter 5, verse 95, the Quran describes the laws on the Pilgrimage to Mecca and that every devout Muslim must undertake at least once in one's life. But Allah brooks no transgressions as "Allah will take vengeance on him, Allah is all-mighty, vengeful."
In Surah- Ma'idah (5:38): "And the thief, male or female, cut off his or her hand as a penalty for what they have earned, as an exemplary punishment from Allah. And Allah is Exalted in Might and Wise."
And in Surah Al-Anfal (8:12): "I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieved, so strike [them] upon the necks and strike from them every fingertip."
And the internecine upheavals within Islam itself are no less serious and deadly. Of note is the Sunni-Shia sectarian enmity precipitated by questions of succession harking back centuries as to where the rightful leadership mantle of the Muslim Caliphate falls after the death of Prophet Muhammad in 632 CE. Sunnis believed that leadership should be based on consensus, while Shias believed that it should be passed on down through the family lineage of Ali, Muhammad's cousin and son-in-law.
But the more worrisome development is the rise of extremist Islamic groups — Hamas, Hezbollah, IS, etc. —that have captured the universal interpretation of Islam, threatening radical preponderance, making them palatable to their advocates. Suicide bombing, for one, is a totally faith-based act for the furtherance of political and religious aims.
All these are antecedents to Judaism, Christianity, and Islamic intolerance and antagonisms over the millennia, reinforcing the thesis that these are the impetus for more violence and wars.
Published in
LML Polettiques
Wednesday, 15 November 2023 20:44
Right is might is right — a mirror image
AT the end of the Second World War, along with the advent of a bipolar world, the behavior of the hegemons America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) defined the global power dynamics. Both countries were perceived to be the major winners of the war against the Axis powers — Germany, Italy and Japan — America ascendant in Western Europe and USSR, Eastern Europe, with America extending its influence in the countries Japan had dominated in Southeast Asia. With major countries taking sides, a semblance of a balance of power reigned, though still confrontational, with the creation of the Iron Curtain dividing the USSR and its allies against America and Western Europe, embodied by the rivalry of NATO and the Warsaw Pact.
Nonetheless, this precarious global arrangement favored America and the West, with these countries ramping up their military forces, with NATO greater than that of the Warsaw Pact. But these forces were all roughly equalized by the introduction of nuclear capabilities in both protagonists' arsenals, drastically changing the game in global brinkmanship and ushering in a new doctrine in military strategy and security policy, the mutually assured destruction (MAD). The use of nuclear weapons by any of those that possess them against a country with second-strike capabilities would trigger an immediate retaliation — and annihilation of both. The prospect of Armageddon underpinned this balance of power.
Unipolar world order
The collapse of the USSR in 1991 dismantled the bipolar construct. The end of the Cold War left America as the lone world hegemon, maintaining stability and, for a time, providing leadership, enforcing order, deterring aggressors, and restricting and containing regional conflicts from spreading. Globally, America has always bannered the ideals of republicanism, democracy and the rule of law — which were touted as the elements that demolished the totalitarian ideals espoused by the USSR. America's idea of "right as might" was its cutting-edge dogma in advancing its influence in the global power dynamics. These principles include its version of international law, human rights, justice and moral values, which are adjuncts to upholding freedom for all peoples of all races, religions, or even political inclinations. America's concept of "right being might" was crucial in compelling cooperation and, more importantly, advocating capitalism and free trade agreements overseen by multilateral institutions, which in any case are heavily Western influenced — the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank Group and the World Trade Organization (WTO), among others.
But America's rhetoric did not align with its actions. With its military, economy and geopolitical ascendancy, its ability to shape international events far superseded its role as arbiter of its ideals and molded international events to its own image. The unilateral use of untrammeled power tends to be abused. Afghanistan, Iraq and the various conflicts initiated by America and the West were just examples of these transgressions. There was no check to its promoting its own brand of fairness, justice and cooperation among nations. Subsequently, the "right is might" concept was abused, discarded and went down the drain, imperiling the rules-based international order. Consequently, all these may have sanctioned the authoritarian predisposition of other global power players, particularly China, which had been biding its time. And with Russia, we enter a multipolar world order.
Multipolar world
Conceptually, in this multipolar world, America can no longer impose its republicanism and democracy solely based on "right is might" or its traditional role in utilizing its soft power and diplomacy, promoting its values, and shaping global norms without repercussions. But it continued to maintain its dominance by leveraging its economic and military capabilities as well as its technological innovation and adaptability.
The US may now have to contend and engage more seriously with China and Russia and their major partners in the Brics countries, an incipient powerful bloc that has the potential to reshape the existing world order, to enforce a balance of power — a state of affairs still favorable to America.
While the US armed forces are still dominant, China is fast approaching parity, backstopped by its authoritarian allies with itchy fingers on nuclear triggers (North Korea) and those in the Levant with near-nuclear capacities (Iran) and renegades with oil money to procure nukes in the market. Russia, meanwhile, is bogged down in Ukraine, proving its military might to be ephemeral.
Might is right — the rise of China
While the US and its allies still have a huge influence in the geopolitical dynamics, nevertheless, "right is might" may no longer serve as an appropriate underpinning for a rules-based international order. China, in its recent actuations against the Philippines, revives the equivalent of the medieval age concept of the God-given divine rights of kings. In this case, as China is a secular unbeliever in the supernatural, then its communist party's God-given right to rule, "might is right," is easily the modern metaphor for acts of a bully. This is certainly true for its actions in the West Philippine Sea.
Witness the recent acts of intimidation by China this year alone. A Chinese coast guard ship rammed a Philippine Coast Guard vessel and a civilian boat on a resupplying mission to the BRP Sierra Madre in the Philippine-owned Ayungin Shoal (Second Thomas Shoal). In February, a Chinese coast guard ship directed a "military-grade laser" at one Philippine vessel, temporarily blinding a crew member.
In August, China's coast guard fired water cannons at Philippine ships carrying food, water, fuel and other supplies for the Filipino military personnel stationed at the BRP Sierra Madre.
To refresh our memory, the BRP Sierra Madre is a decrepit World War 2 vintage warship deliberately grounded by the Philippine government in the shallow waters of Ayungin Shoal in 1999 as a response to China's seizing Panganiban Reef (Mischief Reef) earlier in 1995. Both are within the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the Philippines.
The Sierra Madre is a pathetic poor man's version of a military base manned by a few of our marines. China has demanded the ship's removal and has oftentimes attempted to prevent resupply through repeated harassment and blockades.
Giving up this "Philippine base" will be tantamount to surrendering sovereignty over a territory we own. China's bullying will just allow the rusted ship to eventually crumble and be abandoned.
These encounters have heightened fears of an armed conflict in the West Philippines Sea. The United States issued a statement condemning China's disruption of resupply missions to Ayungin Shoal, stressing its position to stand by the Philippines and protect its sovereignty. It also reaffirmed the 1951 US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT), America's ironclad commitment to defend the Philippines against attack. And these extend to attacks on Philippine forces and vessels in the West Philippine Sea.
But China also understands the nuances of these provisions, reading its fine print only too well. China's insolence is the embodiment of the concept of "might is right." Its coercive acts are those of a bully, but China is acutely aware that they fall below the threshold for warfare, which the MDT implies, without which the MDT can't be triggered.
So, we continue to be bullied!
Published in
LML Polettiques
Wednesday, 08 November 2023 23:59
500+ Households in Cagayan de Oro 1st District to benefit from P23.6 million Sitio Electrification Program
Cong. Rufus Rodriguez, with Vice Mayor Bebot Rodriguez, led the series of groundbreaking ceremonies for the Sitio Electrification Program of the National Electrification Administration (NEA) and MORESCO 1 in six hinterland barangays in the 1st District of Cagayan de Oro City.
The Sitio Electrification Program is a priority program of the government aimed at providing electricity to far-flung and underserved sitios in the country. This program will install electric posts in the sitios, with power lines that will link directly to individual households. It will also provide households with light bulbs to complete the electrification.
Recognizing that electricity is a basic human right, Cong. Rufus Rodriguez secured from NEA Administrator Antonio Mariano ‘Nani’ Almeda, a close family friend, the funds needed for electrification of sitios in Cagayan de Oro City, particularly in barangays in the first district.
Cong. Rufus was able to secure a total of P23,692,116.31 for 518 households under the FY 2022 and FY 2023 budget.
The first set of groundbreaking ceremonies took place in Barangays Dansolihon, Mambuaya, and Tagpangi.
In Barangay Dansolihon, P1.5 million is allocated for the electrification of 70 households in Purok 3B and Purok 3C. There are 59 beneficiaries of P1.7 million worth of electrification from Zone 1B and Zone 3A in Barangay Mambuaya.
Meanwhile, 125 households in Barangay Tagpangi, from Zone 2A, Upper Maragat, Sitio Tinipigan, and Sitio Butay, will finally be connected to electric lines. The electrification project in Barangay Tagpangi costs P10.3 million.
In sum, the first batch of barangays under the Sitio Electrification Program had a budget of P13.5 million.
Cong. Rufus Rodriguez extended his heartfelt gratitude to NEA Administrator Nani Almeda, for heeding his request and prioritizing CdeO in this electrification program. Moreover, Cong. Rufus thanks the officials from MORESCO 1, the implementing company for this program, Board of Directors President Dir. Nonito Labis, General Manager Jovel Ubay-Ubay, Dir. Bryan Noble, and Engineering Services Department Manager Engr. Collen Tarcelo.
Cong. Rufus likewise thanks City Councilor Bernie ‘Bitokbitok’ Esparcia, and now Punong Barangay of Dansolihon, Kap. Ogie Roa, and Mambuaya, Kap. Philip Porras, for taking part in the groundbreaking ceremony.
#MrPerformance
#FighterParaSaKagayanon
#KatawhanUnaSaTanan
Published in
News
Wednesday, 08 November 2023 22:51
Toward a tragic prognosis
Fourth of a series
THE world has never been in a more precarious period than these days. The Middle East is about to blow up, with Israel and Hamas providing the fuse. And it is lit! Israel has invaded Gaza to destroy Hamas once and for all. Strangely, Hamas is strategically hidden in plain sight among the Palestinians. The annihilation of Hamas could result in the obliteration of Gaza and its people. And Hamas has the people's support. To recall, in the 2006 elections for the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), Hamas won the majority from the ruling Fatah, its rival wresting control of what passes off as Gaza's government. Since then, the militant Hamas has controlled the Gaza Strip, while Fatah controls part of the West Bank.
Hamas is a terrorist group not so much by its deeds alone but by virtue of its designation as such by Israel, America, Canada, Japan, Australia, the United Kingdom and the European countries; and four Muslim countries in the Middle East — Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. In another context, Hamas is not designated as a terrorist by Iran and Qatar. Furthermore, Russia and China have engaged in diplomatic relations with Hamas, emphasizing the need for a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Both Russia and China have supported a two-state solution, recognizing the establishment of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.
In a recent development, Turkey, a NATO member, has President Erdogan proclaiming Israel as an occupier in Gaza, breaking away from the Western-influenced NATO mindset: "The main culprit behind the massacre unfolding in Gaza is the West ... I reiterate that Hamas is not a terrorist organization." (Dilara Senkaya/Reuters, Oct. 28, 2023)
He has called for an end to the Israeli occupation and advocated for a two-state solution, with East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine. The lines are drawn between partisans of the Israel-Palestinian divide, except their standpoints are as convoluted as their alliances and geopolitical motivations.
Are there solutions?
The major guarantors for both sides have called for an immediate ceasefire, demanding Israel must abort its attack. A call for "ceasefire" has always been the default fallback to prevent the escalation and spreading of war and violence. Not America. It will continue obsessively to support Netanyahu's declaration for the Israel Defense Force's (IDF) total elimination of Hamas. President Biden curiously shied away from the conventional and fashioned an ambiguous verbiage — "humanitarian pause" — allowing food, water, medicine and fuel for hospital generators to be trucked into Gaza and allow hostages held by Hamas to be freed. For how long? Then what?
Skeptics caught on to Biden's pronouncements as a tacit acquiescence to Netanyahu's continued hardline position. The pause suggested by Biden plays to the global stage America's humanitarian face — and to both political hawks and doves during this American election season; and to paper over the Netanyahu government's criminal incompetence and intelligence failures allowing the October 7 debacle, while salvaging his image with his promise to the Jews to impose its own version of biblical retribution.
But these calls for ceasefires and pauses after brutal encounters since before Israel's independence in 1948 and through the devastating Six Day and Yom Kippur wars, intifadas, and deadly missile duels and skirmishes, and terrorist acts by both sides have always ended up with well-worn prescriptions. These phases, as proposed by the global community, are supposed to lead toward a final solution to the conflict.
The two-state solution
This original prescription, but reconfigured several times over, calls for the establishment of an independent, viable and economically vibrant Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel. The West Bank, sliced from Jordan, and Gaza, from Egypt, were the designated Palestinian-governed territories. The borders delineating Palestinian and Israeli territories are to be negotiated and access to and from each zone are permitted. Jerusalem, held sacred by three major world religions, was to have an internationally guaranteed special status and was renegotiated after Israel annexed the area after the 1967 war. All sides, including the international benefactors, were to help guarantee finding a solution for the Palestinian refugees displaced since 1948 and now condemned to live in decrepit camps, some in neighboring Arab countries, which don't welcome them.
In conjunction is the confidence-building measures, which could include prisoner exchanges and, in the current case, release of hostages taken during the October 7 deadly Hamas encroachments. A festering sore is the settlement expansion of Israelis on occupied Palestinian lands stamping a mark of permanency. To Israel, this is a sine qua non to its survival. These are to be halted. All these are directed toward creating an atmosphere of trust and encourage dialogue.
And last but not least is enhancing security cooperation by both sides, which is critical to countering terrorism. A drastic suggestion is sharing intelligence and coordinating efforts to dismantle terror networks, a long shot by far as Gaza's government is under Hamas. Any cooperation is predicated on a legitimate Palestinian government in Gaza rising from the ashes of Hamas that rejects terrorism. This is Israel's raison d'etre for Gaza's invasion, in effect allowing a moderate Palestinian government to emerge. A tall proposition as Israel "has been there, done that" during Arafat's PLO ascendancy. Israel abandoned Gaza in 2005, presaging the takeover of Hamas. Today could prove to be another cycle of unending violence, terrorism and war.
Is there a viable formula for peace?
There is none! Peace will not come to Palestine in our lifetime, but intermittent periods of belligerence and hiatus, and at best a perpetual state of non-war and non-peace. The causes are deeply rooted in biblical times, with religious undertones. I refer to the Jewish teachings on the concept of the "Ingathering of the Exiles" (Aliya) in the Hebrew Bible specifically in the Book of Isaiah (11:11-12). "In that day, the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people ... from the coastlands of the sea. He will raise a signal for the nations and will assemble the banished of Israel and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth."
The Talmud and various commentaries reinforced the belief that the Jews, the chosen of the God of Moses, will be pulled back from the diaspora and settled in the land of their ancestors, from whence the Messiah will eventually come.
The inhabitants of Palestine vehemently disavow the promise of the God of Moses and offer a narrative contrary to the Jews. From the Koran and Hadith, specifically in Surah Al-Ma'idah (5:21), which states, "O my people, enter the Holy Land which Allah has assigned to you and do not turn back [from fighting in Allah's cause] and [thus] become losers." This verse is interpreted as a divine injunction to believers to inhabit and keep the Holy Land (Palestine).
These two monotheist religions have conflicting directives. Yahweh promised the Land of Canaan (Palestine) to the Jews; Allah gave it to the Muslims.
The two-state solution was a formula for disaster for the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Ishmael.
Which brings us to the culprit of this wicked problem. Religion!
THE world has never been in a more precarious period than these days. The Middle East is about to blow up, with Israel and Hamas providing the fuse. And it is lit! Israel has invaded Gaza to destroy Hamas once and for all. Strangely, Hamas is strategically hidden in plain sight among the Palestinians. The annihilation of Hamas could result in the obliteration of Gaza and its people. And Hamas has the people's support. To recall, in the 2006 elections for the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), Hamas won the majority from the ruling Fatah, its rival wresting control of what passes off as Gaza's government. Since then, the militant Hamas has controlled the Gaza Strip, while Fatah controls part of the West Bank.
Hamas is a terrorist group not so much by its deeds alone but by virtue of its designation as such by Israel, America, Canada, Japan, Australia, the United Kingdom and the European countries; and four Muslim countries in the Middle East — Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. In another context, Hamas is not designated as a terrorist by Iran and Qatar. Furthermore, Russia and China have engaged in diplomatic relations with Hamas, emphasizing the need for a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Both Russia and China have supported a two-state solution, recognizing the establishment of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel.
In a recent development, Turkey, a NATO member, has President Erdogan proclaiming Israel as an occupier in Gaza, breaking away from the Western-influenced NATO mindset: "The main culprit behind the massacre unfolding in Gaza is the West ... I reiterate that Hamas is not a terrorist organization." (Dilara Senkaya/Reuters, Oct. 28, 2023)
He has called for an end to the Israeli occupation and advocated for a two-state solution, with East Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine. The lines are drawn between partisans of the Israel-Palestinian divide, except their standpoints are as convoluted as their alliances and geopolitical motivations.
Are there solutions?
The major guarantors for both sides have called for an immediate ceasefire, demanding Israel must abort its attack. A call for "ceasefire" has always been the default fallback to prevent the escalation and spreading of war and violence. Not America. It will continue obsessively to support Netanyahu's declaration for the Israel Defense Force's (IDF) total elimination of Hamas. President Biden curiously shied away from the conventional and fashioned an ambiguous verbiage — "humanitarian pause" — allowing food, water, medicine and fuel for hospital generators to be trucked into Gaza and allow hostages held by Hamas to be freed. For how long? Then what?
Skeptics caught on to Biden's pronouncements as a tacit acquiescence to Netanyahu's continued hardline position. The pause suggested by Biden plays to the global stage America's humanitarian face — and to both political hawks and doves during this American election season; and to paper over the Netanyahu government's criminal incompetence and intelligence failures allowing the October 7 debacle, while salvaging his image with his promise to the Jews to impose its own version of biblical retribution.
But these calls for ceasefires and pauses after brutal encounters since before Israel's independence in 1948 and through the devastating Six Day and Yom Kippur wars, intifadas, and deadly missile duels and skirmishes, and terrorist acts by both sides have always ended up with well-worn prescriptions. These phases, as proposed by the global community, are supposed to lead toward a final solution to the conflict.
The two-state solution
This original prescription, but reconfigured several times over, calls for the establishment of an independent, viable and economically vibrant Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel. The West Bank, sliced from Jordan, and Gaza, from Egypt, were the designated Palestinian-governed territories. The borders delineating Palestinian and Israeli territories are to be negotiated and access to and from each zone are permitted. Jerusalem, held sacred by three major world religions, was to have an internationally guaranteed special status and was renegotiated after Israel annexed the area after the 1967 war. All sides, including the international benefactors, were to help guarantee finding a solution for the Palestinian refugees displaced since 1948 and now condemned to live in decrepit camps, some in neighboring Arab countries, which don't welcome them.
In conjunction is the confidence-building measures, which could include prisoner exchanges and, in the current case, release of hostages taken during the October 7 deadly Hamas encroachments. A festering sore is the settlement expansion of Israelis on occupied Palestinian lands stamping a mark of permanency. To Israel, this is a sine qua non to its survival. These are to be halted. All these are directed toward creating an atmosphere of trust and encourage dialogue.
And last but not least is enhancing security cooperation by both sides, which is critical to countering terrorism. A drastic suggestion is sharing intelligence and coordinating efforts to dismantle terror networks, a long shot by far as Gaza's government is under Hamas. Any cooperation is predicated on a legitimate Palestinian government in Gaza rising from the ashes of Hamas that rejects terrorism. This is Israel's raison d'etre for Gaza's invasion, in effect allowing a moderate Palestinian government to emerge. A tall proposition as Israel "has been there, done that" during Arafat's PLO ascendancy. Israel abandoned Gaza in 2005, presaging the takeover of Hamas. Today could prove to be another cycle of unending violence, terrorism and war.
Is there a viable formula for peace?
There is none! Peace will not come to Palestine in our lifetime, but intermittent periods of belligerence and hiatus, and at best a perpetual state of non-war and non-peace. The causes are deeply rooted in biblical times, with religious undertones. I refer to the Jewish teachings on the concept of the "Ingathering of the Exiles" (Aliya) in the Hebrew Bible specifically in the Book of Isaiah (11:11-12). "In that day, the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people ... from the coastlands of the sea. He will raise a signal for the nations and will assemble the banished of Israel and gather the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth."
The Talmud and various commentaries reinforced the belief that the Jews, the chosen of the God of Moses, will be pulled back from the diaspora and settled in the land of their ancestors, from whence the Messiah will eventually come.
The inhabitants of Palestine vehemently disavow the promise of the God of Moses and offer a narrative contrary to the Jews. From the Koran and Hadith, specifically in Surah Al-Ma'idah (5:21), which states, "O my people, enter the Holy Land which Allah has assigned to you and do not turn back [from fighting in Allah's cause] and [thus] become losers." This verse is interpreted as a divine injunction to believers to inhabit and keep the Holy Land (Palestine).
These two monotheist religions have conflicting directives. Yahweh promised the Land of Canaan (Palestine) to the Jews; Allah gave it to the Muslims.
The two-state solution was a formula for disaster for the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Ishmael.
Which brings us to the culprit of this wicked problem. Religion!
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LML Polettiques
Wednesday, 01 November 2023 09:15
Cong. Rufus joins panel discussing Extended Producers Responsibility act to reduce plastic waste in the Philippines
As principal author of Republic Act 11898 or the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Act of 2022, Cagayan de Oro 2nd District Cong. Rufus Rodriguez sat as one of the panel members during the “Rethinking Plastics: EPR Paving the Way towards Circularity” Forum held in Mallberry Suites.
He was joined by DENR Undersecretary Atty. Jonas Leones, Nestle Philippines Senior Vice President and Head of Corporate Affairs Mr. Jose Uy III, and GIZ-BMB Project Manager Dr. Johannes Paul.
Cong. Rufus fought for the passage of the EPR law in Congress, which was approved last July 2022, as he found it necessary to oblige businesses to adopt programs aimed at reducing plastic waste through the reduction of non-environment friendly packaging products, recycling, and waste recovery, among other methods.
The EPR law mandates the compliance of large enterprises to meet the targets set by the law to achieve plastic neutrality by getting back or recovering the plastic products and plastic packaging of their products by the year 2028. Failure to register and comply with the EPR Act will result to fines ranging from P5 million to P20 million.
Cong. Rufus, during the panel discussion, underscored the importance of establishing recycling facilities all over the country, specially in CdeO (only 9% of all plastic wastes in the country are recycled) to help solve the plastic wastes problem. He will file a bill giving more incentives to recycling facilities.
Moreover, Cong. Rufus committed to filing legislation that shall mandate the inclusion of proper waste management and segregation in the curriculum for basic education.
“Compliance to any law needs more education on the subject”, Cong. Rufus explained.
According to Cong. Rufus, the proper implementation of the EPR law will be one crucial step forward towards a more sustainable and environmentally-responsible Philippines.
Recognizing the interconnectedness of the environment to health, poverty, employment, and education, Cong. Rufus is determined to develop comprehensive, relevant, and inclusive legislation and programs.
#MrPerformance
#FighterParaSaKagayanon
#KatawhanUnaSaTanan
He was joined by DENR Undersecretary Atty. Jonas Leones, Nestle Philippines Senior Vice President and Head of Corporate Affairs Mr. Jose Uy III, and GIZ-BMB Project Manager Dr. Johannes Paul.
Cong. Rufus fought for the passage of the EPR law in Congress, which was approved last July 2022, as he found it necessary to oblige businesses to adopt programs aimed at reducing plastic waste through the reduction of non-environment friendly packaging products, recycling, and waste recovery, among other methods.
The EPR law mandates the compliance of large enterprises to meet the targets set by the law to achieve plastic neutrality by getting back or recovering the plastic products and plastic packaging of their products by the year 2028. Failure to register and comply with the EPR Act will result to fines ranging from P5 million to P20 million.
Cong. Rufus, during the panel discussion, underscored the importance of establishing recycling facilities all over the country, specially in CdeO (only 9% of all plastic wastes in the country are recycled) to help solve the plastic wastes problem. He will file a bill giving more incentives to recycling facilities.
Moreover, Cong. Rufus committed to filing legislation that shall mandate the inclusion of proper waste management and segregation in the curriculum for basic education.
“Compliance to any law needs more education on the subject”, Cong. Rufus explained.
According to Cong. Rufus, the proper implementation of the EPR law will be one crucial step forward towards a more sustainable and environmentally-responsible Philippines.
Recognizing the interconnectedness of the environment to health, poverty, employment, and education, Cong. Rufus is determined to develop comprehensive, relevant, and inclusive legislation and programs.
#MrPerformance
#FighterParaSaKagayanon
#KatawhanUnaSaTanan
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This is really interesting, You're a very skilled blogger. I've…
Written by Merrill
on Thursday, 24 March 2016 12:35
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