blackshama's commentary on Philippine issues

President Barack Hussein Obama was reported by the US media to support the establishment of a mosque two blocks from Ground Zero in lower Manhattan, New York City. He cites the religious liberty rights of Americans. The construction of a mosque near Ground Zero [not ON Ground Zero as thought by some] has generated much heated debate. Some Christians have likened this to a conquering Islamic army establishing Mosques as a sign of victory. Surely such imagery does not help a dispassionate discussion of the matter. While the 9/11 attacks were instigated by Islamic militants, this should not be made to disparage the rest of the world's Muslims who sincerely follow the call of their faith to peace. The problem with tacking any denominational religious meaning to the Ground Zero site is that not only Christians were killed there. There were Buddhists, Hindus, Jews, non-believers, believers of smaller faith traditions and Muslims too. No religious tradition can appropriate the site which...

I was 12 or 13 or so when Dad and his good Buddhist friend Hama-San (who to me was my second father) brought me to a museum in Nagasaki dedicated to Japan's Christians and the persecution they endured as the country became a "closed one" and how the faith survived for 240 years after sans priests, nuns, rosaries etc. What I recall is the katana with the cross on the sword guard. This was owned by a Christian daimyo. I also remember the images of the Buddhist Kannon which is really Santa Maria. I also remember clearly the Fumie, or icons of the Madonna which Japanese were to step on as a test of renouncing Christianity. Japanese Christianity began with the Jesuit priest Francis Xavier who in 1547 landed in Kagoshima with co-missionaries. He carried icons of the Madonna and used these to explain to the Japanese what the Catholic faith was all about. By 1579, there were 130,000 Japanese Catholics by the start of the persecutions 10 years later, there were 300,000. . But the ...

EWTN has noted that President-elect Barack Obama no longer goes to the Church of the Lord, but to the Church of the Gym. The same global Catholic network also noted that US presidents have regular churchgoing habits whether they are Episcopal, Catholics, Methodist etc. Americans while holding steadfastly to the separation of church and state doctrine, still expect their presidents to go to church. Americans tolerate religion in public life as long as no religion is given preferential treatment. Obama may herald a European type of secularism that completely separates the religious from public life.

All Catholic catechisms state that a deacon is 1) a man in Holy Orders, 2) consecrated to the ministry of service, 3) may lead and conduct services except the Mass and hearing confessions. He can solemnize weddings and conduct funerals and is the cleric that proclaims the Gospel at Mass 4) may have a wife. There are two kinds of deacons, the transitional one and the permanent one. The transitional deacon is in a sort of probationary training for the priesthood. Later on he will be ordained as a priest. The permanent ones will remain deacons for the rest of their lives. All the deacons I know are permanent ones and one is married. Deacon Jody in Baton Rouge is a lawyer with a flourishing practice. He is married and with two grown-up kids. Deacon Paul in Australia is unmarried and is involved with university and crisis ministries. If a deacon is ordained as an unmarried man, he is vowed to celibacy. If a deacon is ordained as a married man, he is vowed to matrimony. Perhaps nothing shows...

This is the ultimate test for the scientistic Richard Dawkins. The Telegraph's religious affairs blogger Damian Thompson reports that in the UK, Turkish anti-Darwinists (presumbably Muslims) have been " funding a huge campaign to import bogus "altases of Creation" into European schools." The Telegraph has reported on Dawkins' attack on Islamic fundamentalism. After years of attacking US Christian fundamentalists, Dawkins had finally done the politically incorrect thing. (Bashing Christians is politically correct in the EU!). In my opinion, this is a welcome development. As Thompson put it "Don't get me wrong: Christian Creationism is bogus science and deplorable. But Islamic Creationism is bogus science that it's "culturally inappropriate" to criticise. Which is more dangerous, do you think? " It exposes the double standard liberals have. Here in the Philippines, the establishment isn't immune from this! The Don of Regensburg...

GAFCON (Global Anglican Future Conference) just ended with conservative bishops declaring their stand against the liberalism of the First World (read as US Episcopal Church) church in this statement . For those not very familiar with the Anglican troubles, the Anglican ethos of doctrinal comprehensiveness was sorely tested when the US church ordained its first openly homosexual bishop. This was followed by the Canadian church blessing same sex partnerships in church. The church is still very divided on women priests. Some dioceses and provinces have refused to ordain women. The Anglican churches in Africa,South America, Asia and Sydney had enough. So GAFCON was convened in Jerusalem. The Guardian reports the formation of the Fellowship of Conservative Anglicans (FOCA) as a result of GAFCON. This is a de facto schism. Evangelical Archbishop Peter Jensen of Sydney says the move would "order a situation of turmoil" and help to deal with "the chaos caused in the Anglican c...

In the old Christian calendar January 6 is the feast of the Epiphany when the wise men followed the star to Bethlehem and found the baby Jesus with his father and mother. In Spanish Philippines January 6 is when kids got their presents. When my grandparents were alive, I got my presents on January 6. When American practices supplanted that of the Hispano-Filipino, kids shifted to Christmas day when presents are opened. The wise men brought gifts of gold,frankincense, and myrrh. Some presents to give to a baby! But tradition says that these gifts were not for the child but for the divine in Him. Tradition also holds that the gifts were prophetic,with gold (kingship), frankincense (priesthood) and myrrh (sacrifice). To this day a monarch is expected to reign, lead the realm to God and if need be die for the realm. But who were the wise men or magi? Medieval tradition has turned them into kings but it is likely that they were zoroastrian astrologers from Persia. They were the scientists...

Finally, we have a fairly balanced orthodox Bible film. While some people may think Mel Gibson's "Passion" was faithful to scripture, the material for the film was taken from a German nun's private revelation. I never planned to see "Nativity", thinking it was one of those hagiographic dishes Hollywood cooks up from time to time. But I saw the traffic yesterday afternoon and I decided to cool off at a mall cinema. I wasn't disappointed. The movie is a new treatment of a traditional theme. OK. The movie producers did not offend traditional Christian (read Catholic and Protestant) sensibilities. The producers did not have to cook up gimmicks like having a scene where Joseph and Mary fulfill their marital duties (offensive to Catholics) or the Holy Couple kissing (offensive to Protestants and Catholics). Instead we see a young couple who are in love. Catholics are reared on an image of the Holy Family, but when I was a kid, I never thought Mary and Joseph...