When the RH Law is Just a Symptom of a Bigger Problem

This was in the news about a month ago:

MANILA, February 13, 2014 – In an ambush interview after the Tapatan sa Aristocrat Media Forum held every Monday at the historic Aristocrat Restaurant. Dr. Ruben Siapno, M.D. assistant regional director for the NCR of the Department of Health said that the department ‘will still provide family planning services’ even if the Supreme Court will declare the RH Law unconstitutional.

Siapno admitted that even without the RH Law, certain provisions of the RH law can still be implemented especially the need for Maternal Health services such as family planning pills and devices.

He however quickly revealed when asked of the difference of having and RH law and without it as, “funding.”

Siapno added, “We currently have limitations. We can only provide for the maternal needs of women but with the RH Law we can prepare even the children. It is important that children be ready in case and be aware what to do.”

Early last year, the Commission on Audit (COA) in its 2011 annual audit report of the DOH uncovered over P500 million in fund irregularities from medicine procurement, hospital, medical, various goods and services.

During the debates of the RH bill senator Pia Cayetano sponsor of the bill admitted during interpellations on Senate Bill 2865 that the Department of Health (DOH) had asked for P13.7 billion to implement the RH bill for the year 2012 alone – an amount bigger than the individual budgets of the departments of energy, finance, foreign affairs, justice, labor, science, tourism, and trade. – veritas846.ph

Siapno admitted that even without the RH Law, certain provisions of the RH law can still be implemented
especially the need for Maternal Health services such as family planning pills and devices.

The logical reaction here would be to say that RH is moot. The government is going to go with it anyway, so why enforce a law that is divisive? The RH camp has gone so brazen anyway to show commercials on condoms, pills, and injectibles even as RH is in the limbo of the Supreme Court. They’re going to implement RH services with or without the RH law, therefore there is no need for it, and no need to use taxpayers’ money for contraception.

However, it would not be correct for us to assume that this means the Supreme Court will rule in our favor next month, nor is it right for us to disregard RH and its effects. One of the first things Michael Voris of churchmilitant.tv told us when he arrived here last month for a series of talks was a very sobering statistic: according to the group Univision.com, who made a survey on Catholics around the world, 68% of Filipino Catholics disagree with the Church on Her teachings about contraception.

That’s close to 3/4 of Catholics here in our country! What has happened?

What do you mean "Bahala na si Batman?"

We were having dinner one night with a doctor active in the pro-life advocacy, and she told us about her experience in giving a pro-life talk to an all-girls school. She was floored by the questions they asked her in the open forum. Questions such as: “Is it bad for us to have sex? and “are you stopping us from having sex?”

Naturally, she asked the religion teacher why the girls seem to not comprehend basic notions of chastity and modesty. The simple reply was: “we don’t teach doctrines and catechism any more. Everything is “experiential “ (where they apparently share stories and experiences in class without the catechism or the scriptures guiding these children).

Our doctor adds: “one of the girls got pregnant and she didn’t know who the father was. Apparently the kids experimented on sex one night during a very sexual game in a slumber party they attended. The girls were blindfolded and they had to guess who among the guys had sex with them.”

Shocking as it may sound, these activities seem like everyday stuff to many of our younger generation. We have to understand now that there is a bigger problem that lies ahead of us even if RH does not pass in the Supreme Court.

Even without the RH law, we now have a society whose foundations have been disintegrating beneath us; lives have been cheapened, exploited and destroyed; our families are broken, our schools are no longer teaching the authentic teaching of the Church; our children are having sex and using contraception at an earlier age, and marriage between one man and one woman is in danger because of the threat of same-sex marriage.

The RH law is just the final nail in the coffin.

There are lots of reasons why these problems are upon us. It all boils down to the failure of teaching the faith.

We have a lot of work to do in order to reverse this trend. We have to spread the Gospel of Life one person, one family, one group, one parish, one school, and one institution at a time. There really is no other way than to strengthen our foundations, and there is no other choice but to raise our children along the path to holiness.

We have to do something now. Not next month, not next week, not later. Now. Starting with our own homes and our own families. 

Michael Voris and His Conversion Story

Michael Voris of Churchmilitant.TV is a staunch and vocal defender of the faith. We know him as a zealous and tireless son of the Church, but until yesterday, we didn’t know what his story was. We, along with the young audience of Don Bosco in Mandaluyong, were privileged to have heard from him his own story of conversion – from sin, to repentance, and finally preaching God’s word.

Michael during his younger days reminds
me a little bit of Brad Pitt and Robert Redford

 "I was working in media back then, and I was living in sin. My mother spent 15 years praying to God for me and my brother's souls, and I would later learn that it came to a point that she prayed: Lord, do whatever it takes for them to repent.

Two weeks later, she was diagnosed with cancer in the stomach. Every night, she would wake up in agonizing pain, which she describes as a thousand pieces of broken glass churning in her stomach. 

I asked my mother and father to move in with me from New York to Detroit so I can help take care of her. Later, my brother, who was in Texas, died of a heart attack. It was totally unexpected; he was very healthy, looked 20 years younger than his age, swam more than a mile everyday in the gulf. And yet he died. So when I got there, i was holding my brother Marshall's body, and I called my mom. I said, mom, I am here with Marshall, do you want me to say anything to him?

My mother told me: yes, please tell him I love him so much, and we will see each other very soon.

It was at that point that I realized how much of a mess I made with my life, and how I should be changing from now on. Holding my dead brother, talking to my dying mother- it all made sense to me now, that everything I was taught as a child was true, but I just didn't listen or pay any attention to the truth about our faith. 

Some months later, my mom died. As I was about to close the lid of the casket, I said my final goodbye; I put my hand on top of where my mother's womb was, and I promised her: This is it, mom. I will be a changed man, from now on. You gave your life for me, and your pain and suffering will NOT be in vain.

Some weeks later, I went to our parish, knelt before the statue of our lady, and said: My chastity is yours. I will live my life spreading the truth and beauty of our Catholic faith. And the rest is history.

There never was a day that went by that I didn't pray to my mom and thanked her for all her sacrifices."

Gays and Lesbians are People, First and Foremost

Yes, you read it right.

I am not against any person, regardless if he is straight or gay. Or whatever.

I have friends who are effeminate, and some who are gay. Christ tells me to love everyone, so I love them all, including the gay ones.

Love, however, rejoices in the truth, as St. Paul says. So as I love these friends of mine, I have to offer them the truth: homosexual sex is a grave sin. I love the sinner but despise the sin.

So let me make it clear that I am not against gay people. I am just against homosexual sex and same-sex marriage.

With that out of the way, I would also like to say that the LGBT agenda - the movement to normalize and to accept non-homosexual relations - has taken root even here in our relatively conservative country. And this is a very aggressive agenda. It is right under our noses and yet beyond the sights of most people except the most discerning. The shadow of the agenda looms over the horizon, and if we are not careful, we will see the downward spiral of society's morality and our capability to judge what is wrong and what is right.

For decades, we have been slowly brainwashed to accept homosexual relations. From the media to the news to legislation - the LGBT agenda is systematic well calculated. For instance - haven't you noticed that almost all our Pinoy-made movies and TV shows feature a gay or lesbian person? While people might say that these shows only show what is our current reality, we also have to realize that casting a gay character or two  in almost every show we watch is a subtle way of promoting the agenda.

Ladies, would you use this restroom? 

Today, the Philippine Daily Inquirer posted this:

3 gay students make difference in Zamboanga City standoff

ZAMBOANGA CITY—Momar Javier already accepted his fate that he was “going to die” while being held hostage by Moro National Liberation Front MNLF) forces in Zamboanga City in early September.

“But we needed to do something,” said Javier, 20, a student of Zamboanga State College of Marine Sciences and Technology (ZSCMST).

Javier is one of three young gay men who came out with their best during the worst of times.

Together with Peter Jupiter Galvez and Ram Mahusay, Javier provided food, water and laughter for the other hostages held by the MNLF forces for more than three weeks.

The MNLF forces entered the city, claiming they were instructed to march and hold a rally in front of City Hall where they will declare the independence of the Bangsamoro Republic. Their presence caused panic among residents and armed response from police and government soldiers, leading to a three-week standoff.

Fr. Michael Ufana, the parish priest of Saint Joseph Church, said the gay youngsters took care of his 70-year-old father Isidoro.

“At the height of captivity, these gay students offered comfort to my family. They gave their papag (bed) to my father and sister. They slept on the cold, dirty floor,” Ufana told the Inquirer.

Isidoro said Javier carried the priest whenever the hostages were moved from house to house during the fighting. “I carried him on my back because he could no longer walk,” Javier said in Filipino.

Galvez, 20, was the hostages’ “water girl.” His main responsibility was to provide water for cooking, drinking and for the MNLF men’s morning coffee.

The full story can be read here. 

I have to say that I admire them for their bravery and their heroism. Not too many people have that kind of courage and selflessness that these young ones have manifested. 

But wait a minute. 

Why does the writer of this article have to emphasize that the three are gay? 

Why does the writer refer to Galvez as "water girl"? 

I smell a spin here. 

Momar Javier, Peter Galvez, and Ram Mahusay are people. Gays and lesbians are people, first and foremost. Their heroism came from their capacity for courage and love, not from their sexual preference. Mentioning that they are gays is irrelevant, unless the writer wanted to make a point (or if the three specifically asked the writer to mention them as gays). Shall every other writer from now on write like this? 

 "Heterosexual Police Shoots Down Martilyo Gang Member"

"2 Gays Dead in Deadly Collision at EDSA"

"Palace Honors 30 Heterosexual and 10 Homosexual Athletes"

See how stupid it sounds?

Is this another spin to promote the LGBT agenda? I would say yes. Do correct me if I am wrong, but the word GAY is only used in a headline or in an article if the person referred to by that article is indeed gay AND is somehow connected to the promotion of gay rights. 

Let's commend these young men for their heroic deeds. The past few weeks we have had nothing but mostly bad news, and their heroism is a welcome respite from all the news about murders and accidents and tragedies and politics. However, we as Catholics and God-fearing Christians have to make a firm stand against the LGBT agenda that seeks to skew our children's view on homosexual relationships and unions. 

Yes, the Boy Scouts of America are now allowing Gay boys. 

My heart goes out to all of those who carry the cross of same-sex attraction. May the Gospel and the teachings of the Church fill you not with despair but with hope and charity, and may you always offer your sufferings up to Christ, who bore the weight of our sins and suffered at the hands of men too. 

A Debate Between Quirky Catholic and A Population Control Fanatic

First of all, let me set the record straight: this is more of a discussion rather than an all-out slug fest, and I would not call this a proper debate. However, I think you would like to know one thing about population control pushers, like the one I had a discussion with. They claim to use science and reason to push their agenda, but when it comes down to it... I will let you decide.

Just a brief background. I was tagged in a thread in a certain page. Lo and behold, I see our old friend, Antiqueno Pinoy, peddling his wares again, so to speak. He and I, along with several of my companions, have been debating him since 2010 during the early days of the I Oppose the RH bill page. I sort of lost track of him after the bill passed late last year, and I was a bit surprised to see him on another page. He is a rabid population control believer, and he insists that unless our country goes down to a TFR (total fertility rate) of 1.0, then this country is doomed. In essence, he wants to copy China's one-child policy, even as China has already turned its back on it. The reversal may have come too late, as you guys can read here, but let's save that for another day. Without further ado, I present to you Mr. Population Control Fanatic.

Knowing Mr. Population Control Fanatic all too well, exchanging facts, numbers, statistics, and studies with him in an effort to prove his Malthusian ideas wrong is as futile as Sisyphus rolling up his fabled boulder up the hill. It's like dousing water to Greek Fire - he will not accept any logical or scientific proof that will debunk his population control philosophy. So I took a different route, as you can read above and below. 

Hah! He refuses to answer such an easy question: do you have kids of your own, Mr. Antiqueno? He might as well tie a millstone to his neck and drop to the bottom of the sea if he were to follow my line of arguing, and so he deflects it and refuses to answer my simple question.

See how he tried to duck and weave by saying that my question was 'personal and emotional'. Following his statement of "high fertility(too many babies) causes poverty, the logical conclusion would be that his kids caused poverty too. If he didn't have any, he might as well just have none, lest he and his siring of children exacerbate the poverty we have here in the country.

For the record: Yes, his statement - high fertility rate is the major cause of poverty in the Philippines - is wrong. Many countries have already felt the effects of having too few babies born that would have been the future manpower and labor force of their nation. They have mitigated this by asking for immigrants, like us, to work and live there in their country. Countries like Japan, Singapore, China, Russia, Germany, Italy, Canada, France, and Spain have TFRs below 2.1 - meaning that their ladies are having less than 2 kids. Demographically speaking, countries whose TFRs are below the so-called "replacement rate" of 2.1 are the countries having trouble with too many elderly people and too few young people. In Japan, for example, sales of adult diapers are way higher than that of baby diapers.

This kind of mentality - that too many people cause poverty - is a theory developed by Thomas Malthus in the 19th century, and has been long debunked by Simon Kuznets, a Russian-American economist, statistician, demographer, and economic historian who won the 1971 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences "for his empirically founded interpretation of economic growth which has led to new and deepened insight into the economic and social structure and process of development". Here in Asia, scientists Wong Hock Tsen and Fumitaka Furuoka made a study called: The Relationship between Population and Economic Growth in Asian Economies. Their studies concluded that overall, there was no relationship between economics and population growth - debunking what Antiqueno Pinoy said above that very high fertility causes poverty; however, they also concluded that for some countries, namely: Singapore, China, and The Philippines, population growth actually causes economic growth, debunking Antiqueno a second time. 

It is one thing to debunk Antiqueno's claims; however, too many people, many of them RH supporters, still believe in the antiquated and long-debunked Malthusian idea of too many people causing poverty. In fact, this is also the belief of so many ecologists - that too many people cause the destruction of nature, ergo we should diminish the population for the sake of the trees, the animals, the rivers, and the forests. Bullsh*t! That's why I don't adhere to animal groups like PETA either. They place animals' rights before human rights. You don't see too many of animal rights groups fighting abortion and contraception, right? 

In the end, the debate was not meant to be. I was tired of arguing stats and demography with him, and he wouldn't answer my question either. But, I learned something very valuable with my exchange with him. When it all comes down to it, when we're dealing with flesh and blood, science can only prove so much. Beyond the numbers, beyond the statistics, beyond the ideologies, there are people like you and me, happy and grateful to be alive. Who among us, then, have caused poverty in the country? We're working, we're paying taxes, we're contributing to a better nation, and so will our children. 

My life is a gift from God. We are all God's gifts to one another. This way we enrich the world with our lives. This is my belief. This is why I cannot accept Mr. Antiqueno's belief that people cause poverty and misery, precisely because people are also the way out of it. 

I Walked Away from One Man’s Promise of Prosperity – And Never Been Happier!

Just before I wrote this I was browsing through the various viands at my favorite turo-turo near the Pro-Life office in Legarda. Hard to imagine that a few days ago I was casually dining at a posh Spanish restaurant, taking my pick among the different tapas, munching on croquetas and pollo and several other food items whose names I cannot remember. I was smug that I and my team of web developers, graphic designers, and writers will be working for a very rich man, and that we will soon be paid handsomely. He paid for our lunch by the way.

Our would- be employer told us his plans for the team over lunch on that fateful Saturday afternoon. I, in particular, was given a very specific job: to travel to his new manufacturing plant somewhere in Asia, spend a week or two taking pictures of the new plant, its people, and the scenery, then write a book about it. (I won't tell you where, but I Googled the place and found these pics: 

Never mind if I knew next to nothing about SLR photography, he was going to provide me with the camera, process my passport, and give me the money to buy the tickets going there plus some extra cash.

The pay will be good (which, out of modesty, I won’t post here – suffice to say that it was VERY sufficient ) but the perks will be awesome. We will have our own office, apart from all his other employees, but we can work from home if he wasn’t in the country, just as long as we were able to deliver. On top of that, he was also planning to rent out a place for us near the office, so we could be nearby if he’s around. We will be free to work almost whenever and where ever we want, and will be paid lots of money. Ah. Life is good! So we reported for work first thing Monday morning. 

There was, however, one catch.

Our employer was into the manufacturing business, and one of his products was the IVF, or In Vitro Fertilization, machine. The Catholic Church has always maintained that IVF, a process that produces what many people know as “test tube babies” , is immoral. After a few days of working for him, the team decided that enough was enough. (for those who need a little background on why the Catholic Church opposes IVF, you may want to read this, this, and/or this.) 

 The team thought we had made our objection to IVF clear, and also thought that we could make some sort of compromise: we will do our utmost to work for the boss on everything except things related to his IVF machines. Yesterday, however, he secretly asked two of my teammates to go abroad ASAP and help out in promoting his IVF products. What the boss didn’t know was that the team made a pact: we remain faithful to the teachings of the Catholic Church no matter what. We will have to refuse to work for a man who will lead us to sin. We shouldn't have made any compromise to begin with. The Gospel of Mark (8:36) made it crystal-clear for us: For what shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his soul?

I am a Catholic. Son of Mama Mary. Son of Don Bosco. With all my heart I turned my back on the empty promises of fortune and walk away with my head held high. 

Our choice was clear, but was in no way easy. I for one have been looking for financial stability all my life, and the work offered gave both artistic freedom and the answer to my financial woes. The job could have given me everything that I didn't have so far – lots of money, good clothes, gadgets, perhaps even a car or two and my own condo unit in a few years’ time, and still have some money left in the savings account to give my future wife the wedding she always wanted. All proved to be elusive dreams once more.

Bakit Iba ang Aura ng mga Seminarista?

Nag-post ako ng luma kong picture sa Facebook, as it is customary dahil nakiki-throwback Thursday ako. Ito yung napili ko kahapon:

A friend of mine commented: Bakit kapag seminarista, iba ang aura? 

Napaisip ako. 

Naaalala ko na madalas kaming lumabas noon as a batch, dahil sa mga requirements sa school. And we wore what was the fashion statement back then. Hindi kami dugyot tignan. But somehow, everywhere we went, people always thought that there was "something" about us. Something different. 

We went to this school deep in Laguna where they were shooting the hit show Tabing Ilog in order to observe some of their classes. We didn't tell anyone that we were seminarians. As soon as we got out of the van, they all said, uy nandiyan na ang mga artista bisita. We went to each class and observed their teachers and students. The principal met us in her office after the activity for a little chit-chat. Five minutes into our conversation, she said:: "Ang bait n'yo naman, bakit 'di na lang kayo mag-pari?" 

Kaya ayun, sinabi na lang namin na seminarista kami. 

Sa dinami-rami ng pinuntahan namin, halos pare-pareho ang sinasabi nila: Parang may kakaiba sa inyo. 

Parang may kakaiba sa inyo.

Kahit anong pilit naming itago, hindi namin maitago. Sabi nga sa Matthew 5:14-16:

 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

So, what really sets the seminarian apart, and why do people see something different in them? Bakit nga ba iba ang aura ng seminarista? Based on my experience as a seminarian for 7 years, ito ang masasabi ko: 

1. Daily Mass and reception of Holy Communion, Frequent Confession - We received the sacraments frequently; Holy Communion daily, confession at least once a month. Nakatulong din na may pari lagi na available para sa kumpisal. Si Fr. George Schwartz, SDB na aming confessor ay isang tanyag na siyentipiko sa Germany. Naaalala ko, noong buhay pa siya, kahit gaano siya ka-busy sa kanyang laboratory, puntahan mo lang siya at sabihin mong mangungumpisal ka, ititigil niya ang lahat ng ginagawa niya at ibabalik niya ang puso mo sa puso ng Diyos. 

Here's a funny video about confession. 

2. Daily Rosary, and Liturgy of the Hours - Mapadpad man kami sa ibang lugar, tinuruan kami na dalhin lagi ang rosaryo at breviary para makapagdasal kami kung saan man kami abutin ng oras ng dasal. 

3. Innocence - This is not to say that we were all pure and chaste, but inside the seminary there was a constant effort to maintain chastity. The time this picture was taken, I have never been kissed yet, never had a romantic relationship yet, and have not been influenced by pornography yet. I speak only for myself. Ewan ko lang dun sa iba d'yan. Hehe! 

4. They made men out of us - We were trained and treated like soldiers because we were to be God's army in the coming spiritual warfare. I cannot begin to tell you how seriously deprived of good food we were back in the minor seminary in high school. I will give you a clue: (Cue music!) yung sachet ng ketchup ng McDo, kinakain namin patago. Ang ulam kadalasan dati, kropek at itlog na maalat, o isang pirasong hotdog (hinahati ko ng pahaba para isipin ko dalawa yung ulam ko). There was very little extra food, but the little we had, we shared with everyone. 

Everyday, trabaho kami 2 hours a day except Sunday, at madalas mabigat yung trabaho, katulad ng pagtibag ng building at yung mga bato sinasako at nililipat sa ibang lugar. Tapos magtataka yung ibang tao, bakit ang papayat ninyo???

Hindi uso ang mataba sa amin dati; ang pumasok sa seminaryo nang mataba, katulad ko, pumapayat din. 

 Bawal kami makinig ng music o magtago ng cassette player. Bawal mag-tago ng chichirya o extrang pagkain (this is where we got creative - kapag gutom ka talaga, hahanap at hahanap ka ng pagtataguan.). Madalang kami umuwi, at isang beses sa isang buwan lang kami pwedeng dalawin. Wala pa kaming cellphone or internet noon kaya ang paraan lang para makausap ang mga mahal mo sa buhay ay sa telepono o sulat. Gising ng maaga, aral, trabaho, laro, dasal, aral, kain, tulog. Ganyan ang schedule ko sa loob ng pitong taong nandun ako.

Marami pang ibang bagay na nagpatibay ng aming loob na sa susunod ko na ikukwento. 

Of course, being a seminarian has its perks. Nakalibot ako sa maraming lugar sa buong Pilipinas dahil sa mga camping days namin sa seminary. Libre kami sa karamihan ng seminars na inatendan namin. Once every quarter, we were brought to watch a theater play or listen to the orchestra sa Cultural Center of the Philippines, para daw cultured kami. Lahat libre. Still, the life of the seminarian is not an easy one. If someone would ask me, babalik ka pa ba? I will say, no, masaya na ako dito.

I wish I could tell you all the things about seminary life para malaman ninyo bakit iba ang aura ng mga seminarista. I hope I was able to give you a brief glimpse of what goes on inside those walls. At para sa mga seminarista na nakakabasa nito, stay committed to prayer and discernment. Always obey your superiors. Shine, so that they may see your good works and glorify God in heaven. Para naman sa mga gustong pumasok ng seminaryo, I encourage you to think and pray about it.

I invite everyone to pray for your seminarians. They will be our future pastors. It is not enough that they have a different aura from us. What matters is that they answer God's calling for them, and in these confusing times, it is sometimes difficult to hear God's voice. Let us never forget to pray for all of them, including our priests. 

The Top 5 Most Absurd and Persistent Comments in Social Media

Through the years I have read a lot of articles, blogs, Tweets, and comments from Facebook to other sites. I found out the hard way an undeniable and glaring truth: the use of social media does not guarantee intelligence nor common sense. In fact, I think that the internet should be called Idiot Box 2.0. I have gathered some of the most uninformed and uneducated comments and status updates out there, and take note that these comments are pretty common comments made by a lot of people, not just some bloke who happened to think too far outside the box. These absurd comments have a way of spreading around, and people tend to pick them up without even thinking them over, hence you see a lot of people using the same comment. What’s worse is that those making these comments actually think they said something brilliant. Without further ado, here they are, ranked according to absurdity and persistence, and some explanation on how to respond to these comments.  

5. The Church is medieval, backward, and archaic

This comment is used to make the Church look like some collection of old farts and hillbillies who know nothing about science. Fact is that many priests and members of the clergy have degrees in various fields in academics, including the sciences. Even prominent scholars like Thomas Woods say that the backbone of our modern civilized society is the Catholic Church, who was responsible for the spreading and preserving of knowledge after the Roman era (through the monks who collected and reproduced books and taught and tutored so many people during these times.) The Catholic Church was also responsible for the scientific method and the university system. Nicholas Copernicus was a priest. George Lemaitre was a Belgian priest who came up with the Big Bang theory. In fact, many of our famous scientists were Catholic: Galileo Galilei, René Descartes, Louis Pasteur, Blaise Pascal, André-Marie Ampère, Gregor Mendel, Charles-Augustin de Coulomb, Pierre de Fermat, Antoine Laurent Lavoisier, Marin Mersenne, Alessandro Volta, Augustin-Louis Cauchy, Pierre Duhem, Jean-Baptiste Dumas, Roger Boscovich, Pierre Gassendi, and Georgius Agricola, to name a few.

It is also worth noting that many of our modern laws originate from the Ten Commandments. For a good reference on how to debunk the argument and other comments related to this, watch in YouTube “The Catholic Church, Builder of Civilization.”

(Related arguments: The Crusades, The Inquisition)

The Catholic Church is against science, you said? Copernicus is not impressed. 

(Related arguments: The Crusades, The Inquisition)      

4. Pedophile Priests

This is a common retort of those who don’t have anything intelligent or relevant to contribute to the conversation. It is also used by the supposed smart ones to buttress their argument, especially after using #5 – The Church is medieval, backward, and archaic. Of course, the fact that there are priests who abused children and minors is not to be denied, but anyone using some common sense here can sense that the media has blown this out of proportion. Penn State professor Philip Jenkins (who is not a Catholic) has written the most objective book on the subject, and he summarizes his arguments in this excellent article. In light of his work, we should remember some basic facts and principles:

·                   ·         All religious groups have pedophile scandals, and the Catholics (while the largest religious                  group) are at the bottom of the list statistically.

·                 ·         Child abuse is prevalent in all areas of society: schools, youth organizations, sports, etc.

·         Statistically, of all the professions, Christian clergy are least likely to offend. Doctors, Farmers and Teachers are the professions most likely to abuse children–not clergy.

·         Among clergy offenders Catholic priests are least likely to offend.

• Catholic cases of pedophilia make more headlines because of anti Catholic prejudice and because the Catholic Church is bigger and more lucrative to sue.
• The number of Catholic priests guilty of pedophilia is very small.
• What we now call ‘cover up’ was often done in a different cultural context, when the problem was not fully understood and when all establishment organizations hushed scandals. They did so for what seemed good reasons at the time: protection of the victims and their families, opportunity for rehabilitation of the offender, the avoidance of scandal to others. It is unfair to judge events thirty years ago by today’s standards.

Again, while we do not deny the existence of priests who have committed atrocious sexual crimes against minors, we have to put things into context in order to come up with the truth. Professor Jenkin’s book is for sale here.              

3. Jesus taught us to love, not to hate

Used by those who advocate homosexual acts and same-sex marriage. Same-sex union proponents often make the excuse (a heretical excuse if I may add) that nowhere in the Bible does Jesus say that homosexual acts are wrong. Ironically, the ones who make these comments are the ones who have either rejected Christianity or the ones who are totally ignorant of it. The Judeo-Christian tradition has always maintained that homosexual acts are intrinsically wrong. This is the same tradition that was handed to Jesus, and the tradition that Jesus lived in. Sure, Jesus taught love, but Jesus also taught to “sin no more.”

There would always be people and groups who will twist the scriptures and the teachings of the Catholic Church in order to validate homosexual relationships. In my opinion, however, we need to be extra understanding to our brethren with Same Sex Attraction; not to the point of tolerating the sin, of course, but to understand that they must have encountered something very wrong in their childhood, something very painful, for them to have SSA.

Here are the teachings on Homosexuality and the homosexual act based on the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

2357 Homosexuality refers to relations between men or between women who experience an exclusive or predominant sexual attraction toward persons of the same sex. It has taken a great variety of forms through the centuries and in different cultures. Its psychological genesis remains largely unexplained. Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity, tradition has always declared that "homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered." They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved.

2358 The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God's will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord's Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition.

2359 Homosexual persons are called to chastity. By the virtues of self-mastery that teach them inner freedom, at times by the support of disinterested friendship, by prayer and sacramental grace, they can and should gradually and resolutely approach Christian perfection.

Father, forgive them for they think they're cool by doing this. 

In a nutshell: No, we as Catholics can never approve of homosexual acts and same-sex marriage because it is by itself wrong, and goes against natural law. However, we need to free people with SSA from unjust discrimination, and treat them with the utmost respect. The person with SSA is thereby called to a life of chastity, just like every Catholic. That’s the clear and unmistakable stand of the Church. There should be no hate, nor judgment, nor bigotry involved; just a genuine desire for our brethren with SSA to lead meaningful and holy lives.

(Related arguments: Catholics are homophobic haters and bigots who do not support equality)       

2. You Catholics Worship Images!

This is one of the more common ones, and anti-Catholics do not seem to understand their scripture, or even basic human nature. If I were to look at the portrait of my mother, and say “Mum, I love you”, did I mean that I love the portrait, or my mother?

The website Catholic Answers explains the issue very thoroughly:

"Because Catholics have statues in their churches, goes the accusation, they are violating God’s commandment: "You shall not make for yourself a graven image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: you shall not bow down to them or serve them" (Ex. 20:4–5); "Alas, this people have sinned a great sin; they have made for themselves gods of gold" (Ex. 32:31). 

The Ark of the Covenant. Found by Indiana Jones. Kept at Hangar 51.

It is right to warn people against the sin of idolatry when they are committing it. But calling Catholics idolaters because they have images of Christ and the saints is based on misunderstanding or ignorance of what the Bible says about the purpose and uses (both good and bad) of statues. 

Yet if people were to "search the scriptures" (cf. John 5:39), they would find the opposite is true. God forbade the worship of statues, but he did not forbid the religious use of statues. Instead, he actually commanded their use in religious contexts! 

 God Said To Make Them

People who oppose religious statuary forget about the many passages where the Lord commands the making of statues. For example: "And you shall make two cherubim of gold [i.e., two gold statues of angels]; of hammered work shall you make them, on the two ends of the mercy seat. Make one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the other end; of one piece of the mercy seat shall you make the cherubim on its two ends. The cherubim shall spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their wings, their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be" (Ex. 25:18–20). 

David gave Solomon the plan "for the altar of incense made of refined gold, and its weight; also his plan for the golden chariot of the cherubim that spread their wings and covered the ark of the covenant of the Lord. All this he made clear by the writing of the hand of the Lord concerning it all, all the work to be done according to the plan" (1 Chr. 28:18–19). David’s plan for the temple, which the biblical author tells us was "by the writing of the hand of the Lord concerning it all," included statues of angels. 

Similarly Ezekiel 41:17–18 describes graven (carved) images in the idealized temple he was shown in a vision, for he writes, "On the walls round about in the inner room and [on] the nave were carved likenesses of cherubim."  

The Religious Uses of Images

Moses apparently did not get the memo about
not making images. Hmm. 

During a plague of serpents sent to punish the Israelites during the exodus, God told Moses to "make [a statue of] a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and every one who is bitten, when he sees it shall live. So Moses made a bronze serpent, and set it on a pole; and if a serpent bit any man, he would look at the bronze serpent and live" (Num. 21:8–9). One had to look at the bronze statue of the serpent to be healed, which shows that statues could be used ritually, not merely as religious decorations. 

1. The Catholic Church opposes RH so that there are more babies, ergo more collection during baptism and more future mass-goers

This is so absurd that I hesitate to even answer this argument whenever I encounter it. It’s an argument based on ignorance, malice, arrogance, lack of common sense, and hasty judgment. Of course any parish or church would need funds in order to survive. That is the basic reality of this world: you have to pay the bills, pay your workers, repair damaged buildings, and purchase all the necessary things like food. The argument is malicious because it implies that the clergy are making their services as fund-raisers. While it is true that some abuse their authority, again we have to understand that there are temporal matters to consider.

A related argument I see often is: Why doesn’t the Pope sell the Vatican and give the money to the poor? Sarah Silverman made the same argument in a video 4 years ago. Okay, let’s say we do sell the Vatican, collect around 500 billion, and feed the poor of the world. How long can that money last, you think? Not very long, we all know. Meanwhile, we have not addressed the real issues that cause poverty, and the same people we have helped this year with the 500 billion will still be poor the next year – and the Church, the biggest charitable organization in the world, reaching out to more people than any government can, is out of funds.

The same can be said of the RH law. Give them condoms and pills, but not address the real problems exacerbating and causing their poverty, then you have just wasted billions of taxpayers’ money on contraceptives.

So, is your friend still keen on selling the Vatican? If he says yes, then I have good news for him: Judas thought along the same lines.

I fondly remember my English teacher back in 4^th year high school who said, “Intelligence is like underwear. If you don’t have it, it shows.” We should be committed to the truth always. Practice humility at all times, especially during heated discussions. If you see more common and absurd comments, please type them at the comment box below, and let us all discover the truth (and laugh uncontrollably) together.