Is Religion the Leading Cause of War?

I was participating in a discussion on a friend's thread about our social ills as a people. We don't follow traffic rules. Heck, we don't follow rules, period. We tend to pull each other down, instead of helping each other up. We scam our own kababayans  and take advantage of people. Et cetera, et cetera. My friend was claiming that we owe it to our Christian faith to do better as a nation - to which I agreed, although I was quick to point out that the Church is a bastion of sinners, too. We're all works in progress, so to speak.

Let me point out that I also accept the fact that being Catholic means being perfected as the Father is perfect.

Anyway, there was this self-proclaimed atheist who replied -

This guy was insinuating that Ephesians 6:5 meant that Christianity endorsed slavery, while the real context was that St. Paul was trying to tell the slaves of that time (slavery was practiced in the Roman Empire, remember your history!) to love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, so to speak. Nothing different from what Christ has taught. So I said this, and he replied:

What the ________ did I just read there?

Did he seriously say that the writers of the Bible were 'prehistoric writers'?

First, a quick look at the dictionary:

pre·his·to·ry  (pr-hst-r)

n. pl. pre·his·to·ries

1. History of humankind in the period before recorded history.

Woah! Let's take a look at what Wiki has to say.

Prehistory

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For a timeline of events in the early history of the universe and prehistoric Earth, see Timeline of prehistory.

t e

Prehistory (meaning "before history", or "before knowledge acquired by investigation", from the Latin word for "before," præ, and historia) is the span of time before recorded history or the invention of writing systems.  

Prehistory therefore means that time before there was any writing system involved. Therefore, a prehistoric writer is an oxymoron. Laugh trip!

 Anyway, he continued his tirades against religion.

These are common arguments that we Catholics should know how to debunk very easily. In my case, whenever I see a good article that proves a point or would make a good defense on the faith, I bookmark it. I happen to have bookmarked a comprehensive article debunking his claim that people kill because of religion, but first -

Having said my piece, I gave him these: 

 I left the thread a few more comments after I cited my source:

If you want to see that book, just go here. 

Take note that I post this for posterity, and not to make fun of any atheist out there, as I even charitably blotted out his name and picture. I posted this to encourage everyone to learn more about their faith. God bless us all.

5 of the Most Unintelligent Things To Say in Social Media

I have been glued to social media, Facebook in particular, ever since I had an account about four years ago, partly because I use it to promote our pro-life advocacy as well as to preach the Gospel. The other reason is because like everyone else, Facebook, and social media as a whole, has inevitably become part of our daily routine. Ask the gal on the beach taking a picture of her sandy toes and posting in on Instagram. Or the guy who took a selfie on top of the mountain he had just conquered. Social media has become a totally new world in itself, a world dominated by vanity - and sometimes outright stupidity.

I have been part of countless online discussions and debates since I joined Facebook, and I have compiled a list of the most boneheaded comments and posts I have ever read. Take note that a lot of people adhere to these beliefs without really trying to understand what they really meant.

1.  "Don't be so judgmental!"

Most popular usage: 

• Defending Chito Miranda against his naysayers when his sex scandal broke out. e.g. "Bakit, perpekto ba kayo? Huwag nga kayong mapanghusga!"
• Trying to exonerate Anne Curtis who was said to be so intoxicated (some say she was high), she drunk-slapped the heck out of John Lloyd Cruz and his friends, and creating a scene in a bar. e.g. "Tao lang naman si Anne, nagkakamali, buti nga inamin niya, don't be so judgmental!"
• Trying hard to make Noynoy Aquino look like a saint, and that he was beyond fault during his mismanagement of the Yolanda tragedy. e.g. "Kung makahusga ka 'kala mo ang dali-daling maging presidente. Tutal ikaw henyo ka, ikaw na kaya maging presidente?" (followed by SHATTAP TUMULONG KA NA LANG!) 

This should be self-explanatory. Pointing out someone's mistake isn't the same as being judgmental. In fact, the one who cries "don't be so judgmental!" is the one guilty of being judgmental. 

2. "You're so narrow-minded/be open-minded!" 

Most popular usage: Somebody has the audacity to post something bordering on the pornographic on Facebook, and concerned users comment that it is inappropriate and should be taken down... expect some to reply:

• "Napakakitid naman ng utak mo. Buksan mo nga nang maintindihan mo na art ito."
• "Sus, konting open mindedness naman tol, 21st century na tayo."

What they're actually saying is that we should stop being such buzz killers and "just enjoy the damn video". It has nothing to do with being open-minded. In fact, by saying that we're such prudes and that we should be open-minded, they're being narrow-minded themselves - AND judgmental too. 

3. "You (insert race/nationality/religious affiliation) should be more tolerant!"

Most popular usage: People trying to make you accept a lifestyle or ideology that your faith/religion/values system has taught you not to accept. 

• "Catholics are the most intolerant people I know. Disgusting!"
• "I don't know of a more intolerant religion than the Catholic Church. Shame on you for going against gay marriage. Love is a right."

First of all, when you tolerate something, it actually means you don't like it, but you put up with it. For example, I don't like it when kids are too noisy, but I tolerate it since I have to let kids be kids. I love a clean house but tolerate some dust and dirt when my flatmates don't do their share of the chores.

Their meaning of tolerance borders more on acceptance, because these guys don't let you object to what they propose, to begin with! And when you post your objection, they tell you that you're a...

4. "Hater!  Bigot! You're so homophobic!"

Most common usage: Usually mentioned after number 3, in discussions about the LGBT agenda. 

When people disagree with the homosexual lifestyle, that doesn't make them homophobic. Disagreeing is not fear. 

Two years ago, Lito David of Ang Kapatiran and I went to UPLB to debate Carlos Celdran and Bishop Efraim Tendero about the RH bill. During his explanation, Lito pointed out a verifiable scientific fact: that the highest incidence of HIV belong to the MSM - men having sex with men. Carlos did not take this well, flew off the handle, and said (not verbatim)

"You are the most homophobic person I have ever encountered!" 

I really don't know why Carlos said that, since Lito was only pointing out the truth. A lot of people react that way too. Give them the truth, and you become a hater. In fact, as someone pointed out, the truth has now become the new hate speech. 

Other people may say it differently, but they mean almost the same: 

• "Enough with the bigotry. You're so hopelessly homophobic."
• "The reason why I left the Church was that Jesus taught us to love, not to hate, and that means loving homosexuals."

The last comment is just full of turd and confusion. Yes, Jesus taught us to love, and yes we must love the person, and hate the sin. Hating the sin and loving the person, however, actually means you have to call that person's attention out when it comes to sin. Some people tend to compound issues by combining number 1 and number 4 : Don't be so full of hate, you judgmental piece of crap. 

5. "There is no objective truth/morality."

Most common usage:  Used by atheists and non-believers who make so much fuss trying to disprove the existence of the God they don't believe in. 

They use this to explain that Christian morality isn't THE ultimate morality that everyone should follow. In fact, they would argue that the truth is different for everyone, depending on how one sees the truth. 

This is the easiest to debunk, actually. Next time you hear someone saying that there is no absolute truth, the most succinct way of shutting him up would be to ask: is that true?