The Other Gospel

Details: Category: Teachings & Articles; Published: Tuesday, 10 July 2018 09:00; Hits: 2722

The Other Gospel

By Augusto A. Kho

Dagupan City ; July 3, 2018

Revised: July 10, 2018 (Tuesday); 4:44 pm

“Incredibly and freakingly outrageous” is how I described the “Body of Christ” tweetly attacked each other in Facebook not in defense of Christ or the Gospel but of men. Like paid “Macedonian mercenary soldiers” they forgot their allegiance is the Lord Christ as “soldiers of Jesus Christ” (2 Timothy 2:3). Then I said, “I would rather listen to a ‘man of God’ than to believe a man.’

(picture1)

The other gospel

The other Gospel is conceived in this city during a prayer meeting. This gospel is contrary to what Christ teaches in Galatians 1:6-7 that says:

“I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel 7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. “

The letter of Paul was addressed to the believers of Galatia in Asia Minor now called Turkey. It has been called “Gallia” of the east Roman writers calling its inhabitants as “Galli.” They were an intermixture of Gauls and Greeks and hence were called Gallo-Graeci and country called Gallo-Graecia. The Galatians were on their origin a part of the great Celtic migration which invaded Macedonia about 280 B.C. They were invited by the king of Bithynia to ctross over Asia mInor to assist him in his wars,. They were great warriors and hired themselves mercenary soldiers, something fighting on both sides in the great battles of times. They were at length brought under the power of Rome in 189 B.C. and Galatia became a Roman province in 25 B.C.

During Paul’s second missionary journey who have been accompanied by Timothy and Silas (Acts 16:6), they visited the region of Galatia where he was detained by sickness (Galatia 4:13) and had the opportunity to preach the Gospel a bit longer.

On Paul’s 3^rd missionary journey he went over “all the country of Galatia and Phrygia” (Acts 18:23) where we also visited last year on the month of June together with my wife Nelids and son Isaac and around 36 more Filipino intercessors. Crescens were sent by Paul toward the close of his life ((2 Tim. 4:10) – Easton Bible Dictionary.

Phrygia or Phrugia means “dry” or “barren.” It is location in Asia Minor bounded by Bithynia, Galatia, Lucaonia, Pisidia, Lydia, Misia and it contained the cities of Laodicea, Hierapolis and Colossae (where we personally visited last year).

While Jerusalem is called the “Birthplace of Christianity,” Asia Minor (Turkey) is being called as the “Cradle of Christianity.” This is the place where Christianity grown in large proportion during the time of persecution when Christians fled from Jerusalem to a safer ground i.e. the modern name Turkey today.

The Gospel according to Paul

I’ve found Galatians chapter 1 a bit similar in my life testimony in Christ.

Paul have been in Arabia, Jerusalem and Cilicia which is a part of Asia Minor where the Lord brought me there as well except in Syria (Galatians 1:17-18, 21).

While God revealed His Son Christ to Paul as he strongly mentioned in theopanic experience on his way to Damascus with this saying, “To reveal his Son in me” ( Galatians 6:15-16 and Acts 9:8), the Lord God also “revealed His Son in me” during my journey to Saudi Arabia right at the Dharan airport in 1986 when He audibly spoke to me and translated me to another realm and shown me something in a vision.

Like Paul, my personal experience of conversion with Christ in intimate encounter with Him on the Arabian desert is hard to forget. And it is something worth fighting for when Paul said “I know whom I believed” (2 timothy 1:12). This former murderder-turned- follower of Christ whom he personally met can not be taught nor indoctrinated by another gospel or any other foreign teaching other than what he personally encountered from the basis of the Scripture. For him, the “Word became flesh” (John 1:14) that what was once were “letters” became “life” in his personal encounter with the Risen Lord (John 6:63).

That is why when Paul heard of the believers of Galatia turning to another gospel he wrote them a letter introducing himself from authoritative manner saying, “Paul, an apostle (not of men neither by man but Jesus Christ and God, the Father who raised him from the dead,” (Galatians 1:1). He simply putting a strong emphasis that his call is not from men but from God.

Then suddenly Paul made his direct purpose in composing that letter saying, “I marvel…” The word “marvel” In Greek “ thaumazo” means “to be had in admiration, marvel, to be wondered at.”

To Webster, marvel means “something that is hard to believe; a cause of astonishment.”

The he continued “ that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel” (Galatians 1:6).

Paul’s defense

The word “another” in Greek “heteros” means “strange” as “opposed to a person or thing” according to James Strong Bible Dictionary. Strong further explained that the word “another” means “one that is not of the same nature, form, or class “ but it is “ different” or “altered.”

So when Christians would defend a “man” or a “thing” in disguised of the name of Christ and the Church other than the Gospel of Christ then that is another gospel contrary to the true Gospel.

That is why I also marvelled tremendously how Christians verbally attacks each other like a wild beasts in the open as a spectacle in defense to their carnally-minded “pathologically theological ” background and expertise yet far away from the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

It is insane and improper to assails one another as a Body of Christ because no less than the head (Christ) who foremost feels the pain (1 Corinthians 12:26).

Paul’s defense on his profound faith in Christ when he said this:

“Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ,” (Galatians 1:7).

Again Paul mentioned “another” which is another Greek term “allos” meaning “different” from the very Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul argued that the “another gospel” can cause “trouble” to Christian believers in the region.

The word “trouble” in Greek “tarasso” mean “to agitate or trouble (a thing, by the movement of its parts to and fro; to cause an inward commotion, take away the calmness of the mind, to disturb equanimity; to stir up; to strike one’s spirit with fear and dread; to render anxious or distressed; to perplex the mind of one by suggesting scrupples or doubts.”

Ironically, the Greek god of dread is Deimos, meaning “the god of terror,” the son of Ares (god of war) and Aphrodite. With the “War on Drugs” now under the present administration, the spirit of terror is simply quite obvious which left over 22,983 people dead according to PNP Directorate for Investigation and Detective Management (DIDM) since drug war launched. That is 953 deaths per day for two years time.

(picture2)

With some of the bishops early this year. Believe in the Gospel not on the gospel of men.

The gangster?

When someone would say, “I’m more gangster!” won’t you feel a scary chill in your spine. The words came from President Duterte himself as reported by Genalyn Kabiling on Manila Bulletin dated June 29, 2018 entitled, “Duterte tells drug criminals: I’m more gangster.”

What is a gangster? Webster defines gangster as “a member of a group of violent criminals. And Proverbs 23:7a says, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.”

Will this be the “another gospel” that confront the Church to this very day?

Which one should we be siding now, to the” Gospel of Christ” or to “another gospel?”

Other gospel’s effect

Are you familiar with cause-and-effect? The same is true to the Gospel.

The effect of another gospel is tremendously poisonous.

Paul strongly condemned the Galatian Christians in 1:7, New Living Translation (NLT), “but it is not the Good News at all. You are being fooled by those who deliverately twist the truth concerning Christ.”

Christian’s gullibility

According to Harvard Institute of Socio-Political Progression (HIS-PP) in 2011, Filipinos was the first among “the world’s most gullible races.” Meanwhile another global study shows “ Filipinos are the world’s most emotional people,” (Gallup 2012).

So you mixed these two – gullibility and emotionalism? What type of Church will you produce?

Ma emo-ba tayo? Is the senseless fighting of Christians on the facebook with lack of substantial context can prove it?

In NLT, the word “fooled” is “troubled” in KJV while the word “twist” in NLT is “pervert” in KJV.

What is a pervert? Pervert in Greek “metastrepho” means “to turn around” or “transmute” or “corrupt.” In Tagalog or Filipino, it means “tumalikod, pagta likod, pagbabago sa kabulukan.” Can you call these Christian perverts as the “Christian mutants” or “The Transformers?”

Gospel of Duterte?

An article entitled, The ‘gospel’ according to Duterte” Rufa by Cagoco-Guiam which was published on Philippine Daily Inquirer dated July 02, 2018:

“My apologies to the faithful who believe in the four main gospels of the New Testament — the gospels according to Mark, Matthew, Luke and John.

When President Duterte uttered criticisms against “God” — “Your God is stupid and imperfect,” he said last week — he opened the floodgates to a deluge of reactions from no less than the members of the hierarchy of institutional Christian churches.

But this is not the first time the President had expressed his crassness and roguish behavior through foul words. Those words actually deserve no attention, except for the fact that they come from the mouth of the president of this country.

Because he is president, when Mr. Duterte opens his mouth, even his inane utterances and inaccurate remarks become “gospel” truth to many people, especially to the acquiescent members of his administration.

He has also publicly declared he is forming the Iglesia ni Duterte, a “religion” that sets no limits on attaining worldly pleasures, in complete abandon of the country’s regulatory policies on bigamy, or having girlfriends while being married. That also includes ditching social conventions on lip-locking a woman who is not one of his declared two wives and three girlfriends.

The Iglesia ni Duterte is slowly taking shape, with the solicitor general, the presidential spokesperson, his chief legal counsel, and his beloved staff at the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) forming his army of yarn-spinners, apologists, explainers and interpreters.

Maybe the PCOO can publish a collection of these pronouncements to launch the first book of “gospels” of the new Iglesia. And they can have it published in faraway Norwegia!.”

In another writer’s opinion who was a former Cabinet Member writes:

A DU30 church?

Entiteld, “Will excommunication and exorcism help?” published on Philippine Times dated June 27, 2018, Francisco Tatad says: “JUDGING by President Rodrigo Duterte’s insane and unprovoked attack on God, the Catholic Church and biblical teaching, and the faithful’s aggrieved reactions to it, it is not unreasonable to suspect that we may soon be reaching a “tipping point.”

A DU30 church?

An educated man is essentially a prudent man. But prudence is hardly one of DU30’s known qualities. He has no visible moral or spiritual qualities that could possibly qualify him as a moral or religious leader of any sort, but how many times have we heard him say he would like to form his own church? He reportedly envies and would like to emulate Supreme Minister Eduardo Manalo of the Iglesia ni Cristo whom he has made special envoy for the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).”

Excommunication

A certain pastor from Tagalog region who have a strong followings was ex-communicated from their ranks belonging to a very large church in our country. The main culprit is doctrinal by nature yet he strongly objected for public confession and disciplinary action. This man which I held with much awe of spiritual jealousy is one among my contemporary in the prayer movement. Up to now, he remained unrepentant and his integrity as a religious leader is very much tarnished up to this very day.

When the Evangelical Bishops have had their emergency meeting somewhere in Subic it is because they have to deal with another Bishop because of his questionable Prophetic Doctrine. I also personally heard this Bishop “cussing words” from the pulpit before a very large crowd of over 4,000 people. He too was under disciplinary action and he is now back in the ministry.

Sword of Government

When Bishop Eddie Villanueva of Philippine for Jesus Movement (PJM) and Bishop Daniel A. Balais of Intercessors for the Philippines (IFP) published their Position Paper or Statement on the President’s ranting on God calling Him, “STUPID” this bishop texted me a message to justify the “War on Drugs”. His text message reads:

A certain bishop– ; June 28, 2018; 5:17 pm reads:

The Bishop: “The penalty of sin is death. When sin has reached its birthdate it gives birth to death. God has appointed a servant who will administer His justice, with a sword – the government (Romans 13:4)”
My reply: “Pati pala ikaw Church of Duterte na rin? Pls delete my name in your phone book…”
The Bishop: “Ay he he. Hindi ko po binoto si Duterte my friend. Just quoting the Scriptures po”
My reply: “Your scriptures is being misused. God, Christ and His word has the absolute control and authority. Any delegated power to human government if abused or misused will be taken back by God. Human government can conspire vs. God in Psalm 2. I don’t agree with RC teachings but using presidential immunity to attack Filipino people that Constitution says “have sworn to protect and serve” is tantamount of devil’s work. No one has the right to play god but GOD alone.”

My point is this – the Gospel is non-negotiable. Should you have another gospel, I myself would be much willing to “excommunicate” myself from anyone or any group whose gospel belongs to men and not of Christ’s. We are not beholden to anyone, not to any religious group but to Christ alone. We can call this excommunication as a form of “atonement” or “sanctification” or “separation.” Why?

The wheat and tares do not match. The same goes with the sheep and the goats. Similarly, light has no fellowship with darkness. So Christ has no fellowship with Baals.

Paul’s defense

Paul defended his faith against this “another gospel” that confronted the churches in Galatia. Shall we do the same thing today? He said this:

“But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed,” (Galatians 1:8-9).

Paul was quick to give his implacable statement. He used the word “accursed” to those who are into “another gospel.”

In Greek “accursed” is “anathema” means “doomed to destruction” according to Thayer. Strong define “accursed” as “a religious ban” or “excommunicated thing or person” or “a great curse.”

In other words, Paul is quite decisive that anyone who teaches another gospel other than the Gospel of Christ is “DOOMED TO DESTRUCTION’ as a statement of fact and must be EXCOMMUNICATED.

NOTES:

Goat vs. sheep

There is separation of sheep from the goats. It is like the Feast of Atonement. Those who hear the Shepherd are the true sheep and while the goats listened to the voice of a man nor a stranger.

When Pastor Fred Merejilla text this message at 6:12 pm today saying “Sa tingin mo ser, tama etong reaksion na ito ni Bishop Dan? “ My answer was:

“Tama ba ang reaction ni Bishop Dan? What do you think? What do you think of David’s reaction to Goliath when the latter defied the God of Israel? When Tobiah and Sanballag belittled the Lord’s word in rebuilding the broken walls of Jerusalem, was the reaction of Nehemiah is right when he shielded themselves with spears and arrows with prayers and said,. “Listen our God, because we are being mocked?” (Neh. 4:4). How about us as a Church, tama ba ang reaction natin when God and the Bible is being mocked yet we defend a man and not our God and the Word? Are we dull of hearing? Are we blind? By their fruits ye shall know them the Lord Christ said. I would rather listen to a man of God and not to a man. “

Kris-Crossing Mindanao

The ‘gospel’ according to Duterte

By: Rufa Cagoco-Guiam - @inquirerdotnet

Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:07 AM July 02, 2018

My apologies to the faithful who believe in the four main gospels of the New Testament — the gospels according to Mark, Matthew, Luke and John.

When President Duterte uttered criticisms against “God” — “Your God is stupid and imperfect,” he said last week — he opened the floodgates to a deluge of reactions from no less than the members of the hierarchy of institutional Christian churches.

Because he is president, when Mr. Duterte opens his mouth, even his inane utterances and inaccurate remarks become “gospel” truth to many people, especially to the acquiescent members of his administration.

His words also become automatic directives that his all-too-obedient police force use to make warrantless arrests and inflict physical abuse, even death, on unfortunate individuals who just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, or so according to the police.

According to Mr. Duterte, streets are the wrong place to be for impoverished individuals to chill out after being cramped all day long in their shacks that are poor excuses for a home. The police are in the “right time” to pick them up if these people are in the wrong place making “tambay.”

Like many ordinary citizens, Mr. Duterte is not a member of a religious order. He is not, in fact, religious, and does not follow orders. And since he is president, he is the one giving orders.

When Mr. Duterte vilifies women leaders who dare defy him, his subservient Congress finds ways and means to cause their professional and career demise; Sen. Leila de Lima and former chief justice Maria Lourdes Sereno are emblematic examples. In Sereno’s case, even some members of the erstwhile independent Supreme Court have kowtowed to presidential directives.

He has also publicly declared he is forming the Iglesia ni Duterte, a “religion” that sets no limits on attaining worldly pleasures, in complete abandon of the country’s regulatory policies on bigamy, or having girlfriends while being married. That also includes ditching social conventions on lip-locking a woman who is not one of his declared two wives and three girlfriends.

The Iglesia ni Duterte is slowly taking shape, with the solicitor general, the presidential spokesperson, his chief legal counsel, and his beloved staff at the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) forming his army of yarn-spinners, apologists, explainers and interpreters.

Maybe the PCOO can publish a collection of these pronouncements to launch the first book of “gospels” of the new Iglesia. And they can have it published in faraway Norwegia!

Meanwhile, members of the United Mothers of Marawi Inc. (Ummi) continue to complain about the Duterte administration’s contentious Marawi rehabilitation policies. Ummi is composed of Meranaw mothers and families displaced by the Marawi siege.

One Ummi member went to the local Assessor’s Office in Marawi City recently to apply for tax declaration for thepiece of land where her home was located in Barangay Lilod Saduc, Marawi. She was told she could not apply for such a process for her land; she could only make a declaration for the building. When asked why, the Assessor’s Office staff told her the Ground Zero land is now a military reservation.

Members of Ummi are alarmed at this pronouncement. Is this a devious way to banish the Meranaw from their homeland?

Ummi members also harbor suspicions about the administration’s real reasons for subjecting Marawi to a siege. Fighting the Maute terrorists may not have been one of them.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Kris-Crossing Mindanao

The ‘gospel’ according to Duterte

By: Rufa Cagoco-Guiam - @inquirerdotnet

Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:07 AM July 02, 2018

My apologies to the faithful who believe in the four main gospels of the New Testament — the gospels according to Mark, Matthew, Luke and John.

Maybe the PCOO can publish a collection of these pronouncements to launch the first book of “gospels” of the new Iglesia. And they can have it published in faraway Norwegia!

Members of Ummi are alarmed at this pronouncement. Is this a devious way to banish the Meranaw from their homeland?

Ummi members also harbor suspicions about the administration’s real reasons for subjecting Marawi to a siege. Fighting the Maute terrorists may not have been one of them.

FLEA MARKET OF IDEAS; “ Transformational leader or false messiah?”

By: Joel Ruiz Butuyan - @inquirerdotnet

Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:22 AM June 18, 2018

Rodrigo Duterte was elected as our country’s president because 16 million Filipinos pinned their hopes on the expectation that he would be the transformational leader our nation has long been waiting for. When he won, did the President understand correctly the people’s expectations of him? Two years into his term, is the President fulfilling the aspirations of his countrymen?

President Duterte’s election into office was a resounding rejection of the politicians of the status quo. It was a strong rebuff against the usual suspects that have lorded over our country for so long — sweet-talking during elections, but who turn out to be false messiahs when they assume power. There was widespread belief that Mr. Duterte was the complete opposite of these politicians.

The people chose Mr. Duterte with the deeply held hope that he would fix the rotten culture of politics. Mr. Duterte began as a well-suited leader who could implement lasting structural changes in our society. As an outsider to “Imperial Manila,” he was not beholden to vested political and economic interests that had held hostage virtually all past presidents.

Forceful in his manners, with no scruples about rudely humiliating his detractors, and with the propensity to issue threats of persecution, President Duterte could bamboozle corrupt politicians and business crooks and strip them of their exploitative powers. The rare confluence of his unique personality and his detachment from entrenched interests armed him with the ability to disempower political and business personalities that have long exploited this country.

This was the most fundamental expectation of the people who voted for Mr. Duterte: to disempower corrupt politicians and crooked businessmen, and to institute reforms in order to make this disempowerment permanent.

On the ground, the people’s aspirations are couched in slogans like “end corruption,” “more jobs” and “lower prices,” but these are the mere effects of exploitation. For Mr. Duterte to be a real transformational leader, he should address the root causes of exploitation.

But what has the President been doing? Instead of disempowering the bad elements of politics and business, he has empowered them all the more. Traditional politicians and their families who have had a long history of wrongdoing in this country are enfolded in his camp.

Read the list of politicians who are allied with the President or who perform influential roles in his administration, and you develop sore eyes and gingivitis. If the President’s federalism venture becomes successful, it will result in making these politicians even more powerful.

Worse, the President is working instead to disarm the people of the ability to fight the abuses of crooked politicians and shady businessmen. This is shown by Mr. Duterte’s repeated vilification of the entire Catholic Church and the blatant persecution of critical members of the press. These are the two sectors of society that are able to mobilize the people into action by exposing shenanigans in government and in business.

While it is true that there are rogue Church officials, they are the exception rather than the rule. To vilify the entire Church based on the sins of a few betrays an ulterior ill motive. Besides, where is the moral authority coming from when, among the President’s allies, there is a reversal of proportions, with good politicians as the exception while the bad ones constitute the general rule?

It is grievously disappointing that the President empowers “trapo” politicians instead of disempowering them, and disempowers the people instead of empowering them. The President terribly misreads the aspirations of his people.

The President still has two-thirds of his term to change course by becoming the transformational leader our people have long aspired to have, and which he is in a unique position to perform. But if he continues in the path he has taken so far, he will join the line of false messiahs who end up forsaking our long-suffering people.

Comments to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Will excommunication and exorcism help?

By FRANCISCO TATAD on June 27, 2018 Opinion on Page One

JUDGING by President Rodrigo Duterte’s insane and unprovoked attack on God, the Catholic Church and biblical teaching, and the faithful’s aggrieved reactions to it, it is not unreasonable to suspect that we may soon be reaching a “tipping point.” People will see that DU30 is far madder than they thought, and Filipinos who could not unite on anything before could finally unite in defense of their right to believe in God and to demand the constitutionally guaranteed state respect for their belief. This is a fundamental requirement not only of their citizenship, but above all of their very existence.

What will unite Filipinos

Even if they could not unite against the murderous drug killings which have already taken thousands of lives, nor against the loss of territory in the West Philippine Sea which DU30 has virtually handed over to the Chinese, nor against the overflow of Chinese “workers” being pre-positioned in the country, as it were, to render a future massive landing of invasion forces unnecessary and superfluous, nor against a coalition government with the communists which DU30 has effected without need of a peace agreement as soon as he became president, the people will surely unite against any tyrant who tries to deprive them of their right to worship God.

They might not want to fight and die for anything else. But they will fight and die for this. DU30 is more than mad if he believes he could treat this matter as one of his vulgar jokes. Some people believe DU30 is a baptized Catholic who was educated as a young boy in a Catholic school, and should therefore be treated as a Catholic. Indeed, he may have gone to a Catholic school for boys – in fact, he went to a law school run by the Benedictines, a highly respected religious order. But he has shown no signs of having ever been educated there. I cannot see anyone accusing him of being an educated man.

A DU30 church?

He apparently imagines himself living in an antiquated world, where absolute monarchs had themselves worshipped as gods, and proclaimed their own state religions. History marks those days as the days of Caesaro-papism, when Caesar thought of himself as also pope, and tried to rule over both the material and the spiritual worlds; he could not countenance the existence of a Church that has dominion over the spiritual lives of men.

This disorder did not end with the Edict of Milan of 313 when, at the end of the Christian persecutions, Emperor Constantine of the Eastern parts of the Roman Empire and Emperor Licinius of the Western parts jointly proclaimed the policy of religious tolerance. Nor did it end with the Edict of Thessalonica in 380 AD when Emperor Theodosius I made Nicene Christianity the state church and the only authorized religion of the Roman empire. It took Pope Gelasius I 114 years later to make the binding distinction between sacred and royal powers.

Two separate powers

Writing to Emperor Anastasius in 494 AD, Gelasius (who reigned from 492 to 496) in his letter Duo Sint said:

“There are two powers, august Emperor, by which this world is chiefly ruled, namely the sacred authority of the priests and the royal power. Of these, that of the priests is the more weighty, since they have to render an account for even the kings of men in the divine judgment. You are also aware, dear son, that while you are permitted honorably to rule over humankind, yet in things divine you bow your head humbly before the leaders of the clergy and await from their hands the means of your salvation…And if it is fitting that the hearts of the faithful should submit to all priests in general who properly administer divine affairs, how much the more is obedience due to the bishop of that see (Rome) which is the Most High ordained to be above all others and which is consequently dutifully bound by the devotion of the whole Church.”

All in the Constitution

There may be no point quoting this old text, which needs updating in any case, to a lapsed Catholic. But the separation of Church and State, as mandated by the Constitution, obliges a president, whatever his belief or non-belief, to uphold other people’s freedom of belief and worship. The Bill of Rights provides: “No law shall be made respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. The free exercise and enjoyment of religious profession and worship, without discrimination or preference, shall forever be allowed. No religious test shall be required for the exercise of civil or political rights.”

DU30 has no business telling any citizen what to believe and what not to believe. To insist on doing so, even without cursing God, is an impeachable offense. But because of DU30’s stranglehold on the Congress, the judiciary and the impeachment process, there is no way of impeaching him for even the most obvious and abominable offense. Thus, some people would rather handle him through other means. They would rather see him excommunicated by the Church.

Excommunicate DU30?

Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to deprive a believer of the sacraments and other services of the Church. It makes no difference whether one is a king or a peasant. It occurs in two ways: ferendae sententiae, when the penalty is imposed by the judgment of a court or decreed by a Superior after a person is found guilty of an offense, and latae sententiae, when the penalty is automatically incurred upon committing an offense, without the intervention of a Superior or a judge.

Through the centuries, the Popes have excommunicated emperors and kings, and religious apostates and heretics for various offenses. The list is long and includes such names as Simon Magus in the first century, church heretics like Arius and Nestorius, Holy Roman Emperors like Henry IV and Henry V, Frederick Barbarossa, and Fredrick II, and kings like John of England, Alfonso of Portugal and Andrew of Hungary, etc. Even Napoleon Bonaparte was excommunicated by Pope Pius VII on June 10, 1809 for annexing the papal estates. In 1909, Father Romolo Murri, a leader of the Italian Christian Democrats, was excommunicated for delivering speeches against papal policy.

In the Philippines, in May 1898, Manila Archbishop Bernardino Norzaleda y Villa excommunicated Gregory Aglipay Cruz y Labayan, Supreme Bishop of the Philippine Independent Church, for being a schismatic. In 1903, Pope Leo XIII excommunicated Isabelo de los Reyes, founder of the Aglipayan church, as a schismatic apostate. All Catholics who had participated in the creation of the same church were likewise excommunicated.

Since DU30 has proclaimed himself a heretic or an apostate, some argue it would be meaningless to excommunicate him just to deprive him of the use of the sacraments. He has already excommunicated himself and rejected the use of the sacraments. He may even have already executed a will on how and where he is to be buried, upon death, so that it would no longer be necessary for the Church to deny him burial on consecrated ground, as it does to heretics and apostates. Hard-core doctrinaires insist excommunication may be necessary to mark a self-proclaimed heretic or apostate as an enemy of the Church.

Exorcize him too

But for some people, this cannot be enough. They believe DU30 is a person possessed, who must be exorcised. I am in no position to either agree or disagree with it, for although I have read some books on the subject by Fr. Jose Francisco Syquia, director of the Archdiocese of Manila’s Office of Exorcism, the matter is far beyond my competence. I would humbly and respectfully urge the appropriate ecclesiastical authorities to study the matter deeply and promptly and firmly act on it.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.