marielle

[juliannech]

An Eye for an Eye

  “Real eyes realize real lies.” Cliché? Of course. You hear it everywhere. Others say all you have to do is look into the eyes and you will realize. But then, what do you realize?

  William Shakespeare once said, “The eyes are the window to the soul.” Now look into the eyes and tell me what you see. Do you see a goon in a man full of tattoos? Or a hooker in a lady sitting with a bunch of men? Is seeing enough for believing? If that’s the case, how can you see the good in someone if he, himself, doesn’t even know he has it? I want you to take another look. More closely, more precisely, do you see the fire burning in their eyes as emotions yearn to transpire? Because here, I ask of you, you need to see beyond a façade.

  Hiding the tears that fall like the rain and the marks made by a blade. How did he get here? Let’s start from the very beginning. While major depressive disorder’s exact cause remains unknown; sexual and emotional abuse, medical conditions, combination of genes, and stress can increase the risk of developing the condition. In fact, citing a report of the National Poison Management and Control Center (NPMCC) of the Philippine General Hospital, Filipino kids as young as 10 years old have committed suicide due to depression. It tends to become a big reason in doubting God and His ways of strengthening our faith in Him. People with depression tend to think that there is always something missing. They feel lost as they are waiting for someone who can fully understand their situation without having to look at them with judging eyes. It appears that these people seem to be always hiding. Yes, hiding their emotions to  the world and its censorious eyes. The thing here is, the emotions they keep suppressing are also the emotions that make them humans. I want you to understand that depression affects not only the person’s outlook in life, but also the people’s stance toward him. The question here shouldn’t only be how his soul can overcome the despair written in his eyes but also how the people would look underneath the illusion and see the Church in him.

  Rather than assessing the credibility of a person, why not open an opportunity for him to uncover the potentials he is hiding? Here is a passage from Romans 14:1 - “As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions.” It states here that he, who is not well acquainted with the principles of the Church, should be welcomed. Not to be judged by the thoughts that differ from him, but to bear with his weakness.  This tells us not to see others over non-essentials things. Instead, we must accept them and see the good in them for we are all created in the image and likeness of God.

  The Church here stands as a structure. Not a building but a structure. It is a structure that is planted within us. May it be in a dark place or in a place where the sun never stops rising. Still, it is the Church. Whether in a problematic person or a person with the most positive outlook in life, the Church will remain being the Church that dwells in us.

  I assume you all know the game ‘hide and seek’. You hide and I will seek. No. Because starting today, we will change the game. WE will seek. They do not need to hide to the world because we will seek with them to find what is missing. We will seek to know the feelings that they are hiding inside. We will seek to see the true form of the Holy Spirit that lives within each and every one of us. Today is not a day to use your eyes to see, today is the day you start using your heart to really see, feel and understand.

  I want you to stay in front of a mirror while reading the title once again. This time I want you to see that the eyes aren’t just mere windows, but a connection of the mundane world to the core of humanity. A soul seeing another soul, an eye reflecting the center of a human’s core. Now, look closely at the mirror. Observe. Slowly, carefully, I want you to fathom that it takes more than what meets the eye to view your heart’s desire. Now tell me, do you still see the color of your eyes or a reflection that lies within your eyes?   

[xrosemaryc]

Weapons for Toys

     The world is now at its lowest point because what valid reason is there to put kids in war? Child soldiery is the act of recruiting children below the age of 18 into the military. Over the past twelve years, there have been armed conflicts involving child soldiers in at least thirty-six countries around the world. One of the countries who used child soldiers is Germany. Due to a lot of casualties they recruited children from the ages 16-17 but eventually by the end of the war, they recruited children aged 12. It was once a norm in the society to draft child soldiers but now that the tides have changed, intellectual people have taken their stands on this issue, there is no longer a need for children to be put in that kind of position where they think that the only choice they have is between life or death, there is no longer a need for children to be put in the place of an adult when they should be happy living with their family where their needs are sufficient. Now that this issue has gained popularity, religious groups have given their stand on this issue summarized with this saying, “Every child has a basic right to live a healthy, happy, life along with every other human being,” as is outlined by the first Catholic social teaching. So no, there isn’t any reason to put a child in war. There will never be a valid reason for putting a child in a place of suffering and death, whether it be for patriotism or for any other purpose.

     Every life is special, and with that, any amount wouldn’t suffice for a life of a human. Children also have rights. There are laws made to ensure that they get their basic needs and that they live a peaceful life. Recruiting children into the battlefield is a way of taking away their rights as a child, forcing them, however, is taking away their rights as a human. Several laws have been made to ensure that the rights of these children are met. International laws are as such; United Nations’ “Children in armed conflict”, International Humanitarian Law “Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts”, International Labor Law “Worst Forms of Child Labour Recommendation”, and United Nations’ “War crimes”. We are all children of God, and as such we should respect our life and the lives of others because that’s what we deserve.

     Solidarity, harmony, a united group of people with a common interest, or a mutual support group, however you call it, it will still be the same. The world is still supposed to be a place of solidarity. Every one of us is a part of a family. We are all one big family, imagine having your son or daughter taken away and being sent to the military. What kind of injustice was brought to your family is what you’ll think and that’s true. This is why we shouldn’t let any child get conscribed. The Philippines has become one of the countries committed to ending the use of child soldiers. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front together with UNICEF have pledged to safeguard and protect the lives of the children by implementing an action plan dedicated to denying these children access to the military fronts and armed conflicts. They have thought of a better way of using these children, they put them in school, which is the actual purpose of a child, instead of letting them fight in combats. God made us all and he expected us to stick to the term “one”. We are all created as one and to stay as one means no one is left to choose a life wherein there is doubt if he is still alive especially giving that responsibility to a child.

     The family is the foundation of a society and is essential for a healthy psychological growth of a human being. The issue of child soldiery is due to the fact that children are being taken away from their families, which destroy the sacredness of the family environment. The emotional state of the child is damaged due to the trauma of being snatched from their family. There are certain conflict groups like the Sudan’s People Liberation Army, the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda, the Afghan Taliban leadership Quetta Shura, and the New People’s Army in the Philippines, whose goal is to completely eliminate the child’s past life in order to establish a new life wherein their mind is completely committed to war. One child who was interviewed by Peter W. Singer, an Australian moral philosopher, said “that sight of blood and crying of people in pain, triggered something inside me that I didn’t understand, but it made me past the point of compassion for other. I lost my sense of self.” This is how much these children of God have been forced to suffer.

     These children have been recruited from families due to the parent’s lack of decent work. These poor families just became poorer. Now, they aren’t just poor due to the lack of money but because their child has been taken from them. A way to solve this issue is to have an availability of decent work for those families living in extremely poor locations. Having a variety of work wherein the workers can receive the basic rights and would be acknowledged and respected would improve the society. God didn’t place these into this world to be slaves of conflict groups just because of poverty. Finding a solution to the amount of decent work would give a solution to the issue of child military enlistment.

     The issue on poverty causes so much more problems than the government can deal with and one of these is that most of the child soldiers come from the poorest and most vulnerable families. Conflict groups take these children from poor families because they think that it is a sign of weakness which makes it easier for them to kidnap and utilize the children for combat purposes. One of the victims of child recruitment is Tarik, not his real name, he, together with his five brothers were recruited into the military at an early age on their own terms but placed into the position due to the fact that they live in Aleppo, Syria where there is no steady access to water and electricity and is one of the most war-ravaged cities in Syria. He had this to say, “I used to be a very loving person, but the war changed my feelings,” he said. “I thought that only with fighting could I get back what I lost.”

     We are called by God to help take care of the environment and the recruitment of child soldiers isn’t helping. Just the topic of war isn’t helping the environment. As children, we are taught to take care of the beauty of the ecosystem which God designed specifically for us. The child soldiers aren’t given the kind of education we’ve received about taking care of the environment. It’s sad to think that just the act of taking care of their surroundings wasn’t taught to them because they didn’t receive the proper basic education that everyone should receive once in their life. Other than that, the families of the child soldiers are most likely relying on agriculture to sustain themselves, the conflict groups choose to target these kinds of families to cause chaos and fear. This is an act of wasting what God has given us, it is a discourteous act wherein they expect to achieve an easy route onto the manipulation of the kids.

     The human rights of these children are taken away by the act of snatching them from their families because of the lack of decent work in a place of poverty and lack of solitude. They are forced into a place of war wherein they destroy all of God’s creations. Our world will be able to rise eventually but that won’t be because of war. Don’t children have better purposes and that is to be the future of our world? There are more a lot more ways to solve an issue and yet this world still chooses to use war as a solution, and not only that but by using children as soldiers, why don’t we stop recruiting these children into the army and start looking for better options? 

[jadacastilloo-blog]

Combat in terrorism

Combat in Terrorism

Why do we battle against humanity? Why is the world cruel enough to do this kind of thing? Terrorism should stop because it forces freedoms to be taken away from every country, killing innocent people and promotes hate and discrimination. We are victims of injustice and violence. We fight for equal rights. According to the Miriam Webster dictionary, the meaning of terrorism is the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims.

Terrorism is an endless battle. It cannot stop until we continue to fight for freedom and being equally treated. Statistics say that there a more than a million of people are dying all over the world because of terrorism. The wish of terrorism is to take away that feeling of freedom and joy. It still continues to inflict pain and suffering on people’s lives in which almost no week goes by without an act of terrorism taking place somewhere in the world. It is a worldwide problem. Freedom is the right of our every individual and our freedom is taken away from us whenever terrorism strikes. There are cases where young men are taken away from their family and are forced to enlist in the army to train for the war on terrorism which stops them from living their lives freely and spending the rest of their lives trying to fight against terrorists so that their families and their country will get the freedom they deserve.

           It took the lives of many innocent people. For terrorism in general, killing innocent people is a means by which to instill fear and convince the population to change their government’s policies. It’s a asymmetric warfare. They don’t have any hope of winning an actual battle. So they subjugate people by causing them to feel intense fear, or terror. They because of many reasons, the most common one is that they believe their god or deity demands it. Just like the current terrorism that is occurring in Marawi City, Mindanao in the Philippines the terrorists kill those who are Christians. But if a Christian turns away from his or her Christianity and profess his or her faith same as the religion of the terrorist, the terrorist will spare the life of the individual.

           Terrorism promotes hate and discrimination. It sends a bad image and reputation to the society about the Muslims. Intolerance and discrimination against Muslims are not new, but manifestations of these phenomena appear to have been on the rise in recent years. Muslims might experience verbal harassment or be the targets of hate speech, violent attacks or religious profiling.  The “war on terror” tensions about national personality and the troubles in adapting to the expanding assorted variety in numerous social orders have prompted a development in hatred against Muslims and Islam that has in some cases been fuelled by narrow minded dialect in media and political talk. As a result, many Muslims experience a range of discrimination, including verbal harassment, hate speech, violent attacks and religious profiling. Many are also confronted with a lack of equal opportunities in employment, housing, health care and education, and face restrictions on the public expression of their religion. Therefore, we can try to stop this. I just want you to listen, understand and take action to lessen this type of crisis.

           War appears to be contradictory to Christianity since the Fifth Commandment states, “Thou shalt not kill.” Every individual has an obligation to protect his life, and in this way has a privilege to honest to goodness self-preservation.  We should have respect for human life. The deliberate murder of an innocent person is gravely contrary to the dignity of the human being, to the golden rule, and to the holiness of the Creator. The law forbidding it is universally valid: it obliges each and everyone, always and everywhere. The commandment, “You shall not kill,” adds to it the proscription of anger, hatred, and vengeance. Going further, Christ asks his us to turn the other cheek, to love their enemies. As Christians or even in different religion, what is your stand? Do you really want this? Or do you want to stop this? It’s up to your actions. The future of the youth is in your hands.

[chxsannell]

I am no one’s property

Do you even have any sense of humanity in you? There are many social issues being discussed right now and yet here we are being ignorant of the real and bigger problem. Human Trafficking, is a modern-day slavery and every year millions of men, women and children all around the world becomes a victim of human trafficking.  I’ve seen news all over social media about how people are being forced to slavery and I stand against it because it goes against every moral values and beliefs I know as a Catholic.  

It was stated in Deuteronomy 24:7, ““If a man is found stealing one of his brothers of the people of Israel, and if he treats him as a slave or sells him, then that thief shall die. So you shall purge the evil from your midst.” The victims of Human Trafficking have often been accused of prostitution or underage sex, in the first place did they ask to be taken away from their families and become sex slaves? No they did not ask such a horrible experience to happen in their lives, they simply we’re forced and threatened so why accuse them of something that they didn’t even want to happen to their selves? They already have been through enough. I read a story about how a woman was walking back to her house after shopping at a mall and how two men took her and sold her as a prostitute wherein she was in the business for 9 years all because the men who kidnapped her thought she would make a perfect prostitute because she showed a little skin. Woman are being depict at wanting “it” when we show a little skin which is raises another problem because of some people’s ill opinions about how a woman should not dress that way. We should never judge someone just because of the clothes they wear.

We have no right to own or forced a human being into something they do not want. God gave us all free will and said that we are all equal, one is not less than the other and one is not greater than the other we are all equal. That’s why human trafficking is something that goes against God. No one should think to that they are above others, that’s plain idiotic. No one can take away your freedom which is why we should all be aware of the dangers of human trafficking and help each other prevent this horrendous crime from blighting our world even further.

Nobody owns you and you don’t own anybody, people in power often think that just because they have the power they think the people below them are now their property. Let me tell you this, there isn’t anyone in this world powerful enough to own someone except God for we are his children. As God’s children we are equal and one is never above the other.

People argue that the victims of human trafficking were careless and therefore deserve what happened to them as they were not careful enough which is why they were taken and forced into a life they did not want. Human trafficking or any crime for the matter can happen unexpectedly one minute you’re just having fun with friends the next you’re being taken away from your family possibly never seeing them ever again. We should all realize no one deserves this kind of crime to happen to them. No one deserves to be miserable and forced into slavery this is not the medieval age, it is estimated that human traffickers earn 100 billion profit and here is the other cause of human trafficking which is greed.. Stop human trafficking, stop modern-day slavery, stop child labour, stop prostitution. We all deserve to be free.

Human Trafficking is still alive and continues today in every country in the world. Women forced into prostitution. Girls married off to older men. Children being taken away from their families and are being forced into labor.  Modern day slavery should be stopped because there is more to it than some people may think, human trafficking is connected to rape, abuse and gender inequality. There are organizations that help stop and prevent human trafficking from being more destructive than it already is, let’s all help and join in the cause of helping and stopping human trafficking. Don’t do it for yourself, do it for the future of our generations.

[bethina03-blog]

Start an End

          Today, our Catholic Church receives a lot of discrimination from the public. Not only the Catholic Church receives discrimination but also the people around the world. What do you think is the cause of this? Misunderstanding. It is because the Church and the society lack understanding.  People tend to misinterpret the intentions of the Church about certain methods they want to imply. Before we discriminate the judgment of the church, first we must understand their viewpoints so that we may grasp what they want us to see.

           They say that we, Catholics, worship statues because most of the churches in the Philippines have lots of images and paintings of saints, martyrs, and the people who contributed a lot in the Catholic Church, but the truth is Catholics do not worship images or religious articles, we venerate them.We use them as a way to help us connect our emotions to God. It feels different when you pray while seeing something and while seeing nothing. It brings us comfort and guidance to see while we pray.

           We do not uphold our tithes. This is an advantage for the people but this is a disadvantage for the church because those tithes are their funds for its expenses and for donations to charities. However, Jesus is compassionate and He does not force His people to give if it doesn’t come from their hearts. If we love God, we should give freely from our writhing heart, and because He love us, He understands us in our capabilities and shortcomings.

           Sometimes, even though we have a lot of problems that we may think that have no solutions at all and we are continuously suffering and depressed, we must keep hold of our faith and keep on praying to God. Most Catholics have strong faith in God and they keep in mind that if they pray harder and wish for it regardless of the time it takes, God will grant them bountiful blessings. In times like this, we should always pray to God because he is always there for us whenever we need him and he gives us this kind of problems because he knows that we can overcome it, just have faith in Him.

           The Catholic Church keeps on interfering in politics which they should not be. They are against family planning even though our country’s population is increasing everyday. What they do not understand is that the Catholic Church is prolife. They respect the life given to us. Some methods of family planning prevent life. The Catholic Church is really against it to be taught to families where they represent the Holy Family itself in the community. According to Pope Francis, the family, the fruitful covenant between man and woman, is the answer to the great challenge of our world. Also, the Catholic Church only allows one method in family planning which is rhythm method. It was stated that it is not highly advisable to families where the mother or the father works overseas or is far away from their families.

           Isn’t it saddening that as a lot of social issues arise, the issues our Church faces also arise? What I’ve come here to do is to show all of you that discrimination in our Church is getting worse and as a Catholic, we should pray for the people who don’t understand the Church. Let me ask you, how would you start ending the discrimination we put ourselves in; more so, our Catholic Church?

[alexmagana02-blog-deactivated20]

Humanity Lost?

Murder is wrong. Ever since we were kids, we have been taught of this irrevocable truth by our parents, elders and especially the Church. Jesus Christ himself bestowed us the Decalogue in which we are called to follow his command. Taking a life is ignoring and disobeying God’s command to us on purpose. Ask yourself then, what is a capital punishment? In its simplest form it is defined as murder. We cannot twist the truth into thinking that the person deserves to die because of the excuses we can possibly think of yet it still ends up as killing a person. This form of punishment is unethical and barbaric. In a statement released by the CBCP, President Archbishop Socrates Villegas said “It is the Gospel we must preach. It is the Gospel that we must uphold. We therefore unequivocally oppose proposals and moves to return the death penalty into the Philippine legal system. Though the crime be heinous, no person is ever beyond redemption, and we have no right in giving up on any person.” The government has no power to give life like the Heavenly Father; they have no absolute right of exercising their limited authority in taking away God’s sacred gift. Only God can take that call. The philosophical and ethical basis for the death penalty, in conclusion is, shaky.

The Capital Punishment is used against the innocent. In a country wherein they have legalized this, a District Judge Jed S. Rakoff of the United States Second Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan has said “In brief, the Court found that the best available evidence indicates that, on the one hand, innocent people are sentenced to death with materially greater frequency than was previously supposed and that, on the other hand, convincing proof of their innocence often doesn’t emerge after their convictions.” What certainty does the justice system ensure that the accused is not really innocent? Humans are subjected to make mistakes whether you like it or not. Senator Franklin Drilon has said, “Among the reasons that we (Liberal Party) oppose the revival of the death penalty in the country, which had been outlawed during the term of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, include the less-than-ideal justice system, which can result in the government executing a person who turns out to be innocent of the crime.”

The human race isn’t an exemption in making mistakes only God is. God forgives us even when we do the most outrageous things and yet who are we to not do as what He did. We always ask for His mercy and compassion yet when others crossed us, we cannot do the same? Violence against violence won’t solve anything. Jesus Christ gave us two love commandments which are written in the Bible. The first one: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God will all thy heart, with all thy soul and with thy entire mind. The second one: “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” All of us need to wake up. This kind of punishment is government hypocrisy. People! Why do we need to kill people who killed people to show that killing is wrong? Is it because eventually they would fear for their own lives? What difference do we make when we strike fear in the hearts of men?

Senator Franklin Drilon said “We aren’t convinced that the reimposition of the death penalty is a deterrent to crime. It takes years for cases to prosper in the system.” When the Republic Act No. 7659 imposed the death penalty for heinous crimes more than 20 years ago, the crime rate – the number of crime incidents per 100,000 populations decreased from 145.7 in 1993 to 98 in 1998. However in 1999, when six of the seven executions under the Estrada administration happened, the crime rate rose to 11. The data implied can be translated into saying that it is a proven ineffective deterrent of crime versus the alternative of life imprisonment without parole. In addition the United States of America has evidences to prove. The time period between 1991 and 2011, which had states that carried out the death penalty consistently, had higher murder rates than states that didn’t.

Our country is a democratic one and naturally, in a democratic country the government is us since we, the citizens, have the power therefore if the government kills somebody then we are killing them as well. We are responsible for those actions. What kind of decent people and nation are we for allowing this barbaric form of execution to befall on to these perpetrators? Is there anything left of humanity in us? What difference does it make when we commit the same mistake? Given that an eye for an eye was applied in previous societies but today, human rights is widely propagated and strictly enforced in order to maintain stability, peace and freedom. By legalizing and agreeing with the Death Penalty, you are violating the right to life. In Deuteronomy 32:39, it says that “See now that I, I am He, And there is no God besides me, it is I who put to death and give life I have wounded and it is I who heal, And there is no one who can deliver from my hand.” Life is sacred more than anything in a worldly sense. No person or any institution that upholds authority has the right to decide if one’s life is worthy of continuing to live or not. Everything about the Capital Punishment is a big contrast on our values, beliefs and our ground on a just government.

Let’s say there are as many people that are against with this as people who side with the legalization of The Capital Punishment. But, favoring this kind of execution because you sympathize with the family members whom you believe need closure that only death can suffice, then you are wrong. You are significantly pointing out to legalize an act of revenge and the right for an emotional satisfaction to which rules and regulations that are passed onto the higher officials contains only logical reasons that includes evidences to support the claims. Picture this out, if the beloved family members say that they would only gain closure if the accused is tortured until their last breaths, should we do that? Brent Tonick said, whose brother was murdered in the year 1998 “ You need that kind of feeling of some kind of justice being done, some kind of closure, though there is never any real closure.” Nothing can ever bring back the dead. No sense of relief can be felt for their pain is immeasurable. The death penalty is ineffective as a deterrent, and the appeals process would be expensive and cruel to the surviving family members.

Death Penalty is an act of unrighteousness towards our neighbors. It crosses the line that is drawn for each and every individual’s natural rights. There is no justice in this kind of punishment to the accused, the innocent, the victims’ family and especially to our nation. Sticking to the life imprisonment without parole is a safer and more inexpensive alternative. The Death Penalty doesn’t guarantee the safety of the innocent from being accused; it doesn’t effectively deter criminals from committing an act that will earn them this kind of execution, and it most certainly does not give closure to the families’ of the victim. Always remember that nothing good comes from hate and nothing good can come from death penalty. It cannot ever be accepted as a societal norm when the country claims to be a democratic government and when it’s predominantly resided by Catholic people. Death Penalty is dead straight murder and it is morally wrong on every aspect. The Death Penalty is not my issue alone but yours too. Seize this opportunity, the time is now. Make a stand. Make our future a brighter one together. If not now when? If not us who?

[balingitshaine-blog]

Same-Sex Marriage vs. Roman Catholicism

Countries particularly in Europe has practiced and accepted this ceremony, even in the United States, allowing civil unions of the same sex.  But is the Philippines ready for embracing this practice or having it legalized like what some countries did? Personally, and being Asia’s bastion of Roman Catholicism, and to preserve our culture, I oppose the gay union to be legalize in our country.

In an article I read in Rappler by Jonas Bagas, he mentioned that social attitude of Filipinos are gradually shifting and that the state should start recognizing unions of same sex.  Yes, our social outlook is shifting at a fast pace as well as the growth of the LGBT community and how they become more open and present in arts/entertainment and even in politics.  But the idea of same-sex marriage is not a priority.  There are in fact, much important issues that needs to be addressed which aims to benefit the greater population and not just a small fraction which is concern the third sex or LGBT.  Should partners on same sex finds a dire need to make their bond official, there are other and costly ways to make the union possible, in overseas.

This matter has long been debated in our country.  In fact, Former Representative Etta Rosales filed a same-sex marriage bill in the House 18 years ago, but it has never progressed beyond first-round discussions.  Senator Risa Hontiveros sponsored a counterpart measure in the upper chamber last year. That bill has received a first reading, but it still has a long way to go before becoming a law.  The bill seeks to eliminate discrimination against gay, lesbian and transgender people in education, health, labor and other sectors. Senators are set to debate the proposal and amend some provisions if necessary before putting it up for a new round of voting on the floor.

It is true that some would automatically blame the Catholic and its heads, and how it has been trying to control our political institutions.  But is the Church really that powerful?  Or the problem is that the state is weak.  Reforming the catholic hierarchy is not the solution to achieve recognition of same-sex union.   Instead, Filipinos should probably be focusing on trying to reform the state and its outlook towards the new society.  Good luck to that.

Same-sex marriage is a very sensitive issue, but it is above all about our sectarian values – whether it be all about basic fairness and our constitutional rights, about human dignity regardless of the sex of the people we love.  Or as once said by Ms. Rosales, “When people love each other, whether heterosexual or of the same sex, what is paramount is the love towards the other person’s humanity,” and “this must be respected. Same-sex marriage, deriving from that principle, protects both parties with respect to property rights and even in caring for children both parties decide to adopt.

In this day in age and for the many years to come, the idea of allowing same sex marriage for me as a Filipino is unlikely to happen.  This is mainly due our culture and religion, which has been the bedrock of the civil code which states a man can only marry a woman, and a woman to marry a man.  That is our law.  So what if some European countries and the United States allowed same sex marriages?  That’s for them. That cannot apply to us, because we are Catholics. 

[smnthtjd-blog]

Worst of the Worst

     What jurisdiction does the law have over ones life?  Talk about the case of an innocent man who was sentenced to death. Have you ever been punished for something you didn’t do? Imagine how he felt on death row, knowing that he had absolutely nothing to do with the crime that he was sentenced for. It’s like they’re murdering people, through their own crimes.

     Death Penalty is a punishment of execution administered to someone legally convicted of capital crime. Due to rising number of crimes in our country, death penalty is regarded as necessary deterrent to heinous crimes. Debate is still going on in its validity. This resulted in a wide discrepancy of laws on this issue. Killing, in my view is still not the solution. We always think that in the end it’s always for the interest of common good.

     Punishing criminals is important in any government policy. Government that fails to maintain the welfare of the citizen leaves citizen unprotected. In todays society, the government presumes that those who commit horrible crimes should be executed. I strongly support the abolishment of death penalty because of my religious beliefs and the fact that killing is flawed and furthermore unconstitutional.

     Death penalty is not the solution to achieve the goal of safer country. What if some of these people being executed are victims of legal mistakes? I don’t believe that death penalty necessarily mean that it will deter crime. There are many aspects of solutions to crime like placing curfews on teenagers, alcohol consumptions rule and many more preventive measures. 

     We are blinded by the thoughts of wrong being right. As a Catholic, only God can judge us. The Supreme Court should not have the option to decide whether we live or die. Is this the kind of faith that we believe in? Pope John Paul II once said that the death penalty is both cruel and unnecessary. “Modern society has the means of protecting itself without definitely denying criminals the chance to reform.” I think locking those people up for the rest of their life is punishment enough. We should make them feel remorseful for their actions.

     How many people had a death sentence carried out before the right evidence was brought to life? Anything that kills innocent people, or has the potential to do so, cannot be considered moral. But death penalty has also moral effects on society. God gave us life so only God can take human life. We pray for all people that their lives and dignity as children of loving God maybe respected and protected in all stages and circumstances.

     Punishment by death is the ultimate punishment and one that cannot be taken back, so death penalty should be abolished. It should no longer be an option of our country’s constitution. It is against my religious beliefs and life values. Our country will never gain peace if we are killing our own citizens. Only Him should decide if we should stay on this Earth, not the government itself.

[mary-zamora-blog1]

WAR ON TERRORISM

In this world, Terrorism is one of the biggest conflicts occurring around us. Terrorism must stop because it gives Islam a bad reputation, tears apart families and friends and creates secular divides. Terrorism, by nature, is difficult to define. Acts of terrorism conture emotional responses in victims as well as the practitioners. Terrorists have used violence to get their point across to the public. Terrorism is a hazard for mankind. The world faces the problems of poverty, population, and hunger but the spread of terrorism is the most frightening of all. Be it in small countries, like Ireland, Israel, Philippines, and the big over like Russia and USA, terrorism has become the main challenge to most of the government today.

Terrorism is a worldwide problem, it uses violence. It is in the commandment that thou shall not kill. We are given the freedom to do goodness. In this regard, we come across morality. When we speak of morality, we do what is good. We, Catholics, respect the people because we are created in God’s image. Here in terrorism, lives were taken away. There are acts of killings and violence which the catholic church prohibits. The killing of the innocent, whatever the motivation is must be absolutely and unconditionally condemned. Support peace makers. The catholic church is a universal religion. Our church reacts beyond the special interests of the United States or any particular country. On this point, the church urges the cooperation of the international community for addressing survivors threats to peace and stability.

Trust in Christ. We understand, as Catholics that thus is a war that must be fought with spiritual and not merely military weapons. St. Paul reminds us that “our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principolites, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits of heavens” (Eph 6:12). The powers of darkness he inspired many ideologies of violence throughout history. We must not give in to hatred, anger, or despair. We must stand firm and find hope in the word of Christ.

[giannagaviola]

Acceptance, Not Rejection

     I may be a Catholic but I support and accept the LGBT community. Many may believe that being a Catholic means being homophobic or going against people who aren’t straight because it states in the Bible that God created man and woman in His image. Yes, it is correct that God created man and woman, but it is wrong to assume that all Catholics are homophobic because of this reason. Homophobia doesn’t come from being Catholic; homophobia comes from cultural conservatism. Nobody is born homophobic. It’s not a matter of religion; it’s a matter of societal orientation and expectation.

     I have gay and pansexual friends and they’re very kind, loving, and smart people; we probably all have a friend who’s not straight yet we love so much from the bottom of our hearts. They are the reasons why I choose to not ignore this issue even if I myself am straight.

    Being an internet girl has made me learn so many things outside of school, including the beautiful concept that is Feminism. This concept has made me learn so much and has lead me to become one myself. I may lack knowledge on certain things other long-term feminists know very much about, but I have the heart and the willingness to learn and to grow as one, so that I may change my wrong viewpoints and influence people to do the same.

    Feminist accounts I follow online have influenced me to stop using certain words as a joke like gay and crazy. They’ve also thought me that people who dictate beauty standards are often people who body shame and are racist. There are so much more but it would take me too long to name all of these things. However, above all of these things, they have influenced me to speak up for those who may not be able to: LGBT in particular for this piece.

    Yes, some of them are accepted by their families and friends and can freely strut around with people knowing that they’re not straight, but it’s undeniable that most still suffer from the consequences of homophobia. According to some researches compiled by Fenway Health, 8 out of 10 students have been verbally harassed at school and 80% of transgender students reported feeling unsafe at school.

   Last June 24, just this year, a Pride Parade was held in Marikina here in the Philippines. Although homosexuality is still not fully accepted yet here in the Philippines, this is still a good sign and a good beginning.

    On the 28th of July 2013, uttered his famous words “If someone is gay and searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?” On the 30th of September 2013, Pope Francis himself said that God doesn’t condemn LGBT individuals. In 2014, Brazilian Cardinal Cláudio Hummes said that he didn’t know if Jesus would oppose to same sex marriage.

    The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops says that the Church teaches that homosexuals should be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity and that those who minister in the name of the Church should in no way contribute to the hatred and violence given to homosexuals.

    Ergo, being a Catholic is never an excuse or a reason to mistreat members of the LGBT community in any way. Just like us, they are also people and they deserve to be treated with respect since they’re human too. Some Catholics may be homophobic but their opinion does not represent their entire Church, as much as my opinion does not represent them. All I’m trying to say is, someone’s preferred gender does not equate to their value as people and must be given the same opportunities that heterosexuals have. They should not be assaulted whether verbally or physically, just because they chose to be truthful to themselves.

    They still have human dignity and they are still created by God just like us. If you’re one of the people who have hurt homosexuals for being such, ask yourself the following questions: Will God be pleased with what I’m doing? Does this give me more value than them? Are my actions justified because of my beliefs, or am I just being insensitive? If I’m citing from the Bible, am I sure that my interpretations are correct?

[jaimeeyvetxx-blog]

We are different and we can make a change.

WE ARE NOT THE SAME. I am not obligated to wear makeup just because I am a woman. I am not obligated to wear dresses just because I am a girl. I am not obligated to like pink just because I am feminine. Just because I like to hang out with boys, it does not mean I am flirty. Don’t assume that you know who we are. I hate the way people think that I should act like this and that based on my gender, personality, and race. This is stereotyping. It is what people do when they give the concept of who we are just because of what we appear to them. Stereotyping is wrong and it is alive and well. I don’t want our future children to undergo the wrath of being stereotyped in society, I don’t want them to be labelled just because some kids don’t know who they are. I want to be part of the change. I want us to prevent and avoid stereotyping, together.

Stereotyping traps many individuals in their shells afraid of what the society will label them. These labels dictate how a person should live according to their gender, religion, personality and race. Stereotyping is when men think you should not lift heavy things because women are weak and feminine. Stereotyping is calling people weird if they do not have the same songs saved in their playlist. Stereotyping puts on a mask on our identity weakening the person we were born to become.

As a part of the generation today, we are well aware of what consequences and effects it brings us as an individual. We don’t personally like being stereotyped, but why are we doing it? In an article “Awareness of racial stereotypes happens at an early age has consequences.” Published in berkeley.edu. Carol Hyman show us how stereotypes could start in early ages. When I was a child, my parents taught me that God made and loved us equally giving us different personalities and abilities to add color to the world. That even if we were born with different colors and races we should love and protect each other as God did to us. Sadly, in that span of time, people in my school stereotype me as one of the shy people in the crowd, afraid to say anything, a weirdo. It creates the confusion in our minds that we have to fit in the society to survive. That is why the person we are right now is from the experiences were experienced when we were younger. It creates the domino effect making me ask, “What happened?”

Eyes opened, we have to be open-minded and accept each other regardless of how different we are. In Colossians 4:6, “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone”. Words are more powerful than we think. We do not know how much one word affects others. These labels are hurting the whole being of a person. We don’t like to hear other people talking about us, right? This is one of the many negative effects stereotyping has. It lasts for who knows how long. Who are we to judge?

According to a study in University of Toronto “Stereotyping has lasting negative impact”  led by Professor Michael Inzlict of Psychology, “Past studies have shown that people perform poorly in situations where they feel they are being stereotyped,”  We are still afraid to speak up because they we might be stereotyped too. It affects our decision-making in life. We chose not to talk because of the fear that holds us isolated in the small box of stereotypes. Best people in the world don’t undergo the same norm as we all are making them really successful despite of all the hardships along the way. It doesn’t only have that negative impact on the person receiving it but also to the person saying it. Some studies found that positively judging others effects how enthusiastic, happy, kind-hearted, courteous, emotionally stable we are and vice versa. If you only make an effort to stop judging others negatively, your own well-being and happiness will improve greatly.

Why stereotypes are bad even when they’re good?” a new study by Aaron Kay stated, “people exposed to the positive stereotype rated that possibility as higher than did those exposed to a negative one.” Making other problems in society today such as racism, sexism and even discrimination.

 In short, Stereotyping does not benefit either. The growth of our self-confidence starts when we’re young and if we are being stereotyped, we begin to cage ourselves away from the harmful thoughts of society. But that is how society works, it’s an endless cycle. It’s scary enough that stereotyping causes bigger problems such as discrimination. We can’t put a stop to this but we can change by letting people know to value others for who they are. Especially the kids today, we should teach them to respect each other’s religions, cultures, personalities, and race because they are the future of our society. This change helps our society grow better. Remove the labels and free ourselves can you and I be the change?

[sblmm-blog]

Why Divorce Shouldn't Be Legalized In The Philippines

Divorce in the Philippines remains a pressing issue to date. It is a matter in question not only to the political agenda, but also to the Church. Being a Catholic country, the Philippines ought to fully support its practices. This means that, divorce - the legal dissolution of marriage through court is strongly discouraged. I firmly agree that divorce shouldn’t be legalized in the Philippines, for it degrades our religion and our culture, and most of all, it is not what He wants.

One of the Sacraments of the Church is the sacrament of of Matrimony. It is the union of a man and a woman for the purpose of procreation, mutual support, and love. This sacrament had been made holy by Christ Himself through his appearance at the Wedding at Cana. Like all sacraments, matrimony comes with a sacramental grace which aids in achieving the sacrament’s consequences: 1) to sanctify the love of husband and wife; 2) To give them grace to bear with each other’s weaknesses: and 3) to enable them to bring up their children in the fear and love of God. From this information, the word “divorce” is nowhere to be found. It’s because the church is a firm believer of matrimony’s holiness. Oftentimes, divorced couples say that downfalls cause their relationship to erode.Still, they fail to see the downfall of divorce itself. Not only did the vows became weak, but also the children whom they are bound to raise with Christian values. As mentioned earlier, there is a need for them to achieve having God- fearing and God-loving children. Once God has established the perfect union between a man and a woman, no hammer can break it into pieces.

From my personal experience, I believe that the church is in the right path. Divorce was never the answer for relationship mishaps. Imagine the children being left behind with parents separated. They will be the ones who are going to be greatly affected by this situation. Based from thedisciplers.com, children who live with a single parent are five times as likely to experience poverty, than those who live with an intact family, ‘Children from disrupted marriages experience greater risk of injury, asthma, headaches, and speech defects than children from intact families, and ‘suicide rates for children of divorce are measurably higher than for children from intact families’. It might bring mental, emotional, and even physical harm to them, for it is hard to accept such happening.

Divorce is not the solution for growing violence against family members. Domestic violence may be the cause of a married person to file a divorce, to let go and be free from his/her abusive spouse. But I do not really see this as an excuse to the problem. Why? Because this only gives the abusive husband/ wife to look for another and repeat the same thing all over again.

In our time today, it is no news that divorce is rampant. We may say that more and more marriages are getting successful by the day, but one cannot simply force himself into a dying relationship. The voice of people getting and wanting divorce speaks of how it is seen as an unholy act. There are different reasons as to why people chose to be divorced. They may be battered, mistreated or doubted by their spouse, and their only way out of these is by divorce. The church actually supports candidates who have given his/her enough reason, but his/her stand on divorce stand still. In addition, politicians are starting to establish their own rules that originally concerns the Church. This means that both parties have an opposite say on the matter.

A man and a woman are bound to be together in life once they have been blessed with the Sacrament of Matrimony. There is no harm in divorce, but as a Catholic, couples should keep their faith in God who built their relationship. For the reason that divorce is immoral. It is against God’s law and is a sin. In addition, divorce is a selfish act. You only think of your own happiness. A second chance to love again. It just gives people more opportunities to separate easily just because of a failed relationship. In every misunderstanding, there must be a solution, to save marriages.

[lonelygraywolfie-blog]

Terrorism: A Dangerous Game

(School work)

Have you experienced being a sandwich between the militants and soldiers? If you’re hiding from all the fighting outside, the bullets from the terrorists won’t kill you, but fear will. Terrorism has been an issue recently especially from the rise of the ISIS terror organization and the tension between the government’s military forces and the terrorists. Terrorism is like a dangerous real-life strategy game where forces had to come up with tactics and strategies in order to defeat the opposing side but what will be the cost of lives between the firefight? We shouldn’t tolerate terrorism because it brings nothing but chaos.

Terrorism continues to grow and grow whatever happens. One of the reasons is that there’s someone supplying the terrorists with weapons, vehicles, and equipment. The supplier cannot be from the black market but someone from the government with access to military-grade weapons. The terrorists once used an anti-tank missile, which is a military-grade weapon, so there has to be someone supplying the terrorists with weapons that keep providing them enough fire power to counter the military. Terrorism cannot be stopped if both forces have an equal amount of firepower. Though, we can find out whom the supplier is if we tell the government officials that one of them is a supplier of weapons to terrorists.

Another thing about terrorism is that most infamous terrorist groups have connections to the religion of Islam. The connection caused people to avoid Muslims because of fear. The discrimination should stop because that is one of the issues we are currently facing. We should treat those innocent Muslims as friends, instead of a terrorist.

The phrase “allahu ackhbar”  is commonly heard from the terrorists. It means “God is great” but Islam doesn’t mean terrorism. From the perspective of the terrorists, their idea of terrorism is about “cleansing” the world in the name of God. Even with religion involved, I don’t agree to this. Terrorism is a false religion. We can educate people to tell the difference between Islam and terrorism, and the latter has no connection to Islam.

I came up with such title because I’m putting the idea of terrorism to first-person shooter games. In these games, if you die, your character respawns. Respawning basically means that your character gets back to life. I thought that if you die in the game, you don’t actually respawn as the same character but your perspective changes to another different character. A lot of people die fighting terrorism so that’s where I got the connection. In conclusion, we should fiat all costs. Not by joining the army, of course. We could start by defending the rights of Muslims, and by finding out that one supplier of weapons inside the government and convince the other government officials to arrest that person.. If there’s no supplier, terrorists have no weapons to begin with, and no terrorism will happen. It doesn’t bring anything good. If you know someone who’s trying to become a terrorist, what are you going to do?

[gaylevillaester-blog]

Untitled.

    Have you ever felt so disgusted in yourself? Have you ever screamed for help? Have you ever felt that you’re tied up, and not able to speak out what you feel? I may not have encountered personally the sufferings of these women, child, and any other people who experienced nothing but these endless pain of sexual harassment, but surely I can hear their screams, feel their fear, and see their innocence.

    Based on my gathered facts, over 8,000 women and children are being raped for the last years. Who would have thought that we will get a massive number of rape victims by the end of the year. Imagine all of those women and children being sexualized by our own countrymen. Yet, we are still unsure if that is the exact number of people who are being sexualized. These immoral acts, can be caused by the lack of education, morals, and respect.

    I remember the day of our church’s conference, a lady standing in front of a big crowd sharing her faith and how she get through her own experience of sexual harassment. I remember clapping my hands and cheering my heart out on how brave she was to share her experience. She was sexualized by her own father. Her other sisters had the exact misery. The lost of hope, and faith is all over her. She was so scared to scream for help thinking that her own father will murder her and will do the exact thing to her siblings. Since she can’t do anything about it, she wrote letters thinking that these letters will help her cast out from her miserable life that feels like death. Without any hesitation, she placed all of these letters in their own roof. The thought of reading the letters by a stranger did not pop in her head. And that day came, the authority read her letter. Luckily she was saved by a foundation and they introduced God to her.

    I myself encountered this kind of violence. It may not be as bad as her experience but it is still an act of harassment. Just walking through the streets with decent clothes, you’ll hear all kinds of hiss from different people. Or the so called “cat-calling”, and I am certain to say this that every girl that I know also had this kind of experience. Catcalling is not compliment it is an act of violence. We should not feel obligated to satisfy their needs whether, physically, emotionally, or what ever pleasures they need for us.

   But on the other side, I am glad to tell you that we are slowly rising up from this controversy. One city in our country, particularly Quezon City, approved the law of “Anti-Catcalling Ordinance”. I hope that we can keep passing this kind of law. Not just for our country, but for the whole world. Because, everyone deserves to be respected just as we want to be respected by the others here is a passage that I want to share to you. In the letters of Paul to Thessalonians saying: ”6 and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before. 7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 8 Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit.” – 1 Thessalonians 4:6-9

    We believe that our own church is not about just knowing God, sharing His words, and not just singing all the songs with our hearts. It’s more of encouragement, hope, and knowing their hearts personally. It’s not just reading the bible It’s more of studying it and implying it to our own lives. And if ever I’d encounter someone with the same grief, I will not hesitate to invite that person to our church, and I’ll talk to her personally about this matter. Cause this is a serious issue. We should not just let this “slip” away. We will get to know this person more, invite her to our services, give her a bible, and we will invite her to study it. First of, inviting them to our church can improve their, confidence through fellowship. Second, attending Sunday services and mid-week devotional services, can revive themselves to repent and pray again. Lastly, giving the bible and studying it can be the start of their new lives and the growth of their spiritual state.

    No. I am not. I am not just a girl. I am not just someone who wears dresses, make-up and do all these “girly things” and yes, I can do what you and all these men around can. No. I am not just a sex object. I am not just a past time. My mouth is not only meant to scream “yes, please, fast”. My breasts aren’t only for your dreams. My clunge aren’t for your pleasures, and my whole body is mine. And this is my choice. I stand for the ones who cannot get up, I speak for the ones who are silent. Yes it is me. A female that stands for Sexual Harassment.

[juliamaquinto-blog]

Madam and Eve, Adam and Steve: Same-sex Relationships in the Philippines

The Philippines ranks as the most gay-friendly country in Asia, and the 10th among 39 countries covered by a global survey. However, despite high numbers, the country still frowns upon same-sex relationships, more so, same-sex marriage. Despite the protests, the country stands firm on its grounds and there might be little to no hope that same-sex marriage will be legalized in the Philippines due to its religious background. As a Catholic, the mainstream answer would be to support the church. I, however, hope that the country would change its views and support the LGBT community. 

The Roman Catholic religion is not the only religion in the world. There are roughly 4,200 religions out there. The idea that homosexuality is a sin is only believed upon by the number of those religions. We are taught as a child to respect the beliefs of other people. For example, Iglesia ni Cristo believers are not allowed to eat dinuguan and we never judged them for that. Muslims don’t eat pork, and we even cater to their needs. So why can’t we accept the fact that some religions allow homosexual relationships without frowning upon them?

Majority of our countrymen might be Catholic, but that does not mean that everyone in the country is, added to that, not every Catholic believes that same-sex marriage should not be legalized. This is why there is a law about the separation of church and state. The 1987 Constitution of the Philippines states: The separation of Church and State shall be inviolable. (Article II, Section 6). Furthermore, no law shall be made respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. So why is the government not allowing same-sex marriage?

Our God is a God filled with love, mercy and compassion. Our God promotes love. When did loving someone become such a bad thing? If their happiness does not step on yours, why step on theirs? All they ever did was to love each other, and here we are, mere humans, destroying the love that they have. If our God knows how to forgive and accept sinners, why can’t we? Let God be the judge of their love. Even Pope Francis supports the community. Pope Francis said that he is aware that many cultures and religions find expressions of homosexuality “offensive,” but having a “different mentality” should not be a justification for harm or ill will toward the LGBT community. “I repeat what the Catechism of the Catholic Church says: that they must not be discriminated against, that they must be respected and accompanied pastorally,” he added. The observations echoed a now-famous remark he made while returning from a week-long trip to Brazil in 2013, when he said “Who am I to judge?” in relation to homosexuals. “If a person is gay and seeks to God and has good will, who am I to judge?” he said, after his first foreign trip as pontiff. Many have hailed the religious leader’s statements as “a groundbreaking moment” for LGBT people. If the head of the church supports it, shouldn’t the followers do so as well?

One can argue that the country loves gay people, but this is not how I see it. The way I see it, our country only tolerates the LGBT community. The statement “I’ll beat my son up if he comes out gay to turn him into a man.” still prevails among fathers in the country. When Charice Pempengco came out as Jake Zyrus, there were criticisms everywhere and people all over social networking sites began to mock him. Is this the same country that ranked first as the most gay-friendly country in Asia? 

There’s no hope that the church would accept same-sex marriage and I know that. What I’m asking is for the government to start being unbiased and legalize marriage. There are three kinds of marriages in the Philippines namely: Religious weddings, Civil weddings and Military weddings. If religions cannot grant these couples the right to marry each other, the government should allow them to marry under the law. They are human beings—people of this nation—and the government shouldn’t restrict them these rights just because of gender and religion. However, this doesn’t mean that I would tolerate immoral acts.

[thoughtsbybea-blog]

Colors and the Church

 Your color does not define you. Across the world, people are being denied of their privileges because their skin tone is a shade other than white. People become victims of police brutality because they are Black. People are accused of being a terrorist because they wear a hijab. Imagine being ostracized and ridiculed by society just because of your race and your culture. Discrimination against culture and color needs to be stopped, and it needs to be stopped soon. For centuries, people of color have been oppressed, majority of which are by white people. This goes down deep in history.

Racism, in general, is the belief that one race is superior or inferior to the other. Racial discrimination is experienced and witnessed through different degrees. As simple as mocking a person because of their race to white-washing a character of color, a glimpse of racism can already be seen. In 2015, a 14-year-old boy named Ahmed Mohamed was arrested for bringing a “hoax-bomb”. Mohamed brought a reassembled digital clock in an 8-inch pencil container to show his teachers. His English teacher, however, thought and assumed the clock was a bomb, confiscated and reported it to the police right away. This is an example of how prejudice against races happen. If he were a white boy instead of a Muslim, things would have turned out differently.

One of the most frequent cases of racism is racial stereotyping. How many times have you avoided someone wearing a hijab because, admit it, you were scared? Or assumed someone was intelligent because they were Asian? According to Dr. David Williams, a professor of African and African American studies at Harvard University, when people hold a negative stereotype about a group and meet someone from that group, they often treat that person differently and don’t even realize it. This is called unconscious discrimination. There are some instances when we unconsciously entertain racism, and we don’t even know it.  

Difference may be a terrifying thought, especially when you are not used to change or when something is strange to you. When you are exposed to a culture you’re not familiar with, is it wrong to be scared? Sometimes, people fear what they don’t know. As a person of color myself, the thought of going to a foreign environment terrifies me, especially not knowing what the norm is. However, we should not let our prejudices get in the way of our treatment towards someone.

We are all the same in the eyes of God. The Almighty made each and every one of us uniquely. Some He made darker, some lighter. Some He made petite, some He made towering. We all have our unique traits, and not one of us have the same features, not even identical twins. But no matter how contrasting our features are, no matter how different our customs are, we are all the same in the eyes of God. He does not choose who He loves. You could steal a thousand times, and still He will love you unconditionally. If our God loves us despite of our disparity, why can’t we do the same to each other? Why do we take our differences against each other, instead of accepting each other for who we are and what we believe in?

Despite our differences in ethnicity and beliefs, we are unified as one under the Church. Yet, one race discriminates the other. One religion is favored than the other. As a Catholic, I give the same treatment to my Muslim friends as I do to my fellow Catholics. I am the same person with my fellow Filipino friends as I am with my foreign friends. Because I know and I understand that differences does not mean to set apart. It does not mean that they should be excluded nor treated any less. We are made up of different parts and different functions, and yet, when unified, become one great body that is the Church. To quote the Bible, “For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them” (Romans 12:4-6).

Even though we all have our distinct traits, and are special in our own way, God still created us all equally. In that sense, although we have our differences, may it be in traits or in our lifestyle, still those differences should be set aside with respect. Because we are all made equal, not one race is made superior, not one race is made inferior. We are all made equal, and equal is how we should treat each other.

Discrimination against culture and color needs to be stopped. There are countless races in the world, and yet we are only under one Church, under one Creator, and under one God. We should not strip away a person’s privilege because of their skin color. We should not wrongfully accuse a person because they are Black. We should not mock a person whose first language is not English. We should not let stereotypes get in the way of our judgement and treatment. We are more than just our color.

[jomiguuu]

Discrimination

Have you ever been made fun of because of your skin color? Or because you were certain clothes that people in other religions don’t wear?  Have people avoided you just because of what you look like? This is discrimination. According to Google Dictionary,” discrimination is the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people or things, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex”.  Discrimination also includes religious discrimination.  I myself have witnessed discrimination in my community, and I think it needs to be stopped.

               According to GoodTherapy.org, ” People who are discriminated against can suffer significant negative consequences. General well-being, self-esteem, self-worth, and social relations can be severely impacted as a result of discrimination.” This could affect their well-being as a person. Discrimination makes people sad.  Some students who are discriminated may even stop studying due to severe depression.

              But you might be thinking, why do I want discrimination to stop? I myself have experienced discrimination in my life. I’ve been made fun of and laughed at for being unable to speak Filipino in school. I wasn’t all that familiar with the language because I grew up in a country where English was the main language of communication. Luckily,  I wasn’t discouraged and started to learn how to speak in Filipino. I’m one of the lucky ones. Other people go through worse than me. I know what It feels like to be discriminated.

               No one should live in the fear of being the laughingstock for others. Discrimination needs to stop. Everyone should be free to do and speak what they want. No one should make fun of others just because they’re different. It’s okay to be different. It’s not okay to make fun of that difference. You too can help stop discrimination by just being okay with others, no matter what their difference is..