In times of great fear and big panic, in the unfortunate
occasions of helpless situations and extra dangerous experience, during serious
car accidents and big house fired, when someone’s life and limbs are in grave
threat for one reason or another – It is during these mortal, extreme and
unexpected threatening events that the individual concerned makes and
instinctive shout – as a last recourse – of the urgent and ardent plea “Diyos
Ko!” as an automatic recourse and refuge.
When there is no one else at the reach and call of someone
placed in a fatal predicament, when everybody else is helpless and/or
everything else is futile, “Diyos Ko!”
is fervently invoked as some kind of a last back-up and as a matter of course.
The first hand experience of all those placed in such a hopeless and deadly
situation, say the essentially the same thing – after surviving the lethal
event: One, they were well conscious of the life threatening predicament they
found themselves in. Two, they were in a state of great panic and confusion.
Three, they then instinctively invoked God for His saving intervention.
Man is very proud and conceited. He is wise and ingenious.
He feels strong and even invincible at times. There are those who are not only
wealthy but also powerful. Their thoughts are infallible. Their words are
inviolable. Their wishes are unconditional commands to others. Sad but true, in
this Country, there are particularly three groups of people who feel omnipotent
and immortal: The professional politicians. The wealthy businessmen. The
incarnate criminals. But all of these individuals with bloated ego and with a
feeling of invincibility are still like all other ordinary mortals. They, too,
invoke God when placed in extreme dilemma – especially so when their very lives
are threatened.
This brings to mind the recently filed and thereafter
withdrawn so-called “Anti-God Bill” forbidding these and those prayers and
symbols in public offices. Without the least intention of belittling the Congressman who through of and acted on his
conviction, it might be good for all those concerned to take into account the
following truths and consequent principles: First, religion is not God but the
way He is acknowledged and adored. Second, a Church is neither God but a group
of people who know and worship God in their own way. Third, Atheism,
automatically though indirectly affirms the existence of God precisely by
denying His existence, i.e., it is a folly to strongly, deliberately and
repeatedly deny the existence of God if in fact He is really non-existent. Why
bother, sweat, and fight for someone or something which or that is not even
existent!
It was reported that the Congressman concerned sincerely
apologized for any offense the Bill caused. It is a good lesson to remember
that to this date and time, God and culture still go hand-in-hand for a big
majority of Filipinos.
