Philippine President Duterte Blasts Catholic Church Saying Core Teachings are “Stupid”

 

MANILA – Out spoken Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte hit out at the core teachings of the Catholic Church, describing as “stupid” the concept of “original sin” and calling for the removal of crucifixes so that people won’t be reminded of Christ’s sacrifice, according to The Manila Times Online report on Sunday.

He questioned the biblical creation story, specifically when the “foolish” snake tempted Eve, the first woman to eat the forbidden fruit and offer it to Adam, the first man.

“You created something perfect and then you think of an event that would tempt and destroy the quality of your work? How can you rationalize a God? Would you believe him?” he said.

Duterte has lambasted the Catholic Church repeatedly for criticizing his government, especially the bishops who have spoken out against supposed extrajudicial killings attributed to his brutal crackdown on illegal drugs.

Original sin refers to man’s rebellion against God, the “tragic consequences” of which is Adam and Eve’s loss of the “original grace of holiness” or sanctifying grace and therefore separation from God and eternal damnation.

God, however, promised the coming of a savior, Jesus Christ or God the Son who was crucified on the cross as only the sacrifice of God himself could satisfy for man’s sinfulness.

In his latest tirade, Duterte wondered why the Christian God was so “lonely” he had to create paradise. “And God was lonely, who is…..And there was nobody to please him. I have found out only now that God can be lonely. Perhaps, there is no woman beside him.”

He ridiculed Catholic teaching that God allowed his creation – the people – to be born “with original sin.”

Regarding the hanging of crucifixes, he asked the public to move on from a “sad thing about the killing of our God” and forget Jesus Christ’s sacrifice.

Catherine s Valentine – Manila Times