JUNE 2022
8
Volume 01 Issue 01 18 Pages
Heads and Tails:
Politics and Religion Sharif Ryan Beldia
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Leaving that issue, for now, religion and its large influence on the political context provided means of platforms and deplatform for candidates to be arguably considered. In 1986, Jaime Cardinal Sin urgently persuaded Filipinos to support the revolt against President Ferdinand Marcos on a call on Radio Veritas. Prevalently, this persuasion led to be labeled as the start of the People’s Power Revolution. In another circumstance, recently, minority religious group INC whose members vote as a bloc significantly contributes to the victory of Ferdinand Marcos son Bong Bong Marcos. Albeit its small number, presidential candidates race toward INC for political endorsement aiming to swing the tide in a hotlycontested election. However, with the heightened prevalence of religion in this land of religious conservatives, the endorsement does not directly guarantee complete victory. Say, for example, the INC endorsement to Eduardo Cojuangco who came in 3rd, or in recent Catholic endorsement to Leni Robredo who fell off 2nd from Marcos immense landslide.
Various factors truly provided means for a candidate to win, religion is only among them. Still, when these two imminent forces unite, they can monopolize power. Religion’s strength and authority are derived from divinity, while exploitation and corruption are reportedly induced. But in the minds of extreme devotees in a country whose people rely on higherbeing for solutions, the church’s mission is plainly holy. Believers cried for deity help for a problem that the society created wherein a government fixes it in a band-aid way that seems to tell us how everything is correlated and can be manipulatively cycled. Moreover, Filipinos’ blatant habit of asking for higher beings’ blessings than working on them, contributes to the repetitive cycle of power manipulation. With the nearing inauguration, we can remember how the candidates move heavens and earth to muse us with their effective diplomacy. Churches are a vital method that seems to prove as the fastest route to victory sometimes. Albeit, its influence correlates to politics, it’s historically proven effective, especially in a country like the Philippines.
editorial
ith the recent conclusion of the 2022 national elections, the elected by plurality stood up among the candidates with their various schemes of influence and nationalistic heart-throbbing diplomacy. One of these schemes is through religious influence. But even with the two divisions divided by separation of power, religion by political context massively manipulates society, especially the devotee using their control of power through divinity. Religion and Politics are essentially two sides of the same coin, so to speak. Both serenade the masses with promises and impose fear. This is especially prevalent in the Philippines, wherein religion is embedded in our culture and beliefs. As a country that was colonized by Spanish inquisitors in their search for spices and spread of Christianity, for 333 years, we have been massively brainwashed and exploited in return for being globalized. Today the Philippines bears as a huge Christian country that is still walking tip toe while parent Christian countries like Spain, figuratively run, as contemporary issues like abortion are presently legalized.
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