It’s a God parody account. And it’s got 5.2 million followers. And it’s weighed in on the presidency of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.
The tweet issued by the presumptive god of Twitter was in reference to a statement issued by Duterte asreported by CNN Philippines in a story headlined “Duterte: If you can prove Christian God exists, I will resign”.
“And if there is anyone of you there, the noisy ones, who would say that you have been to heaven, and talked to God and saw him personally and that he exists, the God that is yours. And if that is true, I will step down from the Presidency tonight,” he said Friday in a speech at the National Science and Technology Week Celebration in Mindanao at the SMX Convention Center in Lanang, Davao City.
How will members of the Philippine Opposition respond to what is essentially an endorsement (albeit in jest, perhaps) from a popular Twitter presence?
This will be an interesting case study to watch. The Philippines is home to the largest and most devout Roman Catholic flock in the Far East. As such, one would presume that Filipinos know their catechism and the dogma that governs the practice of their faith. The cliques of Filipinos who identify with the current Philippine Opposition are solidly-backed by the country’s powerful Catholic Church and its officials that make up the politically-active Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
For that matter, how will the CBCP respond to such a tweet and what will be its guidance to its flock of Filipino Opposition members? Indeed, it does not help that Catholics’ confused approach to worship has long been criticised by other Christian denominations the members of which have even gone as far as calling Catholics “idolaters” on account of the “saints” and “prophets” they worship and their use of icons and statues as focal points for many religious rituals and traditions.
Judeo-Chrisrian scripture is clear on the position it expects its faithful to take with regard to false representations of the Almighty. Most specific is this passage from Deuteronomy 18:20…
But the prophet who speaks a word presumptuously in My name which I have not commanded him to speak, or which he speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.
Thus, the relevant consideration in light of this is how the average Catholic Filipino, particularly the “prayerful lot” of the most revered leaders of their Opposition, would react to this development. Would they retweet or like it? Share it on their Facebook timelines? Have a bit of a chuckle?
Abangan ang susunod na kabanata.
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