President Rodrigo Duterte Continues to Make Controversial Statements About Religion
President Rodrigo Duterte has a personal grudge against Christianity. He has continuously used his position as the President of the Philippines to attack faith, Christians, Pope Francis, Catholicism, and religious dogma. While critics have become used to his bullying, they feel his most recent statements during a televised speech crossed a line.
Filipino President Duterte Attacks Christians And Calls God “Stupid”[/tweetthis]
Duterte called God “stupid.” While referring to the story of Adam and Eve he mocked God for creating something so perfect and then throwing the couple out after eating the forbidden fruit. He additionally railed against the concept of original sin, saying “what kind of religion is that? I can’t accept it.”
The comments come at a time when violence against Catholic priests has vastly increased as the Catholic Church criticizes Duterte for his horrific record on human rights and his drug war that has killed tens of thousands. In the last several months, three priests were killed. The priests were known to be outspoken against the president and the drug war.
The Catholic Church has a substantial amount of influence in the Philippines, where 80 percent of the country is Catholic. This continuous tirade could be evidence Duterte is getting nervous about the increased public pressure against his administration.
The Catholic Bishop Conference made a public statement admonishing Duterte for “attacking Christian beliefs.” A spokesman for the president explained that the statements were made because a priest had molested Duterte as a child. For a man who has sexually assaulted women during campaign speeches, giving compliments to Hitler, and claimed to be “happy” to slaughter millions of people for his drug war, these statements should not seem surprising.