Blasphemy refers to abusive or disrespectful language or actions towards God or sacred things. Many religious people, particularly the fundamentalists, would consider such language towards God a grievous offense. In my youth, there was John Lennon who said that the Beatles was more popular than Jesus. He was assassinated. The assassin, Mark David Chapman, confessed that the comment on Jesus was one of the motivating factors that drove him to kill the singing idol. In the 1980s, the British novelist Salman Rushdie earned the ire of Muslim fundamentalists who deemed his work, The Satanic Verses, insulting to Allah. There was a call for his death and indeed, an assassination attempt was made in 2022. Fortunately, he survived and continues to write.
In general, contemporary Christians are more tolerant of any “use of God’s name in vain.” Apollo Quiboloy calls himself the appointed Son of God and we just laugh at this claim as a sign of lunacy. Those who are concerned with public morals were unsettled more by the allegations of human trafficking and corruption against the pastor. Personally, I observe that during the Duterte administration, the focus of the Church’s engagement with the government was not the defense of Catholicism as an institution. It was not even the defense of God. Rather, it was the defense of the poor victims of extra-judicial killing. The heavens were not pleased with the verbal assault against God who was called stupid. But still the primary concern was the defense of the poor. After all, defending the poor is defending God.
At any rate, the use of God-talk seems to be on the rise in political discourses today, in the Philippines and other countries. After the victory of Marcos Jr. in the 2022 presidential race, a Catholic priest compared him to our Lord Jesus! It was said that just like Jesus, Marcos Jr. never fought back against his detractors. The comparison was considered by many to be offensive to religious sensitivities. The comparison was based on faulty premises. Jesus advocated non-violence. But non-violence is not to be equated with non-resistance. He argued against the Pharisees and the temple establishment. In those times when Jesus refused to speak, even his silence was a form of resistance. It was not because he was incapable of answering.
But now that the Uniteam has irreparably disintegrated, it is interesting to observe that the tables are turned. A Duterte supporter now compares the former President to Jesus since both are not accorded due process. The attempt to manipulate narratives is getting more absurd! If we are consistent with this comparison, is Marcos Jr. now a Judas who betrayed the Poon from Davao? Let me help the Duterte supporters here, with the hope that they understand sarcasm: Pilate was a foreigner who had to settle intra-Jewish issues. So, the International Criminal Court could be likened to Pilate.
This comparison drew a sharp retort from a blogger named Atty. Jesus Falcis. For him, Duterte is like Barabbas and those who are shouting “Bring him home” are similar to the Jewish crowd during the trial of Jesus.
The use of religious language to create false narratives is not limited to the Philippines. The Trump administration would picture the Middle East conflict as a battle between good and evil. God, they would proclaim, is on their side since God is always with goodness. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would liken the bombs that killed Iranians to plagues that God sent to Egypt.
But the modern state of Israel is not the same as the biblical Israel. The biblical Israel was a nation often victimized by large empires like Egypt and Babylon. The biblical Israel resisted the abuse of power by empires. The modern state of Israel is aligning itself with the American empire. The first ever American-born Pope rejects any suggestion of divine backing for violence.
I will end by citing a powerfully moving literary piece entitled Christ Recrucified by Nikolai Kazantzakis (more known for another work, The Last Temptation). I am addressing this summary to those who want to compare themselves to Christ. A small village holds an annual re-enactment of the passion. The characters are instructed to internalize their biblical roles. The villagers were tested when hungry gypsies entered their village. Many view these refugees as a threat to peace and order. But Manolios, who was asked to play the role of Christ, has indeed internalized the values of Jesus so much that he defends them. The religious and civil leaders want them out. In the end, Manolios is viewed as a radical who is eventually killed. His life mirrors that of Christ even before the start of the passion play.
That is one comparison with Christ that is not blasphemous.
