Where do I get my morality from?

There are believers who are used to in claiming moral superiority because of their belief. These people usually boast their faith as their sign of humility, obedience to doctrine as a consequence of this humility, and their belief in God as a source of morally relevant values. As an atheist, I beg to differ. Why? I do because simple reasoning can tell you that this claim is entirely wrong.

Vocal faithfuls will tell you that they are good because there is this "someone" who they consider like a Summum Bonum, that is the the sum of all good wherein every little good came from. Just because they believe in a God, they consider themselves morally stable. Comparing to atheists who don't rely in some so called moral source, the faithful has a bench mark, a standard they attribute to God, who they consider to be the one who created them and set the standards of right and wrong, good and evil.

Now I question, how can this God they believe communicate to each and every believer? If they consider their morals by and for God, how can they know that the things they do really please God or at least if the morals established in them are really from God. Those who say that the Bible did this role is a complete idiot because the moral standards of modern Christianity is far more advanced than that of early Judaism and early Christianity. For example, killing a gentile is an act of worshiping God in the old testament, so is praying for the death of your enemies something acceptable to God. Jesus in the New testament actually changed this (I wonder why the son is less violent than his father), He taught all about love including loving your enemy. No matter how better his teachings are than his father, he still failed in some issues. He failed to teach women's rights and he is one good example of a communist (If you are already good, sell all your possesions and give your money to the poor). A God must be perfect. This teachings are not entirely morally acceptable to the modern man, thus imperfect. Therefore Jesus is not God nor is the Bible a source of Morals.

Some might say, "O God communicates through my conscience." Well, this will lead me to a second point. Why does each believer has his own version of this standard which they consider coming from a single source? Well if there is such thing as absolute goodness and absolute evil whose standards are set by a supernatural being, then there should be agreement as to what is good and what is evil among those who believe in the same deity. In the status quo, people who believe in Yahweh can't even agree on issues of morality. Liberal theists think its okay to use contraceptives and that divorce is inevitable. Conservatives believe that only those who believe in Jesus can be saved, etc. etc. etc. It is clear that there is no agreement on what is morally acceptable among the believers.

So where do I get my morality from? Now, let me throw the same question to every believer for it is clear that, at the end of the day, we, the people get our morals from our own conscience, our conscience conditioned by some norms of the society and genetic predispositions. Nothing supernatural about that. So the next time a believer claims moral superiority as a consequence of the belief in God, that's a very big shame indeed.

Homosexuality: An issue to be addressed.

This is our Photography project for our Humanities course. Three things to clarify before reading our report. (1) I am heterosexual and so are my models; (2) This is genre photography (The models just posed without truth in the way they think or feel); (3) I have no intentions to offend anyone. Please enjoy reading.

Suppression of Homosexuality

Photograph by: Antonio Eriberto Cabug
Subjects/Models: Kennex Rey Monsanto and William Miguel Locañas. September 1, 2009

The photograph, Suppression of Homosexuality, has basic elements of visual art. The paths of the lines are changing abruptly in direction, evident in the upper and lower extremities of the subjects. Thus, there is tension and a sense of conflict and confusion in them. Aside from the lines, space is also organized. There is boundary between the building with the ground full of people and the empty sky. Linear perspective is evident. Though the vanishing point is not shown, it exists when the photo is extended to the right-hand side. There are also principles of design in this work of art. There is a partially symmetrical balance. Even if not exactly symmetrical, it resembles a mirrored image when a line is drawn in the middle. The subjects are emphasized by their light colored shirt that illuminates them. Their form also gives emphasis and resemblance to the tree. The position of the hands catch attention. Proportion is life-like. Rhythm, on the other hand is shown in the windows of the buildings.

The photograph explicitly shows the discrimination and rejection experienced by homosexuals in the society. Despite numerous reforms in the name of liberalization has occurred in history, the sentiments of homosexuals were least if not heard at all. In fact, certain ordinances in provincial local governments give restrictions to homosexuality (i.e. Islamic city of Marawi).From the background, The UST Main building with its ages -old architecture was strategically placed there to represent the traditional institutions that give rise to conservative societies. The people in the background are the society itself – indifferent about the minority or the marginalized sectors. The path, diagonally depicted, which shows action is the swift movement of time. Though the time moves forward fast, the conservative society doesn’t lose its grip on it. Moving to the subjects, the abruptly changing directions of lines are reinforced by the confused and tensed facial expressions of the subjects that manifest their emotions. These expressions are the results of the things they wonder. Questions like, “Is there something wrong with me?”, “Am I immoral?”, and “Why does my feelings tell me I am right if I am wrong?”, could be read in their expressions. The tree trunk with the ropes that tie the wrists of the lovers are the forces of the norms that pulls them away from each other. This is antagonistic to their love. But the love knows no force, no matter how it resists. Despite the fact that they don’t look each other with affection, probably due to the shame and rejection that it will cause, their hands are bound with love. The love is secret, hidden in their hearts, but this love is true.

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Things I forgot to integrate in my report: (1)The trash can was left there to show how society ignores this sector and (2)The two girls whose hands seem to hold each other were not intentionally placed there. It happened by fate.

Summer Sucks

Summer has never been different.

I just feel useless. It seems to me that although summer replenishes my strength, it also conditions me to be idle. This isn't right.

Oh well, I hope there is something I can do. Its just half time anyway. I still have the other half in control. I hope something productive can be done instead of worrying about my grade in English.

First Sem Grades = Above Expectation!!!

Nice! My first semester grades of my first year are not that high, but very satisfying. I reached the GWA as required by the Santo Tomas Scholarship. Now I feel at ease, worrying not whether I have to bring some additional 24 thousand pesos for my enrollment. I feel great!

However, I won't be in school tomorrow. I am still in Zamboanga. I have no idea how to reactivate my scholarship. What shall I do? My co-scholar isn't replying my texts.

Oh well, thank heavens I am still alive.

My First Semester in College - "not bad"

After finishing my first semester in college, I now look back to the experience I had.

The first semester was quite easier than High School. There are no major subjects yet. Things are still simple. However, my scholarship is endangered by my poor performance. The first semester, easy as it may sound, is not that easy at all. It is a period of adjustment, adapting new strategies for the new landscape. But really, I had fun. There were things that I didn't expect. First, I never thought my block mates are that friendly. I thought they would be mean. But I was wrong. I acquired new friends. They are very nice. Then, I also never thought lenient professors exist. I thought they are all harsh. Also, I never thought that I have a relatively abundant amount of time compared to my high school days. Plus, powder less white boards and air conditioned rooms. Wow! Manila education rocks! These surprises really surprised me. And I love it!

Well, I really hope that this college era of mine will be better than High School. I want to explore things that I have'nt done in my previous times. I want to do more, and know more. I hope I can be me to the fullest. Well, my previous restrictions are now lessened, somehow; and I hope that I can be more independent. I believe that in no time, I can survive in the wild all by myself.

I can do this! I will graduate in a strike of a match. I will be a CPA in a blink of an eye.