Monday, June 27, 2011

DEFENDING THE GOOD CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE FRIARS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY





The Augustinian Church in Paoay, Ilocos





 

Anonymous
said...


Well the friars did commit a lot of atrocities and the colonizers did
make use of religion as an easy ticket to capturing us and destroying
our land.
The friars lived in simplicity? I laugh. Ever heard of
something called Obras Pias? It was a charity fund that the Spanish
Galleon trade funded which friars also used to enrich themselves (and
when a government official found out, friars had him killed). Another
reason as to why they built churches is because it will draw in the
people. They built churches first in place of government infrastructure
and hospitals. They did that in order to lure people and make them come
out of hiding and then exploit them through manual labour and other
stuff. I can't really blame the person for blaming the friars and
Christianity for Rizal's death since the people of the Church were
pretty dirty and drowning in their own thirst for power (they kinda did
what the Romans did to them to other religions).

I am personally a
very religious person but history is history and the fact is that
religion was one of the easiest ways for those damned colonizers to come
and suck at our natural resources. The only good that came out of all
this was that the Philippines became unified because they had 1 common
enemy to hate.







Fr. Abe, CRS
said... 

 


[Well the friars did commit a lot of atrocities and the colonizers did
make use of religion as an easy ticket to capturing us and destroying
our land.]


THIS IS JUST A HEARSAY BASED ON THE UNFOUNDED ACCUSATIONS OF THE ENEMIES OF THE CHURCH RATHER THAN BASED ON FACTS OF HISTORY.

THE
TRUTH IS THAT THE FRIARS ARE VERY MUCH LOVED BY THE PEOPLE SO THAT EVEN
AFTER THE SPANISH GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN OVERTHROWN THE PEOPLE PROTECTED
THE FRIARS BURIED THEM WITH LOVE AND RESPECT AND STAYED IN THE CATHOLIC
FAITH IN GREAT NUMBERS.

THOSE FRIARS ARE GONE BUT THE
INSTITUTIONS THAT THEY BUILT REMAINS TO BE ENJOYED BY FILIPINOS. UNLIKE
THE ATHEISTS WHO ONLY BROUGHT US THE MURDEROUS COMMUNISTS AND GODLESS
REVOLUTIONS. OR THE PROTESTANTS WHOSE INSTITUTIONS ARE OWNED AND
INHERITED BY THEIR PASTORS' OWN FAMILIES. THE FRIARS LIVED AND DIED AS
TRUE SERVANTS OF GOD. THEY WERE POOR AND HAD NO CHILDREN TO INHERIT THEIR INSTITUTIONS.

THAT IS THE FACT.

[The friars lived in simplicity? I laugh.]

YEAH,
YOU LAUGH ON YOUR OWN IGNORANCE. THE FRIARS SENT TO THE PHILIPPINES
WERE ONLY A HANDFUL. THERE IS ONLY ONE OR TWO FRIARS IN EVERY CHURCH
WHICH WERE VERY RARE THEN BUT EVEN IF THEY ARE ONLY ONE OR TWO THEY WERE
LOVED AND REVERED BY THE PEOPLE. IF THEY WERE EVIL THE FILIPINOS COULD EASILY HAVE MURDERED THEM IN THE CONVENTS OR DURING PROCESSIONS OR WHEN THEY ARE ROAMING THE HILLS AND VALLEYS OR THE RICE FIELDS. BUT THEY WERE NOT BECAUSE THEY WERE UNARMED. THEY CARRY ONLY THE BIBLE, THE CATECHISM AND THE CROSS.

THE FILIPINOS ARE MORE AFRAID
OF THE ATHEISTS OR COMMUNISTS THAN OF THE FRIARS BECAUSE THEY KNEW THAT
THE LATTER IS A MAN OF GOD. 




[Ever heard of something called Obras Pias? It was a charity fund that
the Spanish Galleon trade funded which friars also used to enrich
themselves (and when a government official found out, friars had him
killed).]


HEARSAY, I THINK YOU'VE GOT THIS FROM THE KUWENTONG
KUTSERO
OR FROM THE BARBER SHOP. THE GALLEON TRADES WERE UNDER THE
SPANISH GOVERNMENT AND NOT OWNED BY THE FRIARS. THE FRIARS ARE
PROHIBITED TO PRACTICE TRADE ESPECIALLY GALLEON TRADE BECAUSE OF THEIR VOWS OF POVERTY. O NO, NO, NO...
STUDY THE HISTORY OF GALLEON TRADE. THE FRIARS ARE ONLY INVITED TO JOIN
IN THE EXPEDITIONS BECAUSE THE ROYAL GOVERNMENTS OF THOSE TIMES PROMOTE
THE STATE RELIGION. BUT THOSE ARE DONE NOT ONLY BY CATHOLICS BUT ALSO BY
THE PROTESTANT DUTCH AND THE ANGLICAN ENGLISH AND LATER BY AMERICAN
PROTESTANTS.

[Another reason as to why they built churches is because it will draw in the people.]

THIS
IS A STUPID ASSERTION BEREFT OF ANY LOGIC. EVEN IF YOU BUILD CHURCHES
IF PEOPLE ARE NOT CONVINCED OF THE BELIEFS OF THAT RELIGION THEN THOSE
CHURCHES SHALL BE EMPTY.

BESIDES, THE CHURCHES IN THE BARRIOS
AND PROVINCES WERE AND ARE STILL VERY MODEST AND SIMPLE STRUCTURES. ONLY
THE CHURCHES IN THE CAPITAL CITIES ARE LARGE AND ARCHITECTURALLY
RELEVANT. SO YOUR REASONING IS NOT ONLY ILLOGICAL IT IS ALSO UNFOUNDED.

ACTUALLY,
CHURCHES ARE BUILT BY THE PEOPLE SO, WHAT COMES FIRST IS
EVANGELIZATION, THAT IS, CONVINCING PEOPLE TO BE CATHOLICS. ONCE THE CONVERTS
HAVE BECOME NUMEROUS ONLY THEN A BIG CHURCH CAN BE CONSTRUCTED BECAUSE
THE MONEY WILL COME FROM THE PEOPLE BECAUSE THEY ARE THE OWNERS OF THE
CHURCH. PRIESTS ARE COME AND GO, THEY ARE REPLACED AFTER SOME YEARS OF
SERVICE BUT THE CHURCH REMAINS WITH THE PEOPLE. THEY WERE THE ONES
BUILDING THEIR OWN CHURCHES. IF THEY WANT A SIMPLE 'COTTAGE' FINE BUT IF
THEY WANT AND CAN AFFORD A BASILICA THEN THEY DO SO.

IT IS THE
PEOPLE WHO VOLUNTEERED TO BE WORKERS, ENGINEERS, ARCHITECTS AND THEY
CARRY GRAVELS AND SANDS FROM THE RIVERS. DUE TO THE COMMON HARD WORK AND
CONTRIBUTIONS OF ALL CATHOLIC MEMBERS WE WERE ABLE TO BUILD BEAUTIFUL
CHURCHES MANY OF WHICH ARE NOW CULTURAL HERITAGE OF THE COUNTRY PROTECTED EVEN BY UNESCO AS PART OF THE ARTISTIC AND CULTURAL TREASURES OF HUMANITY.




[They built churches first in place of government infrastructure and hospitals.]

HA
HA HA... THAT IS A RARE OCCASION. MAY BE IN THE MAJOR CITIES ONLY. BUT
IT HAPPENED BECAUSE SOME RICH DONORS FROM SPAIN OR ITALY DECIDED TO
DONATE MONEY FOR THE IMMEDIATE CONSTRUCTION OF A CHURCH. BUT THESE ARE
RARE. USUALLY THE PEOPLE ARE THE ONES CONTRIBUTING.

AND ALSO, IT
IS NOT TRUE THAT THEY BUILT CHURCHES FIRST BEFORE HOSPITALS. BECAUSE
MANY FRIARS LIVED IN NIPA HUT AND COTTAGES BUT THEY STARTED BUILDING
SCHOOLS AND HOSPITALS AND HOUSES OF CHARITIES SUCH AS ORPHANAGES AND
HOUSE FOR LEPROUS. THE ANTIQUITY OF OUR INSTITUTIONS OF THESE KIND
REPULSE YOUR UNFOUNDED ASSERTION.






ACTUALLY SINCE THE FRIARS WERE FEW THEY DECIDED TO TEACH THE PEOPLE HOW TO READ AND WRITE BY CHOOSING FEW INTELLIGENT AND BRIGHT STUDENTS. THEN, THESE BRIGHT STUDENTS WHO WERE FILIPINOS WERE THE ONES WHO REPLACED THEM TEACHING THE OTHERS AND SO ON AND SO FORTH. SO THAT THE EDUCATION OF THE FILIPINOS IN WESTERN PHILOSOPHY AND SCIENCES CAME FROM THE FRIARS.





The San Juan de Dios Hospital founded by the Franciscans... the oldest in the Country






[They did that in order to
lure people and make them come out of hiding and then exploit them
through manual labour and other stuff.]


HA HA HA... ONLY AN IDIOT
WILL BELIEVE THAT. THE COMMUNISTS COUNTRIES BUILT CONCENTRATION CAMPS
TO PUNISH ITS PEOPLE TO HARD LABOR. BUT THE FRIARS NEVER DID THAT. THERE
IS NO PROOF THAT THERE IS A HARD MANUAL LABOR IMPOSED ON OUR CATHOLIC
FAITHFUL. ON THE CONTRARY, SLAVERY WAS A COMMON PRACTICE DURING THE PRE-HISPANIC FILIPINO TRIBES. THEY WERE REMOVED BY THE FRIARS THROUGH THE POWER OF EVANGELICAL PREACHING.

ON THE CONTRARY, THE FILIPINOS LOVED THE HOLY MASSES
BECAUSE THEY ONLY SIT, STAND AND KNEEL IN PRAYER AND WORSHIP. HE HE HE...
THEN THERE ARE PROCESSIONS AND EXPOSITION OF BLESSED SACRAMENTS.
BEAUTIFUL AND JOYFUL FIESTAS AS WELL AS WONDERFUL FAMILY REUNIONS FOR
BAPTISMS, WEDDINGS AND FESTIVITIES. SO THE FILIPINOS WHO ARE JOYFUL AND
PEACEFUL PEOPLE LOVED THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. BECAUSE THE CHURCH GAVE THEM A
LOT OF GOOD THINGS TO CELEBRATE AND BE HAPPY OF.



NO HARD
MANUAL LABOR. OTHERWISE THERE WOULD BE RIOTS ON THE STREETS AND THE
FRIARS SHALL BE POISONED OR MURDERED. NO NO NO... TELL ME HOW MANY
FRIARS MURDERED BY THE FILIPINOS AFTER THE EXPULSIONS OF SPANIARDS? EVEN
THE KATIPUNEROS HESITATED TO HARM THE FRIARS. WHY? BECAUSE THE PEOPLE
LOVED THEM SO MUCH. LOOK AT THE HEBREW PEOPLE. THEY WERE ENSLAVED BY THE EGYPTIANS SO IN EFFECT UNTIL NOW THEY FEEL THE HATRED AND THE INDIGNATION. THE FILIPINOS HAVE THAT ATTITUDE FOR THE GOVERNMENT OF SPAIN AND JAPAN THEN BUT NOT FOR THE FRIARS.

[I can't really blame the person for blaming
the friars and Christianity for Rizal's death since the people of the
Church were pretty dirty and drowning in their own thirst for power
(they kinda did what the Romans did to them to other religions).]


I
BLAME THE STUPID AND IGNORANT PEOPLE LIKE YOU WHOSE MIND IS
CONTAMINATED BY HEARSAY AND UNFOUNDED CLAIMS WITHOUT SOLID BASIS FOR
HIS ACCUSATIONS AND CLAIMS.

FILIPINOS HATE EVIL PEOPLE BUT THEY
LOVED AND WERE GRATEFUL TO GOOD PEOPLE. SO THEY LOVED AND RESPECTED THE
FRIARS, BECAUSE THEY WERE GOOD. THOSE WHO CLAIM OTHERWISE ARE THE
ATHEISTS, THE COMMUNISTS, THE AGNOSTICS AND THE PROTESTANTS WHO WANT TO
UNDERMINE THE CHURCH SO THAT CATHOLICS WILL TRANSFER TO THEIR NEWLY
INVENTED RELIGIONS. 





[I am personally a very religious person]

WHAT A HYPOCRISY. YOU ARE LIKE A PROSTITUTE CLAIMING TO BE A VIRGIN. HA HA HA... SHAME ON YOU.


[but history is history and the fact is that religion was one of the
easiest ways for those damned colonizers to come and suck at our natural
resources.]


THE COLONIZERS SUCK OUR NATURAL RESOURCES BUT NOT
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. BECAUSE THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN THE PHILIPPINES ARE
NOT COLONIZERS BUT FILIPINOS. THE FRIARS CAME NOT TO TAKE RICHES AWAY BUT TO HELP AND EMPOWER THE FILIPINO PEOPLE. INDEED, ALL THOSE GREAT INSTITUTIONS SUCH AS U.S.T, ATENEO, LA SALLE,  SAN BEDA, LETRAN, HOSPICIO DE SAN JOSE AND OTHERS ARE ALL ENTRUSTED TO FILIPINOS AFTER THE FRIARS DIED A NATURAL DEATH.

ON THE CONTRARY, THE CATHOLIC
CHURCH IS THE GREATEST INSTITUTION OUTSIDE THE GOVERNMENT THAT
CONTRIBUTED FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE FILIPINO PEOPLE. FROM SCIENCE TO
ARTS, FROM EDUCATION TO CULTURE... IN ALL STRATA OF LIFE IN OUR COUNTRY
THE CHURCH HELPED FOR THE BETTER.

[The only good that came out of all this was that the Philippines became unified because they had 1 common enemy to hate.]

THAT
IS DEFINITELY ONE OF THE GOOD THINGS THAT WE CONTRIBUTED BUT NOT THE
ONLY. THE FRIARS ESTABLISHED THE FIRST SCHOOLS IN THE CITIES AND IN THE
PROVINCES AND IN THE FAR FLUNG PLACES. EVEN IN AREAS THAT THE GOVERNMENT
SOLDIERS WERE AFRAID TO ENTER. EVEN NOW, IN THE AREAS WHERE THE
MILITARY AND THE GOVERNMENT WORKERS CANNOT ENTER DUE TO INSURGENCY
PROBLEMS THE PRIESTS AND NUNS MISSIONARIES ARE PENETRATING. THAT IS WHY
THEY ARE EASY PREY TO THE ABU SAYYAFF. IN ALMOST EVERY KIDNAPPINGS OF
ABU SAYYAFF THERE IS ALWAYS A NUN OR A PRIEST INVOLVED.

THE
FRIARS WROTE THE FIRST DICTIONARIES, THEY CODIFIED THE FILIPINO ANCIENT
LITERATURE IN VARIOUS LANGUAGES. THEY WERE THE FIRST TO TEACH SCIENCES
IN THE COUNTRY. THE JESUITS PIONEERED IN ASTRONOMY, THE DOMINICANS IN
MEDICINES AND THE AUGUSTINIANS IN BOTANY. THEY ALSO PRINTED THE FIRST
BOOKS. THEY TAUGHT OUR PEOPLE THE FIRST RULES OF GRAMMAR AND
MATHEMATICS. THEY OPENED HOUSES OF CHARITIES THAT UNTIL NOW ARE STILL
OPEN AND LOVED BY ALL FOR SOCIAL AND CHARITABLE WORKS LIKE THE
HOSPICIO DE SAN JOSE. THEY BUILT HOSPITALS WHERE THE FRIARS THEMSELVES
WERE DRESSING THE WOUNDS OF THE PEOPLE.





THE MOST ACTIVE IN THE FIELD OF HOSPITAL WORKS WERE THE FRANCISCANS. THE HOSPITALS BUILD BY THE FRIARS ARE FAMOUS AND REVERED IN THE MEMORY AND HEART OF OUR PEOPLE:





1. The Royal Hospital in Manila


2. The San Juan de Dios Hospital


3. The Holy Spirit Hospital in Cavite


4. The St. James Hospital in Naga


5. The Holy Waters Hospital in Los Banos







ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS OF THE CATHOLIC LEPROSARIUMS BUT VERY FAMOUS IS THE SAN LAZARO LEPROSARIUM. THIS LEPROSARIUM IS LEGENDARY IN ITS SERVICE TO THE LEPERS. 





IN THE FIELD OF AGRICULTURE IT WAS THE JESUIT SCIENTISTS WHO BROUGHT THE CACAO SEEDS TO THE COUNTRY SO THAT FILIPINOS CAN ENJOY HOT CHOLATE DRINKS AND TASTY CHOCOLATE CAKES. AND THEY WERE THE FIRST TO TEACH ALSO THE PEOPLE OF BATANGAS TO CULTIVATE THEM AND TO BE THEIR SOURCE OF INCOME. THE SAME FOR COFFEE. YES, COFFEE. THE AUGUSTINIAN NATURALISTS LED BY FRAY ELIAS LEBRADO WHO BROUGHT THEM IN THE PHILIPPINES AND TAUGHT THE PEOPLE HOW TO CULTIVATE AND BREW THEM. THAT IS WHY THE PEOPLE OF BATANGAS AND CAVITE ARE VERY CATHOLIC EVEN THOUGH THEY PRODUCED A LOT OF NATIONAL HEROES AND LED MANY REVOLUTIONS. THE SAME FOR THE PEOPLE OF BULACAN.  THE SAME AUGUSTINIAN SCIENTISTS BROUGHT SUGAR CANE TO THE PHILIPPINES AND TAUGHT THEM THE TECHNOLOGY TO PRODUCE OUT OF THEM. THAT IS WHY THE PEOPLE OF NEGROS AND LAGUNA ARE VERY CATHOLIC. THEY BEAUTIFIED THEIR CHURCHES BECAUSE THEY OWE THEIR INCOMES FROM THE TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCES THEY'VE GOT FROM THE FRIARS WHO BROUGHT THEM ALSO ORANGES, TOBACCO, GRAPEVINES, WHEAT AND OTHER PRODUCTS SUCH AS SILK AND COTTON. SILK INDUSTRY WAS INTRODUCED BY FR. ANTONIO SEDENO OF THE JESUITS.





THE JESUITS TAUGHT THE PEOPLE SILK TECHNOLOGY BUT THE AUGUSTINIANS TAUGHT THEM THE WEAVING TECHNOLOGY. 





IN THE FIELD OF LITERATURE AND LANGUAGE THE FRIARS REFUSED TO IMPLEMENT SPANISH AS THE OFFICIAL LANGUAGE OF THE COUNTRY. INSTEAD, THE FRIARS LEARNED THE LOCAL DIALECTS AND MADE DICTIONARIES AND BOOKS USING THEM. THUS, BY DOING SO THEY PRESERVED OUR LOCAL LANGUAGES. ALMOST ALL OF OUR ANCIENT EPICS WERE PRESERVED BY FRIAR HISTORIANS AND SCHOLARS.





OUR CONTRIBUTIONS ARE TOO MANY TO BE COUNTED. THEY CAN FILL VOLUMES AND VOLUMES OF BOOKS. ONLY THE BLIND WILL FAIL TO SEE THESE BLAZING TRUTH.





WE FILIPINOS ARE NOT TRAITORS AND INGRATE. WE KNOW HOW TO LOVE THOSE WHO LOVED AND DID A LOT OF GOOD TO US. THUS, WE LOVED AND RESPECTED THE FRIARS. THE EVIL NPA AND THE ABU SAYYAFF WERE CONDEMNED BY OUR PEOPLE BUT NOT THE FRIARS.



MANY OF THE FRIARS SENT
TO THE PHILIPPINES WERE DOCTORS AND SCIENTISTS. THAT IS WHY THEY WERE
COMPETENT TO RUN AND TEACH IN COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES. MANY OF THEM
WERE FLUENT IN MANY LANGUAGES, THAT IS WHY THEIR STUDENTS SUCH AS RIZAL
LEARNED VARIOUS LANGUAGES FROM THEM AS WELL. TAKE NOTE, RIZAL LOVED AND
RESPECTED HIS JESUIT MENTORS UNTIL DEATH. THEY WERE HIS REQUESTED
COMPANIONS TO BE AT HIS SIDE IN BAGUMBAYAN, NOT THE MASONS, NOT THE
ATHEISTS AND NOT THE KATIPUNEROS. 




No comments:

Post a Comment