Your Say: Davao church eviction a 'symbol of what ails society'

The photo of the half-naked man who was evicted from a church in Davao City by a security guard who poked him with a rattan truncheon had readers debating proper decorum in places of worship. 

 

Some readers such as Hush suggested that the evicted man may not be in a normal mental state, thus his appearance.

 

Hush (4 comments):

 

Was he a threat to the other churchgoers or was he known to be one in their place? A more humane treatment could have been used anyway. If that person is in his right mind then he should know how to present himself in church,definitely not half naked. Maybe his mind isn't in a normal state. More so that he should be treated with compassion esp if he  wasn't annoying or hurting anyone. I do not know the exact facts of what transpired, I can only suggest and surmise.

 

Meanwhile, readers Kathy U. and Gil Anselmo wrote in defense of the half-naked church-goer, saying that the poor also have a right to pray inside the church.

 

Kathy U. (4 comments):

 

I do understand that Churches do have some form of a dress code to follow. This guard could just have simply tapped him on the shoulder and not poke him with his rattan stick. Nagdadasal yung tao eh! You have a half-naked man on the cross on the altar din naman ha? if the RC says they're PRO-POOR then they're definitely not being so in this photo! eh paano kung mahirap pala talaga sya at walang damit? THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE TOLERANT. diba sabi, help the poor, give home to the homeless, clothe the naked? DIBA? porke't ganyan yung looks ng guy, gaganun-ganonin na lang sya? FILTHY HYPOCRITES! Gosh, Holy Week pa naman!

 

gil anselmo (2 comments):

 

I suppose it's more important to protect the beauty and pageantry of the building than the sincerity and purity of the heart...The guard is just a symbol of what ails society. Too many people hiding in the sacraments of the church. What is a gold-lined church worth if the faithful are starving to death?

 

User cuppanoodles thought that a church official should have been approached first before action was taken towards the man.

 

cuppanoodles (1 comment):

 

A priest or church official should have been notified first instead of a lowly security guard being pushed around by someone who felt offended by the poor. Instead of treating this person as cattle, prodding him and then throwing him out of the church they should at least offer to clothe him. It's the least the church could have done this week.

But for user manwhocantbemoved, the poor are ostracized everywhere, not only in church.

 

manwhocantbemoved (1 comment):

 

fake or not, it happens everywhere, marami sa atin nagmamalinis, akala magaling, akala tama, akala nasa tamang landas. what this picture portrays is the reality that public places are no place for a poor man. there is no need to verify if its true or not. coz we all know things like this happen and its true. we just couldnt accept it. and we wont accept the reality. just like the video 20 Things I hate About The Philippines na gawa ng foreigner..nagagalit tau sa gumawa ng video..eh totoo naman, tama ang sinabi ng iba..kung haharap ka sa presidente or kahit mayor na naka hubad sigurado sisitahin ka..or baka nga mapagkamalan kang terorista. God loves the poor. And the government should be for the poor. Sorry for associating the picture with the government, but the event is somewhat indirectly related.

 

 

Some readers like Juan dela Cruz surmised that culture dictates what is accepted as normal behavior, including being in proper attire.

 

Juan dela Cruz (3 comments):

 

Tao lang naman ang nagpauso ng decency at kabastusan. Parte lang yan ng cultura na kinagisnan ng tao. Pero ang totoo, wala namang pakialam ang diyos kung dumating ka ng hubad hangang buto mo. Ang importante nandun sya at naalala nya ang diyos. Ang pag-simba ng nakahubad ay hindi bastos sa paningin ng Diyos. Ito ay bastos lang sa paningin ng tao dahil parte na yan ng cultura. At huwag mong ikumpara ang padalaw sa simbahan sa pag-dalaw sa isang bahay ng tao.... Baket BAHAY BA NG TAO ang Simbahan??? O BAHAY NG DIYOS?

 

Others, however, thought that it all boiled down to one's personal sense of decency and respect.

 

dunnoidea (38 comments)

 

It all boils down to this word: RESPECT. It is the least required of anyone if you are going inside a place of worship. Even Jesus got mad at some people for desecrating the Temple. No matter how inadequate one is, the least a person could do is to dress modestly when worshiping one's god. You do not treat a mosque, a temple or a church as if it is an ordinary pansitan where you could run around half naked. Pati nga mga sabungero naka isputing pag haharap sa kanilang kristo!

 

 

Makatang Gala (9 comments)

 

Let us be objective on this story.  Alam naman natin na may dress code na sa simbahan, kahit nga mga naka shorts or naka mini skirts pinagbabawal na ng simbahan.  Eto pa kaya na halos nakahubad?  Hindi din  kumpleto yung story, may mga tanong din na dapat sagutin.  Lasing ba itong taong ito o hindi?  Haharap ka kay Lord ng ganito ang suot mo, kung kaya mo naman gawan ng paraan para makapag suot man lang ng tshirt?  Pero setting aside yung rich and poor issue.  Naniniwala ako ng kapag gusto gawin ang isang bagay madaming paraan, kung ayaw madaming dahilan.  Puwede naman makiusap itong taong nakahubad na manghiram man lang ng tshirt sa kapitbahay o kaya sa mga pari para makapasok man lang di ba?  Kasi kung yung logic na iyan ang susundin natin na lahat puwede dahil mahirap lang siya, ano na mangyayari sa atin?  Kapag ang sasakyan niyo nabangga ng mahirap at sabihin na mahirap lang siya ay walang pambayad kaya forgive and forget na, pero kung ikaw makabangga sa kanila eh halos katakot takot na gastos ang aabutin mo.  I am not against the poor pero dapat pantay-pantay ang tingin ng batas mapamahirap o may kaya. May mga rules tayo na sinusunod na kung saan para sa ikabubuti din natin, sa school kahit public alam niyo naman na bawal ang nakahubad, sa hospital kahit public bawal din, ilagay natin sana sa tama.  Kung kayo, nagsisimba at may tumabi sa inyo na ganito, makakapagsimba ba kayo ng maaayos?

Yung batang nanlilimos sa issue sa ibaba ay wala din naman sa lugar dahil kalagitnaan ng misa ay nag-lilimos siya, alam naman natin na may mga bata na di naman talaga habol ang limos at sinusugal din yung mga pinaglimusan.

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