Your say: On the devotion to the Black Nazarene and the 2014 traslacion

GMA News Online has a lively community of commenters. Your Say is where we feature thought-provoking opinions from the community to help further discussions on issues that affect the common Pinoy.  

 

After 19 hours and 6.75 winding, zig-zag kilometers, the wooden sacred image of the Black Nazarene was escorted home to Quiapo Church early Friday morning without a single fatality or major injury. If the 10 million estimated by church officials can be validated, it would be the largest Nazareno crowd on record, greater than the nine million last year. 

 

 

Here are selected comments from the GMA News Online community: 

 

aaaverilla thinks that the feast and devotion to the Black Nazarene leads to idolatry and poverty of values: 

 

Idolatry, fanaticism and poverty of values. These are the things that remind me about the procession of the Black Nazarene. It is the spirit of God that should reign supreme and not the devotion to a particular statue. This explains why all Roman Catholic statue owners or holders in the Philippines want their statues to be considered miraculous. This invariably leads to idolatry, fanaticism, and poverty of values. The Roman Catholic Church, in effect, is the primary purveyor of these practices / developments so as to solidify their religious stronghold in the Philippines. Hope they could find a better, more meaningful way. 

 

birdie10 thinks that the event is pure spectacle and one reason for the country's continuing economic backwardness: 

 

Filipino nonsense on live television for the world to see. This is better than the Jay Leno show. Now you know why we are behind other Asian nations in economic progress. We depend so much on divine intervention, my life will change for the better if I could only touch, kiss and wipe my body with those towels saturated with super natural powers. If that happens, I'll shoot myself in the foot..... 

 

farshedsali agrees with aaaverilla and opines that parading the image is wrong: 

 

The biggest religious gathering in happened in India. Morethan 70 million participants. Ang Black Nazarene ay larawang kathang isip lang. Hindi siya ang tunay na larawan ng Panginoong Hesus.

 

Ni ang mga pare o ng mga naging papa sa Roma ay hindi nila maideclara na ang Black Nazarene o ibang sinasabing larawan ni Hesus ay tunay na siya ito. Isang kahangalan sa isang larawan na hindi pag aari ng Panginoong Hesus ang ipuprusisyon sa mga kalsada at tatawaging Jesus of Nazareth.

 

Si San Pedro na kasakasama ni Hesus na sinasabing unang Papa ng Catholic Church ay hindi pinatutuhanan ang larawan ni Hesus. Hindi rin iginawan ng larawan nina Santiago at si Judas (Author of James and Jude in New Testament) na mga tunay na kapatid ni Hesus sa ina nilang si Virgin Mary. Isa sa mga gumuhit ng larawan ni Hesus ay si Leonardo Da Vinci na pinanganak noong April 15, 1452, in Vinci, Italy. Nawa ay mabuksan ang ating mga puso at isip.Huwag ibandera ang isang larawang walang nakakaalam na siya ang tunay na Hesus at sinasamba pa ng marami ang larawang ito. Upang makaiwas sa mali mas mainam na magdasal o magsimba na huwag gagamit ng larawan upang hindi mapasama sa mga sinumpa ng Diyos.

 

Mike Gellar advocates understanding “idolater” first before judging the devotees: 

 

Understand first the meaning of idolaters... check its history, what does it mean, what does the Bible tell about idolaters... can we really say that what happened yesterday is idolatry? When you finally understood it, then please tell me for I do not understand also... but who am I to judge those people? When we all die, can I really say that I will go to heaven and those "idolaters" will not? How about you, you may even be an idolater yourself... as you worship other idols like money and celebrities? 

 

James agrees with Mike Gellar and urges understanding and tolerance: 

 

Who am I and you to Judge? Catholicism started 2,000 years ago. Mas maniniwala ako sa simbahan na tumagal ng ganyan kasya sa simbahan na nag uumpisa palang. Nakaka gulat naman nga post yo? OO sabihin natin na ang simbahan ay kumikita. DONATIONS diba? sa Iglesia ni Cristo MANDATORY mag bigay. bakit kino kompara nyo yung Relgion na kinopya nyo din sa Catholico? Don't forget Christianity ay nag umpisa kay Cristo na ang Simbahan Katolika ang nag dala....ang mga "RELIGION" na Christianity ay humiwalay lang at ang mga paniniwala nila ay base din sa paniniwala ng Katoliko..Bago kayo mag salita ng masama.....tignan nyo muna kung ang Religion nyo ay nasa tama din.

 

Manuel Liwanag is in awe of Pinoy faith in its myriad forms and that it defies logic: 

 

Filipino faith is really beyond human understanding and logic. They may be wrong to some specially to non-catholics and non-believers. But only their hearts and God will surely understand their faith and where it is coming from... No one is perfect and holy in the eyes of God, coz everyone commits sins, so don't judge them so that God will not judge also.  

 

Rocky Balbon declares that he is a devout Catholic who sees nothing wrong with the Black Nazarene devotion: 

 

I am a Catholic and have no problem with others faith or how they practice it. My worry is how these people behave while practicing their religion and faith. Compromising the safety of your fellow worshipers and others is not one of God's commandments, is it?  

 

ProGodProNation replies to Spencer Smythe's comment on scirpture that the many branches of Catholicism still point back to a belief in the Holy Spirit and Jesus' teachings:
 

Please read the bible in the context of the Jews during which time the commandments were given to them...the commandment which you are citing is not at all attributed to the images displayed inside the Catholic Churches including the Black Nazarene. Please don't speak as if you know everything in the Church, because in the first place you do not belong to the Catholic Church and you don't know her entire teaching, now tell me, have you read the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Catechism for Filipino Catholics, Church Social Doctrines, Canon Law among others...these are some of the MANY Church documents that would REALLY WAKE YOUR SOUL. God Bless you from a Catholic whose soul and spirit is wide awake. Punta ka din Cebu pag may time ka, para makita mo rin how people honor the Little Child Jesus... 

 

Richard Ruiz proclaims his faith and devotion to the Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno: 

 

For every calamity that hit our country we don't blame our God, we accept whatever He laid upon us. Perhaps you can call it Idolatry but it is not an image of animal that was once destroyed by Moses. No matter what other religion might say my Fate will always be the same. Viva Señor  
 

 

What's your say? — KDM, GMA News

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Selected comments do not reflect the views of GMA News Online.