Joshua, the Lord’s leader of the Israelite Army has grown too old already for war and there are still many lands undistributed and lands to conquer. Thus, he finally instructed his comrades and the next generation of Israelite army who had been fighting to gain land and territory in Canaan (Promised Land) saying:

“Now therefore, put away the foreign gods which are in your midst, and incline your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel.” And the people said to Joshua, “We will serve the LORD our God and we will obey His voice.” So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and made for them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem. And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God; and he took a large stone and set it up there under the oak that was by the sanctuary of the LORD. (Joshua 24:23-26)

“Strange gods” are idols we look to for protection, prosperity and decorations etc. I saw people in Batangas carve woods of idols of their Santo Nino and they’d say “swerte”(luck). Yet these people themselves were not really lucky and poverty is before their faces. We were in a fieldtrip to observe seaweeds and other brown algae along the shores of Batangas when I observed that most of the parishes were filled with such carvings. It cannot be denied the people of Batangas have had their great wood carvers just as the Ifugaos and the Mountain Provinces had theirs. It means they are artistic people and they could easily leave their imprints and cultures through what they are doing. The only objection I have with having figurines or images of saints is that it runs directly awry with what the Scriptures have to say:

“You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. “You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. (Exodus 20:4-6)

In Europe where the cultural education and background of the people has been consistently high, they do not worship these odd images and carvings. They are indeed artistic renditions. How did this come about? It was during the time of Martin Luther and the Reformation when most of the carvings and images of saints and Marian statues were thrown down in protestant Germany. This occurrence was repeated all throughout the years of the spread of Protestantism in Europe. If there is one thing that Protestantism has contributed much to the people of these protestant countries, it FREED them! One of the worst errors that Medieval Roman Catholicism has was to deny the people the freedom of choice and personal judgement. In fact the reason of prosperity in Western Europe is the length of time that they have been Protestants! It is here where everything modern started…from capitalism, steam engine, printing press, and modern medicine and democracy came about. It was because of the downfall of the tyranny of Roman Catholicsm that Truth rolled back the darkness that enveloped the whole continent.

It freed England, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium and France to discover and make colonies overseas in many countries from Africa, America to Asia. Had they remained totally under the controlling influence of the Pope without the separation of the Church and State, they would have remained poor and puppies of the Pope. With the Pope’s excessive power cut off the kings and noblemen and including the peasants were freed and given vast tracts of land to control and excise tax. It made living much easier from trading to learning thereby further advancing nationalist sentiments and determination of each country for self-governance. It kept them away from the controlling power of the pope; by the end of the Reformation period, the pope has merely become a symbol in Roman Catholic Church and seen as abusive tyrants by former Catholics who think they were kept in darkness for so long.

With the growth of the emphasis on personal faith and judgment among the people in most of these Protestant nations, so was the progress towards a democratic form of governance and complete separation between the Church and the State. Excessive veneration of saints and statues as well as papal edicts basically became a laughingstock for the Protestants. Idolatry which has therefore bound many people in Europe during those days were rolled back like a towel as Reformation spilled over from Germany, Scandinavia, Netherlands, Bohemia and other surrounding countries such as France and Switzerland. In this case idolatry was not merely the excessive veneration of saints and images and relics but also the worship of the pope.

In fact the Popes thought that they were infallible just as God is and that all orders they make are laws. By basing his conviction on the authority of the Bible alone, Martin Luther who was a former Augustinian monk dethroned Catholicism from its grips in all the lands across Europe. He stood like a shining lighthouse amidst the darkness of his times and without him, it would be impossible to imagine democracy, nationalist sentiments, Cultural Revolution and Reformation. Matter of factly, our nation owes a lot from this German theologian and Reformer. It was because of his boldness to stand against the Catholics in Germany that the English ruler and political reformer Henry the 8th of England changed his stance of Catholicism. Out of England, the Puritans came to Northern America and Established the United States which also sent its first missionaries through the USS Thomas or the Thomasites to the Philippines in the 1900s. Had they not come, the Filipinos would still have not known the Reformation nor had they known that they could indeed live beyond the influence of the powerful Roman Catholic Church.

Spain ruled the Philippines for 333 years and the bulk of those three centuries were spent making Catholics out of the Filipinos and cover-ups of the friars of their notorious activities. The Philippines have scarcely known the Protestant revolution in Europe or in America because information is mainly controlled by the friars. Spain itself is on the brink of being torn apart by civil unrests, and the independence movements in South America have caused it to become bankrupt in colonial reforms or financial matters. Even so, the Roman Catholic Church was still very powerful and through orders of friars, they controlled most of the governance and the people. They shaped and intimidated the decision making of the poor Filipinos. After 100 years, Protestants and Evangelicals has not over run the number of the Catholics in this country simply because of the powerful grip which the Church still plays among many Filipinos. To the few and free, their mindsets differ. This is the very reason why it is easier to teach or lead someone who has no religion than one who has and then to convert him or her to faith in Christ. The mindset of most Filipino Catholics is that they are devoted not just to Jesus Christ but are encouraged to venerate Mary and the saints.

Had the wood carvings been just decors and arts and not being venerated as Christ Himself but as rather a reminder of God and His sacrifice on the cross, I would have no objection to this. But when the wood or porcelain figurines and statues has become Christ Himself, this is where the curse of God runs to the person and his family and to his town and then to his province. The Lord clearly specified in the Ten Commandments that there will be repercussions on worshipping or venerating Mary and the saints as if they are people still alive or as if we need them to go to God and ask them for prayers. The Scripture declare it simply:

“You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me (Exodus 20:5).

God considers it as iniquity or sin to venerate any likenesses whether in heaven or in earth or in the water beneath the earth. He was very specific on this and warned that he will visit the sins of the fathers to the 3rd and 4th generations. This would mean that any curses God has allowed to come on to any person doing this veneration of Mary and the saints do come under curse not just in one generation but even until the 4th generation of more than 100 years! If our lifespan today is 70 years and you have a full four generations, you get 280 years of curse running in your family!

The case of the Philippines

Poverty in the Philippines is not merely of economic reasons but also cultural in nature. The influence of the Spanish empire has been good and bad at the same time. The good means it brought the Western influence and consciousness into the veins of the affluent Filipinos. These are western education, the Spanish language which has been absorbed in most Filipino dialects, Christianization of the Filipinos and a form of colonial government. The bad however includes the veneration of the saints and Mary which was an invention of man and nowhere found in the Scriptures. Moreover the Spanish colonial culture which has been to grab and enrich the motherland was also transferred to many Filipinos in the form of a mentality that is to “enrich myself first and family before the others grab it themselves”.

It is this root of evil that until now many among us struggle to overcome and find it obstinate and causing such harm in the national government. During the American occupation, this mentality was diluted with the presence of the Americans and their ideas which was strongly liberal, democratic and upheld the separation between the Church and the State. When the Americans left the Philippines in 1946 the American influence lingered on many future presidents who all have high aspirations for the development of the country. The reign of Marcos however soon short circuited this development and brought the Philippines to its knees and to beg for money from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. The Philippines continues to be a paradox in terms of development…a wide swath of fertile lands dot the archipelago where all kinds of trees and plants can survive for cultivation but until now the Republic has still to see a first world status which it aspires to be.

What went wrong then? This subject is worthy of one book itself and data analyses which I do not have the time to consider right now but basically what I wanted to point out here is selfishness brings ruin to us all. It was Marcos’ greed which became the justification of many future corrupt leaders in the country. Religion’s role is supposed to tame the wild side of man but when religion has become institutionalized, faith has become a company and not a personal aspiration, all sorts of evil can be released and justified. Our mediocrity in voting for corrupt leaders emanated from this…we justified that if the higher leaders has become corrupt, then we too can grab a hand on it even if it’s just a few pesos off the record. This mentality has become entrenched since a corruption in the highest office in the land flows down to the smaller levels and offices. This is the domino effect and which until now the Philippines has to fight and overcome. Office leadership requires the highest integrity in the leader who assumes that position. When the leader forgets who he is what his position means, it will bring ruin to all. This is why righteousness exalts a nation while sin or corruption brings ruin to a nation.

"Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a disgrace to any people.

The king’s favor is toward a servant who acts wisely, But his anger is toward him who acts shamefully." (Prov 14:34-35)

Sin is defined in Merriam-Webster’s dictionary as debt, transgression, crime and this is what can be said of the rule of Marcos. He will forever be remembered for his massive debts of blood and mammon among his people. When his motives to rule was right, the republic prospered, but when he forgot why the people voted for him in the first place, corruption has set in and brought repercussions that he also hadn’t wished to come. The NAZIs in Germany may have brought economic revival to Germany in many ways, but the price of which was blood and money of the Jews. This is a recurring theme of error among many leaders at the top, they fall for avarice of money or adultery or land-grabbing. Integrity is the utmost measure of a true leader which is why though King Solomon may well be remembered for his wisdom, King David, his father is more held in honor because of his high integrity.

Greed is a form of idolatry, it is the worship of mammon which many naïve leaders fail to see and take a precaution from. Paul wrote,

"...being darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God, because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality, for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness.

But you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth." (Ephesians 4:18-24)

When someone at the top has “given over himself” to greediness be it in the form of power, money or other ill motives, this is an evidence that corruption has set in. And with absolute power comes absolute corruption which explains the obstinate resistance anyone can have on dealing with such people. This kind of corruption which has over run the Philippines must be dealt with head on with a national consciousness of renewal. Paul advocates that we put of the past or “former conversations” of the past; this simply means in this context that we put an end to this evil by overcoming it with good, with a true renewal of the heart among elected leaders. Again we cannot overemphasize the need to pray for righteous leaders in the country.

So we do not lose hope on our country’s condition but we do have proactive measures which start by releasing them in the heavenlies…through constant barrage of prayers. Apart from forgiveness, we must learn to move on, or renew our minds…the lingering wars between the government and the communist parties as well as the muslim insurrection in the South are consequences of these. Our people have to learn forgiveness and move on, otherwise we will keep on looking back and we won’t be ready for the future. This is what it means to have a renewed mind, a renewed country! South Korea determined to move on and heal its divisiveness

Though our country is far richer than South Korea or Japan in natural resources from minerals to agricultural produce, economic progress can be hindered by socio-cultural factors which I have already pointed out. We have not left the Marcos era yet; we are still stuck in the mud of corruption in the highest office. The recent scandals that continue to rock the Arroyo administration from fertilizer scams to cheating during the election shows where we are and the influence of evil machinations in several hierarchies in the government.

It is soothing however to find that now the people are more vigilant than ever and more sensitive of choosing their leaders so that they toot and hoot whenever they find ills in the society. Our government is much like similar to a flying airplane which has two wings, one with the opposition and the government. Both are needed to govern the country well.

It is not easy to be the leader of any organization, much less to lead a country so the need to always pray for our leaders both corrupt and good should always be in our mouths not just on Sundays but even daily. This is far better than merely showing where he or she went wrong because we all need the grace of God so we can travel smoothly if not unhindered by all the obstacles we need to surmount and overcome in this life.

Economic progress is good and we can easily compare the conditions of those people living in the developed countries to those in the third world countries. The disparity between the rich and the poor and the accessibility of services to both is a measure we can behold physically in the everyday lives of the ordinary citizens. In addition it is written that we put on righteousness or that we do the right thing.

Any leader who would just obey these principles will be sure to find that the fruits of righteousness will always be more than the value of any riches or money. This is the true treasure that few are willing to pay for in order to find.