Ok sa rituals and traditions, wala sa puso, wala sa gawa!
We are not describing a company or an agency, we are looking into the brand of Christianity in the Philippines. The Philippines is often celebrated as the largest Christian nation in Asia, with Catholicism and other Christian traditions deeply embedded in its culture. Churches dominate skylines, religious festivals fill calendars, and faith-based language permeates everyday life. Yet, despite this outward religiosity, corruption remains one of the most persistent problems in Philippine society.
We live in a nation where churches rise tall above our towns, where fiestas and processions fill our streets, and where faith is proudly proclaimed as part of our identity. The Philippines is known as the largest Christian nation in Asia. Yet, despite this outward religiosity, corruption continues to poison our politics and weaken our society.
This paradox raises a troubling question: has Christianity in the Philippines become superficial, serving more as ritual and identity than as a transformative moral force? If so, this superficiality may be a root cause of the corruption that plagues the nation’s leaders.
Personally I am on the belief, that this is the reason why corruption thrives, because the connection to Christ is simply a recited prayer and a ritual participated, not a way of life, not the transformative type.
What then must we do? We must break the curse. We must demand leaders who embody integrity beyond ritual. We must insist that faith translates into justice, transparency, and service. We must call on churches to be prophetic voices, speaking truth to power. And we, as citizens, must refuse to be deceived by superficial displays of religiosity.
If the people demand leadership that is not the predatory type, we must demand the Christianity of our leaders that goes beyond rituals nor traditions. It must be a Christian way of life.
