Religion's Return
Public Radio International recently showcased the radio documentary "God is Back." One might say that the recent economic downturn would let people introspect and realize that there can be a Divine Providence. Most people may also realize that what matters are not the ephemeral, transient, and the material, but something spiritual, redeeming, and enlightened. This is not to ignore the fact that there are people who do not subscribe to the existence of God. One may contend that the secular subscription to a God is Someone who has Infinite Intelligence, but non-interventional and non-interfering. This can be a God that some skeptics may give reasonable doubt, but not entirely. For the of consistency, one can stick to the 1st Amendment: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech [...]" Some would contend that a decline in prosperity would be a time to turn to religion: Be it Allah, God, Eloha, Yahweh, Mohammed. Siddaharta and the like. John Micklethwait and Adrian Wooldridge states on their book "God is Back" : Religion is even ( re-)emerging as a force in the very heartland of secularization. Europe is still a long way behind America: for instance, only one in ten French people say that religion plays an important role in their lives. But nevertheless there are signs that the same forces that are reviving religion in America — the quest for community in an increasingly atomized world, the desire to counterbalance choice with a sense of moral certainty [...]" One may posit that although religion skeptics seemed to refute religion, one may not deny that religion is an aspect of most people's lives.
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The month of August 2009 may have lost one of the hallmarks of democracy in Asia. The demise of Corazon Aquino seemed to have caused the weeping of millions of Filipinos. Cory may have been the epitome of a motherly love, to her children and to the nation. In the 1980s, she is one of the key characters who trampled the tyranny of martial law under the Marcos Administration. The People Power Revolution appeared to have taught the nation that revolt can happen in a peaceful manner. She became the first woman president in Asia. In a time when religion seems to be returning, one can say goodbye to Cory Aquino by remembering her words: "Faith is not simply a patience that passively suffers until the storm is past. Rather, it is a spirit that bears things - with resignations, yes, but above all, with blazing, serene hope.”
