My Martin Luther
Philosophy is my new enemy.
The Catholic church is a powerful institution. It is powerful in a sense that it controls the standards for morality. In this case, nations oriented with such, follow what the Church orders for fear of eternal damnation and/or permanent residency in hell (or if not, for some personal reasons). Even the government of Christian countries, where officials most often than not live extravagantly off the taxes of the citizens, have to think twice before going against the creed of the Church. People of different status in the society abide by the same rules and conduct given by the Church. In short, Christianity tells us all how to live.
Living life by the standards of the Church is not really a bad thing. The fact that the Bible asks us to "Love thy neighbor" and "Forgive not seven but 77 times" tells us that Christianity's intentions are good and its purpose is for the betterment of the welfare of God's people. It also limits our freedom thus also limiting the extent of what one person would do to gain his/her own selfish desires.
"Kung 'di lang masamang pumatay, matagal ka nang patay."
Ever heard anyone utter something of this sort? This is what I mean by Christianity being good. It gives us something to fear. This fear curtails the bad things humans long to do. If there were no God to believe in, I would have done a number of nasty things already.
That is not the only benefit we get from Christianity. It also gives us something to believe in. Faith is very useful. When I hurt, I turn to this Spiritual being to guide me. When I doubt everything around me, even my friends, I just pray hard to Him to help me believe again. And it works for me. Just like when I really can't sleep, I ask Him to help me doze off. And it works. It also quite comforting to know that there is Someone who keeps an eye on you 24/7. (or does that creep you out?)
God is a good and holy entity. Although we can't be sure He really does exist, His presence is still felt. Why try to question an existence of something that is very helpful to our daily lives? He does no harm so just let Him embrace you and your soul. Wala namang mawawala, hindi ba?
Since Jesus died, the Catholic Church has represented the Holy One. However, there are some obvious discrepancies showing how wrongly the Church is handling its job. From burning supposed witches to gaining money through indulgences, the Church has dirtied its name. All throughout history, we have seen and learned of the abuse the Church has done to the devoted.
I agree with Martin Luther when he said that salvation of the human soul is not dependent on the priests' prayers or the Church's intervention with God. I believe that we ourselves can talk straight to God just by praying. We don't need some connector between us and God. We can save our souls, not by paying the priests to pay for our dead nor by climbing a thousand flight of stairs down on our knees, but by just following what is written on the Bible.
It is through the Bible that we save ourselves from purgatory and hell. It is by doing good and knowing what is right from wrong that save our souls. The Church is there to guide us, not to abuse our faith.
I think Martin Luther separated himself from the Church and formed a different kind of Christianity. I want to follow his beliefs but of course I can't. I have to stick with being a Roman Catholic or else suffer the wrath of my very religious and conservative predecessors.
**A Little Ironic (and irritating, i guess) Trivia:
The farthest I've read in the Bible is, I think, the part with Abraham in it?...
