Last June, our president who has made profanity his trademark raised a proverbial fist a lot higher by aiming his tirades at God in a speech at an ICT summit in his bailiwick, Davao City. In a country that has more than 90% population identifying themselves as Christians, not a few thought it blasphemous. They were shocked, enraged, and offended and perhaps rightly so especially coming from a man who sits at the highest and most respected position in the land. The succeeding months that unfolded would show that his Excellency was just getting started. But what got lost in the shuffle were the arguments that he raised. A careful reading is necessary as these are not his own original and exclusive sentiments. They have been raised before and will be raised again. The question is, do we who profess to be followers of the God of the Bible, know what to do when this occurs again? If we are to judge based on the reactions especially on social media that followed, the answer is no.

People were angry at the president and called him names. Is this what the Bible tells us to do when someone mocks or questions God? The apostle Peter told us to, “(a)lways be ready to give a logical defense to anyone who asks you to account for the hope that is in you, but do it courteously and respectfully.” I Peter 3:15 (AMPC) Were the name-calling and the “condemnation to hell” comments courteous and respectful? Would Peter consider our responses logical? And most important of all, did our reactions help our president change his mind about God? Given that he went on for two more months lambasting God in his speeches show us that we, believers, failed. Here was an opportunity for us to enlighten him as well as others who might be wondering about the same things and what did they see or hear from us? Nothing to make them see the hope that is in us. Nothing to make them stop mocking God.

True, the Bible says that “God cannot be mocked” (Galatians 6:7, NIV) but nowhere does it say that we should mock the mocker. The mocker has to account for his words to God in the same vein that we are accountable for ours. We failed in being compassionate, seeing our president as Jesus saw the adulterous woman and the tax collectors. Jesus was always kind to sinners but saved his harshest words to the religious hypocrites or the hypocritically religious. Let us then humble ourselves and ask for forgiveness for our unkind words and Pharisaical attitude.

Hopefully, the next time we encounter such anger at God, and believe me, we will. It may not come from our president but it may be from our family, friends, colleagues, or the stranger standing next to us in the MRT. The question is, are we prepared “to preach the Word of God urgently at all times, whenever (we) get the chance, in season and out, when it is convenient and when it is not. Correct and rebuke (our) people when they need it, encourage them to do right, and all the time be feeding them patiently with God’s Word.”? (2 Timothy 4:2 TLB)

This begs the question: do you know how to answer the points our president raised?

 http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/06/23/18/duterte-asks-who-is-this-stupid-god 

• "Who is this stupid God? Estupido talaga itong p***** i** kung ganun. You created some --- something perfect and then you think of an event that would tempt and destroy the quality of your work.”
• “Ang ginawa niya --- kinain ni Eve. Tapos si Eve ginising si Adam. Siguro katatapos lang. Kumain ka rin. So kinain ni Adam. Then malice was born."
• So tayo ngayon, all of us are born with an original sin. Ang original sin --- ah sin --- ano man ‘yan? Was it the first kiss? O… What was the sin? Bakit original? Nasa womb ka pa, may kasalanan ka na," 
• "How can you rationalize a God? Maniwala ka?"
• "Ako, I believe that is a universal mind. But to what extent is the influence of that… You know, I cannot picture Him as a human being in the image of God,"
• "If you have something against me or my mouth or my character, go to God and complain. Siya ang may gawa. He is the one to be blamed,”
• "Why should I change? God made me the way I am. God gave me this identity and God gave me this mouth,"

http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/10/18/duterte-my-god-is-not-stupid 

• "Ang Diyos ko forgiving, ang Diyos ko hindi bastos, ang Diyos ko hindi nagmumura. As a matter of fact, ang Diyos ko walang sinasabi except the 10 commandments,”
• "[A]nd then when you use God to tell that I'll go to hell. You know, my God never created hell because if he created hell he must be stupid God. My God is not stupid to create man just to burn him in hell."
• "I do not believe in Heaven because if I do, only a fraction of you in this crowd will ever enter Heaven. All of us, makita ko lalo na 'yung mga 2 asawa dito mga playboy, lahat man tayo sa impyerno magkita. That is fiction," 
• "Sabi ko nga, give me a religious guy na nakapunta anywhere, you take a picture of Mother Earth from above... saan 'yang Diyos na yan.”

 http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/07/18/duterte-to-step-down-if-gods-existence-can-be-proven-by-selfie 

• "But if there is somebody of the so many billions, maybe if he can go there in Heaven, talk to God, and magpa-selfie sila at bumalik siya rito at sabihin ng pari there is [a] God, I will step down tomorrow,"
• "I have this deep and abiding faith in God but my God, my concept of God is [based] sa values ko sa buhay, the lessons I learned in life the hard way and 'yung capacity to seek someone who has a universal mind,"
• "I do not think of my God as a God na applicable dito otherwise there would be no widespread injustice, hunger, killings. Kaya sabi ko nga 'wag kayo magalit mga pari."

https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/08/22/there-should-be-no-poverty-war-and-hell-if-there-is-god-duterte/ 

• “I don’t know how he works out his — because… Ako naman, kasi if you are God, you don’t create hell. If you are God you don’t create wars,”
• “I believe in God. I know that there is something universal mind aligned and he controls the universe. Billions and trillions. So kung walang God, magbubungguan talaga tayo and we will sucked into several of those black holes. And yet we have been here, Earth, for 4.5 billion. So there has to be a God,”