Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain

By Jose B. Maroma, Jr. 

Although sinners like me sometimes take liberties with this Third Commandment, I submit that politicians are the worst offenders. I am disturbed by the wanton and reckless manner some candidates couch campaign language in religious undertones.

Many of them claim that their decisions to seek public office were finalized only after having sought and discerned divine guidance. This posture, calculated to win the sympathy of the religious flock, is initially burdened by a credibility issue, especially if one knows the reputations of the candidates.

Worse, the implication is that these leaders are the anointed ones and therefore deserve the people’s support.

To be sure, politicians are not the only ones guilty of this kind of Bible-bashing. Once in a while, I hear flippant remarks on piety uttered off the cuff and in poor taste by beauty contestants, basketball stars and showbiz upstarts.

When asked about their chances in the competition, they reply very casually and without any sense of reverence or piety, “bahala na si God.”  They think the language is fashionable and cute but, in my opinion, disrespectful and disgusting.

The latest political personality to use the Lord’s name in vain is no less than the President himself who said he is leaving to God the decision on whether to run or not for Vice President. Really? Is this the same person now imploring guidance from Someone he once called a stupid God? Going by previous careless metaphors, it’s hard to tell if this a joke or hypocrisy.

Meanwhile, the massive Palace propaganda studio continues to hatch production numbers extolling administration achievements while bashing opponents and downplaying police abuses.

Maybe, the show producers have taken a cue from master showman of circus fame, P. T. Barnum, who once said that “there’s a sucker born every minute.” The pied piper by the Pasig, a man called Harry, is having a field day staging his own circus and playing his magical pipe while brandishing the latest survey results.

The author is a retired civil engineer from Cabatuan, Iloilo. He likes to spend his time reading and writing on the burning issues of the day.