I recently came across a Facebook post by Noslen titled A DDS Before, Now Not Anymore. His first line gripped me: “I used to be a DDS…” This simple yet powerful statement reminded me of a profound transformation – one that echoes the Christian process of conversion. His title itself brings to mind the words of Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
What struck me most was Noslen’s concluding statement: “My decision to finally abandon Digong reached the breakpoint when I looked at his fearless blasphemies of our Lord our God.” It brought to mind how Duterte once made international headlines with The New York Times quoting him: “Who Is This Stupid God?” and ABS-CBN capturing his unapologetic stance: “Totoo naman…If I choose not to believe in any god, what’s the f*****g thing about it? It’s about freedom to choose one.”
Duterte’s assertion mirrors a world without God. His stance directly challenges St. Augustine’s claim that “Our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee.” For many DDS, the search for a strong, protective Freudian Father figure ended with an unwavering devotion to Tatay Digong.
Curiously, this phenomenon isn’t exclusive to the Philippines. In the U.S., Donald Trump’s most ardent followers often call him as their “daddy.” Historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat, an expert on authoritarianism and propaganda, describes such figures: “They model themselves and will be whatever they need to be to get to power because they have no morals. They just about getting control."
Amidst this, I also encountered an unsettling Facebook post raising this question: If Duterte has openly called God stupid, why do many DDS still organize prayer rallies? The contradiction is glaring - why would Christians revere a man who disrespects their God? (By the way, a vast majority of Filipinos, around 93%, identify as Christian, according to 2020 Census.)
British Anglican priest and theologian John Stott provides insight into true Christian conversion, describing it as “opening the door to Christ.” He warns against mere religious rituals and outlines a stark distinction:
“You can believe in Christ intellectually and admire Him, you can say your prayers to Him through the keyhole, you can push coins at Him under the door, you can be moral, decent, upright, and good; you can be religious and pious; you can have been baptized and confirmed; you can be deeply versed in the philosophy of religion; you can be a theological student and even an ordained minister – and still not have opened the door to Christ. There is no substitute for this.”
For Christians who remain devoted to Tatay Digong despite his blasphemy, the question lingers: “Have they truly opened the door to Christ? And if so, have they now shut that door from the outside?”
Noslen, however, has made his choice. Perhaps, after hearing this still small voice: “Well Noslen, you blew it again. Want to confess (thus, his FB post) and give life another try tomorrow?” He has resolved the internal struggle between his then political idol and God. His transformation aligns with philosopher Alfred North Whitehead’s view that religion revolves through three stages – God as the void, God as the enemy (stupid for Duterte), and finally God as the companion. Noslen has reached the final stage, where God is no longer a distant figure but a guiding presence in his life.
As the refrain of a popular Christian song goes:
“Here I am, Lord
Is it I, Lord
I have heard you calling in the night
I will go, Lord,
If you lead me
I will hold your people in my heart.”
True transformation often happens not through grand declarations, but in the quiet depths of one’s soul – what some describe as “the cloud of unknowing.” Many believers have spoken of a sudden wave of light breaking through the darkness as if a voice whispers: “You are accepted by that which is greater than you…”
For DDS struggling with their faith, the Serenity Prayer is particularly relevant.
“God grant me the serenity to accept things I cannot change (Thou shall not kill), courage to change things I can (turn away from the DDS conflict of belief), and wisdom to know the difference (humanly let go and divinely let God).”
The origins of this prayer remain somewhat mysterious, but it has been a cornerstone of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) history since 1941.
In his book Further Along The Road Less Traveled, psychiatrist M. Scott Peck, M.D., describes addiction as “the sacred disease.” He explains:
“One way of looking at addiction is to see them as forms of idolatry. For the alcoholic, the bottle becomes an idol. And idolatry comes in many different forms, some of which we’re quite accustomed to recognize. So, there are nondrug addictions, such as addictions to gambling or sex. The idolatry of money is another.
“To put things in perspective, therefore, it is important for us to keep in mind that there are innumerable kinds of idolatries or addictions, many of which can be far more dangerous than the addiction to drugs. The addiction to power. The addiction to security. In some ways, drug and alcohol addiction may be among the least destructive of addictions or idolatries in terms of their overall cost to society.”
Why does he call addiction a "sacred disease"? Peck answers:
“It is a blessing because it is a disease which breaks people…We are all broken people, but alcoholics can no longer hide it, while the rest of us conceal our wounds behind masks of composure.”
Just as alcoholism visibly breaks each person, so too, does addiction to power break a nation.
In my ATABAY article, Healing A Divided Nation: Duterte Supporters’ Travail, a reader, Bai Max, my friend, posed a critical question: “Where should [the healing] start”?
Perhaps it starts with one small step – Noslen’s step - a first step that, by God's grace in His time, could become a giant leap for the Philippines.
Content & editing put together in collaboration with ChatGPT
Head photo courtesy of Unsplash & Canva
Still photos courtesy of Facebook, GMA News. KAPWING, Pinterest, Wallpapers dotcom, & Brainy Quotes