By Genalyn Kabiling
Poverty, war and hell should not exist if there is God, President Duterte said in his latest pronouncement about religion.
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte gestures as he delivers his speech during the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) Visayas Island Cluster Conference at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Cebu City on August 21, 2018. (SIMEON CELI JR./PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO)
The President said he believes in God who "is reasonable and has common sense," unlike the stupid god of his critics.
"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," Duterte said during his visit to Cebu City last Tuesday.
"If there is a God then there is no poverty. If there is God then nobody dies of hunger. If there is God then you are not refused burial services on Sundays," he added.
The President however made clear that he has his "own concept of God." He maintained that there has to be a God controlling the universe.
"I believe in God," Duterte said.
"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," he said.
Duterte explained that he was merely opposed to some religious leaders using the Lord's name in attacking his government.
"Because when you use the platform of religion to attack a politician or an official in government, you open the sacredness of your God kaya sabi ko your God is stupid," he said.
"Kayo atake lang diyan so I do not believe in your God. Why? Well, so many reasons," he added.
Duterte recalled that he was molested by a priest while studying in Ateneo high school in Davao. He previously said he stopped being a Catholic since he endured the sexual abuse.
Recently, the President vented his ire anew on the Catholic Church, saying it is the "most hypocritical institution" in the country.
The President has criticized the alleged corruption and other abuses involving some priests.
He also questioned the Church's practice of collecting money from its members during mass, asking where the donations go.