Public Display of Faith: Politically Incorrect?

I was going through my Sent Box when I saw this e-mail I sent to a columnist to whom I send feedback regularly and who never failed to reply, only hours, sometimes minutes after sending my e-mail.

However, this one never got a reply. Not a word. Not a sigh.

___________________

"We, the sovereign Filipino people, imploring the aid of Almighty God, in order to build a just and humane society, and establish a Government that shall embody our ideals and aspirations, promote the common good, conserve and develop our patrimony, and secure to ourselves and our posterity, the blessings of independence and democracy under the rule of law and a regime of truth, justice, freedom, love, equality, and peace, do ordain and promulgate this Constitution." Preamble, 1987 CONSTITUTION OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES.

Dear Mr. ________________,

Yours and Mr. __________ columns today criticize the new Chief Justice Sereno's "repeated reference to God's will to explain her appointment." That it is tactless, "supremely arrogant, if not delusional."

Why? Are we turning into Americans who prohibit prayers in classrooms, who mock an outstanding football player for praying before and after every game, win or lose? 

Why is one's manifestation of faith inappropriate now? Why cringe when we hear someone refer to God during an official event? I won't start quoting Biblical verses here, but shouldn't we acknowledge the Almighty One in every thing we do, give thanks for every little thing we receive? Or should we only do that when no one else pays attention? 

"And I say that life is indeed darkness save when there is urge,
And all urge is blind save when there is knowledge,
And all knowledge is vain save when there is work,
And all work is empty save when there is love;
And when you work with love you bind yourself to yourself, and to one another, and to God." There that's from Kahlil Gibran.

Above, I copied the Preamble from the 1987 Constitution. Why don't we all cringe reading that? Should we go for Charter Change, let's strike out "imploring the aid of Almighty God," then we will all be politically correct.

Mr. _____________, I am disappointed.