Philippine President Duterte States He Will Resign If Someone Proves God Exists

Rodrigo Duterte, president of the Philippines, has recently been criticized after a controversial televised speech wherein he called God “stupid.” The president has now stated that he will resign if someone proves to him that God exists.

This is not the first time that Duterte has spoken negatively of the Catholic faith, as he has insulted Pope Francis numerous times in his speeches.

His comments have sparked great outrage among Philippine citizens, as the Philippines is a heavily Catholic nation.

Duterte questioned many of Catholicism’s core concepts, during his speech, such as original sin and its relationship to the practice of baptism.  One of his main arguments surrounded the story of Adam and Eve being created only to allow them to succumb to sin and give into temptation.

Duterte stated:

“Who is this stupid God? This son of a bitch is then really stupid. You were not involved but now you’re stained with an original sin … What kind of a religion is that? That’s what I can’t accept, very stupid proposition.”

Many Philippine officials and politicians have opposed Duterte’s harsh rhetoric regarding a topic that is of great significance to many of his citizens.

Some have stated that this behavior is “very much consistent” with the president’s previous actions and political measures, as his policies have often been seen as unnecessarily harsh and “heartless.”

However, a spokesman for Duterte has publicly stated that the president has the right to express his opinions and beliefs, and reminded the public that Duterte was previously sexually assaulted by a Catholic priest.

Some officials are not willing to let the matter go however, as they have arranged a meeting between him and the largest association of Catholic priests on Monday. They will surely address the subject and his rhetoric.

Filipino bishops plan to share their thoughts on Duterte after the conclusion of their annual meeting.

Members of the Church have frequently critiqued Duterte for his choices, such as his frequent use of vulgar expressions during speeches and his anti-drug policy, which has caused thousands of innocent suspect citizens to be killed by police officers over the past few years.

Catholic Bishop Arturo Bastes notably stated:

“Duterte’s tirade against God and the Bible reveals again that he is a psychological freak, a psychopath, an abnormal mind who should have not been elected as president of our civilized and Christian nation.”

As a part of Duterte’s drug policing measures, he threatened to withdraw his country from the United Nations and stated that he didn’t recognize drug dealers’ human rights. Duterte has not hesitated to blatantly instruct police officers to kill people that could be somehow related to the drug trafficking business.

Featured Image via Wikimedia Commons