This may be old “news” for some, but it was only last
month (March 2017) that I realized that our own monetary bills quoted the
bible.
Older banknotes wherein the
quote is not present
Although I’ve been keen to examine the new generation
Philippine banknotes, it was only last month when I realized that the phrase
“Pinagpala ang bayan na ang Diyos ay ang Panginoon” (Blessed is the nation
whose God is the Lord) was actually a quotation from the Bible, specifically
that of Psalms 33:12.
Psalm 33:12 (King James Version)
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen
for his own inheritance.
Awit 33:12 (Ang Biblia 1905)
12 Mapalad ang bansa na ang Dios ay ang Panginoon; ang bayan
na kaniyang pinili sa ganang kaniyang sariling mana.
Before realizing this, I thought the quote was just some
random religious quip that was added by a zealous member of the numismatic
committee that designed the banknotes, or probably an People Power/EDSA-related
quote, the same way 2 Chronicles 7:14 became commonly associated with it.
I do not have doubts that indeed this verse is true, but
in the Philippine setting as a whole, I believe it is not applicable. Is God
really the god of the Philippines? Many here are proud that we’re the only
Christian country in Southeast Asia (forgetting our tiny Portuguese-speaking
neighbor East Timor), but corruption is prevalent in this country, sad to say.
Idolatry, let the reader understand, is also rampant.
Isaiah 29:13 (Revised Standard Version)
And the Lord said:
“Because this people draw near with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,
while their hearts are far
from me,
and their fear of me is a commandment of men learned by rote;
Atheists, especially the radical anti-theists, also lost
their minds and were highly indignant after finding this verse inscribed in
their banknotes. Some do have valid viewpoints against putting a Bible
quotation in the banknotes. One of them goes like this: If one can add a Bible
quote in legal tender, might as well add a verse from the Quran or from the
Book of Mormon.
The Filipino Freethinkers group even went as far as to
call for the removal of the said quote, according to their statement:
The quotation from the Christian Old Testament and its placing on legal
tender is a manifest violation of the Constitution and the right to religious
freedom of the country’s citizens as it forces even non-Christians to
participate in the distribution of explicitly Judeo-Christian material. As a
body that represents all of its citizens, Christian or not, the Philippine
government must be a secular one; it cannot champion the religious beliefs of
any particular faith. – Filipino Freethinkers Statement (2010) [Link: http://filipinofreethinkers.org/2010/12/20/statement-regarding-new-peso-bills/]
These groups would quote the 1987 Philippine
Constitution's Bill of Rights which, according to them, are “wantonly violated
by the [addition of the biblical quote]”.
1987 Philippine Constitution
Article III, Section 5. No law shall be made respecting an
establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. The free
exercise and enjoyment of religious profession and worship, without
discrimination or preference, shall forever be allowed. No religious test shall
be required for the exercise of civil or political rights.
I personally don’t see any big deal about it. A similar
thing happened in the United States in 2011, where an atheist group called
Freedom from Religion Foundation tried to sue the U.S. Treasury Department over
the “In God We Trust” motto printed on dollar bills; they lost.
Even if a verse from the Quran
or from the Avesta (of Zoroastrians) was added to the banknotes, it will not
and will never be a form of proselytism as long as the quote is not explicitly a
proselytizing one. As long as moral values are promoted, will you eschew the
use of banknotes because of mere words that do not affect its legal tender
value? Quoting Section 5 of the Philippine constitution is useless since it
prohibits the making of a law. A piece of banknote is not a law! It is not even
a religious text that can proselytize, let alone something to be read and
analyzed by its users (except the numismatics).
If you claim god does not
exist, mere words or mentions of god should not in any way affect or oppress
you. End of story.
