‘God is male, female, gay, lesbian–or all of the above’
“Sex is pleasurable, but with love, it is WONDERFUL.” IN 1978, the Global Positioning System (GPS) was unveiled in America. It made traveling easier and finding locations a cinch. This, however, did not really contribute much to spiritual journey.
When I founded the Temple of Prayer, Peace and Prosperity (TOPPP) in 1983, I introduced my own version of GPS which stands for God’s Pointing System. This is done by building a personal relationship with the God-within as suggested by God’s name in the Old Testament, “I AM THAT I AM.”
Very few people are aware of the relationship of the first “I AM” to the second “I AM” in that phrase describing God’s name because others have changed the word “THAT” to “WHAT,” something that alters the meaning entirely.
My GPS works by using the words “God knows, God shows” as a mantra when one needs to know what direction to take and, or when additional information is required to make wiser decisions.
There were times I would ask God what the future had in store for humanity—morally, spiritually and politically. Intuition revealed to me that in the dawning of the Age of Aquarius which started on Dec. 21, 2012, people would cohabitate with whomever they loved regardless of gender.
Furthermore, in my first book on IAMISM, “A Miracle Awaits You” (published by Megabooks Company, 2002), there is a segment in the fifth section of part four of the book called “Does God Have A Gender?” For emphasis, it was fully boxed on page 175 as follows:
“God is MALE
God is FEMALE
God is GAY
God is LESBIAN
God is ALL OF THE ABOVE
even
TRISEXUAL And ultimately,
NTH-SEXUAL
After all,
GOD IS ALL.”
The book was a bestseller and shocked many people but apparently gained a certain notoriety that seemed to help those who were advocating same-sex marriage. So, it was no surprise to me at all that the US Supreme Court finally legalized same sex marriage in 50 states.
Although conservative religionists would disagree with me, I believe that Human Law is at last rising almost to the same degree as Divine Law which accepts every human being on the level it finds itself, without judgment or prejudice.
I really cannot imagine a God discriminating against Its own creation especially because God is Love Itself and cannot be limited by the nuances of gender.
And to quote a guest on one of Oprah’s shows, when asked why she persisted in loving a man who had already told her that he was gay, the guest’s reply that received a standing ovation was, “But Oprah, one does not fall in love with an individual’s gender but with the person.”
In the Philippines where there is no divorce, same sex marriage will be long in coming although a lot of people now live together, and are prepared to accept hell and damnation for love’s sake, or maybe because Saint John Paul II had already proclaimed that hell is not a geographical place.
People have asked why other Catholic countries have legalized divorce and, yet, the Philippines has persisted in turning its back on it. Well, dear reader, that is why our form of Catholicism has been branded “Folk Catholicism” which is very much like Syncretism—an attempt to combine contradictory beliefs and melding different schools of thought. And this is also true of our politics—it is so us, folks!
Yvette and Pie
Last week we saw pictures of Yvette Fernandez and San Vicente, Palawan, Mayor Pie Evangelista Alvarez in this column with no corresponding items about them due to space constraints. Well, here’s the missing text:
Press lunches are really fun especially when Bulgari holds it on the 11th floor of Fairmont Makati with a a breathtaking view, Paraiso harp music, and Moët and Chandon champagne, and the floral bouquets given to Joanne Rae R, Tina J, Yvette F and Frannie J, and the lapel rose for the gentlemen.
The occasion was co-sponsored by Volvo whose chair is business tycoon Pepito Alvarez; his daughter Pie Evangelista Alvarez is the youngest mayor of San Vicente, Palawan, and whose mother produces From Me Tuyo, delicious bottled tuyo in olive oil and lots of garlic.
Life begins at 60
The popular Rene Puno finally celebrated his becoming a “freshman.” Yes, Rene has turned 60 and that, to me, is being a freshman. I wish people who belong to the club would stop calling themselves “senior” unless they are approaching their centennial year.
There was a time people said that life began at 40, but today it really begins at 60. People of this age are happier, more focused on things that bring them joy, and if they cared for their bodies in the earlier years, they would have so much to celebrate.
Chances are, they would have more money than they ever had, memories they could treasure, and even painful incidents they can cherish because they have been made wiser by them.
And if they have not become bitter, they would have become better, kinder and more understanding. When you have turned freshman, it is a reminder that life has given you a fresh start and a means to give back.
That evening at The Bellevue Manila hotel in Alabang, I had the pleasure of meeting Rene’s father, former Minister of Justice Ricardo Puno Sr. and mother Priscilla, and some of his siblings.
Once upon a time, I even thought the singer Rico J. Puno was part of the family. He is not, but at least there is another Puno who sings professionally; Rene is one of the four members of the New Minstrels Divos.
Rene’s celebration goes on— he is being feted by friends. Helen Ong and Marissa Fenton have given their respective dinners.
Helen’s dinner in her palatial Forbes Park home was a delightful evening of meeting old and new friends.
My favorite new friends are the Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines Effie Ben Matityau and his lovely and charming wife, retired Panamanian Ambassador Lizia. She is the widow of Panama’s former vice president, and met Effie while posted in Vietnam as ambassador. This is the second marriage for both.
They have been together for only three years; in a way, they are still on their honeymoon.
They are so cozy and relaxed that one forgets they are with the diplomatic corps. So much so, I cracked a joke that some would consider politically incorrect.