Jehovah's Witnesses and the Philippine Flag: A “Disappointing” Eye-Opener
"What happens when the state tries to interfere with religious views and
practices?" This is the pursuit of the short feature Jehova's Witnesses and the
Philippine Flag. Although it is not clear who wrote the article and when it was written, it
is published to provide a view of the event of how religious practices can be hampered
by the changing law discourse. This feature embodies historical events, religious
remarks, and court decisions that depicted how the freedom of religion in the country
has been seen since then. Even though this essay lacks on some levels, I believe that it
is a good read that gives its readers, including me, an idea of how two ideologies of
religion and patriotism can be mixed and conflicted by one another by law
This informative feature discussed the religious sect Jehovah's Witnesses (JW)
reluctance to follow and take part in flag ceremonies, calling it a case of idolatry, which
ultimately caused a school in Cebu City to expel students for doing so. One key point
highlighted by the author is the different sets of court proceedings that stood on different
interpretations of the incident. The last part then provides a short and subtle but
meaningful take on the concept of separation of church and state, to which the latter
takes big considerations in placing the final verdict.
To start the analysis is to start with the positives. One key point of this essay is
how detailed the author is in writing and explaining the two different sets of Supreme
Court decisions as it is very essential in proving his supposed point in the entirety of this
feature. In the second paragraph, the well-researched writer laid out the different
grounds of how the 1950 SC decision rejected the grounds to consider the JW's request
to not allow its members to attend and take part in flag events. The entirety of the third
paragraph then discussed the 1990 SC verdict, now making a stand for the sect's
religious freedom. I also like the writer's choice of words in explaining how the latter
paragraph which includes the essay's most powerful words makes sense in achieving
the purpose of this essay.
However, other aspects in this text aren't enough to supply the full essence of the
text; what's worse is that they are also the ones that should be provided with much
information. Take for example the detailed interpretation of the JW regarding Philippine
flags and their reluctance to join flag ceremonies. I could never imagine making an
essay out of this topic and giving the subject a few sentences of its fame. I also look
down on the instances where a more specific event (such as fronting the events
involving the students rather than the belief itself) was given more space to be
explained, unlike the more general topic. On a feature as important as this, the writer
should lay down more perspectives on why and how they did look at this as "idolatrous."
Also, one thing that made me upset is the author's lack of expression regarding
his intended goal of the JW's achievement of their freedom to perform as connected to
the separation of church and state. The last statement, "By deciding in this manner, the
Supreme Court effectively upheld the religious freedom and freedom of speech for
individuals," should be the gateway to introduce his purpose of writing this essay; he
failed to do so. Perhaps, the main thought of this text may be about the concepts of
nationalism and religion having mere similarities to each other, but either way, I am
rather sad about how lacking the details are laid out. It may not defeat the purpose of
creating this feature, but the absence of enough explanation rather makes the essence
unsure of its existence.
This feature story is worth all the attention if the unnamed author made his part in
expounding important points, such as religious accounts and the main idea itself.
Regardless, I think of this essay as a good read that should make a reader's mind
curious about the current situation of religion in a secular country like the Philippines. At
the end of it, while I am disappointed with how some ideas are left hanging, I still
recommend it for a curious mind; longing to find some minds that will share what they
know, they may use this and contribute more in aiming to understand this complicated
situation that is still present in the Philippine Society.
