I had this discussion with one of my former professor in seminary. I posted this as an official post rather than a comment to show that I believe  Bro.Eddie still stands out to be the far better choice Bible and religion aside, at least based on my personal standards. But, let us allow the public to have their personal standards.

There are things here that you may be wondering it is because I took this from the comment section in one of my articles about Bro.Eddie filing COC.

Here’s the discussion.

>>>My professor

***My answer

Let us get back first with the hermeneutics stuffs. Now, you also have hit the jackpot k.Mhac. Now that you admit that we really cannot make sound judgment in using the Bible for choosing these political leaders of our nation, I believe you have just invalidated all the theological accusations against Bro.Eddie.

I want to make this clear with you; the only thing that made me quot up the Bible is because Christians who are against him have been using the Bible for disqualifying Bro.Eddie while neglecting it with their own choices. I believe that it would be unfair right? If you are going to make a  research, you should treat all the specimens in the same environment and measurements. This means that I don’t want to use the Bible either in politics. But why is it that the flood of comments from other Christians about Bro.Eddie is all about faith, religion and Bible? Are these Christians ignorant to what they are doing?

Is it because he is a pastor? Come on… let us all stop using the Bible and look at them at different perspective.:) Or, let us use the Bible for all the candidates and not just for Bro.Eddie. 

Now for the analogies, you are indeed right in saying that you should not get one part and then ignore the rest. However, what I have seen is that you yourself ignored my points of comparison thus, you also ignored some few things especially the most important things to learn. Ok, I will give you credit, at least you have said that there can really be no comparison in our political system and the Biblical political system.

>>> I don’t use the Bible for political decisions. So we don’t agree here. You use the Bible for political decisions. I don’t. I want to just rely on platform, convictions, and credentials when I make a political decision. So If I vote for Noynoy, I do not have to quote verses to support my choice. Render unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar. However, if I choose a pastor for our church, then one needs to be theologically and biblically right for the ministry.

***So at least we can come into conclusion that we should not use the Bible as the measurement. Let us not care to whether or not Bro.Eddie will use the Bible. After all, you see him as a carnal, and probably not a Christian right? So we can stop saying all about the sinning in faith and all things that concerns about religion and prophecy. As I said, you have made a jackpot here. I don’t want to use the Bible for political decisions, I made the arguments that you answered because it is what flood the comments against Bro.Eddie. Should I exclude you on that part?

***So what will make you vote for Noynoy?

Let us go to their qualification and let us look at them as secular people. Agree?

>>>Let me just get this one out of the way. It’s not surprising for the other candidates to live and act the way they do now. It’s part of their nature. So it’s okay if they are idolater, etc. But what is revolting is someone who is supposed to be a new creation and yet acts as if he was still the old.

*** The main thing that is also revolting on the other side of the river is when Christians try to exempt the non-Christians and judge the fellow Christians heinously. I would extremely disagree with your “So it’s okay if they are idolater, etc” Sorry k.Mhac, this isn’t just acceptable for me. I cannot take to be extremely critical with a carnal and then would say “It’s ok” with these people (non-believer) especially that we are talking about choices of leaders. We can leave this here, but I strongly disagree. I find this extremely unjust.

>>> The reason I said this is because of the criteria I use for my selection of president. They all do stand on equal grounds on my list. The reason why you “strongly disagree” is that one of them, based on his claim of moral integrity, stands out. Well, he’s at the bottom of my list.

 
***So here we are, at least we are clarified on our standards. Sorry, but I use track records k.Mhac. It’s not only based on claims, but based on readings and watching news. You should read more and watch more.:)

***3. If Bro.Eddie cannot be the best to administer the nation, then who can it be?

>>> I think Villar has proven his administrative skills. However, I’d like to give Noynoy a chance to prove his in the executive Department. However, in the church, someone called by God and empowered by God should administer.

***Hmmm… as I said, you should read more and watch more news.:) Administration skills? To what? Manipulating government projects for his benefit? Let me tell you this, at first, I don’t see anything wrong with Villar. But the more I read about C5 extension and his other projects; it just shows that it is for his personal benefit. Am I being biased for him? No. I just watch investigative journalism and exposes.

The more he spends for the election, the more I believe for his skills in manipulating projects for corruption but not for the economy and national administrative skills. 

***Let me give you my standards for a right leader.
1. Fear of God – well, religion aside, as long as it is not an atheist, almost all people fear God. It only depends on the “how much” they fear him. So Bro.Eddie would still stand out to be the best choice.
2. Track record of corruption.- There are only 4 candidates who can stand out well, Bro.Eddie, Noynoy, JC de Los Reyes, and Nick Perlas.  Who among them is the best? I think, all of them are equal on this.
3. Political morality.- I include here their participation and agreement with the current administration who are politically immoral. So, sorry for the supporters of Gordon and Bayani, I believe both of them fell on this by being silent to the corruptions of the Arroyos. But surely, I still admire them both to be outstanding in their managerial skills.  Several names would come out, Bro.Eddie, Noynoy, Nick Perlas, and JC de los Reyes. I believe all of them would come out to be equal on this.
4. Political will. – Noynoy will come out to be mediocre on this. He already waved some of his stands on some issues. Gordon is outstanding, and of course Bro.Eddie. The fact that he ran for government position not based on machinery, and a strong conviction in the implementation of the law of the land. I believe Bro.Eddie posses this.
5. Background in economy and management skills. – There are only few of them who have background in economy. Bro.Eddie is a political economist by the way, and also a professor of economy in PUP.
6. Hard work etc.  – Well, I would say all of them except Estrada are hardworker.:)

Now, most probably you have a different standard based  on what you have said in your comments. But this is just me.

Economic ability for me is not the most needed one in this country simply because we have probably the best economic leaders in the world my dear friend. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo herself is a graduate of Harvard University majoring in economy (just in case you don’t know her profile). Was she able to solve the stinking poverty of the nation? No my friend! Watch the news again.

Poverty my friend is just a product of greed, wicked manipulation and corruption among the rank and file of our government offices. And if you are involved in a ministry outside the seminary, you will see that even the school teachers teaches the students to cheat on interschool contests. That is why we really don’t need another brilliant economist. But of course, I am not saying that we “Don’t really need an economist”, what I am saying is, we don’t need a too brilliant economist. 

By the way, Bro.Eddie again my friend is a political economist. He’s not too brilliant probably, but he is good and knowledgeable in that matter. But what do we really need? Big question. We probably have a different answer based on our criteria. We the “ Bangon Pilipinas” believe that the best and ultimate solution is: Takot sa Diyos,

Pagmamahal sa Bayan (just in case you are not watching the commercials). Bible and religion, aside, all people fear God or god (except the atheist). Whether it is a Muslim, SDA, Baptist, etc, all of these fear someone. Morality wise, almost all kinds of religious groups in the Philippines, usually maintain a moral standard. And almost all of\ these are the same. These are undeniable facts my friend.

Let’s come to “Pagmamahal sa Bayan”. If we love our country, we will do our best to work honestly in government offices.   We will promote honesty, just like in the family. It is called patriotism.

Now, if these two core things will be applied in the platform, then, wouldn’t it be a good start for our country to rise up again? It is called leadership by example.

It’s not Utopian in nature, but simply practicing the freedom to do the right things.

All the candidates speaks the same things and platforms my friend, “no to corruption” “hasten the economy”, “implement the law” etc. but it’s only the Bangon who have genuinely showed the uniqueness of the fear of God and love of country. Try to visit some Bangon forums my friend, so that you will see the difference in how we support our chosen candidate. 🙂

As of now… just like all other Christians who joined the forum against Bro.Eddie, you still haven’t given me your chosen candidate and your reasons why you are voting for him. And so I am giving again the challenge to post your best choice and let’s see if he  has your qualifications.

Guess what, in a forum that I was in, almost all Christians there are against Bro.Eddie, only 2 or 3 of us were pro Bro.Eddie. These Christians have been judging Bro.Eddie in theological terms to which you said we really cannot measure them based on the Bible which I would agree. But then that’s the situation. So I challenged them to post their candidate and prove it theologically as well that their candidate would come out to be the best choice. And as you answered, it can’t be done. So far, there is only one who is brave enough answer the challenge yet hasn’t proved theologically that he has a better candidate. And it came out to be a mediocre choice if we based it on the Bible. Again, it is because it cannot be done.

Ok if it cannot be done, let’s work on our qualification and standards. Let us stop talking about Bro.Eddie based on the Bible and religion, and let us of course talk about your chosen one for president. 