S1E66 – I respect your opinion because it’s your God

Good, evening class. Tonight I want to talk more about the freedom of thought and of free opinion. You read about it all the time on social media. Everybody demands that you respect their opinion. Now, where does that come from? Did you ever wonder?”

The whole Alpha section stared back at me with beady eyes, not quite sure how to answer.

“Okay, let me help you there,” I said to break the uncomfortable void, “Miss Grippa Baligtaran, please read the provision in the 1987 Constitution that guarantees a citizen’s right to freedom of thought and opinion.”

For several moments I could hear the sound of flipping pages as my students flipped furiously back and forth through their copies of the Constitution, looking for the provision—that doesn’t exist!

“Uh…I don’t think there’s a provision like that, sir,” Miss Grippa finally reported.

“Really??” I said sarcastically, “then why is everybody demanding that I respect their opinions if there’s no legal basis to make that demand? People act so entitled!”

Miss Deema Niwala stood up to rescue the class—somewhat. “I think it originates from the presumption of innocence, sir. Most of these people with strong opinions don’t actually know what they’re talking about, but we cannot conclude that they are idiots. Even if they’re guilty of ignorance, we must grant them the presumption of innocence!” it brings a few chuckles.

“Nobody is innocent, Miss Deema. Everybody is guilty of ignorance. We are all ignorant—only on different subject matters,” I said. The class nods their agreement.

“No, that’s not it, class. But Miss Grippa is correct, there is no constitutional provision that expressly guarantees the freedom of thought and opinion. And yet, to be wrong is a right. I just want to help you discover that right tonight. Where is Miss Gladys Ondafli?”

“Here, sir!” the older half of the Sagada twins stood up.

“Miss Gladys, do you believe in God?”

“Yes, sir!”

“But do you believe in MY God?”

It stumped the girl. “Uh…I’m not so sure, who is your God, sir?”

“Well, let’s just assume my God is different from your God. Answer the question.” I pressed on.

“In that case, no, sir”

“Of course,” I said, wondering if the class got the point. “So you see, class, we can all believe in God and still be in total disagreement. In other words, believing in one thing is not the same as believing in the same thing. And that is the genesis of opinion.”

The class goes long, “Oooooh…!” but I wanted to drive the point home some more. Because we still haven’t discovered the root of this “right of opinion.”

“Give me three similarities between God and opinion, class,” I challenged these law students, “think really hard.”

Jack Makataruz spoke first. “God and our opinion determine how we act, sir.”

“That’s correct, Jack. Anyone else?”

Laarnee Iwasan spoke next. “Just like we have different Gods, sir, we also have different opinions.”

“That’s correct, too, Miss Laarnee. One more similarity, anyone?”

Miss Deema spoke last, “I think the most important similarity between God and our opinion is that it’s practically impossible to make us give up either one!”

“You nailed it, Miss Deema,” I said, “So opinion, just like God, controls what we think, say and do…enables us to be different from one another…and we’d rather die than give it up. Now let me ask you a second question—what does your belief in God ultimately enable you to conclude? Miss Deema?”

The quick throwback caught the girl by surprise, so she rolled her eyes and said, “uh…I guess my belief in my God enables me to conclude what’s right and what’s wrong.”

“You’re right, Miss Deema.”

“I am??” Deema recoiled, sending her classmates laughing.

“That just proves the next thing about opinion,” I explained, “which is that it is entirely possible to be right or wrong without being convinced that a thing is right or wrong. Opinion is not necessarily conviction.

“So let’s put it all together now,” I said, “It’s your belief in God that tells you right from wrong, forming your opinion, which you communicate to but cannot impose on others, just like others cannot impose theirs on you, because neither of you will be willing to, and cannot be forced to give it up.”

The class goes another long, “Oooooh….!”

“And the reason no one can impose his opinion on you is because he cannot point to any law enabling him to do it. That’s because no such law CAN exist, the Constitution doesn’t allow it. Aw, come on, Alpha Section, don’t tell me you’ve never run across that Constitutional provision!”

“Oh, my God! Section 5! Of course!” the whole class gasp.

“Read it, Miss Grippa,” I said.

“Here it is, sir, from the Bill of Rights, 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 banged the blackboard lightly just for emphasis. “I know you’ve read that provision many times before, class, and you probably thought it’s one of those motherhood statements meant to promote and support religion. But is that what it says? Does it command the State to support religion? ANY RELIGION?”

“No, sir, on the contrary it PROHIBITS the State from establishing ANY religion,” Miss Grippa said, “i don’t understand, sir–our words, our actions, our opinions are NOT our religion, sir—”

“No, but they are your God. Your opinion is your expression of what you believe to be right, and you act based on what is right. Your opinion tells you to do the right thing. If you think about it, class, that is mostly ALL that God is trying to make you do, too!”

“Wow! That is heavy, sir,” Deema said, “you’re telling us the freedom of opinion has been staring us in the face all this time—and it’s the freedom of religion?”

“In a roundabout sort of way, yes,” I said, “opinion is what you believe, and what you believe is your religion. That’s why NOT every religion is about God.”

The Alpha class stare back at me with mouths agape, I could almost read what they’re thinking, “are we in law school or seminary??”

“There’s a mini-lesson in Constitutional Law somewhere in there too, class. You see, you should not think of the Constitution like its just a menu of rights and liberties, that all you have to do is wait for somebody to spoon-feed you your rights. No, you must think of the Constitution as a book of recipe of rights.”

I let a few moments pass to allow the idea to sink in first, before exploiting somebody’s well-advertised related exploits lately.

“Miss Deema, your Facebook is full of posts about all those culinary experiments you’re doing at Inglay Restaurant, can you hazard explaining what that phrase means ‘the Constitution is a recipe book of rights?”

“I’ll try, sir, I think it means the Constitution contains all the ingredients of our civil and political rights but they’re not always instantly apparent. sometimes you need to do a little cutting, dicing, mixing and ‘cooking’ before the right becomes manifest.”

“I don’t know about you class, but all of a sudden I’m hungry!” the whole class break out in guffaws.

So I said “Class dismissed! WHERE on earth is this Inglay Restaurant??” ***

---