Islands of Shoal

By Rolo B. Cena

It may just be a group of tiny islands that nestles in a marina where the South meets the West, but for some group of noble men there is more to this uninhabited domain that meets the eye. 

For ordinary Filipinos, it’s a road less travelled; for thrill-seekers, it’s paradise unhurt by human spoils; but for head of states, it’s a priceless possession no country could afford to lose.  The islands are just as compellingly beautiful as they are geo-politically and economically important.  

This group of beautiful islands is more than just geographic markers in the South China Sea or West Philippine Sea – depending on whom you talk to.  However this has truly become islands of shoal.  

Before any unforgiving conspiracy theories speckled the Internet, two presidents met in 2016.  A beautiful romance then blossomed that the sleeping-tiger-no-more committed to assist the once-great-Asian-country in the pretext of economic aids and infrastructure support programs.

Then we were bullied.  In the guise of fishing expeditions, these porcelain-colored men established permanent shelters that later became their military outposts.  We rallied to condemn these acts against our sovereignty yet our leaders’ responses were just too spineless to signal a stronger protest.  Yes, we can’t afford war this time and it’s for that reason that our leaders prefer to send diplomatic protests instead. 

Then there was silence; the surrounding seas of this tiny group of islands exhibited their pristine atmosphere once again.  The UN High Tribunal ruled that, in layman’s term, the disputed group of islands is ours, at least, on paper. 

And there comes another and different specie of bully!

Complicating the issue is the oriental virus that hit and almost crippled the world, economically.  Their experts produce vaccines, and so the rest of the world’s superpowers.  As a frail third world country, we await for at least a grace of free shots from superpowers that have the capacity and ability to donate vaccines to underprivileged third world.  

As beggars cannot be choosy, we resorted to accepting donations stamped with a Trojan horse sent directly to our doorsteps. The value is declared but the price tag attached to these boxes of vaccines we knew nothing about:  It could be loss of lives, loss of sovereignty, or anything that we just don't know. 

Recently, more than a hundred ships of crouching militiamen aroused the world when they stationed in the shoals.  Our countrymen barraged the Palace to act on it to protect our sovereign rights over these shoals.  Foreign Affairs sent our strongest of protests yet, again on paper. 

Behold, the shoals: A land mass partly submerged under the treacherous blue-green waters whose topographic depth and terrain, and geo-politic and cultural complexity we know nothing about unless the water level reduces, or geo-political heat subsides.  Arguably, this tiny group of islands could hide abundant risks and dangers of various creatures of tyrant breed, difficult to appreciate and see.  

Wow, these islands of freedom are drifting ethereally farther off our western sea, closer to the southern tip of a landmass where tigers sleep no more!  Ironically though, this drift is not due to global warming but to a political climate change. 

And truly, we cannot just sit down and cross our arms and watch others command and dictate our fate for us.  The world shifts now like it did. He should fix it.  He should pivot and make a decisive action now or never will this group of islands be ours again! 

He should decisively navigate us to these shoals, as the captain of the ship!

What Social Media Don't Tell You!

By Rolo B. Cena

Correct me if I am wrong!  Nowadays, a click of a button will allow us to see things we want to know, or in some cases, want to have.  While the value for money may be debatable, it doesn’t matter anymore as long as the sensation of being “in it” satisfies the cravings.

In a 2003 documentary “Living with Michael Jackson” by Martin Bashir, the King of Pop predicted that the Internet and social media would ruin the society.  Fast forward 2021, this prophetic view appears to be graphically unfolding in our realm, and take note - mostly in a bizarre and disturbing manner.

In the pre-Internet era, one way of getting connected with people was by postal mails.  If you are miles away from home, surely you’d get mails after a week or two, depending on which part of the globe you are in.   

Undoubtedly today, the fastest way to communicate is through the social media.  The process is as simple as clicking the Add, Follow, or Connect button and you can stay close by.   I wonder if you are already connected with the 73 million Filipino social media users.  Wow, that’s a lot!  

Seriously however, this privilege of getting connected poses the risk of linking with people whose interest may be solely for stalking, preying, or taking advantage of the weakness of their connections.  And experts say that a significant number of the users are prone to these behaviors.  

Take this most recent case:  A medical doctor’s Facebook account was hacked and was taken over by scammers.  Using his Messenger account, the scammers solicited funds from friends of the medical doctor, who only knew about the scam when people started calling him to confirm receipt of the fund transfers.  

And here how it goes:  I can create a post, edit it if I need to, and post.  Instantly, I am in the platform and I can invite my contacts to like, comment and share my post. Ergo, I become an instant sensation, at least, for that particular post.  But what I may have missed is the effect of my post to other people, or even to the community, which could even be greater, or could be blown out of proportion.   

“Kung sa classroom may batas,“ I believe all users should also be guided not just by cyber security laws but by the consequences of the darker side of social media as well.  For example, posting some pictures of our young adult children may give unsuspecting predators to turn these pictures into pornographic materials.  

Recently, Senator Win Gatchalian reported that from March 1 to May 24, 2020, a total of 279,166 online child sexual exploitation cases were reported in Metro Manila alone compared to 76,561 of the same period in 2019. 

Every user must strongly take note that there isn’t backspace, undo or delete function anymore once a post has landed, or in entertaining another user online.  It only takes less than a split second to post, or share, or even screen-shot a post while it takes months or years to correct a post gone wrong.

In 2018, the Philippine National Police reported that cyber libel tops among the cyber cases on hand.  Late last year, Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray rushed to the office of the National Bureau of Investigation to file libel and other appropriate charges against a suspect who allegedly circulated her edited nude photos online.  

Undeniably, Internet users have benefited tremendously from the use social media. For one, it makes works easier; two, it makes communication faster; three, it connects families and friends across miles of distance quicker, and a lot more across a universe of freebies ready to be availed of anytime.  

On the contrary, thousands of trolls are dispersed around the Internet space or social media world trawling for issues to magnify and amplify their narratives.  These ethereal creatures are either paid for by their handlers, usually politicians or conspiracy theorists, or simply to increase their engagement.  They are self-proclaimed influencers who come out of nowhere to make wrong the right, nullify logic, or prettify the ugly.

Millions enjoy the benefits of the Internet and the social media but a significant number suffers.  And while you may argue that the good outweighs the bad and the ugly sides of the Internet and the social media, still that makes the whole thing entirely defective. 

Albert Einstein must have been right when he enunciated:  “It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.”  Surely, no one can stop you from doing it.  But next time you click, like or share, please think twice!

A Pack of Summer

By Rolo B. Cena

I love summer that when it comes, I become so overjoyed.  I always imagine how the sun blends with the cool, blue-green waters of the infinite sea, and how they together caress the vast sand of the asymmetrically carved shoreline.  Without a doubt, it’s the best time of the year.  

I love watching how summer tide rises and rushes to shore.  Usually, it happens in the morning when summer sun rises from the sea, out of the horizon, where the sea meets the sky.  I so love it that it’s become a personal habit hard to break.  

Summer has a lot of freebies to offer:  Parents arrange picnic blanket on the sand with foods and drinks on top, while local kids are climbing up the bent, sea-leaning coconut trees to plunge into the blue-green cool waters, under the prickly heat; adult companies playfully swim on top of their joyful bliss chitchatting with friends and family members.  The shore becomes a vibrant world of its own, a masterpiece even surrealist Picasso’s brush missed to capture.

Across the street, two bougainvillea foliage of several meters apart, that seem to guard centuries-old rustic steely gate, copiously throws its best red of petals like never before while neighbor’s orchids hang rhythmically like young butterflies dancing sweetly in the summer wind.  These are sights so regal that summer could not come and go without one of them unfolding. 

In a nearby park, lovers decorate the thirsty grassy meadows accidentally shaved by dozens of them taking gala seats under white lampposts, shortly beneath the glare of the pale yellow moon.  You’ll see some of them thriving in thickly planted areas for cover against preying eyes of fudgy friends and neighbors, and most importantly, escaping from parents’ scourging, rolling eyeballs as well.

From a distance, powder-gold sun that peeps over the grassy hill slowly breaks the morning air that suddenly the world smells of flowers, bee-honeys, butterfly-nectars, and sweats of summer boys and girls giggling like poppies in the field.

Truly, life is authentically bubblier during summer.  It’s as lovelier as spending it by the sea, or encamping in its inviting pebbly, sandy beaches with an array of fresh fruits, a medley of seafood characters, grilled chicken and pork adobo with matching hanging rice sans diet measures and restrictions - you can’t ask for more.  But these are just entrée; the main course is absolutely the sand, sea, and sun! 

However summer can also be strange: An oriental looking lad, in her pair of summer wears, holding a floral umbrella over her while dipping chest-deep in the waters.  Oh, your spirit could just be laughing out loud.  What a good way to protect your skin, though!

Or, weirder:  A young girl in beige pajamas swimming by the shoreline chaperoned by a male adult swimming with his jacket donned.  It’s literally the old taking care of the young from a risky, treacherous summer waves, under the spikey heat of the sun!  Bizarre indeed but what a childish version of swim-in-the-sea-but-protect-your-skin drama, lolz!

Watching summer in full spectrum every day is such a delight. It relaxes my physical body, inspires my spirit, and wholeheartedly moves me.  It gives me a fresher outlook as it offers a brand new perspective.  

But summer is more than just what the sand, sea and sun could offer.  Some articulates that life begins with summer while still others proclaim that summer is life.  In a time and age where the fast and the furious stubbornly happens so quickly, summer is where newer life springs, newer beginnings blossom:  Sort of a puppy love blooming into first love, a failed old romance rekindled, or, an aborted timeworn plan revived.  It’s some sort of a perfection of thought!

And there you are!  Whatever qualms you have about summer, Ralph Waldo Emerson asserts:  “Live in the sunshine, swim in the sea, drink in the wild air” because he just wants you to enjoy being you – the “newer you!”

One More Obituary

By Rolo B. Cena

It was such a familiar yet horrifying and heart-quenching scene – that Myanmar protests.  Yes, again!  They marched along the streets demanding for the release of their democratically elected leader who was jailed after the military staged a coup over alleged electoral fraud.  They were tear-gassed, water-hosed, beaten, and shot.

By Rolo B. Cena

Hundreds of freedom-loving protesters died.  Their quest for a better life was aborted using their own lives as pawned warfare, a collateral to something more bizarre and horrendously bigger and more damaging drama.

It happened already, I mean, I have seen these erratically disturbing scenes before.  These were so familiar that they caused shivers down my spine.  It can happen elsewhere; it can happen in a country we least expect.  It can even happen anytime in a land that’s believed to be free, such as our own.  

Yes, they died!  And along with them died three more persons in the history of their kind:  Misters Freedom, Justice, and Humanity!

Mister Freedom is he who embodies an open ideology free from yellow ribbons, red tags and gold labels.  He characterizes an unrestrained mobility, action and disposition free from malicious interpretations of speeches, unfounded accusations of being subversive elements, and irresponsible tagging as enemies of the state.  He represents his countrymen to an intelligent and respected platform that loves bolder ideas, establishment of free zones, institution of gender equality and inclusivity, and espousing a softer culture.

Sadly though, Mister Freedom died with them.  And more of his kind would die anytime, anywhere if greed would continue to become the staple in every political dining table. 

Mister Justice personifies an incorruptible earthly creature unwilling to trade impartiality with gluttonous money, truth with insatiable power, and noble rendition of verdicts with salacious fame.

But what an unfortunate time we have here, Mister Justice’s one precious life was terminated abruptly.  Believe me, more and more of his genes would die anytime, anywhere if lust would continue to thrive within the thrones of avaricious men.   

Simply put, Mister Humanity is he who he is:  He breathes life the way it should be, lives it without stingy human frills, free of bias and ill feelings, and without discontent.  He embodies the likeness of his master whose dictum is a simply toned music for the soul and the living.

But then again, such was a tragic moment when the noble life of Mister Humanity was abruptly ended just because men of different kind cannot handle defeat, truth, and liberty.  So much mourning has been offered but more would come, as more of them would be annihilated if notoriety would continue to devour the noble race.

And oh, that scene I mentioned earlier, it can happen anytime; it’s not too farfetched. I have seen signs and continuously see them time and again.  Yes, in a land so close and familiar to us:  Ours!

Behold, games of thrones did, do, and will happen anytime, right in our ordinary realm.  Personification, just like pure metaphors and other figures of speech and colloquial tongues, may be a source of truth.  Surely, there’s always unspoken truth behind every word and hidden meaning between spoken lines.

Self-proclaimed influencers, whom social media realists call trolls, and who are coming from all directions, attack and kill:  They mow the truth to randomly kill freedom; scythe logic or defy legal canons to slay justice; and spear morals and morality to unwittingly assassinate humanity.  Truth be told, these trolls are paid for all the lies and misinformation they spread, just like those men in uniform who protect sacred chambers and control picket fences for their tyrant rulers.

As of even date, too many have suffered from prejudices and injustices.  In the name of greed, scores have died trying to defend freedom, uphold justice and sanctify humanity.

Myanmar is only a place in space, a place so easy to be replicated anywhere.  Too bad, millions could be jailed, persecuted and killed anytime.  Rest in peace Misters Freedom, Justice and Humanity!

The Day I Walked with John

By Rolo B. Cena

No, it was not a coincidence.  I felt that some kind of a force far greater than mine must have brought me here.

As a project team leader in Saudi Arabia, I went to Jordan with two others to conduct systems users training for my team members working in our research and development facility.  My first week in Amman seemed like a long, exhausting week, but pretty rewarding.  As soon as we got back to the hotel, our host unit head recommended sightseeing some historic sites often visited in Jordan.  My response was lukewarm. Historic sites?  

But when my teammate, a Jordanian working with me in Riyadh re-opened the idea of visiting historic sites twisting it to Christian Pilgrimage Sites, I started to sense the big wow!  I felt more than just excitement; I felt my adrenaline gushing.  I knew it would be a trip of a lifetime. 

Weekend came and my teammate dropped by my room instead of proceeding to the lobby where our chauffeur would be waiting for us.  He showed me the map of Jordan with all its Pilgrim sites:  the Baptism Site of Jesus, the Memorial of Moses, the Dead Sea, the Remains of the Roman Citadel, the Madaba Church, the Red Sea, etc. Ergo, these all would get me on my feet!

In a scant hour trip, we traveled northwest passing tract of arid earth of the valley where Jordan River nestled.  As we drew nearer, my heart was pounding. 

The Baptism Site was declared a heritage site and was in fact consecrated by no less than Pope John Paul II.  Since then, the place was protected and all tourists would have to pay for the pass and a guided tour.  

The walkway was rather jagged, bushy on both sides with all its branches extending upwards forming an arc-like canopy.  The shade was cooling the path especially during summer.  At the end of the walkway was St. John the Baptist Spring.  According to the guide, it’s where John fetched water that he poured to the head of Jesus in the river.

Oops, I know you would react.  It’s not me re-writing the centuries-old narrative, it’s the Orthodox account.  Our Jordanian guide, trained by the Baptism Site Commission, was equipped with their narrative for years now. 

The tour brought us farther to the bank of the River, where an old Byzantine Church stood.  According to historical accounts, it’s where Christian gatherings were held after that significant event that shaped Christianity. Farther down the edge of the bank, steps led us to a canopy where a white cloth was drooped. It’s the actual spot where Jesus was actually baptized.  It’s mesmerized me!

At this point, I can’t help but imagine how enthusiastic John must have been in meeting Jesus to fulfill the prophecy.  A strange vibe shrouded my composure while in a frenzied moment.  I visualized John walking along this path towards the river to meet his cousin. I was so stunned!

For the first time after three years in the Middle East, I once again experienced the Christian in me:  How emotional I was walking the path where John did, touching the bushes that lined the path that he undoubtedly toyed with his fingers, feeling the weight of hanging olives that speckled the valley, touching the cool waters of the river, and feeling the great vibe of this historic place.  Wow, it was captivating! 

Nearby stood the Orthodox Church of St. John the Baptist.  I went inside and was drawn to its altar by a sound of what seemed to me music from an organ.  I prayed intently and articulated my petition for a sign for a decision I would have to make before the close of the month.  We then dropped by its souvenir shop, where, without hesitation, I bought a scapular of Mary, Holy Bible, and Holy Rosary.  I felt my humanity was alive again!

Mission accomplished, we prepared to fly for our next stop, another city north of Saudi Arabia.  But Mushkila!  I could not bring these religious stuffs into the Kingdom.  If I’d get caught, I’d be imprisoned, if not beheaded.  However, I wouldn't want to leave these items either.  Somehow, I already had connected with these items since I bought them two weeks ago.  In fact, Idreamed of them for two nights now with the music I heard in the church. 

We met for dinner and for the scheduled pep talk. It was then I learned that the Jordanian would be bringing his car to Saudi Arabia via courier.  Then he offered to help.

But how would it be done?  He prided that, as an Arab Jordanian his car wouldn’t be subjected to inspection.  He’d pack my religious stuffs and would position them under the sheets in the trunk.  His personal luggage would also be deposited inside the trunk.  Bingo!

Before we left, the Jordanian revealed one thing that surprised me:  He’s an immigrant to Jordan from Palestine who was born and raised in Nablus, the modern-day name of the biblical Samaria.  Undoubtedly, the power of St. John the Baptist worked for me; I was guided and blessed!

And the Jordanian, a Good Samaritan indeed!

Just Dropping By

By Rolo B. Cena

It’s been a long time since we last met; I guess that was during the last event we both eagerly attended.  We were so naïve then but so enthusiastic to face a new beginning.   I was chitchatting with my friends and you with common friends.  We only had the chance to say hello before the crowd grew bigger.  We parted ways without expressing our final words for each other.

You had your way into the world and turned a new page while I flaunted my ideals and ideology to acquire a newer place for me.  I knew we both love to conquer a world together but time and distance made it impossible. 

I dropped by to let you know that I missed you, but you were busy then.

Our paths crisscrossed once again as we stumbled upon pages of social sites; watching and browsing each other’s pages as we post images of our daily activities, update our profile, and throw all the clean sheets and dirty linens online.  We connected sans the emotional support best friends could have shared especially when times were at its lowest.

I dropped by to let you know that I liked and commented but you never reacted; you were busy then.

Recently, your feeds suggest that you are attracted to an obscure force that makes you subconsciously tip-top-toe over piles of conspiracy theories you are subscribed to and sworn to disseminate.  That force energized your belief that JFK was alive, hiding in a bunker, that a titular head of a religious establishment is an anti-Christ, and that the virus is not true. 

I am dropping by to tell you that while your spirit is soaring, your intellect is plummeting to its lowest.  Your previous psyche is in better shape than what you are in right now.

Today, I’m dropping by to know if you are well as before.  I know you have been very busy these days scouring the worldwide web, looking for newer and better opportunities that could double your wealth.  

My friend, too much of everything is not good; it’s gluttony.  Aspiring to double your money exponentially through these schemes may lead you to losing all what you have now. 

You have been hunting for another high-paying job to catapult your big dream of becoming a leader. May I say that not all leaders are made; most of them are born – born in a silver platter, and with thrones made ready for them.

I’m just dropping by to let you know that Mother Theresa and Mahatma Gandhi were powerless and penniless but they became great because of good deeds.

Yes, it’s fine to work because we must.   But do not push yourself too hardly to the edge that you already defy rest, especially on a Sabbath.  And if your work causes your face to wrinkle quicker than the fastest Internet speed, or, your body deteriorates because of a dozen more stresses, then your work has become your problem.   Believe me, I have been there.  

I have a friend who received multiple awards multiple times, each with different titles and associated tokens but when her health failed, they turned their backs on her.  Worst, when she left the organization, neither an inspiring word nor a comforting hug was accorded to her.  She exited the porticos of the corporate world with her head bent and shoulders dropped below freezing level.  

I’m dropping by to check if your self-esteem still aptly works for you.  You know, it lies within the purity of your heart, not in the glossy fabric and techy stuffs that this commercial world sells.  It is one aspect of humanity that no purchasing power can dare acquire.

Finally, I’m dropping by to remind you that Epicurus’ pleasant life is worth believing.  That is, if you choose to abstain from unnecessary desires by being content with simple things and by choosing to converse with friends over physical pleasures, in order to achieve inner peace. 

Life is a vicious cycle.  Any or all actions of people you’ve met along have significance in your life.  If you don’t want to be treated ill, treat them well.   

Sorry to disturb you.  I am just dropping by to say, “hi!”

Thinning the Red Line

By Rolo B. Cena

Random

Dumaguete Star Informer

15 January 2017

National developments in the last six months manifest a very disturbing phenomenon:  The red line that demarcates the State and the Church is gradually thinning.  Apparently, there are three personalities believed to be involved in this behavior:  The Church, the politics itself and the media.

In nearly four decades now, the Filipinos never have seen the Catholic Church as vocal as in the days of EDSA Revolution as it is today:  They post drug war pictures on Churches’ walls with inscription “Wag kang papatay,” priests include drug war in their homilies and priests conduct massive “Duterte Resign” signature campaign.  The seeming unstoppable effort of the Catholic Church hints a very strong message of conflict.  

Skeptics questioned:  Is this an acceptable behavior from the “godliest” whose work of spreading the good news that Christ and his disciples started remains unchanged?

In the Dark Ages of Medieval Europe, right after the fall of Jerusalem to the Muslims, Pope Urban II delivered a stimulating speech at the Council of Clermont in France calling rich and poor Christians to embark on war to save Jerusalem.  He promised absolution and remission from sins for all who’d die in battle.  In other accounts, historians believed that those who joined the “righteous forces” then known as the Crusade were actually killers, rapists, and other form of convicts trained to kill at all cost.  Inspired by the Crusades, the Knights Templar was formed, which later obtained the blessing of Pope Innocent II for their sole mission of protecting the Christian pilgrims from Europe to Jerusalem.

They kill enemies of the Church in the guise of inspiring Christian faith; they subjugate kingdoms in the guise of spreading Christianity across Europe, Asia and Africa; they interrogate non-believers in the guise of holy inquisitions; they threaten in the guise of fanaticism and beyond that, as historians claim, they “dig and rob” in the guise of protecting Christians. 

In one article, a Bishop branded President Duterte as “mamamatay tao” as a way of campaigning against his believed-to-be devilish drug war that to date claimed thousands of addicts, peddlers and lords and caused a significant number to surrender.

Could it be that the Church is right in claiming that killing these drug addicts, peddlers and lords is the work of Satan?  But why did Pope Urban II and Pope Innocent II bless the Crusade and the Knights Templar to kill Muslims and other Christian attackers? 

Is the argument of Thomas Paine in his book “The Age of Reason,” valid which I quote, “One good schoolmaster is of more use than a hundred priests?”

Politics, as aptly defined by Aristotle in his writing “Politics” as affairs of the state, seems to largely contribute in the gradual thinning of the line that divides the Church and the State.  Political heads, especially those duly elected by their respective constituents abuse their powers:  they rob the Filipinos in the guise of projects; they help in the guise of money-making foreign aids; and they protect in the guise of enacting laws purportedly to protect the constituents sans morality.

Inner conflict within the three branches of the government adds fuel to the fire:  Cabinet secretaries sail in opposite direction as the Chief Executive; Senators and Congressmen stupidly bang each other over a single word in the guise of unpopular intelligence; the Judiciary, seems to act on their own notwithstanding who calls the shots.  Wow, what an amazing rift we Filipinos conspire to believe as unity for years!

Adding intensity to the rising conflict is the media whose mission becomes obscurely entangled between pure reporting and sponsored reporting.  The former is professionalism – the message why the press is called and organized for; the latter is a profane act; a disgrace to the ethics of the profession.

Allegedly, media men nowadays write stories twisting lies to truth and truth to lies.  Worse, they squabble over a word by giving different interpretations; they cross lines and hit below the belts in the guise of “freedom of the press,” a right abused over time.

As famous African-American Muslim minister Malcom Little, also known as Malcom X, said, “The media is the most powerful entity on earth.  They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that’s power.  Because they control the minds of the masses.”

After all, a media system organized to serve the needs of the self-serving privileged few cannot and does not serve the needs of the majority of the entire Filipino community.  Robert McChesney in his book “Rich Media, Poor Democracy” says, “After two decades of conservative criticism and corporate inroads, the public (TV broadcasting) system is now fully within the same ideological confines that come naturally to a profit-driven, advertising-supported system.”

Could it be that what the people believe and claim to happen – that mainstream media curtail the truth over money and publish the glazed ones - is true?

When greed attacks the human flesh, it conquers all men regardless of status, race and belief:  They write stories of absurd foundation; they create wars of bizarre objective; they kill humans of grotesque fashion.

Are the Filipino people yet to learn how to demarcate the Church and the State?  Will morality always be the basis of good governance?  Will good governance always have a spice of morality, even if it leads to chaos?

Debatably though, Thomas Jefferson has a valid point when he argues, “Christianity neither is, nor ever was, a part of the common law.”