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Northern Philippines villagers commemorated Good Friday in their traditional manner, with penitents whipping themselves before some two dozen were nailed to crosses, reports Reuters. Thousands of tourists were on hand to watch and photograph the scene. A local sign painter, 52, has now performed the ritual 27 times; his screams were projected through loudspeakers, the AP reports.
Many people become convinced they must show how spiritual they are in one form or another. I don't think the Roman church sponsors this event itself but rather some in that area have decided it is a way to show their devotion to God. There are churches that are built upon this concept. You have to do this or act this way or have this experience to be close to God. I personally believe these acts actually come from a lack of a relationship with the risen Christ. They are trying to fill a void in their religious life. But that's just my opinion.
Who are any of us to judge them? If this is how they choose to show reverence and rememberance, so be it.
And who are you to say how we "should" react to or feel about it?
Nobody around here is calling the papers or setting up petitions to get them to stop.
We certainly have the right to feel shocked. You are not the reaction police. If you feel fine about this then that's good. Not everybody does and that's just as good. Nobody is INTERFERING, we are expressing. We're also opining. You're just going to have to manage to get over it, sorry.
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