MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte may have violated the constitution by issuing controversial statements about God, the founder of a Christian church said, while the president's daughter urged critics to ignore his rants on the Bible.
Duterte's recent comments have sparked outrage in the predominantly Christian Philippines after he called God "stupid" and questioned the logic of the allegorical Bible story of the temptation of Adam and Eve.
"Who is this stupid God? The son of a bitch is really stupid," Duterte said in his rambling remarks delivered in Filipino and English in Davao last week.
Despite the denunciations, the president stuck to his remarks on Monday but clarified that he was criticizing the God of Catholics. His spokespersons have justified the comments as freedom of expression and as a critique of Catholic teachings.
Duterte, who has in the past cursed Pope Francis and former US leader Barack Obama, also claimed that his God has common sense while that of his critics is stupid. He did not say which god he meant, but mentioned a "universal mind".
He also lobbed another attack at Catholics, this time questioning the Lord's Supper and why those who were there became saints.
During the same speech, Duterte, who has been slammed for his demeaning remarks on women, said that creating the first woman, Eve, was God's "greatest mistake."
Local and international Catholic and Christian groups have skewered the president for his comment, with at least one Protestant leader calling his statement blasphesmous.
JIL's Bro. Eddie: Blasphemy in the highest order
Speaking on ANC, Eddie Villanueva, founder of the Jesus is Lord Church Worldwide, said Duterte's remark calling God stupid was a violation of the 1987 Constitution because the document "believes in God."
"It's very clear for the sake of argument, that is already a violation of the constitution because the very constitution, the soul of the Filipino people, believes in God," he said.
Villanueva, who has in the past been generally supportive of the president, said that Duterte was "wittingly or unwittingly" violating the soul of the nation by disparaging God.
He also labeled Duterte's comments as "a kind of blasphemy in the highest order."
The JIL founder and leader, whose son, Sen. Joel Villanueva, is part of the Duterte-aligned majority bloc in the Senate, said that he felt "holy anger" upon hearing the president's remarks.
He also warned that Duterte's words could curse the nation as stated in the Bible.
Alejano: Duterte can't keep promises, has no right to 'mock' God
Rep. Gary Alejano (Magdalo) meanwhile said that Duterte doesn't have the right to "mock" God when he himself cannot fulfill his mandate and promises to the Filipino people.
He said in a statement that Duterte's attacks on the faith of Filipino Christians was a form of disrespect of their belief and identity as Philippine citizens.
"Who is Duterte to mock my God, our God, when he can't even fulfill his mandate and promises to the Filipino people?" the opposition lawmaker said.
During the campaign, Duterte made several promises, some of which have yet to be fulfilled.
For example, he vowed to eradicate crime and drugs in the Philippines in three to six months, only to backpedal months after his election by saying that he underestimated the problem.
He also promised to ride a jet ski to a disputed island in the South China Sea to stake the country's claim to the area but later clarified that this was only a joke.
Instead, his son and aide rode jet skis in waters off Aurora to show that the Philippines owned the Philippine Rise, a territory whose ownership is not in question in the first place.
Alejano, who has been critical of many of Duterte's policies, said the president's words reflect the values he has as an individual and could explain how he views and treats human life.
"Now, for whatever devious purpose, he is trying to discredit the Catholic faith. Regardless of the form, he is disrespecting the country and its citizens," he said.
Sara Duterte: My father is not a priest
Meanwhile, Sara Duterte-Carpio, a president's daughter and mayor of Davao city, urged her father's critics not to listen to his rants on the Bible as he was not a religious scholar.
She said that people should judge Duterte based on his work as president and not on his "talkkalese."
"Please do not listen to him interpret the Bible or Quran, he is not a priest, a pastor or an imam. He is the president, listen only when he speaks about his work," she said in a statement on her social media account.
Carpio said that whatever the president said was his opinion and is protected by his constitutional right to freedom of speech and expression.
Manny Pacquiao, a Born Again senator allied with Duterte, was quoted in reports as urging critics to respect the differences in the beliefs of people.
Pacquiao, a boxing champion, courted controversy several years ago when he said that homosexuals are worse than animals. He has also cited the Bible to argue for the reimposition of the death penalty.