Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte under fire after calling God 'stupid'

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 25 June 2018

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte called God "stupid" during a speech last week, and people are not having it.

Duterte, who has had rude things to say about everyone from former President Barack Obama to Pope Francis, was asked about the Biblical story of Adam and Eve and why God would tempt them. "Who is this stupid God?" Duterte responded. "This son of a bitch is then really stupid. How can you rationalize a God? Do you believe?" Duterte is president of the largest Catholic country in Asia, and immediately, both supporters and detractors spoke out against him.

Arturo Bastes, a Catholic bishop, called Duterte a "madman" whose "tirade against God and the Bible reveals again that he is a psychological freak, a psychopath, an abnormal mind who should have not been elected as president of our civilized and Christian nation." Sen. Panfilo Lacson said he supported most of Duterte's actions, but he was outraged by his comments. "May my God forgive him and make him atone for all his sins," he said.

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

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