Toy guns as Christmas gifts don’t match the season’s message of peace, said a ranking official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
“I have been negative towards that (giving toy guns) because of its possible bad effects on children,” Bishop Joel Baylon, chairman of the CBCP Episcopal Commission on Youth, said.
“Parents should act like censors here. They should be more careful in providing gifts to children,” he said, adding that allowing children to play violent games would have long-term effects on their values.
“There are other things we can provide that are worthwhile,” he said. Baylon suggested giving children books and other educational gifts.
Baylon said parents and even godparents have “become so desensitized” that they do not realize the bad effect of gifting children with toy weapons.
The Church official also called on young Catholics to celebrate the “real essence” of Christmas through “sharing and giving.”
“We give gifts at Christmas to celebrate the birth of Christ and His gift to us of eternal life through his life, death and resurrection,” he said. – Reinir Padua