Everything about Religion In The Philippines totally explained
There are a number of
religions that exist in the
Philippines.
Ancient indigenous beliefs
Animism,for lack of better terminology, can be used to describe the indigenous spiritual traditions practiced by people in the Philippines during pre-colonial times. Today, only a handful of the indigenous tribes continue to practice it. It is a collection of beliefs and cultural mores anchored in the idea that the world is inhabited by spirits and supernatural entities, both good and bad, and that respect be accorded to them through nature worship. These spirits all around nature are known as "
diwatas", showing cultural relationship with
Hinduism (
Devatas). Some worship specific deities, such as the Tagalog supreme deity,
Bathala, and his children Adlaw,
Mayari, and
Tala, or the Visayan deity
Kan-Laon; while others practice
Ancestor worship (
anitos). Variations of animistic practices occur in different ethnic groups.
Magic, chants and prayers are often key features. Its practitioners were highly respected (and some feared) in the community, as they were healers,
midwives (
hilot),
shamans,
witches and
warlocks (
mangkukulam),
priests/
priestesses (
babaylan/catalonan), tribal historians and wizened elders that provided the spiritual and traditional life of the community. In the
Visayan regions, there's a belief in the existence of witchcraft or
barang and mythical creatures such as the "
aswang", "
balay sa dwendi" and "
Bakonawa", despite the existence of the Christian and Islamic faiths.
In general, the spiritual and economic leadership in many pre-colonial Filipino ethnic groups was provided by women, as opposed to the political and military leadership according to men. Spanish occupiers during the 16th century arrived in the
Philippines noting about warrior priestesses leading tribal spiritual affairs. Many were condemned as
pagan heretics. Although suppressed, these matriarchal tendencies run deep in Filipino society and can still be seen in the strong leadership roles modern Filipino women are assuming in business, politics, academia, the arts and in religious institutions.
Folk religion remains a deep source of comfort, belief and cultural pride among many Filipinos. Nominally animists constitute about one percent of the population. But animism's influence pervade daily life and practice of the colonial religions that took root in the Philippines. Elements of folk belief melded with Christian and Islamic practices to give a unique perspective on these religions.
Buddhism
Buddhism in the Philippines is largely confined to the
Filipino Chinese,
Chinese,
Japanese,
Korean, and
Vietnamese communities. There are temples in Manila, Davao, and Cebu, and other places. According to the 2000 Philippine census, 0.1% of the population is Buddhist. Other sources claim different figures, however. The publication,
An Information Guide — Buddhism, for example, claims that as of 2007 Buddhists formed 2% of the total population. Vajrayana (Tibetan and Mahayana Buddhist temples are present in the Philippines as well as meditation centers and groups such as Sokka Gakkai International Vajrayana (Tibetan and Mahayana Buddhist temples are present in the Philippines as well as meditation centers and groups such as Sokka Gakkai International Today, Orthodox number at around 560.
Protestantism
Protestantism arrived in the Philippines with the coming of the Americans at the turn of the 20th century. In
1898, Spain lost the Philippines to the United States. After a bitter fight for independence against its new occupiers, Filipinos surrendered and were again colonized. The arrival of Protestant American missionaries soon followed.
Aglipayanism
The
Philippine Independent Church, more commonly known as the Iglesia Filipina Independiente, arose from a Catholic nationalist movement at the turn of the century. It is in full communion with the
Philippine Episcopal Church, the rest of the
Anglican Communion, and the
Union of Utrecht
Most Holy Church of God in Christ Jesus
The
Most Holy Church of God in Christ Jesus is a Philippine religious organization established in
May,
1922 by
Teofilo D. Ora. This church is also known in the country through its radio program
Ang Kabanalbanalan which airs on several radio stations nationwide.
Iglesia ni Cristo
Felix Manalo in 1914.
Jehovah's Witnesses
Missionaries of the Jehovah's Witnesses arrived in the Philippines during the American Occupation (1892-1945). They have been involved in several court controversies because of their stand on flag-saluting and blood transfusions. They are best known by their preaching in pairs from house to house. Currently there are more than 150,000 members in the Philippines as of the year 2006.
Members Church of God International
The
Members Church of God International, is a nontrinitarian religious organization known through its television program,
Ang Dating Daan (ADD). This group is an
offshoot of Nicholas Perez's
Iglesia ng Diyos kay Kristo Hesus Haligi at Suhay ng Katotohanan (Church of God in Christ Jesus, Pillar and Support of the Truth). The split occurred after a woman was appointed as the presiding minister of the group after Perez's death. It isn't related to the many Church of God groups that descended from the Barney Creek Meeting House revival of the late 1800s in the United States.
Mormonism
During the Spanish-American War in
1898, two men from
Utah who were members of the United States artillery battery, and who were also set apart as missionaries by the Church before they left the United States, preached while stationed in the Philippines. Missionary work ceased in the Philippines at the beginning of World War II and resumed again in 1961.
In 1969, the Church had spread to eight major islands and had the highest number of baptisms of any area in the Church. A temple was built in 1984 which located in Quezon City and another one which is under construction is in Cebu City. The Manila Missionary Training Center was established in 1983. Membership in 1984 was 76,000 and 237,000 in 1990. Membership was 572,619 in 2006.
The Kingdom of Jesus Christ
The Kingdom of Jesus Christ, the Name Above Every Name was founded by Pastor
Apollo C. Quiboloy, claiming to be the Appointed Son of God, on
September 1,
1985. He started to preach in the slums of Villamor, Agdao, Davao City with only 15 members. The small-group fellowship grew until it had spread across the Philippines within a few years. Today, Kingdom Locale Congregations (KLCs) are in every barangay, municipality and city in the country.
This tremendous growth was brought about by the radio and television programs of Pastor Apollo. By the middle of 1991, the ministry came into the television mainstream with the first airing of the Hour of Truth, which later became “The Gospel of the Kingdom”. More information at http://kingdomofjesuschrist.org
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The church founded by
Ellen G. White which is best-known for its teaching that Saturday, the seventh day of the week, is the
Sabbath, and that the
second advent of Jesus Christ is imminent.
Islam
Islam reached the Philippines in the
14th century with the arrival of
Malay and
Javanese merchants and
Arab missionaries from
Malaysia and
Indonesia, although the Islamization of the Philippines is due to the strength of Muslim India. India brought Islam to Southeast Asia, specifically Malaysia and Indonesia, and in turn the latter two brought Islam to the Philippines. Filipino Muslims make up about five percent of the population and are concentrated in the western portion of the island of
Mindanao. The
Bangsamoro or Muslim Nation, a term used to define the disparate ethnic groups that profess Islam in the Philippines as their religion, have been fighting the most protracted war of independence in world history. These include the
Tausugs and the
Maranaos. The Islamic separatist movement in the Philippines had been and is being waged for almost five centuries -- against the Spanish, the Americans, the Japanese and the predominantly Christian Filipinos of today's independent republic. Filipino Muslims follow the
Sunni tradition.
Judaism
Jews have been coming in and out of the islands but were unable to establish a substantial community. During
World War II, their population reached 10,000 when Jews from Europe took shelter in
Manila after escaping the
Holocaust. The last
Temple at Taft avenue corner Quirino was demolished in the 70's. They eventually left after the creation of
Israel. As of
2005, the Jewish population in the Philippines stands at the very most 500 people.
Sikhism and Hinduism
Hinduism and
Vajrayana Buddhism has existed in the Philippines centuries. A great deal of Philippine mythology is derived from Hindu mythology. Many Filipino customs have strong Buddhist influences. Hinduism arrived when the Hindu religion and culture arrived from India by southern Indians to Southeast Asia from the 4th centuries to the 1300's. The same case can also be found in Buddhism since early Buddhist did follow many of the Hindu cosmology and Hindus themselves considered Buddha to be an avatar of their god, Vishnu. The
Srivijaya Empire and
Majapahit Empire on what is now
Malaysia and
Indonesia, introduced Hinduism and Buddhism to the islands. Statues of Hindu-Buddhist gods have been found in the Philippines. Today Hinduism is largely confined to the Indian Filipinos and the
expatriate Indian community. Theravada and Vajrayana Buddhism, which are very close to Hinduism, are practiced by
Tibetans,
Sri Lankan,
Burmese and
Thai nationals. There are Hindu temples in Manila, as well as in the provinces. There are temples also for
Sikhism, sometimes located near Hindu temples. The two Paco temples are well known, comprising a Hindu temple and a Sikh temple.
Atheism and agnosticism
There is a growing population of
atheists and
agnostics living in the Philippines. They make up about 2% of the total population . The first known atheists/freethinkers group in Manila is the
Bertrand Russell Society Philippines, founded by Poch Suzara. Discussions on atheism is active in academic institutions such as the
University of the Philippines. One of the well known atheist organizations in UP is UPAC (University of the Philippines Atheist Circle). The Internet has also been key as medium of discussions on atheism. The first Internet forum on atheism by a Filipino is the
Radioactive Atheist
mailing list by Jobert Cuevas and Jose Paraiso. This was later converted into a blog called [atheistangpinoy.blogspot.com/Pinoy Atheist]. Today there are other atheist groups and blogs in the internet like Pinoy Atheists, Philippine Atheists and Atheista.
Statistics
The following statistics are from the CIA Factbook and the 2000 census:
Christian: 90.3%
- Roman Catholic: 80.9%
- Evangelical: 2.8%
- Iglesia ni Cristo: 2.2%
- Aglipayan: 2%
- other Christian: 4.5%
Muslim: 5%
other: 1.8%
unspecified: 0.6%
none: 0.1%Further Information
Get more info on 'Religion In The Philippines'.
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