Religion in the Philippines

The Philippines is called the only Christian country in East Asia. About 66% of its population are committed or nominal Roman Catholics. About 7% are Protestant. However, many of them mix Christian beliefs and practices with animistic ones, creating Folk Christianity.

Indigenous Religions

The first Filipinos practiced animistic religions. Just as there were many tribal groups and languages spread over the islands, there was also a great diversity of animistic beliefs and practices. Successive waves of immigrants introduced Hinduism and Islam, and later Christianity.

Some Spanish settlers and missionaries recorded their observations. These plus existing tribal religion show that indigenous Filipinos believed in a supreme sky god, or creator god. He was invisible. His name was sacred. They only spoke it during rituals, and they made no images of him. They believed that he was so far from humanity that they could only contact him via lower deities through prayers and rituals. They divided these lower deities into benign and malign. They petitioned or appeased both kinds.

Many also believed in a kind of ‘trinity’ of gods. Beneath the sky-god was his son, who was usually associated with the sun. Another god was a kind of inherent spirit. (Although this belief bears some similarity to Christian ideas, it also has parallels in Hinduism and Pacific religions.) Generally, they made no images of any of these gods.

Primitive Animism

The first Filipinos held to animismistic beliefs. They thought that spirits dwelled in all objects, particularly natural features such as trees, rocks, water and weather conditions. They made offerings to these spirits. They avoided places where they thought malign spirits dwell. They believed that animals house spirits and that humans have kindred animal spirits. Thus they considered some animals sacred or symbolic.

Life after Death

Most Filipino tribes believed in life after death. The widespread belief held that heaven is for the good and hell is for the bad. They generally thought that heaven and hell are divided into different levels, through which the soul could move by gaining merit. Some tribes believed that souls went to different places depending on how the person died. In many regions, tribes thought that people have more than one soul: sometimes three souls, sometimes two. If two, the good soul went to heaven, and the bad one went to hell or remained on earth. Some tribes still believe that if a child is born close to the death of a family member, the child will receive a part of the dead person’s soul. Many Filipinos also worshiped their ancestors, thinking that their ancestors' spirits remained on earth or visited the living

Tribal groups still hold many of these beliefs. Some have mixed such beliefs with Christianity.

Roman Catholicism in the Philippines

Spanish people began trying to settle in the Philippines in the early 1500s. They named the archipelago after their crown prince, Philip II, in 1542. In 1565, Spain conquered the islands. Roman Catholic missionaries were among the early settlers. They began teaching and converting almost immediately. For various reasons, however, a blend of Filipino culture, Christian beliefs and Roman Catholic teachings developed.

Until now, this Folk Catholicism prevails in the Philippines. Many Filipinos hold to both animism and Catholicism. They do not perceive inconsistencies between the two.

This mix is evident in their daily life. In Catholic areas, patron saints have replaced the local spirits of animist belief. A crucifix or cross has replaced amulets to ward off evil spirits. Most buses and taxis have a statue of the Virgin Mary or baby Jesus to protect those who travel.

Shrines are visited, particularly during Christian festivals, such as Good Friday and Easter. Some shrines are ostensibly Christian but were built on the site of pagan shrines and are still used for animistic or psychic purposes.

Many Filipinos regularly attend church (usually Mass) and hold Christian beliefs but also follow animistic practices. For instance, they will visit a spirit doctor if they are ill or have a problem with another person. They will make an offering to the spirits when asking for good health or good crops. Not just people in rural areas, but people in urban centers do such things. Not just the uneducated, but the well educated.

Tribal animistic practices range from low-key rituals to more serious activities. Low-key ones include burning something bad-smelling when ill in order to ward off evil spirits (who are believed to hate bad smells). Some Christians also do this. An example of a more serious activity is the taking on a familiar spirit and making sacrifices to appease it.

Filipino View of Christ

The Filipino view of Christ also differs from the Western Protestant view, not just because it is complicated with existing Filipino culture, but because it has been based on the traditional Spanish view of Christ. Spanish Catholicism has been characterized by a deep sense of tragedy, a dread of or obsession with death, and religious contemplation of the wounds and death of Christ. The occupation of Spain by North Africans is said to have influenced the development of their faith, perhaps in particular the identification with suffering and oppression.

Rather than the pre-crucifixion, teaching Christ or the triumphant risen Christ, the popular image is of the tragic, crucified Christ, or of the Christ child with His mother. In the Philippines, these two images of Christ are also the most popular. He is commonly known as the Santo Niño (Holy Child) or the Santo Entierro (Interred Christ). These serve to illustrate that common knowledge of Christ centers on His birth and death, not on His years of ministry, His role as Messiah, or His resurrection and ascension.

Ancestor Veneration

Some Filipinos also practice ancestor veneration. On All Souls' Day (1 November), many people, including those with Christian beliefs, visit graveyards to tend the graves of deceased relatives and offer food. These activities have grown out of ancient beliefs surrounding death, the afterlife and the spirits of ancestors. The spirits of the dead were appeased in order to prevent them from harming the living, or worse, taking the living with them to the realm of the dead. They feared death because of the spirits. Many animistic tribal communities still believe in ancestral spirits and base their lives around appeasement or avoidance. In other areas, the fear of death has been absorbed into Catholicism.

Cults in the Philippines

Around 18 percent of the population are involved in cults, many of which are quasi-Christian splinter groups.

Iglesia Ni Kristo

One of the strongest religious groups in the Philippines is the Iglesia Ni Kristo (an indigenous Church of Christ). Though it holds to some of the cardinal tenets of the Christian faith, it denies others. It has expanded throughout the country and the world.Most of its members are lower middle class and working people.

INK has a centrally-defined approach to ministry. The national leaders provide content for the weekly sermons. Giving to the church is closely monitored. At election time, the leadership is able to deliver a block vote to a favored candidate. Consequently they are a powerful force in Philippine society.