Irreligion in the Philippines

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In the Philippines, atheists and agnostics are not officially counted in the census of the country, although the Philippine Statistics Authority in 2020 reported that 43,931 Filipinos (or 0.04043% of the total Philippine population) have no religious affiliation or have answered "none". [1] Additionally, a study by the Dentsu Communication Institute in Japan indicated that around 11 million or 11% of Filipinos are irreligious. [2] Since 2011, the non-religious increasingly organized themselves, especially among the youth in the country. [3] There is a stigma attached to being an atheist in the Philippines, and this necessitates many Filipino atheists to communicate with each other via the Internet, for example via the Philippine Atheism, Agnosticism and Secularism, Inc. formerly known as Philippine Atheists and Agnostics Society. [4]

Contents

Growth

The number of atheists has risen consistently since the 1990s, as has the number of people considering it, church attendance, and overall religiously. One in eleven Filipino Catholics consider leaving the Church, only 37% attend church every week, and only 29% consider themselves strongly religious. [5] [6] Overall, anti-Catholic sentiment is a growing trend in the Philippines,[ citation needed ] with former president Rodrigo Duterte being an outspoken critic of the church for its sex scandals [7] and allegations of corruption. [8]

According to both Catholics and Atheists, belief in the Catholic Church is linked to poverty more than it is religious conviction, many go to Church out of desperation and need for hope, and some atheists, such as Miss. M, founder of HAPI, believe that starting secular outreach institutions will help Filipinos shed reliance on the Church and put their future in their own hands.

When I asked some of the worshippers there why religion is so important to them, poverty was a common answer

Michael French

Its very important because we are very poor, so that's the only thing we cling on to, the hope, every time we suffer, we all say, 'That's okay because it's the will of God.'

Antonia Deligero [5]

My mother would go to church to ask for food and clothing and money, most Filipinos think that God provides. It will give a lot of people common sense when we let them know that there really is no God.

Marissa Torres Langseth (Miss. M) [5]

Persecution and discrimination

Filipino atheists are often harassed for their disbelief, and according to one atheist it's "how Filipinos think. They view atheists as Satanists". [5]

Organizations

Prominent figures

Philippine religious distribution

According to the 2020 census, the religious distribution of the country's population was as follows:

Population by religious affiliation (2020)
AffiliationNumberPercentage
Roman Catholic [lower-alpha 1] 85,645,36278.8
Islam 6,981,7106.4
Iglesia ni Cristo 2,806,5242.6
Philippine Independent Church 1,458,9921.4
Seventh-day Adventist 862,7250.8
Bible Baptist Church 540,3640.5
United Church of Christ in the Philippines 470,7920.4
Jehovah's Witnesses 457,2450.4
Church of Christ429,9210.4
Other religious affiliations8,954,2918.2
None43,9310
Not reported15,1860
Total108,667,043100%
Source: Philippine Statistics Authority [1]

See also

Notes

  1. excluding Catholic Charismatic numbering 74,096 persons (0.07%)

Related Research Articles

Agnosticism is the view or belief that the existence of God, the divine, or the supernatural is either unknowable in principle or currently unknown in fact. It can also mean an apathy towards such religious belief and refer to personal limitations rather than a worldview. Another definition is the view that "human reason is incapable of providing sufficient rational grounds to justify either the belief that God exists or the belief that God does not exist."

Irreligion is the absence or rejection of religious beliefs or practices. It encompasses a wide range of viewpoints drawn from various philosophical and intellectual perspectives, including atheism, agnosticism, skepticism, rationalism, and secularism. These perspectives can vary, with individuals who identify as irreligious holding a diverse array of specific beliefs about religion or its role in their lives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religion in the Philippines</span>

Christianity is the predominant religion in the Philippines, with Roman Catholicism being its largest denomination. Sizeable minorities adhering to Islam, Dharmic religions, and indigenous Philippine folk religions are also present.

Nontheism or non-theism is a range of both religious and non-religious attitudes characterized by the absence of espoused belief in the existence of God or gods. Nontheism has generally been used to describe apathy or silence towards the subject of gods and differs from atheism, or active disbelief in any gods. It has been used as an umbrella term for summarizing various distinct and even mutually exclusive positions, such as agnosticism, ignosticism, ietsism, skepticism, pantheism, pandeism, transtheism, atheism, and apatheism. It is in use in the fields of Christian apologetics and general liberal theology.

Accurate demographics of atheism are difficult to obtain since conceptions of atheism vary considerably across different cultures and languages, ranging from an active concept to being unimportant or not developed. Also in some countries and regions atheism carries a strong stigma, making it harder to count atheists in these countries. In global studies, the number of people without a religion is usually higher than the number of people without a belief in a deity and the number of people who agree with statements on lacking a belief in a deity is usually higher than the number of people who self-identify as "atheists".

Christian atheism is an ideology that embraces the teachings, narratives, symbols, practices, or communities associated with Christianity without accepting the literal existence of God.

Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities. Atheism is contrasted with theism, which in its most general form is the belief that at least one deity exists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irreligion in Australia</span>

Atheism, agnosticism, scepticism, freethought, secular humanism or general irreligion are increasing in Australia. Post-war Australia has become a highly secularised country. Religion does not play a major role in the lives of much of the population.

In the United States, between 4% and 15% of citizens demonstrated nonreligious attitudes and naturalistic worldviews, namely atheists or agnostics. The number of self-identified atheists and agnostics was around 4% each, while many persons formally affiliated with a religion are likewise non-believing.

Irreligion in New Zealand refers to atheism, agnosticism, deism, religious scepticism and secular humanism in New Zealand society. Post-war New Zealand has become a highly secular country, meaning that religion does not play a major role in the lives of many of the population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippine Atheism, Agnosticism, and Secularism Inc.</span> Organization

The Philippine Atheism, Agnosticism, and Secularism Inc. (PATAS) is a nonprofit organization for the public understanding of atheism and agnosticism in the Philippines. It serves to educate society, and eliminate myths and misconceptions about atheism and agnosticism. It speaks against discrimination of the non-religious, and for equal opportunities as Filipino citizens. PATAS encourages harmonious information exchange among its atheist and agnostic members, and encourages its members to come out and speak for their lack of religious beliefs. The society was founded in February 2011 by Jose Juan Paraiso, who served as the first chairperson and president, respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irreligion in Estonia</span>

Irreligion in Estonia pertains to atheism, agnosticism, and secularism of the people and institutions of Estonia. Irreligion is prominent in Estonia, where a majority of citizens are unaffiliated with any religion. Estonian irreligion dates back to the 19th century, when Estonian nationalists and intellectuals deemed Christianity a foreign religion in opposition to Estonian independence. Irreligion in Estonia was later accelerated by the Soviet occupation of the Baltic states, in which state atheism was enforced. By some metrics, Estonia is the most irreligious country in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irreligion in the Republic of Ireland</span>

Irreligion in Ireland pertains to the population of Ireland that are atheist, agnostic, or otherwise unaffiliated with any religion. The 2022 census recorded that 14% of the population was irreligious; the second largest category after Roman Catholicism. The population was traditionally devoutly Catholic throughout much of Ireland's modern history, with a peak of 94.9% identifying as Catholic in the 1961 census. This percentage has declined to 69% in the 2022 census, the lowest recorded. Conversely, those with no religion made up less than 0.1% of the population in 1961; the proportion grew slowly until the 1991 census where it began to rapidly increase to its current share of 14% of the population in 2022.

Irreligion in Latin America refers to various types of irreligion, including atheism, agnosticism, deism, secular humanism, secularism and non-religious. According to a Pew Research Center survey from 2014, 8% of the population is not affiliated with a religion. According to Latinobarómetro, the share of irreligious people in Latin America quadrupled between 1996 and 2020, from 4% to 16%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irreligion in Turkey</span>

Irreligion in Turkey refers to the extent of the lack, rejection of, or indifference towards religion in the Republic of Turkey. Based on surveys, Islam is the predominant religion and irreligious people form a minority in Turkey. Precise estimates of the share of Deists, atheists, agnostics, and other unaffiliated people in the population vary, though in the survey averages they make up more percentages than Christians and Jews in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Irreligion in Croatia</span>

Irreligion in Croatia pertains to atheism, agnosticism, and lack of religious affiliation in Croatia. Even though the 2011 census showed that only 4.57% of Croats considered themselves irreligious, Gallup polls conducted in 2007 and 2008 found that 30.5% of respondents did not consider religion important in their lives. The Japanese research center, Dentsu, conducted a survey in 2006 concluding that 13.2% of Croats declare themselves irreligious, compared to the 7% found by a 2010 Eurobarometer survey across Europe.

Irreligion in Italy includes all citizens of Italy that are atheist, agnostic, or otherwise irreligious. Approximately 12% of Italians are irreligious, and no affiliation is the second most common religious demographic in Italy after Christianity. Freedom of religion in Italy was guaranteed by the Constitution of Italy following its enactment in 1948. Until then, the Catholic Church was the official state church of Italy.

Irreligion in Latvia pertains to atheism, agnosticism, and lack of religious affiliation in Latvia. Irreligious thought in Latvian history is associated with national identity and a period of Communist rule. The irreligious make up a significant minority group in Latvia today, with 29% of Latvians identifying as irreligious.

Irreligion in Lithuania pertains to atheism, agnosticism, and lack of religious affiliation in Lithuania. Irreligious Lithuanians make up a small minority of the population, encompassing only 6.11% of the population in the Lithuanian census of 2021. Irreligion in Lithuania is associated with the period of Soviet rule in the late 20th century.

References

  1. 1 2 Mapa, Dennis S. (February 22, 2023). "Religious Affiliation in the Philippines (2020 Census of Population and Housing)". Philippine Statistics Authority (Press release). Archived from the original on March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 12, 2023.
  2. Rodriguez, Fritzie (2015-06-04). "On being godless and good: Irreligious Pinoys speak out". RAPPLER. Retrieved 2024-06-16.
  3. Webadmin (2012-04-24). "Atheists Searching For Their Place in Heavily Catholic Philippines". The Jakarta Globe . Retrieved 2013-09-26.
  4. "Pinoy atheists and agnostics to have 'coming out' event". ABS-CBN News. 2011-03-19. Retrieved 2013-09-26.
  5. 1 2 3 4 French, Michael. "The New Atheists of the Philippines". The Atlantic .
  6. "9% of Catholics sometimes think of leaving the Church".
  7. "Duterte vows to expose Church abuses".
  8. "Duterte: Catholic Church 'full of shit".
  9. "Red Tani: freethinking Filipino".