Tidbits  |
Selected  Readings** |
Animism and Indigenous Beliefs |
Indigenous
Religious Beliefs and Cosmology of the Filipino |
 | pre-Hispanic Filipinos believed in a Supreme God and
also believed that spirits - anitos- inhabited inanimate objects that must be
worshipped; remnants of animism linger among ethnic minorities in the north and
south |
|
Roman Catholic |
The
Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines Festival Country
Lent and Moriones |
| Introduced at the onset of Spanish colonization in
1521, first in the province of Cebu where voyager Ferdinand Magellan landed; the
"sword" and the "cross" ruled the country for more than 300 years,
helping to make the Philippines the only pre-dominantly Christian country in Southeast
Asia |
|
Iglesia ni Cristo (translation: Church of Christ) |
The Father Alone
is the True God INC: Who
Are They? |
| Founded in 1914 by Felix Manalo, the INC has members
in 67 other countries, particularly among Filipino communities in the United States; they
reject the doctrine of Trinity and argues the duality of Christ's nature |
|
Aglipayan/Iglesia Filipina Independiente
(Philippine Independence Church) |
Aglipayanism
and the Philippine Independence Church An Introduction to the Iglesia Filipina Independiente |
| Its first Supreme Bishop was Gregorio Aglipay, a
revolutionary leader during the war for Philippine independence at the turn of the 19th
century; it was launched in August 1902 by Isabelo de los Reyes, a newspaperman
imprisoned for conspiracy against Spain; the church was a breakaway from the Roman
Catholic Church |
|
Ang Dating Daan (Church of God in Christ Jesus) |
Various Issues
of Faith
(in Tagalog) |
| Its founders coming mainly from the Bulacan and
Pampanga, this group has attracted many followers using the popular technique of
question-and-answer forums in different villages; its preachers, like those from INC, are
among the most ferocious debaters in contemporary religious scene |
|
Islam |
The Oldest Existing
Religion in the Philippines |
| Arab traders during the pre-Hispanic period brought
the faith to the country's inhabitants especially in southern region, in Mindanao; today
Islam, mostly of the Sunni branch, remains strong in the island as autonomy from the
Manila government has become a regional battlecry |
|
Seventh-Day Adventists |
Official Statement of SDA on Important Issues |
| SDA, as its name signifies, bears the Christian Old
Testament doctrine of worshipping on the Sabbath (Saturday); Manalo, before founding the
Iglesia Ni Cristo was said to have belonged to the SDA |
|
Jehovah's Witnesses |
Introduction to Jehovah's Witnesses |
| Along with the SDA, the Jehovah's Witnesses is
another fundamentalist group that has membership all over the world; like the INC, it
rejects the concept of the Trinity |
|
Rizalistas |
Writer, Hero, Myth,
and Spirit: The Changing Image of Jose Rizal |
| Regarded as the Filipino Christ/Messiah by
inhabitants mainly of the Laguna province (in Southern Tagalog) where he was born, Jose
Rizal, the Philippines' foremost hero, left a legacy of spiritual dimensions;
Rizalistas recognize prophecies in his writings |
|
Other Indigenous Beliefs |
Mount Banahaw:
Holy Site? PBMA and the Ecleo Family |
| different indigenous religious groups thrive in
isolated and mountainous localities and islands of the country; some are linked to
pre-colonial legends and myths; some are induced by the power of natural forces; others a
mixture of Catholicism, superstition, and particular preferences of charismatic
individuals |
|
Other Christian Groups/ Protestants |
United Methodist Church
Worldwide Church of God
Baptists |
| Some 8% of the population are said to belong to
different protestant groups and denominations; these groups have their main ties to North
American churches; Fidel Ramos was the first Protestant leader of the Philippines |
|
El Shaddai DWXI Prayer Partners Foundation
International |
Profile of the
El Shaddai |
| Its members composed mainly of Catholics, the El
Shaddai was founded by Mariano "Mike" Velarde, a real estate developer, in the
early 80s; propagating the belief in the miracle-seed-of-faith offering in huge prayer
rallies, it has gained staunch following in Metro Manila and other provinces,
sometimes in conflict with the wishes of the Catholic Hierarchy |
|
