A religious Nation

The Social Weather Survey issued several reports about Filipinos’ religiosity that are interesting. A 4th quarter 2022 survey show that 7 out of 10 Filipino Catholics pray at least once a day. Daily praying of other religious are higher. Weekly religious service attendance by Catholics is 38% while that of other religious sects are higher.

The survey show, 78% of adult Filipinos, 31% in Spain, 54% in the US, 56% in Buddhist Thailand believe in God. The survey on agnostics, (those who doubt that God exist) show 3% in the Philippines, 11% in Spain, 6% in the US and 26% in Japan.

Regarding atheists (who don’t believe in God) the survey show, 0.6% in Philippines, 17% in Spain, 5% in the US, 11% in Japan and 24% in Thailand. Regarding morality we together with the rest of Asia are conservatives. Some say our conservatism is deeper than the rest of the world because of the 180 plus nations, only the state of Vatican and the Philippines have no divorce.

500 plus years of Catholic Spain colonization (1521-1898) have a deep impact in our culture and tradition. Our first names are westernized (Juan, John, Ian, Ivan Elizabeth, Isabel, Bella, and Eliza). Our Christmas celebration is the world’s longest, from the first “ber” (month), September, to the baptism of Christ which is usually on the 2nd week of January. We are also in world records for unusual religious rites like Holy week’s human crucifixion (Pampanga), flagellation (Luzon), Sto. Niño Festivals like Ati-Atihan in Kalibo Aklan, Dinagyan (Iloilo), and Sinulog (Cebu). On January 9, and Black Nazarene procession (the longest in the world, with the world’s biggest number of devotees, participants are about 2 million.

Hopefully, we might have the first Asian Pope.