History of Religion in the

Philippines

Presented by: Group 1

Content
The Role of Religion in Filipino
Society

The Different and Diverse

Religions in the Philippines and
their Belief Systems

The Significance of Religion in

today’s Society
― C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain
 Why is Religion Important?
The pre-Hispanic belief system of
Filipinos consisted of a pantheon of
gods, spirits, creatures, and men that
guarded the streams, fields, trees,
mountains, forests, and houses.
Bathala, who created earth and man,
was superior to these other gods and
spirits. Upon this indigenous religious
base two foreign religions were
introduced -- Islam and Christianity -
- and a process of cultural adaptation
and synthesis began that is still
evolving. Spain introduced
Christianity to the Philippines in 1565
with the arrival of Miguel Lopez de
Legaspi. Earlier, beginning in 1350,
Islam had been spreading northward
from Indonesia into the Philippine
archipelago.
The development of religion
from a global perspective
takes on different forms from
the vantage point of different
cultures. Thus culture or life
ways impacts the way religion
is viewed and practiced. There
are religions that place
emphasis on belief, while
others emphasize practice.
Some of the world’s religions
focus on the subjective
experience of the religious
individual, while others
consider the activities of the
religious community to be
most important.
The Different Religions
in the Philippines
Roman Catholicism
Roman Catholicism, the largest Christian faith, with
more than a billion followers. The Roman Catholic
Church had a significant role in the advancement of
Western civilization and is credited with spreading
Christianity to much of the world. It is led by the
pope, as the bishop of Rome, and the Holy See forms
the church’s central government, making decisions
on issues of faith and morality for the some 1.3 billion
Catholics throughout the world
On this island on Sunday, April 14, 1521, the
King and Queen of Cebu and their subjects
made the first known conversion in the
Philippines when they joined the Catholic
faith during the Sunday mass.
 History of Roman
Catholicism in the Philippines
Catholicism has a long and complicated history in the Philippines
that begins with the entrance of Spanish colonizers in the 16th
century. The initial contact was made in 1521. when Magellan and
his crew accidentally hit the island of Homonhon, held the first
mass in Limasawa, and converted Humabon and his followers in
Cebu. Catholicism became a dominant institution in the nation
as a result of the Spanish authorities' use of it to subjugate and
convert the indigenous inhabitants.

Spanish friars were at the forefront of the Catholic missionary

effort in the Philippines. They established missions and schools
across the country and used their authority to convert the locals.
The friars also played a vital role in shaping Filipino culture, from
the introduction of European music and art to the adoption of
Christian holidays and practices. The Catholic Church’s influence
was so great that it became an integral part of Philippine society,
and it continues to be so to this day.
 Islam
Islam, major world religion promulgated by the Prophet Muhammad in
Arabia in the 7th century CE. The Arabic term islām, literally “surrender,” illuminates
the fundamental religious idea of Islam—that the believer (called a Muslim, from the active
particle of islām) accepts surrender to the will of Allah (in Arabic, Allāh: God). Allah is
viewed as the sole God—creator, sustainer, and restorer of the world. The will of Allah, to
which human beings must submit, is made known through the sacred scriptures, the
Qurʾān (often spelled Koran in English), which Allah revealed to his messenger, Muhammad.

Retaining its emphasis on an uncompromising monotheism and a strict adherence to

certain essential religious practices, the religion taught by Muhammad to a small group of
followers spread rapidly through the Middle East to Africa, Europe, the Indian
subcontinent, the Malay Peninsula, and China. By the early 21st century there were more
than 1.5 billion Muslims worldwide. Although many sectarian movements have arisen within
Islam, all Muslims are
bound by a common faith and a sense of belonging to a single community.
 Islam
Historians ascribe the introduction of Islam to the Philippines to Tuan Masha’ika,
supposedly an Arab religious leader or missionary, who landed on the island of Jolo in
what is today the Province of Sulu in the southern Philippines, in the mid to late-13th
century. One particular writer however, points out that it is likely that Islam was actually
introduced much earlier, perhaps as early as the 10th century, through Arab traders who
subsequently settled down and married local inhabitants and spread their religion in that
manner.
By the 15th century, most inhabitants of the Jolo/Sulu area had accepted Islam as their religion,
which then led to the establishment of an Islamic State, referred to as the Sultanate of Sulu, around
1450. The first Sultan of Sulu was Sayyid Al-Hashim Abu Bakr, supposedly an Arab religious leader
born in Mecca, who married into the family of the ruling family in Jolo at that time, Rajah Baguinda.
The Sultanate was then established as a political organization with Abu Bakr adopting the formal
title of Paduka Mahasari Maulana Al-Sultan Sharif-ul-Hashim. All subsequent Sultans of Sulu claim
descent from Sultan Sharif-ul-Hashim. At its height, during the early part of the 18th century, the
Sultanate of Sulu held sway over what are now the provinces of Tawi-Tawi, Sulu, Basilan, the
western portion of the Zamboanga Peninsula, the southern portion of Palawan—all in the
southwestern portion of present-day Philippines—and North Borneo or what is now Sabah in
Malaysia. What is now known as the Republic of the Philippines.
Iglesia ni Cristo
Iglesia ni Cristo is a Christian religion founded by a Filipino Felix Y. Manalo in
Manila and was registered with the Philippine government as a church on July
27, 1914. Eduardo V. Manalo, a grandson of the church's founder, is its current
executive minister.
Iglesia ni Cristo is Unitarian and non-Trinitarian in theology,
holding that Jesus Christ is God’s chosen son but is not himself God.
It teaches the doctrine of the Last Judgment and upholds a strict
biblical prohibition on consuming the blood of animals. Services are
held in the vernacular language of the congregation’s members. The
church publishes a journal, Pasugo (“God’s Message”), in Tagalog,
English, and other languages. Its headquarters are in Quezon City,
Philippines. In the early 21st century the church claimed to have
congregations in more than 100 countries, and its membership was
estimated at more than three million in the Philippines and several
thousand internationally.
 Philippine Independent
Church
Philippine Independent Church, Spanish Iglesia Filipina
Independiente, also called Aglipayan Church, independent church
organized in 1902 after the Philippine revolution of 1896–98 as a
protest against the Spanish clergy’s control of the Roman Catholic
Church.

The church continued to follow Roman Catholic forms of worship,

but for many years doctrine was strongly influenced by Unitarianism.
A schism developed in 1946, and a unitarian faction left the church.
Under Isabelo de los Reyes, Jr., elected bishop in 1946, the church
adopted in 1947 a new declaration of faith and articles of religion that
were Trinitarian. The Protestant Episcopal Church in the United
States consecrated three bishops of the Philippine Independent
Church in 1948, and the two churches entered into a close
association. In 1961 the church was accepted into full communion
with the Church of England and the Old Catholic churches.
Other Religions
SEVENTH DAY
ADVENTIST (SDA)
The Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA) is an Adventist
Protestant Christian denomination which is distinguished
by its observance of Saturday, the seventh day of the week
in the Christian and the Hebrew calendar, as the Sabbath,
its emphasis on the imminent Second Coming (advent) of
Jesus Christ, and its annihilationist soteriology. The
denomination grew out of the Millerite movement in the
United States during the mid-19th century and it was
formally established in 1863. Among its co-founders was
Ellen G. White, whose extensive writings are still held in
high regard by the church.
United Church of Christ in the
Philippines
The United Church of Christ in the Philippines has, historically, been a
leading Protestant denomination in mission work. A vital part of the
world mission emphasis of the denomination is building and maintaining
relationships with Evangelical, Protestant and other churches around the
world.

In 1973 to 1986, local churches allowed American missionaries from the

Youth With A Mission to reorganize Sunday Schools and set up Sunday
school programs.[19] This international, interdenominational Christian
missionary organization also promoted Christian movies in secular
theaters throughout the archipelago. Many Filipinos from this time are in
full-time Christian service today or are productive Christians. In
addition, a number of indigenous churches were established among
squatter communities in Metro Manila, in Baguio and villages in the
Cordilleras
 References:
https://culturalatlas.sbs.com.au/filipino-culture/filipino-culture-religion
https://iglesianicristo.net/
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Islam
https://asiasociety.org/islam-introduction
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seventh-day_Adventist_Church
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Roman-Catholicism
https://secret-ph.com/catholicism-in-the-philippines-history-tradition-and-influence/
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Philippine-Independent-Church

Members:Angoluan, Ma. Elvira

Berroya, Bianca
Bihag, Mary Edelyn
Dejos, Audrie
Dugay, Narciso III
Magsaysay, Amaris Moonshine
Mangaliag, Alecza
Neri, Keisha Mae
Obidos, Ma. Felicitie
Obligado, Marian Scarlett
Thank you
For Listening!